Listening to the Whispers of "That Small Voice"

As you guys know, the United States has been experiencing major tornado outbreaks the last month. As a matter of fact, today marks the one month anniversary of the seasons first outbreak, April 27, 2011 in our state of Alabama. Looking back to four weeks ago, God's ability to know all things (omniscience), is what stands out the most to me today. I know there have to be a plethora of stories of God's omniscience out there from survivors, but this was ours on the unaffected side of things.

My family of four had spent the Sunday three days prior, which was Easter Sunday, with my husband's family at his home church, which is always a big tradition! This clan of approximately 20 folks are ALWAYS expected to be there from near or far, for the annual family Easter pic.  

My kids with Uncle D. at Easter


Their home church is located in one of Birmingham's western suburbs and is one of only two large churches in that particular community. We also lived in this neighborhood for seven years and it has, and always will be, sentimental as our first home as a married couple, the community where our children still call home, where my husband grew up, graduated high school, and his family still lives today. Despite that all, I thought it extremely odd when the Lord pressed it upon my heart, more like pounded it, to donate a particular amount of money specifically to the church's food pantry during our visit.

It seemed odd to me due to the back story leading up to Easter Sunday. My husband has worked for the same employer for 13 years or so, and he has NEVER had a delayed paycheck. Not only was the check delayed once when it accidentally went to the wrong state, but it got delayed in another when the plane had mechanical difficulties, and I don't even remember what the third issue was, but it was bizarre. My husband and I debated all week whether or not to head over for the traditional Easter Sunday with the family because gas money was surely an issue and we had not even been able to purchase our annual new Easter clothes and candy baskets and I wanted us to look perfect for that family photo! We decided to go and during the church service, I was literally arguing my case with the Lord about why I simply could not write this check, especially for this amount to this church's food pantry. I tell Him, "I will do it next week when surely we would have received it by then," No, this was not sufficient for Him. He spoke to me again.

"I will make it for even more than you are asking me, if I can just wait a week," No, He didn't settle for this either.

"I will do it at the church where our membership is located, it is a little closer to home which would allow me more time. The paycheck has been delayed three times already, I simply cannot do what you are asking me to do."

The Lord spoke to me with extreme urgency and said, "It cannot wait a week, it has to be THIS church, TODAY."

Well I finally decided to be in obedience and walk by faith, wrote out the check an hour later at the conclusion of the service and passed it along to the pastor's wife very casually mentioning that I had post-dated it a few days out, and to have a Happy Easter.

Thursday morning after tuning into the TV to see the first images drizzle in from around our Birmingham community and our state from the storms the evening before, I was stunned to see one the hardest hit areas was indeed part of this west Birmingham suburb where we had spent Easter Sunday.

My immediate feeling was that of shock, God was right! That check didn't need to wait a week and it did in fact need to be that community. No God doesn't want my money, He wants my obedience to do what He says and WHEN He says to do it and He was right on every account, this time it just happen to involve money. Immediately my husband's home church was able to utilize its resources taking bottled water to these neighbors and the gospel of Jesus Christ with it.

I don't know why I was shocked. However, I guess I always am in same way when it comes to our Lord. Shock that He can and wants to use US for His glory, lead us beside the still waters (Psalm 23), plans to prosper us, giving us a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11), and to be with us always, even until the end of the age (Matt. 28: 20), just lots of reasons to be amazed by Him and did I mention that He is more powerful than any storm? Yes, even the wind and the sea obey Him (Matt: 8: 27). Just as amazing though, his omniscience to know all that is past, present and future (Psalm 147:5 & Acts 15:18)

What is He telling YOU in His infinite wisdom today? I promise it will benefit you and maybe even those around you.
Have a great Friday,
~Clarissa

How we organize our Homeschool stuff

A lot of people ask me about my organization skills. To answer this honestly, I do not think it has been because I have been homeschooling since 2003, I think I am obsessive-compulsive, seriously! I just thought I was weird. Then one day I was reading an article a man wrote in a Lifeway publication about gifts that God gives people and I think mine must be one he listed, "the gift of administration," I was relieved because I had never heard that before mentioned as a gift, let alone how it could bless your family, so I wanted to share with you some things that work around my house as far as HOMESCHOOLING is concerned. I can write more about organizing other stuff later ( and a disclaimer here, I am SURE there are more that know a LOT more about options out there than I, I have just been asked repeatedly how I organize homeschool stuff at my house, granted we just moved a week or so ago, lol!)

