Thanksgiving

Well, for myself, I want to just say that I am very thankful for my family. I have such a loving and wonderful husband. He is such a great dad to our kids. We have three wonderful boys. Each of them learning what it is to be an individual yet work as a team to get things done. Team building is family building, isn't it? In an essence that is what God really wants our family to be is a team. We work together to grow, learn, love, pray, encourage, comfort, discipline, and respect one another. Now granted the boys aren't old enough to discipline but they receive it and learn from mistakes they've made.
I'm so proud of all of my guys, all four of them!
Thank you Lord for blessing me so much with my family.

Preschool

We have started Preschool work with our youngest and he absolutely loves it. I've found a real treasure in this web-site. It has all of the worksheets or busy work that I might use with Charlie for his schoolwork. Check it out!

Play Time

Today we are getting ready for a play-date with a family from our new church home. We are really excited about it! Making chocolate cupcakes and trying a vanilla icing recipe that I found here.
*Note: The frosting that I found is very runny, even after following the directions...beware!
So since the frosting didn't work out, I sprinkled the chocolate cupcakes with some powdered sugar. Love that!

Charlie

Here is the conversation before this picture:
Charlie- Mommy can I take a bubble bath?
Me- I turn and look at him and just start laughing because in my mind he has just won a fight with an ice-cream sandwich...
Me- I say oh yes you can but first I want to get a picture of you...
Charlie- Ok mom, I'll go over here so you can take my picture. (such the ham!)

It is so fun to be a mother of a three year old...It's moments like these you just have to laugh! Thanks God for cute kids to brighten our days :-)

Space Chimps

I know that I am probably behind the times on this but the movie "Space Chimps" website is really cute. For a parent of boys I am always on the lookout for fun websites that the boys can play at and be safe. I like this one because it has a link on the main page for the movie to "chimp yourself". If you get a chance check it out here.

Prayers

Many things in life tend to take people by surprise and this was definitely one of them... I know that most of you if not all of you who read my blog know that Todd Mitchell passed away recently, you can read about it here.
Please be praying for Paula, their 3 boys and their extended families. They are a special family to us and we are grieving right along with them now for the loss of Todd.
Paula & boys, I just want to say that I love y'all dearly!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

If you home school, I have GOT to turn you on to a new resource....The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! This periodical has cool insights, tips, and tricks for parents and homeschoolers alike. I love to read about how other homeschool families approach everyday life and homeschooling. It is fun for me to find new ways to introduce a concept in math, find a different outlook on how to parent all different types of learners, or just look for a particular subject/curriculum when reading this magazine. It is a company that I am growing to love more and more with each email of encouragement and magazine that I receive. There are so many great articles and the people who write these articles are just really down to earth. They have a real-life outlook that has captured my attention! Because my husband Chris is a pastor, I'm in a unique position to meet new people from many walks of life all the time! The Old Schoolhouse has given me some cool conversation starters several times as I relate an idea I read. It's authentic approach is very easy to connect with.

Of course, Old Schoolhouse is highly applicable to homeschooling as well. As all home-schoolers know, home-schooling is a way of life, not just a curriculum choice, that is both rewarding and a challenge. We use a variety of calendars to help keep everyone organized. I mean with all of the activities, play dates, church functions, field trips and not to mention all of your curriculum for each child. I think that I have been very fortunate to have stumbled upon a really awesome home-schooling calendar. When I find a treasure like The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, I just have to let the whole world know!

Tapestry of Grace

Today we started a new curriculum sample that we have downloaded from the Tapestry of Grace website. I am excited about starting this because it is a very history based curriculum with a biblical world-view. For someone like me coming from a traditional background starting something like this is a little intimidating. I am moving past this feeling of intimidation so that I can educate my boys and explore together with them a new way of learning.
I am very old fashioned in the way of traditional vs unit studies goes. I was brought up with the traditional style of schooling. Traditional studies is where you have a book for each subject that is being taught. Unit studies include all the students in a particular theme of study at different levels of learning.
This is my 3rd year of homeschooling so I am trying new curriculum, finding what works best for our family better.
My boys are doing great in their studies and are showing improvements in learning by leaps and bounds. I'm very proud of them. If they were in public school I'm sure that I would notice this then as well but it wouldn't be as easy to spot their learning styles and help them excel.

