Monkey and Mama

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I don’t know what it is about monkeys around this house. Lance looked like he could have been Curious George’s brother when he was little, Josh loved monkeys when he was a little guy, and Brent loves anything sock monkey.

Here is rare picture of my monkey with his mama. Pretty sad huh? I put my pride aside to have a memory captured forever with my monkey boy! It was a spur of the moment thing so I didn’t have time to powder my face =)

Brent is one of my really light boys. He weighs so little poor thing. He wants to gain a little weight so his arms will be bigger. Where he got the idea I don’t know.

Chipped Tooth

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Look what happened to my baby.

Now you’re probably wondering what kind of mother takes a picture when her baby just chipped his tooth huh? Believe it or not when I snapped this picture he was much more calm. I had already gave him lots of mama hugs and let him know that everything will be alright.

In fact the picture below was taken first.

Later when he was completely sure that everything would be alright we took a photo shoot. I was trying to get a good picture of his tooth.

Nope Lance your tongue is in the way, let’s try again!

That’s my boy, all smiles and big laughs. Thank you Lord.

Cheese!

How did it happen you may wonder?!?! Josh was coming down the hallway kicking or more like scooting a laundry basket with his feet. Lance was semi running (it wasn’t at top speed) from the kitchen, which goes out to the other side of the hallway. He saw that the laundry basket was coming his way and thought he would trip over it. I’m not exactly sure what happened but from what I could gather he tried to dodge the basket and fell. He didn’t catch himself so his tooth hit the floor.

Next thing I know is my baby is screaming and pointing to his mouth yelling, “My tooth, my tooth”, I didn’t see any blood (thankfully), so I thought maybe he bumped his lip but then he opened his mouth.

I asked him if he was in pain and he shook his head know, thank you Lord, so I just hugged him and comforted him. Once he calmed down I called the dentist and they said they would see him the next morning at 8:00 a.m. They wanted to take some x-rays to make sure there was no further damage, other than his tooth.

Before Lance went to bed last night he said, “Mom, wake me up in the morning so I don’t miss going to the dentist”.

When we arrived at the dentist the wonderful staff and doctor were ready for my baby. They took an x-ray, then gave him a shot to numb the area. The tooth broke so close to the nerves and when they poured some water in that area he could feel it.

While the doctor was working on Lance, I asked if she saw a regular stream of children with chipped teeth. Her answer was a yes and mostly boys. Girls yes, but usually theirs are a lot smaller. But the boys have bigger chips like my Lance unfortunately.

All done. Good as new or almost. He can’t bite into apples and such. Eventually he will need a crown but right now his tooth is still growing. The tooth may or may not die in the future. Only time will tell…

It was funny, at one time while the doctor was working on him he kept squirming, so she stopped and waited (she is REALLY good with children, I’m very grateful for her), after a moment she asked him, “Are you ready?”, Lance answered but all muffled and acting like he couldn’t speak (I guess he thought he couldn’t because of the cotton roll under his upper lip). When she told him he could talk he replied, “Ready for what?”. I almost laughed because that is so Lance. She answered him with a, “Ready to continue”.

Coconut Oil

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This may sound yucky and gross but I have been adding Coconut Oil to my coffee daily, about 1 tablespoon. I have read where some take it straight from the spoon. I’m not that brave yet. To read more you can start with this article.

I don’t like the way the oil looks floating on the top of my coffee so I use a cup that has a lid.

When I poured the last of my heavy cream in my coffee, trying to get every drop, I thought it looked neat. Of course I had to snap a picture of it.

As you can see in this cup of coffee the oil doesn’t look to appetizing. This is why I much prefer a cup with a lid.

Date Night

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I forgot my camera again!!!! One of our stops was at FedEx Office (again). I wanted to spiral bind a few more books. My family calls be the spiral bound queen . I was able to take a picture of my books when I got home.

Three of the books are review items. I need to blog about those later. The Heart for Him Through Time is from Heart of Dakota. The notebook pages were in a binder but the pages are coming loose so I decided to spiral bind them. I wanted to do this from the beginning but never got around to it.

