Learning Every Day

TOS Review - KinderBach

2012-02-03T11:13:00.003-07:00

We've been blessed to try out another great product that I had no idea existed! KinderBach is a web based program that helps your child(ren) learn about music theory/piano and that you can log into from any computer. I thought this program was going to be more about learning composers etc., but was pleasantly surprised that it was basically a piano teacher in my own home! I teach my children piano (it's a mandatory skill in our home), but this was a great reinforcement and Miss Karri taught them concepts in a very fun and clear way.

From the first lesson I was really excited about this program. I downloaded a good sized piano/theory book (free from the website), so my children not only watched a well done video explaining the black keys on the keyboard and learning what letter is associated with white keys based on their placement around the black keys, but they were able to follow along and find things in their "workbook." I found myself enjoying listening and watching the videos as well and I loved watching my littlest guys be able to have fun and learn as well (since they are not currently "being taught" piano). I would recommend this program to anyone with children ages 3-7 (and maybe a little younger and older depending on your child.

I am highly considering buying the program myself... there is a discount for buying a year at a time for 95.88 which makes the monthly more than half off the regular. Or, you can go month to month and pay 19.99. You can also access the lessons on an iPad, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire or Nook, so that makes using this program pretty easy no matter what your device or location. And, of course my favorite thing about KinderBach, is that you can try it for FREE! Yah, I'm a sucker for that. I think if you go to the website and give it a try that you'll be pleasantly surprised. Being able to learn and receive information in a lot of different forms is big in our house with such a wide variety of learners, so from video, to audio, to hands on and coloring pages etc., this stimulates all my children's learning styles and has taught and helped me teach a lot of concepts.

A few of there perks of KinderBach is that the lessons can also be purchased in DVD form and in either medium you can skip around lessons if your child needs to go ahead or redo any concept. You really can't go wrong with this program, especially if you're considering getting a piano teacher for your little one(s). This will save you a lot of money in the formative time of learning piano and give them a great head start for when they will start working with a teacher.

In addition to the normal great pricing, KinderBack is offering an extra 30% off any order by using the promotion code: TOScrew2012 ! So yes, go check this one out! You have nothing to lose and a great resource to gain if you do :-)

To see what other crew members are saying about Kinderbach you can go here.

*As a member of the 2012 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

TOS Review - We Choose Virtue Cards

2012-01-25T23:28:00.004-07:00

I'll be honest. I was really excited when I found out that we were going to review for We Choose Virtues.... and then I was a little disappointed when I got the product initially. I pulled out this tiny packet of cards and wasn't at all sure what to do with them! Over time they've become something that we actually look forward to spending time with. The package that comes is a set of cards (the size of business cards) in a plastic envelope that snaps shut. The cards themselves are high quality thick card stock, printed with bright colors, and the illustrations/design is really fun. My initial disappointment was over the fact that the cards were so small.... however, we still found great usage.

For example, there is a card that comes in that pack that suggests picking a virtue to work on for the day. I thought this was a good idea and then realized that not only was there a virtue and definition of what it is and what it isn't on the front, but that the backside extended a specific challenge for the child for that virtue. So, starting with day one I had one of my children pick a card and we would discuss it and try to work on the challenge for the day and I'd use the virtue topic throughout our day in both praise and correction. i.e. "Wow, you're being really diligent, thank you so much!" or "When we do '_______' is that showing self control?" I've really looked forward to each day and so have my children. They all get to take a turn picking a card throughout the week and eagerly await the next time they get a turn. Eventually I got smart and I grabbed a magnet that has a clip on it and my oldest now switches out the card of the day on the whiteboard that has our memorization things on it so we can actually see the virtue that we're working on so we can memorize the definition of the virtue too.

After having these cards, and not having any other connection to this company besides things other bloggers have said, I went off in search of more products from them along the lines of teaching virtues because of my experience. I think what has ended up really appealing to me is the fact that the definitions given of each of the virtues are what I want to teach my child. I enjoy that the children learn what being honest, diligent, obedient etc., is and are given examples of what it isn't in a straight forward and clear/kind way. I often find that companies or people teaching moral principles use scripture to condemn a child or focus too much on the idea that not acting in accordance with these virtues is sin. Yes, I understand that we're not perfect and that not following these guidelines is a sin, but I don't think we needs to be so negative with children and "talk them into" being good by striking fear within them. Anyway! Long story short, this product stays upbeat and is encouraging children along this path of learning moral character. I love that! I've since looked into getting larger poster of the virtues for my children as well as a chart that might help them get even more excited about this aspect of life that the are considering more closely.

I'm very happy that I got to review this product! Don't let the size fool you, this is a great addition to any home and it's portability may be even more helpful to families on the go! A quick reminder on the way to school or a lesson of some sort could make a big difference in how your children handles themselves on any given day! Every opportunity to teach our children should be seized and this is a great tool that will easily find a spot into your family's schedule!

You can purchase We Choose Virtue Cards for $19.99 from their website that can be found here.

To find out what other crew members are saying about We Choose Virtue Cards you can go here.

*As a member of the 2012 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

A Little Improvement and Strength Training

2012-01-04T07:45:00.003-07:00

So... the scale was finally nice to me today. I don't know if it said that I lost one or two pounds, but the fact that I'm not the same weight or more than I was last week was cause for much rejoicing! This weeks numbers are:

Weight: 184/183
Waist: The little slash under 37 1/4" :-)

This past week I've still been hitting the treadmill and workout out with my Mom's Into Fitness DVD in addition to swimming (which I LOVE!) I've seen more definition happening too, so while the numbers don't reflect the work I've put in, I'm wondering if it's just because my muscles are no longer in a state of atrophy :-D.

I was asked last week about strength training (I didn't forget, promise!) Strength training will keep you from injury especially if you're a runner (or attempting to be, like myself). Without it it's not a matter if but when you'll get injured, so don't overlook it! Because I'm lazy and like to get the most out of a workout without much brain power, I really enjoy the strength training portion of the Mom's Into Fitness Boot Camp 2 DVD. Like, I LOVE IT, and actually look forward to it. I don't necessarily do all my exercise at once... yesterday for instance brought a mile walk with baby in the morning, a 3 mile run in the afternoon, and I was supposed to do a video that night (but baby had other places :-D). Sometimes I can do everything at once, but it's also nice to spread things out during the day and found time here and there... also makes me feel like I'm kicking up my metabolism to help fight fat more often! So, these short videos are awesome for that!

Anyway, I definitely recommend buying Lindsay's Boot Camp video... like now... what are you waiting for? And grab two different sets of weights to do with them... you'll thank me later, promise! There are 6 levels in one DVD, the workouts are short but intense (something about mountain climbers and squat thrusts even for a minute leaves me covered in sweat!) If you can't afford the DVD at least go to her website, she has some free things and you can check YouTube.

You can also do quite a few things by using your own weight as your resistance, and minus someone telling you what to do. I picked up a triathlon magazine last year that had some great strength training tips... so check out a running magazine somewhere and I can almost guarantee you'll find tips to get stronger! Here's a link to runner's world's compilation of strength and cross training, definitely worth checking out:
http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-263-266-0,00.html

Here's an article with more specifics:
http://www.tipsonhealthyliving.com/diet-and-fitness/the-best-strength-training-program-for-runners

and here's a video that show's some specific workouts:

My favorite triathlon book "Triathlon For Dummies" has a great section on strength training as well. It's worth flipping through (and buying!) in my opinion.

Overall my favorite strength training exercise is the plank. Love a good plank! There's something about that simple exercise that makes me feel like I'm really working hard and I can feel it working my whole body, love that!

The other thing that I wanted to mention is a phrase that I learned from my high school tennis coach: "Walking builds strength, running builds endurance." If you're not a runner and have no desire to even fake being one then so be it (although, I do recommend that you at last try... you may surprise yourself, running is a mental sport and really is cheaper than therapy :-D). Walking is a great exercise! I like to set my speed low and crank up the incline of my treadmill to get in a good burn in my legs. Just a thought!

This Saturday brings my first race post baby! My husband and I are running a 5k for charity and I'm excited! What do I think my time will be? Umm.... S L O W! *laugh* I'm not looking to break any records as I'm only 5 weeks from having the latest baby and want all my guts to continue to stay put, but it'll be fun and I can at least run the whole distance without stopping. Doesn't hurt that the company will be great! I started racing in 2010, 5 months after baby #4, and with my husband on deployment, so I was always alone with just me and my brain... it'll be nice to have the hubby to chat with :-). We'll take a picture and I'll post it with my next Weighing in Wednesday post.

How are you doing?!

Weighing in After the Holiday's....

2011-12-28T22:29:00.002-07:00

...wasn't as brutal as it could have been, but not entirely what I thought. I expected that I would as least lose a little bit of weight, but, alas, staying stagnant is all that I pulled off. So, for this week my numbers are identical to last week:

Weight:185
Waist: 37 1/4"

I definitely could have worked harder and had less fatty foods to eat, but all we can do is move forward right? This week I've put in a little more effort than before. I picked up some heavier weights for strength training (very important for EVERYONE. Strength training is huge for building muscle... which will burn fat... and helps keep you together better! Muscles are good!)

Mine have been a bit sore as of late, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :-). I can get in about 2-3 miles a day on the treadmill, usually I can run it... yesterday not so much though... so I walked. Walking is great! If you do nothing else a 30 minute walk a day will do you good. I chose to add an incline to mine as a way to burn more calories faster as well as get a good burn in the legs!

I've also been lucky enough to have a husband willing to take on all of the kids so that I can hit the pool. Yesterday was the first day that I could go and the low impact workout was so awesome I actually felt like I as breaking a sweat over the laps! It was great... the most painful part?? Well, that'd be seeing myself in a swimsuit in a public place. Ugh! Talk about some motivation... and irritation! It was after that sight that I picked up heavier weights :-D.

Here's to hoping and working towards a better week!

How have things been for you? Will the New Year find you making resolutions towards better health?

Life...

2011-12-26T08:36:00.002-07:00

...is an always changing, daily opportunity to learn and grow and adapt (hence my blog name). Life for us has definitely followed this definition lately! At the beginning of October we were informed by the military that my husband was needed in Japan before the end of February... I was 8 months pregnant... and we had 4 children ages 6 and under. While excited, the prospect of having to acquire passports for everyone and the mere idea of having to be ready to move in January was/is a bit daunting. The last time I moved overseas I had to follow my husband by myself later with an 8 week old baby because his passport hadn't come in yet... and I'll tell yah, once I go to our layover in Seattle I was very tempted to have my in-law's pick me up and to call my husband and tell him that I would come only when he came to get me! It was terrible! Not really because of the baby, more just the people and airline etc., it was nightmarish, I was never happier to see Korean soil then when that flight was over! Anyway, thanks to that experience I had this horrible feeling that because of our time frame that I'd be moving not only with an 8 week old but also a 23 month old and 3, 5, and 6 year olds.... SO GRATEFUL THAT WON'T BE THE CASE! (Although, my husband did mention that if it was that while it would be difficult he would be willing to take one for the team and fly to Japan alone :-D).

Anyway, as the calendar screams at an alarming pace towards January I have at least one "AAHHH we're moving!" moment a day. I've grown accustomed to having to expect the unexpected thanks to the military, but this one really caught me off guard. We were given every assurance of being here clear into 2013, so we were planning for the baby, I had a race calendar all planned out for next year, we both had plans to start on our masters, we were planning our garden.... HA! They just wanted me to get cozy :-). In any case, I really do have to care for a 1 month old (as of yesterday), the rest of the kids, and make sure that our house is separated into storage, unaccompanied baggage (the smaller shipment of necessities that gets there faster), our household goods (the everything else stuff that goes on the slow boat and we get whenever it shows up), and to ensure that all the stuff we need stays separate from all that because if not IT WILL GET PACKED. So, I need to pack everyone's bags for about 2 months worth of clothes etc. Good times! Yes, "freak out moments abound here."

The one thing that I thought I had figured out was lifestyle once we got there. I got in contact with another American couple in Japan who attends a Japanese church that we wanted to go to. She was excited to hear of our coming and was encouraging of our patronizing the church. So, case closed, we're good right?! NO! *laugh* She asked me if our children would be attending Japanese school. Well, my husband and I talked about it briefly... he brought it up and I didn't turn down the idea but I certainly wasn't entertaining it either! I figured we could find some extracurricular classes to get the kids into etc. that wouldn't require them to be gone so long everyday.

Anyway, she's in the same situation that I'm in.... a husband that speaks Japanese, kids with squishy brains, and a slow go at learning the language herself (my brain LITERALLY hurts after studying Japanese). When she mentioned that her oldest children are fluent and both read and write in Kanji something in my mind clicked. I knew that our children needed to go to school there... but I still don't like the idea! *laugh* I talked to my kids about it, they're enthusiastic to go, and then I tried to talk them out of it! They'll be in school all day being immersed in Japanese, then come home to Japanese homework and they'll still be home schooled in English reading and writing. They were all still up to the challenge. THAT ONLY LEAVES ME WITH 2, COUNT THEM 2, CHILDREN FOR THE MAJORITY OF EVERYDAY! So not happy about that! I can't stand in the way of a great opportunity for them though. They'll pick up the language and culture in a way that we can't provide for them otherwise. We know we'll be there for at least 3-4 years with the potential of more, so now when their brains are squishiest and able to pick up the language is the best. My husband had offered to have them start when we go back after this assignment when they were older, but that's just not fair of me. They'll have a much easier time now. My husband's been speaking and living in Japan on and off for the last 13 years, has a degree in Asian Studies with a minor in Japanese, and is still learning new things everyday. What a gift that my children won't have to struggle to learn as much. My father-in-law speaks Japanese as well... he told me that he expects the children to come back speaking better than him too :-D.

Because of the way the schools run, my older 3 will be there to start the new school year IN APRIL. Yes, school runs from April to March. BOO! Pretty sure Heavenly Father knew that I needed to know that now instead of when we hit the ground there so that I had time to take it all in. It helps that there's a huge running group on base, all kinds of running events and triathlons between them and the nearby Naval base, and that because of the move I had to push my Master's work until April/May. Boy will I need that distraction then! No wonder my brain couldn't put aside going back to school this last year... I needed everything in place for when my children go to school and I'm with my little guys that both nap during the day. It's weird to be faced with so much quiet when you're use to chaos!

In the meantime we're all on Japanese learning track.... we have a bunch of movies by studio Ghibli (recently they came out with Ponyo which was pretty popular in the US, also Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle) and some other selections that the children watch in Japanese.

We also scour the Hiraganamama website like crazy! I enjoyed her website before, now it's more of a lifeline. She has links to youtube videos that have been helpful, worksheets, and overall information. I love this one, definitely something to check out! She has a New Year's card up on her site.. it's a dragon and she provides how to write a message for the New Year, we'll be working on that today! Your kid would enjoy it too I'm sure!

I also have access to Rosetta Stone and try to login to that regularly. (If you're military you should look into getting access to this for free. The library also has Mango that you can use from home). It does make my brain hurt, but I am picking up on a lot more.

My husband also found several apps in the iTunes store that he uses on the iPod of iPad to help him learn additional Kanji (which I am SO NOT ready for... I'm still trying to master Hiragana and trying not think about learning 2 more alphabets thank you very much!)

We also have a few learning books that Nathan picked up on his last stint in Japan.

Anyway! Life's been exciting here and definitely NOTHING like I thought it would be. Learning to change and be adaptable it good though :-). I know my children are headed for an amazing opportunity and one that Heavenly Father had in store for all of us. I'm resistant to change and really don't care to have someone else dictating my schedule, but perhaps there's the lesson for me in all of this! Who knows. Either way we're off for an even bigger adventure than I had imagined! It's a good thing that the one sailing this ship knows where it's headed because we'd surely be lost otherwise!

I hope your holiday's have been wonderful and that you're able to see the working of God in your life at this time to in whatever it may be that you're doing!

And Thus it Begins!

2011-12-21T12:51:00.009-07:00

Today marks the first day of Weighing in Wednesday! This was the brain child of yesterday's workout... I was trying to come up with a good way to track myself, as well as provide motivation for others. So, every Wednesday I will be getting a weight and waist measurement on myself and sharing it here, as well as giving a rundown of what I was up to excercise-wise for the week, and probably offering some kind of tips/advice/goals. I have no problems throwing all of this out into the abyss and just for my own use, but if you'd like to come along you can either leave comments below whenever you feel so inclined, or let me know that you'd like to start your own Weighing in Wednesday blog post and I'll pay to add a linky tool to my blog so that several people can blog hop each week (which would be even more fun! Motivation AND accountability :-D)

To start with, here's a little info on me. Our 5th child was born 3 weeks and 5 days ago. I am just shy of 5'9", pre-pregnancy I weighed 149lbs (I'll explain the significance of that number later), and the day our son was born I was about 216lbs. No, I didn't have gestational diabetes, my body just likes to gain about 60lbs in my belly and legs with each pregnancy... Which is probably why I find something physically crazy to get it off each time! Last year it was triathlons... This year it's triathlons (I'm hooked after last year!) and long distance races (the ultimate goal is a marathon late next year... Still trying to get the base that we're moving to to schedule one for me :-D).

As of today my numbers are:
WEIGHT: 185lbs
WAIST: 37 1/4"

Last week I was 190 lbs and my waist measured over 40" (I don't remember how far over, enough that I quickly forgot though!) Over the last week I've put in a few miles walking, usually with baby in a sling (because he can smell that I'm trying to workout, so even though he's fed and I've laid him down he'll start crying about 1/4 mile into things! Oh well, I figure he helped me put it on he can help me take it off!) Yesterday I got in 3 miles... actually getting to run 2 of those miles because baby did sleep, and today it was an agonizingly slow 2 miles, but it got my heart rate up, so I can't complain too much. In addition to walking/running a minimum of 1 mile a day... minus Sunday... I love the boot camp DVD put out by Lindsay Brin from Mom's Into Fitness (I have this set, the Bootcamp one goes through 6 weeks of increasingly harder workouts for your core and another set for toning and cardio all in one DVD and only taking 10 minutes a piece!). Her philosophy is that MOM'S CAN GET INTO BETTER SHAPE THAN THOSE WHO AREN'T! I've found this to be absolutely true for me. With each baby I've weighed less at the start than with the previous one and I've been stronger and able to do more physically in the meantime. Case in point? I was something like 167lbs when my husband and I GOT MARRIED, and, asa I mentioned, I was almost 20 lbs lighter than even that prior to getting pregnant with baby #5. So, if you use pregnancy and motherhood for any excuse, let it be the excuse that those things have made you stronger and let's get to work!

My biggest tips for you today goes towards new moms, since that's the phase I'm in. The recommended weight loss for new nursing mothers is 1 lb per week. You'll probably notice that my numbers don't follow this, but consider that "the recommended weight gain" is about 35 lbs... my body just doesn't like recommendations! If yours are lower or higher, then they are. As long as you are listening to your body (i.e. if you're beginning to bleed bright red, pull a muscle, anything hurts unnecessarily... we like good pain though!), slowing or stopping down as needed, and baby is getting fed as normal then you should be fine!

Thanks to the men out there who were willing to sift through that in order to get to this tip for everyone:
Be sure to stay hydrated! Lack of hydration is a big factor when it comes to weight loss, the pounds have a hard time dropping off without it! I reposted from a blog last year on how to find out how much water you need each day... the typical "8 glasses" isn't suitable for everyone so make sure you're getting enough... your body will thank you!

My personal goal is to get back down to at least 149 lbs. I don't have a timeframe for this... I just focus on healthy behaviors in eating, exercise and sleep (when I can). Healthy living is a lifestyle and weight loss and maintenance will be a lot easier if you look at it that way now. I don't do anything when I'm losing weigh that I don't do when trying to maintain :-). The 149 lbs is a number that I strive for because in triathlon you can usually race by age group and then there's the Athena's and Clydesdales. To be an Athena you have to weigh 150lbs or more... there are some absolutely amazing athletes in that category, but I don't want to be one. Mentally knowing that I HAVE to compete in my age range against people who haven't had 5 kids (or usually any for that matter), and can spend more time training makes me work harder!

Let me know if you'd like to "weigh-in" next week either physically or metaphorically!

Children...

2011-12-19T09:47:00.003-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about children lately.... don't suppose it has anything to do with being surrounded by them everyday? Who knows?! :-).

In the post I wrote yesterday I mentioned how a few of my friends had lost babies in their second trimester that were due the same time as me. It's one of those things that reminds me how fragile life is. When you think about it, the fact that a little human with all the same characteristics and organs etc of an adult can grow from a two tiny cells is AMAZING, and not to be taken for granted. I think it's interesting how trivial people can make this miracle, and how we think that we're so smart in staving off having such a blessing in our lives. Outside of medical/psychological/emotional/spiritual situations where you know you shouldn't have anymore, it's interesting to me to overhear conversations... I think the most interesting being "I think I want my kids to be "x" amount of years apart, yah, that sounds good!" or "I don't want them to close". It's fascinating to me that we think we're that in control of this process! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on children... mine certainly aren't what they used to be! And when it comes right down to it, you and only you are responsible for your decisions, not me :-). You know what you can and can't handle for whatever reason, so don't get offended by anything I write here. You, your spouse and the Lord are all that matter when it comes to your family and I won't ever judge you for that... just wanted to throw out some things to think about and places to find encouragement if you want it.

I read a post a while ago written by Misfit Cygnet called Faith and Fertility: Mormon Ark Culture and The Choice to Have Children. While I don't always 100% agree with everything that she writes, I do find it enlightening and thought provoking. I'd take a gander through more of her site if you choose to go and read her thoughts on the subject of children. If you agree with what she says then great and if you don't you at least have a chance to think through why you don't and see if that's really the stance you want to take. I love stuff like that!

Another post I read is from Christina at handsfullmom called "Why am I doing this again?". She copied and linked to as story by mother of 10 Janene Baadsgaard... I loved the story and even had my husband read it. At the end of the story Christina has a chart that shows the declining fertility rate of women with age and her feelings about how once she was so sure that she'd have more children because "there was time" and then how lately she'd felt like that time is slipping away. (She's pregnant with her 9th by the way, so excited for them!) Reading Janene Baadsgaard's blog is a joy too!

Another blog I wanted to direct you to is Tristan's at ourbusyhomeschool.blogspot.com. Tristan is pregnant with their 7th baby and found out a little bit into it that he has some complications including spinal bifida. I bring up Tristan because I remember an email sent back and forth with her or a comment that she left on my blog one day that mentioned how she felt she shouldn't be on the TOS Crew this year, even though she'd done it previously and enjoyed it. Then, a little bit later she wrote and said that she figured out why she felt like she shouldn't... she was pregnant again after just having a baby last year! Then they found out about the complications the baby was having, and what a blessing it was that she didn't have one more thing to do. God really is in control and can guide us to what we should and shouldn't do in order to care for His children. Tristan to me is a testimony of that! People always tell me how they could never do what I do, or just shake their heads when it comes to not only the amount of children that we have or that we want more.... but really, God will direct our footsteps if you let Him! Some may be blessed with only a few children or may not be able to have any, but allowing His will to be done will be a blessing regardless of the trials that may attend.

Lastly, here's the link to the Duggar's blog. After the miscarriage of their 20th child, Michelle wrote and recorded a message to her baby girl. Here she expresses her love for her daughter, tells her she was greatly wanted by everyone, that she was a blessing, and that none of the children saw her as competition but loved her dearly. I think it's important to hear these words. All too often children are seen as a burden. Which actually brings up a post that I read this morning: How Not to Look at Children.

Children really are an heritage of the Lord. We read in the book of Moses that God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.... how is that possible if we keep denying children in our homes or shooing them away to be taught by other people and rejoice that they're gone for hours on end? Child rearing is far from easy, but they really aren't ours are they? These children are the Lord's and will return back to Him... we're just here to help them on their journey. What an honor! We may not do things that other people think of as normal, but we're happy!! And we have each other and the joy that comes from family. For me, I find joy in "collecting diamonds" and the memories that came from that which I can take with me forever. I wouldn't trade any one of my children for a nicer car, home, or a dream vacation... I am living the best dream that I could ever imagine, and one that I never knew that I wanted!

Again, enjoy what you have, don't take a single breath for granted. Every day is a gift and every child is a blessing! The comments, especially that I receive from those in the church make me sad. Eve gave up her easy life in the Garden of Eden so that we could be here, she was commanded to multiply and replenish the earth.... and we learn from Elder Andersen in Octobers General Conference that this commandment has not been revoked.

Your choices and decisions are between you and the Lord, as are mine. Please be kind to those around you who are following their convictions, and don't make comments or choose actions that make their lives harder then necessary. We each have different callings and abilities, what's right for one isn't right for another. My message here is meant as one of encouragement to those who find it hard to continue to have more children, or just haven't thought about having more than 2 or 3 because "that's the norm." I was given a chance to rethink my stance on children (I never wanted any, and then when I got married we MAYBE wanted 3 or so and even then we were going to wait 5 years), so I wanted to share the gift and lessons that I've learned over the years. Prayer and quiet contemplation is good. :-)

TOS Review - Vintage Remedies for Kids

2011-12-19T08:58:00.003-07:00

I recently have been able to have a product called Vintage Remedies for Kids by Jessie Hawkins in my home. This is a book that is full of information and ideas that help parents teach their children about healthy lifestyles (food and habits).

I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever asked me about how we have such good eaters in our home. The beginning chapters introduce the concept of real foods... my children could have written this section :-). Not because it isn't in depth or written at an adult level, but because we discuss why we eat what we do often. I'm pretty particular about what foods get eaten around here, and thus our home (and the grocery store) are constantly giving us a chance to talk about these things as my children see the difference between what we choose and what their friends do/what others buy... my children are walking nutritionists as a result! *laugh* I'd never really meant for that to happen, but they were curious and health is important to their dad and me, so there you have it! I don't discuss what goes on their plates however... I make plates, they eat what's on it or leave the table, and that's the end of that. That's the way it's always been and I have really good eaters as a result because my husband and I are obnoxiously persistent about that. Our kids eat what we do, period! So, should you not have been so "obnoxious" this book gives you ideas about how to get your children to eat new foods and how to transition them to real foods from things they've been used to. i.e. if your child eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, going to one on wheat bread is going to provide completely different texture and the jelly doesn't seep into the bread quite the same. I can definitely see how this would be helpful. And if you're just starting out foods with your children, then this book will give you a solid start in getting your children the proper FUEL for their day :-). Food=Fuel, who knew?! Well, seems like a lot of people don't actually understand that connection or how to get the best source of fuel as opposed to inadequate/cheap stuff! This book will help you sift through that....

The set up of this book gives a section for parents that gives information and the purpose of the chapter, a section to read to your children (or to have them read), as well as additional things to think/talk about/or do, and questions. In addition to teach about food and choices in that direction, the book also contains things like information on bugs, herbs, cleanliness, conservation (i.e. reduce, reuse, recycle). I'm actually going to be using one of the ideas from there without my children... the project is "Old Crayons Become New!" which as you can imagine takes your old/broken crayons and melts them down into new ones. The idea in this book has you use muffin tins so they have fun circle crayons... I'll be making these for Christmas and pairing them with a "coloring book" that I'm making for each of the children from another product that we're reviewing.

So, this book is great for lots of different things! You can definitely use it as a curriculum on health and wellbeing for your child(ren). The target age for this book is 2-6, but could be used for older depending on what you've taught your children thus far about themselves and the world around them. I think the biggest thing older children would have a problem with is "wording." The book is definitely written towards a younger audience, even for the younger audience parents could easily add in proper words, i.e. tummy=stomach or intestines, but I think there's a great balance overall.

Vintage Remedies for kids can be purchased for $25 from the Vintage Remedies website.

To see what other crew members are saying about this product you can go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

The Way's Been Long... But I'm Blessed!

