“At-Home Adventures” are for those dedicated, hard-working women who are homemakers.  They are for women who need an “At-Home Adventure” because the only available place to have their adventure at this time in their life is right within their own home.

Each adventure is free, full of surprises, and meant to be fun and encouraging.   “At-Home Adventures” last 5-7 days, take anywhere from 1-30 minutes each day, and leave you thinking about maybe one change

you’d like to make in your life. 

Each adventure is Christ-centered and connected to the Bible in some way.   “At-Home Adventures”

are not “guilt trips”; they are meant to be

uplifting, cheering, and motivational. 

They are not for perfect women because there are no perfect women.  They are for average women, looking for a little adventure, a little spark, a little something to add some excitement to the normal routines of life. 

So, are you ready to begin your “At-Home Adventure”?  Why not give it a try?  What have you got to lose?   Your “At-Home Adventure”

is waiting for you... just a Thursday away! 

Come visit this blog next Thursday

for the first part of your At-Home Adventure!

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• Aug. 1, 2006
The Little Red Hen, Homeschooling Mom-Style, Part 3

PART 3

Question to Ponder:

Are your children the dog/cat/duck or the chicks from the story when it comes to helping with household chores?

This Little Red Hen's Story

I was the Little Red Hen in the story, standing in Wal-mart picking out seeds for our garden, with zero interest from my children.  The children were not helpful planting the seeds at first, and they were not very excited about helping in the garden.  They were too busy...playing, reading, etc.  I let that go on for awhile, with the attitude, "I'll just do it myself", until my garden got too big for me to handle, and I was one tuckered out Little Red Hen.  I grew tired of my children watching me work, as they raced around the yard playing all morning.  I transformed into one tough Little Red Hen at that point, and required them to help me plant the next batch of seeds, and we worked side by side weeding, watering, and harvesting the garden.  Granted, the "chicks" made some mistakes along the way, like planting way too many seeds in one hole, pulling plants instead of weeds, overwatering and underwatering, and "harvesting" plants not ready to be harvested.  But, now they willingly and eagerly help with the garden, often cheerfully doing it without being asked, and I am SO thankful not to be "just doing it by myself" anymore.  They take pride in their work, and even the tiniest yield of harvest is a treasure in their eyes.  This Little Red Hen is going to try not to make the same mistake of "just doing it by myself" anymore.  Of course, chores are not all related to taking care of a garden.  Daily household chores are something everyone can pitch in with, and it can actually be fun.  We turn on some happy music, put up a big markerboard of chores that need to be done, and get working on it as a team.  They actually ask for "chore time" now, and they love erasing tasks they've finished.  Even my 3 year old son helps out and uses a tiny water squirt bottle to spray and wipe off counters, the fridge, kitchen chairs, cupboards, etc.  They take a lot of pride in a job well done, and they take a lot more care to keep the house neat and clean, too, since they know they'll be helping clean up any messes made.  My 6 year old son actually took the trash out on his own, sorted his own laundry, and fed the dog the other morning - all without being asked to, and with a very cheerful attitude.  I guess he's learned that work with a practical purpose has its own reward, and now he finally knows what work he can do without me telling him.  Now that makes this Little Red Hen one happy mom!

Lessons to Be Learned From The Little Red Hen

• There is always work to do to keep everything looking good, and everyone enjoys a clean house and good food.
• Thinking "it's just easier to do it myself" doesn't teach children the skillls they'll need as adults.
• Cleaning can actually be fun when done together, and it takes a lot less time once the children have learned to do some tasks on their own.
• Children should not consistently be "too busy" to help.  If they are, perhaps they need to be doing less things. 
• Working hard tires you out, and let's you sleep well at night.
• Spending time together and working on something with a purpose is rewarding.
• Children may (and probably) will do the chores incorrectly a few times before they get them right.  (The Little Red Hen worked right alongside her children to be sure to show them the right way to do things, and she was patient when her chicks made mistakes).

