Health Problems and Homeschooling

This has been quite a year. In Oct. I experienced some pretty serious health problems and have not been as active on Facebook since then. I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and feeling a little bit better. I plan on sharing a bit of my journey when the time is right.

How many of you have had health problems while homeschooling? It's HARD! It's hard to find the motivation to keep going each day when you don't feel good or got no sleep and it's hard to feel positive. It's hard to know what you can say to your kids and what you shouldn't say so not to scare them. I've learned a ton since Oct. and I'm still learning and through it all I'm learning to be grateful. I love my family and I'm savoring every minute I have with my kiddos.

I just wanted to encourage you because I know we all have things we are working on or trials we might be going through...especially right now. The decision you've made to homeschool your kids is the best decision you could ever make in the life of your family. No matter how hard life gets homeschooling brings your family together and connects you to one another.

If you are going through a challenging time like me, I wanted to share a tip...I highly recommend journaling and get off the internet. Us homeschooling moms love to research, but sometimes it can actually harm the healing process. I've tried to stop researching "Dr. Google" for answers and instead I've been going to my faithful journal and just start writing my thoughts. It has helped bring peace in this very uncertain time. I may not have all the answers, but I feel a lot more calm and peaceful. Sometimes the internet is not the best place to go for answers.

If any of you need to talk or need some encouragement, please don't hesitate to message me.

A New Podcast!

About a year ago my friend Allie Suydam told me I should be listening to this amazing podcast (Before Breakfast) she just started listening to and how she was learning a ton about leadership, time management, and other topics. I wasn't really into listening to podcasts mostly because I'm a visual learner and don't tend to remember things I hear. BUT...I decided to give it a try and found out I loved it! Thank you Allie! I now listen to podcasts while multi tasking with something else like getting ready in the morning, laundry/ironing, taking a walk by myself, or sometimes driving. It's a great way to learn something new or get inspired.

After being interviewed for the Mom Inspired Show Podcast last month I was asked by several people if Heart of Homeschooling could do a podcast. So...I decided to start a podcast for Heart of Homeschooling! It's not super flashy and pretty basic, but I had fun putting it together. This first episode is about how to get started homeschooling. It's great especially for those new to homeschooling and those who don't know what to do now that most charters are not accepting new students.

I hope you like it.

Oh! And I'm looking for homeschooling moms and dads to have on the show for future episodes. So, if you are interested, please email me at shannon@heartofhomeschooling.org.

Here's the first Heart of Homeschooling episode 1 for the series - Simple Steps to Homeschooling Success: https://anchor.fm/heart-of-homeschooling

Also, if you are interested in hearing my interview with the Mom Inspired Show go here: https://mominspiredshow.com/homeschooling-101-series-part-4-shannon-carpenter-197/

Does God ever speak to you? Are you listening?

Does God ever speak to you? Are you listening? You have to quiet yourself sometimes to hear from Him. He speaks through His Word, devotions, other people, nature, etc. He confirms things he’s putting on your heart to encourage you on your path and purpose (and sometimes convict you to get you back on the right path).

This past week I’ve been feeling the Lord wanting me to pray about the words I speak (and my thoughts). He is showing me how subtle it is to have negative thoughts and words take root or become a bad habit in our life. I pray my words would be life giving and an encouragement to the hearer. I’ve been more attentive to my words each day as the Lord continues to teach me and show me what he desires. I’m learning to slow down and pray before speaking. It’s not easy!

Then this popped up today in my Jesus Calling devo. Hoping it encourages you about your words and how God can speak to you too about what He wants for your life! Pray today and ask Him what He wants for you!

Thank you Lord for your encouragement!

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Can I really homeschool?

This is a question that I get asked pretty regularly these days as many families are considering venturing into the homeschooling lifestyle. I get emails and messages from new mom's wondering if they really has what it takes to homeschool. I always say "YES! YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL! I believe anyone and everyone can homeschool and no two homeschooling families look alike. 

So, short answer...anyone can homeschool. In fact not only can anyone homeschool, but everyone is already homeschooling! Whether you've thought about it or not, you are already homeschooling your child(ren) in one way or another. Think about all the milestones you have helped your child with such as learning to eat, talk, walk, go potty...they are all done through "homeschooling."

Every day you educate your child teaching them your values, manners, skills you have or want them to use, and so much more. These are all examples of you homeschooling. So relax in knowing that you already have some great experience as a home educator.

But here’s what you’re really questioning: Am I qualified to teach my child math, grammar, history, and all the other things they need to know in order to be successful in life? Our society actively trains parents to believe that they are the least qualified to teach their own children. But there probably has never been another time in history in which such an abundance of resources has been made available to help parents who want to home educate and many of those resources are free or cost very little to acquire! In fact I am in the process of writing a book - The Complete Guide to Homeschooling (not totally set on the title yet) which is due to come out mid-August and will be chock full of helpful information all about homeschooling including curriculum and how to's on homeschooling. It will be for teachers helping support homeschooling parents and also for parents (both new and veteran) to learn tips and tricks and ways to develop and grow in their homeschool lifestyle. 

On top of the wealth of information available, other homeschool families are a wellspring of information when it comes to the day-to-day of home education. Facebook groups like Heart of Homeschooling, blogs (like this one and others), podcasts (watch for HOH podcast coming soon!), and personal networking will open doors of opportunity when it comes to subject matter that might prove difficult for you at first. The Heart of Homeschooling Courses are just perfect for this if you want to learn at your own pace using an online course! And...we just majorly reduced our prices because so many need them now due to COVID-19. Courses are now our non-accredited courses are priced a very affordable $9 and up. Plus we still offer the FREE course to get you started. 

Homeschooling allows you to develop a special bond with your children as well as the opportunity to dig deeply into and invest the time toward your child’s own special learning style so they have the best possible chance of success. In the Heart of Homeschooling I and II I teach you all about finding your child's learning style and a curriculum to match. Your child doesn’t fall through the cracks in the classroom because, in your homeschool, your child is the class.

