Things change

It is said that there are many seasons of life. We are about to enter a new season, public school. *Gasp!* First let me say that I feel like a traitor and somewhat like a failure. I just had an article published that I had written for the local children's magazine "Peekaboo" about homeschooling and the very day it came out I enrolled Seth and Taylor in the local public school. I also feel like a traitor to my homeschooling friends and those to whom I've talked about homeschooling.

Homeschooling last year went pretty well. Seth liked doing workbooks and pretty much taught himself. Ethan was a baby and wasn't capable of getting into too much trouble. We had a good year. I feel like Seth is at a first grade level in most subjects. Earlier this summer I purchased the curriculum that we would use this coming year (yes, I need to sell it if you know of anyone who wants to buy curriculum let me know). We began in mid-July with Seth and Taylor. This particular curriculum is literature-based and doesn't have too many worbooks with it. Seth really didn't like it. Taylor did ok, but didn't understand a lot of it because it was really geared towards first and second grade but you *could* use it for kindergarten too. Meanwhile, Scott got grumpy because he was being left out even if I gave him "school" to do and Ethan got fussy and tried to rip out of our hands whatever we were doing. I was determined to make it work. I knew that I needed to give the curriculum a chance, but I was getting overwhelmed. It was so hard to balance school, therapy for Seth, cleaning, cooking, doctor appointments, and the litle ones. I was basically always on edge and stressed because I didn't get accomplished what I needed to.

Meanwhile, Josh saw what was going on and told me that he would support me no matter what I decided but he urged me to consider sending Seth and Taylor to public school this year. He told me that he wasn't saying I had to keep the kids in public school forever. He actually prefers that we homeschool them during the middle school years that were so hard for both of us. He even told me that next year we might try homeschooling again. He just wanted me to be less stressed and let them go to public school to learn the basics (I'm not good with teaching basics). I agonized over the decision. I felt like a failure. I felt like I was lazy. I felt guilty for even considering public school. But the more I thought about it, the more I prayed about it I felt God's soft voice telling me it was ok. Then I came across this on facebook. It is based on Luke 18:9-14 replacing the tax collector and the pharisee with 2 moms:

Oh Gracious Heavenly Father,
I want to thank you that you have made me different than the average mother.  I am so glad that I homeschool my 8 children with another one on the way.  We don't use birth control.   I am glad that I made the decision to breastfeed them all for an extended period of time and that we eat only homemade organic food; the food that You intended us all to eat.  God, I also only use natural fabrics in the clothing that I sew for my entire family.  And, God, I want you to know that I am a responsible mother and don't use a microwave and refuse to use any plastics that leak harmful chemical in our food. I am glad you made me because I am such a great help to my church; teaching the little ones, looking after the meal program and taking on the Christmas program for the past 6 years.  God, I know you'll bless the pet shelter and nursing home down the street because of our involvement there every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to noon..  Yes, you have made me a wonderful mother indeed, which I (and my community) will be eternally grateful.  Amen.


 Hi God,
It's me again and I just don't know what to say.  The two jobs are running me ragged and we've made the decision to send our little one to full time day care and our older one is going to public school.  God, please bless our mac'n'cheese because I sure don't know if there is any nutritional value in there at all.  I need your help.  I can't even keep my house clean never mind volunteering anywhere!  We've missed the last few Sundays at church and I've missed the fellowship but most of all I've missed time to reflect on you.  I'm so sorry I haven't even read my Bible the last couple of days, it seem like my life is just running away with itself.   But God, I want you know that I love you, and I think of you all the time.  I want to do life right, but I need your help.  I've come to the realization again that I just can't do this life without you. I love you Lord, help me.  Amen

It was after reading that that I knew I wanted to be the first mom but it's ok to be the 2nd mom.

Taylor is very excited about starting kindergarten. She has lived in Seth's shadow for so long and I'm excited for her to make some new friends and to be in her own class. She is very active and school will hopefully help her to stay busy. Seth is doing wonderfully in his OT and I am confident that this year he will do better socially and that he is more ready to handle public school.

