TLC Homeschooling: 2012

Sewing

So one day I was looking in my closet and saw a piece of green material someone gave me a few months ago. That was it~I knew it would make a good skirt~so I got out my sewing machine right then and made one!

{That started my skirt making adventure that I cannot seem to quit}

I have been making and altering skirts for a couple weeks now and I love it!

My mom cleaned out her closet of all the clothes she can no longer wear so I decided to give them all away to girls at church that needed them.

She gave me an orange one that matches our youth shirts so know I'm on a mission to find some orange material to make more for all the girls at church.

I wonder if I could sell them in an online store? I would never ask anyone at church for money but I might think about making other things to sell online.
I really need to figure out how to make money on this blog. I read so many others that do but I just don't know where to start. I wish someone would help me learn to advertise.
Or I could sew things and try to sell them on here. I don't know....any suggestions???

Giving Thanks!

I have so much to be thankful for~here's a few things:

my husband
our 4 boys~Jacob, Jaron, Jonah & Justus
our house
plenty of clothes
food to eat
our church
Jesus dying on the cross & raising from the dead
the King James Bible
privilege to homeschool our children
all my friends
God's grace & mercy & forgiveness
all our family members
a working vehicle
gospel music
Heaven~no more headaches
heat & A/C to keep us comfortable
a hot shower
eternal security
our military
natural remedies
a comfortable bed
generous friends & family

I am sure after I click "publish" I will think of more things I should have added....but these are some of the things I can think of while fighting a terrible headache. We had a great day with my mother & step-dad. His brother & wife too. I cooked apple pie from scratch, mashed potatoes & green beans. They made turkey, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, stuffing, brownies, banana pudding, green bean casserole & rolls. It was all so good and we probably ate too much! I think my headache is from this cough/congestion I've had for almost a month. Might see if I can go to the doctor tomorrow. It's probably progressed into a full blown sinus infection now. So please pray for me to feel better soon! And hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!!! {May God Bless You}

Library Books!!!

I have been trying to take the boys to the library once a week to check out books and educational videos. They love learning about animals and math. They are all so smart but it seems math comes easiest to all of them. So we usually check out our maximum 50 items! Jacob and Jaron both love to read and I think Jonah can almost read too! He read the front of a magazine in walmart one day. Jonah loves to look at books and occassionally will sit still long enough to let me read to him. The other day at the library that had "Kids & Kritters". A lady came from the humane society and brought an animal. She read a few books then took out a baby goat to let the boys all pet it.

Justus is saying a few words but not much! He does a lot of squealing and screaming to get what he wants. He will be 2 years old Dec. 1st and it'll be time to start potty training {yeah} ~~I'm so excited!~~ Potty training isn't easy but it's nice to not have to buy diapers. These are cell phone pictures and I finally figured out how to convert them and get them on the blog. I am so sleepy and need to get in the bed. Lots to do in the morning before Thanksgiving dinner. {Goodnight}

Coupons

A while back I signed up all of us to recieve Zaxby's coupons online. So every year on our birthdays we get coupons for free food and on Mother's Day and Father's Day we got cookie coupons. And even though we don't celebrate Halloween we did appreciate the coupons for free food from them. So {since I dreamed Zaxbys} dinner was free tonight and that is about the only good thing that came out of Halloween.

I try to use coupons whenever I can. Raising for boys can get expensive and they are growing fast and eating more all the time. I try to buy generic everything and only buy what necessary. No extras. Coupons have been lifesavers at times and I am so thankful for them.

My camera is still not working and I am sad to say I cannot put my cell phone pictures on here. We have all been sick coughing and stuff but hopefully it will all go away soon.

~[Set Apart]~

So as you know we do not celebrate Halloween in our family. There are many reasons and here are some of the Bible verses that back up our decision.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

So we don't watch scary things on tv or dress up in scary costumes.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

When we claim to be "Christians" we are saying we are "christ-like". And in order to be Christ-like we need to obey the Bible. Not just parts we want to pick out. We apply the whole Bible to our whole lives and when we do that it convicts our hearts about the things in our lives that shouldn't be there.

Don't get me wrong~we are not perfect by any means but we are trying daily to live "Christ-like". We fail Him every day and make mistakes but He knows the desires of our hearts. Christians are supposed to be "Set Apart" from the world, not behaving just like them.

~Happily Humbled~

We are not rich by any means, but God has given us a home and 4 children. He has taken care of all our needs. Most of the time all our bills are paid and we barely have enough for groceries and gas. We pinch pennies living from one paycheck to the next.

But I am happy to say that being broke keeps us humble and forces us to trust in God for everything. There are times when our faith gets weak and we wonder how or when God will take care of our needs, but then He always shows up right on time every time! We are so thankful that He hears our prayers and uses His people to do His work.