Please pray for us as we go through this 3 week trial period of the curriculum from Tapestry of Grace. Thanks!

Well, one week into the spelling power and the boys are doing awesomely! I love the 10 step process...it has really helped my spelling challenged children. I too am learning tons about remembering how to spell words. I love the fact that you are to incorporate the word shapes activity into the week for the students to remember the words easier. I have always wondered about word shapes, ie how successful that memory tool was. I'm convinced that it does really help in remembering how to spell certain words. In my book this book gets an A+!

Curriculum Review Week 4 Me

Well, I am going to go through the curriculum that Kristen lent to me the other week. The Spelling Power book looks really cool. I am excited to see how the boys will like the trial period with that...I'll keep you posted.

YUM!

Just found an awesome looking recipe here.
It is for a low calorie Peach - Blueberry Pie, only 332 calories per slice. Chris and I have been trying to cut the calories lately to loose weight. Needless to say it has been really tough for me but pretty easy for Chris. He has done this type of weight & calorie tracking before when he was in competitive martial arts. Chris has done really well, I'm very proud of him! Anyhow I thought that I'd pass along this yummy looking pie recipe to those who love pie but don't want to worry about a ton of calories. I'll be trying it out hopefully in the near future so I'll keep you posted.

Sub-o-licious Story Writing

Hello everyone! I just received word about a summer story contest that SUBWAY is doing. I think that it is really cool that Subway is including Home-schoolers in this program. That is very encouraging to me! Check it out if you get a chance...

Jacob's 7th Birthday

Well, my Jacob is now 7 today! He is such an awesome kid! I think that he is going to do great things when he gets older. He's pretty special. Jake's got a great smile, loves playing with friends, enjoys sports (especially water sports ;-) ie. Water Guns). Today we had a few friends over and they played some games...bean bag toss,
and ran through the sprinkler to start with. The kids got tired of those activities, we all came into the house, Jacob opened his awesome presents from his friends and then we all had some ice-cream sandwich cake.

I'll tell you what, that ice-cream sandwich cake was one of the easiest cakes ever to make...
Ingredients:
12 Ice Cream Sandwiches
Whipped topping (the spray kind may be easier to use)
Candy of your choice (optional)
Ice Cream Topping Sauce (if desired)

First if you are using candy, then you need to put some candy in a bag & crush the candy into pieces to use on the cake. Then, lay out 4 of the sandwiches on a tray, long sides together. Next you cover them with the whipped topping ( I used the kind from the tubs and it was still a little frozen so it was harder to use than a spray kind would have been). After that you sprinkle the candy over the whipped topping and drizzle the sauce over the candy. Repeat this process with the rest of the sandwiches, you will have a 3-layer ice cream sandwich cake.
Oh my goodness is it ever good! Now I made my own carmel and didn't let it set up as candy instead I used it on top of the whipped topping then only did one more layer of the sandwiches and frosted the outside with whipped topping. Mostly because we were had a friend that came to the party had an allergy to peanuts and we wanted to take that into consideration when making our plans. You can generally makeshift recipes as to include everyone.

Toddler-hood...

It's all about exploring, learning, climbing and just plain having fun until you get caught doing something wrong. :-)
Well, that is what ours thought this morning. He was twirling in the curtains, was told not to do that anymore. I turned to finished what I was doing, just at that moment his mind wondered... what it would be like to climb the curtain. Needless to say he got punished and hopefully won't try to climb the curtains anymore. The rod is still connected to the wall thankfully! At first I was extremely angry but the more I think about it, it is becoming very funny. What possesses boys to do some of the crazy things that they do is beyond me. But, God is giving me the grace to get through.

My Guitar Player

I'm so proud of Michael, my guitar playing boy, whom performed at his first recital in May. He did an awesome job! He has a very talented and exceptional instructor, Ron Stark (next to the piano). Mike is learning to play some of the worship songs he likes from church, which is very cool! Here in the picture, I believe, he had just gotten done playing "Jesus Loves Me" which is one of Mikes favorite songs!