I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can concentrate on just being mommy instead of a teacher. I will be able to spend precious time with Scott and Ethan. I still strongly support homeschooling. I'm still willing to talk to people who are considering homeschooling. I hope to homeschool in the next few years. Maybe someday I can be supermom. But right now, I am simply human.

Sensory Processing Disorder

I think I'll start this blog entry by explaning more about what's going on with Seth. He has always been very cautious and avoided things like getting messy or dirty, loud noises, and crowds. He doesn't like bouncy houses much. A few months ago we went to Jumpzone ( a place with big inflatables). He went up the ladder to the top of the slide and then proceeded to scream and cry because he was afraid to go down. He will not finger paint, get in the sandbox, or anything else where he might get messy. He also can't feed the cats their food because the smell of the catfood gets on his hands. When we go somewhere crowded he gets very anxious and we can't stay very long. He's also awkward socially. He usually watches a group of kids play but doesn't participate. He also has trouble making friends. While I was researching SPD, it was said that kids with SPD desperately want to participate in social activities but they can't. Playdates with Seth can only last an hour or two at most. Then he needs to be alone. Tags in his clothes bother him. He has a hard time giving people outside of his immediate family hugs. At church there is a little indoor playground. It took him 2 years to go down the slide there. He is also very sensitive to pain. When he falls and just gets a little bump or scratch he will cry for much longer than a normal kid would. He also says it hurts to get his fingernails and toenails clipped. In the past few months Seth has began to have breakdowns. We thought he was just being passive agressive or tired, but it's because he gets overwhelmed and doesn't know how to process all the stimulation.

He also needs a routine. When we go on vacation and we don't eat and go to bed at the same time we do at home, his behavior is affected. Usually after we return from a trip it takes a week for him to calm down.

The treatment for SPD is occupational therapy and a sensory diet (certain activities/objects like a weighted blanket can help). I have a few good friends who's children have SPD/aspergers who have really helped me along the way. I've always known something was "off" with Seth but I never knew what. They have given me support, helped educate me about SPD, and have done so much with helping me get him evaluated. They understand.

Seth is a sensory avoider, meaning he avoids activities that are very sensory oriented. Normal sensation from day to day living interrupts these children's functioning and makes it virtually impossible for them to learn or socialize appropriately. Many times these children have a low self-esteem because they think that nobody likes them and they have no friends. They also tend to be perfectionistic. When Seth makes even the smallest mistake while he's doing his schoolwork (something that only needs to be erased and fixed) many times he will throw his pencil, burst out into tears that he can't do anything and messed up, and then proceed to run to his room and cry in there for a long time. I don't know how to calm him down.

Through this process of learning about SPD, we have realized that Josh also has SPD. It really affected him as a child and he still has lasting effects. He has told me that going to the barn and getting dirty was very hard for him. When he was working outside in the rain, each raindrop felt like a needle on his skin. He hated anything that had to do with being upside down or with his feet off the ground. He remembers watching the kids on the playground and desperately wanting to play with them but he just couldn't. He talks about noises in crowded places being very, very loud. When he was a teenager, to cope he became very angry and did things like punch walls. To this day, he has a hard time being touched. He needs a lot of personal space. Even a hug from me, if not expected causes him to jump. He also has issues with self-esteem and thinking that nobody likes him.

I've been asked "isn't SPD just a quirk? Lots of kids have issues with things like tags on their clothes." The answer is that SPD isn't a quirk. It's a disorder in which a person can't process out the sensory input they are receiving. It becomes an issue when it affects their everyday life. Many people have certain "quirks" like food texture issues, but when a person has so many issues that it's affecting their everyday life then it's not just a quirk.

I've also been asked why Seth needs therapy. The argument is that he will learn to cope no matter what. Yes, he will learn to cope just like Josh learned to cope but he will have lasting effects from it. As you've read, Josh still has lasting negative effects because he didn't get help (mainly because it's such a new field of study).

I've also been asked "He can hear you talking about him to the pediatrician. He'll know something is wrong. He hears". Yes he hears. I struggled with how to tell Seth that something is wrong. Josh talked to me the other night and said "it would've really helped me if I knew what was wrong with me and didn't just think I was a loser. Just be honest with him.

