I don’t know what the age limit is for ‘small kids’, but I feel like maybe I’ve almost graduated with my youngest being 4 years old! This past week my family spent time vacationing in Tennessee and it was so relaxing that I was reminded of how hard it was when we first started. Vacationing with small kids is no picnic and we learned that the hard way. Here are a few things we learned that have helped us all feel good on the trips we take.

1. Do NOT expect a vacation. It’s NOT a vacation. Call it a trip. A vacation - when you have small children in tow - is absolutely NOT a vacation. A change of scenery, sure. A chance to explore, maybe. A vacation - a break from your regular life? Not at all. The kids will still make demands on your life that is largely out of control. Eating, sleeping and bathroom schedules will still reign supreme. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

2. Do NOT make a rigid schedule. Kids are bound to slow you down and change your schedule at the most inopportune time. When you plan a trip with small children - okay anything with small children - and you try to confine yourself to a tight schedule that, if adjusted, makes you lose your mind, you are asking for stress and then more stress. Loose plans, lots of ideas, or even just deciding what your must does are, all good. But if you can’t let people rest when they need to rest or switch gears when something doesn’t pan out, it’s likely that no one will have a very good time.

3. Do NOT forget your family’s needs. Don’t expect whatever you or your family need in a normal week at home to suddenly not exist on a trip. Like a diabetic on insulin isn’t going to magically do fine without simply because they’re on a trip, your family’s needs aren’t going to drastically change either. For us, that means things like cooking more than we eat out, including lots of physical activity in nature, and, my favorite, alone time for mom! Building in accommodations for those needs is something you won’t regret.

4. Do NOT feel compelled to spend loads of money. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is EASY to spend money on trips. Eating by itself can take up a large part of the budget. Still, recognize that your family can make memories anywhere! Most places we stay have a pool close by and is a favorite every single time. We also find the closest library and can usually get a temporary card. Hiking is almost always FREE and an adventure they will remember.

5. Do NOT stay in hotels. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but I highly recommend making sure kids have their own bedroom when you can. In a typical hotel, everyone is stuck in the same room with no place for a break from each other. 2-3 bedroom condos are our favorite because everyone has their space and we can cook whenever we want. Through Mr. Butler’s work we’re part of a vacation club and when we wait for a good sale, we can end up only paying $50 a night! It’s definitely something to look into.

It can be difficult for young parents to shift their mindset from ‘what do I want to do on this trip?’ to “how can my family best enjoy their time together?” Speaking from experience, it takes a few trips to really find a groove that works for everyone, but you won’t regret it! My oldest is 10 and still gets excited about going back to Fairfield Bay, AR, one of our first condo trips together. Is it because of some grand roller coaster or expensive excursion? Nope. We go hiking, swimming at the pool and check books out at the local library. To him and his sister, it is magical!

Remember that last injury you witnessed? That one where there was crying and shrieking involved for a while? As long as there was unattended pain and panic, the emotional upheaval was still present. Sometimes it takes a band-aid for everyone to calm down, but other times all it takes is an appropriate amount of crying or expression. The tornado of emotions that can happen - fear, panic, pain, anger, frustration - need a place to go, right?

This morning I had to have a little family meeting with my kids because there had been a LOT of bickering and explosions. We had spent 11+ hours in the car the last two days so everyone had a good reason to be everything they were - upset, mad, reactive, just all the things - but very little understanding for everyone else’s good reasons. In the discussion, my oldest piped up and said, “That’s why I ask to wrestle with Daddy because once I do that then I don’t feel like fighting anymore.” I love his intuitive nature and how it shows up at the perfect times. Emotional energy is a big deal. It’s an even bigger deal when you don’t put it in the right place.

This is almost the crux of my whole life! The need to express or verbalize has always been huge in my soul. I always feel a great need to talk more rather than less. Writing, creating, exploring - there always seems to be more within me. When I don’t have or utilize the proper outlets, I physically and emotionally react so negatively. We know this is human reality when we send the kids outside to play because they are driving us nuts inside. They need to go use up that energy. It is simple and complicated at the same time. The emotional and physical aspects are intertwined and deeply affect each other. When we don’t sleep enough, our emotional state goes south fast. As disappointment or deep stress comes into our life, physical symptoms can show up.

