A Look into Our Homeschool schedule, Are you ready?

It seems like Summer just started, what happened, where did it go? We have begun preparing for our homeschool year and we are excited! We have ordered our curriculum and set up our little area.

What curriculum do you use?

We use the Abeka accredited Video program. It has done wonders for our little man. He has progressed so much since we started with Abeka. I also find worksheets (thanks to Pinterest) that go along with what he's learning to add extra practice. If you don't want to do accredited you can order the books for the curriculum off of Abeka book.

What is a typical homeschool day at our house?

8:30 - 9:00 chore time and breakfast
9:00 - 9:30 pledge, prayer & bible
10:00 - 11:00 Morning reading and seatwork
11:00 - 11:20 Phonics, Language & Spelling
11:20 - 11:40 Writing (we do cursive)
11:40 - 12:20 Arithmetic
12:20 - 12:40 Lunch
12:40 - 1:10 Afternoon reading
1:10 - 1:30 Arithmetic combinations
1:30 - 1:50 Poetry & History

Granted life happens so some days it may change but we try to follow a daily rountine. This is homeschool so sometimes we are more laid back than others. That is the glory of being out of a public school setting and at home.

We all need a mission statement to come back to when we are stressed and wondering just why we chose this route instead of sending our kids on that Yellow bus. Every year we need to look over it and adjust it as needed. This is ours:

My goal in homeschooling is to educate my children in an environment that teaches them who God is and keeps them from an environment that will teach them He isn't needed in their lives or that He isn't real. I want to do as I was instructed by God, to train them in the way they should go by guiding them into the life that God has planned for them, while educating them in the things they will need as they mature into teens and then into adulthood.

I want to hear from you! What curriculum do you use, how are you preparing for this school year? Do you home-school? Why or why not?

Be blessed,


Regina Cozad

Key verses & tips when seeking God's will

When seeking God’s will it can be hard waiting for God to answer. Sometimes we want to hurry and rush into what we think is His will and then wonder why things aren’t going too smoothly. I know this is a marriage blog but I have been having a burden to write on this topic. The bonus of this post is that when my heart is right, It can make a difference in my marriage also!

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33)

He tells us in His Word that first and foremost we have to have our hearts right with Him in order for Him to perform His will in our lives. I can truly say that when I quit flirting with the World and really gave my all to God and allowed Him to work in my life, That is when I saw a major change for the better in my life, home and family. By seeking Him in prayer and fasting, it shows our sincerity in wanting a different life and God can begin to show us areas in our lives we need to work on. Not to mention our Hubbys and children see it too :)

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (Matthew 7:7)

This verse kinda goes along with the first, when we truly begin asking in prayer, seeking on our knees for Him to move in us, and humble knocking with our hearts, we can begin to see and feel Him guiding us into the direction He has for us to take. His ways aren’t as ours and neither His thoughts as ours, don’t get discouraged if His plan is different from how you imagined it. His plan is always better than ours!

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.(Matthew 21:22)

Have faith and believe that He is working and I will receive what He has for me! He is my Guide in this life, He has already walked this path before me!

 Be still, and know that I am God: (Psalm 46:10)

He knows all things before we get there! He is always on time and working. We may not see it immediately but you can rest assured in His promises that He is working in our best interest!

 For This God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death. (Psalm 48:14)

Isn’t it great to know that our God is forever, He will be a guide to us till we pass on from this life! We can live knowing that as long as I give my 100% He will give me His! Trust Him and He will show His will. Remember it may not be today but it will come and we can be thankful we waited on Him! He knows our best interest, He knows our needs and desires! He knows what is best for me!

I'd love for you to share something and/or verses that may encourage you when you are seeking God’s will in your life or in situations that arise sometimes? 

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

God Is Still The Peace In My Storm

When things are going crazy in your life whether at home, work, spiritually, emotionally, etc, Remember there is a Peace SPEAKER! I want to share with you an experience that showed me God is still in the Peace speaking and being a shelter in time of need business!

A little over a month ago, my kids and I were in our camper when suddenly we awoke to a tornado siren, I am literally checking to make sure it wasn't a test and I see that my phone is telling me that this is serious! I call my mom and she informs me that the weather was bad heading my way because it had just left her and she was praying for our safety. 