Don’t be afraid. Anyone with enough passion about, and dedication to, their child’s education to choose the homeschooling journey already has what it takes. YOU CAN HOMESCHOOL! 

Love Always, 

Shannon 

PS Email me anytime if you have questions about homeschooling at shannon@heartofhomeschooling.org 

To love their husbands and children...

Titus 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Yesterday Wes and I had the privilege of being interviewed by a church friend for a project she is working on to create a parenting course for our community called Intentional Parenting. We were honored to be asked to be interviewed. She told us she sees good things in our kids and family and wanted to learn more about our parenting. What a blessing! We were very humbled and excited for the opportunity. It was so fun to reflect on our past 28 years of marriage and parenting and also be asked thoughtful questions. I couldn't help but have tears in my eyes as I thought of all the ways we have relied on God over and over through trials and triumphs and how many times God showed up in our lives. I'm so grateful and more in love with Wes and my sweet family than ever before. I also realized that I wanted to recommit to being a more "intentional parent" and started my quiet time this morning asking God to show me what that should look like. 

What he showed me is that even though he has given me a lot more time now than I have ever had before since I was laid off from Inspire last Fall, I have not been using the extra time wisely. I have instead been unwise with my time wasting it with unproductive/unintentional things and I realized we are also in a rut with our daily activities. Do you know what I mean? Can you relate? For example, we just do the same thing day in and day out. I have so enjoyed being home more and spending more time with my family, but we have kind of become like robots and I feel like we need to be more intentional with how we spend our time. I long to be more focused on teaching, training, and taking advantage of teachable moments to teach Biblical truths to my family.

 

Here are some of the positive routines that are going well, but could be deepened: 

• Daily Quiet time with the Lord - family share about what the Lord is showing us
• Finishing school subjects daily - add in read aloud time together
• Meal times together - add in devo time and share time

Some things I want to add to get out of our rut: 

• Weekly dates with each child and grandchild 
• Weekly FaceTime with grandparents and children/grandchild who lives out of town
• Add in "Life Skills" (see below) training time with each child/children
• Add in Character lessons with children - do this during devo and read aloud time
• Family walks after dinner or pool time. 
• Family game night and outdoor movie night

Life Skills Projects to do with kids:

• Cooking new healthy meals together - breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Remodel of children's play house in backyard
• Finish barn loft to create extra sleeping area/Recreation Room
• Build backyard garden area and plant flowers/grass
• Build backyard deck 
• Paint kitchen and laundry cabinets

I've prayed for a long time that God would give my husband and I a ministry to do together thinking we could do mission trips or have a family ministry..But, you know what? The Lord told me this morning "Look around you...I've already given you a ministry! Your family!" I was so humbled. Of course I knew this, but this is exactly what He wants me to focus on now in this season! I was thinking bigger and something outside of our family unit, but in this season the ministry God wants us to focus and build into is right in front of us. I've realized in this season that I'm in where God has me being STILL a lot that I've so often taken my family for granted. I've put off pouring into our children's lives and replaced that time I could have been spending teaching and training with work priorities, phone calls, email, the Internet, social media, or whatever. Those things are not bad (although sometimes they can be if they take all your time), they are usually just neutral. But, God is teaching me over and over that the TIME we have on this earth is soooo short and goes so quickly. I have to be diligent to be directed by God and realize the blessings he has given me and what is right in front of me. I have to ask him daily what he wants me to do with my time. 

Besides loving my children and recommitting my time to my family, the Lord is teaching me something else from Titus 2:3-5...to love my husband and what exactly that looks like. I will share next time what I'm learning. 

TODAY's CHALLENGE: I want to challenge you to write down some ways you can show love to your children today, this week, month, etc. Make a list of what is working and another list of what you want to add to show love. Pray over your children and ask the Lord to show you exactly what is needed for each of them. Summer is the perfect time to start some new habits. Take it one step further and ask a friend to keep you accountable to your list. Will you keep me accountable? Let's check in periodically to see how it's going. Feel free to comment below what you want to add. 

Life is busy, not too busy to start posting again. Re-post from 2017 with an update!

The past year and a half has been amazing. I can't believe that I now have a 7 year old, 9 year old, 12 year old, 14, 17, and 19 year old at home still. In addition, I have a 22 year old expecting her second baby and an amazing 25 year old son through marriage. I feel so blessed, but at the same time I feel that I'm living life in the fast lane.
There is nothing I love more than being a mom to my amazing 7 children and bonding with my grandson and future second grandchild. I have decided that I want to take the name of my grandma who I admired more than anything...Meemaw and I hope Papa becomes a hit for Wes.
It's almost time for school to begin for the 2017-18 school year and I still need to decide on what we are using for curriculum. The kids are so excited because they will be attending the Specialty Program called Edventure through Inspire two days a week. But, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we need to figure out what we are going to do. My hearts desire is to bring our family together again and learn and read together. So, I'm drawn to Bookshark, but I really want to use something that has Biblical principals woven in throughout the lessons. I'm also drawn to My Fathers World and Angela O'Dells curriculum for history. Do any of my readers have experience with these curriculum choices?

Lately we've been watching episodes of "When Calls The Heart" as a family with my youngest three. It is such a blessing to watch something that was produced by my all time favorite producer's son...Michael Landon Jr. I grew up watching "Little House on the Prairie" every Monday night on NBC at 8:00. When Calls the Heart has the same values interwoven in the themes. I love it.

Here is a very cute picture from our last weekend at Lake Almanor. Jeff and Emily's amazing church held a Family Camp. We had a great time and can't wait for next year.

