I don't know about y'all, but I have a pretty amazing extended family. We're not perfect by any standards. Growing up and realizing that all the adults you idolized as a child have their flaws is a hard lesson to learn. But knowing those same adults as an adult myself is such a great gift.
The girls and I were able to go to a family reunion from my Mom's side last weekend. I don't know an exact count, but we probably had around 100 people there at one point. I got to reconnect with cousins I hadn't seen in a long time, laugh with aunts and uncles, and listen to stories from the great-aunts and second cousins. I also got to spend time with 3 siblings and their spouses and my parents, which is always a plus.
And as much fun as I had playing games and laughing and visiting, there were also tears. This was my Grandma's family. It felt wrong to not have her there. During all the pictures we took with the big group picture and then individual families, there was a spot next to my Grandpa that should have been filled by Grandma. And then we all sat and sang songs, something I remember doing at every family reunion. Something that was always Grandma's favorite thing--listening to her family sing. I didn't make it through very many of the songs. But I wasn't the only one crying. Of the 5 siblings that are our oldest generation now, 3 have passed on. We all felt the loss. But the most amazing thing about my family by far, is that we all cling to the hope that we will be able to see our loved ones again some day. Not every family can claim that. And I am so thankful to be a part of one that can!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
We didn't buy the zoo--but we went!
Back in March or April Hubby bought a membership for the zoo here in town. We had one for the last several years in Houston and it always paid for itself in just a few trips. Our thought process buying one earlier in the year was that we would go when it was still cooler and could enjoy ourselves a little more. It also helps to go during the week when most kids are in school. That way we miss out on most of the crowds.
Well, we didn't end up going until our school was officially out for the summer. Most of the public schools went one more week so there wasn't a lot of kids running around, but it was definitely hot! We packed our lunch, which turned out to be a necessity since apparently they don't open their concessions until public schools are out for the summer. We found that out when we were all very thirsty at the far end of the park. Unfortunately, this zoo does not have tables or benches or shade for that matter outside of the zoo to eat at. So what else could we do but eat in the car? And we obviously couldn't allow our children to sit in a car that had been sitting in 90 degree heat for several hours without the AC turned on! We might have lingered a bit more over lunch than what we would have if we had been sitting outside!
This is a terrible picture, but you know those birds in the Jungle Book that look like vultures? I always thought they were just normal vultures, but this bird looked exactly like them and it was HUGE! Probably the second largest bird I've seen other than a condor. It has the crooked neck just like in the movie and everything. I stayed there for the longest time just watching it. It was so ugly it was fascinating!
We did go back in the zoo after lunch to see the second half that we didn't get to before lunch, but it was really warm that day and we were all pretty miserable after just a little bit of time. So we checked out some of the larger animals that were close to the front and then we were ready to call it a day. Amazingly enough, when we were walking back out to leave we just happened to pass the kids area where there was a playground. The younger two girls immediately perked up and wanted to play. The older two even played a little. Momma sat in the shade and drank water!
So we ended the day a little earlier than we planned and we didn't get to see the entire zoo, but that is the absolute best part about having a season pass. You can go for a couple of hours and then leave and not feel a bit guilty that you didn't get your money's worth. We'll go back eventually--probably not till about October, but that is still OK. We have several months to go back as often as we want to. And besides, the animals come out more in colder weather, right?
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| Tigers cuddle too! |
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| And it wouldn't be a zoo in Louisiana without a gator or 4! |
We did go back in the zoo after lunch to see the second half that we didn't get to before lunch, but it was really warm that day and we were all pretty miserable after just a little bit of time. So we checked out some of the larger animals that were close to the front and then we were ready to call it a day. Amazingly enough, when we were walking back out to leave we just happened to pass the kids area where there was a playground. The younger two girls immediately perked up and wanted to play. The older two even played a little. Momma sat in the shade and drank water!
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| Just because big, white, loud birds are cool! |
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Vacation Bible School
Our first VBS for the church here is officially over. It was kind of decided upon late, but I think it was a success. We had about 15 kids each day. Hopefully when we do it next year we can get the word out a little earlier and have more kids join us. Or not--I don't really think the number of participants determines whether your VBS is a success or not.
We started off each day with songs. I love the fact that Hubby is not afraid to act silly when he is teaching these songs. His ability to really get into the songs and the motions and laugh at himself helps put the kids at ease and hopefully helps them want to participate as well. One of the Moms told us today that even though her girls didn't necessarily sing the songs at the VBS, they were singing some of the songs at home. That to me is a success!
After songs Hubby told the accounts of Esther, Joseph and David. Our theme was Kingdom Kids so the point of the stories was to show how God used people who were young and not very important to do great things. Once again, Hubby did a great job drawing the kids into the story by having them make sound effects while he was telling the account. This isn't necessarily an original idea, but I think it is an effective one. I can still remember going to a youth meeting when I was a teenager where a preaching did the exact same thing. I remember which Biblical account it was, as well as the sound effects the audience made. Hubby's assistants were not always perfect at holding up the prompts for the sounds effects, but that is what he gets for pulling them up front at the last second. Want to guess who was an assistant all three mornings?
Next was crafts--my portion of the morning. Are you wondering why I, of all people, was put in charge of crafts? Me too! But since I also didn't want to come up with games or provide food, crafts was the only thing left. Luckily for me, Oriental Trading has these great crafts that come all pre-packaged and are no-brainers at figuring out. My kind of crafts! The biggest mistake I made was thinking I could have an older kids craft and a younger kids craft. I should know from have four children of different ages that once the younger kids saw the older kids doing something they would want to do what the older kids were doing. We made it work, but next year there will be one craft for everyone!
As soon as the crafts were all done we played games. The Mom in charge did an awesome job coming up with activities that encompassed a broad range of ages and kept everyone involved as much as possible. I think no matter what games you play you'll always have trouble keeping small children's attention for longer than a second, so I think everything she did was awesome! Especially since I didn't have to do any of the planning!
We ended up by watching the Veggie Tales movie of whichever person we talked about that day. Watching the movie was Hubby's idea and it turned out to be a perfect way to settle the kids back down before eating lunch. Some of the older kids said that they thought the movies were boring, but I noticed that they sat and watched the whole movie every day. Imagine that!
Of course, our mornings would not have run as smoothly as they did without the other adults who were there providing support, running to get anything we forgot, bringing lunch and just generally being there for anything that popped up. We couldn't have pulled it off without everyone who was there!
Today to close everything out we went bowling. It ended on a slightly sour note with an injury, non-bowling related, but other than that everyone who came had a good time. Our girls really loved it. Which means that I'll probably have to make sure I actually take advantage of the Kids Bowl Free program we're signed up for this summer!
I really think that the VBS was a great success. My favorite part about a VBS, or really anything else the church does that involves all the kids, is how much closer I feel to everyone who came. There was fellowship with the other adults in the short moments when we weren't busy doing something else, and we got to know all the kids better as well. I love it when I see the kids at church after something like this and they talk to me about their favorite song or which craft was their favorite. They may not remember what all we did at VBS for very long, but hopefully they'll at least remember that they had fun!
We started off each day with songs. I love the fact that Hubby is not afraid to act silly when he is teaching these songs. His ability to really get into the songs and the motions and laugh at himself helps put the kids at ease and hopefully helps them want to participate as well. One of the Moms told us today that even though her girls didn't necessarily sing the songs at the VBS, they were singing some of the songs at home. That to me is a success!
After songs Hubby told the accounts of Esther, Joseph and David. Our theme was Kingdom Kids so the point of the stories was to show how God used people who were young and not very important to do great things. Once again, Hubby did a great job drawing the kids into the story by having them make sound effects while he was telling the account. This isn't necessarily an original idea, but I think it is an effective one. I can still remember going to a youth meeting when I was a teenager where a preaching did the exact same thing. I remember which Biblical account it was, as well as the sound effects the audience made. Hubby's assistants were not always perfect at holding up the prompts for the sounds effects, but that is what he gets for pulling them up front at the last second. Want to guess who was an assistant all three mornings?
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| Moving cotton balls with your nose |
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| Throwing cocoa puffs at the whipped cream plate |
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| Dressing up and singing |
As soon as the crafts were all done we played games. The Mom in charge did an awesome job coming up with activities that encompassed a broad range of ages and kept everyone involved as much as possible. I think no matter what games you play you'll always have trouble keeping small children's attention for longer than a second, so I think everything she did was awesome! Especially since I didn't have to do any of the planning!
We ended up by watching the Veggie Tales movie of whichever person we talked about that day. Watching the movie was Hubby's idea and it turned out to be a perfect way to settle the kids back down before eating lunch. Some of the older kids said that they thought the movies were boring, but I noticed that they sat and watched the whole movie every day. Imagine that!
Of course, our mornings would not have run as smoothly as they did without the other adults who were there providing support, running to get anything we forgot, bringing lunch and just generally being there for anything that popped up. We couldn't have pulled it off without everyone who was there!
Today to close everything out we went bowling. It ended on a slightly sour note with an injury, non-bowling related, but other than that everyone who came had a good time. Our girls really loved it. Which means that I'll probably have to make sure I actually take advantage of the Kids Bowl Free program we're signed up for this summer!