As for our date, we had a wonderful time. I love spending time with my hubby. He’s so kind and still opens the car door for me. He treats me as if we were on our first date. I am truly blessed to be his wife.

First stop was…..I can’t remember. Oh my, our date was only two days ago and I already forgot where our first stop was. Not sure if it was FedEx or What-a-burger. Well anyway, we decided to eat at What-a-burger. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayo or bun. We both drank water. My husband is doing so great with not ordering Coke or Pepsi.

With my new way of eating I can have mayo but many of them have fructose syrup or sugar so I decided to just not have any. Even when asking you never know.

Lupe and I were surprised at the presentation of my meal. They put the grilled chicken on on a plate with the grilled veggies on the side. It looked very pretty.

Now that I have been writing my memory has been jolted a bit=). Our first stop was Costco. I needed to stock up on my veggies. I also bought some pork chops, chicken, and fruit for the kiddos. Blueberries, raspberries, kiwis, and chopped organic apples to eat with peanut butter.

We decided to go to What-a-burger because it was in the area. Once we enjoyed a nice meal together we went to FedEx to drop my books off. Instead of waiting in the store we left to Amazing Jakes. My hubby had to make reservations for the Alert Cadet group. The boys from Alert Cadet have been cleaning the church to earn money for this outing.

After we picked up my books we went to our favorite place, Target. I purchased a few more vegetables that Costco didn’t have.

And that was our date!

Doctored Up Atkins Shake

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This morning for breakfast I thought I’d try something different from my usual egg/mushroom/spinach omelet. I love those eggs in the morning but I need a break.

I decided to doctor up an Atkins shake. I blended the Atkins shake, ice, flax, cream, coconut oil, and protein in the blender and was pleased with the taste. At first it did have a little after taste from the shake but I didn’t notice it by the time I was done.

I didn’t taste the coconut but when using the brand shown above in my cooking, my food does have some of the coconut flavor. I have read that the unrefined coconut oil has some flavor and smell (which mine does) because it’s not processed out.

I do use Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil which is refined but they don’t use chemicals to do this. You can read about it HERE. The unrefined is what I cook with because my family doesn’t like the slight coconut flavor.

I don’t know if I overloaded my shake but I was not hungry at all today. I drank it at 8:00 a.m. and by noon I was still not hungry. I finally ate at 12:30 p.m. Since I wasn’t too hungry I decided to have a boiled egg and a yummy avocado.

I didn’t have my usual cup of coffee this morning because I was so full after drinking the shake.

The protein I found at Sprouts. I was looking for no added sugar or artificial sweeteners and low carbohydrates. Each container was $18.00.

My New Way of Living

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I have wanted to lose weight for years but didn't even bother with trying to diet. I knew I wouldn't be able to stick with them, especially the low calorie ones. I knew that when I was really ready to lose weight it would be the Atkins way.

My mom and sister have used Atkins many years ago so I am some-what familiar with it but I had never read the book.

In my heart (and belly hee,hee), I knew the only way I would stick to something  was to use Atkins. Not only as a diet but to change the way my family and I eat, so I’ve jumped in with both feet. 

I purchased DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) and became part of the Atkins online community (those wonderful people are awesome). Then I stocked my kitchen with real food, which is mostly refrigerated, so my poor fridge is almost bursting. I love seeing bell peppers, kale, romaine lettuce, and even something new Bok Choy (what is that I’m not sure but it’s listed as a food I can eat and I found some recipes too).

I have since purchased the newest Atkins book, A New Atkins for a New You (the latest book). This book is not authored my Dr. Atkins he passed away in 2003 I believe. I also purchased, Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution: Nature’s Answer to Drugs and Atkins Diabetes Revolution: The Groundbreaking Approach to Preventing and Controlling Type 2 Diabetes. Guess I went a little Atkins crazy huh?

But look at my fridge! It’s jammed packed with good stuff. It has never seen so many veggies. It’s so filled I had a hard time fitting it all in.

