All About the Twins!

One of our homeschool activities has been to put together an "All About Me" book.  We've done one or two things each week that we are adding to the books.  I asked the kids some questions the other day to add to their books.  I thought the answers were cute and I'd share! 

Here are Carson's responses: 

My favorite color is:  green (of course!)
My favorite food is:  steak, carrots, apples, & macaroni (yes, he made me list them all)
My favorite book is:  choo-choos (I guess any train book will do, at least that's what he got at the library last week!)
My favorite show is:  Julius Jr.  (a new show on Nick Jr.)
My favorite toy is:  Monster trucks
My favorite animal is:  the chickens
My favorite thing to play is:  playing with Daddy
My favorite holiday is:  Halloween, Christmas, & Saturday
When I grow up, I want to:  work at Daddy's work


Here are Emilynn's answers: 

My favorite color is:  pink
My favorite food is:  macaroni
My favorite book is:  my Bible (I thought that was so sweet!)
My favorite show is:  Doc McStuffins  (so predictable!)
My favorite toy is:  my Sofia the First doll
My favorite animal is:  giraffes  (this was a total left field answer!  I knew the answer would be her cat!)
My favorite thing to play is:  princess
My favorite holiday is:  Christmas
When I grow up, I want to:  be a princess!  (she's such a little diva!)

It will be fun to look back on these when they are older for sure!! 

Monday Musings

It's about time I get back to blogging, huh?  :-)  Here's what's going on in our neck of the woods....

• It's Halloween week!  I know a lot of Christians don't participate.  We participate by dressing up and visiting about 10 houses-all family and friends.  My kids love dressing up, and that's just how we do things.  I don't judge folks either way.  My kids are super-excited though.  They get to wear their costumes tomorrow to story time at the library!  We are going to go visit Dustin's grandma in the nursing home afterwards so she can see the kids in costume.  It should be fun.  It's warm this week, so I don't know how my little cow, Henry, is going to do in his warm costume.  We'll see!  Did I share that my Mom felt sorry for him having a homemade costume and bought him a ready-made cow costume at Target?  My kids have the best grandparents all around-they spoil them, spend time with them, and truly enjoy them!  And it has nothing to do with material things like buying them stuff.
• Speaking of Halloween, I saw online where the "Switch Witch" could visit your house the day after Halloween and she takes your candy to feed her cat, leaving you a toy.  I thought it was a great idea, so I pitched it to the kids.  They both were adamant in saying, "No, we'd rather have the candy Mom."  Oh well, it's a great idea I think!!!  I guess she won't visit us though! 
• You know, Christmas is right around the corner!!!!!!  I am almost done shopping, which is a good thing because we have some secret missions projects we want to do for Christmas.  My lips are sealed, but do look around because there are always needs in the community and maybe your family is being called by the Lord to fill in!  He may be calling-are you listening?  Are you brave enough to step outside your comfort zone and answer?  Just food for thought!
• Dustin and I are having a date night tonight-WaHooo!!!!!!!!!!  I love stealing time away when we can.  I have found it's invaluable, especially in a house with lots of little ones=chaos!!
• Speaking of dates.....I am so excited....we are going away next year for our 10th anniversary!  My mom has graciously agreed to babysit for a weekend away!  I can hardly wait!  Haha!  Of course, I love to plan ahead too!  I can't even tell you when I could just sleep till I wanted to!  It's been years, so YES, I am excited! 
• Emilynn almost passed her first swim test at the Y.  I think she'll pass it this week or next.  Exciting!  Henry is doing a lot more in the water too.  He is going to be a fish like Emmy.  Carson is hanging in there, making huge strides over his aversion of water.  He is getting his hair wet and floating a teensy bit.  It doesn't seem like much, but if you knew where he started, it's huge. 
• Our church fall festival was a huge success!  I hope we make it an annual event.  The hayride and bounce house were the most popular things I think.  It was fun to see our yard full of kids! 

I think that's all for now.  I hope to actually blog this week.  :-) 

Sunday Scripture

Oh my, it's been a week since I've blogged!  I was unplugged most of last week as we were so busy with preparations for our church harvest festival at OUR house!  Yep, I invited the whole church to my house.  It sounds a little crazy but it went well.  I never got a head count, but I'm guessing around 50 people showed up give or take.  It was a blast!  I THINK it will become an annual event.  :-)  Just don't tell my hubby yet!   Kidding- he had fun too and was an awesome hayride guide. 

Our scripture for the week is from my kids' homeschool curriculum again.  Very simple...

