Today, is my fifth daughter Laura's birthday.  She turned 2.  As I prepared to make her a special birthday, I realized that it doesn't take much to make this girl happy.  She loves strawberries!  Some of her first demanding words were "give me strawberry now!"  You can imagine how delighted I was to have a demanding child!  We are working on "strawberry, please."

As a Mom, I try to be the best Mom that God would have me to be.  But it is important to remember that all the lavashing in the world isn't as important as praising God for the blessings he has given us; children, strawberries, life, family. 

But, most importantly, I need to remember that God has given my husband and I our children to share with them, simply.  God has given us the best gift, His Son, Jesus!

Over a year ago, I decided to stop using regular household cleaners.  I was noticing that I had some difficulty smelling after I spent time cleaning the house (mostly the bathrooms).  This was very bothersome.  So, thought that there had to be another option for me.

I just couldn't afford to buy the brand name "eco-friendly" cleaners. I did some research on how to start making my own cleaners.  I was skeptical for a while, now I am happy that I made the change and stuck with it!

Over the last year I have tried many cleaners with many jobs.  I have tried to make my own laundry soap, dishwasher soap, toilet bowl solution, floor cleaner, mildew cleaner.  I even switched to castile soap.  I think that through this time of trial and error I have found a match for my needs.

I have found that Costco sells Kirkland environmentally friendly laundry soap, dish soap, multi-purpose cleaner and Method brand liquid hand soap.  I now use all of that except for the multi-purpose cleaner.  I still use my own.  I buy a eco-friendly window cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner from Target.

Here is my recipe for multi-purpose cleaner.  I mainly use this for cleaning the bathrooms, but from time to time I pull it out and use in other areas in my home.

Multi-Purpose Household Cleaner

• 1 spray bottle
• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Tea Tree Oil
• Warm tap water

Add the vinegar and tea tree oil to the spray bottle.  Fill with warm tap water.  Gently shake.  Keep in a cool, dark and dry place.  Spray solution to desired area.  Wipe with a damp cloth and rinse.

Please note: If you find the smell annoying, try adding a few drops of essential oil to the contents of the spray bottle.  Some examples are; lavendar, lemon, or any of your favorite essential oils.  These can be purchased at a health food store.  My family has grown accustom to the tea tree oil smell.  It is the smell of clean in our house.

Basic Floor Cleaner

• 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon tea tree oil
• 1 gallon of warm/hot water

Add the vinegar and tea tree oil to a bucket.  Add the water.  Wash the floor surface.  No need to rinse. 

Please note: This is a nice solution to use to scrub walls and even hard wood floor.

I am able to do many jobs with just 3 ingredients; tea tree oil, vinegar and water.  For the most part they are inexpensive and easy to find.  I am very happy with the results.

I find that this way of cleaning isn't any less healthy for my family.  I feel like germs are being combated.  Vinegar and Tea Tree Oil both have some disinfecting properties to them.  Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that they are better than bleach.  I haven't found a replacement for bleach. But they seem to keep the germs away, as much as to be expected.

I keep bleach and Tilex mold and mildew remover on hand, because there is nothing like it that I have found to do the jobs that I need to do.  For the most part, these are the only 2 chemically based cleaners that I have in my house.  That is a good feeling.

I don't necessarily feel like I have made the change to be "green" with the rest of America, but I do it knowing that I am making a difference in my family.

I find it hard to get the girls to read what I think that they should read.

We are using Learning Language Arts Through Literature this year for my 6th and 4th grader.  I have appreciated this program because it holds me accountable to make sure that the reading gets done.  Then the girls can read what they desire after their required reading is finished.

My first grader is still learning to read, so we do a lot of readers.  We have tried some "regular" books, but she prefers to stick with the readers.

Hannah                                                                                      Carry on Mr. Bowditch, The Bronze Bow

Leah   

The Boxcar Children, The Wright Brothers, Ben Franklin

Emma  

The complete collection of Bob Books collection 1, The Dick and Jane collection book 1, A Tree Is Nice,The Noah Webster Reader

Hannah has 2 books left to read for the school year and Leah has one.  In between Hannah's required reading, she has read many, many of the American Girl series.  I can't keep track of all of the girls that she has read. Not to mention some Nacny Drew, and other various books. Leah enjoys writing her own stories, so she has done a lot of that this year.  I have encouraged her to keep them together so I can present them at review time.  I haven't been holding them, so I hope they are still around.

