Pictures, Pictures Everywhere!

Well, soon.

I do have pictures to add that I plan on adding on Monday (after all, what else am I going to do? Sleep in? Spend time with the family? YES! But I'll spare a few minutes to add some pictures).

Baby Gurl's birthday was yesterday. She is now 7. I took some pictures of her opening up Granddad's presents (she loves them) but we're also going bowling, so I'll be sure to take pictures then, too. And I'll post them.

I have pictures of all of us (including the Man Beast and me) on the first day of school. I must upload those as well. I might actually get to those today, but first, I need to get off this machine and turn a few to dos into some ta das:

• Laundry
• Saturday Chores
• Get the oil in the car changed
• Get Baby Gurl's ears pierced (she's been asking for over a year - it's time. Yes, I'll be the dorky mom that brings a camera and takes a picture!)
• Grocery Shopping
• Prepare for tomorrow's Sunday School Lesson (tomorrow will be my first time teaching this group - pray HARD)

And with that...I must go.

Until next time...

Ah, Home

I have decided to stay with Blogger - at least for now.

As much as I would love to spend all of the time in the world in the Blogophere with all of you, it's just not possible. Because of this, I figured that a free blog that was super simple to use was the best path for me to take.

If I do decide to go 'hard core', I will take on a Type Pad account. But for now, Blogger fits me just fine. And I'll add a little caveat to my comment page - if you want a personal response, post an email in this form: myworld @ email dot com (this way Spam Bots can't grab your email).

Is it ideal? Of course not...but it works for me.

So, I'll give y'all a little update on me and why I haven't been around.

Work has been going well (I'll be updating that blog sometime today - I promise not to mention bodily functions

For the past few weeks, the pastor as well as my Sunday school teacher have been talking about growing in your Christian faith. In the Bible, Paul (I think) tells Christians that time of drinking milk (being spoon fed your faith) is over and it's time to move on to the meat and potatoes. Okay, so it really doesn't say that but as my pastor from old church would say, that's the Southeast Georgia version of the Bible

I think God was planting something because a couple of weeks ago, there was announcement made at church that they were looking for a Sunday school teacher for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade class. I got a bit of a niggling feeling. I've had it before and have chosen to ignore it. I decided not to ignore it this time. I will be teaching the Sunday school class this year. I pray it goes well. I'm looking forward to teaching kids of a regular (and advanced) learning capacity. I love my kids at school, please don't get me wrong - but I think I'll enjoy this class, too.

I'll also be teaching Awana this year - 2 yr old Puggles. I've never taught Awana before, so it should be a challenge. But like Sunday school, I'm really looking forward to it.

Last year, they were always asking for Sunday school teachers, Awana teachers and general helpers in the children and youth ministry. I always ignored the call. I wanted (needed?) to be in church Wednesday nights for myself. I enjoyed Preacher Man's Bible Study lessons. I kept telling myself that I needed to be fed; that I couldn't teach because I didn't know enough.

Well, something has clicked this time and I'm answering. I'm excited about it, so I figure that's a real plus. I know that I don't know everything there is to know. And I certainly won't have all the answers. But I don't think I need to. I can learn along with the kids. And they say the best way to learn is to teach (because, obviously, you need to know the material well enough).

I'm just really looking forward to the year ahead. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say on the subjects that we cover in class, too.

But as exciting as these new ventures are, it's kind of sad to be leaving my Young Married Couples Sunday school class. The teachers have been paramount in my learning and growing as a Christian wife this past year. I will miss them. But Miss M has assured me that I won't be kept out of the loop - I'll still participate in their outreach programs. It's a good thing, too. As much as I'm looking forward to working with the little ones and the middle ones, I need some adult interaction, too.

Until next time...

Just a quick note

Hey everyone. Just a quick note before I head off to work.

I'm thinking of moving my blog over to Word Press because I can personally email those who comment on my blog (Blogger doesn't offer that feature).

You can go over to Word Press and check out the blog I have set up over there (I imported this blog, so it's all the same stuff). Please take a look around.

A few warnings:

Word Press is a lot cleaner looking than blogger. In fact, it almost looks stale. It's the only aspect of WP that I really do not like. But to capture my commenter's emails, I might just deal.

The other option I have is going with Type Pad. It is not free but I can do more with it.

Let me know your thoughts. I know y'all hate change and have very strong thoughts - but I wonder if it's time for a change.

