The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation says:
Periods and commas always (emphasis mine) go inside quotation marks, even inside single quotes.
Examples:
The sign changed from "Walk," to "Don't Walk," to "Walk" again within 30 seconds.
She said, "Hurry up."
She said, "He said, 'Hurry up.'"
May is National Foster Care Month, and to highlight it I thought I'd make yet another movie recommendation. Have you seen Martian Child? It is a story that is loosely based on true events about a single man who adopts a boy from the foster care system who thinks he is from Mars. It is a heartwarming story that I think you will enjoy. Who knows, maybe it will cause you to consider fostering or even adopting one of the thousands of kids that are waiting for a home. Could God be calling you to take a little "Martian Child" into your heart?
Reposted from Mother's Day 2006
As I was enjoying a rare and blissful pleasure this morning, an uninterrupted shower, I was praying and thinking about Mother's Day. I find it peculiar that now that I am a mother, I don't have the unreserved joy on Mother's Day that I had once thought I would enjoy once I attained the illusive title, "Mommy."
Maybe the joy is muted by the memory of the many babies I never held or the lingering scar of years of infertility and childlessness. Maybe it's the knowledge that this day holds pain for some that are precious to my heart. I think of those who fear they may never know the joy of raising a child, those whose arms are empty because they loved a child selflessly enough to trust another mom to give what she cannot give, those who are separated from their mothers by death or estrangement or many miles, those who find it hard to celebrate a mother who seems unworthy of praise, those who don't have food or shelter for their children, those who are suffering the pain of watching a grown child make devastating choices, or those who fail to be the kind of mother they know God is calling them to be.
Still, as I enjoyed a pancake breakfast prepared by my husband this morning, I was overflowing with joy. It is a breathtaking privilege to look around the table and see the beautiful faces of two children I have been given the honor of raising. I am joyous this morning because of sticky hands and obnoxious noises that come from my two charges, and I thank God with all that is in me, again, for making me a mommy.
For those who are on the painful side of this day, I want you to know that you are not forgotten, you are loved and needed by many. And I prayed for you today.
I finished reading Nim's Island aloud to the kids this morning, and since we have a spanking new cinema in our little community now and since Daddy got home early from work today, we decided to take them to the matinee to see the movie. The kids liked it, and I really enjoyed it too! Okay, I admit, the special effects (particularly the CG) are not stellar and the story flounders a bit where they decided to stray from the book, but it inspires a love of reading and adventure and being courageous, all things we try to encourage in our children.
I was nervous about taking my kids to a PG movie that I haven't previewed (this is the first one they've seen that hasn't been filtered), but my apprehension was unfounded. I despise all the bad attitudes, potty humor and sexual innuendo that pervade so many movies aimed at kids, but that was missing in this one for the most part (the sea lion burps once and passes gas once).
When I finished reading the book this morning, Ryan said, "Can I read it now?" and when Daddy asked them after the movie if they wanted to see it again sometime, he said, "Yeah, I want to own it!" I think he liked the story, don't you?
I just wanted to clear up something that had me confused for the last several weeks, just in case anyone else might be confused too.
If you filed your taxes and claimed an adoption credit, you may not get what you expected to get in your stimulus payment. I know we didn't, and it took some digging to find out why. The bottom line is if your adoption credit brought your tax liability down to zero, then you will only get $300 per person instead of the $600 you might have been expecting.
So our new fence will probably not be completed this month as we had hoped since we are $600 short of what we were hoping for, but at least we'll get it started and pray for the money to finish is sometime this year!
I belong to a Yahoo Group for people using the homeschool curriculum that I use, and one of the moderators is wise and often funny too. Her solution for dealing with kids who say they're bored is priceless:
In the medical field, we ask patients to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10. When my kids complain of boredom, I ask them to rate it on the same scale. If they are approaching a 10, this is a true emergency! No amount of mindless entertainment can save them now. Only rigorous work can maintain the heart rate above asystole.
I have never had a child become so bored that I had to start CPR, but anything is possible once boredom reaches life threatening levels.
Once the patient says, "stop it mom, you are not funny", then you know you have successfully converted a code W (W stands for whining) to a normal rhythm.
This devotion from Elisabeth Elliot was in my inbox last Friday, and I have been pondering over it ever since.
We like things to go smoothly and as planned. Very often unexpected things intervene, and our plans go awry. We think we've got "problems." There is another level at which everything that happens is being engineered. "God has no problems," Corrie ten Boom said, "only plans." When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) "toward the goal of true maturity" (Rom 12:2 JBP). Believe God. Turn the interruptions over to Him. He is at the controls.
We are all missing Eddie around here, so it seemed like a great time to go visit some dear friends. We met this family at church when we lived in Memphis and were delighted when we learned they were moving to Oregon almost two years ago. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get together very often, but I enjoy it when we do. The kids adore their youngest daughter, but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well yesterday so we didn't get to see much of her. Also Ward works evenings and we only got to see him for a few minutes as well. However, we spent eight hours or so visiting with Cindy, and it was nice to catch up with her.
