Fence-building

Reading Masterly Inactivity with Charlotte Mason (free download!) and came across this quote:

...if you are in the fence-building stage with little ones, mark the boundaries clearly, knowing that you are operating under God's authority. Be faithful to establish your God-given authority now.

It's good to be reminded that God created the family and the structure of authority within the family.  These days, it's easy to get caught under the thought that we should give up our authority to government, family, friends.....perfect strangers in the grocery store!  ;-)

Laundry Day

Today Ben has been sick with a fever and sore throat.  Today is usually the day that he does his laundry, so I did it for him.  What a privilege.  He's so close to leaving home.  Words and phrases such as college, dual-credit, SAT, ACT, driver's license are tossed about quite a bit these days.  I'm so excited to see Ben "grow and go."  He has so much to do, and I can't wait to see his life unfold.  Until then, I will, with thanks, serve him while he's still here.

Bogged Down!

I love paperwork, and could sit all day organizing, filing, filling things out, making lists...I love it. The thing about all that is that as a homeschooling teacher, I have the tendency to add more paperwork, or resources to our schooltime. I usually find something online that looks too good to pass up, or hear about a book that is just perfect! The next thing I know, I'm wondering how we got so bogged down. It's me!

I have been working on changing my mindset and really, I HAVE to change my mindset where schooling is concerned. Before Henry, Sophia and Grace were born, I would get us bogged down with too many resources, but we would eventually be able to plow through. Now I've noticed with the extra sweeties running around, that the bogged down turns into "stalled out."

I'm in the stalled out mode with Henry right now. He is a busy, busy boy and he encourages my tendency to add to many resources to a lesson simply because he is always looking for MORE to do. I've been thinking and praying about it, and I realize that I need to streamline what I've been doing, as well as firmly guide him into doing other activities that can keep his mind engaged. And I can do that if I can get out from underneath the paperwork and see what there is to see around me. ;-)

Lord, direct my steps

I have kids who thrive on a schedule. Well, what kid doesn't? Can you imagine the powerlessness that children sometimes feel? They have no way of leaving the house on their own, no real money of their own...they have very little control of their lives when they're so young. One way we can give them some control is to give them a schedule of daily events and stick to it. Although our daily schedule goes through periodic changes, it's never an all-or-nothing thing. If we need it, I make the changes slowly - one thing at a time.

One of the biggest aspects of following a schedule is flexibility. Things come up! When something interupts our schedule, it's real hard on my kids because they don't want to veer off course. I have to constantly encourage them that we'll get back on track ASAP! I talk to them about being flexible and most importantly, being open to what God brings to our days. One of our most oft repeated verses is Proverbs 16:9:
"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

One of the biggest challenges we encounter is each other. One needs help, the other is looking for a playmate, Mom or Dad needs a chore to be tackled...how we react and respond to each interuption to our own carefully constructed plan is so important. Our culture is so geared towards personal gratification and me-time. Throw that in with a natural tendency towards self-will and selfishness and you've got something that's hard to get over. It's a daily struggle in our home. Darin and I have committed ourselves to be like "water over a rock" as we remind and encourage the kids to give up their own wants for those of the loved ones around them. And then we get down on our knees and pray for the same determination to do this for them as well.

A Date with Your Fam

It wasn't until Baby #6 that Darin and I realized how loud it was getting in the house and began to feel the need to apply certain measures in order to keep the peace.  We get it now.  Lotsa kids=lotsa running through the house, screaming, jumping out at others from behind doors, loud singing, and the loudest of all....crying.  We've started using phrases we've laughed at our entire parenting career such as "your inside voice" and "children should be seen and not heard."  ;-) 

Our focus right now is the breakfast/lunch/dinner times.  Darin and I usually go to Starbucks on our date nights because by the time we can get out of the house, there's really nowhere else to go.  Last week we took my laptop and researched table manners and found a video on YouTube that is an oldie but goodie. We watched with the kids this past weekend and are going to implement a lot of what we saw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvsyAT2rWBY

Uploads/Downloads

I just uploaded an Apologia General Science daily schedule to Scribd that I created a couple of years ago.  I had ulterior motives.  I wanted to download something for free and could do that if I uploaded something. 

I'm not sure when it was, but I downloaded a free copy of "Grammar-Land" to check out for possible use in our school.  I accidentally stumbled across it again today while looking for other stuff in my Documents.  You can check it out HERE.  Nice, living book for grammar for the younger grades.  It covers the nine parts of speech.  I thought it would be interesting to go online to see if there were others who had used it and what they thought, when I came across Jessica Cain's worksheets she created for it on Scribd.  They are nice worksheets, and have not made this living book into a boring program, so I've snagged them for our school and can't wait to start using them.  Here's a link to Jessica's blog post on the worksheets she made.

Bible Study the CM Way

“Method of Bible Lessons.––The method of such lessons is very simple. Read aloud to the children a few verses covering, if possible, an episode. Read reverently, carefully, and with just expression. Then require the children to narrate what they have listened to as nearly as possible in the words of the Bible. It is curious how readily they catch the rhythm of the majestic and simple Bible English. Then, talk the narrative over with them in the light of research and criticism. Let the teaching, moral and spiritual, reach them without much personal application” (Vol. 1, p. 251).

“The knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and no teaching of the Bible which does not further that knowledge is of religious value. Therefore the children read, or if they are too young to read for themselves the teacher reads to them, a passage of varying length covering an incident or some definite teaching. If there are remarks to be made about local geography or local custom, the teacher makes them before the passage has been read, emphasizing briefly but reverently any spiritual or moral truth; the children narrate what has been read after the reading; they do this with curious accuracy and yet with some originality, conveying the spiritual teaching which the teacher has indicated” (Vol. 6, p. 272).

I am really enjoying "being Darin" this weekend.  (see previous post)  I'm getting so much done.  Lots of organization, and good reading. 

I’ll be You, You be Me!