I really think that the VBS was a great success. My favorite part about a VBS, or really anything else the church does that involves all the kids, is how much closer I feel to everyone who came. There was fellowship with the other adults in the short moments when we weren't busy doing something else, and we got to know all the kids better as well. I love it when I see the kids at church after something like this and they talk to me about their favorite song or which craft was their favorite. They may not remember what all we did at VBS for very long, but hopefully they'll at least remember that they had fun!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Is it still crafting if they are necessary items?
I wondered this today. Because for the last two days I've been hard at work at my sewing machine, making things. But they are things that are for us to use when we travel. Totally practical items. So does it still count as crafting? I've actually enjoyed myself. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to, the very first time even. It worked out so well that I added extra stuff on and made a couple extra just because I could. If you read my previous crafting post, you know that crafting and I are not on the best of terms. So since everything went really well I want to say that I was crafting, but I think deep down I feel like it is cheating to call it that. So I'll tell y'all what I made and you can tell me if you think I can get away with it!
First off: Shoe bags! Don't scoff! We have an awesome tote with a lid now that all our shoes will fit in. This means that I don't have to worry about packing shoes in the suitcases with clean clothes and wondering how much room I need to leave and hoping that I get everyone's shoes in. So I'm excited about having one bag that all our shoes fit in that I can just tell the girls to look in the shoe bag to find whatever shoe they're looking for instead of having them rummage through 4 suitcases. The downside is that our nicer shoes get thrown in with the tennis shoes and flip flops. Not the best idea, especially for Hubby's expensive shoes that we spend a lot of money on so he'll have something nice to wear with his suits that will last more than 3 months.
My solution is the shoe bags I found on Pinterest. Each bag will fit at least one pair of shoes, even though it doesn't look like it. Trust me, I tried 3 different bags because they all look too small. But they fit. These were super easy to make because you just use Fat Quarters, no cutting involved. I was smart this time and broke out my ironing board to iron down the edges I was sewing instead of pinning them. Hmm, wish I had figured out that little trick a couple of years ago. Sometimes teaching yourself something, like sewing, just doesn't pay off!
I made a total of 7, just because they were going so well. I made a couple for my Mom and then one for the girls' shoes as well. I'll discuss the decals in a sec.
The other items I've been working on are toothbrush and toothpaste holders for each of us to have for traveling. I have to buy new toothbrush covers almost every time we travel because I just can't stand re-using the ones we had, even after they've been washed. It was just too gross for me. I saw these toothbrush carries a while ago on Pinterest as well, but with school going on I didn't have a chance to actually make them. The last couple of times we've traveled I have rolled all our toothbrushes up in a washcloth, which helped with the gross factor a little bit, but since the girls were not willing to take the time to re-roll the brushes once they brushed their teeth it ended up being just a bunch of toothbrushes in a wet ziplock. So gross!
So I was super excited to make these. And they turned out very well too, if I say so myself!
I was so proud of myself I even went looking for some iron-on decals to put our initials on them. Partly because I thought it would be fun, but mostly because I didn't want to have to ever hear the question, "Which ones mine?" from any of the girls. Did they all get different colors? Absolutely. Would that help stop the question? Nope! Anyway, I about abandoned the idea when I saw that most of the decals were running between $5 and $10. I would write their names in Sharpie before I spent that much. But then I was in the clearance section and found these cute little pink camo decals for $1. That is what I was looking for! Too bad for Hubby that he doesn't get a decal, but I'm pretty sure he can figure out which one is his without asking. As an added bonus, there were enough letters to put on the girls' shoe bag. Major win at Hobby Lobby!
So what do you think? I think anything that includes sewing, ribbon, and iron-on decals ought to be considered crafting! So look at me! I can craft without crying! Big step here people! Big step!
First off: Shoe bags! Don't scoff! We have an awesome tote with a lid now that all our shoes will fit in. This means that I don't have to worry about packing shoes in the suitcases with clean clothes and wondering how much room I need to leave and hoping that I get everyone's shoes in. So I'm excited about having one bag that all our shoes fit in that I can just tell the girls to look in the shoe bag to find whatever shoe they're looking for instead of having them rummage through 4 suitcases. The downside is that our nicer shoes get thrown in with the tennis shoes and flip flops. Not the best idea, especially for Hubby's expensive shoes that we spend a lot of money on so he'll have something nice to wear with his suits that will last more than 3 months.
My solution is the shoe bags I found on Pinterest. Each bag will fit at least one pair of shoes, even though it doesn't look like it. Trust me, I tried 3 different bags because they all look too small. But they fit. These were super easy to make because you just use Fat Quarters, no cutting involved. I was smart this time and broke out my ironing board to iron down the edges I was sewing instead of pinning them. Hmm, wish I had figured out that little trick a couple of years ago. Sometimes teaching yourself something, like sewing, just doesn't pay off!
The other items I've been working on are toothbrush and toothpaste holders for each of us to have for traveling. I have to buy new toothbrush covers almost every time we travel because I just can't stand re-using the ones we had, even after they've been washed. It was just too gross for me. I saw these toothbrush carries a while ago on Pinterest as well, but with school going on I didn't have a chance to actually make them. The last couple of times we've traveled I have rolled all our toothbrushes up in a washcloth, which helped with the gross factor a little bit, but since the girls were not willing to take the time to re-roll the brushes once they brushed their teeth it ended up being just a bunch of toothbrushes in a wet ziplock. So gross!
So I was super excited to make these. And they turned out very well too, if I say so myself!
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| So much cuter in the hand of a 3 yr old! |
Sunday, May 26, 2013
They're just a few hours away!
After our friends from India stayed with us for a few days they took off for the next leg of their trip to California and Oregon. Because that is where Hubby is originally from and we have contact with most of the churches out there, Hubby was elected to be the one to take them. All together he was going to be gone a week. While I understood why they wanted Hubby to be the one to take them, I was less than thrilled at the prospect of him being gone a week. So instead of being at home by myself with the girls for a week doing nothing except our same old routine, I decided to invite ourselves to our Houston friends' house. I did feel a twinge of guilt because I knew they were slightly behind in school and that our coming would interrupt school time, but I got over it pretty quickly!
So we left on Wednesday about mid-morning and headed that way. For the 4 1/2 hour drive time we only had to stop once for lunch. This bodes well for our three week road trip we are taking this summer! And even though this is a relatively short road trip for us compared to what we normally drive to see family, I'm happy the girls all did so well. Everyone was able to keep themselves entertained, even the 3 year old.
Because of the lack of stops we got in a little earlier than I planned so we took a drive through our old neighborhood. I was surprised how much it made me miss it! We've settled in pretty nicely here, but there are still a lot of memories in our old town!
That night we did get to go to the Bible study at our old church and see many familiar faces. Always fun to catch up with our former congregation!
Thursday we went down to Galveston. This was at my request, I've missed going to the beach. It was overcast and a little cool, but we braved the cold water anyway and had a really good time. I even bullied our friends into having a late lunch just so we could eat Carl's Jr. If you don't know what it is, you're missing out! My western bacon cheeseburger was just as good as I remembered! Unfortunately, I left my phone in the car the whole time so I have no pictures. Oh well, you can take my word that we had fun!
Friday was spent doing absolutely nothing, and it was awesome! It stormed most of the day so we wouldn't have gone out even if we wanted to, but it was nice to just have a day to do nothing. That night we went to my favorite Mexican place. It was as good as I remember as well! I'm happy that we've found a good Mexican place here, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my old favorite place!
Saturday we got up and had pancakes made for us. My girls were floored by the multi-colored pancakes that were presented to them. Apparently Hubby needs to get on the band wagon and start adding food coloring to the pancake batter! It's the small things!
We actually left about an hour earlier than I planned. We got everything packed up and I figured we had come close to wearing out our welcome, so better to leave early and hope they want us to come back some day!
I'm very thankful to have good friends that I can just invite my brood of 5 over and have it be totally ok. I'm thankful that the Mom and I are good enough friends that we can sit and do nothing for an entire day and be cool with that. I'm thankful that my girls are all growing up enough that I can handle a road trip by myself without having to stress about if we'll all have our sanity at the end. And I'm thankful for a Hubby who didn't even blink when I told him we'd gone over our fuel budget by $75 because of the trip. And because he brought me back almost 4 lbs of salt water taffy!
So we left on Wednesday about mid-morning and headed that way. For the 4 1/2 hour drive time we only had to stop once for lunch. This bodes well for our three week road trip we are taking this summer! And even though this is a relatively short road trip for us compared to what we normally drive to see family, I'm happy the girls all did so well. Everyone was able to keep themselves entertained, even the 3 year old.
Because of the lack of stops we got in a little earlier than I planned so we took a drive through our old neighborhood. I was surprised how much it made me miss it! We've settled in pretty nicely here, but there are still a lot of memories in our old town!
That night we did get to go to the Bible study at our old church and see many familiar faces. Always fun to catch up with our former congregation!
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| Good friends can cuddle on the couch! |
Friday was spent doing absolutely nothing, and it was awesome! It stormed most of the day so we wouldn't have gone out even if we wanted to, but it was nice to just have a day to do nothing. That night we went to my favorite Mexican place. It was as good as I remember as well! I'm happy that we've found a good Mexican place here, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my old favorite place!
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| Playing Head-Bands |
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| #4 missed the instructions for how to wear it |
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| The bench at my favorite restaurant! |
We actually left about an hour earlier than I planned. We got everything packed up and I figured we had come close to wearing out our welcome, so better to leave early and hope they want us to come back some day!
