Reflection

As the year comes to an end, I like to reflect on how it has passed; did it flow the way I anticipated? Did I make positive connections with people and impact lives the way I hoped I would do? Am I where I was praying I would be career-wise or did my journey get stalled along the way? Perhaps my path was sidetracked and is taking me down a new direction? There have been ups and downs as usually expected with life, but everyone for the most part is healthy. We have been blessed in that area. Spiritually, I am closer to God and serving Him in many ways that I feel He has called me to: I am involved in the youth ministry at my church and in outreach, as well as a volunteer Christian life coach. My son's relationship with the Lord is strengthening as he becomes more involved with the youth program. He is currently a student leader and looking forward to becoming an intern next year. We are still homeschooling and he is becoming more accountable for his work as he moves into a more individualized schedule. We love doing projects and some things together, even though he does more on his own now. With my writing, I am finishing my book on Christian Leadership and mentoring youth. I hope to have that published by the end of the year. My article for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine was picked to be in their Best of the Best 2012 print edition coming out in November or December! I am also writing for Homeschool.com as a guest writer. That will be exciting! I'm looking forward to hearing from a lot of you about your homeschool stories and adventures so write in and let me hear-I'll be posting them on my site! All in all, I feel the year has progressed well, though I'm not totally where I had hoped to be, but God is in control and will bring about His plan when it is time. Meanwhile, I will be practicing patience, something I need practice at anyway! Blessings to all!

Fall is finally coming: the breezes are cooler, the leaves have put on their golden colors, and pumpkins are peeking out from neighborhood windows! Our homeschooling has undergone a few changes to adapt to interests, changing schedules, and preferred ways of learning. My son is in 7th grade and going through 'the changes' that young people go through as they near their teen years. He is trying out his independence and wants more control over his learning, so we are going to try a new system. I will do his weekly lesson plans, as usual, but instead of laying out a daily plan every morning for us to work on, he will get the whole week's lessons and do them on his own. He will choose how much he wants to do and work at his own pace. I will be around as a facilitator and we will still do bible studies together, as well as read-alouds (even though he reads from his choice of material which is currently White Fang) and various projects. We will also view some documentaries together and perform science experiments together when he likes. For the most part, he will be working at his own individual rate. If he gets it all done by Thursday, then he has Friday off for free time! This allows him to not only explore more of his interests, but it is also teaching him how to plan work schedules, how to study more effectively, and how to organized his time/manage his learning. I am excited to see how it works out but also a bit sad that as he grows older and becomes more independent, it means my role changes and he won't need me as much. No more fun little projects or unit studies, no more little boy curious and wide-eyed about the world; my little boy is growing up. Thank goodness I have my 5 yr. old grandson to enjoy those times with! :) My son still needs me, but now I will be guiding him on his journey to manhood. He is quite the leader on his football team and in church. Though I know we will have our rough spots from time to time as he struggles through that unknown territory, I know he has a heart for God and we can both look there for guidance and wisdom.

Wow! Summer has kicked off with a blast! It's hard to believe that it is almost the end of July. I've been working on my book and it's almost ready to send to press! It will be exciting when it comes out this fall! Next month, I will start publishing excerpts from it on my blog just as a little freebie for everyone! On the homeschooling side, I've been looking at and putting together our curriculum for this coming year. We love the eclectic style-we just seemed to fall into that category. We love nature and the outdoors and narrating, so Charlotte Mason style fits us there; we love using real books to learn about history and people and places, then doing activities and such surrounding what we're learning, so unit studies fit us in that aspect; we also want to learn how the world fits in with our Christian worldview and so we apply that with the help of Apologia Science, among other great Christian books. To help pull all this together, we will also be studying Latin roots of English grammar, writing, math, French and Spanish languages, art, music, culinary arts, life skills, computer technology, and a plethora of sports and other areas/activities that we are interested in pursuing! (We just learned kayaking and went out to the Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor on a couple of different weekends!) My son just returned from camp at Hermosa Beach with over 100 other Jr. & Sr. high schoolers. They went as part of our church's youth summer program and had a great time. He said there was a fantastic speaker from Georgia and it was just a really life-changing experience there. Of course, he also got stung twice by a jellyfish! All in all, he says he can hardly wait for the winter camp that comes next and takes place in the mountains! Our community football league starts up tonight! My son will be starting quarterback and hopes to play all season-he was injured last season in the first week when several guys sacked him and his ankle was badly twisted. Thank God the heat wave we've been having seems to have cooled down a bit; I think it's only in the 80's so far!

