Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
I'm Thankful for... (Post number 1)
Since Thanksgiving is next month and I have a pretty poor attitude lately about everything, I have decided to post one hundred things that I am thankful for by Thanksgiving. Nothing adjusts an attitude quite like thankfulness! So here we go:
1. Jesus-He could be thought of as a "given" but I know that I do not thank Him enough for the enormous sacrifice that He gave for me. He should be the top of my list daily! Without Him, none of the rest of this list would exist!
2. My hubby-I don't appreciate him enough. It is so easy to see all of the faults of the ones you love the most instead of the blessings. He does dishes, takes care of the kids without complaining when I am tired or sick, doesn't control me, and allows me to be me without using or criticizing me like so many others have done in my life. He is an amazing man and my perfect match. These last 10 years have flown by!
3. My Nahna-My beautiful daughter. She is growing and changing so quickly and sometimes I feel like I need a pause button to catch up!! Part little girl and part teenager. It makes for some interesting times! She is so compassionate though and always willing to include others in her circle of friends. There isn't a mean bone in her body (well, except toward her brother and him towards her). It is such a joy to see her heart and character growing. She is fabulous!
4. My Bubby-My sweet, crazy son. A four year old boy can be quite exhausting! They are constantly moving, breaking things, getting dirty, moving some more, and breaking a few more things. Sometimes it can be hard to be thankful in those circumstances. That being said however, he is an absolute sweetheart. I love the cuddles, the toddler speech, watching the way his brain puts things together and the hilarious things that come out of his mouth.
5. My Friends-Without them, I would be lost. They are blessings in my life and I can't imagine life without them!
That is it for now. I can already feel a tingle of change coming my way...
1. Jesus-He could be thought of as a "given" but I know that I do not thank Him enough for the enormous sacrifice that He gave for me. He should be the top of my list daily! Without Him, none of the rest of this list would exist!
2. My hubby-I don't appreciate him enough. It is so easy to see all of the faults of the ones you love the most instead of the blessings. He does dishes, takes care of the kids without complaining when I am tired or sick, doesn't control me, and allows me to be me without using or criticizing me like so many others have done in my life. He is an amazing man and my perfect match. These last 10 years have flown by!
3. My Nahna-My beautiful daughter. She is growing and changing so quickly and sometimes I feel like I need a pause button to catch up!! Part little girl and part teenager. It makes for some interesting times! She is so compassionate though and always willing to include others in her circle of friends. There isn't a mean bone in her body (well, except toward her brother and him towards her). It is such a joy to see her heart and character growing. She is fabulous!
4. My Bubby-My sweet, crazy son. A four year old boy can be quite exhausting! They are constantly moving, breaking things, getting dirty, moving some more, and breaking a few more things. Sometimes it can be hard to be thankful in those circumstances. That being said however, he is an absolute sweetheart. I love the cuddles, the toddler speech, watching the way his brain puts things together and the hilarious things that come out of his mouth.
5. My Friends-Without them, I would be lost. They are blessings in my life and I can't imagine life without them!
That is it for now. I can already feel a tingle of change coming my way...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Peace in Schooling
As I sit here listening to Jim Brickman play piano, and missing my daddy terribly because he too was a gifted pianist, I am reflecting on what just happened with my children. If you read my last blog post then you may realize the struggles I have with balancing schoolwork with life. Today, some things became crystal clear to me.
Let me back up a bit. Last night I burned my neck (NEVER use a magic eraser on your skin to remove purple hair dye--it WILL burn you) pretty badly and it is sooo painful!! I didn't sleep much and so I let the kids watch a movie while I slept in a bit. Needless to say, we started the day off slowly and WAY behind!! Normally after lunch is free time but today I was planning on continuing school so that we could keep on "schedule". My kids just wanted to go play outside and play with the dirt and weeds, their "soup" for their restaurant. =) After lunch I got prepared for schooling to continue then looked at my little girl. She isn't so little anymore. I am seeing little blossoms of womanhood creeping in. When did the baby flee and the woman creep in??? How long until she doesn't want to play anymore with her little brother? Or for that matter, play at all? She has her whole life to learn. Playtime is only for a short while. Plus, she is learning right along with playing. Learning to share, get along with another person (especially when he is being challenging), and most importantly, to imagine. Those are gifts. Nahna didn't complain when I told her we were going to do more school but she did look deflated. As I looked at her more, I realized that she won't want to play forever and that this chapter of childhood is coming to an end. So, I said to go out and play. Like a thirsty flower getting water, she perked right up, ran over, gave me a giant hug and smile. With a "thanks Mommy, I love you!!" she burst into the sunlight and the joy of youth.
