Busy At Home

This Week At Home, 2012, Week 3

2012-01-26T21:16:00.004-05:00

The snow melted.

Monday became a "Plan B" day, by that I do mean plan "better". Not so much school happened, but for a sleepy Monday, I'd say it was a good day. Sleepy because we stayed up watching "the game" go into over time. Then storms woke us at 1:30AM. And the alarm went off at 5:30 as well, announcing the end of our short night of sleep. *yawn*

So how did we spend our Monday? First, we had the pleasure of spending time with Grandpa, who was in town. He had breakfast with us and then stayed home with Ryan while I took the other two to gym class. It was nice that he could even stay for lunch.

At lunch, the door bell rang and a lady told me I'd been chosen to do a survey for Chicago University about child care. Me? Well, I could not pass up $20 for an hour's work so I agreed. Now I have a little mad money to spend this week. :-) I hear Starbucks calling me!

After Grandpa left and since our school day was not going to happen, we watched Downton Abbey 2, episode 3. Grace and I are a bit hooked on that show. I am thinking of trying to get the DVDs so I can get this misery over with. Maybe my library?


Trying on Mommy's new reading glasses.

Tuesday is here! The kids and I get down to business with our lessons in the morning. We start another book, Otto of the Silver Hand. I think we are going to like this book. We read an extra chapter!

After lunch, I baked pumpkin muffins for our snack and the kids entertain our little friend. It's a lot of fun having a 5 year old around.

Grace gets to go to art class this evening. She is working on a ballerina in pastels. I had to sneak a peek last week as she is so secretive!

My knee continues to improve every day. I have almost normal range of motion today. Yippee! It still hurts, but it is so much better.

Trevor is also healing. I think the dietary changes and medicines have worked. He remains on the bland diet until Friday.

Play dough time.

Wednesday comes and we make more progress! Repair men come to fix some problems like replace the big back door and fix the drywall in the downstairs bathroom. (This is when renting is a nice thing!)

I love Wednesday days (the evenings give me anxiety.) We are in the groove and get so much done with our lessons. This week I had to order more books. Ryan is starting his high school Algebra! Trevor needed his next grammar book. Grace needed her next math book. I also decided to order a test booklet for Ryan to make sure he is learning all that he can learn on his own in history. We recently allowed him to branch off on his own in that area. He's using Streams of Civilization book 1 and reading Famous Men of the Middle Ages, as well.

You did your math, right???

Thursday brings a repeat of Tuesday. Lessons in the morning. Our dear little friend in the afternoon. Have I told you lately how much I am enjoying our lessons? The younger two and I are a lean, mean, learning machine! They love being read to. They love maps. They love hands on. And, now that Ryan is mostly on his own, he is very happy, too. He is free to do his online programing course after his independent studies are completed. It's win-win at this point.

Pretty beadboard!

Such an improvement!

Friday is here again. The guys are going to try to install the new sliding glass door, if the weather cooperates. We have a little schoolwork to finish up. We also need to get groceries. Then, we are all pitching in to tidy the house for small group. Last week, we rescheduled because of an ice storm.

This weekend we are happily at home doing a little bit of this and some of that. Grace gets to go spend the night with grandparents,too.

So, that has been our week. I hope to catch up on my reader some time. Life has been a little busier lately.
~Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Kitty Love

2012-01-25T08:35:00.001-05:00

Update:
Thank you for all your care and concern. My leg is healing well. I am not exercising this week. Next week I will start rehab. Trevor is doing well on his bland diet. I hope to reintroduce fiber foods next week. We will hold off on spicy foods for another week or so. We are very thankful that things are not worse for either of us!

This Week At Home, 2012, No. 3

2012-01-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe another week of January has passed.

On Monday we were motivated to get our lessons done efficiently, as we had friends coming to play in the afternoon. ( Yay for homeschool friends who live .5 miles away!) But the joy of the afternoon turned to worry as Trevor started having pain in his back when he swallowed. No other symptoms, so we decided to keep a watch on him and go on with our busy life.

Abbey likes us most in the winter!

Tuesday, Trevor is not feeling well and is in more pain when he swallows. He lays around most of the day with his little furry friend. We have our lessons and our little preschool friend comes. This is the day that Ryan plays with her all afternoon. So sweet! (And thank you for the encouraging comments. I am grateful.)

A warm spot for Abbey.

Wednesday brings little change for Trevor. He is enjoying Wendy's Frostys though. We have a quiet day. Trevor and I stay home from AWANA.

Thursday brings a little snow and a big fall for me. I landed on my left knee when I hit a snow covered patch of ice at the park today. My leg is swollen, stiff and blue. Thankfully, I can get home and no bones are broken! It could be a lot worse. I manage to read aloud while in pain and then the kids watch our friend while I have my leg propped most of the afternoon. Trevor is a bit better, eating soft food, but I still make him an appointment for tomorrow.


A little snow comes our way.

Friday morning is Trevor's doctor appointment. It's bitterly cold this morning, in the single digits. This is the coldest it has been I think so far. My knee is slightly less painful so I think I can manage. We cancelled our small group meeting as freezing rain and ice is expected this evening. Grace has a sleep over at church tonight. Oh, and today is Jeff's birthday! So much has been going on that I keep forgetting! Happy birthday, Darling! I wish it could be more grand, but at least he had a cake last Sunday.

Happy Birthday to my best friend and darling husband!

Wordless Wednesday: Friends

2012-01-18T06:40:00.002-05:00

I will add a few words here. Ryan "played" with Faith for 3 hours yesterday. He played Princess Monopoly (he was the mermaid), endless Hullabaloo, play-doh, and Wii. I love his compassion for younger children. If only it extended to HIS own sister! Nonetheless,I am proud of him.

A Winter Hike & Birthday

2012-01-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

Weekending

2012-01-14T10:34:00.002-05:00

This is a procrastination post. See what we've been doing instead of the nice long list I wrote? On the one hand, you might think this is a much more valuable way to spend a Saturday morning. On the other, you might think we are not too serious about taking advantage of the time! Perhaps there is a time to play and a time to clean and room for both. I'm off to get that list done!

Happy Weekend!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, 2012, Week 2

2012-01-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

Monday...
It's sunny and warmer, in the upper 40's! We are back to our lessons full force. We started a new book, another good one called The Great and Terrible Quest. I witnessed pure joy today. I peeped out of my kitchen window to see Trevor and Grace bouncing on the trampoline in the warm sunshine. I got my eyes examined this afternoon. I spent three hours waiting for my eyes to return to working order.

Clock tower at nearby park on Saturday.

Tuesday...
Enjoyed my morning walk, during which the kids did their independent work. After lunch, we prepared for our new Tuesday/Thursday job, baby sitting our dear little friend while her mommy takes a couple college classes. Today it was 50 degrees! Just awesome. Grace went to her art class and below is the fruit of her first two lessons.

Love my girl's work!

Wednesday...
The beautiful weather is changing. We're sad to see the beautiful weather end. Thankfully the wet stuff is only rain for now. Poor Jeff had to work right up to the time to go to AWANA, so he missed dinner with us. And looks like he'll be working on Saturday, too. Tis the season for CPA's to be busy.

Math with Abbey is fun!

Thursday...
Big bad winter weather is coming and there is no place to hide! I can see it on the radar, slowly engulfing the map. Just hope to walk before it hits. One last walk! This afternoon, we watch our dear little friend again. This evening I am wondering if karate will still happen.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Kitty

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

18 years old next month and still going strong!

Abbey Cat

And one for the funny bone... Ryan sent this to me this week.

Unexpected Blessings

2012-01-09T08:39:00.001-05:00

If someone would have told me that (for no money involved) my satisfaction level with my home would be on the rise this weekend, I would have thought it impossible. I am completely content with my home sweet home. Or so I thought!

On Friday, we were given a lovely small end table from Bombay & Co. and some lamps! We put the table in the living room with a lamp we already had. Now when our small group comes, we will have a spot to put glasses and there will be proper lighting. Just amazing!

One lamp is on the gaudy side, probably from the 50's, but it works and is helping a great deal in the family room as that room had only one lamp as well.

Another of the lamps, we put into Trevor's room. I had forgotten that when we moved in, we only got him a small low watt lamp from Good Will and that is the only light the poor boy has read by for almost two years, as there are no overhead lights in the bedrooms! But that is all changed now. He has a regular sized lamp next to his bed.

Now onto the big ticket item, the hutch! Remember that lovely table I had in the kitchen? The one that seemed to have a sign on it indicating it as a spot in which to dump things and run? Remember how I wanted a hutch? Well, it has been provided and it was also FREE!

I can now even display a few of my Grandma's dishes and have a spot to put some other things we need handy. Until now, I've been stashing extra food way up high in the hall closet as our kitchen is very cabinet challenged. It was so in convenient! (See, I did not know how unhappy I really was, until I had something better!)

Now, I am on the look-out for a small kitchen cart with a counter so that I can use it as another work station. As I have lost a little "counter" space. Although it really did not function as counter space very well.

Something like this...

Epiphany 2012

2012-01-07T11:26:00.001-05:00

We are doing something a little new to us this year. We are attempting to celebrate more of the church calendar. I may go into the whys another time, but for now, here are some pictures from our Epiphany.

This Week At Home, 2012 Edition, No. 1

2012-01-06T05:18:00.001-05:00

Monday...
Jeff was off, so it was a lighter start back to school work for us. He did the honors of reading to us. It was like old times when we first started out and he was able to do more. Speaking of doing more, he is holding math classes on Saturdays during breakfast until tax season is in full force. After that he will probably have to move it to Sunday afternoons.

Grace shielding her art at class.

Tuesday...
After lessons we indulged in a new guilty pleasure... Oh how I want to live on an Edwardian farm, just for a year!

Tuesday's biggest joy was for Grace. For Christmas, she received 2 months of tuition to a local art school. I was very anxious to see how she would like the class. She can be a bit shy and self-aware. I am glad to report that she enjoyed the class and I will show her first efforts next week when she brings it home.

My lads.

Wednesday was back to AWANA. It took some praying to get myself back into the grove. AWANA is excellent, however, my flesh would rather stay home where it is warm and more quiet!

Boy and Cat.

Thursday...
We worked hard to finish our week's lessons. I need to order the next grammar book for Trevor and the next math for Ryan. I tell them they are never ahead, just doing what comes next. If I said they were ahead, then they would want to take this semester off. Not gonna happen!

The weather warmed up and we all felt the call of the outside world. 40's and sunshine today. 50's and sunshine tomorrow! I may have to walk an extra day at the park, just because I can. Glorious sunshine is my best friend right now.

Thursday brought us a date night, too! Yes, a date and a chance to get some shopping done without children! These are quickly coming to an end with tax season starting next month.

Friday...

Lots to do today. We're hosting small group and I decided to serve dinner in order to welcome a new family considering our group. The kids will finish up their independent school work and I will get us ready for our company. One good thing about hosting a small group is that I have plenty of chances to practice hospitality every other week!

2011 Review

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-05:00

January 2011

2011 began with a trip to the beach, the frozen, cold beach at Indiana Dunes State Park for Jeff's birthday. Who says you can't go to the beach for your winter birthday?

February 2011

February we were back to the dunes area to attend a special wedding.

March 2011

In March, a teenager was born! I have to say he is not your typical teenager. He is a fine young man who has plans to use his giftedness in big ways! (Watch out Microsoft.)

April 2011

The last day of April, we headed out on our first camping trip in our new-to-us camper!

May 2011

In May, we were back to the beach. This time we could stay awhile.

June 2011

In June, for Father's Day we camped near my father's home. It rained, but we kept dry in the camper. Thankfully, we were able to swim one day in the fun pool.

July 2011

In July, we celebrated Grace's 12th birthday in Chicago!

August 2011

August found us beginning 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. Surprisingly, we did not go camping in August.

September 2011

But, oh in September, we were back and enjoying spectacular views!

October 2011

Trevor turned 10 in October. Jeff and I also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. I also had a birthday in October.

November 2011

There was much to be thankful for in November.

December 2011

And much to be celebrated in December! 2011 was a great year and I thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us.

Happy New Year!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 52

2011-12-30T07:08:00.001-05:00

Twas the week before New Year and all through the house... not a whole lot was happening! And that is just the way I like it!

Monday...
Dear grandparents came for a lovely visit. The boys spent long hours building their Legos, too. In the evening, Jeff got our Androids up and going. The learning curve was quite small. I really, really love it!

Tuesday...
Jeff went back to work. I got the laundry caught up, which was an enormous job.
And the kids played in the two inches of snow that came and soon melted.

Wednesday...
Went to see my Grandma in the nursing home. She knows who we are and sometimes seems "with it", but for the most part she is in her own little happy world.

Thursday...
Grace and I went to get groceries, which turned out to be a great trip. No one else was out shopping. The stores were so quiet. Very nice. Other than making a huge pan of lasagna, my day was pretty unproductive.

I am starting to dread next week being thrown back into the busyness. Stopping to rest a week is a good thing, but makes me only want more. Now I am looking forward to summer vacation!

Christmas dinner!

Friday...
More of the same! Although, Jeff gets off early and Ryan is going to a sleepover with Nana and Granddaddy, so the day will probably fly.

This weekend...
The kids are all going to Nana and Granddaddy's house for New Year's Eve. Jeff and I will be going out to dinner with a gift card that came our way.

Happy New Year to you!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 49

2011-12-23T07:01:00.002-05:00

Our resurfaced dining table.

Monday...
Lessons, laundry, make chicken pot pie, Grace sniffling,dishes, making paper chains, and time to relax. In other words, a very nice day despite rainy weather and a sick girl. Over the weekend, Jeff and I covered our dining table with Contact Paper! It's a little darker than we wanted, as that was all the store had in stock, but it works great and next time we will search out a little lighter color. Grace says it looks like a chocolate covered donut. :-) I think it is wonderful not to have to have a table cloth all the time.