It’s funny because I wanted an avocado but where or where would an avocado be? Josh said he would find it. As he was looking he asked Caleb, “When you organized the food did you color code it or organized it by texture?”, and he was serious!

Not everything in the fridge is low carb friendly of course. My family is not on Atkins, they just reap the benefits of it.

With Atkins you learn how to balance out your meals, for instance, you can’t eat all meat. You need to have a little fat and veggies too. Here is what I mean by making sure you get enough fat.

If I am going to eat a chicken salad, I make sure to add an avocado. If I am not going to eat an avocado then I’ll add olive oil and vinegar to my salad. It also depends on what dressing I use too. Mayo would count as a fat, and I think my Blue Chees dressing does as well. Basically you want to make sure you get your meat, veggies, and fat. You can be a herbivore and use Atkins too but since I eat meat I haven’t read much on that.

Reading labels is a must when living a low carb life. Thankfully I’ve been reading labels for years so it’s ingrained in me to read, read, read, what’s in the food I’m buying.  You’d be amazed that ‘natural’ is not always natural. My hubby is so patient when we are out grocery shopping.

What I tell the kiddos when in doubt, if it’s God made it’s good for you. If it’s man made then probably not. I don’t mind if man took the tuna from the ocean and put it in a can but I don’t like when they add or take away from it.

 

 

I’ve Been Keeping A Secret

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I’ve been keeping a secret from my blog readers and it has not been easy. Well you all know part of it, that every year I try to change the way we eat by  taking it one step at a time. Through the years I’ve made some changes and have been working at getting the family off refined foods and all the other junk.

It’s been good. Annette still loves her graham crackers though =)

As for me I haven’t had any processed, refined, or food dye for 12 whole days. Can you believe that. I’m so excited. I cut all breads, pasta, and sugar out. This has been something I wanted to do for years and years but felt I couldn’t.

If you read my blog regularly then you may know that I like homeschool curricula that holds my hand. I love scripted programs and schedule so I can mark off that we did such and such.

It’s the same way with trying to get rid of all the processed food. It just seemed too hard, complicated and overwhelming.

There was a program that I wanted to start but with me being lazy and all it seemed like too much work. I would have to buy the book and take time to read it. Yes, I love to read but not a diet book.

Then my sister announced she was getting married. She lives in CA. I had told myself years ago that I’m not going to take a trip to CA until I lose some weight. Every year for the past three years I haven’t been losing weight but slowly gaining it. You know those 2-3lbs that just creep up on you?

So my little sis and the fact that I want to wear my wedding ring all year around (not just in the winter months) has really motivated me to just do it. Lose the weight and eat healthy and make it a life changing way of eating.

I finally took the plunge and……drum roll please…………. I am now living a low carb life. I joined the Atkins website for support and purchased Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution,  The New Atkins for a New You. I also printed off all the foods that I am allowed to eat in phase 1 and went to the grocery store. It was a wonderful feeling to see my shopping cart full of real food. Nothing fake.

My family is eating so much healthier as well. This week they have had broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and many other vegetables included in their diet. Something that I’m ashamed to admit was very lacking.

We have never ate so many of God’s wonderful veggies in our life. It’s been great!

And get this, I’m going to start exercising too. This week I have been jogging using the Wii, but as soon as my T-Tap Basic Workout Plus DVD  arrives I’ll start using that 3 to 4 times a week.

There is so much more I’d like two write but this is getting long. I’ll be blogging my journey of course.

I’m linking up to Walk and Talk Wednesday (yes I know it’s Friday ).

In Him,

Linda<><

Almost Wordless Wednesday

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Brent with his occasional cup of decaffeinated coffee.

Broccoli Parmigiano with Chicken

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This year I’m trying to add more veggies to our diet. I have been a really bad mama in this department. Really bad.

Yesterday I tried a new recipe and 7 out of 8 liked it. Can you guess which one didn’t, yup, Ethan my picky eater.

I doubled the recipe.

Here’s what you need:

2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves (pressed or minced)

2lbs broccoli

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (all the children said this really added some good flavor and I agree )

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 tsp. salt (I added 1tsp.)

