This Is My Town....

In the past, I had lived in larger cities like Omaha, NE, Lincoln, NE, Youngstown, OH, Phoenix, AZ and Sioux Falls, SD. I loved the options of things to do, the places to go, and the different places to eat.

I never wanted to live in a small town. But, the more that I live here, the more that I don't want to leave.

My town is reeking with nostalgia and of days gone by. There are actually people here who have lived in the same house that they grew up in, and raised their children in. Neighbors actually know your name, who your children are, and what your dog's name is. And they all keep tabs on each other. Crime is virtually non exist in this town, with the last "crime wave" being some kids stuck some stickers on the stop sign on the way to the first day of school.







This is the view of the busiest street in our town on a Saturday afternoon, both directions from the view of my front porch. Notice the traffic jam....


















The hardware store is closed at 4pm on Saturdays, and all day Sundays. But, the people there know you, know your house, and are able to help get the right tools for the right job, no matter how big or small.












The local cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch, not wanting to compete with the pizza parlor for dinner.





If you want ice cream on a hot day, or fresh coffee on a cooler day, our ice cream shop is the place to go. It's also "THE" hangout for anyone and everyone, and the town news and gossip flies there frequently.




These are some of the reasons that I love my town. It's small, and in some ways, backwards. But, we are growing. Why, just last month, the bank changed its hours to be open on Wednesdays now. The post office is still closed for lunch, though. The social events of the year are opening day for the local youth baseball/softball leagues, and the community wide garage sale.

The people are friendly, and big hearted. I love being able to walk to the little store to get a gallon of milk or other necessity. I love being able to have my hubby walk the block to work and come home for lunch with us. The park is only 1 block away, and the post office and bank are in my backyard. I have lived in many places, but I think that this has been the best so far to raise our family. I would love to have you visit and see for yourself!

Celebrating the Life of "Dozer" Drews

I was all set to let you know about the amazing savings that I had gotten this week, but when I checked my email, it didn't seem as important.

I found out that fellow HOTM writer, and friend, Marsha's 3 year old son, Christian "Dozer" Drews was missing. Following the emails, I learned that he was found in the lake 3 hours later. While I have not yet met Marsha, my heart breaks for this sweet lady and her family. Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time.




Cards or Correspondence can be mailed to:
David and Marsha Drews
c/o Rachel Harris
12830 N. Cypress Lane
Tomball, TX 77377

photo taken from Heart of The Matter

Celebrating the Life of "Dozer" Drews

My heart is broken as I am writing this...words just can't describe it.

"Dozer" Drews was an amazing child, full of life and smiles. This angel, went to join Jesus on Tuesday evening. His family misses him terribly, but we know that this isn't the end. He is with His Savior, playing on Jesus' knee and laughing and having a ball. This doesn't make the pain stop, but we can mourn with hope. God is still God and in control.

Marsha and David, my prayers are with you and your family right now. Dozer, we shall see you soon...

To send a card:

David and Marsha Drews
c/o Rachel Harris
12830 N. Cypress Lane
Tomball, TX 77377

What Fun Legos Are....

My baby is going to be four on Monday. (where has the time gone?) And his wonderful grandparents sent him some cool Legos today.
So, thanks, Grandma and Grandpa...he has been sooo quiet today playing hard, building things with his big brother...

Opening the box was half the fun..






"WOW! WEG-OS! AWESOME!"



I am not sure who was more exvcited..Lil' Bit or his big brother...



One of the cool new cars in their collection.

Law Allows Banishment of the Bible

Folks, if there was any doubt ever about this possibly being the generation that will see Christ set up His earthly kingdom, then I seriously hopes this quells some of it. I read this today in World Net Daily, and about cried...what are we coming to?

A lawmaker in Colorado who challenged the authors of SB200, a new law that bans discrimination based on the "perception" of gender, contends it was written to give a wide open door to anyone who wants to banish Christian beliefs or the Bible.

"This is so loaded. It's written in an open-ended fashion that anybody can take just about any part of it and grow it into a huge monstrosity," state Rep. Kevin Lundberg told WND today. "It was written with intentional [vagueness]."

He spoke with WND after a news conference at which a number of groups and organizations announced plans to challenge the law. Among those promising to dispute the new limitations on speech and actions was Liberty Counsel, which is reviewing the situation now in preparation for a legal challenge.

