Get Your Groove On

I feel like I've found my groove. Generally, I'm not an extremely organized person. I need some sort of outside motivator to organize myself & household, sadly. Homeschooling has put us on a "schedule" of sorts which has helped our family function; immensely, dare I say. This concept of "menu-planning" I thought was for the birds! Well, I am alive and well to report that I now partake in this crazy concept. I've heard rumors that it makes lives so much easier. Consider the rumor confirmed! It's so much easier than scrambling around in a mad-dash at 4:30 every afternoon wondering, "What's easy, nutritious, thawed and can be consumed when my Dearest comes home from work in 1 hour?" To the delight (or is it dismay?) of my children, this erratic behavior has, for the most part, ceased.

The End of the Third Week

Ah, how awesome this is! We've completed our third week and things are going along just swimmingly! We've sped ahead in Phonics, Reading, & Math. Cursive seems to elude him a bit.

Sometimes Ethan says, "Mom? I think Homeschooling is boring..." I respond neutrally with, "Oh, really? Is cursive really that hard?" With all seriousness, he responds, "Yes, Mom. School would be better than homeschool." I can't help but point out, "Do you like being done with school by lunchtime? If you were in school, you'd still be there and cursive would still be there!" To which he says, "Oh, yeah! I forgot. I guess as long as I can be done with cursive soon." Precious moments, indeed.

Isaac is learning his phonics sounds. Due to his lost tooth, his pronunciation is somewhat creative on certain letters and sounds. Being at home has really helped with his pronunciation ~ he's able to watch my mouth form the sounds and he's better able to pronounce the sounds correctly. Yay!

Last Sunday, at church several people asked me how this homeschooling was going; knowing what my attitude was before I started, they were keen to know what my feelings were now that I was in the midst of it. Well, I can clearly say that it is the best decision we've ever made for our family! I know there are skeptics out there just lurking on my blog. I won't even say that homeschooling is for everyone, but it is for us. At least.... for now. :-)

What a first week!

Woohoo!!! We have successfully completed our first week of homeschooling!!! It was a little challenging, but we made it - Ethan is learning, Isaac is learning and we're all still sane! It may not always be like this, I know. Some days I will need to adopt the idea that "I'm homeschooling today." (Thanks to Sandy's friend in London, Ont -??? for that insight. I'm so sorry I forgot your name.)

If we can live through days like yesterday, I think we can make it! Friday was going to be a tough day, just because of our schedule. I was going to take a meal to my CTMH friend Nina, who had given birth to twins a week and a half ago. I also had a strange rash on the back of my leg and had a Dr's appt at 11:15 am. SO, we started the day with Bible, phonics, writing, and poetry at home, got packed up to go to the Dr's and finished math, reading and seatwork there. I predicted that the Dr's would be packed being Friday and all. After the Dr's we got home about 2 pm, started dinner (for us and for Nina's family), finished around 4:30 and went to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription, then drop off the meal, then head home. On our way home my phone rings - my Dearest wondering where we were. A full day, but schooling was completed! BTW, strange rash not diagnosed - if this cream clears it up, we won't know what caused it. Helpful, huh?

From my friend Mary:

Mary's Awesome Pork Dish

Combine:
1/3 c flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Use flour mixture to dredge:
2 lbs pork loin, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
Sear pork in skillet, place into ungreased 9x13 pan.

Saute:
2 T. butter
1 c chopped celery or onion (if you don't like onions, celery works well instead)

Add and boil:
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c applesauce
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c apple juice
½ tsp ground ginger

Pour mixture over pork into 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350* for 1 hour. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or rice and your choice of veggie.

And So It Begins...

Today was our first day of school! We started about 7:15 with breakfast and a devotion with the Bible verse Ethan is learning this week. We started "school" at about 7:45 and were pretty much done by about 11:30. In case you think we're slacking we had these subjects today: Bible, phonics (3 lessons), math (2 lessons), poetry, cursive writing, art (drawing/coloring), reading, and snacks & recess, which I'm told are absolutely necessary! Oh, Ethan also had some seatwork to complete.

So, just how much time are people wasting in school being told to turn around, face the front, line up for (x,y,z), stop talking, etc.??

Isaac had some playtime and we worked on a few worksheets as Ethan did his seatwork. We are waiting for his curriculum to arrive.

Today feels like it was very successful - children learning , a sane Mom and we got lots of other errands done, as well! Praise be to God!

It's Almost Labor Day....

which in MI means that schools are gearing up to go back to school. Sad time of the year, eh? Due to some law passed, all (public) schools start after Labor Day. Here at our house, we start tomorrow! No, not private school nor charter school.

We are homeschooling Ethan this year! And we start tomorrow. Some thoughts that run through my head frequently are: "YIKES!!!!!! Yes, God is sovereign. God will lead us through all of this. Breathe. BREATHE!!! This is the best decision for our family. BREATHE!!"