Checking math with Daddy.

Tuesday...
Lessons, lots of laying around reading, hot tea, more laundry, more rain, and wrapping some presents. Grace not feeling to well today.

Grace made hundreds of paper chains this week!

She'd tape one end to the wall and just go for hours, not kidding!

Wednesday..
Trevor is getting the cold now. Grace is up and around, making us lunch, but still coughing a lot. Finished lessons for the week. Welcome home from FL, Nana and Granddaddy! We missed you!

Thursday...
We're on break, officially! Made the last trip to the store before Christmas for groceries. Ryan says his throat is sore. Cleaned bathrooms. Made homemade pizzas. Wrote a plan of attack for the rest of the week. Jeff finished wrapping presents. Thank you, Honey!

Sick boy with cat, remotes and (empty) candy box.

Friday...
Jeff is off at noon! Today is our baking day. We're going to make cheese balls, chocolate pies, meatballs, cinnamon rolls, and one batch of cookies. The children are doing well, must have been a quickly moving virus. Thank you, Lord!

Taken earlier with his new sword.

This week has been a little different than I had in mind, with each of the kids getting some version of a cold. But, all in all, I am pleased with all that got accomplished. The house is not as clean as I would like, but resting seemed more important this week.

Thank you for taking the time to read this wrap-up of our week. I appreciate all of my faithful friends who stop by to encourage and leave their wisdom!

We wish you a very, merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday: Chocolate Cake

2011-12-21T06:20:00.001-05:00

A picture lasts longer.

The best cake I've ever made! Go here for details, then make one!

Making Some Goals

2011-12-19T06:31:00.018-05:00

It's that time of the year again! It's time to make a long list of goals that we will forget about by February 28th! Stop! Not this year! This year, I've decided that instead of the usual list I make for the new year, I am going to set myself a monthly assignment to make monthly goals and report on them here.

I think this will keep me moving in the right direction all year long. I am also going to limit my list to 5 things, try to be very specific, and set dates to get them done by. Just think, 5x12 = 60. 60 goals in one year! Hot dog!!!

Here are my goals for January 2012. I thought about making a list for December, but decided that with Christmas coming it is best to procrastinate! I may just get a jump on these the last days of December.

Read my Yearly Bible, daily, each morning before breakfast
Put away Christmas decorations by January 8th, purge unneeded items
Make a NY style cheesecake for Jeff's birthday by the 21st (I've never made one and it is his favorite. Shame on me!)
Exercise 6 days a week. Walk for 30-40 minutes, 4 days a week, alternating with weight training 2 days with 1 day of rest
Visit my grandma once and send 2 letters this month

Bonus: get eye exam done, hopefully sooner than January. I think I need reading glasses.

Please, Don't Criticize Others

2011-12-17T08:28:00.000-05:00

Romans 14 1-12 ESV

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

¹As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹for it is written,

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God."
¹²So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

*********

This passage has been on my heart for a couple of weeks now. It makes me sad when believers cannot live with one another in harmony. Some believers celebrate Christmas as a way to honor the Lord, and this passage says that this is good. It is equally good to abstain, if that is your conviction. However, we are not to look down on one another, making the other feel bad or to feel superior. Let's love one another, encourage one another, not make one another feel bad. The bottom line is that we love the Lord. He is Supreme! Let's enjoy Him this season (as always) however that looks for your family.

This Week At Home, Number 48

2011-12-16T03:02:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Monday...
Another tough Monday came and mercifully went. It was only mentally tough, having to fight the urge to give into the lazy days of Christmas vacation, a week early. However, we must and will get through this week (and next!)

Other notes from this day... Our homeschool gym teacher did not show nor did she call the gym to tell them she had taken another job, so one of the moms in the group led warm-ups and then we let the kids play basketball. I was able to get in my walk, thankfully.

We got our lessons, the basics, got done after gym and lunch. The evening was spent relaxing.

Doing his best Julius Caesar impression.

Tuesday...
My favorite day of the week! Except for driving 5 minutes to the park to walk in the morning, I did not have to be anywhere. So, after a full morning of lessons, I cleaned the bathrooms, finished laundry, and made a fine dinner. We also did a good tidy up. Lots of little scraps of paper had made their way to the floor, as Grace has been busy making paper dolls lately.

The evening found us running a couple unexpected errands, as Jeff was given the job of getting the boss' Christmas gifts. But, we made the most of it and got a mocha and drove around looking at lights on the way home.

There is a cat in there somewhere!

Now you can see the cat.

Wednesday...
Another good day of lessons. We are so enjoying the book, Flame Over Tara. Makes me want to know more about St. Patrick, the man. I've never considered his life before.

Tonight is the last AWANA for a couple weeks, which will be a nice break. I am looking forward to a couple weeks without going out on Wednesday.

Florida sunset courtesy of my mom.

Thursday...
Busy! Busy! My day started with a brisk walk. It was a warm morning in the upper 50's. If only it were cloudy and threatening rain. And it did rain. Thankfully, it stopped in time for our grocery outing. We then dashed home, put away the goods and had lunch, before dashing out again to drop off the boys at their play date and pick up two friends for Grace to play with at our home.

The evening, I was able to stay home and finish the Christmas cards while Jeff took the kids to their karate tournament. As I type this, I do not know the outcome.

More Florida..would love to be there, too!

Friday...
We need to finish our lessons. We have friends coming for a cozy evening of dinner and discussion of some good sermons. The kids will watch a Christmas movie and eat Chex mix. Should be a great time. I am making a big chocolate cake, too!

Manatees!

This weekend...
Not much going on. We'll keep ourselves busy. Perhaps a trip to the library. I am looking forward to a quiet weekend.

I've been enjoying a peaceful season with a good balance of doing and staying put. The focus of our Christmas celebration has been well placed. I have enjoyed not over-indulging in endless sweets. Really, I have. I love the idea of taking the time of Advent to prepare my heart and it helps not having a ton of indulgences. (Yes, those cookies are still safely tucked away in my freezer.)

Have a great weekend,
Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Making Cookies

2011-12-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

He's Our Angel

2011-12-12T11:47:00.004-05:00

Good day, friends and family. Here are just a few photos of Trevor during last evening's Christmas pageant. I will be adding video to this post once they upload. I think we are at 32% of 4 videos uploaded at this point and I started them around 8:30 this morning on our Windows computer.

Yes, we are in need of a faster computer. If you have seven SLOW computers, they still don't add up to one fast one. I am only guessing on that. We've always had slow, but reliable, computers, usually bought second hand. But that is another topic. Just check back later, if you are related to Trevor and want to hear some of the musical.

Until then, here is our "little" angel. He did a great job and delivered his lines with gusto! Plus, he was in the special choir for the more talented kids. Yes, I am bragging. I get to do that once in a while. :-)

**Update on the video. The sound did not turn out so well with my little camera from far back where I sat, so unless my mom's video turned out better, and we won't know until she gets a YouTube account and uploads when she gets to Florida (don't ask), I may have a friend who took video. *sigh*

**Update number two. OK, I think you can hear this, but seeing is another story. Just shut your eyes and enjoy!

This Week At Home, Number 47

2011-12-09T08:01:00.000-05:00

On my way to walk!

Monday...
Fought the temptation to be a slacker, although, I could write that every single day, actually. It is just some days, especially Mondays, I have to fight harder.

It has also occurred to me that I used to think that having to leave the house on a Monday was almost a crime. There is always so much to do on a Monday around here. I would love to be home all day and get the week started right. However,last year, I decided to break my "rule" in the name of fitness and signed the kids up for homeschool gym, which meets on Mondays.

It has taken me this long to see the value in having a set appointment on Monday mornings. Because we have this appointment, I have to be on task, when I normally would be tempted to ease into the week. I also have had a standing walking date with a friend who meets me at the community center during the kids gym class. This date keeps me on track for my week's fitness goals. My new rule has replaced my old one and that new rule is: Always exercise on Monday!

Anyway, back to Monday. It was a dreary, cold day. I did not get the laundry as caught up as I wanted, mainly because school took extra time because I was having a hard time with keeping focused on school work.

Green grass in December?

Tuesday...
Woke up to above freezing temperatures, which means that I could go to the park and walk. Yippee! This is my catch up day, so we got our lessons done and then Grace and I baked cookies to bring to the Christmas party tomorrow night at AWANA. No nibbles allowed! :-)

Miss Baker

Wednesday...
Work hard, stay focused! Starting to feel the pull away from diligence with our studies. Christmas break is calling my name. I have not set a date to stop, but probably won't take much time off. We need to keep going the next two weeks, if we can stand it. I'd like to take the week off after Christmas, starting back on January 3rd. Pep talk time! We can do it! WE CAN!!!

The computer guru hard at work.

Thursday...
Walking again at the park in the morning. It was in the upper 20's, but sunny. After walking, we got our lessons finished for the week, except their writing assignments. Grace, Trevor and I went to two grocery stores before lunch, even. That was a mistake because we were starving. After shopping, we came home and had a little time to relax after doing some chores. This evening, Jeff and I got mochas and spent time chatting in the church's new common space while the kids were at karate.

Friday...
Today is the annual cookie baking day with my sweet, dear mother. We are limiting ourselves this year. We will be baking only 4 kinds of cookies, putting them into the freezer, and forgetting about them until Christmas Eve. In years past, we'd chow on cookies from the beginning of December until sometime in January when they were gone. This year, my goal is to maintain my 21# weight loss, but still enjoy the season. Hopefully this can happen if I only have treats on the actual holidays. We shall see.

This weekend...
We have a Christmas party to go to. Trevor is performing in a Christmas musical, a small one put on by his choir as a present to their parents. We will also be working on our Christmas cards which arrived a couple days ago. I hope you've had a great week and I look forward to reading about them very soon.
~Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-07T06:13:00.005-05:00

Still My Soul

2011-12-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Hey, hey! It's Monday!

2011-12-05T08:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday to you! Yes, it is Monday and yes, it is raining, but I am feeling back to normal and that is cause to celebrate! I am praying that we can escape the next few weeks, germ free.

Today, we have our normal chores of school and laundry to get through. It should not be too bad. I also have to remember to thaw some chicken for dinner. Maybe I should do that right now so I do not forget! Be right back...

This past weekend we found time to hang out around home. We got our Christmas decorations all put around as we like them. Jeff did some more winterizing of the house. He put up some plastic on a few of the leakiest windows. That just leaves the back door to do. It is especially leaky, but I don't want to loose access to it completely, because I feed the Blue Jays peanuts from that door every morning. And we all know how much I love my birdies! So, we will have to work something out.

We finally ordered our Christmas cards. We took a nice family photo,too. I will post it after I send it out so that the dears who read this blog will be surprised. The whole process took very little time. I wonder why I make such a big deal about it in my mind.

Sunday was a great day, although I knew the day would fly. We had a time of beautiful worship in the morning. We came home for lunch and a couple hours of R&R. We made a second trip to drop off Trevor for choir rehearsal, then home for a quick dinner and back to church to pick up Trevor and then to stand in line for the Getty concert. The concert was another time of delightful worship to our King!

So, here I am. It's Monday and I am full of joy for the coming week. There will be plenty to do, but all of it will be done with pleasure.
~Jenn

This Week At Home, This Week & Last , Part Two

2011-12-02T05:22:00.002-05:00

Time for this week, now!

Monday found me feeling pretty congested and on the couch in the afternoon. I did get the kids to gym and the library. Thankfully dance is over until the first of the year. I picked up a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the library.

My main goal after lessons was to get the laundry under control and to make dinner. I managed both. Plus, I read another Laura Ingall's Wilder book, By the Shores of Silver Lake. There is nothing like a good book when you are under the weather. I picked up a copy of Little Town on the Prairie, too for when I finish that book.

Going to gym class.

Tuesday we were able to keep our minds on our lessons despite the talk of a snow storm coming. We watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers after lessons. I started to feel much better after a quiet afternoon of laying on the couch. I made us a yummy homemade pizza dinner. The laundry was all caught up, too.

Wednesday was a historic day for our family. Both Trevor and Grace were baptized! I am sorry that I did not get their testimonies on video, but I did get the actual baptisms. 20 children were baptized, all the fruit of AWANA. Grace was baptized by one of the leaders of AWANA. He has known Grace for a long time.

I cry each time I watch these!

Thursday I took a walk with a good friend in the 22 degree weather. Brisk! Then the kids and I went to the grocery stores. The house was suffering from "dropping syndrome." You know, "dropping syndrome" is when everything is dropped where it falls and stays there for several days. I lost steam in the afternoon, though. I did not get as much done with school as I hoped. I had to take a nap! We will make up for it tomorrow. One fun thing was going Christmas shopping in the evening while the kids were at karate. I am glad that we are about done with shopping.

Friday is finally here! We must finish our lessons in the morning. In the afternoon we'll spend a little time getting ready for flock group, meeting here.

This weekend, we may go to Christmas on the Prairie. It depends on the weather. Sunday we get to go to a special Christmas concert in the evening with Keith and Kristyn Getty! My mom and I got to hear them in Chicago a couple years ago. I can't wait!

Happy Weekend to you!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, This Week & Last , Part One

2011-12-01T05:09:00.001-05:00

Last week, I was just too busy to post a wrap-up, so I will attempt to sketch a bit of it here so that I do not forget our week completely.

Monday 11/21 We had a complete day of lessons along with homeschool gym and dance. We packed away our school books at the end of the day and did not look back! :-)

Tuesday 11/22 The youngest two and I went off to get groceries as soon as Aldi and Trader Joe were open to hopefully beat the crowds. We were successful. I also made the Thanksgiving banner and we put away as much stuff as possible.

