I've been backing-up my blog (slowly copying and pasting each entry into Word, up to 399 pages so far!) and came across this entry from a few years ago. We've traveled to quite a few more states since then. Here is the new map:
My husband was away on a business trip for 1 1/2 weeks and my mom came to visit. We had a lot of fun doing some sewing projects, cooking, and going to Legoland! I'm almost done with my daughters' dresses and will post pictures soon.
Legoland
Right now my house is in quite a disarray as we are about to put in hardwood floors on our first level. I'm having to watch my 13 month-old like a hawk so she doesn't step on splinters or step on a spike where the floors have been ripped up. I'm thankful that the dishwasher and refrigerator are staying in the kitchen (at least for the moment!). The kids are having a ball playing on the kitchen island in the family room!
Daddy and daughters:
Haircuts:
My husband and older boys are away this weekend at a Father/Son Camp. Their activities got rained out yesterday so they swam at the pool; hopefully today was better. I'm looking forward to having them back home, though!
For quite a while my husband and I have felt that the Lord was leading us to someplace other than the church where we have been members for the last 9 years. There are many things we love about it--the people, the biblical preaching, etc., but we didn't have the same view on discipling our children. They believe strongly in separating families; we wanted us to worship together as a family. We were one of only a few who brought our young children with us into the service (starting at age 3). At the end we had four of them with us in the service (ages 4-8), and put the baby and 2 yo in the nursery.
Through some interesting circumstances (could only be God!) we found out about a fairly new family-integrated home-discipleship church which meets in a home close to us. We have now been going there for a few months and really feel at home! If you've never heard of "family-integrated" or "home-discipleship", here is a bit of an explanation.
The following is a passage from the back of Henry Reyenga's book "The Spontaneous Spread of Home-Discipleship Christianity" which explains more about the mission of our church:
"Imagine a church where there is no Sunday School or children's church, where families are charged with providing spiritual instruction and remain together during the service to celebrate and reinforce all that is learned throughout the week in the home.
A home-discipleship church does not ask people to sit back and be entertained, but rather asks fathers and mothers to step forward in leading their homes in discipleship practices. The church creates an environment in which each man, woman, and child is able to develop his or her own talking-and-listening relationship with the living God and share that walk within the family, with like-minded friends and neighbors, with the church as a whole, with the broader kingdom of God, and with the world that so desperately needs to hear of Jesus.
Through daily Bible reading and prayer, Scripture memorization, singing, hospitality, and unity in purpose as a church body, home discipleship supports a Christianity that is active, alive, and truly attractive to those who are seeking after God. Precisely because it asks something of participants, challenging them to embrace the rigors of an ancient, godly lifestyle rather than being coddled in comfort and ease, home-discipleship Christianity is quickly spreading."
My 2 yo said this morning, "Mom, I found a pickle for Daddy's guitar!" He found a pick!
When driving in the car last week, we heard the GPS say, "In 500 yards, turn left." The same little boy said, "It's Nama; I heard Nama's voice!"
I was putting on some lipstick and asked my 2 yo son how I looked. He pointed at me and said, "You look like this."
I was having that funny little boy help me put clothes in the dryer. He kept trying to get out of it and said, "Mom, can you help me? You do this, and I'll go lay on the couch."
A couple of weeks ago, my 5 yo daughter said, "Do you know where the yankee is?" I said, "The what?" She said, "You know, the blue yankee that we use to keep the umbrella together." She was talking about the bungee cord!
As we began our trip back home, we made a short stop in Washington D.C.--way too short a stop! There is so much to see and do in this historic city that we will definitely plan an entire vacation here sometime in the future. We decided to walk around the first evening. The next morning the older boys went with their dad to the International Spy Museum (a big hit!) while I took the four younger ones to the National Zoo.
Riding the Metro. My 2 yo was sooo excited to ride a train!
At the Capitol:
My Washington D.C. highlight--seeing the pandas!
There was a really awesome reptile house at the zoo. We spent a bit of time in there because it was raining!