2011-12-18T11:10:00.003-07:00

I've had a hard time taking the time to come and write here... it's not for lack of things on my mind... perhaps it's been because there has been too much on my mind? I don't know. But, I figure I'd better come and write something and hopefully get a little bit better about writing.

My post title comes from a song that plays in my mind on a daily basis. If you're familiar with the Duggar family then you're probably aware of their friends from Tennessee, the Bates, who have 19 children. I found a video of the Bates singing (well, a few actually) and one in particular made a big impression on me. I LOVE watching this family sing together and the song they sing in one particular video has the lyrics "It's been a long journey but I have been blessed, walking with Jesus I have no regrets, He is so good to me I must confess, the way's been long, but I'm blessed."

My personal blogging tapered off most significantly after an unplanned trip to California at the beginning of October. I knew I'd be taking this trip after a phone call came through on my husband's birthday that a cousin of mine had passed away, I just wasn't aware how quickly it'd happen or how. I had just celebrated another year of life of my sweet husband that I am so blessed to have, only to find out that my cousin (who was only a year older than my husband) was no longer with us on Earth. I did find solace in knowing that he was in a better place, and I could literally see him in my mind being embraced by my grandfather who left us many years ago... but there were still a lot of feelings running through me and thoughts in my mind that still haven't quite settled.

In any case, things turned out wonderfully... my husband was amazing and asked for time to take our little family out to California all together (including his 34 week pregnant wife). He even stayed back at the hotel with all of the children so that I could go to the viewing and funeral. As I walked into the room that my cousin lay there were a lot of different emotions that hit me. It's a pretty sobering experience to be looking at someone you love and who you can remember up and smiling and so full of life, to just seeing a shell. Things were made better by being greeted by ALL of my family members.... my parents and sisters had come in from AZ that morning and my brothers were both there. Being the 7 of us (well 9, plus 2 with my brother-in-laws) was strengthening and uplifting not only to each of us, but it made a big impact on our extended family that we were all there with them. To not only grieve and mourn with them, but to rejoice in life.

I think since then I've reviewed my own mortality quite a bit. What legacy will each one of us leave to those around us? As we walked with family into the chapel after the casket had closed, my heart was full to see that every bench in the chapel was full and that every chair in the extended area had been filled.... the people that had come out on a Thursday morning despite work/school or whatever else they had going on had literally amounted to hundreds of people. Hundreds of lives that had been touched by one man, and that doesn't even count those who couldn't come or who hadn't heard yet. Who are we touching with our lives? What stories and memories will be had of us when we no longer inhabit this body?

We really have no idea what each day holds for us. We have no say as to how long we will be on this earth or what conditions we will live in as we do. Life is such precious gift! As I look at my husband and children it always makes me want to be a better person, but I've tried to increase that resolve as of late. What words will be the last that I say to them? What will they remember me by? My greatest desire is to raise sons that are like unto the Stripling Warriors who have strength and faith in the Lord because of the foundation they were given early in life. And my greatest desire is for my daughter to be like Mary... willing to tell the Lord that His will be done and being worthy of the blessings and trials that He sees fit for her.

I am grateful for life! As the lyrics of this song say: "I've had my share of sunshine and rain, days filled with laughter and nights filled with pain, but with every mile as I travel each day the journey gets sweeter each day."

So, as the kids are yelling, things have been spilled, the house isn't as picked up as we'd like, babies have been up all night (meaning you were up all night) and now you have to be up all day, let's choose joy. The spirits we get to come in contact with each day are so choice and so worth every ounce of our goodness and once that's gone they're worth every minute spent asking God to help buoy us up. Life is precious! We just welcomed our 5th child not too long ago... I have to admit, he had me a little scared along the way. I have 3 friends that were due with babies at the same time who lost theirs into the 2nd trimester, and with out little one's track history of having to endure me having surgery and Nathan being gone I had no idea how this would end. With every pain I was seriously questioning whether he would make it until I was able to hold him in my arms. His name is Zane, it means God is gracious, and that's certainly how I feel!

As you watch this video just think of the words and look into the faces of these wonderful people. Are they perfect? No. But they do have a great perspective on life. While I'm sure my husband will never outright go for having 18 children, and who knows how many more we'll have being one ovary down now, but I look at this family and greatly desire the same. Why? Because raising children is easy of course! Oh, wait, no, that's not it :-). It's because despite the challenges that arise I believe that there are spirits waiting in heaven that need body's and if I can bring them into a home that will teach them that they are children of God and help provide them with the tools they need to return to him then I should. My husband feels this way too... he'd just rather take them one at a time while I'm a big picture kind of gal! In any case, whether this one is our last or if we're blessed with 1 or 2 more I'd be just as happy... God is in control of all that kind of stuff. My job is to enjoy and give thanks for what He's given, improve each day, and learn all that I can so that my children and others can benefit from that knowledge!

Don't take for granted what is given each day. Every breath is a gift, use it wisely and in singing praises to He who gives life.

TOS Review - Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting iPad App

2011-12-14T19:57:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how IN LOVE I've been with the products that I've been sent to review lately. I promise, my only compensation is being given the product to review and I am only asked to give an honest opinion of said product. So, with that disclaimer reiterated....

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! Why do I love this product? That'd be because 1) There is no objectionable content and is straight forward and because 2) MY DAUGHTER LOVES THIS APP!

No, seriously, she BEGS to "play the letter game." There's no traditional "game" anything about the app, and yet she calls it one!

When you first download Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting App onto the iPad you'll see a colorful icon that says "Letters into Words." After opening the app you'll have the option to get more information about how the program works or to click on "choose a letter." Either way you'll find yourself with the first option of writing letter "u". As most writing programs start with letters that are not set up alphabetically, this one is no different. The "u" sits perfectly onto a curved pattern that the children learn and practice, so it gets to go first. The child is talked through the motions of the pattern and given audio cues as to what is happening (i.e. "down around and, down around and) which I think are great because it gives the child something to think about and visualize as they're later recreating the letters on paper.

One of my favorite features about this program is that as the child "starts at the hole in the letter" and traces the pattern on the screen, whatever they're writing changes color as they follow the right way and makes a little ping sound and makes a "sparkle" when they finish. Perhaps that's what makes it a game for my daughter? I don't know! But I do know that she loves it and has a gigantic smile on her face at the end! Something about that sound and sparkle makes her all kinds of giddy.

This app can be purchased from the apple store for $2.99 (which is also AWESOME).

To see what other crew members are saying about this product you can go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

TOS Review - Artistic Pursuits

2011-12-06T20:05:00.004-07:00

It's no secret... my artistic ability, and understanding of it in general, is not that great (yes, I'm the one who looks at things and says "I don't get it"). How does that play in when you have children? Well, I'll tell yah.... it's probably not the best when you look at something your child draws (because they love to draw ALL THE TIME), and cock your head to the side and ask what it is... then hear, try to figure out where they got that from... then say "oh, okay" as enthusiastically as possible (which is lacking), and then wonder where in the world you're going to put yet another drawn on piece of paper or wonder how long until you can throw it away. Yes, it's a hard knock life in the art department here at the Jorgensen household! Mom just doesn't appreciate it, but I'M TRYING!!!!!!

Anyway, my confession (not that you probably hadn't already gathered what it was from reading other posts) is to illustrate how deficient I am in the art department and how crucial getting a copy of Artistic Pursuits: The Way They See It was for me. I knew I needed some help (okay, a lot), in this area, so I was excited to be able to use this product (and I'm sure my children's response could be described as nothing less than ecstatic!)

This version of Artistic Pursuits product is focused on children preschool aged or more specifically for 3, 4, and 5 year olds... and really, that's where EVERYONE is in our home thanks to mom's stellar ability as mentioned above.... To start with, reading through the first few pages gave me a perspective on children's art that I've needed. I learned that for children creating art is a process in which they enjoy, it isn't about a finished product. There's a scenario illustrated in the beginning about a child who made a great project for grandma, he and his mother worked on it for hours, and by the time they reached grandma's the child had completely disassembled the whole thing. His mother thought over the time now wasted and obviously thought the project was now ruined. The child's point of view? Well, once at grandma's he asked for some supplies and had repurposed the project into a new creation that he had been planning out in the car. Surely you and I have never had those moments?!

Anyway, I was able to let go a bit after reading that story. I do try and throw out craft items to the children and just let them create whatever. I don't really care what the end result is, but I do get caught up in the mess and of course storage. It's important to remember how much children learn by creating things, and it really is impressive what the children come up with. What I appreciate about Artistic Pursuits is it's ability to speak to an academic like myself while tying in the creativity of my children and expanding their scope and vision of what is possible.

There are several great color photo's of great paintings in the book and a dialogue across the bottom to engage your children into the art. Admittedly, there is one of a mermaid that I don't like (while you can't "see anything" she's not modest :-D), you can always rip that page out if it's offensive to you... the pages are thick and printed on only one side into a spiral bound book. Other than the one photo the rest are great and factor well into what you're trying to get the child to consider (the difference between real and fake, use of color, different mediums etc), I happen to be a sucker for Monet's and there's quite a few in the book (yes, I don't get most art, but Monet is pretty straight forward for me... what can I say?)

I think we'll be buying additional materials from Artistic Pursuits, I live with a lot of artists! I love that they can explore different things (crayons, markers, paint, dough), and I get an explanation of what they're thinking/how they perceive things in a non-consumable book (also a bonus for me). It's almost like I have a page in front of me that says "it's good that they're doing this, it means that they are learning "x"". It's a lot more fun too that I get to have a part in the learning/growth and can appreciate the innate exploration/creativity of my children. So, definitely a win for me! I wish I would have bought this book earlier... I had heard it touted as a great resource for art but wasn't really up for paying the price for it... well, I missed out! I'm excited to share more time with my children on these endeavors and I'm glad that I've gotten the chance to let you know that it really is worth it! I like that this book changes things up around here too... it's a great way to enjoy our "Christmas break" as we get ready for the school year to start again in January and a nice way to shake things up in general. I think Artistic Pursuits will be making my bag of "school items" getting on the plane with us shortly.

You can buy Aritistic Pursuits (and their books for older children) for $42.95 by going here.

You're more than welcome to see what other crew members are saying by going here. I know many were able to get pictures of their children creating the art as well as samples of what they created.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

TOS Review - The Reading Game

2011-11-28T03:36:00.005-07:00

Who jumped up and down and said "pick me! pick me!" when it came to a product known as The Reading Game? That would be this mom! The name in and of itself had me because it describes my philosophy of learning perfectly, it should be fun! So, if we're going to learn reading AND make it a game.... I'm sold.

I received a package from the company containing my copy of The Reading Game and was pretty impressed to find a sturdy blue box that held 6 different colored illustrated story books (that are a pretty good size), and matching decks of cards that accompany each book placed in wells within the box (so no cards sliding around, they all sit organized where they should!). Everything is very glossy and I love the bright colors, it really helps when you're working with children, especially ones that get distracted easily :-).

I didn't really know what to expect as far as game play. In my mind I had envisioned more of like a Candy Land sort of board game, but, like I mentioned, there were just cards and the books in the box. After reading the parent/teacher instructions I realized that it's more of a (hopefully) high speed game of memory to be repeated 10 cards (or 5 matching pairs of words) at a time.

The first set of cards/book are red and tell a story about a Skunk (all of the books are about animals... I'm fairly certain every child will enjoy that aspect of things). My daughter and I laid out the first set of cards for the color (there are 4 sets for each color and all are labeled on the back of which set they belong to... which is great because I thought I'd have to have the word list from the book and find the cards for each grouping), and we began to play. Every time a card got flipped over we would say what was on the card and eventually she did start catching on and not having to sound out each word every time. We did a review on that set, so after she showed me that she knew the words we got to move on to the second set of cards (that she was really chewing at the bit to get to). After completing all 4 sets of cards for the book the child then knows 30 words by sight and can read the book that the cards correlate with....

... We haven't gotten that far yet, however. While my daughter enjoys playing the game, having to master a set of cards before moving on is hard for her. She really wants to see those new cards! I don't know, repeated games of memory for me can get a bit monotonous, so I wish there was some variation with the games... don't ask me what that would be, I haven't a clue, but we can only handle memory so long, especially when she's having trouble with words. On the flip side, my son can play these quickly and easily, master the words and read through the books no problems. So, perhaps the word is if you have a younger child or one with learning disabilities to not expect to fly through this one?? It doesn't bother me any. My daughter still loves to pull out The Reading Game and enjoys the time she spends playing with it. I know she'll get it all mastered and be able to retain these words, it's just a slow (but fun) go in the meantime. I've recently had her start playing with her older brother (who knows all the words) and the two of them have had a lot of fun playing together. I think it's really good that she can see him as a mentor and not have the "we're having a reading lesson now" feeling that often comes with sitting down with a parent.

To learn more about how the game works you can go here. After completing all of the games/books in the box your child will know 180 words (30 new words in each book), 23 coming from the 25 most commonly used English words and 42 from the 50 most commonly used words. There are also assessments that can be used with The Reading Game and the program meets criteria of the Common Core State Standards (which I don't really care about personally, but would appreciate if I had a picky state or needed an extra something for a portfolio, ammo for family/friends, or as a rubric for how my child was learning.)

I would recommend The Reading Game as a supplement to whatever program you are currently using. I like that the words that are being used are being learned for a specific purpose i.e. so that your child can read an entire book, as opposed to just rote memory/flash cards of words just because.

You can buy The Reading Game for $24.95 from The Reading Game Website.

To read what other crew members have said about The Reading Game feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

TOS Review: Time Timer for iPad

2011-11-16T06:19:00.006-07:00

I have had the chance to work with the Time Timer on my iPad over the last little bit... and it leaves me kind of torn. I was excited to get this product as I've been hoping to get a little more time management in (all I really want to do these days is sleep, so I was trying to get something to motivate me a bit more to give proper time to different activities beyond "mommy needs to lay down a minute."). Anyway! I ended up on the list for the iPad Time Timer so instead of a physical device that I could carry around and put places I ended up having a neat product on my iPad that unfortunately didn't get patronized a whole lot because it's not as practical to set up around the house when you have a plethora of small children.

I LOVE the concept of this product, especially for special needs or young children. The program allows you to set up to 4 timers at a time and you can make them different colors, have different display faces, and have them make different sounds to signal that time is up (my favorite is the applause sound... who needs a startling beep to tell you time is up when you can have people clapping for a job well done?) The timers are super simple to set, and they continue running even when you're trying to leave an application... however, that doesn't really help the whole concept that you're using this tool to give your child a visual on how much time is left. I think that was a problem for us as well. We use the iPad for other functions throughout the day, and so having it just sit with a child(ren) during their activity wasn't terribly practical for us. The other problem is that if you are not in the application as the timer is running that it will not notify you when the time is over. However, again, one of the perks to this product is being able to see the time that is being used, so if you're not in the app then it kind of defeats the purpose anyway.

I can see this product being of better us if you are not using other applications on you iPad device during the day, if your homeschool day consists mostly of being in one location or in locations that allow you to prop up the device so your child(ren) can see the timer (the little cover stand on mine wasn't doing it for us), and/or if your children are older.

The Time Timer for iPad can be purchased through the App store for $1.99.

To see what other crew members are saying about the Time Timer (both for the iPad and for a stand alone device), feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.*

TOS Review - Keyboard Town Pals

2011-11-14T07:39:00.004-07:00

I've been using Keyboard Town Pals with my oldest son in hopes of him learning to type, and he has.... he'd probably do infinitely better if his mother let him on the computer more, but what can you do? Maybe this week I'll loosen up enough to give him more time. It's ironic that we want him to learn to type, and yet the computer is often off limits to him! Ha!

Well, minus our quirks, Keyboard Town Pals really is a great product. I've kind of dragged my feet with it a bit for some reasons, but overall I enjoy the concept of their learning philosophy and that's what I have to gush about today! To get a complete overview of the program via their words you can look at the instruction page found here.

As for my break down, Keyboard Town Pals ranks as a great product because it allows children to learn naturally and in a fun environment. After signing into the website children are greeted by a sunshine puppet who introduces them to different friends around the keyboard. We have our friends in "home row" (where children will rest their fingers) and those friends go "uptown"
and "downtown." On the screen children see a large qwerty keyboard, just like they're typing on below, and then each door opens with a new puppet that talks to the child about who they are, the things they like, and then that puppet tells them about the friends above and below them.

What makes this program unique is that it isn't based on errors. They've deactivated the delete and backspace buttons so that your children aren't paranoid of making mistakes and so that they don't have to take their hands off of the home row keys to "fix" something. I have to admit, that concept at first was a little odd to me, but I've since seen not only the utility in it, but how AWESOME that is for children who have a hard time making mistakes (like my daughter). If you have a special needs child chances are you've played with enough programs that have a clear cut pass/fail, more points if you do well, docking points if you make mistakes, that you give a big sigh of relief when something comes along that lets your child just learn without pressure. Anyway! That's what finally clicked with me. While my son enjoys this program and has certainly learned from it, I think my daughter would absolutely excel at typing because of this presentation.

I know, I'm kind of funny, but the other thing that I thought was nice is that the typing box the children make their entries into allow you to change the background color and text color. That's certainly a lot more fun then a blank white box and black text! Not to mention that it's sometimes easier for children with dyslexia because the colors are more soothing (this information comes from the website, but it's something I've observed over the last few years as well).

The lessons are broken down into a 30 minute lesson for each hand, meant to be completed on consecutive days, or for those with short attention spans each finger lessons run about 7 minutes. So, not a huge time commitment, and the things that they say about the letters and their positions, complete with the puppets, helps the information stick for all types of learners. Allowing your child to learn in a situation that eases anxiety is a winner on all sides. One of the things that I've noticed in my years of homeschooling is that children often do not care to engage in activities that cause them to feel inadequate. This program doesn't require timed tests, correction of mistakes (children figure out that they pushed the wrong button and self-correct without reprimand), and they don't spend a bunch of time just drilling (you know me, rote memorization isn't high on my list to begin with because I don't find it very effective in the long run.... which makes me laugh all the more when I think of my initial hesitation to their product.)

Anyway, the CD Rom can be purchased for $35 and can be bought here. It works on both Mac and PC (we have a Mac, so I felt that extra important to share :-D), and is a single license program. I'm still trying to figure out if that means that legally I can register it under my family and use it for all of my children as they go through this stage of learning how to type, or if that's no okay. I don't know, seems to me like could, but I'll have to get back to you on that!

To see what other crew members are saying about this product feel free to follow this link here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Bower Books

2011-11-08T21:17:00.006-07:00

So.... what I'm supposed to be reviewing is a book called The Person I Marry that I got via e-book form from Bower Books, but what I'm REALLY reviewing is the hardcover that I bought IMMEDIATELY after reading the e-book because I just had to have it! Yes, praise does follow here and in great supply!

The Person I Marry was written by Gary Bower in a rhyming type fashion, and then it was illustrated with the most amazing pictures by his wife Jan Bower. The sub-title to this story is "Things I'll Think About Before (and After) Saying 'I Do.'" How awesome is that? Anyway, this book also was votes the 2010 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year.... and I'll tell you why!! Or better yet, I'll show you :-D.

The Person I Marry from Bower Books on Vimeo.

I love that this is a book that focuses on what really matters in a marriage. My husband and I are kind of funny people. We met over an internet site for those of our faith and we became really good friends (I was dating someone and he was dating on and off... we were in two different countries too). Anyway, we had a while to cultivate a friendship and when it came right down to it we realized that we really clicked with one another! Because we didn't have physical contact/looks etc. to deal with as we got to know each other, I feel really blessed because we realized what was really real. (Not to say that those who meet in a traditional way can't). What I'm trying to say is that we just enjoyed talking to each other, we felt like we really knew each other, and we didn't care about all the hubbub of a wedding, we just knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with one another. No fancy rings, and we did very little otherwise... just some small get togethers to appease family, but we got married in a Latter-day Saint temple, so we knew the "venue" and most important part of our marriage was free and that we had a whole life to plan for and so we didn't really care about "wedding" things, we cared about the "marriage" and wanted to focus on that.

Anyway, I felt like the Bower's book took 31 pages of beautiful illustrations and lovely verse and created a story in which children can get wrapped up and enjoy while being reminded of what matters most. There is so much negative attention in this world given to marriage, and we really think that a bulk of that has to do with the far that people don't know what real marriage is! It isn't just a thing you do, meet someone who's good looking and hope it works... it's something far grander, part of our Heavenly Father's plan, and requires people that are willing to work for strong virtues/values and share that with each other. My children love reading this book and especially enjoy flipping through the pages. I just love that there's another source that they enjoy spending time with that reinforces our values and what their dad and I find to be the most important aspects when finding the person you want to marry.

The only blurb in this book that I disagree with is that marriage only last from death to you part. In my religion we believe that families are forever and that the marriage bond is one that lasts into the eternities if made in the temple. So, that's my only disclaimer, but it obviously didn't deter me one bit from picking this book up! I couldn't handle not having a physical copy of it in my hands. I was so enamored by the illustrations that I literally bought one that day. I also wanted another one in the series after watching various videos of the Bower's that you can find on their website, but it wasn't available yet. Gary personally emailed me in regards to the book I wanted and was very personable and definitely someone that I'd love to buy from again.

Not only would you be getting a fabulous book from this company for a steal of a price at $11.99 that would be encouraging to your children, but you'd also be supporting a great family! My children LOVED watching video's about the Bower Family

To see what other crew members are saying about this product you can visit the homeschool crew blog here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Ooka Island

2011-11-04T11:02:00.002-06:00

K... HOLD YOUR BREATH... you're going to be absolutely shocked with this one!

I have been told to look for computer based programs that would help my daughter with her learning... and I've been okay with that... Whatever helps things make sense to her is worth a gander in my opinion! However, as you've no doubt read in the past, the programs that I have come in contact with have come up pretty short for me. Because of this I have had ZERO interest in messing around with anymore and when Ooka Island came up I was crossing my fingers and toes that I wouldn't have to do anything with it! Lucky for me Heavenly Father knows me better than myself and made sure I made the review list for it... even though I made it very known that I didn't want it AT ALL!!

Well, guess what? OOKA ISLAND IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Not only have I been incredibly impressed with the program, my husband has too, my daughter has learned A TON, and my little boys sit next to her and have been picking up reading and phonics skills just by being there. We WILL be buying this program once our current subscription is over and we will absolutely have accounts for all the little guys.

Back to the beginning.... I was picked for this review, so once I got the link to get the program I went ahead and downloaded it to my desktop (it was a pretty big file, probably took 45 mins to and hour to download completely). After it was installed I had Nathan open it up and try out the first thing that came up, which was following 'Zobot' through a mountain cave and listening for the right sound... which when you hear it you click and a bar blocking your way gets lifted. We were both pretty impressed and could see how this would be nice for our daughter to play with... and we could see it as a good way to increase her skills with a mouse as well.

The following day I had my daughter sit at the computer and she just took off! The instructions are easy for her to understand as she's guided through a 20 minute lesson and then about a 10 minute playtime where they earn books. While there is a place that you can go and "buy" things during free time, I like that it isn't really pushed in this game. Instead, my daughter just follows the lesson, reads books and answers questions about them, and chooses additional "games" she wants to play. All the while she's seeing letters and connecting them with their sounds, building her ability to see and put the alphabet in order, and putting together simple words. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. The difference in my daughters abilities as far as written language is concerned has increased significantly! Not only does she love to sit and work on this program but she's actually GETTING IT. And like I mentioned, her little brothers are sitting and making sounds/reading letters right next to her. It's amazing! Nathan thinks that they'll start reading even before our oldest because of all the exposure that they're getting.

The graphics on this program are also really well done and in 3D! Ooka Island is done up in beautiful bold colors (which probably also add to my daughters ability to focus on what's happening), and the people/robots/etc. are fun to look at. I also really like the voices and sounds that are used in this program.

Pricing can be found here. Or you can look at this table here:

For us to have access for all our other children learning to read it's only $30 more for an entire year, love that! We put another copy of the program onto our laptop so that during our upcoming move the children (minus the oldest) can "work" on their reading/phonics during the time that we don't have access to our other curriculums. And that's fine by me! If this is all they do as well as have time to sit and listen to a chapter book, I'd say the next few months will be an absolute success!

Right now you can also get an additional 30% off of a monthly subscription if you'd like to give Ooka Island a try:

To find out what other crew members are saying about Ooka Island you can go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Memoria Press

2011-11-04T09:10:00.011-06:00

I'm a pretty open minded person when it comes to the curriculums that we use in our home. While there are some that I absolutely LOVE and recommend to everyone and their dog who asks me about what we use... some of those products have not been as effective for my 5 year old daughter. I've mentioned before that my son can pick up anything and in any method, and while I've always tried to go for fun and/or hands-on methods anyway, I've noticed that some of the products I have aren't as effective for my dyslexic "ADD" daughter.

Anyway! In regards to that I'm constantly on the look out for what will make the most sense to her and what she'll enjoy the most... so I BEGGED for the Memoria Press First Start Reading and Classical Phonics program by Cheryl Lowe. The result? I'm so glad that I've been able to have it in my home!

The box that I received wasn't like anything I'd expected. Expertly packed was a good sized/heavy box that contained 3 First Start Reading- Phonics, Reading, & Printing books (Book A, B and C), Classical Phonics- A Child's Guide to Word Mastery, and a HUGE Teacher Guide for the First Start Reading program. I was pretty blown away by it all and then started flipping through the pages. I was already running numbers with my husband about using these books for all of the children before I had a chance to get home and actually use them!

What makes this program appealing to me is that the Teacher's Guide is very thorough... I mean, the book actually includes a little inlay of each page in the Student's books and prompts all of the discussion for teaching the pages. I don't know about you, but teaching my children reading and phonics has been quite the new experience. I've learned more about how different letters and words work over the last couple years then I ever knew before! I'm just good at memorizing things, they stick easy, never really had to think about anything past that. However, the way that this system teaches allows the child to learn blending without having to learn a lot of phonics rules! It helps my son decode whatever he comes in contact with, and it's a beautiful thing! Anyway, my ramblings are just to say that I appreciate having phonics and reading helps all in one book.

So, speaking of using one book, each student book covers Phonics, Reading, and Printing. Not only does it cover printing, but it offers more room to practice writing then I've had access to in previous writing programs. Additionally, the letters that they are printing follow a pattern that helps the child blend together words easily (which is great for a child that needs a purpose i.e. my daughter always says "I want to read" but just throwing out random letters for her to practice writing can be frustrating. Here she focuses in on a letter and then is able to blend it with others she recently practiced to make words. The illustrations are also nice and big... she loves that! You can see what I'm talking about here. Being able to color in several pictures that start with the letter she's on is fulfilling for her also. I've seen quite the change in her as we've used this product and another (to be posted on later). The First Start Reading Books also provide sentences to write and give the child access to making connections with the alphabet letters and words. Here is a sample for Book B also.

The other product that came in my box was for Classical Phonics. The book itself is not intended to be used alone as a complete language program, but works well with the addition of the First Start Reading program.
Here is a link to a sample of the Phonics book. You can see from these that the child has several words lists that are encountered throughout the book, as well as more great pictures which act as a means of helping your child see the connection between consonant sounds and how they fit with short vowel sounds. There's a few pages in the back dedicated to helping you understand the method being used so that you can fluidly teach your child everything that they need to understand about how words come together.

Due to the consumable nature of the books it's important for me that it's cost effective because that means I'm going to have to re-buy it at least 4 more times (possibly more). After thinking about other items that I've bought in the past and how I've used different things in conjunction that is taken care of all in one in these books, this really is a cost effective method. The first time you buy (if you'd like the Teacher's Manual... which believe me, you do), the total is $29.95. Subsequently, just getting a Student set (Books A, B, and C) are $21.00 and the Classical Phonics book available is for $14.95. All can be bought through the Memoria Press website.

I highly recommend this program. If you've tried everything else, or use a combination of product, I think you'll enjoy the completeness of this program. My daughter actually looks forward to these "lessons" and being able to work on things like her big brother. I love it!