We were planning on starting after Labor Day, however my sis and bro-in-law were planning on coming back from Ghana on the 6th. How can you disrupt a schedule if one doesn't exist? Moreover, how can you get back on track once disrupted? If I don't start tomorrow, I think it will be much harder to get back on track. Never mind the fact that they are now trying to extend their stay. :-)

Ethan is excited for school to start! I think he is excited to be able to work at his pace, which seems to be faster than the pace at school last year. According to his stardardized testing results, he's reading at a 3rd grade level, doing math at a 1st or 2nd grade level, and out-performing many children his age. From February until school ended, he started causing "trouble" -- getting up out of his seat, wandering, calling answers out in class, distracting other students -- because he was bored and already had a good grasp on what was being taught.

What about Isaac, you may ask? Well, the prevailing thought was that he would continue with pre-school at the school he attended last year; he doesn't meet the age cut-off to start Kindergarten this fall. Then, yesterday on the way home from church, a crazy thought occured: Why don't we homeschool him too? It would lessen the stress and drive time of racing across town to the preschool, set up "school" for Ethan and be much less running around that we would be doing, i.e. more time for school, learning, and reading. The tuition cost would equal 2 or 3 months of preschool. We plan on introducing him to a Kindergarten 4 curriculum and more advanced concepts, although he is having a hard time accepting the fact that Pluto is no longer a planet. When I asked him about homeschooling, he was so excited! He said, "Oh yes, I would like to be homeschooled!"

I plan to keep Scrapping and Stamping, along with monthly workshops, day-crops, and teaching classes. This will all keep me very busy!

2 More Camping Layouts!

Marshmallows - Need We Say More?? It's funny to see my boys do the Korean Squat!

Here we are at our campground. Lots of fun!

Camping Picture Layouts.. Finally!

It's taken me this long to scrap the pics from our camping trip last month!

Dune pics -

Under the blue flap (top right) is a photo of Isaac crawling on all fours through the dunes and some journaling --

"The Dunes were so much fun! The boys got to the top and quickly became specks on the horizon. Ethan brought his car; Isaac crawled on all 4s...sometimes just for fun! It rained so heavily the night before the dunes became packed down & much easier to walk on... not as "beachy." What a great day! Fun was had by us all. :)"

Beach Pics -

We had so much fun at Lake Michigan! The quote is, "Something wonderful happens when the sky is a heavenly shade of blue." ~Frank Sinatra

Mid-July: Camping Trip!

Now, I am a self-declared city-gal; I enjoy my air-conditioning, warm showers, privacy, sleeping on a mattress and most importantly, doors and windows! My Dearest broached the subject of (tent) camping this past winter/spring with fond memories of his camping days. These days were about 2 decades ago, mind you! I thought, "I should be an adventurous mom. I will try almost anything once." This dovetails along with my philosophy that I will do just about anything for my kids and put my own self-consciousness aside. Perhaps a better way to put it would be that my own selfconsciousness shouldn't be a reason for not doing something with my kids.

I had concerns about this new adventure, on which we were going to take our children. I was concerned about drunken people keeping us up all hours of the night (no real walls, remember?) and having a miserable time. I think my Dearest was stuck in we-are-going-camping-mode and found a lovely camp ground Stony Haven Campground.

July 1 -- Marriage...

Mawwage... That is the weason, we are gathewed togethah today. ~Princess Bride

Here's a layout of a friend's wedding. We didn't actually go to the wedding (due to distance & time) but these are pics and a poem written by the groom's mom in announcement form.

On a sidenote, it seems so much easier to scrapbook for others or the pages that belong in my "People We Love" album, rather than my own personal pages. I guess the key is organization and time! :-)

I'm home!

Since my birthday was during Convention week, I got to celebrate twice; once in SLC with my consultant friends (along with about 45 women who sang "Happy Birthday" to me in the hotel lobby!) and again at home with the 3 sweetest boys (whose singing may have been off, but was the sweetest sound)!

More Boys - Last Week of June

What did the boys do while I was at Convention??

Well... the boys had lots of outdoor fun! Enjoy these pics from that week, last week of June.

Convention!!

I am so excited about going to Convention. It's Close To My Heart's National Convention for their Independent Consultants, of which I am one. It is about a week long - June 26th until June 29th, with my birthday in there too! Not to mention the extra day for flying to & from Utah.

All this to say, I won't be updating the blog this up-coming week... unless my dear hubby decides to do something awesome with the boys and feels a compelling need to share with the world. Most likely, he'll wait to show me pics and I'll do it when I return. Funnily enough, I tend to be the more tech-savvy person in our marriage. I know I don't update often, but... just had to share I'm going to Utah!

Have a blessed week!! .. and for those of you scrappin' or stampin', create something! :-)

Happy Birthday, Ethan!!

