Ambra had asked me a while back what that was and I'm just getting around now to answering. Sorry about that.
Secret Believers is a book about Muslims in Muslim nations that come to faith in Christ. It is a truly great book that I am please to have as part of our family library. Brother Andrew wrote the book that follows several years in an undisclosed Muslim nation and the men and women who served God there. It's a really fantastic book that I highly recommend to anyone regardless of denomination. It was a truly inspiring book and while I'd love to get into detail you really need to pick up a copy for yourself. I got mine at Ollie's for 3.99, but you can probably get one at Amazon for about that.
I'm always on the lookout for something easy, healthy and inexpensive to make for the family. I've been watching the food network again and got a really good idea watching Everyday Italian.
Cook up one or two boxes of penne pasta (use whole wheat to make it even healthier), while the pasta is cooking heat up some leftover chicken in a little olive oil (about a tablespoon). Once it's steaming hot, put off to the side. Drain pasta and toss with a little light margerine. Plate the pasta, top with some chicken, some shredded parmesan, mozzarella and romano cheese (I got a good deal on cheese this week so I used Kraft Italian cheese blend) and garnish with some fresh chopped tomato. Salt and pepper to taste and wow. We all loved it. I realize that I should have taken a picture of it because it was not only delicious, but beautiful as well.
I was inspired to post this by my cyber buddy Peggy. You can meet her over at The Simple Woman.
Remembering with a thankful heart....
Several birthdays this month. Today my dear friend Allison, my sister in love Tiffany and my wonderful daughter Tina next week and my nephew Tommy on the 31st. (I really wanted to say adorable nephew, but he's a teenager now and would be horrified at being called adorable!)
All that God has done for me especially in these past few months.
The conversation I had with another of my sister in loves last night...she told me that she has been studying the Bible with a television Bible study almost every night. I was not only thrilled but inspired when she told me the length of time she spends. Thank you God!
How hard my husband works to take care of us. Not only to give us the necessities of life, but the extras too.
That none of this life's blessings come from us. God provides it all and has it all in His hand. How wonderful to be able to depend on the creator God for my needs rather than frail men.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with blessings, joy and peace.
Outside my window...a sky filled with steel gray clouds making even the midday seem more like dusk.
I am thinking...about lighting the candles early tonight
I am thankful for...my friends, both those I know in real life and those I only know in cyber space
I am wearing...an old off white, purple, green and red plaid dress with a black sweatshirt jacket over it and Crocs. Not at all fashionable, but perfectly comfy for being in the house!
I am going...to take a nap with the kids in a little bit
I am reading...Secret Believers: What Happens when Musilms Believe in Christ by Brother Andrew
I am hoping...that the laundry washes itself
On my mind...thinking about how to stretch the money this week to do all I want to
From the learning room...things are moving along at a nice pace although I wouldn't say we've hit our stride just yet
Noticing that...it's just about time to start planning and making things for Christmas
From the kitchen...pork chops tonight with baked sweet potatoes and corn and a roasted chicken tomorrow
One of my favorite things...warm, cozy sweaters
Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you...
Jason and "Mario" at the Funfest parade. That kid made my son's day!
Last night our homeschool support group had the first meeting of the year. It was about organizing our homes, schools and avoiding burnout. It was a very good meeting and I thought that the topic would me a good blog post. Let's be honest, as homeschooling mom's we all struggle with these topics to one degree or another. There simply are not enough hours in the day to do all that we want and need to do. I know that there are not that many people reading here but it would be wonderful if you could share a little on your blog about how you manage it.
First, let's talk about organizing our homes. Oh, how I would love to say that my home is a model of perfectly organized precision. It's not. It's not messy and it is rather organized, but I still think I could do better.
One tool I have just discovered is theMotivated Moms Planner. Each day you get a list of daily chores to be done as well as a handful of smaller things that we often overlook - like cleaning out our purse and wallet or vacuuming the car. There is space to write in other things that you like or want to do each day and appointments you have. The best part is that each day there is a place to check off your quiet time, exercising, taking your medications/vitamins/supplements and reading to your children. The to do lists are not overwhelming at all and are a perfect fit with me. The planner for the entire year costs 8$ but it's on sale now that the year is almost over for only 4$ and I love it so much that I will buy it again as soon as the 2010 planner is ready. I keep mine in a few page protectors in my household binder and take out the pages for the current week and attach them to a clipboard I have stuck to the side of my fridge with sticky tac.