"Pray to your Father."  Matthew 6:6

I have had an issue that I haven't made peace with.  It's nothing major or huge, but something that's just been nagging at me.  As I was driving home from church I decided the best thing I could do was pray about it and give it up to God.  That is what I hope to do.  He will give me peace I know. 

Have a blessed week!

Sunday Scripture

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
 ~ Proverbs 22:6

I don't think there's anything more daunting than becoming a parent and realizing you are totally responsible for this little person.  Then I realized I was also responsible for teaching these little people about God.  I didn't even know where to begin!  I kind of just began reading from our story Bible from the very beginning.  I remember sitting with Carson on one side and Emilynn on the other in their bouncer seats reading to them each morning.  They were so small!  We prayed with them, yet you never know if they are paying attention.  Then it happens, those little hands clasp together to say the blessing.  I don't know if a parent could be more proud when that happens!  Henry has now started doing it.  When we sit down to eat, he clasps his chubby little hands together and declares loudly and proudly- "Amen, Amen!"  It's so precious and never fails to make us smile.  I remember one day going down the road and Emilynn's sweet little voice starting singing "How Great is Our God" from the back.  Only she was just saying "our God, our God" over and over with the song.  It was so cute and one of the first moments I remember thinking, I can do this, I can teach them about God.  It will just take time and lots of daily reminders and lessons.  Now, as we begin our homeschooling journey, it's fun to see the twins actually remember their memory verses!  The above verse is one I've always heard in reference to raising children.  It really is an encouragement to parents I think, I know it is to me as I try to raise my children to love the Lord.   Children definitely absorb things when we don't realize they are and will repeat it to surprise you!  Like our little "Amens" for a blessing.  We have shared so many laughs when Henry comes out with something and it shows he has been listening all along and understanding what we are saying.  The other morning I asked who was going to help me with the chickens and he yells "ME!" and grabs his little boots for me to put on his feet. 
I guess my point in all of this is just to simply express how important it is to raise children to love the Lord and teach them all about Jesus.  It came to me as I was sitting in church today, so thankful that our little family of 5 was able to worship together today.  I am also a bit nervous these days because my kids talk now.  A lot.  You know how during children's message kids talk and talk and say things to embarrass the parents?  I feel like my kids are that age now!  I love that my kids feel at home at our church and are loved by so many.  I think the greatest compliment as a parent will be if my children are grown and share that they were "raised in the church" and that Dustin and I were good examples of Christians to them.  That will always be my goal. 

Have a blessed day! 

Frugal Family Fun-Storytime at the library

I've mentioned how much my kids love going to the library these days.  On Tuesday, we decided to try out the story time session.  It was a big success!  Let me start by saying, I took the twins about a year ago to story time and it was not good.  They were 2 1/2 and basically I spent the time trying to contain them.  We did not go back.  Since they recently started loving the library, I decided to give it another try.  It was great!  They enjoyed the two books that were read, and made 2 crafts.  It was all free and they had a great time.  We also picked out a few books to bring home.  I think we will make it a weekly event for sure!  It's 5 minutes from the house and free-my favorite kind of activities! :-)  The lady tried to send home a craft for Henry to glue later.  I was like- No, he'll be fine.  A mom with a 14 month old (her first child of course) took stuff home to glue.  I chuckled to myself.  Taking something home to glue voluntarily with a less than 2 year old?  No thanks!!!!!  It's funny how things are so different with a 3rd child versus a 1st or 2nd even.  Henry is none the wiser and he did do one craft.  I am so glad our library offers this special time for kids!  :-)  