Wednesday 11/23 Today I was on my feet all day making ahead the side dishes that I was able to make. Plus, Jeff was off at noon, which made us have a festive spirit. We set up the big table in the dining room.

Thursday 11/24 Happy Thanksgiving! 12 of us gathered around to share a meal of thankfulness. It was a happy day. It also happened to be my brother-in-law's birthday. Grace headed up the Christmas tree decorating that evening.

Friday 11/25 Jeff was off again. We took a lovely, brisk walk at the park. Then we went to the hardware store, a small local one, to get caulking. We also went to the library. No Black Friday shopping for us. Grace spent the night with Nana and Grandaddy. Nana took her to the Children's Museum.

Saturday 11/26 I spent most of the day reading Laura Ingall's Wilder's The Long Winter, trying to beat a cold that I felt coming on. Jeff and the boys did some target shooting in the back yard with BB guns. He also took a LONG bike ride to beat the coming wind and weather.

Sunday 11/27 A normal Sunday for us with church in the morning, except no choir practice in the evening. We watched Oklahoma for something fun in the evening. I think the boys still like Star Trek a lot more. By this time, I had a sore throat and was feeling kind of bad.

Stay tuned for part two coming on Friday!
~Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: What Snow?

2011-11-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

I don't know whether to rejoice or complain. All the hype! All the talk! Perhaps I should be wise to all of that now, but I fell for it. I am glad that the snow went north of us for many reasons, but I am sad for my kids who were all dressed up this morning with no snow to play in.

First Snow Is Coming

2011-11-29T07:58:00.000-05:00

The little red weather radio announced to us this morning that we are in for a little snow, only 2 to 4 inches, but still the same, it does cause worries. It will hit this evening during rush hour, which means, a super long, anxious trip home for my dear husband. If only the world would stop when it snowed!

At least my world stops when it snows. I have no place to be today. I have enough in the pantry to make a nice dinner. I have plenty of hot cocoa, too. We can watch the snow through the newly caulked front window. No more breezes coming through now!

I have a bit of a cold, so staying home today makes the most sense, anyway. I had to run a bit yesterday with homeschool gym and a DVD due back at the library. While I was there, I picked up another DVD, a favorite musical. We'll pop that in this afternoon and snuggle in the warm blankets as we watch. Such coziness!

We truly are blessed to be warm and snug today. I'm sure my kids will want to be out in it tomorrow when the storm reaches it's peak. So today is a good day to stay inside and get lessons done.

Gathering Up Sunshine

2011-11-25T17:44:00.000-05:00

Happy day after Thanksgiving!

The new banner that Grace and I made.

It's just been such a beautiful day here, weather wise. Jeff and I took a brisk walk around a favorite park. Made me think about Ma from The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, when she said,"Get yourselves full of sunshine while you can. It will soon be winter and you'll have to stay indoors." The book goes on to say,"Out in the bright soft weather they were storing up sunshine and fresh air, in themselves, for the winter when they could not have any." That is what today was about, storing up sunshine, because the long winter is just around the corner. I hope you were able to store up sunshine, too.
~Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Walking Up Boulders

2011-11-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

Grace and I took a vigorous walk this morning. (Sorry about the quality of the photo. I had to use my cell phone.)

Too Busy or Blessed!

2011-11-21T07:12:00.002-05:00

Merriam Webster defines busy as :

a : engaged in action : occupied b : being in use busy>

: full of activity : bustling busy seaport>

: foolishly or intrusively active : meddling

: full of distracting detail busy design>

Thankfully, I can eliminate the "foolishly or intrusively active" definition from my life, but the others fit, especially this week before a major holiday. It is time to take a deep breath and get to work. Another praise is that I have been faithfully cleaning my house the last several weeks, so this is not going to be as hard as it could have been. And I am not doing ALL the cooking. (Praise God!)

This is my plan inspired by Like Mother, Like Daughter's recent p ost on how to get ready for Thanksgiving.

Monday...

We still have gym,dance, and a full day of lessons. In between all this, I am going to get the laundry all caught up and put upstairs to be put away before bed. Then, I am going to work on the non-public areas. They are mostly tidy, I will just vacuum, dust and swipe down the two upstairs bathrooms.

Tuesday...

No school today or for the rest of the week! After a walk at the park with my walking buddy, I will make a grocery run for last minute items. I'll keep the kids busy with making a banner to hang in the dining room, name cards, and things like vacuuming the stairs, getting cobwebs down, and sweeping the front porch area. They may decide they would rather do school. *grins*

Wednesday...

Today I will make ahead as much of the food as possible. I will also clean the guest areas of our home. We have church tonight, too.

Here are the foods I am responsible for: gravy, rolls, macaroni (homemade), sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn pudding, fruit, a cake for an uncle's birthday which is Thanksgiving, whipped cream, and drinks/ice.

Thursday...

My biggest concern will be for my attitude! I must remain thankful for a house full of loving family and not resentful of the work. Many, many years I went to someone else's home and now it is my turn to rise to the occasion. Am I really too busy or just blessed?

So, how are you getting ready for the big day?

~Jenn

This song says it well...

This Week At Home, Week No. 44

2011-11-18T06:25:00.000-05:00

Monday:
A normal day for us. I got to walk with my friend again at the gym while the kids had their class. They really enjoy this class.

We started a new book, Beyond the Desert Gate, by Mary Ray. I can already tell that the kids are very interested in this story set in Palistine 69 AD. I am getting used to the sad, hard luck stories that I used to avoid. My reading tends to be of the happy, inspiring nature, if left to myself. I always look ahead in a book so that I can prepare myself for the worst! This book is no exception. The father dies in chapter 5! Ugh.

Tuesday:
Home today except for a quick trip to Star Bucks with Grace for a mommy-daughter date. (I got a tall skinny peppermint mocha, 100 calories.) We brought Bibles and worked on her AWANA. Sweet moments!

I felt the tug of being lazy big time today. I don't want to rebel against my cleaning routine. I must fight this urge to skip cleaning this afternoon. When will I ever just learn to do my work and move on? Lots of you will not understand this struggle. You make a list and do it EVERY SINGLE WEEK. I look for ways out of the list. But not today! I made myself a big bucket of soapy stuff and went to work on the bathrooms. Turned out to take so much less time than I worry about it. Especially because it is getting done every week. Momentum is on my side!

Wednesday:
Grace had another new friend over to play in the afternoon after lessons. I got to chat with her mama. They are a homeschooling family with 7 kids, only 5 in the home still. The youngest is not yet one.

My list said that I needed to detail the kitchen from top to bottom for its weekly washing, so I got that done right before lunch. The laundry was brought up and put away, too.

Grace and Trevor had baptism class while AWANA is going on. They are going to be baptized in two weeks. I am so excited! I joined them for the class while my AWANA girls are in game time. I got to hear their testimonies. Very precious!

Thursday:
Another social opportunity today. Grace is going to her friends' home and their brother is coming here to hang out with my boys. Plus there is choir for Trevor, karate for the other two, and I have bunco this evening. Oh my! Thankfully, I got groceries in the morning before lessons. Not all lessons got done, either. I'll do read alouds tomorrow. The past few weeks I have been splitting our work between Thursday and Friday. It helps me get my groceries done and cleaning gets done a lot better, too.

I am struggling with my attitude about buying groceries again. I always feel so poor after I go. Is it my imagination or is everything going up in price again? My anxiety level goes up when I think about Thanksgiving here and all that means we will have to buy even with some people bringing things.

I decided to pick myself up and read again this great post at The Legacy of Home, called Despairing Over the Household Allowance. Mrs. White always has some encouraging words and good advice.

Friday: Finish strong! This is my motto day. We must finish all that we did not get to yesterday. Some neighbor kids may come to play after school. And we get to be home tonight and relax.

This weekend:
Jeff's dad and step-mom are coming for lunch on Saturday. It will be good to see them. Sunday is a usual Sunday for us and Trevor has choir practice.

With next week being a holiday week, I think we will only have lessons on Monday and Tuesday. That will help with getting ready for Thursday's hoopla.

Thanks for dropping by!
Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 43

2011-11-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

Monday:
Back to our busy Mondays! This morning, while the kids were at gym class, I walked for half an hour with a friend on the track around the gym. After gym, we dropped some books off at the library, wishing we could stay, but knowing we needed to get home and get busy. Thankfully, before gym, we had read our Bible lesson and another book. That just left reading aloud from Augustus Caesar's World, math, science, and language arts. We also squeezed in lunch, did a ton of laundry, and worked on our AWANA verses. Whew!

Today, I found a fun blog that I want to share called, A Slob Comes Clean. Nony is great. She has a funny way of motivating us to keep trying.

So, I made another weekly cleaning schedule. I hope this time I can make it stick.

Monday: subdue laundry and do normal daily chores

Tuesday: linens, laundry, bathrooms

Wednesday: entry way and kitchen
(a good detailed cleaning from top to bottom)

Thursday: groceries and take out trash

Friday: dust, vacuum, put away school books

Tuesday:
A day at home is always a good day! It was 70 degrees today, so I opened the windows, maybe for the last time until spring. After lessons, I tackled the bathrooms. Trevor vacuumed the learning/dining areas. We all stripped our beds. I washed, dried, and folded a bunch of laundry. I also vacuumed my bedroom and managed to make a very yummy new chicken recipe in the crock pot. Grace and I peeled potatoes to make mashed potatoes, too. (I LOVE mashed potatoes. Probably my most favorite food, actually. Weird, I know.)

Wednesday:
Home again all this blustery day! The wind was strong, but the temperatures hung in the 60's most of the day, dropping into the 40's in the early evening with sprinkles. Thankfully the trees have almost lost all their leaves and so the yard is not totally recovered with those pesky critters!

It's day 4 of our return to standard time. Boy, it is dark early these days. I am not a huge fan of daylight savings. I miss the sun in the evening. I guess I get to see it earlier in the morning, so that is a benefit.

And it is waking up the kids earlier and so we are getting more done in our day. They are so funny, waking up an hour early on their own. That will probably change once they adjust to the time change. I wish it would not, though. I like getting an earlier start.

Thursday:
We did our weekly grocery shopping before lessons to beat the rainy weather coming later. I am so glad that we did, because it actually snowed a little. Nothing stuck, but it was coming down pretty fast for awhile. Grace hurried outside and was able to play in it.

It's been a good week. Lessons are going well and the house is getting in shape. Tonight, Jeff and I went to get my camera back while the kids were at karate. Seems this time they found an internal board of some sort that needed to be replaced. However, the picture quality was still blurry. The poor guy there did not have authority to call the camera a loss, so we are waiting to hear from someone soon. Really.

Friday:
Today we finish up our lessons for the week, put away our books and then get the house ready to host our first small group this evening. I've worked on the house little by little this week, so the job will not be too hard, especially with the kids pitching in. They are excited to host small group. Their friends will be coming to watch a movie and then play.

This weekend we are hoping to put up our Christmas lights outside, clean the gutters,and visit an apple orchard, if they have apples left and if it warms up enough to want to be outside. I hope you have a great weekend!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 42

2011-11-04T08:22:00.001-04:00

She could never be a frumpy housewife.

Monday:
All was going well until Trevor got stung by a wasp. He just went out to get the mail. A wasp must have come inside with him where it proceeded to sting him on the neck. This was his first ever sting, so I had to keep a close eye on him. Poor guy. He did not want to go outside again. Only the lure of free candy could entice him.

We did get our lessons done. Thankfully, they were done before the drama. Lessons this week should be good. We have fewer distractions. Gym and dance are off this week. I am glad for the little break.

Star Trek meets Army guy.

Tuesday:
Today's weather was amazing! We made a lot of progress in our lessons, especially math with Grace. We hit a wall with long division. There were tears. Sobs to be exact. Thankfully, I knew to be patient. Grace said she is not going to have kids, just cats, so that she doesn't have to teach them math! Perhaps that is a good plan for her, however, she still needs to learn math, so we worked on it until the tears stopped and in the end she was getting it done! Not to brag, but Trevor says I am a good math teacher. I do know I did not hate math in school, but it did not come easy. I am so glad that I get this chance to learn math again. It's scary how much I've forgotten, but seems to be coming back, just in time!

Reporting for candy duty!

Wednesday:
We are home again today. I love "home" days. So, I decided to work on the leaves after lessons before some forecasted rain arrives, making the job impossible for a few days.

The maple tree in the front is finally letting go of its leaves, but if we don't stay on top of it, we will have to rake, instead of mulch the leaves with the mower. I'm not a fan of rakes.

Anyway, I determined to get the front done today, at least. Unfortunately, I could not start the riding mower, which is nothing new. I should have never tried, because I ended up straining my left wrist pretty bad in the process. Last time I got a bruise on the meaty side of that hand. Ouch!

Ryan ended up using the push mower while Grace and Trevor raked around the tree. I love this house, but I could live without the trees in the fall.

He's real! He comes to eat all the suet in one sitting!

Thursday:
Our agenda today is a full one! After a morning bike ride, I went shopping for our weekly groceries. I got back and ate lunch before starting the dinner that we are bringing to a family from church this evening. We also did math, reading, and Bible lessons.

After our quick dinner, we went to see Beauty and the Beast, put on by the local Christian high school. A dear friend's son has a part in the musical. It was just wonderful! I had forgotten how much fun going to a play can be. Musicals are even more fun with the singing and dancing.

He is ten!

Friday:
Today we will finish our lessons as yesterday was too busy to get to all of them. Ryan has Ultimate Dodgeball tonight for 5 hours. They'll play, eat, and pray during those hours. He is excited. The rest of us will hang out at home in front of the fireplace no doubt. I need some down time!

