Explaining Sept. 11th

Today I got to explain Sept. 11th to Ahnika. (Yikes... but she asked why it was a "holiday"... heh)
Upon finishing my rather brief explanation of the sick, chaotic story, she said...
"Why? Because they had nothing better to do?" (heh again - sarcasm from a 7 year old =D)
And I gave her a bit of a better explanation of the events.
Ahnika: "Well that must not have made God very happy."
Also true.

Then she brought up a book about two ladies who had been traveling from another country to New York for a special flower show that was supposed to take place on Sept. 11th - a true story. We read the book a LONG time ago... probably close to a year! It never ceases to amaze me, the trivia my children pull from mid-air... and most of it learned during story time!

It struck me again just how different the lives of my children will be, when compared to the world I knew as a child.

And this would be why...

... you should never leave markers within ANY kind of climbing reach of an almost-2-year-old.

HA
(she wanted to get in on the homeschooling action with her big sisters... yikes.)

Very short election dissertation

Well... short considering what I'm capable of! ha.

I'm seriously beyond thrilled in McCain's choice for Sarah Palin as his VP.
By principle I'm a Libertarian (short version = little to no federal gov.t involvement... local govt. laws, more power to the people, etc, yadda yadda... for those that have no clue what a libertarian is...)

Anywho, I had planned on writing in Ron Paul on the ballot, but don't feel I need to any longer. McCain has honestly been quite a suprise, and I absolutely admire Palin. For SOOOO many reasons! Their moral stance clinches the deal for me, but I truly appreciate their ideas on education, and energy. The only thing I'm not sure they'll be able to do much about is the health care crisis. And it IS a crisis when a family has to pay more than their mortgage per month for insurance, even before deductibles, etc. BUT I'm for reform options in that area, vs. tax increases.

Supplies

Today I went to Givens Books and bought the majority of the home school supplies we will be using this year! I didn't want to go ALL out with school things, due to the fact that we will likely be moving in the next few months - and moving to a GOOD school system (at least it's supposed to be =D)!!!!

I cannot believe I hadn't gone there before. I could have easily spent 5 hours wandering around - especially their used book section. I'm an avid collector of old and antique books, and it was like a little bit of heaven in that area! Much bigger overall than expected, with the added bonus of the Drowsy Poet coffee shop to boot! ;)

Pictures may or may not be forthcoming. Currently, we're just BUSY... Neighborhood yard sale saturday, attempting to consolidate our belongings, getting ready for a small family beach vaca in NC with some friends in their families beach house (YAY!!!), house on the market, schooling about to start up again - oh.. and potty training for Jules. Never a dull moment!

Well they just went from annoying to utterly stupid...

I have zero respect for Chinese politics other than the fact that they've inspired a "good" work ethic (though that's debatable, considering it's out of fear and ultimate survival necessity rather than any inner prompting).

They have to be completely on crack to think that this is going to be any kind of an intelligent idea, especially considering their known track record with the rest of the world...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1829803,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-world

Birthday - w00t

OK - soooo I had such a great birthday!!!

My hubby took me out on a date - just something casual - I was in no mood to get all snazzed up. And the girls made me cards ALL day! :)

I'll go into greater detail on everything later, but I did want to add a picture of this beautiful cameo he gave me!!!! In case you can't tell, it's of a mother helping her daughter walk! I fell in love with it a year or so ago! Isn't it amazing! ;)

Happy Things

So - because facebook is a pain and lets everyone know every time you write anything AND due to the fact that the folks on facebk. prob. think all I ever do is bring the news to their attention and make them think about it (and really, who wants to think when you just want to check your dang wall and see who sent you flair =D), I'm transferring my "facebk. blogs" to either word documents (which is where I put most of them), right here, or my xanga site. All political and religious 'discussion' will be on xanga. All happy, surface skimming not-terribly-in-depth moments will be right here. Because it's pink it just works. =D ha.

Here's transfer #1... I'll do the others eventually.

25 Things I Love
1. Hair straighteners (haha)
2. Lamps that have a warm goldish-red glow to them on a dark cold evening
3. The sound of an old clock ticking
4. The sound of an orchestra warming up right before performing
5. Laptops
6. The feel of piano keys underneath my fingers
7. Really old photographs
8. The smell of a woodshop
9. Mashed potatoes (but not instant)
10. Finding antique books for 50 cents at a flea market
11. Window panes that are so old the glass is melting
12. The smell of spring
13. The playing of a lone acoustic guitar
14. The vibrato of a grand piano
15. Interesting junk drawers
16. A well-used, much-loved Bible
17. Hearing Canadian Geese when the weather turns cooler
18. Laughing w/ friends over something completely ridiculous at 2 in the morning
19. Making lists
20. Homemade baskets
21. Easter morning
22. Pinecones
23. Rose-colored childhood memories
24. Getting dressed up and going to the theatre on a crisp, crystal-clear night
25. A strong cleansing northern wind

LEMONADE STAND!!!!