The Why

I mentioned what we normally eat, but I didn't mention the why.  Processed foods became a huge concern to me in recent years.  Have you read an ingredient label lately?  Most everything on it, I can't pronounce, much less tell you what it is.  This concerned me greatly because I like to know what I am putting in my body, don't you?  It's worrisome that a lot of these ingredients have nothing to do with food, they were created in a laboratory somewhere by a scientist!   I especially want to know what I am putting in my kids' bodies, since they were starting with a clean slate.  That's when we started trying to eat more real food.  Food that has been minimally processed or altered from it's original state.  I read in a book that if your grandmother wouldn't recognize it, you shouldn't eat it.   On one of my favorite websites- www.100daysofrealfood.com  suggests eating foods with 5 ingredients or less.  The funny thing is, you can find a lot of things that meet this criteria.  Even Triscuits meet this criteria!  Another great source I've found is www.heavenlyhomemakers.com .  The Weston A. Price foundation has a great website with lots of resources on it, and a great book on the subject is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  I know eating real, whole foods seems a lot different from what we are used to these days.  The trend is towards low fat, no fat, etc.  If these diets were so successful though, why are so many people still battling weight issues?  I personally think it's because while those diets may work for a spell, they aren't realistic for the long term.  I can tell you that in high school I followed a strict no fat diet and did lose a bunch of weight.  The problem was I felt awful.  Most recently, I have a desire to lose weight and be healthier overall.  However, I wondered how I could possibly do it when I wasn't going to go back to eating all the icky low fat things that are on the market.  Then I found an awesome book call A Life Unburdened.  The gentleman who wrote it lost a LOT of weight after giving up dieting on all the low fat/no fat stuff.  He instead followed a real, whole foods diet and began exercising.  The regular diet allowed him to feel full and satisfied, and he was able to achieve a healthy weight.  I can't remember how much he lost, but he weighed over 400 lbs. when he began and is a normal size now!  I think that gives everyone hope that it CAN be done. 
I have been excited and enjoying exercising daily with my kids, and I think that will be the key to getting healthy again.  It is hard work pushing 3 kids in a jogger stroller! 
So, that is where we are.  Trying to exercise and eat whole, real foods the way God made them.  I try to steer clear of the middle grocery aisles as much as possible.  I know that is where a lot of good deals are, especially with coupons.  It's not really a deal though if it's detrimental to our health.  My daughter is especially sensitive to foods.  She gets belly aches a lot, especially if she eats soy or soy bi-products, and we all know what those artificial dyes do to her!  I don't know if I'd believe all of that unless I witnessed the affects on her with my own two eyes.  It is a real eye-opening revelation. 
Of course, we allow ourselves grace when we still eat the occasional Happy Meal.  We are just doing the best we can-which is all any of us can do! 

Eating Local/Organic foods

The twins heading out to pick local strawberries.  If you look under Emilynn's left arm, Peppa Pig joined us for the occasion!  :-)  I had a cute strawberry outfit for her, not sure why I didn't put it on her for the day. ?? 

Henry took a different approach-he just sat down basically on the plant.  It was his first time picking!  Last year he was too little and sat in the car.  One plant may have been damaged slightly during this picking session.  Hopefully all of my business I gave them made up for it!  We went back so many times it was embarrassing!! 

 

 

Buying local and organic foods has become something very important to me.  I have always been interested in it, yet once I had kids it became SO IMPORTANT!  I felt like they were a clean slate and I only wanted to put good things in their bodies.  It was really easy when they were babies, because one of my favorite companies, Earth's Best,  has an amazing line of organic baby foods.  It's also a company started by twins-I read the book about it!  Yep, I'm a nerd like that!  Do you now believe me when I say I research everything?  Haha! 

Once the kids turned a year old, I really began worrying about what "real" foods they would eat. 

I started my journey with milk.  It seemed the most appropriate place to start since that was the main staple of their diet at one year old.  I researched milk and decided raw milk was the best option to be drinking.  I was lucky enough to find a farm really close to me that had herd shares available.  I spoke with the farmers on the phone, met them in person, bought our herd share, and the rest is history!  We have been drinking raw milk for almost 3 years now.  I have no regrets whatsoever on the money spent on our milk, it is SO worth it.  If you ever want to know more about milk and why it began being pasteurized in the first place, a great book to read is The Untold Story of Milk.  I highly recommend it.  I realize now how lucky we were to find a close farm that has milk, because some people drive hours to get it!  It is a bit expensive, but I would give up our Y membership before I gave up our milk if things got tight.  I really believe in it that much. 

So, if you want to start eating more whole, local foods, I would suggest starting with milk.  You can't wash it off like you can produce.  There are also options at the store.  If I have to buy store milk for some reason, I get Horizon Organic.  The conditions of the cows aren't necessarily any better for Organic milk producing cows, but you at least know you aren't getting any antibiotics or hormones in there.  You just have to read the labels and make the best decision for your family's health and finances. 

 

If you are interested in finding a raw milk source near you-check out the website www.localharvest.org

 It is my favorite source for finding local foods.  You can search all types of foods on there! 

