A Really Long Week

This past week has been such a long week. I really wanted to blog since Thursday but haven't had more than two minutes to put a thought together. When I have had some time, I have been just too exhausted to be coherent.
Baby G is teething all four incisors at the same time for the last week. She barely sleeps, she always fusses. She hasn't been eating well and to top it off, she has a nasty diaper rash that keeps coming and going.
On Thursday, my girls blessed me by doing the dinner dishes. They were so sweet. I should have taken a picture of the dishwasher when they were done. It was a third of the way full but with the way they creatively put things in, you couldn't put another thing in it. It was so cute. It took them an hour and they were so thorough. They wanted to help me out so I could convince Baby G to eat 3 bites of food and then give her a bath. I love my girls.
It is the little things that make me smile. And it is the little things that help a really long day worth it in the end. When I miss the little things I know that I am missing what God wants to show me in the day.
Today, the girls had a tea party outside. All of them including Baby G. That made me smile. Knowing that I have been able to teach my kids to play with all ages equally makes me excited. I love that I was able to see a 7yo, a 6yo, and a 19 month old at a table with crackers, water and cookies enjoying their little party all on equal footing.
Today, I saw my Little Man grow up just a little bit. He helped Daddy Reg work on the car. He was so excited to be helping and for the first time ever, he got his hands dirty without freaking out. This kid hates getting dirty. He came in for dinner telling me all about what had been done and how that they still had to do stuff in the morning. He is learning about how a car works and how to keep it working. I love that he is learning life skills for the real world. He is growing up.
I look to this week with anticipation that it has to get better.

Of Course You Can Homeschool

Heart of the Matter featured a post today by Andrea at The Honest Woman. It was such a great post! It was full of questions from a mom about to begin the homeschool journey. Instead of just putting my answers in a comment, I decided this would be a great post. It also makes a really long comment.
Beginning your homeschool journey is a scary time full of uncertainty and questions. Questions you are asking yourself, questions you are asking other homeschooling families, questions others are asking you. (Some of which feel like the 3rd degree). The following are Andrea’s questions and my humble attempt to answer them from my experience.

10. So, I have purchased the whole curriculum that some experienced homeschooler has recommended. It looks awesome on my new homeschooling cabinet tucked away all neat and pretty..... Now what?

Pull it out and look through it. Is it something that looks fun and enjoyable to do? What can you expect as you go through it? Do you need other supplies to do the work? Get to know the curriculum before you actually use it. It helps a lot if you know what you are going to be doing before you actually do it. I have never used all of one type of curriculum. I use many different types of curriculum and then switch it up when I find it is not working at the moment. However, I do not just chuck it all together; I save it for the next kid to try. What does not work for one kiddo might work for the other kiddo. Remember that chances are you will not finish the book before the end of the year. Remember that you are using the curriculum it is not using you. In other words, it is just a tool you are using to teach. If you find that it is not doing the job you need it to do, find a new tool that will. Also, plan to spend about 30-45 min a day for preschool and then add about a half hour per grade after that for time frames of “school.” But then again, as you become more experienced you will find that you can be teaching all day every day without even cracking open a book.

9. I like to have things planned out, but I have never been home for lunch. I think the kids will want to eat during the day. What do I do? GIVE ME YOUR WEEKLY MENU’S; I WANT BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER! ASAP!

Breakfast: Healthy cold cereals, pancakes (make a bunch and then keep them in the fridge for easy warm up in the morning. They also make great midday snacks), waffles (see note on pancakes), French toast, scrambled eggs… because you don’t have to be at school at such an early time, you can actually take time to make nutritious breakfasts for the kids and they can take the time to enjoy breakfast time.
Lunches can include quesadillas (tortillas with melted cheese), sandwiches all types, leftovers from the night before, soups, sometimes we have some meat, cheese, and crackers. Do not forget the fresh fruit and veggies. Baby carrots are great at lunchtime. Sometimes we have scrambled eggs with frozen chopped spinach mixed in topped with a bit of cheese. This is great for breakfast or lunch.
For dinner, become best friends with your crock-pot. I have and use mine all the time. Spaghetti, polenta, grilled chicken, cheesy chicken, soup salad and biscuits, casseroles… What I do is come up with 10 dinners that I want to make/eat. I try to make sure I have some that take no time at all to cook in the list. Then, I make sure I have all the ingredients getting what I do not have. I can then use that list of dinners to tell me what I am going to make each night. I choose 10 so on the day before grocery day I can still make a choice and not be stuck with what is left Chances are, the only thing left takes hours of prep time and I only have 2 minutes to whip up dinner. Also, if I do not make it to the store on grocery day, I still have food I can make and we do not end up with takeout.

