Mommy Moments

Me with Jorgie at 4 months old.

It's been a few months since I wrote...that is a slight indication of how busy I have been.
But I have to share a moment I just had with Jorgie.
Good old Jorgie. My four year old. That says it all right there.
Jorgie is going through a time of growth...mentally, physically, emotionally,
behaviorally and most of all spiritually. She is having to endure the consequences of...
simply put...bad behavior. Shocked!!! Don't be. We are born sinners. We have to be taught good. We are born with a desire to do wrong and little Ms. Jorgie is no different. But as I rubbed her back while she fell asleep I couldn't help but be grateful for the moment I was having with her...and yes, the moments that led up to it.
You see Jorgie was doing what she does best right now...throwing fits!! She doesn't get what she wants...she throws a fit. This time was no different. So I tried to sit her down for a moment but her fit just grew and then eventually grew into hitting me, pulling my hair and telling me I was "bad." So as she endured her "reward" for that she finally started to calm down. I began to give her a bath, get her dressed, read her a Bible story, lay her in bed, talk with her, pray with her, sing to her, hold her and then eventually kissed her as she fell asleep. Do you know how much time it took to carry that "moment" out? Quite a bit! Had I been to busy to truly love my daughter I would have missed that moment to teach, to discipline, to love, to talk, to hold, to pray, to guide and to forgive. That moment was just as much for Jorgie as it was for me. I am so grateful God has given me the time to really raise my daughters. I have been given the time to do all God has commanded me to that is required in caring for and raising children. Is it hard? Yes! Do I "love" these teachable, revelation filled moments? Not while I am going through it. It is when it is finished that I feel the rest and the benefit. There are many lessons learned tonight. I have a grateful heart unto my God who has granted the steps of my life to learn these lessons!

Phileo,

Patsy

20011 Texas Wildflower Project

Our Star Students 

Texas State Flower "Bluebonnets"

They did a great job!!! And what was the goal, you may ask? Results!!! And boy did I see results today. The students got an "A" for effort, an "A" for participation and an "A" for academics. Sometimes these little projects we do with our homeschool children seem like a waste of time. We may tend to think to ourselves, what's this really going to accomplish? Or, I have so many other things to do, I really don't have the time to do this right now. Or we can do the next one. And yes it is true many times, there will usually be a next time. But I think it is important to take the moment by the horns and run with an opportunity. The things our youngsters learn is invaluable. They learn to communicate. They were asked to share the "story" of their project and how it came to life. They learned the life of the flowers and the deep history intwined within them. They learned to critically think. And what I mean by this is that they had to think critically by prioritizing the various jobs they needed to do. Surely they couldn't create until they had picked flowers. And they couldn't have researched until they gathered the flowers they were going to research. They learned (in a subliminal way) how to sequence events by whats important first. And that my friend is a skill they will need life long, doing the most important things first and then working your way down the list. Next they had a chance to put their creativity to practice. They used crayons, markers, fresh flowers, printed images, photos, laminating machines, contact paper and on and on. Over all they grew in leaps and bounds and I say, "BRAVO!!!!" Job well done!

So super Proud of her!

In January 2011 I saw a posting in the FEAST Manna for fifth graders to participate in a creative writing contest. So naturally I told Jeri she was entering, of course she refused. But a few nights before it was due I sat her down and gave her some inspiration. The topic was "Why I Am Glad America is a Nation of Immigrants." Since this wasn't a topic we discussed often I thought if she could see pictures of immigrants on the internet and read their stories it might help her. But as we were researching I remembered that old song from Neil Diamond called "Coming to America." I quickly looked on
you tube and we watched the following video.