Here just a few of the verses in the Bible that talk about being humble:

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

{Candid Camera}

Being a mother means I put my children before myself and there are lots of times I am behind the camera taking more pictures of them than me. I avoid the camera because I don't always have my hair fixed or make-up on. We do take some but not many. I want to share some of these precious memories. (Just try to look past the messy hair.) I want my boys to have pictures of me holding them and loving on them, having fun with them and taking care of them. They don't notice the weight gained or the messy hair & no makeup. They love me unconditionally for who I am and nothing more.

Just after Jaron's first surgery in the hotel room.

Listening & Talking to baby Justus in my belly.

I'm not comfortable with my body after having babies and don't usually post any pictures of myself. But my children don't care what I look like and I wanted to take a moment and post this for them. One day they'll read this blog hopefully {and I may or may not be alive} but they will have all these pictures to remember me.

{Sacrifice}

There are a lot of ways we can sacrifice. Some people sacrifice their time, money, food, comfort and much more. God sacrificed His Son Jesus so we can go to heaven.

Being a mother is also form of sacrifice. Before I was a mother I only had to worry about myself. Always thinking of myself and taking care of myself. But when I became a mother my child came first. I put his needs before my own. Every waking moment is devoted to making sure our boys are clean, fed and happy.

So because we have 4 children now there is little time for myself. I rarely ever think of my needs or wants. In fact, I feel guilty if I do take time to myself or buy something for myself. God changed my hearts desires when I became a mother. He taught me to sacrifice myself for my children and my husband. Always putting their needs before my own.

I usually get about 15 minutes in the morning to take a shower and dry my hair. And when getting ready to go somewhere I take about 15 minutes to do my hair and get dressed. I always put my make-up on in the car on the way in about 10 minutes. And after they are all settled and in the bed, that is when I blog, facebook, read other blogs and my Bible for about 2 hours. So all total I take about 2 hrs & 45 minutes for ME.

My love for music and singing has been put on the back burner so I can take care of my boys. I don't get to participate in as many things as I would like to sometimes. But I have learned to accept that. And one day when they are all grown I know I will miss these moments so I try to enjoy them and sing for the Lord when I get the opportunity.

Most of the time I am ok with it. I am content in my role as a wife and mother. But I have to be honest, there are times when I feel like "I deserve more". Maybe it's the devil trying to discourage me. But I do have bad days just like everyone else~ when I want to quit or crawl in a corner and cry. I think we all have those days as mothers. Most of the time it's when I am at my weakest with a severe headache. The devil knows my weakness and he gets in my head, trying to bring me down. I have learned to recognize these times and try to pray and remember to breath and get past those moments.

Being a mother is a daily struggle. We sacrifice ourselves for our family. And I believe that God sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. I believe God will reward the mothers that gave their lives for their children. We might not feel like much here on earth. We might not get much recognition for all our hard work but God knows all and He sees all.

Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

i9sports

We knew we wanted our boys to play sports but with 4 of them it's not always easy to go to all the games and practices. So when we heard about i9sports we knew it was for us! They only have games and practices on Saturdays. Always in the same location. No traveling games and weeknight practices.

They offer a great program for kids focusing on the team spirit of working together. Winning is fun but it's not the main goal. Playing hard and following the rules and working as a team is their main idea.

Jacob & Jaron played soccer and then baseball with i9sports and we loved it!

I want to refer all my friends and family to this organization and if you put "Terri Cote's Blog" in the referral section you will get $10 off and I will too!

Thanks,
Terri

Everything is broken (AKA~my to do list)

-my towel rack
-Jaron's glasses
-my camera
-the chain to turn on my closet light
-the lid to dash compartment in our van
-my printer
-the wheels on our coffee table
-Jacob's scooter
-the door handle on the van
-the light bulbs in the dining room
-Chris's shoe
-the ties on the chair cushions
-the wire on the headphones
-the handle on Jonah's dresser drawer
-the pencil basket
-all my hair clips
-Jacob's toothbrush
-my watch battery
-oh and I think I broke my finger....

But other than that we are all doing good. I am just discouraged because my camera will not charge so I can't put pictures on here. Blogger won't let me download pictures from my cell phone either.

We've been busy with homeschooling & church. My headaches have been more frequent. Justus is taking antibiotics (which cause SEVERE diahrea) for his double ear infections that was preceeded by 3 days of steroids (which prevented him from sleeping)!!! Life has rough but we are still thankful God has provided for everything.

Headaches

I have suffered from headaches most of my life. I'm not sure what causes all of them. Some are tension headaches or sinus headaches. I have had some migraines but a lot of them are unknown. When excedrin won't work and 4 ibuprofen won't work I sleep on an icepack and pray for a mircale. I have had CT scans and MRI's to check for anurisms but they found none. THANK GOD! I was told if I had one it would have been there since birth. I went to a chiropractor for years and it helped some. But I just can't afford it now. I've even had sinus surgery to lesson the sinus infections and try to cut back on some headaches but still I suffer....