8. Construction paper is evil, are there any acid free, cost efficient alternatives? Is colored paper necessary for preschool and 1st grade?

Construction paper is invaluable to a preschooler and all grades for that matter. I was a preschool teacher for many years and used so much of it. I give my kids free reign on paper as long as they are not really wasteful. They can cut, glue, and create with it. Also for lapbooks, it brightens it up and adds to the creativity. You can get acid free construction paper. You can also get regular paper in many colors. Color helps break up the monotony. Also, I have found that sometimes it is easier for kids to work on colored paper (like the light blue) when doing written work.

7. Thank God for glue sticks! Does liquid glue have any educational value that my kids will miss out on if I banish it? All they want to do is make a mess then eat it. Liquid glue has no nutritional value, does it?

Liquid glue does not need to be banished. You just need to teach them how to use it and then, watch them like a hawk. When the kids are being creative on their own, they are only allowed to use glue sticks. However, when we are doing a lapbook or other project, I want to make sure the thing does not come apart. So, here is how I control the mess and make clean up almost non existent. Take a lid to a yogurt container, sour cream container or whatever. Squeeze just a little bit of glue onto the lid. I usually do the size of a quarter. Then, let them paint the glue with a q-tip onto what they are gluing. When the q-tip falls apart, throw it away and give them a fresh one. When you are finished with the project, throw away the used q-tips, and let the glue dry on the lid. When the glue is completely dry, it will just peel off without any problem. Then use the lid for the next time. It works great and you get no glue mess on the project and no glue mess on the table. Also, for projects, you can protect your surface with butcher paper.

6. What do I do when my husband is red with jealousy? (“You spend all day with them”, “When I call, you need to answer” “Where is my tissue paper butterfly”) Remember: I am married to a loud little Italian man.

Do not let him get jealous. I know it sounds like such a simple answer but as a wife, you need to make sure you meet his needs as well as your kids’ needs. If you are meeting his needs, then he cannot get jealous. Then, when you are spent because the day was not one of the easiest (those happen more often than any of us care to admit) it will be easier to let him know that you just do not have it in you to give any more that day. Draw on the Lord for your strength so you can survive those impossible days.

5. How do I wear out the princess before she can wear me out?

Let her play! Okay that is the obvious. But let her run around outside if you can. Take her to the park so she can run too. Let her jump around to some fun music before you have her sit down to a lesson. Go for a walk around the block and let her run a few steps ahead of you. We play red light green light when we go on walks. The kids can run in front of us for a short distance. When they get too far ahead, we say red light and then catch up. When we are caught up, we say green light.

4. Will wearing uniforms help create structure or routine? We already have them and it seems logical. By the way, how do you get dry erase marker out of uniforms? Yeah, too late, I already washed it!

We do not wear uniforms however, we do require getting dressed. With getting dry erase out of clothing, try Expo white board cleaner or rubbing alcohol. Put a towel you do not care about under the spot. Apply a little of the alcohol or cleaner. Press hard with a paper towel or rag that you do not care if it gets dirty. Then launder. Try it and see. Some fabrics hold onto ink more than others I have found.

3. How do you get dad involved without it seeming like a chore? (Nevermind, I can sit him down and let him make his own tissue paper butterfly!).

Work as a team. You can as a team, teach your children more effectively than you can alone. We do many activities together like going to the park. My hubby has them run laps and stuff at the park. At home, he is like the principle. And he teaches them in ways only he can. The longer you homeschool the easier it is for you to naturally fall into your teaching roles. And the more schooling and learning becomes a way of life more than just something you do.