"Section 8 of Senate Bill 200 is a wide open door for any judge to censor anything that condemns homosexuality, including Scripture," Lundberg said at the news conference. Section 8 is headlined, "Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden."


"I do believe that the Bible is banned, under the plain language of this new statute," said Steve Crampton, general counsel of Liberty Counsel.

Check out the rest of the story here.

I believe that now is the time to pray, people. God promised us in 2 Chronicles 638 and 39 if we would humble ourselves and pray, He would heal our land. Won't you take a moment and join me as we pray for the future of our nation? I believe that God can turn this mess around, but we need to stand and fight!

What's Your Bills IQ?

What's your Bills IQ? Do you have the life insurance that you need for your family? How's your credit score? Are you planning for your financial future, or are you just barely hanging on?

I took the quiz and scored a 92. Basically, we need to get our will written, and have our credit report checked more often. Somehow or other, time always seems to get past me. But, I know that I need to do it and now I can act. Bills IQ can help us get a free copy of our credit report as well.

Go here to take the quiz and find out your score. You can then get advice on how to improve your Bills IQ and get help on issues such as :

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A VERY funny story...well, sort of....

First, some background on dogs and puppies. When in the wild, a pack of dogs has the "Alpha" dog, or the leader. The other dogs submit to the Alpha dog...that's how the pack survives. When they are domesticated, the dogs have to still submit to an Alpha dog, but that becomes the owner. When we were taking puppy training courses a few years back with another dog, the trainer showed us about "Wolfing" a dog, where by you would have them on their back and show them "who's the boss". If a dog released the contents of his bladder by doing this, he was showing you he was completely submitting to you.

Now some background on my hubby. He is a wonderful, kind, gentle man. He has the patience of a saint. Except when it comes to our animals. I can't recall one animal at all that has really liked Karl...even our hamster wasn't too fond of him. That being said, here's the way my morning went:

I got up at 6 AM and took the dogs out. I fed them breakfast, took the puppy out again, and proceeded to get on the treadmill for the best workout yet. It was exhilarating! I started the coffee, woke the kids up, and got into the shower. I felt wonderful...the best in weeks!

I got dressed, and with still very wet hair, went into the kitchen to talk to my oldest son. He was still plotting the trampoline/roof/pool thing, but has resigned himself to just dream about it for now. The new puppy, Titus was by my feet, preparing to lie down. My hubby decided that he wanted to try again to "make nice" with Titus by petting him and showing him affection. Of course, most people would've just simply bent down and petted the puppy first. Not my hubby. No, he PICKED THE PUPPY UP!

Did I mention that I had just gotten out of the shower?? Now, Titus is yelping like crazy, and submitting to Karl and peeing everywhere.


All.
Over.
ME!!!!!


Well, Karl didn't put him down right away, NO...he waited until the puppy bladder was completely empty (on ME!!!-did I mention that I had just gotten out of the shower???)
Then, he put the dog down!!!

I had to jump back into the shower, and change clothes again. What a way to start the day!!!!

Question from a Reader

This email came to me from my sweet friend, Karen.

You mentioned that you can shop for pretty cheap. I realize that I have a few more people than you do and so my bill will be a little more, but I still would like to see if I can make it smaller. :-)

We don't buy processed food or pre-made food (ex: chef boyardee). We don't use coupons because it seems that most of the time the store brand is still cheaper or we don't use the product. And for the few that we do, I don't think the time spent sorting and clipping amounts to the savings (time is money you know).

I have tried shopping at Aldi's but it seems that most of the food sold there is in a box. I know there are a few things there that I do use, but if I have to go to another store to get the rest of my groceries, is it really worth going out of my way when I can get all the groceries at one store? Maybe it does since I will go over to Maple City to buy my spices after I did the calculation on that and discovered that those spices that they sell at the grocery store are like $15/lb.

I did head over to Sav-a-lot the other day, and was able to pick up a few items there, but I still had to go to Kroger to get the rest off the groceries.

So how do you shop?

I use coupons a lot. Yeah, most of the time they are for processed food or junk food, but I have found more and more organic items, and things like free salad dressing or $1 off produce, that sorta thing.