A very good website to go to to learn more about SPD is: http://www.hartleysboys.com/p/favortie-blog-posts.html.

It's been very hard on me learning how to deal with this. Even though many kids with SPD are gifted and have academic abitilies above their age/grade level they still are considered special needs. Honestly, I didn't want to have a special needs child. I just want all my kids to be normal. As I watch him in social situations not acting like the other boys or just watching because he can't bring himself to participate make me sad and upset. Not knowing how to calm him down when he has a breakdown is heartbreaking. A mother's job is to comfort and sometimes I can't comfort him.

This brings me to the issue of schooling. I was planning on sending him back to public school next year. After finding out what is going on with him and realizing that those breakdowns when he got home from school earlier this year weren't normal I think it's best to keep him home. It hasn't been an easy decision but I think it's the right decision for us. I could send him to school, but he would have to have an IEP, and it's a bunch of red tape to get the school to agree to all of it, and I'd be taking him out of school for therapy, and you can't request certain teachers. Socially it will be very hard for him too. Josh was miserable in school. Sometimes even the lights bothered him.

So, hopefully you all undestand a bit more about what's going on with Seth and understand more about SPD.

A quick update

I know I haven't been very good at posting lately. There has been a lot going on lately.

On May 7, Ethan turned 1! I can't believe how fast the year has gone. Josh's mom came for the weekend. We always enjoy having her here. The kids have a great time with Gram. Then on Saturday, Josh's sister and her family came for Ethan's birthday party. It was a farm theme. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins Jayna and Joycie. Ethan stuck his finger in his birthday cupcake but didn't eat it. Ethan is also beginning to walk. He does this funny little walk on his knees. I can't really describle it. I think he walks that way so he can hold something in both hands and still get around. Here's the link to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRogrEgryb4&feature=player_detailpage

Mother's Day was nice. All four kids got dedicated at church. We had been between churches every other time there was a dedication or forgot to sign up. It was so special that all the kids got dedicated at the same time.

Recently, Seth has been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder (SPD, also called sensory integration dysfunction). For all of his life he has avoided certain things/activities that have to do with his senses. When he was a baby, when I changed his crib sheet (if it was a different sheet) he would touch it and cringe or jump and then cry because it was a different texture. When he was 2, I remember him not wanting to walk on grass or anything outside really. He's always been extra sensitive to noise. He hates loud noises, even noises that don't bother normal people. He's afraid of the vacuum. He's also a picky eater. He won't eat scrambled eggs, melted cheese, mashed potatoes, or anything with a real soft texture.
Here is a good short description of SPD: A. Jean Ayres, PhD likened SPD to "a neurological ‘traffic jam’ that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly." People with SPD have trouble functioning normally in social situations. Seth is usually awkward in social situations. He has trouble making friends. Playdates can only last an hour or two. Lately he has been having meltdowns. When he doesn't do something perfectly or something goes just a little bit wrong or I raise my voice he basically has a complete breakdown. I don't know how to handle it. I usually just have to leave him alone until he calms down.
SPD can be associated with Aspergers which is on the autism spectrum. We're not sure if he has Aspergers yet. The treatment for SPD is occupational therapy. Yesterday Seth had an evaluation with an occupational therapist. We should hear back in a few days what she thinks and how much therapy is needed. I will try to write another blog post just on SPD.

So that is a short update on what has been going on in our lives lately.

Vacation

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written. Life has been very busy. We were all sick a few weeks ago and then I was getting ready for our family trip to visit my parents in Indianapolis. Packing for 6 people is not easy. Anyway, we got back this past weekend and had a wonderful time.

We decided to leave at midnight to drive to Indianapolis. The idea being that the kids would sleep most of the way and we would get there in the morning. All was good for the first 6 hours of the trip. The kids slept. Unfortunately they woke up at 5:30 and Scott proceeded to get car sick. The last 4 hours were very long.

We had a great week visiting my parents. My sister and her kids also live in Indianapolis so that made it extra fun. She has 3 kids, ages 11, 8, and almost 5. My kids and her kids got along great. Seth was so excited that his cousin Kael (8) loves legos just as much as he does, so they spent hours builiding lego creations and playing Wii. Taylor began to idolize her cousin Serae (11). She followed her around and did everything she did. It was really cute.

