25 Days of Christmas!

Have you started your Christmas traditions yet? What are you waiting for? December is HERE! Need some ideas? Kendra over at The Things I Love has some fabulous ideas for making Christmas special and especially for remembering what Christmas is really about. And I will be guest posting for her sometime this month! Be sure to check out all her great ideas, starting with the scripture countdown chain.

Parental rights?

Do you have a say in what your children will or will not be taught in schools? Do you have a right to your child's medical information? Do you have the right to teach your child religious values? Should CPS be allowed to remove children from homes where there is no clear evidence of abuse?

There are some who assume that since the constitution doesn't specifically include rights for parents that means they don't have any rights. If you think you have the right to make decisions for your child, watch this video. Your parental rights are being infringed upon and this is just the beginning. Take a stand now before the generation of entitled children has so many "rights" that they start making decisions for you.



I am not a conspiracy theorist and I don't think the government is out to get me. I think that in this world there are a few evil people and a lot of dumb people. Unfortunately both types tend to gravitate toward positions of authority. Personally I don't want either evil or dumb people making decisions for me and my family.

Politics has never been something that interested me. I have been pretty content to live my nice little life and let the politicians worry about that boring stuff. It wasn't until I read Skousen's book The 5,000 Year Leap that my eyes were opened to the ideas and principles this nation was founded on and the deterioration of those fundamental principles. They didn't want the career politicians that we have today- they wanted people who loved this country and were willing to offer their services for the sake of it. I realized that if I do not get involved not only am I subject to the laws that those people make but I can't even complain about it because I sat back and watched it happen (or buried my head in the sand so I couldn't see it happening).

Unfortunately the majority of young voters have no idea about the principles this country was founded on. Many simply want a free handout and don't take the time to realize that someone (you and I) has to pay for it. If only they could see the future implications of a government that "takes care" of you. And the majority of voters that do care and that do have strong values and principles are often silent.

I have commited myself to pulling my head out of the sand, start paying attention and do something. You might think that as a busy mom you can't make a difference. But it is mothers who can and should be making these decisions. We care about the future generation because we are raising them. We have a right to decide the kind of world our children will grow up in. Politics is not something for professionals and academics, it's for us, the people.

It really doesn't take much effort. Simply educating onesself on the issues, researching and choosing a political candidate for president who supports values and ideas the founding fathers would approve of, and writing your congressmen on important issues. Don't leave the job of educating your children on political issues and the founding of America to the schools, you are their best teacher (clearly they didn't do a good job educating us about government and politics).There are also organizations you can join such as American Family Association who will email you about family related issues as well as provide information on what you can do to help.

Still not convinced this is important? Need a little motivation?

One reader will receive a free copy of Skousen's 5,000 Year Leap!

Half done!

My goal since I started digital scrapbooking a few years ago was to have the current year finished and ordered on New Year's eve. I have met this goal so far each year (even if only by a few minutes). I don't think I'm going to make it this year...I just finished the first half of the year- January through June. I have 6 months to go in less than a month! Take a peek at this year so far...

Create your own Photobooks with Inkubook.com!

Simple things...beauty of the earth

I was going through my pictures today and found an entire folder that was still in raw. When I opened them in Lightroom I was pleasantly surprised to see they were the autumn pictures I'd taken at Thanksgiving Point! I completely forgot about them. We brought our schoolwork and climbed to the top of one of the pavillions and camped out all day. The boys jumped in the leaves and rolled down the hills and just had a fabulous day.

They also have an amazing new exhibit on Jesus Christ and I was excited to see it was finally open. Simple pleasures that make my heart smile : )

link up your simple pleasures...

Thankful

for two dozen roses from my husband

that I just have a cold and not the flu

for three handsome little boys

a warm home to live in
this beautiful earth

for yummy food

good friends

family

GOD

Time Out- SLC

I attended my fourth Time Out for Women this weekend in Salt Lake City. As with the others, it was incredible! It was slightly larger than the ones I attended in Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville...there were 5,000 women there! I went with my awesome sister in law (the marathoner). It was fun to hear several presenters I hadn't heard before. I loved Brad Wilcox- he is hilarious...Hilary Weeks and Jericho Road were amazing, Sherry Dew and Emily Watts were inspiring and Laurel Christensen put a major stitch in my side...But the best part was Saturday morning we got to hear from Stephanie Nielson who was not even on the schedule! I had contemplated driving to Phoenix to hear her speak and was so happy I didn't have to! If you haven't yet had the opportunity to go to one of these events you seriously need to. It will change your life. And you'll never be around a group of funnier people. Ever.

And in other news...My sister Sara had her baby Lily, she's doing really well in the St. George NICU and they just featured her photo on the front page of the newspaper today. Check it out here.

Faith and Politics

I recently watched this adress by Senator Joe Lieberman at BYU. He spoke about how our nation was founded on faith and values and the belief in God. It's not very often you see politicians publicly promoting the good religion offers society. One of my favorite quotes was "America has been from the beginning a faith-based initiative and anybody who tries to separate faith from the public square is doing something unnatural and ultimately bad for our country."

He has published a book called The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath. In this day the Sabbath (for Christian's this day is Sunday) has become a holiday, a day of entertainment rather than a day to worship God and renew our soul. I think it is wonderful that a man in public office is taking a religious stand and setting the example for others to stick to their faith.