As my son wisely pointed out, we can handle life better when we properly manage our emotional energy. It’s simple and profound all in the same breath. What are some ways you use up emotional energy? Here are a few I’ve seen work well.

Physical Activity - Exercise, sports, gardening, manual labor

Creative Activity - Anything that involves creation - drawing, painting, building, making music

Verbalizing - Writing, talking, teaching others

Projects - Many projects combine these elements for an even more satisfying benefit.

These all seem so basic, but when they are NOT strategically found in our lives, everyone suffers. Even though soccer and baseball season can be busy and tiring, my kids physically and thus emotionally do much better during this time. It’s been about a month since practices ended and the bickering and, well, emotional energy has just been worse. Regulation of ourselves is harder when there is too much to regulate. Filling our lives with different avenues to express energy makes regulation easier.

Now, understanding these ideas and putting them into practice appropriately are entirely two different things. Still understanding is half the battle, so they say.

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

In case you haven’t noticed, striving for balance is really important to me. That is largely because as humans it is so easy to get drawn to extremes before we even realize what is happening. I think we have seen that plainly with our age of information. Screens, especially with kids, have become a hot button, controversial issue and a source of stress for parents. Our culture pushes us to always do, get and be more which so often leaves us conflicted about what’s best for everyone, especially the children. I’ve always sided with the idea that less screen time is better, but as our family continues to grow in homeschooling, not only are screens a part of our reality, but there are times when they solve problems! There are times when our laps and attentions are just not available and we need something that will enrich our children while keeping them occupied for a time. For today’s review, we are talking about One More Story - an online read aloud library of beautiful picture books that does just that!

What We Received:

We were given a one-year subscription to One More Story. This includes access to all books on the website.

How It Works:

One More Story consists of a single user library of picture books that are read aloud with background music and sound effects and highlighted words on the page as it is read through. Each story has a vocabulary button where students can learn what different words mean through a definition and then the context sentence of the book. Each book has an I Can Read button to turn off the sound and allow the student to turn pages at their own pace. Through the Parent’s Place Dashboard, parents can see what books the child has read and what new words they have been introduced to.. On the main page, there is a Book List option where you can sort the books available by the colored shelf, Accelerated Reader, Lexile, DRA, Fountas and Pinnell or you can filter them through a key word.

What We Thought:

Like I mentioned above, I try to recognize that too much screen time can be detrimental and set boundaries appropriately. It is our custom to put off screens of any form until the rest of (non-screen) school activities have been completed. That being said, aside from not being in my lap, One More Story provides everything else that is valuable about story time! The collection of books is fantastic! I've heard of a lot of them but not all. That alone makes it just like a library visit.

When you raise readers, you find that they will always love a good story. While One More Story is a beautiful blessing for preschool age children, my 7 and 10 year old are happy to sit down with or without their 4 year old brother to listen to One More Story. This is even useful when I’m needed to help the older kids with their school and the 4 year old needs distraction. From both an educational and parenting perspective, this website is a wonderful tool to have for those times when you need an extra set of hands!

Follow One More Story on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifelongReaders
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EarlyReader

Are you interested in how other families may have used One More Story? Check out the other members of the Crew and their reviews through the link below.

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

While writing is something I have always enjoyed, my 10 year old son doesn't exactly feel the same way. Like many kids, it's fun when the subject is something exciting or new, but once it's a school assignment, motivation can start to wane. As an adult who has sat through hours of school and writing assignments, I know how fun and satisfying writing can be, but sometimes that is hard for kids to grasp, especially a very active boy. Today's review, Sparkling Bits of Writing Book 1 by Creative Word Studio is designed to address that reality.

What We Received:

We received one spiral-bound book, Sparkling Bits of Writing Book 1 by Creative Word Studio. This is book 1 out of 2 in the series.

How It Works:

This workbook has 75 lessons with plenty of writing space. There could be some intent to build on previous lessons, but it isn’t necessary. In light of subject matter, I’m pretty sure the intent is really just to inspire motivation to write better and more so if one prompt resonates better than another, I assume that isn’t a problem. This book could easily transfer to a classroom setting and allow a teacher to expound on the elements presented in each lesson, but it’s also a wonderful extra for a student to explore on their own. The lessons are divided up into three different categories: Mini Writing Exercise, Free Writing, and Reading Response. These three types of exercises are repeated throughout the book, but with a wide variety of topics and tasks.