For example, in the August edition of the All You magazine that they sell At Walmart, they have a strip of free items when you buy 3 Nabisco/Kraft items. Since the Kool Aid packs that are $.20 each are a Kraft item, I bought 30 of them and got 2 packs of all beef hot dogs, 2 packs of sliced cheese, 2 boxes of Wheat Thins, 2 Salad Dressings, and 2 packages of Crystal Light for free. I also got $1 off bananas since I had 2 Kraft Dressings, even though I technically didn't have to pay anything for them. Now, I don't drink the Crystal Light, nor do we normally use the Kool aid, let alone 30 packs, but since I only paid $3.00 for all that, I was okay with giving that stuff to the food pantry.

Meijer also has http://meijermealbox.com where you can get coupons for the meijer products. Normally, I would buy the whole wheat noodles, but they often have a coupon for $.50 off a box of meijer brand pasta. And, it will go on sale for $.50 a box, making it free with the coupon. When that happens, I stock up since I can print off as many of the coupon that I want. Meijer brand spaghetti sauce works in a similar manner. They will often have a coupon for $.50 off a jar, and when it goes on the 10 for $10 sale, I will stock up on that as well. Not as good as the homemade stuff I will have in the fall, but works for us for now. :)

Aldi does have a lot of boxed and processed foods, but if you dig a bit, you can find the goldmines there. Like cheese, tortillas, milk, and eggs are usually 10-20% cheaper. I get some fresh produce there, but you gotta go in the mornings to get the best looking stuff. Usually Wed are the best mornings, that I have found.

I normally go to the bread store outlet once every 10 weeks or so. I can get "day old" organic bread for $1 a loaf. I stock up there, and have bread, buns, and whatnot for around $35 a trip. That almost fills 1/2 my freezer.


I have been getting meat at the butcher shop as well. We don't use a lot, so 75lb. has lasted us around 5 weeks so far, and we still have over 3/4 left. If I make spaghetti, I only use 1 lb for 2 jars of sauce, and have leftovers for homemade pizza the next night...and if I make hamburgers, I make 1 lb. into "sliders" (on the dinner rolls vs. regular buns) and then I make some black bean burgers as well to make more for us to eat. The black beans run around $.50 a can and 1 can makes about 6 slider burgers.

Things like organic and all natural peanut butter can be bought at places like Target, too.
http://www.afullcup.com has coupons for Target and other store coupons, too. I found Skippy all natural peanut butter coupons for $1 off. They normally sell for $2.08, but I got it for $1.08....and of course, it's a store coupon, so if you find a MANUFACTURER coupon (like in the Sunday paper), you can add it to the store coupon and save more.

If you prefer shopping at Kroger, you can add "clipless" coupons to your Kroger card. Check out the coupons at ShortCuts. You can even use a paper coupon combined with the clipless coupon to save you even more. For example, I had a $1/1 Downy clipless on my card, a $1/1 manufacturer coupon, and it was on sale for $3.99, so I got it for $1.99 total after all coupons.


Other ways that I save money are basically I use up leftovers to make something different so that we don't know we are eating leftovers, use about 1/2 the meat that is called for in a recipe, and make my own from scratch whenever I can (cereal, pizza dough, quick bread, noodles, that sorta thing) and I can get pretty creative when I need to. Our grocery budget is around $50 a week for the 5 of us, and I can stay under that if need be. We don't eat beans and rice for every meal, although I like it once a week, just because I enjoy them. I also try to make a soup from scratch once a week (chicken noodle, cheesy potato, black bean).

The biggest thing is NO, I don't buy everything at one store. I make a plan (takes about 1/2 hour) and map out all the sales at each store. It has to have at least 3 things at a good price before I will stop there. Otherwise, Walmart will price match everyone else's ad prices. If you like the one stop shopping idea, I would suggest reading my "how to" here.


As far as household and health and beauty products, I don't include those in the grocery budget since I normally get those for pennies a piece. I shop at CVS and use the Extra Care Buck system that they have to "roll" the bucks to buy other stuff. If you need help learning about how to shop at CVS, check out Money Saving Mom's CVS 101.

Does anyone else have any ideas for Karen? How do you shop and save money at the store?

Searching....

Well, I have to tell ya, this has been mulling over and over in my head for about a week now. Usually, when I have something to say, I get it down right away, otherwise, it's lost forever. (yeah, I'm an airhead sometimes!) But, I have some questions to ask of you. Maybe someone knows some answers...here's hoping....