Crafty Gifts For Dad's Day

I ran across a few good ideas for Father's Day that I would pass on to y'all. Here are the links to check out...
Batman Father's Day Card Printable
Superman Father's Day Card Printable
For those of us who home-school here is a lesson plan on Father's Day (Thanks to the Old Schoolhouse Magazine Freebie Fridays)
Here is a fun windchime to make for dads
This a picture frame that any dad that works on cars would love!
A few recipes that dad's may like...

Good Buddies & Summer Fun

Seth and Joshua Jones came over for the day. On our way home from the park this afternoon all of the boys were saying how hot they were so I said okay well...how about some "pool time fun"? They all said YEAH!


No worries about the dark clouds...no rain fell on the boys while playing.

Pinto Beans

Little did I know about Pinto Beans until I
found this site. It is pretty interesting. There are recipes on this site that I would never of thought to try. Thank you to those at NMSU that made the information on Pinto Beans so readily available.

Twittering

I am now on the Twitter-ing scene. :-)
For our anniversary, Chris started me a twitter account. He's so awesome! We have been married 12 years now. I couldn't be happier!

12th Wedding Anniversary

Today, May 26th, Chris and I have been married 12 years. I'm so proud of us. Thanks Chris for marrying me, you are a great guy and I am blessed to have you in my life!

Lawn Mower

Well, with the ingenuity or a socket wrench and a vehicle jack, I was able to get the bent blade off from under the mower yesterday. Yeah me! When Chris got home he was able to straighten the blade back out so that the mower is working better than ever now! Yeah Chris! Then once the blade was back on...my awesome husband finished mowing the lawn. Thanks Chris.

Abe Lincoln

Stumbled upon this great book when Michael was doing a report on Abraham Lincoln for English/History this last month. Thought that I'd pass it on to y'all!

Monday

Well, tonight was interesting to say the least...while trying to mow the yard, one of the blades got bent by a large drain that is in our back yard. No one was hurt! Frustrating to say the least for me anyhow. I had wanted to get the yard done before Chris came home tomorrow & before the rains showed up tonight. Ok, only the front got done. That is fine with me. Charlie on the other hand was very ecstatic the I couldn't finish the yard. He is very scared of the loud noise the lawn mower makes. Poor guy, hope that he outgrows that before he's old enough to be mowing the yard. :-)
The boys and I had a good night together. They had cheese pizza for dinner and then we all went up stairs to watch "Over The Hedge" in my bedroom. They enjoyed that tons & so did I. It was really nice to hear them laughing at the silliness of the movie characters. I can see why my boys like Hammy so much...he's so hyper!

Cast Iron

Here is something pretty cool that I was told about...
Sometimes cleaning cast iron skillets is tough when there is rust on them. It doesn't always come off. Well, check out this site for an easy way to get rid of those nasty rust spots on your cast iron. Who knew that potatoes had benefits like that...

Spring Allergies

As most people, I've got those wonderful spring allergies. I love seeing the trees and flowers blooming...turn off the heater and open up all the windows. Oh well, right...
I didn't keep my allergies in check this year and lo & behold...I've got bronchitis. This is yucky. Prayers for a quick and easy recovery would be greatly appreciated. I've kept the boys relatively healthy this spring minus a few sniffles that are bound to happen with any kid. But, sometimes us moms think that we're got super powers that keep us from getting sick. WRONG!
The boys are loving this, kind of...they are still having to get their lessons done but it is stretched out through the day so that mom can rest when needs be. They have helped out tons so far around the house. Mike and Jake vacuum & sweep the floors. Charlie carries the trashes to his brothers to be emptied into a trash bag. Plus, Michael is taking advantage of the chance to cook. Tonight he is going to help make spaghetti. He loves it! Michael also got to mop today for the first time...absolutely loved the opportunity. No joke, I told him that he got to mop today and he was literally jumping up and down with joy. Michael did a great job. They are truly good boys. Plus, Chris has been really sweet & awesome taking care of me, too. I really am truly blessed with awesome guys! Thanks God for them!

A New Day

A new day tomorrow...my goals are to get lots of cleaning done and find time for myself.

Ever feel like this? It's you verses the Tasmanian Devil... I bet every mother at one time or another has felt that way (ha ha ha).