The next thing I use to keep things running smoothly at home is my household binder. There are many, many places online where you can find information about these and probably just as many methods. Cheryl over at Copperswife discusses her methods for keeping house and planning in many places at her blog and in my opinion it is well worth your time to just cruise through her previous posts and take it all in. Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight has so many great ideas over there I couldn't possibly link to them all. You can also create a binder like the ones discussed at Christian Women Online just scroll down a little bit to see the article. Mine isn't something I use daily, it's a place where I store things I need to do my planning. I keep spare grocery lists, weekly planners, my Motivated Moms pages, gardening ideas, plans and articles, meal ideas, spare calendar pages, phone numbers and a master chart for birthdays and anniversaries. The first section is my daily schedule and blank chore charts that I used to use for the kids. My daily schedule is taken from the ideas in Managers of Their Homes and is only something I use during the school year to keep me on track. It's not uber scheduled either with activities each half hour. Just sort of outlines my day and to be honest I never look at it. I know what time to make supper, what time to put the kids in bed and what time to go to bed myself. It's one of those things I do because it makes me feel organized. Each week I sit down and open the behemoth binder and plan out my menus, write up the grocery list and take out my planner pages for the side of the fridge. In the front pocket I keep my little black and white composition book that I use to keep my themes and plans in (an idea I took from Dawn) and will refer to that as well in case I need to pick up something special from the month's plans. At the end of the month I will also sit down and take out the next calendar page and my list of birthdays/anniversaries and write anything coming up that month. That's all I use mine for, most of the time it sits on my desk but it is very useful and I highly recommend making up your own version of it. There are plenty of free resources available online and if anyone is interested I have many forms, covers, divider pages etc...that I can share. I have a yahoo group called Homemaking Forms where I have many of these available for download. No emails are sent from the group and there is no discussion there either. It's the only place I could freely share the forms with anyone interested. Here is a word of caution, please don't go and buy an ebook on how to create one. Money is too tight these days for that, if you want to create one and need help let me know and I would be glad to help you make one for free (other than the materials you will need for yours)
Next I'll talk about organizing my homeschool. I am a new homeschooler. My oldest is in third grade so by no means do I have as much to offer as more experienced moms, especially to those with high schoolers but you never know. One thing I do is I keep a binder much like my homemaking one just for homeschool. I keep my record keeping blank forms in there as well as any print outs I have for the kids to use later. Things like mazes, manipulative sheets, lapbook printouts that we haven't started yet etc... this never gets too cluttered because it's full of consumable items so it empties out. I only fill this with things for use within a two month period unless there's something special I have gotten and need to store away for a while. I keep papers only for a short period of time. Living in Pennsylvania I have to keep records of the work we do by law so the really nice papers will be saved for portfolios and the rest get tossed either immediately or within a few months time. I keep the portfolio papers in the binder I use for the portfolio and the rest go into a little pocket folder for storage. We have school at the kitchen table so I keep the daily stuff in a kitchen cabinet. I have another cabinet in the middle room where I store construction paper, my three drawer organizer, craft items and the Wii remotes. More on the Wii later.
I found the cutest Mary Englebreit sewing organizer at Walmart two years ago and decided to use it for homeschool use. It's metal with three compartments perfect for holding my Sharpies, pens, pencils, dry erase markers and highlighters. There's a long compartment behind them that's about the length of a legal size envelope that I keep boxes of crayons, index cards and little doo dads in. The kids have a pencil box with spare pencils, sharpeners and erasers in it. I also keep the glue, glitter and paint in a high cabinet to prevent creative little hands from making a good intentioned mess. Since I plan to keep each year's portfolio as mementos I'm going to just place them in an under bed storage box, one for each child (I only have two) to keep them in.