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• Aug. 1, 2006
The Little Red Hen - Homeschool Mom Style, Part 2

PART 2

A dry spell kept the rain away for a week.  The little red hen worried about the garden.  If the plants didn't get some water soon, they would wither and die.  The only thing to do was bring water to the plants.  She went looking for the cat, dog, and duck.  She found them in the living room practicing piano, trumpet, and drums.  They looked at the little red hen and said in an angry tone, "We're busy practicing our instruments and can't be bothered now.  Didn't you hear us practicing?!?"

"I'll just water it myself," she said.  The little red hen took her watering pail to the garden.  Her chicks came to keep her company. The hen pretended she was a thundercloud and tried to sprinkle them with wather.  Before long, the whole garden had been watered. 

The summer sun was very good, and the garden grew fast.  The little red hen and her chicks visited it every day.  They loving tended it together, and it grew strong and hardy. 

Soon it was fall, and it was time for harvest.  The little red hen found the dog, cat, and duck playing games with with their friends.  She said, "Who will help me harvest the garden?"  The dog, cat, and duck kept their eyes glued to their game.  "Not us!"  They mumbled.  "Can't you see we're busy?"

The hen said, "I'll just harvest it myself."  The little red hen took her cutting tools to the garden.  This time the chicks were waiting for her.  The family harvested the garden.  They sang songs, and soon the hard work was done.

Even though she had already spent a great deal of time and energy on the garden, the little red hen knew the work was not done.  She often told her chicks that if a job was worth doing, it was worth doing well.  The little red hen went looking for the dog, cat, and duck.  She found them sleeping in.  "I need to have the lettuce cut and the greens beans snapped.  "Who will help me?"  The dog, cat, and duck sleepily rolled over in their beds and said, "Not us!  We're just too tired!".

Once again the little red hen would have to do it herself.  She and her chicks started right away, pretending to be Indiana Jones chopping brush away through the jungle.  The cutting and snapping seemed to go much faster when they pretended to be Indiana Jones. 

That night, the little red hen and the chicks were so tired that they soon fell asleep.  That night everyone slept very well.   The next morning the little red hen went outside.  The dog, cat, and duck were sunbathing near the neighbor's pool.  She called to them, "Who will make a meal from our garden?"

The dog, cat, and duck didn't even bother looking up.  "It's a beautiful day.  Who would want to be indoors cooking?"  The hen shook her head and thought, "Who would want to spend all day doing nothing?"  She told the three,"I'll make it myself."  The little red hen went inside.  Her chicks had already tried to start cooking the meal themselves,and there was lettuce on the floor, and carrots in their hair.  The little red hen smiled and reminded herself just to be glad they were working hard to help.  They pretended to be in an Iron Chef contest (the secret ingredient was onions), and everyone was sorry to have to stop when the meal was finished. 

The smell of the the meal floated in the air.  The dog, the cat, and the duck came and looked into the kitchen.  The chick danced around the little red hen.  She asked, "Who will help me eat this tasty meal?"

"We will!" squeaked her chicks.

"We will!"  cried the dog, cat, and duck.

"Well," said the little red hen, "anyone who helped make this meal can have some.  So if you helped plant the seeds, water and weed the garden, harvest it, prepare the food for cooking, and cook the meal, raise your hand!"  That night only the little red hen and her chicks enjoyed their meal as a reward for work well done.

(PART 3 continued tomorrow)

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• Jul. 31, 2006
The Little Red Hen - Homeschool Mom Style, Part 1

PART 1:

The little red hen lived next to the road by many other hens that strangely were rarely home.  Where she lived wasn't very fancy, but she loved it.  She shared her home with her baby chicks and her dog, cat, and duck.  The little red hen worked very hard.  She kept the house and the yard neat and clean.  There always seemed plenty of work to do in order to keep everything looking good.

Everyone liked having a clean house and good food on the table.  When it came time to do the chores, though, the others always seemed to have something else to do.  The baby chicks played, and the dog, cat, and duck always seemed to disappear, too.  The little red hen did all the work herself.  Her days were filled with doing laundry, making beds, cleaning, gardening, cooking, and homeschooling. 

One day the little red hen was shopping at Wal-mart, when she found some gardening seeds.  The baby chicks and the dog, cat, and duck weren't very interested in them, so the little red hen chose the seeds herself.  When she got home, she asked, "Who will help me plant these?" 