We celebrated his birthday early, though this posting is late! He had a party with friends from school. He hasn't had a party with friends since he turned 1! It was nice to have his friends over & VERY entertaining, both for the children & for the adults! :-) We had a nice turnout from the total of 13 kids in his class.

Here is his cake - he requested homemade banana with this specific picture on it. Ethan drew out his design & Brian decorated it.

Here he is waiting for his friends to come!

Jonathon, Ethan & Daniela listen to ...

Gram-Gram talk about toys she had when she was young.

Alisha is on the other side of her.

Here are Kristen, Isaac, & Brian enjoying hot dogs, strawberries,blueberries, & chips; menu picked by Ethan.

Jonathon waiting patiently as Ethan looks outside wondering, "Is it time to go play games yet?!"

Finally!!

Isaac, Daniela, Alisha & Kristen enjoying time on the "big toy" as it
is called at our house. Seeing all of them on it now makes me
realize just how fast the kids are growing up and
the "big toy" isn't so big anymore!

Jonathon & Ethan playing in the "turtle-that-once-held-sand-but-held-water-and water-balloons-for-the-party." Is that a long name or what!

Will the boys or girls win? How fast can they fill a 2 L bottle with
water from a sponge? Do 6 year olds know how to cooperate and follow
directions? Not so much! They did have fun and
enjoyed getting their feet inadvertantly wet!

Let's try some more!!

Okay, enough of that -- I forgot to take pics of the water-balloon toss,
or should I say, all-out water-ballon fight! Soooooo.....

Let's move onto cake!

Here are Jessiann, Ethan, & Daniela sitting next to
Ethan. Candles lit, blown-out, sitting happily, and waiting for cake & ice cream!

A little sugar never hurt anyone! See what kind of smile some sugar does? Of course those that know me know this "sugar-thing" is a rare occurance in our house! The Sugar-Nazi let up for his birthday. ;-)

After presents were opened, they gathered around for a group photo. Top row, from left to right: Jessiann, Daniela, Alisha, & Kristen. Bottom row, from left to right: Jonathon, Ethan, Brandon.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Let's play catch-up: Man in Brown!

Dance Praise finally did arrive.
Below is a pic of myself & my sister when I was first introduced to it. Ah, happy memories!

Below is my Dad & Sister, with her husband watching.

Let's play catch-up: Ethan's Last Day of School!

Well, it's actually been awhile since his last day of school and unfortunately, no pics yet! I'm sending the cds, Amy, I swear! He ended school on June 1st and boy, is he happy to be out! He's been enjoying playing in the sun, drawing, playing inside with cars, sleeping in (he's finally learned how, I think!), reading, playing school - teaching Isaac about weather & science (oddly enough), eating just about non-stop, and playing some more in the sun! I'm really enjoying having Ethan at home. :-)

Let's play catch-up: Great-Grandma's 90th Birthday Party!

Here is my grandma with her friends, waiting for their food. :-)


Below is my sister Jennifer with Grandma.

Here are Brian and Isaac.

Here are Clint & Jennifer.

Here are Brian, Ethan & Isaac, before eating dinner.

Here is a dinner picture -- my boys with various uses for chopsticks: Brian can eat (very well) with them, Isaac tries using just one at a time, and Ethan is trying to ... stick as many as he can into his mouth! I am talking to Terri, a close friend of our family, and apparently something with my hands or wrist. :-)

Last Day of Pre-School!

Today was the last day of preschool for Isaac. YAY! Here he is before we left the house.

















Above is Isaac (& most of the class) saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Below they are counting by tens - with motions!

Below is the Phonics Alphabet - "y" for yarn.

How many planets are there? "NINE!" they shouted. Below is Isaac with his friend Noah.

The park we were at had the most fabulous playscape! Here he is on the climbing wall.


He learned so much this year in preschool: God, the alphabet, planets, inventors, presidents, sign language, plants & animals ....

Is the Man in Brown here yet??

My sister and brother-in-law brought their Dance Praise (DDR-type of thing) with them when they came to town for my grandmother's 90th birthday party a few weekends ago and I got to play! Can I just tell you - it's SO MUCH FUN! We had some unexpected money drop into our lives so guess what we bought?? It's coming via the Man in Brown next week! Can't wait!! Is it here yet?? How 'bout now? No, not yet? Guess I'll have to wait a bit longer. *sigh..........

What Sleep Number are you?

Last weekend I was in Grand Rapids working at a stamping Expo - so much fun! Met lots of people, taught classes, learned new things from other vendors (sshhhh!) and got to know my friends better, lol! The hotel we stayed at had Sleep Number beds - oh, so interesting with 4 gals in a room, 2 Sleep Number beds (only 1 number allowed per bed!) and we quickly found out we all had different numbers.