If you'd like to read what other crew members are saying about this product feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Lots and Lots of Fire Safety Songs DVD and Fire Truck Book Combo

2011-10-31T05:25:00.004-06:00

I recently had the chance to get my hands on a few products from Marshall Publishing. Apparently the company/products is big in the "As Seen on TV" world, but as we don't watch tv I hadn't ever heard of them before. Much to my surprise I ended up getting a copy of Lots and Lots of Fire Safety Songs DVD and Fire Truck Book Combo, and there was much rejoicing around the Jorgensen home!

While we don't let our children have much screen time with any sort of media, I'm pretty sure they'd watch this one over and over if we let them (don't think they haven't asked!)

The package that I received had a full color, 128 page, large book all about fire fighters.... my children saw this an immediately started flipping through it and did so consistently for the first week or two that we had these products. While they mostly just enjoyed the pictures (they're 20 months through 6), putting on the DVD was HUGE. They don't actually go around singing the songs from the film, which is odd because they normally pick up EVERYTHING and repeat it until we're all sick of hearing it, but after the first (and subsequent) viewing(s) I was instead caught up in conversations with my children over what you should do if a fire happened etc. I was pretty impressed. My 3 year old with no real pervious "fire education" that he can recall, was telling me all about 911, and staying low to the ground, and ALL of the children were telling me about proper procedures and how to stay safe.

I also liked that they filmed in a fire station and showed the different things that one would see on a trip to the fire house. Last year we had the opportunity to go on an outing with the other wives and children of our squadron and I thought it was wonderful! I hadn't before thought about how children would react to a firefighter coming through their home in an emergency.... they can actually look like big suited monsters instead of someone their to rescue you! Anyway, my children all put on the gear, got comfortable hearing the noises that the air tanks make, and saw what a firefighter coming to rescue them would look like. Watching this DVD sent all those thoughts rushing back into my children's heads "Mom, we've worn that stuff!" "Mom, we got to see a firefighter dressed up like that!" and I'm very grateful that they had reminders should anything ever happen. I really don't know what older children would think of this DVD/Book combo, but it certainly made the cut of things that will be moving with us in Jan!

Lots and Lots of Fire Safety Songs DVD and book combo is normally $49.90, but their web sale price is only $29.95..... unless of course you're reading a TOS Review and end up getting a special code that allows you to get an even bigger discount :-). Enter TOSF1 at the checkout to purchase both items for only $19.95!

Additionally, I was sent a DVD on George Washington Carver. I have to admit, this made me more giddy then firetrucks. I know, weird? Anyway! My children walked in and out of the room several times during this one, but my 5 year old daughter mostly stayed
put. I would say it's for an older group, but my children get the pleasure of having parents that like documentaries, so they've seen their fair share. Hey! There's always something that sticks with them, and if they're going to watch a show it might as well add to who they are as a person :-). So, while this one may not be an attention holder for most younger aged kids, I'm excited to use it again in the future as it's well done and includes a lot of information that I didn't even know!

I would definitely go and take a look at the Marshall Publishing website to see if any of their educational DVD's would be the much awaited resource/supplement that you've been looking for to shake things up in your family's studies!

To see what other crew members are saying about Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks, feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Wits and Wagers

2011-10-26T08:17:00.003-06:00

Wits and Wagers by Northstar Games is a trivia based game that is fun for the whole family. The recommended age for this game is 8 and older and in our opinion…. that’s pretty spot on. We still played with our children (6 and under) and they LOVED playing, but Nathan and I had to sway their answers a few times. We'll definitely be playing this one again though!

The box and all of the pieces are very well constructed, which is HUGE for us. We like a game that can last and this is certainly one…. And thus my love affair began. Inside you’ll find 6 small boards to write your answers on 6 quality black dry-erase pens, 10 meeples (5 large and 5 small people shaped tokens) 150 trivia cards (with 2 questions on each for a total of 300 questions), and a scoreboard. All of the boards are nice and thick and the cards with the trivia information are great quality, not flimsy at all.

The learning process for this game takes just minutes and the actual play time is about 20-30 minutes. For our family we split into teams and let the smaller children place the answer cards, meeples, and hand the trivia cards back and forth between mom and dad.

The actual game play starts when the youngest child gets a card from the box and reads the top question. Then everyone (or each team) writes their answer to the question on their answer board. I find this game a lot of fun and easy because all of the answers require only a number and then everyone lays out their cards in numerical order. From here you can place your meeple(s) on ANYONE'S card... which is awesome! If you think that someone else had a better answer then you can put your piece on their answer instead! Woohoo! (Nathan is often better at guestimating things so I kind of rely on him for that kind of stuff!) Whoever guesses closest to the correct number without going over gets points for that round.... large meeples are worth 2 points and small meeples are worth 1, so if you put all of your meeples on one card and that card was the closest then you'd have 3 point for that round. It is possible to split your meeples if you think two answers may be correct.

Do I have any criticisms of this game? Not really. It'll be a happy addition to our collection.... some of the cards make me laugh because our kids have NO CLUE what they're talking about. For instance? For children that have never had fruit loops or know what they look like it's pretty difficult to guess how many colors come in one box :-D. Yes, that's a parental issue *laugh* We explained to the kids on our team what they are and talked them through guessing, kind of funny! The other question that made me laugh was how many Disney Princesses there are. Yah, not really common knowledge around here, but still fun.

What I do really, really like is that there's a little blurb on the back of each card that gives a little extra trivia in addition to having the numerical answer to the question. I actually learned quite a bit and am excited to play again. Oh! The other thing that I thought was really nice is that when you open the box of trivia cards there's a little place holder card of sorts. You put that card to the back of the box and go through playing the game until all of the top questions of the cards have been read and then once you get to the place holder card you know to go through the deck again but reading the bottom question.... thus no duplicate questions for 300 questions worth of play! Clever, clever.

Wits and Wagers Family can be found online and from national retailers. I can see this being a fun family gift for Christmas.... we like to just hang out and spend the day together, Christmas is pretty low key, so having a new game around is always fun!

If you'd like to read what other crew members are saying about Wits and Wagers Family please feel free to check them out here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review: AIMS Primarily Magnets

2011-09-23T08:30:00.005-06:00

K, so first the story.... as you can well gather, my brain doesn't come up with creative stuff very easily, and art/science stuff (while I think it's fun and so good for my kids) is just not something that I do all that well. SO! When I saw AIMS (Activities Integrating Math and Science), my heart skipped a beat. Yes, I'm funny like that. However, you have to understand that due to my above handicaps I literally crave some way to have these things make sense to me and thus make it a great experience teaching and showing my children concepts that have alluded me.

The very first of the book includes a Chinese Proverb that means A LOT to our homeschool:

"I Hear and I Forget,
I See and I Remember,
I Do and I Understand."

While I don't necessarily believe that you forget everything you hear, I'm sure you understand the bigger picture of what's being said here. By doing we make connections and learn more than by passively standing back. Involvement makes a big difference!

Anyway, the item that I've had the privilege to review is a manual called "Primarily Magnets." Primarily Magnets is for Grades K-2, is a complete manual for teaching about Magnets/Magnetism, and even comes with a cd that has all of their worksheets in pdf form! (Okay, yes, I'm a little giddy with this last bit. Seriously, it's awesome that I don't have copy individual pages from the book and that I have the option to duplex pages when going straight from my computer, LOVE IT!) The book retails for $18.95, and you can find it to purchase here.

My kids are C R A Z Y for magnets. I picked up a set of magnets at a local book store last year and the kids have huge grins and literally jump every time I get them down. Pulling them out for our lessons on magnets were nonetheless met with much excitement. If you heard screaming and yelling over the last month and couldn't figure out the origins then you were probably hearing them! Needless to say, they enjoyed these lessons and they have learned so much about why magnets work they do (and so have I!) The book starts with an overview of magnets and historical background before even getting to the first concept.

Each of the 19 lessons include many different sections that show a break down of the information being taught beautifully. I wish their preview page was working so that you could see how detailed they are. Yes, even I can teach it! I'll give you an idea of how the first lesson breaks out:

Topic
Magnetism

Key Questions
To what will a magnet stick?

Learning Goals
Students will:
-test everyday objects to determine if they are or are not attracted to a magnet,
-sort and graph objects based on whether or not they are magnetic, and
-draw conclusions about what magnetic materials have in common.

Guiding Documents
Project 2061 Benchmarks
-Without touching them, a magnet pulls on all things made of iron and either pushes or pulls on other magnets.
-Keep records of their investigations and observations.

NRC Standards
-Plan and conduct a simple investigation.
-Magnets attract and repel each other and certain kinds of other materials.

Math
Graphing

Science
Physical science
force
magnetism

Integrated Processes
Observing
Comparing and contrasting
Classifying
Predicting
Recording

And then from there we get a list of needed materials, background information on magnets relative to the experiment, a "management" section that gives more information on what is needed and where to find it, a procedure section that tells us each step that we're going to take, and finally a section called Connecting Learning that gives questions to help us to figure out what we saw and how it works. For the first lesson this is all literally on the front and back of one piece of paper. It's amazing!

The way I see it is that, especially for those who have to keep detailed records, that this format makes it VERY simple to pinpoint what you're working on in science (and did you see the math worked in there too?!?). Anyway, from my point of view everything is laid out so it's simple to read a lesson and then go about relating that information to my children... which makes me happy!

I know you'll be shocked, but when I asked my children what they thought of our magnet lessons and what I should write about them great bursts of "we loved it!" "they're so fun!" and the like came through. I know, shocking. A couple even asked if we were going to do more RIGHT NOW. *laugh* I certainly can't beat that! I look forward to adding more AIMS products to our collection. And should you not have a set of magnets laying around, all of the items necessary for the experiments can be picked up from AIMS Labs, Kits, & Components section.

If you'd like to see what other crew members are saying about this product feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Before Five In A Row

2011-09-20T20:21:00.007-06:00

I'm REALLY excited to bring this product to your attention. How I got this review was seriously one of those situations where Heavenly Father knew I needed this and things just fell into place. I hadn't gotten on the computer the weekend that my husband got home from his last assignment, and when I finally did I realized that I'd missed like 3 different opportunities for products, this being one. I had NO idea at the time what Before Five in A Row was, but after reading the form I couldn't help but get caught up in the need for people with children ages 2-4. HELLO??? I have an almost 2 year old, a 3 year old, a 4 year old and a 5 year old who loves to do everything his siblings do! I felt like such a schmuck for not being able to put out there that I was available... I'd say we fit the bill pretty well. Anyway! I contacted the coordinator, apologized for being a space cadet and told her that I could absolutely do this review if I was needed.

Well... then I went and saw the product AFTER putting out the notification that I was available and it was then I knew that I NEEDED this program and was desperately hoping that I hadn't blown the chance to get it. Yah, after being chosen for this review I had to write the coordinator and thank her up and down for the opportunity to have this!

SO! Without further ado, what is Before Five in A Row?? Before Five in A Row is a wonderful program written by Jane Claire Lambert that is targeted at children ages 2-4 to help expose them to literature and learning in a very fluid and fun way. After receiving my book/manual from the company I went to work collecting books from the library... most of which I'd never heard of, and took them home to my children who LOVE them, and we've since checked them out several times. Why this "program" works so well for us and fits perfectly into what I need to do for my younger children is because as a family we lean towards this kind of learning. We feel like literature and hands-on learning/experiencing the world around you is the best way to take in information and have it truly become a part of you.

The Before Five in A Row book is broken into two different parts. The first part helps a child develop "learning-readiness skills" by incorporating simple activities that play off of the books. The second part consists of specific activities to do with your child(ren) to make the most of your time with them. For both of these reason is why I needed this book... I'm not all that great when it comes to thinking up ways to make readings come alive for the little ones. This book gave me the added kick that I needed to pursue activities and additional learning around what we were reading AND add in fun in coordination activities, as well as ideas to make the most of bath time, and time in the kitchen. My main issue is that I'm not terribly inventive when it comes to hands-on learning opportunities. It wouldn't actually occur to me that after reading Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?, by N.W. Carlstrom that my children would enjoy mix and matching clothes on a cardboard "Jesse Bear' that I would cut out. Nor did I think to collect a couple books from the library on shells and rocks so that my children could enjoy looking at different variations that happen in the world naturally. We also took the opportunity to discuss all the ways that Jesse Bears parents showed love for him throughout the book. How fun and awesome is that? For each book suggested (there's 24 in all) there are A BUNCH of different ideas that you can use to help enrich your experience. Ideas fall under the categories of language arts, science, numbers, patterns, colors, art, music, emotions, nature, food, loving relationships, character, safety, and animals... just to name a few. There's no need to use every book suggestion in Before Five in A Row, nor is there anything that makes you start the book and work through it from beginning to end. I especially like this flexibility because I didn't have ANY of the books used in the program and had to go off of whatever was available at my library. I've also noticed that some of the titles are not in print anymore, so you may have trouble finding those in general. Anyway! That aside there are still a lot of titles that are available and add to that additional book suggestions that are IN the different suggested activities throughout the Before Five In A Row book.

Do I have anything negative to say about this program? NOPE! Not a word. The description Before Five In A Row says "It isn't a curriculum. Neither is it an aggressive, academic training regimen designed to turn you pre-schooler into a scholastic super-achiever. It is a rich treasury of creative ideas designed to help you gently, consistently prepare your children for the life-long adventure of learning." I couldn't agree more, and it was exactly what I was looking for! We needed this to add some structure to the time that was spent with our younger children without adding in a "curriculum".

Before Five in a Row can be purchased here for $35. There are also MANY other products available through the company that look lovely, including Five in a Row,Beyond Five in a Row and Above and Beyond Five in A Row, that are geared towards older children! I'm going to have to look into those!

If you'd like to see what other crew members are saying about this product feel free to go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Big IQ Kids

2011-09-16T06:25:00.006-06:00

Big IQ Kids is a web based program that focuses specifically on Spelling and vocabulary, math, and geography. The first time Nathan saw it he mentioned that he could see how this could be useful for our children. Obviously it's not a whole curriculum seeing as who it doesn't cover every subject, but it does provide a good supplement for the subjects it does cover.

This program can be used with children from Kindergarten and even up through adults. Their website professes being useful for K-99 :-). I can appreciate that! They've added spelling and vocabulary list that cover SAT words, so I'm sure older children will find this program useful and a nice break from rote memory.

I think what I really like about this program is that it has both a free and premium option. The difference is laid out here directly from their website:
"Our older spelling+vocabulary program is ALL FREE. Our math, spelling junior, states programs come with a FREE and PREMIUM version. The primary differences between the BigIQkids FREE and PREMIUM programs are the ability of the PREMIUM program to monitor the progress of the student and advance that student only when mastery of the subject matter has been achieved. Additionally, PREMIUM members have their progress tracked, saved, problem areas identified and these findings are reported via email to parents and/or teachers. The PREMIUM program offers students customized buddies, full game page access and the ability to save game coins and gaming high scores. These functions help double the fun while mastering core academic subject matter. The PREMIUM program has very LIMITED advertisement an no ads are displayed during lesson interaction."

So, even if you aren't able to afford the premium version, you child can still enjoy the lessons that BigIQ Kids has to offer. As long as we're talking money, premium programs start at $7.99 a month and a detailed version of their pricing per program and can be found here. (Yearly memberships make the monthly amount cheaper). You'll notice if you go to the website that the way the pricing is set up you can pick and choose what programs you're interested in and only pay for that. Which is great for me because....

I didn't like the math program :-). I know, I know, there's always something with me! It's really not them, it's me. The math curriculum that we use doesn't really mesh well "math drills". Obviously there is nothing wrong math drills, it's just not something that we do in this house, so we didn't play with this too much and we wouldn't buy a subscription for it.

I did really enjoy the geography program! The children were shown each state and learned major facts about them. They had a chance to click on where they were, practiced spelling the state names and also the capitals. I would use this one in the future for sure! I even learned a bit :-).

I also liked the spelling program. I was able to enter the words from our spelling curriculum into a database that then allowed the children to play games with the words they were already working on.

K.... now for more of my opinion. There are "teachers"/tutor figures that pop up on the screen to talk to your child about whatever it is that they're doing. These people drive me nuts! *laugh* They have these mechanical/robotic voices that seriously play with my brain. The children don't seem to mind, but it sure annoys me! Again, just my humble opinion, you can check it out for yourself and see what you think!

The other problem that I had was that this program allows children to earn coins that they can then use to play games. As I've mentioned before, my oldest child will do whatever he can just to get to the game.... and that doesn't necessarily mean that he'll focus in on the lesson to get there! He'll do the very least possible to get the coin and move on. So, that's more a personality thing, I don't know how your child will handle a program like this, but it's worth giving it a try! I also find it kind of funny that you're constantly bugged to get a "buddy" for your chid and then they can customize it etc., but that requires a coin :-)

Okay, and maybe I'm a little technologically disabled, but I find their website to not be very user friendly. They have great content, but the way it's put on the page and moving between subject etc., makes my brain hurt.... which means I'm less likely to use it.

Overall the actual information on this site is pretty useful and there is a lot that can be done with just a free account.... which I respect a lot. Go give Big IQ Kids a look and if you'd like to see what other bloggers are saying about the program you can go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

Back to School!

2011-09-14T14:25:00.003-06:00

Nope, not for the children... their school year is actually coming to an end since we officially start school every January and "stop"/prep for recitals/talents shows/review what we've done over the year/have our family Olympics come Thanksgiving through Christmas.

So, if not back to school for the children that means... ? Oh, right, BOTH of their parents are going back to school! *laugh* I feel like a crazy person saying that! I've felt for some time now that I need to go back to school and was pretty excited earlier in the year and now I'm T E R R I F I E D! :-D. Go figure! As for my husband, he actually has to go back to school if he wants to continue advancing in the military past his next rank. SO! I've been busy gathering everything together for both of us and dotting 'i's/crossing 't's and now we're all set up! Nathan will start work on his Masters in Intelligence (sounds kinda funny huh?), in October, and I'll follow in January.

While terrified there is a bit of excitement still buried within me. I think the terrified thing just comes from fear of the unknown, but I try to shake that off and remember that God wants me to continue my education and He'll help me. I certainly can't succumb to the negative voices in my head now! Anyway, my degree will be a Masters in History with a concentration in American History, and for that I am T H R I L L E D! I spent quite a bit of time "off topic" (i.e. I have an AA in Political Science, LOVED the field and was a semester away from getting a BA in it when I got married and then had to switch fields), so I've spent quite a bit of time in psychology. Which I like. And laugh that I have a BS degree. But now I get to delve back into what I LOVE and that's really wonderful! It took a lot of thought to really pin down what to study. Being a homeschooling mom of almost 5 under 6, with a very unpredictable husband work-wise, doing anything that required a practicum or internship wasn't going to work. And then my other problem was finding a work-field where I could use my degree and not get shut down for "lack of experience." After throwing this around I got some great advice from a fellow TOS blogger and my dreams of playing in the field of history/politics got new life! I've been hoping to teach through and online university (but again, they like you to "work in your field" for 5+ years etc.), I've also thought about community colleges etc. when the kids are a bit older, or if Nathan had a steady schedule or if something happened to him. I'm telling yah, I kicked around A LOT of things over the last year or so. However, this fellow mom that I was blessed to get in contact with is an online university professor and had some great advice. I finally came to the conclusion that "History" is not a necessarily a field where one works in an office etc. It is one in which people research, write papers, get things published etc. SO, that being said, I had a lightbulb moment in which I realized... hello?! I can essentially do all of that from HOME!!! Add to that university need for people that specialize in history to teach their history classes, and voila! A dream was reborn and a new path undertaken!

The scary part? Well, the unknown of actually turning in papers for a graduate degree etc., and how to factor reading and writing for those into my day when: Nathan starts his Masters in about 2 weeks, we have a baby due in about 8 weeks, we homeschool 4 children, and Nathan's job always has us on our toes as to where he and/or our family will be! So, I'm taking a deep breath, trying to prepare and create order wherever I can, and then come 2 Jan I'm just going to take a leap into my program and try not to look back! :-). The time has to go by anyway right? Might as well get myself focused and have a degree in hand in which I can use to help my family if needed. I have know idea why I feel this push, but I better stop ignoring it, and hey, I can't complain too much especially after figuring out that I already own and have leisurely read most of the required books! *laugh* Yep, I'm a nerd!

To all you fellow nerds, I hope you keep learning everyday too in whatever means and situations you may be in! Your family needs your "expertise" even if the world says you are no expert because you don't work outside the home. I refuse to believe that stereotype! I've learned more on my own over the last 5 years than I ever did in "School," please take the opportunity to do the same. We're made to learn and grow regardless of age, situation or environment. Let's get to work!

TOS Review - Time4Learning

2011-09-14T08:02:00.004-06:00

I've had mixed feelings about this product.... and have thus literally waited until the last minute to actually post about it. So, let's just jump in shall we??

Time4Learning is a web based program that can be used as a whole curriculum in and of itself, but can also be used to supplement and reinforce learning. In other words, this would work great for homeschooler's looking for a complete online curriculum or for homeschooler's and public schooler's just looking for some added learning after school or over the summer.

In their own words the program includes the following:

"Online curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8th
More than 1,000 interactive animated lessons
Self paced lessons that kids will enjoy working on
Math & algebra tutorials & printable worksheets
Language arts, phonics & grammar lessons
Interactive, project-based reading activities
Science (grades 1st - 6th) & social studies (grades 2nd - 7th)
Detailed reporting for easy record keeping
Extensive lesson plans & teaching tools for parents
and much more...
Time4Learning is web based, so there is no software to download, no CDs and nothing additional to purchase. Members can access the program 24/7 from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection."

All of this comes for a monthly payment of $19.95 for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child.

So... what did I think as we used this? Well, let's stare at the elephant that causes me the biggest problem... that'd be the price. As a family with 5 children in order to use this program we'd spend $95 a month, and I'm going to go ahead and not multiply that by 12 because I may have a heart attack :-). In all fairness, it's just my daughter that I really wanted to try this program on and it worked out fine for her... but again, even a $19.95 commitment times 12 is on the pricey side.

Moving on, how did it function for us pricing aside? I had 3 accounts for a 1 month trial. Those accounts consisted of a first grade account, kindergarten, and preschool. I like that you can set the age range for your child in different subjects and that the program will adjust itself to make sure that your child is getting challenged etc., and that they provide reports of how the lessons are going so you can see how your child is functioning and at what level. For homeschooling parents this is also helpful because if your state requires reports and you need proof of something the website allows you to print off what you need from the site.

My oldest was on the first grade plan and I thought that the lessons were appropriate for where he is academically. However, for some reason the idea that there was a game to be played at the end kind of shut down his brain and instead of listening to the lessons and answering the questions he basically just clicked away on the pages and got through the bare minimum in order to play a game. My husband related it to a battery of tests that the military has... if you click enough eventually you can get through and pass with just enough. So, after a few sessions with our oldest in the program he ended up getting banned from using the program.

Our daughter was on the kindergarten plan. She was really the one that I had in mind when I took on this review. Lots of people that I have talked to (family and close friends) that have problems with dyslexia have told me that computers can be helpful in the learning process. So, even despite the cost, I was willing to use this for her if it made sense and was a format that made learning come alive for her. It was good for her in some ways, but I didn't think it was worth it. It wasn't worth it because she wasn't doing THAT much better at things and she would still get frustrated. And I had to be there to read to her the questions for the "test" portion at the end anyway. So, that being said, I like a more hands-on approach to teaching my children anyway so I didn't see the point of trying to get her to go through these lessons and then having to go over all of it again. It is definitely a lot easier to just stick to our regular programs geared towards kinesthetic learning that are not web/computer based.

Lastly, the preschool page was for our next child. I like the pictures and the setup of it, and honestly, for the amount of money that I hear people spend on sending their children to preschool I would totally recommend this instead! That $20 is all the sudden child's play after some of the programs in my area that are 15-20 a day... multiplied by 2-3 times a week. Yep, the heart attack just came back. So, I would ABSOLUTELY use Time4learning for preschool if you're thinking about sending your child to one and then just add in some "play dates" if you feel so inclined.

There is an option to try a free demo here so you can get an idea of how the program works. And of course you can always sign up for a month and see how it works for you and cancel without penalty if you don't feel like it's something you want to do.

I think by doing this review I've found that this sort of program is really not for me, and that has a lot to do with our style of learning. We learn as a family and I prefer things done as a group and not so much an individual or two at the computer alone. Granted I could be there holding their hand through everything, but that feels like it defeats the purpose since you're essentially buying a teacher/tutor.... so, maybe it made me feel obsolete and I'm just jealous? Who knows!

That being said, I can see this being beneficial for someone transitioning with their child from public school to homeschool or having no idea what or how they want to teach/what would work best for their child. I know people often have moments where something happens in the family and maybe a month or more with a web based program that does all the work would also be a great help, and this would certainly fit the bill! So, I say go try it out and see what you think... and if you realize that you're weird like me and it's not going to work then at least keep it in the back of your mind as something that could bail you out of a stressful situation while still providing a good education for your child (well, assuming that s/he isn't like my oldest or eventually snaps out of it! :-D).

If you'd like to see what other Crew Members are saying about this product please go here.

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Nature Nuts!

2011-09-07T23:08:00.005-06:00

Thanks to Griddly Game's I again got to expand my game collection recently! We were lucky enough to get the game Nature Nuts to review over the last month, and we've all enjoyed it.

I'll admit it though, this game is a trivia game... and while it does have 3 and 7 point questions on each card (the 7's are supposed to be more advance, sometimes I don't think that's true though!), I found myself good and stumped on more than one occasion! (I KNOW my questions were tougher than the others!) ;-)

Upon opening the game my first thoughts were that I really liked the box that houses the game pieces... it doesn't take up a lot of room and has a good strong magnet to keep it closed AND THE DIRECTIONS ARE WRITTEN ON THE INSIDE OF THE LID! (what you read there is that you can take it with you places, could make for a good car trip game! Love that!). My one turn off? ...and Nathan agrees, so it isn't just me being weird... is that the cards could use an upgrade. They're pretty flimsy from our point of view (then again we spend our days with a gaggle of little people, so perhaps our thoughts of what holds up is a bit different from others :-D). In any case! That's not going to keep up from buying other offerings from this company... Nathan already has his sights on buying a game that works similarly to this one but that is based on civilizations (a forte of his... can't imagine why he'd want that!)

So, how does it play?

First you decide on a point or time limit that you want to play to. We've played more for fun and to teach our children why the answers to the questions make sense, if they didn't already guess the answer, so we've never set up a point/time limit. We play until we're finished :-). There is a dice in the box that has a colored dot on each side: red, yellow, green, blue, orange and purple. The colored dot then determines what card stack you get to answer a question from: Earth, Animals, Planets, or a Wise Alec card (also known as the stack that has random questions, tongue twisters, exercises to do etc., these ones can be a lot of fun!) So, you get the question right you get the points, you get it wrong and it's the next persons turn. And that's the extent of the "rules." Are you in love yet? I love simplicity!!

My children are a bit young for this game (the recommendations is for kids 8+), however, they REALLY enjoy it! They know a lot about plants and animals etc., but a lot of these questions have set us off looking up answers and studying in a way that I didn't realize it would. So, perhaps we use this a bit like a curriculum of sorts? Who knows if that's what you would call it, but it's increased our knowledge and that gets a gold star from me!! Oh, and while it says that this is for 2-4 players, you could easily pull this out as a single person or play with the whole family and do teams etc. The more the merrier I say!

If you would like to check out Nature Nuts by Griddly Games I would definitely recommend it. The link above will send you to a page that has the product listed as well as a short video that will show you how to play (for all my visual learners out there :-D).

You can find Nature Nuts and other Griddly Games at various retailers both online and in-store. For a list of those retailer's please go here. I've seen this game for as little as $14.99 through Griddly's affiliates.

If you'd like to see what other Crew Members are saying about this product please go here. Enjoy!