After this day, we spent two days driving home. It was a wonderful vacation, but looking at the pictures, I'm remembering how tiring it was! But I'm thankful for the awesome family memories!
Since we were so close to the Atlantic Ocean, we felt we must go see it! Then my husband thought it would be quite an adventure to take the ferry instead of driving down the coast.
It was sooo windy that day!
I'm glad to have seen my first lighthouse!
We arrived at the beach and decided to take a little stroll along the sand before getting to the hotel and changing into our bathing suits. It didn't go quite as I had planned. . .
By the way, thanks so much to my sister, who encouraged me to buy an Ergo baby carrier for this trip. I used it every single day!
And here is a picture of me thinking, "Why didn't we change into swimsuits? We'll never do this again!"
The next morning we headed back to the beach. I went into a few shops with the 2 little ones while the others played in the sand and waves.
Soldiers training to keep us safe:
The Amish visit the ocean:
The kids also saw some dolphins. They absolutely loved their beach experience. We live right in the middle of the Midwest prairie, so it will be some time before we get back to the ocean!
Hershey, PA: We just went to the free Chocolate World and drove around the town. They have a neat amusement park called Hershey Park, but we're not the amusement park-type of family yet! Don't you love these lamp-posts? In case you aren't familiar with his story, Milton Hershey built this town around his chocolate factory to be a wonderful family place for his workers. He did so well that he didn't have to lay off anyone during the Great Depression.
We were able to see Thomas the Tank Engine from our car on the way to Gettysburg: It was free and we avoided the crowds!
Gettysburg, PA: We visited the Visitor Center first and went through the museum. They have an awesome circular painting. Somehow, my husband and I missed it when we went to Gettysburg 8 years ago. Make sure you see it! We bought a CD that explains the battle as we drove through the battle site. It is a very somber experience to picture all the thousands of young men who lost their lives during those 3 days in July 1863. I also recommend watching the movie "Gettysburg" before going (teenagers and adults only.) They have not built any buildings on any of the battleground.
The Crayola Factory in Easton, PA: This was required as far as my artistic 7 yo son was concerned! I'm glad we went because it was very fun for the kids.
They gave the kids Model Magic to play with. It's pretty neat. We'll have to try some here at home. It works a bit like clay where you can mold it, but it's much easier to work with. You can paint or color with markers on it, and it dries in about an hour.
Seeing how markers and crayons are packaged.
Historic Philadelphia, PA: This was one of my favorite cities to visit.
Independence Hall:
Nursing break:
The room where the US Constitution was debated and written.
Ben Franklin's glass armonica:
Another of Ben Franklin's inventions, a four-sided music stand, perfect for a string quartet!
Franklin Stove:
This was the actual box where George Washington sat at Christ Church in Philadelphia.
Our main focus of our trip was to visit Lancaster County, PA, which is one of the largest settlements Amish and Mennonites in the world. After some research I found a working dairy farm that takes in guests (Eby Farms), and we stayed there for 3 nights. They were a wonderful Mennonite family, and it was a joy (and educational) talking with them.
Here are some of the similarities and differences between Amish and Mennonites. The Mennonites came about soon after the reformers and were part of the Ana-baptists, those who had been baptized as infants but believed that God wanted believer's baptism by adults. The Amish broke off from them because they believed in having more conservative ways of living. Today, all Amish and some Mennonites dress "plainly." Many Mennonites no longer dress in plain dress because they are trying to draw more people to Christ and feel it separates them. (I'm sure there are other reasons, too.) Amish only educate until 8th grade and with a one-room schoolhouse. They have received permission from the government to do this. Mennonites educate to 12th grade and beyond, through public, private, and home school. Amish don't use electricity, cars, or many other modern conveniences; Mennonites do. Amish have church through church districts, all within a horse and buggy distance. They meet every other Sunday at a different family's home. The opposite Sundays are reserved for visiting/ fellowship. The pastor/preacher is one of the 8th-grade-educated men who is chosen by lot. The Mennonites have churches like other Protestant denominations. The Amish are very big on coming together to support one of their members who is sick or has had a tragedy (fire, etc.) The Mennonites are committed to sending missionaries all over the world.