I'm very thankful to have good friends that I can just invite my brood of 5 over and have it be totally ok. I'm thankful that the Mom and I are good enough friends that we can sit and do nothing for an entire day and be cool with that. I'm thankful that my girls are all growing up enough that I can handle a road trip by myself without having to stress about if we'll all have our sanity at the end. And I'm thankful for a Hubby who didn't even blink when I told him we'd gone over our fuel budget by $75 because of the trip. And because he brought me back almost 4 lbs of salt water taffy!
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| The end result--a vehicle covered in bugs and their guts! |
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
School Year Recap
This post will be boring to most of you. But since the main purpose of this blog is to document our lives, I wanted to have a recap of our school year. I won't mind if you want to quickly click off at this point. Actually, I'll never know, so click away!
We started the year late due to our move. We didn't actually start any school work until the middle of September. We started off having a 5 day week so that we could catch up a little, but that didn't last very long. When Daddy has Fridays off it is very hard to expect Mom or the children to want to do school work! But we did do 5 day weeks through the end of November.
Our Christmas break was a little weird this year because two of the girls at a time went up to stay with my parents for two weeks. So we kind of did a tandem break where I did school with the ones that were here and the ones at the grandparents got extra time off. It worked out well for the girls, but I didn't get as long of a break as I usually like around the holidays. It was OK though.
We started back up a little later in January because of sick kids, but once we started we went strong until we took a week of at the end of February/beginning of March for my sister's wedding. Because we took a week off at that time I decided not to take a spring break. That was fine until about the middle of April and I really started to notice a lack of desire on my part to do anything school related. I think in the future a break around the end of March or beginning of April is going to be necessary to make sure we can finish the end of the year strong.
We took some days off to go visit friends the first part of May, but we were actually slightly ahead of schedule on Math and Language Arts so I knew we could afford the days off. Once we got home from our friend's house we had one week left of school. We finished up all the odds and ends we needed to and ended on May 16th.
We spent the first part of the year trying to find homeschool groups and connecting with people here, but we didn't have a lot of luck at first. So there weren't too many field trips or outings before our Christmas break. After we started back up we finally started going to a few field trips, met some friends and started to find our groove in the new groups.
I switched #1's math curriculum this year from Math-U-See to Saxon. I really thought we were going to have to spend the first part of the year going back to Saxon's 4th grade book to review because MUS does no fractions and very little decimals before 5th grade. We actually did spend the first 6 weeks or so in the 4th grade book. However, we I looked at the actual lessons in the 5th grade book I realized that there was enough review in it that we didn't actually need to spend anymore time in the 4th grade book. And because MUS goes so much farther with multiplication and division than Saxon in the lower grades we were able skip enough lessons that #1 was able to finish the 5th grade book by the end of the year. Math is still not her strongest subject and I found that asking her to do all 30 problems in each lesson completely overwhelmed her. However, when she did half of the problems she seemed to be able to do it just fine. She still has to learn how to take her time so she doesn't make silly mistakes that end up getting the problem wrong for her, but towards the end of the year she was getting that down better.
We also continued with IEW this year, although I started out with one of the simpler books so that #2 could use the same one as #1. I've been very impressed with #1's writing. She remembers what she has learned in the previous years and continues to write papers that are actually interesting for me to read. After the first couple of papers, I had her write her rough draft completely on her own and I just helped with the revisions before the final draft. I was very happy with the fact that she was able to write rough drafts that needed very little revision when I helped her. This just solidifies my love of IEW. Besides "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" IEW is the curriculum I am the most passionate about!
I purchased a typing program for #1 on the recommendation of a friend. #1's handwriting is beautiful and she didn't need any practice for handwriting this year. So we installed the program and I just told her to do it whenever she wanted to. She has done it so much that she is already typing at 30 words a minute. And typing correctly, which is the main reason I wanted her to have an actual typing program instead of just learning on her own. In fact, for the last paper she wrote I let her type the final draft, which she was very excited about! Now I just need to find a program that will teach her how to use all the Office applications so I don't have to teach her!
For all the other subjects #1 did just fine. I didn't purchase a geography curriculum this year because of lack of funds, so they ended up just checking books out of the library and finding information on their own. They learned a lot, but it was SO boring! We won't be doing that again, but it was sufficient for this year.
I also switched #2 to Saxon math this year for the main fact that I thought we were going to be playing catch up for a good two years by waiting to switch until we hit 5th grade. #2 is stronger in math so I thought she would do well with a switch this year. And she did fine, but I did not like the way that Saxon taught multiplication at all! It was the most non-nonsensical way of teaching that I've ever seen. Their 3rd grade book also has a lot of busy work in it that was a complete waste of time that we didn't do. #2 did just fine with it, but we are going back to MUS for 4th grade. We'll switch back to Saxon for 5th again because I really do feel like Saxon is the best program for the higher grades, but for the two girls still to come I know that I will stay with MUS through 4th before switching. Honestly, every year I think I have all my curriculum choices squared away, but I change my mind about something by the end of the year!
This was the first year for #2 to do IEW. I had to remind myself that #1 was in 4th when she first started, and that a lot of the initial teaching was done at the co-op we were part of at the time. I ended up having #2 narrate to me what to write, I would type it and then we would go over it together to revise it. I think that is a difficult way to do it because you can't see what you've written when you're narrating it, but it was also too difficult for her to think of a sentence and then write it down and then keep her thought process in order. She progressed enough through the year though that next year I'll expect her to write down her rough draft by herself. I'll be there to help her, but she'll do the writing herself. Overall, her papers were pretty rough, but by the end she was also able to put adjectives and adverbs into her sentences without any prompting, which is one of the things I love about the curriculum. I'm happy with where she ended in her writing.
#2 also did well in all the other subjects as well. While #1 is focused on getting her school work done, #2 needs to be prompted to get everything done. Once she remembers she is supposed to do something, she gets it done as soon as possible, she just needs more reminding than #1.
And #3. This was my first year teaching all three formally and with a set curriculum. I was very apprehensive about how it would all work, but now that we've made it through the year I'm confident about the coming years. #3 was very eager to learn and so excited to be doing "real" school. So much so that even when I was working with her sisters and didn't have anything for her to do she would still sit at the school table with us, sometimes for an hour before I got to her. That had tapered off by the end of the year, but she still loved doing school. She is going to be like #2 when it comes to math. Which is a good thing since #2 is like me with math. It seems to come more naturally to them. She loved zooming through her math sheets and surprising me when she got done quickly. But it kills her to get a wrong answer too, so she made sure she got all the answers right. She does not like having to do handwriting at all, but I'm hoping that having actual phrases and sentences to do next year will make it more interesting for her.
#3's biggest accomplishment this year was learning to read. Because we started the year so late she didn't finish her reading book until we finished school. She can read, but she lacks the confidence to read a "real" book, something that #1 and #2 both struggled with as well. We're going to library tomorrow and I'll be checking out some of the beginner readers for her. I have a feeling once she realizes that she really does know how to read those real books all by herself she'll take off and be reading everything in sight. I love when that happens. #1 and #2 both love to read as much as I do, and I think that the same will be true for #3 as well.
And #4 spent a lot of time at the school table with us this year. Mainly coloring randomly in her very own "school book". But by the end of the year she was telling me she was writing letters. It is so true that schooling younger children is easier than your first ones because all they've ever known is their older siblings doing school. #4 has been at the school table with us since she was a couple of weeks old. She wants to do school with us. I love that enthusiasm for learning that comes from the example of watching her big sisters. I don't have anything planned for her for a couple of years still, but I'm sure that she'll be sitting right there with us until then!
Now my own review. I am happy with the fact that I found our groove for schooling three instead of two. It took a while, but now that I have it figured out I can look forward to next year instead of looking at it with trepidation like I did last year. I was a little lax on science and geography this year because of the move, but again, I feel like next year will be better just because we are more settled here. I still have a tendency to get frustrated when #1 doesn't understand what I'm teaching her in math. We look at math so differently, and I constantly have to remind myself that I need to explain it several different ways before she understands it. I need to learn to keep my cool with her on that subject. I also need to watch myself with expecting too much of #2. Even though #1 and #2 are only 18 months apart, they are two years apart in school. I need to remind myself that #2 is going to do less than #1 and plan accordingly. I think I did a pretty good job this year, but I will need to make sure that I spend enough time with #3 and not give her the short stick just because her sisters require more time and attention.
Overall, I think this school year counts as a success for all of us. Now that #4 is 3 it finally feels like our school life is back to normal after having the disruptions of pregnancy and an infant and then a toddler in the house. I continue to be completely convinced that this is the path God wants us on and am so thankful for the knowledge that He is right there beside me every day! And that His grace covers all the mistakes that I make. I am extremely proud of all of our girls and can only look forward to the coming year with joy and anticipation!
We started the year late due to our move. We didn't actually start any school work until the middle of September. We started off having a 5 day week so that we could catch up a little, but that didn't last very long. When Daddy has Fridays off it is very hard to expect Mom or the children to want to do school work! But we did do 5 day weeks through the end of November.
Our Christmas break was a little weird this year because two of the girls at a time went up to stay with my parents for two weeks. So we kind of did a tandem break where I did school with the ones that were here and the ones at the grandparents got extra time off. It worked out well for the girls, but I didn't get as long of a break as I usually like around the holidays. It was OK though.