UPDATE: My grandma name is actually Mimi (which is little Meemaw) and that way my grandma stayed the one and only Meemaw. Also, our then 17 year old daughter is now married to the love of her life, Kris Channell and lives in Lake Tahoe with her new baby boy, Brayden. But, I will have to save that story for another post. Wow, so much to write about. I'm glad to be blogging again! 

XOXO

I'm going to be a Grandma? Re-posted from 2015 with a surprise blessing!

My oldest is newly married and expecting her first baby and I'm going to be a Grandma! I am so excited and amazed at God's goodness all at the same time. God is so incredible. I remember being a little girl pretending to be married and a mama. That is all I ever wanted to be! God gave me a good and godly man to marry and raise a family with and we have been so abundantly blessed. My five year old is going to be an aunt and I will hopefully never have an empty nest as the generations just continue to happen.

I had an incredible Grandma who I was very close to. She was known as "Meemaw" to all of her grandchildren and I think about her and miss her every day. I also remember when I was a little girl wishing and hoping that I would be a young Grandma someday like my Grandma was. Meemaw was 44 when she became a Grandma, my Mom was also 44 and I will be either 44 or 45 depending on when this new little one enters the world. God has truly given me the desires of my heart in which he planted there long ago.

However, I have had a hard time adjusting to this new season. It is bitter sweet because "my vision" and dream was that all of my children and grandchildren would live on the same street or just around the corner from us so we could be a part of their everyday lives. I could bake cookies for them and truly know them and play a significant part in their lives. But, God has other plans and my daughter and new son-in-law have moved three hours away. I am so thankful it isn't further than three hours, but also sad that it isn't closer. I fear we will miss opportunities I had hoped for like lazy days of stopping by just to say "hi", Sunday family dinners, babysitting for date nights, or just hang out time, but I rest in the peace knowing God has our lives in His hands and my plans are not always His plans. I trust we will do our best to stay involved and make EVERY moment matter.

An incredible blessing from this beautiful marriage was our Son-in-law. He is so perfect for our oldest and we are so thankful for him. He is so patient and considerate of her and her needs. He is caring and loving to her and it is so beautiful to watch their love grow. They are going to be incredible parents. We are so proud of them both and the decision they have made to follow God with all of their hearts. God paved the way for them to meet and their courtship was so sweet.

Just a few weeks ago, when they were still here, we were recalling some special moments in their relationship. Soon after we moved to Cool, Emily began singing on the Worship Team at our new church. Her now husband volunteered on sound, so he got to see her sing quite regularly. She sang the song "Blessings" one Sunday that summer and he remembered his mom leaning over to him and whispering "you need to find a girl like that to marry." One day, around the same point in time, Emily was talking to an old friend and decided to play a joke on her. She told her she was engaged to a guy here in Cool already and his name was Jeff Lomas (her now husband)! I couldn't believe she was saying that, since at that point she didn't know Jeff, and told her she shouldn't say that since he or his family could find out in this small town. She just laughed. I guess it was providence.

So, even though they are not down the street I am thankful we are not too far away. I pray for the everyday that God will continue to bless their lives and that their love will continue to grow.

UPDATE: In 2018, shortly after my sweet grand-daughter, Kinsley was born, our daughter Emily, Jeff, Tucker, and Kinsley bought a house only 4 houses down the street from us! God is so good! We just couldn't believe it when it happened and now we get to see our adorable grand-kiddos all the time! Of course they will be homeschooled and it will be so fun helping out when that new adventure begins! 

Welcome to the NEW Heart of Homeschooling BLOG!

Dear Heart of Homeschooling Members, 

I'm so excited to welcome you to the HOH Blog! Truth be told I'm merging a blog I started almost 10 years ago when I was homeschooling 7 children ages 1 to 15. Life was busy in a different way back then, but I thought HOH members might glean some thoughts and tips from what I wrote way back then. Now that I've got Heart of Homeschooling running smoothly, I thought I would start up the Blog writing again. I love to write about family, homeschooling, and what God is doing in my life. My hope and prayer is that this will be a blessing for you and an encouragement in your homeschool journey. 

Since this is the first post officially for Heart of Homeschooling I want to first of all welcome all of you! If you are new and haven't joined our Facebook group, please do so today. You can join HERE. Please also like our Facebook PAGE. You can find out information about our courses on our website: www.heartofhomeschooling.org. 

The other thing I wanted to talk to you about was a little about me and why I created Heart of Homeschooling. I chose this picture because I wouldn't have been who I am today without my sweet hubby, the love of my life. I am more in love with this guy today more than ever and I can't wait to share with you my secret...stay tuned to Part 2 of the story.

Oh boy, where to start? I guess I can go back to when I was a teenager. I want to go back that far so I can share how God perfectly placed me in situations to direct my path and grow me spiritually to prepare me for the next place he was going to take me all without me knowing this was happening...LOL. 

So, when I was a teen my mom was a church secretary and I was the oldest with two little brothers that were 10 and 12 years younger than I was. There was a Christian school at the church and when I was about 14 or 15 I started working in the "After School Program." I loved it and it was then that God planted the seed of teaching in my heart, but I didn't know it yet. I also loved to plan and listen when someone was going through a hard time so I thought I would be a psychologist. 

I transferred from Orange Coast College to Point Loma Nazarene University my Sophomore year and met the love of my life in the second month there. I was a Psychology major on my way to a doctorate. However, God had other plans. My roommate was on the Teacher path and would talk to me about her love of education. Well, fast forward a couple of years and now I'm engaged to my love, realizing I really just want to be a mommy and wife so I quickly change gears to the Teacher Credential program which I finish after our wedding adding one more year to my studies. This worked out fine as we got to live in the brand new Married Housing condos for $500/month with an ocean view! Wow, we had no idea what God was blessing us with! 

During my 2nd Student Teaching assignment I learned about a little school in Kane'ohe that needed a 5th grade teacher for the following year. After a one hour phone interview I was hired and we were moving to Hawaii which happened to be both of our dreams since we were little. Coincidence? No way! That's how God works. He planted the seeds of a love of the islands in our hearts before we even met. 