I am so excited that this weekend is a 3-day weekend.  I have been printing and printing stuff for the last two weeks, but have had zero time to organize it all and put it away.  I've got a huge stack of stuff sitting on my desk, calling to me.  Loudly.  I also need to make copies of some things...I just need to get organized!  I told Darin that this weekend, "I'll be you, and you be me!"  In other words, he can hang out with the kids, and I can "work."  Getting school stuff organized is work, but I do enjoy it.  I love the planning, organizing and even the execution. 

I've visted a few blogs that have listed all they're going to do with their kids this year, and I love reading what others are doing, so thought I would also share.

Ben (10th grade)
World Views of the Western World II - this includes Composition, History, Literature, Art and Music Appreciation
Harold Jacob's Geometry w/help from the Ask Dr. Callahan DVDs.
Apologia Biology at CIM Science Co-Op
Shurley Grammar
Latin
We are also following the reading list that Patrick Henry College has on their website.
He's also learning the guitar, and is starting Cross Country.  He's a team of ONE.  ;-)  Our chiropractor has volunteered to coach Ben with his running.  They're going to chat once a week to keep Ben accountable.

Lydia (7th grade)
The Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber
Shurley Grammar
We're at the tail end of Saxon 7/6.  I haven't decided whether to stick with Saxon or move to Cornerstone Curriclum's math.  I need to try to get my hands on Cornerstone's math before making a final decision.
Apologia General Science at CIM Science Co-Op (I'm teaching this class!)
Music Appreciation using Music & Moments with the Masters
Piano lessons
Latin
I'm going to keep Lydia supplied with biographies of Christian women this year.  The first will be Susanna Wesley.  Next will be Amy Carmichael.
Geography through Art

Jack (5th grade)
Cornerstone Curriculum math
Latin
The Story of the Greeks by H.A. Guerber
Apologia Astronomy at CIM Science Co-Op
Music Appreciation using Music & Moments with the Masters
Geography through Art

Henry (my precocious 4 yo!)
I'm teaching him his letters and letter sounds.  So far when I point at "A" and say what sound does "A" make?" he says, "a-a-apple."  ;-) 
I'm also doing a couple of things from Hubbard's Cupboard.  Especially the Calendar Binder.
We do an occasional Before Five in a Row lapbook from the resources at Homeschool Share.

Sophia (2 yo) joins Henry and me when we do a lapbook.  Her favorite has been the "Owl Babies" lapbook.  Grace (8month old) joins us when she's not napping.

Miscellaneous resources I use all the time are Plants Grown Up, Polished Cornerstones, Beautiful Girlhood, Awana at our church. 

I think that's it!

Preschool Chore Chart

I've been struggling to get Henry and Sophia involved in doing chores on a regular basis.  Finding a printable, visual chore chart for them to use has been on my mental list of things-to-do for awhile and I finally got around to it tonight.  Here is a link to my favorite over at Christian Preschool Printables.

Happy Anniversary

Today Darin and I are celebrating 19 years of marriage.  We're celebrating in our favorite way - being home together with our family.  Darin took the day off and we've treated this day as a mostly normal Tuesday.  The three oldest worked on their schoolwork this morning while I prepared for the science co-op class that I teach on Thursdays.  While we were doing that, Darin hung out with Henry, Sophia and Grace.  We ate leftover chili for lunch, and then went out for an anniversary drink at Starbucks. 

While we were at Starbucks, Sophia threw up.  Thank God we were sitting on the outdoor patio!  Sophia seems to be our "throw-up girl."  I think she has thrown up more times than all the rest of the kids combined, God bless her.  And me.  And Darin!  ;-)  Darin and I have our routine set in stone when it comes to throw-up.  I do the clean-up of the actual puke while Darin cleans up the kid.  Darin does not respond well to the Technicolor Yawn.  I struggle with the moldy dishes Darin brings home from work.  It totally grosses me out!  So Darin handles that for me. 

I think of all the moldy dishes, and puke, and stinky diapers, moves, tricky financial issues, dreams left behind and new dreams brought to life, and I can't imagine going through it with anyone but Darin.  So many times over the years we have recounted how we met and all the little details that had to come about for us to meet when we did.  We could have never accomplished it on our own!  I mean, come on.  We have a hard enough time getting our little family out the door to church on Sundays!  In honor of our anniversary this year - especially because we are now working on year TWENTY! I am going to dig deep and see if I can find some pictures from when we first met and married and tell the story of how we met.  Stay tuned!  :-)

Drug Free!

Darin has suffered with GERD and a hiatal hernia for years.  Really....YEARS.  He has taken Prevacid for longer than we can remember, and it's a prescription that is supposed to only be used for a few weeks.  Our chiropractor told Darin that he could get off the Prevacid if he wanted to, but neither of us really believed it could be done because of the hiatal hernia, which is basically a continually open hole in Darin's stomach, leading into the esophagus.  We were told by "real" doctors that he would have to have surgery to fix it. 

But one morning as I watched the news while getting ready for the day, I saw one of those commercials.  You know..."If you or a loved one have taken the drug Prevacid and suffered from 'blah-bitty-blah' you might be entitled to compensation......"  I told Darin what I saw, and then he saw it the next day.  That was the last day he was on Prevacid.  He quit it cold turkey and then we left town for 10 days.  He carried the Tums with him and when we got back, we dusted off the recipe for Brasco Broth that Dr. Erb gave us to start us down the road to healing Darin's tummy.  I took a crash course in chicken feet and local sources for grassfed beef and free range chicken.  Darin was supposed to drink nothing but the broth for 3 days.  We realized on the 2nd day that we needed a plan and turned to Dr. Erb.  He directed us to Restoring Your Digestive Health.  We found it at Barnes & Noble here in town, and followed what is called the Guts & Glory Program.  It's been over three weeks since he started down this path, and nearly two weeks since he has felt one little "urp."  We just can hardly believe it.  We never thought it possible!  Here's some little tidbits that we learned:

1) Most digestive problems are caused by too much candida/yeast. 