We started back up a little later in January because of sick kids, but once we started we went strong until we took a week of at the end of February/beginning of March for my sister's wedding. Because we took a week off at that time I decided not to take a spring break. That was fine until about the middle of April and I really started to notice a lack of desire on my part to do anything school related. I think in the future a break around the end of March or beginning of April is going to be necessary to make sure we can finish the end of the year strong.
We took some days off to go visit friends the first part of May, but we were actually slightly ahead of schedule on Math and Language Arts so I knew we could afford the days off. Once we got home from our friend's house we had one week left of school. We finished up all the odds and ends we needed to and ended on May 16th.
We spent the first part of the year trying to find homeschool groups and connecting with people here, but we didn't have a lot of luck at first. So there weren't too many field trips or outings before our Christmas break. After we started back up we finally started going to a few field trips, met some friends and started to find our groove in the new groups.
I switched #1's math curriculum this year from Math-U-See to Saxon. I really thought we were going to have to spend the first part of the year going back to Saxon's 4th grade book to review because MUS does no fractions and very little decimals before 5th grade. We actually did spend the first 6 weeks or so in the 4th grade book. However, we I looked at the actual lessons in the 5th grade book I realized that there was enough review in it that we didn't actually need to spend anymore time in the 4th grade book. And because MUS goes so much farther with multiplication and division than Saxon in the lower grades we were able skip enough lessons that #1 was able to finish the 5th grade book by the end of the year. Math is still not her strongest subject and I found that asking her to do all 30 problems in each lesson completely overwhelmed her. However, when she did half of the problems she seemed to be able to do it just fine. She still has to learn how to take her time so she doesn't make silly mistakes that end up getting the problem wrong for her, but towards the end of the year she was getting that down better.
We also continued with IEW this year, although I started out with one of the simpler books so that #2 could use the same one as #1. I've been very impressed with #1's writing. She remembers what she has learned in the previous years and continues to write papers that are actually interesting for me to read. After the first couple of papers, I had her write her rough draft completely on her own and I just helped with the revisions before the final draft. I was very happy with the fact that she was able to write rough drafts that needed very little revision when I helped her. This just solidifies my love of IEW. Besides "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" IEW is the curriculum I am the most passionate about!
I purchased a typing program for #1 on the recommendation of a friend. #1's handwriting is beautiful and she didn't need any practice for handwriting this year. So we installed the program and I just told her to do it whenever she wanted to. She has done it so much that she is already typing at 30 words a minute. And typing correctly, which is the main reason I wanted her to have an actual typing program instead of just learning on her own. In fact, for the last paper she wrote I let her type the final draft, which she was very excited about! Now I just need to find a program that will teach her how to use all the Office applications so I don't have to teach her!
For all the other subjects #1 did just fine. I didn't purchase a geography curriculum this year because of lack of funds, so they ended up just checking books out of the library and finding information on their own. They learned a lot, but it was SO boring! We won't be doing that again, but it was sufficient for this year.
I also switched #2 to Saxon math this year for the main fact that I thought we were going to be playing catch up for a good two years by waiting to switch until we hit 5th grade. #2 is stronger in math so I thought she would do well with a switch this year. And she did fine, but I did not like the way that Saxon taught multiplication at all! It was the most non-nonsensical way of teaching that I've ever seen. Their 3rd grade book also has a lot of busy work in it that was a complete waste of time that we didn't do. #2 did just fine with it, but we are going back to MUS for 4th grade. We'll switch back to Saxon for 5th again because I really do feel like Saxon is the best program for the higher grades, but for the two girls still to come I know that I will stay with MUS through 4th before switching. Honestly, every year I think I have all my curriculum choices squared away, but I change my mind about something by the end of the year!
This was the first year for #2 to do IEW. I had to remind myself that #1 was in 4th when she first started, and that a lot of the initial teaching was done at the co-op we were part of at the time. I ended up having #2 narrate to me what to write, I would type it and then we would go over it together to revise it. I think that is a difficult way to do it because you can't see what you've written when you're narrating it, but it was also too difficult for her to think of a sentence and then write it down and then keep her thought process in order. She progressed enough through the year though that next year I'll expect her to write down her rough draft by herself. I'll be there to help her, but she'll do the writing herself. Overall, her papers were pretty rough, but by the end she was also able to put adjectives and adverbs into her sentences without any prompting, which is one of the things I love about the curriculum. I'm happy with where she ended in her writing.
#2 also did well in all the other subjects as well. While #1 is focused on getting her school work done, #2 needs to be prompted to get everything done. Once she remembers she is supposed to do something, she gets it done as soon as possible, she just needs more reminding than #1.
And #3. This was my first year teaching all three formally and with a set curriculum. I was very apprehensive about how it would all work, but now that we've made it through the year I'm confident about the coming years. #3 was very eager to learn and so excited to be doing "real" school. So much so that even when I was working with her sisters and didn't have anything for her to do she would still sit at the school table with us, sometimes for an hour before I got to her. That had tapered off by the end of the year, but she still loved doing school. She is going to be like #2 when it comes to math. Which is a good thing since #2 is like me with math. It seems to come more naturally to them. She loved zooming through her math sheets and surprising me when she got done quickly. But it kills her to get a wrong answer too, so she made sure she got all the answers right. She does not like having to do handwriting at all, but I'm hoping that having actual phrases and sentences to do next year will make it more interesting for her.
#3's biggest accomplishment this year was learning to read. Because we started the year so late she didn't finish her reading book until we finished school. She can read, but she lacks the confidence to read a "real" book, something that #1 and #2 both struggled with as well. We're going to library tomorrow and I'll be checking out some of the beginner readers for her. I have a feeling once she realizes that she really does know how to read those real books all by herself she'll take off and be reading everything in sight. I love when that happens. #1 and #2 both love to read as much as I do, and I think that the same will be true for #3 as well.
And #4 spent a lot of time at the school table with us this year. Mainly coloring randomly in her very own "school book". But by the end of the year she was telling me she was writing letters. It is so true that schooling younger children is easier than your first ones because all they've ever known is their older siblings doing school. #4 has been at the school table with us since she was a couple of weeks old. She wants to do school with us. I love that enthusiasm for learning that comes from the example of watching her big sisters. I don't have anything planned for her for a couple of years still, but I'm sure that she'll be sitting right there with us until then!
Now my own review. I am happy with the fact that I found our groove for schooling three instead of two. It took a while, but now that I have it figured out I can look forward to next year instead of looking at it with trepidation like I did last year. I was a little lax on science and geography this year because of the move, but again, I feel like next year will be better just because we are more settled here. I still have a tendency to get frustrated when #1 doesn't understand what I'm teaching her in math. We look at math so differently, and I constantly have to remind myself that I need to explain it several different ways before she understands it. I need to learn to keep my cool with her on that subject. I also need to watch myself with expecting too much of #2. Even though #1 and #2 are only 18 months apart, they are two years apart in school. I need to remind myself that #2 is going to do less than #1 and plan accordingly. I think I did a pretty good job this year, but I will need to make sure that I spend enough time with #3 and not give her the short stick just because her sisters require more time and attention.
Overall, I think this school year counts as a success for all of us. Now that #4 is 3 it finally feels like our school life is back to normal after having the disruptions of pregnancy and an infant and then a toddler in the house. I continue to be completely convinced that this is the path God wants us on and am so thankful for the knowledge that He is right there beside me every day! And that His grace covers all the mistakes that I make. I am extremely proud of all of our girls and can only look forward to the coming year with joy and anticipation!
Friday, May 17, 2013
School's Out For Summer!
We are officially done with the 2012/2013 school year here at Doorframes Academy! That's the name of our school in case you were wondering! I am happy to say that we ended the year with everyone exactly where I wanted them for next year. Which is really saying something considering we made a major move right as the school year was starting this year. But by God's grace we made it through! And now that I have made it through my first year of schooling three instead of two, I am able to look to the next year without trepidation like I did this last year.
We will be traveling a lot this summer, just like every summer, so I don't intend to even have to think about school again until the first part of August when we are home and I'm able to focus on that. I've already purchased and received all of our curriculum that we need for next year so I literally don't have to do anything all summer--at least nothing that pertains to school!
So how do we celebrate the end of the school year at our house? Well, normally we don't. I'm not really one to make a big deal out of any celebrations/holidays. But this year we are ending at the same time Hubby is ending his school year so I decided to at least pretend we were celebrating. After all lessons were completed yesterday I played the song "What Time is it?" from Highschool Musical. Everyone except #1 danced around the living room and we basically acted like a bunch of dorks. I tried to get #1 to dance with us, but she refused to act silly with us. Yeah, we're going to have to talk about that. That was basically it yesterday. It was shopping day so I had errands to run all afternoon long.
But today, we went to the zoo here for the first time. It's not huge, but I think it was worth the membership. We ended up eating lunch in our car because they have NO outside tables. And we figured if we have to eat in the car we're going to do it with the AC running. And I'm not ashamed to admit we did! It was hot and muggy! And the great thing about having a membership is that when everyone is too hot and tired after lunch to walk around much more it is no big deal to wrap up the day playing for a bit on the playground and then heading home because you know you have a year to come back any time you want to!
We made it home in enough time to start dinner. My girls love this sweet and sour chicken dish that I make. And I'll admit that I really like it too. But it seriously takes me like two hours in the kitchen to get it all done, and that is with Hubby's help! Not something I'm going to do very often. So this was a celebratory dinner for all of us. And we just happen to have leftovers for someone to fight over tomorrow!
