Family Movie Night!

I just watched Family Movie Night's encore presentation of Walking in my Shoes.  What a great show.  One of my favorite quotes from the movie is, "Life isn't so much a puzzle as a plan."   If you didn't set the DVR, then you can actually buy the movie at Walmart!  For $15 you get the Blueray dvd and audio CD.  The regular dvd and audio CD appeared to be out of stock.

And next week, Sept 3,  is a great new family movie called, Game Time Tackling the Past.  I may actually be able to see this before and if I do I will be sure to give you a review.

Pro football star Jake Walker is living the dream… or so he thinks. The veteran tight end is a fan favorite and on pace to set the all-time receiving yards record that will guarantee him a spot in the Hall of Fame. While working out at training camp, Jake receives an unexpected call from his brother Dean – their father Frank has suffered a major heart attack. Jake immediately leaves practice and returns to Riverton, North Carolina, the small hometown he’s avoided for nearly 15 years. Memories of glory and regret flood his mind as he returns to the family and friends he abandoned in pursuit of his career. Jake dutifully visits with Frank and Dean, but hurt and misunderstanding from the past begins to resurface, leaving him counting the days until he can return to his team.

A second unexpected call, this time from his agent, delivers Jake another crushing blow. His contract is not being renewed amid concerns about his surgically repaired knee. Suddenly, the life Jake knows is over. To avoid the media circus around this news, Jake reluctantly decides to extend his stay in Riverton. Attempting to make the best of the situation, he begins reconnecting with the community that once revered him.    Jake is reintroduced to Sarah, his high school sweetheart, and helps Dean take over their father’s high school coaching job.

Surprisingly impacted by the people around him, the real Jake begins to emerge from behind his armor to see that life is much more than the accumulation of personal stats. But when Jake’s offered a lucrative new contract to play for another team, he is forced to decide whether to go back to the career he thought he loved, or stay in Riverton and embrace the people who always believed in him.

If you want to find out more about Family Movie Night, here are a few links:

Youtube Family Movie Night channel

Facebook Family Movie Night

Family Movie Night Website

Thelma and Louise!!!

 Here my friend Lori and I are test driving cars today!!!!!

OK...maybe this is us.  But we could have just taken off for the weekend!!!!!

Anyway...THANKS Lori!  It wasn't exactly going out for a relaxing cup of joe but it was fun!  I'll keep you posted on what we get.  Then I can pick you up to go get the cup of coffee!

And we have a winner!

Number 6... you are a winner of The Grace Card.   Congrats to Ohiohomeschool!  I think that she won my last contest... and just won a friend's contest too!  You are one blessed gal!  

Amy's Agenda....August 16, 2011

Current Mood:
hmmmm.... just hmmm.....

Outside:

Tunes:


Kid is:
Watching Man Vs. Wild with Dad.  That is one crazy show!

A Giggle:

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large tray of apples. A nun lettered a note and posted it on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.”

Moving along the lunch line, at the other end was a large tray of chocolate chip cookies. A girl wrote a note, which she put next to the tray of cookies, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

Something new:
Gluten Free Blueberry bread.  Recipe to follow on the Settings blog.  Also see 'pic' for our new horizontal tree.  

Blessings:
My boys.  I "heart" my boys.

Reading:
We just started reading one of The Boxcar Children books.  We had read #1 years ago and when I brought this one home from the library Andrew said, "we read that already."  Little did he know it was a series.  We are listening on CD as well.

Accomplishments:
Andrew had a bath today.  We were at a friend's house and the kids smelled Andrew's hair...and they both went ewwww.  Ok I got the message!

Looking forward to:
Some time with a girlfriend on Thursday evening who I haven't seen in awhile.  Also looking forward to healing rain.  Listen to tunes :)

Pic:

It's Movie Time... A Review and A Give Away!

YEA!!!  I was given a MOVIE to review!  A MOVIE!  For ME!  And I HAD to do it!  It was such hard work!!!  But I had to fit it in to the schedule....

So I made popcorn...

And invited Sally....

And we had a wonderful time watching The Grace Card.  Since this is my first movie review, I was thinking, I don't want to give away any of the plot.  You can watch the trailer on the website to get a feel for what it is about. You can read the synopsis here and I will also include it below if you would like to read it.   It is a Christian film in a very real way and it is also about life.   It shows real emotions, real life, real tears.  

I have been DVRing a bunch of older Christian movies over the past month because I found a family channel that I didn't know was available.  And overall, I find the movies to be lacking in many ways except the message.  The acting in many Christian movies is poor as well as the filming and editing.  It is a shame because films can bridge a gap between cultures and ages so well- but they have to be worth watching for the message to get out there.  I think that people are putting more money into making these films and...