2. What do you do when the super hero turns evil on the fairy princess? They don’t cover this in our bible curriculum.

As moms, we are training our children how to be husbands and wives to their future spouse. We have a huge rule in our house to treat everyone with love and respect. When one of them does not we show them in the Bible where they went wrong. 1 Corinthians 13 lays out love very clearly and we are to treat others with love. We also have the kids apologize and ask for forgiveness and the other needs to forgive. This has been so great to watch how their hearts change by doing this. To ask for forgiveness causes true repentance.

1. I think I have lost my mind, have you seen it? Please tell me it isn't June already!

Many moms feel like they have lost their minds on many occasions. Going to the Lord daily for strength, guidance and the renewing of your mind will help you find it and keep you from loosing it.

Remember to trust in the Lord for everything. And get into relationship with other homeschooling families. You will find great friendships and get great advice and you will not feel like you are in this journey alone.

If you are a homeschool mom with some wisdom for Andrea, stop by Heart of the Matter and encourage her.

Chocolate Covered Love

How does my honey show me he loves me? He buys me chocolate covered cookie dough ice cream on a stick. Yep that is one of the ways my honey shows me he loves me. Tonight that is what he brought home when I said I really felt like dessert. But he did one better because that ice cream wasn't only covered in chocolate, it was laying on a brownie. oh sweet yumminess.

When I was pregnant with Little Man, I had a craving for ice cream. Well ice cream, cookies and chocolate. I was really hungry that night but couldn't figure out what I really wanted. So... I asked him to get me chocolate covered cookie dough ice cream on a stick. He gave me this crazy look and said he would do what he could as it was sometime around midnight when I asked for this I know the request was certifiable. But my honey came home with exactly what I asked for. He is soooo nice.
And tonight when he brought me home one that was on a brownie... oh man... yummy happiness. Chocolate makes mommy happy.

Thursday Thirteen - A Prudent Wife

Proverbs 19:14
Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the LORD.

Do you know what it means to be prudent? I looked it up and it basically means wise and careful. Here are some questions I am now asking myself as I challenge myself in being a more prudent wife.

1. Am I wise in handling practical everyday problems?
2. Do I use my common sense when handling situations and making decisions?
3. Am I careful about my conduct and how I carry myself?
4. Am I careful in providing for the future by foreseeing what we will need and making sure we can meet that need? Short term like dinner and long term.
   
5. Do I use money wisely?
   
6. Do I choose my words carefully?
7. Am I practical when it comes to my desires?
8. Do I have good judgment when making decisions?
9. Am I discerning of all that is going on in situations?
10. Do I use what I have on hand wisely?
11. Am I careful of my attitude with my husband?
12. Am I careful in the upbringing of my children?
13. Do I stay level headed with all that life throws at me?

It says a prudent wife is from the Lord. It is important to be prudent then to be a blessing to our husbands.

Weblink Wednesday - Independance Day

It's time for Weblink Wednesday! This week I have started looking for resources to use while doing an Independence Day Unit with the kids. Little Man is really interested in the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. So... I wanted to make sure that this year we did a bit more than a couple of appropriately themed worksheets. So far I have found the following useful links.

Charters of Freedom - The Declaration, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights at the National Archives. (Want to know what is on the back of the Declaration. Click on the Declaration and scroll down to Our National Treasure. It takes you to a page that will show you.)

Declaration of
Independence - The Declaration typed out so you can read it.

U.S. History.Org - Some history of the Declaration.

4th of July Independence - History.com's page on the 4th of July.

For more great weblinks visit Homeschooling With Encouragement.

A Thought for the Day

Proverbs 17:14
The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Have you ever seen a dam where the water is just released? The water rushes so quickly as if unstoppable. As wives, when we do not hold our tongue, we open that dam of strife. So many times the things that bother us can just be "let go" and we can move on with our day. Instead, so often we choose to open the dam allowing the enemy in to do destruction like an out of control flood of dissension. Women control the mood in the home. Like the saying goes, "If mama ain't happy no one's happy" or something like that. As women, wives, and mothers it is so important for us to hold our tongue and keep the floodwaters of strife contained so we can stop it before it starts.