I'll check back in tonight. Leave a message with your opinions.

Thanks!

Taking What Is For Granted

Have you ever noticed that we tend to take advantage of things?

When we go to bed at night, we take for granted that our alarm will wake us up. When we leave in the morning, we take for granted that our car will start. When we drive to work, we take for granted that no one will hit us and everyone will follow the rules of the road.

Daily, we take tons of stuff for granted.

Have you ever noticed that you take your body for granted, too?

A lot of us probably put undue pressures on our bodies to perform - lose sleep, always on the go, eating less than nutritional foods to fuel our bodies. The list goes on and on.

But what happens when we're sick?

The whole world stops.

At least mine does.

Well, not really. I'm still a mom. Still a wife. Still a para pro. But I feel like I want my world to stop. And I usually bemoan my health when it's less than stellar. Did I say thank you for every day that my body was healthy? No, I did not.

But I'm thinking that once I get better, I might start thanking God every day for my health. After all, even when I'm sick with a cold, I'm still healthier than a lot of people out there. My four students for starters . Although one of my students is sick right along with me - he doesn't know why and he can't rise above how he feels to do work, so he really feels bad).

Next time you'll feeling pukey, I challenge you to thank God for all you can do and that your health problems aren't as severe as others'.

Until next time...

Neat Google Tools

If you ever find yourself bored or want something fun to do, I suggest playing around with Google.

For example, did you know if you subscribe to Google's Webmaster Tools you can see what people have Googled to get to your blog? Check out some of mine:

-spoiled milk (is this anything like sour grapes?)
-glow in the dark pain (does pain glow in the dark?)
-split the Adam yo-yo (can any of you perform this yo-yo trick?)
-horizontal medicine cabinet (do they even make these?)

There are more, but they are a bit on the 'questionable' side of things. They are better left for my eyes only.

Also with Google Webmaster Tools, you can see who subscribes to your blog (thank you to the eight of you who subscribe to mine - I feel humbled).

If you're feeling frisky and funky, why not create an alert? Just for grins and giggles, I created one using the word 'Iva'. Every day, I get an email leading me to blogs and articles that use my name. Did you know that Iva isn't just a name of a person? It also stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement, which according to Wikipedia is something people in the UK use to avoid bankruptcy. Woulda thunk.

I have also concluded that Iva, while not a very popular name, does exist outside the realm of GA. It's kind of exciting to discover that there are other women out there that have your name. (Well, to me, it's exciting. I have an unique (or so I thought) name. I suppose if you have a really popular name like Janet, you'd get a lot more hits from the Google Alert System.

There are tons of fun Google toys (or gadgets as they like to call them) that you can use. I've only touched on a few.

If you've found something new and exciting on the web - tell us about it! Leave a comment and I promise I'll go check it out.

I'm Done Reading

And might I just add that I haven't started my chores?

I know - I am so bad. But there were so many great reads!

I read an article debunking some of the myths of cloth diapering.  (For the record, I never used them.  But if I were to have another baby, I would probably try them.  Have you seen how cute they are now?  I'd probably also ask some of my homeschooling friends to make me some - I'd be helping them out financially and I'd know where my diapers were coming from and what materials they were made out of).

I read a beautiful bit on keeping it real with God when you're going through trials. (This blog is absolutely beautifully written.  I highly suggest you keep it in your blog roll or just save it to favorites.  The author always has something wonderful to say - although not always pleasant).

I saw some beautiful photography posted over at Pioneer Woman of her sister and new nephew.  I'm not sure if they're good because P-Dub is a great photographer or if she just has great subjects.

I haven't gotten caught up on my blog roll, however.  I plan on catching up sometime today or tomorrow.  But for now, my blog reader is empty (save for the next installment of P-Dub and her man's love story) and I feel very happy about that.

Keep on posting and I'll get to you before Sunday - I'm almost sure of it!

Until next time...

The Land of 121 Blog Posts

Hello everyone!  It's been awhile since I've come to 'visit' - or would it be the other way around - it's been awhile since you've come to visit?  No matter, we're here now.  Pull up a chair, a cold glass of iced tea (very sweet - the only true  way Southerners drink tea) and sit a spell.  I promise not to list 121 blog posts.

Honest.