I would say about 80% of the time I am in pain. I have learned to live with it and function normally most of the time. But then there are those times when I am in such severe pain I think I might die and I get scared. I'm not scared of dying...I'm afraid of leaving my boys without a mother. Not that I think I'm a great mom but just the thought of a child growing up without their mom breaks my heart. And those times when the pain is so severe and my husband is at work I get nervous. What if I pass out? I have taught Jacob how to call 911 and what to say and do if something happens to me. He is so smart and I have confidence he can take care of the others for a little while until someone comes. I just don't want to put my children through this. It's too much for them to worry about.

Throughout the years and pregnancies I have noticed that while taking my prenatal vitamins I didn't get as many headaches. And if I slacked off taking them for even a week the headaches would come back severely. I am sure I don't eat enough vegetables and fruits. So maybe it's a vitamin deficiency.

This weekend has been horrible. The pain has been constant for about 36 hours now. Trying to function like this is not easy. It all started when I took the boys to the park Friday after they finished their schoolwork. We wanted to get out so I packed their scooters and suprised them with a trip to the park with sidewalks through the woods. They loved it! It was getting hot and I was feeling week. I packed lunch for all of them and brought waters for everyone. After being there only about an hour I told Jacob we needed to leave because I felt like I was gonna pass out. So he {being the kindhearted child} said let me push the stroller with Justus in it up this hill to the van. We all got in and I sat there. My hands and legs still shaking. Trying to get cooled off and drinking my water. I ate the babies PB&J and waited for my body to feel normal. The dizziness wore off and we made it home. The headache started shortly after and hasn't quit yet.

I just remembered I haven't been taking my vitamins in the last week or 2 and maybe that's why.....Part of the reason is I HATE TAKING PILLS and the other reason is because the generic vitamins I bought make me want to PUKE!

So here I am blogging at 11:30pm while everyone else sleeps.....
I really need a head transplant but until then I am going to lay down on an ice pack and pray for a miracle.

Revival!

The last 3 weeks we have been in a revival at church.

~It has been amazing!~

God has changed lives

He saved 31 souls from a burning hell!

{We have gotten so much help from Him}

~The Holy Ghost was there with us every night~

We will never forget what we have experienced.

There wasn't time for watching tv or playing on the computer.

Every day revolved around "what time are we leaving for church?"

{It was nice to put all the worldly stuff aside and just worship Him.}

~Our son Jaron got saved!~

It was awesome to see some praise the Lord for their first time.

Watching the Holy Ghost work was AWESOME!

[Honestly]

It wasn't easy taking 4 boys to church every night for 3 weeks past their bedtime.

Gas prices were rising and we were running out of money.

But I would do it all over again! It was so worth it!

~I am so glad God changed my desires.~

{I serve Him because I want to, not because I "have" to.}

~That's REVIVAL!~

I'm not going to hell!!!!

Why should I worry?

One day I want to learn how to play the piano and sing this song!

~It's absolutley BEAUTIFUL~

This is how we do it...

Homeschooling the boys is great because we can create our own projects and electives. The boys do most of their main subjects on the computers but then we do other things like nature walks, art projects, music class, educational videos and more!

Justus wanted to be like his brother....

They painted their skateboard ramp.....that's ART

They enjoy using their skateboard ramp almost every day....that's PE

And Daddy showed Jacob how to take off a flat tire and put on the spare....that's AUTO SHOP (or something)

Thank God for allowing me to stay home with our boys and teach "Train them up in the way they should go"

Who needs Halloween?

We don 't celebrate halloween as I explained before but we do have costumes and the boys enjoy dressing up all the time for fun! So when we were watching Toy Story the other day they decided to get into character!

Jacob and Justus didn't dress up but they still had fun watching their brothers.

Eat Mor Chikin!

I took the boys to Chic Fil A for "Cow Appreciation Day". But we didn't go all out just drew some black spots on some white shirts. It got them all free happy meals! So here's a few pictures~ENJOY!

By the way I do love to support Christian companies like Chic Fil A and the stand that the owner makes by keeping his company closed on Sundays and not supporting same sex marriage. What a blessing to know there are still some Christians left out there in the corporate world.

Team Work!

I took this video last week and cannot remember why they were doing this but I had to (stand on top of the coffee table) and capture it on camera! One of those rare moments when they were all playing nice together.

~Justus has goals too~

He loves to climb on everything and one day while I was right there in the kitchen I turned around and this is how I found him! He pushed the barstool over directly under the fan and was trying to reach the chain to turn it on.

Yeah I just about had a heartattack! But after snapping a quit picture I rescued him from a nasty fall!