I ran into a friend the other day, and her 18 year old daughter had gone through some prodigal times, running away from her parents and living with her boyfriend and his family. When she had come to her senses, she went home. And, the next day, she tripped and broke her ankle. When I saw her with her crutches, she told me that she found out in the Bible times, shepherds would break the legs of unruly sheep to keep them close to themselves. She went on to say that God allowed her to break her ankle to keep her from running again. Now, I do not claim to be a theologian, nor am I the most astute when it comes to the Bible, but I can't honestly remember where they did this, let alone where God did this to someone.

I had a debate with a different friend about this and she claimed that God does allow bad things to happen...just look at Job. OK, I said, but still wondered. So, after looking through Job, I couldn't figure out why that would be so. First of all, Job didn't do anything wrong. (Job 1:1, 8) He didn't wander off from his parents, responsibilities, or God. As a matter of fact, when the chips were down, Job stood firm and still praised God. (Job 1:22) God allowed Job to be tested to the limit to show that he was a righteous man after God's heart. (Job 1:12)

So, I have to wonder...

I love my boys. They can wear me out just by eating breakfast, but I love them more and more each day. My 8 year old has more energy in his little finger nail than I have in my whole body at times, and his imagination is unlimited. Now, I can tell him that it's really not a good idea to jump off the roof, onto the trampoline and into the pool. He could get really hurt. And, I could make a rule that he can't do it. I could set down the command, write it down, and have him read it daily. But, the fact remains, sadly, that my adventurous child will still plot and scheme to move the trampoline closer and closer to the pool and the roof of the house. What if he did it? What if, one day, he decided that I didn't know what I was talking about when I say he could get really hurt? He would wait until I wasn't looking, or nearby, move the trampoline, gage the distance, climb the ladder, and JUMP.

I wouldn't ever, ever, ever allow it. I couldn't just stand by and "allow him to get hurt" just to teach him that I was, in fact, right about the risk. What kind of mother would I be if I stood by, shaking my head as he climbed the ladder to the roof? Wouldn't I do everything to stop him? I love him, I don't want him hurt!!


What kind of God would he be if he allowed us to just jump without trying everything to get our attention???


But, if he jumped, despite everything I told him, can anyone say I allowed it? If I stood by screaming "NO, don't! You'll get hurt", is it still something I allowed to "teach him" something? I think not. See, the way I envision God is not some grandfatherly man sitting on a golden throne. He's not there, waiting to "zap" us if we do something wrong, or stupid. I think that He is just like our earthly daddys, trying to get us to understand that somethings are "the rules" just because we could get hurt, and we are being kept as safe as possible. I can't imagine that He would allow any of his children to get hurt, regardless of the circumstances. He would be there, screaming, "NO! Don't do it" just as I would with my son. But, just like my son***, we would sometimes not listen. We would think that we knew better. And we would jump. And as a result of our disobedience, we would get hurt. God didn't allow it...we did it to ourselves.

I think that the same thing happened here. I don't think that God wanted this young girl to break her ankle, it was the mere fact that she tripped. Ummm, you can't blame clumsiness on God. You tripped, plain and simple. Can God use this time to speak to you? Sure, but only if you are willing to listen. (Psalm 46:10)

Maybe it's just easier to blame someone else for our mistakes, even God. We don't have to take the blame for running away, wrong financial decisions, or speeding (God allowed me to get a speeding ticket to stop me...), or anything else. Maybe we should stop looking to others to blame for our pain, and just realize that He can redeem the mistakes. We may have to live with the consequences, but God can take the past and make it new again. First, we need to admit that it was our fault. We ran away, we tripped, we had a lead foot in the car. Simple enough. Then, we can look to God and say, "Hey, I screwed up again". And, since our sins have been cast as far as east to west, (Psalm 103:12) He will look at us and say, "What do you mean, again?"




*** author note...my 8 year old son did not jump off the roof, onto the trampoline, and into the pool...we got a good math lesson out of the idea, but his father has since hidden the ladder...

Where Do I Homeschool?

