Thursday, May 18, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Helloooo World! My niece is finally here!
My big sis Coco had her beautiful baby girl yesterday at 1:56pm. Emily Reagan weighs 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long.
No offense, J, but I am SO glad she looks like Coco and not like you! Looks like she's got those asian eyes too... 
The boys and I are heading up to OKC to visit her this weekend. I CAN'T WAIT!!! It is really hard not leaving right this minute...but since I actually want to be helpful when her dh goes back to work, I will be patient.
On the HSB front, we're just waiting on Amy (aka nutpickle) to have her baby! She's went to the hospital early this morning so please pray for her and baby.
Love,
Marsha
Monday, May 15, 2006
Happy Birthday HSB!!!
I can't believe it's already been one year!!! The Front Porch is a celebratin' ALL WEEK! Here's the scoop...
Guess who's having a birthday? Homeschoolblogger. Yep, that's right our beloved HSB will officially be one year old on Tuesday, May 16th.
Somewhere over in Eastern TN, I imagine Gena is sticking out her tongue at Jen saying, "Neener, neener, I TOLD you they would like it."
So, we just want to celebrate all week long with contests, prizes, and fun. Carla from Shade Tree Cottage has already volunteered to donate two wonderful gift baskets of her handmade, all natural, organic soaps! Wow, just look at her site, you can practically smell the soaps on there!!
If any of you would like to donate prizes for our contests on the Front Porch this week, just email me and let me know. We so appreciate you all blogging with us and making HSB such a wonderful blogging community.
So let's get started with our very first contest for the week. We want to take a look back through some of your best blog entries. Choose one of your favorite blog entries (that you've written) and post the link here as a comment. Maybe it was when you shared your testimony, maybe it was a great homeschool story, maybe it was funny or maybe it was a great picture. Whatever it is, just post it as a comment here and we can all browse through HSB's "Best of..." And be sure to blog about it on your blog. We want to spread the word all around HSB!
~Nancy Carter
Senior Editor of HSB
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Review of Every Man a Hero, Every Woman a Coach
Every Man a Hero, Every Woman a Coach by Joel N. Orr
I like the title. I really do. It sums up a good relationship, doesn't it? It's also nice to be reminded that MY DEAR HUSBAND IS MY HERO! I hate to say that I have to be reminded in the first place, but with three young little men at home I get caught up in the very busy daily "stuff" and sometimes forget the truth about my main man. :-)
On the back cover of his book, Dr. Orr asks the question: What does it take to make every man a hero? The answer: A coach who sees his potential and wants him to win!
I have read some inspiring, encouraging, or just plain kick-you-in-the-rear books on being a good wifey (depending on the season, I was in need of all of these types of books!). Joel Orr's book is a little of each.
First of all, I really liked his very analytical points. He ends each chapter with Key Points to think about, talk about and take action. This is one of the most systematic books on marriage that I have read and includes a very detailed Table of Contents.
Second, it's not as touchy-feely as some other marriage books, but much more explanatory. Definitely appeals to the brainy, fact-loving side of me! This book would be a good gift for your non-mushy friends...you know the type...
Dr. Orr also does not really mention God in his book until Chapter 46. I don't believe anything he said went against the Bible-- he just chose to approach the subject of marriage with a hero/coach model instead of using biblical references. His ideas and writing does actually support what the Bible says (so we can read on!). This also makes it a helpful resource not just for Christian's, but for those who are looking to improve their marriage but would probably not read a "Christian" book... Again, you know the type...
Every Man a Hero, Every Woman a Coach is written to both men and women. He encourages the woman to use her special skills to build up her husband. He encourages the man to take advantage of his wife's insights and to cherish her. Both are greatly rewarded for their efforts with a satisfying and joyful marriage!
And it is an effort at times, isn't it? Dr. Orr does not say that it's easy or comes natural to us. Great marriages take commitment. And for those that don't feel like they have one right now, YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM! Every day is filled with choices...You can DO something about it! Ahhh...I just love books that encourage action instead of the poor-poor-pitiful-me outlook.
Joel Orr knows what he's talking about when it comes to a joyfull and fulfilling marriage. You can just tell by his words how he feels about his wife and how highly he thinks of her! He was married to his dear wife N'omi for over 30 years.
Sadly, N'omi Orr died a few short weeks ago. Dr. Orr sent a message saying that "My precious N'omi, the light of my life, accepted a personal invitation from the Lord of Glory to join him in heaven." My deepest condolences to Dr. Orr and his family! It is comforting, however, to know that she is at the feet of Jesus and that she and her husband will see each other again one day. May we all have lasting and loving marriages like their's-- together in this world and also for eternity. That truly is the greatest gift and legacy you can leave your spouse and your children! Comfort and assurance of eternity.