It seemed to come very easy afterward. Now the contest rules said the final product could be an essay, interview, story or poem. So we opted for the poem. As we watched the video we sat and discussed what it was we were watching. We talked about the different people, where they came from, what brought them here, what America offered that was different from where they were coming from. We talked about history, how our country was started and why it was started. Then we started pointing out key words and thoughts. The next thing we know we were rhyming words and out came a rough draft of thoughts. Jeri typed it on the computer and I forwarded it on to the FEAST office for editing. Then off it went to the law office for judging. Wednesday I received a phone call that Jeri's poem won 1st place in San Antonio as well as at the State level. It has been forwarded on to compete in the National level. If she wins we could win a trip to San Diego where she will read her poem to those attending the Immigration Councils Annual Benefit Dinner. She will also have the privilege of having her poem published in the Congressional Record.  We are so excited. In the meantime Jeri will receive a mini Statue of Liberty and $100.00 on May 18th at Trinity University.
I am so proud of her. Jeri has always loved to write. I have countless stories packed away that she has written over the years. She loves to write creatively. I am eager to see how this will develop in her life. I believe she will go on to do great things with her thoughts!

It was Amazing!

Lone Star Classic Volleyball Tourney 2011

It was an awesome experience. There must have been 400 volleyball teams from all over Texas and surrounding states last weekend at the dallas Convention Center.  The courts went on and on. These girls were all 14 and they all came for one purpose... to win!

It was so exciting to see Jamie be apart of something so great. Her team arrived Friday afternoon and they played against four other teams on the same court. They were ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Jamie's team placed 2nd. From there they were placed in the winners bracket..woohoo!! Saturday they started playing but lost all their games. Going into Sunday it was win or go home. We went home. The competition was good. Her team fought but in the end it was a great experience. What does team sports achieve? I believe it has a great potential to achieve so much more then a competitive spirit or poor sportsmanship! I have seen great growth in Jamie. And for the first time all season I saw her try and try in her last game to win. It was the first time I saw her really make an extreme effort to rise above and fight the good fight, regardless of how it ended! Yes, there is a lot to learn. Commitment! She has learned to stay committed even when the team is losing and you want to quit! She is realizing that her mistakes don't make the game, neither do her achievements make the game! She works as a team with seven other girls to accomplish the same goal. So she is learning teamwork, a skill she will need as a wife, mother, nurse or friend. She is learning to be physically fit. Jamie has been working hard these past few months on her diet. She is finally becoming aware of what she is eating, how much and which foods fuel her or defeat her. She is growing a desire to try hard things. She wants to continue on in this sport and see how far she can go. And most of all she is learning to develop socially. She is growing more and more confident and less and less shy. She has grown some beautiful friendships with her sweet teammates. All the girls are uniquely different from one another and that has been great for Jamie. I think it is a valuable life lesson for Jamie to see that we are all different. We are created for different purposes by God. It has been a wonderful year in club volleyball for Jamie. We look forward to all the great things God does in her life through this sport.

Another Exciting Day!!!

SA Pumas 2011

1st Place 

Congratulations to Jamie on bringing home the GOLD!!!! Yesterday Jamie played in a Volleyball Tournament in Lockhart, TX where her Volleyball Club Team... The San Antonio Pumas (14 year old girls) won first place. Her team played three games and won all three. They went on to the championship round to play for first and second place. It was an exciting, yet heart-racing, game to watch. They endured to the end and walked away the CHAMPIONS!!! What thrill and joy at the effort of accomplishment. Nothing feels as good as trying your best and reaping the rewards. Challenges are never easy, in fact the essence of a challenge is difficulty, but when you try and try with all your best effort, challenges are worth every ounce of difficulty they bring. It produces more then tiredness. It reaps forth the fruit of accomplishment. The understanding that hard things can be done. The self realization that perhaps "maybe I do have what it takes." Yes, nothing good ever comes easy. But the hard things are worth fighting for. And the fruit it bears is worth all the effort. Way to Win Girls!!

Me & My Girls!!!

In Science, She FAIRED....Excellent!!!!

Yes, indeed! Jeri took 2nd place at the 5th Annual Home School Science Fair. I am so super proud of her. It was hard work, took lots of time to finalize all the details but in the end it all paid off. Jeri is so pleased with her accomplishment and effort And I am grateful this experience has boosted her confidence.
Now I will admit, her heart was not always into it! And there were days when we both wanted to quit! But we kept on and completed what we had set out to do and the judges awarded her diligence! WAY TO GO JERI!!!