A Day in the Life...

This is for all my homeschool friends or other moms who read way too many blogs about families that do everything "perfect."

I get tired of reading articles about the day in a life of a homeschool family where they do everything the way "it is supposed to be done." While those moms were up at 5 a.m. working out and having quiet time before taking a shower and waking the kids, I was still in the bed trying to figure out when exactly Julia crawled in there with me. At 6:30, I hear Allan get out of the bed to get the big kids up for school, and I keep attempting to sleep.

Once I do start the day, it never begins with a shower. It always begins with a Mt. Dew while nursing Hannah and praying Juila doesn't destroy anything in that 30 minutes. All that happens while Abigail tries to find her assignment sheet that I have already printed for her each day over and over.

When Hannah is content (for about 5 minutes), I start Abigail's reading lesson. I am still praying Julia doesn't destroy the house and try to entertain her with preschool workbooks and coloring books. Once we get started, Hannah will need to be held and Julia will begin drawing on any surface she can find with a Sharpie.

I attempt to clean up the kitchen from breakfast (which happened while I was still in the bed) and maybe get laundry folded while monitoring Abigail's math and other lessons. I tell Abigail about 20 times how much longer until her break while reminding her over and over again where her assignment sheet is located.

The day progresses like this until my Superman hubby comes home and makes lunch. We eat, and Julia destroys the table... but is so cute while she does it! Abigail asks me 10 times if she has to have reading time or can she watch TV, and I answer the same each time (although it doesn't stop her from asking). I get Julia down for a nap (on a good day), have Abigail reading on a bed (any bed... just not hers because it is the same room with Juila) and dream about Hannah taking a nap.

Then, Allan picks up the big kids from school, and I spend the next hour and half going over homework, asking them four thousand times if they have done their chores the RIGHT way, and giving out snacks.

Many days, we have several different sports going on at the YMCA, and Allan and I simply shuttle back and forth all evening. We try to get dinner on the table at a reasonable time and start with chores again.

It is simply CHAOS. And, yes, Julia is still destroying the house through the process. However, at 8, we all gather up on the couches for a Bible time and prayer (most nights to be honest), and I remember why we do it all.

Now... that is a true day in the life of a homeschool mom.... and no, I never did get a shower! And, yes, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A Calling.

Often times, we feel called by God to do various things in our lives. For years, Allan and I have felt called to be open and available to needy children and families. We have acted on it in small ways over the years, but the past few months, God laid a BIGGIE on our hearts. Through a particular situation, we have been called to become foster parents. Yep, a family that already has 3 biological children with one on the way is taking in more!!!

Let me back up.... for the past year, we have been heavily burdened that God was calling our family to do something radical and different for Him. We really had NO idea what it would be and were (and still are of course) open to whatever it could be. Of course, we had our own ideas of where this new vision could lead, but we had no idea the end result.

At the end of July, we became aware of a specific need of a foster home for some children we love. We knew immediately that was what God had been preparing us to do. It has been a long few months (nothing like making a major family change in the third trimester of a 4th pregnancy), but we are excited about the possibilities coming up very soon. Our family expansion is only on the weekends for right now, as we are waiting our final approval any day. So, as we prepare for our 4th baby, we are also prepared for the addition of two more.

We have no idea what the end situation will be or where this will lead us, but through it all, we know we want to continue to be foster parents in the future. Did you know in Georgia, there are 15,000 children in foster care and only 5,000 available homes? It is truly a calling... but we all know it is a biblical mandate to take care of the widows and orphans. So, it is time we are practicing what we preach!

Pray for our family as we double in size in the next few weeks. We are so excited to see what God has in store for all of us! Unfortunately, we cannot post pictures of our new children or tell their information, but just know our hearts are ever expanding!!

We are so proud of our beautiful Abigail. This is the video of her getting baptized. It took me awhile to upload it because I accidentally videoed it sideways using my regular camera. I had to figure out how to get it turned around. So you could watch it without having to hold your head tilted!!

Abigail has been asking about becoming a Christian for about a year now, but everything clicked really well for her during our revival. Our evangelist, Dr. Keith Fordham, used a puppet named Homer to tell the gospel story to the children. For her, it was the final explanation she needed. She also got a video of the performance and has since memorized everything Homer says!

She talked to me that night, but was too shy to go forward during the invitation. After talking more with Allan and me, she went forward the next night and was baptized the following Sunday. We praise God for her decision!

A new year underway!

It is official... we have started a new year of homeschooling. A.J. is in 4th Grade, Abigail is in 1st Grade, and Julia is into everything! Last year, (only 6 weeks ago), when we were finishing up, she couldn't reach the table or climb in chairs. Those days are over. This week was all about figuring out how to do everything with her in tow!