 

As far as produce goes, we try to buy organic when we can.  Some things are hard to find organic, like seedless grapes!  I just found some at Kroger Friday, after searching for about two years to find a good source for these.  I hope Kroger will continue to carry them.  I bought all they had Friday!  It was a great price-$1.99 per lb.  My kids love grapes, and I hate them eating conventional ones since they are on the dirty dozen list.  Above you see us buying local strawberries, which are not organic.  I just can't pass up in season berries though, and they are only miles from our house.  As with most things, eating local is a balance.  Sometimes farmers can't afford all that goes with being labeled organic, but actually are-so it doesn't hurt to ask that too!  Frozen veggies are another great option as far as organics go.  They usually taste better than canned.  We also grew a garden this year, which was a lot of fun for the kids and we got organic produce for very little cost!  It will cost even less next year because we already spent money on the fence this year (to keep deer out) and won't have to re-buy that next year.  Now that I am confident we CAN grow some thing successfully, I hope to expand what we grow next year!  I also am lucky to get a bunch of apples from my Granny's apple trees, which are local and organic since no one really fools with the trees.  If you know someone with a tree or some type of veggies, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can get some.  Most people are more than willing to share!  We even were able to share some out of our small abundance we grew this year.  It is nice to share and save on the grocery bills! 

 

Meat is something else you can look for on local harvest.org.  We get beef from the same farm we get our milk, or another farm we know.  We have the 1/3 of a cow coming from a cow my father-in-law had to process.  I get chickens, frozen whole, from a cousin's farm.  I also sometimes buy it organic at the store, when I want different cuts or from a food co-op I can order from monthly.  Pork I only buy from a cousin's farm, and when I can't get it there, we just don't eat it.  I will buy organic bacon sometimes at Kroger, but that is it.  The conditions of pigs raised commercially is deplorable.  You may not care about the condition of animals you are going to eat anyway, but I encourage you to think about it.  If the animal's conditions are awful, it is not going to be healthy and happy.  It will most likely be sick, possibly need medicines, etc.  Plus, I love animals and I do care about their well being.  Just because you are going to use them for nourishment, doesn't mean they don't deserve to live and die with dignity, treated properly and respectfully. 

 

The only food group I think we left out is bread.  I am so blessed to have a friend make bread for us weekly.  It is the most delicious homemade bread and I am so thankful for her!  We pay per loaf and I hope she never stops baking because I'll have to learn how to make the bread.  I know it is very time consuming! 

 

Of course, we also get eggs from our chickens, and my dad's chickens if we are short.  My kids love eggs thank goodness!  We can't get eggs more local than our backyard!  I hope to expand the flock very soon! 

 

Other random things-we use only real butter.  I could make it myself, but that takes a lot of time.  I choose to buy it instead.  I don't ever buy margarine-I think it's gross.  It's one molecule off from being plastic and that's just not cool with me to feed my family.   Cheese is something I buy in bulk and grate myself.   I haven't found an organic or raw variety I like but am working on it. 

I try to use a natural sweetener-sucanat whenever possible in baking, etc.  Local honey is also a great sweetener. 

As for oil for cakes, frying, etc. we use palm oil shortening or coconut oil.  I buy these in bulk from a great company called Tropical Traditions.  They will often have free shipping, so check them out! 

If we must have hotdogs, we get the kind preserved with celery juice, not nitrates or nitrites.  Applegate has a good one, and I will buy the Oscar Mayer or Ball park ones at the store too. 

Applegate also has a chicken nugget we like, but mostly I just make chicken bites myself by frying pieces of boneless skinless thighs or breasts and everyone gobbles them up-the adults included! 

 

As far as eating local goes, I know it can seem overwhelming at first.  It has definitely been a journey, not something we did overnight.  It is something we still work on and will probably always work on.  We also give ourselves grace-because my kids can down Skittles like nobody's business, which are most certainly not a healthy, local food!  I would just start with one or two things and go from there. 

 

As far as finances go, yes, eating better does cost more.  I was commenting to my mom about how high groceries were, and she reminded me that I could eat a lot cheaper stuff.  She's right, and if I had to cut back, I would for sure.  Also, we buy some convenience organic things we don't necessarily need- like fruit leathers, applesauce pouches, cereal bars.  We could cut that out as well, and we will if we need to.  I can't even really say what our grocery budget would be, because one month we may buy part of a cow, but don't need to buy meat for months to come.  It is hard to pinpoint exactly what we spend.  I will say, I think it is important for our health, especially since we have a high deductible health plan.  It is important for us to stay healthy and eat well.  Also, by changing gradually it's not such a shock! 

