Next week I plan on sharing with you some of our schedules, routines and chore/school charts that keep our days straight. If you know me well you know I LOVE talking schedules and routines. I love organizing things like that and I really like to ask others how they do things. I'm always looking for ways to make life easier for all of us.
As I was looking through what we use and what I would be sharing next week I had to laugh. On my charts and routines of course I am on there too with all sorts of well thought out ideas and plans but... MINE rarely get done!! I am usually too busy watching over everyone else and directing people that I never get to my stuff! That even included not getting my shower yesterday!
So for all you SAHM's out there, I am so with you! Whether you homeschool or not. Whether you have 5 children or 2 (for we know that children expand to fill the space they are given- so 1 can feel like 5 some days!). It is so great to plan but realize it often doesn't get done! For many years I have thought I just needed more discipline but I've come to realize what I needed was to either get real or trade my kids in for adults! Kids challenge and complain and need direction and distract you and frustrate you and crack you up and and and! A schedule or a routine or a chore chart are there to give your brain a rest from thinking through all these things over and over again. Unfortunately what they don't do is make your house or your kids perfect (darn it!). I should add or you! It won't make you perfect either. I know, what a bummer huh.
Next week I will share things that make our life easier WHEN we do them. There's your confession. We don't always do them and they don't make our home life look like we could drop into The Sound of Music unnoticed. We could be there when the kids are hanging from trees or tipping over in the boat, but that's about it :0)
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Clothes
I went to the mall with a friend a week or so ago and it was kind of a strange experience for me. She was looking at clothes for her children... doesn't sound so strange to most but we have almost never bought clothes for our children! Honest! A quick reminder, my children are almost 13,10,7,5 and 1 and yes you heard right... I don't buy them clothes!
If you think they are running around naked, I assure you they are not :0) This is an area in our lives the Lord has provided abundantly. When our oldest was born my mom did childcare for a family with only one little boy. They were very well off and decided to just give me all of their sons clothes he outgrew. I remember holding my 3 month old son sorting through 3T clothes thinking he'd NEVER be that big! That was the beginning and really since then people we know and sometimes people we don't know will give us clothes! It has been amazing to see how God provides.
I have bought clothes for my boys twice that I remember. Once Carter needed all new fall clothes and once he and Caleb needed some summer things. I have bought a suit for a wedding for one boy, we've picked up a cute dress for Hannah once and I bought a special birthday onsie and dress for my youngest. That is all I have ever bought new besides socks and unders and occasional sleep pants for the boys. I do love "thrifting" and going to area mission thrift stores or Goodwill and finding a deal. I found an adorable Christmas dress for Addison this year for 99 cents! But really everything we've ever needed has been provided. Grandma will pick up deals, Nana will go to garage sales or clothes just show up from someone!
Last fall was amazing. I had told Paul we needed quite a bit for baby Addison as she was not the same size/season as Hannah was and within three days my cousin offered me up more clothes than any one girl ever needed without our ever mentioning the need! This year I was starting to stress over Carter growing so much/fast (he's grown 7 1/2 inches this year!) and we visited our friends Pam and Mark who have two older boys. When I mentioned how fast he was growing and that I needed to go find super skinny but long jeans she started grinning and brought me to the closet of her youngest son who happened to recently outgrow that exact size. I left with a huge bag of pants and shirts for him! God has even provided when we don't need it!! This winter Hannah decided she "needed" "new" clothes. She really had no NEED just a girly desire! Then a new friend from the boys Lego class asked if we'd like her daughter's hand me downs! Another big bag full of great clothes and Hannah was in heaven!
I totally don't mind having this provided because I'm not a big shopper. Honestly I'd probably faint if I had to buy a whole new wardrobe for my kids! My kids don't even think about going to a store for clothes. Shopping for them is sorting through bags of clothes given. Hannah went shopping this fall at the age of 5 for the first time ever. It was the first time anyone had taken her to a store to look at or buy clothes. My mom blessed her with the opportunity to pick out one special outfit. She was so excited and I don't think my mom believed me that she had really NEVER done that!
When I see a need I pray and it is provided. Isn't that crazy? I mean it's not but it is... I just ask and receive! I don't always think of that in life. If we need a new car I'll stress and we start looking at vehicles. If we need something I often look to myself to figure it out. I'm learning slowly but surely. Sometimes, as a single income family with 5 children the only choice is to pray! I am always amazed and then ashamed that I'm amazed- God always provides!
Some days I just want to shout from the roof tops "I LOVE MY LORD!!! HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT HE DOES? HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT HE DID? HE LOVES ME! OH, HOW HE LOVES ME!" How do we possibly put into words how awesome God the Creator and Christ our Savior is? Impossible!
If you think they are running around naked, I assure you they are not :0) This is an area in our lives the Lord has provided abundantly. When our oldest was born my mom did childcare for a family with only one little boy. They were very well off and decided to just give me all of their sons clothes he outgrew. I remember holding my 3 month old son sorting through 3T clothes thinking he'd NEVER be that big! That was the beginning and really since then people we know and sometimes people we don't know will give us clothes! It has been amazing to see how God provides.