The kids have started a new history curriculum called "The Mystery of History." I can't wait to dive deeper into it. We are learning world history and Bible history at the same time. Did you even know that Joshua was around the same time as King Tut? We just never learned those things in school. I guess I always thought they were separate. I am so glad my kids will be able to learn about all of God's creation at the same time, in chronological order. This year, we are studying everything that happened in our world from Creation to Christ. Can't wait to keep going!

Pray for us as we embark on year #2 in this adventure. Pray I have patience in my pregnancy to make it through the next 18 weeks until the baby comes. Pray we can keep Julia happy and being productive, not destructive! Pray Abigail will develop great listening skills and deeper understanding each day. Pray A.J. will learn self-control of his emotions. They are such wonderful children, and I am so thankful to have them all. I know this will be a great year!

(PS... the only complaint of any significance from AJ so far is that we won't get to the Civil War this year. That is his favorite thing in history to discuss)!

Why I love... A.J.

Sometimes when I look back, I can't even believe it has been over 9 years since I became a mother. I don't think anything can ever change the way you feel when that first baby is born. Allan James had a very rough start to life, but he hasn't slowed down one bit ever since. Here are 10 of the reasons I love this kid:

1. He is so smart! He knows way more about history and wars than I ever will or care to (but don't tell him I said that). He is the only child that when he plays 20 questions, picks the beaches of Normandy to be his thing we are trying to discover!
2. He is a "thinker." His questions are always deep and thought provoking.
3. He has given his life to Christ and is my brother!
4. He will play "house" with his sisters and is a good sport (most of the time).
5. He loves music.
6. His laugh! The boy loves life, and there is nothing better than watching "slap-stick" humor with him. It is funnier to laugh at him laughing than the actual funny thing!
7. He wants to be home-schooled. It is nice it is not a battle, and he wants to be home with his family.
8. He loves to be outside (even in this crazy hot weather).
9. He is a great camper, and a willing sport!
10. He is great with his baby sister, and I have no doubt he will be wonderful with a new baby!

Why I love... ABIGAIL

Abigail is so easy to come up with thousands of reasons to love. Here are 10 of the best:
1. She is FULL of personality (she is my mother's answer to the prayer, "I hope you get one just like you one day!").
2. She is the best big sister to Julia... she plays with her, dresses her, feeds her, basically treats her as her own baby.
3. She is a fighter.... she has overcome major health issues and never complains about her medicine she takes every day (a different story, however, when it comes to drawing blood).
4. She loves to sing and dance.
5. She will go with me anywhere to run errands, shop, etc. She is a great partner to have along.
6. She has a wonderful strong childlike faith. She loves Jesus very much.
7. She reads well and loves to do her schoolwork.
8. She snuggles!
9. She is great on the monkey bars! Maybe that is why we have always called her our little monkey???
10. She wants to be with her family more than anyone else. And, we want to be with her!

Why I love... JULIA!

I have decided to spend one blog entry each day on why I love each child. I want them to know just a little of why they are so special. I decided to start with Julia because I already had this cute video to post. (Please note: she does need some type of hair intervention!).

Why I love Julia: (just 10 of the millions of reasons)

1. She can howl like a wolf (was the second animal noise she learned after chickens).
2. In the morning, she comes to my bed and gently says, "up." If I don't respond immediately, she says it with a bit more passion. Then, if I still don't pick her up, she yells it loud, "UUUUUPPPP!"
3. She has learned many baby signs and uses them very efficiently (more, please, thank you, juice, etc).
4. She LOVES her daddy! It is so neat to see the special bond between them.
5. She loves to play with baby dolls, kitchen toys, etc. She is already so girly!
6. She tries to dunk herself in the pool (quite amusing, really).
7. She will remind us if we forget to pray before a meal.
8. She was a "surprise" to us, but really the best blessing!
9. At naptime, she will INSIST we sing her many songs... don't know if she likes our singing or is just delaying the sleep!
10. She LOVES to be outside (even in this heat). Last night, she "helped" her daddy in the garden. She gets so excited when you just mention going to see the chickens!

A little of this and a little of that....

Yep, it is me again... WAY behind in blogging. So, this is catch up. I won't write too much (or try not to), so you can just look at what has been going on. Much more interesting that way!

In late March and early April, we took a trip to North Carolina. Part of the reason was to celebrate A.J.'s 9th birthday and the other part was to visit Allan's family and surprise them with this news....

We made a trip to The Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte. Although I don't have pictures of every part of it, here are a few. We enjoyed the HUGE indoor water park, arcades, story time, wizard wand scavenger hunts, and much more.

While we were in Raleigh, Allan, A.J, Papa, and Uncle Michael took a day trip to see USS North Carolina. A.J. is obsessed with history, especially wars. He had a great time!