*As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - Flea Circus

2011-08-31T08:07:00.003-06:00

So... remember how I told you that Nathan and I were busy having fun testing out products?? In light of that, here's another review for you! (You'll get another one in 2 days too :-D)!

I was REALLY excited to get this product.... cause it's a game! I should seriously take a picture of our game closet for you, we definitely like a good game and add to that collection every year for our anniversary :-). Anyway! A game creator that I really enjoy is Reiner Knizia, and guess what?? This game is officially known as "Reiner Knizia's Amazing Flea Circus"! The box is even fun to look at!

So? How does it play? Very simply... which is BEAUTIFUL! The suggested ages of play on Flea Circus are 6 and up and it is meant for 2-6 players. This game is a card game, but it has a little bit of a twist that makes it even more enjoyable for the little people (okay, maybe the adults get a kick out of it too)... we'll get to that! :-)

Upon opening the box you have the following contents:
*55 cards (An assortment of "attractions", "free tickets", "flea acrobats", and "animal catchers")
*20 rubber cats
*20 rubber dogs
*And of course, the rules... which consist of one piece of paper folded in half... like I said, the simplicity is nice!

Did you catch the rubber animals stuck in there?? Ha! That's what makes scoring (and playing) this game interesting. Dogs are worth 2 points and cats are worth 1.... don't know how I feel about the how assessment on the worth of each animal there, but that'll have to be for another post!

Flea circus literally takes about 10 minutes to play and even my 6 year old caught on really fast. Once you know what each card does you're set! There's no other required reading as the cards are just pictures.

How do you play?
-Each person gets 5 cards in their hand and one at a time puts on a "show." A show is the pile that you start right in front of you to have dog and cat "spectators" come and watch. I like that there's a "math" concept hidden here where children have to figure out how many of each animal they are going to get in order to have the right number of spectators around. I.e. if my card let's me get 3 spectators and all I want is dogs in my pile, then I'm going to have to give a cat back etc. Or, I get 2 spectators this round... that means 1 dog or 2 cats right? And then towards the end of the game you find that you're having to do a lot more exchanging with the pile in the center to even get the proper amount because there aren't any of one animal any more, or not enough.

The game ends when all of the cats and dogs (that you got to dump into piles in the center of the table at the beginning.... my favorite part!) are gone. Then it's to counting up how many cats and dogs each person has to determine a winner.

My oldest son gave this game 2 thumbs up and his younger siblings are chewing at the bit to play. Personally I haven't started playing with my next youngest children because I can see how it could be a little confusing for them to think through, but honestly when it comes down to it all they'd have to do is put down a card and I'd just ask them if they want a cat/dog or combination. It wouldn't be a big deal. Who cares if they don't really understand what the cards mean? *laugh* After putting that into words I think we're going to have to play as a family today, I'm feeling a little guilty for not involving them sooner. In my defense though, I wanted to get my oldest's opinion free of "background noise." So his favorite things are:

**The pictures on the cards (which I agree with, they're fun and bright colored).
**The cats and dogs (They do add enjoyment to the game).

Do I have any dislikes? Not necessarily. I think I would prefer a little bit sturdier of a card, but they work the way that they are. There's also a few cards in this game that could cause, umm... a little friction. My husband and I played this a few times before my son ever got his hands on it and we quickly realized that a few cards/ways of play that allow a player to TAKE spectators from OPPONENTS could turn tables quickly and cause hard feelings etc. I don't think that's any reason not to buy it (I mean, what we normally play and are gearing our kids for are 30 min+ strategy games as well as games like chess.... pieces will be taken! Plans will need to be revised!), I'm just letting you know that this isn't just a kids game where there is no strategy or adversity :-D. It's really quite clever.

Would I recommend this game to you? Absolutely! It's great to feel like you can sit down and play a game with your child that they enjoy and that doesn't take up the whole table and/or afternoon. This is definitely a first pick for me when it comes to getting the question "Mom, will you play a game with me?" We can usually even get in 2-3 rounds.

The makers of this product, R&R Games, sells Flea Circus on their website for $15.95.....

BUT, as a special offer to you they are offering a 20% discount on all of their products through the end of the year!!!! The discount code to use on their website is CREW20.

If you like a good game and have younger kids at your house, you'll enjoy this one!

**As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here, and they were not promised a positive review.**

TOS Review - How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids

2011-08-29T22:47:00.002-06:00

I was recently asked to review a new book put out by Apologia (which I had only known of as a company that produced Christian base science curriculums previous to receiving this material). Written by Rachael Carman, the book is called How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids, it retails for $13 and is found under Apologia Press's Resources for Parents.... which I definitely think is appropriate placement! I am not one to shy away from any resource that will help me, and in most cases at least remind me, of the things that I need to be doing to ensure a strong relationship with my spouse and children. This book is no exception and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had to read it and add to my "resources"!

I'll admit that I was a bit thrown off by the title of this book once I started reading the core of it, but I appreciate how the material is presented. It's no mistake that the word H.E.A.R.T is printed as such... it's an acronym that stands for Have a heart for the things of God, Enrich your marriage, Accept your kids, Release them to God, and Teach them the truth.

The introduction to this book is wonderful because you really get a feel for Rachael and her journey towards homeschooling. She's very relatable and candid as she describes how she went from dreaming of the time she would have to herself while her children were at school, to a knowledge that she was the teacher that their family had been praying for their children. From here she hops right into breaking apart the word H.E.A.R.T.

It's absolutely fitting that a book on having a heart for your children starts with addressing OUR personal relationship with God. However, I have to admit, I feel like the writing style and feel that I had when reading the introduction dropped off a bit here. Don't get me wrong, things did pick back up for me afterwards, I just didn't care for how this chapter was presented, despite the conviction that I feel that we absolutely DO need to assess and access our relationship with God before we can really be the parents that we need to be. Rachael states several times in this work how these children are God's and placed here for His purposes... so they're really more on loan to us and we need to be in touch with Him so we know how to help our children. I couldn't agree more! ... I'm just funny about how messages are put to me and for some reason this chapter was hard for me to get through.

Moving on! I could have ran up and hugged Rachael when I saw a chapter on Enriching the relationship with your spouse! I think this point often gets missed by people. However, children need to see a loving relationship between their parents and to feel safety and love. I love the attention that is given to the lessons that children learn from how parents treat each other, and how parents can show love for one another. I'm a pretty big proponent of treating your husband like a real man and Rachael reminds women of this need with way more tack then I'm sure I've ever come across with! You really need to read this chapter, it made me smile :-).

The last three chapters really rolled into one for me and were delightful to read. I'm a human and while I have 500 things on my mind, I can in no way keep the millions of things I've learned constantly on my mind... (I'm pretty sure that's why the scriptures remind us so often to remember things and that they're so repetitive... this stuff is that important!)... so it was really wonderful for me to be reminded that "Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Gideon, Elijah, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel", and other Old Testament prophets were all sent at just the right time to help lead God's people. (Yep, enter a huge DUH moment for me right here!) Rachael really makes you think about the things that you're praying for or what others are praying for i.e. righteous fathers, mothers and leaders, cures for illnesses, etc.... and then to remember that the answers to those prayers could very well be living under your roof. How's that for perspective?! Again, these children are not ours but are placed here for His purposes. I love the depth that she reaches into this subject through A.R.T and would highly recommend this book even if you only read these chapters.

On a personal level, my husband who hadn't read this book and didn't have any idea of what I was specifically reading in this book, made a comment to me one day a couple of weeks ago that really caused me to stop. He was taking note about how we try to raise our children with a strong base in the gospel and relate all things back to our Heavenly Father, and how we strive to have our children grow up different from "the norm." While that is the mission of many of you reading this I'm sure, he reminded me that when we were trying to have children that we made a promise in our prayers that we would raise them up to Him and how wonderful it was that we have received so much help from Him in doing so. Hello??? How could I have forgotten so easily!! I do remember the prayers we prayed and the sadness we felt when we weren't blessed with children in our time. We did pray earnestly that we would raise them up to Him and we meant it with everything that we had! How blessed and grateful I was to be reminded of this and to see His hand in these things, and then to turn around in How to Have a H.E.A.R.T for Your Kids and read the words that our children are God's and that we need to accept them, teach them truth and release them to God? We promise to raise these children up and release them to Him! Oh my, I was hit with full force on this topic!

Minus my little hiccup at the beginning of this book, I wouldn't have wanted to miss this read! The "ah ha" and "oh yah" moments that I had in response to reading this material have really helped me through a time where I was so tired I was starting to forget why I was doing the things I was doing. It's cliche, but I really am looking forward to tomorrow and the days ahead with increase vigor thanks to the reminders I got from this book (surely I'm not the only one who has moments that require this kind of kick in the right direction?) The world needs people to stand up for truth and right and we're absolutely responsible for raising children fit for the tasks at hand! We need them and God needs them! So, while we are learning to have a heart for our kids, we also learn that it isn't about us! Weird huh? :-D.

I promote truth and this book speaks truth. I hope you'll go to the Apologia website and read a sample chapter from How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids.

**As a member of the 2011 TOS Homeschool Crew I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of its content. I have not received any other compensation for the opinions stated here.**

He Blogs!

2011-08-28T21:08:00.004-06:00

As a homeschool mom I'm very blessed to not have to travel the road alone. My husband stands as a great supporter to me, and has been helpful in giving straight forward answers when others ask questions (I tend to droll a bit and can't form sentences well... hey, I have years of research in my head... condensing is hard!). Anyway, my husband, who I guess you get to know now as Nathan now that he's gone public, has started a blog with dad's in mind. Maybe your husband wants to get access to the thoughts of another homeschooling dad, or maybe you just want to get some insight on things from a man's perspective or even ask a question that's been on your mind... in any case, he wanted to start blogging to share his thoughts on homeschooling, family, life, etc., from his point of view. So, if you're interested, go give my "Man of the House"'s blog a scroll through and see if you might want to start following him too :-)

2009 REPOST: Back to School Frenzy

2011-08-23T11:28:00.004-06:00

In response to how annoyed I've been in the Facebook world and in everyday, I went and found a post that I wrote a couple of years ago and figured it was time to let it resurface. Seems like the longer we keep up with the homeschooling thing and the more we're in touch with our kids and God's plan for them, that my stance on this whole issue becomes solidified to the point where half the conversations in this house is about how grateful we are for homeschooling. Anyway! This is where I was in August 2009... you can just magnify my thoughts by about a thousand now :-).

There's something about the good ol' "Back to School" environment that makes me uneasy. I must first preface my thoughts with the mention that I am in no way anti-public school. I believe public-schools serve a good purpose to many people and are the right option for others, even though it isn't right for our family dynamic. I think watching the movie "Freedom Writer's" reminds us all how powerful an education, and a teacher that really cares, can be.

What I'm talking about here is the craziness that seems to ensue on the brink of a new school year. I almost had to cancel my Facebook account because I couldn't handle all the complaints mom's were throwing left and right about "what was needed" to get their kids off. Personally, I've seen the tax bill on my home and the amazingly large percentage (like 97%) of which goes to public education. However, despite the amount of money that people pay in taxes (in many areas, I know there are some counties that don't have property taxes or the money doesn't go into education... mainly I've only encountered that in AL though), parents and even teachers provide a good deal of the in-class materials, activities, and field trips for their students. We'd end up paying about $100 per kid to send them to public school just on registration day alone! I have a problem with this.
In any case, I've been bombarded with the knowledge that school supply lists are not only large, but very specific. Instead of parents being able to buy cheaper crayons, or tissues they're asked to buy name brands like Crayola and Puff's Plus with lotion. They're also being asked for specific colors of folders and other things that would be cheaper found in bulk or random finds. I've spent two weeks reading and hearing of these complaints of how these items are totalling around $100 and they still haven't found everything on the list, and how school clothes for their kids are racking up, and I ask myself.... why?

I'm a homeschooler... it's no secret... and yes, we're the weird kind! :-) Even reading about the stresses of these other mom's stresses ME out. Once all of those supplies are found and "YAY" school starts, then everyone is getting up early, mom is making sure homework is finished and everyone has the right things to take with them, and getting everyone ready, and lunches made, and, and, and, and, and then getting everyone into the car and back and forth from school(s) at different times and with different kids, and, and, and.... how does this not create ulcer's for others? I don't know how people with more then one kid do it! I know you "just do," but seriously, if you have 3 or 4 kids, chances are you're back and forth to the school an average of 6 times a day. And when you get home you get to do what 3-4 other people (your kids teachers) want you to do... which sometimes means 3-4 hours of work when you've already spent the day "learning" and if you try to throw in extracurricular stuff on top of that?? I honestly think public school mom's are superhero's because there are literally not enough hours in the day to do all that plus be a wife/mother/housekeeper/etc.

So, my big pet peeve that I set out to write about is this... "the frenzy." I HATE this time of year for one specific reason... and normal people are kept from this because I do try and censor myself in public, but this is one place that I put all my "PC" abilities away for a moment so since you're reading this, here's what I REALLY think and want to say..... "I am so sick and tired of hearing people rejoicing about sending their kids away!" It's honestly the saddest thing that I can think of. It's one thing to talk up how much fun they'll have, or how great a teacher there is, or whatever, but to just talk nonstop about how much having your kid around is bugging you and they just need to go away? How do you think that makes them feel that their own mom doesn't want them around?

I get so many mixed feelings around this time of year that I just want to hide in my house until its over. I'm overfilled with mom's so excited to get rid of their kids, and yet so irritated about what they have to do, and then whining about how much they wish they could get done while their kids were done but can't (because they're running to and from the school), and how hard mornings are...

Anyway! Onto happier thoughts. I like a good clean house like most people, and like most people that's easier to achieve when no one is around. Now, minus the times that space alien's come and abduct my children, I don't usually get to have no one around while I'm cleaning, but I get a lot in return:

-the kids get up when they're ready.... everyone is happier for this, and they get the rest they need. We don't have to wake people up from naps to go sit in line to pick up kids, and I think when our kids are teenagers, they're really going to love the fact that mom isn't going to come and beat on their door in the morning.

-School and "learning" is a year round event, and everyday holds new opportunities in the most average of places... like doing household chores, exploring outside, going to the store. I see my kids wondering and exploring their world and really truly learning things that will stay with them for a lifetime. They don't think of learning as something that starts and stops because of specific dates, but of something that is continuous and worth their attention.

-I'm very selfish and LOVE to watch my kids learn new things. I don't want to share this with anyone else! I want to be there watching them grow every step of the way. There's a light in their eyes that is worth every moment of "hardship" that comes with having everyone at home all the time. And they get to share it with you too! Homeschooling allows us yet another tying bond that brings us closer together and the kids can feel that.

-We get to choose what we're going to do everyday! My personality conflicts with trying to keep other people's time schedules. I dread having to be somewhere at a specific time and that's especially dreadful when I have to actually DO something that someone else wants me to. I know, I'm a funny duck, but what can you do? Trying to figure out someone else's homework assignment for my kids (especially if I don't see the utility in it and therefore it's just taking away from family time by providing 'busy work') doesn't bode well with me.

-My kids always have something to say! When dad comes home and asks about their day there's always something to tell him... and yes, building houses and towers out of lego's or putting together puzzles, counts! Normal school days are LONG, so, if my kids were going to be gone at one I would demand that they have something to tell me everyday. The statement "we're not really doing anything right now" is ludicrous! This could probably be minimized by school's having flexibility with their mandatory class dates... let's face it, starting school midweek or later isn't doing much but meeting their "days of school" requirements... and close to no one starts new curriculum right before a holiday.

Anyway! I'd best go and tend to things around the house, but it's been nice to hash out some of my thoughts for a minute! I don't know that there's any real "solution" to my problem(s), although, hiding in my house does tend to help! :-)

Good luck with the school year, whatever form it may take in your life. Try to enjoy it, and remember that school is a place of learning and learning should be something that is loved and encouraged throughout a lifetime!

Free Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

2011-08-11T15:55:00.003-06:00

I started my relationship with The Old Schoolhouse Magazine about 4 years ago when I thought to myself "hmm.... there's a magazine for everything, surely there is one for homeschooling!" And there was :-). My friend google brought them to me, and I've read many articles that have meant a lot to me and my family. They also frequently have free e-books for subscribers to their emails, and I can "blame" one I came across almost 3 years ago for an extra kick to change to cloth diapers as well as look into more natural cleaning etc. Which then reminds me, I can "blame" it for my making our laundry soap the last few years too!!! So, they've definitely been a blessing to me, and this year being on "the homeschool crew" has brought me in contact with things that I've NEEDED, not just wanted.

So... I'm VERY happy to share with you the free Summer issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!!!

Enjoy!

TOS Reviews on their way!

2011-08-11T15:40:00.007-06:00

My husband and I have had a lot of fun over the last little bit... and our children get especially excited when we get a knock at the door from the UPS guy or stop at the mailbox. As part of being a part of The Old Schoolhouse review team this year, we're starting to see just how fun and what a blessing it is!! Here are the products I have received and will start posting reviews of from the end of August through September. Many of these companies I had never heard of before, so I'm really excited to have the opportunity to share them with you and hope that I perhaps you'll find the curriculum, game and/or book that you're looking for!

Supper

2011-07-28T20:21:00.003-06:00

I was thinking about our eating habits a bit and thought I'd share:

For quite a while now we have instituted a kind of eating schedule that could probably be best described from the book "Food Rules." To paraphrase, we eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. What does that mean?

Well, breakfast is the biggest most caloric meal of the day, here we try and have a large/filling meal to give us energy for the day and cue our bodies that 'no really, it's time to get going!' I try to incorporate a protein like eggs and the various incarnation of them (including my favorites like puffy apple pancakes etc that take a bunch of eggs), we have a meat occasionally (like twice a month... yah, we're not really meat eaters around here), load up on grains, fruit etc.

Lunch for us is what most people would refer to as dinner. We figured last year sometime that it didn't make sense to have a big meal before bed, so lunch and dinner got swapped. Now, I'm spoiled. My husband comes home everyday around noon (usually, and if he's not traipsing around the world somewhere), so it's easy to keep everyone fed like this. However, if he didn't have such a schedule and wasn't opposed to left overs, I would just work a day behind. For example, whatever the family eats for lunch Monday goes with dad Tuesday etc., so he also gets his biggest meal midday even if he has to take food to work. Here is where I'll pull out the pasta dishes, if I had a meat something planned, baked sweet potatoes with all there lovely toppings like black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, laughing cow cheese, salsa, etc. Something to fuel the rest of the day and the husband who works out most days after work for about an hour and a half to two hours before he gets home.

Now, onto the real reason for this post, our dinner meal is more accurately referred to as supper. It's a lighter meal, just some extra fuel, not to much or meant to fill the belly, just to get through the night and not have the body working on something heavy as your trying to lay down to sleep. I understand the body's need to refuel especially after a long/hard workout (although just a spoon full of peanut butter and 8oz of fat-free organic milk does it for me, but I'm crazy like that), but for athletes and normal people alike.... calorie loading after 5 or 6 doesn't really help. So, I'll give you some things that we enjoy here and then I'll link it up and find some pictures to make this post more appealing, just needed to get something out there! Trying to create the perfect finished post in one feel swoop often leads to lack of sleep or ignoring of things that need to be done, so I'm going to try the two step approach.

Anyway! Starting from today and working backward as best as I can remember:

Cowboy Caviar from this recipe here, and corn bread. The caviar I make with apple cider vinegar instead of red wine. Tragically I looked up red wine vinegar and apparently the way that it's made doesn't end up getting rid of all alcoholic presence. I'm sure there's only just a faint trace left, but regardless, we don't believe in using alcohol inside of our bodies, so I've had to tweak that part of the recipe. I read that apple cider vinegar could be used as a substitute, and I think there were others on the list... you could Google it. Anyway, the change gives it a little more of a sweet taste I would say? Dunno, I totally like the red wine better, but I'm being good! And it's still tasty :-D The corn bread I'll type out the recipe for. I use what's on my corn meal container (have for years! Should probably write it down in case they ever stop printing it!), but I add wheat flour and don't use the optional salt.

Naan and hummus with smoothies. The hummus recipe here is a good base and has no tahini... I can't find tahini here so these types of recipe work best for me and they're all pretty much the same. Even my parents like this one. Confession though, this meal is one we entirely purchase at the commissary. I definitely need to learn how to make Naan, it's fabulous! That may have to way until post-baby though. For now we're addicted to the roasted red pepper hummus that our commissary offers (and no, not all hummus is created equal... our store was out so we picked up some at Walmart and it wasn't my favorite. The artichoke and spinach wasn't too bad though). Anyway! Find a recipe or brand you like! It's worth it :-). And hummus is highly supported by the Biggest Loser... lots of the contestants end up using it instead of mayo etc. Good stuff!

Zucchini muffins and smoothies

Bruchetta on homemade bread (or artisan bread from the store if we've been out), and we broil a bit of mozzarella on the bread before serving. Seriously, 2 or 3 pieces and we're full, and they aren't big slices at all! The recipe that I link to here is what I started using about 2 years ago when I first started making this. Now we just improvise :-). I've been asked a lot for this recipe though when I take it to squadron functions, so it's worth starting with. I don't use plum tomatoes, we usually use 4-6 yummy on the vine tomatoes. And I'm almost entirely sure that may maiden voyage with this one included just a pack of those pretty tomatoes that start with a 'c'. Yah, I know, I'm helpful, sorry!

and from there I can't remember specifics. (Hey, I'm happy if I remember to get out of bed most mornings!)

Other things we often have are sliced apples with peanut butter and a glass of milk. Cut veggies with hummus or a side of string cheese. Any variety of muffin with smoothies (I buy frozen fruit and add that with organic yogurt, wheat germ, banana's if we have them, and maybe a little pineapple juice and pineapple from a can lurking in the food storage). Cooked squash (butternut, acorn) etc. is nice. You could use a recipe from Pioneer Woman on that here. Pretty sure this way defeats the purpose of trying to keep from overeating at night, but you could tweak it? Sometimes we'll have an egg over a little rice with laughing cow cheese. During the colder months we'll have a light soup. Oh, and sandwiches are fair game for supper (basically anything you'd have for lunch). And our big "splurge" day of Sunday we end up eating kind of between both meals and we make curry.... which is essentially veggies over rice.

So, now to linking these up and if I remember more I'll let you know! Any favorite light meal/supper ideas you'd like to share?

Getting Ambitious... Advice Gladly Accepted :-)

2011-07-25T07:52:00.003-06:00

So...... Sewing.

I have an interesting relationship with sewing. I like doing it by hand, but it's a bit slow and hard to fathom keeping up when you have multiple children and a husband who are anxiously awaiting a project to be finished. Why do I like to sew by hand?? Well, remember when I wrote a post about being a bit OCD?...... Yah, I find that I get a but too frustrated when I sew with a machine because the lines aren't straight enough. Yep, it's okay, go ahead and add crazy person to this line here ______. Add to that the occasional to sometimes frequent tension issues I end up having, again things aren't 'perfect,' and projects tend to sit around a bit waiting to be finished! Which I know then makes you wonder why I don't just work on it by hand and at least get something done. Umm.... Cause I'm special? :-D

I have had some success over the years here and there. I do enjoy making quilts and LOVE that rag quilts hide the issues that I have with my machine (or any machine for that matter... I have used more than one and find the same problem. Therefore, the problem is me! Lol!) But I need to branch out and make this weakness a strength. So, how does one get better at something? They have to do it! Therefore, this week will see my sewing machine getting use that I haven't given in a bit. Am I terrified? Well, to put it mildly, yes :-). The commitment of cutting something out and running it under the needle brings a bit of anxiety to me. Hopefully time and a good amount of successful projects behind me will help me chill out.... And hopefully not be another 6 years in the making! (That'd be how long I've had a machine).

Oh.... And you Mother's that do know how to sew..... First..... Please, please, please! Teach all your chilren how to do it! I have serious issues with a lot of the baby boomer generation for not passing down a lot of these skills. Hence why I went searching for some motherly advice and found the gem of Homestead Blessings DvD's almost 3 years ago now.

And second.... To all those who sew.... Feel free to share tips, blogs posts, links to your favorite projects, anything! Handholding is readily accepted :-).

And onto my project list:

-Modest skirts/dresses for my daughter
-Finish aprons for children and myself (everything has been ready for months.... Just need to put the stitches in... And trying not to freak out!)
-Make a memory t-shirt quilt for my husband
-5 sets of pajama pants for the children for Christmas (needing to finish these before baby arrives near Thanksgiving.... Hopefully sooner than later just in case I have to undo the stitching several times!)
-Maybe rag-quilts for the boys for Christmas

And perhaps you can help..... My daughter already has a rag quilt (I made it before baby number 4 came since we knew she wasn't going to have a sister anytime soon. So, why not a consolation pink quilt?! She loves it. Pretty sure she'd love a sister some day, but we'll have to see about that! All else fails she'll certainly have a few sister-in-law's down the road :-D). Anyway, what to make for her?? She'll be a little over 5. We try not to buy gifts for Christmas for the children, so clever things they'll enjoy that we can make are always being sought after around our place.

Please share your thoughts!

My Pregnancy Enjoyment Guide

2011-07-22T08:24:00.013-06:00

I was going to name this my pregnancy survival guide, but I figured that name needed some revamping! Despite the challenges many women face as they grow a little one, the process is quite incredible and should be enjoyed..... but that's a lot easier to do when you're not nauseous and or saying goodbye to everything you've attempted to eat or drink :-D. So, here are some things that I've found that may increase your enjoyment as well! With this baby I have been sick to my stomach since day 1 (which told me this was a boy long before the Dr. did), and I had to have emergency surgery to remove an ovary in week 5 or so which knocked me out for a good month... and I'm still recovering... turns out incisions healing while your body is stretching doesn't help so much, and my husband had to leave me and 4 children under 5 for almost 2 months right about the time I was back on my feet. Needless to say something had to give, as my old anti-nausea tricks weren't helping, so I turned to Facebook and asked friends and family for unusual remedies. The following is what keeps me going and enjoying life and baby's little kicks and movements each day:

1/ Comes from the book of me.... STAY HYDRATED. Easier said than done. I don't know about you, but water and I aren't the
best of friends when my stomach wants nothing to do with ANYTHING. However, I found my 32oz water bottle that I've lugged around for a few years and it's been my constant companion. I try to fill and drink it twice before my husband comes home for lunch and at least one after... and if I end up blowing that plan, well, then I have to drink more at night and suffer the wrath of waking up to hit the bathroom. The reason my bottle was retired is because I have to normally mix a little juice with my water to keep it down and I didn't want to defile my water bottle (it seriously wreaks if you keep that up). Anyway! The latest trick is to add a drop or two of lemon oil from my Family Physician's kit that I talked about in last post and viola! Water I can keep down and has some extra cleansing power, and it doesn't make my bottle gross. Even if you have to try a teaspoon at a time you need hydration... it's quite cyclical. If your'e dehydrated your body will be nauseous and when you try to hydrate the body will reject it because it's dehydrated. Nice huh?

2/Another from the book of me.... EXERCISE. Yes, I'm a crazy person. Do I have to mention that so frequently? I guess this is for the benefit of new readers :-D. I was prepping for a triathlon that I would have raced at 9 weeks pregnant, but instead found myself recovering from surgery.... and have since gained 30lbs! Umm... yah, so while I know it'll all come off later it certainly doesn't help now. I gain all the weight in my upper leg/hip area and carrying that around is rough. Thankfully I've had the stamina to pull out my Mom's Into Fitness DVD's and alternating between my 2nd trimester cardio/weight section and yoga
plus a mile walk Mon-Sat, I've found MORE ENERGY, and of course MORE ENDURANCE and STRENGTH. The thing I really like about these DVD's is that Lindsay set it up so that regardless of what stage you're at within your trimester you can find modifications that work for you, and you don't feel pressured! She really helps you figure out how to be safe and do things properly, which is big! And of course my favorite is that she reminds mom's that studies show that WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD CHILDREN CAN GET IN BETTER SHAPE THEN WOMEN WHO HAVEN'T. Here's the link for the set of videos I have, it walks you through trimesters 1-3 and has a post-natal work out. I've used this for the last two babies, LOVE IT! So pull out your shoes (I wear Vibram Five Fingers) and do something. I like that exercise helps with aches/pains and releases tension in places that cause your typical low back pain etc. (Oh, and I take 2 months off after baby before training for races, so it helps to stay in good shape now.... I have a triathlon in April, hopefully a couple Ragnar's and my "hmm... I've just had a baby... now how to get the weight off?" goal is a marathon for my birthday.... so staying in shape now really helps that lag post baby. I set goals of races to finish to stay motivated. I know none of you have problems getting motivated! :-). Seriously, give it a try, it's great and your husband will love you for it. There are enough hours in the day, promise! I'll even walk you through it personally.)

