Dirt Devil Baseball

This was Abigail's first game of the season! Abigail is catching again this season, however she is thrilled there is another catcher on the team! When those hot Texas summer games get into about the 4th inning it will be nice to have a back up catcher. The two girls are switching off on catching and on playing first base. Today was a special treat because Granny came down to watch the game and she brought Jess with her!

"She gets up while it is still dark; " . . . and drives 5 hours to see her granddaughter's softball game

Proverbs 31:15

Capitol Days in Austin

Today we attended Capitol Days sponsored by the Texas Home School Coalition. THSC staffers educated the youth about the legislative process, using skits and activities, and trained them to lobby—discussing current pending legislation with some role-playing for practice. Specifically we worked on HB 2557 which would restore parental rights.

Mr. Tim Lambert, President of Texas Home School Coalition gave the audience information about HB 2557. Recently bad judges in cases of death of a spouse have permitted the deceased parents’ parent (grandparents) to remove children from the custody of the surviving parent citing reasons of distress. This is not a case where the child is in danger or being harmed but in instances where the grandparents disagree with the decision to homeschool or the surviving parent’s religious beliefs. In some cases the case has been drug out knowing the surviving parent will run out of funding. One parent who spoke yesterday had her child removed for four years, before the courts ruled the charges unfounded! HB 2557 would force accusing grandparents to make their case with in 45 days, and the children remain with parent until such time that evidence is proven the child need to be removed.

. THSC staffers used skits and role playing to explain how a bill is introduced in committee and the process of going thru the House and on to the Senate. The kids attended classes in the morning and were given talking points about HB 2557. In the afternoon we broke up into small group and lobbied Congressmen and Senators for a favorable back of HB 2557. In the late afternoon we met on the south lawn for a debriefing and then attend a Parental Rights rally on the steps of the Capital. It was a very exciting day!

Metropolitan Detroit Youth Chorus

Tonight the Metropolitan Detroit Youth Chorus performed at McDermott Road. They had a great A'Capella performance! Towards the end of the performance they invited the youth in the audience to perform. We hosted two of the girls for the night, Lisa & Danielle. They stayed up with the kids and played board games. I asked the girls what they would like for breakfast in the morning, I think Coke and more oatmeal cookies was the answer . . . hmmm!

"Practice hospitality." Romans 12:13

National Bible Bowl 2011

It's finally here, Bible Bowl!!!! Our day began with breakfast in the hotel the kids were so laid back laughing as we ate breakfast that we had five bowls of wrath and other corny references to Revelation. The test is made up of one round of fifty questions that is time for 25 minutes, closed Bible. That is followed by five more rounds of 40 questions each. Two of the rounds they are permitted to use their Bibles and three rounds it is closed Bible.

The open Bible is for quotes, the test will give them 8 to 10 words from a quotation and the youth have to locate chapter and verse where that quote is found. Again each is a timed round here they have 25 minutes, 20 minutes, & 15 minutes for the various rounds.

It is an intense process, but the joy the kids get from studying together, hanging out, the hotel trip, just all of it is amazing! Each of the 14 youth we took with us are active in select sports, arts, drama, music classes, etc. All are outstanding students, but yet they make time to study scripture for a couple of hours each week for months, just for a ribbon or trophy! And they take it to heart, they aren't competitive or jealous of each other's success, they encourage each other and just really bring out the best in each other!

I'm so proud of these youth! I love being their coach and watching them succeed. Revelation begins with a promises that there is a blessing for all who read and study the book, and we have received blessing from our time this year!

Update 4/7/11: I got in trouble by family members because I posted information about Bible Bowl but forgot to tell them how the kids scored!

I coached four teams, in the Elementary In-Experienced Team (3rd-5th Grade) they took First Place

My Elementary Experienced Team (3rd-5th Grade) they took First Place.

My Junior Experienced Team (6th-9th Grade), this was Abigail's team, they took Second Place. Abigail and another player on the team are both only 4th graders, but the other 2 members of their team forced them to play up a division.

My Sr. Experienced Team, (10th-12th Grade) finished in Fourth Place. This was Caleb's team. Three of the players, including Caleb are 8th graders but because the 4th player is in 12th grade they too had to play up a division.