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

leftover chicken  (I used what we had leftover)

1. In large deep skillet (I used a wok) heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes, sauté for 30 seconds.

2. Add broccoli, water, and lemon juice. Mix well. Cover skillet and cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until broccoli is crisp and tender. (you don’t want to over cook).

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

I overcooked mine just a tad bit. My hubby was on the way home when it was done. I wanted us all to eat together and tried to keep it warm.

And as you can see there was no leftovers. In fact I should have made more.

This Year’s Good Health Goal

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Every year I try to add new ways of eating healthy. About 11 yrs. ago my hubby and I attended a one day class about buying and renting homes. Toward the end of the class the gentlemen talked about how his mother was very healthy but at one time she was sick with cancer.

His mother took her health into her own hands by researching and changing her diet. At the time of the seminar about 11 years or so ago she was a healthy women. He ended up writing a book about what his mother found out.

I bought the book and read it. It was overwhelming at the time to want to make so many changes. I decided to do a little at a time. That year I switched to cooking with olive oil, I have since added coconut oil too.

Every year I make some changes. Slowly I have been educating myself and the children.

Here are some changes I have been making for the past 11 years or so:

*use good healthy oils

*eat less sugar, especially no hard or chewy candy

*no high fructose corn syrup

*no hydrogenated oils

*no dyes

*eat a lot less processed food. Through the years I have stopped buying things like Pop Tarts. I don’t buy a lot of packaged snacks anymore.

*no juice drinks. I only buy 100% juice and recently switched to Naked Juice.

*drink more Almond or Coconut milk. The children still have regular milk with their cereal in the morning but I use Almond or Coconut milk when making pancakes and such. Only three of my kids will drink Almond milk but I usually buy the one with vanilla for them. I just recently got Josh to drink it as well but it’s chocolate. I like all the vitamins and more calcium that these ones provide over cow milk.

Now I’m not saying that you’ll never find a can of pop in our fridge but I can say it’s very rare.

I also don’t make a big deal if we are at someone else's house and they are serving juice drinks or soda.

This years goals for 2013 is to get rid of white flour and white sugar. I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to do this yet but I’m going to experiment with Almond and Coconut flour. The sugar will be a bit more tricky.

I still want to make chocolate chip cookies and cakes for their birthdays and such. I just want them to be a bit more healthy. Last year 2012, when baking I would use half wheat flour and half white, and the family did okay with it.

I’m happy to report that I have had not eaten any refined food for 8 whole days. I’ll write more about it later. I used up the children’s nap time already and must start preparing supper.

It’s Been Two Weeks

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Our two week computer break has been wonderful. The children are back to playing board games, Legos, digging holes, and having fun learning magic tricks.

Just today Ethan bought some magic trick cards at the Dollar Store. Grandpa Joe took him. He also took me to Sprouts for some vitamins.

I haven’t been taking as many pictures but have taken some. The children have taken pictures too. It’s been really nice. I feel we are staying close.

The only one that needs a longer break is Lance. He has really missed the computer and will ask about it almost daily. Who would have thought it’d be the youngest who was addicted the most, ha, not funny at all.

I finally told him to stop asking. I put a marker on the calendar so he could see when computer might be allowed again.

Lupe and I are not sure exactly what to do when the three weeks are up. We’re praying about it.

Brent

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My Brent loves his bed.

Um, he was suppose to be doing his school.

Snow Day

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I have been really, really, good about not taking so many pictures but when it snowed last Monday I grabbed my camera.

My boys of course wanted a picture of them doing something crazy like having no shoes. Don’t worry, they ran back inside after I took the picture. If you have boys you’ll understand .

Lance was proud of his snowman. I think Ethan and Brent made the other one.

Date Night

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I forgot my camera tonight. I was so sad about that.

Lupe and I decided to go to Red Lobster. When we arrived we saw people waiting. Not a good sign. We also had a hard time finding a parking space. Another not so good sign.

