Our Little Entrepreneur

Corbin has been wanting to make some money for many months now and aside from extra jobs around the house or outside in spring and summer he doesn't have a lot of ways to make money.  We don't pay him for his regular chores.  So he decided to start a business.  A Hot Cocoa business!

He created the signs and the cardboard box stand.  Him and I also went and bought the supplies with a loan he took out from the bank of Mom and Dad.  We made it all legal so he had to sign the loan document and agree to repay us with his profits from his business.

We calculated together how much it cost him per cup to serve the hot chocolate and then we came up with a fair price to sell it for.  He decided he wanted to charge a little bit more for cups with marshmallows.  It was all such a great learning experience for him.

We did this back in December to get ready to start his business but because so many things have happened in our family (mainly with health) we weren't able to get to setting up the stand until today.  I shouldn't say "we" because really Steve (who was in a lot of pain today) helped him set up and sell it on the corner of one of our streets. I just couldn't do it today.  I wanted so badly to go though.

While he was out I prayed for him that God would bring him customers.  I didn't want him coming back discouraged especially on his first try.  He decided he wanted to go out at 4:00 because that's when kids are coming home from school and parents are coming home from work.  Smart boy!

After a bit more than an hour he came home saying, "Mom, we ran out of hot water and I made so much money!" It was music to my ears.  I was so proud of him and happy for answered prayers.  He had a huge smile on his face.  He sold 8 cups of hot chocolate, paid back his loan and still made a profit.  He can't wait to open his stand again. He absolutely loved it. This is my kind of homeschool!  Remember "Life is School."

I am so proud of him.

~Blessings~

The month of January

I have to say that I think January has to be my least favorite month of the year. 

Not because of the weather - winter is my second favorite season. Love the snow, wish I could be out playing in it.

Not because of the second semester of school-hard to get into the groove again. 

Not because I miss the holidays.

Because...
In the past 6 out of 8 years in January, due to illness, our family has met our insurance deductible.

This means that we have been so sick in the month of January for 6 of the past 8 years that the costs from our visits to the hospitals, doctors, etc. entirely meet our YEARLY deductible.

I don't like January for that reason.

One year our entire family (including my parents because we were living with them) dealt with the horrible stomach flu in December. We had to bring Cody who was one year old at the time, to the ER for severe dehydration because he couldn't keep anything down. They were not able to get an IV in his tiny veins and had to keep poking him. Miraculously after many hours he was able to hold down a small amount of apple juice.  That was horrible enough but then.....in JANUARY we ended up at Children's Hospital for Corbin. He came down with something strange that we couldn't identify (looked almost like Scarlett fever but he tested negative) and the doctor suspected Kawasaki's disease. RARE. GREAT. It was such an ordeal and very scary and unfortunately scarred Corbin for life for doctors and hospitals.  Good ole' JANUARY!  He didn't end up having Kawasaki's thank the good Lord. 

I will spare you details of other Januaries but have to tell you about this January...

So here we are now in my favorite month of the year in 2013 (insert sarcastic tone.)  Steve had neck surgery (that was planned though.) He had a collapsed disc in the C5/6 area and had to have a spinal fusion.  He is recovering from that but now thinks he has a fractured rib because of the procedure and is in pain from that. I started the year with the flu (right before his surgery), got better for two days (or so I thought) then woke up with severe swelling and itching on my ears and face.  I had just had an annual doctors appointment with a ton of blood tests for all my other health issues.  Didn't have results yet though.  Anyway, I didn't know what the swelling was from. It was VERY scary.  After some treatment it went down for a few days but then came back with a vengeance sending me to the ER because my eyes were almost swollen shut one morning when I woke up. I didn't not even resemble myself. No results at the ER. Frustrating. My other blood tests came back from my other doctor that I had Mononucleosis. Oh I am so happy. This is just what I needed. I also had an MRI for possible MS and thankfully that came back negative. We have been to the hospitals and doctors more this month than I hope to be the rest of the year. I continue to have terrible rashes and itchiness along with extreme fatigue, painful swollen lymph nodes and a lot of questions unanswered. Steve continues to heal but has some unanswered questions too.  I DON'T like JANUARY!  We both continue to have appointments through the rest of this wonderful month.

One day after his surgery.  He gets to wear that horribly uncomfortable contraption for 6-10 weeks all day everyday.  I will spare you a picture of me.  I don't want to scare off all two of my blog readers. I scare myself these days.

I am thankful that it is us going through this and not my kids though. It is so hard to sit in the hospital and watch them in pain or have to go through something so hard.

Pray for us if you think of it. We are in a tough spot at the start of this year.

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OK now that I am done with my rant.  Real quick, I did want to show you some beauty that we have here in January.  It has been a record breaking cold year here.  The other morning I woke up and apparently it was foggy overnight but really cold and lots of moisture.  Looking outside was magical. It looked like the trees turned into sparkly snowflakes.  The actual branches were all white.
Check out God's amazing creativity...

It absolutely boggles my mind that every snowflake is different.  Not one is alike!

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Colossians 1:16-17

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

~Blessings~