It's been soooooo long!

For whatever reason, this blog popped into my mind a few weeks ago and when I took a break from life on this busy Saturday (oops, its Monday now!) I looked it up to see what I could see. Looks like my last post (not that there are very many) was in 2011. Ummm....its 2020 people. And I'm here to tell you, a lot can happen in 9 years! So I guess I've shown myself not to be much of a blogger. The truth is, I don't enjoy writing. I find it tedious and boring. But I have found that I like looking back and reading my thoughts about events I don't always remember. Ella turned 2 in Dec of 2011. She's 10 now. Shes recently been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis and enthesitis related arthritis specifically. It's been pretty hard on her. She's on weekly injections of a drug called methotrexate that has lots of yucky side effects. She's handling it fairly well, but having an autoimmune disease is certainly not fun. Especially when it brings lots of pain and discomfort. She's a real trooper though! We are so proud of her courage! And surprise! We had another baby! Oopsie! He's pretty dang awesome though and I have loved every minute of his 20 months of life. His name is Thad and he was born May 23, 2018. I was 42 and really couldn't imagine another baby. I cried a little when I found out I was pregnant again. But what a joy he is in my life. I'm so thankful Heavenly Father has a better plan than I do. Because if I'd had my way there wouldn't have been any more babies. Even more amazing news! Jenna is married and has a week old baby girl! Such an incredible sweet little girl! I'm a grandma! And I couldn't be happier about that! Haley is getting married in less than 2 weeks! Life is getting interesting around here. I should mention our sons-in-law. They are pretty cool guys. Jenna married Ahmet and he is turning out to be one awesome dad. Haley is marrying Garrett and I think Thad is going to be the president of his fan club. Wyatt is LPO (leading petty officer) of his sea cadet unit and is so good at it. Braden and Gracie are both members of sea cadets also and the three of them are becoming pretty great people. I see lots of good contributions to the world from all these kids of mine. Freddie and I have been married 25 years now and I truly can't imagine not having him with me every step of the way of this super fun journey of life. Anyway, maybe I'll write more here, maybe not. But I'm going to try!

I loved this poem!

My sister posted a poem on facebook today that I absolutely loved. My husband and I have been fasting and praying to know what our next step will be. Just in life in general. We'd really like to build a house. So we laid out a plan to follow so that hopefully, if things go well, we can do that in a year or so. Of course that means all our extra money goes into savings and not one dime gets spent frivolously. Which is fine. But boy all those seven children cost a fortune! Each one with their own needs and desires. So this poem really was touching. Thanks Leslie for helping me see just exactly what it is I want in life. Not only this one, but in the eternities as well. Lands and gold will be nice, but only if I have the people who mean the most by my side to share them with!

Which

Which shall it be? Which shall it be?

I looked at John - John looked at me;

Dear, patient John, who loves me yet

As well as though my locks were jet.

And when I found that I must speak,

My voice seemed strangely low and weak:

"Tell me again what Robert said!"

And then I, listening, bent my head.

"This is his letter:"



"'I will give

A house and land while you shall live,

If, in return, from out your seven,

One child to me for aye is given.'"

I looked at John's old garments worn,

I thought of all that John had borne

Of poverty, and work, and care,

Which I, though willing, could not share;

I thought of seven mouths to feed,

Of seven little children's need,

And then of this.



"Come, John," said I,

"We'll choose among them as they lie

Asleep;" so, walking hand in hand

Dear John and I surveyed our band.

First to the cradle light we stepped,

Where Lilian the baby slept,

A glory 'gainst the pillow white.

Softly the father stooped to lay

His rough hand down in loving way,

When dream or whisper made her stir,

And huskily he said: "Not her!"



We stooped beside the trundle-bed,

And one long ray of lamplight shed

Athwart the boyish faces there,

In sleep so pitiful and fair;

I saw on Jamie's rough, red cheek

A tear undried. Ere John could speak,

"He's but a baby, too," said I,

And kissed him as we hurried by.



Pale, patient Robbie's angel face

Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace:

"No, for a thousand crowns, not him,"

He whispered, while our eyes were dim.



Poor Dick! Bad Dick! Our wayward son,

Turbulent, reckless, idle one-

Could he be spared? "Nay, He who gave,

Bade us befriend him to the grave;

Only a mother's heart can be

Patient enough for such as he;

And so," said John, "I would not dare

To send him from her bedside prayer."



