Prayer for this Child

Prayer for this Child- LIVE from Northland Video on Vimeo.

Smile Award!

Who me?? Are you sure? :) Hollie, over at Harvest Christian, with her family of 3 boys and one great husband Tom, sent this my way. Can I just say a few things about Hollie? She loves coffee (instant bond to me!), enjoys loving and learning with her kiddo's and is the first one to offer an encouraging word. Thank you Hollie for sending me this!

This award comes with a set of rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the award's creator. (It's on the award.)

2. You must post the rules to receive the award.

3. To receive the award, you must pass it on to 5 others.

4. You must fit the characteristics of the award recipient. (below)


5. Post the characteristics of an award recipient.


6. Create a post sharing your award with others.


7. Thank the giver.And here are the characteristics of award recipients.


~ Must display a cheerful attitude (not all the time - we're all human!)


~ Must love one another.


~ Must make mistakes (This must be what helped me get this award.)


~ Must learn from others.


~ Must be a positive contributor to the blog world.


~ Must love life.


~ Must love kids.


I am passing this one on to:



Lynn - at a Mothers Journal - I always love reading her blog as it gives me a tiny vacation each time I take a virtual stroll through her garden. She inspires me through her writing, her creativity and her peacefulness.



Sarah - hee hee - at Loving and Learning with Three - Sarah has been my great friend for way too many years! She has encouraged me to go where I thought I would never go - from parenting choices ;) to homeschool, and now running. Aack! Thank you for always challenging me to grow and become who I am now!

Laura over at Stepping Out of the Boat - Who could help not smile at her new addition! Hudson is completely adorable and is completely theirs! The pictures that she is sharing has inspired me to take more of my crew and to venture into the creative world of photography. Laura has me laughing, crying and laughing some more so take a peek into her world!

Shay in Maine has a great blog called Oh Shay Can you See and just that name puts a grin on my face! Now Shay is one I wished blogged daily. If she did, there would be no need for doctors (sorry for your dh Shay) because laughter truly is the best medicine. She always has such a great spirit at the challenges life brings her way. Just spend some time with her and you will be blessed!

And last but not least, Candache (or Candace) at His Mercy is New. I check her blog often so I can get some sense of what to do with some of my units! I think her home must be so much fun as she takes the time to prepare wonderful life experiences for her 3 kiddo's (and any others who might be visiting!;)). She has a great way of sharing info and inspiring others to squeeze the most out of their homeschool.

Now Smile away!

Oh, one more picture

Our neighbors who live behind us also work at the High School cottage right next door. They must have had to check on something at home so they braved the storm by driving the van to their home. See how much water there is? This was a slow speed too!

Tropical Storm Fay - that won't go away!

This is the view from our front yard. There is a retention pond in the far right corner and it is about to run over the edge. It is usually a 7 ft drop to the waters edge on a normal day.

Notice there is a tree that has fallen. There were some maintenence guys there checking out the water situation seconds before the tree fell. Fortunately, they were ok but a bit shocked!


Close up of the tree. The road is also under a good amount of water. The drains are still working well so hopefully it will be ok. We live on a hill so we feel fortunate that the water won't effect us too much.

Better post this now before we loose power! It has been blinking on and off all day.

Encouragement for Mother's

Our church just started linking the whole service, not just the sermon. The service is such an encouragement to mom's everywhere at any phase of their motherdom. Enjoy!



Service Video: Life in the Kingdom - Mother's Nature from Northland Services on Vimeo.

By George I Think I've Got It!

Now you know that just when you think you have the perfect schedule, things change so in no way is this written in stone! It is just what works now!

A few weeks ago I was so distraught at the kids behavior in the afternoon. They were disobedient, fighting with one another and outright loud! They would burst into tears at the slightest provocation. I am sure you guys can relate!

I finally said, that is enough! I am a mom who totally believes in naps, hey, in fact my kids love naps! I just don't like 3 hour naps which keep them up until 10pm every night.

One of my friends sends her daughter to day care and they take an hour nap every day. I asked her when her girl goes back to bed at night. Low and behold it was around the same time as before she had napped! What? Is that so???!

Now I know my son is the king of the power nap. He can sleep for any length of time and wake up happy as a clam. My daughter isn't so blessed! She acts like a girl in full throws of teenagerdom. She moans, complains and begs to be left alone until she wakes up on her own. What do I do with that after an hour nap?

Aaaaaahhhh, the trusted babysitter of our days... The TV of course!

Now before you guys all throw stones at me, hear me out. Since starting school, we have changed our daily routine. We wake up, get dressed, eat and then start school. Can you see what is missing? Morning TV time!!! So I will allow them to gently wake up to their tv fix first thing after nap. It will also allow for me to get a few things wrapped up after nap. Genius!

Now pray that this schedule sticks for awhile as I kinda like it!

I have come to the conclusion that everything written by Patricia Piccolo will be a winner, and this book is no exception!

The story revolves around a boy Eli who visits his Aunt Chip. All the townspeople of Triple Creek have been sucked into too much TV watching and have totally forgotten how to seek joy from books. GASP! Because of the relationship between Aunt Chip and her nephew Eli, the town of Triple Creek learns the importance of reading and how it can effect their daily life.

If you haven't already picked this one up, I suggest that you do so today! It was as much fun to read as it was for my kids to listen!