3/A tip from the oils and everythingdoterra.com. There's an oil blend called DigestZen and it kills heartburn in about 2 seconds. I keep my whole collection next to me every night and if my chest/throat is burning I know a drop or two of DigestZen will help me get back to sleep without pain! It's a beautiful thing :-). Previous pregnancies I've gotten up and had a bowl of cereal. It's an acceptable fix, but this one is super efficient and keeps me in bed so my body isn't any more restless than usual.

4/A few friends/family chimed in to tell me about sea bands... seriously, how did I not know about these earlier?? I have 3 boys, all of which I had the pleasure of 9 months of nausea and vomiting with. With boy #4 I haven't been nauseous over the last month and a half while wearing these. I actually bought Psi Bands after I figured out how well these worked for me, (Psi Bands are the cuter version of sea bands). I bought mine off of Amazon for $11, there was an unexpected discount when I checked out, woohoo! I hear some hospitals carry them, especially ones that have cancer treatment centers. The whole idea is accu-pressure. Yes, I've had pain in my wrists with the little balls going into them and yes my wrists sometimes hurt, but yes, it's totally worth it!

5/My cousin suggested corn on the cob. She was really sick with her first and couldn't eat anything. Her husband ended up getting some corn after an hour trip to the store turned fail and my cousin was crying because the thought of anything made
her sick..... and she ended up eating both bags of corn and sent him back for more. Her doctor said at the next visit that it wasn't a coincidence, that there had been studies that showed corn on the cob helping nausea. I bought a big bag of frozen corn on the cob. It's easy to cook and I hold it down and even enjoyably quite well.

6/I tried this out of family/friend suggestions and it worked, but since my homeopathic 'cures' work I haven't used it since, but perhaps it'll help you. Many chimed in to say that Unisom worked great (I bought the Walmart equivalent that was quite a bit cheaper and it worked like they said). For nausea you take just a tiny sliver of the pill, and then of course if you take more it's a sleep aid and approved for use while pregnant. So, that was a two in one. I used the sliver method a bit and used it to sleep a couple nights that I was really beat and needing the rest.

7/A friend email me about refried beans. I haven't tried this in it's entirety, but with all of my children I have CRAVED mexican food like crazy and it settled my tummy. I always try to keep a good stash of pinto beans so I can mashed them up for some burrito good-ness! Anyway, here's a blog you can look at that has more info on that: http://littleprairiehomeschool.blogspot.com/2011/06/beans-cure-for-morning-sickness-no.html

8/Vitamin B6.... You know, some women praise the stuff, and I do have some... but I don't see much difference when I use it personally. Just figured I'd throw it out there for yah!

Anyway, I hope if your'e growing a little one, have in the past, or are thinking of it in the future that maybe some of these ideas will help you! It goes by so quickly, the reward is so great, and the amnesia (at least with me, and stated in a bible passage my husband found) is very strong! :-D.

Distractions

2011-07-03T08:37:00.009-06:00

I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine last week that made me think a lot about distractions in our lives. This friend has 9 children, also homeschool's, and is someone that I met once at a homeschool picnic for our county over 3 years ago and now the poor thing is stuck with me for life, despite the fact that I've moved 3 times since then!

Anyway, she and I got to talking this particular day, after only brief notes back and forth since we saw each other almost a year ago, because she knew my daughter had gotten an ear infection and she had a remedy for me that didn't involve a prescription (and yes, a combination of bronchitis/ear infection/craziness ensued in our family shortly after my last post... hence the break this mom had to take from the blogosphere!) Okay, so if you're wondering about the alternative for ear infection that would be garlic oil, which I went out and bought since I didn't have time for it to sit and cure when making myself, but I'll definitely be doing that when I get close to running out... I hear the garlic actually warms the oil as it's seeping, isn't mother nature awesome!! Oh, that also led us to a conversation about oils, after which I immediately bought my own "Physician's Kit" and I've been one happy momma! I put On Guard on all my children and my husband's feet after church Sunday (YEP, my husband got home Saturday!!! No, I don't know how long he'll be around, I don't hold my breath for such things, but we sure are enjoying him being home!!!). So, *laugh* my post is about distractions and here I am getting distracted. Anyway! The On Guard stuff is an Anti-Viral, i.e. I just wanted to take a prohibitive step in taking out anything they may have picked up at church. I also used Lavender that morning on a really bad burn I got (think cast iron pan, 425 degree oven, and for some reason my hot pad wasn't actually working OUCH), I put the lavender on, it burned maybe a minute longer, and then the pain was completely gone and my finger didn't have any trace of being burned. Yes, that sold me! The oils that I bought were from DoTerra Oils, and then another sweet friend that I bugged for information on Saturday that's used oils and alternative medicine for years told me about YoungLiving Oils. You can think I'm nuts, well that goes without saying most days, but I really don't think that the weird thing is using plant life etc. that has been put here for our use by a loving Heavenly Father. I think everything here has a purpose, and if you find something that works, go with it! I blogged last year about the movie the Beautiful Truth that highlights the Gerson therapy response to cancer and other ailments, I'm a believer! (You can watch the full movie if you follow that link). Modern medicine is a beautiful thing (hence me even being alive after April's close call), but it does have it's limits and I think sometimes a go at a "natural" remedy before taking medications that require medications to cover the adverse side-effects of the first is definitely worth looking in to. My friend had also mentioned a passage by Joseph Smith that stated his worry for the coming of Eastern Medicine to the West wasn't that he was against the developments, but that he didn't want the people to stop turning to God in their time of need for healing. Anyway! All these things work hand in hand I think, so I'm happy to learn something new (and have some AMAZING cures for simple things hanging around... my finger is very grateful!)

So, on to what I was really thinking about when I started this... again, my husband and I have discussed this issue too, but it's nice when other people outside my home come up with similar conclusions.

DISTRACTIONS.... I'm sure if we pooled our thoughts we could come up with about a million of them from t.v. shows, to jobs, to the latest and greatest car/boat/appliance/electronic. In my opinion, so not a definition straight from the dictionary but perhaps close if you actually look it up, a distraction is something that keeps you from doing what you're supposed to be doing. And what are you supposed to be doing? Well, that is a loaded question isn't it? From what I've studied and researched and yes, have felt, is that the whole purpose of life is to make it back to your creator. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe there is a God who watches over us and wants us to return home to Him, and that our main goal is to do so and to take as many others with us as will come. So, if there is something in my life that keeps me from not working on this goal everyday (my 'work' contains furthering my knowledge both spiritual and temporal, caring for my family, serving others, etc.), then it goes on the distraction list. I know, it's rough how black and white that can be! But isn't it true? Is that extra show or pop culture such and such helping you attain your ultimate goal? My husband and I are way different people today then we were when we started this crazy journey together almost 7 years and 5 children ago... we've had to make decisions and continue to do so. What helps us move forward, and what's a distraction leading away from our ultimate goals? And while we're at it, do we really truly believe in that ultimate goal? That it's attainable? And have we prayed for help in creating a reality that works towards that goal... because if you have the one that I mentioned above I can promise you wholeheartedly that there will be trials and tests ahead because there is an adversary who is very real that doesn't like to see you succeed at the goal you hold most dear to your heart.

So, my sweet friend and I were talking... neither one of us are millionaires or anywhere near being such... neither one of us have anything more then functional vehicles to transport people where they need to go... we have homes that aren't going to be put into a popular magazine anytime soon (well, at least not on the most glamourous list! Maybe on the loud and slightly to mostly disheveled list), but we're happy and despite trials and lack of funds, we both want to add to our family's (which is one of those things we don't say to most people :-D). Why? Well, I'll tell yah, walking around with my 4 children in like having a laser beam attached to my forehead that draws people in and says "please, oh please will you comment about my 'sorry state'?" It doesn't matter how many you have, I think starting at about 2... especially if you have a boy and a girl... people start hoping that you're finished reproducing. Why? Well, my husband and I have wondered if some of it may be guilt driven, but that's all speculation. What kills me is that people think that I care :-D. I enjoy my life, we're mostly happy and somewhat put together most days, and we can't imagine life without any one of our children. So, if I find joy in my life why not add to it? I'm not asking anyone's permission, and I really don't think anyone has the right to be mean about it. Some people can't have children, some have 20 or more (yep, gotta throw out a Duggar comment), and some don't want them or don't want more than "x" amount. You know what I say? MORE POWER TO YAH!

It's important to re-read that last sentence. Your personal choices are just that, YOURS. My commentary here about distractions is just a broad "throw it out there" kind of thing, because that's what I do best :-). I NEVER WANTED CHILDREN, so don't think I don't understand the thought process of most people, been there, done that, I don't need to give that point of view credence here, so I won't but I just wanted you to know that I know the other side and don't need to be informed of it, k?

Moving on. I've read and heard this saying a lot lately, so I thought I'd share it... and no, I don't know if anyone has actually coined the phrase. The gist of it is... the bible tells us to avoid debt because it's a curse and that children are a blessing. Nowadays people apply for curses and deny blessings. Clever isn't it? I bring this up because even in "Mormon Culture" where once it was normal to have a large family, people think you've lost your mind if you have more than 2! Some of the questions posed to us are "how will you pay for college?" "how will you pay for braces?" "what about a big family trip every year?" "what about new clothes?" "what about cars for all the kids?" CAN YOU SAY DISTRACTIONS? I honestly don't care what other people have and how they choose to spend their money. I've seen some heavily spoiled children that come from homes where they are provided everything and I think that's sad for the child that they didn't have to learn to work, but hey, that's the parent's choice and SO NOT MY BUSINESS! My husband and I both paid for college ourselves, I didn't have braces till I was married so my husband and I paid for that, we've paid for our own cars, etc. etc. you see a pattern here? I think we've turned out alright :-).

Okay, so drumroll as I try to pull this all together. President David O McKay taught "that the pure love between a man and a woman is one of the noblest things on earth, and the bearing and rearing of children the highest of all human duties." -This came from Quentin L Cook's article "The True Path to Happiness" in the June Ensign. We also read in the book of Moses that God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. I'm sorry, but I just don't see how that can happen if God's spirit children are not able to come to earth because we're being distracted by other things. I'm not saying that there aren't good reasons to not have more children, I'm not saying that there aren't good times to wait a certain amount of time between them.... but what I am saying is that if you are able to have more but are scared because of other people's commentaries (yes, family counts as 'other people'), or are worried about financing the above nonsense completely for your child, take a breath. What else do we have in life if not our families? Here is a great article on Defending the Family in a Troubled World.

Only you will answer for you in the end. Nathan and I have often talked about what really matters. When he retires from his current position will it mattered the hours that he spent at work or the titles he held, will anyone really care? Is that how he'll introduced himself when he picks up a job nowhere near related to what he's done for the government over his first career? Who cares and who matters? Well, I'm pretty sure our children will know and they'll care about the time they got to be with their dad or the days he took off to go camping. I'm pretty sure that the Disney vacations we don't get to take will be overshadowed by the time we spend together and the relationships we've built. And in the end as our lives are coming to a close our grand picture involves our children and their children and even there children coming together for reunions, holiday's, or just because. I never had that dream before, but it is a driving force in my life since our family starting growing. Yes, I get funny looks, but who cares? I get to have real joy. Even if we only were blessed with 2 children or even none, finding joy in children and spreading the message of happiness and good cheer is something to get excited about! Everyone has their own path in life, we're not all the same and I'm so glad for that!

I feel like our family isn't complete and I don't want that feeling to persist knowing that I had control over the outcome and decided that what popular culture thought was important was more important than my job here on earth. Honestly, even over the last year or so I've had to come to terms with what I thought the right age to stop would be. I never wanted to have a child going on a mission and have a new baby of my own... or have a child getting married or having children of their own and having a baby myself. Why? Well, that would be WEIRD! Right? *laugh* Anyway, who knows if it will actually happen, but I've had to let my own timeline goes. Who says it's weird? Why did I have that preconceived notion? I just wanted to be finished in the next 10 years and have everything work out perfect and then I can move on and we can do "xyz" without worrying about having a little one. Not that that wouldn't be nice :-). But I don't know if that's the right thing and I don't think that I really have any excuse to try and force that will in any direction.

Moral of the story? Pray :-). Find out your family's ultimate goal and work toward it unceasingly and personally take your sword (metaphorically of course), and beat away the distractions that are keeping you from doing what you feel needs to be done.

In the end, only you will be responsible for your decisions. It doesn't work for our children to try and say that they didn't complete a task because so and so was distracting them, and it won't work for you either. However, know that there ARE other people along your path who are placed there to be an encouragement as you act upon the spirit... seek them out and shut out the voices that keep you from your potential!

Acceptable Losses

2011-06-21T22:12:00.003-06:00

It's funny. My husband suggested while I was trying to get my life back together and he was getting ready to leave that I write a blog on "acceptable losses." How dare he! *laugh* You have to understand, my husband and I both suffer from Obsessive Compulsiveness. Being the parents of many little ones, many of which are boys that I end up being nauseous with for 9 months, and having moved over 9 times in the last 7 years of marriage, we've learned to tone it down... but when stress hits the family, watch out! It's not uncommon to see one or both of us frantically cleaning/scrubbing something at a ridiculous time of day, well, more like night/early morning. In one day as we were pulling something together in preparation for him to leave he suggests this topic. I really can only be so offended. Of course I want to do EVERYTHING, but let's face it, there has to be acceptable losses in your life regardless of circumstance.

For instance, in my life as I currently know it, I'm a single parent of 4 children under the age of 5 and pregnant with another boy (yay! but that also means I'm pretty sick most of the time), and I'm a homeschooling mom trying to keep her house from falling apart (I had to stock up on frozen food the week before last, that was a low point for me!). Anyway, over the last month that my husband has been away I've been trying to at least try and keep my house and family together. I generally don't go out much, or make sure that my children have earned the outings/time with friends that come up, but still I can't handle much. I think this last week I've consciously decided to shake down my expectations. Honestly I sat down this morning and thought to myself "what do I really care about?" I think when it comes down to it I realized that I need to make sure I keep control of dishes and floors, and everything else can pretty much fall away and we'd be okay! Those areas sanitary and nice has to be good enough for me.... otherwise I'm a crazy person!

My children are having a difficult time with their dad being gone this time around, and trying to motivate them to clean like they did before with very little energy myself and them having not worked at much around the house for 6 weeks has not played out well! Cleaning the house like I'd like seriously takes all week and then some. Even with very little in their rooms my children have taken HOURS to clean. Huh? Anyway, my priorities had to be shaken up before things got out of control.

Right now I'm allowing for a lot of losses! And that's okay! My home needs to feel good, be sanitary and healthy, but that doesn't mean that I have to have every spot on everything absolutely clean before we do anything else as a family. (That doesn't mean it won't be the case later on in life!) But as for this stage, I have a few things that need to be taken care of in this house, and other than that WE PLAY! :-).

With losses come gains.... what have I gained? Special time with each one of my children. My husband and I love our children so much! We love that we've been blessed with so many and we really have prayed and hope for more. With each child and each change in my life I'm constantly readjusting! Story of every parent's life right? How could it not be! Each child is different and the responsibility to raise them is HUGE! Add to that homeschooling and essentially being together 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and you can see your weaknesses real fast! I think one of the things that I've really needed is to reconnect with my children and to STAY connected. We have good days, then I have and OCD snap and I need everything cleaned. So, I have to have plans in place to make sure that I stay connected with these amazing tiny humans. That's a really long winded way of saying:

-I sat down with each child individually and asked them what goals they wanted to work on i.e. what they wanted to learn or what they'd want to do just the two of us.

They were thrilled! Everyone gets at least 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted mom time everyday. No really, everyone else gets tuned out and you have to be profusely bleeding or the like in order to be addressed. I can't have all my kids in the kitchen so this allows me to work just one on one with whoever wants to cook with me, I also have a "great excuse" to just sit and play chess with my oldest, or help my 3 year old learn how to read (his goal, not mine). Each child needs that time individually and then collectively I'm just trying to focus on reading, and making religion something that is truly a part of them and something they know is the top priority in our home.

All we do should be to keep our children in a close relationship with their Father. How can that be conveyed through a stressful home environment? While I believe a house of order is of great importance, I also know that contention is not of God and cannot be tolerated in the relationship I have with my children or the relationship they have with each other. The result is spending way more time on the things that matter most: scriptures, hymns, family relationships, working together, and trying to find opportunities to serve others.

I know, I know, I always find the most simple, "no duh" answers to my problems, but it's those things that really work. Who cares that my home is spotless if my children and I have a disastrous relationship in doing so. Repaired relationships will go a long way into getting to the point where we can have the spotless home... but first things first!

So, what else have I been doing? Well, reading of course! I've really enjoyed my latest reads:

-A Love that Multiplies, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
-Raising Real Men, Hal and Melanie Young
-God Wants a Powerful People, Sherri Dew
-Teach Ye Diligently, Boyd K Packer

And I've really enjoyed the New Testament study guide, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families, that was suggested on the LDS Mother's Education course list. I actually taught some 8/9 year olds in primary the last two weeks and this guide really helped me infuse some great questions and thoughts into the lessons.

So, that's a quick rundown of what's happened around here! (As not quick as it was :-D).

I guess the one thing that I would say to you, is in perhaps not so many words, what are your acceptable losses? I see people running around every which way taking kids here and there and are overly stressed because of it... is every activity or even any worth the extra tension in your home? Is making sure that every page or problem of a worksheet is finished really worth the struggle? I feel more and more each day that I am in a battle for the heart's of my children. I need to be steadfast and immovable, loving, and humble. *laugh* I need to be a walking contradiction! :-). At the end of the day, what was important? When I talk to my husband is it important that I give him a rundown of all that the children did "for school" that day, or is an emphasis on the gospel discussions we've had, and the out of the blue connections my children make with life and gospel principles while we go about our day the kind of things we focus on? I loved a post I read on Latter-day Homeschooling this morning by a writer who's a single mom, it's called Structuring Our Day for Eternity. She's a better writer than I, so I hope you'll bop over there and read her posts to see how she connects and talks about each subject of learning related to the gospel. Perspective is everything!

What are you willing to lose at this point in your life to help you focus on what matters most? If you don't know, I can promise you that spending some time on your knees will make it very clear!

Children's Rights

2011-05-24T22:27:00.014-06:00

A while back I was asked to address the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) ('Cliff notes here'). This request was made by Eric Potter who runs a great blog that you can find here:http://parentalrightstn.blogspot.com/

Anyway, I hadn't really thought too much about this at the time because we were pretty knee deep in DOMA and other things legislation-wise that had me calling my representatives (and writing here about it and getting my husband to bug his representatives and calling to convince my family and friends to get on the phone too!... Man, that makes me sound obnoxious... If you're just now joining my blog be warned, but I promise I'm worth it, or at least I hope I am!) So, what makes me think of this now? I had came across two passages in my reading today in two completely different places that jolted my mind right back here. So, sorry for the delay Eric, but thank you for your request.

First and foremost you have to understand that I'm leery of new legislation in general. I grow concerned over government control that seems to be effecting every aspect of our lives (don't believe me? Google the Nebo school district in UT and their plans to monitor your whole families eating habits. I wonder what happens when the data you provide doesn't match what 'they' want? Then look up children getting weighed in front of their peers at school? Are we looking for public ridicule here to move us to action/change in health? I'm pretty sure the bullies have enough ammo if your child is overweight, they don't need numbers. And CA, oh dear sweet CA, now the schools are in charge of deeming if your child is under or overweight. And if they are? You are REQUIRED to take them to the Dr and to follow their rules and noncompliance will get you reported to CPS. Good intentioned, yes, scary slippery slope to losing your child? Yes!! I may be pro health/fitness and good diet and teach my children the same, for better or worse they've been exposed to so much that they'll give you lectures and keep you on your toes about what's in your food, but if I were to feed them fast food or could only afford the processed junk that's at the grocery store, then that's what we'd do! It doesn't change the fact that I love my children and want the best for them. I don't think them being taken to foster care even though they're eating and being cared for qualifies as abuse.) Anyway! While the cliff notes on CRC provided by good ol' UNICEF provide explanations that are 'no brainers' I can't help but read the find print.

Is anything taken at face value today? I question the interpretation given to these articles because I know how well they're written and what they'll evolve into.... And once they've evolved there's no going back to the pretty outline. Of course we want our children to feel safe and to be given the basic necessities of life (that'd be clean water, shelter, etc., sorry cell phones, computers, cars and TV's are not rights!) Does this need to be legislated? Perhaps if we lived in another country I would feel differently on this matter, but I see too far into it to feel safe pushing this act. And I've watched the unraveling of the constitution to where it's now referred to as just a "suggestion," and that bothers me.

UNICEF does great things, don't get me wrong. However, they are so pro sexualization of children it's frightening, and oddly they think they're protecting them from this! Children's rights goes beyond the fluffy exterior and straight into a world where parents no longer have control. While the articles profess that government will not overrule the parent as long as the child is being treated well, who's to say what is "well"? I feel it's not only my right but my duty to school my children in right and wrong and to guard them from what is inappropriate based on age. A free right to accessing all media as is stated in one article is just down right scary to me! I don't even think most adults need to be accessing what's available!

So, what prompted tonight's ramblings was an article I read earlier that you can find here. In a nutshell the parents of a 4 month old have not told anyone what the gender of their child is, not even grandparents. The reasoning? They don't want the child to feel pressured into being boy or girl and want the child to choose for 'it's' self who they'll be. K. I don't know what to say about this one, but it made me scratch my head and send it to my husband. Regardless of my personal thoughts though, hey, it's their kid! While I think gender defines us (I mean just about everything on the planet from humans to plants and trees are male and female), they're within their right to raise their child this way and I'm not going to be running to make a law to prohibit it :-). It's interesting to me though that we ask a child to choose a way without them really knowing their options and what the consequences are for certain chooses.

Which then was a topic in Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young. (As a side note this book is fabulous, I'm loving it and am really excited that they sent me an extra copy to Giveaway to you! I'll let you know how to win it when I write my review later this month). They brought up some very interesting points and ones that my husband and I have discussed a lot lately... especially every time we drive by the high school and the sign is flashing to go 15 MPH. Yah, the speed limit by the elementary schools is faster than that! What are we raising here? Anyway, some of the things the Young's wrote about is how we're preparing our sons. We have a reverse model of how to raise our children. 'Here, make your own choices, get all you want, but you don't have to deal with the responsibility that comes with those choices.' My favorite example from the book is how stressed our our society is that schools are serving French fries and sodas at the schools and so we worry that they'll choose those, and yet we're all for sexual education and the idea that it's totally fine for children to experiment with those behaviors. Huh? I'm pretty sure your child's choice to engage in behaviors that are emotionally out of their league and could end in BIG consequences is more pressing then if they ingest a few extra calories a day.

Basically the end point was we treat our children like children until they're 18 and then all the sudden turn them loose and wonder why they're not prepared. Conversely, given too much freedom to make choices on everything also leaves them ill prepared. Weird huh? Guess there isn't a one size fits all to this parenting thing, we actually have to spend time with our kids, figure out their individual needs and then adjust as needed. There's no amount of legislation or self-help books that is going to give you the magic key to this, you have to do the work.

So back to Children's Rights... what do you think? I personally have seen enough acts being as one thing and then turn their ugly head as soon as possible. Of course religious groups are okay with the wording, it's been written so that they would be! Duh. Might we go back to CEDAW and how accepting that has opened up the grounds for pro-abortion groups in countries that once prohibited abortion.... they were told they were violating the treaty even though there is nothing that even closely refers to abortion in the treaty!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!! Don't let what looks fine on the outside be a cause for you to encourage and/or look the other way. As a homeschooler I feel that my right to do so is being threatened when parents that do send their children to school allow the school/government to take a majority role in their children's lives. Are we really going to give someone else the ability to raise our child in every aspect of their lives? If we charge the schools with providing all the needs of our children guess what... THEY WILL! And do you know who becomes obsolete? YOU AND ME. Cause once they have you, they're going to want more and will come after me. Take a stand. I don't care where your child is educated, you need to do what is right for you and your own family, but please be involved! Watch what's happening around you and if you're not okay with something SPEAK UP! So many people irritate me to no end because they talk about all the horrible things their children face in school and how sad they think it is, and then pretty much end with "oh well." What? YOU HAVE POWER, YOU HAVE A VOICE... USE IT!! THE OPPOSITION IS MUCH SMALLER, BUT THEY'RE VERY LOUD AND THEY WILL WIN IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE SILENT.

My Educational Goals

2011-05-21T07:36:00.007-06:00

I posted the other day about The Mother's Educational Course, and have been busy gathering my resources and setting my goals/plans ever since. So, this morning I actually posted my goals/plans with their yahoo group and wanted to repost them here. I'll add hyperlinks and stuff later, but I at least wanted to put up my thoughts in both places in case anyone else was looking for some encouragement or a buddy to study a long with. As a side note, I don't want anyone to feel overwhelmed by my plans... if you haven't noticed, I'm a pretty intense person when it comes to me and I don't expect others to be quite so masochistic (for instance, a marathon and Ironman triathlon are on my short list of goals fitness-wise, and my hope for you is just that you'll attempt a 5k or sprint triathlon, see... I'm realistic :-D). As for all that I have planned "educationally." you have to understand that I'm using this as a way to keep my brain busy cheaply. I REALLY wanted to do a Master's program, but couldn't find $10,000 laying around, so this is great for me and I love the focus on Divinity, I think that will make a big difference for me and my family in a way that yet another piece of paper with my name on it never will (not that I won't be going after more of those, it just isn't in the plans at the moment).
As for time, well, that is always and interesting question isn't it? I like to study/learn before my children wake up, while they're awake, while they're napping or having quiet time (if I don't have to nap myself and sometimes I get to do both), and after they go to bed. We don't watch tv, so that frees up a lot of time... with kids in bed by 7:30 that leaves some good daylight and waking hours for both my husband and I to read/research before retiring. Plus, I have to admit, the added pregnancy insomnia helps me get in a lot of extra reading! These timeframes are also what I use for exercise.... I really like this quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson: Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. I spend time teaching and being with my children, but I think it's also good for them to have the chance to see me actively doing what I'm asking of them. Anyway! Without further ado, here's how I'm going to finish out 2011 and if one or more things on my list sound like something that you'd like to do, by all means join me!:
********************************************************************************************************************************

"I figure writing things out is a good method to figuring out how I want to go
about accomplishing my goals/plans. Accountability is a good thing :-).

I spent this week collecting my resources and settling out what I need to do, so
here it goes. With just a focus on the main "core" of study:

Divinity:
-I will read at least one verse from the Book of Mormon everyday.
-I will study for Gospel Doctrine using the New Testament, my student guide
(well, the teachers guide is what's available online, so I use that), The Life
and Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles (which was sitting on my shelf,
which is a bonus!), and Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families (which I
purchased from Seagull book Mon or Tues and just got last night, so excited!)
-I will prepare for Relief Society each week either from Gospel Principles,
Ensign, etc.
-I will read the Ensign each month cover to cover (the church has it available
to download as a book on the iPad, it's fantastic, I highly recommend it and
love that I don't have more magazines accumulating).
-I will read and memorize at least one hymn/primary song a month.
-I will read Jesus the Christ.
-I will read To The Rescue (that also came in my Seagull order).
-I will study once a week from Preach my Gospel.
-I will read whatever article is mentioned in the section on Thomas S Monson for
the month.
-And I will record my thoughts and feelings during these readings in my journal.