I have thought long and hard about the answer to this question. "Where do I homeschool?"
Hmmm....well, do you mean the actual 30 minutes a day that we sit down and do our textbooks? Then, we homeschool at the kitchen table.
If you mean the other 16 1/2 hours a day that we are awake, then the correct question would be "Where DON'T you homeschool?"
My family has enjoyed (thus far) a variety of ways of educating our children. We have gone from using strict textbooks and "setting goals" daily to completely unschooling with no books or schedules, to a somewhat balanced approach between the two.
For me, education is much more than just picking up the "Easy Grammar" book and filling in a few pages. Sure, my kids learn what a participle is and why it should never dangle on a daily basis. (did ya catch that?) But, they are also learning more about who they are. They are discovering the talents that the Lord gave them and how to develop them. I am not sure how to incorporate my daughter's love for all animals into a "subject course" because it's not just one or two...it's the entire animal kingdom! Try making a unit study out of that one. What books do you start with from the library? Horses, dogs, skunks, rabbits, squirrels?
How do I count TaeKwonDo as PE when I am not helping my son learn? Sure, I can be his punching bag or hold the kickers, but really, can I count that? What category do I put his compassion down under? Do I write all the times he gives his little brother a toy to make him happy under spelling? Or math?
What about Bible time? We read our devotions, sure. But what about the rest of the day afterwards? Do the times that I fall short and have to ask my children's forgiveness fit there? When they learn that even small lies are not allowed and they get disciplined, is that enough for the day? What about the honesty lessons when the cashier gives too much change and we walk back into the store to make sure it's given back? When we are living what we learn from the Word, do I have to have my children notebook it in order for it to be school?
Yes, I know the answer should have been "kitchen table" or "dining room table" when I have to separate the kids, but I think that answer officially is:

We homeschool everywhere we are, everyday that we are alive, every moment that we are awake.



originally published on Goshen Homeschool Digest on Feb 15, 2008

Please Forgive Me...

I know that I haven't been posting like I should be, but I have been busy with moving this over to my own website (hey, I am "dot com" now!). Please be patient as we get things into place and the new look all set up.

We will be at http://www.dimesavindiva.com so, stay tuned!

What I Wish I Had Known My First Year....

I am a homeschooling mother of 3. I have 3 wonderful blessings, all different in their own way. They are awesome.
But, I have made so many mistakes along the way. I can't believe myself sometimes, when I look back at what I have done. My beautiful daughter was 5 at the time when we started homeschooling. A typical first-born child, she knew her ABC's, numbers to 100, colors, shapes, and most nursery rhymes by the time she was 2. She could speak in full paragraphs that anyone could understand. She soaked in information like a sponge, and loved it. Why should teaching her to read be any different? Oh, naive fool that I was.

I took it upon myself to decide that she was going to learn the same way that I did. She was going to do what worked for me, whether or not she liked it. I used this curriculum myself, and thought that she would do best in it. No kindergarten for my child...she can read some already! Put her in the first grade level!! That's my little overachiever! Shoulda been a sign....

It took approximately 3 months before we experienced our first meltdown. I couldn't figure out why she couldn't do the work, and she couldn't explain it to me. I actually yelled at my delicate child when she couldn't remember the sounds different letter blends made, or if she couldn't read the word "mountain". Tears were daily, as well as arguments. (oh, my sweet child, even now, I ask you to forgive me).

When my very wise husband finally sat me down and told me in no uncertain terms that I was not allowed to crush her anymore, and to let up on her, I listened. I put away the workbooks, pencils and schedules. I read to her. And enjoyed her. We also got her eyes checked and found that she needed glasses. Funny how I never thought that her complaining about not seeing the words was serious before.

My daughter learned how to read within 4 months of me "not schooling" her. As a matter of fact, she was reading chapter books by the time she was 6 years old. I wish I had known my first year that my children didn't have to learn like I did, or that they didn't need to be pushed to succeed. I gave her the tools (glasses, reading aloud, downtime) and she did the rest. If I could do it all over again, I would always reach for teaching my kids to "love to learn" vs. learning the books...


originally posted on Goshen Homeschooling Digest on March 21, 2008

How Do I Homeschool?