An Act of Worship

Did you know that every act throughout your day is to be an act of worship to the Lord? God has called every one of us to live a life of worship. We are to wake up with a heart of worship and keep that heart of worship all day even when we go to bed, we should be in a spirit of worship.

Worship is simply an act of love and devotion. In Colossians, we are exhorted to do everything for the Lord giving thanks.

Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:23-24
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

"Do it heartily," with love for the Lord and integrity. Do it thoroughly with passion and eagerness to please the Lord and do it with great enthusiasm, delight and pleasure in Him. In other words do it as an act of worship for the Lord.

So… to put this into perspective for me.

When I am giving Baby G her third bath of the day, (Yes, really, she is the messiest eater I have ever seen.) I am to give thanks to the Lord while bathing her with enthusiasm and delight.

When I am picking up the living room, cooking a meal, dusting the house, vacuuming, folding laundry, washing dishes, I need to be doing it for the Lord as an act of devotion and worship to Him because this is what he has called me to do. I will be honest out of that list, folding laundry and washing dishes are not my favorite chores. I do not always do them with an attitude of worship to the Lord.

Let me encourage you this week, as I work on this. With everything, you have to do this week, do it for the Lord with an attitude of worship.

Romans 12:1-3
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the worked, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Flag Day Lapbook

Happy Flag day everyone!
This week the kids did a unit study about Flag Day and the history of the flag. I decided that we would do only this for school this week and make a quick lapbook out of all we studied. Morgan asked me what a lapbook is. So I decided to post our Flag Day lapbooks to explain. Basically it is a file folder that is refolded to look like a miniature science fair project display board. Inside are mini-books and other projects that pertain to what you are studying. The kids learn so much more than if we were just reading a book and regurgitating info for a Q&A at the end. And they have a project that they are proud of that they can show others.

The Front of the book

The Inside of the book.
(I guess we could have done one or two more activities.)

Here are my favorite lapbook links. If you haven't tried lapbooking, I highly recommend you try it. We are also lapbooking Genesis but aren't finished with it yet. We have read through the tower of Babel and are starting on Abram. Each section of Genesis, I am finding something we can do for the lapbook for that section. I am finding that they are really learning the Bible in a way that many adults fail because they aren't just reading it, they are reinforcing it.

Simplest Lapbook Ever
Lapbooking by Jimmie
Homeschool Helper
Preschool Sunday School Bible Lapbooks
Lapbook Lessons - This is a member only site but membership is free. And you get to connect with other moms who do lapbooks with their kids.

Thursday Thirteen - Baking Friendship Bread

It is typically called Amish Friendship bread, though I prefer to call it Friendship Bread. What do you do with it? Well… a friend usually gives you a zip-top baggy with some bread starter in it and a recipe. Where did they get their starter? A friend gave it to them who got it from a friend who got theirs from a friend...
For ten days you squish the baggy to mix it and you add sugar, flour and milk half way through. When all is said and done, your one starter makes several starters. The starter is some combination of yeast, milk, sugar and flour but I do not know the exact amount to start a starter from nothing.
Why am I rambling on about bread starter? Because I was blessed with some and I love the bread it makes. So does my family. If you keep a starter each time you make it, you will be baking every 10 days. We love it so much I actually keep two starters for myself, and cook them both so we can have 4 loaves of very yummy bread. The recipe calls for a box of instant vanilla or chocolate pudding but I say you can do so much more than that with this bread. Even though the vanilla pudding is exceptionally good.