Mini Writing Exercises

As the title suggests, these exercises work on writing skills such as building vocabulary and enhancing descriptions. General mechanics of better writing are touched on and encouraged throughout these exercises.

Free Writing Exercises

Probably my favorite - and most therapeutic - type of writing, Free Writing exercises give you the freedom to explore ideas, feelings and topics with no restraints or expectations. Some examples of writing prompts included are ‘In eight minuets list many places you could go’, ‘Make a list of twenty things you don’t understand’, or ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if we could…’

Reading Response Exercises

In every Reading Response exercise there is some piece or portion of literature for the student to read and then some follow-up questions for them to respond to. Whether poem or literature excerpt, the author or origin is always documented at the bottom. The questions are often a combination of information gathering and the readers personal opinions or responses to what they just read.

What We Thought:

As I mentioned, my son can drag his feet when it comes to writing so of course this was no different. However, even in spite of his desperate desire to just get it over with and his ‘say as little as possible’ responses, his writing proved that he was thinking in ways he hadn’t before. He was using more colorful words and including fun concepts. When asked what he liked about this book, he said he enjoyed the reading excerpts not having all the information present, requiring him to make up things. He also really enjoyed the shorter questions and prompts, but that is very much his desire to conquer things FAST! Still, having a variety of questions worked on his skills and kept his attention at the same time.

If I, as a female student who enjoys words and writing, had been given a book like this at his age, I would have LOVED it. Nothing gets old because there is always a new or different task. From an educational perspective, Sparkling Bits of Writing is a fun way to develop skills while also exploring your world of thoughts. Since we only have access to book 1, I’m excited to see what book 2 has to offer! If you are interested in the second book’s contents, click on the link below to see reviews of it as well!

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW. I ALSO RECEIVE COMMISSIONS FROM PURCHASES MADE THROUGH LINKS IN THIS POST.

For all my years in education, I’ve often felt a conflict when it came to the topic of memorization. On the one hand, I’ve always felt convicted that the heart of learning isn’t in memorizing facts. On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for the Classical Education approach that recognizes students’ great capacity to learn many things when they are young. So, I’ve always had the desire for my kids to learn as much as possible without it being an unending, tedious task. In today’s review we are talking about a tool designed to make learning effective and easier, Cross Seven Ventures - Homeschool Musical Memory Tool from Cross Seven.

What We Received:

We received a one year subscription for our whole family to Cross Seven Ventures - Homeschool Musical Memory Tool. This program is designed for students K-6th grade, but this subscription allows for multiple profiles so even mom and dad can learn and test their skills along with the kids!

How It Works:

The Cross Seven memory tool is an online program consisting of videos where information is set to music and then a series of quizzes over that information. The quizzes use a variety of methods to test students like fill in the blank, ordering of information and word searches. The information is separated into 4 Cycles, each cycle containing 28 weeks focused on a different batch of information. Within each cycle the following topics are included:

• Scripture

• History

• Latin

• Grammar

• Science

• Math

• Geography

• Hymns

• Timeline

All cycles and weeks within cycles are accessible at any time which means you can utilize however much whenever you see fit. There is no requirement to begin with Cycle 1 or even week 1 at any time. It is ordered by cycle and weeks so that you can simply login and go through it all, but if I only wanted to focus on Latin or grammar for a time, that is available too.

The Parent Dashboard allows you to see each student’s quiz results. There is also a Fun Links button that gives you complimentary links and videos to more information on a particular week’s topics. In this section there is a corresponding reading list that is very extensive and a great way to create or broaden your own curriculum.

What We Thought:

My 10 and 7 year old both tried out this program and loved it! They enjoyed the videos and especially the challenge of trying to recall things for the quizzes. There were a few times when my 7 year old daughter got pretty frustrated because she kept getting things wrong. This was often the case with scriptures and the expectation of capitalization and exact punctuation. It frustrated her, but it also forced her to be precise in ways she normally brushes off whenever possible. So from a learning perspective, it was very fruitful! The fun links was a favorite too once they discovered it!

As a teacher and parent, I love this entire concept and program. It is so useful to reinforce concepts we are already learning, but completely fine to just let them go through it however also. It’s all value added to their education and skills. Whether you are pursuing a classical education or simply want to reinforce information in a fun way, Cross Seven is a fantastic educational tool.