Saturday:
We have plans to go visit my father's new homestead. He has rabbits now. I am going to get some good apples, too, from a little orchard near by. Ryan is going to rescue another laptop. There will be cousins to play with, too. Should be a nice day. We will also be taking our camper. It is going to spend the winter in one of his extra garage bays. (Thank you, Dad!)

Sunday:
After church, I hope to take a LONG bike ride with Jeff and whoever else wants to come. There are no other activities planned. Yippee!

Have a great weekend!
Jenn

Note: camera is still in the shop. These are from either Momś iphone, Jeffś cell, or my cousinś camera!

Creation Museum

2011-11-01T12:39:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, we had the pleasure and good fortune to visit The Creation Museum.

I have to say that I was impressed. The cost was dear for us, however, we counted it a good use of our dollars, supporting a museum that is a Bible based ministry over one that is all about the religion of evolution.

The museum itself is well done. The exhibits take visitors through the 7 C's of History: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation. We got to see a neat planetarium movie. I have never felt so small! I mean, this universe is unimaginably huge!!! And so is our God. And yet, He wants a relationship with us. Blows me away.

I am thankful that we live only 2 hours from this awesome museum. We have plans to return in the spring, after tax season. We might even go camping near-by and make it a weekend.

This Week At Home, Number 41

2011-10-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

Indiana Dunes State Park, mid September

Monday:
The weather is warmer for at least today and tomorrow. The kids take full advantage and play outside a lot today after lessons. I am suffering from a respiratory virus or aggravated allergies. Either way, I am congested and have a sore throat, but can keep on doing my normal things, although I was glad that today was an off day for homeschool gym. We got a full day of lessons done and then I rested in the afternoon after I got laundry done, that is.

Last week we started reading a really well written book, The Eagle of the Ninth. We are also reading Augustus Caesar's World. We started the book of Ezra, too. No gym class this and next week. Grace enjoyed her dance class this afternoon. She's trying hard to do the splits.

Indiana Dunes State Park

Tuesday:
What a glorious day, weather wise! I met my friend at the park for a 45 minute sprint. Then I went to the library to pick up a DVD that I had requested, only to find it was Blu-Ray. Bummer. We don't have a Blu-Ray player. Oh well, I did find 3 other books I wanted, so it was not a wasted trip. When I got home, the kids had done their morning work by themselves. I really, really love having older kids!

Tuesday evening, we went to a small group training dinner meeting. We were given a great little book to read, Why Small Groups, edited by C. J. Mahaney. I'm really excited to see what God has in mind for our small group. We are still in the process of adding members to the remnant of our old group. I pray that we can be patient during this process which is taking longer than we expected.

Wednesday:
The windy, rainy weather is on its way this afternoon. So glad we were outside Monday and Tuesday. My throat is all better and I have more energy, just in time, for tonight is AWANA .

Serving in AWANA is a blessing, yet difficult. It is good for me to submit my desires to others and serve these dear children every week. Our club is huge and it is challenging to make sure my attitude is in line each week. The good out weighs the hard parts.

Prophetstown State Park

Thursday:
Lessons in the morning. A quick tidy up before friends coming by this afternoon. The usual choir rehersal, karate, grocery shopping in the evening.

Friday:
This is the start of Trevor's birthday weekend celebration! Originally we had camping reservations and planned to go to Chicago. However, life got busy with good things at home and so we decided to cancel our trip. Now it turns out to be a smart thing because the lows this weekend will dip into the 20's and I am not sure that I want to sleep outside in that!

So we are headed to The Creation Museum on a field trip. We've never been before, so we are very excited. This trip fits in perfectly with our prehistoric sea creatures that we've been studying in science. Can't wait!

Saturday is Trevor's actual birthday and we are going to do some fun things with him and fix him his favorite foods. You only turn 10 once!

Thank you for all your kind comments about my camera woes this week. Really, I am not especially patient, but I have found that making a fuss at a store is just not my style. I will simply choose not to buy from them again. The store is allowed to have its policy. I don't have to be a customer. *smile* Not really a big loss to them either, as I am not in the market for many items. Hopefully, next time I need a camera I will be able to go to a better store. And, by the way, the pictures in this post are from Jeff's cell phone, which is a lot better than mine. I will make sure he takes lots of pictures this weekend, so all is not lost.

Have a great weekend.
~Jenn

Still No Camera

2011-10-24T08:48:00.002-04:00

Saturday, we went to the store to pick up our "repaired"camera, quickly tested it out and plainly saw that the problem was not fixed, which leads me to wonder if a human being even looked at my camera. One simple picture taken was all it took for me and the Geek Squad guy to see it was not in focus. The note from the repair place said,"No visible damage." OK, so they "looked" at it, but probably did nothing else! The camera is on its way back to wherever that is, probably another country, as it takes 3 weeks round trip! This is the third strike on this camera. Next time it is replaced. I am not sure I want a third camera of this make and model. (Yes, this camera is a replacement for my first one that was unable to charge after six months.) I've never had such problems with a camera before. So, my baby's 10th birthday, which is this week will go unrecorded! I guess at least we have a cell phone camera, but it is not the same. Buyer be ware!

Weekly Wrap-up Number 40

2011-10-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

Monday: Kind of a busy day, but fun. We did a little reading before going to homeschool gym class. While the kids were having gym, I walked for thirty minutes around and around the 1/8 mile track. I decided to focus on things to be thankful for instead of allowing my mind to be bored from the sameness of the track. Turns out there is always a lot to be thankful for when I take the time to look for them!

After gym, we went to my favorite lunch spot, the grocery store salad bar. Then we went to the library to drop off a DVD, avoiding the dollar a day fine. Next, we headed home to finish math.

I can't believe that fell asleep after math with two kids. Did I mention that I decided to skip my morning coffee since I'd been hitting the caffeine kind of hard the last week? Well, turns out I just don't function too well without it these days. Even with all the exercise! (Maybe because of the exercise?)

I woke myself up, made pumpkin muffins with Grace and then dashed her off to dance with a fresh brewed cup of joy in my insulated travel mug. *smile* Who cares if I cannot sleep tonight!

Pumpkin Muffins

In a mixing bowl combine: 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup of canola (or apple sauce), 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin, and 1/2 cup of Blue Agave. To that add: 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Mix. 350 oven for 12-15 minutes. 12 muffins. Note: this is not a really sweet recipe. The original called for 1 cup of white sugar.

Tuesday: Oh what joy! We are home all day and evening, a rare treat! These days spent at home are such a huge blessing. And not to have to go out tonight is also a wonderful thing.

I started my afternoon plan. I am enjoying Flylady's missions. They are quick and easy. I don't know why I always have to make it so hard! I actually did several days worth in one day. I like working ahead! (Although, those thankless jobs will be undone before too long.)

Another thing has been on my mind that I need help with. How do you schedule yearly, monthly, weekly cleaning jobs. I am super at getting my daily things done, but the other things just happen haphazardly. I see all these nifty lists of things we "should" do yearly, monthly, weekly, but no one ever says how they schedule these jobs into their daily routine. I feel as if I am usually just treading water. Any suggestions? Maybe those things will come up as I follow Flylady for awhile.

Wednesday: Today was my birthday! I was warmly greeted by my husband with a card on top of the coffee maker. Then, my youngest two children actually got up and came down in the darkness of morning to give me their gifts! After breakfast, they went upstairs to do their math, to my amazement. The rest of the day was spent doing what I like best, school. Really. I could have taken the day off, but I love learning with my kids, so why do anything different? The evening was spent at church with the AWANA girls I am growing so fond of.

Thursday:
Home again all day. Rested a little more than usual in the afternoon as I feel like my allergies are in high gear or it could be I am getting a cold? It's nothing major, just annoying, so it is probably just allergies.

The early evening was a bit challenging as I needed to get Trevor to choir and make dinner at the same time so I could get the other two to karate 45 minutes later! Thursday is pancake night, so I leave the making of the batter to my capable daughter and I make the short trip to church with Trevor who is also dressed for going to karate right after choir practice. When I got home, Grace had mixed the batter perfectly and put away all the ingredients, and (this is the big one) had cleaned up after herself! Love that girl! I can see how having a 12 year old girl helping in the kitchen is going to come in handy.

Did I mention that Trevor's choir is going to be on TV Thanksgiving night? And that he got a small speaking part in our church's Christmas musical? No, I don't think I did. Well that all adds up to more practices, but he is happy, happy, happy! And I am too. This is his time to shine.

Friday:
In the morning we will finish up loose ends with our school work, like finishing our essays. They are writing a mystery this week. We will also do a little house tidy because we have friends coming in the afternoon to play.

I got a call that the camera is back. I hope to run over and get it this weekend. Thanks to my mom who took these pictures with her Blackberry this past weekend when the kids spent the day with her!

~Jenn

Afternoons

2011-10-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

Afternoons have ALWAYS been very difficult for me to get into a solid routine. I am a morning person. I am full of energy (after my coffee). I can get so much done in the hours between 6 and 8AM. So, why is it that between 2 and 5 PM, after lessons, I am dragging and struggling to finish strong? Oh, I do some light chores, like folding laundry, or making muffins, but I am willing myself to keep going, and more likely than not, I am folding clothes while watching a favorite show via Netflix, like Hoarders. There should be some relaxation time, as I've been going for 8 hours at that point. But there needs to be balance,too. I have tried and failed so many times to structure my afternoons. I have prayed for the strength of character that I need to keep my focus during these hours.

Here is my proposed plan:
(Of course this is only on days we are home between 2 and 6)

2PM Go to Flylady's page and do the day's mission. This doesn't take much time and it is fun since I know I will be challenging myself to get this done. (Involve kids)

**This is also a good time to deal with the leaves, if needed. We try to keep on top of the leaves instead of waiting for them all to drop. Ryan can do most on his own, but I usually push mow for half the time, getting areas hard for the rider.

2:30PM Fold laundry and PUT it away!!! (Involve kids)

3-4PM My rest time. Kids should have room time, too)

4PM Return phone calls, check email, etc.,

4:30PM start before dinner routine, cycle dishes and laundry, set table, chop vegetables, do any prep work. Make any items that we need for the week like muffins, hummus, or bread. (with Grace)

5PM Start Dinner, be ready to eat by 5:30, most nights.

I'll let you know how it goes.
Jenn

Weekly Wrap-up Number 39

2011-10-14T05:35:00.002-04:00

Here I am again...

View from the hammock.

Monday after camping is always full with laundry, gym class,dance, and lessons sprinkled in where we can get them. After gym we made a quick trip to the library to pick up a hold notice. And, I did spend a little time in the sun getting some vitamin D on the hammock, reading a new book. I think we all worked pretty hard trying to get back in gear after our busy weekend.

Mess, view one

Mess, view two

Surprisingly, our thoughts turned to going camping AGAIN this coming weekend as the weather is going to be nice. A little voice in my heart is saying,"GO! Winter will be here before you know it and you'll be stuck inside for months." We checked our favorite parks and they are all booked up, except the non-electric. Do we really want to go that bad? (Yes, I do! But can the kids live without their gadgets? )

(from Tuesday's bike ride)

Tuesday was spent doing more lessons, a little more than Monday, thankfully. This is the best day to get our lessons in, pick up the slack from yesterday, although we only missed Science.

Before lessons, Grace and I took our longest bike ride to date. My bike's chain fell off and I had never put one back on before. I was going to just walk home, but then decided to give it a try. And I did it! I was so happy not to have to walk 2 miles home, lugging a bike.

We also had our rescheduled flock group meeting in the evening. I made blueberry bran muffins for treats.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Combine 2 cups of bran flakes with 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, until soft. To that add, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce, 1/3 cup of blue agave syrup (a natural sweetener), and 1 tsp. of salt. Mix. To that add 2 cups whole wheat flour and 5 tsp. baking powder. Mix. Fold in 2 cups of frozen wild blueberries. Spray 2 muffin tins or line with paper cups. Makes 20 muffins. I can't eek out 24, sorry, maybe you can. Bake at 400 degrees for about 18 min. Time will vary as oven temperatures vary.

An electric camping spot opened up at a favorite park. Should we dare? That was the question of the day. Then, "What are we thinking?",starts to roll through my mind. Maybe just a day trip to bike is really enough. We've been going pretty strong for the last few weeks, but still temptation looms!

Wednesday is always all about lessons and AWANA.

Love blankets drying on a line!

Thursday we wrapped up our formal studies for the week. It is a rainy day. The two younger kids got to go to their friends' house to play this afternoon, making their day. Tonight is karate and grocery shopping. I bought myself a flour-less chocolate cake for my birthday that's coming up next week.

Friday. The big question is here. Will we go camping? No, looks like we will pass up this splendid weekend. For one thing, we are going again the end of October to celebrate our youngest's 10th birthday with a side trip to Chicago. We need to save our pennies for that trip. Secondly, we really need to be home this weekend and just enjoy being home. However, my sweet mom offered to watch the kids while Jeff and I go biking on Saturday. Thanks, Mom!

That wraps up our week. I hope you've had a wonderful week as well.
Jenn

Weekly Wrap-up Number 38

2011-10-10T14:58:00.000-04:00

Because of being short on time, I'll end up doing two wrap-ups this week...

In my last update, I mentioned we were going camping as a family to Indiana Dunes State Park. The weather was cool, but lovely after a small rain Friday night. The wind was going at gale force the whole weekend though. It amazes me how that lake can get the weather all in a tizzy. The waves were beautiful to watch. We had a great time as a family.

Monday, we got back to work and I did a lot of laundry. It took me until Wednesday to get it all done. That was good, because I needed to start packing for our next trip by then!

Tuesday through Thursday, we kept at our lessons pretty hard, even though, we had to say no to some really good things, like visiting Grandma. That was a tough call. I usually side on relationships over school work, but this week we really needed to keep our focus.