One of the highlights of the trip was being there as my best friend's little sister (who is like my little sister) got married. We got to go to the rehearsal dinner and then to the beautiful wedding. It was so refreshing seeing a young married couple. Their excitement was just wonderful! It made Josh and I reminisce about us when we were first married.

During the week we did several things. Monday and Wednesday we went to the Children's Museum. It's a good thing my parents have a membership. It is one of the highest if not the highest rated children's museum in the world. It is huge, with 5 floors packed with fun. The kids dig for dinosaur bones, visited Egypt, rode the carousel, saw several dinosaurs, went to the Dora and Diego exhibit, and many other fun activities. One of the highlights of the Children's Museum was seeing Bumblebee from the Transformers movie. I have to admit that even I was impressed.
Tuesday went rode the monorail. A monorail is a train-like car that runs on tracks pretty high above the road. My sister works at a hospital downtown and the monorail goes between 3 different hospitals, so it was a little strange riding between the hospitals but the kids loved it. They felt like they were on a real train. We also ate at McDonalds which was very exciting.
Wednesday night we celebrated my sister's birthday, my nephew's birthday, and Taylor's birthday. It was such a fun time.
Thursday Josh and my dad took the kids to the zoo while me, my mom, and my sister went shopping. The kids had a blast and Josh and my dad survived. It was so nice of Josh and my dad to take the kids so my mom, sister, and I could spend some time together.
Thursday night we left right at bedtime at 8:00. The kids slept the entire way home. However, Josh decided he could drive fast and got stopped 20 minutes into the trip. Fortunately, the policeman was very nice and took pity on us because we had such a long way to go.
We got home friday at 5:00 am. The kids went back to bed and slept until 9:00. We spent this weekend catching up and beginning to organize our house. We have too much stuff!!! I also planted my garden today. Hopefully it will grow.
Now I'm preparing for another week. I feel so refreshed and blessed. The vacation was just what we needed. I am so blessed. My husband, my kids, my parents, my siblings, my friends. Thank you Lord for all of your blessings. :)

My new business

I have officially become a "work-at-home-mom". I have started my own business with Arbonne International. I am an independent consultant. I have to admit, that I don't have any business experience, and I am a little nervous about actually talking to people, but I'm also excited. It's exciting to have something to do that doesn't have to do with the kids. I was thinking, maybe this is what I can do since I won't be homeschooling next year.

So you might be wondering how I got started. One of my friends from college also has her own business with Arbonne and called me a few weeks ago and asked me to try a sample. I fell in love with the product as soon as I used it. So she called me back and asked me how I liked my sample and told me a little bit about the company. At that point I was not really interested in starting my own business, but I really liked that all the products are natural. I thought about it over the next few days. I began researching other companies you can start your own business through, but I kept thinking about Arbonne as I knew what a great and stable company it is.

I didn't know what Josh would think, but finally I asked him about it. His answer was: 'I think that would be great!' So I called my friend back and now here I am.
So far I've just been going through the training, but I love it and I feel like I'm doing something productive. Late next week we get to go visit my parents in Indianapolis and I can't wait to share this with them and with my wonderfully supportive friends.