This is so cool! Sunkist will send you a free lemonade stand if you give the proceeds to charity! Just follow this link and fill out the form! The girls will absolutely have a blast doing this, AND it teaches them another way to give! :)

Yet Another Book List

Edit - again - because I don't feel like starting another book list post...
6-3
Chip Wants A Dog - William Wegman
Edna's Tale - Lisze Bechtold
Treasure Hunt - Allan Ahlberg
Saturday Sancocho - Leyla Torres
Cinderella - William Wegman
Holly Blooms Garden - Sarah Ashman and Nancy Parent
The Full Belly Bowl - Jim Aylesworth
Clifford Gets A Job - Norman Bridwell
Snow Day - Margaret McNamara
Jack and Rick - David McPhail
Meet Kit - Valerie Tripp
Blue's Big Birthday - Angela C. Santomero
Pony Crazed Princesses/Princess Ellie Solves A Mystery - Diana Kimpton
Clifford Goes to Hollywood - Norman Bridwell
Little Critter Storybook Collection - Mercer Mayer
Arthur Goes to Camp - Marc Brown
At Ellis Island/A History In Many Voices - Louise Peacock
The Nutcracker Ballet - Vladimir Vagin
Clifford's First Sleepover - Norman Bridwell
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving - Louisa May Alcott
The Snail House - Allan Ahlberg
If I Ran The Circus - Dr. Seuss

heh - just found more out in the living room - apparently the girls cleaned the library out of Berenstain Bears... ;)

The B. Bears Get Stage Fright - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The B. Bears Think of Those In Need - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The B. Bears and the Big Question - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The B. Bears and the Trouble With Money - Stan & Jan Berenstain
Dora's Book of Manners - Christine Ricci
Josefina's Surprise/A Christmas Story - Valerie Tripp


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bringing in the New Year - Grace Lin
The Greatest Potatoes - Penelope Stowell
September Roses - Jeanette Winter
Shy Vi - Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day! - Abby Levine
The Berenstain Bears and the Slumber Party - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears adn the New Baby - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday - Stan & Jan Berenstain
I'm Not A Baby! - Jill McElmurry
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes - Rose Lewis
Every Year On Your Birthday - Rose Lewis
The Princess Knight - Cornelia Funke
Sky Sash So Blue - Libby Hathorn
The Berenstain Bears By The Sea - Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears Ride The Thunderbolt - Stan & Jan Berenstain
A Piece of Home - Sonia Levitin
Lili On Stage - Rachel Isadora
All By Myself - Anna Grossnickel Hines
Just Like Floss - Kim Lewis
Plant ABC - Patricia Whitehouse
Tick Tock - David K. Williams
The Creepy Computer Mystery - Elizabeth Levy
My Favorite Foods - Dana Meachen Rau
The Karate Class Mystery - Elizabeth Levy
The Snack Attack Mystery - Elizabeth Levy
Young Cam Jansen and the Substitute Mystery - David A. Adler
Young Cam Jansen and the Double Beach Mystery - David A. Adler
The Supermarket Mice - Margaret Gordon
Nicky and the Big Bad Wolves - Valeri Gorbachev
IQ Gets Fit - Mary Ann Fraser
IQ, It's Time - Mary Ann Fraser
The Vegetables We Eat - Gail Gibbons
Fishing - Diana Engel
Insects - Melissa Stewart
Emmett's Pig - Mary Stolz
Brave Charlotte - Anu Stohner
Kami and the Yaks - Andrea Stenn Stryer
John Muir and Stickeen, An Icy Adventure with a No-Good Dog - Julie Dunlap and Marybeth Lorbiecki

Ahnika's Tests

Quick update while I sit here allll hyped up waiting for my hubby to get home...

Ahnika had her 1st Grade California Achievement Test last week for homeschooling. It went quite well!!!! YAY!

Her language reading vocabulary was scored at 3rd grade level.

Her language reading comprehension was scored at 4th grade level!!! WOW!

Her math skills were scored exactly (to the month) at her current first grade level.

Her math computation was a bit lower - but still within range... AND considering the fact that it was the very first part of her test, she'd never taken one before, and the equations that the guy read off to me that she had missed were simple compared to what we've been doing here, I'm not worried about it... Though it did bug me for a few days since I know she's better at it than that, even if it isn't her strong point!

But good grief! I am SO stinkin' proud of her for the reading!!!!!!!! And thrilled! I was expecting close to 3rd grade reading level - but even higher at age 6! W00T! :0)

So homeschooling seems to be working out well!

And Talia is getting better at reading every day! And has surpassed the "kindergarten readiness list". *RELIEF*

I need to get back in the swing of things again pretty soon though so that the ball doesn't get dropped!

God is good!

I Really SHOULD be...

...Ironing.
On a scale of one to ten that probably rates right about a 3 in house-work thrills, however. Thus, here I sit, wasting time.
The last couple of days haven't been vastly unproductive though, truthfully... I completed the tedious task of taking alllll of the girls' fall and winter clothing items out of their drawers and closets, and going through bags and rubbermaid containers of spring and summer clothing to replace them with. There simply isn't room for everything to be out at once. I found that Talia now has an over-abundance of shorts and capris for this summer. I mean a TON! Jules has quite a large amount of clothing as well. Ahnika needs a couple pairs of shorts, due to her growth spurt of at least 4-5 inches over the past 6 months, but that will be remedied shortly!

The last load of such clothing is currently in the washer! Thank You, Lord! (Even though the storage is "air-tight" I cannnot bring myself to put it directly into their room without washing it first.)

In other news, Ahnika is going over addition and subtraction flashcards in preparation for her CATesting this Thursday morning (which I'm terrified over, considering she's never taken an SAT type test before and likes to take her sweet time answering questions around here... ARGH.)