2) Darin's lifelong stomach issues were probably passed along to him by his Mom when he came through the birth canal.  She probably had a high level of candida/yeast and Darin took some with him as he left.  :-)

3) As Darin ate the Standard American Diet all through life, the yeast from all the carbs that we all love so much, multiplied his stomach issues and the issues became worse as he got older.  The yeast buildup in his gut is what actually caused the hiatal hernia.  The Guts & Glory Program starves out the yeast and detoxes the body.  Now Dr. Erb will give Darin adjustments that will help close up the hiatal hernia.  No more hole!

This article, Acid Reflux: A Red Flag, really solidified things for us.  It spoke to us on every level concerning what Darin has been experiencing for 20 years and more.

Shallow Stream

Lately I've been feeling a little dry around the edges.  I had a few minutes to myself this afternoon, so picked up one of the books from the Charlotte Mason series - "Formation of Character".  I never get a chance to do this kind of reading, but felt the need for it.  As I was reading, CM hit my need right on the nose. 

She wrote, "As a stream can rise no higher than its source, so it is probable that no education effort can rise above the whole scheme of thought which gives it birth; and perhaps this is the reason of all the 'fallings from us, vanishings,' failures, and disappointments which mark our educational records."

Right ON.  My "stream" is shallow.  I've let myself get so busy with chores, schooling, and other family stuff that I've neglected to fill my mind with IDEAS.  CM goes on to write, "In saying that EDUCATION IS A LIFE, the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied.  The mind feeds on ideas..."

She is referring to teaching children, but how can the teacher teach the children and feed them ideas if the teacher has nothing to give? 

Thank God for the Deep Thinkers who have gone before.

This n’ That

We just got back from a 10-day visit with my family in Tennessee.  It was the first time in almost 20 years that my entire family was together.  I have four brothers and a sister, so it hasn't always been easy to get us all in the same place at the same time.  We celebrated my Dad's 80th birthday, which is in August, and my Mom's 75th, which was a couple of days ago.  It was hard to leave them.  They're slowing down and it's hard to be so far away from them.  Darin, the kids and I did as much for them as we could before we left.  They heat their house with a wood stove.  One of their biggest challenges in the last couple of years has been bringing in wood.  They have a big barn that is FULL of wood.  My parents have lived on their mountaintop home for 17 years now and my Dad has consistently cut wood over the years in anticipation of them slowing down and him not being able to keep up with the demand.  So we filled up the back of their truck with load after load of wood and brought it to their garage.  We made two huge stacks for them.  Mom said that what we brought in for them should last through December.  Of course my goal is to get them to snowbird it down here in Dallas for January.  I chatted with them about it while we were there, but it's summer and they've forgotten how hard it was to keep up with the fire in the stove last winter.  We'll see...I would love to post some pictures of our trip, but I'm still having PhotoShop issues...Darin has so much to do around here that I hate to bother him about this measly issue.  One of these days I'll work up the nerve to harass him about it again.  ;-)

We took a lot of June off from school, so we got started back up again in earnest this week.  I've incorporated a new plan to our day that has been a lifesaver for me, and I know the kids are also enjoying the new set-up.  What I can't believe is that I didn't think of it sooner.  It's been very hectic to get school done in the mornings with Henry and Sophia wondering around, looking for something to do.  There were days that I worked on some lapbooks with them, but I was unable to be consistent with it because Ben, Lydia or Jack would need me for something related to their own schoolwork.  That would leave Henry and Sophia crawling all over me while I tried to work with one of the olders, or crawling all over each other - they do not play well together yet, but then that's another issue...ANYWAY...it was really hard.  By the time naptime rolled around I was totally burnt.  So what I've done is divide the olders' schedules into Morning Work and Afternoon Work.  The Morning Work includes everything they can do without my help.  And then of course the Afternoon Work is all the stuff for which they need me. 

OH MY GOODNESS. 

It is so nice.  The olders are less stressed, I'm less stressed, and Henry and Sophia are feeling less stressed.  I'm glad that now Henry and Sophia are not running around with nothing to do AND that now they have things to do and it's all with ME.  :-)  I really enjoy spending time with them.  We're working into a groove.  We water the plants/garden outside, read books, play a game, do a little misc. exploring.  Today we found a paper wasp nest that our pest control guy knocked off our house a couple of days ago.  It still had a wasp on it.  It was dead, but looked alive.  We brought it into the house and I grabbed my Christian Liberty Nature Reader off the shelf and we read all about paper wasps.  I saved the nest until Darin got home tonight and had Henry tell him everything he remembered from what we read.  At first he said, "I don't know what we read."  Then in the very next breath, he proceeded to tell Darin everything we had read.  ;-)  I enjoyed that!

Ben turns 15 on Saturday.  'Nuff said.  <sniff sniff>

I tried to feed Grace some rice cereal today with no success.  She was hardly impressed.  The first bite she gagged.  The second bite she spewed out all over me.  While I was trying to give her a third bite, she grabbed the bowl and it fell to the floor.  End of Day 1.  We'll try again tomorrow.  ;-)

Making (more) Changes...it's all good.

Darin finally installed Photoshop on my new laptop (thank you, Darin!) and I was going to post some pictures of the kid's latest fun.  They turned our kitchen table into a ping-pong table.  But Ben just joined the blog world and beat me to it.  Check out his blog and see what my fun kids did this weekend. :-)

I've been feeling kind of frustrated lately because we have been making some drastic (to us!) changes in our eating habits and I thought that the pounds would start melting off.  Well.  I'm still only four pounds down.  I guess it's better than four pounds UP!  Cruising around the blogosphere this weekend, I came across a great blog entry written by Vin Miller on his blog, Natural Bias.  It's titled Finding a Strong Source of Motivation for Healthy Living.  Read it, because it's really good.  What I'm taking from it is that if we make changes in our diets only to lose weight as our main motivation, we will usually lose interest/motivation/the will to continue because the excitement certainly wears thin after awhile. (no kidding)  Vin says that if we choose to make changes in our activity or eating habits to be healthier then we will usually be more committed and the change we look for will naturally follow. 