The Grace Card is definitely worth watching. 

I sense a brand new generation of Christian films and this is one of them.  There were five movie previews on the dvd and they all looked great as well.  The Grace Card's story is one of..well..grace..and forgiveness.  The acting and filming were quite good.  There were some holes in the story and a few places where the panning out made you yell "commercial" but I also shed quite a few tears and smiled at the love that the characters had for each other.   Only good acting can do that.  There were some places in the movie where I felt I knew what was going to happen next and then other places where it totally threw me off my game and surprised me!

The movie is rated PG-13.  There are several good online movie review websites that detail all the content areas of films but the best thing is to watch it yourself before showing to the kids.  This is a clean film but there are scenes that are violent and the themes are quite heavy.  You know your kid...and if it is right for family (teen) viewing.

Of course they have a facebook group which can be found here.  You can buy the film on August 16 from one of these retailers.

Now for the give-away.  You can enter by leaving a comment.  I will pick a winner at random on Friday August 19, 2011.   PLEASE leave a way for me to contact you.  If you don't win, I believe this would be an excellent movie to purchase.  There is so much 'junk' out there today and this is GOOD and clean.  They have license opportunities if you want to purchase to show it to a larger audience outside your home.  You can increase your chances of winning by multiple entries.  Here is how:

1) Leave a comment- entry one.
2) Post on facebook - entry two
3) Re-blog it - entry three

Please leave a comment for each entry and what you did.  That way I can pick a random winner by number.


Here is the synopsis.  There isn't really a spoiler alert but it does give away a few surprises.  Read if you wish.

Everything can change in an instant ... and take a lifetime to unravel.

When Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, the ensuing 17 years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God ... and just about everyone else.

Mac's rage stonewalls his career in the police department and makes for a combustible situation when he's partnered with Sam Wright, a rising star on the force who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man.

Mac's home life is as frightening as anything he encounters on the streets of Memphis. Money is tight and emotions run high as he constantly argues with his wife and his surviving son Blake, who is hanging with the wrong crowd and in danger of flunking out of school.

Sam Wright also never expected to be a police officer. He has a calling—to be a minister like his Grandpa George. But leading a small, start-up church doesn't always put enough food on the table for a young family, so Sam doubles as a police officer. With his new promotion to Sergeant, Sam starts questioning if his real calling might actually be police work rather than the pastorate.

Can Mac and Sam somehow join forces to help one another when it's impossible for either of them to look past their differences—especially the most obvious one?

Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds by extending and receiving God's grace. Offer THE GRACE CARD ... and never underestimate the power of God's love.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Planning and God's perfect timing...

I was just doing the dishes and thinking... everyone is doing their curriculum planning and blogging about it.  I have done the same in the past.  Each year, I get less rigid and more 'fluid.'  But I was lamenting (to myself) a bit about how we are doing Alpha and Gamma MathUSee for Andrew- at the SAME time.  For those that don't know MUS, Alpha is basic addition and subtraction facts (8+6, 19-5).  Gamma is basic multiplication and division (3X4, 9/3).  We have been doing basics for years.

Today I drilled Andrew on +8 facts.  And I was thinking, with hopeful thoughts, that this is the first time I have been able to SPEED drill him for math.  Now I could go down the path of thinking, "we have been working on this for YEARS."  But in fact, I now feel God was guiding me AWAY from drilling and into learning concepts and now returning us to drilling.  (Drilling created GREAT anxiety in Andrew and it was so counterproductive.)  Beta in MUS is more complicated addition and subtraction with regrouping.  We had made our way all the way to the subtraction with re-grouping. I feel that, although I had worries and angst along the way, I finally gave in to God giving me direction.  This is NOT the path that ANY math program takes you.  And believe me, I know because I have them all.  (Singapore, Developmental, Righstart, Miquon, various workbooks.)  I bought all the levels for all the programs in a panic about a year and a half ago.  At some point someone else will get blessed with them or we will use them to reinforce our work.   But I know that we will breeze through Beta and probably Delta (complicated multiplication and division) once we go back and re-do the facts.

Mr. Demme, in MUS says both concepts and facts are important.  I agree.  Typically though they suggest to not go on to the next unit until you do have the facts and the concept.  If I did that we'd still be at the very beginning with very little concept work.  This round-about way has worked for us.  (They DO say in their videos that especially if you have special needs kids, you might not follow the path directly.)

I have many favorite Scriptures but two come to mind here and I bet some of you can guess the first one.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6.

So straight up to you Jesus... thanks for the guidance.