Lupe decided to drop me off so  he could find a parking space. I was not so happy to see a good size line. Then I heard some one say it was an hour wait.

When Lupe came in I told him it might be an hour. He was okay with that because we could run a few errands then return, so we thought. Once it was our turn the wait was 1 hour and 20-30 minutes. We thanked the lady and left.

We decided to try Chili’s. The wait was 20 minutes. Not so bad. We sat tight and waited for our name to be called.

We had the 2 for $20.00. We saved money by drinking only water. We both had a 6oz steak, steamed broccoli, mash potatoes and Texas toast.  I didn’t eat the bread or the delicious looking mash potatoes. I’m watching what I eat (more on that coming soon).

After we finished we went to FedEx Office to get some school books spiral bound. I have some thick math books for Lance that I thought would work better if spiraled.

Then it was off to Macy’s to return a dress we bought for Annette. It went above her knees and she didn’t like that. Dad and I didn’t either. We bought it before CHRISTmas and thought it looked long but we were wrong.

When we got to Macy’s to return the dress the cashier kindly let us know that it’s a Dillard’s dress. Ha, that was embarrassing. Next week we will make a trip to Dillard’s.

Lastly we stopped at Target. The food I buy is actually less expensive at Target the the grocery store. I did good this week. The only processed food I bought was Whole Grain Goldfish. Everything else was ‘real’ God food.

I’m always telling the children if God made it, it’s good for you. If man made it, it’s most likely not so good. Meaning that a lot of food is refined by man, so not so good. But if God made it and man hasn’t altered or refined it, it’s good. (not saying all man touched food is bad, just when stripped of it’s nutrients or it becomes altered and ends up poisoning our bodies like hydrogenated oil with the manufacturing and processing they undergo).

That was another wonderful date with my Sweets.

Too Many Math Programs or Not

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I have 6 children and use 5 different math programs. Yikes! How does that happen?!?! I would love to be one of those homeschoolers that has a tried and true math program that they have used with all their children (I have some friends who have done this successfully so I know it can be done).

What are we using?

Joshua started the year off using Math Essentials Book 2 but switched right before the new year to Bob Jones. I actually wanted him to continue with Math Essentials but his dad wanted him to use Bob Jones, so now he teaches math. Josh is my child who has always struggled with math. I was using Math Essentials to get him caught up.

He really wanted to use Bob Jones and his father thought it was best for him. I’m thankful I don’t have to teach this subject anymore. At first I was a bit miffed but now it’s a burden I no longer have to carry. Not that teaching Joshua math was a burden but it was a lot on my plate with him struggling through it. Now that I’m writing this, I realize that it did lay heavy on me, so thank you my Sweets for taking over this subject.

Annette, is using and loving Math-U-See Zeta. She used Epsilon last year and really wanted to continue with MUS. I was going to switch her to Math Essentials as well so all the children would eventually use the same math but after talking with her and with her wanting to stick with MUS I decided not to switch.

She really is doing very well with it an as the saying goes, if it’s not broken don’t fix it!

Caleb is also using Math-U-See. He has completed all levels and is now working (and almost done) with Epsilon. He should have been done by now but we slacked a bit or I slacked a bit with him. When he would get stuck on a lesson it would take me forever to help him because my lack of memory. I’d forget and before you knew it two days went by. Aaack, now I have Annette help him

Brent, is using Math Essentials. He enjoys having Rich Fisher ‘teach’ math. He completes one lesson a day.

Ethan uses Teaching Textbooks. He completed (or almost completed) the 3rd grade level last year and this year he is using the 4th grade level. He’s not too fond of it but it does get done.

Lance is using a variety of things. I’m trying something new with him. I’m not relying on a workbook. He uses Life of Fred, Verbal Math, and for seatwork (to keep him busy) I use The Complete Book of Timed Drills and The Complete Book of Math level 1-2.

It sounds like a lot but it’s not really. Three days a week we do Life of Fred and Verbal Math, so really one day is an overlap day. He uses the workbooks about 4 times a week.