The decision

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Things have been busy and I've been agonizing about what to do for school next year for Seth and Taylor. After many conversations with Josh and conversations with friends along with a lot of prayer, we've decided to send Seth and Taylor to public school next school year. Now, to all my homeschooling friends, before you start posting comments on my decision, it is my hope that I can homeschool again in a few years, I just don't feel like this is the right time. This decision was not made lightly and was extremely hard. Homeschooling is in my heart, I've wanted to homeschool since Seth was 2 years old. Seth is doing fine in homeschool now. However, at this stage in my life, I feel like I cannot give Seth and Taylor the attention that they need for me to homeschool effectively. Along with Seth and Taylor I have Scott, who decides to whine and fuss during school time and demand my attention, and then I have Ethan who I'm constantly chasing so he doesn't get into something he's not supposed to. He likes to pick microscopic pieces of paper and lint (and whatever else is small) off the floor and try to eat it. It doesn't matter if I've just swept or vacuumed, he'll find what I missed. I'm also not getting a lot of sleep because Ethan is still waking up in the night and doesn't nap well. Also, I've been a bit more stressed since I began homeschooling, although I think it was just because I put so much pressure on myself to be the perfect teacher. I think that having Seth and Taylor in school to learn the basics and then to homeschool in a few years makes sense. Seth learned to write in school even though he already knew how to read. I feel like Taylor really needs the classroom experience and structure next year and will learn the basics of reading and writing at school. What I want to do in homeschool will be much more appropriate when they get a little older and I don't have to work around a baby and a toddler and nap schedules. I want to visit places like Washington D.C. I want to study advanced subjects and read great literature. I want them to pursue their own interests also. For now, though, I want them to have that classroom experience and to do all the fun things that you do in kindergarten and first grade. I need to concentrate on being a mommy to Scott and Ethan and to do things with them like take them to the park. I admit that part of me feels like a failure for sending them back next year. I know that lots of moms homeschool who have little children also. I feel selfish for wanting to spend that extra time with Scott and Ethan. Part of me feels like I failed Seth by taking him out of public school in the first place. However, I do also feel confident in my decision and am going to be involved in my children's education and make the most of the public school experience.

Blizzard

A few days ago we got an unexpected 20 inches of snow here. It was incredible! The snow was coming down at a rate of 3-4 inches per hour for several hours. Here are a few pictures:

My homeschooling story

When I began this blog I meant to write out how and why we came to the decsion to homeschool but I never got around to it, so here it is:

Ever since Seth was about 2 years old I had been thinking about homeschooling when it was time for him to be in school. I began unofficially teaching him at home during his preschool years. We didn't use a curriculum or anything, I just read to him a lot and through that he learned the alphabet and the sounds they made. Through daily life he learned how to count, etc. When he was 4 1/2 I began to teach him to read using the book "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." He was reading by his 5th birthday. He self-taught himself many things once he began reading. I also wanted to be the one to teach morals and to teach him to love the Lord. I know that schools cannot teach morals, but they do.

Enter May of 2010: it was time to make a decision on whether or not to homeschool Seth. After much discussion we decided that we would send him to public school since I had the other 3 kids and my husband really wanted him to experience public school even though both of us were very  bored by 5th grade. We have a very good school system here and wanted to give it a chance. Seth began school in August. Those first few days were hard for me just as I expected but I did begin to get used to it. As the weeks went by I could tell he was not being challenged at all. He already knew all of his letters and how to count to 100. He was already reading well. When I would ask him what he did in school he would tell me about the special classes they had such as art and library (his favorite). They also watched a lot of movies in his class. They spent about a month or so watching a Leapfrog movie that taught the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they made. He also didn't like all the coloring he had to do in school and for homework. He did enjoy school though. He made some friends and had a very nice teacher.

Seth's behavior also changed while he was in school. He was overtired. He came home tired from being in school all day but full of energy because they sat a lot. He became more on edge and nervous. He began doing things like kicking and hitting his siblings because that's what he learned when he was around his classmates. He also talked about how some of the kids in his class behaved badly. I began entertaining the thought of pulling him out at the semester or finishing out the year and then homeschooling him in first grade. I had a very good friend tell me that when the time was right to pull him out and begin homeschooling I would know.

I believe it was the last week of September or early October when our family took a week long trip to visit my parents in Indianapolis. Seth would miss a whole week of school. That week was absolutely wonderful! Seth calmed down and his behavior improved. I had my old Seth back. That was when we knew we were going to pull him out, but we were still not sure of the timing. 

In mid-October it was time for parent/teacher conferences. Seth's teacher talked about how well behaved he was and how he was doing great. She also mentioned that she knew he was bored. The conference didn't last long enough to really discuss our concerns though. We finally made the decision that we would pull him out at the end of the month.

Seth's last day of public school was the day of his fall party. I went to his party and then cleaned out his cubby. His teacher's only words to me were "I'm still in denial. We will miss him." I left wondering if I made the right decision.