I've been doing it backwards.  I've changed some eating habits to lose weight, and to be honest, haven't been 100% faithful because I've felt constrained by "the diet."  So this week my goal is to work on my outlook and see what I can come up with.  I am totally on board with making changes to be healthier.  Darin and I have already made a lot of changes in order to be healthier and have noticed a difference in our overall health.  But more changes - it just interferes with my Chai Tea obsession, that's all.  If you're interested, the best way to order a Chai Tea from Starbucks is as a Venti, Breve, 10-pump Chai.  Heaven.  Creamy Heaven.  I've been able to let go of all "man-made dairy" except the chai.  The "breve" is half-n-half.  Oh, the calories.  So good. 

But no, don't do it.  My goal is to encourage you and me to make healthy changes.  Chai Tea is not a healthy change.  If only...

ANYWAY - I'm going to pull out my copy of Nourishing Traditions again and read, read, read.  Especially the section on Dairy, since that's been something I've been working on lately.  As I've mentioned before, we drink milk kefir which is great, probiotically speaking.  ;-)  Lots of good stuff for our guts and it's not a good-for-you food that breaks the bank.  The next thing I want to start doing is making my own yogurt, following the recipe found in Nourishing Traditions.



This is Jack.  He is our very own All-Around Animal Whisperer.  Here is a picture of him with a lizard he chased down in our front yard.  And no, we are not adding "lizard" to our diet.  This is a totally random picture posting.  ;-)

Chai Lady

After I gave birth to Grace back in December, Darin did a lot of the grocery shopping for about a month.  Lydia and I have a weekly grocery shopping routine.  We both missed it.  We go to SuperTarget, step in Starbucks for a tasty beverage while we read a chapter of a book together (we're working through the Elsie Dinsmore series), then shopping.  I always, ALWAYS  order a venti, breve (breve is half n' half), 10-pump chai.  I'm addicted to the chai in no small way! 

Lydia and I missed getting out together and we learned that the baristas at Starbucks missed us, too!  Darin took the older 3 Christmas shopping.  They did their shopping, then he installed them at Starbucks while he finished our shopping for them.  While the kids were ordering a drink for themselves, the barista asked, "Did your mom have her baby yet?"  The girl working with her said, "Who?"  She responded with "You know.  Chai Lady."  ;-)  So I'm Chai Lady.  But next time I go in to the SuperTarget Starbucks with Lydia, I'm not going to order a chai.  I'm going to order an unsweetened, venti Passion Tea.  That doesn't roll off the tongue like Chai Lady.  Passion Lady....Passion Tea Lady...<blush>.

Back at the beginning of the month, I was chatting with a friend who told me that her son had complete relief from his seasonal allergies when he quit eating dairy.  Our allergies have improved so much since going to a chiropractor but not completely, so I wondered if we chilled on the dairy if it would help? Goodbye Chai Tea... only I didn't realize how entrenched dairy is in our diet.  It seems that just about every meal includes some sort of dairy product.  So I'm working on slowly weaning everyone from it, but I went cold turkey.  The first thing I noticed was a difference in Grace!  At 5 months, she's still nursing.  Right away, she stopped spitting up so much.  We used to have to have a burp rag extremely handy because she spit up so much.  Now it's almost nothing.  I also have noticed a difference in her dirty diapers.  She doesn't have as many blowouts as she did.  Well, she doesn't have ANY blowouts.  It's a complete night and day difference. 

My big dream is for us to move into a home with 2 acres (I'm not greedy ;-)) so we can have our own goats or cows and have our own milk.  Our chiropractor calls all the pastuerized/processed stuff "man-made dairy" and encourages us to find raw sources for milk and other dairy products.  We used to get raw goat's milk from a family here in our town, but they're working on moving and have sold all their goats!  They sold their milk at a reasonable price.  I've done a little searching around and the cheapest I can find goat's milk around here is $16 a gallon!  That's just not in our budget.  We do use milk from a local ice cream shop (Braum's) to make milk kefir.  We make smoothies from the kefir - its consistency is a little more runny than yogurt.  The lactose, which is what most people react to in dairy products, is "pre-digested" in the kefir making process, making the good stuff in the  milk easier to absorb. 

Another great thing I've noticed from leaving dairy behind is that I'm 3 pounds down.  I've done a little research to try to find the benefits of a dairy-free diet and have only found a small list so far:  relief from acne, migraine headaches, ovarian cancer and autism.  As if those aren't enough, I wonder, do you have any info to share on this topic?

To the Work

One of the biggest challenges Darin and I deal with is teaching our kids to love their work.  We grew up in the 70's and 80's mindset where we were led to believe that the world revolved around filling our spare time with fun activities.  And not only our spare time was devoted to our entertainment, but we were encouraged to fill all our time with "fun opportunities."  It has been a hard, cold slap in the face for both of us to grow up, get married, have a family and realize that the world was not actually created for our entertainment.  There's work to be done and no one is going to do it for us.

So the biggest challenge in teaching our kids a work ethic is ourselves.  We have a hard time overcoming the cultural lie that the kids should be constantly at leisure to fill their days with activities that leave them little time to develop that work ethic.  We have to constantly remind ourselves about the frustrations we've felt as adults when we realize that we weren't prepared for certain adult responsibilities.  Then of course the next thing we struggle with is follow through.  After all, we ARE children of the 80's.  We want our kids to LIKE US.  ;-)  No, really, we do.  We don't want them to grow up and be bitter at us because we forced them to do chores and stuff, but at the same time, we don't want them to grow up and feel frustrated with us because they weren't prepared for life as an adult.  It's a fine line we find ourselves standing on.  Another thing we've discovered through parenting is that there are no "tips and tricks" we can use that will make the teaching and learning painless.  It's gonna hurt.  The kids aren't going to want to do their chores.  We're going to find ourselves not wanting to make them to them.  The best solution we've come up with is to follow God's advice in 1 Corinthians 16:14: " Let all that you do be done with love."  If we can keep our perspective straight and teach our kids "with love" we feel sure that God will bless the work.  The next hardest thing is persevering over the years and years it takes to see the benefits of the work, but that's a whole other issue!  ;-) 

Misc.