Now, back to the farm. This was my favorite spot: the porch! It had a view of a field of cows. I was wondering how they get those cows into the barn to milk them and found out that these are the pregnant ones and aren't being milked. So, I asked if they just keep looking out there all day to see if a calf has been born, and they said, "Yes!"
This barn is newly rebuilt, having been destroyed by arsonists a few years ago. It pays to have lots of Amish friends; they got the new barn built as fast as it could possibly be built! (See more pictures here.)
Here's me feeding a calf.
The cows being milked are kept in this barn. They have to be milked by machine and are on a 10-hour schedule. The farmer has hired someone to come in to do the milking. Land-O-Lakes picks up the milk twice a week.
We (the guests) got a chance to try milking. Here is Joyce Eby showing us how.
My son B.
Me.
And little T. He wanted to try it, but was afraid to look at the cow!
The kids had a ball playing in their yard and seeing the animals.
I didn't know I had such a cat-lover. (I'm allergic to them.)
After arriving at the farm after a long day's drive from Pittsburgh, we found that we were due to eat at an Amish lady's house very soon. So, we packed up into the Suburban again and headed over to her house.
Ruth is a widow with 11 children. Her husband died about 7 years ago (when her newborn was 6 weeks old). She now cooks meals for guests in her home to supplement her income. It was so fun to have her hospitality. The food was great, and plentiful. She gratefully answered all of our questions. Her sons, ages 7 and 9, washed all the dishes while we continued to eat. Her daughters took our little baby, who was quite fussy from being restrained in a seat all day long, for a walk outside.
Here is the table piled with wonderful food. There was another family there, too.
Their swingset. We accidentally got a picture of Ruth's granddaughter.
One of my favorite sights in driving around Lancaster County were the pulley-system laundry lines of clothes!
Now, this scene was when we went to the beach in Delaware!
On the way back home we were in a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. My husband stopped by the breakfast room to have a cup of coffee. There was an Amish man in there doing the same, and they struck up a conversation. This man was originally from an Amish community in Indiana. He had left because after reading and studying the Bible more thoroughly, he had become a believer! Similarly to my husband, he had grown up in the church, but didn't have a relationship with God. He found a few other families who also became believers and wanted to change the works-based beliefs that their church district was following. It couldn't be done, so they all packed up and moved to Michigan and started a new community! (In case you're wondering why he and his family were in Kentucky, they had hired a driver who was taking them to visit family in Tennessee!)
Here is a pamphlet that we found--
The Amish Challenge:
We realize that not everyone is cut out to be one of the plain people. Many have not the opportunity; but here is the challenge:
If you admire our faith, strengthen yours.
If you admire our sense of commitment, deepen yours
If you admire our community spirit, build your own.
If you admire our simple life, cut back.
If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them yourself.
(written by an Amish man writing in Small Farm Journal, summer 1993)
We began our vacation this summer with a long drive from the Chicago area all the way to Pittsburgh. The kids had some fun playing with Wikki Stix in the car.
That evening after a nice Italian dinner next to the hotel, we drove around the city. I had heard that Pittsburgh was very pretty, and it was!
The next morning we went to the National Aviary, or the Bird Zoo, as we described it to our animal-loving 2 yo. There were some fun hands-on experiences and a neat flight show.
The Aviary was a great place. Above you can see that we were able to "feed the Lories." We became members (even though we won't be going back anytime soon) since it only cost $2 more. We've already made up for the cost by getting free parking at the Chicago Botanic Garden and a great discount at the Morton Arboretum!
I'm finally going to focus on getting pictures posted from our summer! The fun started at the end of May when my mom, sister, niece, and nephew visited from California. We had a lot of fun hanging around the house, but also going on a few adventures such as to Old World Wisconsin, Brookfield Zoo, and Kohl Children's Museum.
A block creation just before it was destroyed by a 2-year-old.