Since then we have been working through math and phonics/handwriting workbooks as well as writing in a journal every day and reading various books. I am planning on ordering a new science curriculum for him as I didn't like the one we were doing. His reading is improving greatly. We still need to work on some comprehension though. He is learning to count ny 2's in math and is working on adding and subtracting 7's. For example, 3+4=7. He is fascinated by astronomy so I will be ordering Apologia's elementary science curriculum. He also loves legos and spends hours building and playing with them. We also have several friends with children his age who homeschool so we get together with them regularly. He also goes to Awanas every wednesday with his best friend. He memorizes scripture there. He also goes to Sunday school every week.

Taylor is also learning a lot this year too even though she's not officially homeschooling. We are going through "Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." She can read some simple words and knows the sounds the letters of the alphabet make. She is also learning how to write her name and a few other letters and numbers. She can count to 100 and has a great vocabulary.

I have had overwhelming support from most people. I have become friends with new people and have also deepened friendships with several great women.

Am I anti-public school? Not at all. We have a very good school district here. I have made the mistake of comparing what I'm teaching to the public schools. The bottom line is that yes we are covering the same things, but we are also doing some things differently which is one of the reasons I'm homeschooling. After I wrote the previous blog post I found this article. It pretty much sums up my worries and gave me lots of encouragement. Please read it if you have the time: http://simplehomeschool.net/i-want-to-homeschool-but-dont-want-the-responsibility/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SimpleHomeschool+%28Simple+Homeschool%29&utm_content=Twitter.

So, have I made the final decision on whether or not to homeschool next year? No. Do I have a much better idea? Yes. I am leaning towards homeschooling.

Decisions

Well the time has come to decide if I want to continue homeschooling next year. Honestly it's a very hard decision to make. I love having all the children at home but I also feel a little overwhelmed sometimes. I also feel like if Seth and Taylor were in school then I'd have more time to spend with Scott and Ethan. The public schools here are good, but I'm afraid Seth would be bored again. I'm not sure how I would homeschool two kids at one time and sometimes the kids just drive me crazy.

On the other hand, I'm not sure public school is the best place for the kids. All the kids have to learn at the same pace. I'm not sure exactly what was covered in kindergarten in the public school after Seth left so I'm not sure exactly where he'd be in a first grade class. You also have to provide more documentation if you are enrolling from homeschool and it says that the child has to take some sort of test to determine what grade they would be in. I don't like that for some reason. There are some great curriculums out there too.

Maybe I just don't have enough self-confidence. I know that many families manage to homeschool with many kids. I know that the first year of homeschooling can be a learning experience for everyone. I know that homeschooling is a learning process for everyone. So many decisions. I'll let you all know what we decide.

Snow Day

One of the aspects of homeschooling that I really like is that we don't have to make up snow days. This morning I woke up to sleet and freezing rain which quickly turned into snow. All the area schools were closed. I love how our schedule didn't have to be interrupted. We went about our normal routine and had school this morning. We had a delicious hot chocolate treat and had snow ice cream for dessert after lunch. Then the kids built houses out of boxes and blankets. They played outside for a little while, but it was bitter cold and the wind was blowing so they didn't last long. It was such a treat to have Josh home today too. He got to see some of what we do every day and Seth was just thrilled that he got to show him how well he is doing in school. For dinner I made homemade chicken soup with the stock and rotisserie chicken that I had froze in the deep freeze. I added barley instead of white rice to make it a little more healthy. The kids loved it! While I look forward to spring and warm weather, I have to say that I do enjoy a good snow day.