Follow Cross Seven on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrossSevenVentures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cross7Memory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crosssevenventures/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CrossSevenVentures/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrossSeven

Every homeschool is different so check out what other families thought about this program through the link below.

Bible study, like any other subject, has a wide range of approaches and usually just as many opinions about it all. When it comes to curriculum, one of the things I appreciate most is when authors leave all the controversial opinions out or at least up to the parent/teacher's discretion. Bible Study Guide For All Ages dives straight into the content of the Bible provides multiple avenues to learn, remember and understand what the Bible says. This a program I had never heard of before, but will be sticking with for a while as the result of his review.

For my two big kids (7 and almost 5), we received the Primary (1st & 2nd grade) level which included Primary Student Pages, Primary Teacher Guide, Bible Book Summary Cards as well as the Wall Maps and Timeline set. There are a total of 416 lessons altogether, but we received 1-26 to get us started. The company was very generous in all the things we were given to look at!

Student Pages - Each child used a set of the Primary Level Student Pages. They also offer a Beginner, Intermediate, & Advanced Level Student Pages depending on the age and grade of your student. The student pages are consumable and full of multi-sensory learning activities designed to enhance understanding and memorization of scripture. The primary level includes activities like fill in the blank, coloring, review questions, timeline exercises, and character building ideas. The pages are easily pulled apart which makes the teacher in me panic a little. There's no real reason to keep them attached because once they are used you don't revisit them.

Primary Teacher's Guide - This is a spiral bound book that walks you through each lesson step by step. It is easy to follow and gives directions for every element, even the optional ones like the music CD and the Timeline.

Bible Book Summary Cards - These come in two sizes and we received the large, 8.5" x 11" ones. With just a few specific pictures, each card provides visual reminders of the books events on the front and a list of review/memory questions on the back. The cards are a fun tool for comprehension and retention.

Wall Maps and Timeline set - This includes a timeline, three maps, and the figures to go on each. These are really big! If you don't have much wall space, it won't be useful to you. However, if you have a place for it, it is a fantastic educational tool! I know my understanding of Bible time and locations would have been much different had I grown up with something like this around.

This picture is so true in our household. They are usually pretty enthusiastic about anything Bible related, but Bible Study Guide For All Ages has made our Bible study time easy and fruitful in all areas! Even though miss Z was on the young side, she surprised me with all the information she was remembering. With so much interaction and application of the scriptures, our daily conversation was considerably changed for the better! We reviewed the Primary Level, but remember there are 3 other levels that may work slightly different. Be sure to read through the rest of the Crew's reviews to get a feel for the other levels.

Keep with Bible Study Guide For All Ages on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BibleStudyG/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BibleStudyG

Originally posted in July 2018.

Before understanding ADHD in my life, I had enormous expectations for myself, crafted from every minute of television I've ever seen, every picture perfect person I've encountered and the above average culture that is celebrated on social media.  Those unreasonable, really high and often subconscious expectations were continually eating away at my self-confidence.  From a very young age, I felt different, self-conscious and desperate to be accepted.  Over the years I have attributed that to all sorts of things in pitiful attempts to stabilize it. Female. Anxious. Introverted. Highly Sensitive. Each lens explained some of it, but never really changed the core of me.  Since discovering what ADHD often looks like in women (it’s quite a bit different than men), this past year has been full of discovering new layers of my life affected by this brain of mine that I’ve completely misunderstood my entire life. The way I have trouble making decisions, especially under pressure. The way I lose things really easily. The way I despise structure, but fall apart without it. The way I shoot for the moon, dreaming of perfection and collapse in despair when it doesn’t work quite right. The way groups overwhelm me. The way I have trouble finishing things. The way I say things without thinking and regret it immediately. It’s true that I’m no different than I was, because I’ve always been this way. But looking through this large lens has given me the gift of understanding.