Interesting way to be "in" a pack-n-play
Fun at the park
My sister and her daughter
At the Zoo: baby hippo
Warthog
Butterfly exhibit
Gorilla
Back in February I rolled over in bed at 4 a.m. and was awoken by an extreme pain on my lower right side. It felt a little like a pulled muscle, so I thought after a few hours of moving around it would feel a little better. Later that morning I started to think it might be appendicitis, so I did some research. The location was right, but I wasn't having any nausea or fever. I called my doctor, but they couldn't see me until the next day. That evening the pain was pretty strong, and I thought it might be something gynecological like an ovarian cyst or ectopic pregnancy. I called my OB who said she would see me first thing the next morning.
She quickly ruled out anything gynecological and sent me to get a CT scan. I left my baby at home with my mother-in-law while I went to do the test, hoping to be back within 3 hours, but it took 4. Poor baby! Before I had even driven all the way home the doctor called and said I had diverticulitis, an infection in the colon. I thought, "Oh, good. All I need to do is take a few antibiotics." But then she said, "So, if you need to be hospitalized, which hospital do you want to go to?" It was then I realized that this was far more serious than I thought.
I was put on 2 different antibiotics for 14 days (not 10). They said I would have to stop nursing. I begged for an alternative and was given it instead, but they weren't sure if it would be good enough to take care of the infection. I started the medication Wednesday night. By Friday morning when I saw the GI Specialist, the pain was exactly the same. Sometimes when I was perfectly still I couldn't feel it at all, but when I moved it shot up to a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. The doctor was astonished to see me. He was amazed that 1) I was only 37, 2) that the pain was so severe, and 3) that the pain was on the right side instead of the left side.
He said I needed to be on a "full liquid diet" for 2 weeks, which means that I couldn't have anything that required chewing. That was pretty miserable. I tried to continue getting 2300 calories a day to keep up my milk supply, not so easy to do when you aren't eating food! By Monday night the pain was still exactly the same. I was beginning to think that I was going to have to go to the hospital for a round of IV antibiotics, or even surgery. The worst part was that I'd have to wean my baby. I love nursing and didn't want to do that!
By Tuesday I finally felt the pain begin to subside. That night I also started to get hives. It's a typical allergic reaction to medication that I get. I told the doctor that I needed to stop the antibiotics. Since I didn't know which one I was allergic to, I had to stop both. So, I'm glad I was only on them for 7 days, and "Praise the Lord" the infection was gone! I continued the liquid diet, though. Unfortunately, the hives kept returning for another week!
How do I prevent diverticulitis from returning? One way is to eat a high fiber diet, which means 30 grams a day. Have you ever counted up to see how many grams of fiber you eat a day? I was amazed at how little I was eating. I like fruits and vegetables and only eat whole grain bread and cereal. But it added up to only about 10-15 grams a day. I also need to exercise, which is why I'm glad I found T-Tapp (see previous post.)
For breakfast I usually eat a mixture of 1/2 cup of All-Bran (10 grams), 1/2 cup granola with nuts (4 grams), and 1/2 cup fruit--usually thawed out frozen berries or a whole banana (2 grams). If I have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, that's another 5 grams. A salad with dark greens or spinach and 1/2 cup raw veggies with 1/4 cup sunflower seeds gives about another 5 grams. A late afternoon snack of 1/4 nuts and 33 chocolate chips gives 3 grams. Getting 1/2 cup of beans at dinner time gives a big boost (5 grams or more). And, if I haven't gotten enough from the above, I eat a fiber bar (9 grams).
See below for a list of foods with fiber:
(Only plants have fiber; animal products don't.)
