Coffee for Breakfast

Pictures to follow soon!

We have had a very eventful, busy 10 days. Last Sunday we headed out to Springfield, MO. to the National Homeschool Basketball Championships. Monday through Saturday were filled with basketball games, visiting with friends, and more basketball games. We ate out three meals a day and stayed in a hotel each night. Neither of those activities agree very well with me. I love to go out to eat but not 24 meals in a row! I love to stay in nice hotels, but I never sleep as well as in my own bed. Before it sounds like this is just a complaint post, I do want to say we had fun. I was just very happy to be heading home the following Sunday. The drive home was not without its own drama. First of all, we travelled about halfway home in snow. That may not mean alot to all of you who are accustomed to travelling in snow, but for this East Texas clan it was a little stressful. The next bit of excitement came in the form of a vibrating car. After arriving in Springfield earlier that week, we detected a...

Laundry, check. Bags packed, almost check. Car cleaned and ready to go, check. House in order (somewhat), check. We are almost ready to hit the road! Other than some last minute shopping, we are good to go. The girls are looking forward to SPRING BREAK!

Packing and all the other preparations that are required for 5 people to go on an 8 day trip are enough reason to need a vacation. I already need a vacation from my vacation. If you can call a week long basketball tournament a vacation...hmmm. Either way, vacation or work, I'm ready to get out of town. I need a change of scenery. Actually this yearly event is one that is greatly anticipated by my whole family. What could be better? We get to spend an entire week watching our girls play basketball, eat out, and spend time with friends. We love it. We will be heading to Springfield, Missouri in a couple of days. We reserved our room in plenty of time to get a suite, unlike last year. I'm attending to all of the last minute details, like occupying kids for 9 hours in the car. I think I'm almost ready to go!

I just realized I haven't written anything about our homeschool in quite a while. Other than our basics, Aubree is hugely interested in Native Americans. I went to one of my favorite free resources to supplement our studies. This is a site we turn to often to find lapbooking/notebooking pages. Her interest in studying Indians or Native Americans began with a penmanship book (Draw*Write*Now) that we started around Thanksgiving. After completing the lessons she still wanted to know more. Currently we are working on a lapbook based on the story, The Courage of Sarah Noble. We will follow with book studies on Pocahontas and Sign of the Beaver. We plan to make a teepee (Barbie size) and other crafts from the book More than Moccasins. This site also has a free resource based on the Iriquois Indians. We are having alot of fun and will continue our studies throughout the remainder of the school year, or until interests change. One of the most enjoyable aspects of homeschooling is the abil...

Today I recieved a newsletter from Teen Challenge. Featured in the newsletter was the following featured student: Shelby Dean Slaton Age: 19 # Siblings: 4 Favorite Sports Team: Cowboys Favorite Meal: Cheeseburgers Favorite Author: Rob Bell/Shane Claiborne Favorite Scripture: "He who dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1) Brief History: My drug problem started at age 13. Over the years I would suppress my anger over my parents' divorce through the use of more and more drugs. By the time I was 18, I was a chronic drinker and smoker. A day didn't go by that I wasn't getting high on various drugs. I lost all my relationships with my family and hated who I had become. The drugs became my identity and I didn't like that. My Turning Point: I believed that there had to be something more to life than dying daily and destroying anything and everything I put my hands on. My mom had always told me about Chr...

I'm looking forward to the National Homeschool Basketball Championships. It is only a little over a week away. This will be our 4th year to attend. Kaitlyn won't be playing this year due to a knee injury. Kyla will be playing on the 14 and under team. It is a fun week of basketball and spending time with friends, old and new. I haven't managed to take many basketball pictures this season because of lens issues. I will try to make up for it during Nationals. When we return home, Kaitlyn will be having knee surgery. She is looking forward to putting this behind her and getting back to doing the things she loves!

I'm looking forward to this evening! We are having a ladies meeting at our church. I love this time of fellowship. We are starting a new study by Lisa Bevere. (Nuture) I am going with great anticipation and expecting God to do great things. This is just the refreshment I need!