Do you have a regular tea time at your house? We used to have tea time weekly at our house. It was always on Monday afternoons after our school work was finished. We had fun talking, eating and just relaxing together. The kids still talk about tea time and it shows me how much they enjoyed it. Now that school work has started up I think it's time for Tea Time again!!! So today we will start back to our tradition of Tea Time. We'll be enjoying chocolate chip cookies (Carlie is making them as I write this) and some lemon tea.  If you haven't had a regular Tea Time at your house, I encouraged you to try. We have lots of fun memories and now we will have many more!!!

Enjoy Your Day, Jennifer

This week at our house:

* I am waking up early again (5:45 a.m.) so I can have my time

with God before anything else. This time is so important to me and

it's nice to start my day in the Word. I am also able to clean, start

some laundry and start breakfast before the kids get up.

* School is moving along nicely. We are on week 8. We are still

reading Caddie Woodlawn for our read aloud. Once we are finished

 with this book we will go back to Five Little Peppers and How They

Grew. (I bought another copy at half-priced books)

* I made a homemade apple crisp for the first time yesterday and it

tasted pretty good. Next time I think I will need to add a couple more

 apples.

* C (8) made breakfast for us yesterday. She bought a Little House

Cookbook and made pancakes from the recipe in there. They were

 delicious.

* C (11) made us lunch yesterday. We had tuna salad sandwiches

and they were delicious too!!!

* I am still trying to potty train C(2). Some days are good and

others (like this week) are not so good. At times I think "Yeh!! He's

finally got it!!!" and then he goes back to going in his pants. Oh well,

 he's trying and that's all that counts.

* We are finally getting some rain today. The fall like temperatures

are coming too. I just love Fall.

* Today we have been indoors because of the rain. We usually spend

 most of our day outdoors. I think I'm going to take the kids on the

 porch in a little while.

That's about it for us this week so far. It's only Tuesday afternoon,

though. Much more to come later. Hope you are having a blessed

day!!

Jenn

"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is

right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if

anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Phillipians 4:8

Our family always has a book going that we

read aloud. I usually read it during lunch, tea

 time, or in the evenings. I had started the book

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. We were

all loving this book until it disappeared. It has

been gone for a couple of weeks now. I am so

diappointed. I guess I can just buy another one,

 but I know that as soon as I do the original one

will turn up. Maybe??? I have looked everywhere

for that book!!!! So, since we haven't been able to

find that book we decided to start another book. I

picked Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.

We are loving this one too. I'm not letting this one

get out of my sight. Our family has always

enjoyed books that are set in the 1800's. I love the

simplicity of the time and the family closeness. The

 Little House books have been a favorite of ours

also. Oh! To be Ma and Pa and live on the

prarie!!!! I can dream.

Blessings,

Jenn

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24

My husband had to go back to work yesterday

after a week long vacation at home . I just love

having him home. It was a wonderful week. We

were able to get a lot of painting done around our

home. We (mainly him) painted baseboards,

doors, and doorframes. He also replaced some

 baseboards. We had soooooo many little dirty

fingerprints on everything. Now everything looks

nice and clean-At least for a little while.

          After painting etc.. all week we decided to

take a break on Saturday. We went to Ft. Worth

and enjoyed free museum day. We went to 3

 museums and had a picnic lunch together on the

lawn of one of the museums. It was a nice treat

for us especially since we do not visit museums

very often. On Sunday we went to church and

then had lunch, at our house, with hubby's mom

and her husband. Then came Monday and back to

work for dh and back to school for me and the

kiddos.

Blessings,

Jenn

And the blood of Jesus his Son, purifies us from all sin. I John 1:7

I can't believe that it's been over 4 months since my last entry. It's been a busy summer for us. At the beginning of the summer we traveled to Phoenix, Az. That was a week long trip with other little explorations in between. On our way to Phoenix we stopped in Carlsbad, NM and went through the caverns. That was a lot of fun. A lot of walking too !!!

On our way home from Phoenix we went to the Grand Canyon. What an amazing site. I can't wait to go back one day. I would really like for all of us to go camping there.

In the middle of summer we took another trip. This time we went with our good friends to a state park in Oklahoma. We go every year and stay in a cabin on the river. We fish, canoe, swim, hike...... It's nice to just get away and relax.

The rest of our summer consisted of VBS, swimming, friends and fun. I had planned this year to continue with our schooling through the summer. Well, that didn't happen. I'm okay with that though. We had a great summer and we all learned a lot without officially calling it "school".

Now we are back in the swing of things. This is our 6th week of school and it's going great. We're doing most of our schooling outside since the weather is so wonderful right now. This really helps keep our little ones (C 3

and C 2) happy. They love to be outside. 

That's about it for now. I'll post later with all the many happenings around our busy home. Hope you're having a wonderful day.