Talia has made GREAT progress in reading over the past couple of weeks! That's a huge answer to prayer and I'm thrilled!!! She's done wonderfully!

Jules is sick. Again. Every time she's in the church nursery, she gets a nasty fever/cold/congestion/cough deal. There are a LOT of kids in there though, so it's inevitable. Still aggravating however... She's way behind on her shots, and has been consistently sick and unable to get them for a while now. Poor baby. I kept her out for a month or so earlier in the winter when the REALLY bad flu and stomach virus were going around. Dean and I took turns staying home with her. That did wonders!!! And I do know it's the nursery, as that's the only place she really goes other than the park lately. Ah well... Infant tylenol and motrin is a God-send! :)

Orville is about to be sent to Myanmar to feed the starving. And I don't mean by playing pack mule with food packages. HEH.


Our family may be undergoing some major changes within the next few months. More on that later! In the meantime, just pray for wisdom and courage and clarity!

Oh - happy sidenote of the day.. it's in the 50's outside today!!!! I'm thrilled! A great break from the 80 degree heat and humidity we'd already been experiencing this May! ;)

Library Book List

A little late, but I have to return a decent chunk of them today...

-The United States, An Illustrated History - National Geographic
-Granite Baby - Lynne Bertrand
-Rachel, The Story of Rachel Carson - Amy Ehrlich
-Not Norman, A Goldfish Story - Kelly Bennett
-And What Comes After a Thousand? - Anette Bley
-Emily and Alice Again - Joyce Champion
-Banjo Granny - Sarah Martin Busse & Jacqueline Briggs Martin
-Arthur's Jelly Beans - Marc Brown
-Arthur's Tooth - Marc Brown
-Barbie, No Teasing Allowed - Louise Gikow
-CinderEdna - Ellen Jackson
-Dancing With Katya - Dori Chaconas
-Spring for Strawberry Shortcake - Monique Z. Stephens
-Angel Coming - Heather Henson
-Star Blanket - Pat Brisson
-Frederic Chopin - Mike Venezia
-Strawberry Shortcake's Seaberry Mystery - Sonia Sander
-Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday - Cythia Rylant
-Inside an Egg - Sylvia A. Johnson
-Arthur Babysits - Marc Brown
-Many Nations, An Alphabet of Native America - Joseph Bruchac
-America, An Illustrated History - TIME
-C is for Clown, A Circus of C Words - Stan and Jan Berenstain
-Cooking with the Cat - Christopher Moroney
-Road to Reading, Cat Hat - Michelle Knudsen
-The Story of Babar the Little Elephant - Jean De Brunhoff
-Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus - Kari James
-That Bad, Bad Cat - Claire Masurel
-My Neck and Shoulders - Lola M. Schaefer
-Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm - Herman Parish
-All Aboard Reading, Bad Hair Day - Susan Hood
-Digby and Kate 1,2,3 - Barbara Baker
-Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy - Jane O'Connor
-Chowder - Peter Brown
-Maple Moon - Connie Brummel Crook
-Young Cam Jenson and the Lost Tooth
-Young Cam Jenson and the Baseball Mystery
-The Secret Path
-Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
-Katy and the Big Snow
-Lentil
-The Day the Picture Man Came
-The Runaway
-A Little Bit of Trouble
-Chicken Soup for Little Souls: Della Sp
-Splish! Splosh! Why Do We Wash?
-

For the Record...

I totally skipped "menu monday" this week,and likely will for at least a few [million] more, before possibly taking that plunge again. It only served to frustrate me, considering that I followed it pretty much not at all. heh Due to Dean's work schedule and our basic living schedule, it just wasn't working out. We're one of those sad, horrible families that Christian bookstores make a killing off of putting on a guilt trip, due to not having more than one or two dinners all together every week. Bad us. Unfortunately, bills must be paid - which beats the living in a grass hut eating cicadas alternative, so that is far from a complaint. Many of our meals are also dependent on time. If there's none [time that is] we have spagetti - and if it's REALLY late, angel hair spagetti because it cooks in 4 minutes.. HA If I happen to get a mid-day epiphany amidst the learning of fractions and phonics, I'll start a chicken or some such nonsense. Now that our spring weather continues to peak in 80 degree spurts, however, the oven use will be cut significantly. I hope the kids like tuna and grilled cheese. alot.

Short story long, it is now Wednesday. Hmmmm... Witty Wednesday? Whiny Wednesday? Worship Wed.? Washing? Wasteful? Windy? Weathering?

yeah. I think I'll just drop that idea before it culminates in yet another blogging disaster!

;)

I'm so in love!!!!!!!

I am SO thankful that God doesn't require perfection. He merely requires purity. Love for Him above all else and love for others that flows out of that transparent relationship with Him.

Striving is a word that I could use to describe what I used to think of my relationship with God. Striving to always do better, be better, think better, act better.
The words I use now are:
Freedom
Passion
Love

Serving my Savior - my Redeemer - out of love is such a different thing than serving Him out of guilt, requirement, and "law". Beth Moore was SO correct in mentioning in one of her studies that if we do not feel a passion for our Savior, as His bride and special creation, we will fill that void in us with passion for other things... I filled that quite a bit! In the end it came down to me striving to perfection instead of relaxing in His love, accepting His cleansing sacrifice for my ultimate imperfection no matter WHAT I do or how hard I tried, and just desiring Him! The works that "prove" my faith flow naturally out of a heart of relief and love after that!