Fruits:Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Raspberries 1 cup 8.0
Pear, with skin 1 medium 5.1
Apple, with skin 1 medium 4.4
Figs, dried 2 medium 3.7
Blueberries 1 cup 3.5
Strawberries 1 cup 3.3
Banana 1 medium 3.1
Orange 1 medium 3.1
Raisins 1.5-ounce box 1.6
Grains, cereal & pasta: Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 1 cup 6.3
Barley, pearled, cooked 1 cup 6.0
Oat bran muffin 1 medium 5.2
Bran flakes 3/4 cup 5.1
Oatmeal, quick, regular or instant, cooked 1 cup 4.0
Popcorn, air-popped 3 cups 3.6
Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 3.5
Bread, rye 1 slice 1.9
Bread, whole-wheat or multigrain 1 slice 1.9
Legumes, nuts & seeds: Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Split peas, cooked 1 cup 16.3
Lentils, cooked 1 cup 15.6
Black beans, cooked 1 cup 15.0
Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 13.2
Baked beans, vegetarian, canned, cooked 1 cup 10.4
Sunflower seeds, hulled 1/4 cup 3.6
Almonds 1 ounce (22 nuts) 3.3
Pistachio nuts 1 ounce (49 nuts) 2.9
Pecans 1 ounce (19 halves) 2.7
Vegetables: Serving size Total fiber (grams)*
Artichoke, cooked 1 medium 10.3
Peas, cooked 1 cup 8.8
Broccoli, boiled 1 cup 5.1
Turnip greens, boiled 1 cup 5.0
Sweet corn, cooked 1 cup 4.6
Brussels sprouts, cooked 1 cup 4.1
Potato, with skin, baked 1 medium 4.0
Tomato paste 1/4 cup 2.7
Carrot, raw 1 medium 1.7
Breads, cereals, and beans
1/2 cup of navy beans9.5 grams
1/2 cup of kidney beans8.2 grams
1/2 cup of black beans7.5 grams
Whole-grain cereal, cold
1/2 cup of All-Bran9.6 grams
3/4 cup of Total2.4 grams
3/4 cup of Post Bran Flakes5.3 grams
1 packet of whole-grain cereal, hot3.0 grams
(oatmeal, Wheatena)
1 whole-wheat English muffin4.4 grams
Fruits
1 medium apple, with skin3.3 grams
1 medium pear, with skin4.3 grams
1/2 cup of raspberries4.0 grams
1/2 cup of stewed prunes3.8 grams
Vegetables
1/2 cup of winter squash2.9 grams
1 medium sweet potato with skin4.8 grams
1/2 cup of green peas4.4 grams
1 medium potato with skin3.8 grams
1/2 cup of mixed vegetables4.0 grams
1 cup of cauliflower 2.5 grams
1/2 cup of spinach 3.5 grams
1/2 cup of turnip greens 2.5 grams
FoodAmountFiber (g) SOURCE: Adapted from Edlin et al., 2002.
I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. We have had a whirl-wind and very fun summer already. I'll give a little update here and post more with pictures later. We just got back in town, and I have a mountain of laundry and 132 emails! I've already vacuumed and gotten the bread made this morning. The kids are happily playing in the basement at present.
The fun started on May 22 when my husband took the two older boys (ages 7 and 8) on a camping trip to Michigan. A week later my mom, sister, nephew, and niece from California visited for 12 days. We had a ball going to Old World Wisconsin, Kohl Children's Museum, Brookfield Zoo, and just hanging out around the house and backyard. My mom and sister so kindly babysat so that my husband and I could attend the Illinois Christian Home Educator's convention for two days. It was wonderful, as usual.
A few days after they left we set off on our vacation to Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Here are some of the highlights:
--2655 miles traveled (with 8 people in an 8-passenger vehicle!)
--11 states visited
--stayed at 7 different hotels/ bed and breakfasts
--stayed 3 days at a working dairy farm
--ate dinner at an Amish family's house
--saw where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written and signed
--visited Gettysburg
--went to the Crayola Factory
--took a ferry (from Cape May, NJ to Lewes, DE)
--played at the beach (Rehoboth, DE)
--saw a few sights (too few) in Washington D.C.
--rode the Metro train there (thankfully the Lord protected us)
--went to a zoo and an aviary
--saw pandas!
--the boys went to the International Spy Museum
--drove through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley
One of my hobbies is quilting, but I really haven't been able to do much! And I've never even actually "quilted" anything. As preparation for our Pennsylvania trip I had the older kids try to piece a small quilt together. Here are some pictures.