I guess the first question is WHERE we homeschool in the house. Well, this is different has it has ever been before, and how it will be in the future, but we have been using the Bob Jones University Press dvds this school yr because we KNEW we were gonna have a crazy year, and my kids are 7 and 10. The kids just pop 'em in their dvd players in their room and I will sit in to help out or just see what they are learning and then record it in our planner. BUT we STILL DO LOTS OF UNSCHOOLING like watching documentaries and so on, but daddy likes the dvds but we will not be using them again. I feel too distant from the kids this year but it HAS helped get the work done this school year despite all the craziness elsewhere!



Now we have an old table that we put in the garage and we use that for when we have family homeschool time like lessons for everyone or crafts and we will homeschool here daily next year. The wall behind isn't painted yet, as we just moved here, but I am also going to hang their homeschool "cheat" posters over the table like, multiplication tables and of course our pledges, yes we does those daily to the Bible and the United States. On the table we also have the medium-sized three-drawer containers for different types of paper and then another one, although not pictured. One of the three drawers is for crayons, one for colored pencils and one for markers. (I told you I was obsessive) It just drives me crazy when the kids need colored pencils and can only find markers, ugh, so that is how that came about.

(I bought this table at a yard sale yesterday for $15 and it is larger than it looks so no more card table! Great for crafts too as it is kinda scuffed up on the top)

Here are some other pics of how we organize our homeschool stuff. 

(This is our container from walmart where the kids put their completed school work. Each kid has a drawer-until I can get to them to grade them and add them in their yearly notebooks. I ALWAYS call them in and go over it if there are any mistakes or even worse, sloppy work, lol! I will show a pic of their yearly notebooks in just a second.)

(These are their yearly notebooks. They have ALL their school work in them, divided by subject with subject dividers. I always try to get the notebooks with the clear plastic covers at least on the side so I can label and easily see from a bookshelf what's inside. I also, on the back clear sleeve keep one copy of proof of registration with their cover school that year and then another one in a fireproof place like a file cabinet or safe. The kids LOVE to show these to grandparents and just look at them alone and see how far they have improved, and yes, Art, has it's own divider tab too!)

Speaking of record-keeping so to speak, we just buy these individually priced Homeschool Report cards at our local Parent-Teacher Store. You could easily make one if you don't have one and even the cover school we have used this year provides their own which you bring with you twice a year at grade/record reconciliation days at their office. You can "grade" on anything you wish and I also "grade" based on attitude and other character traits. I would love to show you some transcripts for the kids, that I have kept over the years but they are still packed up right now, but I will try to come back another day and add a pic to edit this post.

This is the planner we have used this year and it has really helped keeping me accountable. It was hard finding one with as many spaces as I felt I needed, but each two-page layout is a week and my headers read each kid (I have 2) for their subjects that coincide with their curriculum this year. It has worked great, however, I will also show you what we did last school year. Oh by the way, this planner we used this year has been a big help in keeping track of attendance which is required to turn in.

Last school year I just bought a notebook and some notebook paper and kept a "diary" of the days we homeschooled and what each kid did. Nice, but I needed a little more accountability so I can't say ouch, missed three days last week..I NEED a CALENDAR layout!

Another notebook! This is for craft ideas and keep it with my homeschool resources. I subscribe to some fun magazines like "Family Fun" by Disney and "Instructor" by Scholastic. I don't necessarily wanna keep the whole mag, but am more likely to try out the crafts I think the kids would like or that even pertinent to what we are learning so I tear them out, stick em in a plastic page and keep 'em in here, see...

This reminds me of some things I would like to share as far as organizing, but I will have to do that in a part two!

Unit Studies! I LOVE unit studies! These bags can be bought at the Parent-Teacher Store but I think the heavy grade Ziplocs would work just as well. Here, I can put all our teaching materials pertaining to that unit in one place and if we are going to a picnic lunch we can with us! This is our China unit study that we work on for Chinese New Year. I am working on lots of other bags, like Black History month, etc., and keep all these bags in a bin. I got this idea from the Hoover Library!