originally posted Aug 7,2007



It's 3:30 am right now and I am laughing to myself about this question. (too many iced coffees, perhaps?) When I started out on my venture, I used ACE or School of Tomorrow PACES. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that, you set "goals" in your PACES to be completed in each subject. It's all nicely laid out for you and no planning past the goal stage really needs to be done. At that time, I was a "career mom" and my wonderful hubby stayed at home with the kids and cooked and cleaned. Made a mean meatloaf, too...
My darling daughter loved to learn at that time and since I loved to learn in school and had used that successfully, it was supposed to be just a beautiful thing. (did I mention that I actually LIKED to diagram sentences???) I would go to work in the morning, with goals all set, and come home to a kindergartner who was all smiles with having done her schooling for the day, a then 3 year old actually wanting to use the potty, and a clean house with a happy husband smiling and holding a bouquet of flowers that he and the kids picked for me.
Ok, then reality really set in. Nice dream, though, you have to admit. Mikayla really didn't know how to read as well as I thought, so she struggled with the PACES. Math just wasn't her cup of tea, and she really didn't understand how it worked with the program. Now, I didn't even look at the fact that we weren't sitting down with her and helping her out...I just relied on the program to do the work for me. After all, I used it in high school and was just fine. Oh, naive mother I was. My darling daughter was in tears daily. I couldn't figure out why she couldn't get it and she couldn't explain it to me. Thus the battle began.
About late September, we moved from Ohio to South Carolina to help take care of my mother in law, who was struggling with Parkinson's. At the time, she needed around the clock care. So, hubby went to work while I stayed home and "homeschooled" my daughter, taught my 3 year old son to use the potty, and took care of mom in law. It was long, long days for me. Daughter still couldn't read, son was scared of the spider in the bathroom and refused to go in by himself, and mom in law needed someone by her side CONSTANTLY. Hubby at work from 7am until 6pm. We shared a bedroom with our kids, since the house is so small. How number 3 got here is still a mystery... :)

Well, it's January now and I have been cooped up in this house for 3 solid months with 2 little kids, and yelling at my daughter to get her schooling done (she still couldn't read) and hollering at my son to use the potty, that the spider wouldn't hurt him, and rubbing mom in law's muscles down hourly and lifting her in and out of the tub by myself. Then, I discover I am pregnant. Again, how...I really don't know...there wasn't a lot of time to ourselves...but I digress.

Oh, what a beautiful morning! Karl told me to take a break and go with the kids to see my parents in Indiana. I drove 17 hours by myself, pregnant, with 2 little kids and our dog in a run down 1991 Pontiac Sunbird with 190,00 miles (you read that right) in snow, ice, and storms. I arrived in Indiana February 2. The first thing I did was sleep for about 3 days solid. My father took care of the kids for me. No schooling, though. The kids were on vacation, too, don't ya know? :)
About 10 days into my vacation, I started talking to God. Never seemed to have the time before in South Carolina. My heart cried with all the tension that I had been feeling and all the hormones that were going awry. I loved my in laws, but didn't want to go back. I just couldn't. Praying that I could somehow talk hubby into staying, I called him. God was working there, because Karl was the one that suggested that he move us up there. Yeah!!
So, fast forward to April. Daughter still can't read very well, but is learning. Hubby is moved up to Indiana and working at a grocery store. Son using the potty, but not by himself yet...spiders, ya know. We are living with my parents. I am a lot like my mother. Very regimented, routined. "So, put the kids in school, and you can relax and enjoy your new baby." I thought about it the whole summer. I went so far as to register my son for headstart and go to the school to register my daughter. The day before, God had worked on my heart enough that I didn't go through with it. So, I bought the PACES for the next year. Mikayla cried for an hour, begging me not to make her do them. I still get tears in my eyes when I remember my sweet little girl, with red eyes, looking at me that way. So, about 2 PACES into each subject, I just gave up. We stopped schooling altogether. I was due any day now and couldn't handle any more fights.
I met up with some homeschoolers from my church for the first time ever. I was nice to know that I really wasn't alone. One of them was talking about using "Five in A Row" with her kids. Never having heard of anything other than School of Tomorrow, I was intrigued. I took my kids to the library and began reading to them. About 50 books a day, no kidding. They had a reading contest that year and my kids took first place. Well, baby number 3 came. (love you, Aaron:) We still just read aloud tons and tons of books each day. That was all I had the energy for. I couldn't think, plan or do anything else. Guess what?!? My daughter started to read!!! By Christmas, she was able to read chapter books by herself with understanding about what she was reading!
My darling son, now 4 1/2 loved school so much that he started to learn to read, as well. And for the rest of the year, we unschooled. And our family was peaceful. Well, sorta.

Have I mentioned that I am a glutton for punishment?