We moved to O'ahu in August and the first Sunday church service a guy hired my husband to do construction and we were set. I worked 2 years teaching with a beautiful ocean view from my classroom and students who loved to learn. We found out we were expecting our first baby and made the very difficult decision to move back to the mainland to be near family. It was a decision that we knew was the right one, but will forever feel sad about. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss Hawaii. 

We moved in with my in-laws when Emily was about 6 weeks with very little money, but a lot of love. We ended up living with them for 9 months and they were so gracious to welcome us. That's what family is for, right? 

Then Wes got a job in Santa Cruz. All I knew of Santa Cruz was from "The Lost Boys" movie. I asked him if there was any chance that vampires really lived there...LOL. We were moving again in June of 1996. My biggest concern was finding a community and I found one right away at a wonderful church called Twin Lakes. We got plugged in right away and about a year later I was expecting our second baby girl, Sarah. About this time I started thinking I would start tutoring to help make ends meet and we were able to buy a 2 bedroom mobile home within a walk from the ocean. It was a sweet starter home and the amazing thing in Santa Cruz is that mobile homes actually increase in value. 

That first home that we owned was the best. We had a little yard, we were at the end of a cul-de-sac, a community pool, and walking distance to pizza and the beach. AMAZING. We felt so blessed. In 1999 I found out I was expecting again, due in July of 2000 and we began looking for a bigger house. You see the mobile home park had a rule you couldn't have more than 4 people in a 2 bedroom unit, so we were going to be in trouble soon. 

We soon found out God had a plan the whole time...but I think I will make this a to be continued since it's getting a little long. I just have to say that God is so amazing. When we put our faith, hope, and trust in Him, He will not let you down. He worked some pretty awesome miracles for us to move not once but twice to our dream homes and, again, we had no idea how it was going to happen. 

Next week I will continue the rest of the story. 

CHURCH

Happy Valentines Day (the day after) everyone! Can I just say...I LOVE our church? My whole family looks forward to going every weekend and worshiping together. This is such a blessing to both Wes and I! It is soooo important to find a church that fits your family culture and feeds you, challenges you, and causes you to grow spiritually. Bayside does that for each of us. #BaysideGraniteBay

Thanks a lot Taylor Swift

It's official...I can't listen to Taylor Swift songs anymore. I can't listen to them without bawling my eyes out because I miss her so much it hurts....

Nothing can prepare you for the day one of your babies leave the nest. I thought it would be fine, but it's not. My home will never be the same. There's someone missing. We just went on a little vacation to Lake Tahoe and the entire time I kept counting my little sheep and miscounting because my mind has not fully accepted that we only have 6 to count now, no longer 7. A piece of my heart is hurting and I'm wondering if that ever goes away? Keep singing my beautiful songbird

Trying to get back to blogging

I have been so thankful for all God has given us and the wonderful town we are living in now. We do miss Santa Cruz so much though and are hoping to get back to visit sometime soon. Living there for over 15 years made an impact on all of our lives.

I am currently taking a 31 Day challenge to not spend anything on non-essentials. Here is a blog entry on the topic: http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2012/09/30/31-days-challenge-ground-rules/

God is so good to us! We have a beautiful home and our children are healthy! I am so thankful that we can homeschool. I took a position as a Supervising Teacher with Horizon Charter Schools in the Fall of 2012 and have been loving every minute. I have wonderful families and I love homeschooling my own children. Emily graduated early last year and has been working on her music. She has posted some of her songs on YouTube and sounds incredible! I am so proud of her. She is also on the Worship Team at our local church. She is awesome and the Lord has blessed her incredibly!  I am homeschooling 5 this year and feel incredibly blessed to be homeschooling!

Sarah is an avid reader and incredibly talented in music and dance. It seems she can learn any type of music and dance just by observation alone. I can't wait to see her perform in her first competition in April.

Hannah is also incredibly talented in music, drama, and dance. Her and Sarah are taking Highland Dance regularly and will compete in April for the first time. Hannah is also incredibly talented in music and has a beautiful voice.

Jonathan is very interested in science and is incredibly talented. He loves to do experiments on his own and hopes to become a scientist someday.

Sophie is also an avid dancer in Highland Dance and also plays the piano. She plays so beautifully and also sings wonderfully as well.

Joshua is still interested in insects and loves to play with them. He is in Kindergarten this year and is advancing well in reading and mathematics as well.

We can hardly believe our youngest one is 3! Eliana is such a joy to us all. We all love her so much!

We hope to have more children, but rest in the plans that God has for us.

We love you all! Please keep in touch!

Children: How many is too many?

This is a great post from a blog I read regularly. Check it out ;)
Large Family Mothering: Should we put a limit on children?: We talk big, but our actions reveal the truth. Armed and dangerous? Confident in our promise of heaven after death, we fill our minds with...

L is for the way you look tonight...

My awesome hubby and I got to go to an absolutely fabulous Valentines Banquet at our church. The entertainment was awesome ;) I'm not biased at all. Check it out here!
Emily is on the left. Let me know what you think!

Seeking His Face

I am reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a devotional that has been on my list to get since I heard about it on Klove a few months ago. It is absolutely wonderful. God is stirring my heart to long for Him and His Presence through this little devotional and teaching me how to have a dialog and not just a monolog with Him as I seek His face every morning. For a little taste, here is the devotion from Feb. 5:

     "Seek My Face, and you will find not only My Presence but also My Peaace. To receive My Peace, you must change your grasping, controlliing stance to one of openness and trust. The only thing you can grasp without damaging your soul is My hand. Ask My Spirit within you to order your day and control your thoughts, for the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and Peace.
     You can have as much of Me and My Peace as you want, through theousands of correct choices each day. The most persistent choice you face is whether to trust Me or to worry. You will never run out of things to worry about, but you can choose to trust Me no matter what. I am an ever-present help in trouble. Trust Me, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."