Education:
-I will read an article from the Education and Literacy section under provident
living each month.
-I will read an article from The Parents Review each month.
-I will read Charlotte Mason Vol 3.
-I will read Teach ye Diligently (I'm REALLY excited about this one after
reading the reviews on goodreads and can't wait for it to get here!)
-I will read Arm the Children (which I've wanted to read for some time, I've
heard it is wonderful and what's not to love about the title? Definitely
applicable, can't wait for that to get here too!)

Music/Art
-I will learn to play the Mandolin (waiting for my beginners book to get here...
the poor mandolin has been traipsing the world with us for 10 years, so glad to
get a kick to learn it, which I'm hoping will inspire my husband to learn it
too. He bought it before we were married but hasn't taken the time to learn
it... my kids are fascinated by it too. Here's to starting a new family
tradition! Hopefully the husbands guitar skills will rub off on me along the
way too.)
-I will set up a practice schedule each day to practice even 10 minutes.
-I will play for our family talent show at the end of the year.
-I will improve my piano playing as well.

Langauge (Japanese)
-I will learn the alphabet, numbers 1-100, and 50 nouns.
-I will learn 1 song.
-I will read 2 books in the Book of Mormon.

and I will work towards:
-reading 5 books in the Book of Mormon.
-knowing 150 nouns, 50 verbs & conjugates, 25 adjectives, 25 phrases and numbers
1-1 million.
-knowing 6 songs
-and reading 1 Liahona

and then to:
-reading the whole Book of Mormon
-reading 3 Liahonas
-knowing 12 sonds
-reciting the Articles of Faith
-and practicing with a native speaker (or my perfectionist husband and other
returned missionaries from Japan.)

In order to fulfill my language goals I will continue using
http://hiraganamama.wordpress.com/ who I found and have been dependent on since
the beginning of the year when I first set out to teach myself and my children
Japanese. I'll also be using alphabet and other children's books that my
husband sent back from Japan when he was working there last year.
I also ordered my own Japanese Book of Mormon, a family hymnal, and a copy of
Gospel Principles to use in my studies, and I will continue to use our
children's songbook that we've had since my oldest was a baby (I'm slow, but we
know about 3 songs from memory).

I know there's a lot set out before me, but I do believe that as we strive and
continue to go forward that our ability to handle hard things and to improve and
increase in learning gets magnified. I'm excited for this opportunity to focus
my thoughts and honestly the biggest blessing is being able to structure and
fulfill things that I've already wanted to do! So, thank you for mapping things
out so my brain didn't have to, and now armed with almost all my resources I'm
reading to go forward!

I Can Finally See My Followers!

2011-05-18T15:08:00.002-06:00

Okay, so with that being said, the winners of a $10 Amazon gift card are.......

#8 Shawntae Hartson

and

#32 Clover and Steven Espinoza!

Thank you both for helping me get the numbers that I needed to apply for TOS's Homeschool Crew! Please leave me a message with where I should send your card and I hope you put it towards something fun!

Good Things Coming!!

2011-05-17T19:40:00.007-06:00

So, after my last post I've been trying to get my life back... and in between midday naps and crazy nausea (my poor husband, he really wants a girl, but if this doesn't quit in the next week or two I'm pretty sure we'll be welcoming another boy! Our one and only daughter is the only time that I wasn't sick for 9 months and got to enjoy some of the "oh, you'll feel much better in the second trimester" comments that the liars told me when pregnant with my first (a boy). The only relief I got with him and subsequent males is when they were born... I guess we'll really be solidifying the trend if this keeps up!) , okay, refocusing, I've done a pretty good job of getting things back together.

Last week some saintly friends took our children, (the older two to one friend and the younger two to another), and we were able to go to the LDS temple in Albuquerque which is a good little drive from here, so we stayed the night at a nearby Air Force base, it was great! The one thought that kept popping into my mind while I was there was about my education and spiritual goals and how that would influence my children, shocking huh? *laugh* Here I am pulling my hair out not knowing how things are going to come together but really feeling like I just need to do something and who knew? That was my answer. GET GOING. Sunday comes and just my oldest son and I go to church (we had one runny nose, a perpetually screaming child, and one that just wanted to spend time with dad since he has to leave soon), so it was a fairly quiet meeting. The overall spirit of the room was oddly calming and inspiring, the talks were on goals (anyone else feel like they catered this just to me?), and I got hit by the thought that I needed to come home and take a look at A Mother's Educational Course for Latter-day Saints. I found this website a while ago and thought it was incredible so I joined their yahoo group, got all jazzed and year after year I have not actually written out goals and determined to follow the schedules these amazing women have put together. I get updates in my email, so I've pretty much stalked this group for over 3 YEARS, and I was not even remotely thinking about them at the time this thought popped into my head. So... I guess that was my sign it was time that I make some strides to get on board with them! I wrote an introduction to them on Sunday when I got home so now I would be accountable and not hiding in the background, and I've ordered books and resources to help me stay on task and increase my knowledge. I have to tell you I'M TERRIFIED. Which for me means that I'm on the right road to stability for myself and family and the adversary is going to play head games with me until I can officially start and shut him down. I may be a bit overwhelmed, but not in the way I was last week... this is different. I'm different. I'm excited and so impressed that this was sitting right in front of me all along and the whole last month and getting knocked down to what felt like nothing opened the door to where I was finally able accept and embrace something different in my life. I'm usually able to direct everything myself, but I needed this to help find some direction so that I could do that once more, and my Father knew where I needed to look.

Anyway! I feel like this is the answer I've been looking for both me and my children and wanted to share it with you. The course outlines and everything being offered is free (which is my favorite number!) I appreciate the kick and redirection as well as the ability to interact with others embarking on your same field of study or studies, and there's a certain element of encouragement and accountability that is sometimes lacking in your everyday life. So, that's my first good thing that I'm working on!

Secondly.... drum roll!!!!!!!!

I MADE THE TOS CREW FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR! I'm really excited about this! I've enjoyed reading review posts over at Our Busy Homeschool and have wanted to have the opportunity to share some of the same experiences with my children. As TJed-er's of sorts, we don't really have too many "set" things throughout the day or curriculum that we rely on too much. We like a lot of things and find them to be great resources, but we change at a moments notice and just try to have fun and enjoy things as they come. I felt like reviewing curriculums/products would be especially fun because when something showed up we'd have something most likely completely new and that I hadn't thought of (I'm not really a creative person, can you tell?) So! I thought this would be great for all of us here to shake things up especially during times when dad is away, so I'm super excited to have found out that I made it! From what I know we should start getting things to review come June, and I can't wait to share those with you!

Which then leads me to finally rewarding my followers for their efforts to help get me to the minimum number of followers needed so that I could apply in the first place! I don't have the cool little box thing that other giveaways have, I'll have to find that sometime, but here is the data from the website I use to randomize the winners, that's right! Because I'm excited about my new direction I'm giving away 2 Amazon gift cards!

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 2 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 33 -- Unsorted

Job Status:

Set #1:
32, 8

So.... well, I was going to tell you who had those numbers but I can't for the life of me pull up my followers at the moment wither through blogger or on my page, weird! Okay, well, stay tuned for the next post and I'll let you know that and then you can send me your information so I can get you your card! You'll have 48 hours to claim your prize (that way I know you are really reading this ramble :-D), after that I'll be picking another winner and so on until both cards are claimed. Good luck!

A Little Overwhelmed

2011-05-10T07:30:00.004-06:00

Today as I get ready for the day, I'm actually a little scared. As I consider what I want to do and how to inspire my children my mind has drawn a blank. I spent some time reading through past Daily Inspire emails that I get through Tjed Online to try and gain some needed inspiration and I'm just stuck! I think I've read so much about curriculum's that people are starting that I'm doubting myself.... add to that the fact that I'm just getting back to running my household, and it's a recipe for disaster. (Speaking of which, if you remember my post on Learning to Work might I throw in that RETEACHING your children all those lovely habits after they have done little more than veg in front of the computer for about a month is not fun... it's even less fun than the initial learning process. Unfortunately, despite my desperate plea that the children at least do their daily stewardships while I was down, my husband was a little to overwhelmed himself and the children didn't do anything. And I blame them getting the stomach flu on the fact that not everything was wiped down at least once a week with Clorox Anywhere Spray. Regardless, it is all really my fault, I've made my husband pretty obsolete as far as doing things around the house and I actually don't apologize for that but the explanation will probably have to have it's own post! Here's to hoping things work like clockwork after this baby comes and the children don't need the directions to get their work finished.... they would have this time but the computer spoiled their brains.) :-)

So, as to my difficulties today as I contemplate facing my children. My husband and I have a vision for our children. We have desires and hopes for them that they will cultivate a love for learning and an appreciation for the world around them. We desire that they will learn to work for what they receive and understand that they are a part of humanity and that they need to give just as much or more than they get. Our vision of life down the road includes scholarly discussions with children who come to us with topics that they've chosen and set off to engross themselves in and enrich the rest of our lives with their insights. We see congregating in front of a fire or lantern and discussing the scriptures with each other. I can see everything that we want, and I normally have no problem keeping that in perspective, but my path is considerable cloudy as I try to get my life back at the moment. I'm pretty spoiled, we decided early on that we wanted to homeschool, and we figured out when our oldest was 3 that the Thomas Jefferson Education Philosophy made the most sense to us. So, we've never had to "come off the conveyor belt" and reprogram our children.... until now. My children need to be reprogramed and I fear that my lack of energy will take us no where. Which then leads me to want to rely on some kind of curriculum, which is fine but can get very convoluted very quickly so that makes me a little leery.

Solution? Well, I have no idea... hence sending my thoughts out into the abyss :-). I know that baby steps will at least do something, so I'm going to focus on reading and trying to help draw my children in today. While breakfast is getting ready we'll open the scriptures, and after breakfast I'll set a timer to see how much of a stewardship we can get finished in 15 minutes, and then I think we'll grab our Little House in the Big Woods book that we've been reading aloud and perhaps I'll pull out a puzzle or some pattern blocks that little hands can play with while we learn about the Ingall's life (which we think is pretty fascinating.)

Anyway, I know we'll get where we're going so long as we never stop. I don't want to miss the learning and teaching opportunities that are available to me and my children at this time in their life, but I thought you should know that I get overwhelmed too! I definitely have had a lot of "what am I doing?!" moments lately and I felt like my readers needed to see the imperfection that lays beyond my carefree exterior. I do know that I'm the best teacher for my children (well, not at the moment, but that's just one of those deep down truths that I can't change despite myself and will eventually re-realize when the superficial stuff that's bogging my mind wears away), so pressing onward we must go!

Running Crazy

2011-05-05T07:28:00.009-06:00

Nothing like an attempt to get moving to make you feel a little crazy, regardless of where you're starting from! My husband always does something to get his heart rate up, even if it's a 20 minute go on the treadmill, and states the the problem with American's is that we think we have to do big grand things and then when our schedules and life get in the way of our plan and then we do nothing instead of even just a little something. Does that make sense?

Anyway, for a lot of people just getting started with some kind of fitness routine and sometimes the whole staying with that and putting it as a priority is tough! I'm with yah! I was never a runner until my brain conjured up visions of being one after baby #4, and viola, a crazed runner was born! I've put more mileage in over the last year that I have over the course of my whole life! The husband also made an observation about why it's so hard to get started.... because it is! After recovering from hernia surgery at the beginning of the year and being down for about 6 weeks, my man that used to run 7-8 miles daily was now having a really hard time getting back. So, it just confirmed to him that you really just have to stick with something to get good at it. It is hard for a bit, and then it gets easy! Simple, I know, but it's the truth! Feel free to test out our hypothesis :-).

Okay, so why I'm really writing this is because I'm going out of my mind! *laugh* (I don't know that I was ever officially IN my mind, but you know what I mean!) We hit the track yesterday as a family, and even though I had intentions to walk I at least wanted to TRY to get a few 'jogged' steps in. Yah, at about 3 I realized that this just wasn't going to happen, OH THE PAIN! Yes, yes, I can walk, so I did that for about 3 miles, but I really miss running these days! I couldn't do my last triathlon of the season in April because I was recovering, so I'm planning to do a 5k next month (I knew I was going to do that puppy even if I had to crawl! At least I can walk :-)). But I really would like to go faster than that! I may not win my age category like I did last year, but the competitor in me would really like to at least finish before those that are doing the 10k get back!

Turns out your body heals REALLY slowly while you're pregnant. Boo! I realized that my stitches still haven't gone away, so the internal healing is super slow.... which may have something to do with the whole stomach muscles naturally expanding plus having to mend. Anyway, my irritation is your gain. I've found fun stuff that motivates me even though I can't do a whole lot at the moment!

Cafe Press has some awesome shirts, they're great quality and I got mine at a super discount thanks to active.com:

I found some Running Skirts and there's even longer ones that are more modest:

I picked up a couple books:
Kara Goucher's Running for Women (she actually suggested running skirts, hence me looking. The husband thinks they're weird, I think it might be comfy and worth a try!) Anyway, her book is pretty straight forward, nothing fancy. Just encouragement and what she's done. A few training and eating ideas and some extra information for pregnancy and after... it's kind of comforting to know that she went a little nuts not being able to move as well as before too!

Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules. Both very well done. Michael is an investigative journalist who started researching food a few years back and has come up with a lot of the same realizations that many of you reading this have. His overall message is "eat food, not too much and mostly plants." It's nice to be reminded of why we we do the things we do. I mean buying organic and plant material for an ever growing family is not a cheap venture, but both my husband and I know that it's important, so we budget more for food now and stay away from processed stuff so that we don't have to pay the dr.'s bills later :-)

I revamped a quote that was bugging me:
This bugs me to no end! I get what they're trying to say, but I don't like the message. So, on the little white board in my kitchen I changed it to "Nothing tastes as good as being healthy and fit feels!" Hey, there are plenty of sick skinny people in the world. Being healthy and strong has very little to do with being skinny! I want my children to grow up strong and confident in who they are regardless of size. Standing at all of 5'6" my super active husband with the nickname "PT Nazi" (lovingly given to him by the people that he would run into the ground for physical training) is considered overweight on the BMI scale. He is the picture of health and can run circles around people, myself included. On the flip side, I have a friend who's daughter is within the BMI recommendations and she is sick, she's too skinny and thinks she should be more so and that's leading to eating disorders at a very young age. So, health is the main goal here!

I found out that the Air Force Marathon in Ohio is a qualifying race for Boston (neither race is on a Sunday!!! That's huge!)

And last but not least, I found a blog of an old friend who started a series called 5k Friday. I find it motivating, and Darci is quite possibly the most creative person on the planet, so she's worth taking a look at! She's also the reason I went out and picked up food rules because of a post that she did on it here.

K, so, those are the things that have been on my mind and I've used to try and soothe the fact that I'm just not at the point that I can run yet. However, I can do SOMETHING and so can you! I like to take the kids out and we walk 2-3 miles. If you can run/walk stairs for 10 minutes or to a few jumping jacks, or pop in a fitness DVD (I'm still a BIG fan of Lindsay Brin at www.momsintofitness.com/">momsintofitness.com and she has some free 5 minute web clips you can workout with. Her regular DVD's are broken down too so that you don't have to spend much time and you get a great workout! The kids can join if you want, or you can do it before they wake up/at naptime/or when they're in bed.

JUST DO SOMETHING! And let me know what you did :-). I really like to hear about people signing up for events... they're awesome, motivating, and I personally found out that last year that I can't live without them and that they're worth every penny! There's nothing like putting down a registration fee to get your moving regardless of how tired and unwilling you are to do something... I'm not going to lose that cash! I realized that even with a husband who is rarely home, and lots of tiny children (including one who was only 2 months when I started training for my first triathlon) I didn't want to have to be scraped off the course, so I'd better get to work! Find a goal, write it down, be accountable to someone, and go for it! Your body and your family and friends thank you for taking that time to make sure you'll be around to enjoy life with them for years to come!

Why I Don't Do Tests Offered in Pregnancy, and Then A LIttle More

2011-05-04T13:32:00.003-06:00

So, I'm weird right? Let's just start there....

This last week I had an appointment with my midwife and it was the first time that we had met her (the husband was able to come with me). Now, one of the most important questions that we ever ask, yes, it's very near and dear to both of us, is what the provider thinks about the glucose test. **If you're unfamiliar with this test, it's usually given sometime in the 2nd trimester (between 24-28 weeks) and involves drinking a sugar mixture, then you wait an hour, do a blood draw, and from that you can kind of get an idea how your body is handling sugar. However, if you fail this test or it's inconclusive then you get the joy of a 3 hour test... drink sugar, sit for 3 hours, then blood draw.**

Now, I learned with my first pregnancy that we would be denying any screening of our baby beyond a basic ultrasound. After discussing options with our OB then we realized that half or more of the tests the offered are likely to give false-positives or false-negatives, so we really didn't see the point. Additionally, the very thought of an amniocentesis (a big long needle being stuck in your belly to extract fluid) to confirm a diagnosis that may or may not be true and that may or may not cause a miscarriage, just wasn't for us. If you do these tests that's fine by me, it's your body, not mine, you do what's right for you. MIght I throw out that my current midwife has seen over 300 positive tests for downs syndrome and that only 2 of those babies actually had it when they were born and 1 other baby she delivered had it and the test was negative? She said it was pretty terrible because the positive results really affected the bonding between the parents and child beforehand and caused some rocky roads. Anyway! That was just what I picked up this week, thankfully we realized early on our own that the stress and pressure of dealing that kind of information would be just too much and that we'd rather just deal with things as the come!

K, so the one thing that I didn't have worked out before the first baby (besides don't let people bully/scare you into an epidural, even if they're closely related to you maternally *cough* Even though my oldest is 6 I can still feel where the epidural was, no thanks! Hello natural childbirth my old friend! I'll take some pain and immediate relief once they're out any day!), okay, I'm focusing now, the one thing that I didn't have worked out was the whole glucose test thing. They said I needed it, I was nervous since I know better than to just shoot up straight sugar without having something to balance it out, but we really need to know if I have gestational diabetes because that could affect mine and baby's health... yah, I now know that's just what silly people say :-).

Alright, don't get in an uproar, yes, diabetes is serious and can cause large babies etc., but let's talk a walk down common sense lane shall we?? Have you gained an abnormal amount of weight? Are you measuring larger than you should despite how old an ultrasound says baby is? Do you have diabetes in your family? Have you had diabetes in previous pregnancies??

For MOST people, the answer is no to all of these! Do you know the percentage of women that actually have gestational diabetes? It's somewhere between 3-10% depending on the demographics of the area you're looking at. The most correct average I've seen lays around 6%. So.... we test 100% of pregnant women with this horrendous test because 6% might have it?? This is a fairly new phenomenon, the whole testing everyone thing. Before you were only tested if you answered yes to those questions above there. There is no woman that I've ever talked to that had glowing reviews of this test. Personally, I almost puked (which means you get to start all over again!), and the very thought of having to do the 3 hour test made me a ball of tears.

So, since that time I've denied the glucose test, and have come in contact with some really nasty people :-). In Korea the lady was so upset I got a good lecture, through which I stayed calm and I'm pretty sure she hated that more than anything else I could have done. She then informed me that I had to sign a waiver, to which I smiled and said okay, and that was that. Subsequently I've met some interesting people that are more holistic but still think that it's important (Yah, sorry, unless there's some huge red flag waiving about me that you think I absolutely need to take this test... yes, I would do it then.... then the answer is no), and others who I just down right catch of guard.

Here's what I've learned:
-For 25 years the medical community has known that you can use jelly beans for this lovely test. However, if you take all the information in the world to your provider they won't think anything of it. It's true though! The research is there! (this test was suggested by the more holistic midwife who surprised me with her adamants that I take the test in the first place... and then we moved and the midwife here gave me more stats as to why a blanket test for everyone was silly).
-And secondly, I don't know what it's called but there's a blood test (no sugar added :-D), that you can have drawn which gives an accurate reading of your blood for the past 3 months then the glucose test every will. I'm really not going to speculate as to why we're being subjected to a less affective test than what's available, but as always I'm thinking money probably has something to do with it.

Anyway! Ladies, do your research! Be in control of your health whatever it may be. The treatment plans for gestational diabetes involve eating right and in right portions, exercise, and monitoring baby. Really? I need a test to tell me to do what I need to be doing anyway? Maybe you do! I don't know. The point of the matter is, that I think the whole business of having babies has become so complicated and medical that people don't know where to start! I seriously got a bag on my first visit to the office that had baby formula and 10 magazines. Things you should take to the hospital, what to do about xyz. It was incredible! My favorite part?? A lot of the information was conflicting :-).

Having babies is a natural thing, promise. I'm so grateful for people that have knowledge on how to intervene when things go awry (cause they sometimes do, that's why we have ours naturally but in a hospital), but for the most part, just relax! Eat as well as you can... sometimes I can't eat at all and sometimes I need more food then I think I should eat... try to stay active, drink water and enjoy life! And remember, this baby is YOURS. Call the shots and don't let anyone pressure you or scare you into making a choice, know your options and what you can handle and make sure your spouse is on board.

Want a for instance? I am a REALLY harsh critic of pitocin. I have several friends that don't go into labor without it (including a really cute mom of 10 I met when I was pregnant with our first), so don't judge me here, I do know it has it's place and if I absolutely had to have it for some medical emergency then we'd acquiesce. However! I think my second child and the experience I had delivering her saved my forth child's life.

We had just moved back from Korea, the husband was going to be school through the Air Force full time and our daughter was due about the 2nd week of school. I have a sister who literally planned all 6 of her kids thanks to pitocin, so we figured it wouldn't be a big deal to induce her on a Friday so that the husband could have a few days off with me before going back to school (we also had a 15 month old at the time). I still get nervy when I think of all the contractions that I felt with her and how hard they were hitting on top of each other, it just wasn't right! Something went wrong with the epidural, although they don't know what and now I'm pretty sure it was just Heavenly Father saying "remember this!", so I felt everything. They got things situated, I fell asleep for a little bit, then the next thing I know nurses are flying around me and putting an oxygen mask on me. It was pretty scary, I had no idea what was going on and I didn't care for having that thing on. Turns out our daughter's blood pressure had dropped pretty severely so now they were trying to do what they could to keep from having to do a c-section. What?? I didn't even know that was a possibility. Well! I do now, and a whole lot more.

So, baby #3 we just decide to go all natural, didn't take any classes and everything was great. It was all new territory so things were a little scary (I had NO idea what transition was going to be like or how long it would last, or what it was!), so when contractions hit on top of each other without letting me relax and I was just told that I was like a 5 or 6 I wasn't sure I could last, then wouldn't you know, they checked 5 minutes later and then rushed to get the Dr. because this baby was ready!

Baby #4 had a funny delivery. Labor started and stopped a few days before he was born, then I woke up one morning and my water had broke.... which was weird because that's never happened before right before baby is born.... I'd have really strong contractions, then nothing, and that lasted ALL DAY LONG whereas normally from 1st contraction to baby for me is pretty quick. We didn't understand. I was dilating slowly but surely, but things would just stop. I was asked from 12 hours from water breaking on if I wanted to start pitocin and was happy to turn them away for hours! I knew from our little girl that stuff wasn't any good! Then when he was actually born (I just decided that he was ready at one point and decided to push contraction or not), there was a true knot in his cord! It only happens in 1% of births, and I was just lucky I guess :-). Immediately the midwife explains that she's heard before about the body slowly and starting pregnancy because it knows that if things move too quickly that knot will pull tight and there goes baby's life support! BIG NOTE TO SELF, if they would have started pitocin it would have moved him too fast and could have potential caused an emergency situation. (*I"ll spare you a picture of an umbilical cord, but this is exactly what happens to it when there's a true knot).

So, get educated, learn from experience and enjoy the ride!

TOS Review - The Curiosity FIles

2011-04-29T07:12:00.010-06:00

I'm excited for the opportunity to review The Curiosity Files that is put out by The Old Schoolhouse. I received an E-book on the Platypus and I have to tell you, I'm pretty impressed! I had never heard of this series before, but it looks like there are about 9 "books" and you can take a look at those here: The Schoolhouse Store.

So! What was so impressive?? First off, after downloading the file I realized that I was looking at an 87 page PDF, I definitely didn't expect that. How much could one really delve into on the Platypus? Well, I learned a lot and quite frankly I'm science challenged so this was an experience that had me looking to find out what other subjects "Professor Ana Lyze, Expert in Outlandish Oddities" had to offer because she had really done her work!

What's more, is that I quickly realized that this curriculum was extremely Family Friendly! Included in this e-book you'll find information and activities that are made with your Elementary through High School student in mind. Honestly, besides reading and discussing the classics, I have yet to find any curriculum that is actually tailored specifically for each learning level in your home without having to buy extra packets along the way. I think the other appeal for me on this one is that because of this set up, I'll be able to use this same book for years to come! With 4 children and 1 on the way it's VERY appealing for me to know that when my younger children start on the basic information, that my older children can still be involved with our studies but in a way that builds upon their current knowledge and challenges them so that they don't get bored from doing and hearing the same things over and over again!

Next, I was pretty taken back by the pricing (since I was definitely out to buy some more once I saw this one!), and at $6.95 I think this product is a steal! (Some of the other Curiosity Files are going for $1 right now!) Additionally, I read on the TOS website that all of their e-books come with a 7 day 100% guarantee.... so, if you don't LOVE your product, they will happily refund your money. You really can't lose with that, they really stand by their products.

Okay, so what do you get in The Curiosity Files: Platypus E-book?
-You get all the information you could possibly want to ever know about the platypus in addition to full color pictures of everything from the platypus itself to how it feeds it's young to different photos that relate to your child (food, other children, letters, etc.). You'll receive complete information on what the platypus eats, where it lives, and walk through the many mysterious parts of the animal that made it tricky to classify as to whether it was a mammal, or a bird.
-You get questions AND answers (answers in the back of the packet of course :-D), to test what your child is retaining... if you feel so inclined to do so. They could use it just as a normal worksheet while you're doing something for a younger sibling, or as a family you can just sit and chat about the answers... which is more our style, I'm not a big fan of worksheets unless it's a collaborative effort. I like that this gives you options!
-You get application into other subjects:
**Math: For example, figuring out a table of how much food family members would need in one night to eat 30% of their weight and then figuring out how many pounds of flour that would be. There's a challenge to find a recipe with lima beans and double it... and of course make it, because that would be the most fun part! Right in the packet as well you can count by 10's, figure out probabilities, do a worksheet on sunrise and sunset and more. Again, you can find what projects are best for your child's age(s).
**English: There are limericks to play with and they are well dissected so that you know how to write your own, there's spelling and vocabulary lists for all grade levels, younger children can draw pictures of what they find most interesting about the platypus and for older children there are prompts to write about their favorites and link to a website that helps give an idea of how to write funny riddles. Children can also fill in missing vowels for words that they've learned, do a word search and crossword, and junior/high school students can spot misspelled vocabulary words and write those words in reverse alphabetical order (I may or may not have done this myself to give my brain something tricky to work on... keeps you young right?)

And every child's favorite: ACTIVITIES! This book is chalk full of them! You may need to purchase a few items if you're like me... there's a great section on the nervous system, and they walk you through making a neuron, but I don't keep marshmallows and fruit by the foot-like food on hand, so those kinds of things are special. For the most part there are art supplies and other extras that I'm sure you'll have laying around. I really like that there are pictures for all of the activities and there are quite a lot of things to do! You'll color pictures (links provided for extras but there is a platypus to color right in the book), design a coin, be encouraged to write in your nature journal (or start one if you haven't already! :-D), test out map skills, learn about the olympics (the platypus was the mascot at the 2000 games, I had no idea!). you'll craft paper bag puppets and model them out of clay (which I need to buy as well, but playdough works well in a pinch... my children aren't picky, but I think it would be fun and be more sturdy, and for the recycler in you there's an activity that shows your child how to turn a cereal box into a duck-billed platypus! There are a ton of activities here and we'll be doing a lot of them this week since we didn't get to do as much this last month as I wanted to this month thanks to a crazy start.

