Great kids

This morning as we were preparing to do our devotions and morning family prayer I quickly tallied up an average for H's tests thus far from WRPS. 98.87%. I know; I had to take a second look myself...

C's lowest mark this year has been an 87.5%.

A showed me last night how he is learning to sign "Jesus Loves Me"...

...I am so proud of my kids. They really are great!

Shine little light, shine

Two weeks H has been at WRPS instead of the public school system and I have seen a growth in her I never even fathomed! I knew there would be changes but, this is almost overwhelming. I don't feel like a bad parent per se for having her in the public system but I am beginning to see that the system that thought she may need to be held back (and with complete sincerity and genuine intentions) may have been, unknowingly, holding her back.

As I said, she has been in WRPS for two weeks; we were just told that she is throwing her teachers there for a bit of a loop. They don't think they will be able to keep paces in for her...she is finishing what they have before her new ones can even come in! Not only is she finishing them quickly but, she is getting 100's on them. She has memory verses with each pace that she is memorizing and retaining plus the kids have a monthly memory scripture they need to learn. Generally, it is an entire chapter (for instance, this month they are learning Psalm 115) but more specifically, the kids learn their age in verses. H will be 8 at the end of the month and decided that her initial goal was to learn 8 verses; she has now made it her goal to know the entire chapter by the end of the month just like the senior class and she is well on her way to doing that as well! With a little guidance and a few key words in her trouble areas she can recite the entire chapter save the last verse!

She is thriving; there is a countenance about her like I have never seen on her.

Pacing those paces.

Things are really beginning to move along...The second WRPS classroom is completely ready and has had the most trustworthy seniors moved into it! C was one of those moved (given the fact that she was at home with a suspected case of pink eye, H moved her stuff for her). With this new development comes exciting news for H! She now has her own "office" at school and boy, is she pumped!!!

C has only 6 more word building paces to go and she is done, completely done those paces. She has a goal to graduate at the same time she would have in the public school system or sooner. At this rate, it may be sooner.
H told me at supper that she plans on being done when she is 10! What a kid! What enthusiasm~I told her not to try to grow up so fast because what would she do if she was finished all her school work in 2 years? It's a long ways until she can go to college. She has all ready completed 3 pace books and has only been there a week. A went to sleep tonight dreaming about Treasure Box on Friday (if they have their 5 apples-for good behaviour-at the end of the week they get to pick a prize from the Treasure Box).

Tonight C and H have completely cleaned their room! It looks fantastic! A, on the other hand, destroyed his and will be cleaning it tomorrow right after school. While the girls were cleaning, I helped them by going through H's dresser and getting rid of too small clothes from there.

Mount Giveawayous continues to grow but I thought perhaps I would leave it all in my house until I am completely done with this go-around and then get it all out at the same time so I only need to organize one trip to wherever I take it!

Work has commenced on the building once again; it will be nice to have that done. As it stands right now, we have worship and service in the foyer; the kids go to a classroom upstairs for children's church and nursery are in their usual spot. Last Friday was our first time being back in the foyer for service in a while and I don't know how many times I hit my hand on the door frame where the worship team stands or how many times Micheal hit me in the kidneys. It was, in hindsight, comical; at the time, we just tried to stay focused on the task at hand-ushering in the presence of God.

Super Saturday!

It has been a day of accomplishments-some bigger than others and some not-so-big. I had a lot planned to get done today but due to an extra long morning in bed (I'm still not feeling that great) I had a slow start.

11:00 to 1:00 was worship practice. We learned two new songs and discussed the fact that Dec 13 we will be going to Red Earth (:D)
1:00 to 2:00 Kids & I were at SuperStore getting a few groceries
2:00-3:00 scrambling to put groceries away, cook a pizza for a late lunch/snack, do dishes and get lasagna for supper started.
3:00-3:30 Had a nice but quick visit with Paula.
3:30-4:00 Finish making the lasagna
4:00-4:30 Sat down with A to fight off this headache...(praying probably would have been a good idea...sometimes I continue to try to lean on my own strength and power)
4:30-5:30 Laid down for a nap
5:30 got up as supper was ready and to wait for S & A to come for supper
6:00-8:00 had a nice supper & visit with S & A (plus washed Tae Kwon Do uniforms...must remember to drop those off at Dad's in the morning!)
8:00 on consisted of putting pictures on Facebook, getting the last pages of the black & white scrapbook (that I have done) into page protectors, folding laundry, sorting laundry and washing more laundry.