Then stole we softly up above

And knelt by Mary, child of love,

"Perhaps for her 't would better be,"

I said to John. Quite silently

He lifted up a curl that lay

Across her cheek in willful way,

And shook his head. "Nay, love, not thee,"

The while my heart beat audibly.



Only one more, our eldest lad,

Trusty and truthful, good and glad -

So, like his father. "No, John, no -

I can not, will not let him go."



And so we wrote in courteous way,

We could not drive one child away.

And afterward, toil lighter seemed,

Thinking of that of which we dreamed;

Happy, in truth, that not one face

We missed from it's accustomed place;

Thankful to work for all the seven,

Trusting the rest to One in heaven!



by: Mrs. E. L. Beers

Great Quote!

Do not trust your memory, it is a net full of holes. The most beautiful prizes slip through it. -Author Unknown

New look!

I've been playing around with my blog all day and think I've finally found a look I like. It had to be simple (I'm a simple gal!) but fun. I'll probably keep messing around with it because I have no idea how to get all the cute things on it I see on my friends pages. So if you have any suggestions for me, let me have it! I'm tired of being boring!

LDS Media

I got sent a letter the other day asking me to take part in an LDS Media survey. It was really about the benefits of the different media outlets and how I use them as a missionary tool. Wow folks, I want you to know I absolutely need to do more. There was a list of about 10 ways where I was asked to check all that apply about how I share the gospel. I could only check 3. I guess I get so caught up in my own little world that I don't branch out enough. I know we all have that issue but right now that doesn't make me feel any better. When I think about all the ways my life has been blessed because of my membership in The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I wonder how I can not share the gospel. And yet, somehow I manage to keep it myself so often. Not because I don't to share my testimony or because I don't have one, but mostly because I don't often put myself in positions to share. And so I will start here. The following paragraph will contain just a portion of my testimony. I will be happy to share more with anyone willing to listen.

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that He came to earth as an infant to his mother Mary and his earthly father Joseph. I know that the things He taught are relevant still today. Most importantly I know that He atoned for our sins, that he willingly gave His life for us in the most unselfish act all mankind will ever witness. He had the power to stop His crucifixtion and chose to follow through because He loves us. I love Him and want to be with Him and my Father again one day. I'm so thankful to know that I can be. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of this dispensation. He was a great, though imperfect man. He was chosen as a boy to lead this church and did so with integrity, courage and strength. If I could have just a portion of his courage I should never fear. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know because I read it and then got on my knees and asked my Heavenly Father if the things contained therein were true and beneficial to my life. My prayers were answered with an undeniable "YES"! I know that all who read it with pure intent, seeking to know for themselves, will recieve the same answer. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven with all my heart and am learning to put Them first in my life. I know I'll never prefect it, but I can sure try! I give you these things humbly, openly, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Shooting Sports!

Haley has joined a 4h club where they will learn to safely handle and shoot guns. She is so excited! I tried to convince Jenna to join as well, but no go. She's not interested. Oh well, to each their own. But at tonights meeting they chose officers and Haley was chosen as President. I'm not sure she knew what the job would entail when she volunteered but she was so cute up there leading the meeting. Haha! Already she has assignments and is all about doing it correctly. The parents got sent to the other room though to talk out some other issues so I only got to watch her for a few minutes. The club leader is making them be very formal so they have to use proper terms like "Madame President", "make a motion", "2nd the motion", "table the motion", and the like. The kids were too cute trying to remember all the right things to say and all the right ways to have a proper meeting. I loved it!

The parents were another story. Let me just tell you, I found out just exactly how much I do NOT know about proper gun care, safety, and shooting. We were charged with listing all the things needed for the range. Half of the things on the list were things I never heard of! Other things I wouldn't have thought of in a million years! Lol! You know who needs to join this club? Me!

Politics!