I took it on myself that next fall to have my daughter in third grade, my son in kindergarten, a one year old toddler, and babysit my friends child who is the same age as my son, but missed the school cut off date by 3 days. 3 Days????? Anyway, I used "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons" for the boys (yes, I homeschooled my friend's son) and a very, very eclectic approach for my daughter. No PACES, though, to her delight. In January, my plans fell to the wayside. My friend's son no longer came as his father was able to be home with him, and I was tired. Very tired. I began struggling with depression. To the point that some days, I had to FORCE myself to feed the kids. By March, I was a wreck. Across the street from my house, we had watched a new school building built. Kinda cool, actually. Well, to see the kids using the school and playing outside for recess was veeeerrry intriguing (used that word twice now, yeah, me!) to my kids. So, I let them visit the school. I was expecting them to come home, screaming and begging me to not ever take them back. Yeah, right. They had a great time. So, without any prayer or time to seek God, I enrolled my children in third grade and kindergarten full time in school.
Are ya'll still with me?
Did I mention that I didn't seek God? My daughter came home the first 3 days, all smiles. My son showed it right away. He didn't like it. He was now writing letters backwards, and getting "Good Job" stickers for it!!! What???? After the start of the second week, Mikayla started trying to make herself throw up in the mornings so she wouldn't have to go to school. After 4 days of this, Karl and I met with her teacher and principal. I was told that my daughter didn't have any clue of what was going on. She couldn't write a sentence or spell her way out of a paper bag, and her math was around kindergarten level. She was diagnosed with possible "learning disabilities". Yet, they had just taken the ISTEP tests (standardized testing) and she not only passed with flying colors, she was a full grade level above where the other kids were. HUHH????? Remember, we really didn't do anything that helped her learn to this point except read aloud (and yell about PACES). Come to find out, her deskmate and her sat in the back of the class, and she couldn't see the board. The girls directly in front of them created issues as well, since one of them didn't speak a word of English, and the other spent all her time translating. Can you imagine the distraction??
I did what any parent in my situation would do...I told my kids to "stick with it, it's not that bad." And after another week, I pulled them out. I had had enough.
God really has used these experiences for me. And during that time, we had to move quickly due to landlord issues, and we had to move in with friends. Settling down with our own home, and knowing my children better has lead me to do a mix of planned activities, read alouds, and some self study. I like the the unschooling approach, (so does my daughter) and I like the regimented approach (so does my son). I am learning a balance between the two. It is definitely a work in progress. Each year brings new things, each month a new challenge, and each day a new hope. Dealing with the depression and looking to God for my strength, instead of myself has made all the difference. My kids even notice that I am "nice" again.

There are so many different ways to teach your kids. I think that I have used most of the major ones. What I would say that I use is whatever works for us that day. I plan and plan, but my kids teach me that the best way to homeschool is to take it day by day.
Keep coming back to hear the "Rest of the Story". (you go, Paul Harvy!)

Online Book Show

Hey everyone! I am having an online book show that I would like to invite you to.

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of
Usborne Books.  A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated
by the lavish illustrations and informative content.  There are over
1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a
wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Harris Homeschoolers
Place: Usborne Books Online
When: Today thru 8/25/2008 11:59:00 PM


Everyone is welcome, no matter where you are from!  Go ahead and check it out!

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the
magic of reading.    

I would love to have you look at the neat books that Usborne Books has to offer...they are compatible with every curricula, from Sonlight to any ecclectic approach! Come on over today!

The Good, The Bad, and the Awful....

My hubby and son have been taking TaeKwonDo together for about 6 months now, and Nick had been going for a year prior. Well, today was the big day....testing for the next rank!

Nick was awesome...he forgot some things, but really tried hard. He had to spar against 3 opponents simultaneously and fought valiantly. He passed on to his brown stripe.

Karl did great as well...he passed on to his green stripe.

That was The Good....


Now, the bad. I didn't take pictures of this since the lighting was poor, and I forgot extra camera batteries. I know, I know...how could I, right? Yeah, that was The Bad.

Now, for The Awful....Karl was sparring with his partner as part of his testing. Well, I guess this is The Good, since he learned really "WHY" he has to keep both hands up to protect his face.

When his partner swung a round kick, he hit Karl in the eye. Totally by accident, mind you. But, Karl got hurt. We wound up taking him to the emergency room, since his vision became double and he had a massive headache. Long story short, 3 hours, a CT scan, and an eye surgeon later, we found that Karl had a broken orbital bone. And, no, it doesn't mean that his planets are no longer orbiting... :) They thought that they might have to do surgery as they were worried about the eye muscle becoming trapped under the break, but they found it wasn't necessary at this time. Please keep us in your prayers that when we go back to the eye doc on Monday, his eye will be healing correctly and that his vision will be restored to the way it was.