Since starting chiropractic care back in 2006, all our allergies have improved SO much.  I used to walk around sounding AWFUL.  My nose was constantly stopped-up, a lot of sneezing, nose blowing...just generally sounding real un-ladylike on a regular basis.  But now....no nose trouble.  No nose spray 24/7.  That's the biggest blessing to me.  There was more than one pregnancy, when I couldn't take anything to help my poor nose, when I would be up till 2 or 3 a.m. because I couldn't breathe.  But now, only relief.  LOVE my chiro!  We still struggle a little with tiredness during allergy season and a headache every now and then, but the improvement we have felt is too good to not be thankful these days. 

Another thing that has helped over the years has been cod liver oil.  I don't know what the deal is, but seems everyone has a big mental block where cod liver oil is concerned.  When I mention it to friends, I get, "eeeeew!  I could never take it.  It tastes awful!"  I don't get that.  If it's something that could be helpful to one's quality-of-life, why wouldn't one want to rush out to the store ASAP to get it!  I used to get sinus infections every spring and fall during allergy season.  Since starting taking it about seven years ago, I haven't had even ONE sinus infection.  My husband's high blood pressure is a thing of the past, the arthritis that was developing in my hands is gone.  I'll bet there are also other issues that have been taken care of that we don't even know about.  If you Google "cod liver oil benefits" you'll come up with some sites that have huge lists of the benefits of it.

Totally unrelated....I've finally worked out a Beans n' Rice recipe that my husband likes to eat.  Seems he's a big fan of salsa as an ingredient in things.  I first learned that with Beef Stew about a year ago.  I was out of canned tomatoes and grabbed a can of my Mom's homemade salsa as a last minute fix.  Then when I ran out of salsa and went back to regular ol' tomatoes, Darin noticed.  So back to salsa in the Beef Stew.  There's not a soul on the planet that would think that Darin Beard would ever eat Beef Stew because it has vegetables in it.  When we met, the only vege he ate was French Fries.  ;-)  But I've worn him down over the years....let's see...it's been a long haul...we'll be celebrating 19 years this August. 

Back to the Beans n' Rice.  I've been getting a tepid response from Darin every time I make it, and I just hate that.  It finally occurred to me yesterday to use salsa rather than canned tomatoes and that did the trick.  While I don't think he is in love with Beans n' Rice, he can now eat it without gagging.  ;-)  Here's my recipe if you're interested.  The great thing about this recipe is that it's fast and easy.

Beans n' Rice!

First off, I use this recipe to cook the rice.  I do it earlier in the day.  I put it in the oven while I’m taking care of lunch.  It’s SO easy and to me, less stressful than cooking it on the stovetop.

Here’s the rest... 
½ onion, chopped (or however much you want – Darin isn’t a huge fan of them in his food, so I keep it down to 1/2)
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1 - 2 t. chili powder
½ t. celery seed
½ t. pepper
16 oz. jar salsa
2 cans chili beans

The brown rice you cooked earlier.

Cook the onion and garlic in some olive oil for 5 minutes, then dump in the rest of the ingredients and heat through.  We can eat this plain, or on a tortilla with cheese and sour cream.  YUM.

Perfection

Giving Grace a bath yesterday afternoon, I thought of a new way of doing it that made it easier for me.  Grace is the third baby that I've bathed in that tub, but I just now thought of doing something that made it easier.  It's been pointed out to me before that as a Mom with six kids, I must have the whole parenting thing down to a perfect science, but I keep finding things that can be improved.  And then I am reminded of God's promises, and can't help but be thankful.  Psalm 138:8:

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
         Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
         Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Giving My Peace Away

We have had quite a few negative reactions when it comes to mine and Darin's decision to allow God to bless us as He will in regards to our family size.  Some of the negative reactions were extreme.  Darin and I felt powerless to do anything about the harsh treatment we received.  Usually when one makes up their mind to feel a certain way, it's just about impossible to change their minds.  We prayed about it.  There was nothing else we could do.

While I talked with God about it, I remembered Moses' conversation with God in Exodus after the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf.  God told Moses to stand back so He could destroy them.  Moses replied, "Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'?"

I thought of that conversation and kind of felt like Moses. Darin and I have said that we are allowing God to decide the size of our family and I didn't want the people who were angry with Darin and me to be able to one day look at our family and say something like, "WELL.  Look what God did.  Gave them a baby with Down's Syndrome." I have been begging God for healthy children because I did not want to give those people any excuse to badmouth God's provision. I didn't want them to be able to say anything bad about our trust in Him or our relationship with Him (i.e. we're misguided).   

A couple of weeks ago, I was studying in a book titled "Affliction" by Edith Schaeffer.  It is part of Ben's curriculum for this year.  It's about......affliction!  ;-)  Chapter 4 is about what happens when we handle affliction faithfully.  When we're faithful, and refuse to turn our backs on God ("though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!" - Go Job!) it's a victory for God in His battle against Satan.  Concerning Job's struggles, Edith Schaeffer wrote:
"It was a battle in the heavenlies and demonstrated that the action and reaction of a human being has significance in the victory that takes place in the heavenlies.  Satan attacks God through attempts to make His children stop trusting their Heavenly Father and start complaining and murmuring against Him....The victory for God against Satan is when - one by one - God's people continue to love Him and trust Him in the midst of unchanging circumstances." 

What really hit me was this: "...each individual defeat - where we insist on proving our closeness to the Lord by some false "pushing aside" of the affliction, instead of willingly accepting His answer and His subsequent grace to go on - will also have far-reaching results in a negative way...It is important not to allow the loud noises of people (who clamor for us to "prove it" by having a miracle change the circumstances) drown out the answer that the Lord gives us...If His answer is to change the circumstances and give us relief, then we thank Him and worship Him who is "able to do all things." But if His answer is as it was to Paul, that the "thorn" is not to be removed, but that He will give His sufficient grace to go on, a moment at a time, then we are to answer as Jesus did, "Thy will be done." Or "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt." Which is the greatest victory?"