Scripture is in Italics throughout each day and there are also verse references. God has been doing incredible things lately and I will be posting as things progress, but my prayer each day is for God to "control my thoughts and order my day" and He is faithful to do just that! I challenge you to do the same. We can all get so caught up in our busy lives, but if we just stop and take a breath and ask God to order our days in the way He wants them to go it focuses us on Him instead of the craziness of our hectic lives. He'll exchange our heavy burden for His much lighter one as we focus on Him!

90 Day Fast from Email, Phone, and Social Media

Do you ever wonder if you could take a 90 fast from all the technology in your life? What would your life be like? Would you gain hours you never knew you had? Would you increase the quality in your personal relationships because you would actually be paying full, 100% attention to the person talking to you in person? Read this enlightening article by someone who did this and let me know if you are challenged to do the same! I know I am and so is my 16 year old daughter! It would be fun to keep track of the pros and cons.

I Love My Life

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. Do you ever do that? Do you ever start thinking thoughts like "why is my life so hard?" or "why don't I have enough time to even finish reading a good book?" But, then I have to remember my pink bracelet from Nancy Campbell. It says "I am above Self Pity" I ALWAYS wear it to remind myself to NOT have self pity! Nancy gave it to me at my last Above Rubies Retreat last Oct. and I think it was sent from God. This is a weakness of mine... to fall into self pity. And yet, I have sooooo much to be thankful for! What is wrong with me? Why do I always feel sorry for myself when the going gets rough? It is definitely a weakness that I want to overcome.

So, I am here to profess...I love my life! It is just what I have always wanted! Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of marrying a blonde surfer dude. Guess what? I got him! I always dreamed of having at least four children...guess what? I have seven! I always dreamed of living in the country just like Little House on the Prairie that I watched every Monday night at 8:00pm on NBC...guess what? I live there! I now live in a beautiful country home in the foothills and look out on the country setting just like Laura saw! I always dreamed of having a horse since I was five years old...guess what? I do! I always dreamed of having hot summers and warm summer nights...guess what? I now have that and more...a pool to swim in, rivers to play in, and much more. I always dreamed of a small country church to be a part of....guess what? We've found one and it's only 5 minutes away! Cool Coomunity Church! I always dreamed of having enough money to travel...guess what? We do and we get to travel with our kiddos to wonderful places like Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe! I am so blessed. I just forget it sometimes! Don't we all? I love my life and I am so thankful to God for planting the seeds that grew into what they are now. Thank you God for creating me and taking hold of my heart when I was still young. Thank you for sending your son Jesus.

My point is this. God gives you the desires of your heart. I used to think that that meant that whatever WE desired, God would give us. But NO...it means that God plants HIS desires in your heart and then we either allow them to grow or we don't. When we allow them to grow we can then finally see those desires fulfilled because we are living our lives in God's plan and purpose for us. That is when we can feel His peace...and oh what a wondeful feeling to live a life for God and not for us! To be a part of HIS plan. To surrender ALL. When I am fully surrendered is when I can fully be thankful and Love my life. How about you? Are you loving your life?

Don't be afraid to go to the Doctor!

Well...it has been quite a while since I've had the energy and time to write. Even now, I'm struggling with wanting to get to bed. But, my desire is to keep this blog as an encouragement to my children and to log memories for us to look back on. So...I wanted to bring you up to date.

First the sad news...We had our third miscarriage just before Christmas. It was so sudden and very surprising that it is still hard to believe. We were all very sad. We know that we will see all three babies in Heaven one day and that they are in the arms of Jesus right now. We will miss not getting to watch them grow and hear them laugh and just be a part of our everyday lives though and wonder what it would have been like to have them here with us. We pray that we will be blessed with more children to add to our family, but if not, we are content with the wonderful seven that are here in our home right now. How precious they all are and how wonderful it is to enjoy each moment that we have to spend together. I love you all!

Now, the good news...After miscarrying I was talking with a friend who shared with me that she had two healthy babies and then miscarried 4 babies. Her doctor ran a bunch of blood tests on her and one came back with the news that she had a blood clotting problem that kept nutrients from reaching the fetus. So, with the help of medicine to thin her blood she was able to have two more healthy pregnancies and babies. This news encouraged me to see a new doctor who suggested some blood tests which led to me finding out that I have a very similar disorder! It's called MTHFR DNA mutation. Crazy name, huh? I was shocked, but also elated to find out that I could do something about it. I was so worried I would lose more babies and then find out years down the road that I could have done something. So, my "treatment" is to take baby aspirin and also a high dose of folic acid and B vitamins. The mutation doesn't let my body assimilate folic acid and B vitamins and also causes my blood to clot. So, the newly formed embryo then does not receive vital nutrients it needs to develop properly and grow. There are also other things I need to learn and try not to worry about like the fact that this might increase my risk of heart disease and stroke. But, that all could be preventable and treatable by taking the baby aspirin and other medicine for the rest of my life...at least I found out now!!! So, I am praising the Lord that he directed my path to my friend sharing and leading me to the right doctor who ordered the right tests. Thank you Lord!

The moral of this story is...Don't be afraid to go to the doctor :)

Enthusiastically Expecting

We found out a week and a half ago that we are expecting another blessing from the Lord. We are so excited and feel so blessed and thankful that the Lord would choose us to be parents again. We are praying that this baby grows to full term and is born healthy and happy and strong. I have an incredible peace about this baby (or babies) with the affirmation that this life was planned since the beginning of time and whatever happens is in the Lord's hands. The due date is July 26, the day before Emily's birthday ;). 


Probably the biggest challenge that Wes and I have been facing right now is the lack of enthusiasm and excitement over conception that we see within our Christian community. We have some old friends that rejoice with us, but many look at us like we are crazy. 