 My brain is a race car engine with bicycle brakes, able to speed through lightning fast, but just as likely to spin out as make it one lap.  As I have learned about how my brain actually works - not just what the world would have me assume about my brain - I'm uncovering a really beautiful side effect.  I'm recognizing overstimulation (imagine an engine overheating) in my daily life and adjusting my known limits in what I can tolerate and do (to avoid spinout).  As I'm adjusting limits, I'm finding myself more able to complete tasks (before getting sidelined by a world of other things).  Understanding that it's never been about me not being able, it was always the how, the when and the how much that needed to be recalibrated - that understanding is giving me confidence.  Not exaggerated, prideful confidence.  Not fake, let's put on a show to make myself feel better confidence.  Just a more peaceful assurance in who I am and how God designed me. 

It’s a beautiful thing, but every day I will wake up and still have this brain. I’ll still be prone to forget to message you back or have trouble deciding what’s the most important thing to do next. I’m loving the peace that comes from understanding why, but at the same time I’m not somehow off the hook for fulfilling the responsibilities of my life. I’ve heard people dismiss labels like ADHD before out of fear it was an excuse to not do things. I can tell you that living with this label has honestly done the opposite for me. Instead of giving up all the time under the misconception that I just wasn’t working hard enough or I just did everything wrong, I’m simply able to recognize the source of the stumbling block and move it or have more patience with it, which has allowed me to complete more tasks rather than less.

I know accepting something about yourself or someone you love can be scary and overwhelming. I’m literally the poster-child for the easily overwhelmed. Still, I am so thankful that it finally sunk in for me! If you suspect someone you love might identify with some of the things I’ve shared, I’m happy to chat about it! Evaluating yourself with the wrong gauge is exhausting so you might be doing them a favor. :)

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.

From science experiments to art projects, hands-on activities are by far my children’s favorite part of their education! Today’s review combines elements of art and history to create an interactive lesson everyone will enjoy! We’re talking about Figures of the American Revolution from Figures In Motion! These moveable figures are a wonderful compliment to any history curriculum.

What We Received:

We received one book of paper figures to cut out, in some cases color and assemble, a bookmark about Benjamin Franklin, a single hole punch and a box of small two prong brads.

How It Works:

The Famous Figures of the American Revolution book contains 10 different people you can assemble. For each person there are two pages, one is colored and the other is blank, ready to be colored by a student. Both are assembled in the same way - by cutting out the individual pieces, hole punching in the designated spots (noted by letters and back or front designations) and then attaching the pieces with small brads. This product is intended for ages 6-12 and requires cutting skills. Most of it is easy but there are some areas of fine detail. For those areas they have added gray space as a guide to give students an easier option.

Once assembled, they are fun to move around and even pretend to interact. Within the book, each person has a description of their patriotic significance and interesting information about their life. These figures compliment any survey of history or biography study, but the text also includes a reading list specific to the American Revolution figures in the book.

What We Thought:

We loved this product far more than I expected! I know my kids like hands-on activities, but with as much cutting that's involved, I assumed my 10 year old son would be done with it. My 7 year old daughter lives to craft so I expected her to enjoy it, but they were begging to do more and more. Since there are only so many in the book, it quickly became a question of who gets to do more and which ones. They needed a touch of guidance when assembling the first ones, but after that it was a very independent activity. From an artistic standpoint, it requires precision and cutting skills, which is something we always need to work on. A neat element - that I love about learning anyway - was all the questions that arose simply from cutting out these pictures. I wasn't teaching them directly, but we learned about flag making, types of guns and different types of clothes, just from their questions.

This process was such a positive learning experience that I highly recommend including this product in your next history study!

Follow Figures in Motion on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/figuresinmotionbooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FiguresInMotion
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/figuresinmotionbooks/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/figuresinmotion/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwr8ROHgSkGmCrutlMg76KQ

The Review Crew were given a varied choice of products so check out the other reviews through the link below to see what other options are available.

DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW

Homeschooling my children from day one and being on the Homeschool Review Crew for almost five years, I have at least heard about quite a bit of curriculum. Today’s review is of a program I have heard about for years because so many people have used it before! In many circles, this company is a standard for math curriculum. We are talking about Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 from Teaching Textbooks, their computer-based, no DVDs program.

What We Received:

We were given access to Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 digital courses for 12 months and lifetime access to the gradebooks for 2 students, grade 3 and grade 4. There is also 3 months of pause time included that do not count against the 12 months.