There are moments that I cling to His grace with everything in me and moments that I can do nothing more than laugh in delight and dance before Him in joy for His goodness and because of who He is!

When the Ark of the Covenant was being restored to Jerusalem, David was celebrating with everything in Him before God, in thankfulness for God restoring His presence in their land! How can I not do the same before God when that relationship is restored, or when I'm full of joy for what He has done for me?! The simple answer - I can't! And I would be WRONG not to!

2 Samuel 6:14 & 15 "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, / while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets."

Further on (vs. 16-23) Saul's daughter reprimanded him for His transparency and enthusiasm before God, and was harshly punished! David's reply to her was (vs 21 & 22) "...I will celebrate before the LORD. / I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes..."

He was completely humble in his excitment over God! Willing to become undignified to follow after the heart of his Lord! Just incredible! And God did, in fact, call him a man after His own heart! Not composed and "spiritual" (aka numb and dry and dead) but wild with joy and overflowing with love and thankfulness!

Psalms 126:3 - "The Lord has done great things for us and WE ARE FILLED WITH JOY!"

Jeremiah 31:13 "Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."

When God has forgiven us and healed our brokenness, it is only our own selfishness that makes us want to wallow in guilt and "beat ourselves up" - even in some ways, try to prove ourselves to God by what we do, instead of doing for Him out of pure motives and pure love. satan wants nothing more than to oppress the children of God, and has absolutely no scruples in what he does to try to separate them from a free and joyful relationship with their Creator and Redeemer! Calling Him Redeemer or Savior is not done lightly - especially in my case! I am in awe.

My prayer is that I will be transparent before God alone. It is ONLY Him that I answer to! Not a pastor or a family member or a friend... Just Him. What amazing freedom that is! That I don't have to check with anyone but my Jesus, and His Word for wisdom or Truth! I cannot and absolutely should not seek acceptance from anyone else - the praise and affirmation of those around me merely wet the bottom of a very large and empty cup. Only His Holy Spirit can fill that up to overflowing! And where the Spirit of the Lord is THERE IS FREEDOM (2 Cor. 3:17)! Because there is NO room for anything else! Please, Jesus, help me to be pure in heart and motive before You - to not quench Your Spirit by seeking and worrying about what others think and how I measure up compared to them. YOU ALONE are my comparison. And I want You. only.

Inspire

Some CD's that are super for keeping me spiritually on track throughout the day (no pun intended):

Fernando Ortega - Give Me Jesus
Nicole C. Mullen - Sharecropper's Seed, vol.1
Caedmon's Call - Share The Well
David Crowder Band - Collision
Plumb - Candy Coated Waterdrops
Twila Paris - House of Worship
Rich Mullins - The World As Best As I Remember It, vol. 1 & 2


Here are some links from youtube to some of my fav. songs from these and other albums...
Pay attention to the words. The messages are phenomenal, and glorifying to our Holy, Magnificent, Loving Savior - if you take the time to listen, you WILL be blessed!!!!! If you want copies of any of the words, just let me know and I'll post or email them! :)

Give Me Jesus

"In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus... You can have all of this world. Just give me Jesus..."

My Lips Will Praise You


Calling Out Your Name

Stillness, Speak To Me

Share The Well

My Savior, My God

One Touch

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

just amazing!

This has to be the most incredible and powerful song ever!

Menu Monday

I failed quite miserably at last week's menu... only sticking to 2 days - well - 4, I suppose, if you count some mix and match scenarios that were going on... heh

But here we go again!
Eventually, I may surprise even myself! ;)

Monday - whole grain spagetti with meat sauce, corn or broccoli
Tuesday - potroast (in crockpot), carrots, some sort of potato
Wednesday - kraft mac n cheese, mixed veggies
Thursday - baked chicken, rice, green beans, biscuits
Friday - I will be at a Prayer Retreat! (popcorn/snack/movie night...)
Saturday - chicken pot pie, pan rolls or bread
Sunday - leftovers or pancakes

um yeah.

This blog is way too pink. I tried not to let it annoy me - alas, it does.
Problem: I have no idea what to change it to. It was a tad hard to read with the palace background, and butterflies don't thrill me either...

If this is ALL I have to worry about today, I'm doing pretty darn good! ;)

Learning the Solar System

Yesterday we started a "series" on the solar system.  The girls were actually pretty fascinated (considering that their largest interests lie in books and little ponies at ages 5 and 6.)  
We studied the asteroid belt, solid planets, gas planets, comets, etc.  The loved Mars (because it was red) and Jupiter (because it is considered the king of the gas planets - and ANYthing with royalty must be fascinating! =D)  
They were trying to decide what their favorite planet was, and asked me the same.  I told them "earth".   They had somehow forgotten that one in their discussions.  haha ;)

I've found science to be far more interesting for ALL involved when we pick and choose our topics and delve into them for a week or two at a time.  Admittedly, the curriculum I ordered from Beka for science left something to be desired - even at this age.  (Though it was useful as a 'diving board' for this entire experience...)  Children are a whole lot smarter than we give them credit for.

Here is a great link I've found for studying this online (even though I don't agree with everything they say - aka evolution - it's still been wonderful for photographs and some colorful games and stats!)

Great Deals (via yahoo)

I came across this article on yahoo news today. It has some great money saving links, and tips!