I have tried to follow the reading list suggested from the Veritas Press catalog for Emma's first grade work, but I haven't followed it too faithfully. I have mainly focused on just phonics work. I think that the Veritas catalog is great, but also a bit advanced.  So I try not to preasure her too much.                                                           

You know the feeling when you see those pesky little creatures!  No matter how clean or dirty your house might be, those little guys are looking for something.

We are finding some chunky looking guys everywhere.  Well, mostly in the living room and in the kitchen.  They are not crawling on the countertops looking for food, however.  They are on the floors and on an occasional wall.  This morning I squashed about 20.

My mission is to find where they are coming from, but I find them randomly, not coming from one spot.  I feel overwhelmed because I cannot pin-point a spot!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was on the roof, cleaning gutters and noticed a large amount of ants on the roof.  We live in a very wooded neighborhood, with trees touching our house.  We suspect that they are coming into our house from there, but we are not sure.  We also fear that our roof is rotting.  I don't no if that has anything to do with the ants, but we do know that it isn't a fun thought!

I know that I have a lot of cleaning to do this weekend, just to catch up on the basics that get neglected during the school week.  We will also be on the look out for our multi-legged, segmented bodied friends to hunt them down and stop their invasion!

I am expecting our 6th baby.  I am due in September.  I happen to have 5 daughters.  We are not sure if we know how to make boys! LOL!  We have found out the gender with the last 2 babies, so I assumed that we would find out with this one.

Well, to my surprise, my husband said that he didn't want to know.  He said that he doesn't really care.  I know that he is perfectly content, either way.  I was a bit upset over his decision, but I decided to not press the issue. I calmed down and then could see his point.

Today, after I gave him a report from the mid-wife visit, he said again, that he really didn't care if we found out. But this time he said that  it was up to me.  He knows that I could not keep a secret, though!  Now I have to decide what to do.  I know that it is not a big deal, however. He also knows that he has spoke his opinion.  The ball is now in my court. It would be neat to see how the baby has grown.  I had a sonogram at 11 weeks to check viability.  I have seen my baby, and at that point it looked like the baby had all of the important organs.  So I was content!

I have some time before the baby is due, I am 23 weeks along.  I won't rush to the appointment.  But I will give it some thought!  Having 5 girls already, I think that it would be fun for all of us to know.  I might need to start some shopping for blue things, or sort through the pink that I already have and start refreshing our supply.  After 5 children, the some of the clothes have seen better days!

I know  in the grand scheme of things, finding out the gender of the baby isn't nearly as important as knowing that the baby is growing strong and healthy.  It certainly isn't an issue to get upset over. So I will wait patiently and make the decision with my hubby and not be a pushy, selfish wife.

My favorite store in the whole world is Trader Joes.  It is a California based unique grocery store. The store has expanded over the years through out the U.S..  I sure am thankful for that!  It is known for selling all-natural, organic and interesting items that are typically priced high at other stores or unavailable at your run of the mill store.  They sell a majority of items under their store name, with some brands that are sold at high-end gourmet markets or health food stores. They cut out the middle man and get their food directly from the company and then sell it under their store brand. This drives the cost down, so they can sell it to us at a reasonable price. Check them out at http://www.traderjoes.com/index.html

Anyway ... Last spring I recieved an e-mail mentioning that they were doing a contest.  The object of the contest was to find recipes using only 4 ingredients from their store.  I was excited about this because I do have a recipe that I specifically use with items only from their store.  It the late summer, after I have already forgotten about the contest, I received word that my recipe was selected!  It was one of a few.  They rewarded me and then posted the winning recipes on the website.  Well, it actually wasn't posted until yesturday.

You can imagine how cool it was to see my recipe on the website, with my name next to it!  That was a first for me! Check it out http://www.traderjoes.com/Attachments/recipe_12.jpg The recipe is called Chicken breasts stuffed with bacon and feta.  Very yummy!  I did not necessarily create this one my own, I have tweaked it through the years and have added my own touches.  This was alright with them!

They are doing another contest this year!  So you can be sure that I already submitted this years entry.  Not one recipe, but two! We'll see what happens!