I am pleased to announce that Mount Laundruvious has been pretty much conquered! Yay!!! However, through the conquering a new mountain has developed...Mount Giveawayous! Tomorrow I will be packing it up and taking it, along with the other bag, to, well, to be honest, I don't know where but I am taking it!!! It will be out of my house tomorrow after service (no last minute meetings arising that is)

Tomorrow I am in Children's Church so I had best be off to bed...need my strength for a couple of those kids...they are a lesson in patience and love. Tomorrow's lesson: The Holy Spirit!

This marks the last night of school for this week thus drawing to a close part one of "Passion for Souls" by Oswald J. Smith. Our teacher has been Dr. Gaetano Sicilia from Toronto; he's a pretty funny guy but I found myself disappointed with the class due to the fact that we never once opened the book. With the conclusion of the class comes the exam and the essay being due tonight as well.

School weeks definitely make me appreciate that we have a 24-hour store here now. For instance, this morning we ran to our local 24-hour stuff-mart before dropping the kids off at school to get juice boxes for today's lunch, gingerale for my upset stomach and mountain climbing supplies (aka laundry soap). I used to think the 24-hour store here was a little silly but, I have since changed my mind. It definitely is great for a family such as ours who are on the go ALL the time (and for the countless shift-work families we have in this town); I am sure there really is a need for it.

After last night's class we went to BP's with two of our dear friends for a well deserved and long awaited time of visiting. It was after midnight before we left; we did a couple odd things at the house when we got home so it took a lot of prying this morning to pull my body out of my soft, warm bed! :P We are STILL needing to get together with other friends of ours because B, C and the 2 guys at their house completed a 21-day fast before conference and decided when it was over we would all have some wings...plus, we are still trying to figure out when to get together with S & A and the boys! It will come...I guess this is where I need to practice that patience I have been learning, right? :D

H is well into her paces after her 2nd day of classes and really seems to be adjusting to the new routine, new expectations and new learning strategies very well. A too. He absolutely loves his class, his friends and his teacher!!

Tomorrow brings Friday evening service and I don't know if we are having music practice on Saturday morning or not as the tent is down and the building project is momentarily halted. I guess tomorrow will bring that answer. I am not going to "stress" about it. Saturday will bring more post-conference clean up and some more organization. My Gopher-Revival Notebook is really coming along with it's formation and organizing techniques for our family; we may soon be completely organized. Wouldn't that be lovely? Hopefully Saturday also brings being able to see S & A with C squared. Time will tell.

How much more will I provided then for you?

We climbed a huge mountain yesterday-a mountain range in fact however, my initial goal from the other day was by-passed all together. I am not concerned though as, like I said, we got lots of stuff done.

We noticed that one's house can really fall apart when you still live there daily but no one is home for anything other than sleeping. We spent the day conquering the living room, kitchen and some laundry; there are still other mountains to climb but, other than the laundry one, they are small mountains.

Another huge thing for our house yesterday, and this is totally God's provision, B got a different job! I know! He just started at Tip Top about 6 weeks ago and wasn't looking to go anywhere else; he didn't even have resumes out anywhere. These people came to him! The one guy spoke to him on Friday; B and I discussed it on the weekend and decided that it wouldn't hurt to go and talk to them. Monday he called and set up a time for Tuesday at 10, before his shift at Tip Tops (12-5). Tuesday at 12 he walked through the door and told me he was starting his new job tomorrow! Tip Top didn't want or need notice since B is still on his probation so that was great and they told him he didn't have to stay for his scheduled shift.

He is now making $6.00 an hour more than he was, has better hours (done at 5 instead of 6) and is Assistant Manager! To top all of that, he is back in a field that he loves and enjoys being in. I asked him today how it was going and he sounds so much happier!

What is really funny (because God does have a sense of humor) is B went into the interview with a number in mind for a wage, something that he figured out would be just enough to pay for the kids to be at WRPS); the gentleman asked him what he had in mind, God gave B a number to ask for which was higher than what we had figured out and B told him to throw a number at him and B would let him know if that worked or not. The guy threw a number higher than what our initial number was but God still told B this other number. He simply asked the guy, "What about this #?" and he got it! Praise the Lord!!!!

All of this from a job B never applied for and never showed any interest in but was "chased" after for. A little side bonus here, considering all the extra money that was taken off of B's checks at ISM and all the taxes that were taken off, B's take home from this new job is only a couple hundred dollars shy of what he was making at ISM per pay check!!! God is SO GOOD!!!!

I am starting on that mountain today...I have a little helper though and she is not making it entirely easy to keep this mountain folded. She's pretty cute though so I can probably forgiver her. (:P) First thing this morning "Riss" called to see if we would mind watching our most favorite "Talia" as her daycare was closed due to Rememberance Day. (Like we would ever not want to do that and since I am staying at home to clean today I was certainly not opposed).