What do I do? I decided it's too late to drag my kids into a vehicle to safety (hello I know no one nearby with a safety shelter!) so we decided to call on the Shelter in the middle of storm! My kids and I sat in the middle of our camper kitchen floor pouring our hearts into prayer that God would keep His hand on our camper and our lives.  My husband is working and the plant is on lock down because of the weather and no one is allowed to leave so we were left to fend for ourselves. 

Our camper shook once and I felt God just hold it the rest of the time. How do I know He was holding it? Because there was things flying around outside and the campers next to us were shaking but ours held still (when the train passes it rocks) through the entire storm. Later we found out that the tornados pictured above was behind us, 7 miles away another touched down and 15 miles away it took train cars off the track. My God was our Peace and Shelter in that storm and has proved to be our Peace in the midst of our life storms that we have been hit with ever since that day.

It was an experience that I will never forget and neither will my children. We have many storms raging right now including my husband being laid off with no job lined up but God will provide as He always does. I hold to the promise that weeping endureth for a night but Joy cometh in the morning! Please be in prayer for my family that God will show us His will in this next chapter of our life, Thanks and love all of you dearly! Thanks for being such awesome readers!

What are some storms that have hit your world that God held you through? Share with me, I would love to hear from you!

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

Listening to God’s Urgency

I have a story that is so amazing and too profound not to share with all my readers! I am giving God all the glory for what He done this Monday, March 23, 2015. I could have been burying my husband this week if I had not cancelled everything and just listened to the Urgency God placed on my heart! I could break on in praise just thinking about it!

As most of my readers already know, my husband’s job has him traveling around and sometimes we go with him and other times we stay home and just go whenever we can to visit. Well this particular job we stayed home because my mother had a heart attack a little over a month ago (a miracle in itself!) and I have been home helping her till she fully gains her strength back.

This week I had 3 different engagements that prevented me from coming to see my husband and on Monday morning I had a strong urgency to cancel all three and come to see him that day. I had spoken to him that morning when he got off work and unlike other times we talked a good little while on the phone about missing each other and that I really needed to come see him. Usually at 4:30 am I am not very talkative and I hang up within 15-20 minutes, It took me a while to fall asleep after and when I woke up later I felt God telling me to cancel my appointments and pack up and get on the road.

I called and cancelled and began packing, then it started, one thing after another preventing me from leaving when planned, but I still kept packing and finally got on the road later that evening. I had spoken to husband before He left for work at 3 pm and overheard him saying to someone something about a sewer smell in our camper but I didn't think anything of it. When I arrived at our camper however I quickly smelled propane outside, when I opened the door I realized it was coming from inside our camper, somehow my husband had bumped the burner turning it on sometime before going to bed at 6 am and not realizing it. Thank God our dog was fine that travels with him and that my husband was fine, most the time people die from being in the fumes (silent killer). I opened all windows except the emergency window, took our dog whose name is Lucky (coincidence? Nope He really is lucky), and went to Walmart to pass time.

When I returned to the camper my key would not turn the lock to get back in. I freaked because I had my 2 kids and our dog with me and I had no way to get in, luckily my husband had just got on lunch and when I explained the situation his job allowed him to leave and come meet us. Thankfully I had the windows open and my son who is 6 years old could fit through the one that had no screen, He couldn't open the door so we had him open the emergency window and my husband climbed in and discovered the dead bolt was broken. He took it off and we had it fixed the next day.

All that was said to say this, God knew what He was doing when He put that urgency in me to come see my husband for a week, if I hadn't listened, my husband would have come in from work, locked the door and went to sleep in the fumes that would have been even stronger by then (still assuming it was a sewer smell) and when he locked the door it would have locked them in here with no way for anyone to get in when He and our dog became unresponsive. They would have died and no one could have did anything because no one would've known anything was wrong. When I didn't hear from him, I would've came and the only way in would've been to bust a window because the dead bolt broke on that next locking of the door.

Please always listen to God when He is telling you to do something! You could be saving a life! Who knows what God wants to use you to do? Please always be willing and available for God to use you as a vessel for His work! God Bless you and I apologize for the lengthy text but I felt that I needed to share this miracle with you all!

What can you share that God has used you to do because YOU listened to HIS call?

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

You are not defined by who you use to be!

Are you tired of constantly being let down by those around you that won't let your past go? Are you tired of trying to live up to a standard from some people that doesn't matter? Today you can breathe and let go! You aren't defined by your past, if you have truly asked God to forgive you and have given it to him, It's under the blood and it's gone!