I would guess that many families have the same problem.  Laundry.  I can imagine that the larger the family the bigger the pile(s). 

I would like to say that this is a new burden for me, now that we are a family of 7, but that would not be the truth.  I have always been weak at keeping up with the mounds.  I have always been so easily bogged down.  After 13 years of marriage and 5 kids I should have a system.  I do not.  That is, not untill last week.

I know that it takes about 21 days to form a new  habit.  Last week I finally was caught up with all of the laundry!  Praise be!  It dawned on me that I had to make  a change.  For the last 4 months I have been behind on the work.  The mound was taller than my almost 2 year old.  Once I completed every last bit, I came up with a plan.

I decided to try giving everybody a laundry day.  I would not require that every person does their own, because I realize that is not possible for a few of my children.  I don't mind doing it as long as the mound doesn't form again!  I do require that each person sort their own laundry, turn the clothes right side out and bag it.  Then I can wash it.  Already some of the girls have gone down to retrieve their dry clothes!  That sure is helpful!

Here is the schedule that I am test driving.

Sunday- No laundry scheduled, unless a necessity                          

Monday- Towels

Tuesday- Bedding

Wednesday- Emma and Alyssa

Thursday- Hannah and Leah

Friday- Dad and Mom

Saturday- Laura and any odds and ends

Since I have implemented this new routine, I have noticed that the laundry gets done pretty quick.  I really hope that I have a made a change for good!  I know that it doesn't always have to be out of control!

Now, if I can only get a grip on the rest of my life!  That can be another blog entry!

This morning I was pleasantly surprised when I watched  last night's Nightline.  They were talking about a food auction.  I have never heard of such a thing! 

We are a family of 7.  I am serving food at church every week for about 25 people.  The food for church comes out our family budget, as well as our own food.  So you can imagine the expense that we have.

The 25 people or so that we feed at church each Sunday are the poor and homeless in our neighborhood.  I love doing this, it is a blessing!  But it is an expense.  The church does reimburse me, but I have to pay for the up front costs. 

The food auction is a way for the local grocers to give their extras and in the end really helps out the consumer. So the items that they can auction off sell for far less than you would see at the grocery store. The grocery store prices are crazy.  I try to cut corners the best that I can, but I still spend about $180-$200 a week.  I have tried to do the SHARE program, which is great, but I often get a bunch of stuff that my family may not be interested in eating.  So I end up with a lot of odds and ends. I have stopped doing the SHARE program.  I do think that I am spending more money by not continuing with the program.

I have spent a little of time here and there looking for ways to help our family to spend less money on groceries.  I am so thankful for this new idea!  I have looked into food co-ops, food package programs and I even receive food from grocery stores that they cannot sell.  I have always had this interest, not just with the recent condition of our economy.  I have always had a feeling that there are ways out there for me to help my family save a penny or two!

How do you live your life?  Why do you think you were created?  What were you created to do in your life?  Do most people really stop to think on these things?

 It is so easy to live our lives day to day just getting by.  It is easy to not give life too much thought.  God has created us with so much planned.  It is our responsibility to do the best with what He has given us.

I have a very difficult time practicing what I am preaching.  I did not "choose" to homeschool.  God chose it for me.  For the last 2 years I have been rejecting that calling and feeling sorry for myself.  During this time of rebelion I have not stepped up to the awesome job that God wants me to do.

I see the fruit of my rebelion when I have so many battles with my children.  Life is chaotic, in a negative way.  I know that as a mom, God did not call me to live in that sort of way.  I am beginning to realize that I have so much work to do, not just academic work, but character building and life-skill training. 

A year ago I didn't realize that homeschool is so much more than academic!  I pray that I can start to "turn this ship around" to glorify God!  I love my children and I want them to have good memories of their life in our home.  I don't want them to resent us for homeschooling.  I want them to think fondly of our time together and realize that God is good!

So to sum this entry up, I am beginning to realize that God planned for me to teach my children at home, to nuture them, to help them grow up in life as responsible people and to help grow to love the Lord and obey Him forever!  I give thanks to God that He has opened my eyes to this task and helped me to realize that I have fallen short of what He has called me to do!  I pray that I can honor Him in my calling!