I love our lessons together and so does he. He really enjoys listening to me read about Fred.

So, that’s why we use so many different math programs. It sounds like a lot but really it isn’t so bad. It works for us and everyone is happy with the math program they are using. Now it does get a bit expensive, so eventually I may have Brent, Ethan, and Lance switch to Math-U-See later but then again it may not happen. Time will tell .

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Delight Directed Middle School Science? by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds

The Hardest Part of Math by Kristi @ The Potter's Hand Academy

A Tour Through Our Math and Science Life by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool

What Works for Us…Math by Piwi Mum @ Learning & Growing the Piwi Way

Math Art – Geometry by Julie @ Highhill Education

It's Math-magical by Missouri Mama @ Ozark Ramblings

Virtual Curriculum Fair: Fun and Games with Math by Tonia @ The Sunny Patch

Discovering Patterns by Lisa @ The Golden Grasses

Math for the Natural by Erin @ Delighting in His Richness

Virtual Curriculum Fair~ Discovering Patterns by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me

Too Many Math Programs or Not by Linda B @ Homeschooling6

Virtual Curriculum Fair:  Math and More!  by April @ Coffee, Cobwebs, and Curriculum

The post where I admit I was wrong by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset

High School Math - Beyond the Textbook by TechWife @ A Playground of Words

Discovering a World of Logic and Order by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

2013 Virtual Curriculum Fair- Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and Science by Leah C @ As We Walk Along the Road

The Plans of Mice and Math (My Math in Focus review) by Chelli @ The Planted Trees

Rightstart Math is right for us! by Leann  @ Montessori Tidbits

Our Favorite Homeschool Math Curriculums by Wendy @ Homeschooling Blessings

The Changes @ Homeschooling6

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It’s been 10 days since I wrote my Changes @ Homeschooling6 post. I have been praying, seeking my Sweet’s advice, and pondering.

It seems as of late that the children are always thinking about their computer games. Their lives are starting to revolve around the computer. It also seems that I too am always on the computer.

Lately because I’m so ‘busy’ I feel like I’ve become a ‘go to your room’ mom when the children need guidance and correcting from me. Simply put, ‘lazy mom’ has taken the place of ‘stop-what-you-are-doing-and-take-care of the task at hand’ mom. And I can see it in my children.

With my children and household I and the children are taking a computer break for three weeks. The children are not allowed to play games on the computer and/or add items to their online wish lists. They can only use it for school.

With me, I’m am allotted a certain amount of time. No more checking my email every time I come home, or enter the kitchen. How sad is that. I will just say it. I’m addicted to the computer. That’s not easy to admit. I don’t like to be addicted to anything not even caffeine =)

One hint was my camera, this is going to be hard but I’m not allowed to take a gazillion pictures a day for these three weeks. When I take pictures I feel like I have to blog and post them. My blog is my virtual scrapbook and I want to capture all the moments. This is all fine and dandy but when it becomes, gulp, an idol, it needs to stop.

I really want to focus on what’s important. My relationship with Christ, my hubby, and children. When I get the urge to sit at the computer I am now going straight to my bedroom to pray for my children and hubby or read God’s Word.

I want to reconnect as to why I started blogging. I’ve been praying and asking the Lord to guide me with this blogging journey. When I first started blogging 6 years ago it was a way for me to be accountable with the children and homeschooling. I was a lot more ‘social’ back then. I have made some good friends, people I have not met but continue to chat with through email, FB, or blogs. I miss that. Blogging has really changed, at least for me. It seems I have no time to ‘go’ visiting and I really miss that.

My blog is pretty basic. I don’t have ‘free’ stuff to offer and it seems blogs are a lot more competitive these days. Blogs seem so fast pace too, not meaning post counts but with competing for readers.

I admit I’ve been there caught up in all the numbers myself. I enjoy reading comments and having people stop by =) but I don’t want that to be my goal or focus. I have been pondering in what direction to take my blog and am laying it at Jesus’ feet. I want to do what He wants. I pray that my blog will be a place of encouragement for those who stop by.