I don't think it's wrong for me to want healthy children.  What mother wouldn't?  I think where I was wrong was in trying to close any doors that God might open for our family through affliction.  What if we did have a Down's Syndrome baby, or worse?  I know Darin and I would love that baby as fiercely as we do the other six.  And if we did it right, maybe our affliction might turn the heads of those who think we're insane and irresponsible in "trusting God."  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But rather than crying about an afflliction and hoping to avert it, I set myself up for failure and *I* disappoint God (it's never the other way around!) with my lack of faith in Him in all circumstances. 

What amazes me most is the peace there is in saying to God, "do whatever you think is best."  For real.  I said that before, but then prayed to be spared any challenges where our children are concerned.  But now I feel the abandon for God's plan that I think He's been hoping I would feel all this time.  A friend once told me, "Why should I worry about it?  Let God make the decisions."  She's right.  

1 Peter 4:19 says, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."

He is faithful.  Everything that happens in our world will somehow work out to bring glory to God (per Revelation!).  I can trust Him and not worry about what others will say.  Proverbs 29:25: The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe."
 

Always on My Mind

We should get the results of Ben's test that he just took in three weeks.  I was nervous for him but when we picked him up after it was over, he said, "no sweat!"  Good thing.  I was imagining him saying something like, "Man, Mom, that was HARD.  It turns out you've been a really bad teacher all these years.  I didn't know ANYTHING on that test!"  ;-) 

I am one of those people who get hit by the obvious things fairly often.  Seems like they are things I should have understood from the beginning, and maybe I do, but one day, a thought will hit me as if it were the first time and send me reeling.  Yesterday I was watching Ben interact with his brothers and sisters.  I remembered when he was a young guy, seeing a young adult man - probably around Ben's age now - play with Ben and I thought how nice it would be to see Ben grow into the kind of sweet guy that young man was.  And I remember thinking how the mother of that young man had it made.  Her job was practically finished and it looked as if she was turning out a good egg.  All she had left to do was coast through the last few years of raising him before sitting down to rest on her childrearing laurels. 

Here's where my thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks.  Ben may grow up, leave the house, get married, have children, a job and a great life, but my care and concern for him will never be over to the point where I will never worry over his choices, his character, his relationship with God.  He literally is my baby for life.  Reminds me of "Love You Forever".  How fun would it be to drive over to Ben's house, climb a ladder to his bedroom window and rock him and sing while he sleeps. :-)

New Territory

So much going on.  I have so many ideas for blog entries but no brain power to get the ideas out of my head.  I never realized what a luxury the ability and time to concentrate on *one* thing is.  I realized last week that my boy will need to take the PSAT in the fall.  He'll be a sophomore and this new territory that we're entering has me carrying around a brown bag to breathe in on a regular basis.  He has never taken a standardized test in his life and I feel the pressure for him to do well!  *breathe!*

Our first reversal blessing, Henry, turned 4 over the weekend.  He is also leading me into new territory.  The first three blessings were pretty average kids.  Henry is full-time on-the-go.  His little brain constantly needs stimulation, so I have been doing "school" with him for the last year and a half.  The kid has a memory that astouds, and a vocabulary that equals Ben's, our 9th grader.  When he was a babe, not even a year old, we were so excited about teaching him Baby Signs.  We quickly gave it up because he was speaking the word along with the sign we were teaching him.  How to keep up with this boy is daily in my thoughts and prayers.

Lydia is 11 - will be 12 in June and is blossoming into a young woman.  I don't remember much interaction with my own Mom about things like this, so I've got one of my buds on speed dial, getting her advice on this or that.  I miss the preschooler years when she would sing "Whisper a Prayer" to me using sign language.  I think I just about made her sing it to me every day.  What a sweet little voice....and those little fingers making the signs!  It's so hard to believe that she's so far beyond that and moving into so many new things.  I'd like to keep her with me far longer than I will probably be allowed to.

Jack, who is 9, has been my "math challenge."  He is such a smart kid, and very observant.  But he hates math and pencils/pens (anything to do with writing) that I have had to work extra hard, especially this year, at getting him to learn to love it all...I've been working overtime on finding fun ways to involve him wholeheartedly in his schoolwork.  Some have worked, some have not, but I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  He is starting to go off on his own for a few things, and I find I miss having him curled up beside me on the couch reading aloud to me, or him narrating his latest writing assignment to me as I write it down.  At the same time, I'm energized, thinking about new directions for his schoolwork and all the ways we can expand now.

My two baby girls are stretching me.  I thought I was already stretched as far as I could go, but they need attention from me.  Of course, at 2, Sophia is able to articulate her needs very clearly.  She's so cute with her, "Mama?"  (she'll repeat until I say, "Sophia?")  Then she says, "M'ere, Mama!  M'ere!"  She usually wants to read a book or for me to help her color a princess or baby coloring page.  Is it awful to say that there are times when I have to make myself drop what I'm doing to go to her?  My goal is for my kids to be the most important part of my day, but boy, I hold on to my to-do list so tightly.  I guess if I have to have someone teach me to chill out on the never-ending chores, it's great that it's Sophia and Grace.  They are SO PRECIOUS.  I love having girls!

 

A Good Book

I ordered some new books to read to Henry and Sophia.  I always wonder what it would be like if one of our kids hated to read.  I personally can't imagine why anyone would not be interested in reading as much as possible.  Lydia (11yo) reminds me of me when I was that age.  Constantly with my nose in a book.  My Mom is not a booklover (got it from my Dad).  She did not understand why I always wanted to hang out in my room and read, but she did keep a steady supply of good books coming my way. 