Friday, Jeff was off and we were off back up to the dunes without kids! We celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary hiking, biking, and enjoying a warm, sunny weekend. I have to say it was our best ever camping trip. Not just because we were alone, but we were able to bring our bikes for the first time and that was awesome. It took no time to ride to the beach (as opposed to the 40 minute round trip walk) to see the sunset or just to watch a slow moving barge. The lake was as quiet as a mouse this weekend. (We need a bike rack!)

And now it is Monday again, but I'll tell you about this week in a few more days.

Until then... Jenn

PS, my camera is back in the shop, these are from past trips.

For You, Mom

2011-10-04T17:39:00.000-04:00

A cat we met recently.

I don't usually like to write a post, just for the sake of writing something, but today I thought it would be OK, just this once. I mean, if I don't write something soon, my mom will probably say something, again. *grins*

I've gone from cranking out posts a few times a week to just barely getting two a week. It doesn't help that I am camera-less. Pretty much that leaves words or finding old pictures, or using someone else's pictures.

Pure contentment.

Maybe I am out of things to say other than "this is what we are doing" type posts. I want to keep writing a weekly wrap-up so that I will have something to look back on and remember these wonderfully rich days. Maybe I've said everything else that I have to say? Maybe this is just another dry spell. I'm sure all bloggers go through those.

One of the last photos taken on our broken camera.

Thankfully, right now, my life is kind of boring. It is all about teaching my kids and moving us through our week with grace and truth. And with that, I will get back to the task at hand, making dinner!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 37

2011-09-30T06:07:00.000-04:00

*Got the camera back and it was not fixed. *grumble, grumble* So, I will once again get creative.

Image source: Grapicsfairy

And I thought we were busy last week! (Ha!) Adding two new ministries, one we were not really looking to add, although are very glad to take on, has increased our busyness a bit more.

Saturday: Took a day trip to a favorite state park. Had a picnic in the rain. Although, the rest of the time was just lovely. Unfortunately I lost all of the pictures that I took. They all had errors!!!

Image source: Wikitravel

Sunday: I must include Sunday details because it is quite essential to this tale of busyness. Trevor was called to be at church at 6:45AM as his children's choir (a new activity this year) was to sing for the first time in our new sanctuary. At 7:30, I arrived with a fresh from the oven egg casserole and helped to serve breakfast to 88 little dear children in between the first and second service. We left church at 11:45.

Image source: aspengroup.com

Monday: After gym class and lessons, we attended the funeral of a dear friend's father. Then Jeff and I met with a leader from our church and accepted the call to take over leadership of our small group. *gulp* From there, we escorted Grace to dance. What a busy and emotionally charged day!

Tuesday: More lessons in the morning and then we went to visit new friends whom we met via the children's choir. We discovered that these dear people only live only .5 miles away and they are homeschoolers! *happy dance time*

Wednesday: Lessons in the morning and early afternoon. Went to another invigorating night of AWANA, which is such an opportunity for me to grow in love for others.

Thursday: Finished up most of our week's lessons. Then our new friends came by for more fun. I am hoping we can get the kids together often. They seem agreeable. Thursday evening we dropped the kids at martial arts and then ran to two stores. We also started to load the pop-up camper for this weekend's trip.

Friday: Today, I'll make a quick morning trip to Target after walking with my friend, the kids will finish their writing assignments, and we will make a quick trip to drop off books at the library to avoid fines. Then this afternoon we are off to the lake for a cool weekend of camping. By cool, I mean lows in the 30's and highs in the upper 50's. *Brr* I hope the sun comes out! We'll just have to keep warm walking up and down sand dunes.

Killer on the legs!

As for lessons...

We continue to study ancient history. We got up to the rise of the Roman Empire this week. The kids wrote essays with the emphasis being on using transitional phrases. Science did not get my full attention this week. I wanted to do an experiment that is a week overdue. I will have to get to it next week. Older son kept up with his lessons, mostly on his own. I have been writing a lesson plan for him and he is keeping track of it by himself, mostly. I do have to "inspect what I expect" for sometimes he takes short cuts. He is very much enjoying Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I need to find more books like this.

That is the summary of our week. Next week won't be much better as it ends in our anniversary trip and I will also be trying to visit my grandma, too. I may just have to call a fall break on school.

I hope to be around to visit you all soon! Have a great weekend.
Jenn

Short and Sweet

2011-09-28T08:05:00.001-04:00

This week is full.

My time is short.

I feel the pull,

Of this little port.

I don't know when

this rush will end.

It can't last long...

(nor can this silly song.)

This Week At Home, No.36

2011-09-23T06:19:00.004-04:00

First of all, today is a very special day! Happy birthday to my dear daddy! I love you and will be calling you today...

Another very full week around here...still no camera. These are from my cell.

Abbey Cat

We have had a very active social calendar this week. Normally that wears me out, but perhaps because I am getting stronger, I am not so tired. Here are some highlights...

Monday evening we enjoyed dinner with new friends. That's very cool. It's been a long time since we've made new friends.

Tuesday we made a quick trip to the library after lunch. We needed some new science books. In the evening, I went to my bunco group. I am starting to wonder if I will continue next year. It's only one night a month, but I'd really rather just be home.

Flowers from a friend.

Wednesday afternoon we had lunch with dear family members who were in town for the funeral last week. They took us to Red Robin. I love their turkey burgers!

In the evening was AWANA for most of the family. (Our oldest went to youth group.) In AWANA, we got to have our large group time in the new chapel room at church, which was exciting. One of my girls brought a visitor. I love sharing the Good News with new children! Everyone said lots of sections. The sixth grade girls got to play a basket ball elimination game outside!

Thursday, Trevor had choir rehearsal at 6PM, as his group sings on Sunday, first time in the new sanctuary. Grace and Ryan went to judo. Jeff and I went grocery shopping.

Just a pretty day.

Friday, the kids and I will go to the mall in the morning. I so dislike shopping at a mall, so this was a very rare trip. I only made the trip because Sears has husky sizes. And my boy needs a new white shirt to wear when he sings. I could not find one at Good Will last week.

In the evening, we were to meet with our flock group, but that just got cancelled, so we will probably relax while watching some of this....

Do you see who is sitting in the captain's chair?

This weekend we are going to Prophetstown State Park to visit their historic living history farm and walk a trail through the restored prairie. It's an Indiana History field trip! Just hope it doesn't rain. I hope to buy some produce at their farm store. We will also enjoy some much needed quiet time at home this weekend.

Boys on laptops.

As far as school goes, the week has gone pretty well. It was a challenge to get everything that I wanted to get done, but once again, we kept up with our curriculum, managing to get 5 days of reading done in 4.

It was also fun to "show off" our work to visiting grandparents. The notebooking journals make it easy to convey what we are learning to others. And they are a good record for ourselves as well. Wish we'd done these long ago!

The kids wrote comparison and contrast essays. It is getting easier for them to write. Grace is even less timid about using the computer in the process.

On our way to dance class, last week.

We are enjoying our study of Ancient Greece. Grace has been making paper dolls and Trevor is designing paper battle fields. Boys love all the war. *shaking my head*

We began our study of aquatic herps (sea turtles and the like.) I really like sea turtles! I need to find a good DVD at the library about them.

So, there you have our week. Yes, it is very full. And, I do crave down time at home as a family, which is so important. However, I feel as if we are doing OK. If my children were not home with me all day long, every day, I would certainly NOT allow so much into our evenings.

How's your week gone?

~Jenn

Suprise Blessings

2011-09-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of visiting my father and step-mother in their new home. Some may remember that they moved back to IN this past spring after being gone for 7 long years. *smile*

Well, now they've moved into their permanent location, a lovely 2 acre homestead 2 hours SW of us. What fun it was to walk about the place listening to my father's plans for bees, apple trees and garden boxes. Truly, it is a lovely place. I wish I had my camera back! *sigh*

Here comes the blessing part of this post. While we were there, my father GAVE Ryan his old laptop! Ryan promptly installed Ubuntu and it is working quite well as a netbook! Yippee! Thank you, dear Dad! We are so excited to have another computer. I did not know that our other computers were so outdated. This new one is more powerful than our best desktop and that's saying a lot because this laptop is no spring chicken!

From my cell phone camera.

This Week At Home, Number 35

2011-09-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

As my camera is going to be in the shop for the next three weeks, I thought I'd dip into the archives to "decorate" my posts.

Boy, do I feel old! Just a mere 4.5 years ago... They were little. Now, they are BIG!!! *sigh*

Trevor, age 5

But let's talk about this week, the here and now. What else do we have?

The weather went from a high of 90 to a low of 43 in one day. Since then, the weather has been very fallish, a welcome change for sure.Although, I realized that I forgot to spend some time on my hammock, so I will be looking forward to that soon.

9 years old!

We got 4 solid days of school work done, despite some of life's interruptions. I must be growing because interruptions did not send me into a fit of muttering. I did have to bite my tongue, quite a few times. However, that is nothing unusual, unfortunately!

7 years old.

With the change of weather came the discovery that most of us need "new" warmer clothes. Plus shoes. Our clothing budget took a huge hit this week, even with shopping at Good Will, using a 20% off at Kohl's, and free shipping at Lands End for those items we were not able to find otherwise, namely husky sized pants. Thankfully, no one needs a new winter coat. That is a miracle. Now as for winter boots, that is another story. I will have to start looking soon. All 3 of the kids are in adults shoe sizes, so they are not cheap. Take it all to Him in prayer, comes to my mind...

Here are some of the highlights from our week:

Friends visited us on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday!
Got hugs from our favorite AZ Grands who are in town for a family funeral. The funeral was a beautiful celebration of homegoing.
Found gold at the library.
Jeff got through a difficult tax deadline, working extra hours on top of teaching highschoolers at AWANA.
Grace finally passed her challenge in AWANA!

A rare one of me!

This weekend we are visiting with more family. And our church family is moving into our new building. As always, I thank you for taking time to read.

Jenn

Late Summer Musings

2011-09-13T13:06:00.000-04:00

All of a sudden it is late summer. The weather is playing its fickle dance between summer and fall. Today, summer is winning. It will be 90. Tomorrow, fall will win with temperatures in the 60's.

This is a busy time of the year for us. We've been "meeting-ed" to death. Every ministry, every activity is back into full gear. I know this is all good, but wow, sometimes I really miss the freedom of summer.

One thing I adore about late summer is apple time. I've been to one orchard. I am planning my next. I can't wait! I think I am an apple addict. Do you have a favorite apple?

This Week At Home, Number 34

2011-09-09T08:15:00.001-04:00

Four out of Five

What a glorious week we've had! I'll let the pictures do most of the "talking".
I will never tire of Indiana Dunes State Park. It has to be the most lovely place in Indiana.

Beach House Blowout

Always stairs!

Sand sculpting

Magnificent!

Happy campers

Rip current warnings! (No swimming)

Blue sky

Visit to a local museum

Orchard time

Where was the oldest in our family? Well, he got the honor of spending Labor Day Weekend working! He was at grandparent work camp.

Work camp

And as for our school week, well we got three good days in this week. Today is going to be a half day because there is a birthday to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

No Poo Update No. Two

2011-09-08T08:03:00.002-04:00

Anybody out there still thinking about going No Poo? Well, it has been 7 months now for me and I am still very pleased. It is as if my hair has gone on auto pilot. I love the bounce and shine. I am amazed at how the oil glands have shut off as well.

When I went camping, I pondered taking my little travel sized shampoos with me or whether to take some soda. It turns out that I needed neither. I wore my hair in a pony tail and brushed it each morning, but it never got oily or gross after 2 full days.

I have noticed that if I do not use a lot of vinegar, my hair is tangled. I also have to admit to using a spray de-tangler sometimes. If I were to get my hair trimmed every 6 weeks or so, this would not be such a problem. I have also used a natural conditioner twice after swimming this summer.

My family has not embraced this journey. The men use a honey oatmeal bar soap from Trader Joe. My youngest son has really bad dandruff and uses a dandruff shampoo, much to my horror. I would really like to find a natural product that works. My daughter uses a natural shampoo and conditioner.

How is every one else doing with No Poo?

Click here for first post with No Poo links.

RIP Dear Camera

2011-09-07T12:50:00.000-04:00

My camera died on this last trip. It won't focus. I think this is the last picture it took. It was unable to focus afterwards and this is kind of blurry, although I like it.

So, guess it is back to the big box store to see if they will honor the extended warranty I bought last October. Now it seems like a wise decision to have paid the extra since this is the second time the camera has failed me! I really wish cameras were better made. *sigh*

A Little Preview

2011-09-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

We made it back safely, for which I am grateful. It was a great, but exhausting trip. I will post more later. Just wanted to say hello. Back to lessons, here we go!
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 33

2011-09-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Look at what a little fertilizer can do!

It's been another great week. We got a whole 5 days of our curriculum done in 4 days. At the end of today, we were back to full speed. The kids were pushed and did a brilliant job. Our ancient world studies are in a groove.

Mr. Math

Quite unexpectedly, I discovered that my youngest was B-O-R-E-D with his current math program, which is a full grade level higher. So, he happily went back to Math U See, Epsilon. He even wrote his weekly essay about why he likes MUS. He says it is more challenging. (That makes for one happy mama.)

13.5, almost

Mr. Teen stumbled onto something involving math as well. He is doing MUS Pre Algebra, on his own. He has been breezing through at a brisk pace. He reached lesson 16 and discovered something interesting, Honors questions. He'd been skipping the Honors questions, not that I had really expected him to do those, but when he noticed one that looked interesting, he went ahead and did it on his own for FUN. (Non-math people, gasp!) Now, he wants to go back and do them all. This is great! Stretch that curriculum a little, I say!

Studying hard.