Monday Musings

• Today begins week two of nothing but rain.  Honestly, I am always glad to have rain since we had our well run dry last January.  I am thankful, but a few sunny days would be appreciated!  The kids have been cooped up and that is hard.  Hard on the house, hard on me!  :-) 
• Dustin was off today unexpectedly (he worked all night), and I figured he'd want to just sleep all day.  He surprised us by taking us to Mexican for lunch!  It was so nice to spend some surprise time with Daddy!  Henry is so funny at Mexican- he loves chips and salsa.  He will actually eat the salsa with a spoon.  We get him his own bowl and he's a happy camper.  He also likes the beans.  He is always the last to finish-the boy likes his food!
• Speaking of food, lots of blogs I follow post Monday menu plans for the week.  I haven't gotten into that habit because it seems like something else with a deadline!  I will try to do better about posting what we are having during my Monday post-if I know what we are having!  Menu planning is something I've done for a few years now, as it helps save money.  I also HAVE to have a plan since I don't have a microwave to quick thaw something if I forgot.  It is possible to live without a microwave-I promise!  Here is what I think we are eating this week:

                          ~tacos
                          ~pasta bake-this dish I created with hamburger, tomato sauce, rotini, cheese, and spices.  I will top with mozzarella cheese and bake.  Served with salad
                          ~steak, baked potatoes, salad
                          ~leftovers-at least once per week I like to pull out all the little bits of this and that and finish eating it up, so as not to waste.  I hate to waste food!
                         ~meatloaf in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob. 
                         ~Brunswick stew/grilled cheese sandwiches

• If it looks like we are heavy on the beef right now-we are!  I am cleaning out our freezer for 1/3 of a cow that we have coming sometime next week.  I may have to throw some chicken in our meal plan though, just to mix it up-we'll see.  Back in June we got 1/4 of a cow, so we have a lot of beef right now.  I do not buy beef at the store normally.  I prefer to just buy it in bulk, grass fed.  I like knowing I have all cuts on hand to make whatever I want.  It's also a far superior quality than what you can buy in the store (in my opinion).  I like knowing my pack of hamburger is from one cow, not up to a thousand like you find in the store.  Yep, meat from 1,000 different cows can be in one pack!  I was shocked when I read that.  That is a lot of chances for something to be contaminated or go wrong.  That is why I do not let my kids eat beef in restaurants.  I just don't trust it.  Watch the movie Food, Inc. and you won't either!! 
• Since we are talking about food, I am going to try to post a bit more about what we eat and where it comes from.  Just so you have an idea, and can be encouraged if you want to start eating more local foods! 
• It's definitely fall around here, and I love it!  I hope we can make a drive to see the leaves real soon.  My Nanny mentioned going to the apple orchard sometime-so I hope we can do that. 
• Our chickens are still laying well.  I know they will start slowing up, but so far we haven't noticed a change.  We are getting a dozen every two days or so.  Carson is the main chicken person around here-he lets them out every morning and collects eggs.  It's fun to watch him take on the responsibility.  He even hung a small garden flag with a chicken picture on it on the pen.  Funny boy! 
• I had my shopping day Friday and I got so much done!!  I was able to get some twin birthday gifts and Christmas gifts done.  I went to so many stores and had a very specific budget and list.  I am about done with the kids, now I just need to fill in the other folks on my list and we'll be done in plenty of time to enjoy the season.  :-)  I think my family is going on a tacky light tour this year, which I am super-excited about!!! 
• I always say God provides, and it is so true.  He proves it time and time again.  Carson needed a winter coat for this year, and I really wanted a Carhartt one or one similar for him.  At Goodwill, I found the perfect one for $5.  I was so excited!  :-) 

Sunday Scripture

"To whom much is given, much is expected."  Luke 12:48

I don't know about you, but I am blessed beyond measure.  Am I living up to the Lord's expectations?  I sure hope so, but I always know there is room for improvement.  I try to keep
my eyes out for ways to serve others, but I will be especially mindful as I remember this scripture. 

Have a blessed week!