I have bought clothes for my boys twice that I remember. Once Carter needed all new fall clothes and once he and Caleb needed some summer things. I have bought a suit for a wedding for one boy, we've picked up a cute dress for Hannah once and I bought a special birthday onsie and dress for my youngest. That is all I have ever bought new besides socks and unders and occasional sleep pants for the boys. I do love "thrifting" and going to area mission thrift stores or Goodwill and finding a deal. I found an adorable Christmas dress for Addison this year for 99 cents! But really everything we've ever needed has been provided. Grandma will pick up deals, Nana will go to garage sales or clothes just show up from someone!
Last fall was amazing. I had told Paul we needed quite a bit for baby Addison as she was not the same size/season as Hannah was and within three days my cousin offered me up more clothes than any one girl ever needed without our ever mentioning the need! This year I was starting to stress over Carter growing so much/fast (he's grown 7 1/2 inches this year!) and we visited our friends Pam and Mark who have two older boys. When I mentioned how fast he was growing and that I needed to go find super skinny but long jeans she started grinning and brought me to the closet of her youngest son who happened to recently outgrow that exact size. I left with a huge bag of pants and shirts for him! God has even provided when we don't need it!! This winter Hannah decided she "needed" "new" clothes. She really had no NEED just a girly desire! Then a new friend from the boys Lego class asked if we'd like her daughter's hand me downs! Another big bag full of great clothes and Hannah was in heaven!
I totally don't mind having this provided because I'm not a big shopper. Honestly I'd probably faint if I had to buy a whole new wardrobe for my kids! My kids don't even think about going to a store for clothes. Shopping for them is sorting through bags of clothes given. Hannah went shopping this fall at the age of 5 for the first time ever. It was the first time anyone had taken her to a store to look at or buy clothes. My mom blessed her with the opportunity to pick out one special outfit. She was so excited and I don't think my mom believed me that she had really NEVER done that!
When I see a need I pray and it is provided. Isn't that crazy? I mean it's not but it is... I just ask and receive! I don't always think of that in life. If we need a new car I'll stress and we start looking at vehicles. If we need something I often look to myself to figure it out. I'm learning slowly but surely. Sometimes, as a single income family with 5 children the only choice is to pray! I am always amazed and then ashamed that I'm amazed- God always provides!
Some days I just want to shout from the roof tops "I LOVE MY LORD!!! HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT HE DOES? HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT HE DID? HE LOVES ME! OH, HOW HE LOVES ME!" How do we possibly put into words how awesome God the Creator and Christ our Savior is? Impossible!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Great Book!
I don't know what to call it when I share a book... I'll be sharing a lot because reading is one of my favorite things to do! So maybe there will be a million posts titled "Great Book"! Let me know if you have any better ideas for me!
For Christmas my mom got us a couple new books. Our family is big on read alouds and big on games. You'll find us doing both of these almost everyday and often for hours on end. Well, this book we cannot get enough of! It's called Heaven is for Real: A Little Boys Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. The little boy is around 4 years old when his appendix ruptures and it is not caught for almost five days. The father writes the book, telling the whole story but using the little boy's words whenever he is speaking. It is hard to put down! Last night we read for well over an hour and every time we'd finish a chapter we all just sat and looked at each other and then dove in for more! We are at the point now where he will start to talk about what happened on his "trip" today. So far we just know about his family and how sick he really was.
There were a few times I had to take a deep breath to keep reading without crying. As a parent, imagining the helplessness they felt was heart breaking. Everyone keeps laughing as we read because as the story starts to unfold the father keeps saying, "Wow! Those Sunday School teachers are fantastic!" because some of the things the little boy is sharing he knows he never taught him. We are loving this book!
We read to learn. We read for information. We read to draw us closer to God. AND we read for FUN! I'm interested to see when we finish what we'll think this "read" was. I think it may be all the above!
For Christmas my mom got us a couple new books. Our family is big on read alouds and big on games. You'll find us doing both of these almost everyday and often for hours on end. Well, this book we cannot get enough of! It's called Heaven is for Real: A Little Boys Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. The little boy is around 4 years old when his appendix ruptures and it is not caught for almost five days. The father writes the book, telling the whole story but using the little boy's words whenever he is speaking. It is hard to put down! Last night we read for well over an hour and every time we'd finish a chapter we all just sat and looked at each other and then dove in for more! We are at the point now where he will start to talk about what happened on his "trip" today. So far we just know about his family and how sick he really was.
There were a few times I had to take a deep breath to keep reading without crying. As a parent, imagining the helplessness they felt was heart breaking. Everyone keeps laughing as we read because as the story starts to unfold the father keeps saying, "Wow! Those Sunday School teachers are fantastic!" because some of the things the little boy is sharing he knows he never taught him. We are loving this book!
We read to learn. We read for information. We read to draw us closer to God. AND we read for FUN! I'm interested to see when we finish what we'll think this "read" was. I think it may be all the above!