13 Things You Can Do With Friendship Bread Starter

1. Use 1 large box of butterscotch instant pudding instead of vanilla
2. Add 2 large over ripe bananas smashed to smithereens (omit the vanilla pudding or switch it out with banana)
3. Add 1 cup pumpkin purée (omit the pudding all together or they have pumpkin flavored)
4. Add 1 cup of raisins and 1 small diced apple (Maybe use pistachio flavored pudding)
5. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips or any chips and vary the pudding flavor to compliment
6. Add one cup of shredded carrot and maybe some raisins.
7. Add one cup of shredded zucchini (you will need to drain the extra liquid)
8. Use lemon pudding mix and add a couple tablespoons of poppy seeds (I would eliminate the cinnamon and maybe add some lemon zest for extra flavor)
9. Use one box of lemon pudding mix; add 1 cup of dried cranberries and some orange zest. (omit the cinnamon)
10. Add 1 or 2 cups of frozen blueberries.
11. Use one box cheesecake flavored instant pudding and add a cup or so of frozen raspberries. (Omit the cinnamon)
12. Bake it in a bundt pan instead of two loaf pans.
13. Use muffin tins instead of loaf pans.

Weblink Wednesday - Flag Day

June 14th is Flag Day. This week the kids and I are doing a lapbook on Flag Day and the Flag. I found some very cool resources while prepping for our unit study.

Our Flag (pdf) - This is a pdf book all about the flag. It is really cool and has been very fun to read even though it is over 50 pages. It is great if you want to print just a section or two about the flag.

Our Flag - This is the same as above only it is broken up into the different sections, in color and not a pdf.

Free Flag Lapbook - Homeschool Helper has a free lapbook resource on the flag.

American Color Pages - Friends Across America has several color pages relating to America.

For more great weblinks visit Homeschooling With Encouragement.

My New 6 Year Old

Six years ago my Bella (it means beautiful in Italian) came into this world. I really cannot believe it has already been that long. The above picture is like a distant memory and yet it seems like yesterday all at the same time. I know that every mom knows what I am talking about. The picture above was taken when she was about 24 hours old. She weighed 10lbs 3oz.
We knew she was going to weigh no less than 9 pounds as the older two were over 9 pounds. So, we decided to break my water and jump-start labor a couple days after she was due so that I could have a chance of actually delivering without a c-section. 5 hours 45 minutes after my midwife broke my water I finally went into labor. The window was 6 hours so I was very excited when the contractions actually started. A few hours in, the contractions started changing to something I had never felt before. I remember trying to think about the other labors and pull from those memories if I had felt like that before and could not. I was so clear and with it for being in such pain I was amazed at myself. I convinced my midwife to check me again and I had actually gone from 8 cm to 7 cm! That was a new one to me but at that point with the contractions the way they were I was certain that I needed to go in for a c-section and give up the idea of having a normal delivery. (Brief history Little Man was a c-sec after he got stuck in the birth canal, and Princess K was a v-bac that resulted in tearing through the rectum - an experience I do not recommend) After they got her out in the operating room, the entire room was silent for the longest 15 seconds of my life. Then all at once everyone said, "Big Baby!" They weighed and measured her twice just to make sure. And then they had to run to pediatrics to get diapers that would fit her because newborns were just too small. I am so thankful for modern medicine. I can't remember her length but I do remember that her head was 36cm and her chest was 38 cm. If, I could have possibly pushed out her head I would have never been able to push out her shoulders. I am so glad that God kept me lucid and in control during her labor so that I could make a sound decision to let modern medicine take over.
Her first name means "grace" and her middle name means "joy" and she absolutely lives up to her name. When she was learning her letter H, she was so excited to know that her name began with H. Later that day, her Papa (grandpa) asked her who his girl was and she said, "I'm H!" She decided that was who she was and to this day, she answers to H.
It is amazing to me how fast the time flies by. I am so privileged to be her mommy.

Summer Staycation

Have you heard of a "staycation" before? According to the Urban Dictionary, it is a vacation that is spent at home. I am a big fan of staycations. We take staycations all the time. For Daddy Reg's and my honeymoon, we stayed in town and enjoyed all of the little shops our downtown has. And we took walks in our park and just enjoyed being together. Last time we took a vacation we stayed in town with the kids and had a blast just staying home. I think it is so funny that some think this idea of a staycation is a new one. (I heard about this new term on the news yesterday.) I really dislike packing and making all of the preparations for leaving home, the unpacking and insane about of laundry upon returning. And then there is the cost of gas, food, lodging and any extras that occur. Really going on vacation is so much more stressful and expensive than a peaceful, stress free staycation. (Even when gas is at a more reasonable $2/gal.) Side note, do you remember when everyone freaked out over $2 gas?
So... What are you doing for your summer staycation?