And once in a while I have found him playing with the little door under my oven "broiler" but never knew he was putting toys in there until I smelled that poor little kagaroo melting!!! Glad the ping pong ball wasn't melted.

Switched On Schoolhouse

I started the boys homeschooling August 1st. Jacob is doing Switched On Schoolhouse and he loves it! I am so happy with it. I joined an online class the other night to learn more about it's features. I can make Jaron's report card through the program even though he's not using the curriculum yet. He is currently doing Time4Learning online. But I just input the lessons I want him to do each day and when he completes them I insert his grades so it keeps records for me. So nice to be organized and glad to know that I can reuse the same curriculum for up to 5 children. So every year I'll buy another grade level and just pass them down as we go.

I can create my own calendar and keep up with activities we do that count as "Educational". It keeps a running total of "school days" so we make sure we are meeting the state requirements.

I am so thankful I can teach our children at home and keep them close to me and incorporate the Bible in our daily lessons. I plan on using this program for years to come and I hope you will consider it too for your children. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I have included an advertisment for Switched On Schoolhouse on the right side of this blog.

Modesty

I feel like as Christians it's important to be modest in the way we dress because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost and we should respect Him and ourselves.

As christian women we should not want to reveal our body to anyone except our husbands. Men and women are made differently, in that, men struggle with lust on a regular basis and women cannot understand that. We shouldn't tempt our fellow christian brothers in Christ by revealing our body to them. It's important to cover your thighs as the Bible refers to the thigh as "nakedness".

Exodus 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

And I beleive women should wear dresses or skirts below the knee because it is less revealing of your figure than pants. I want my body to be for my husband and noone else. I don't wish to draw attention to myself. Here is the Bible verse for this personal conviction.

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
I don't want to be a stumbling block for those around me. Tempting men to look at my body is wrong and causing them to have lustful thoughts. Especially in God's house we need to remember the reason we go to church and be very careful how much skin is revealed. It can be difficult to focus on Him if your showing cleavage or your skirt is too short.

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And because we have 4 boys we are more aware than ever of how important modesty can be. We don't want our boys growing up seeing half naked women and girls walking around. We want to guard their hearts as long as possible and try to keep their minds pure and free of impure thoughts. It might sound impossible but we believe it can be done by keeping them in church at teaching them the importance of keeping their bodies sacred and pure for their spouse.

I know it won't be easy and some critics may say we're crazy for "sheltering" them but we are doing our best to "train them up in the way they should go."

Being Submissive

Being a submissive wife doesn't mean you should be mistreated in any way. There is a difference between being submissive and being controlled. We should love them despite their flaws and try to be helpful instead of critical. We need to be respectful of each others ideas and decisions and that will be easier when you really love each other. He is to be the head of the home and we should never make major decisions without discussing them first with each other. We are to serve him which simply means to "render assistance". Being submissive doesn't mean you are dumb. A great marraige requires a lot of work but if you're both fighting for the head of house than be prepared for war.

I love my husband and I love the Lord and I want to please them both. In order to do that I need to be submissive to my husband and let him be the leader in our home. He doesn't mistreat me or talk to me like I am any less. He just lets the Lord guide him so he can guide us.

The F-word

Forgiveness is what I am talking about. Do you have trouble forgiving others when they hurt you? I haven't always been able to forgive. It doesn't come natural. I remember as a child when my mother told me to say sorry I had the hardest time getting those words "I'm sorry" to come out of my mouth.

When someone does something to hurt me I have learned that the best way to get past it and feel better is to forgive and forget. It's easier said than done but it is the best thing to do.

The Bible says in Matthew 6:14-15 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

So as Christians we have to learn that forgiving each other is the only way we can stay right with God.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

And while raising these boys, forgiveness is a daily lesson here at our house. They are in "training" and it seems as though I am too. I am learning patience and they are learning obedience and forgiveness.

It's a big job raising these handsome boys....it's not easy but it's worth it! They were given a Wii and then we bought Mario Kart with wheels for the controllers. So now they are learning to drive! At the early ages of 9, 7 & 4 they can drive! Almost. Learning to share and taking turns is a constant battle but we are working on it daily.

There are only a few things in this house that we don't share. One very important one is toothbrushes. Justus wants to use everyone's toothbrush. Now that he has learned to climb and if he can't reach something he'll get a stool. So recently when I bought My Way Crest Spin brushes toothbrushes for the 3 big boys he really wanted to play with them. They were able to decorate their own with lots of stickers that were included and used the letters to put their names on them. Now if I can just teach them to close the bathroom door when they go out it would help. Until he learns to open doorknobs!!!

Learning to forgive is hard but when you can put the past behind you and realize that we all make mistakes it is easier to be happy and your relationships will get stronger with family, friends and God.