And last, because it is still Friday night, we had family movie night. We watched Life of Pi. I could have sworn I read when it came out that it was a good kid's movie. I think it was OK for #1 and #2, but there were some scary parts in it for #3 and #4. Next time I'll actually check Plugged In before renting something I'm not sure about. Oh well, hopefully no one wakes up with nightmares tonight!
So now all the children are in bed and sound asleep. Tomorrow we tackle cleaning out the school room so that I don't have that hanging over my head all summer. Hopefully I'll be able to put some of the curriculum I don't need anymore up for sale. After that I can spend next week working on some projects I've been thinking about for months but haven't had the time or energy to work on them. Then we have our VBS with our church here and then the girls and I are off on our travels the second week of June. Life never really slows down for us, and yet we're not running ragged either. God is so good, all the time!
We will be traveling a lot this summer, just like every summer, so I don't intend to even have to think about school again until the first part of August when we are home and I'm able to focus on that. I've already purchased and received all of our curriculum that we need for next year so I literally don't have to do anything all summer--at least nothing that pertains to school!
So how do we celebrate the end of the school year at our house? Well, normally we don't. I'm not really one to make a big deal out of any celebrations/holidays. But this year we are ending at the same time Hubby is ending his school year so I decided to at least pretend we were celebrating. After all lessons were completed yesterday I played the song "What Time is it?" from Highschool Musical. Everyone except #1 danced around the living room and we basically acted like a bunch of dorks. I tried to get #1 to dance with us, but she refused to act silly with us. Yeah, we're going to have to talk about that. That was basically it yesterday. It was shopping day so I had errands to run all afternoon long.
But today, we went to the zoo here for the first time. It's not huge, but I think it was worth the membership. We ended up eating lunch in our car because they have NO outside tables. And we figured if we have to eat in the car we're going to do it with the AC running. And I'm not ashamed to admit we did! It was hot and muggy! And the great thing about having a membership is that when everyone is too hot and tired after lunch to walk around much more it is no big deal to wrap up the day playing for a bit on the playground and then heading home because you know you have a year to come back any time you want to!
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| Tigers Spooning! |
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| OK, I know it's really heard to see--but that is the buzzard off of Jungle Book! It is massively huge and way ugly! Made my day to see it! |
We made it home in enough time to start dinner. My girls love this sweet and sour chicken dish that I make. And I'll admit that I really like it too. But it seriously takes me like two hours in the kitchen to get it all done, and that is with Hubby's help! Not something I'm going to do very often. So this was a celebratory dinner for all of us. And we just happen to have leftovers for someone to fight over tomorrow!
And last, because it is still Friday night, we had family movie night. We watched Life of Pi. I could have sworn I read when it came out that it was a good kid's movie. I think it was OK for #1 and #2, but there were some scary parts in it for #3 and #4. Next time I'll actually check Plugged In before renting something I'm not sure about. Oh well, hopefully no one wakes up with nightmares tonight!
So now all the children are in bed and sound asleep. Tomorrow we tackle cleaning out the school room so that I don't have that hanging over my head all summer. Hopefully I'll be able to put some of the curriculum I don't need anymore up for sale. After that I can spend next week working on some projects I've been thinking about for months but haven't had the time or energy to work on them. Then we have our VBS with our church here and then the girls and I are off on our travels the second week of June. Life never really slows down for us, and yet we're not running ragged either. God is so good, all the time!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mother's Day Surprise
It's been a long time since I've lived close enough to my Mom to actually be with her on Mother's Day. Which is a bummer because I am extremely grateful to have her as my Mother, but since becoming a Mom almost 11 years ago, I've been able to celebrate the fact that I'm a Mom now. It really is the greatest job in the world!
We give our girls an allowance every month. $1 for each year of age. They take money out for tithing and savings, and then the rest they can do whatever they want with it. We use the envelope system for them so they always know how much they have, but they don't actually have to keep track of it. The thing is, they very rarely spend their money. When we first started giving allowances they spent it pretty quickly. But it didn't take long for them to realize that spending all they had immediately on junky toys or things that didn't keep their interest long wasn't satisfying for them. So now they save their money until they have something they really want to buy. Plus, about a month ago the girls all cleaned the church building and got paid for it. Half of what they earned they put into our Disney fund, but the other half went into their spending money. So when they said they wanted to take me to lunch I knew they had plenty to cover everything.
So we went to my favorite restaurant where I was told to order anything I wanted. Then we ordered fried ice cream which is one of my favorite desserts. (Dessert was on #3. She doesn't have quite as much money saved up as her sisters!) They weren't even going to let me look at the check, but I informed them that I needed to help them figure out a tip. They had even thought to get their money and bring it with them, so they proudly pulled the money out of their wallets and paid for our lunch.
And I am very proud of them. They knew taking me out for mexican food would be one of my favorite things to do. They planned and executed everything just the way they needed to. I feel special and loved knowing that they were willing to spend their hard earned money that they've been saving on me. So today, on Mother's Day, I'm thanking God for giving me four of the best girls He ever created!
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| I've been told I look a little like my Mom! |
Unfortunately, Hubby is out of town today and has been for a week. So even though he ordered some flowers and chocolates for me, he wasn't here today to take me out to dinner or anything. Not to worry, I was planning on taking myself out! Until my darling girls informed me this morning that they were going to take me out to lunch. You might smile at this, thinking that I would have to give them money to take me out, but that is not the case.
And I am very proud of them. They knew taking me out for mexican food would be one of my favorite things to do. They planned and executed everything just the way they needed to. I feel special and loved knowing that they were willing to spend their hard earned money that they've been saving on me. So today, on Mother's Day, I'm thanking God for giving me four of the best girls He ever created!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Yes Garu!
In India, the term "Garu" is a term of respect. If I understood correctly it would be our equivalent to "sir" or "ma'am". Brother and Sister informed us that you would use it for anyone who was older than you, using it for both males and females. In fact, Sister informed me that before they accept a child into their CRF home, the children must agree to call Brother "Big Daddy Garu". In their language of course.
So why the language lesson? Because Brother and Sister spent almost the entire time they were here trying to get me to call Hubby "Garu." I don't think they were doing it because they thought I was disrespectful of Hubby, but just because in their culture, respect is shown differently. Sister always made sure and served Hubby if we were eating here at the house first. She always made his chai, twice a day. While I consider myself to be respectful of my husband, more often than not he serves me my dinner before himself while I'm cutting up #4's food. Just a difference in cultures.
But this whole process of trying to get me to call Hubby Garu was funny. They insisted that another sister we all know here in the States calls her husband Garu several times a day. And she even bows when she says it. Please understand, I know this sister. If she is calling her husband Garu, she does it dripping with sarcasm! She is also very respectful of her husband by American standards, but there is no way she calls him Garu seriously.
So by about Saturday I started calling Hubby Garu just to get a laugh out of everyone. And we all laughed every time I said it. To Brother and Sister's credit, whenever I would say it one of them would remind Hubby to say "Thank you Sister!" to show that he returned the respect to me.
Was I glad for this glimpse into India culture? Sure! Do I feel better prepared should I ever go to India for what they would expect of my treatment of my husband? Absolutely! Will you catch me calling Hubby Garu in anything other than a joking manner? Not going to happen!
So why the language lesson? Because Brother and Sister spent almost the entire time they were here trying to get me to call Hubby "Garu." I don't think they were doing it because they thought I was disrespectful of Hubby, but just because in their culture, respect is shown differently. Sister always made sure and served Hubby if we were eating here at the house first. She always made his chai, twice a day. While I consider myself to be respectful of my husband, more often than not he serves me my dinner before himself while I'm cutting up #4's food. Just a difference in cultures.
But this whole process of trying to get me to call Hubby Garu was funny. They insisted that another sister we all know here in the States calls her husband Garu several times a day. And she even bows when she says it. Please understand, I know this sister. If she is calling her husband Garu, she does it dripping with sarcasm! She is also very respectful of her husband by American standards, but there is no way she calls him Garu seriously.
So by about Saturday I started calling Hubby Garu just to get a laugh out of everyone. And we all laughed every time I said it. To Brother and Sister's credit, whenever I would say it one of them would remind Hubby to say "Thank you Sister!" to show that he returned the respect to me.
Was I glad for this glimpse into India culture? Sure! Do I feel better prepared should I ever go to India for what they would expect of my treatment of my husband? Absolutely! Will you catch me calling Hubby Garu in anything other than a joking manner? Not going to happen!
Monday, May 6, 2013
House guests who are now friends
We had a couple from India spend the last several days with us. There is too much to write about to do it in one post so I'll be doing several over the next couple of weeks. I want to make sure I get all the memories down!
Remember how this blog is not just about making sure our memories are stored somewhere other than my mind, but how it is to also show that we're not perfect? Keep that in mind folks!
Hubby is on the board of a group that sponsors many different works of the spreading the Gospel in India. Most years, 2-4 men from America go over to India to conduct a training work for men who want to become preachers and to check on the different works they are sponsoring over there. One man over there, who we will call Brother, is the main contact with most of the work that is done, especially when our guys travel over there. His wife, who we will call Sister, cooks most meals for our guys and takes care of their laundry and probably a bunch of other stuff. Our guys also stay in their home the majority of the time they are in India. Hubby has had the chance to go to India three times and so has gotten to know Brother and Sister fairly well.