In Individual competition for the Elementary Experienced Division (3rd-5th Grade) Abigail finished first. And in the Individual Junior Experienced Division (6th-9th) Caleb took first place.

Overall (3rd – 12th Grade) Rankings (112 participants) Caleb took first place with 241 correct out of 250 questions. And Abigail took 5th place with 211 correct out of 250 questions.

"Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9

Time at the Gun Range

Ok, so after you've had the kids bottled up for a three hour car ride, and before they go to take a three hour test, how do you unwind? Well, if Dad's are in charge you go to the gun range! They shot everything from M16s, 357s, 22s and more! The kids had a blast, they all came back to the hotel with their targets full of holes! Abigail saved her shells from the M16 to make a necklace! Her shoulder is bruised, but she and the boys can't quit grinning and talking about all the fun they had!

"they did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other" Nehemiah 4:17

April Fools

Several years ago I had a brilliant idea for an April Fools joke on the kids. Every year since the kids have looked forward to what Mom would do next! This year April Fools falls on the day we are driving up to Oklahoma Christian University for the National Bible Bowl Competition. Like every road trip, I have a little cooler packed and at some point we will stop for a picnic. However, they are in for a surprise. I have packed 'fishsticks' and 'peas and carrots' for lunch, with one tiny twist!

The fish sticks are sugar wafer cookies that I coated with peanut butter and then rolled in smashed corn flakes. The 'peas and carrots' are green mini-gobstopper candies and orange Starbursts that have been quartered!

Now shhh, they suspect nothing!!!! I'll post pictures of their reactions later today. Abigail has already gotten in the April Fools spirit by calling her friends (at 7:45am) and telling them there was a fire at OCU and National's has been postponed indefinitely!!! Heheheh!

"Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery!"

II Corinthians 12:16

Caleb with the Chain Saw!

Remember those projects Jon has going on well this is one of them. We had trees on the front yard that were over grown and shaded too much of the yard. Today Jon and Caleb used the chain saw and bow saw to trim the tree and bag up the clippings. After they spent a couple of hours doing yard work, then they took Abigail to softball practice where Jon pitched to the girls and Caleb shagged balls! They were both worn out at the end of the day!

"Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction" Proverbs 1:8

Dirt Devils in Training

It's that time again, softball season. Abigail has played Spring, Fall and Winter softball since she was four years old. Most of the seasons she was playing with the Blue Crush, they were a team one division older than Abigail. This year we chose to put her in her own age division on a rec league, wow, big change! Abigail is still playing catcher, but this team will definitely not be as competitive as her teams in the past. She is having fun, and enjoying getting to know her new team mates and that is what's important.

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice" Philippians 4:9

Tim Lambert

Tim Lambert, president of the THSC, was our guest speaker at the March PEACH Meeting. Mr Lambert is a fixture in Austin when the state legislature is in session. THSC fights for home school rights and keep home schoolers up to date on proposed bills that might impact home education in Texas.

I have served on the PEACH Board of Directors for the past three years. During that time our organization has grown from 200 families to 250. Over the past two years PEACH has experienced the growing pains that go with change. Tim has been an invaluable resource to our board. He has an incredibly busy schedule but he has made himself available to guide the board in the direction necessary to protect our membership and provide the resources necessary to North Texas Home Educators. He is one of those individuals that is such a wealth of information. If you haven't heard him speak, check out the Texas Home School Coalition website for his speaking schedule.

"Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard"

Psalm 19:2-3

Tom Sawyer has Nothing on Me!

Jon has several 'projects' going on in the back yard. So I thought I would help out by using the power washer to clean the privacy fence before we restain and seal it. The project took about four days. The kids would come out every once in a while and ask to help. I really thought nothing of it until the following Monday when Abigail's piano teacher asked if her what fun thing she did over Spring Break. Abigail responds, ‘My mom made us do school work all week, but on Thursday she did let us use the power washer to clean the privacy fence!’

Next week she can tell Ms. Kathy that I let her use a paint brush on the newly cleaned fence!

"Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies." Exodus 5:9