Yet, when we look at the Bible we see so many examples from Hannah, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, and more where women and men look at having children as an incredible blessing and honor. We see women and married couples in the Bible looking at barrenness as a curse from the Lord and that the lack of children is as horrible as death. 


Psalm 127:3-6 says:  


Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.


And in Psalm 128:3-4 it says: 


Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the LORD.


We see so many verses that prove children are a blessing (which is more meaningful than just a gift) from the Lord. The Bible is the same yesterday and today! If you believe the Bible, then you would believe that children are a blessing. Yet, in our world today, in homes where Christ is the center of the home, countless married couples look at children as a curse (or a problem)...the opposite of how God sees. The OPPOSITE of how God sees. 


It can be obvious when married couples view children as a "curse" when they choose to hold off children with birth control or not to have any at all. But, I believe the subtle attitude is just as dangerous. This is where Satan works hardest and we see this most in how parents talk about their children or their attitude towards children in general. Instead of speaking positively about their children to others, they speak down about their children or having children. Lately I have been noticing this more often and my heart breaks when I hear the critical, negative, gossipy type talk that I hear parents say about their blessings. I hear it when they say things like..."oh it's so nice to be out without the hassle of the kids!" or "I can't wait to get the kids to bed so I can do what I want" or "I wish they would hurry up and grow up" or when they talk about how they can't afford any more kids because they cost too much, or it's too much energy to deal with the problems of having children, and more. The list goes on. When we talk disrespectively about a blessing that God has given us, it is sin. Plain and simple. We are talking disrespectively to God when we talk about our children that way - or even think it! 


What can we do when we feel negatively towards our children? We all face struggles. Life is definitely more full and more challenging with children. What does God want us to do when we face any kind of hardship or struggle? He wants us to get on our knees and turn to Him. We must learn to cry out to God instead of trying to solve our "problem" on our own. He has the answers even to the smallest issues like when to potty train your two year old or when to teach your 5 year old to read. We must go to the Lord.


I can testify with my whole heart that because I have surrendered my life to Jesus and especially this area of having as many children as God wants to give us, it has deepened my relationship with the Lord more than I could have ever imagined. It has caused me to understand Him more, rely on Him more, trust Him more, love Him more, and want Him more than ever and I am so thankful for that sweet surrender. I am by no means perfect and I fail often and in many ways, but I am continually learning to be the Mommy God wants me to be...thanks to Jesus. I have to go to the Lord daily and pray for his guidance and wisdom. But, I am changed and have learned this only because of learning to surrender to Him. 


So, it has been a struggle for Wes and I to find friends who can rejoice in our news and understand fully what we understand in how God sees children. We are praying for more friends who can rejoice with us. 


Until then, we are rejoicing together and our children are so excited at the thought of another Carpenter baby. Thank you Lord Jesus!

My second best friend

I was soooo happy to be able to go out to coffee with my (second) best friend, Jenn. We've known each other for 37 years and have never lost touch. Even though we live hundreds of miles apart it only takes a few hours to reconnect and catch up. It's so great to have a friend like that. I'm so thankful for her. Her boys are adorable and my wonderful hubby watched all 7 of our children and her two boys swim while we got to go out and chat. What a great guy!!! Love ya babe!

Making history

Woo-hoo...I must be making history for myself in how many blog posts I've done this week! I guess I needed something extra to do while on vacation. I'm having fun, fun, fun posting pics though and hope you are enjoying seeing the memories we are making. Here are some pics from our day at the beach where I spent many days of my childhood...Newport Beach. It was such an incredibly beautiful fall day. It was about 70 degrees, and we had a gorgeous sunset and then a full moon rising above the palm trees. Just incredible! The kids had so much fun playing in the sand and collecting sand crabs. Wes and I had some fun with Emily taking pictures of us! It was a nice day to hang out and take a break from the business of Disneyland. We're off to the parks tomorrow though and well rested for two more full days.

Wes and I swinging Eliana as the sun sets...

I absolutely LOVE this pic of the Balboa Pier with Ruby's in the background where we ate lunch

Look at my adorable Josh just absolutely enjoying himself and the INCREDIBLE sky! God is so good!

Congratulations Jim Bob and Michelle

The Duggar's have been such an incredible inspiration to our family in how to parent by depending on God for strength and wisdom. We often will apply some of the tools we have learned from the Duggars to our family such as how to teach them to put others first and focusing on character qualities shown in the Bible. We were so blessed to watch the Duggar's make their recent announcement since we have cable in our hotel! It brought tears to my eyes! Wes guessed it and Emily thought they were just announcing their recent trip to Europe and Asia. We were all surprised that Daddy knew before any of us especially Emily since she is always up to date with Duggar news. Here is the announcement

Disneyland!

After leaving Tahoe last week, we headed for Southern Cali and Disneyland! Woo-hoo! We are staying in Newport and as I write this I'm sitting on our lanai (Hawaiian for outdoor porch) looking out at the Pacific Ocean with Catalina Island on the horizon. The sun is glistening on the ocean water and I can see sail boats and palm trees in the distance. The air is crisp and clear...feels like a gorgeous fall day. Here is the view we woke up to this morning from our lanai...so picturesque!

We are going to Disney's California Adventure today and can't wait to see the changes since the last time we went. They've added new rides and are completely changing the park. We are so excited! Wes' sister and hubby, Stephanie and Greg, are coming to spend the day with us on Friday. Hopefully it won't rain!

Yesterday was awesome. Disneyland was really uncrowded because it rained in the morning. We got to go on tons of rides and meet lots of characters. It was so cute seeing Eliana's surprised face!

We got this fun shot yesterday. Eliana was soooo excited to meet Mickey Mouse! 

Here's Wes and Joshua...Joshua LOVES Goofy!

SNOW!