It has been five days since we’ve been taking a computer/camera break. The children are already playing board games again and I am spending more time memorizing scripture, reading God’s Word, and reading His Word to my children. I am also scrubbing pots and pans more instead of wasting my time doing nothing on the internet.

As you all see I’m still blogging. At first I was going to take a bloggy break but in the end it wasn’t my blog that I was addicted too. It was spending too much time surfing the net and me taking too many pictures. Sounds funny that one can take too many pictures of their children but trust me, it can happen.

So those are some changes here at Homeschooling6. They are good changes and needed changes. Thank you Jesus for loving us so much, may this break bring our family closer together. Guide Lupe and I as we rear our children in the way they should go Lord. Bless our household. In your name amen!

Back to Homeschool Day 3

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My, what a morning. It started off horrible. I had to take 10. It all started with Josh, he didn’t complete his Spelling Power assignment. It was his second day doing this. Urrg! Yup, it was not a ‘beautiful girlhood’ moment for me.

Then Lance came to the table and looked like this.

I guess we all have our bad days, but it really gets to me because I can’t work with a little boy who looks like ^^^(that). There is no use going on with school. I prefer him to look like this. His thinking look.

I thought I’d stop working with Lance and move to Ethan, I’ll have to come back to Lance later.

I thought we should start with our Bigger Hearts program. Science was on the menu . We did a science activity. The red paper is the bloodstream. The little circles represent the virus, T-cell, B-cells, K-cells, and antibodies. It was really fun and a great visual way for Ethan to learn how our body fights those pesky viruses.

I’m really trying to make sure I fit at least two days of Drawn into the Heart of Reading with Ethan, so today was the day. I love that this literature program points things back to God. Today we talked about Brotherly love and Compassion.

I’m using DITHOR a little different. I have Ethan read some of the pages then I finish reading the rest and we do the worksheet together. I help him read the questions, he dictates the answer to me, I have him copy it into his DITHOR student book.

Today I sat with Annette to see how she is doing. She confessed to me today that she is not doing her best work when it comes to writing. She doesn’t really like it and thus is not doing her best. The more I talked to her the more I realized it was not so much the program but me. I have not been faithful with reading all she writes. This is not how Heart of Dakota means for it to be done. Mom needs to check but I’ve been busy lazy in this area. She was almost in tears because she felt, why do this to my best if it’s not going to be checked or read. My poor baby. This should not be happening, everyone wants to feel value in what they are doing, especially children.

Here she’s doing all this work and mama isn’t even reading and acknowledging it. We came up with a plan. Dad and I will alternate with reading what she wrote. Monday-dad, Tuesday-mom and so forth. She writes something everyday whether it’s from history, science, or literature.

It rained all night so I let the children run, jump, and just have a good time in the puddles. They are all over their colds, their immune system is good otherwise I wouldn’t have let them play in the rain.

Our fence that we do have is in dire need of repair , but look at how much fun Ethan is having in the puddle!

Look at my Brent, he was conquering the ‘hill’. Boys need to be out and run free.

Look at how happy Lance is to romp and play in the rain. As a child I always wanted to be out when it was raining. As long as there is no lightning, I’m okay with my boys out in it.

It sad because I have a hard time with letting my children do this because of ‘concerned’ parents. Many nosey neighbors don’t consider this play but child neglect these days. I like to think of it as immune building .Our yard can be seen by our neighbors because there is not a fence all the way around it. How I miss having a private yard.

Once the kiddos were done playing outside I had them finish school. Brent had to do writing, Ethan, well he was done, Lance sat with me for Phonics Pathways and Life of Fred~Apples.

Right now in Phonics Pathways he is reading words with the ‘th’ sound. This sound has always been hard at first for all my children. Instead of pronouncing /th/ they always want to say the /f/ sound. So I usually help them along knowing that it will come in time.

Our workspace. It’s a schoolroom by day and a dining room by night.

Brent had just made some hot chocolate, that’s why the sugar and cocoa powder is out.

Well that was our 3rd day back after a long CHRISTmas break.