Thanks, Cindy, we love you all!
My hubby left for Florida last night. He'll be gone for a week, and we are going to miss him! We got to the airport a bit early, so we all went inside. The kids played on the play structure for a while (playing Captain Horatio Hornblower!), while Eddie and I had a chance to talk a bit. As we were waving goodbye, Ryan said, "If Daddy leaves again, I'll split apart!" He loves his Daddy and his little heart is already missing him greatly.
Have a good visit with your dad, but hurry home, Honey!
I got an email tonight from the Home School Legal Defense Association with an update on the recent California Homeschool ruling:
On March 25, the California Court of Appeal granted a motion for rehearing in the 'In re Rachel L.' case--the controversial decision which purported to ban all homeschooling in that state unless the parents held a teaching license qualifying them to teach in public schools.
The automatic effect of granting this motion is that the prior opinion is vacated and is no longer binding on any one, including the parties in the case.
I hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday! We were blessed to have my mom visiting from California this Easter, which made it special for us. We traditionally make Resurrection Cookies Saturday evening, but though the story is neat and opening the oven door Easter morning to find hollow cookies is fun, we don't really like to eat them and end up throwing them away. 
This year I decided to try a new recipe for Resurrection Buns, and we loved them! I made them Easter morning and served them with scrambled eggs and bacon, and they were a hit! It was fun to open each one up to see if it was hollow (they all were!), and it was even more fun to eat them...yummy!
Most importantly, it's incredible to know and celebrate that Jesus' tomb was truly empty some 2,000 years ago!
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell comes to the defense of homeschool families.
"The California Department of Education policy will not change in any way as a result of this ruling. Parents still have the right to homeschool in this state."
I've been working on designing a new blog template from scratch, but due to my slow learning curve it is taking a long time. So until my own template is completed, I went with this one designed by Annie at BlogU. It's a bit trendy for this plain jane girl, but I'll pretend I'm on the cutting edge for a while (even if hubby dislikes the label cloud) until I get my new template done. Hey, by the time I get it done, this template will be so out of style that it might just suit me!
I have been putting my blogs on the back burner lately, but I really wanted to post about the new ruling that was handed down in California last week essentially making homeschooling illegal in California for anyone who doesn't have a valid teaching certificate (probably 98 percent of homeschool families).
Don't be decieved by the homeschooling "cloak" of this ruling for this is at heart an attack on the rights of parents to choose what is best for their children! We are blessed to live in a state that is currently friendly to parents and homeschooling. However, California is a bellwether state, and if this ruling is allowed to stand, it will eventually impact the rest of the country (not to mention the harm it will do to Californians).
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association is gathering signatures to petition the California Supreme Court to depublish (make it applicable only to the family involved in the case) the decision. You don't have to homeschool or be a member of HSLDA to sign the petition.
Lastly, the Lord God isn't surprised by this ruling as the rest of us may have been. He is our hope and our shield! Let us pray and trust in Him.
(Edited to add: I had this post written a week ago, but totally forgot to post it on Sunday!)
I don't remember where I first heard about this video or how I ran across it, but I do vividly remember the face of Eliot and the joy of his special parents. Abby remembers too. She took a break from playing one day last fall to come check on me (she often does that) and found me sitting in front of my computer with tears streaming down my face. "What's the matter, Mommy?" she said, patting my arm. I couldn't even speak being so choked by the beautiful short life on the screen. I hugged my daughter and she too watched the video about this precious life. She remembers Eliot even months later. She still asks about him and wonders if she will get to see him in heaven.
In celebration of Sanctity of Life Day today, I wanted to share this powerful tribute to life and joy in hopes that if you have doubts that every human life is precious and valuable, you may be swayed to reconsider.
I dearly love having all the seasons (though summer could be shortened to a couple weeks and I'd be fine with that!), and even winter is enjoyable for me. Despite my love of winter though, I was excited to see our crocus bulbs that we planted last fall pushing their way to the surface today. There is just something special about the promise of Spring. Maybe it's because it reminds me of the new life I've been given through Christ, the new creature He's made me and the promises that go with that. Whatever the reason, seeing those small green sprouts sticking up through the mulch gave me such a thrill and peace knowing that God is faithful and the Spring will come again, just like it always does.
"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." Genesis 8:22
As part of his daily schooling, Ryan reads aloud to me one chapter of a book from our chosen curriculum. His latest book is called Little Prudy's Dotty Dimple and was written in 1865 by Sophie May. Today's chapter had the oldest two girls (nine and six years old) being humiliated and embarrased by their littest sister's naughty and rude behavior (three years old). I had to smile at the end of the chapter when the oldest said,
"I've been thinking it all over," replied Susy, "and I've made up my mind that God allows her to mortify you and me. You know we must have some kind of a trial, or we shouldn't grow gentle and sweet tempered."
"As mother is," added Prudy.
designer : anniebluesky : blogu