Politics these days seem like a never ending battle. When will the people in our country come to their senses and pull ourselves out of this incredible recession? Ever? Not as long as Obama is office, of that I'm certain. We seem to be following the trends of the rest of the world. Loss of freedoms, higher taxes, higher spending, more entitlements meant to keep us in submission (who fights against the one who feeds them?), higher expenses. At the grocery store this morning spent more money than usual by almost half! Holy cow people! To fill my tank with gas I have to make two purchases. I drive a Suburban with a 26 gallon tank. Most stores set their pumps to accept a maximum of $75. My truck takes $90! And that was last week! This week it's sure to cost me $100! I think I'll go on stike. Well, I would if I could. How do go on strike against the cost of essentials? Stop eating? Hmmm, maybe I should try that. I just might lose a few pounds!

Good times...

Tonight Freddie took both boys and the 3 oldest girls to watch a horse show in Jacksonville. So here I sit with just my 2 babies! Two of the sweetest girls on earth. I never get the opportunity to spend time with them like this so tonight we drank chocolate milk and had toast (Gracie's idea!) and watched nick jr til I thought my heart would explode. Ella followed me around the house and Gracie chatted endlessly. It reminded me of two other of the sweetest girls on earth. They think they're all grown up now, but I know better. One of them chatted nonstop and the other stuck to me like static cling. Then came another of the sweetest girls on earth. Thank goodness Faith knows she's still a kid! That girl is endless happiness all bundled up in one little person. Next were two boys who rival the greatest men the world has ever known. These two captured my heart in exactly the same way the girls did. Totally and completely. And now I'm back to my last two little darlings. So precious and growing up way too fast. I wonder if Heavenly Father wanted us to have moments like this. Where you are overjoyed at your blessings and yet somehow sad that it can't last forever. I think maybe that's the joy of eternal families. Even though these are moments that we can't get back we have all eternity to spend making new moments, enjoying them and wishing they could last forever. But I'm glad they can't. Because if they did, my little miracles could never have miracles of their own. And that is a joy I would never deny them. So I take the moments when I can. And right now....I can!

Lazy Day!

Such fun plans we had for today....and then it rained and it poured all day long :( Oh, well. Sometimes that's not a bad thing. Everyone stayed inside and played the wii, played with toys, read books, and layed on the couch. Turned out not so bad after all. The house though is the one that's suffers the most. It really looks like a tornado of 7 kids ran through it all day. I've never been so thankful not to have company in all my life! Usually, it's on days like these when my visiting teachers will just happen to drop by. Thank goodness they've both raised large families and can feel my pain! I have always wondered though, why no one ever just "drops by" when the house is clean? Murphy's Law I guess. Anyway, I finally decided to lay down a few minutes since I've had a headache all day, when Freddie came home. He was just gonna finish up a few things he needed to do for work on his computer. And then his phone rang.....and then again, and again, and again. Oh boy, there goes my few minutes to myself. But I love it. I wouldn't change it for the world! Maybe it doesn't sound like such fun to anyone else, but to me, this is heaven. I have a gorgeous husband, gorgeous kids, and a place to call home. Rich? Yes, I am!

How I Homeschool

Since I talked about why in my last post, I thought this time I'd address how. Everybody wants to know how! I get asked, "How on earth do you do it?" more times than I can count. So here's a run down of a typical day in the life of my homeschool.

I get up at 6am to take Jenna to seminary. A class that lasts 50 minutes. Since I live so far from town, I wait for her to finish before coming home. Luckily, right across the street is Anytime Fitness. So I get my workout in early. No excuses! When Jenna and I get home just before 8 I usually have to wake up the kids because they are all sleepyheads! Next, I start laundry. Sometimes I was lazy the night before and have to fluff up a load that needs folding. Don't tell! the kids are helpful (kinda!) and make their own breakfast. They also make a huge mess doing it! After breakfast, I send the kids to get ready for the day. No pj's! Then we do morning chores. My goal is to get school going by 9am. Sometimes I actually make it.

We all gather to say the pledge, have family prayer and do calendar with the little kids. Even Gracie gets involved in our "circle time" and has so much fun! I could use a little improvement in this part of my day, but I'm working on it. There are just SO many good options to choose from. A person could spend a lot of time in "circle time" if they wanted to!

Jenna and Haley are enrolled in FLVS, a virtual school where they take all of the required classes to graduate. They have a teacher for each subject and are required to have monthly phone calls with each one. They also have audio lessons, especially for language courses, and a DBA (Discussion-Based Assessment) with each teacher per module, or unit of study. I'm required for the monthly call only. Piece of cake!