Well, June is almost gone as we head into the heat of the summer! We just wrapped up our homeschool year a few weeks ago and here I am already planning for the coming year! We enjoy it though: the unexpected discoveries, new adventures to different places, and the new challenges/blessings that come our way. This year, my son is in 7th grade and becomes a full-fledged teenager; my grandson is starting kindergarten; I have a book coming out in September; we're moving into a new house; and my daughter is getting married! No stress here! :) All these are just some of the great blessings, stressful as they may be, and we thank God for them all. As I look forward to the events coming up this year, I praise God for our family's healthy lives and ask Him to give us daily protection and wisdom. Pre-season football training started yesterday for my son's team, the Indians. It was nice to see the families again as we all begin the new season. I know my son was especially glad to start again as he was out almost the entire season last fall due to an ankle injury during a scrimmage! He will be starting quarterback again and is looking forward to a great year! Summer is in full bloom and I'm looking forward to the barbeques, pool parties, and trips to the mountains!

What a wild two weeks! Just attended a two-week virtual author conference with twice daily interviews and workshops with John Kremer, Christine Kloser, Arielle Ford, Dan Poynter, and many other big names in the publishing field! I learned a lot of new ideas that really helped me as I am completing the final rewrites on my non-fiction book, due to come out around early September! It revolves around learning the key principles of transforming your life and positively impacting the lives of others. I'm really excited about it and will be sharing chapter points from the book starting next month right here on my blog! I am also working on a special VIP coaching letter, Leadership Today, that will be offered FREE only to those that sign up to receive it! It will come out twice monthly and will include leadership tips and ideas, special event and marketing information available only to Leadership Today members, as well as product discounts, contests, and much more! To be included and receive these FREE special offers and VIP newsletter, continue coming and visiting my blog and I will post a notice and opt-in button in the next few weeks allowing you to join up! Thanks for visiting today and have a great rest of the week! See you Wednesday!

Buyer's Market

Still having to hold onto your house because values still aren't up where they should be? Or is it because you're upside down in your home? Either way, here in California it is not a pretty sight for many homeowners, especially when the economy hasn't boosted in our favor! It's not all gray though folks, a friend of mine, Carrie Fillmore, has some great news! Refinance rates are down and that means money in your pocket! Check her out at: www.mortgagerefinancerates.org. I think she'll put a smile on your face and some sun on your horizon!

So I am working on my writing yesterday and I hear scratching on the window sill behind me. I turn and look out the window and come face-to-face with a lizard face as his two hands (paws?) are gripping the window sill outside and trying to climb up! He freezes as he sees me and then falls back down to the ground! I was in hysterics, laughing so hard I got a cramp in my side! My dogs, meanwhile, must have thought I was crazy; they walked around me looking confused as to what to do! The saying is true: It's the little things in life that make your day!

Fresh Start Glad to be back! A lot has been going on this past year or so; family events, going back to school, starting new businesses, and more! It has been very exciting to say the least. My son and I are still homeschooling and loving it! It has been wonderful to see the growth in him and his relationships with others as he approaches his teen years. He is still a big-time football player, though he was out most of last season with an injured ankle. He's looking forward to spring training this month! I went back to school last year and became a certified Christian life coach! I put on a leadership seminar at the Hyatt Regency this past February, which the Hyatt graciously hosted for my new company, The Oak Coaching Ministries, and it was a lot of fun! My company and my son and I were featured in an article last month in The Signal newspaper here in Santa Clarita, California. Very exciting! Right now, I'm finishing up a book titled, Legacy of Leadership which I'm looking forward to having come out this summer! Come back and visit and I will be posting excerpts from the book, as well as upcoming freebies, interviews, leadership tips and more! Thanks for reading!