Homeschool Scheduling

On Friday’s, Heart of the Matter hosts a weekly meme. This week’s theme is:

How Do You Schedule?

This is a perfect question to ask me right now. As we approach the end of our traditional school year, I have found myself tweaking our schedule and routine for our school day. We generally start “school” at 10 am. We found that the kids were not really in learning mode until around that time and I really wasn’t up for teaching until then as my coffee needed time to kick in. We usually do bookwork and other studies until around 3 or 4 with a lunch break around 1:30. For us this seems to work on many days. We do like to schedule around life also. All birthdays are holidays, major life changing events include taking a brake, and when we have days where no one feels like doing school we take a break.

Originally, I did not write out their lessons and assignments, I just picked up the book and do the next thing. However, that was not giving the kids a real sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. And I was finding that they were taking a very long time to complete their independent work. So… I decided to start writing a list of things they needed to get done for the week. This works so well because it gives them a goal and as they mark items off, it gives them a sense of accomplishment because they can mark of what they have completed. We do library day once every 2-3 weeks. Every Monday afternoon, we go to the park to play with other homeschoolers in town. Friday’s I try to keep light with games, activities and fun worksheets like mazes, crosswords and other pencil puzzles.

I find I do more tweaking to plans and schedules than sticking to them. What works for the fall usually does not really work for us in the spring. I love the freedom homeschool gives us to morph it around life and not make life around school. And, since we try to make life school by taking every opportunity to teach it makes sense. For next year, I plan to be a bit more organized and scheduled out in the bookwork area than I am right now.

Weblink Wednesday - More Music Lessons

I have been doing Weblink Wednesday sporadically lately as life has become very unpredictable. A couple of weeks ago, I posted some music links but I forgot to add my name to Mister Linky so... Here is a link to that post and here are some more music sictes I have found.

The Music Rack - This site has free staff paper and note recognition worksheets among other free worksheets for printout.

Layton Music Games and Resources - This site has a lot of valuable resources along with ideas for teaching music. I am linking to just their folder games but you can go from there to find the rest of the resources.

All About Beethoven - This site has information about Beethoven and several free pieces of music you can print out.

For more great homeschool links visit Homeschooling With Encouragement.

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord. This is a very common thing to say when encouraging someone who is going through a tough time. It is easy to say to yourself, "I don't understand what God is doing but I will trust in Him during this time of trouble." But how about when you are sailing through life? Do you still trust in the Lord? Or, do you trust in your own ability? When you go to work, do you trust in your own experience and ability to do the job? Or, do you every day set aside your own understanding and trust God to guide you through the day. At home with your kids, do you wake up ready to handle every situation that arises with your own knowledge and understanding or do you lay that aside and trust God?

Baby G is blessing number 4 in our house. I thought that I had the whole parenting, child-training thing down. When she was born, I was trusting in my abilities and my own understanding not in the Lord for wisdom. I thought I already had all the wisdom I needed to train up Baby G. After all, I had experience with the three older ones, how could I possible not know what I was doing? God has given me a blessing who constantly challenges me to trust not in my experience as a mom but in Him to give me the wisdom I need to train her. It seems that whatever the issue, anything I did with the others does not work. I have to constantly go to the Lord and ask him to give me the wisdom needed to mother her. The wisdom and understanding I already have is useless, I need new wisdom. I really believe that God gave me this blessing to teach me to not lean on my own understanding even during the good times. I am prone to being a know it all. Really, I am. I love information and knowledge. I read all the time to glean more information and knowledge. However, I need to make sure that I am leaning on God and trusting him to direct my paths instead of trusting in my own understanding of how I think the situation should be handled.