The other 3 kids each have a crate I got at walmart for $3! Yay, me! All their supplies are kept in their crates. Books, pencils, notebook for extra writing, journal, crayons, a folder to hold cutouts and things like that. I also have an extra supply crate for things that are available to everyone. I'm trying to implement even more ways to stay organized. This is another area where I could use some work, lol!

Each child has a planner which is really just a calendar with plenty of writing space. I schedule 9 weeks at a time in their planner and write the grade they earn next to the subject on the day it was assigned. I also follow the county school board calendar since Jenna's seminary class follows it. Easy as pie! They get out their planners and get to work! Usually with some proding from me! I sit at the table with them, grade their work as they go and answer questions as they come up. Sometimes one of them needs extra help and we move to the chalkboard. I love my chalkboard! Most days everyone has finished their work by lunch! Other days we might work as late as a regular school day, but not often.

I do have to take breaks sometimes to do things like switch out laundry, fold and put it away. Rock the baby, help Gracie and do regular mom things.

I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I'm sure I said that in my last post, but it bears repeating! Ella and Gracie usually hang with us at the table and sometimes that makes it harder, but they are good kids. Gracie watches PBS, NickJr or Disney. But likes to help out with any crafts, story reading and the like.

Somedays I wonder what I've gotten myself into. There are times when it can be very stressful. But I've found that the more organized and prepared I am, the less stress all around. I hope to be able to give courage to someone else who may be looking for an alternative schooling option for their child/children. Trust me, if I can do it, ANYONE can!

Why homeschool?

Recently, I've been asked this question a lot. Most people assume that because two of my sisters homeschool their kids and have for years, that I must have always done it also. Not so. In fact, my children attended public school for most of their lives (except the little ones). Jenna was the one who first peaked my interest. She was struggling and I decided it was time to try something different. So we went with Connections Academy. Great program. It isn't homeschool though. It's online public school and the work load (for me, the teacher) was tremendous. In my opinion. I guess it didn't help that I was pregnant and sick. I had taken them all out of school and they all were attending CA. At the time "all" meant Jenna, Haley and Faith. Wyatt was 3 and Braden was just 1. I was NOT impressed. I re-enrolled them after the Christmas break. That turned out to be no good either. We'd moved and the school they had attended previously, which was one I liked, was too far away. This new school was run by a tyrant who thought I was too opinionated (go figure!) and didn't like me much. Needless to say, the kids suffered. So I tried again and transferred them to Enterprise Learning Academy in Duval County. Loved it! By now, Wyatt was starting Kindergarten and had the best K teacher of all time! I loved her! Jenna though was pulled out and began FLVS, online virtual school. For her, that has been a huge success. Since they service only 6-12th grades, we decided they would go to public school K-5 and FLVS thereafter. And then we got re-zoned to another school. A new school, but one I wasn't keen on them attending. It serviced K-8! Since middle school was one of the main things I wanted to avoid, I was not thrilled. By now, the economy had tanked and we were closing our business and moving anyway, so we decided that while we were in limbo we'd homeschool them all again and see how it went. This time "all" included Wyatt. Guess what....yep, I was pregnant again...and SICK! But it still wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. It was easier to be sick enough to make it hard to leave the house, if I didn't actually HAVE to leave! When Ella was born having them all at home made it easier to do Dr appt's with a newborn, which for me is pretty frequent. I think they just like me! Anyway, we made it through the year and decided it wasn't as hard as I'd thought. I liked it.

I won't get into many of the other reasons I chose this route except to say that I'd had enough experience with several schools to see that the public school system is broken. It's not the fault of the teachers and administrators. There are some who contribute majorly to the problem (like the tyrant principal before mentioned) but for the most part, the teachers especially are well intentioned, good people. It's the gov't. They have their hands in every piece of the pie. The pie would taste better without gov't interference. Left to their own resource, most teachers would do a better job teaching than they are now being allowed to do. We decided that fixing the school system would take more time than we had and two of our children were suffering. To me, "No Child Left Behind" meant mine. I decided that my child would never be left behind if I could help it and I found that I could!

And so, our children are homeschooled. I'm enjoying it more than I ever thought I would. It's taught me to be more organized, which had always been one of my goals. It's taught me to enjoy those little people Freddie and I brought into our lives more than I thought I could. It's taught me more about me than anything else I've attempted to date. Plus, ever heard the platitude, No Pain, No Gain? Aint that the truth!