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." Isa 61:10 

I'm finally blogging again. It's been so long since I've made an entry.I've been SOOO busy. Life with 4 kids, 2 being toddlers, always is. Fun and busy.

School is going wonderfully. We are finishing up our Ambleside  year 2 and year 4. I finally have a good schedule that we are following. We are usually done with school by noon and have the rest of the afternoon to be outside and enjoy nature. Here is a copy of our schedule:

Mom	C (11)	C (8)	C (3)	C (2)
Get dressed	sleep	sleep	sleep	sleep
Clean bthrm	sleep	sleep	sleep	sleep
Laundry	sleep	sleep	sleep	sleep
Brkfast/CircleT	Brkfast/CircleT	Brkfast/CircleT	Brkfast/CircleT	Brkfast/CircleT
Laundry	Chores	Chores	Help Mom	Help Mom
Spanish	Spanish	Spanish	Play	Play
Preschool	Copywork	Copywork	Preschool	Preschool
E-mail	Math	Math	Play	Play
Reading	Reading	Reading	ABC Video	ABC Video
Lunch Prep	Free/Help Mom	Free/Help Mom	Free/Help Mom	Free/Help Mom
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
Piano/Typing	Piano/Typing	Piano/Typing	Read w/ Mom	Read w/ Mom
Narration	Narration	Narration	Free	Nap
Quiet Hour	Quiet Hour	Quiet Hour	Quiet Hour	Nap
Aftern Chores	Aftern Chores	Aftern Chores	Aftern Chores	Aftern Chores
Dinner Prep	Help Mom	Help Mom	Help Mom	Help Mom
Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
Family Devo	Family Devo	Family Devo	Family Devo	Family Devo
Play/Read/Bed	Play/Bed	Play/Bed	Play/Bed	Play/Bed

Now that the weather is nice we are spending most of the day outside. After breakfast and copywork we take the rest of our studies outside. We read, play, and have lunch outside. This really helps with C (2) and C (3). They can keep themselves busy for hours playing in the water, finding bugs, watching birds etc.....

Today was one of those days that we spent most of our time outdoors. We went out at 10:00 a.m. and came in for baths at 6:30 p.m. Boy were we dirty!!!! It was a great day. We were able to get all of our school done and a lot of playing. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to homeschool these 4 blessings from God in such fun and memorable ways.

I plan on going more into our schedule next time. Hope you are having a blessed day.

Jenn

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

The blog below this one is an update on the past couple of weeks. This one is a list of some of the books we are currently reading.

Bible- We are studying Job this week. We are using coloring sheets and words finds from Calvery Chapel. The kids do these as I'm reading.

Little Duke- We are loving this book. It was a little slow at first, but now we can't wait to read it. This is the description of the book from the Ambleside website :(An author CM used in the PNEU curriculum. This is a lively, literary biography of Richard, Duke of Normandy, great-grandfather of William the Conqueror, beginning in 943 AD.  Yonge's historical information about events of the Viking era is meticulously researched, although presented in a somewhat Victorian tone.)

The Wind in the Willows- We are also loving this book. It's hilarious.

An Island Story- I read a little of the chapter, every day, to my daughter. As I'm reading I'm also drawing the story on our dry erase board. She is enjoying history. I will see her in her free time drawing pictures of King Henry III etc...

Abigail Adams:Witness to a Revolution- Can you guess??? We love this book too. Very informative and very interesting. I read this a loud to my son every day. I love learning right along with him. Why didn't I learn like this in P.S.? Must I ask???

George Washington's World- C (10) is reading this on his own. He has learned so much from this book. I'm very happy with it.

I'll update more later about the many other books we are reading. You can find a list of them on the Ambleside website. I can't say enough about this wonderful website. It has changed our lives.

Blessings,

Jenn

" A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will aquire wise council." Proverbs 1:5

Things have been pretty busy around here and I haven't had any time to blog. I have a few minutes so I'll update with our happenings.

My Grandmother is still not doing well. Hallucinations have been terrible. Need prayers for her!!!

I was sick last week with a yucky virus. Our kiddos have had the cold, cough thing going on. Dh has the virus I had last week.

School is going great. We took off last week from our studies because of the virus. Even though we did not have "formal" schooling the kids did a lot of reading, some nature study, and math games. There is always some kind of learning going on here.

This week has been fun. For Valentine's Day we had a tea/valentine's party. We all wore red(boys) and pink (girls). We had lots of goodies to snack on and some herbal tea. We made each other Valentine's day cards and then played Crazy 8's. For lunch everyone had heart shaped PB&J sandwiches. It was a fun day!!!!

Today we did some school work and then went to park day with other homeschooling families. We had a great time. The kids really enjoy this time with their friends. I like getting out and talking with other moms too. (That is when I'm not chasing my 2 and 3 year old around).

