On wedding rings...

When we got married, I designed the engagement ring and hubby designed the wedding rings.  I like them.  Sadly, I as not in the habit of wearing them.  They fit but I was in my last year of college when I married and was a ceramics major, so unless I wanted them lost in clay... well you get the idea. So the habit never formed.

Hubby is in the same boat, he worked in a place that needed sanitary conditions (he was product control with injectionables, so those with diabetes could stay healthy) and then went into medical school so well, again need a pretty clan environment and wedding rings harbor germs.  It is kinda interesting, considering that we both really don't think of it as a big deal about neither one of us wear our wedding rings all the time.  I know MANY women that would just assume he is cheating because the ring was off, but I know my husband and I love and respect him and he knows me and loves and respects me.  At least we try to... we are human after all.

So what is the point of this post?  None, other than me wanting to show off a picture of my rings.

What do your rings look like?  Comment below with a flickr link, blog link or something.  i love looking at wedding and engagement rings... the creative the better!

Book Review: A Year with God

About 3 months ago I got a book from booksneeze titled A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst.  The book is about only finding verses that actually have God talking (and no, that doesn't include the Son, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, just God the Father and his decrees).   You can learn a lot about God just by looking at what He says and does. 

I haven't actually finished it but am at about day 40 and like it.  The reflections over the scripture is by far not the only thing to be gleaned from the scripture but it is a good starting point.  The Author sections what God says into different subjects like "Love and Hate" and "Faith and Doubt" and then goes more in depth with the subject.  This is nice because if you feel the need to study "Forgiveness and Anger" then you can just jump and start there.  Now, Would I actually go and BUY this book.  Unlikely.  It conveys Biblical truth but I feel I don't have the time to follow up with it every day on top of my normal Biblical routine.  This is a GREAT book for you if you are trying to get into reading the Bible everyday this is a good starter as it feeds you and then allows you to go deeper as you feel.

As always I got this book fro free via Booksneeze so I could write a truthful review about it.  I don't get any other compensation other than the book I am reviewing and well maybe I get found by search engines when people search the book title... but I doubt that last part. Also if you would like to get FREE Christian Books to review on your blog you can sign up for free too!

Swag Bucks!

Recently I found Swag Bucks and it is really cool.  I have made an account and downloaded the toolbar and just been searching.  So far I have earned enough for 3 Amazon 5 dollar gift card... All in 3 weeks.  Think about all the stuff you could buy if you got 5 dollars free each week just searching for stuff like you normally would... yea... that may pay for a rather large chunk of Christmas next year... or just let me buy crazy stuff I want to own... like more stitch dictionaries...

On that  note, if you JOIN Swagbucks through my link I get EXTRA points meaning more free stuff!  So please, if you don't have an account... well, click the picture in this post and get one?  You can be earning  GREAT cool stuff too (though the Amazon gift card is the best deal per point... math nerd me figured that out.)

Speaking of which, I am also now an Amazon Associate.  That means if anyone out there loves me they can come to my blog and click through the link to Amazon and then search whatever they want and I get money when you buy it!

(Yes, I put a link to a stitch dictionary... I like them ok? and right now I am into lace, with how in Hawaii it is always hot and all...)

Public Service Announcement

I could so dance for joy and throw caution to the wind tonight!  My almost 3 year old son, G, has willingly gone potty in the potty, not just once but 2 times tonight!  I don't know if it is the M&M's instead of Nestle Morsels that I am bribing with, but 2 dry diapers and 2 pees have occurred.   I am DEARLY hoping that because I blogged about it I have not jinxed the situation....

To homeschool or not to homeschool that is the question.

This last week N went back to kindergarten and her frustration level has skyrocketed.  Seems that over winter break we jumped from learning our letters and letter sounds to fill in the blank and sounding out words.  N has been having trouble with sounds the letters make from the very beginning and now she is being given a picture of a cat and the letters C_T and being told to fill in the missing letter.  She can say C-A-T sounded out but when asked which letter makes the A sound will tell you whichever letter comes to mind first. 

With this new development they are now telling me that there is a 100% chance of her repeating kindergarten (while before they were "hoping" that she could catch up with the rest of her class).  She is beyond frustrated with this.  After talking to the teacher, I found out that NO other child has this issue or is going to not progress into 1st grade next year.  That is right N is the only one.  They haven't "said" learning disabled but it has been mentioned that if she doesn't get some progress by the end of the year that they want her to get tested.  The teacher has even recommended that G get tested and see if he should go into the public school's preschool program for children that are behind as these thing run in families.

The issue is that I want to homeschool next year.  N is REALLY interested in art, music, math and science but is lagging in reading and writing much like I was at that age.  She may not be developmentally ready to read until 5th grade just like me and I don't want her to feel like she is being singled out in a bad way like I was for not being able to read or write for so long.  What do you do with a child that can understand fractions and algebra in 5th an 6th grade but can't read "The Cat in The Hat"?  Hold them back, push them forward?  The schools here don't have a learning center so sending them to a classroom to get special instruction is not an option.  I have been working with her after school but more than 15 minutes a day and she just breaks down into tears (though on weekend she can work with me for 3 or 4 hours throughout the day).

This year we are in a REALLY good school and next year we are hoping to stay here and stay in this school, but we are military.  What if we do move?  What happens if the next school we are in just ignores her learning issues because she a "good girl" and they have trouble makers they have to deal with instead?  I could  start homeschooling when we get to that school, but I know me and I know that I could not start homeschooling and move at the same time.  I could continue, but starting would be out of the question.  I have moved 6 times in 7 years of marriage and I know what it takes to move and adding "figure out how to homeschool" to that would be like a bullet to the head.

Some people are really against me homeschooling for many reasons, but the truth is that the elementary schools (yes there will be multiple) we will be attending are NOT the school we attended as a child.  My school district as a child was the Rolls-Royce of school districts with a full time art teacher, a full time music teacher and a full time PE teacher.  I WISH I could have that for my kids, but the reality is that is not going to happen.  My kids have a very large chance of getting a 4 wheels and a key education at some point (think one step up from Kansas City Missouri's School district, and yes I have looked up the top 3 places we will be stationed next and the schools are NOT someplace where I would send N).  Would I want my kids in a school like that even if it was a "social outlet" for my kids or "homeschooled kids are socially awkward"?  Would we be able to afford private school for 3 kids?  What if we have more kids?  I would have to work full time. That would mean day care... and day care is NOT a place I want my kids to go.

So right now we are acting on the premise that I am going to homeschool next year.  I am researching like crazy and have been utilizing my mother in law (who homeschooled her kids) in going over different curriculum to buy or use and have been reading bunches of homeschooling blogs like Educate Freely to get a handle on what is out there.

I am not going into this lightly.