When I graduated from college (in 1995) I started this quilt sampler. I doesn't have any filling or a back on it yet. It's all sewed by hand.
Here are two quilts I made for my sons. The first is a solid fabric that looks like a pieced-together quilt. I just sewed the top to a solid blue bottom with the filling inside. I tied red embroidery floss to keep it together.
This one was much more difficult to make. Each square was sewed by machine to its backing with the filling inside. Then all the squares were sewed together and I cut the extra seam allowance as fringe.
We have finally gotten almost everything planted in our garden for this year. My husband added a new area, so we'll now have 3 separate small gardens. One has tomatoes, corn, and peppers. The second has (or will have as soon as I can get out there this evening to plant) pumpkins, butternut squash, and zucchini. The last garden has peas, sugar snap peas, cucumber, cilantro, and three kinds of lettuce. We've done some work to keep Peter and cousin Benjamin (bunnies) away. I hope it works! I love walking to the backyard to get fixings for a salad!
We started seedlings inside this year:
And I also need to plant some flowers!
Here are the other chores that my children are doing now:
After Lunch 8 yo boy: Take out kitchen trash, put dishes in dishwasher
7 yo boy: Rinse dishes, wipe table
5 yo girl: Clear off table
4 yo girl: Wipe chairs
Afternoon (before Daddy comes home)
8 yo boy: Straighten up family room, Sweep kitchen/dining area floor
7 yo boy: Pick up things off kitchen floor, Set table for dinner, Put clothes in washer
5 yo girl: Straighten up parlor and backyard
4 yo girl: Straighten up laundry room and backyard
After Dinner
8 yo boy: Wipe counters and stove, put dishes in dishwasher
7 yo boy: Wipe table, Rinse dishes
5 yo girl: Clear off table
4 yo girl: Wipe chairs
This morning we were talking about collections that people have. I asked the kids what they collect. B said "baseball cards", and J said "rocks". I asked them what I collect (answer is "walruses"), and my daughter said, "Kids!"
I wasn't able to teach my Musikgarten classes this spring session. (Yes, the sixth baby finally made it too hard!) I've really missed it. So, now that things are getting easier, I've decided to teach a couple of one-week sessions this summer! Each week will be based on a particular topic. Week 1 will be about gardens and week 2 will be about animals. Each day the kids (ages 4-7) will be here for an hour and we'll do activities like singing, dancing, singing games, creative movement, instrument playing, focused listening, sign language, simple crafts, and story-time. Three of my kids will be in the class, too. I'm really excited about it! Here is my Musikgarten website: www.GenasMusikgarten.com
Last week I was driving south from my house to Chicago to the Shedd Aquarium. We had been going quite a while and still hadn't seen the buildings when all of a sudden I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Indiana"! We completely missed Chicago and went to Indiana! When I told my husband, he said he wanted me to study and learn about the Chicago expressways so that I'll understand where I am at all times. Then he said, "Do a lapbook on it!" So, to start I found this at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_and_highways_of_Chicago
A few weeks ago I was talking to my 3 yo daughter about salvation and sin. I asked her if she knew what sin was. She said, "Yes, it's peeing in your pants."
"Please! Share some wisdom with me. Obviously with 6 children a spotless home isn't your priority. So, what are your priorities?"
I've been trying to answer this question all week but this week has been crazy! I can't seem to get to anything. I did good exercising for 3 weeks but not this week. I usually get to bed early (try to be asleep by 10 p.m.) and wake up early (by 6 a.m.), but not this week! I haven't cooked a single meal. I'm way behind in laundry. I've only done half the homeschooling work I had planned. My kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom is a mess. So, I don't feel like it's the best time to answer it!
Or, maybe it is.
My husband has come up with the following as our family motto:
Priority #1: Train the Children.
Priority #2: Get it all done.
I often get to the point where I forget this. I like my house neat and for there to be peace. So I tend to push and push to get things done rather than remembering our ultimate goal of training the children in godliness.