Come, Lord Jesus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come Lord Jesus
Andrew Peterson

(click on the title to hear the song! it's beautiful! )

Tonight in the line of the merchandise store
While they were packing up my bags
I saw the pictures of the prophets of the picket signs
Screaming, "God hates fags"

And it feels like the church isn't anything more
Then the second coming of the Pharisees
Scrubbing each other 'til their tombs are white
They chisel epitaphs of piety

Oh, there's a burning down inside of me
'Cause the battle seems so lost
And it's raging on so silently
We forget it's being fought
So, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
Oh, Amen
Come Lord Jesus
Amen

It's taken me years in the race just to get this far
Still there is no end in sight,
There's no end in sight
'Cause I've carried my cross into dens of the wicked
And you know I blended in just fine

Well, I'm weak and I'm weary of breaking His heart
With they cycle of my sin, of my sin
Still He turns His face to me and I kiss it
Just to betray Him once again

Well, I've got oceans down inside of me
I can feel the billows roll
With the mercy that comes thundering
O'er the waters of my soul

So, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
Oh, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen

Tonight in the light of the gathering rain
I could hear creation groan
And a sigh rose up from the streets of the city
To the foot of Heaven's throne

Oh, and the people hear the sound of a sweet refrain
An absolution in the fray, in the fray
It tells of the death of the one for the lives of the many
More than any picket sign could say

So, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen
Oh, Amen
Come, Lord Jesus
Amen


There seems to be a very fine line between love and judgement in today's definition of 'Christian'. I'm as guilty as the next person of saying something before I think it through in light of Jesus. I'd like to submit the possibility that we can, indeed, LOVE the person, while still holding strongly to the moral guidelines that God has laid down for us in His Word. Because I disagree with someone - because I believe that they are wrong or sinful in their actions - doesn't mean for one second that I don't love them, and that I cannot reach out in that love to them. And I don't for half a second think that I am ANY better - I am just covered in the love and grace of Christ's precious healing, sacrificial blood!
This is something that I'm slowly but surely attempting to learn, even within the "walls of the church" - there are years of hurt to get over, but God hasn't given up on me yet, so I'll keep plugging away at it... it's just a constant struggle to remember - espec. when my (not-so-righteous) indignation gets the better of me... I should have one goal in mind - and hang the denominations and idiosyncrasies... My goal should be "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (I Cor. 2:2)!
I believe that if I teach my daughters nothing else, I MUST teach them that!

PRAY

Please pray, pray, pray for this THIS darling baby boy and his parents!

Food Prices

I have definitely noticed the RISING FOOD COSTS in my grocery shopping. I had 3 separate coupon sections from the Sunday paper to go through last week and I was a little disappointed by the lack of savings for necessities. There were quite a few coupons for febreze, glade candles, pantene shampoo, and mascara.. but the majority of the food discounts were on chips and cookies. Despite my own baking, I am actually trying to cut down buying those things.
Ah well - my #1 $ saving grocery shopping tip... Don't shop when I'm hungry.. ALWAYS eat a small snack before I head out! =D In my case, it helps!!!!

A New Respect

When I was a kid, I loved the Little House on the Prairie books/tv programs/movies. This year I began reading the series to Ahnika and Natalia. Talia will tolerate them fairly well (she has, after all, just turned 5). Ahnika, on the other hand, adores them! Both girls do get excited about the whole idea though! I think that they can relate well to Mary, Laura, and Baby Carrie. (Ahnika, Talia, baby Jules) =D

I never truly appreciated the history in the books when I was growing up. I definitely romanticized the time period, and loved the stories - but I now have a new respect for the way in which they were written! I definitely think twice about complaining (even to myself) about any situation that I may find myself in - especially after taking to heart the truth of the books and the Laura Ingalls Wilder biography! Just things such as being forced to move off of their settled land, and away from their freshly built (NO easy task by any standard) home because the gov.t "zoned" incorrectly and (as usual - wow, some things never change) some politician was out-to-lunch. Contracting malaria, digging your own well, and blast it all - no AC! =D How could I have romanticized such a thing?!?! ;) I also (I'll admit it) enjoyed reminding the girls of the many long days that the girls had to sit quietly and behave well in a hot covered wagon while they traveled - put the 6 hour trip we were on at the time into perspective! :0) Reading them to my own daughters has been a wonderful experience - even bonding.

Laura's life - especially as she grew older and got married - was FAR from easy... but what a treasure these books are now! What an amazing way to study history!

If you find a chance in your busy life, re-read them! They are every bit as entertaining, and far more informative, when you have a few life experiences under your belt to temper the fantasy of the "olden days" with. ;)

Menu Monday

OK... giving this a shot. ;)


Monday - Whole grain rotini pasta, steamed squash

Tuesday - Pot roast (in crock pot), glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, pan rolls

Wednesday - Pot roast leftovers or sandwiches

Thursday - Company coming AND making dinner for us! wow! ;) (but I'll probably make homeade pizza for lunch)

Friday - POPCORN AND MOVIE NIGHT! (bagels or other snacks with popcorn if necessary)

Saturday - Turkey meatloaf, rice, peas

Sunday - Fish (Gorton's - haddock or pollock - because I don't trust the "fresh" fish around here), baby brussel sprouts (they're actually delish! and I call them "dolly cabbages" just for the girls..hahaha), cheddar bisquits


*I would just like to mention that it is now Wed. night and I have failed my menu miserably... Tues. we had kraft mac n cheese with steamed broccoli. Tonight we had pancakes (but they were homeade - not bisquick - does that count?!) =D I'm determined to keep trying, however!