The only person struggling this week is my sweet girl. She has reached a review section in her AWANA book that is giving her trouble. She has over 7 verses to say at once, plus the "questions" that go with the verses. She will get only 2 helps. Poor thing spent an hour and half yesterday in tears as we "drew" each verse.

My baby.

My baby is having a good week. Although, we kicked her out of our room at night again. She doesn't like that much.

As for me, well, I am enjoying the simple pleasures that come my way, like hanging clothes on a line, eating apples from the farm market, having friends over for dinner, getting ready to go back to my lake.

Ah, my lake! Six weeks since I last laid eyes on it. I'll be doing more than just looking at the pretty blue water. I will be walking up and down those sand dunes as much as possible. I do hope that the predicted rains for Saturday are minimal.

I'll be super busy tomorrow getting packed for our trip. I promise to visit y'all as time allows.

~Jenn

Encouragement for the Home Educator

2011-08-31T08:13:00.001-04:00

"Why do we succumb to the world's expectations - even the homeschooling world's expectations? Why don't we find rest and peace in our Savior who tells us His burden is easy and His yoke is light? Our fear of failure causes us to hide our imperfections, yet it is only in our weakness that He can make us strong."

Laura Hazelip, March/April 2011 Homeschooling Today

I am guilty of succumbing to other's expectations. It is all driven by my fear of failure, which I am just now only willing to admit. It's all about pride, really. I want my children to "turn out well" so that I will not look like a fool for the choices I made!

On my knees, I admit my weaknesses, including a fear of homeschooling through high school. I confess that I cannot do anything without His help. Relief washes over me! I rejoice! I am at peace as I wait for His help. My burden is lifted.

This Week At Home, Number 32

2011-08-25T14:53:00.003-04:00

I know it sounds trite, but, I can't believe another week has flown by. We just wrapped up our fourth week of learning.

The "Learning Room" after lessons. Somebody get me a maid!

I'm really enjoying lessons right now. I love reading aloud every day. We just finished The Golden Goblet, a story about a poor young boy who is mistreated by his evil half brother, but makes good in the end. Yes, it was a bit predictable, but exciting and educational, too. Historical fiction just can't be beat for learning. Next week, we start, The God King. The oldest two are reading The Hittite Warrior on their own.

Another book we are delighted with is Story of the World, volume 1. I like the author's style of writing, very conversational. The kids like it, too. Grace is doing the activity book while I read aloud. The boys build Lego creations.

A surprise favorite is Usborne's Encyclopedia of World History. The actual contents are not what is so exciting, but the Usborne Quicklink website is great. A reader goes to the website, selects the book he is reading, and then enters the page number. Links appear and the kids enjoy exploring ancient history on the computer.

Just as they did last year, the kids have a weekly writing assignment. They had a blast writing peace treaties between made up countries this week. I think one or two of them might make promising treaty writers. Is that a career?

Science with Apologia is a big hit this year. The oldest is doing Physical Science on his own. The other two and I are working through Zoology 2, Swimming Creatures. I love the notebooking journals. I cannot say enough good things about those. I tried to do Flying Creatures a few years ago, but did not finish as I was not as together then. (lol) No, it is because of the notebooking journals that we will finish this year. They are that good!!!

He's the man!

To keep this blog real, I don't want to give the impression that lessons are all roses and gumdrops, I've had next year heavy on my mind. I am trying to sort out what to do with our oldest. He will be in high school. He has a brilliant mind and really needs to be pushed to use it. He needs to be ready to go to college. It is intimidating to me to think I could prepare him for his future. I am praying for an answer about whether or not to send him to school next year. We are having his youth group leader over for dinner on Monday. I am hoping he can help us get some direction for Ryan's future. Not that it has to be decided right now.

But enough about school... here are some highlights from our week:

A gift from Grace

Saturday found us at a local farmers market. We've enjoyed the bounty all week. How will we go back to bland grocery store vegetables this winter?

Sunday we were running around like crazy with church commitments starting back in full force. We were at church before 8 AM and finished with choir practice for the youngest at 5:45 PM. In between we had Sunday school,a parent meeting, and flock group meeting.

You already know about Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday night we started back to AWANA. I was a bit anxious, but should have known better. It's basically going to be like a year long VBS. 400+ kids and a lot of energy! I am working with Grace's age group (Guards) and my husband is in charge of high school.

Thursday we wrapped up lessons and then headed for karate in the evening. We got some rain overnight which was awesome. Grace measured an inch in the gauge.

Friday the kids and I will be having a fun, but busy day. I am walking with a friend at a local park on Friday mornings. Then we need to go to the library. And we also get to go swimming at my mom's. Friday evening is another farmers market I'd love to go check out.

Saturday is an all day AWANA training and then Sunday is another FULL day of church things, a repeat of last week's list.

Thanks for taking the time to read! As usual, I appreciate your comments and will be around to visit as time allows.

Blessings to you,
~Jenn

Time for Another Little Chat

2011-08-23T09:31:00.002-04:00

Working on improving my skill.

Once again, there is a wonderfully quiet start to our week. Mondays and Tuesdays are going to be like this until after Labor Day weekend, when we add homeschool gym and dance class back into the mix. Then Tuesday will be our lone quiet day. (I'd better not even think of changing that!)

So far I continue to be pleased with how things are going. The kids are pitching in more and more, trying to keep the house a little more under control. It's nowhere perfect, mind you. I am trying to give them more authority over areas of the house. I want them to take ownership, little baby steps to independence.

We've been having cooler mornings, which makes us want to go outside before we start our lessons. A later start is no matter on a quiet day. Oh, how I love that freedom to just allow for a natural progression to our day. No demands on our time except to do what is next.

I look forward to taking some time soon to rest on my hammock. Perhaps we will have our reading time outside after lunch. Although, after lunch, the sun is in full force and it is not as pleasant to be outside.

I read today from Romans 15 that God is the God of endurance and encouragement. I so need endurance and encouragement! I pray that you will have all the grace you need to face your day.

~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 31

2011-08-19T08:12:00.000-04:00

What a full week we've had!

Monday through Wednesday, we were back to lessons, working hard. The days were filled with books, warm sunshine, laundry hanging in the breeze, and taking care of the house.

I noticed a change in the 2 younger kids. They were initiating note taking during science. They seemed more "on board" with our lessons. And, there is an answer to prayer in the works as to my issues that I mentioned earlier in the week.

Mad about science.

Wednesday evening, Jeff and I attended our church's AWANA meeting for workers. He is the director of high school this year. I am a leader in 5th and 6th grade girls. I am rather nervous because there is so much paperwork to learn! I have an all day of training coming up, but we start with kids next week and I am trying not to freak out.

My good looking cowboy!

Thursday, Grandma came down for a visit. We went to Pizza Hut for lunch, a total favorite with the kids. Then we spent hours at our favorite living history museum. I really love walking around the grounds, talking to the costumed interpreters and just being open to learning new things. I always learn something new.

Thursday evening, the uncle joined us for a nice family BBQ. And we took oldest son to karate, because he does not miss karate for anything.

These sheep reminded me of my cat.

Today, Friday, I am meeting a friend to go walking this morning. We have to get a birthday gift for a party the boys are attending this evening. It's a sleep over, too. I also need to get groceries.

"Gentle women don't ride astride." A favorite quote from Felicity.

And this weekend will be very busy, too. Saturday morning, we are taking Grace to a farmer's market before we have to go get the boys. Sunday we have church and 2 other church meetings to attend, plus Trevor begins choir in the evening.

I'd be a little upset with all this running if we did not live a mile from church and if my kids were not home with me all day, everyday. These programs enrich their lives so much and it is such a short season of my life.

I hope you all have a great weekend, too. Only two weeks until our next camping trip. I can't wait!
~Jenn

A Midweek Chat

2011-08-17T08:17:00.000-04:00

It has been a quiet week here, so far. (I savor quiet starts to our week.) That's going to change starting tonight with our AWANA all worker's meeting. Thursday, Grandma comes. Friday, we shop and the boys have a sleep over birthday party. Oh well, at least I've had a bit of a break from running around.

I've been able to rest a little in the afternoons. I've changed my workout routine and am a little exhausted and sore, all good I assure you.

School is going on. I have my usual worries about how lessons are progressing, but nothing to really write about. I'm taking those straight to Him.

I hope you are having a nice week, as well.
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 30

2011-08-12T05:52:00.002-04:00

Just a house I like. Wouldn't some chickens look nice in the yard?

In which I revamp formats, yet again.

On the Heart and Mind:
The return of cooler weather, with liveable humidity has been the saving grace of my sanity.

My Sweet Girl

Life and Learning:
Our second week of school is going very well. We continue to check off the chapters in some very captivating books. We are enjoying The Golden Goblet, although, it might be a bit predictable for some tastes, namely oldest son, who would rather all books be set in space. The oldest two are also reading Mara, Daughter of the Nile. And, we are all enjoying our Story of the World text. I can tell they are listening.

Let me tell you how I know this is true. I can tell they are listening because they are starting to bring up bits of the books and make connections to our everyday word. For instance, today when my beloved 2002 Dell desktop bit the desk, they asked if they could mummify it. Then they went onto describe how they'd do it and what they'd do to protect it from grave robbers. See, they are learning.

This is an improvement over the first time we studied ancient history. They mummified every doll in the house. I almost had to hide the toilet paper.

This week we also took an Indiana History field trip to our local living history museum on a very lovely day. It was just too lovely to stay inside.

Around the House:
The house is holding its own since its cleaning on Tuesday. I have to make a decision what to do with the "desk" in the kitchen now that my desktop is not going to be there.

This is what it looked like when it was clean.

Kitchen desk with computer before its death.

This is what it usually looked like.

Ugh! The area is a giant clutter magnet. It doesn't work to use it as an eating area. It's not big enough for all of us. It is too low for extra counter space, which I really need and want. What would you do with it?
In the Kitchen:

I finally made hummus! I had asked my sweet friend JoAnn for her recipe a whole month ago. Then I would forget to buy one ingredient and have to wait another week. (Yes, I can be a bit disorganized.) Well, I finally got some made and I have to say I am in love! I ended up using a different recipe from Best Life, one for a blender. I only have a blender, so this worked great.

2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 huge clove of garlic, pressed

1t salt

up to 1/2 cup of warm water

1 t cumin

juice of 1/2 a lime

3T tahini sauce

I just mixed it on low and stopped frequently to mix with the spatula. This recipe is the bomb. It is not "biting" like some we have purchased already prepared. Also because it doesn't use sesame seeds, but the tahini sauce, it doesn't have to go through the blender very long. It was thick and creamy!

Table of "curiosities"

We don't have big plans for the weekend. We cancelled a camping trip when we got home from our last one. We decided we would rather wait until better weather and it is promotion Sunday at church and the kids were disappointed at the thought of not being there.

Thank you for taking the time to read and if you have any thoughts on the kitchen desk, let me know. I want to work on that and get it settled by next week.
~Jenn

Let's Pretend

2011-08-11T09:10:00.001-04:00

I could be quite comfortable, here next to this fireplace. Instead of a basket of yarn, though, I'd have a pile of books and a lamp. There would be a cat curled up in my lap, too. I'd look up and glance at my husband in his chair next to me and smile.

So, How's it Going?

2011-08-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

We've just begun our second school week. It's hot, muggy, and quite frankly, I would rather spend my days in a pool with a cold iced tea by my side. Hot and muggy means I am not sleeping well. The last 23 days have been hot and muggy. This old house we rent can't properly cool the upstairs where we sleep. But, I know we are not the worst off area in the country. It is supposed to cool down tomorrow. They've been saying that for a long time! I think they say that so we won't give up and move to Canada. (I mean way up north near the pole, north!) We did get a little rain yesterday, so that is nice.

As for lessons, they could not be going any better. It amazes me how quickly the kids get back into it. And for the most part the bad attitudes have been minimal. I have had to deal with a few meltdowns, but nothing like in the past. I hope to do 4 full days this week, 5 if the weather stays hot. I do have a plan in mind if the weather breaks, an Indiana History field trip day!!!

Today, I announced that we'd be doing some chores this afternoon after lunch and before computers start to mindlessly take over. This morning I wrote a list of chores and assigned them. With 4 people doing 2 or 3 chores, a lot can get done in a short time. Here is my list:

sweep kitchen and entry, then mop (Grace)
water garden & birds (Grace)
bathrooms, all three (me)
window sills (Trevor)
vacuum family room (Ryan)
vacuum learning room and dining room (move chairs) (Ryan)
vacuum bedrooms and upstairs hall (Trevor)
dust cobwebs with small hand vacuum (me)
catch up laundry (all)
tidy up (all)

I hung out some clothes today, again I am starting to figure that out. I tried hanging towels out first, then finishing in the dryer. Now I am trying the reverse. I want to see which is best and uses less energy. It's more work for me, but actually, I love the physical job of hanging clothes. I love to watch them swing in the breeze. I also hung out our dress shirts and husband's work pants. They seem to dry well on hangers put on the hammock. Might as well, since I can't enjoy it myself!

I hear school buses roaring through the neighborhood today. It's their first day back. The library will be a ghost town when we go this week. I am not sorry about that. There will be more books on the shelves too. All public places will be quieter. *grin*

I've been thinking about the start of our school year last year. This year seems much more smooth. I also have more energy. Could it be the 6 days a week of working out?

I've not had my camera out of its case in awhile. I will have to grab something from the archives for this post. That is so fun, looking at the archives. I hope you don't mind.

Oh to be freezing on the beach, once more!

You all have a great week and I'll be back to wrap this one up on Friday afternoon! So, how is your week going so far?
~Jenn

This Week At Home, Number 29

2011-08-05T12:42:00.000-04:00

We had a full week, as usual. Not only did we start school, but we managed to enjoy ourselves along the way. :-)

The highlight of our week came yesterday, when Grandma came for a visit. Once a year, she takes the kids to a ceramic store and lunch at Pizza Hut. The kids very much enjoy this excursion and look forward to the painting and creative process.