Brother and Sister were able to come to America this year in an effort to travel through many states and visit different congregations who have helped with the work in India. We weren't sure what their exact schedule was going to be for a while, but Hubby finally told me that they were scheduled to arrive at our home late Thursday night and stay until Monday morning. He was very excited that we would get to spend that much time with them.
I would love to say that I handled that news with grace. But I did not. Refer to the top. I wouldn't say that I was necessarily upset about it, but I was certainly cranky. It's not that I was cranky about them coming. More along the lines of getting bent out of shape thinking about the work involved in getting the house cleaned and ready for guests, including moving #1 and #4 out of their room and into their sisters'. (Please note: we are going to stay with some friends this week. Their preparations for us coming have involved major cleaning and moving children out of their rooms. The irony is not lost on me!) There was also some trepidation on my part about there being a language barrier and having it just be awkward for all of us. And quite frankly, I was at a complete loss as to what to fix food wise for them. One of Hubby's biggest complaints when he goes to India is all the different food he has to eat. I didn't want them to feel that way in my home, but I had no idea what to make for them. Hubby was helpful in his suggestions that they have KFCs and Pizza Huts and Chinese food in India. Beyond that, he wasn't a lot of help. Oh yeah, he did tell me that they don't like Mexican, which seriously removes like 90% of my recipes. In the end we ended up buying a lot of different things and hoping that something sounded good to them.
But you know what? By the time lunch on Friday rolled around, I felt like I had known them for years. The cleaning and the moving were not as difficult as I imagined thanks to #1 and #2 who are amazing at helping with housework now. Brother and Sister speak excellent English and I didn't have a problem understanding them after I got used to their accents. As for food, our wonderful Elders wanted to take them out to dinner Friday and Saturday night, which took the burden off my shoulders of cooking. I made pizza one day for lunch which they enjoyed and the next day we had rice with a bunch of fresh veggies. And Sunday night sister taught me to make an Indian dish that was AMAZING! I can't tell you what it was because I can't pronounce it, much less spell it, but it wasn't curry. I have it written down and I'm sure I'll be making it again in the future.
So I hope what I learned with this whole episode sticks with me. I learned that I no longer have to bear the brunt of housework when we have guests over. Not only does Hubby help as much as he can, I have two other helpers who work as hard as I need them to without complaining. I also learned that worrying about what something might be like or if someone will be comfortable in my home is not only exhausting, but it also steals the joy of anticipation of something new happening. I learned to trust my husband's judgements of people, even if I've never met them. And best of all, I learned that there is a bond we share as brothers and sisters in Christ that transcends so many barriers that we would have without it. I'm also thankful that God forgives me each time I fall and fail him when it comes to my inflexible nature.
I not only consider Brother and Sister my friends now, I might even consider joining my husband in India eventually, something I never wanted to do before! I'm so glad they came!
Remember how this blog is not just about making sure our memories are stored somewhere other than my mind, but how it is to also show that we're not perfect? Keep that in mind folks!
Hubby is on the board of a group that sponsors many different works of the spreading the Gospel in India. Most years, 2-4 men from America go over to India to conduct a training work for men who want to become preachers and to check on the different works they are sponsoring over there. One man over there, who we will call Brother, is the main contact with most of the work that is done, especially when our guys travel over there. His wife, who we will call Sister, cooks most meals for our guys and takes care of their laundry and probably a bunch of other stuff. Our guys also stay in their home the majority of the time they are in India. Hubby has had the chance to go to India three times and so has gotten to know Brother and Sister fairly well.
Brother and Sister were able to come to America this year in an effort to travel through many states and visit different congregations who have helped with the work in India. We weren't sure what their exact schedule was going to be for a while, but Hubby finally told me that they were scheduled to arrive at our home late Thursday night and stay until Monday morning. He was very excited that we would get to spend that much time with them.
I would love to say that I handled that news with grace. But I did not. Refer to the top. I wouldn't say that I was necessarily upset about it, but I was certainly cranky. It's not that I was cranky about them coming. More along the lines of getting bent out of shape thinking about the work involved in getting the house cleaned and ready for guests, including moving #1 and #4 out of their room and into their sisters'. (Please note: we are going to stay with some friends this week. Their preparations for us coming have involved major cleaning and moving children out of their rooms. The irony is not lost on me!) There was also some trepidation on my part about there being a language barrier and having it just be awkward for all of us. And quite frankly, I was at a complete loss as to what to fix food wise for them. One of Hubby's biggest complaints when he goes to India is all the different food he has to eat. I didn't want them to feel that way in my home, but I had no idea what to make for them. Hubby was helpful in his suggestions that they have KFCs and Pizza Huts and Chinese food in India. Beyond that, he wasn't a lot of help. Oh yeah, he did tell me that they don't like Mexican, which seriously removes like 90% of my recipes. In the end we ended up buying a lot of different things and hoping that something sounded good to them.
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| "Nani" braiding #1's hair |
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| Brother trying on a hat at Wal-mart |
I not only consider Brother and Sister my friends now, I might even consider joining my husband in India eventually, something I never wanted to do before! I'm so glad they came!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The best line ever said by a 6 year old!
#3, who is 6, said the best thing I have ever heard any of my children say today. I might argue that it is the funniest any 6 year old has ever said, but I might also be a little prejudiced!
I was working on the girls' hair today and #3 grabbed the water bottle and sprayed Hubby in the face with it. I had just done it a second ago so she thought she would copy me. Being a good Daddy, he just laughed at her. Until I was working on her hair and she couldn't see him. He grabbed the water bottle and proceeded to spray her in the face. Their conversation follows. When you read her lines picture a cute, innocent little 6 year old, with curly hair who is missing her two front teeth!
Hubby sprays water...
#3: Ahhhh, DADDY!!!!!!
Hubby: You sprayed me so I get to spray you. And you can't complain about it.
#3: Do no repay evil for evil.
Please tell me you're laughing. Because I couldn't breathe for like 5 minutes because I was laughing so hard. First of all, I don't think he'll be telling her any time soon that she isn't paying enough attention in church. Secondly, if that wasn't the answer of a preacher's kid, I don't know what would be!
I was working on the girls' hair today and #3 grabbed the water bottle and sprayed Hubby in the face with it. I had just done it a second ago so she thought she would copy me. Being a good Daddy, he just laughed at her. Until I was working on her hair and she couldn't see him. He grabbed the water bottle and proceeded to spray her in the face. Their conversation follows. When you read her lines picture a cute, innocent little 6 year old, with curly hair who is missing her two front teeth!
Hubby sprays water...
#3: Ahhhh, DADDY!!!!!!
Hubby: You sprayed me so I get to spray you. And you can't complain about it.
#3: Do no repay evil for evil.
Please tell me you're laughing. Because I couldn't breathe for like 5 minutes because I was laughing so hard. First of all, I don't think he'll be telling her any time soon that she isn't paying enough attention in church. Secondly, if that wasn't the answer of a preacher's kid, I don't know what would be!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Like a Physical Blow
I was laying in bed last night before going to sleep and I started thinking about dinner for tonight. I knew I was going to end up putting the pork chops on the George Forman grill.
Thinking about the George Forman brought a memory of my Grandma cooking steaks on the one she had. She loved busting that thing out while we were there and she was so proud of the fact that she could make a good steak in just a few minutes.
For a heartbeat that memory made me smile. And then I actually had to remind myself that I would never see my Grandma cooking anything over a George Forman again. Remembering all over that I would never see her in a kitchen again felt like an actual physical blow. Like someone had done a roundhouse kick to my chest.
I have found myself lately skirting away from thinking about Grandma at all. Like if I start to think about her I'll make myself think of something else. Is that why out of the blue a random memory of her hurt so much? Is it better to think of her as often as I can and grieve more often or to skirt the memories until one comes that I can't ignore and get all the grief out at once? I don't know the right answer. I wish I didn't have to know.
And once again, as much as I miss Grandma and hurt from the loss, I know that my pain is so much less compared to those who have lost a sibling, a parent, a spouse or a child. I am reminded again that although people who have lost loved ones may seem OK on the outside, they still need my prayers. Because if it hurts as much for me to think about my Grandma, how much more does it hurt for them?
Thinking about the George Forman brought a memory of my Grandma cooking steaks on the one she had. She loved busting that thing out while we were there and she was so proud of the fact that she could make a good steak in just a few minutes.
For a heartbeat that memory made me smile. And then I actually had to remind myself that I would never see my Grandma cooking anything over a George Forman again. Remembering all over that I would never see her in a kitchen again felt like an actual physical blow. Like someone had done a roundhouse kick to my chest.
I have found myself lately skirting away from thinking about Grandma at all. Like if I start to think about her I'll make myself think of something else. Is that why out of the blue a random memory of her hurt so much? Is it better to think of her as often as I can and grieve more often or to skirt the memories until one comes that I can't ignore and get all the grief out at once? I don't know the right answer. I wish I didn't have to know.
And once again, as much as I miss Grandma and hurt from the loss, I know that my pain is so much less compared to those who have lost a sibling, a parent, a spouse or a child. I am reminded again that although people who have lost loved ones may seem OK on the outside, they still need my prayers. Because if it hurts as much for me to think about my Grandma, how much more does it hurt for them?