Our Homeschool Curriculum

I have researched curriculums forever.  If you know me at all, you know I always research stuff and check credentials.  It can be embarrassing to others.  Ask my sister, I may have asked a masseuse for her credentials before a massage.  Oh yes, I did!  Anyway, I found a curriculum I liked and began planning our year.  After I had about 8 weeks planned (yes, that long), I realized it just wasn't what I wanted and saw us doing for the year.  So....back to the drawing board I went.  Then, I discovered Hands on Homeschooling.  I looked at samples and it seemed perfect for what I wanted to do.  I ordered it and haven't looked back.  It has been a great curriculum so far.   It is Bible based, and you also do some Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and practice motor skills.  We are learning letters, learning new songs, learning about money, and had activities for practicing motor skills so far.  I love how it is all organized for you and ready to go in the binder-right out of the box.  I am able to copy worksheets since I need additional ones, and I can save it for Henry as well.  We are up to letter C this week, and are learning the names of coins.  I was skeptical about teaching the money to such young ones, but I just went with it.  They each have a few coins in their work bucket and they are really proud of that.  Today we also had a lesson about a skeleton and talked about different body parts on the inside and out.  I think this curriculum is a great start to homeschooling.  The only thing I did not care for was the Bible stories.  I was a bit disappointed in them because they seemed WAY over my kids' heads.  The memory verses were L-O-N-G, and I just thought it was setting us up for failure.  I decided instead to use something else for Bible.  I found a really neat book at Lifeway called "Instant Bible Lessons for Toddlers".  They are awesome!  They are just right for their age, and they even have a story with each lesson that is geared to 1 & 2 year olds in case the kids you are teaching are that small!  It has enough activities with each lesson to last all week, so we review our story each day and our memory verse.  Then we do one activity to reinforce the lesson.  The kids have enjoyed learning their scriptures too, they will surprise at different times by reciting them.  I am not saying the Hands on Homeschooling Bible lessons are bad, because I will come back to them as the kids get bigger.  For now, the "Instant Lessons" book series has a bunch of different options, so I'll stick with that.  I also add little crafts here and there for the kids, because they love to do crafts.  We also have a few of those workbooks you can buy at the store to practice learning colors, writing, etc. so I will sometimes throw one of those sheets in for the day's work, if it seems like the homeschool day is going to go quickly.  My kids expect to get to do their schoolwork!  They will get mad on weekends if we aren't "doing school." 

It takes us about 45- 1 1/2 hours to do our schoolwork each day.  It would take less time if I didn't add work to their lessons. 

I mentioned a work bucket above- I saw this on another mom's blog and thought it was a great idea.  It is just a white dishpan that is designated for each child.  They keep their crayons, markers, pencils, pencil case,  sharpener, glue, scissors, coins, and anything else that just they use for their schoolwork.  It has been great and kept us from having fights.  The kids just know to get their work bucket and sit at the school table.  Their stuff is all in there and no one has "messed with it" since the last time they used it.  I highly recommend having one of these!  I have one slightly bigger that I go ahead and put all the stuff we are going to need for that day in it.  Things like paint that I don't want the kids to get ahold of go in there!  Also, I keep my lesson plans binder, copies of work to be done, etc. etc. in there.  I can get it all ready the night before at my desk (which is in my room), then just carry it to the kitchen where we do our work.  It makes it really easy to stay organized. 

As for next year, I am not sure what we will be doing.  I have been researching to decide.  There is a church pre-school we have looked at.  It is the only one that really fits into our price range and has what we are looking for, but it is only 3 half days per week.  I don't know if that would be stepping back or not.  I have also considered using Hands On Homeschooling again.  My third option is going ahead and switching to the curriculum I think we will use if we continue homeschooling, Sonlight.  I have known about Sonlight for several years now, but I just wasn't sure if it was a fit for us.  It is HEAVY on reading and literature.  I think I didn't know enough about it, because I think I erroneously thought it somehow didn't cover math or science or anything but reading.  I LOVE to read, always have, always will.  If I'm on a desert island and have books, I'm good.  My kids LOVE to read as well.  They love going to the library to choose books, and we own a ton of books.  Every morning they climb in bed with me and we read together, or sometimes they just sit beside me and flip through books on their own.  I really love reading with them, and so I just kept coming back to Sonlight.  I had them send me information, and they indeed teach everything-not just reading!  :-)  I know that sounds silly, and I don't know why I had assumed otherwise.  I think Sonlight would be a perfect fit for our family of readers.  It's also a bit different from the way I learned things, and I think I like that about it!  I like to be different!  Good different of course!  :-)  In my own opinion!!! 

I couldn't end without a plug about reading.  I think reading is the single-most important thing you can do with your child.  I really do.  I want my kids to be confident readers, because that is something no one can take from them.  Reading is essential to most things in life, whether you are at the grocery store, the bank, the farm, cooking a recipe (also using math!), or just reading for fun.  I can't wait to watch my little ones learn to read!  I will probably be like my parents and grandparents were with me-we were always allowed to get books.  We loved going to the bookstore and choosing new books to read, or the library.  I get so excited when my nephew gets his Scholastic flyer each month, we buy from them through his flyer!  It really helps us afford books that might be pricier otherwise. 
Also, our Kid to Kid that we shop at lets kids choose a book priced $1.99 or less each month for free when the parents make a purchase.  I love this program they started!  We have gotten books two months now and the kids love it.  All three of my kids have a stamp card that they use to get one.  If you want one higher priced, you can pay the difference.  Most books there are cheap though. 
Our library also has books for sale as they replace ones.  On our last visit I found the Little House on the Prairie series!  I grabbed it and told the lady to hold it for me since I didn't have cash on me then.  They are my all time favorite books!  I know we'll need more copies as the kids start reading them! Our library just does it by donation too, so you can give whatever amount you are comfortable with and they won't turn it down.  I will probably do $1 per book. 