Haley's sick....

Here's one for the boy who cried wolf.

All of the kids are very dramatic! Nothing ever happens that wasn't the worst pan they've ever felt. We are always telling them to tone it down. That one of these days someone will really be sick or hurt and no one will believe them because they are forever acting so dramatic. A couple of months ago Haley insisted her back hurt and could hardly move for several days. So we made the rounds with the Dr's, x-rays and such. Guess what.....they never found anything wrong with her. So I'm thinking maybe she twisted it wrong on the trampoline and it was a little sore. Oh, no! Haley thought she was ging to die. She cried and moaned and ended up with nothing visibly wrong with her. This is how each of them behaves on a quite regular basis. So magine my surprise when Freddie comes to youth conference to pick up Jenna and I and tells me Haley stayed home sick. He described her acting exactly the way she always does. Broken down and on deaths door. We get home and decide to take her to the ER just in case. They start an IV for fluids and begin running tests. Low and behold they find a kidney infection and she's running a fever of 103.2. They tell me she may be sore for a day or two and she needs to relax, drink plenty of fluids, take her meds and she'll be ok. That was Saturday night. Today is Monday and she's only moved off the couch once! Her fever is down to almost normal, but I know she's probably a little wiped out from being so sick. She had been feeling bad since Thursday of last week (the day I left for youth conference, of course!) so I know that takes some times to recover from. I just ya'll could see her. Sick yes, dying, no! She's so funny! I guess we'll be babying her for a few more days.....longer if she has anything to say about it!

Horses! What?

Ok, I might be crazy! Can you believe I got myself a horse? All my life I've wanted one and never had either the space, the time or the money. So Freddie and I decided if we don't just do it we never will. So we did! I love her, she's great! Her name is Lily and she's a real treat. She's an 11 year old walkaloosa. Thats a cross between a Tennessee Walking Horse and an Appaloosa. We've had her a week now and I just love it. I love looking out the window and seeing her there. I love going out to the pasture. As soon as I open the front door she calls to me! She usually meets me at the gate. I love to pet and groom her but I especially love to ride her! I'm still a little scared of her......and she knows it! Not scared really, just nervous that I'm not "doing it" right. So, she acts up a little. Not much but she throws her head around and objects to doing what she's told. Sounds like the kids! And speaking of the kids, she loves them! I love it when they walk towards her and she sticks her head out over the fence for them to reach her. I especially love it when one of them runs along the fence and she runs with them. So funny! I'm getting some help with my horsemanship so hopefully I'll be an old pro before I know it.

Mother's Day

Do you ever have one of those days, or a series of days when you are frustrated and everyone is on your last nerve? Well, I've been having them lately. And then I got called and asked to sing in sacrament on mother's day. I thought "Oh boy! How am I supposed to sing about how great it is to be a mother when all my kids are driving me crazy?"

And then I found a song, called Your Song by Jenny Phillips. Its not really even specific to women and certainly not specific to mothers. Maybe its just my interpretation of the words and their meaning, but it seems to fit. Its all about the gifts the Lord has given us and the beautiful things in our life. So I thought "what more beautiful thing could we be given than our families?" Even when we're frustrated with them, our children are our greatest gift. But what about women who aren't mothers? I thought about them and about how special many of those women are to those of us who do have children. Sometimes its those women we lean on the most. Their shoulders are strong and they can help us carry our burdens oftentimes better than anyone else. There is one lady in our branch who has been especially helpful to me. She sets a good example in her YW calling and for my 2 YW age daughters that is a tremendous support. She always seeks out the things that make them happiest. When someone takes time to know what it is that makes a child happy (even a teenager!) it increases the likelihood of that child being successful in life. No one benefits more from someone who takes the time to know them than a child. So, thank you Sister Collier! I love you! This song is for you!

I will never be able to include all the women who have been special to me, so I'll just name a very few. I'll start with Amy, she's amazing! She always makes herself available when I need her. Even if all I need her for is to complain! This song is for you!

Our YW presidency and Primary presidency. You ladies are instrumental in my life. You help me teach my children the gospel. No education is more important than that! This song is for you!

Our RS presidency. You ladies give me strength to be the very best I can be. As a mother, a wife, a grown up! Sundays are great because of all of you. This song is for you!