God's got us in his hands and no matter what we face in a day...he's always there. I totally believe that with my whole heart. My boys sometimes like to sing that song... "He's got the whole world in his hands"...
I hope that y'all have a great day and that God blesses you in some way today, whether it be big or small.
Keep smiling...

Wednesday

Today is the first day of the conference that Chris is attending and from what I hear and read it's really well.
Today in Chicagoland the weather outside is cool and mostly cloudy with bits of sunshine. Could be worse, it could be raining again. I've been praying for those whose been dealing with all of the flooding happening around the U.S.. It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach when I see the flood pictures on the news. It reminds me of the flood in 1993...I would drive to and from College where the roads were edged by water from the Illinois River. I have to say that was pretty scary at night time. One wrong move and you'd be in water...needless to say I was always very aware of the surroundings and all when driving on the roads near Havana, IL. I would always make sure that if I was a little tired then I'd stop at the Hardees, a fast food restaurant, and get a large ice tea...walk around a bit then head on home. Havana was approximately half way.

Thoughts of God's Blessing

Today has been good. The boys were well behaved and have gotten their school-work done. It's almost bedtime, yippee. It always seems like the days are longer when my husband is at a conference. That is okay though. He always comes back renewed, pumped up, and ready for furthering God's kingdom in great new ways. It is always amazing how much energy the man God blessed me with has. Chris is a great guy and I love him very much! Sappy I know but it's truth.
A lesson that I've been taught again recently is to praise more when you are going through harder situations. Boy is that ever true. I turn on the radio to a favorite christian station and start going about my day and by the time I am done with my tasks I am feeling much better. Not only are my tasks done but my spirit has been fed as well. God is just awesome that way!
I just am thanking God for Christian radio. It is such a blessing to me. Thanks to the stations, the musicians and all of the people involved in making this possible! God has truly blessed them and I am so thankful for the music!
While I am writing this my 3 year old comes up from the basement covered in pudding, that we had for dessert, saying oops I've got it on my clothes...better take 'em off & be naked. Now begging to take a bath...Somehow at that age it is so fun and free to strut around the house that way. Too funny, that's what I have to say! Thank you Lord for my wonderful boys! They are great and each one is so unique. It is amazing how awesome God created us, isn't it.?.

Chris in NY

Well, it's been about 24 hours since I dropped off Chris and Scott to the airport.
We miss Chris tons but we are happy that he's only going to be gone till Friday.
He was so kind to send a picture...
That is the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero
behind him.




He told me that they had stopped off for some ice cream at the Blue Pig...

Weird name for an ice cream shop but that's ok as long as the ice cream is good!

Monday

Well, today is Monday, March 24, 2008. It has been sunny for the most part with a few clouds. The boys and I did make-up home work from last week that didn't get done. So, that was a nice easy day for our schooling. :-)
Tomorrow is a real treat for us. A teacher friend from church, whom has the same name as I but it's not me, has offered to teach a dissection lesson to our boys & another home-schooling family (the Jones) from church. We are meeting at the Jones' home to have the lesson. It will be fun. I'm looking forward to it totally! Not only will the boys be able to learn with some friends cool science stuff...I'll also be able to be around adults during this process :-). Even if one of them is teaching the lesson. Plus the fact that Kristen and I will be helping the kiddos. But that's not the point. The point is that we'll all have fun, learning and the bonus is being around friends in this process!
I'll let you know how it turns out...till then I hope that you have a great day!

Happy Easter 2008

Okay, I'm must be old fashioned but I really like the old cartoons...just read about a place you can find them and watch them online. Isn't that just amazing or what? Find an easter cartoon starring Bugs Bunny here...

Happy Easter to all!

Home Baked Bread vs Store Bought Bread

I just read a very interesting article about the cost difference between baking your own bread vs buying store bought. I found the article to be very informative and enlightening. I enjoy baking my own bread because of the great smell it wafts in the home. Plus, it is a great stress reliever. Kneading dough really gets the excess frustrations out and when the bread is done you get to eat the sweet reward of your efforts. That is a double benefit for your family, healthy food and a happy mommy!