Tomorrow Dh is off from work. We will do our school in the morning and then hang out with Dad the rest of the day.

I'll try to be more consistent with this blogging thing!!!! Life sure is busy sometimes.

Blessings,

Jenn

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe."

Proverbs 18:10

I haven't had much time to blog lately. We've had a few things come up last week so we've been busy with LIFE!!!

It all started on Wednesday. We decided to go to the park with our homeschool friends. We were all in the van, ready to go and the van wouldn't start. I tried several times and no luck. We really wanted to go to the park, too. Dh was at work so he couldn't check it out. We had some friends come and pick us up for church that night.  After church and after Dh arrived home from work he tried the van and can you guess????? It started for him!!!! It was running funny, but it was running. It has been running ever since. He thinks it may be a blown headgasket, but so far there has been no other problems. I just think that God answered my prayer. I came home Wednesday night, after church, I just cried and prayed to God about a few things in my life that have been bothering me. Three of my prayers were answered from that prayer. God is awesome and he hears our prayers.

On Friday the kids and I went to visit my grandmother. I have been really worried about her latley. She has had emphysema(COPD) for a few years now and it is getting worse. She has been having more and more trouble breathing and now something else has come up. It started about 3 weeks ago. She told me she thought a bird was in her house. My dad went and looked all over her house and no bird. He told her that maybe she had a mouse or rat and he put out some traps. Ever since then she has said that it is a rat and it's staying behind her T.V. She has been feeding it rabbit food and she really believes it's there. So, on Friday I met my mom at my grandmother's house and we looked everywhere. We couldn't find anything or any trace that a rat has been living behind her T.V. Then it got worse. Yesterday (Sunday) I called her and she told me that animal control had just been out because there is some exotic animal in her house. She said it was sleeping on her couch next to her cat. Of course animal control found nothing. I'm not sure what we need to do. Could this be lack of oxygen to the brain from the emphysema?? Is is something else. She has always been in her right mind. She has never acted this way. I'm concerned for her. She has an appointment with a pulmonologist in March, but I'm not sure we can wait that long.

Saturday we attended a family birthday party. Sunday Dh went to church with C (7) and C(10) and I stayed home with C (3) and C (2). They have both been really congested and I decided to keep them at home.

It's early Monday morning and I'm up and ready for the day. I need to make some breakfast and then I'll wake everyone up.

Blessings,

Jenn

"Bless the Lord O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name."  Psalms 103:1

I finally have a moment to blog today. It's quiet time in our house right now. The two little ones are asleep and the two big ones are in their rooms reading. This is such an important time in my day. I need this quiet time to read my bible, pray, and sit around and do nothing!!! The kids also need this time to be by themselves for awhile. I try to make sure that we don't miss our quiet time.

Here's our schedule from Friday until today. On Friday we did not do much school. Dad was off from work so we had fun with him. I was able to get in a little school in the morning though. I read Shakespeare with C (7) and C(10). We are currently reading The Tempest. We first read the small selection from Tales Of Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb and then we read from the actual play. This helps us to understand the play better. We do this every Friday.

Friday night we went to a basketball game at our local high school. We went with some friends of ours. Their children attend public school there. We had a good time and the kids were excited to see the game.

Saturday we slept in and were lazy all day. Then when Saturday night rolled around Dh and C (10) went to the Monster Truck Show in Dallas and C (7), C (3) and C (2) and I went to have a girl's night (poor C (2) was the only boy)  at Cotton Patch. It was a fun evening for all.

Sunday we attended church in the morning and the evening.

Monday I felt terrible. I'm not sure if my body was trying to fight something, but I felt run down, sick to my stomach etc.... But we went ahead with school and we're able to do what we needed to do. In the morning we did all of our table work and in the afternoon we did all of our reading. I have changed up how we are reading our Ambleside readings. Instead of having a history day, science day, geography day etc... I take all their reading assignments for the week, count how many pages there are to read in each book, and divide by four. This way we are reading a little out of each book daily instead of a lot in one day. This seems to be working better for us, especially for C (7). She seems to be retaining the lessons better.

Yesterday afternoon the kids did a craft during our tea party. We got the idea, for the craft, from the new magazine The Home Educator's Tutor. They made a button mosaic. They really enjoyed making these. Even C (3) did a great job. I let her do most of it by herself and she was very proud. Her mosaic was in the shape of a circle, C's(7) was in the shape of a heart and C (10) was a whale. We'll be making some more in the coming weeks.

Today (Tuesday) has been a good day,except for the fact that I've been so moody. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Anyway,  this quiet time has helped me and I feel a little less moody!!!

We finished our school for the day and will venture outside in a little while. Have a wonderful day!!!

Blessings,

Jenn

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing." Psalms 100:1&2