That was my fun day...and the laundry still awaits. If you see my maid, please let her know she is sooo fired!!!

Give Me The Simple Life...

"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

As I pondered about this month's article, I wondered what the people would want to read about. Saving money at the grocery store? Maybe starting a babysitting co-op? How about a curiculum swapping co-op? Maybe you would like to hear my ideas of canning and preserving the fruit in season? Nah....


To view the rest, join me here:

...Soooooper-Star.....

My daughter had the opportunity to model for a local back to school fashion show. She had an awesome time, and really loved it! I am not too worried about this as a career...she likes to eat pizza and chocolate too much!

Ebates...where you get paid to shop!!!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to tell you about Ebates, a shopping site that gives you up to 25% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 900 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

Sign up with Ebates today and we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!

Click here to sign up:

Happy shopping!

Ebates...where you get paid to shop!!!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to tell you about Ebates, a shopping site that gives you up to 25% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 900 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!

Sign up with Ebates today and we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!

Click here to sign up:

Happy shopping!

Online Book Show

Hey everyone! I am having an online book show that I would like to invite you to.

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of
Usborne Books.  A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated
by the lavish illustrations and informative content.  There are over
1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a
wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Harris Homeschoolers
Place: Usborne Books Online
When: Today thru 8/25/2008 11:59:00 PM


Everyone is welcome, no matter where you are from!  Go ahead and check it out!

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the
magic of reading.    

I would love to have you look at the neat books that Usborne Books has to offer...they are compatible with every curricula, from Sonlight to any ecclectic approach! Come on over today!

Online Book Show

Hey everyone! I am having an online book show that I would like to invite you to.

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of
Usborne Books.  A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated
by the lavish illustrations and informative content.  There are over
1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a
wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Harris Homeschoolers
Place: Usborne Books Online
When: Today thru 8/25/2008 11:59:00 PM


Everyone is welcome, no matter where you are from!  Go ahead and check it out!

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the
magic of reading.     

I would love to have you look at the neat books that Usborne Books has to offer...they are compatible with every curricula, from Sonlight to any ecclectic approach! Come on over today!

And so it begins....

My day has started like any other day, with a few exceptions. Here's a peek into what I have done thus far:

1. Get up at the crack of dawn to take squirming puppy outside to go potty. (6:00am)
   
2. Feed aforementioned puppy and older dog kibble. (6:10 am)
   
3. Take aforementioned puppy back outside to go potty once again. (6:15am)
   
4. Get dressed in workout clothing. (6:20 am)
   
5. Workout on treadmill for 20 minutes, listening to a Spanish course. (6:25am)
   
6. Get off treadmill, and stumble to turn coffee pot on. (6:45am)
   
7. Jump into shower and "do business". (6:46am)
   
8. Get dressed, and tidy bathroom. (6:56am)
   
9. Take puppy outside once again. Man, his bladder is small!!! (7:00am)
   
10. Fix breakfast for hubby and kids. (7:05am)
    
11. Wake Mikayla to take her puppy outside again.(7:06am)
12. Send hubby off to work. (7:55am)
    
13. Get kids moving with chores. (8:00am)
    
14. Finish chores. (9:00am)
    
15. Get schoolwork going. (9:01am)
16. Stop and make lunch. (12:00pm)
17. Eat lunch. (12:03pm)
18. Lay all three kids down for nap. (12:30pm)
19. Kids zzzzzzzzzzzzz. (12:31pm)
20. Mom has quiet time. (12:32-3:30!)

Yeah, aren't ya jealous? The course of events that lead up to all three of my children napping in the afternoon will probably never happen again in this lifetime. I have had time to blog, time to finish the laundry for the day, and even read a couple of chapters in my book.

So, we started the school year officially today. The kids weren't all that excited about it, really. The only exception being that we have a routine again and I can't run off to CVS or Walgreens or Target at whim anymore. Just as well, I needed to take a break.

We are taking a trip to West Virginia this October to meet up with my in-laws for 4 days. I am happy to have the time with them. The kids are looking forward to riding on the train, too.

So, without further ado, I am signing off today...come see me tomorrow...if there is time :)