Specifically, though, things can often be hard to prioritize. Obviously, everything can't be done! So, I remember that in homeschooling, Bible reading, character training (including teaching them to obey), and reading aloud to them are basic everyday.
For housework, we have to have clean dishes and clean clothes, food in the pantry and fridge and meals on the table. Those are basic. Next in line are the chores that can cause problems (messes, smells), so we get the bathrooms clean (though not the showers and bathtubs very often), kitchen wiped down, and trash taken out. Finally, hospitality is important (remember the Bible's command to practice hospitality), so I vacuum the main floor once a week (at least) to make it more welcoming for guests (such as our violin teacher and my voice students). One more thing: my husband has certain things that are important to him that I try to do specifically as a service to show I love him. The kids do a clean-up of the main floor every day before he comes home from work (this includes picking up everything that has accumulated on the floor of the main level, wiping the kitchen table, setting the table for dinner, and sweeping the kitchen floor).
It is extremely difficult to clean the whole house while constantly being pregnant, nursing, and/or having little kids at home all day long. Therefore, my husband has been gracious to allow me to have a cleaning lady come once a month to clean the whole house. The day before she comes I spend about an hour going through the house putting things back where they belong so she can more easily clean. I'll admit that I haven't mopped my upstairs or cleaned a shower or bathtub in years! However, my goal here is to have the kids eventually take over all of it. With so many of them, it won't take long to get it all clean once they are old enough!
One thing I have found essential is teaching the kids to do chores as soon as they are able. When I was pregnant with my fourth, I couldn't keep up with the laundry folding. So, I taught my 4 and 5 year-olds how to do it. The four oldest kids (ages 3-8) fold and put away all laundry now. I try to wash every day, but we fold 3 times a week. They also know how to start the washer and dryer. They unload and load the dishwasher daily. Another great thing I did was invest in safe Shaklee cleaners (Basic H) so that I can clean with the kids around and teach them to clean the bathrooms themselves. They're not very good at it yet, but it's better than nothing!
After last week's frustrating experience, I'm going to re-read "Managers of Their Chores" by the Maxwells. I need to add a bunch more chores and use chore packs to make sure they get done. Also, today I started a few more character development techniques that I just read about in the "Duggar: 20 and Counting" book: blanket time, "I'd be happy to. . . game", and getting a penny for every "Yes, ma'am." I expand on these on another post.
My 2 yo is confused about the letter "U". When I tell him that it's a "U", he says, "me?" And lately, he's been pointing to it and saying "that's not me!"
My husband was talking with a young boy recently who told him that his family has church in their basement now instead of going to church. When my husband asked him why, he said, "We can't afford church anymore."
A couple of nights ago I went to a friend's house for some fellowship with other homeschooling moms. The next morning I told my 3 yo daughter that I had heard she was naughty the night before and didn't get a book read to her before bed. She said, "How did you hear that all the way where you were?"
I went to MOPS last week (Mothers of Preschoolers) at our church. I have 4 preschoolers! We had a neat speaker. She didn't say anything earth-shattering, but had a great style and was very motivating. Here were some of the things she said:
Eighty percent of what we do is a habit. Children can learn a new habit in 3 days It takes adults about 21 days to learn a new habit. Our children are learning habits now that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. What they do now will seem "normal" in the future. Children are often ready for new habits (such as being potty trained), but it's the adult who isn't ready yet!
Kids (and probably adults) need to eat every 2-3 hours.
Sleep--Make sure they (and you) get enough sleep. Check out sleepfoundation.org.
When do you add a new chore to a child's schedule? The day they try it! One-year-olds can put clothes in the washer and dryer. Two-year-olds can take their dishes to the sink. (My 4 oldest kids fold all the clothes and put away their own. Last night my 8 yo was trying to wash a pan--I guess I need to teach him how to do that now! My 2 yo lately has been having fun getting a wet sponge and wiping the table and chairs--his own idea. He also "took out the trash" a couple of days ago!)
As soon as a child can do something for themselves, let them. You may have to plan ahead for it--to provide enough time, as well as time to clean up a mess which may occur!