My mom and grandma's and sisters. That includes my sisters-in-law. Whether its reading your posts on facebook, chatting on the phone or hanging out you guys make my life awesome!

I know I may not be Celine Dion (don't I wish!) but I'll sing it as well as I can. Because this song is for all of you! So Happy Mother's Day! Whether you have children of your own or not, you are still a mother! If it takes a village to raise a child then you are my village!

How cute!

So, Haley has decided to do something for the people in Haiti. She wants to take donations and put together hygiene kits. I want to encourage service in my kids and so this is going to be a family project. I know we are only a few people, but sometimes great things come in small packages. I'm soliciting help from anyone who wants to be included. We'll pay to have kits sent to Utah. I'm including the address for anyone who wants to be able to reference it quickly.
Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center1665 South Bennett RoadSalt Lake City, UT 84104Telephone: (801) 240-5954Hours: 8 am — 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday
Hygiene kits are to include the following:
Hygiene Kit Hygiene kits are sent to orphanages, homeless shelters, medical facilities and disaster areas.
• 2 unbreakable combs (no sharp handles)
• 4 toothbrushes (packaged)
• 1 tube of toothpaste (6-8 ounces, no pumps)
• 2 bars of soap (approximately 3.5-5 ounces)
• 2 hand towels (see hand towel guidelines below)



Place items in a heavy-duty, one-gallon sealable bag. Remove the air before sealing.
Hand Towels (for Hygiene Kit) Use new 15-inch by 25-inch hand towels. Please do not use dish towels or washcloths.
Hand towels may also be sewn. To sew towels, use terry cloth to make 15-inch by 25-inch hand towels. Serge or zigzag edges securely to prevent fraying.

I'm very proud of her and all my children. As soon as Haley showed an interest, they all were excited to pitch in. Earlier this year Freddie and I had talked about ways to get everyone thinking outside of themselves and serving others. Disney has the give a day get a Disney day promotion going on this year and we were planning on a service project through them without telling the kids about a free day at Disney. We're still planning that, but this was just an extra way to let the kids be involved. How wonderful to have kids who are willing to give even when they have no frame of reference for the suffering of others. It's amazing to see them empathise without being able to sympathize. Anyway, if your interested in pitching in you can comment here, email me at natalie7kids@gmail.com or give me a call 904-349-4798.

Logan

Yesterday my brother Logan reported to the MTC in Utah to serve a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am so proud of him! The church has changed my life so much. I'm so happy to know that missionary work is going forward and has strong young men like Logan sharing the gospel with people all over the world. Even though I've been a member all my life, my husband hasn't. When he decided to be baptised I was so thrilled! I have never wanted anything except to be a forever family! To be married is such an amazing experience, but to be sealed in the temple is so much more. How wonderful to know my baby brother is sharing that same truth with the people in Denver Colorado! Thank you Logan! There is nothing more important than what you're doing right now! These people will be thankful for this gift you're giving them for all eternity!

Braden got this cute astronaut costume for his birthday. He LOVES to wear costumes!

This is Gracie.....my little cutie! Jenna took this. She's quite the photographer when she wants to be!

Jenna is forever trying to find a good picture of herself. I like this one!

My family!

One night last week I asked Fredde to hold Ella while did something. He was a little congested and had one of those breathe right strips on his nose. When I came back in the bedroom, this is what I found. Both boys had gotten bandaids and one of Gracie's baby dolls and they were all watching tv on my bed. Too cute!

homeschool diploma

Ok, I found a place that specializes in diplomas for homeschoolers. You can get them in packages or individually. My oldest is only in 8th grade so I have some time, but I'd love to help anyone interested. I'm still hoping to put together a group no matter how small. I started this blog so that if there's anyone in my area looking for help, support, classes, etc. we could get together. I think my next step will be to see if I can get the homeschool rep at the school board office to pass out flyers for me.

On a side note, I've been trying to get ahold of a place for my daughter to volunteer. I found a horse rescue here in Ft White, FL but they aren't insured and volunteers have to be 18 or older. It's sad to me that we live in a society that has become over run with lawsuits. When a child is interested in giving their time to help a charity and we can't let them, how long before that desire is squashed? We are becoming so obsessed with self-preservation. How sad and how disappointing!