Tonight I can't sleep from thinking about somethings I've been allowing to get me down the last few days. There was an incident that happened a few days ago that has reminded me that there are some people who still think of me as the sinner I once was before I came to God. They still call me names that are unkind, believe things about me that are untrue and hurt me by reminding me that my past happened. It's hurtful and shameful and I don't want to relive it!

I don't want to stay there though and I won't! I will not allow people's negative opinions of me to continue to control how I feel about myself. I prayed and gave all my ugly sins and past to God 6 years ago and I know without a shadow of a doubt that it's under the blood of Jesus!! I was praying concerning this matter Sunday morning at church and God kept telling me in that still small voice that He loves me and I'm not defined by who I once was! Then it was confirmed again by someone I trust with all I have on Tuesday!

So I am writing this tonight to encourage those who may be in the same place as I am and I want to tell you to keep your head up and keep praying! If you have given the Ugly to Jesus then do not allow those who still hold the past against you to control you! Forgive them for holding it in their hearts, Pray for them to get freedom as you have, and Let Go! God has changed us in His grace and mercy and We need to Accept that!

I know this isn't easy, I have cried my heart out but I did so to the God in Heaven who hears and sees all things and He will help us through! We just have to Trust Him!

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

I Want To Do My Part, Are You Doing Yours?

Daily I see young women, either in the news, in my town, on social media, or in the areas I venture through thanks to my hubby's job, that need encouragement, help, strength, to be taught how to be the woman God called them to be and God called Us women who are older and/or more experienced in that area to help them! Are we doing our part? Are we seeking them out to help them?

Oh how this has been on my mind to write on, I've prayed about it for awhile because I just don't feel I'm "qualified" to speak on this subject because I'm only 23, married 5 years and a mother of a 5 year old and 1 year old. It seems every time I think that the burden has lifted, there is a young woman in need that comes to my mind, a radio broadcast urging us to reach out to the younger generation or God just puts them out there in my path! Please understand that I don't consider myself perfect or in anyway a know it all! Come to my house you will see I struggle just like the rest of you.

I want to challenge you to think a moment on how we as Christian wives can reach out to the younger women we know and teach them to become better moms, wives, saints, servants, cooks, organizers, etc. The Bible instructs us in Titus 2:4 to teach them and show them. I don't want to get to Heaven and God tell me that He specifically placed women on my heart or in my path for  me to help and I ignored it! I want to be a help where I can be, Growing up I needed more than my mom's inspiration (anyone who knows my mom knows she is a great Godly example) and there really wasn't much out there. In no way am I saying I had an excuse to do the things in my younger single time of what I'll call my rebellious trial and error that I knew would cause me shame or be a disgrace to those who loved me, but I still wish I would've had someone reach out and guide me in the way I really needed to go without putting me down for what I was doing. I wish when I got married that I would've had someone come along and just give me advice and explain that it wasn't going to be a glorious experience without rough times here and there!

I don't know that you can even put sense to the message I'm trying to relay here but I beg you to reach out to those younger women around you or women your age that you know need a little inspiration. Pray for God to lead someone to you or even search them out at the Grocery store! If you see a young mom with 3 kids screaming and fussing, say a prayer for her, if you are close enough just let her know you care and understand it's not always easy, but worth every minute of the agony, because they usually grow up to love each other!

Do you have anything to add or anything you are doing or could do to reach out to those moms around you?

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

A note to the weary Moms

Do you ever just feel weary and burden down, no matter how much you know there are children and a spouse needing you at that moment, you just want to crawl in bed and cry? 

In the morning, you wake up and peep through your eyes to see who is standing at you bed needing you, all the while wanting to just send them back bed, you get up and start down the hall to the kitchen. You begin your morning routine but it really seems you aren't really there, the day is a blur and you just seem to be existing. You are snappy and don't mean to be, i'm talking to us moms who sometimes are just weary and beat down! It's okay to be tired sometimes and admit that I just can't do it all, all the time.

Let's find time today to just get alone with Jesus and pour our struggles out at His feet. We need to embrace the fact that our Father cares and He sees our hurts and wants to be a comfort to us. Once we give it all to God and let Him soothe us, we will be better (less grouchy) moms and wives. 

Need some ideas on taking a little momma break today?

• Get our your Bible and dig in! 
• Take a walk even if it's just around the yard
•  Spend time doing something you enjoy
• Read a book
• Take a long hot bath
• Play with your kids and spouse and let the housework wait a minute!