Anyway, that's what we are using. 
Here's a rough outline of our schedule:

• Circle Time-
• discuss the day of the week & month
•  decide on the weather  (we have pocket charts these fit in for day/weather, depending on what we choose)
• review previous letters, memory verse, coins, etc. 
• put a day on our "days of school" poster-we are counting to 100 days!  The kids really like this.  I do different colors for each number, but the 5's are all white.  This way, they'll learn to count by 5's too!   
• Do our Bible story-then whatever project/craft goes along with it.
• Do any writing practice for the day. 
• Do any other worksheets that are planned.
• Crafts/projects- always last.  I almost never get them reeled back in after this so last is best! 

Monday Musings

• Well, I thought I was better after resting yesterday.  Then I couldn't sleep last night, so today I'm tired and my throat is trying to hurt.  Urrghh!!!  Have I mentioned how I hate being sick????  I hope tomorrow will be a major turning point.  I will keep this short and sweet so I can rest.  I haven't done much today except read and enjoy snuggling with the kids on a rainy day.  I'm not even cooking dinner because we luckily have stew and a few other things in the fridge that will work. 
• Has anyone else been Christmas shopping or am I the only one who starts planning in like....July?  Toys'RUs has some good sales this week, I hope to get down there on Friday and do a bit more shopping.  I am practically done with the kids, halfway done with everyone else.  I prefer to do it early and enjoy the church services and magic of the season.  I also like to really think about what to get people, instead of feeling rushed.  I also have Kohl's cash to use and Rewards $, so I'm really hoping I can get my mom to babysit. 
• Soccer, is going.  My kid is a ball hog.  I have no idea what to do.  We got her getting the ball, and now she takes it from everyone.  This includes her own team.  The coach doesn't seem bothered by it, but Dustin and I are a bit embarrassed.  I've talked to her and talked to her.  There are only two actual games left I think, so hopefully we'll get through it. 
• I really need to be pricing my consignment items, and I don't feel like it.  I hope that changes!  I could use the money for Christmas or something else I've got up my sleeve.  We'll see. 
• I made my first potato salad yesterday to take to my grandma's.  We gotta eat even when sick, right?  It turned out great!  If you're from the south, it's essential to make a good potato salad.  I'll have to share the recipe on here soon.  I was rather proud of myself!

I think that's all for now.  I'm going to rest.  I will post more later. 

Sunday Scripture

It seems like most weeks to choose a scripture, I'll have one I've seen while reading my Bible, a Christian magazine, book, website, etc.  This week I was sick Friday night and Saturday night.  Not during the day, just in the evenings.  Carson was sick too, and we both had fevers.  It was strange!  I feel better today, but we decided to take it easy to make sure we didn't overdo it.  I think I definitely over-did it for our yard sale, because it was SO hot!  Like 91 degrees!  I thought it was fall.  Anyway, as I was laying on the couch wracking my brain for a scripture, the Lord sent one to me!  Don't you love when God sends you a sign?  Here it is:

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

It really struck me, and it was so funny that he would place that one on my heart today.  Dustin and I had just had a long conversation about me being sick and how he thought it was because we run, run, run too much.  I was feeling guilty for not taking the children to church and the fire department today for the open house.  He reminded me of how we needed to take care of our health first, and also how blessed the children are.  They do way more than so many kids.  Missing this one day of stuff will be okay.  It will!  (I keep telling myself that!).  I think God is trying to tell me through scripture and through my body that I need to slow down. 
I feel like to me, this scripture is saying to stop, and know God is there and in control.  He can handle everything and is always with us.  We don't need to do it all ourselves.  Also, quit being so busy that we forget about him, because he IS there. 

I don't know about you, but it was JUST what I needed to hear this week.  :-) 

Have a blessed week! 

Monday-no Thursday Musings!