In May, we took Julia on her first overnight camping trip. Allan takes the "big" kids more frequently, and Julia and I will come for a little while, but this is the first time she spent the night. She didn't like the sleeping part too much! Sorry camping neighbors!


A few other things... yes... we still have chickens, and we are FINALLY getting eggs! Have plenty now!

We also enjoyed some strawberry picking with our friends, the Germains.... who are the ones that got us into this chicken mess in the first place! =)

Of course, we also celebrated the most important holiday to us as Christians, Easter! The Germain family joined us for our worship service that morning. (And, by the way... impossible to get a good picture of three kids at this age!)

In May, just last weekend, we took the kids to the beach. It was Julia's first time to see the ocean, and she loved EVERY part of it. She had sand from head to toe, and a smile to match!

While in Panama City, we went to WonderWorks science museum. It was fabulous. The kids said it was their favorite part of the beach. All of these final pictures are from the museum.


And, to conclude... how many of you have a picture of your husband laying on a bed of nails???

A Glimpse...

I think Facebook has almost killed my blog. It is easier to get on their, post a little funny about the day, and go on. But, I don't want to lose my blog because I think it is more of a scrapbook of our life. And, I love my life.

So, here is a glimpse to catch up the tons that has been going on around the Pierce household...

We had a wonderful visit with Grandpa Wally and Grandma Ina for Thanksgiving. Since they live in St. Louis, and we are all in south Georgia, the visits are few and far between. But, they are they most wonderful grandparents whom I love very deeply.

We also celebrated Julia's first birthday (and yes, my family fussed at me for her outfit, but I loved it).

In preparation for Christmas, I began trying to take a decent picture of the kids in their Christmas clothes. This is about the best I got...
This doesn't nearly cover our past few months, but it makes me feel like I have accomplished something for today!!!

Christmas Cards

We have been talking a lot lately about what we are going to do for Christmas cards. Actually, I have been talking, and I think Allan has been half-listening! We have debated saving the money and donating to a charity instead of cards OR now we have found a great promotion from Shutterfly for Bloggers. They are our favorite cards and the cards we have used for years. Here is where you can see their Christmas selection.

Here are my rules on Christmas cards (self-imposed of course):

1. Make sure they arrive BEFORE Christmas.
2. Always have them say MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Not Happy Holidays... want no confusion about what we are celebrating in the Pierce family).
3. Get a cute picture of the kids... after all it will be on fridges across America, and we want to win the "who has the cutest kid on their card" un-official contest!"

We also use Shutterfly each year to make calendars for the Grandparents.... always a winning present! It is really easy to make and the shipping is quick, quick, quick. Try it!

Can't wait to get started (and yes... this is a plug for Shutterfly so I can get some free Christmas cards)... Gotta love it!

"It Takes a Village"

We have probably all heard the old African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," which was popularized by Hillary Clinton's book she wrote while First Lady. Recently, I read on a homeschooling blog where someone wrote, "It takes a village... and I don't want my kids in that village." That made me really start to think.....

I understand the quote saying the whole community comes together to all play a part in raising our children. I can see that. Really, all those people do have an influence on our children. And, I can see the side that we don't want our children raised by the village (or the world) around us. The world around us is a scary place full of people who I don't want to influence my children. I have chosen to home school my children to avoid some of those negative influences.

HOWEVER... I do think it takes more than just Allan and me to raise our children. I would say, "It takes a FAMILY to raise a child." Then define family.... for us, that family is grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, CHURCH family, and close friends. All of those people come together to raise our children. Yes, we are the greatest influence because we are with them the most, but the influence of our extended "family" is unbelievable.

My children simply adore their grandparents. Between history lessons, tea parties, play time, games, and snuggles, the the impact grandparents bestow on them is beyond any measure of value. However, our family doesn't stop there. Since A.J. was born, we have been part of 4 different churches... both full of people who truly LOVE our children. They have sat with others during church, had church members at their birthday parties, and stayed with church family when we were in the hospital with other family members. And, there are also those friends who we consider part of the family to raise our children. Our friends and the children of our friends are just as close to us as our blood related family. We love each and every one of them so much.

So, yes it does take a village... but parents must choose who is in their village. We are careful to only let our children spend long amounts of time with people who love the Lord and impart good values on them. Thank you to all of you who are in our village!

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

This year, for Abigail's birthday, she wanted a trip to the American Girl Doll store in Atlanta. While there, she got her first "big" American Girl Doll. (She already had a Bitty Baby, but now she got one of the historical figures). She chose Kit from the Great Depression. When we returned home, she had a family birthday party, complete with cupcakes and ice cream of course.

Them American Girl Brunch...
The home party....
Abigail at the end of the night, going to bed dressed like Kit...