Excuses Excuses

*Yes, my profile is now pink.  Go figure.  It IS easier to read now, however...  You'll just have to imagine a palace.  Also, I liked the bubbles. ;)

This is why I have SUCH a hard time dieting.  I come from a good German heritage on one side... which means that my metabolism naturally is awful, and I LOVE to bake, and enjoy what I bake! :)
Now... can you blame me...  ;)

 

I LOVE the steam rising off the top of the bread in this picture.  I made cinnamon butter to go with the cinn. bread - as I usually do.




Chocolate Cherry Torte  





Homeade chicken stew and pan rolls... mmmmmmm  (stew also freezes well - if it lasts that long! =D)




Pumpkin Pie




Chocolate Cream Pie (there was homeade whipped cream to go on top - but I left that up to individual preference.  Speaking of which, homeade whipped cream is SO good if you put barely any powdered sugar in - soooo delicious!  My mother said that in Ireland they serve it unsweetened in the coffees, etc. - oh yum! ;)   )




Sour Cream Chocolate Coffee Cake - our Christmas tradition!





Talia's 5th birthday cake... with buttercream frosting =D  She wanted a Little Pony Treasure Chest cake... so there ya go!



I do give away at least half of what I make - still...  =D   I'm in dire need of some healthy recipes...  and by healthy I mean that I do realize my entire diet cannot consist of butter, sugar, and chocolate!

So have at it people!  Give me some YUMMY recipes to work with!  Remember.. I love to bake, (and as my friend Jess said, I should probably open a bakery - OH for free time.. haha) so none of this tofu nonsense  (because A - one of my daughter's is quite allergic to soy, and B - it isn't actually good for you in large quantities any more than chocolate is.   ;)  )...  
Even if you don't know me, feel free to regale me with recipes! =D    

Honest Summation of the Week Thus Far ;)

Sleep - Didn't get even 2/3 as much as I should have.  I have very valid reasons for having stayed up late all but one night (mostly because my hubby was working until at LEAST midnight quite a bit, and going in rather early in the a.m. - I wanted to see him - also I feel guilty sleeping when he can't - also I'm a night person ;)   ).  Be that as it may, I had valid reasons for going to bed as well... I should have chosen the latter, I suppose.

Schoolwork - Ahnika pretended to not know what on earth she was doing a couple of times - both times with things she's known for well over a year!  argh.  However, quite a bit was actually learned, so I need to stop focusing on the frustrations and instead focus on the big picture...  Talia keeps going back and forth with learning to read.  Some days she'll tell me exactly how words are spelled and what they say - other days she'll stare at a word and apparently freeze.  (I think it's actually accidental daydreaming in may of those cases - just like her mother. =D)  I'm not worried about it though because (1) She's only in preschool, and (2) She did the same thing when learning her alphabet and numbers and all came out well! ;)  
I need to be more disciplined MYSELF about structuring certain class times... I had a rigid schedule made up, but with the goings on the past couple of months it went the way of the dodo.  Also, whenever ONE child gets sick, everything ends up going awry.  But they are in their early years of school, AND with the bambino (espec. when cutting those last blasted teeth ;)  ) things can get a little out of sorts - espec. when she decides to be up half the night out of the blue, and no amount of orajel will make her sleep!

Meals - While I still haven't made a menu (mostly because I'm pretty sure I won't stick to it at this point), everything went off without a hitch!  I made a chicken dinner on Monday (less than $5 for a whole one at Wallyworld - as loathe as I am to shop there...), had homeade chicken stew on Tues. and Wed., along with leftover for the entire dinner...  I also made two delicious loaves of cinnamon bread with cinnamon butter, baking powder bisquits, and pan rolls.
I really DO need to learn to bake "healthy"/organic/whatever... be that as it may, the girls love it either way! :)  Goal for next week.. get some "healthier" (supposedly) flour and make our bread for the week instead of buying it...  I don't know if this is a good idea though - for more reasons than I'm going to bore you all w/at this time!

Weather - Started off gloomy and is now beautiful! yay!

Attitude - Started off gloomy and is now doing much better. ;) yay again!

Patience - We're working on that too.

Spiritually Speaking - satan tried to win a major battle, and came too dang close for comfort.  I was not nearly as fortified as I thought I was.  Notice the I's. heh  It's been a really really rough month or so for me - even aside from the year - for way more reasons than the surface ones!  The ONLY way I can break free from that is God's grace and HIS power.  Why on earth I can't spring into action immediately on 'remembering Him' (so to speak), or maybe have the Truth sink more deeply into my thick skull is beyond me.  I'm so thankful that darkness holds no atomic weight, and in Light, ceases altogether!
 

2nd Library Trip This Week

My homeschooling books finally came in!