I will post their creations next week when they are ready for pick-up. After eating and painting, we stopped in the library, bumping into friends, which is always nice. Then we came home, watched an episode of Star Trek before going to Archery. There we ran into more friends who were running cross country in the 90+ heat. Back at home, we rushed around to get our grill ready to go and found out that the gas tank was empty. If the new gauge had been working, we'd have known that fact! However, it all turned out OK and we enjoyed a nice family dinner with Grandma and the kids' uncle.

Next week we add karate back into the mix. The following week we all go back to AWANA. Dance is taking a little break, but will be back in September, when we also start homeschool gym. And Trevor is going to be in the children's choir at church at some point.

Back to busy, here we come!

Our First Day

2011-08-01T14:14:00.001-04:00

2011-12 Class Photo

Summer of 2008

Our first day went pretty well. I got up at 6AM, and as usual the next three hours flew by. I prayed, read Jude, washed a pan I forgot last night, fed and watered the birds and cat, swept the kitchen, had breakfast with my dear one, did my workout,got the kids up, took a shower, and was ready for lessons at 9AM.

Lesson consisted of ...

taking first day pictures
singing "Jesus Paid It All"
praying for our school day
reading from 1 Chronicles
International Children's bible Field Guide pp. 8-12
reading from our poetry book, Favorite Poems Old & New
The Story of the World vol. 1, introduction (Grace is doing the activity pages, too)
Usborne Encycolopedia of World History PP. 102-07
The Golden Goblet, chapter 1 (all 24 pages!)

Then 8th grade boy went off to do his apologia physical science, reading, MUS Pre-Algebra and language arts while I did those things with 4th grade boy and 6th grade girl. (I am so glad he can manage these on his own.)

Everyone (including me) is writing a descripitve essay this week about ourselves. I thought it would be a good thing for me to join in the fun. I get less flack that way.

For 4th and 6th grade science we are using Apologia Zoology II. We started our notebooking journals today. We will start our ocean boxes soon.

4th grader gets IN history. Today we worked on the state standard of geography of IN.

4th and 6th grade then went off to do their Teaching Textbooks for math while I did my record keeping work for the day.

6th grade and 8th grade are reading the first 8 chapters of Mara, Daughter of the Nile, on their own this week. 4th grader is reading Dolphin Adventures.

And that is that! (I think.)

This Week At Home, Number 28

2011-07-29T21:13:00.000-04:00

Certainly one of the highlights of our week was visiting Grandma, who is "pleasantly confused" on a good day.

We went swimming. We spent a lot of time trying to keep cool. We went grocery shopping. We got the "Learning Room" all organized and ready to go. We went to archery two times in the hot sun. We read. We built Lego creations. We visited friends. We watched Voyager episodes from 1995. We hung out the laundry. We watched our cucumbers grow. We did a little bit of cleaning up. I'd say we had a very good week. And now it is time to savor the last couple days of freedom!

Have a great weekend, every body!
~Jenn

Back to School Plans

2011-07-28T07:39:00.004-04:00

It's the hottest time of the year, so we're on our way to swim, making a detour along the way to drop off library books that are due. That's when the kids start asking me about starting school. "When is our first day of school?" "When do the public school kids start?" One says, "I want to start now!" Another says, "I want to start in a week!" And there I am trying to dodge construction flags and barricades while this discussion is heating up, not saying much in reply.

Truth is, physically, I am ready to start school. I have all the books. The "learning room" (aka the living room) is ready to go. I've been "nesting" this week, getting things purged and tidy. But am I ready mentally? I don't know. Once this ball gets in motion there is no turning back. I love the freedom of summer. I know I don't have to give it up quite yet. But, they are eager to get going, and that counts for something!

So, get going I will do! I think we will start on Monday. Probably only get 3 days a week for awhile, but that is OK because we will be working towards the required 180. And, the kids can be done earlier this spring. That is what is driving them right now. They want to get going so that they can finish! I'm thinking,"Hey, why not just enjoy the here and now?" lol.

We still have some summer to enjoy, with camping, family visits, swimming and more. The in between times will be more structured with lessons. Perhaps the kids are just ready to get back to the familiar routines and the beautiful books waiting for us. And, hopefully, we won't burn out by October!

***I have updated our homeschool page, if you want to see what books we are using.

(Pictures from archery class this week. See how hot and dry it is? No relief in sight.)

Our "Lake" Vacation

2011-07-26T08:07:00.002-04:00

We arrived in NW Indiana on one of the hottest days in 5 years. The temperature on the van said 102F at one point. What were we thinking? Well, we made these reservations 6 months ago when it was freezing cold, for one thing. The other driving factor was that our little girl was turning 12 the next day and has always wanted to go to the American Girl store in Chicago, so going we were!


Beautiful Lake Michigan!

Thankfully, the lake temperature was only in the 70's. I remembered how it was 45 our first trip this season. I passed on a lake dip that trip. This time it was perfect and we went swimming twice.

Our big plan of the trip was to go to Chicago via the South Shore electric commuter train on Grace's 12th birthday. We had made the trip once before when the kids were small. I love the fact that kids ride free during non-rush hour times. And the train station is just a short one mile walk to Water Tower Place, the home of American Girl and Lego!

Waiting for the train to Chicago.

The mile walk was not so bad considering the heat, humidity, and the warnings not to do anything exerting outside, which went unheeded. I wondered if that was wise. Thankfully, we have all been exercising this summer on a regular basis and the walk was wonderful. I enjoyed all the downtown sights, including the extra touches along the way.

Pretty planters!

We arrived at our destination easily enough. Then we had to deal with the overwhelming "what to do next." That store was sensory overload! Grace quickly overcame that and we devoured the whole scene in about 2 hours. She even got her doll's hair done. And thanks to generous grandparents, she bought some lovely clothes for her dolls too.

Our American Girl!

The boys, well, they were bored, but hung in there. They did make a stop at the temporary Lego store set up until the new larger store opens.

Grandma, Trevor, and Woody at the Lego store.

All that shopping and walking left us super hungry, so we walked to our favorite stuffed pizza place and made pigs of ourselves.

Giordanos Famous Pizza!

The walk back to the train seemed a lot quicker. I wonder why that always is? Anyway, I want to come back and take a river cruise one day. I took one when I was a child once. I remember it was a great time.

Walking along Michigan Ave.

The next day, we took an hour long naturalist led hike through the dunes discovering what not to eat. The naturalist showed us many plants and of course, I've forgotten them all. My motto is just don't eat anything!

Nature hike at IN Dunes State Park

It started to rain after the hike, so after lunch we headed to a couple museums in nearby towns that we wanted to see. I just love touring old, old houses.

Brown Mansion tour in Chesterton, IN

There is a small art museum at Valparaiso University that has a painting of the dunes that my husband wanted to see. The modern art cracked us up. They had some creative offerings that left us wondering.

The Chapel at Valparaiso University

That night, we got some bad storms that kept us awake much of the night, so we decided to come home on Saturday, a day early. That turned out to be wise because it stormed again Saturday night and we would have been packing up in rain on Sunday as well. Coming home early was a blessing because we had an extra day to get back to real life and we got to be at our home church, too.

Wind farm in White County, IN on way home.

Thanks for stopping by to see our vacation pictures!
Jenn

We're back!

2011-07-23T19:52:00.000-04:00

Chicago River

We're back and exhausted, so this will be short and sweet. Despite record heat, thunder storms, and calling it a day early, we had a great time. More to come soon.
Jenn

Happy Birthday Grace, a bit early!

2011-07-19T16:50:00.000-04:00

Some of you dear people have been following my humble blog for long enough to remember Grace when she was in the first grade. Well, she is now about to turn 12 years old, going into the 6th grade. She's a lovely young lady with a heart touched by the Lord. (She is hope for all of you out there struggling with your children. Don't give up!)

This week, we gave her an early birthday party as we will be camping on her actual birthday and it was very important to her to celebrate with her Nana, Granddaddy and best buddies. We made her homemade pizza and went swimming in their pool. Grace made her own cake, baking and decorating it all!

VBS, This Week (Not) At Home!

2011-07-15T19:52:00.000-04:00

No pictures. Not much to say, either! It was a great week and a hard week. I am glad it is over, yet it was totally worthwhile. Ever have weeks like that? ~Jenn

How To Be Happy According to Benjamin Franklin

2011-07-13T05:51:00.020-04:00

I really enjoy gleaning from the past. I came across this list and thought I'd post them here as something to think about. Although, Mr. Franklin did not always live up to his virtues, it is still valuable to have something to aim for. I would do well to write my own personal list.

Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

How To Be Happy

2011-07-11T06:27:00.002-04:00

For the most part, I consider myself a happy person with many blessings. I decided to write a little about how I achieve this state of being as a record perhaps for my children one day.

Wake up every morning with a grateful heart. Spend time in the Word of God. Ask Him to help you navigate through your day in a way that pleases Him.
Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day. Even if you are not training for an Olympic sport, you will reap many benefits from this simple step. You can be proud of yourself for one thing. You will have more energy. You will sleep better.
Eat less, avoid sugar, regular or diet soda, and refined foods. Be moderate.
Purpose to work hard for the glory of God whatever you do. No grumbling. Look for ways to bless others.
Be the first to say you are sorry.
Look people in the eyes when speaking to them. Smile!
Go to bed at a decent hour. Get up early enough to do #1 &#2 on this list. Get up before your children.
Do not spend money you do not have, EVER!!!
Save for a rainy day, even if this means you have to say no to yourself now.
Spend time marveling God's creation whenever you are able.

**Bonus: if you want to grow old gracefully, never stop moving, reading / learning, and don't watch a lot of TV ! (From personal observation of my elders)

This Week At Home, Number 26

2011-07-08T05:51:00.002-04:00

In my life this week … I got all my laundry done in one day. We don't have a lot to unpack as we took care when we packed to go home. The camper is already packed and ready to go next time.

We had plenty of time at home this week to just enjoy being home. I love weeks like this. I protected my time as best I could.

My happy place.

In our {summer} homeschool this week ... Trevor took a math placement test, doing very well. He's going to skip 4th grade. The other two continued to work on their math. And reading is a big past time here, so more progress made there, too.

I am starting to think of things I need to do soon, like organize the new school books, buy 3 ring binders, and get organized for our new year.

My grandpa's geranium.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...
the library, swimming with Nana, visiting friends, swimming with at a state park, visiting grandparents, helping set up VBS for next week.

My favorite things this week were …

Watching fledgling birds makes the list again. They are just so comical.
Being home more than not.
Having Jeff come home for lunches again this week.
Finding good books at the library.
Learning to borrow ebooks via the library. This way I can read more current books and ver leave home!
Coming home to my kitty who missed me.

What’s working for us …

The green bean patch

Things I'm working on...
Making a peaceful home. I read recently that having order around you creates order within you.

I'm reading...
The Duggar's new book. So far it is really great, but I won't be needing to buy it.

I'm cooking...
Lots of grilled meats and veggies this week. I made pumpkin muffins last week before we left. This week I plan to bake some banana muffins.

I'm grateful for...

Libraries
Children to nurture
A home to tidy
My washing machine
Good health
Ability to work

I’m praying for… wisdom as I parent.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share …

Grace's sunflower she raised from a seed.

Thank you for taking the time to visit today. Have a great weekend!
This post is linked to Homeschool Mother's Journal.

IDSP, Camping Trip #4

2011-07-06T05:14:00.003-04:00

And let me just start off by saying that there are no hungry mosquitoes left at the lake thanks to my family donating so much of our blood this past weekend!

Wild blueberries free for the picking!

Our haul!

Sneaking a peek!

2011-07-05T08:13:00.001-04:00

Sunset on Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park

Good Monday morning to you, my friends! I'll be busy with the laundry pile all day today. Just thought I'd check in with this beautiful picture of the lake to say hello and that I will be around when laundry is done and the last bag unpacked. (Hopefully before we leave again in 2 weeks!)
~Jenn

Ways I Am Saving Money

2011-07-04T05:22:00.002-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

I'm declaring independence from consumerism today! Here's how I did it this past week:

Got a Kohl's 30% off coupon in the mail. Asked myself,"What do we need?" The answer was, "Nothing!" So, I did not use it. Probably saved $100! That is usually what I spend when we get one of those 30% off deals.
Signed up for Direct TV with a DVR. Changed our 2 at a time Netflix to the monthly $5 plan with free unlimited instant streaming. Waited a few days, decided to cancel the Direct TV order before they came out. (Thankfully it was a couple weeks before they could work us in.) Now I am saving not only my children's brains, but we are ahead with the Netflix! I feel brilliant! (Sorry about ESPN, Honey.) **We did purchase a better quality digital antennae hoping to come out ahead in the end.
Swimming with friends at their neighborhood pool. Free & get socialization for my homeschool kids, a bonus. *wink*
My husband is working at a client's office this week and next. It's only 10 minutes from our house. He is saving money on gas! Money we can use to buy gas going up north this weekend.
Reading my favorite magazines at the library this week saved me a little money and I don't have to feel guilty about magazines laying around.
Put the Duggar's new book on hold at the library and it is in! I really fought the urge to buy this book sight unseen. If it turns out to be a good one, I will add it to my wish list.

So, how are you saving money this week?

This Week At Home, Number 25

2011-07-01T08:34:00.109-04:00

Another week has flown by.

In my life this week …
Had two quiet days at home. Wednesday we went swimming with friends. Thursday was spent getting us ready for a long weekend camping at our favorite state park. We packed the camper last Sunday, which helped a lot. All that is left to do is pack our clothes, things to do on the drive up, gather all the food, and go.