I did the right thing for her. I put aside my "schedule" for play. There is peace in being flexible and relaxing. Enjoying the season that we are in because it is gone too quickly! May I always realize that!!
"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." ~Kay Redfield Jamison
Let me back up a bit. Last night I burned my neck (NEVER use a magic eraser on your skin to remove purple hair dye--it WILL burn you) pretty badly and it is sooo painful!! I didn't sleep much and so I let the kids watch a movie while I slept in a bit. Needless to say, we started the day off slowly and WAY behind!! Normally after lunch is free time but today I was planning on continuing school so that we could keep on "schedule". My kids just wanted to go play outside and play with the dirt and weeds, their "soup" for their restaurant. =) After lunch I got prepared for schooling to continue then looked at my little girl. She isn't so little anymore. I am seeing little blossoms of womanhood creeping in. When did the baby flee and the woman creep in??? How long until she doesn't want to play anymore with her little brother? Or for that matter, play at all? She has her whole life to learn. Playtime is only for a short while. Plus, she is learning right along with playing. Learning to share, get along with another person (especially when he is being challenging), and most importantly, to imagine. Those are gifts. Nahna didn't complain when I told her we were going to do more school but she did look deflated. As I looked at her more, I realized that she won't want to play forever and that this chapter of childhood is coming to an end. So, I said to go out and play. Like a thirsty flower getting water, she perked right up, ran over, gave me a giant hug and smile. With a "thanks Mommy, I love you!!" she burst into the sunlight and the joy of youth.
I did the right thing for her. I put aside my "schedule" for play. There is peace in being flexible and relaxing. Enjoying the season that we are in because it is gone too quickly! May I always realize that!!
"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." ~Kay Redfield Jamison
 |
| Nahna at play. |
 |
| Bubby at play. |
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Need More Cushion
So, we have been homeschooling for one day this year. ONE day!! And I need to change my carefully laid out schedule. I spent hours on this schedule. Color coordinating pen colors, different font (and it is handwritten!!) for each day, every hour of everyday scheduled. Hours and hours of work. And I need to change it. *Sigh.* It isn't working. There is TOO much scheduled and not enough cushion for spontaneous activities. For example, yesterday we learned that the unit of measurement that people use to measure the height of a horse is called a "hand". The kids loved that. They got out their rulers and wanted to measure everything and see how many "hands" the objects measured. I didn't have time to let them. I had to move onto the next subject. No cushion.
Why do I homeschool???? Isn't it so that I can take these little side trails and measure everything in "hands" because it fascinates my kids and they are excited to learn about it?? Don't get me wrong, the book work is very important too but what keeps us coming back is those little unexpected gems that fascinate us and MAKE us want to learn more. If I don't allow for those gems (side trails) then school will be miserable for all!!! Through this trial I have learned an important gem myself. Life is messy. It is not color coded and fits in a nice little box. I need room to grow. Cushion if you will. God is continuously stretching me and growing me so that I can learn. I can either fight and try to stay within my neat little schedule or I can relax and go along for the ride. I can guarantee that if I relax then I will enjoy all the treasures that the Lord has in store for me and I will learn more than I even thought was possible!
Now I need to go and reconfigure my schedule to allow for those unexpected twists, turns, and gems and maybe, just maybe it will work better this time. Maybe...
Why do I homeschool???? Isn't it so that I can take these little side trails and measure everything in "hands" because it fascinates my kids and they are excited to learn about it?? Don't get me wrong, the book work is very important too but what keeps us coming back is those little unexpected gems that fascinate us and MAKE us want to learn more. If I don't allow for those gems (side trails) then school will be miserable for all!!! Through this trial I have learned an important gem myself. Life is messy. It is not color coded and fits in a nice little box. I need room to grow. Cushion if you will. God is continuously stretching me and growing me so that I can learn. I can either fight and try to stay within my neat little schedule or I can relax and go along for the ride. I can guarantee that if I relax then I will enjoy all the treasures that the Lord has in store for me and I will learn more than I even thought was possible!
Now I need to go and reconfigure my schedule to allow for those unexpected twists, turns, and gems and maybe, just maybe it will work better this time. Maybe...
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Versatile Pretzel
We have been at VBS (Vacation Bible School) at the church all week. Whew, it was a tiring but oh so rewarding week! One of my parts of it was to make pretzels. Not the hard stick kind but the big, soft, mall type. Actually, I didn't have to make the pretzels, just the dough. The kids did the shaping as part of their craft (a craft that you can eat is ALWAYS fun!). Now I have to be honest, yeast scares me. I procrastinated for way too long on this project! I love to cook and I actually make all of our bread but I cheat. I use a bread maker. Throw it all in, turn it on and walk away. I love it! But for the pretzels I wasn't going to get off that easy!