The dog, cat, and duck looked at each other.  Then they looked at the little red hen.  "Not us," they said.  "Right now we need to read our books in our rooms." 

"I'll plant them myself," she told them.  The little red hen returned to the garden and began digging.  Soon her baby chicks came to see what she was doing.  They told her they wanted to help.  The little red hen and her baby chicks pretended they were burying treasure.  The game made the work go quickly.  Soon the planting was done. 

The little red hen visited the garden every day to watch it grow.  She made sure the young plants got plenty of sunshine and care.  One day, she found the dog, cat, and duck leaning against the neighboring chick's trampoline.  The little red hen said, "Weeds are stopping the seeds from growing.  Will you help me pull them?"

"I can't," said the cat.  "They're all dirty.  Do you have any idea how long it takes me to paint my toenails and fingernails, and wash, curl, and style my lovely hair?"  The dog and the duck said, "We can't.  Do you have any idea how much practice it takes to be professional athletes?"

No one had time to help.  "I'll just do it myself," said the little red hen.  Then she walked back to the garden.  Once again, her chicks joined her.  They had a contest to see who could pull the most weeds.  It was such fun that they finished in no time.

(PART 2 continued tomorrow)

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• Mar. 21, 2006
A "To Don't" List

"To Do" lists have become a staple of many women's lives.  For me, a "to do" list helps me get more organized, and I take immense pleasure in checking off the things I've done.  

Today, I'm making a "to don't" list in regard to my hubbie.  I think it might remind me of some hard life lessons I somehow have to keep learning again and again.  Unlike my "to do" lists, I have a feeling my "to don't" list for today will probably be the same as my "to don't" list for tomorrow, for next week, next month, and maybe even next year.  Oh no!  That means no checking off...oh well...here goes:

- don't give hubbie a hard time for traveling on business; he is the provider after all

- don't give hubbie excessive amounts of hugs/pecks on the cheek/hand-holding/squeezing into his "space";  the Lord did not make hubbie a fan of any of this and it only makes me feel like I am mauling a doorpost

- don't give hubbie a hard time for fishing - let him off the hook (pun intended); he needs to do something that is not work-related and I guess he was a fisherman when I married him

- don't call hubbie at work to talk about "important" heavy stuff; his office is not private and this method has yet to produce a solution to the problem anyway

- don't hit hubbie with a list of things he needs to do all at once; pick one thing to talk about and stick to that one thing

- don't bring up hubbie's family and get into the whole comparing game; this is not helpful

- don't make desserts for hubbie and expect him to "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" over them; the Lord did not bless him with the sweet tooth I have been "blessed" with

O.k.  That's enough for today.  Do you have a "To Don't" list for your hubbie too?

Say a prayer for me that I can stick to this, and also that my hubbie will make a "To Don't" list in regard to me too!

Love in Christ,

Julie Grosz

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• Mar. 20, 2006
What My Parents Do Right (now that their kids are adults)

My parents have always been great parents, and they've made solid decisions and given so much love to all of us throughout our lives.  Now that we ("we", meaning my 2 sisters and I, which also means "their" 3 children) are adults ourselves, and have our own husbands and children, my parents continue to be great parents.  They're so wonderful, that I decided to devote this entry to what they are doing right, in the hopes that I'll re-read this when my kids are adults - so I can remember how to do it right.  Here goes...here is my list of what they are doing right, right now, now that their kids are adults and have families themselves (by the way, these are not in any particular order, certainly not in order of importance):

- they always call before they come over to our house, and they always ask if it's alright to come (it always IS alright, because we LOVE their company, but it's a nice gesture anyway)

- they are willing to come to our house to see us (rather than expecting us to come to them, which is hard to do with small children sometimes)

- they never complain that we are not coming to their house often enough (and we probably don't, although we'd like to and should)

- they are quick to tell us what we are doing right as parents, and they don't offer a lot of advice about how we could be doing better

- they do not give us advice unless we ask for it

- if we ask for their advice, they willingly give us clear advice and it is based on Christian morals

- they have toys for our children at their house; they bought a new crib, have a saucer, a new high chair, etc.

- they are safe with our children, and they don't have unsafe things they try to make us use with our children (i.e. an old "special" crib that no longer meets safety standards, an old "special" high chair that they have to be tied in to to use, etc.)