Once when I was around 12, Mom and I drove way out in the country to check out an antique store.  It was in an old barn.  We were the only ones there, and it felt as if we were the first ones to be there in a long time!  Looking around,  I found an old copy of Little Women that Mom bought for me.  Of course I started reading it in the car on the way home.  I read it two or three times during the first year that I had it.  Each time I read it, I would write in the corner of the page the date and time that I started reading, and then when I had to stop, the date and time for that.  Nowadays ya can't get me to even write my name in a book.  I like to keep them looking perfect.  A losing battle in a house with six kids!  Back when Jack was potty training, he let'er rip on a book that he found on the schoolroom floor.  sigh.  I was on the phone with a fellow homeschooling pal when it happened.  Every time she borrows a book from me she asks, "This isn't THE book, is it?"  hahaha  No, that book is long gone!  ;-)

One of the books I ordered for Henry and Sophia is a collection of Eloise Wilkin books.  Sophia was looking at it the first day we got it and has already accidentally ripped one of the pages.  Our books are destined to be well-loved.  ;-)  This one most of all, I think.  Sophia has taken to carrying it around.  It's a collection of nine stories, so it's a good, thick book for a 2-year old, but because the illustrations are so meticulously done and interesting, we read through the entire book without stopping for a break.

 

 

 

One of the really cute things Sophia does through the book is assign the characters in the book one of her brother's or sister's names.  Here is what she called Ben.

Here is herself:

Here is Lydia:
It doesn't seem to matter to her whether or not the cute little people in the book actually look like herself, or brothers and sisters.  It doesn't bother me, either, because she's so CUTE, giving the characters a name.

 

 

If you're a fan of Charlotte Mason, you might be able to relate with me on this.  Eloise Wilkin's books make me want to run out right away for a nature walk.  I've decided that her books are perfect Nature Study books for the Pre-K - K crowd.  There are a lot of flowers, trees, bugs, fish, forest and even jungle creatures to identify, and each in their own habitats.

She Willingly Works with Her Hands

I made a vow to myself to be better about taking pictures this year.  I have a tendency to get so wrapped up in what we're doing that the camera is forgotten.  It almost breaks my heart to think of all the special moments around here that are left unrecorded by the camera.  So I took the camera to my brother-in-law's birthday party and took a lot of pictures there.  Then true to form, I left the camera there.  ;-)  It's killing me - I need to get it back soon!  I'm itching to start using up all the Creative Memories supplies that have been sitting in the corner of the office for way too long. 

Is it a picture of Sophia, or her paci?

There is so much to do around here these days.  I usually make a list of things-to-accomplish, but the time that I used for that is now used for nursing Grace.  So I have what I like to call my "mental list of things-to-do."  I love that list.  I love doing every little thing on that list.  From ironing to making a lesson plan, to grocery shopping, to making some muffins ahead for breakfast during the week.  There are times when the list seems so daunting and I think I can't do it all.  Well, I can't, but I'll never get any of it done without taking it one item at a time.

What a funny smile - where are her top teeth?

It's hard to keep on.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and waste a little time, but then I think about how hard that makes it for myself and my family when I don't take care of what needs to get done and that helps me keep going.  Our family has adopted the verses from Proverbs 6: 6-11 that say,
"Go to the ant, you sluggard!
      Consider her ways and be wise, 
       Which, having no captain,
      Overseer or ruler, 
       Provides her supplies in the summer,
      And gathers her food in the harvest. 
       How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
      When will you rise from your sleep? 
       A little sleep, a little slumber,
      A little folding of the hands to sleep— 
       So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
      And your need like an armed man."

A doughnut!!!!!!

There once was a time when I would clean a little bit, read a little bit.  Clean a little bit, watch a little t.v.  Clean a little bit, chat on the phone with a friend. Those days are far behind me now.  Nowadays I clean a little bit, correct Lydia's math.  Clean a little bit, nurse the baby.  Clean a little bit, make lunch for the kids and myself...I can't help but compare the two lists and think that my life has greatly improved. 

Ravioli mouth.

I have to remind myself of that a lot as I discipline myself to keep with the tasks and little ones at-hand.  Isn't that what it really boils down to?  Discipline?  I've had a lot of ladies tell me they could never homeschool, or have six kids because they think they're not "organized enough."  Pshaw.  I will forever believe and forever tell those ladies that organization is a good tool to have, but what about the discipline to be organized?  That's something we can teach ourselves.  Once we've made up our minds to discipline ourselves, the rest falls into place.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

This is a fun YouTube video that my kids enjoyed watching.

The Simple Life

I predicted that Baby #6 was going to be my biggest challenge and I was right.  Not the baby herself, but having six kids.  There's a lot to do around here these days.  Grace is now six weeks and we love every  minute of her.  She is squooshy and cuddly and smells so sweet.  I love to kiss her fat little cheeks.  That was one of the things I daydreamed about there at the end of the pregnancy so getting to actually do it on a daily basis is literally a dream come true.  :-)

With so many kisses to give, I've been working on simplifying.  Here's what I've been doing so far:

1) This one is not so popular with the kids, but it has saved my bacon.  I have been using the same menu plan since Grace was born.  It's full of easy meals like tacos, chili, spaghetti, quiche and a frozen pizza here and there.  Grace usually nurses around 4:30 or 5 every afternoon - right when I should be making dinner, so a meal that I can put together in 30 minutes is my goal.  And using the same menu plan makes making my shopping list a short and sweet affair as well.

2) I remember back in the day when a friend and I would talk about how our kids would only have memories of our profiles because we spent so much time on the computer answering emails and surfing the web for homeschooling curriculum.  ;-)  Those days have been long past for me, but now I feel the need to cut back even more on computer time.  A five minute check in the mornings and evenings is my goal, so I've begun unsubscribing from email updates that I don't LOVE.  I never realized how many things I was getting from family organizations, homeschool curriculum vendors, news organizations.....I can survive without it!