I know it isn't an extravagant list but it's a start! Moms, it's okay to be weary and tired sometimes! It's expected but don't stay there, Lay it on Jesus!

What are some things you would add that you do when feeling weary?

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

My Review of The Unveiled Wife book

Are looking for a book to change you and your marriage? Is there something keeping you from enjoying the complete joyous marriage you deserve?

I was so excited when Jennifer wrote her new book The Unveiled Wife and asked me to be apart of her launch team! I absolutely love her daily posting and inspiration. Her story is so much like mine in many ways and this book has really helped me to confront things, deal with them and let them go. It gave me that extra encouragement I needed to just let my past go and realize that by holding onto it, it was having a negative affect on my now and my future.

God has become so much more real and intimate to me than ever before. I highly recommend every wife I know to order it, read it and pray about the things you have read and apply them to your life and marriage. I can't say enough how much hearing her story about her marriage hardships and relationship with her dad has helped me because I had so very rough things go on in my own life that caused me to want to give up. It was only God and His love and mercy that helped me to where I am now. This book truly is an encouragement and a help to me and I hope that everyone that reads this post will order it and see for your self! You can download a free introduction and the 1st chapter here.

This awesome deal is available until March 3rd, you can get 4 books for the price of 2. You get 2 "The Unveiled Wife" books, 1 "Wife after God" book, and 1 "31 Prayers for My Husband" book. Go to this link to get it now!

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

Learning to follow God's Will

Do you ever feel like God's way is just too hard and you would rather just coast along doing what feels easiest to you? 

Hello everyone! 

I want to share a little of what is on my heart on the this night. I sometimes feel like we try to take the "easy" road when God has called us to do something but in all reality it isn't the easy road because we are pushing against the very thing God has called us to do. God called us to be parents, spouses, disciples for Him, and many other things in this life. Sometimes instead of us seeing the joy in those things, we tend to complain about how "hard" it is but what we don't realize is that we are fighting against God's will!

 One night I was up and just couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried and realized that God was trying to show me something about myself, I had become this grouchy person who seemed to snap at the drop of a hat towards my kids and my husband. Did I intentionally become this person? The answer is no, sometimes life has a way of just helping us unintentionally show our fleshly side. I have never been one to snap easily so I immediately called out to God and said Lord I can't keep this up, I need your help! I don't want to be known as the parent/spouse who constantly yells and is harsh! I laid everything on Him, all the worries of my day to day life and struggles that I had allowed to overcome ME and you know I didn't hear a voice right away but I felt peace. For the first time in a while I felt like it was all going to work out and daily I see that shown before me. You know I realized that as soon as I allowed God to just retake that driver seat and have His way in my life, everything balanced out. God is our balance and if we are out of sync with Him then we can expect our life to be chaotic and a tad bit insane but when He's in control it's much easier.

No I can't promise you that you won't have road blocks and bumps along the way because the devil is out there seeking to destroy anyone that He can but I can promise that as long as you are in sync with God and He's driving, It will be a lot easier than if you had continued to fight against Him and not do what He's called you to do.

What are some ways God has gotten your attention before? How have you allowed God to work through you in those hard times? I'd love to hear from you so leave me a comment. 

I will be writing more on this subject and more in the days to come, God has really been giving me some things that I feel He wants me to share with you. Be sure to subscribe and tell others to join us! Let's have a great 2015 here at Love and Marriage!

Be Blessed,

Regina Cozad

Miss me? Here's why I've been missing.

Life has been super busy but I am learning I'm the only one who can better organize it!

I want to apologize for not posting since November but in my defense :) in August my husband and I took on the role of parenting a 5 year old whom we love dearly. He fit right in with our little girl and if you didn't know any better you'd think they were blood siblings. He's been through way too much trauma than any kid deserves in his little life time and I need your prayers that we can continue to help him heal and give him the family he deserves. We began homeschooling in September and made the decision to begin traveling with my husband (for work) as much as possible, did I mention we are 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog in a fifth wheel? So we can be close :) (really close). We currently only have internet on our phones which is how I'm giving you this wonderful news. I'm going to try to get back into my blogging soon because all this have given me new perspectives that I'm eager to share. God is using this to really draw me closer to Him, my husband and our kids and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Thank you for being my awesome readers! May God bless you!

Be Blessed, 

Regina Cozad