Finally, I want to discuss burnout. Talking about it last night with other moms that I honestly thought could never feel as fed up as I do sometimes was very comforting. We all suffer from it from time to time and we all have to realize that those moments will come. So one thing we need to do is be careful with our time commitments. Too many activities will strain us too much. Learn to say no, even to the good things to make room for the best things. One thing I do to lighten my load is I use paper plates and keep weekday breakfasts and lunches simple. Cereal, oatmeal, toast, frozen waffles or pancakes (you can freeze your own) make it much easier and less messy. Lunch is often leftovers, sandwiches or a good old box of mac and cheese. Yes, I am aware that there are other moms who cook meals from scratch all day and school and keep wonderfully clean homes. I am not wired that way and need to cut a few corners to accomplish a smooth flow to the house without burning myself out. You can buy healthier boxes of mac and cheese than the familiar blue box and day glow yellow cheese. Annie's is a really good brand. Another thing I do is allow myself time to relax. If we're having a bad day I will walk away and take 10-15 minutes to decompress. Playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook accomplishes that very well. I'd rather walk away and assign some reading until I can come back than force myself to keep going and risk a melt down by the kids or worse, mom. The kids have chores they are expected to do and I watch them to make sure the chores are done to my standards. I found a wipe off chart at Dollar Tree that I stuck to my fridge. This is great because I can get much more done with 6 hands than my two. I can be cooking while Jay is dusting and Tina is unloading the dishwasher. Each child cleans their own room and helps put away their own laundry. Well, Tina does her own and I help little Jay. It works. One thing we talked about in the meeting was to have an accountability partner that you can call and ask them if they think you can handle another commitment on your plate. I love this idea! So often I will try to do this and that, and that and this and find out that all I've managed to accomplish is stressing myself out. I'm not even talking about outside commitments, but things like going to visit friends, babysitting, appointments, errands, helping others, church activities. Let's face it, we do not have to attend every last activity available to us to be a good Christian. Most churches have dozens of activities and we have to prioritize them according to our needs and talents. I need Bible study, I want to join the choir. Maybe the time commitment for practices will be too much and I need to put that off for a season. If your church is having a bake sale and you’re asked if you can make something and for you baking is a stressful, time consuming undertaking that will throw off your entire day and maybe back you up more than that then you might want to consider declining this time around.
What are some things you do to organize or avoid burnout?
Outside my window...it's a lovely cool and sunny day. Perfect for mowing the lawn and adding a little bit more to my outdoor fall decorations
I'm thinking...too much these days. I need to learn to rest in Christ and quiet myself.
I'm thankful for...the opportunity to spend some time with my niece today. She's just the cutest little thing!
I'm wearing...long denim skirt, pink babydoll top and blue zip up sweatshirt. Blue Crocs and my ahir up in a clip.
I'm remembering...the precious family in my church grieving the loss of their little boy
I'm creating...my creativity is a bit nonexistant at the moment. I really need to find something creative to do. Maybe I can finally start knitting that shawl I've wanted for oh, four years now.
I'm going...to pick up some fabric softener later.
I'm reading...My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson
I'm hoping...to be able to spend more time with my sisters in love. I'm truly blessed to have the wonderful extended family that I do. Plus, they think I'm cool.
From the learning rooms...things are moving along swimmingly so far this year. Thank you Lord!
Noticing that...my dogs need baths
From the kitchen...beef stew tonight and maybe some apple dumplings later this week.
Around the house...normal Monday chores to be done along with needing to get the garden put to bed for the year. I think my eggplant are done now so this should be the final week.
One of my favorite things...the way my kids hair smells after they've been outside in the sun. Such a warm sweetness. Bliss!
A few plans for the rest of the week...school, chores, errands on Thursday and hopefully a coffee night. Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is back. YUM!
It has been a hectic week and here I sit, a pile of work to do waiting for my attention, blogging. But alas, Fall allergies win out and I feel less than stellar. Friday was our first co-op of the season and the kids were super excited to participate in gym this year. We skipped it. By the time we ate lunch and ran two errands I was so stuffy and icky that all I wanted was a quilt and a nap. I promised them that we would go next time and I promised myself that I would take better care of my sinuses. Which brings me to my latest thought process - boosting our immune systems. I have some probiotics, vitamin c and a good, strong echinacea and other herbal tablet that will just about knock out anything sitting there. I have to get us in the habit of taking our medicines and for the kids that means crushing it all up and placing it in a milk, peanut butter and banana smoothie. I'm also cutting down the amount of sugar we consume before we go out. Sugar can cause your immune system to weaken for four hours consumption. Four big hours. Due to my diet we already have very little sugars in our meals, but before we have to leave the house I strive for even less. I've been lax lately. I know none of this will help with allergies, but the way they make me feel reminds me of how horrible those colds are when you get them. What do you do to boot your immune system to help ward off the winter sickies?
Outside my window...is a chilly evening beginning, many clouds overhead speak of the rain to come tomorrow
I am thinking...how wonderful it is for Fall weather to finally be here!
