Live a Meaningful Life

Now this crew--I cannot promise they wouldn't handle a snake if they saw one in the  pasture before or after church--but it would only be for exploration and adventure purposes only- nothing spiritual!  On any given Sunday night at six a group of people from a few counties come together in an updated shed on a county road in Mooreville in an effort to collectively worship Jesus together!  I am positive when people drive by (if they even recognize it is a church) they are convinced we do some weird stuff in there--like handle snakes, pass out, drink strange things, sacrifice animals, and/or smear blood on things.  The truth is, we do none of that.  Although, we do have some pigeons who have nested somewhere in the back roof--I am pretty sure they are safe! We are just regular people living life together.  We make an effort to care for each other, encourage each other, and walk with each other as we struggle and fail.  And in the meantime, we have some adventures! Over the las

Whew!!! The first semester of this home-schooling business has flown! Overall, it has been much better than I ever expected. Of course, there have been days that have been far from good--tears, yells, groans, ripped paper (mostly from me--the adult).  But after the meltdowns, I somehow get it together and the day ends well!  I have had to detox myself from a traditional education mindset. I was surprised how much I have been affected by working in the educational arena for 14 years.  As some of you know, one of the primary reasons I decided to homeschool was the fact John Gannon was a struggling reader.  Throughout this semester, he has made tremendous gains and somedays he asks to read all day.  Initially when this started happening I was like, "No, we have to do some math and we have got to work on the next states, etc."  What in the world was I thinking? I am under no timelines, no semester limits, no mandated holidays.  Yes--you can read all you want!  I now only have

Out with the old, in with the new.  We moved the boys' beds out the other day and exchanged them for hammocks.  They have been great all around--they are super comfy and a great space saver!  And instead of just being a bed--they have been forts, secret hideouts, and animal carriers! Does anyone have a problem with self-discipline and selfishness besides me?  Ugh...I get so sick of myself sometimes. Back in November after I finished reading my Bible one day, I realized that in certain areas of my life I had become pathetic, lazy, and just plain selfish.  Unfortunately, if anyone had called me on it, I could have given him/her very logical reasons for my behavior.  When I mentally ran through some of my list of "reasons" I felt sick. I was using these justifications in an effort to stay the same.  So I fast-forwarded mentally for the next five years and then just felt sicker! Yuck--I want to be different--a better Paula.  However, all of my justifications  were only

What is that noise?  It is faint and has a monotonous rhythm...oh, the ceiling fan!  Around my house hearing a faint sound is a miracle!  Our rooms are generally busting with adventurous tales, lively play, and fierce battles.  But for the moment--I hear the sound of the ceiling fan motor, the breathing of a sleeping, almost four year old, and some random laughs from the "just-turned" eight year old and the forever 39 year old.  Who knows what they are doing upstairs?   Any of you who have known me long are aware that I am an advocate of the imagination!  I love to hear my boys create something from what seems like nothing. Just the other day I was quite proud of John Gannon's imagination.  He and Johnny were upstairs creating/playing army with the little plastic men and some forts. At some point, Johnny dozed off to sleep and was awakened by a burning pain sensation on his hand. The day before, he had acquired a blister from kayaking in Alabama. He looked down at his