How It Works:

For each student/grade level, there is a downloadable program (that works like an app on my laptop) that can be accessed any time regardless of internet access. In our 2 student situation, on our computers there is an M3 app for 3rd grade and an M4 app for 4th grade. Upon loading each program, you have the option to sign in as the student or parent. In the Parent account you can manage settings, see the gradebook as well as answers. Within each app in the Student account there is an Ebook (the textbook), Lesson Work, Gradebook, Wallpaper, Book, Sticker Book, and Hint Sound Settings.

As you can see above, the lessons are presented in a book form where you can turn pages to move forward and back. Regardless of where you go, the program keeps record of lessons and quizzes the student has completed. You can jump around as you wish, but within each lesson there are 22 practice questions that build on the previous lessons as well as the lesson just taught. A neat feature is the scratchpad where you can write out your work when needed. It is certainly helpful, but its probably most useful with a touch screen. There are also Bonus Questions that are sometimes offered usually featuring math facts.

How It Worked For Us:

My 10 year old son is finishing out 4th grade and my 7 year old daughter is finishing out 2nd grade. We chose M4 for him because he was still in the 4th grade. My daughter is really good with math so I thought we could at least try her out in M3 to get a good feel for the program and, if it was too challenging, she could work up to it. What we found out is that the grade level didn’t quite match the level of their normal math curriculum (which is known to be higher than average). So my son started toward the end of the program and my daughter had no problem starting M3 from the beginning.

The setup of the program encourages student independence and doesn’t require very much parent involvement, unless the student struggles with a concept. In that case, the parent section provides the textbook (ebook) and answer key for the parent/instructor to help as needed. It is always helpful that the grades are accessed forever, which is helpful when creating a transcript.

Both of my children said the lectures were easy to understand and enjoyed decorating their space with different wallpaper and sticker fun. While the grade levels were different than what we were used to, that is easily resolved and everything else worked very well! If you are looking for a math curriculum that allows your students to work independently, but also give you plenty of feedback and opportunity to engage when needed, Teaching Textbooks is a great program to consider.

Teaching Textbooks on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Teachingtextbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TThomeschool
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachingtextbooks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVlomrjY7xTs2cRxSsuKCrw

Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 offers programs for 3rd grade through high school, including Algebra, Geometry and Pre-Calculus. Click on the image below to check out reviews of other grade levels.

On April 19, 1995, I was 15 years old sitting in English class at a south Oklahoma City high school. When the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown OKC was bombed that morning, the sound rattled our windows so much that they came open, despite being locked on the inside. Students took turns going to the office to make phone calls to parents. A television was rolled in on a cart so that we could watch footage on what happened. No one directly close to us was injured, but at that point in the day we couldn’t have been certain of that. I didn’t know it then, but that was the day I started growing proud to be an Oklahoman.

Over the next days and weeks, there would be so many amazing and tragic stories to be shared among us. Oklahoma would suffer and flourish in the way Oklahoma always does. The one person I had actually known that died in the building that day demonstrated this beautiful suffering in her last moments. Jamie Genzer, a woman I sang in Sweet Adelines with, worked in the Murrah building. The way it was told to me was that another singer was interviewing in the building that morning, but forgot her resume. By chance (or providence), she bumped into Jamie and shared her frustration. Jamie assured her she had enough time to run back to her car. That kindness from Jamie saved this woman’s life.

The shame that comes from the very flawed members of our community is outshined by the majority who are ready to do the right thing in the face of pain and struggle. Maybe we’re just really good at recovery and rebuilding. There would be so many tornadoes and tragedies further down the road that would continue the growing pride I now find in my home.

When 9/11 happened, it was brought bizarre flashbacks and an odd sense of familiarity. It’s nothing that you’d wish on anyone, but it was something Oklahoma knew how to handle.

As today marks the 26th anniversary of the Murrah bombing in Oklahoma City, I am thankful to have grown up here. It’s not a pride in the tragedies so many have had to endure, but a pride in the resiliency of a community. This community is full of different people with different lives that, when it really matters - like in emergencies and their aftermath - take care of each other.

In a pretty complicated world that we live in, I’m so thankful I’m raising my kids around people who know how to take care of each other. The common mantra on this day is “May We Never Forget”, but if you experienced that day, I don’t think you ever could. Today is a great day to pray for those who have suffered tragedies in their life, but are in the throws of having to live life anyway. May God’s peace block out all the rest.