The versatile rotisserie chicken

Here are some ideas for frugal cooking. I really like having "ready-made" meals/components for meals so they can be made quickly. After eating out too much last week due to a sick baby and the exhaustion that comes with it I vowed to do better this week. First of all, I sent Josh grocery shopping instead of me. I tend to browse and buy a lot more food than I planned on. I had him buy three rotisserie chickens. I like the taste of rotisserie chicken better than plain in most recipes but I rarely have one on hand, So I thought I'd stock up a bit. I deboned and shredded the chickens when he got home and I put them in gallon size freezer bags and put them in my deep freeze. Voila! Precooked delicious chicken ready to be made into a simple meal. With the bones and skin of one chicken I made chicken stock which I will use for chicken soup this week. I froze the stock also in gallon freezer bags. I will make delicious chicken tetrazzini with another chicken, and last night I made yummy nachos out of another. My kids loved the nachos which is almost unheard of unless it's pizza, chicken nuggets, or pizza. You could also make burritoes out of the chicken, or a casserole. The possibilites are endless. Here are the recipes for the chicken stock and the nachos:

Chicken Stock:
2 quarts of chicken broth
1 quart water
1 store-bough rotisserie chicken

Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large pot. Meanwhile separate chicken meat from skin and bones. Reserve meat. Add skin and bones to the summering broth. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until bones release their flavor. 20-30 minutes.

Chicken nachos (could also be filling for burritoes, tacos, or fajitas) I used what I had on hand and it turned out really good:
  Shredded rotisserie chicken
  frozen corn
 Canned, diced tomatoes with juice
 1/2 chopped onion
 2 cloves of garlic, cut up into pieces

In a pan put about 2 T butter and 1 T oil. Add garlic and onion. Cook over medium for about 2 minutes until garlic turns golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot. About 10 minutes. You could also add jalapenos if you like spicy. Serve with corn chips and salsa.
 

Flexibility

A big advantage to homeschooling is flexibilty. You can take days off when you need to, adjust the days' activities if you have other plans, and take vacations on off peak times. I need to become more flexible and this week was a good learning experience for me. As you've already read, Monday needed flexibility. Tuesday, Ethan got a cold and became very clingy. That night and every night that followed this week he has refused to sleep except when someone is holding him upright. Both me and Josh have gotten an average of 2-3 hours of sleep a night this week. As the days went on, he gradually got worse and worse. I finally broke down and took him to the doctor today thinking I would be told it was just a cold and I was being an overly paranoid parent. To my surprise he has a double ear infection and a very sore throat. So needless to says school has not been a top priority this week and I've learned a great lesson in how to be flexible.

Now I will address the "big concern" to many non-homeschoolers. "What about socialization?" Many people when they think of a homeschooled child picture a child who sits at a desk all day and studies and never sees any other children and is completely introverted and doesn't make it in the real world. In reality, most homeschoolers are very well socialized and tend to know how to socialize with all ages of children and can have engaging conversations with adults. Many are involved in homeschool groups, lessons, sports, church activities, etc. I know my kids get plenty of social opportunities. This week they went to Sunday school. Then I had one of my very good friends come over for lunch with her homeschooled children ages 13, 11, and 6. Everyone played together and they all got along and had a great time. Every Wednesday night Seth goes with his best friend to Awanas. This week we also had the opportunity to attend a get-together at our church of homeschool moms and their kids from the church. There were several moms there and lots of kids. Once again, all the kids, from teens to toddlers socialized and played together. It amazed me. My kids had so much fun that they didn't want to leave. Finally, this week we went to our small group from church. Once again there were kids there and everyone played together. So needless to say, our experience homeschooling is that the children have plenty of opportunities to socialize, perhaps even more than a child who is in school since you have flexiblity in your schedule.

This week was a challenging and tiring one, but also a fun one. Now I'm ready to enjoy the weekend with my family and hopefully get some good sleep!

A perspective on life

Please take a minute to watch this youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4oqb1LE4Ks

This little boy goes to my church and has an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors have given him about 6 months left. He is returning tonight from a Make A Wish trip to Disney World. He has 4 brothers and sisters. He has lost movement on his left side and his eyesight, hearing, speech, and swallowing are affected. He has told people to stop praying that he will get well. He is ready for Heaven.

Meanwhile, I sit here and am slightly annoyed by my kids running all around the house being loud. What would Johnny's parents give to see him run around like my kids?

As a parent, I have no idea how I would handle having a child with a terminal brain tumor. I can't wrap my head around it. The only answer would be my faith. Johnny and his parents have had such an incredible faith through all of this. Johnny knows that he is going to heaven to be with Jesus.

Thinking about things like having a child with a brain tumor certainly make me more thankful and give me a different perspective on my life when my kids wear me out. I am very thankful to have a healthy family.