About 20 minutes ago I put her in the play-pen in my room so she could sleep...She has just now allowed herself to drift into that sweet slumber fighting each time her heavy eyelids closed until she could fight no more. It's kind of nice having a baby in the house but I have realized that since my youngest is far from a baby our house is about as baby-proof as a hardware store.

I am so glad that we are in a church that looks out for each other. There has never been an "if you need anything let us know" comment without follow-through of any kind. With this church 9 times out of 10 you don't even need to ask; people see your need and tend to it without hestiation! It was, therefore, our great pleasure to help Riss out today.

Now...back to mountain climbing...but perhaps a pit-stop for lunch!

Menacing Monday

Ok, Monday's really aren't menacing but Chaotic Monday didn't have the same ring to it. Every second Monday is definitely filled with its chaos. Let me fill you in by giving you a run down of how it all works:

Morning:
7:45 Do Family Devotions and Morning Prayer...don't forget group hug at end of H and A will surely remind us. (:P)

8:00 Leave house and get B around the store. He starts at 9:30 but I need the car because I am home before him and need to get kids.

8:15 Drop kids off at school.

8:30 Start work.

Afternoon:
12-1 Lunch break so I eat on the run (half the time) to run to store or (now that I have a meal plan in the works possibly running home to turn on crock pot).

5:00 Leave work, drive downtown to get kids from Miss Ruth's (after school sitter), go half-way across town to get sitter for while we are in school as C works Mondays, make kids something quick for supper (that's now, by next school week that will all ready be ready for them), eat my supper in the car.

Evening:
6:00 Pick up B from store and head to church

6:30 Class starts

9:30 Designated end to classes but sometimes they do go a bit longer

10:00 Recopy notes from class neatly and highlight as needed, do any reading and/or homework.

Every things else varies as per time depending how long the last one takes but there are still 5 lunches to make yet, school agendas to sign, dishes to wash, pick up C from work depending on what time she is done, there is a cat to feed (if A has forgotten) and it is now time for bed.

Chaos! However, that being said, I wouldn't change doing it just to remove that chaos in our lives for two days of the month. I am working on plans and a structure that I am calling "Gopher Revival" instead of "The Household Notebook" and I think it will eliminate a lot of the chaos to Menacing Mondays. There's nothing like trying to shake a Bangles song out of your head (cue "Manic Monday" in the background).

Mount Laundruvious

The last few days have been busy. Oct 31 was Day #1 of our World Conference (Reviving the Word); last day was yesterday. The week of the 31st found us at the church working on the building project every night. It was an awful lot of fun but, tiring: work for 8 hours, rush home, change, eat supper (thank God for C who cooked all this week), pick up B from work at 6, go to church for 6:30, home about 10:30, make tomorrow's lunches, throw in a load of wash, throw a load of dry clothes in our ever growing pile of clean clothes awaiting our tender affection, head to bed, wake and repeat. The conference was wonderful; the presence of God was powerful, alter calls were building nightly with power and effect and it was a lot more of the same routine as last week only the nights were later. Still, with all this work and such little sleep, our attitudes remained great, our spirits high, our bodies...are beginning to slow down some but I think that is mainly due to the fact that we are all, with the exception of H fighting colds.

This week is another school week and I am so excited! The course for this week is "Passion for Souls" and it will be a lot of reading to get done but do-able without agony. (:P) I am looking forward to finding out what I received on my last exam and essay. I think though, with us being in class, that mountain will simply continue to increase as it grows more than I can get accomplished in the few moments I have before work to get laundry folded.

My number 1 task for next week is to get that laundry not only under control but conquered and to get all the too small clothes organized and out of the house. I need to see what clothes the kids really do have as they now have a dress-code to follow and it would help to know what they are needing, wht they have and what can be utilized out of what they DO have...

I am establishing routines so once conquered it should not rear its ugliness again...right? We will also be eating less fast food (both of places like McDonalds and those not-so-nutrious foods like chicken fingers, noodles n sauce...you know, the quick-we-have-20-minutes-to-eat foods.). All three kids are now in the same school so that eliminates getting three different kids to 2 different places all for basically the same time and it eliminates the need to rely on a friend of ours to get C to school (which may eliminate demerits for C as she won't be late so often). Another thing that the kids being at WRPS will eliminate is the need to make specialized lunches due to nut bans and then individual allergies in both classes; they can have what they want without me scouring the ingredients to ensure the safety of other children. All plans take time and there will be revamping but we are well on our way in the process...