- they follow all the rules we have for our children, and they never pass judgment on us about whether they think the rules are right or necessary; they don't ask for an explanation of the rules either (for instance, when I put out a schedule for them to follow with our kids if they are taking care of them, they do exactly what we say, rather than thinking..."maybe I'll just move the nap time" or "I'll just give the kids more than 1 glass of juice, that's a silly rule", etc.)

- they realize that as parents, we are going to do some things just like them, but we may do some things differently as well - and that doesn't bother them (or if it does, we don't know it)

- they don't pressure us to leave the kids with them alone or bring them to their house; they are always willing to come to our house to watch the kids

- they support our ideas and dreams

- they don't keep score of what we've done with the in-laws compared to what we've done with them

- they work to get along well with all of the in-laws

- they take us out to eat and they always insist on paying (I don't think they should do this every time, but we really appreciate the gesture, especially earlier on in our marriage when we really couldn't afford to eat out sometimes and were too embarassed to say so)

- they offer to watch the kids for us on our anniversary and on our birthdays, so we can go on a date without the burden of finding/paying for a babysitter

- my mom comes to help after we've had a baby, and she gets up during the night with the baby (we bottle feed) so we can have a full night's rest on the nights she comes)

- my mom calls once a week or so, just to talk

- my parents don't get angry or upset if we don't send cards before or on their birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc. (we always send the cards eventually, but many times they are late)

- my dad is a calm, solid "rock" in a time of crisis; he comes right away; he'll change any schedule he had to be there; he is strong; he is dependable; and his strength comes from God

- they tell us what they love about our children, and they don't tell us the problems they see or notice about our children

- if we confess we're having trouble with some aspect of parenting, they don't make us feel stupid, like they have all the answers about how to do it and like they never had that problem with us when we were kids (i.e. "Why isn't your 3 year old totally potty-trained yet"  and "this is all you have to do, it's easy; we never had trouble with that")

- they don't act like they always had life all together and never made mistakes (i.e. "when I had my babies, I only gained 15 pounds when I was pregnant; I left the hospital wearing the same jeans I wore before I was pregnant")

- they don't have favorites...daughters, son-in-laws, grandchildren...or if they do have favorites, we don't know it; they always spend the same amount of money on us at Christmas, they come to watch all of our babies, they call us equally, they think all their kids, son-in-laws, and grandchildren are great...and we all know it because they compliment us (in a sincere way) to our face and "behind our back" (that's a good thing when you're talking about compliments)

- they support our homeschooling, even though they may not totally agree with every aspect of it

- they meet us to go out at a town in between their home and our home so we only have to drive halfway to get there

- they ask us what we would like them to get for gifts for our children, and then they always get what we've asked for or give us money to get it for them to give (as opposed to asking for a list of gift ideas and getting nothing off of it, or getting something we'd think inappropriate - such as toys/books that promote t.v. shows/characters we don't appove of)

- they always come to our children's birthday parties and offer to bring whatever we need to help out (chairs, card tables, trays, a salad, etc.)

- my dad prints pictures for me of our family get-togethers when I often wouldn't get it done

- when they upgraded furniture or appliances, they gave us their old ones for free if we wanted them (as opposed to offering them and then asking for money, or giving them away to someone else, or being upset if we chose not to take them up on their offer)

- when we need help with painting, moving, staining, varnishing - whatever - they always come to help, they don't have advice on how it should be done unless we ask, they work hard by our side until the task is done without complaining, and they don't keep bringing it up after they've done it like we owe them

- they don't try to "fix" our kids or correct them

- when they watch our children for us, they discipline our children in the same manner that we do, for the things that we discipline them for

- they always have time to talk to us, to see us, to know us;  we are a huge part of their life even now that we are adults

- they don't take our side (meaning their daughters' side) over their sons-in-law's side in a disagreement; if we come to them for advice, they are quick to give respect and honor to both sides and often just try to "stay-out-of-it"

- they are positive people, full of life, and still loving each other so much; family still means the world to them, and they still put family before more selfish interests; there is not that feeling that "they raised their kids, and now it's time for them to really enjoy life";  they enjoy life now; they enjoy their family now; and they still live by example rather than by "talk"

WHEW!  Alright, now I've convinced myself I will NEVER be able to do this as well as them when my children are adults.  I'd better hang on to this list...I'm going to need it.