I also am thankful for his grace and forgiveness when I didn't specifically ASK for guidance.  Lets face it, I probably have wasted time trying to drill Andrew before he was ready.

A few years ago I read a book about a woman whose child has ODD and he is now doing well.  She used a Scripture I had never read before but I love it for these situations:

I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...  Joel 2:25.

I believe that in God's economy, nothing is wasted, and he can make up for any time that was lost.  (We were just talking about that at our small group last night..but that part doesn't quite fit with math.)

Whispers from God...

Definition (according to Amy's dictionary):

Whis.per from God 
Verb: An active speaking from our Lord and Savior letting you know that He is there and active in your daily life.

I had three of these yesterday but sometime during the middle of the night, one of them got lost.  I have asked the Lord to bring it back to memory and at some point He will.

The first one was listening to Joyce Meyer which I had on the DVR.  The air date was 8/4/2011.  That is kind of funny because 4 and 8 are two of my favorite numbers.  I had a bit of OCD to those numbers when I was a kid but thankfully I have been healed of that.  (Praise the Lord!)  I think it is funny though that He kind of highlighted this for me with the numbers.   But I was listening...and Joyce was talking.  (Sometimes I talk back at her but that is another post..or maybe I'll just keep that private.)    Her audience was actually Grand Rapids Michigan.  And she was talking about how it can be hard in a bad financial climate but that we have to hold tight to the Lord.  I was doing dishes and just felt sad...thinking in my head..that's all nice Joyce but I have other issues.

Then...

Then Joyce says (paraphrase)... "God doesn't just give you strength in times of financial trouble."  (At that point I was figuring she'd say something else that didn't effect me presently.  I was not high in faith at that moment.)  "You might have a very difficult child.  Or a special needs child.  God will give you the strength you need to get through that day."  It was as if Joyce knew my mind.  And of course in a way she did because we are connected through the Holy Spirit.  AJ has been a bit more difficult than usual.  God knew WHEN I'd need to hear that message.  And at that EXACT moment, when I needed it most, I do honestly believe He arranged for me to hear those EXACT words.   It is not coincidence to me.

Looking for Joyce's teaching that I listened to?  Go to this page and scroll down to the 8/4/2011 broadcast.  I haven't listened to the 8/5 one but it is a continuation.  Honestly though, a different one might be a blessing to you.  So pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

My second whisper was a bit less dramatic but I still see God's hand at play.  I took a roast out of the freezer.  Roast in summer..blech.  But the gas it out on the grill, and I have much cow in freezer.  So I took it out a couple of days ago.  Yesterday I was going to put it in the crockpot but I didn't much feel like it and it was still partially frozen.  I have recently taken a facebook vacation and although I am trying not to fill that time with more cyberspace, I have been looking at long forgotten blogs that I really enjoyed.  I was looking at Only Sometimes Clever and found this really nice recipe for a Summer Slow Cooker Roast! I have most of the ingredients here at the house- although I will probably use some more fresh herbs.  I was suddenly excited about my roast!   I will blog what I do over on my Settings of Silver blog so stay tuned for that.  I do consider this just a small whisper that He cares about the little things.

I wish I could remember the third whisper.  I guess that will be it's own blog post at some point!

Amy's Agenda...August 2, 2011

Current Mood:  Expectant


Outside:  Muggy...very very muggy.  I think I will spend a few days at the Lake House ;)


Tunes:





Kid is:  Cranky.  Praying for improvement soon.  (Thus the expectant feeling.  I am hoping it gets btter soon.)

A Giggle:  Joel Osteen has a funny every week.  Here is one collection I found on youtube.




Something new:  A new ipod touch.  I heart amazon.   My gyroscope feature stopped working and they replaced it for free..no questions asked.  Old one goes back tomorrow.  Still considering that Iphone but it is that $30/month that is stopping me.

Blessings:  My sissy is in town!  I made more Magic Shell tonight.

Reading:  We just finished Henry and Beezus.  I have found books on tape to be wonderful for AJ.  I get both the CD and the book from the library and go to town.  Today I was on Amazon checking out the Audible books and perhaps may download an Audible and a Kindle book next.  I wish the Audibles were cheaper.  They don't give them away.

Accomplishments:  I am whittling away at organization.  I was flipping through some old photos.  About six months ago I pulled EVERYTHING from my desk and re-organized... yikes what happened?  I need a place for everything and everything in it's place.  Perhaps a friend will come help me organize and it will stay that way.  (A few of my friends who have known me a long time know that I get a different type of planner every year in hopes it will make me organized... it never seems to stick.)

Looking forward to:  A few days at the Lake House and perhaps a stop at the Children's Zoo on the way back.

Pic: