Tragedy in our schools

I was laying in my bed "pouting" this morning because my own homeschooled children were not cooperating at all today. I had just made threats to them that they were going to public school asap. I left them downstairs to their own plans, and marched myself to my bed. I've been a little under the weather and so I easily drifted off to a light sleep. I was awoken to the tv interrupting with breaking news. I sat straight up in bed and watched as the horrific news unfolded. Instantly I was hearing my harsh words downstairs that I was sending them to school, because I just couldn't deal. My eyes instantly welled up with tears, and my husband called at that moment. I became a sobbing mess of true hurt and pain for these families. I just cannot imagine...I'm speechless as to what to say. I know that these parents would give anything for their kids to be back in their arms. I am so deeply saddened at the senseless tragic loss of precious babies, that I'm just sick. BP walked in my room, saw me crying and caught a glimpse of the tv. All I could do was hug him and cry. I continued to thank Jesus for my babies and the fact that I can still wrap my arms around them and tell them I love them. I will definitely have a different outlook on our schooldays and just any time that I have with them. This world is a sinful tragic place, and all we can do is pray that Jesus keeps us safe until His glorious return.

Praying for the families of this tragedy, that God would comfort them beyond all understanding. Praying for the babies that they would be at peace and rest with our Saviour.

Hello, My Name is Courtney, and I'm a Planner

It's 2:30am and I'm still wide awake, and still managed enough energy to blog about how I have issues! :) I do not like the fact that I'm such a perfectionist, so much so that I am planning on making it a New Years resolution to not be such a perfectionist. You should see me, I'm a plethora of lists, schedules, calenders, reminders, alarms, sticky notes, spreadsheets, etc. You would think I would be THE most organized person, but more days then not I feel like my mind is scattered in a million directions.

 I know what my problem is. I find a solution that works for me, yet I continue to search for something better. When something better comes along I grasp on to that as well as holding on to what I had been using before. Hence my calendar on top of calendar on top of calendar issue! Seriously people, it is just getting out of hand!!

 I have my teachers manual which I mark with the date and any activities we are doing with each day. Then I have my desk calendar which has my tasks for the day of homeschooling, along with household things, and events. Then I have my computer calendar which houses all my events, and has reminders set up to send via my email. I also have a calendar in my kitchen that I jot random things down on when I can't get to my computer OR find the other small mini calendar in my purse. Gah! I'm exhausted and I'm not done yet. So, I have the small wallet sized one in my purse that I keep with me on the go for appointments or reminders of where I'm supposed to be going! I also have a dry erase board on my fridge that I keep a weekly to do list that everyone can see. Right now the boys are doing a December calendar in the kitchen where they move a snowflake to each date until we reach Christmas. We also are doing the candy advent calendars. We are doing the ABC's of Advent calendar. The boys and I do calendar time every morning for school. They have calendar notebooks, where they go further into learning about numbers, days, months, etc. We also have a magnetic calendar in the kitchen for the boys to use. I have a plain calendar hanging in my kitchen close to the dinner table that M and I can refer too during meals when we're chatting. Oh my! My ears are shooting steam and my head is spinning! Don't even get me started in the drama it takes to make sure that each calendar is in sync!

So in my effort to stay super organized, I have created such a disarray and am probably more disorganized now! In my mind I have a great reason for each calendar, as you can see from my defending of my 14 (yes, I just counted them all) calendars. Now that just makes me sad. I have gotten so overtaken with scheduling and planning things according to my desires, that I have taken control of the drivers seat, and put the JC in the backseat. I have always been a planner, and I can't say that that will ever change. I just need a shift in priorities...from me to Him!

 I am determined to make my life more streamlined with less clutter, more true organization, and a peace and direction that I know will only come from my amazing Father in Heaven. God is really teaching me to let go of my plans and let Him have His way in my life. In EVERY area of my life. I need to know that I can only hold loosely to my plans, but be ready at any moment for God to take over! I need to roll with the punches and let God do his thing. Everything that I have is God's, and I need to be reminded of that daily. I pray that God will help me to be a good steward of my time and the blessings he has given me. This is definitely a verse I'm plastering all over my......umm...calendars!! :) 

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

 

My Vegan Thanksgiving...

with a big fat pasture raised local TURKEY! It was a little ironic to me that my Thanksgiving meal plans were based around all vegan recipes because of J's allergy, except for that wonderful bird! My mom and I each bought a turkey from a local farm here. They are organic and pasture raised. They are also extremely expensive, but definitely very well worth it! We also had vegan mashed potato's, vegan green bean casserole, and vegan stuffing. Not only was it vegan, but it was the "cleanest" most "real" Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had! No processed food at our table! I actually felt good, even after all I ate! This is some of the results that I see J's allergies as a good thing! ;) Some of our desserts turned out quite...well, there's nothing more to say, but terrible, but the ones that turned out were just enough!

Our food wasn't the only thing that changed this year, but traditions did as well. We've gotten together with sweet family friends of ours for years now (as long as I remember), but this year we parted ways for our own quiet family dinners. It's always hard to let go of tradition, but it's refreshing to start new ones.

Our LP had been coughing since Tuesday night, but we thought it was just a cold. Unfortunately we were proved wrong when his belly joined in the party on Thursday. He started running a fever, and was just miserable. At one point we were just staying in our own homes for our own dinners with someone transferring foods back and forth, then everyone was coming here, we were going there but LP was eating outside, and finally settled with our original plans. Poor LP, he was so sad, and just kept saying "I'll take my puke bucket with me!" Needless to say, the puke bucket, his blankets and pillow ended up in the car on the way to grandma and grandpa's! It was a nice time, and LP managed to do very well!

The boys had been working so hard for the past few weeks working on their Thanksgiving unit. They worked on "First Thanksgiving Books", WOW (Words of Wisdom), maps, thankful crafts, and their memory verse..."Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and His courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4" They had to get on their "stage" (the fireplace) to put on a "play" for our family, complete with pilgrim and Indian hats! They did GREAT, and made this mom and teacher VERY VERY proud!!

Recovery Weekend

It's been an awesome weekend to cheer us all up after the dreaded week last week. I still think I'm a bundle of nerves and quite a bit of disbelief, but I'm slowly getting there. Those first few days were horrible. I didn't think I'd ever stop crying or get some of the final images erased from my mind, but here we are 4 days later and I've laughed, smiled and am at peace. I will miss Zoe, and I know that the boys will, but we will move on with her in our hearts and minds.

At first I didn't really want to address the situation with the boys, but after them telling people that we gave Zoe to the vet I knew I had to do something. I wasn't sure exactly what to tell them, or what age I should even begin to explain death to them. So what's a girl to do? Google...of course, Silly! I was truly at a lost, so, yes, I googled it. Pet websites recommended being honest with them. So that's what I did. LP doesn't really seem to be to bothered by it, but BP sure has been voicing his opinion so I knew I needed to have a heart to heart with him. Here's my do's and don'ts of explaining pet loss to a child:

Do's:

• be honest...use words like death and died
• explain age appropriately
• express your sadness so they know it's okay to be sad themselves
• offer solutions to relieve their grief  ie:making picture books of the pet, drawing pictures of the pet, making poems to read at a celebration of life/memorial service

Don'ts:

• don't use the words "put to sleep" as this could cause them to be fearful of falling asleep themselves.
• don't say things like "the vet gave him/her a shot to...." as this could cause them to become fearful of doctors
• don't hide your emotions
• don't replace your pet quickly as that could make them feel your pet was replaceable.

Ahh...the joys of parenting. This was definitely uncharted waters for me, but I give myself an A! BP was sad for all of 3 seconds when he was told, but was just as quickly asking if he could play Wii.

We've had our sad moments off and on. The other day, M said that he looked in the hall, and swore he saw her sitting there. I've seen blankets in a corner and thought it was her at quick glance. I think I hear her paws on the kitchen floor. J has said "Bye Zooooie" while walking out the door. I've woken up expecting to walk in the laundry room to feed her. I haven't opened my back door...well...since Wed, and that's just sad to me. I don't really feel like going out there, and it's probably a good thing that it's been a bit chilly out! I know that my sweet girl is watching me from above, and that she's in peace now. Sleep well, sweet baby girl!

So our good weekend! M's dad was in town this weekend for the Ne/Mn football game. M took the big boys, and sent me off to the spa. A wonderful massage and facial was all I needed for some rejuvenation and relaxation. My mom watched J, and then we were off for sushi. We finished off the night with some shopping, where my wonderful J refused EVERY Build-A-Bear I tried convincing him to make!! After a wonderful church service this morning, we randomly decided to visit the state park for brunch with my family. Then we stopped by the drive-through zoo with M's dad, and had a blast there. BP said it was the best day of his life...funny...he just said that last week too! :)

Goodbye my most loyal friend...

I just can't seem to pull it together today. My baby girl is just hours away from leaving our home, even though she will always be in our hearts. I got Zoe when I was a junior in high school, when she was a wee pup in the pet store I was working at. It was Easter weekend, and I just couldn't leave this poor girl with her litter mates for the closed holiday weekend. I begged my boss to let me take her home with the promise of bringing her back to work with me after the weekend. My parents were less then thrilled to see me bring her home, but everyone at our family Easter dinner was in love with her cute little fuzzball self. Needless to say, Zoe ended up earning a permanent place in our family. She was my best bud. She was there with me for my last summer as a high school student. She was there with me when I started my senior year. She was there with  me as I lost my bearded dragon to a respiratory disease. She was there when I met M, and even though he hated her in the beginning, he has grown to love her as much as me! She was there as I prepared for college, took test, passed my nursing boards, and began working as a nurse at a local hospital. She was there as I packed my room in preparation to move away with my husband. She was there as I prepped for my wedding day, and she was with me throughout the day as I got ready to begin a new life. She was there as we brought home a new dog, and accepted his crazy self for just who he was. She was there as we lost our first pregnancy, and was my loving fur to cry on. She was there for the birth of our first baby, and was on the welcoming comity to bring him home. She was there to sniff the car seat, wag her tail and show her approval of his tiny self. She was there for all our new baby's first, and gracefully took the backseat to the golden pedestal she had been living on. She was again there to welcome home our second baby, and be constantly terrorized by a toddler! She was there as we lost our other family dog of 16 years. She was there when we sold our first home and purchased our second home. She was there at the passing of my grandma, my hero. She was there for the surprise of our third pregnancy and the sickness that came along with it. She was there for the arrival of our third baby and yet again took more badgering from our growing kids! Everything...Zoe has been here for everything. My most constant, ever forgiving, loyal, loving, kind, understanding friend.

This unknown illness has taken such a strong hold of her life, making her and us miserable. It's her time to rest in peace, and have no more pain. I will miss having my best friend here to share everything with and to constantly be here for me. I hope sweet girl that as you go on, you will know that we love you, and that we hope nothing but peace and rest for you. Love you baby girl.

P & P for Pizza

We took a break from our normal school work to talk about the elections. My boys were very "involved", as much as little ones can be, in the whole election deal. They saw a bazillion commercials saying why this person needs your vote, why this person doesn't, what this person can do for you and what this person cannot. They saw a lot of mudslinging, and heard a lot of ranting and raving. We don't consider ourselves highly political, as we trust that Jesus is our King no matter who is in office. We follow the Bible which means that we respect our leaders, as long as they line up with Scriptures.

I saw this as such a great learning opportunity for our kids in so many ways. It was a great opportunity to teach them how to treat other human beings, how not to treat other human beings, how to get excited and passionate about things they believe in, a brief scaled down version of voting, campaigning, past presidents, debates, how to be a gracious winner, how not to be a sore loser, and most important how to trust God in all circumstances.

I knew that BP was getting a little overwhelmed with the whole process, when one night he asked if instead of voting for the green party (not sure where he picked up on that one) I would vote for Jesus. Such a sweet boy, and he seriously was begging me as I was casting my ballot! I knew that come election day I just had to make it fun, and not get wrapped up in the presidential elections.

School morning came, we did a little spiel about elections and such and then we created a "What's for Dinner" poll. Our candidates were Pizza and Chicken Soup. Mostly because I didn't want to cook that night! I made them "P for Pizza" buttons to wear as part of their campaign's. They even had a ballot box for their "official" ballots.

They joined M and I for voting in the morning and then we went to the grandparents work place to have them cast their ballots. We got an absentee ballots over the phone from Uncle D too! I was so proud of BP at the shop, because he was determined to get pizza to win that he was even asking random customers to vote in his election! Oh, and an election just isn't complete without the "I voted" stickers, or in our case "Trader Joe's" fruit stickers!

I was so proud of how much they learned, and enjoyed our little election day. I was also blessed by seeing my boys get passionate about something, even though it was pizza! I was happy that we were able to make light of a day, that although a very important day for us grownups to pray and think about, that they as kids should only have to worry about being kids! Oh, and enjoying the fruits of their labor, as pizza won the dinner election!

Final time results...

It took me a grand total of 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete the challenge! :) Not bad! I was a little scattered in the beginning while getting everything prepped to make. Then I had a fish catastrophe!! My salmon fillet had a fin on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GROSS! I don't do fins or bones (which I found in there as well :( ) So that took a bit to pull my composure back together. I also had a little "helper" join me about 1/4 of the way through my meal building! That is always fun and so helpful, but it adds to the time! So I'm sure without any of the little hiccups I had, I would have been done within an hour!!

So my kitchen smells AMAZING! My fridge is full of healthy meals, that I'm hoping since LP helped make, he'll be excited to eat!! I'll update on our journey to prepared menus as we go!!

My Dinner Rut

I have been hitting the dinner rut for the longest time now. My creativity has left the kitchen. I blame it on the exhaustion from homeschooling, or maybe the change from our traditional eating to clean eating, which leaves me with not as many options. My boys have been fighting me tooth and nail for meals. "Mom, are we having chicken again tonight?" became a very repetitive sentence in our house! It's gotten so bad that LP has been asking me at breakfast every day what is for dinner, and then informing me that he will not be eating any of it, or informing me of only certain parts he will be eating. I can honestly say too that most days I feel like complaining with them. Blah!

So the other day I happened upon a facebook posting by a health food page I'm a fan of. They were advertising a recipe meal planner website with a 1/2 off offer for the first 3 months, and they had just came out with a new clean recipes section The name of the site threw me for a loop. 5 Dinners 1 Hour. Seriously, 5 meals put together in 1 hour?! You must be nuts! I can't even take a shower in an hour anymore...because of the fact that it takes me 2 hours to get everyone settled enough for me to even get in! I, however, being so frustrated in my dinner situation said "anything that promises 5 clean meals with recipes that I don't have to search for is my new best friend!" Plus it was only $7.50 for 3 months of planned out meals WITH shopping lists! Can't beat that!

I've only looked at the first week of meals and my mouth is watering!!! They sound so yummy, and the fact that they are all clean recipes is the best part! The shopping for this first week didn't go as planned. The first night I went shopping I ended up leaving my wallet home which added an extra day of shopping the next night with my whole family (Side note: we all went shopping last night, and I thought maybe with M there it would make things go faster...WRONG...I just kept getting the stare from him (as he's holding a wiggly baby who refuses to sit in carts anymore unless they are the "CAAAA" carts at HyVee, and chasing the older boys who think grocery stores are a great place for hide-n-seek or freeze tag!) You know, the stare that says "do you really have to search for 5 minutes to find the organic minced garlic? There is nothing wrong with this plain minced garlic!") I am not counting this shopping experience against my feelings towards 5 Dinners 1 Hour because, well I'm sure next time will go as planned!! Oh, and I forgot ziploc bags which are a must when you're preparing dinners for future nights. Thankfully, my wonderful hubby, stopped on his way home for lunch today to rescue me!

J is sleeping now and the older boys are enjoying their cloudy, rainy, windy afternoon inside in front of the tv for a movie! While I have some uninterrupted me time *hopefully!* I am going to set the clock and start one hour challenge! Wish me luck! Time starts now....

Shopping

.... church shopping that is! Wow, what an exciting and very important task! I have been raised in our current church for 15 plus years now. M got saved at our church. Our babies have been raised in the church. M and I have been involved in our church's children's ministry for 6 years in some capacity, and leaving some of our familiar kids is sad.

 

So why are we shopping you may ask? Well, we're really not sure. We feel that God is pulling us in a different direction, and are just searching for what that direction is. We feel that our family unit has changed in different ways and are looking for a church body that may fit a little bit better with that.  For some reason also, M and I never really connected with any adults, and I know that's something that we are really, at this point in our lives, wanting to have. People of the same age with the same age children.

 

I have been struggling a bit with feeling like I'm cheating on our church though on Sundays when we visit other churches. This morning I had to tell myself that God's timing is God's timing, and His calling is the most important thing for me to follow. I can't concern myself with what others may think about me or my family for moving on. I have to trust God and where he is taking us. Sometimes God takes us on journeys that don't really make sense. We are to just follow and know that He has our best interest. We are to be continually searching and seeking out his desires for our lives.

 

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

It's been...

18 days since we started our first homeschool year! It's going well. We've had some crazy moments, but it truly has been more enjoyable then anything. I'm beyond amazed at how much the boys are picking up the things they need to be learning! BP has truly shocked my socks off, and I almost feel we would have been perfectly fine to skip to the 1st grade! I made the mistake of telling him that, and he DOES NOT let me forget that he "should be in 1st grade!"

 

Our first 18 days of school has been busy, it has included our first BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) day, our first co-op class day, and our first arts and culture day with our homeschool group. I'm amazed at how well the boys are adjusting to their new schedules. Granted we have had some times here where they just get very overwhelmed and act out, but for the most part they are taking it in strides!

 

My challenges have just been learning how to teach them, and the new challenge this week is adjusting to two different lesson plans. Our first 10 days was a unit on Creation, and I taught it to the boys together. Now they are learning the same letters, but each of their units cover different things. For example, we are studying "s", but BP is learning about the sun and LP is learning about snowmen. BP curriculum is My Fathers World, and LP is using Confessions of A Homeschoolers preK curriculum. My Bible stories and whole basis though is going to be placed on BP's curriculum, so technically LP will be learning both units (just not have all the paperwork BP will have). LP's curriculum is great...mostly games! :)

 

I'm also adding in a math curriculum for each day. I wasn't going to, because the MFW contains math elements, but I really want a true math program. Our school room is just wonderful. M added a big dry erase board on one of the red walls. The boys (and I!) LOVE it! I'm pretty sure that my love for chalkboards/white boards/dry erase boards/projectors, all things "classroom", means that I should have been a teacher! Who knew! :)

 

Here's a quick general rundown of our schedule (as of today!):

 

9-915 Circle Time

915-930 Calander Time

930-945 Daily Learning Books

945-1000 Snack/Active play

1000-1030 Language Arts

1030-1100 Math

1100-    Reading Time

Twas the night before the first day of homeschool...

...and all through the house not a child was stirring but a mommy blogs! I thought I'd share some of my thoughts as I'm anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning's first day of homeschool! M and I have slaved away the past week, and have been rewarded with a cozy little school room just the way I thought and hoped for! Paint was brushed on, a wall was knocked down, holes were filled, walls were mudded (over and over!), corners were cleaned, papers were organized, posters were hung, cabinets were organized, and desks were filled with first day goodies!! I love it, love it, LOVE IT! Here's some during (I totally missed the before!) and after pics:

During: Art area (notice the wing wall gone!)

When we first moved in I thought the bar was more in my way then anything. I originally wanted to tear it completely out, but was persuaded otherwise by outsiders. :) M just ended up taking out the wing wall, which opened up the area so much more! I'm glad we kept the wall that we did keep. It has great counter space for art projects! We ended up making the "center" the Art Corner. It just made sense with the tall counter and tile floors for easy clean up!

After: Art Corner

Eventually we'll be getting tall bar stools for the boys to work on their art at the counters. I also will be ordering a Picasso quote for the coral wall. We are also going to hang their artwork from the various areas in the art corner, and adding a fabric covered foam board above the counter top.

After: Calender/Weather/100's Chart

 

 

 

 

The boys are VERY excited to do the weather/calender. BP enjoyed that so much last year in preschool so I knew I'd have to bring it back this year! With this being preschool for LP, I knew it would be important for him as well! We'll also be counting straws for each day of school, and will have a big party for the 100th day of school!

 

 

After: Geography Area

 

 

 

Across from the calender area is our geography wall. We were blessed by a school closing to go through a ton of posters and pick up some free curriculum. It's funny how many of them remind me of my elementary school days! We are planning on starting a geography unit once we get into a good routine. No sense in adding too much at once!

 

 

 

During: M working on painting the back wall! Reading nook off
to his right, and the boys "play" area (as requested) to his left.

 

 

The "back" wall has some phonics charts, our ABC cards and is the location of our beloved reading nook! I'm sure this comfy couch will be my favorite spot! There's books, a rocker, a couch, and a table. It's surrounded by posters of planets, stars and moons. We did this decor for now since our first unit will be on Creation.

After: Reading Nook

 

After: Back wall

 

Before: Office/Book Work Area

The back office (on the other side of the basement) has become the "bookwork" area. Their cute little desks were bought at a garage sale for $5 before we even knew that we were going to homeschool. I thought we needed a more "formal" area for doing our more intense learning! I bought them each workboxes (which LP put together all himself!), and have them loaded up for them. Tomorrow they have a drawer of first day gifts!

 

After: Bookwork Area

After: Bookwork Area

 

There is a wall that I don't have a picture of that is the coral color. It's opposite of the back wall along the stairs. We are going to put a 5X5 dry erase board there!

 

That's that! Our humble home school room! Hopefully the creativity and learning will be abundant! I'm so excited to start that I'm not sure I'll sleep well tonight! I know there will be days I'll want to quit, but I have a barrage of encouraging sites/blogs to read to help me lift my chin!

 

I was thinking earlier that it would sound so much more dramatic to have to say "Well, it was a long hard road, but we're finally here....", but I'm so so so grateful that this has gone the way it has. We've just put this part of our lives in God's hands, and He has directed our paths fully! I feel like we haven't really had any hard times with this, which makes me all the more confident that God is in control and this is his plan for us at this time!

 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Homeschooling to date...

Well, it is August 28, 2012, and...umm...homeschooling has not begun! I have become very familiar with the question, "When are you starting?" My response is always, "I'm not sure!" It used to bother me that all our friends' kids had started school, and P and P haven't started yet. Don't get me wrong, I believe that every day is an opportunity to learn, I'm just talking about the official book work stuff. Now, it's not so much a bother, but I've become very anxious to start! For myself though, there's some things that need to fall into place though before I'll feel complete enough to start! (Weird, I know!)

Our summer has gotten a tad crazy with the vacation and birthday shebangs at the end of the summer, so close to "school" starting, that school prep took the back burner. The day we got home I ordered some stuff online for my school prep, special markers for the boys' first day of school gifts, a laminator, some posters, and a few other things. M has been working mad to prep the "schoolroom". He has been mudding and sanding the walls, and just finished painting the ceilings. After a week of searching for paint colors, and themes for the room (the whole basement) we finally, last night, came up with colors! M went and bought them before I could change my mind!

I'm so upset that I never took "before" pictures, but I will catch some "during" and "after" pics and post them when I can. The neat thing is that since we are using the whole basement as our "space", we have stations! We have an area for art, a cubbie corner for our reading nook. A section for our geography area. M will be painting with the new chalkboard chalk on one of the walls. We have an area for the actual paperwork part of our day too. I'm sure we'll be using a lot of outdoor space, and working quite a bit in the kitchen! I am beyond excited to start!! I spent my afternoon yesterday cutting out some things I had laminated, and then I planned out our schedule for September and lesson planned! Ahhhh....paint faster M, paint faster!!

Birthday Blessings

We recently celebrated bP's birthday! I can't believe how fast he's grown, and what a wonderful boy he's becoming! He's such a joy in my life...a most brilliant ray of light! I love his beautiful smile, and the way he makes us all laugh! I love his heart for others, and his love for his Savior Jesus! I love his precious prayers of thanksgiving, and his openness before God about his requests. I love his dedication to his brothers and helping them to learn new things. I love his love of learning, and how excited he is about his first year of homeschooling! I love his curiosity and his sense of adventure! He is so thoughtful and considerate...especially to his mama, and is always trying to make sure everyone is happy! If you ask him what he wants to do, he's more then likely to turn around to see what your wishes would be. He's a great snuggler too!! I am very much looking forward to this next year with him, and being very blessed to have him in my life! Thank you Jesus, for such a wonderful blessing!

Family Memories Coming...

Today has been a whirlwind of a day all in preparation for our first camping adventure with our new camper! Matt has been wanting to get a camper for THE LONGEST time, and we finally had a wonderful opportunity to get one. An old teacher of mine had invited me over to look at some home school curriculum....neat story in and of itself....and I happened to see a camper on her driveway. I asked if they were avid campers to which she stated they were actually going to be selling it. Really??!! God, are you trying to speak to me?! ;) Needless to say, we had the camper by the weekend. Matt, being the eager beaver that he is, started cleaning that sucker up immediately! He spent hours and hours on it. I did help, by the way! I cleaned all the cushions, as to make sure that they were cleaned to my specifications!

The specs on the camper...pop up, AIR CONDITIONING, no built in toilet, refrigerator, sink (that doesn't work), microwave, nice table, couch, 2 beds, outside shower (needs some fixing, but those who truly know me, know how awesome that is to me!), umm well, I think that's about it!

So campers all ready to go, but we are in a flipping heatwave of all heatwaves! Today's temp reached 104degrees today! Cool front coming through tonight...thank you Jesus! We tried really hard to get out for our first time for Matt's birthday, but it just wasn't right, and we just would have been pushing it. So we were all set to leave today. When we saw the record setting high's we thought we'd try to push it back a day. The wonderful people at the campsite helped us find a spot for tomorrow after the cold front comes through.

Thus the whirlwind of today. Zoe was in desperate need of a haircut and our groomer must be out of town, since she hasn't returned my calls. I just couldn't picture taking her all super shaggy to a hot campground for the day/night. So I put a feeler out there for some clippers from a friend. She pulled through, and Zoe is a cool girl. Very choppy, some places shaved to the skin, flat topped, one owie, but cool none the less! Ha! I also have a fixation with coming home from vacation to a clean house, so I went on a cleaning rampage after the 2 hour dog grooming. Packing for a one night camping trip is proving to be quite time consuming and needs a lot of organizing.

I have a lot organized by lists, and Rubbermaid totes. I have a "camping tote" which has most of our camping necessities....lanterns, utensils, plates, bowls, cups, batteries, umbrellas, cleaning stuff, first aid, etc.... I have a "dry food tote", self explanatory. I have a bag with bedding. Pillows. Toy bag. Bikes. Coolers. Chairs. EZ shade tent. Water cooler. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah! I hope the next time we camp, it goes much smoother. It also adds a bit of color to the mix, when you're prepping to camp with a very busy 5 and 3 year old, and a cloth diapered, allergic to everything 1 year old!

I know once we get there it will be peaceful and harmonious! At least I'm praying that! ;) I'm looking forward, very much, to all the wonderful new family memories we will be creating together!

Oh...and yet another thing I thought I'd never see myself doing.....camping without a shower!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting *Vegan

Since I cannot partake in the cupcakes I'll be making for Matt's 30th birthday, I decided to do a second batch of cupcakes for myself and Josh! With Matt's suprise request of vanilla cupcakes I decided that I needed to dirty this 30, and make something naughty!

Hence where these came from! Another great recipe from Sweetapolita:

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes

So, in honor of Matt's big 30, I told him I'd make him any kind of dessert he wanted. Guess what he picked? Cupcakes! I was expecting something like a double chocolate snickers cheesecake with a ganache topping, but, no, I got cupcakes! So chocolate oreo cupcakes, right? Nope...vanilla cupcakes! Maybe, since he's about to enter old man-dom, he needs something gentle to ease him into it!

Since I'm not the creative, from scratch type yet, I'll be making this recipe from a wonderful blog Sweetapolita..sans the pink frosting! The boys are already talking about the sprinkles they'll be picking out!

Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes

It's Decided

So are officially a homeschooling family! Well, technically we're waiting on some paperwork jumbo, but we have curriculum and the excitement to start tomorrow! I actually started a post the other day out of frustration of trying to pick a curriculum. Let me tell you..it's hard! We are, however, in a much better place today!

There is so much out there, and such wonderful people who all have their own opinions on what is best. My criteria was first that it had to be Christian based, go along with what I think my style of teaching will be, be complete, inexpensive, flexible, and easy to teach.

I had first heard about My Fathers World in the beginning of my search, and was impressed with it. The more I researched and peeked online, the more I became fearful of the curriculum. It isn't known as being the greatest "complete" curriculum, and people were starting to tell me about how they had to supplement other curriculum with it. So I started looking elsewhere. It was definitally too good to be true that the first curriculum I would pick up would be a fit for us.

I had some wonderful people give us lots of curriculum books for free or minimal charges. I started devouring the books, trying desprately to "feel the fit" for our family. I just wasn't getting it. I was growing so frustrated, and was trying to piece together everything seprate. Not what I wanted to do by any means. I just kept thinking, "This is my first year. I don't need to stress this much. I just want something laid out for me, so I want to do this again the next year and the next." I took some time away from looking for my sanity, and time to pray and reflect on what homeschooling means to me.

Long story short, I just got my box from My Fathers World and couldn't be happier. I should have went with my first instinct, and what God had planted right in my face, and I would have saved myself a lot of stress! A lot of stress! We also went back and forth between starting kindergarten or first grade with him. Again, God spoke very clearly! We will be doing the kindergarten program with him, and adding more intensive stuff as needed.

Today I spent some time cleaning out closets and cabinets in the basement in preparation for the remodel of the "homeschool room". So exciting! Purging is always a great feeling to me anyways.

So here's to a new school year full of God's blessings, learning, excitement, and Joy!

Deleted!!

I was very excited the other day to delete all the alarms on my cell phone! No more 645am wake up calls for preschool drop off, no more 11am pick up reminders, no more 630am BSF wake ups. NO MORE ALARMS!! The more I got to thinking about it, I won't even be setting alarms for kindergarten! It's just going to be a wake up and walk down the stairs type of thing. Don't get me wrong...we will be having a schedule and sticking to it, but it will definitely be more relaxed then rush rush rush for an 8am school start! My heart just skips a beat when I think about our homeschooling days! We are all so excited to begin!

A new beginning means that something just ended! This week we had P's preschool graduation! It was a great day, spent with family and friends! P's class had been practicing for a circus themed program. All the kiddos had a chance to try out for different parts in the program....lions, lion tamer, elephants, acrobats, line walkers, jugglers, ring master, strong man, etc! About a week before the program, P slipped that he was asked to be the ringmaster!! One proud mama here! He was being so humble, and didn't tell us for weeks! The night before he got so nervous, told me that I couldn't cry from excitement, or clap too loud! That's just my P for ya! The program was so fun, complete with popcorn and all! P did an excellent job as ringmaster...even the sweetest pronunciation of his line "Welcome...To...The...Wee...Stool...Circus!" Later one of his teachers said he did the best job in Wee School's history of doing this program! He also played the part of the strong man. He did great job at that, using his strong muscles to lift that barbell and then bending it in half! He also played a lion. They sang the cutest songs, and everyone did a wonderful job!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this year of preschool. They had the greatest class, and everyone got a long so well! I made some great friends as well! P for sure made some lifelong friends!

As one chapter closes we move on to the next chapter of our lives! I pray that this next chapter of our lives is guided by God, and that we step back to let God control our paths! I pray for a peaceful summer, filled with fun, learning, relaxing, and preparation for a wonderful first year of homeschooling!

Schools Out For The Summer!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh MY!

So it's been quite a bit, and I have so much to catch up on! We're in a severe storm watch today (this is only the 2nd time in history they've predicted this big of a storm so far in advance). I've heard comments like catastrophic event. Big tornado's, hail, lightning, etc! Yikes! Praying that they'll be wrong in the forecast and that everyone stays safe. They just cancelled the Huskers spring game...which IMO they should have cancelled a long time ago..before everyone travelled out for it.. My facebook wall is blowing up with people's comments about how afraid they are, and how they're preparing. I'm trying to stay calm (my boys get hyped as soon as I do about storms), which is why I have a spare moment to blog!   Not sure if, since I have so much, I should make a separate post for each or just jumble it all together! Hmmm...

Health and Beauty:
Our adventure into a healthier lifestyle keeps evolving each day. We find different things each day that we want to impart in our lives. Here's an update on what we're doing now: My face wash routine is back to all natural! I stopped for a bit and went back to my cancer laden chemical face wash. :( I felt like I was breaking out all the time, and couldn't quite figure out a good routine. I think I just needed a fresh start with it because after about a week of just feeling so cruddy about using the bad stuff, I decided to try a new mixture for the oil cleansing method. This time I put a mix of castor/evoo/grapeseed. I started with a different equivalent for each (I'm not to sure what it was), and ended up making it an equal part mix. I also added a equal part apple cider vinegar/H2O mix for a toner that I use only at night. It's so super stinky (smells quite similar to a pile of wet dirty laundry with some cheese...gross). I wash that off in the morning with just water..no soap. Also, every several days or so I use raw honey on my face as a mask. I use it after I do the OCM, and leave it on for about 15-20 minutes and rinse with cool water. It's wonderful! My face has been so clear, and I have STOPPED WEARING MAKEUP! I never in a million years would have thought I'd ever be without makeup...EVER! I do wear mascara, but that's only because my eyelashes are blond and will fade away! I almost feel naked without it! ;)

I'm working on a homemade deodorant...I'd love to get away from the heavy metal aluminum. So toxic. I'm also going to be working on a homemade toothpaste. I just need to finish the natural stuff I paid so much money for first! I've been switching around my detergents for a while now. All of it natural and eco friendly. My dipes have had some major stink issues through the trials, but I think we now have it figured out. I'm doing a few more washes and adding extra water to the wash via pitchers of water. Time consuming, but worth it to have a pile of diapers I can stick my nose in right after washing!

I went to a homeopathic meeting recently (not sure if I had a chance to blog about it or not), but it was amazing! So eye opening. I ended up purchasing a few remedies...injury combo (for my doubting husband and all the bumps and bruises that come along with having boys), Hep B, and Cina. The injury combo is a miracle worker. I literally watched an egg on Joshua's head, from going face first into the cement, just disappear! It was crazy! I also took it for a run over heel from the grocery store, and it took the pain away instantly! I have never seen anything like it before. Peyton just took the Hep B, which should un-immunize him from the toxic immunizations he received as a child. It will also Re-immunize him naturally and non-toxically! I'm hoping to see some skin conditions heal up from taking this remedy, as the toxins exit his body. Parker will take this in a bit, but he just took Cina, and I want to make sure that we don't do them too close. Cina, is used for worms. Gross...I know. Blech! I had a chance to visit with the lady who does the classes and she suggested from his symptoms that that may be our problem. Funny, because with his crazy appetites he's had lately, my mom said that she thought the same thing. I guess it would make him antsy and uncomfortable, which explains his crazy outbursts and obnoxious behavior he's had for a while. It also would explain the appetite issues, and lack of weight gain. He took it for 3 days in a row, and we are seeing AMAZING results!  He has asked to go to bed EVERY night since he's taken it...EVERY NIGHT!! He's seemed more calm, and he sat on my lap yesterday for over an hour watching a movie. He's never done that! He still has so much energy, but it seems quite a bit more controlled. His appetite has subsided majorly! We'll just continue to monitor him and watch the wonderful results unfold! He did turn beet red on his face for about 2 days at the start of the treatment, but nothing that bothered him. He just looked like he had a minor sunburn. I will also be using the Hep B, as will Joshua!

So as you are reading...I have become very anti-vax! I will eventually have purchased a remedy for every vaccine that my kids have received to unvax them. It's so frustrating, more then words can explain, that I didn't look further into this before. I hate that I was just a dumb, go with the flow parent. I just have to tell myself..."When you know better, you do better!" I have learned from my mistakes, will move on, try to educate others, and make better decisions from here on out!


Well, I will stop here, and update another day when I have some more time. The boys are all asleep....the storms have come and gone...and nothing major (like I figured!). I had logged off earlier in the blog, because the lightning got so bad, but all is calm now. Praying the storms stay away through the night too!

First Steps

J took a few steps last night by himself! He's been getting a lot braver lately by standing all by himself to trying to do his crazy lil' J dance moves! So, I guess I knew steps were just around the corner, but it's always a different story when it really happens. Sad how fast my little guy is growing! Soon he'll be chasing the P's around, and jumping off the playhouse! Yikes! He's recently discovered that he can climb his little self up to the fireplace now, and scare the pants off mom and dad! He's starting to talk a lot more now! He says "Hi" "Mom mom mom" "Ball" "Oh Oh" (Uh Oh), and I'm sure I'm missing a few! Oh, and tonight, I caught the little turkey standing up from sitting on his bottom! He just pops his little self up and stands there smiling away! He's always so proud of himself when he accomplishes a new task! He likes to smile smile smile and clap his hands! Awww...I could just eat the little guy! Tonight I got to snuggle away with him while watching a thunderstorm!

First Kiss

While standing in the preschool pickup this morning, I was approached by a mom of one of the classmates. She started saying that she owed me an apology because her daughter kissed Peyton last week. Peyton had never said a thing about it to me! Then another mom piped up that she had just been told about it this morning by her son! So funny! There was a little confusion though as to where he was kissed...blown kiss, head or cheek! I couldn't wait to get in the car to ask him about it! I asked him if anything happened last week with her, to which he just replied that they were just playing. He truly had no idea what I was talking about. It was most definitally more of a big deal for the others who witnessed it then Peyton! That is so my child! When I mentioned it to him, it was like a lightbulb moment, and it all came pouring out! He said that she kissed him twice, on the cheek. One was big and one was small. He then proceeded to tell me that she is his "baby girl", and how much he likes her! Then he started telling me that he doesn't want lipstick on him, and that he is going to tell her tomorrow that she can't ever kiss him again! Phew!! :)

Perfection!

I have to blog quickly before the chaos ensues in my house here soon! I have just experienced the best 12 hours I have had in a LONG time, and I have to blog about it before I forget about it! I'll probably be coming back to read this post often! :)

My parents offered to take the boys (BP and LP) for the night, so Matt and I thought we'd take advantage and use it as our Valentine's Date! J is still little enough that we can enjoy ourselves together still! The weather was beyond freezing so we weren't sure we were going to do anything more then just sit at home in silence, but we opted for a much different night and I'm SO glad we did.

I had won tickets to the local Home and Garden show from the local newspaper, and felt very obligated to go pick them up since I won tickets from them last month and never went to pick them up. (It was an event I wasn't too hip on, and just must have found something better to do that night?!) I wasn't sure we were going to go, but figured I'd better get them just in case.

We ended up getting a late jump on our night last night, so we decided to forgo dinner for the current time, drop the boys off with grandma and head to the Home Show. Why not? Free tickets, and it's so cold outside we'd freeze if we tried to do anything else. Plus, we sit at home a lot with the cold weather, snow, and having 3 kids to tote around with hats and gloves etc! Don't get me wrong, I love going out to do things with my kids, but I'm just as content to stay warm, cozy and snuggled with them in our home!

It was so nice to walk peacefully with my hubby, and not feel like a crazed chicken trying to keep tabs on my little wandering chicks! J was snuggled up in the Boba, and content to just watch passerbyers and smile at them. At first it was a lot of boring stuff....cabinets, counters, fountains, fire pits...well, let me correct myself, not boring stuff, just stuff I can't afford right now or that wouldn't be reasonable to have with little boys! A fire breathing stone alligator...not so much! J was trying to blow all the fire displays out! SOO Funny!

Every few aisle's we'd find something that interested us. We've become very in to healthy things lately and have been looking into our water! Essentially we'd love to be fluoride free, but how can you do that? Drink only bottled water praying that it's truly fluoride free, but then subject yourself to the BPA in the plastic bottles causing sterility? Anywho...I'm not one to push my beliefs on people yet alone begin to feel that I have to justify why I do or believe in something. I like when people do their own research and come up with their own opinion on things themselves! :) Wow..back to topic! We ran into a few home water filtration companies, and we felt so excited and blessed that we found them. Great companies, great attitudes, and great passion on what they do! Cha Ching number one! Well worth it though!

We've also gotten very much into buying fresh and buying local! It's becoming a passion of ours! We want to provide the best healthy food for our kids. Sorry munchkins...no more processed lunch meats/hot dogs/chicken nuggets, no more processed ANYTHING (now I realize that's probably highly unlikely, but it's definitely a goal I'm shooting for! So when you come over to my house next time don't go raiding my cabinets trying to prove me for a hypocrite! :) I'm sure right now you'd find hot dogs and spaghetti o's in my cupboards!) We happened upon a few WONDERFUL booths of local farmers who sell the most amazing/healthy/sustainably farmed foods! I was BLESSED to try a sampling of raw milk cheese and raw milk yogurt (it's marked as PET food...thank you government control...but it was the best tasting pet food I've ever had!) 

Getting to talk to some of these farmers is so insightful! I know Matt's heart was pitter-pattering! They are the good in this world! My brain is just overflowing with information that I don't even know where to begin, so I won't! I'll try to process them all better and post at a later date maybe. I just know that this is changing our lives and how we view things, and I'm hanging on for the ride! It's a learning process that we continue to take one step at a time...my oil debacle...veggie oil=bad, so we switched to canola oil, canola oil=bad, switch to safflower oil, safflower oil=bad, switch to.....  This is how my life has been, and I was getting very disappointed in the beginning, but have learned that I need to be more flexible and willing to learn!

So back to my great night! Alone time with hubby (with baby J, but he's always a joy to be with! he makes us laugh when we run out of things to talk about, which didn't happen last night at all!), sampling CHEESE and YOGURT (which I haven't had in almost a year because of the MSPI thing-not sure if I blogged why raw milk yogurt and cheese is okay with MSPI, but here goes a short detail..pasteurized milk is heated killing the natural enzymes in the milk (hence why you shouldn't be drinking pasteurized milk!) the enzymes naturally break down the protein in the milk which is what causes the allergy. Hence why raw milk can sometimes be tolerated with MSPI) It's definitely worth a shot...right!? After the show, we drove around midtown and found somewhere to eat dinner! We walked in a fancy restaurant with our 1 year old at 9:30pm with zero degree wind chills! Yeah, we got some stares, but it was just fine! It's how we roll! Dinner was fantastic! J passed out on the way home, and Matt shortly after! :) We woke up to serenity! We slept in until 8:30...no kids in our bed, no whining about when breakfast would be ready, no NOTHING! It was peace! Then J had a blowout..snap back to reality! I completed our peace with a delicious breakfast of Belgium chocolate chip waffles, scrambled eggs, fresh blueberries, bacon...burned but very crispy!, juice and coffee! Oh and we got to eat it WARM! :) Perfection!

Happy Valentines Day Sweetie!!

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

I'm just finishing up this recipe, so I'm not too sure how the final product will turn out. I'll definitely update when it's complete. I just took a few tips from other sites, and this is what I came up with.

1 cup of a grated bar of soap (I used Dr Bronners Almond soap)
1 TBSP glycerin
10 cups of water

I added all the ingredients together in a pot. Heated it up over med-high heat, until all the soap with disintegrated. Now it's supposed to sit and thicken for 10-12 hours.

I'll let you know!

***UPDATE: The soap thickened. It's pretty much the consistency of snot! Gross, but I'm grateful it isn't watery! I wasn't very prepared in where I was going to store all the extra soap, so I found two empty wine bottles under my sink, so that's what I used! :) It will definitally be easy to fill up my bottles this way! Oh, it doesn't lather, which I've learned isn't a bad thing! We are trained to think we can't be clean without a lather...not true!

OCM Update!

Well, it's been a few weeks of using the OCM for my face...and I LOVE it! It's worked so wonderfully that last week for my week of my favorite time of the month, my face, which would normally have some bad breakouts, was virtually spot free! Woo hoo!

I ended up adding a bit more olive oil to my mixture, to where I'm pretty sure it's a 50/50 mix of the olive oil and castor oil. I think with my next batch, I may try adding more EVOO, only because I'm still a little dry in spots, and am still having to use moisturizer. I also added about 10 drops of tea tree oil last week when my face started showing signs of breakouts. I love tea tree oil...smells great and it's great for just about anything you can think of! Side note: I did a food trial with J last week, that didn't go so well. :( He had a killer open wound diaper rash from it, but a few drops of tea tree oil in his wipes water (plus Baby Junk Healing Oil alternated with CJ's Butter) healed the open spots up wonderfully!

So here's the routine right now. If I wear makeup..I use the OCM. When I wake up in the morning..it's a cold water rinse. If I have a lazy day here and there ;) where I wear no makeup...it's just a rinse! At first I was rubbing it into my eyelashes, and ended up having blurry vision for a while after! Yikes, now I just put it around my eyes, and have no issues getting my eye makeup removed at all!

Matt says I'm obsessed with my "oil wash", because of how long I spend doing it! Heehee! How relaxing (and cheap he should realize!) to get a facial massage, have my face steamed with a hot washcloth, and how nice and soft my skin is!