But I could. I had 121 blog posts in my reader when I opened it this afternoon after getting off work.  I'm slowly working my way through them.  But I had to share some thoughts on the Internet, blogs, and work schedules with you all before it left by brain.  You see, I'm a bit sleep deprived.  (Actually, I'm not.  I get plenty.  My body is just in the middle of adjusting to this new Grown Up schedule instead of the Lazy Days of Summer one.)

I remember a week before school started that I was going to really miss surfing the web for hours a day.  There were so many great things that I would do - that I would have to do - that I was almost to the point of obsessive about it.  Does anyone else feel that way about the Internet?  (Don't raise your hand.  You know you do, otherwise, you wouldn't be reading my blog.  You'd be checking email, at most, and getting off to sleep or do chores or just stare at a wall in complete silence for a couple of hours.

Which brings me to my next point - when you're limited in Internet time, you choose to spend it wisely.  I say thank you to all of you who are reading me right now.  Your time is valuable and once it's gone, it cannot be gotten back.  So, I truly appreciate your spending time with me for a bit.

When you stare at 121 blog messages, you really start to take inventory of what's really important. All of the great sales, coupons and freebies are old news.  So, while they are helpful, they are typically deleted.  Any contests or deadlines are old news because they're over.  That takes care of twenty or thirty right off the bat.

Then you have the next hundred.  And they're all good.  And you really want to read them, but you just can't sit in front of the computer all weekend long and read past blog entries.  Well, you can if you don't plan on catching up on chores, going grocery shopping or to church - all three of which I plan on doing this very weekend.

So what's a blogaholic to do?

Split them up of course!

So, if you usually hear from me within 24 hrs of posting (and you know who you are), please bare with me as I slowly weed read through all of them.  I will get to yours sometime this weekend.  And if I read it and have something to say - I will comment. 

I've missed hanging out with you all this week.  My first week of work went really, really awesome.  I'll be sharing some of the adventures over at my other blog: Life According to Iva.  Please be sure to check it out.

And now, dear friends, I must go cook dinner.  But I will be back later tonight (and tomorrow - after chores) to catch up on all of you!

Until next time...

The Man Beast Brain vs The Lady Beast Brain

 Work is going very well.  I love my kids.  I love my teacher.  I'm just tired!  I haven't decided if it's because I start my days at 5:30 (to shower before the Man Beast and then get the kids up and all of out of the door by 7:10) or because I'm not used to getting up early.  During the summer, I do not wake up with an alarm.  But I seem to be the only one affected by this foggy, tired as all get out, feeling.  So who knows.  Surely, my job isn't that hard?

So, in closing, I leave you with a funny 10 minutes clip explaining the differences in men and women's brains.  Enjoy.

A Sour Note?

So often, I don't really know what I'm going to be blogging about until I actually sit down to write something.  While I attempt to create a post every day, there isn't usually a set time that I sit down and 'blog'.  I'm sure with school starting, I will be off my summer schedule (read: no schedule) and post at a regular time - especially since my computer time will be limited.

However, there are times when you just know that you're meant to blog about something.  Being a Christian woman, I would like to think that a lot of my messages are God-inspired.  If you're reading this and you're not a Christian, well, then..maybe I just have something I gotta say.

This past week, my Sunday school teachers (husband/wife team) were out of town on vacation with their family.  I was slated to teach Sunday school, so Mr. Man let me use his materials.  I went by their house today to return them.  Two hours later, I left feeling caught up on everything that had happened in their lives this past week as well as with a good helping of food for thought.  One of the things we discussed was Preacher-Man-In-Training - who happens to be her Boy.  PMIT felt a calling to into music but God steered him  toward our youth program.  Still, music is very much a part of who he is.  The Boy must have over heard our conversation because after we got home, he asked, "Mom, do you think praise and worship music is a sin?"

My dear friend, Gator, discussed non-Christian music in her blog recently.  But what about Christian music?  Is one kind of Christian music (namely hymns) better than praise and worship music?  What about Christian rock?

I'm trying to raise my son to know why he thinks what he thinks so I asked him, "What do you think?"

 The Boy:  As long as you're worshiping God, I don't think it's a sin.  I elaborated a bit for him -

Do you mean as long as it's God we're worshiping and not the music, it's not sin?

Yeah, he says, that.  It's about glorfying God.  Not the music.

Sounds pretty good to me.

2 Chronicles 5:13 (New International Version)

13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
       "He is good;
       his love endures forever."
      Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud,

Source: BibleGateway