This week we were so blessed to hang out in Tahoe! My parents were able to join us for the beginning of the week and we had a blast with them traveling to Virginia City one day and learning about the Gold Rush era. Besides a history lesson, we also got a little science lesson too and went to see the salmon spawning! It was awesome!

On the last day, it snowed! We had such a blast playing in the snow and watching it come down. It was so beautiful! What a wonderful time we had. It was in the 60's in the beginning of the week and then dropped down to the 20's and 30's! Amazing!

Here's Sarah and Hannah enjoying playing in the snow

Here's our hotel during the snow storm...

Happy 2nd Birthday Eliana! We love you! 

Above Rubies Retreat 2011

I was so blessed to be able to attend the Above Rubies Retreat a week ago in Zephyr Cove, Lake Tahoe! My wonderful hubby more than encouraged me to go and I also was doubly blessed to go with my new very dear friend, Laura! Laura is from Santa Cruz originally and we never met when we were both living there. However, we both have 7 children and embrace the Lord's blessings with open arms. We have all the same friends from Santa Cruz, but never crossed paths in the 10+ years we lived their at the same time! Anyway, we had such a great time together listening to Nancy's message on motherhood and our roles as godly wives.


Nancy spoke about "The Overflowing Land" - in other words our homes are to be overflowing. 


First, God made our homes to be "A Good Land" (Numbers 14:7) that is to be overflowing with hospitality to others and healthy foods and meals. 


Second, our homes are to be "A Delightful Land" (Psalm 106:24-25) that brings God glory. Nancy says "Motherhood is the glory of the nation!" But, many mothers do not have that revelation of motherhood being glorious. Instead they despise their land only wanting their children to grow up quick or even to go to work to escape "their land" instead of delighting in it each new day. They are like the Israelites, despising their land that God brought them in to. 


Third, our homes are "A large Land" (Exodus 3:8). Do you realize that when couples say no to just one child because they feel they are too tired, it would be inconvenient, too expensive, or whatever other excuse they have that is self driven, they are actually effecting thousands, even millions of people for God? One child can be a future dynasty for God! I couldn't imagine if we had said no after having just three children, we wouldn't have Jonathan, Sophie, Joshua, or Eliana! 


Satan wants to minimize Israel and in the same way he wants to minimize godly families that can be Nation Changers - World Changers! He wants to minimize our land and when godly Christians use excuses to stop God's blessings upon their lives they are giving in to Satan and selfishness. There are so many verses in the Bible about children being a blessing and a gift from God. God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" and that command hasn't gone away. God's desire is to have more children in Heaven with Him! How can that be if Christians continue to say no to God's blessings for children? How can anyone refuse God and especially take part in "birth control" contraceptives when they are so clearly not from Him? Many contraceptives are actually abortificants and many babies have died through naive use of the Pill and other types of contraceptives and even Christians that are pro-Life have no idea that this happens! It breaks my heart! Read about it here.


Fourth, our land is to be "A Flowing Land." Twenty times in the Bible it talks about the land being flowing with milk and honey. Are you "flowing" in your land or are you doing your motherhood or fatherhood role "out of duty?" Are you being creative and joyful with your children each day? Are you abounding in the work of the Lord? Are you reaching out to the needy, loving your children, and loving your husband or wife? We have to constantly remind ourselves to ABOUND in order to have our land be flowing with God's love and fruitfulness! 


We must strive to have a land flowing with milk. What does it mean to flow with milk? Milk in the Bible represents nourishing and nurturing. Are you nourishing and nurturing your children? Do you plan and prepare nourishing meals for your family? Do you take the time to think about what God would want you to feed your family? Or do you just quickly grab a meal full of preservatives and junk for their bodies because you are too busy running around from here to there and not being purposeful in your day? 


I have to admit, I am guilty of this. I need to spend more time planning and preparing nourishing meals and am making a commitment to ask God to help me with this. It takes self-discipline to plan and also say "no" to things that have become a habit in your diet and that are unhealthy. God will bless your efforts! 


God wants us to nourish and nurture our families. Are you nurturing your family? Are you comforting your children and taking the time to just be quiet and let them talk? Or are you running around commanding them and telling them what to do and what not to do all day because of your business? Stop and smell the roses with them or watch a sunset. Take time to just sit and be still and enjoy them. Read to them, play games with them, or relax with them. There is always time to do one more thing or go one more place, but we must stop and just "be" with our family to bond and make memories. Along this same subject of nurturing is lovingly managing our homes. There is something within us that wants to manage our homes each day. Do you manage well or in a "crazy state?" Are you calm? Do you bring peace and harmony to your daily activities? Or do you cause chaos with your words and attitude? The mother creates the atmosphere in her home. Do you use "sweet words" in your home management? We must manage the home with both gentleness and efficiency and seek the Lord to find out what that looks like for our family. 


Fifth, our land is a "Dependent Land." Deuteronomy 11 talks about how Israel had to completely depend on God for water and God supplied it for them. In the same way, we need to completely depend on God in our homes. We need to go to God for wisdom, help, and understanding and completely depend on him for taking care of our children, home, and husband EVERY day. When we choose not to pray for God's help and wisdom, it is only showing that we think we can accomplish what WE want by ourself and that we don't need God. We need to have a continual conversation going on with God throughout each day asking for help and wisdom in every decision. 


Sixth, our land is a "Fruitful Land." When the Israelites were captive in Babylon God told them what to do...we can follow that same commands today. This is what God said: 
1. Build houses and dwell in them.
2. Plant gardens and eat.
3. Take wives and have children. 
4. Have grandchildren.
5. Increase (do not be diminished)
6. Seek peace, pray for the city 
7. Don't be deceived! 