Last thing for tonight..now you are seeing JUST how O.C. I am! Hey, when you  move 5 times in 4 years, you learn to be organized! This is an idea that I got just this last week. Many friends send me great links for homeschooling certain subjects, even games! SO, instead of bookmarking them into my computer NEVER to be seen again, I have started printing them out and putting them in this notebook, of course divided by subject. There is even one for Music History, how cool! And just in case you didn't, because I didn't until just this year, notebooks are EXPENSIVE and can be purchased all day long at the local thrifts stores, anywhere from 10 cents to 39 cents!!!! Okay, well I hope this has helped SOMEONE. This is just how I do it, do whatever works for YOU. IT's your HOME, your KIDS, do what works for YOU!
Love,
Clarissa

  

My New Haircut

My New Haircut

I have been feeling so bogged down lately. I mean, for like six months worrying obsessively about NUMEROUS things that I cannot control. Everything has felt heavy. My body, my mind and yes, even my hair.

My husband likes long hair, although what busy mom doesn't like a short "do"? It was getting wrapped around my neck at night, choking me and keeping me hot and sweaty when I would work around the house. Even in a bun or ponytail, it was just piled somewhere else, if not my neck, then atop my head! Oh sure, it looked great when I would condition, color, straighten it and slap some expensive waxy pal made on it. And although my hair seemed just so relaxed and "natural" to people sitting next to me at a dress-up event such as church, I knew the struggle and STRAIN it was on me to up-keep that style! My hair seemed so symbolic to me that day last week of my spiritual condition. Bogged down, splitting and dry, and all my work to make it look anything different was done so in my own ability and still falling short. I needed a professional stylist to repair my mess and quickly I explained to her when I showed up at the salon!

So my question to you today is this: Do you need an un-scheduled, walk-in appointment at the Master's feet to repair all the mess that's got you so bogged down right now? I know I did! Do you really want to hang on to what's choking you, keeping you hot and bothered or do you want to be set free of it? Are you going to move it somewhere else only to feel it later, or are you REALLY going to man up and let it go and give it to Jesus to decide what style works best for you?

Matthew 11: 28-30 of  "The Message" translation of the Bible translates Jesus' words this way : "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Pretty amazing isn't it? No office hours, no appointments needed, just show up, He'll be there waiting to repair your frazzled, dry, splitting mess!

To see all that hair on the floor was bittersweet. It had been with me a long while now, but it was time to cut it loose and wear a new style. A style that really was natural for me, wash and go! That's how I like things to be, move on, move on, but somehow, somewhere, I got tangled up in my self-sufficiency again. You see the Lord and I have had this talk before, seven years ago. But ladies, watch out, because just like hair, those superwoman tendencies WILL try to return, so make sure to keep your best salon scissors, and your Bible handy. You will likely need them!

Resting at the Masters Feet,

~Clarissa

Changing of the Seasons

I guess I noticed it at work yesterday. I was working the podium at the movie theatre and everyone that came in did so as if heading off to the Winter Olympics to watch a dog sled race or something. Large jackets and even blankets were the norm yesterday, the first weekend in October in our southern state of Alabama. The front door would open and all my movie schedules would get caught up in the breeze from the open door and be whisked away to randomly fall in the front foyer despite my continued effort to keep the theatres' first impression tidy.

Then it occured to me how I was like my papers atop the ticket podium. I too was at the mercy of the changing of the seasons in my life. Would I randomly come to rest wherever the wind placed me? Would I mirror the early falling leaves outdoors? I unclipped my walkie for a make shift paper weight as I welcomed the heat deprived guests indoors. My papers would have to stay put, however, I made a different choice for myself. I will be as the leaves, letting go and letting my Creator scatter me where He will. Atleast this way I won't be fighting against this natural season in my life. Some point soon, I will come to rest, even if it is on the ground, and the changing of the colors inside of me will be beautiful and testament to His work.  (Matthew 11: 28-30)
~Clarissa

Welcome

Hey Friends!

I started this blog over a year ago but never had time to utilize it. Figured now would be a good time. This is just a place where I can write about whatever is on my mind relating to homeschooling, parenting, organizing, couponing or anything else I suppose. Here I can also post what I am up to which is amazingly what so many of you want to know. Am I really that interesting?? Seriously, I know several of my good friends REFUSE to use Facebook and I understand because I have a love-hate relationship with it myself. This blog will allow me to keep up with those not on facebook as well. Let's see where this goes. "Talk" to you guys soon!
~Clarissa