What I Did Today

Sometimes at the end of the day I like to review what I've accomplished--thought maybe you'd like to review with me.

I made three meals.

I washed 3 loads of laundry one of which is still in the washer. :(

I homeschooled.

I re-rolled the toilet paper and removed little hands from the toilet you see above.

I had a case worker visit.

I read several chapters of "Where the Red Fern Grows" out loud.

I put all the diapers back in the trash can after the little person mentioned above pulled them all out.

I blogged a little.

So......what did you do today?

I can't believe that I just posted a picture of my toilet on my blog--sometimes I embarass even myself.

Cheerful

Somehow, the sight of all these eggs on my counter makes me feel cheerful on this gray rainy Monday morning.

Oh, and if you have any good recipes using LOTS of eggs please share them!

Too Many Balls In The Air

Lately--I feel like I can't keep up.

If I get the laundry done then the dishes fall behind.

If my house is tidy then I snap at my children.

If homeschooling goes well then we eat junk food instead of nutritious stuff.

If I remember to blog then I forget to feed and water my chickens. (No kidding I did this yesterday--poor chickens.)

My mom would say I have too many irons in the fire.

My hubby says I'm trying to do too much too perfectly.

I feel like I'm a juggler with a ton of balls in the air and I can't keep catching them.

Oh, and my eye is twitching uncontrollably--stress maybe?

I'm so glad that God doesn't love me based on what I get done or how well it gets done!!!

Staggering Statistics

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself uspotted from the world."  James 1:27

It's Coming

I can feel it just around the corner.

I can see it in the mist over our neighbors pond in the morning.

There are a few trees with bright color in their branches.

 I can smell it in the dank odor of falling leaves.

The school buses roar by in the morning.

There is a chilly bite to my bare feet from the sidewalk.

I even saw a pumpkin on some one's porch.

Autumn is almost here, and I'm glad because it's my favorite time of year.

What signs of autumn have you observed?

Back To School

As we launch into a fresh school year  I am reminded of some of the things that I had forgotten over the summer.

 We've been homeschooling a little over three years now, and by no means am I an expert, but I have figured out a few little strategies that work for us. 

Before I started homeschooling I talked to all the homeschooling moms that I knew.  I picked their brains and asked them questions, and followed them around looking for tips and pointers.  This is some of the wisdom I gleaned.

Mom should get an early start.  Even if your official school day doesn't start till ten o'clock it helps so much if you are up and dressed and have a handle on your day before you expect your children to start school.  Take it from someone who has tried to do school in her pajamas--it's not conducive to good learning.

Plan ahead for lunch.  Even if you just make sure there are ingredients for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on hand.  If you are distracted by trying to figure out what to feed your children as they are finishing up their last subject before lunch it doesn't make you a very helpful teacher.

Relax.  I know this seems silly, but sometimes I panic over my children not remembering something they learned yesterday.  Teaching is like building a brick wall you lay a brick, and spread some mortar, and then you lay another brick........you get the idea.

Don't compare yourselves to other homeschooling mom's.  What works for you might look totally different than what works for someone else.  I have a good friend who home schools in the afternoon, and although that would never work at my house she is very successful.  ( This also applies to curriculum by the way.)

Plan for some easier days.  You might do this by working extra a couple days a week, or just by including some days off on your calender.  It always amazes me how much more I feel like working after we have had a fun day.

Begin every day with prayer.  This year we have been taking turns praying before we start our school day.  I've been amazed at the things my boys pray about--asking God to help them remember their addition facts, and to help them concentrate.  Every day goes better if it's covered in prayer!

Memories of The Good Old Days

I scoop his wet little body out of the bathtub and he giggles as he glimpses his face in the mirror behind me.  I look over my shoulder and feel a little shock of surprise as I see my own face next to his.  Where did those lines come from on my forehead?  Next to his sweet little baby face I look old.  Well, not old exactly.......I look like my mom. 

I'm not sure why it surprises me--except that in my mind I'm still a teenager.  I have a slim figure, and my hair is thick and dark, not thin and salt and pepper.  To tell you the truth I enjoy that mental image of myself better than the one that I see in the mirror. 

I had an endless supply of energy, and no responsibility.  Life was simple and carefree with no major complications other than what I was going to do that weekend.  Sometimes I think it would be fun to go back to those days of simplicity.

But then I remember--it wasn't really simple back then either.  I wasn't as comfortable as I am now.  I stressed over little things, and I worried about what people thought of me.  I didn't slip into prayer as easily as one thought to the next.  I tried to be someone cool instead of who I really was. 

My grandma used to tell me.  "This is the best time of your life."  At the time I thought she meant when I was young, but looking back now I think she meant now--the present.  In other words enjoy where you are now.  Don't live in the past and don't worry about the future.  Live today in the most alive way possible, and appreciate the present.

 Even if there are a few wrinkles and gray hairs.

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Pondering some questions..........

Why do I feel so tired when I just got back from a three day vacation?

Why does the first day of homeschooling make me so nervous when I've been doing this for three years?

Why did my littlest one pick today to wake up at 5:00am?

OK, enough questions.

 More than once this past weekend I looked in my rear view mirror, and felt a measure of shock at how FULL our van looks.  I know those of you with 8 children are laughing at me, but there was a time when I didn't know if we would have ANY children.  Telling a restaurant hostess that there are six in our party sounds surreal to me.  The other thing that shocks me is how easily we have slipped into this roll as parents of four instead of two.

 I didn't know we were that adaptable. :)