Isn't it so simple? God's ways are so simple and yet we still choose not to follow them. We cannot pick and choose what verses or commands from the Bible we want to choose and not follow all of them based on what we think or want. For example, we cannot say well, I will follow #1 because I do want a house and #2 because I agree it's good to have a garden and eat organic. And, #3, yes I'll get married, but I'm not ready to have children yet, so I'll wait on that. #4, grandchildren, sure that will come later. But, #5, no I don't want to increase yet, that must not apply to my situation today since God wanted the Israelites to increase back then, but surely that doesn't apply today...and so on. It is a sin to pick and choose only part of what God wants. We are not being humble if we decide what God wants by only following some of his Word an not all! We need to follow the Word 100% even if it is scary. But, it is only scary if we aren't truly putting our complete faith in Him. He IS in control! 


Finally, our land is a "Life Giving Land." God is a God of LIFE. We have to be pro-life in everything we do. We must strive to eat life-giving foods, not dead junky foods, and feed ourselves and our families well. We must strive to have life-giving attitudes towards our children and family and speak life giving words into them by blessing them and telling them what a blessing they are to our family and to the world! We must strive to think life-giving thoughts, not destructive thoughts that will only break and tear down ourselves and our families, taking every thought captive. And, finally we should be open to Life from God. He is the life giver and He has the power to open and close the woman's womb. He is in control of that and we should never pretend that we should be in control of life! 

Here's Nancy, Eliana, and I on our last day at the retreat! 

God is AMAZING!

Ya know...God is AMAZING! I am so amazed at how amazing God is! I have recently been going through some really, REALLY hard times. God blessed us with the wonderful news that we were expecting our 8th baby, but then I lost the baby a few weeks ago. I was so confused and I began to question why God would take my baby. After all, he is the one who placed the desire for children in my heart. I spent hours crying and questioning God and feeling so lost and separated from him.


Well...then just yesterday, after weeks of uncertainty and doubts, on my birthday...a very special song came on the radio. Can you guess? Blessings, by Laura Story. The very song my beautiful daughter sang in church. I was in the car driving by myself and just started crying. The song touched my heart and answered all my questions. It was like hearing the song for the first time. I had never heard it or understood it like I do now...now that I have lost something so very dear to my heart. I realized without a doubt that everything that happens is in God's hands. After I lost the baby, I knew that in my head, but not in my heart. I instantly began thanking the Lord for the blessings that he has given me. I realized I was looking at things the opposite of how I should...with bitterness for what was missing instead of gratefulness for what was existing! 


Then, it happened again! I changed radio stations and the song came on again not ten minutes later. I realized God was trying to tell me something. It was then it hit me like a ton of bricks! NOTHING is an accident. God planned all along for Emily to learn and sing that song in July because he knew what I'd be going through now. That very weekend would have been the very weekend that our baby would have been conceived. I hadn't heard the song since the miscarriage and then, on my birthday to have it played on the radio two times just was such a confirmation of God's sovereignty to me. He knows EVERY detail of our lives to the very moment and it was not a coincidence. I do not know why I lost the baby, but I know I am so thankful that my life is in God's hands and that I can trust him for everything. Wow! What a blessing!

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost 4 months since I last posted...I guess I've been busy! A lot has happened since July, but most important is what is happening this weekend! I get the privilege of attending the Above Rubies Retreat in Zephyr Cove! I'm so thankful that I am able to go and with my new friend too! I can't wait to hear what Nancy has to say to us ladies! If you want to find out more about the Above Rubies ministry go here: Above Rubies

Santa Cruz here we come!

We are all very excited to be going to Santa Cruz this week! We are going to go to the beach every day if we can...the Boardwalk, hiking in the Redwoods and all the other things we have been missing. Emily will be celebrating her 16th bday this week too! Wow, I can't believe it's been 16 years since she was born...where did the time go? I'll post some pics when we get them. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's. Wooohooo!

God is full of blessings!

I just had to share. My oldest received the privilege of singing in Worship in church on Sunday. They asked her to also sing a solo of Laura Story's beautiful song "Blessings." She did such an incredible job and am so thankful that God is providing a way for her to use her wonderful gift of singing for Him. So many people at church were blessed. The recording isn't so great...I had to use my phone, but I think she still sounds wonderful. Hope you enjoy! 

What a crazy week!

My poor little adventurous three year old guy has had quite a week! 


Sunday morning I got him dressed and noticed a rash. Upon further investigation I determined it looked like Lyme Disease! With all of the ticks we've been finding, I guess it was just a matter of time. After going to the doctor yesterday, she confirmed that it is indeed Lyme Disease! So, he is now on 4 weeks of Amoxicillin! Whew! At least there is an easy solution!


Now today...I'm in the office talking to Wes and hear "BOOM!" then crying. It isn't uncommon to hear these sounds in our house throughout the day, but Momma's know the difference in cries in their children and I knew I better go and investigate this one. I found my little guy on the floor holding his foot and whimpering. This is unusual for him. He has a very high pain tolerance and never stays in one position for long. I asked him what happened and he said he jumped from the railing like his big brother did. What?! The railing is about 10 feet from the ground in our multi-level house. He landed about 10 feet from the railing in the middle of the room, which means he had about 20 feet of air time! Wow! No wonder his foot was hurting! After about an hour it had swollen to about twice the usual size and he would not walk on it at all. He was scooting around on his behind everywhere. I felt so bad for him. 


We got into the Doctor and after x-rays, determined that he has a subluxation on the third and fourth metatarsals which is indicative of a Salter 1 fracture - ha! How do you like my medical jargon? Basically he probably broke his third and fourth longer bones in his foot. But, because he's so little and his foot is so swollen it's hard to be sure. So...we have to wait until the swelling goes down a little more (Friday?) and re-x-ray. For now, we are immobilizing it in an ace bandage and icing it. He's a little trooper though. He is so sweet and I'm just loving my one-on-one time I've had with him the last couple of days. He just makes me laugh with his inquisitiveness and sense of humor. "What's this, what's that?" all the time. But, I have a feeling this is just the beginning of life adventures with this little guy. We are in trouble.