• It's taken me all week to blog!  I have been busy MOST of the time!  :-)  Actually as I sit to blog now, all 3 kids start crying for various reasons.  Sheesh.  It's never a dull moment around here. 
• I had an awesome birthday weekend/week!  I used to have what I called a birthday month, but since having kids I've condensed it down a bit-ha!  I got lots of nice things and felt very special.  I had two family dinners, with most all the same people at both.  We haven't figured out why we did it that way, so we may combine next year.  I have to say, I wasn't complaining with two delicious meals, and two nights of family time!  :-) 
• We started swimming lessons back up yesterday.  As with much that we do, we started with drama.  Emilynn hopped right into the pool at the Y.  I was turned around getting the boys out of their shoes/shirts when she started screaming.  Apparently, she decided to do a flip in the pool, in the 1 foot water and hit her head on the bottom.  The lifeguard saw it and comes rushing over, and her swim teacher and I jump in to see what's going on.  She had a HUGE red spot right smack dab in the middle of her forehead.  Then the aquatics director comes flying over with ice.  They ended up having to file an incident report, but all Emilynn was worried about was getting to do her lesson.  So, we started back to the pool with a bang and flair, that's for sure.  We had a LONG talk about not doing flips in the shallow water.  She did still get to do her lesson, and thank the Lord she wasn't hurt. 
• As for how the lessons went, I was worried since we had 3 weeks off, but the kids did great!  The teacher said they picked up like we hadn't even had a break.  Emilynn is halfway through what she needs to do to pass her very first swim test!  She can swim across the 5 foot area one way!  You have to do two ways to earn your yellow neck band.  We are in all red bands now.  I think with a yellow band she can swim without her puddle jumper, and maybe even go down the slide without me standing there-which would be huge.  It is next to impossible for me to let her do the slides now, because I have to be right there.  I also have to be within an arm's length of the boys.  This translates to them both clinging to me for dear life, while waiting for Emmy to slide down.   It's 5 foot of water, and I'm only 5'5", so I am on my tippy toes while the boys are trying to drown me.  It's very difficult.  The main reason I'm so proud of her though is because she needs to learn to swim to be safe around water.  She swims a lot on her back, and they want to get her swimming more on her front too, so we are going to work on that.  Carson has done great as well, he was blowing bubbles like crazy yesterday and going under a little bit.  That is HUGE for him, as he doesn't even like to have his hair washed.  He is definitely much more comfortable in the water.  The teacher does great practicing his swimming and floating, and she distracts him a lot because he wants to stop all the time.  My kids have such different personalities.  She is great at working with each one individually.  Carson is also floating on his back a little bit, another HUGE achievement for him.  Henry doesn't do the lessons, but the teacher will do a little with him at the end for fun.  She sometimes asks me if she can go under with him, and I always say yes.  Does that make me a mean Momma?  I hope not!  He is starting to love the water too.  Anyway, we are doing once a week private lessons now, so that will stretch our money a bit further verses twice per week.  We still both agree this needs to be a priority, and we will continue through winter and just swim year round. 
• Our chickens are great-and laying awesome!  I am loving having them.  Dustin ordered me some BOGS work boots for my birthday, and got me pink John Deere work gloves from tractor supply.  I am turning into a farm girl yet!  :-)  I guess I'll retire my flip flops I've been using for chicken care.  Dustin says I can't be in the chicken pen in flip flops, it's gross.  The boots will also come in handy if I have to do anything with the cows.  It is rare that I do, but sometimes my father-in-law does need my help when everyone else is working or busy.  I laugh and say he must be desperate when he asks for my help!  I really don't mind though and enjoy the animals.  
• My cousin and I are having a yard sale Saturday, and the bi-yearly consignment sale I sell stuff in is next week.  I am busy sorting and organizing stuff!  Dustin has finally convinced me to sell most of our strollers.  I am nervous about it-which sounds silly but they were my independence when the kids were small!  I keep thinking why in the world did I agree to a yard sale, but I'm always glad to make a little extra money and get rid of stuff afterwards.  It's just a lot of work!  Plus Saturday we have soccer, and the harvest festival at Dustin's Dad's church.  I'll update how we do!  I hope to get some money for Christmas. 
• Well, we are off to have lunch with Amanda.  For the last time-sniff sniff!  Today is her last day at her current job.  Her new job will only be part time, so I am really excited for her.  Even though we won't be meeting her for lunch, hopefully we'll see a lot more of her.  I think these occasions are always filled with mixed emotions.  I know she will miss her old co-workers, and I will miss running by to see her and have lunches out.  Sometimes our lunches (without kiddos) are the only time we can seem to find to catch up and connect without kids.  We will just figure out another time to do that!  Family should always be first, and this is a great move for my nephews as they will get a lot more time with Mommy.