Homemade Runza's

I happened across a recipe the other day for homemade Runza's! Mmmmmm! That is one of my favorite things to eat...especially on a cold day at a Nebraska Cornhusker game! Unfortunately it has been one of my many sacrifices with the MSPI diet. Boo! Well...this recipe works just perfectly! I'll post the recipe with the directions to make the dough as well, but I cheated and used some thawed out Rhodes dinner rolls! So easy!

Homemade Runza's

Oh..with the rolls, I hear you can use one Texas roll per Runza, but I only had the dinner rolls on hand. I put two dinner rolls in a cupcake pan, greased some plastic wrap, and let them thaw all day. Then you already have your dough for each Runza pre-portioned! I also added cheese to some of them, for my cheese loving boys!

Ways Parents Can Pray for Themselves

From my Acts of the Apostles
Home Training Lesson 14

I always have great into on ways to pray for my child for different areas, but when I got this home training lesson from my BSF class I was intrigued. I know I should pray to be a better parent...God knows I definitely need this, but here's some very specific ways to pray for myself and my husband in parenting our children.

• That I will be convicted of any personal hypocrisy lived out before my children, contradicting what I say by what I do, and, when appropriate, admit my sin to my children (Matthew 7:3-6)
• That my words, looks, and actions will clearly reflect to my children that my mate is loved, honored, and cherished (Proverbs 31:10-12; Ephesians 5:25, 28)
• That I will recognize individual limitations, respect individual differences, and have realistic expectations for each child (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4)
• That I will never be too tired or angry or negligent to discipline my children wisely (Proverbs 29:17)                 I definitely need prayer in this area!
• That I can be a peacemaker to diminish jealousy and irritations between my children and in so doing encourage them to be peacemakers (Proverbs 17:14; Philippians 2:3; Matthew 5:9)
• That I will not spoil my children with too many possessions nor too few expectations and responsibilities (Psalm 37:16)          
• That I will be able to shield my children from premature association with sexuality, sophistication in ideas and dress, and unnecessary knowledge of the world (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 17)   This gets so much harder as they get older. I definitely need to start praying now for the older years!
• That I will resist the enticement of popularity for my children and be willing for our family to be different from the world's standards (1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 37)
• That I will be generous in expressing appreciation and approval while holding back reminders about their past failures and mistakes (Psalm 78:38-39; Proverbs 25:11)
• That I will know when to step in and take charge of a situation for my children and when to step back and let them learn for themselves (Proverbs 16:9)     This is definitely a must for me right now. It's been so hard to keep my mouth shut in some situations lately. God, I need your guidance here!
• That prayer will be my immediate response to family joys and crises alike (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)   This one really convicted me. I am always very "johnny on the spot" of praying when we are in need or have an illness, but I need to start getting better going to Jesus in our joyful times as well!
• That I will daily remember my own need to be taught by God's Word and filled with His Spirit so that I reflect the joy of the Lord before my children (Psalm 16:11)

OCM Facial Cleanser

So tonight I started night one of the Oil-Cleansing Method tonight. I'm always excited when I find or hear about something that I can #1 save money one and #2 use a more natural way of doing something and #3 understand and be able to read all of the ingredients.

I have been getting so frustrated with my face wash I've been using for a year or so. It's just your run of the mill face wash you can get at any store. It boasts being oil free and acne clearing. My face definitely is a far cry from the oily mess it was in high school or while I'm pregnant (YUCK!), but I have occasional breakouts, during stressful times or during my monthly cycle. Lately, especially now in the cold weather, my face has been very dry and flaky, and I feel like I am putting on more and more moisturizer. By the end of the day I feel like a grease pan!

I recently bought a face wash from a local soap maker, and I was really hoping it would work. I ended up with a pretty bad breakout by the end of the week, and was so bummed. Back to the face wash with it's harsh/cancer causing chemicals. So, needless to say, the OCM fell into my lap at just the right time!

I found this info from a friend which then led me to more links on OCM. I was directed to Simple Mom for more information and the recipe for the wash. I ended up doing more of a "oily" mix, only because the dry spots I tend to have are more just a few spots then my whole face. I used 3 parts Castor oil to one part EVOO. I love Simple Mom's description of how to do it...massage it into your face and the steaming with a hot washcloth. Not only is it good for my face, but relaxing as well! Well, I have had a day...stupid plugged duct or mastitis...so all I could think about was getting in a hot shower, meaning I totally forgot about the massaging...steaming...etc. :(  My face ended up being flaky when I got out, and I had to apply a moisturizer. I know that it will take time for my face to adjust, so I'll just keep trying for a few more days before I make more adjustments!

Wish me luck!

Oh..I'm using a bar shampoo from the local soap company, and I LOVE it! I'm not sure I can do the 'no poo thing, so for now this works just fine!

Roast Pork Loin with Carrots

Roasted Pork Loin and Carrots

Everyday Food, March 2009       

• Prep Time 20 minutes
• Total Time 1 hour
• Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise if large
• 1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved if large
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, shallots, and 1 tablespoon rosemary with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add pork; cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate, and reserve skillet.
3. Remove baking sheet from oven; push vegetables to sides. Place pork in center; return sheet to oven. Roast, tossing vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Loosely tent pork with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
4. While pork rests, pour off almost all of the fat from skillet. Add wine, and cook over medium-high, scraping up browned bits, until syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 cup water, whisking constantly. Add 1 tablespoon rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, and season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve pork with carrots and gravy.

Homeschooling

The thought of it either petrifies me or excites me.

Things I would be thrilled for: being their teacher and knowing exactly what they are learning, being able to give them a Christian education, learning with them, field trips, spending all day with them, watching them grow and learn, teaching in my pj's, not rushing out the door every morning for school

Things that truthfully just freak me out: not having enough knowledge myself, planning, organizing, the expenses, lack of creativity, getting them to cooperate, spending all day with them ;)

As of now, we are planning on enrolling Peyton in public school for K5 next year. Just as an in case so all our bases are covered. As far as Parker, it's open enrollment at Peyton's preschool for this month for siblings, and then it opens up to the public in February. They say the spaces fill up fast, so I think we may be enrolling Parker for next year, paying the fee (even if we lose it in the end) so that our bases are covered there. I'm also struggling with the fact that I  feel Peyton's preschool isn't challenging him enough this year. There's really nothing I can do about it now for him, but if we decide not to homeschool Parker, we may be looking at switching to a different preschool for him.

This is definitely a subject that will be covered in prayer, prayer and more prayer!