He also says "Faith in God, love of country, sense of unity, confidence in the power of every individual—these are the things that are going to carry the American people through crises greater than the ones we face today, and will, I’m sure, propel us forward to a better place if only we will return to those values and recognize them as a source of national strength...The greatest source of American strength and hope for the future is not in current devices and rigid politics of Washington, it is in the broadly shared faith and values of the American people.”

The full speech (skip past first parts) is located at http://byutv.org/watch/event/c4640ed7-2175-445a-9e63-b0e1a1d2c9f2 or on the BYU tv app you don't have to skip past anything...

The winner of Hilary Weeks Every Step is...

Penny who said "My wonderful family and the gospel. Without either of them, I would not be in the place I am today!!"  Please contact me to claim your prize! Thanks to all who entered! 

Now, if you're hungry, check out this fabulous Pumpkin Bar recipe! The picture doesn't do it justice at all- it is absolutely amazing (and you can use whole wheat!)

*winner chosen by random.org

Sister retreat

I had the best weekend! We got together for the annual Osborne sister's retreat. A weekend full of food, shopping, pedicures and NO children! It was awesome. It was so rejuvenating to just take a break and enjoy being me again (minus my camera which got dropped and the lens guts popped out). We stayed in a condo right across from temple square and it was so beautiful in the morning with all the snow that fell.

There were some fabulous sales going on and I found the perfect pair of skinny jeans to wear with my boots! I have tried on at least two dozen jeans in the last month trying to find a pair that would look cute, but everything seems to be made for little twigs with no hips. These jeans fit like regular jeans until the knee and then are perfectly tapered to fit inside boots. Awesome. In case you were wondering, they're Vigoss from Nordstrom. They go perfect with the two new pairs of boots I got and the trendy mustard jacket I picked up at Boheme, my new favorite store. If you have not shopped there yet, you've got to- they have such adorable clothes and since it's a boutique, each store is different and they get new styles in every two weeks! I love shopping in Utah!

Last chance to register to win Hilary Weeks new CD...

Free pictures of the St. George, Utah Temple

Here are some pictures I took of the Saint George, Utah LDS temple. You may download these and additional images free for personal use by clicking on the Free Artwork link. If you use them in a fun project be sure to post a link in the comments, I love seeing how these images are being used! You may also order discounted prints online or feel free to donate a dollar or two so that I can continue to offer these free! P.S. Don't forget to enter to win Hilary Week's new CD!

A day in the life, Part 4: Organizing it all...

Now for the fun part! How do I organize all this stuff??? The last two years have really been kind of a "trial run" with homeschooling. The thought of being responsible for everything my children learn is very intimidating. So while my children aren't yet old enough for public school I've been homeschooling them to build my confidence up so that when it's really going to count I know I can do it successfully (which has been good since I've changed curriculums half a dozen times!).
And though I don't have to adhere to any state requirements yet...I still like to keep records. It helps me get in the routine so that if/when we live in a state that has strict requirements I will be prepared to meet them and so that I can gague how much we really have learned during the year. Here are a few things that I am currently using to *try* to stay organized:

This free Homeschool Daily Planner helps plan out my day and week as well as organize daily studies. I have laminated the schedule so I can use a dry erase marker and easily make changes.

All our finshed schoolwork and artwork are kept in this accordian file folder with the date stamped on each page (the kids' favorite part).

 

At the end of each school year I use my comb binder to create a book of all the schoolwork we did for that year, organized by subject. I use a photo of the child for the front page and include a sample copy of our schedule, a list of books we read that year (free reading list template), artwork and written work. I also include photos of any field trips we took, along with a summary of the things we learned. This portfolio is a great way to showcase the things they learned that year as well as preserve their artwork in a way that doesn't take a whole lot of space.

  

How do you stay organized?

Did you miss Part 3: Teaching Small Children?

Check out this list of resources for continuing your education.

Tissues please...Hilary Weeks giveaway!

If you haven't heard this song from Hilary's new album- grab a tissue and hit the play button.

We all face heartache and pain in this life. Much of who we become is determined by how we handle the trials that are given us. We were on a family hike a few weeks ago and came across a tree root. We discussed with my boys how all the twists and turns in the roots came when it encountered a rock or other tree and rather than stop growing, it bent and curved around it, and those twists and turns help it remain in the ground.This is a lot like life, when trials come we can choose to stop growing and become bitter and unhappy, or we can embrace those rocks and use them to dig our roots deeper and develop character and attributes to bring us closer to Christ.

In this season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for the life God has blessed me with, for my wonderful husband and three beautiful boys. I am thankful for extended family and friends who help life's journey be a little sweeter. I am thankful that in this world that is often full of fear, confusion, anger and pain, I can have faith in Jesus Christ, that he will guide my life and give me hope for the future. That is my thankful part, now for the giving part, I am giving one lucky reader a free copy of

Hilary Week's new CD album, Every Step!

To Enter, leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. What are you thankful for this season?

2. You are a public follower (click Join this Site in the sidebar on the right)
3. You have my button on your blog
4. You blogged or facebooked about this giveaway

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 8th. (Be sure to include your email address in one comment or have it linked to your profile so I can contact you if you win.)

U.S. Addresses only.
If the prize is not claimed within 3 days a new winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!