Today's "Life's Little Moment":  Consider what your parents are doing right, and try to emulate it. 

Have you had a "life's little moment" such as this?  Any helpful advice for parents who are now grandparents?  I'm very interested in this topic.  Give me some ideas if you have some.

Love in Christ,

Julie Grosz

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• Mar. 1, 2006
Begging for Affection

We have a black lab named Ruby, and she loves to be RIGHT next to me all of the time.  In fact, she cannot seem to get close enough to me.  If she's sitting by me, she wants to lay her head on me; if she lays her head on me, she wants to put her paws on my lap; if her head and paws are on my lap, she leaps her entire 75 pound body to try to sit on my lap; and if she's trying to sit on my lap, she attempts to lick my face all over (I say "attempts" because I draw the line at the slobbery kisses -yuck!). 

Just walking with Ruby is exhausting.  The entire walk she bounces right next to me (or into me), so she can see me eye-to-eye.  Ruby actually looks a lot like Tigger, boinging next to me all the way to the mailbox, and we have quite a long driveway.  Even if I am just standing near Ruby, she will sit directly on my feet, as if to say "pleeeeeeeze don't leave me". 

Now, I love my dog as much as the next gal, but I have to tell you that it's just way "too much"!  Ruby feels needy to me, and it drives me a little crazy.  It also seems like no matter what I do, it's not enough for her, and she's always begging for more affection.  Sometimes, I just want to avoid her, to not be around her because there's just too much of her for me to handle.

It was just last week that Rich and I were sitting on separate couches watching t.v. together.  After a while, I moved to his couch; then I scooted right next to him; then leaned my head on his shoulder; then put my arm around him; and then I snuggled in as close as I could.  That's when I felt him pulling away, saying, "O.k., Julie, too much!" 

In that instant, something clicked...I'M RUBY!  I realized that at times (especially when Rich is about to be gone traveling on business), I become RUBY!  I don't view that as a compliment.  I've always thought I'm romantic, and Rich is not - but maybe it's just "too much" for him to handle when I become a "Ruby".  I can relate.  One moment with Ruby like that gets me looking for the quickest exit.  If anything, this realization has made me try to tone it down and choose the times to really be romantic instead of being a "Ruby" too often for Rich's comfort.

Today's "Life's Little Moment":  Acting needy does not have the same effect as purposefully being romantic.  Lord, please help me balance my love for my husband in a healthy way.

Are any of you a "Ruby" with your husband?  Do you have any stories or helpful (be kind) advice to share?  I'd love to hear from you sometime!  Drop me a message!

Love in Christ,

Julie Grosz

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• Feb. 28, 2006
Potty-Training...Help!!!

We are potty-training our 2 (soon to be 3) year old son.  We've been training him for a while, and he is the best little pee-er in town.  However, when it comes to the #2 business, he is struggling.  His diaper is completely dry all of the time, other than the one time a day he goes #2.  Every time he's dirtied his pants, he swaggers over to me like a bow-legged cowboy and says, "I went poopie, Mom." 

When I am cleaning him up, he always wants to see the "poopie".  I put it in the potty, and he happily flushes it with a flourish, cheerily waving while saying, "Bye-bye poopie!"

I don't want to get so upset with him that he begins holding it in ("hoarding" I believe the term is for it).  However, treats, encouragement, reminders, sitting on the potty, etc. are NOT working.  I've never been as thankful for how easy it was to potty-train my first child until I've tried to potty-train my second child. 

My sister's son actually has exactly the opposite problem.  He'll poop on the potty, but he won't pee on the potty.  I guess if we combined our 2 sons, we'd have the perfectly potty-trained child.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to successfully complete the potty training process with my little cherub of a son?  Please let me know if you do!

Today's "Life's Little Moment":  Patience is a virtue.  Lord, please give me patience as I potty-train my son.

Do you have a potty-training trick up your sleeve?  Any ideas you can share with me?  I'd love to hear from you!  Please drop me a message.

Love in Christ,

Julie Grosz

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