Monday, April 22, 2013
Snaggle Tooth
Her other top tooth is just about ready to come out too. In fact, she can make it lay almost completely sideways. She informed me today that she looks like Nanny McPhee before the kids learn to obey her. And she did--it was hilarious!
But it'll be even funnier when that second one does come out. Nothing cuter than a 6 year old missing two front teeth!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
The big homeschool conference
It has been several years since I was able to attend a homeschool conference. There were always two big ones every summer in Houston, but we were out of town for both the last couple of years. Before that I was helping man a booth for our performing arts co-op and didn't get to attend any of the sessions.
I remember the very first conference I went to. #1 had finished 1st grade and I was looking at having a Kindergartener and a second grader the next year. I went over the schedule over and over and finally picked out which sessions I wanted to go to. Hubby and I even went to a couple of different ones because I wanted the info they were giving at both of them. We were exhausted by the time the two days were over. We had so much information overload that we couldn't even talk about homeschooling for several days. I wouldn't recommend doing that for anyone going to a conference, whether you've been homeschooling for years or are a newbie. Pick just a couple a day that you really want to go to and order CD's from all the other sessions! It'll make the conference a much more enjoyable time!
I also bought my first, and last impulse buy on curriculum at that conference. I went to a session by a woman who had written the curriculum and was so impressed by what she had to say that I bought the language arts curriculum, spending $200 on it. This was half of my budget for my entire year of supplies and curriculum, but I felt like it would be worth it and Hubby supported my decision. I ended up hating it, the girls hated it and I went back to what I had originally planned for us to use within just a couple of months. And I'm still trying to get it sold to someone! I have never done that again!
Fast forward several years. I consider myself a seasoned homeschooler now. I don't feel the need to go to a conference every year, but since I hadn't been to one in a while and we are new to this area and don't know everything going on in the homeschool community I decided I wanted to go ahead and go. It was only a 30 minute drive from our house and the speakers they were going to have there were getting a lot of rave reviews.
I have to say though, that I was very disappointed. Maybe I'm a tad picky when it comes to public speaking, but I didn't really enjoy the main speakers all that much. Hubby and I both agreed that they appeared to be used to giving inspiration speeches instead of giving practical advice to homeschool families.
I was also disappointed in the number of vendors they had. At the conferences in Houston there would be over 100 vendors. We only had about 15. I was used to being able to walk in and purchase almost all of my curriculum there instead of having to order it online. The only thing I purchased at the conference was book that I've been wanting to buy for a couple of years that they had on sale.
We ended up not going back for any of the sessions on Saturday. I took the oldest two with me to hear the Choir and Orchestra of homeschool kids they had performing in the afternoon, but it wasn't really worth the trip. Again, I know I'm biased when it comes to music, and I know they did fairly well for having kids from across the state come together and perform music after just a couple of days, but it wasn't outstanding.
Having said all that, I still recommend that anyone who is considering homeschooling or has been homeschooling and never gone to a conference to go to at least one. I know it isn't for everyone. There is a lot of information floating around at these places and it can get very overwhelming. But, with the exception of this year, I have always benefited from going. I walk away with a greater sense of purpose as to why we homeschool. I feel rejuvenated to keep going and continue despite the rough patches or failures I experienced this past year. And I always hear new ideas of how to do certain things or get organized that I would not have come up with on my own. There is also something to be said for being surrounded by like-minded people. No one at a homeschool conference is going to look at you funny because you are homeschooling or ask you if you are doing it because you hate teachers or are religious fanatics. Everyone there is just as weird as you are--and it feels fantastic! And for the new homeschooler I can almost guarantee that after going to a conference you will solidify your decision to either homeschool or not homeschool.
Next year I will probably volunteer at the conference here just to be able to be surrounded by like-minded people for two days. I can get the boost from seeing so many homeschooling families in one place without having to worry about making it to all of the sessions. Who knows, I might even get to help with the choir and orchestra! And I will seriously consider making the drive and staying the night with friends to be able to go back to the conference in Houston!
I remember the very first conference I went to. #1 had finished 1st grade and I was looking at having a Kindergartener and a second grader the next year. I went over the schedule over and over and finally picked out which sessions I wanted to go to. Hubby and I even went to a couple of different ones because I wanted the info they were giving at both of them. We were exhausted by the time the two days were over. We had so much information overload that we couldn't even talk about homeschooling for several days. I wouldn't recommend doing that for anyone going to a conference, whether you've been homeschooling for years or are a newbie. Pick just a couple a day that you really want to go to and order CD's from all the other sessions! It'll make the conference a much more enjoyable time!
I also bought my first, and last impulse buy on curriculum at that conference. I went to a session by a woman who had written the curriculum and was so impressed by what she had to say that I bought the language arts curriculum, spending $200 on it. This was half of my budget for my entire year of supplies and curriculum, but I felt like it would be worth it and Hubby supported my decision. I ended up hating it, the girls hated it and I went back to what I had originally planned for us to use within just a couple of months. And I'm still trying to get it sold to someone! I have never done that again!
Fast forward several years. I consider myself a seasoned homeschooler now. I don't feel the need to go to a conference every year, but since I hadn't been to one in a while and we are new to this area and don't know everything going on in the homeschool community I decided I wanted to go ahead and go. It was only a 30 minute drive from our house and the speakers they were going to have there were getting a lot of rave reviews.
I have to say though, that I was very disappointed. Maybe I'm a tad picky when it comes to public speaking, but I didn't really enjoy the main speakers all that much. Hubby and I both agreed that they appeared to be used to giving inspiration speeches instead of giving practical advice to homeschool families.
I was also disappointed in the number of vendors they had. At the conferences in Houston there would be over 100 vendors. We only had about 15. I was used to being able to walk in and purchase almost all of my curriculum there instead of having to order it online. The only thing I purchased at the conference was book that I've been wanting to buy for a couple of years that they had on sale.
We ended up not going back for any of the sessions on Saturday. I took the oldest two with me to hear the Choir and Orchestra of homeschool kids they had performing in the afternoon, but it wasn't really worth the trip. Again, I know I'm biased when it comes to music, and I know they did fairly well for having kids from across the state come together and perform music after just a couple of days, but it wasn't outstanding.
Having said all that, I still recommend that anyone who is considering homeschooling or has been homeschooling and never gone to a conference to go to at least one. I know it isn't for everyone. There is a lot of information floating around at these places and it can get very overwhelming. But, with the exception of this year, I have always benefited from going. I walk away with a greater sense of purpose as to why we homeschool. I feel rejuvenated to keep going and continue despite the rough patches or failures I experienced this past year. And I always hear new ideas of how to do certain things or get organized that I would not have come up with on my own. There is also something to be said for being surrounded by like-minded people. No one at a homeschool conference is going to look at you funny because you are homeschooling or ask you if you are doing it because you hate teachers or are religious fanatics. Everyone there is just as weird as you are--and it feels fantastic! And for the new homeschooler I can almost guarantee that after going to a conference you will solidify your decision to either homeschool or not homeschool.
Next year I will probably volunteer at the conference here just to be able to be surrounded by like-minded people for two days. I can get the boost from seeing so many homeschooling families in one place without having to worry about making it to all of the sessions. Who knows, I might even get to help with the choir and orchestra! And I will seriously consider making the drive and staying the night with friends to be able to go back to the conference in Houston!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
So many strawberries!
I had looked at the GPS before we left so I knew about how long it was going to take to get there. We left later than I planned, thanks to the fact that our car has officially bit the dust. Which means that when I need the Suburban we have to drop Hubby off at the church before leaving and then pray nothing comes up that he needs to go anywhere! We were still going to get there on time though. I took it as a good sign that I started seeing signs for a strawberry farm along the route we were driving. I didn't look at the name of the farm. After all, how many strawberry farms could possibly be along this one country road?
The answer is two. I know this because we visited both of them on Tuesday. I don't know about you, but when I can physically see my "destination" I stop paying attention to the GPS. Which is why I turned in to the first strawberry farm I saw. We saw a bunch of kids picking strawberries. I knew there was going to be over 100 homeschoolers so I took this as a good sign. I thought it was slightly odd that they were already out in the field since we were 10 minutes early, but it was my first time meeting up with this group, so I figured they just did things differently.
We parked, walked through a field of mud, and joined the crowd of people. At which point I noticed that most of said people were actually small people. As in pre-schoolers. I am aware that homeschool outings almost always include the entire family, not just certain ages of kids, but it isn't usual for there to only be little kids running around. I finally asked someone who looked like they were in charge where the homeschool group was. She looked at me weird and asked if I was at the right farm. I told her I was pretty sure I was, again, thinking how many farms could there be. She asked me for the name of the group again, looked around, and informed me that she was pretty sure I was at the wrong place. I start panicking a little wondering how I could have possibly been so wrong with the directions. At which point she FINALLY informs me that there is another farm across the street. I could have used that information 5 minutes ago, but whatever. She didn't appear too happy to have to tell me about the other farm. There is probably a strong rivalry going when you have two strawberry farms on the same road.
So we trek back across the muddy field and attempt to drive out amidst all the little munchkins running around. I pull out of the wrong farm and immediately see a sign pointing across the street to the correct farm. I did not see this large sign at all the first time I was on the road. We pulled in and I noticed the large group of adults and children of all ages. I also noticed their shirts which actually read "Bayou Cajun Homeschoolers." Yep, we were in the right place! Technically late, but still 15 minutes earlier than the rest of the people who showed up.