If you have a chance to grab a new book this year, check this one out.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Great Help
My birthday present from my mother-in-law this year I LOVE! It was a subscription to Homeschooling Today magazine. I've been finding time to sneak off to the local library lately to read it and it was so nice when it showed up in my mailbox!
I like this magazine for many reasons. First it is a "Journal of Home Discipleship" and it talks about so much more than homeschooling. It talks about relationships and that's what we are all about. It also has a calendar every month that gives you suggestions on how to use things in the magazine and take advantage of the season. For example, at Christmas it gave several books to read and a few activities to do as a family. It also has an artist every issue with samples of their famous works. I decided to remove this part from the magazine and put it in plastic page protectors and put those in a three ring binder. It will become our artist/picture study notebook. I plan on putting it out on the table while we are doing group work. Sometimes my oldest finishes fast or the youngest isn't required to do what we are doing for a minute and I plan on taking advantage of those moments. They can quietly look through the notebook as they wait. At other times we'll sit together and look and talk through some of the questions that pop up or are provided.
It also features articles from R.C. Sproul Jr. who wrote When You Rise Up. I just read this over the holiday and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure I agree with everything he shares but it really gets you thinking about your choices and beliefs on homeschooling. In the last issue of the magazine his wife wrote a great article on "Quiet Time". You know the thing that hangs over every Christian woman that we "should do" everyday. Her article was freeing along with really making me stop and think. Nowhere is a "Quiet Time" commanded in the Bible. NOT that reading your Bible everyday is bad or should not be done, but the pressure of how to do it "right" has made the Bible more of a stumbling block than a refuge for many women.
I will say it's hard to get hold of anyone from the magazine if you have trouble or questions. I wanted to place their button on my blog for people and I never heard back. Also my first issue was slow in coming and when I went to inquire as to when I should expect it, again no response. That being said, it came and I loved it! So I'm truly getting nothing out of this if you check it out but I think you will get a lot out of it if you do! There are several other homeschooling magazines but this is my favorite.
I like this magazine for many reasons. First it is a "Journal of Home Discipleship" and it talks about so much more than homeschooling. It talks about relationships and that's what we are all about. It also has a calendar every month that gives you suggestions on how to use things in the magazine and take advantage of the season. For example, at Christmas it gave several books to read and a few activities to do as a family. It also has an artist every issue with samples of their famous works. I decided to remove this part from the magazine and put it in plastic page protectors and put those in a three ring binder. It will become our artist/picture study notebook. I plan on putting it out on the table while we are doing group work. Sometimes my oldest finishes fast or the youngest isn't required to do what we are doing for a minute and I plan on taking advantage of those moments. They can quietly look through the notebook as they wait. At other times we'll sit together and look and talk through some of the questions that pop up or are provided.
It also features articles from R.C. Sproul Jr. who wrote When You Rise Up. I just read this over the holiday and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure I agree with everything he shares but it really gets you thinking about your choices and beliefs on homeschooling. In the last issue of the magazine his wife wrote a great article on "Quiet Time". You know the thing that hangs over every Christian woman that we "should do" everyday. Her article was freeing along with really making me stop and think. Nowhere is a "Quiet Time" commanded in the Bible. NOT that reading your Bible everyday is bad or should not be done, but the pressure of how to do it "right" has made the Bible more of a stumbling block than a refuge for many women.
I will say it's hard to get hold of anyone from the magazine if you have trouble or questions. I wanted to place their button on my blog for people and I never heard back. Also my first issue was slow in coming and when I went to inquire as to when I should expect it, again no response. That being said, it came and I loved it! So I'm truly getting nothing out of this if you check it out but I think you will get a lot out of it if you do! There are several other homeschooling magazines but this is my favorite.
Encouraging, inspiring and not too pricey...perfect in my book!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year!
So, it's too boring with ONLY 5 kids to ring in the New Year "alone"! We usually have two families over with a total of 19 children between the 3 of us. But sad to say one family moved and couldn't make it this year :0( We invited a friend with his two boys and brought our total up to 14 kids and 5 adults. We sat around and chatted and the kids played Nerf and Wii and all that fun stuff. Every year at midnight I try to come up with something to throw at the kids- silly string, poppers etc. This year the kids were so sure we'd have silly string so... we did!
Right before the ball dropped. (Some kids were sleeping or gone from this pic.)
The attack!! (Only grown-ups are armed with silly string.)
Fun!! It has been a lazy but busy 3 weeks off and I'm not sure I'm ready to jump back in but here we go.
I am thankful to be healthy and able to take care of my own children this year after 3 months last year of depending on the kindness of others to make it through our days. God was faithful and I learned a lot. I hope this year to take the time to put into practice what He taught me and share it with others like you. In upcoming posts I hope to share some of our/my goals for the new year, some of the curriculum we've used this year along with plans of what we're trying different in the coming year. I'll also share some books, CD's and DVDs that have been a great help to me. I'll talk a little about our family's rules, parenting strategies and plans for hospitality and volunteering opportunities WITH our children. I'm excited to see what the year holds as we all grow in faith and love.
Blessings on your new year :0)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