-Homeschooling: The Early Years - Linda Dobson
and
-Mommy, Read to Me!, A Complete and Easy-to-Use Home Reading Program - Barbara Curtis

I also got:
-UnChristian - What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity  .. And Why It Matters  - David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons ( So far it's a GREAT book!  I'll prob. be writing an "opinion article" on this one ;)  )
-Kids Are Americans Too - Bill O'Reilly
-For the Rest of My Life - Harry Kraus, M.D. (put out by Zondervan publishing... in case I actually have time to read a novel)

Kids books:
-Big Old Bones, A Dinosaur Tale - Carol Carrick, Donald Carrick
-Nibble Nibble Mousekin, A Tale of Hansel and Gretel - Joan Walsh Anglund
-Angelina's Birthday - Katharine Holabird, Helen Craig
-Read About George Washington Carver - Stephen Feinstein
-The Jewel Heart - Barbara Helen Berger
-Bub or The Very Best Thing - Natalie Babbit
-Maggie and Silky and Joe - Amy Ehrlich, Robert J. Blake
-Duck Skates - Lynne Berry, Hiroe Nakata
-Red Light, Green Light, Mama and Me - Cari Best, Niki Daly
-A Picture Book of Benjamin Franklin - David A. Adler, John & Alexandra Wallner
-Grandma According To Me - Karen Magnuson Beil, Ted Rand
-Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie - David A. Adler, Susanna Natti
-A Friend Is Someone Who Likes You - Joan Walsh Anglund
-Goose's Story - Cari Best, Holly Meade
-My Beautiful Child - Lisa Desimini & Matt Mahurin
-My Day (We Both Read) - Sindy McKay, Meredith Johnson
-Cat in the Bag - Sara Swan Miller, Benton Mahan
-Christopher Columbus - Mary Dodson Wade
-Raven and River - Nancy White Carlstrom, Jon Van Zyle
-What Does the Rain Play? - Nancy White Carlstrom, Henri Sorenson
-The Divide - Michael Bedard, Emily Arnold McCully
-Nine For California - Sonia Levitin, Cat Bowman Smith
-Boom Town - Sonia Levitin, Cat Bowman Smith
-The Delany Sisters Reach High - Amy Hill Hearth, Tim Ladwig
-Paris Cat - Leslie Baker
-Elliot Bakes a Cake - Andrea Beck
-Now & Ben, The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin - Gene Barretta
-Me and Mr. Mah - Andrea Spalding, Janet Wilson
-Sebastian, A Book About Bach - Jeanette Winter

I fully intended to get some books out on the Civil War time period (due to Ahnika's interest in the other book), but my library bag was already about to break my back, and I got waylaid with some biographies.  Oh well... I'll be back in about four days to restock! ;)

This Weeks Book List

I try to keep track of all the library books we read, so I figured I may as well start doing my list on here instead of msw...  Here's our list for part of this week.  I'm typically at the library more than once a week, and our list is often much longer than this... but I had so many of my own books a couple of days ago, that I ran out of room in our (very large) library bag... also, the librarians give you fishy looks for carting half their stock out the door. ;)

Grandma's Beach - Rosalind Beardshaw
The Perfect Pony - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Shelagh McNicholas
The Birthday Doll - Jane Cutler, Hiroe Nakata
Montezuma's Revenge - Cari Best, Diane Palmisciano  (I thought this one would be cuter than it was... but wasn't horrid to sit through either way.)
This and That The Sound of TH - Peg Ballard
Gifts for Gus The Sound of G - Peg Ballard
Chad Checks The Sound of CH - Peg Ballard
(I'm hoping those 3 will be of great use to Talia in her reading endeavors - they have a TON of them at the library!)
Creative Kids Nature Crafts - Joy Williams
The Science Explorer, Family Science Experiments from the World's Favorite Hands On Museum
(We haven't done any of the crafts or the projects yet, but they look like they'll be super.)
Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery - David A. Adler, Susanna Natti
When Daddy Took Us Camping - Julie Brillhart
Marsha Makes Me Sick - Barbara Bottner, Denise Brunkus
Henry's Freedom Box, A True Story from the Underground Railroad - Ellen Levine, Kadir Nelson  (This one sparked quite the question/discussion time about slavery in the United States.  After reading it, Ahnika decided that she wants to study that period of history next... so we'll likely have a decent amt. of books on similar topics next week.)
Loveykins - Quentin Blake (this bk. was a riot)
The Bird House - Cynthia Rylant, Barry Moser
When Elephant Goes To A Party - Sonia Levitin, Jeff Seaver (This was a GREAT book on etiquette and manners!  I had no idea until we started reading it, but well done!!!)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Jim Aylesworth, Barbara McClintock (lovely pictures - I can never resisit a classic with beautiful pictures =D)
The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings - Stan and Jan Berenstain  (cute and simple)
At This Very Minute - Kathleen Rice Bowers, Linda Shute  (I loved this bk. - makes kids think beyond themselves and being the center of their own little universe ;)   Also, it was just a pleasant story to read.)
Green Eyes - A. Birnbaum (A Caldecott Honor Book, and well deserved.  Bright, large pictures and cute story.)

So I Went To The Library...

I wanted to find some new books on homeschooling.  Last year I was hard-pressed to find more than one decent home education book at our public library.  This year was slightly more successful!  (They've revamped things a bit and their selection has increased, without having to ship things from other libraries in the region.)

Here's my list!
Home Learning Year by Year - How to Design A Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School  by Rebecca Rupp   (I glanced at this one last year, but am getting quite a bit more out of it at this point!)

The Dan Riley School for a Girl by Dan Riley  (so far I love this one!  just an entertaining book about a father who took his daughter out of what was considered a good public education system, in middle school, because she was suddenly failing, rebelling, and lacking any desire to learn...  not finished yet, but a good read thus far!)