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| Number #2 decided to pick on her own |
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| Fruits of our labor! Get it--"fruits" :-) |
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| There is some angle food cake under those strawberries! |
Monday, April 15, 2013
Quick Trips and Field Trips
A few months ago I was desperately searching for field trips for us to go on so that my girls could branch out and find some more kids to get to know. This week I actually had to cancel one that we were planning on going to. And as the summer draws nearer and we finalize our trips I am realizing that we really don't have a lot of free days available. And by that I mean there are not a lot of days that I will plan anything on. When I over-schedule everything seems to fall apart, so I tend to be selective about what we plan for our family.
Having said that, these last couple of weeks have been jam-packed with activities. All of which we have enjoyed, although I like looking at the next couple of weeks and seeing a lot of open space on my calendar!
First was a used curriculum sale I went to. It was with a new homeschool group which is always a little awkward meeting new people, but I survived. Actually, I scored #3's math for next year at a third of the cost of what I would have paid new. I also sold enough to cover that cost. All in all, a successful outing.
Then I was finally able to get my massage that Hubby got me for my birthday. I always forget how much I love massages. So let me state this--I LOVE massages! She asked if I wanted a deep tissue or just a relaxation massage. I told her I had four children who I stayed home with on a daily basis. I was going to need some pain to get my back and shoulders back to feeling normal! She did an amazing job! I oohed and ahhed so much Hubby bought himself a Groupon to go get one for himself. I feel a little jipped about that, but I'm letting it slide!
We watched our friends' girls while they went on a date. Always fun times having 7 girls together!
This last weekend we took a quick trip up to my brother's farm. It was a lot of driving for less than 48 hours of visiting time, but it was worth it. Being away from all of our family continues to be the most difficult part of being in the ministry. So quick trips like last weekend are necessary to help us continue to feel grounded somewhere. As always, we had a blast. #1 and #2 even had their first gun lesson with their uncle. Daddy could have done it, but the uncle has the land. Both of them hit the target multiple times. I also shot the rifle for the first time. I've only ever shot handguns before. I also hit more times than I miss! Woot!
Yesterday Hubby and I had our date. We went and saw the new GI Joe movie. Big flop! We're sticking to movies we know are going to be good from now on. Movie theaters are too expensive to waste on a bad movie! But we enjoyed the time we got to spend together, nevertheless.
And now we're gearing up for the next two weeks. Hubby and I are starting a two week diet that involves eating no carbs. I will miss them! We also have a homeschool conference this weekend we're attending. It's been a few years since we've been able to attend one, so I am really looking forward to it. I wouldn't say Hubby is looking forward to it, but he is supporting me in my desire to attend. As usual, he reminds me how blessed I am to be married to him!
May is shaping up to be busy, busy, busy and then summer, as always, involves much travel. So we're going to take some time to take a breath and get organized before that happens! God is good, all the time!
Having said that, these last couple of weeks have been jam-packed with activities. All of which we have enjoyed, although I like looking at the next couple of weeks and seeing a lot of open space on my calendar!
First was a used curriculum sale I went to. It was with a new homeschool group which is always a little awkward meeting new people, but I survived. Actually, I scored #3's math for next year at a third of the cost of what I would have paid new. I also sold enough to cover that cost. All in all, a successful outing.
Then I was finally able to get my massage that Hubby got me for my birthday. I always forget how much I love massages. So let me state this--I LOVE massages! She asked if I wanted a deep tissue or just a relaxation massage. I told her I had four children who I stayed home with on a daily basis. I was going to need some pain to get my back and shoulders back to feeling normal! She did an amazing job! I oohed and ahhed so much Hubby bought himself a Groupon to go get one for himself. I feel a little jipped about that, but I'm letting it slide!
We watched our friends' girls while they went on a date. Always fun times having 7 girls together!
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| One of the girls didn't believe we had crayons! Ha! |
 | We met some new friends at the Pretend Play place we went on a field trip to last month. This family has only been in BR about a year so they are looking for new friends also. We haven't spent a lot of time with them, but what we have I have enjoyed the kids and the Mom. We're looking forward to getting to know each other |
| Yep, they are going to be good friends! |
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| Safety First |
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| #1 |
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| It was a little hard for #2 to hold, so she gets a stand |
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| Not too shabby! |
And now we're gearing up for the next two weeks. Hubby and I are starting a two week diet that involves eating no carbs. I will miss them! We also have a homeschool conference this weekend we're attending. It's been a few years since we've been able to attend one, so I am really looking forward to it. I wouldn't say Hubby is looking forward to it, but he is supporting me in my desire to attend. As usual, he reminds me how blessed I am to be married to him!
May is shaping up to be busy, busy, busy and then summer, as always, involves much travel. So we're going to take some time to take a breath and get organized before that happens! God is good, all the time!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Failures and Successes
Normally Thursdays are our library days. I make sure we finish with school before lunch and then we head out as soon as we get lunch cleaned up. That way I can get the books I need for #3's school for the next week and everyone trades out their books from the week before. I would say on average we check out between 50 and 75 books every week. Thank goodness the oldest three have their own library cards or we wouldn't be able to check all the books out that we want!
This week was a little different. Our suburban broke down last weekend and threw off our plans to go to the library so we had to wait until Tuesday to go. We were very excited because we got to go to the brand new library that is only about a mile from our house. We've been looking forward to it for a while, but I was really disappointed. Everything is new and it is certainly beautiful, but their selection of books is so small. And their children's section is probably 1/3 the size of the one at the library we've been going to. The girls didn't seem to have a problem finding anything though. And fortunately all the libraries here are connected so I can look for the books I need for #3 online and have them send them to the new library. I feel a little bad about requesting 20 books (some were for #1), but since they didn't have a single one I needed I have no choice! Hopefully it won't take too long for the selection of books to expand.
So since we had just gone to the library on Tuesday we didn't need to go again on Thursday which left me with an entire afternoon where I didn't have anything planned. So I decided to try a couple of new recipes I had bought ingredients for.
First up was homemade fruit snacks. I've been wanting to make these for a while because 3 of the girls love them. I would probably spend $30 a month just on fruit snacks if I bought them as many as they wanted. Since they have zero nutritional value and don't fill them up at all I rarely buy them. But when I saw the recipe that only involved jello, gelatin and water I decided to try it out. I couldn't find any molds to use so I ended up just putting them in a pan and cutting them into small squares. I thought they turned out pretty good and the girls all approved. It was actually very easy to make. I'll be making them again, although I might try sugar free jello next time.
I also attempted to make banana chips. We had a couple of bananas that were starting to turn. Not one person in this house likes bananas if they have any spots on them so instead of just tossing them I decided to try drying out the bananas in the oven. The recipe I found said to just dip them in lemon juice and put them in the oven for four hours on 200 degrees. I think I might have sliced the bananas too thin. Whatever I did, they turned out awful! The good thing was that I hadn't bought anything extra so I didn't feel too bad about the fail. Other than the pan being a pain to clean!
Lastly I made some energy/granola bars. These turned out awesome! The only problem was that I only had old fashioned oats instead of instant oats so the bars aren't staying together very well. I'm glad these turned out well. We spend more of our grocery budget on snacks than I would like to. Which is why I tried these in the first place--trying to make something the girls would like that would replace some of their snacks they eat in the afternoons. They were a hit with everyone so I'll be making them again.
So 2 out of 3 tries isn't too bad. I won't mention how two of the new dinners I tried this past week were major flops. They weren't complete disasters because the girls liked them, but I didn't, so they go down as a flop in my book. Considering how many new recipes I've tried since we've moved I guess I'm lucky I haven't had more failures. As long as I have more successes than failures I'll consider myself to be ahead!
This week was a little different. Our suburban broke down last weekend and threw off our plans to go to the library so we had to wait until Tuesday to go. We were very excited because we got to go to the brand new library that is only about a mile from our house. We've been looking forward to it for a while, but I was really disappointed. Everything is new and it is certainly beautiful, but their selection of books is so small. And their children's section is probably 1/3 the size of the one at the library we've been going to. The girls didn't seem to have a problem finding anything though. And fortunately all the libraries here are connected so I can look for the books I need for #3 online and have them send them to the new library. I feel a little bad about requesting 20 books (some were for #1), but since they didn't have a single one I needed I have no choice! Hopefully it won't take too long for the selection of books to expand.
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| This is how we check out a new library |
First up was homemade fruit snacks. I've been wanting to make these for a while because 3 of the girls love them. I would probably spend $30 a month just on fruit snacks if I bought them as many as they wanted. Since they have zero nutritional value and don't fill them up at all I rarely buy them. But when I saw the recipe that only involved jello, gelatin and water I decided to try it out. I couldn't find any molds to use so I ended up just putting them in a pan and cutting them into small squares. I thought they turned out pretty good and the girls all approved. It was actually very easy to make. I'll be making them again, although I might try sugar free jello next time.
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| I pulled that thing out of the pan in one piece! |
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| Going in the oven |
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| Fail! Makes me laugh just looking at it! |
Lastly I made some energy/granola bars. These turned out awesome! The only problem was that I only had old fashioned oats instead of instant oats so the bars aren't staying together very well. I'm glad these turned out well. We spend more of our grocery budget on snacks than I would like to. Which is why I tried these in the first place--trying to make something the girls would like that would replace some of their snacks they eat in the afternoons. They were a hit with everyone so I'll be making them again.
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| Yummy! |
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