Winter Blahs

It snowed again last night!
Chris and I shoveled this morning and it was the very heavy - wet type of snow. Yuck!
I have to say that I am really getting sick of snow...okay enough of my griping.
It does look pretty on the neighbors trees across the road. That has a clean and redeeming effect.

I still prefer summer time though! You can get out and do lots of activities, that are free, with the family.
Plus, that is when a lot of family orientated place are open filled with outdoor water fun...

for example...

WATER PARKS...
That is one of our favorite things to do sometime over the summers when we can get away.
I am truly looking forward to that time of year again!

Plus, the sunshine really helps my moods. I believe that I am one of those people that suffer from the lack of sun during the winter time. I've found myself when it's sunny trying to bask in the sunlight as it comes through the window. I giggle to myself when I do this.
(This isn't a picture of my cats but they look pretty close)
It reminds me of when we had cats, before children. Yes, I said cats. Lonnie & Grace, both girls and they were sisters in the same litter to boot. Any how Lonnie did not like Chris but the feelings were mutual. :-) Grace on the other hand was a happy go luck yet stupid cat. She would run full force into a wall or a piece of furniture, shake her head a couple of times and then do it all over again. I tell you though it was cheap entertainment watching them play and just have fun.
But, when we found out that I was pregnant with our oldest we had to find homes for the cats because Lonnie was a very jealous critter. I love my boys and I would not trade them for anything!

Anyhow...where was I? Oh yes, summer. I can't wait!

It's bedtime for the boys so I had better stop for now. I'll write more later this week.

Cool Places To Visit

Good Morning. It is sunny but a very deceiving looking. There is snow on the ground and is 21*F outside with a chance of more snow this weekend. This post is for those of us dealing with cabin fever or just plain boredom.
For some people, like me, who often find it hard to think of cool places to take our kids for either field trips or just plain fun family days. Here are a couple ideas to start:

For Summer time try...
Beckman Mill
My brother and sister-in-law, who lives in Northern IL close to the Wisconsin border, told me about this one. They were able to see the mill in action plus they bought some of the stone ground corn and wheat flour. One of the last times my family & I visited them, they blessed us with some of their flour and corn meal. I have to say, IT WAS AWESOME!


For All Seasons try...


Fair Oaks Farms: Dairy Farm
This a working dairy farm in Indiana about 2 hours from Chicagoland area. I've visited the web-site and driven past on our way to see my parents Indiana. It looks like a really fun place to go. Check it out!




Best of all, check out your local library to find fun activities for the kids to do.
A lot of times these activities are free or have a minimal cost.





There will be more to come in the next few months.

Hot Chocolate

My husband, Chris, knows that I absolutely love chocolate and it had been a hard day for me with the boys yesterday. Chris was the sweetest ever! He brought me a mug of hot chocolate with some mini-marshmallows in it. I am truly blessed with an awesome Godly man. Thank you Lord for Chris!

Game Show

Ok, I knew that Chris would do an awesome job at this skit. He made it seem like the person was really on "Deal or No Deal". I'm so proud of him. Many people in the audience were really getting into the game as well. It was exciting to see the enthusiasm and energy that came from the room during this experience.

I can't say enough of how proud I am of him. Many times I think of how blessed I am to have such a wonderful man by my side. When I can't seem to handle anymore in the day he comes in and comforts me with a hug & kiss - that communicates to me it'll be ok. I just love him so very much!

Gotta get back to my work and teaching

Hello World

Well, this is my first "blog" ever. This is definitely a new experience for me. Writing my thoughts down for the whole world to see. It is a really cool thought. Today, the second Saturday in February 2008.
It started out normal. Kids coming in saying that their chores were done. My wonderful husband, Chris, getting ready for work. And me getting up to fix breakfast for the boys, run a few loads of laundry, make myself a cup of hot tea and plan out the day. During the planning I thought that it would be a great idea to start blogging.
Since this coming Thursday is Valentine's Day I thought I'd brag on my husband a little.
The "weekend" is always fairly busy for our family due to my husbands job, he's a pastor. He is a pretty awesome one at that. I'm really looking forward to seeing him at work tonight. He is pretending to be a game show host for this new series at church. It shall prove to be very interesting and awesome at that. I'm proud of him and very proud to be his wife.
That is all for now...but I'll be back soon to tell the outcome from the skit.