3) During the pregnancy, I designated some shelves in our school room for toys that are in clear, plastic storage bins.  I am not allowing more toys in the house than can fit on those shelves.  So when we got new stuff for Christmas, the old stuff that was already conveniently stored in the bins went up to the attic and the new stuff was added.  Keeps clean-up time from being so stressful and....SIMPLE.  ;-)

4) There's a lot ot be said for The Basics.  I've slashed a lot of extra workbook-y type stuff from Lydia and Jack's schedules and have been concentrating on Math, Writing skills and reading good literature.  We've been able to fit in everything amid the feedings and Henry and Sophia's needs which makes us all happy.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the simple life, please let me know!  I'm all ears.  :-)

My Birth Story

I've been working on this post since 12/27!  :-)  If you're interested, here's my birth story....

I had a midwife appointment on the 9th of December.  That was the day before my due date. At the end of that appointment I made another appointment for the next week, but we all laughed about it because we just knew for sure that I would have the baby before then.  haha heehee.  ;-)  I needed that appointment! 

I was starting to feel like stinky fish.  Everywhere I went everyone would say stuff like, "When are you going to have that baby/"  or "Are you STILL here?"  Darin and the kids kept asking, "How do you feeeeeeel?"  Wondering if I was having contractions or not.  But nothing was really happening and I almost resigned myself to being pregnant for the rest of my life.  Oh my.  Can you imagine????  ;-)

So I went in for the appointment on the 17th.  Early that morning I had this weird "internal contraction-like" thing.  It felt like a contraction inside, and it felt as if Grace moved down.  I had never felt anything like that before!  So when I got to the midwife's, I told her what had happened and she decided to check me to see if I was dilated.  I was at a 5 and fully effaced.  That seemed to freak her out a little.  We are 30 minutes from the birthing center, and I am Group B Strep positive.  I needed to get two doses of antibiotics in before Grace came through the birth canal, so she told me in very strong language that if it were her, she would stay to be induced.  Well.  Absolutely.  My biggest fear during the pregnancy was that I would not be able to get the antibiotics needed before Grace was born.  I had a niece die from exposure to Group B when she was born so I definitely want to be overly cautious in this area.  It was a hard blow for our family when that happened!  That sweet niece would have been my parent's first grandchild.

Darin and I had taken Henry, Sophia and Lydia with us to this appointment, so we took them home, called our friend (more about her in another post!) who had volunteered to help out with the kids during the delivery, went through the drive-thru of Chick-Fil-A for some lunch, filled up the car with gas, then headed back to the midwife.  :-)

When Darin and I got there, Lynne, the assistant, told me to use my breast pump for 30 minutes to see if we could get labor started that way.  I am an all-or-nothing gal, so I hooked-up both sides and cranked the pump to "Max."  Darin looked at his watch when I started.  It was 12:12 p.m.  OH MY GOODNESS.  It worked!  10 minutes later I asked Darin to go ask if I could stop!  The contractions came on so fast and hard.  Lynne said I could stop, but that I needed to go take a brisk walk.  Oooookaaaay.  :-/  I tried to be a good girl and go for a walk, but I knew there was no need.  I laid down on the bed and sweated through some contractions before deciding to get up and change into the clothes I was going to wear for the birth. 

While I was up, I noticed the contractions were a lot more manageable while standing.  So I paced around the room, working through the contractions.  Our midwife came in for something....not sure what she was doing.  I think she was filling out paperwork or something.  She asked Darin how far apart my contractions were.  He said.  "Oh, about 10 minutes or so."  WHAT?  ;-)  It was obvious he wasn't the one FEELING the pain, so I set him straight on their frequency.  The midwife, Jean, said she also noticed they were lasting a good long time, so she decided to check me.  I was dilated to an 8.  This was only after about an hour.  It was just a little past 1 by this time.  Jean decided that if she broke my water, the baby would come right down and right out. 

It sort of worked like that.....the baby did come right down, but the right out thing was a little more tricky.  While I was pushing, my contractions slowed way down.  And can I say, WOW.  I could have lived with the contractions ALL DAY as long as I didn't have to push.  Having never given birth without drugs before did not prepare me for the pain of pushing.  Really, the thing that bothered me the most was feeling claustrophobic.  There were one person holding each of my legs, Jean, the midwife standing at the ready to catch the baby, and another person standing behind her telling me to PUSH!!!!!!  I felt as if everyone were on top of me and I just wanted them to back off.  And with everyone screaming at me (it seemed as if they were!) to push, I felt like a pushing failure.  I ended up pushing so hard that I had broken little blood vessels on my face - it looked as if I had a rash.  And I'm a screamer!  LoL  I kept saying, "Take the baby out!  Take her out!"  And then they would say, "You have to PUSH!!!!!"  I hope that if we go through this again that my reactions will be a little more subdued.  I think I was caught off guard with the intensity of the pushing.  There is nothing I could have read that could have prepared me for that.

So...my contractions finally caught back up to where they needed to be and I had two or three good pushes in a row and Grace Anne was finally born at 1:44 p.m.  9 lbs. 1 oz.  She was/IS beautiful.  :-)  I was so thankful it was over, but then it wasn't really over for me yet.  :-/  I was bleeding very heavily.  I ended up losing twice as much blood as I should have.  Jean said it was probably because my contractions slowed down during the pushing.  That left me weak and so tired and I'm still trying to work through that now.  I am always anemic (except during pregnancy) so I'm sure the blood loss didn't help that.  But I have to say that if God blesses us with another little one, I will definitely use the midwife again.  Besides the low energy I have from the blood loss, the healing really has been much faster than with all our other babies.  And no episiotomy for the first time!  That's probably the biggest blessing ever.  My old OB always gave episiotomies as a matter of course.  It was part of her procedure.

The best part was that Darin was able to take off the entire rest of the month.  He and the kids spoiled me.  I took naps, fed the baby, watched HGTV, ate the good food they brought me.  It was so nice to be at home immediately after the birth rather than separated from everyone at the hospital.  Another positive about giving birth at the birthing center.  During the last days of the pregnancy I thought that if there were a next time, I might try giving birth at home, but I can't imagine putting my kids through my freaking out during the pushing, so the birthing center it is!  ;-)