Did you know that there are TONS of different ways to make pretzels??? I didn't until I started researching them. Boiling them, dipping them in a baking soda/water mixture, letting the dough rise, shaping them and then letting them rise etc...too much work for dough that was going to manhandled by a bunch of kiddos! I needed quick and easy and forgiving!
This is the recipe that I found: http://www.grouprecipes.com/100596/easy-soft-pretzels.html The only difference that made to the recipe was to cut the salt down to 1/2 TBSP instead of the 1 TBSP that it calls for. This is a phenomenal recipe! They are yummy, easy, and so easy for kids (and adults!) to shape (plus they taste good warm from the oven or cold the next morning!). They puff up quite a bit so smaller designs may not work all that well, other than that they are flawless. Oh, we also wrapped some dough around some hot dogs for dinner and put them in the oven, yum!! SOOOOOO good! We will be adding pretzel dogs to our movie/game night menu! I love quick, easy, and homemade! Here's some pics of what they look like when cooked.
Did you know that there are TONS of different ways to make pretzels??? I didn't until I started researching them. Boiling them, dipping them in a baking soda/water mixture, letting the dough rise, shaping them and then letting them rise etc...too much work for dough that was going to manhandled by a bunch of kiddos! I needed quick and easy and forgiving!
This is the recipe that I found: http://www.grouprecipes.com/100596/easy-soft-pretzels.html The only difference that made to the recipe was to cut the salt down to 1/2 TBSP instead of the 1 TBSP that it calls for. This is a phenomenal recipe! They are yummy, easy, and so easy for kids (and adults!) to shape (plus they taste good warm from the oven or cold the next morning!). They puff up quite a bit so smaller designs may not work all that well, other than that they are flawless. Oh, we also wrapped some dough around some hot dogs for dinner and put them in the oven, yum!! SOOOOOO good! We will be adding pretzel dogs to our movie/game night menu! I love quick, easy, and homemade! Here's some pics of what they look like when cooked.
 |
| One of the "prettier" pretzel pictures...well, except for my cookie sheet. =) |
 |
| Cross examples for the kids for VBS |
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Verses for Our Upcoming Homeschool Year and Beyond!
Recently I asked a very sweet lady if she would be my mentor in the aspects of homeschooling. It can be a daunting and sometimes lonely calling to be a stay at home, homeschooling mom! I needed some guidance and she very calmly asked if I had a verse for the year. A verse? I hadn't ever thought about it. Sad but so true. I tend to get so caught up in trying to make sure that math and reading and writing etc... are done that I forget about the most important part of schooling raising my kids. Their hearts and their souls. This year is going to be different. I have spent a lot of time on my knees and the Lord has given me some verses to apply (and memorize!) to different aspects of our homeschooling.
Here they are:
For our entire homeschool career I have been given two verses:
Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
and
Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
For me specifically:
Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
For this school year (two passages):
Matthew 7:16-20
16 "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them."
and
Galatians 5: 22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
We are also going to be digging deep into the fruits of the Spirit this year as a Biblestudy. I am at the beginning of figuring out what to do but I am excited to start planning. (I will be posting pictures too!) I have too many commitments for this month but as soon as August 1st hits, I will be getting out all my books and starting my planning for the next year. Nahna will be in 3rd grade and Bubby will be starting Preschool/Kindergarten (I wasn't going to start him this early but he is already advanced and wants to begin school!). Very exciting times in our household!
Do you and your family have "life" verses or verses that apply to your homeschool? What are they?
Friday, July 6, 2012
The Thomas and Friends Story by Bubby
Once upon a time, there was Thomas and he didn't like Rosey because she was mean to him. And then one day Thomas and friends was fighting and they, well, were. Rosey raced along the track and tell Sirr Topham Hat and his friends "Hey Topham Hat and friends, everybody are fighting." And the Topham Hat squished one of the friends. And then Thomas and Percy yelled at Sirr Topham and then they squished one of Topham Hat's friends. And then they went gone. And then they raced back and they then somebody throwed them into a tupperware and they throwed him away. Then they went out side and killed a bush.
The End
Sorry for the violence in his story. He has never been exposed to violence in movies or life. I'm not totally sure where it comes from! None of the Thomas stories are like this! He is four. He is a boy. I am proud of his imagination!
The End
Sorry for the violence in his story. He has never been exposed to violence in movies or life. I'm not totally sure where it comes from! None of the Thomas stories are like this! He is four. He is a boy. I am proud of his imagination!