Johnny loves getting email. If you would like to send him one, his email address is johnny.the.brave.5@gmail.com. Now go give your kids a hug and tell them that you love them.

     Our homeschooling days can be far from perfect. I know that lots of think that homeschooling families are all perfect, like the Duggar family is portrayed. I love the Duggars and I think that they are a breath of fresh air to television and are the same in real life as they are on t.v. However, my days are nowhere near their days.
     Homeschooling is all about flexibility and interruptions. I do try to keep a schedule and a routine. This morning began no differently. I began the day very tired as I had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before. I somehow made breakfast for the kids in a drowsy fog and got them going for the day. As I was brushing my teeth (and frankly, enjoying 2 minutes alone), I looked down and saw that my 8 month old, Ethan had somehow crawled all the way down the hallway to the bedroom and made his way into the bathroom. To top it off, he had a handful of cat litter in his hand and was about to take a bite of the tasty clay. Not being completely sure whether or not he had ingested any of it, I washed his hands thoroughly with soap and then called poison control. The nice lady was very sympathetic and chuckled when I told her my story. Thankfully, cat litter is made up of mostly clay and silica, both which are non-toxic. So for the rest of the day, he was put in the play yard if I was going to be out of his sight.
    Because of that interruption we were late starting school work. Seth took it all in stride though and did his work independently. I spent the rest of the morning trying to do dishes and catch up on laundry which all ended up thrown into laundry baskets unfolded.
    Enter the afternoon. Seth bitterly complained that he had had no time to play when I told him he needed to read in his reader and read his science lesson. Sigh. Meanwhile I'm trying in vain to get Ethan to go to sleep for his afternoon nap.
    The rest of the day went pretty smoothly until after dinner. The kids were quietly (yay!) watching a t.v. show when I realized that Scott wasn't in the room and was being quiet. This means one of two things: he's either playing with something he shouldn't be such as "playing" with a cat under my bed or sneaking into the closet where he knows the candy stash is and helping himself. It was neither. He was in the bathroom and had painted the cabinet and part of the bathtub with Taylor's blue nail polish.
Thankfully now the kids are all asleep and I finally have some time to breathe (until Ethan wakes up to eat).
    But even with all the crazy days and frustration at times I remember why I'm doing this and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Grocery slim-down

Lately I've been trying to trim our grocery bill. I realized just how much we were spending on food every week and it was appalling. Where I live, there is no grocery store competition, so couponing doesn't really work. Here are a few of the things I have done:

-I have cut way back on eating out. On average, it cost us $30 to eat out. The food isn't even healthy. $30 can buy you a lot of healthy food.
-Cut down on convenience foods. Those are very expensive
-Make more food from scratch. I have been making homemade bread in a breadmaker. It's easier than loading up all 4 kids and going to the store. It also tastes a lot better. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Basic White Bread:
1 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Put all ingredients in bread maker. I always put in on the light crust setting

-Make a menu for the week based on foods you already have. For example, if you have an abundance of hotdogs, make beans and hotdogs and cornbread for dinner.
-Stretch out your meat. Meat generally the most expenive item you buy at the grocery store. Stretch out the meat you have by making soups, adding brown rice or whole wheat noodles (which is whole grain and fills you up) or adding other forms of protein like beans and cheese.

There you have just a few ideas for a grocery slim down.

Welcome

  Well I thought I'd finally enter the world of blogging. After pondering what to write about, what I know well, the answer was simple: write about my life at home. I am a wife to Josh, and a mommy to four great kids. Seth is 6 and is definitely a first born. He is serious, studious, and very cautious. Taylor will be 5 in a few months and is very energetic, creative, loving, and the lone girl. Scott is 2 and goes back and forth from trying to do what his older brother and sister do to begging to be held. Ethan is the baby and is learning to crawl and become independent. He thinks it's a game for him to crawl away and me chase him.
  I began homeschooling Seth in November. That has come with it's challenges and joys. Along with homeschooling I have been attempting to be more frugal and to make a home for my family and to fulfill God's plan for me. I hope you all will join me on my journey.