Bottom line: Two thumbs up for Every Man a Hero, Every Woman a Coach
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Great post on raising young men
Amy wrote a great post on raising young men... I like her. She's a smart momma.
I am heading to my in-laws tomorrow for a few days so I will be out of commission here in blogland. If anything cool happens, drop me a line, okay? Amy V., that means you and your bebe too!
Speaking of Amy's, check out AmyBeth's latest batch of beautiful photos! She is so talented with that camera... Oh and dear Amy from Peru has changed her blog name, so be sure to stop by and say hi!
I'm sure there are more Amy's out there...but those are the ones I know off the top of my head. Doubtful that there are any, let alone many, Marsha's though.
Have a great week, my friends!
Love,
Marsha
Sad but true article and a hilarious video!
Amy posted this emergency prayer request today for Stacy McDonald of Homeschooling Today. Please pray!
EmptyNestMom posted this article on her blog today. It talks about the price high achievers pay. I was one of those high achievers... While I loved to learn, the classroom actually kept me from truly learning anything in-depth or worth remembering. Teachers were too busy trying to keep it under control or they simply did not show any type of passion or interest in the subject they were teaching. It was simply a job to them...but apparently not one that they thought was worth doing well (there were a few exceptions of course). Since I hate repeating myself, you can see my comment on her blog. Thanks for the great article, Cindy!
And mom and dad, if you're reading this don't take it personally okay? I think y'all did a fabuloso job of raising us! And I did learn, but it just could've been better...and times have definitely changed since then! You know I love you both and could NEVER have asked for better parents!!! 
Not one to want to end on a down note (well, at least not all the time!), I got this HILARIOUS video from my friend Jaybird. Warning: This will be extremely funny to some of you and just plain dumb to the rest of ya!
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Time to Pick Your Own
Nope, not your kids or your nose! Time to pick your own fruit! I know the Ig's have already gone...Coie's posted some great pics of their strawberry endeavors. Here in Texas, strawberry season has only a couple of weeks left and we still have two more to go until the blueberries are ready.
Click here to find out what's available in your state! Don't forget to CALL AHEAD to see what's available... Also, be sure to pack sunscreen and insect repellent. You may even be able to bring a picnic and make a fun day of it! I usually go blueberry picking twice-- once by myself (for the sheer solitude and quiet) and once with the kids (because they just love it!). Have fun!!!
Monday, May 8, 2006
Buy/sell used curriculum!!!
Sagerats is having a contest to help promote The HSB County Fair where you can sell and buy used curriculum, EVEN teacher edition's/guide's/answer key's, with no host percentage fees!
Oh be careful what you say around these parts
I was looking through my friends' blogs and came across a post that was a bit frightening. Sagerats was writing about some information she got from her sitemeter. I have a statcounter but no sitemeter on my blog. Apparently, you can find information about the people that visit your blog-- like the site they came from and the site they went to after visiting.
I know Amy (DandelionSeeds) has mentioned at length about internet safety as well...and using safe codes for our children. If you haven't already thought about nicknames or using the safecode, maybe now would be a good time to do that.
Also, AmyBeth has written a good post on The Company Porch on how to keep your blog from showing up on a Google Search. I haven't done this yet, but I will now! I was rather surprised at church last night when a friend mentioned that they had come across my blog! What??? No one at church knows about my blog. Apparently, they were doing a search on radiant barrier paint (which I mentioned in a previous post complaining about my electric bill). Zoiks! No telling what I've talked about in previous posts that could lure some sicko to my site (implies no reference to my friend at church).
I hope this has given some of y'all food for thought. I know we can't live in fear or anything, but it doesn't hurt to take some simple measures to increase our privacy. And be careful which words you choose to use in your writings...at least throw those weird a*ster*isk*s* or other symbols to mix things up.
Speaking of privacy...
On Sunday night, someone charged 1.00 to our credit card. The fraud department notified us since the transaction detail only came through with a bunch of letters (instead of a store name, etc). We were told that it is common for a low amount such as a dollar to be used to "test" the card first...before further fraudulent charges are made. I am SO thankful that they found it in time and we were able to cancel our card immediately and reissue a new one! So be sure to always check your statements VERY carefully! Our cards have been in our possession so I have no idea where this fraud originated.
I promise a peppier post tomorrow (hopefully!). :-)
Love,
Marsha
Sunday, May 7, 2006
Strong/Weak Willed Child
Great post written by one smart momma! I'll have to remember what she tells her children...
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