Hail Storm

Woke up at 1:20 am on April 5th to the sound of hail on our roof. It steadily got louder. After a minute or two my husband came to the bedroom and said go get in the bathroom. I grabbed the baby and joined the older kids and the dog in the bathroom doorway. It now sounded like someone was throwing baseballs at our house. We all sat quietly waiting.

It didn't take long for the rain water to start coming in under the living room door. I handed the baby over to the older kids and grabbed towels to put at the door to keep the water out. While I was doing that we heard a window break. A piece of hail had busted a living room window.

Just as quickly as it started, it stopped. We called my mother in law next door to make sure she and her aunt were alright. They were fine with no noticeable inside damage. We cleaned up the glass from the window and covered the hole. Vins went outside to check for further damage but couldn't see much in the dark.

Everyone started to calm down and we all returned to our beds. A friend texted me to see if we were okay. Her dad and a friend had busted windows and damaged vehicles but no injuries.

We were just about to doze off around 2:30 am when another friend sent a text to check on us. Her family was fine but she had lost several windows to the hail and the hatch that leads out to her roof had blown off and let rain and hail into the house. She said her sister had lost all the windows on one side of her house and had hail damage on their vehicles. She also told us that the depot in town had lots of windows blown out.

The depot isn't far from the church we attend so Vins decided he better go check it out. He left and not longer after our electricity went out. The older kids came trailing into the bedroom scared about the electricity so I let them climb into bed and we tried to settle in and get some rest but the lights kept flickering on and off.

Vins came back about the time the lights decided to return. He said our church had lost all the windows on the back side - upstairs & downstairs. It was a mess but thankfully all the stained glass in the sanctuary was fine.The pastor and another church member were also there checking the damage.

We finally went to sleep knowing that we had only a few hours rest before we needed to get up and attend a church members funeral.

The next day we found out just how much damage the town had sustained. Almost everyone had busted windows, damaged cars and limbs and debris in their yards. A friend of ours lost almost every window in her house and had water damage in every room. Her yard still had hail covering the ground at 8 am. Her trees were all damaged and her trampoline was on her fence.

In the light of day we could finally see exactly what damage the storm had given us. The siding on our house has tons of hail damage. Our vehicles also have pings all over them from the hail. Not sure about the roof on the houses or barn yet. Limbs are scattered all over the yard and will take lots of time and muscle to clean up.

We are just very thankful there were no injuries or loss of life due to the storm. Property can be replaced but you can't replace your loved ones!

Changing the World

We can all change the world. Each persons small action can have a huge impact on our world. So today, I am going to start changing the world!

Week 1 - I signed up for the Change 3 Things Challenge! I've been using cloth diapers on my baby for about a year now.  Recently I've been busy and haven't been as diligent about using our cloth diapers so today I am going to get back on the wagon.

Save money & the enviroment. You can take the challenge too!
Visit this site and sign up: Change 3 Things

Time 4 Learning is Worth the Money

Between working part - time, volunteering for scouting and homeschooling, each day was getting harder to plan. School work was no fun and it was becoming a struggle to get the kids through their lessons. I also needed a simpler way for the kids to do school when I wasn't home. I was a little skeptical when a friend suggested Time 4 Learning, even though, I still decided to give it a try.

We've used Time 4 Learning for a month and I can truly say it is worth the money. My children are enjoying the lessons and are much more willing to start school each day. I feel less stressed. I don't worry about planning lessons and what is next on our learning list. Time 4 Learning has it all at our finger tips!

On the days I have to leave them with a sitter I know "school" will still get done. They know exactly which lessons they are expected to complete. When I get home I can check that days progress on the time 4 Learning website.

The lessons are user friendly and easy to understand. They cover a wide range in each subject. At the end of a lesson they even list more resources you can use to get more in depth in that particular subject.

I like being able to pull up a report of what my kids worked on each day and how they did on quizzes and test. It helps me to know which areas need more work and which areas they comprehend.

My favorite thing about Time 4 Learning is being able to move my kids forward in the subjects they excel in and moving them back in the subjects that need more time and work. Every kid has a subject that they love and work through quickly. Being able to move to a higher level gives them a sense of accomplishment and keeps them from getting "bored" with that subject.

I plan to continue using Time 4 Learning and will recommend it to all my homeschooling friends!

This post is entirely my opinion,  the content was not written by Time4Learning, I was compensated by Time 4 Learning.

Ron Paul in Louisiana

Congressman Ron Paul at Louisiana College

  My husband and I had the pleasure of seeing Congressman Ron Paul today at Louisiana College. Dr. Paul gave a wonderful speech in his campaign for presidency.
  There was around 700 people in attendance all clapping and cheering. If you haven't heard him speak about the issues then you should try to find an event near you!
  Louisiana will be holding primaries tomorrow so don't forget to cast your vote!

Unnecessary Labor Induction Increases Risk of Complications

I speak to many women who have been induced for no specific reason. This article from Science Daily talks about some of the potential risk of unnecessary labor inductions: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120306131531.htm

Time 4 Learning - Week 1

We have used Time 4 Learning this past week. I must say that so far I have felt less stress when we start our school day. The children seem to find it less stressful too.

I like that some of the lessons are interactive. Some of my 12 year olds lessons require him to look up info and then write about it. He doesn't like that part but I do. It is taking some getting used and some trial and error. We are still trying to figure out exactly how many lessons they need to do in a day, but I think we should be able to figure out it this week.