In our {summer} homeschool this week ...
I wanted to get back on track. My goal is for them to do math 3 times this week, continue reading, and learning through excellent life experiences like camping. I also am thinking of how I can prepare for our return to lessons in August. I would like to start the first week of August. Not sure about that date now. The Principal says do two days a week in August. I think we will shoot for that.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...
Swimming with friends, going to see Grandma while camping, too many grocery stores, Bible study.

My favorite things this week were …

The cooler weather at night and sunshiny days.
My hammock. I could sleep in that thing!
Jeff coming home for lunch this week since he was working close to home.
Lots of time at home, just doing things here.
Watching fledgling birds. We have lots this summer. They can be quite comical.
Cancelling our Direct TV order. Long story. More later.
Chatting with my dad.

What’s working for us …Life seems to be at a good pace right now. I know this is going to change with vacations and VBS coming soon. Grace will be turning 12 in July, too.

Things I'm working on... Just getting us ready for camping. VBS is coming soon. I will be working in Trevor's class. I need to be thinking more about our school year. Need to order a couple of things.

I'm reading... Just finished The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. This is the second time I read it. The first time I think I just skimmed it because I got so much more out of it this time. Worth the look for it at the library. Basically, he is saying that you are going to end up where the path you are on leads. Pretty simple. He uses the lives of David and Solomon to illustrate this principle. I am still reading For the Children's Sake and going to read again Pocketfuls of Pine Cones. I try to read it every summer. Grace and I really enjoyed listening to These Happy Golden Years. Plus, the Duggar's new book is waiting for me to pick it up too!

I'm cooking... as little as possible! The grill is my friend. I would like to bake some muffins to take with us, if I have time.

I'm grateful for...

Living in a country where I am free to homeschool and worship as I please.
Good parks to visit.
Friends who pray.
A husband who loves me despite myself!

I’m praying for… an unspoken need of one of my family members.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share … I just love this room's simplicity.

Inn bedroom at Conner Prairie.

Thank you for taking the time to visit today. Have a great weekend! I'll be back soon with lots of pictures from Lake Michigan, Lord willing.

This post is linked to Homeschool Mother's Journal.

Wordless Wednesday: Back to the Prarie

2011-06-29T06:26:00.010-04:00

After almost a year without a membership to our local living history museum, we have been enjoying several recent trips. Here are some photo highlights.

Helping with the chores.


Saw this lamb born!

My baby enlisted!

Even Daddy joined up.

Time for Moderation

2011-06-27T06:18:00.003-04:00

Hello friends. I hope you had a great weekend.

Recently, I came across a very lovely and encouraging site called Unplugged Sunday. Right way I wanted to join in. Unplugged any day is very appealing to me. However as usual, I jumped in feet first without careful consideration of my family's needs. Ever do that?
So, after presenting the idea and saying we were going to give it a try, the deal went south pretty quickly. I had to step back and look at the big picture. What was my goal?

What I really want is for our default not to always involve a screen. I want us to use our weekends to connect, not scatter in front of a screen. Then I realized that we had already done that.

We spent hours yesterday walking about the living history museum. Today we worshiped as a family, went to the library and a local park. Yes, we also spent time on the computer, individually. But we did not totally ignore one another either. And the time we spent online was not wasted. My oldest son is writing a book and needs lots of time to flesh it out. The big picture also includes a weekend of camping is coming soon. We will be unplugged for days. Yippee! I can't wait.

This Week At Home, No. 27

2011-06-24T09:28:00.004-04:00

Hello friends and family. I am changing my wrap up format again. I really enjoy reading Annie Kate's Weekly Wrap Up, so I asked it if would be OK to copy hers. It's all about keeping it fresh, right? :-)

In my life this week … This was a very social week for us, not to mention being "tired" from coming off of a camping trip. Lots of laundry this week and putting away after camping. Planned and hosted a welcome home party for my brother-in-law.

In our {summer} homeschool this week ... Life got in the way this week. Actually, that was just fine with me, although, I know we need to try to keep doing some math. Reading is our strong suit. The kids are motivated to do the summer reading program. Visiting our local living history museum weekly is also a good way to learn informally.

Our green bean bed.

The first harvest!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing …Spent time with grandparents Saturday, the boys spent the day with a friend on Monday, visited my grandma on Tuesday, I attended bunco Tuesday evening, friends came over Wednesday, more extended family time on Thursday. Such a social time of the year!

My favorite things this week were …

Getting my laundry under control in one day! (Even after camping!)
Sunflowers about to bloom.
Visiting my sweet grandmother.
Listening to These Happy Golden Years CDs with Grace
Cooler temperatures.
Extended family time.

What’s working for us … Being flexible is working for us, not worrying about keeping a schedule. Keeping the outside lawn and weeding up is a big job and the kids are pitching in with happy hearts. The inside of the house is getting picked up and maintained, too. It helps having company coming often. Having a membership to our local living history museum is really working for us right now. I forgot how much I love to go and just walk and take pictures.

Questions/thoughts I have …Why does summer have to end?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share …

A great post I just read from Generation Cedar... Are You Wasting or Living Your Life.

One of my favorite flowers... Hollyhocks.

This post is linked to

I Have No Complaints

2011-06-23T10:54:00.001-04:00

"One wise mother insisted that her children write out all their complaints in 200 words or more. She received few. This is a good exercise for all of us. Make your list and go over it in your prayer time with God."
~Elisabeth Elliot

"Do everything without complaining or arguing." Philippians 2:14

Shakamak State Park Camping Trip # 3

2011-06-20T16:10:00.001-04:00

We are back from trip number 3! And we are three for three with rain during camping trips. I think that is going to be the norm this year. I've measured 4 inches of rain in about 2 weeks! Our backyard started to look like a lake this morning.

Here are some photos from our trip. We were blessed to have Grandpa and Grandma visit us while we were there, as they live not too far from the park.

If you'd like another perspective on our trip, visit my husband's blog, Crafting a Remarkable Life.

This Week At Home, No. 26

2011-06-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

Monday:
Knowing that the end of this week is going to be super busy, I purposed to make the most of this day. So, I wrote myself a nice list. I kept busy with things like, sweeping the deck, weeding, cutting "sucker" trees, making ice cubes, keeping the dishes and laundry going, and changing the master sheets. I also made a nice batch of pizza dough for dinner. And I had time to do Wii Fit this morning. Oh, and the weather is worth mentioning. It is soooo lovely, cool and just how I like it today.


Yes, Ryan is now taller than his Nana.

Tuesday:
Another delightfully cool day! I took advantage and spent an hour on the hammock reading a great book. Oh, to have another hour just like it would be great, but the lists must be tended to. We worked hard sweeping the huge deck, weeding, and doing laundry. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the upstairs bathroom. Grandma is coming to spend the night this week, you know.

And taller than Grandma, too!

Wednesday:
The morning started with a bang! Lightening, thunder and heavy rain passed our way making our grocery trip more of a challenge. Had I known it was going to pass through after lunch, I might have delayed. No matter, it is done. We spent the rest of the day making the house ready for guests. It's our first cook out, since learning the burner was upside down! Perhaps tonight the food will cook in a timely manner.

Watch out for this one!

Thursday:
Grandma is coming! After mowing, we walked around our favorite living history museum for 4 hours. They opened a new Civil War exhibit. It was fun to explore. We also watched a baby lamb being born! Some tense moments, indeed! Thankfully the little baby and momma are fine. We will check on them next week. After that excitement, we dashed home through rush hour traffic to grill chicken legs that had been marinating for 2 days. Jeff's little cousin joined us. I call her little, but she is almost 20!

New recruit!

Friday: Finishing packing and going to go brave the weather this weekend, camping. The forecast is for scattered thunder storms both days. Hoping they miss us, but not too optimistic.

Camp cook.

Saturday & Sunday:
Camping at a park 1.5 hours away. It has a great pool. There will be dry stretches to enjoy it and the 90 degree temperatures.

Have a great weekend!
~Jenn

PS. Jeff got the Magic Jack back online, but I am still not crazy about it. I just wanted to make that note, in all fairness. It seems to work half the time. And it could be our computer is old. Nonetheless (I just love that word) I am not sold.

Magic Jack ... Not!

2011-06-14T11:39:00.000-04:00

Not feeling the love, Magic Jack. You made so many promises. You promised to fulfill my basic need to communicate economically. You promised to be easy. You promised! Now it has been more than a month and I am so disappointed in you.

You only work part of the time. Garbling words, I hear the rest of the time. Then, you don't work at all. One day you just stopped recognizing me as me. And, we've made such accommodations for you! We have learned that you don't like to work when someone is on the computer. You just get all fussy. And you don't work unless MY account is signed in. It is not enough to have the computer on as the website promises.

When I think of the expense, money to buy you, money to buy the first year, money to buy a phone, I get angry. My life would be so much better if I had never met you, Magic Jack. So, what can I do? I'm going to tell all my friends. Be aware, friends! If something claims to be "magic", it probably is NOT!

More Than Just a Grill

2011-06-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

Coleman Sierra cleaned & ready to go.

An exciting thing happened this weekend. We were gifted a used gas grill, one that we'd never be able to afford new. One I turned down last year! All it needed was a little elbow grease and a tank of propane. Simple. Easy. Right?

Wait just a moment! We put in over 2 hours of sweat equity into that grill. Made a huge mess. Made three trips to the hardware store. Consulted an elder because it was not working right. Experienced defeat, joy and befuddlement all in two days.

Consultation in progress.

But you know what? Now, we have a grill! What makes me laugh a little is that this grill reminded me of a longing I had more than a few years back. You know, during "the basement longing days." I also had a longing for a "real" grill. I even told others about this. It was an unfulfilled longing and then I just gave up. For the last several years I did not even think about it. And now, I have a real grill! I actually have 2. One for home and one for camping.

Another side note. This is more than just a grill. It's a gateway to fellowship. One that had been closed to me. I did not fret about this. We just made do. And then last week we offered to have our flock group fellowship here at our house, but were turned down because we did not have a grill. We ended up going to a great water park and the kids probably had a much better time than if they had been here. And now I have a grill!

Time for a fellowship!

This Week At Home, No. 25

2011-06-10T05:38:00.002-04:00

In which we try to keep cool.

Temperatures are 10+ degrees higher than normal for this time of the year. Humidity is thick as pea soup!

Lovely park pool!

Saturday: Spent the day at a state park pool about 1.5 hours away. Such a hot day! The 100 year record was broken. It was 95 degrees.

Sunday: After church, Grace, Trevor and I joined Mom and went to see Grandma. Jeff and Ryan went in search of a new lawn mower tire for the push mower, which proved quite a hunt. The old one was falling apart.

New duds.

Monday: The kids and I were a bit tired after our busy weekend. We spent a lot of time getting the house back in order. And we did summer lessons. In the evening, dance class resumed for Grace. The boys went with Daddy to play tennis.

Nice summer haircut.

Tuesday: Continued to work at chores. Truly these are the lazy days of summer! I have very little to share of this day. We manage to fill our time with reading, movies, and a lot of Wii. It's just too hot to be outside.

Wednesday: The highlight of our day was going to Target for a few things. The rest of the day was spent doing our own thing again. It's still very hot, in the 90's. This is such unusual weather. The summer is sure to be a long one.

At Nana's pool

Thursday: Cloudy skies above. Soaring humidity below. We want to go to Nana's pool today. We'll have to see how the storms go. Right now they are to the north. We also want to go to the library to get our prizes. (The kids are putting their sights on winning state fair tickets. Want to go Dad?) Got groceries in the evening. Glad that is done!

$1 shirt at Walmart! He's thrilled.

Friday: Need to mow in the morning. Flock group fellowship at a splash park in the evening.

Awesome summer salad!

Saturday and Sunday: Graduation open house, church, working on the old grill that was gifted to us, dodging storms, hopefully cooler, grilling out with family, and the garage could use a tidy up. It's toss and go around here! *sigh*

I'm also participating in The Legacy of Home: Vintage Healthy Home Link Up today. Come check it out. Here is a link to the post I submitted. It's about reading out loud.

The Simpler the Life the Greater the Peace

2011-06-08T05:57:00.013-04:00

"The willingness to be and to have just what God wants us to be and to have, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else, would set our hearts at rest, and we would discover that the simpler the life the greater the peace."
Elisabeth Elliot

"Be on your guard against all kind of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Luke 12:15

Am I truly willing to be and to have just what God wants me to be and to have? The older I get, the closer I get to this state of being. I remember a time when I was out of control with my wants. I was also jealous of anyone who seemed to have the very thing I wanted. Thankfully, I have learned to be content with what I have.

If there is something that I think I want and I do not have it, I can rest easy knowing that there is some reason that the Lord does not wish me to have it. Perhaps this "thing" might become an idol and take my heart from Him. Certainly I do not want that.

I remember a time when I had a longing for a house with a basement. It seemed all my friends had one. (They still do.) What I did have was a house that my husband could afford. Grumble, grumble, grumble went my little discontent heart. And then, a few years later, I had no house to grumble about! Talk about learning a lesson the hard way! By the grace of God, I learned that lesson well.

I learned not to be greedy for gain. I learned to be content. I learned that having a house on this earth is not my right. It is a privilege. Thank you, Lord for being a gentle, yet firm teacher. And, as it turns out, I have a sunken family room that is kind of like a basement. I am getting closer!

Therefore, I do believe that my heart is at rest with my circumstances. I may never own another home. If I do, it will be a gift from Him and I will appreciate it as such. It certainly would take a miracle to be able to buy a house in the next few years. And it is not something I long for, either. What I long for is to be in the will of the Lord, having nothing more or nothing less than what He wants me to have.

Elisabeth Elliot also says, "Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for."

"In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13