Speaking of which! The whole emergency surgery thing, recovery, and knowing that November will be yet another tricky month with a new baby and bouts of nausea along the way, I have REALLY enjoyed having this product. I printed it out so that I could easily grab what I needed and we could just sit and discuss and look at pictures, or have a list of things that needed to be gathered right in front of me that I could send the children to go and get. Easy, yes, easy is the operative word here. I wasn't really up for getting together my own information over the last few weeks, which is what I would normally do to save a buck, but at these inexpensive prices and the completeness of the e-book (LOVE the internal hyperlinks that automatically take you to whatever outside source you may need), this is one of those products that keeps the children learning/having fun/exploring new things, with very little effort on the homeschooling parents part. It is also very accessible so I can give information to my husband and he could easily take over (I'm a little more hesitant about him doing things like spelling, math, etc., he just doesn't know the technique, that's my job :-D), so this he can take over and have fun and not have to worry about if he's doing something right. It's all right there and he can just have fun with it! They can even keep track of their investigations by printing out an information card and creating a booklet of all they've learned about this interesting animal!

The only part of this product that I really don't care for is the amount of scripture/copywork, I do like some, but for us we aren't going to finishing every last page of it. I like that they include both manuscript and cursive examples for the copywork, and of course the nice thing about an e-book though is the ability to print out what you want and leave what you don't! If you love copywork then your child may enjoy the fact that there's plenty of pages to choose from and if you're like us and just a little is sufficient, then you do less! We'll also enjoy going over some of the scriptures, but again, not all.

My last comment about this product really is what pushes it over the edge for me. There are a few pages in the book specifically for children with special needs. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would be to teach a child with special needs and what kinds of things need to be taken into consideration to help them get the most out of what you're trying to present to them. Here TOS has helped ease this pressure by giving you ideas of how to teach, and it gave me a little more insight into how a child perceives things. Included in this section there are more of those lovely internal links that parents can use to help their children. That gives this product an extra gold star from me!

Overall, you really can't go wrong with The Curiosity Files! At a price of $6.95 for the Platypus and other selections at only $1 with a 7 day 100% guarantee I think you'll really enjoy having all of this information right at your fingertips! You could spread this out over a month or two or just have it on deck as something quick you can pull out when everything has gone awry and you haven't planned a lesson, or you're looking for something fun to do to shake things up. We'll definitely be getting a few more to help bridge the gap over "emergencies," and when I can't bolster the energy to do much more than hang out in bed :-)

Free Books!

2011-04-16T20:42:00.004-06:00

I've been meaning to post about this... better late than never right? (In my defense the husband, and full caretaker of house and wife at the moment, came down with a nasty stomach bug that's kind of turned our house upside down, so my mind's been in survival mode!)

However, this is too fun to not share now that things are a little less crazy. Scholastic and Kumon have teamed up and are bringing your child an opportunity to earn 2-5 free books. By visiting their website you can download a math and/or reading worksheet and once your child completes it all you do is send in their worksheet(s) and they'll send you the books that were selected. Now, this really is cost free to you, but there are a couple of rules that are displayed in their "how it works" section. Only 5 books can be awarded per household and you can only have one entry per age-group (which I don't really know why you would send in more than one, there's about 8 books in each category to choose from, so the selections would get a little old unless you thought you could resell them). Anyway! The only other catch is that you're releasing your child's work for them to use however they'd like... promotions, advertising etc.

We haven't had a chance to do ours yet, and we should probably get on it sooner than later since it'll take 6-8 weeks for the books to get here anyway, but the work is pretty simple, and a few of the book selections are just enticing enough at the great price of free, that I'll be having my children complete these this week!

I LOVE Kumon. Well, I'll rephrase, I bought my children a few Kumon workbooks at the bookstore last year just for fun and THEY love Kumon, which in turn means I do. My first exposure to them as a company was when my best friend from the age of 5 would go to their after school and work on math and reading (yah... she was Asian, how'd you know? *laugh* NO, not trying to be offensive here, but she was WAY ahead of the game and these kinds of programs that most of us know nothing about are the reason she was/is. PLUS, I lived in Korea and can tell you firsthand about the lengths parents will go to give their kids a leg up.... I went from teaching 3 children English to 32 in a matter of days at know encouragement of my own... in was INSANE. They were all in piano and Taekwondo too). Anyway, after my children leeched on to these products I told my friend (who of course hated to go), and she had a good laugh about them enjoying it.... which I think proves that these tools can be incredible under the right circumstances.

So! If this looks right for you then I hope you'll share your experience! I'm excited to try!

Frog and Toad and Magic Treehouse

2011-04-08T17:15:00.007-06:00

I picked up some Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel at the library our last time out and was pleasantly surprised. I thought I was picking these up to read aloud, but instead my 5 year old read them to me. Not only did he read them, but he chuckled while he read the story and while telling me where we were in the book (what's not funny about Toad yelling at seeds to grow and then worrying that they're scared at night so he goes out with a light and read poems and sings songs all night to them?). Anyway, these books were fun and improved his word recognition significantly, so I wanted to share that with you! I plan to get them for his birthday this year.

As for what we actually have read aloud, we're about 25 books into the Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne. While I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, these are fun because they're very short and the children can get a little taste of some historical happenings and that sets us off on a learning adventure as they ask more in-depth questions about things. My 2 year old even says "let's find out what happens to Jack and Annie next!" We've been exposed to everything from Mount Vesuvius to the Titanic and the adventures are still coming!

Oh, I also found a book at the book at the library called Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. I like how she laid out her book and there are some really great book recommendations in there as well, and she breaks them down into age groups, which is awesome! I'm going to have to find a copy of this book to come sit on my shelves permanently!

Government Shut Down

2011-04-07T21:53:00.007-06:00

Lately I've been consumed with following the government shutdown issue as best as I can. I have friends that are glued to CNN and FOX, but since that's not an option for me, I have read many articles and repost them on Facebook to try and educate others as to what's happening.

You can find coverage at http://www.nytimes.com/ and more of the same here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_government_shutdown and here http://www.military.com/news/article/budget-impasse-may-sink-troops-paychecks.html?ESRC=airforce-a.nl

The best information that I've come down to thus far has been what to do in the likely event that things will shut down, and that you can find via the National Military Family Association: http://www.militaryfamily.org/feature-articles/government-shutdown-what.html.

I think what bothers me most about this whole issue (yep, there's something that bugs me more than that the obvious of my husband not getting paid and us not being able to meet our bills), is what is holding up funding and threatening to shut down our government... which honestly is incredibly irritating since not running the government means they aren't making any money either so it's kind of counterintuitive to cutting the budget, no?

ANYWAY!! The real issue I'm having right now, is that something like ABORTION is one of the main issues holding all of this up. Really? Really?? Can someone actually say that we're going to shut everything down so that people can have tax payers dollars to kill children?? Yep, I'm just going for it in this post. If you don't agree with me, then there's an "x" or red button in the corner of your screen. I SAW THE HEARTBEAT OF MY 6 WEEK OLD FETUS ON MONDAY... THE HEARTBEAT. When does life begin?? I'd say a heartbeat is pretty convincing. With us "viable people" the end of life comes when the heart is no longer beating, how can we not say that a heartbeat marks the beginning of life?? I'm so confused on that reasoning!!

We've called our representatives to tell them to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, and they've heard us and they've fought tooth and nail to cut this funding. Now, people are calling their representatives and telling them that we have to solve this budget issue and make sure the military gets paid (this doesn't even include all the contractors that won't actually get back pay like we would if they're not essential personnel). My biggest concern at the moment is that the representatives that have fought so hard for the right to life are now in a rough position as their getting villinized for holding up the bill based on ideology. INCREDIBLE. Seriously, do you know how abortions are performed? I'd check into that before you fight me about a woman's right. Not okay! Deliver the child early and give it a shot and if it dies then so be it, but don't just kill it, especially by the horrific ways that are out there. If you even talked about doing that to someone that was "alive" you'd be locked in a dark cell far from humanity.

This is a hard one for me. Yes, I'd love to not worry about what will happen to my family financially come next next week and beyond, but at what cost? Is it worth giving tax payer money to murder defenseless babies in order that we can go along being comfortable? I would really hate to see a compromise on this one. While I don't agree with abortion on any level I SAW THE HEARTBEAT OF MY CHILD WHO'S ONLY 6 WEEKS ALONG, I'm not asking that there be a law against it, I'm asking that we don't funnel millions of dollars into it!!!!!

Better yet, if we could have two separate bills: that funds government organizations (like the military) and another that funds government programs (medicare, medicaid, welfare etc), I'd be a happy momma!

Thanks for letting me vent :-). Please pray for our government and those in control of things that will effect everyone. Also, take note of how your representatives are handling things right now. Have they showed any stand up behaviors that make you proud they're representing you, or are the part of those that say "the won't sleep until there's a resolution" and happily take breaks and continue to take their own pay throughout a shutdown.

P.S. Obama.... you didn't get my vote in 2008 and not only will you not get it in 2012, but I will do everything in my power to campaign against you if you so much as hint that you will take a shot at the presidency again!

How I Save Money Teaching Letters

2011-04-05T14:55:00.004-06:00

Since I'm pretty much useless to my family for the next 2-3 weeks (I can't lift anything over 10 lbs, and even sitting up makes me dizzy), I figured I would try to send some tips your way!

First, I've shared before how fun Confessions of a Homeschooler is, but I don't know if I've written specifically about her letter "curriculum." (We call them letter activities :-D). You can download each letter individually for FREE or you can buy them all at once via download for $10 or they'll send you a CD with everything for $16 (buying the files does come with some extras, but you aren't missing much). So, you start there, downloading the letters one way or another.

Then?? Well, my old Cannon Printer did about 1 letter per cartridge and it cost me about $52 to buy both a black and color cartridge. Yah, I ended up buying some on Amazon that saved me a little, but it was still A LOT of money for these things (and yet cheaper than having them printed in color at the local Staples..... the only place that we have available for printing in town). Thankfully that printer died (unfortunately as my husband was trying to print out a talk for church!), and we were in the market for a new one. Mr. Wonderful wanted us to get a laser printer since he too didn't care for the money we spent on cartridges, but after a week of researching EVERYTHING and finding mixed reviews on EVERYTHING, I was stuck. I finally made a leap and we bought an HP 8500 A Office Jet Pro. Staples even offers a discount if you bring them your old printer, working or not.

This puppy duplexes printing (there's one that even duplexes copies, but that wasn't worth the extra money for us especially since most of our printing comes straight from the computer), scans, faxes, is wireless, AND -THE CARTRIDGES ARE CHEAP AND PUT OUT AS MANY COPIES AS MOST LASER PRINTERS BUT WITH INKJET QUALITY. Simply put, it's amazing! The upfront cost is way cheaper than a laser printer and the upkeep is way cheaper for the same amount of work. I've done SEVERAL letter activities as well as printed out whole Discover the Scriptures curriculums, plus a ton of other things and I've only changed out the cartridges once, and they weren't even full to begin with. Don't waste money! This is the printer you want, promise!

Then, how to protect them? I picked up a Scotch Thermal Laminator at Walmart for around $25 a couple years ago and it's worked like a champ. The only trouble I ever had was buying the pouches for it, because at Walmart buying 50 will cost you about $13. Thankfully my fellow homeschooling buddy sent me a website where you can buy the pouches for a fraction of the price. My trip to laminator.com had me so excited. They have a buy 2 get one 1 free sale going on, and their boxes come with 100 pouches.... I bought 4 :-).

I guess the only other thing I can offer you is a time saver. Buy yourself a cheap straight-edge craft cutter from Walmart and you'll save yourself a lot of cutting. Works great even through the lamination.

Oh! My last tip is for storage. I use the cheap ziploc's (Great Value brand), and put different activity pieces in there. Then I put them in a nifty crate (they come in LOTS of colors!) with a hanging file folder for each letter and viola! Everything has a home and is easily accessed. The kiddies LOVE these activities. They're definitely worth having around whether you homeschool or are just looking for something fun to supplement with at home!

Goodbye Ovary....

2011-04-02T09:29:00.004-06:00

....you'll be missed! Yesterday I went in to the hospital with back and stomach pain and came out short an ovary due to an ovarian torsion. I figured I'd share what I know just in case this ever happens to you or someone you know because it's rare and can get misdiagnosed.

Wednesday night I was finishing up a workout and noticed a little cramping in my stomach. I went to bed that night not even thinking about it, but when I woke up and started moving on Thursday I was in pain to the point of tears. The right side of my stomach and back were extremely cramped and there was no relief. I took Tylenol, tried to lay down or stretch, had children sit on my back, nothing. The worst part is that I had a few things I wanted to get done because my husband was due back in town that night after having been TDY for a few weeks. So I did dishes in intervals and tried to take care of things all while trying not to pass out. Thursday evening rolls around, I go pick up the husband, we come back and enjoy pizza and a movie with the kids (he already knew how I was feeling and was very helpful in making the night as easy as possible). At this point I'm wondering if I'm just severely constipated, have an ectopic pregnancy, or kidney stones. So, I wait things out, try to get comfy and sleep a few hours. Anyway, hubby gets up around 2 to take some Ambien since they were on the night shift while he was gone and is now wide awake, and I realize that this pain is getting out of control so I go to find some Tylenol. By the time I hit the kitchen I had just a few moments to digest the fact that I wasn't going to stand any longer so I quickly walked to my bathroom and hit the floor voluntarily before I officially passed out there. (Might I add that I will ALWAYS have tile floors in the bathroom, nothing like something cold when your body is freaking out!)

So, even though my husband has taken a sleeping pill he realizes that we need to go to the hospital and that he'd be the safest driver since he can tell when he's getting tired and I can't tell when I'm about to pass out. We get to the hospital, I use him to walk since my body is so weak I can't function, and eventually I end up on the floor there... which apparently was good timing because that was right as some nurses were walking by and I was immediately put into a room. Still writhing in pain and now throwing up profusely no one knows what to do. One clever nurse (sarcastically speaking) says it's a bladder infection as that's common cause for pain on the right side.... yah buddy.... my first delivery choice for my babies in all natural and I can't handle the pain of a bladder infection... sure. Anyway! The real doctor comes after I've asked for pain meds and have moved positions 50 million times to try and get comfortable and have gone through crying fits (I don't even cry during labor and delivery), and he orders an ultrasound since he fears an ectopic pregnancy. The ultrasound tech sees something weird and can't figure out what it is. She knows my right ovary is inflamed and there's a cyst, but there's something else going.

Later the doctor comes in, calls in a specialist, and the radiologist weighs in. The original doc says it's just a cyst and will eventually burst and cause some relief, but it's the biggest cyst he's seen in 19 years of being a doctor.... and then the OB specialist comes and takes a look. He realizes that he can move the cyst from inside and that it doesn't hurt but when he presses from the top that it's really painful. SO, now he's worried about appendicitis and maybe an ovarian torsion, but he doesn't think it's that, and the only way for him to figure out what it is would be to set a scope. Well, in my dazed state I wasn't really grasping what was going on here. I didn't know that meant they were going to cut into me!

The husband finally gets me around enough to know what's going on (in the midst of him getting people to take care of our children, getting our Bishop to help give me a blessing, trying to counteract his sleeping pill, and watching his wife go through something he's never seen before... poor guy!) and wants to make sure that I'm aware of what can happen if I let the vultures (my loving nickname for my doctors) go inside me. I'm told they can wait a few hours to see if the pain goes away or they can go in now. Well, seeing as how I feel like my ovary, or something in that area is about to explode, I opt for them to just go in and see whats happening. What they saw was surprising for everyone (they even took pictures for me :-D).

The cyst was actually a lot bigger than they thought and my ovary had wrapped around itself making it black and blue. The doctor tried to untwist it for about 20 minutes but then after consulting with other surgeons decided it was best to just take it out. They don't know how long it'd been twisted and couldn't risk the likely infection that would spill over into my blood by opening up the flow again.

So, here's some information for you:

-ER's will generally not diagnose ovarian torsion because it is so rare, but it can be deadly, so it's worth asking about! I was going to be discharged with the information that eventually the cyst would burst and I'd be fine... we were even arranging for the people that had got the kids from the hospital to come and pick us up. I'm so glad for the prayers that were offered for them to find the cause of the pain, because going home would not have been good!

-Your ovary CAN explode and cause big problems.

-Ovarian torsion happens on the right side 60% of the time (which is where my really bad/intolerable stomach and back pain was).

-20% of ovarian torsions happen in pregnant women.

-Ovarian torsions can end up causing the same issues as strangulation does in a hernia (which we were well spun up on since my husband had hernia surgery at the end of January).

In hind sight I should have gone to the hospital when the pain started instead of trying to wait it out. I had no idea what was happening, so hopefully me sharing this will help someone who is dealing with uncontrollable pain. Ovarian torsion can only be diagnosed via laprascopic scoping (i.e. cutting a couple holes in your stomach... they even put on in my belly button, ow!), but it was definitely worth it. The first thing I remember was waking up and feeling relief in my back and stomach (until I moved and felt the incisions), but the insane pain that I'd had for over 24 hours was gone.

I'll spare you pictures here, but you can look up ovarian torsion in google and see what happens. So, some types of pain are definitely worth looking into sooner than later! If they would have diagnosed this earlier there would have been a higher chance that they would have been able to save the ovary. For now, I'm just happy that I have one healthy one and will be incredibly protective of it from here on out!

A Challenge: Let's Help Each Other Learn About The States!

2011-03-28T23:55:00.005-06:00

My friend "Crazy".... who you can find here.... gave me a wonderful idea! However, it's only going to work if you help me out! She suggested that I put out the challenge to you, my wonderful reader (who is hopefully a follower of my blog... yes, that was a cheap plug, I'm still waiting to hear from TOS!) to find and send in information on your state. So, your challenge, that I do hope you'll accept, is:

-Take a few minutes to find information on the state you live in!

Then either send me an email or leave a comment with the resources you've found (things we can get free like web addresses to printable activities, library books, or low cost items would be great!) and I'll compile them into a user friendly version and post them for everyone to use. With each state having designated things that are unique to them: flowers, birds, trees, animals... as well as differing histories, state flag designs and stories, famous people, roles in the founding of our nation, traditions, etc., there is alot of information that we can share! So, please! Take a few minutes and help us to learn about your state whatever that may be! Random information works too. A children's book that takes place in your state, interesting facts (Transformer's "Middle East" scenes were filmed at White Sands here in New Mexico, as was Contact etc., we also have HUGE hot air ballon festivals here, and every year in Santa Fe they build a huge mannequin, fill it with the bad things that happened during the year.... bad grades, divorce papers, eviction notices, and set it on fire... we're also the backdrop for stories about Billy the Kid and Kit Carson) are readily accepted and will be added to the list! Who knows what information will help peak a child's interest, so I'm open to anything that you can find that will enhance the learning experience of homeschoolers everywhere!

Also of interest is US Geography helps in general. I forgot to mention my favorite (okay, one of my favorite) History Channel series The States. (I bought these and The Presidents DVD when they were running a special last year. To get both sets was about $30.00, which is more than half the retail price. They have a deal for both going on right now, but I'm pretty sure it'll get better come future holiday's. Mine were most likely a gift to myself around Independence Day. The children really enjoy these, and my husband and I have learned a lot).

So, if you stumble along some kind of something that you think is a really great tool even if it doesn't have to do with just one state, that's fair game too. Also, should you find information on another state you're welcome to send it in! Depending on the participation that I receive from all of you, I will even create labels that will help you find the information easier here so that when you're ready to teach about the states the links are readily available.

So?!?! What do you think? I think now is a great time to research the great state of "fill in the blank," and send your finds my way! :-)

Studying the States

2011-03-28T06:25:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking a lot about geography lately, and was trying to come up with the best way to teach it to my children that would be fun and affordable. This all came to me while I was looking at confessionsofahomeschooler. She had laid out what I thought was a really good world geography curriculum called Expedition Earth and that was inspiring. However, as I sifted through what was there and what I would need to acquire, I realized that this just wasn't for me right now.

My biggest thought came the same way as our learning about history.... we should start with the United States! After all, we do live here :-). So, I tried without any luck to find state curriculum all contain in one place (until today when I went to grab links for this post and noticed that Road Trip USA is now being offered by Confessions and it looks awesome! Plus, there's a giveaway on her site right now). Anyway, I set out to find websites that would help me piece together information for my children, and free is definitely affordable for me! So, since we live in New Mexico, here are the links I found for our state. We learned about the state flower... which is awesome because the yucca is everywhere and my children now point them out as we're out and about... and bird, colored and found out why our flag looks the way it does, and even colored an A-Z picture book of all things New Mexico. I'll post that information here, and then next week I'll make a post of our next state (Nevada, since dad gets stuck there a lot):

http://www.newmexico.org/kids/learn/index.php is our state website and has A LOT of really interesting information. Under the activities tab is where I found the A-Z coloring book that my children grab on their own everyday and ask me questions about without any prompting from me. Sometimes just having things available makes a huge impact!

http://www.kidzone.ws/geography/usa/ has become my number one "go to" site for state information. Here is where we found a picture of our flag to color, as well as some history on it. Here is also where we found pictures to color and information on our state bird: the roadrunner and our state flower: the yucca, and after learning about the two separately my children were set off on their own creativity to color a picture of both together.

I have to note here one thing about coloring these last pictures. Remember my daughter that learns a little differently? Well, coloring a white yucca flower that's only tinted green was kind of disturbing for her. She felt like it should be multi-colored (well, she feels like everything should be multi-colored and comes up with some AMAZING things because of it), so guess what? I authorized multi-colored yucca flowers and a purply/blue roadrunner. Why? Well, I took into consideration why we homeschool. She knows what the roadrunner and yucca look like.... she's seen pictures and can answer questions. Sure coloring the picture "true to life" may have helped solidify in her mind what they look like, but who's to say that not doing it would destroy the reality of what it really is. I bring this up because I think we can really easily get caught up in "the right way" of doing things and forget that sometimes (especially in minuscule situations like this) it just doesn't matter! Yes, I'm trying to teach what these things look like, but if she knows what they look like and would just prefer to do it differently, then why not? We homeschool because our children have different personalities and ways of seeing the world, embrace it! There's a time and place for learning exactness, this isn't one of them.

I'll update you on our further state learning finds each Monday! Do you have any US Geography favorites? The one thing that I wanted to do that didn't happen this week was get books from the library that would go along with the state of the week. Hopefully this week I can grab some that will be helpful for you too!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-03-24T22:33:00.008-06:00

It's getting to be that time where a lot of people are looking for new curriculum, so I figured I'd share what I've enjoyed over the years. My qualification for curriculum is that it has to be fun and reinforce what is learned in an enjoyable way (games for instance). My husband and I spent enough time in school doing worksheets and "getting work done," that it's made it very important to us that our children apply and internalize the information they learn and have it become a part of them. Additionally, while some of my children learn no matter how things are introduced, my daughter is the poster child for unmedicated ADD/ADHD... so capturing her attention is vital. She really is the epitome of childhood, so if a program is not enough that she can spend 10-15 minutes engaged with me, then it's really just not enough. Plus the multi-sensory programs that I've found help engrave knowledge further for my other learners. With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite things:

~Right Start Mathematics:

I'm really lucky that I had a friend who had Right Start Mathematics. I didn't know many more options than Saxon Math, Math U See and Singapore. I watched a few videos on Math U See and realized that wasn't for us. While it is a really wonderful program, I wanted to be my child's teacher, and I didn't feel like doing worksheets was something that we needed to be doing. I had also heard a lot of really great things about Saxon math, but I didn't feel like their program was the best for

our home either. And while it's funny reasoning, I wasn't really okay with supporting Singapore Math because they had a "California Standard" version of their products that conforms with CA law that requires their curriculum to be a little more neutral... i.e. word problems can't involve a husband and wife/"traditional" family.

When I saw Right Start Math I knew it was PERFECT for us. They had me at "abacus," but the

more I learned the more I loved how the program was introduced and reinforced. There were lots of games and connections being made. I think we learn math in a more complete way that helps the children enjoy what they're doing and beg for math time. The lessons are straight forward and the teacher's manual gives a simple list of everything that is needed for the lesson. Did I mention the abacus? So, not only do I get to teach their lessons myself, but we're applying math to life ("look around the room and tell me what we have 2 of?") and we're taking advantage of an age old way of calculating numbers and visually interpreting information (8 is 5&3). I like how they discourage counting... although this is a very hard habit to break... and embrace the idea that 5 and 3 is equal to, or the same as, 8. It's not just some abstract fact. So, if you haven't heard of Right Start Math, it's worth giving some time to research if you're looking for something different. Their customer service is also incredible. I bought 3 abacus' when I ordered my kit and one wasn't in the box when I received my shipment. They were easy to get ahold of, and quickly sent out the missing piece with their apologies.

Happy Phonics: I really enjoy being able to just have fun with my children. Before mentioned OCD issues makes it difficult for me to just sit and let loose, so Happy Phonics is a great way to learn with my children and play games that make phonics real to them. I found a copy of this program on Amazon about 2 or 3 years ago from a mom that previously used it with one of her children and found it to not be the mostaffective for a subsequent child. The result of that was being able to have everything cut out for me, all I did was laminate it and cut out and we were ready to go! I was also fortunate enough to watch and learn from the mom that suggested this program and really get some great ideas of how to make phonics come alive for my children. It had a whole lot less to do with the actual information and way more to do with my reactions. Amazing what a few "Wow, that was great! Good job!" can really mean the world to a small child. The program recommends using it in conjunction with Explode the Code. We haven't done this, but I know it's worked for a lot of people.

Now, I'm Reading: I LOVE this series!!! Everyone that comes in contact with these books loves this series. I actually recently got a call from a mom that I had talked to last year who wanted me to remind her the name of it because she remembered liking them SO much and now that her son is ready to read she couldn't get it out of her head and couldn't find anything close to it anywhere else. These books reinforce words throughout the book (The Cat, The tan cat, The tan cat ran) etc. They don't throw out words randomly without prepping the child for them, which reduces frustration. The books run through a series and there's a guide in the back of the book to tell you what is being introduced, and even has questions to help the child focus on comprehension. The illustrations are great and my children love the stories. Despite bookshelves packed with books, my children gravitate to these several times a day and there are A TON of options in these books. Things start with Playful Pals and move up through more Advanced books and even have "Independent Readers" that let the children explore Science and Math in a way that is not overwhelming because they've learned the skills to decode the words.

All About Spelling: I was introduced to this program a few years ago, but didn't take the leap to actually buy it until a few months ago. I borrowed All About Spelling from a friend and really enjoyed the multi-sensory aspect of things (again, I have a daughter who would surely be on Ritalin if in a publicschool setting). This program breaks down words and reinforces phonics. We even ended up buying a large whiteboard and mounting it on our kitchen wall specifically for this program. My children are all smiles when they work with all about spelling. They use magnetic tiles to build words, practice writing words on paper, and learning how to hear the different components of the words. It's amazing when even your 2 year old is picking up phonogram sounds... I love osmosis!