A Princess Story by Nahna
Once upon a time, there lived a princess in a beautiful castle. She loved to go into the garden and pick some flowers. Her name was Belle Noelle Lilly. She picked the flowers for her mother, the queen, who loved roses and daffodils. Belle's father, the king, liked ties very much. He also liked lights.
One day, Belle thought of a wonderful idea because it was almost Christmas. She would give her mom and dad something so wonderful that they would never want to get rid of it. So she picked some roses and she picked some daffodils to put in a box. Next, she got some pretty and weird ties to put them in the box too. Belle also got some pretty colored lights to put them in the gift box. Then she wrapped it in some tie paper and some flower paper. Now it was Christmas Eve. She was so excited to give the box to her parents because she prepared it all by herself. Finally it was Christmas morning and Belle gave the gift to her parents. They loved it a lot!
I love her sweetness. It comes out in all her stories! I am so proud of the young lady she is becoming!
The Kids Learning to Ride Their Bikes
We have never lived in a place that we can ride bikes until recently. It has been a lot of fun to watch the kiddos grow and love the new place!! Here is a video of Nahna learning to ride without training wheels.
Bubby is learning too with his brand new bike!!
I love watching them learn and gain confidence in new things! It is the best part of being a mommy! Now Chris and I need to get bikes and we will be set for some exciting family adventures!
Bubby is learning too with his brand new bike!!
I love watching them learn and gain confidence in new things! It is the best part of being a mommy! Now Chris and I need to get bikes and we will be set for some exciting family adventures!
A Sprinkle of Organization
I have discovered the wonderful world of scrapbook paper, picture frames, and wet erase markers to make lists on! I am like a kid in a candy shop! Creating functional and beautiful projects fills me with joy! No more lost scraps of paper! Score! Plus, they are very simple to make and take very little time! The possibilities for them are endless...I use them for my menu, homeschool lesson plans, and weekly schedule but you could use them for chores, lists, medicine schedules, sports games and practices, etc...
Find a frame that you like (or you can buy a cheap one and paint it). For my weekly schedule, I have a frame that is six frames in one collage type frame.
Go to the craft store and pick out some scrapbook paper (and try not to spend oodles of money on the beautiful paper!--that's what I did!) that fits your decor and style. There are so many to choose from that you WILL find what you like! If you want to do sticker letters then I recommend getting them there too! They aren't necessary unless it is your preference.
Finally, if you don't already have some, buy the WET erase markers. Dry erase ones don't work well on the glass.
Here are the steps... 1.Cut the paper to the size of the glass in the frame.
2. Decorate the paper however you would like. I will warn you however that crazy prints make better borders. It is hard to see the words that you write unless it is a semi-solid background.
3. Finally, put the frame back together. Hang and enjoy!
Here are the finished projects...
Find a frame that you like (or you can buy a cheap one and paint it). For my weekly schedule, I have a frame that is six frames in one collage type frame.
Go to the craft store and pick out some scrapbook paper (and try not to spend oodles of money on the beautiful paper!--that's what I did!) that fits your decor and style. There are so many to choose from that you WILL find what you like! If you want to do sticker letters then I recommend getting them there too! They aren't necessary unless it is your preference.
Finally, if you don't already have some, buy the WET erase markers. Dry erase ones don't work well on the glass.
Here are the steps... 1.Cut the paper to the size of the glass in the frame.
2. Decorate the paper however you would like. I will warn you however that crazy prints make better borders. It is hard to see the words that you write unless it is a semi-solid background.
3. Finally, put the frame back together. Hang and enjoy!
Here are the finished projects...
 |
| These are reusable "boards" to make my lesson plans for the kids on. |
 |
| Weekly schedule |
 | ||||||||
| Menu for our dinners |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Take Two...
It has been SEVEN months since I last wrote!!! I will admit that writing has never been a strong point of mine. I was never the kind of kid that wrote in a diary or journal and I didn't really enjoy writing in them at school either (although I was graded for those!). This blog was created to keep me accountable to schooling my kids regularly, letting family from out of town know about what we are up to, and just plain old self discipline! I think I am going to expand it a bit though too. It will now include recipes, lessons the Lord is teaching the family and me, stories and posts from Nahna and Bubby, crafts projects, frugal ideas and ways to make life more organized and easier! Hubby might even make a guest appearance from time to time. He is the talented writer in the family! :) Take two is now in effect!
Maybe I need another blog to keep me accountable to writing on this blog...hmmm...
Maybe I need another blog to keep me accountable to writing on this blog...hmmm...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)