I am thankful for...the wonderful friends that God has blessed me with
I am wearing... long denim skirt, black babydoll sweatshirt and blue Crocs
I am remembering... just how busy school days can be
I am creating... happy memories with my children
I am going... shopping tomorrow and to the first co-op of the year on Friday
I am reading... Living a Beautiful LIfe by Alexandra Stoddard on Cheryl's recommendation
Iam hoping... to settle in early tonight with a cup of tea and a book
On my mind... wondering if it safe to use my dryer after Tina put dripping wet clothes into it this afternoon
From the learning rooms... we're off and running already! Tina aced her first science and spelling quizzes and Jason is really excited about learning to read this year
Noticing that... I don't go to bed early enough
From the kitchen... hamburger pie tonight with a supper of eggplant, zucchini and corn on the cob planned for tomorrow
Around the house... lawn needs to be mowed, last of the garden needs to be uprooted and the soil put to rest for the year and some laundry to finish up
One of my favorite things~ Cinnamon Sugar candle burning in my living room
A few plans for the rest of the week: shopping and errands tomorrow, co-op and gym Friday and then a nice relaxing weekend
Ahhh, fall. My favorite time of the year! Time for hot cider, pumpkin pie, a tureen of steaming homemade soup and a basket of fresh baked bread on the table. The cooler days and chilly evenings and the indescribable beauty that God creates each year when the leaves explode into their fall colors. A last show of awesome beauty before the sparkling snows cover everything in a blanket of pure white. Soon we will be back to the sweetly busy rhythm of the school year, but for now we can enjoy the esrly autumn with complete freedom to just take it all in.
I'm sitting here in a very quiet home, with just the sound of me tapping on my keyboard to keep me company and sipping my first cup of pumpkin spice tea for the season in a beautiful autumn leaves mug I found during my errands today for only a dollar! Soon I will be polishing my firniture and packing away my spring and summer accents to make way for my fall stuff. Decorating for fall in my house is a little like decorating for Christmas. You take down a great deal of everyday things and put up some beautiful seasonal items. Slowly over the years I've collected quite a few things and most of them were at the end of the season on clearance sales. CVS and Kmart have great deals. CVS already has gorgeous fall candleholders 2/3$. Once I get everything all pretty I think I'll do another one of those welcome to my home posts. I love those - I love peeking at other's homes and sharing mine with anyone who happens by my blog. Speaking of fall decorating, I shall just have to sacrifice my time and get the blog all ready for fall too. Oh the sacrifices we make!
Well, my cleaning and decorating is calling my name so until tomorrow have a blessed night!
One of the things I do to prepare for the start of the school year is thoroughly clean and organize the house. Well, as best as I can in the time I have anyway. This year has been a really good year for me. I got my closet and dresser drawers done, Tina's closet and drawers done and my kitchen is almost done. Truth be told, the kitchen is a two day job. Today I scrubbed out the fridge and cleaned out all the lower cabinets. There's only the pantry and one upper cabinet that needs to be worked on the rest are already clean and organized which may have something to do with using up three of them for my Blue Willow and Milk Glass. Hi, my name is Tracy and I am in desperate need of a china cabinet.
The most exciting news is that my perpetual Mt. Washmore is now no more. Yes, I have caught up with the laundry, so prepare for snow. LOL
In other school related news I have yet again decided to go a different direction with our curriculum, while we will stay with Horizons for math, we are switching to Abeka for History, Science, Bible and Language Arts. Jay will still be using Sing, Spell, Read and Write and Tina will be using Sequential Spelling this year as well. I'm almost ready with the books that I need for the start of the year, I wait until I can get good deals on Ebay and since I start slowly into the new year I can still buy books up to the thrid week of school. This year I can procrastinate longer for Tina's history since we have to teach Pennsylvania state history and we will be starting there. My biggest expense will be for Jason's speech therapy curriculum. He has a lisp and says his r's and l's like w's and Straight Talk is supposed to be fabulous. I think he will do really well with it.
Well, I'm off to finish cleaning the kitchen up, you know what a mess a room gets to be when your cleaning in it - my kitchen looks like the tazmanian devil came through it. If I'm not back in a few days send out a search party, I may be lost in a forest of tupperware!
It's been a long time since I have blogged, but it's been a very good and very important break for me.
If you read here before you may notice a change in the tone of the posts, it's a good thing. God did a lot of work in me over the past year and I return a more humble woman. I don't have all the answers for myself, let alone anyone else's life. I still want to be an encouragement when and where I can and to share my life with anyone who wants to read, but I will not make the mistake of presuming to have the answer for anyone. That is for God to show you, not me.
As I get back in the swing of things as a blogger I would really appreciate comments to let me know that you've stopped by.
I am a simple, down to earth homeschooling momma. I take my faith seriously but love to laugh and enjoy this gift of life that I have been given. Have a cup of coffee and visit a while!
I believe in giving credit where it is due, however there are a few graphics that I have no banners for. If you recognize your work, or just know to whom I can give credit, please let me know! Thank you.