Handwriting Without Tears: Again, this system is very multi-sensory. The children color, use chalk boards, create the letters with wood pieces... and other products I didn't feel itnecessary to buy, but am glad I have the option to if I feel the need. I like that the children can reinforce their writing on chalk boards, they are the perfect size... then I buy sponges at the grocery store, wet them, and they practice again by erasing what they just made in the same order. While this system may not provide the "prettiest" handwriting, it does give the children a perfect starting point, so if they're interesting in progressing to a fancier script they have a solid foundation to go off of. I'll also mention that ALL of my children are left handed. That's an anomaly right? Anyway, their instructions are perfect for any child and show you how a pencil should be held and the proper angle on the paper. Speaking of paper, they also have paper you can buy. I did this so that my children can again, reinforce what they're learning. There are many companies that also provide writing practice in the HWT style. I picked up a free booklet at Currclick.com last month. Unfortunately, it's no longer available for free, but I'm sure that things like this will come up again. You can also buy the font and there's a TON of support on the Handwriting Without Tears website. I don't buy the teacher's guides, I feel like the program is pretty self explanatory, but I'm sure there are wonderful tips and instructions in there on how to make the program come even more alive. I watched some videos on their site and it's really fun and all encompassing. Oh! And the sell a box of 144 golf pencils (the perfect size for little hands) that are pre-sharpened. LOVE that! I didn't buy them the first time around, but this last order I sprung for them and it's been $9.75 well spent!

Song School Latin: I like this program because it uses songs and an activity book to reinforce teaching points AND it's inexpensive! Maybe that's my favorite part. Everyone sings the songs/knows the words, and I get that for a fraction of the cost of other programs. This is a great primer for future feats in Latin. I feel like teaching my children Latin will be beneficial to them

because it is the root of so many languages, including our own! I can't tell you how many times I've figured out a new word because I was able to use preexisting knowledge of Latin roots. This is definitely not a dead language! My cousin teaches Latin back east and goes to many conferences where they only speak in Latin. This language is making a come back in incredible ways and gives insight to all the romance languages! I highly recommend finding a Latin program and implementing it in your home. Song School Latin is a slow easing in to things, and again, at such a small price you can get a feel for where you'd like to take your Latin learning in the future.

Alfred's Piano Books: I really enjoy these books. At about $6 a book they're inexpensive and on Amazon.com they are available for 4 for 3, which gives me a free book! There are all-in-one versions of the books, still trying to feel those out... I think they're great for older students, but 3 & 4 year olds, and those young at heart, would enjoy the separate theory, and note speller books. I have one lesson book for the family and then buy the write in books for each of the children. You'd save money just buying the all-in-ones, so with more children to teach piano to this is something that I've considered. However, I think I really like the separate books for level A and then maybe going to the all-in-ones after you've established a relationship with the piano and your child. I'm a self-taught pianist, so it's nice to go back and reestablish a base... these books are fun and there are endless ways to reinforce what's being taught.

And lastly, while you've read about these before:

Discover the Scriptures: I think these packets that follow the scripture stories put out by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, provide questions and activities for any parent to help their children increase their scriptural knowledge. They also provide FREE helps to memorize the Living Christ. I also appreciate their approach to Christ centered holidays (Christmas and Easter) and will write about those soon!

Mornings Are For Me

2011-03-23T06:52:00.003-06:00

Here at Jorgensen Manor the kiddies don't wake up until 7am or later. I have one child who would probably get up before that, but I have a Goodnight Light in his room to let him know when it's 7 and he can quietly get up and go find a good book and nestle on the couch until the rest of the house comes to life.

Because of this, I try to take advantage of the hours between 4:45 and 7. Why? Well, I'm a crazy person of course! If you've read my blog you know this, and if you know me personally... well, I'm sure I've apologized at least more than once that you've been that unlucky :-). Anyway! Why I really do it (well, besides the given that is), is because that's a little over two hours that are mine before anyone else has even thought to begin stirring. While I was a BIG fan of mornings before... as in waking up between 3 & 4 to get a run in before starting a day filled with 18 credits of college classes, being an Air Force ROTC cadet and working full time... being married to a non-morning person, having morning sickness, etc. has made it hard to get on a good schedule that starts bright and early.

I know it's odd, but a video that I saw on Mother's Day featuring The Osmond Second Generation made me think. The mom of the 8 boys (Suzanne) talked about how she got up at 5 every morning and that's how she got everything done.

Also one of my husband's friends growing up had a mom who was always up first thing in the morning and was able to keep up with was she needed.

Anyway! The moral of the story is, whenever I start my day with a good running start (often literally) my day goes so much smoother! While I enjoy the extra time cuddling with my honey or even the little cat naps I can get in until everyone is actually moving, I'm so much happier when I get up and going. My body automatically wakes up somewhere between 4:45-5:15, so I normally don't set an alarm, I just get up whenever it happens instead of trying to go back to sleep and life is good! Seems like without the time to train first thing in the morning (I have a triathlon that I'm training for and hitting the pool first thing lets me see the sunrise through the glass, BEAUTIFUL!), I'm playing catch up all day long... which means never actually catching up and feeling a little stressed in the meantime. In those extra hours I read scriptures, train for an upcoming race, and get ready for the day before anyone gets up. More than half the time I even have breakfast ready too.

So, mornings are for me. I'd happily share them with my husband if he were up at that time, but I hit the day more energized and refreshed then if I were to "sleep in." There are certainly cycles and stages in life... I'm definitely less willing to keep my crazy schedule with a newborn that just went to sleep at 4:30 etc., so evaluate where you are in life and don't run faster than you're able... but I highly recommend looking at your life and seeing where you can find time for your health and spiritual wellbeing. Your relationship with God and how you care for your body is HUGE, make sure it gets the precedent in your life whether it's first thing in the morning or sporadic throughout the day!

A little randomly... I had a a few miles to put in on my treadmill this morning and since I can't read while running or focus quite well enough for audiobooks, I watch documentaries and things to that effect. This mornings happy find was The Lazy Environmentalist.

I really enjoyed the little tips of how to live a little more "green." While I know not everyone buys the whole "going green" thing, I do think it's important to stick to the basics and that harsh chemicals and waste sitting in landfills and leeching into our earth and ending up in our water supply is everyones concern. We need water people! And contaminated water isn't going to do us any good. Anyway, I'll be finishing out this season and gleaning what I can. Even the episode that I didn't think I'd care about (the guy who makes fashion choices for *stars*), left me with some good ideas and thing to consider. I think especially those of us with big families are pretty good at repurposing items, so that certainly helps, but I hadn't thought of how much we could compost or do differently.

I even left one episode thinking about recycling even though that means driving to another state. Okay, it's not that extreme, we live 1 1/2 hours from the next state and that's where all the "big stores" are. We don't have a program to recycle here... apparently the one place you can go to take things actually just dumps the stuff in the landfill here because it's too expensive to take it somewhere that can do something with it. So, I figured when we run to TX for our monthly Costco trip that we'll make it a time that we can drop off our recycling.

In Korea we had to sort EVERYTHING. Other countries just don't have the space to throw out a bunch of trash the way we do, and apparently even we're running out of space. So, why not find ways to keep our amazingly beautiful land for our amazingly beautiful children and someday grandchildren? Although, I think if you are going to watch this you have to commit to doing some sort of exercise while you are.... and no, hand from bowl/plate to mouth doesn't count! :-)

Preparation

2011-03-19T06:59:00.007-06:00

Have you ever had a time in your life where a certain theme keeps coming up in everything you see? It happens to me a lot. The particular all encompassing topic of interest that has been my constant companion for the last week has been preparation. It all started with thoughts on preparing for retirement, turned into emergency preparedness, and this mornings readings brought me to preparing children.

I discussed a little about our retirement preparations previously. We are now more focused then ever before on our farm and the "homesteading" life. However, what I didn't expect was how those thoughts would effect our plans for the next 10 years of Mr. Wonderful's military career. We've planned on going overseas and high adventure for years.... yet, come the beginning of this week my desire to do so has been greatly reduced. Why? Well, my husband served a mission in Japan from 97-99, minored in Japanese in college and spent several months there last year. He loves Japan and has taught our family to do so as well. Thanks to Hiragana Mama I've been able to help in the teaching of our children. Anyway, as I'm sure you're aware, recently there has been some massive destruction in Japan (where we were hoping to go next year) as well as the targeting and killing of Airmen in Germany at the airport there (also on our list of places to go.) Now, I'm not saying that these event are going to keep us from going to these places, but they sure have made me think.

We are a family of 6 and counting. We live comfortably in a 3 bedroom house and with my OCD and world traveling husband, we're downsizing quite a bit (mostly it's been in preparation for any overseas move, but still applicable if not). We don't need much, we specialize in multiple sets of bunk-beds and sharing rooms, and we'd happily inhabit the floor if necessary. However, the one thing that is unchanging about our situation that we can't modify like sleeping arrangements, is the need to get everyone adequately fed. It takes a bit more to feed our family than others without as many members, and so preparation for future events (natural disasters for instance) is a BIG deal for me. It seems like everyday gives me a reason to stock up even more on the things that we use. And unfortunately, while we have a good supply of food, to feed 6 people for a month just with what is in our home (assuming the electricity is out and my frozen stuff is now unusable) is questionable to me.

How these thoughts effect my desire for adventures overseas is like this: after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the power went out. No heat, no electricity to your refrigerator, no lights. The commissary at Misawa quickly ran out of essentials, people could only buy things with cash (card machines don't work without power!), and the people in the cities were desperately in need of everyday supplies because they are not allowed to keep a food storage due to hoarding laws. I really evaluated things at this point. I honestly would rather stay in the states and have my food storage, acreage for gardening and the knowledge that I've settled and prepared as best as I can so as not to watch my family go without food and water, and also so that we can have goods available to bless others in hardship. Perhaps it's time to leave the high adventures to others (if it were just the husband and I there would be no question!)

This post: http://jorgensensblog.blogspot.com/

Which lead me to this blog: http://actegratuit.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthquake-aftermath.html

And this post on that blog: http://actegratuit.blogspot.com/2011/03/humanitarian-aid-for-hachinohe.html

has made me contemplate what I want and what needs to happen for our family. Simplicity comes to mind. Adventure is great, it's exciting, it's wonderful! Our time in Korea was some of the most eye opening and enjoyable times in my life, but if I can't do that and accomplish all the basic needs my family would need in an emergency it's not worth it. So, even though I prefer to be at an ACC base, my husband is actually talking about going to teach at our last base so we can have a farm there and he can have a more set schedule. Weird how things change, right?

Whether or not I got my point across in that last rambling mess, I must move on as children are starting to rise and the day must be on it's way! My last thought was on SPIRITUAL PREPAREDESS. My day began the best way I learn.... through reading. My husband took our iPad and iPod so I hopped on lds.org to read my scriptures and instead of getting that far the opening page spoke clearly to me and everything that I think about... so, I followed the link and it lead me to a Feb 2011 Ensign talk on The Power of Early Preparation.

So, go read that and here's one last thought for you from our nightly reading of Stand A Little Taller by President Hinckley:

~March 18~

A Quiet Voice

A soft answer turneth away wrath:

but grievous words stir up anger.

-Proverbs 15:1

"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills of difference become great mountains of contention. The voice of heaven is a still, small voice; likewise, the voice of domestic peace is a quiet voice."

Unsettling.....

2011-03-16T07:52:00.005-06:00

Let me preface this post with one very important piece of information: Despite public schools not being the right place for my family and the fact that I relearn that almost everyday, I am not opposed to public school. I do not pitch a fit or feel upset that my property taxes go to education (but I do get a little feisty that the money is allocated poorly so that the teachers and students aren't benefitting as much as they should), and I do not doubt the good intentions of those looking to educate your children. Some people can't or don't want to homeschool and I say more power to yah! I get to choose what's best for my family and it would be tragic for you to not do the same.

I follow Oak Norton at Utah's Republic.org. He is the motivator behind making sure that the Utah's schools are learning proper things.... like the little fact that the United States is a Republic. It was only recently and under his constant prodding that there was a bill passed which made it mandatory for this information to be taught. :-) (If you think we're a democracy, just imagine that you have a nice home for you and your family and some people got together and voted to take your home away... just for funsises. Well, the majority won and now your no longer have a place to live. That's how a democracy works, majority rules.... be grateful and very aware that we live in a republic!)

I got an email this morning from Oak on Common Core Curriculum requirements being introduced into schools. This is something that public and home schooler's should take note of, because we're getting scary here and I can see this branching out to an uncontrollable monster. With this new set of requirements comes a mandatory request for your child's:

"hair color, eye color, gestational age at birth (whether a child was premature or not), blood type, blood test results, birth marks, and even bus stop arrival time."

Umm... why? So you can see what factors lead to better test scores and success in school? And if that is the case.... how does one use this information now that you have it? I know what Hitler did with his information. Don't laugh just yet, seriously, feel free to think why all this information is needed and leave a comment. Consider too, that the Common Core Curriculum is also trying to make local and state school boards obsolete. How do you feel about completely federally run schools? Is it okay to not have a say in your child's education at a local level? Personally, I don't think so! Even if my children were in public school that would not make obsolete my right as a parent to know about and fight for/against what is being taught to my children. But, of course, this question is for those of you in the public school system right now. I'm interested to hear thoughts.

Anyway, Oak's preface is here, and you can read the whole article here.

Even if you're a homeschooler what happens in the public schools can directly affect you, so take note! You are not an island to yourself, and something like this could very well legislate down to us, especially in the more regulated homeschooling states.

What are the functions of a public school, and how should they be run? Many say that their goal is to "educate" children, but the first question posed to homeschooler's is how our children get socialize (GREAT article on that here), and still yet we have legislation mandating all day Kindergarten and extending school hours for the main purpose that it's easier for working parents.... suggesting a daycare-ish purpose. It's quite the enigma to me!

Learning to Work

2011-03-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

A few months ago I read a post on Latter-day Homeschooling which was written by a lovely mother of 7 (who I'm lucky enough to be friends with thanks to the internet), and it got me thinking.

I'm an obsessive cleaner by nature, and when I get stressed that desire gets worse., I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about ;-). While this normally wouldn't be bad, the problem is that it's hard to be such and not go nuts when you have a bunch of little children. I've worked for years at trying to find a good balance in work and play and have come up miserably short. Ever wonder "How am I supposed to help these children learn these life skills when all I went to do is quickly complete a task (because it takes FOREVER for them to do it and it's still not done the way I want it) so it's finished and we can sit and learn/play/go out?" I sure have! I've tried schedules and lists and I've always come up short... until this post on Stewardships.

Teaching my children how to work in a family setting took on a whole new meaning when we starting to think of being stewards of the different areas in our homes. The idea that someone (or all of us) are responsible for certain areas and that everyone learns how to care for each area, has made a world of difference. So, not only did I get equipped with a new way of looking at things, but I was able to have a specific idea of how to teach my children what to do. I'm not super creative, I prefer patterns and set instructions, so it helps me be able to implement things that I want to do when someone has already set the stage of what I want. I downloaded the individual work sheets that look like this:

and then changed them to be applicable to my home (which I have a picture of, but haven't downloaded yet). With Heather having already written out the steps to cleaning each room, all I had to do was tailor them for my home, and I was even able to add on additional areas that needed attention in my home. Each list is broken down into daily and weekly jobs, and everyone gets cycled through the jobs at different times depending on age until everyone knows how to clean each room appropriately. My problem before in keeping up with keeping my home in proper order was that there was no specific written way to do so. Kudo's to all the mom's who can sporadically function and get everything finished, but without a concrete page in front of me (that of course can be deviated from, but it's just nice to know you got to everything you intended or know exactly what you meant to exclude instead of doing so by mistake!), I was finding myself irritated that I hadn't really accomplished what I'd set out to do.

Now every child in my home knows what they are responsible for, and I'm better able to help them accomplish their goals. After a quick round of stewardships in the morning and perhaps the evening, we're finished and ready to go! I don't have to supervise every little thing anymore. The first week we implemented our new system, we didn't get through all the cards. We maybe got through half. However, my son learned how to clean a bathroom and was excited about it, my daughter learned how to wipe down all the doors, doorknobs and light switches with Clorox Anywhere spray (that's my favorite product by the way) and a towel, and the next youngest son learned that we expect him to be present, account for, and willing to do little things that are asked of him... i.e. wipe something down, put away toys etc. The next week we got through all the cards... it took us nearly all day, but the house was shinning! Since our training has come to a close with everyone spun up and knowledgeable about what needs to be done and where, we can now complete all of the "big jobs" in our home in a few hours. Amazing isn't it? And so worth the training time! I'm confident that subsequent children will be able to pick up these new skills quite easily thanks to the stellar example of their siblings.

Anyway, my home is not perfect or perfectly clean. Chicken feed, wood chips, dirt and dust are constant additions to our floor, but everyday we have a chance to catch up with these things so they don't multiply too bad and move forward with everyones help. Plus, it helps that once a week I know that everything will be in order! That sure helps my tendency to want to do all those "big jobs" all day, everyday. There is a time and a place for everything, so knowing a particular thing will happen in "x" amount of days helps me remember that, unless there's been an accident that makes doing that job a necessity... i.e. so and so peed on the kitchen floor, things can wait and it's more important that I go and play!

It's important to learn to work. My children are happier when they are working and the atmosphere of our home greatly benefits. It is worth the time to teach your children how to run your home, and it's important to start early! Don't wait until they're "better able." My 5 year old cleans both of the bathrooms beautifully and cheerfully even months down the road. You don't have to be overworked. slaving at being everything and doing everything for everyone in your family. Helping your children learn to do the work and work alongside with you becomes a fulfilling and enjoyable time for all. My gaggle begs to do dishes. There are no incentives for them to do so... no extra treats, attention, nothing, but they still love to do the work anyway. Why? Because, good hard work feels good! We're working for a common goal and we're blessed for being good stewards over the things that the Lord has given us!

New Clothes for the Children

2011-03-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago we purchased some new "uniforms" for our gaggle. Old Navy was having a 20% discount + free shipping, so I took the opportunity to buy a few items for our brood to wear to church. I'm slightly obsessed with sweater vests and both hubby and I especially love when all the boys match, so here is what we picked up for them, and then we added the matching dresses for our daughter.

We also were in need of new church shoes for the boys. I had foundsome black, no lace, church shoes on sale at the BX a few months ago, and for the last few months I shake my head every Sunday at the deteriorating specimen that is their shoes. So, after talking with Mr. Wonderful I took the 3 big kids to the local Dollar Boots and Jeans store and got them some Tony Lama boots.

While a little pricier, this is my thinking: these shoes can be used for various activities from horses back riding, playing in the back yard, any outing, and on up to going to church (we clean them Saturday night). Also, the amazing girls there fit my children perfectly and left room to grow (I asked for this), plus Tony Lama's have a removable sole that will allow for even more growth. We had some Ariat's for the oldest two the year before last and I had to hide them from my daughter in order for her not to wear the boots that had become almost 2 sizes to small. Yes, boots are loved that much around here! I'd rather pay a bigger price tag upfront for some long lasting versatile footwear than cheap shoes that I end up buying several pairs of and eventually pay as much as I would have for a nice pair of leather goodness!

Do you have any quirky purchase habits when it comes to your children? I never buy anything full price (except for boots), so I'm always on the lookout for coupon codes or a clearance rack. Feel like sharing your secret shopping tips?

Homestead Blessings

2011-03-12T23:32:00.004-07:00

I'm surprised that I haven't mentioned Homestead Blessings! I bought some DVD's in 2009 because I desperately wanted to learn some skills to benefit my family and I couldn't find anyone that new how to do what I wanted to do! My hubby laughed when he first knew of my acquisition, but readily became excited as we watched soap and candle making! He still talks about them... and we've acquired "a few" more since on everything from gardening and canning to quilting, sewing, and dairy products. I love the West Ladies that host the show, and they inspire the homesteader within me every time I watch their shows!

Franklin Springs often has really great sales, so you'll have an opportunity to add the video(s) of your choice to your home that will fit your family budget, just be patient!

Just for fun, and to try to peak your interest, here is their recipe for hamburger buns. I LOVE making my own Hamburger Buns and I directly thank Homestead Blessings for giving me the confidence to do this. Seriously, it's so easy, really yummy, and it saves me money. There is no down side to having this recipe on hand in your home:

*************************************************************************************

~Hamburger Buns~

4-5 cups Flour (white, wheat or a combo of both)

2 Tbl yeast

1 cup milk

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup oil

3 Tbl honey

1 tsp salt

*Mix 2 cups flour with 2 Tbl yeast. Heat water, oil, milk, honey, and salt on the stove until very warm. Pour liquid mixture into the flour and beat well. Start adding the rest of the flour until the dough is soft. Knead briefly, then let rest for 10 minutes. Next, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut out buns (I use the mouth of one of our cups for this, the West Ladies use biscuit cutters), and let rise for half an hour on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

*************************************************************************************

So, their explanation is prettier, mine here came from the shorthand that I wrote myself in my recipe book, so get the movie and enjoy having the recipes straight from them via pdf! I have no incentive to write this post other than to share with you the joys that I've received from being able to "spend time" with ladies that know skills that I literally pray to have in my life.

Happy perusing!

*Are there any favorite recipes or skills that you've learned that help you feel more self-sufficient?

From City Girl to Country Mama

2011-03-12T20:31:00.007-07:00

Life is funny sometimes isn't it?

Once upon a time my life was filled with dreams that looked a lot like an Ikea showroom:

(perfectly pristine, complete with the lack of toys, books, and who knows what strewn over the floor), and was topped off with a large home that I occupied all alone with some massive dogs (think Rottweilers or German Shepherds), for safety, while I slaved day in and out as a Southern California attorney.... on the defense side of the house of course, but why that is may have to wait for a different post. I was a college educated (whatever that means), focused, cut throat individual who sat for hours on the 91 and 5 freeways to get somewhere that would normally take 20 -30 minutes. Life was good! Or so I thought. Who wouldn't want to "have it all?" Boy was I naive! Thankfully I was whisked away from all that by a very patient and loving husband.

For the last 7 years I've followed my husband and have now, for the first time in my life, truly receieved an education. While I still don high heels and big dreams, the above mentioned realities for me seem like they exist in an alternate universe. My dreams look a lot like this now:

.... just makes my heart all aflutter! (There's a child kind of cut out of the picture on the right who is down on the ground with some animals) What's odd is that I NEVER wanted to have children, now we can't stop wondering when the next one will get here. I'd never known, or cared to know, that you could make a cake from scratch, raise chickens (people far away did that right?), grow your own food, or become properly 'learned' outside of a certified public schooling institution.

I'm writing this post today because retirement is weighing heavily upon our minds here at Jorgensen Manor. While retirement to many people means "yay, no more working," around our place we count down to it because it creates even more varied opportunities for work and growth. It's a little tricky trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up when you move every 1-3 years. However, every move we do a little more (like switching to cloth diapers a few years back, making our own laundry detergent, raising 3 chickens despite living on a residential street. etc.) as well as acquire all the information that we can in order to reach our end game.... being self-sufficient. To us, working to start a 50-100+ acre farm 30-40 minutes from the closest town is a beautiful thought! And today, we added a few more specifics to our plans.

This my friends is an Arabian Horse.

I asked a man that we go to church with if we could come out and work for him today in exchange for information on horses. Hubby and I have discussed having horses on our "farm," so I figured today would either solidify that desire or cast it off completely. Well, let's just say my cute honey literally just informed me of a horse (then followed with several more and added on saddles) that he wanted to buy.

Our latest plans? Well, while we have yet to pick a location to buy land since Mr. Wonderful doesn't know what kind of job he'll want to have when he parts ways with the military (he'll be 42 when he retires if he only stays in 20 years), we're getting a little more direction. After time spent with the horses today we now have visions of grandeur that consist of boarding/training horses and making a living off the land together as a family. Settling near a university where we could alternate teaching classes would also help keep funds flowing (turns out money is needed to raise children and have a farm, who knew?), and military pension doesn't hurt.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that dreams can and do come true and you should do all you can to research out your desires. I've learned repeatedly over the last few years to not disregard the thoughts that come to me, even when they seem incredibly obscure.

How my idea of perfect went from this to thisI may never know. Kind of seems like a no brainer now!

But with each day I hope that we'll find the simple things in life that make it so beautiful! May your days be simpler, full of more love, and in pursuit of rekindling lost arts that help will us feed, clothe, educate and inspire our families in the best and worst of times.

A Favor To Ask....

2011-03-11T07:23:00.004-07:00

So, I normally write just because I can. Lately I haven't because I've been researching funding my Master's degree... to no avail (if you know anyone that likes to fund degrees for homeschooling mom's you're welcome to pass my name along! The program I want to do is through AMU. I'm looking into National Security, but have toyed around with the idea of Education. My end game is to teach at a University, which is why I want the politically charged degree so I can help the next generation find hope in government and their voices, but of course the Education one would applicable to my life now... and what it will be for many years to come, so I wouldn't mind teaching that either.) Anyway! My brain has been working on that for a few weeks and I've finally dropped the subject and can think about something else. (I was literally told not to mulit-task by my neurologist... don't know how she said that to me with a straight face seeing as how all of my kids were standing there with me... but I have an excuse for not being able to think about writing here too :-D)!

On to my favor! Because my brain cells are now freed up, and desperately in need of something more to do, I'm thinking about applying to be a reviewer with TOS (a very helpful homeschooling resource that I stumbled on 4 years ago after googling "Homeschool Magazine"). They are looking for bloggers to review homeschooling programs... which if you homeschool you KNOW that deciding on a product that fits your needs can be aggravating when you don't have real peoples opinions... and I'd like to help out. The application process is in full swing, I'm sure I'll be contending with a lot more fun, interesting, and less controversial mothers, but I'd like to at least try!

So, what can you do to help? FOLLOW ME! :-). I need to have at least 25 people publicly following me. I know a lot of people end up here and that I'm on blog rolls that I don't know about, so, if you're spying on me, would you please make yourself known. I promise not to disappoint! For the "school year" I'll have a 6, 5, 3, and 1 year old, (and with any luck we'll be expecting again), so I'll give you a real day in the life look at how these products work in regards to various ages, especially how realistic they are to use when there are tiny humans about.

K, there's my plea. If you feel able, please take a second and like me now. They will be announcing their crew soon so hurry and tell your friends :-).

A Double Edged Sword

2011-02-22T21:24:00.003-07:00

So, here's a video for you:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Umm... yah, I get the schools point of view, but as the wife of a military member, I get where she's coming from. Deployments are HARD on kids. Her explanations are perfectly valid, and since she's already working with a psychologist, I don't see why the school didn't release him. Having separation anxiety is certainly not going to get any better when you take a child away who already has to deal with a parent being gone.

On the flip side of this, I read a comment on the page I saw this on http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/02/15/6058506-6-year-old-committed-to-psych-ward-against-moms-wishes, and it's absolutely true. The public school system has evolved into an extra parent providing before and after school programs, etc., etc,... and we're to blame. Don't judge me too harshly. I know this isn't true of everyone, but MANY people don't know what to do with their kids when school is out... or they're pushing for all day kindergarten (this would be for 5 year olds friends!) so that they don't have to worry about arranging child care options for their kids. I get that there are people (namely women) who have to work in addition to their spouses income to make ends meet... I have a sister that was divorced with 3 little girls... I get it, I do, PROMISE, but a majority of the women that work do so not because they have to. (Please don't argue here if you don't agree with me. I can assure you that I don't see "wants" that you may see as "needs" in that way and there's nothing you can say that will make me do so). Anyway! We've turned the school system into monstrous child rearing institutions and we can't really get all up in arms when they turn parental. You've given your child to the system. I'm not saying that you don't have any say, by golly I would go sit in my kids class everyday if they were in public school and insert my nose in everything (hence why I say that the schools are actually quite blessed that we homeschool... it wouldn't be very fun for either party involved to have my kids there), so yes, be protective mommy, I beg you! But at the same time, we've relinquished a lot of rights when we allow our child to be indoctrinated (that can be for good or bad) away from home upwards of 8 hours a day.

So, there you have it... the double edged sword. Really don't know where I stand on this one. I'm appalled and would be REALLY upset as a parent, but the schools really couldn't just let this one fly because people would be up and arms and blaming them if anything happened to this child. Oh the web that we sew!