A Survivor's Guide to Home Schooling by Luanne Shackelford & Susan White  (haven't begun to read it yet - but it looks like a very informative, Biblically based book, that will be easy to get through!)

Family Matters - Why Homeschooling Makes Sense by David Guterson  (I've only read bits and pieces of this one, but I've already found sound arguments for home schooling, on a variety of levels.  Another one I'm looking forward to delving into.  )  Two sections, in particular, that I'd like to quote from this book...

"... Educators complain about unsupportive parents who blame everybody and everything but themselves for the fact that their children are poorly educated; teachers decry career-track professionals with no time or interest in their children's learning and bemoan the fact that many of their charges come from homes where both parents, facing poverty, must work.  Yet career-track parents are only doing what they've been taught to do by an educational system that prepared them for economic life while simultaneously excising them from their families; their absorption in self, work, and money are the inevitable products of our sociopathic schools, where they learned to compete for external rewards and to claw their way toward the top. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the parents of poor children are at the mercy of an economic system that mostly precludes a life beyond their work.  How can they cultivate learning in the home after long hours spent at dissatisfying jobs that consume almost every ounce of the psychological energy?..."  He goes on - but I want to get to "quote 2".  (Which I like even more!)

"...Schools are supposed to teach critical-thinking skills in order to nurture citizens fully able to enter into a democratic society.  Business, however, prefers an uncritical consumer society guaranteed to purchase its products.  In fact, as John Goodlad's researchers found - a point made once before in this book - less than 2 percent of instructional time in many public schools is reserved for discussions requiring reasoning skills; Goodlad concludes that for the most part schools teach passivity.  Yet even if we were systematically to change this, replacing the entrenched curriculum of passivity with a new, more democratic curriculum of independence - one that emphasized critical thinking - we would still find that in the case of schools, as elsewhere, the medium is the real message.  For all our talk in the classroom of freedom, for every in-class critical-thinking exercise, there will always be a countervailing bell, a strict schedule demanding movement in herds, a dark background of authority, discipline, and regimentation that in the end constitute the truest lesson of schools and the truest preparation for modern economic life.  'Think of the economic tragedy that would result if schools taught critical thinking,' asks John Taylor Gatto.  'Who would crave the mountains of junk our mass-production economony distributes?  Who would eat the processed foods?  Who would wear the plastic shoes?... How could the mass economy survive without the training 'schools' provide?' "

hmmmm... how indeed.

I believe many, many parents are beginning to ask this question, and a plethora of others.  The number of homeschooling families is rapidly rising in the United States, especially, and around the world!

Blog Header

My blog is supposed to read "Palace of Princesses"... however, I chose the only halfway decent palace background I could find and it's called 'mystical palace' - therefore, it's mystically fading out the end of quite a few of my header words.  Be that as it may, I like the background quite a bit, and it beats the bright pink ones I tried earlier...  I'll probably get sick of it and change it soon... but for now, it stays. :)

So Here We Go

I am in my first year of homeschooling, and since I've been thinking, for the past two years, of restarting a regular journaling blog, here it is!

I'm hoping to find some other blogging, homeschooling mothers to swap ideas and advice with, and gain some knowledge from, about this new adventure on which my family has embarked.  I am currently attempting to tweak a daily schedule that I made a few months back.  I am definitely a night-owl, so I've had to change quite a bit about myself recently.  When it comes to schooling, my biggest challenge is patience and staying calm (especially w/ a very active 18 mo. old, and when the difficulty with a subject isn't lack of understanding, but lack of focusing).  I've found that the patience and steadiness come much easier on a full night of sleep and when I've spent time praying before the girls are awake in the morning.  This is a no-brainer, but needed to be learned anywho.

We've been using ABeka for the majority of our materials, but will only be using them for English/Language courses once we have finished with this year.  I'm excited about starting Saxon Math, and will be planning my own History/Social Studies classes.  I have not decided on a new science curriculum yet.  I've also ordered some Harcourt SOL readiness booklets - just to make sure we are covering a few of the things the local schools are, in that aspect. (Though I believe that SOL's are a joke, technically speaking...)

I have found the Dollar Tree (shocker!!!) to be a wealth of bulletin-board-type resources for homeschooling.  I made a flannel board, which was quite easy and very inexpensive, and we have a some different sized whiteboards, small bulletin boards, and enough art/craft/classroom supplies for a small army.  I love finding educational games and projects on sale (TJ Maxx and Target are great for this)!

I tremendously enjoy organizing! The only problem I've run into, is that the room we use for schooling is also our dining room. I want to keep it adult-friendly (especially for company), but it's important that it's inviting for the girls, most of all. I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that my house will not be spotless again for at least ten years. I've always hated clutter, so I do try to keep things in some semblance of order... to everything there is a basket, and a rubbermaid container (or gallon ziploc bag) for every supply under heaven. ;)

In conclusion to this "introduction", I must say, I'm shocked by how much I enjoy homeschooling! I was always the one who swore I never would! (Two years of my oldest daughter in the raunchy public education system, and a good dose of perspective solved that... =D) I do have to remind myself often that I only have a few short years, in relation to all of our lives, to spend with my daughters. When I think about things with eternity in mind, it's surprising just how much more exciting (and in some ways, easier), everything becomes.