The Kvenvolden family's journal of homeschooling and other stuff http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 7 Dec 2007 09:42:00 -0600 Fri, 7 Dec 2007 09:42:00 -0600 WOW! its been ages since i posted to my homeschooling blog!  Life has been busy...  what can i say!? anyhow, just wanted to hop on quick and make sure my blog doesn't get deleted! i do, actually intend someday to post something meaningful, LOL http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/440454/ Fri, 7 Dec 2007 09:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/440454/ Gosh, i haven't written in a LONG time!! what can i say... its been busy around here!!! i went through a rough period about 3 weeks ago where  i was totally sick of being off track and stuck...  schooling 3 with a new baby has been really a challenge.  So at that point i sought help from the wonderful well trained mind board, They so rock! and developed a plan.  We start our day with breakfast, then do all the housework because as much as i wanted to put school first, I learned that if the house is a mess i'm completely distracted and useless and angry, so that's a problem!   Ok, so we do breakfast, cleaning then start on math with the little kids, Alex (11)helps Chloe (5)with her math, and I(31 hehehe) help Nik(8) with his math I help nik with his reader, and he moves on to do spelling time on the computer.  Then we start between the lions, possibly having a brainy baby or two before then for Leif (7 mos) and sometimes anna (3) who often hangs out at the table and plays with the middle kids manipulatives.  While between the Lions is on, Alex and i work on his history, Sonlight, and science, Apologia general science.   Its not perfect but its something, and pretty good for a crisis year which is what i consider this year to be with the depression issues and a new baby and everything... NEXT year hopefully will not be, and i've bought Winter promise 4th year history to do which is much more age flexible than sonlight, so i have high hopes!   Anyway, more later.. gotta run... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/293633/ Fri, 2 Mar 2007 11:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/293633/ I'm contemplating signing up for this...  any opinions?? our breakfasts and lunches are BOOOORRRRIIING!!!! <p><a href="http://wahmcart.com/x.php?adminid=107&id=857&pid=403">Kid Approved Meals</a> Weekly Breakfast and Lunch Menus Moms and Kids Love!</p> BTW, if you sign up for their free newsletter you get sample recipes whenever it comes out and a free ebook :-) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/253105/ Sun, 10 Dec 2006 17:37:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/253105/ Wow, this issue could not have come at a more fitting time..  as society has all but erased thanksgiving, and replaced it with the free for all, MUST HAVE NOW atmosphere of the secular "christmas"  I personally am struggling to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving and not focus on the wants and "gotta have's."This issue included as most do, inspiring articles from a variety of people, from the legendary Marilyn Boyer, by whom i've vowed to someday own everything written.  She's just THAT insightful, to a woman named "Heidi St. John, who I JUST was reading as I perused my homeschool group's newsletter which i am in charge of submitting, is going to be speaking on keeping the spark in marriage in february! I thought that was pretty cool!  Anyway, this month's issue included an article about how to organize your pantry, and WHO couldn't use help with things like that!  I tell you, i was not raised to be a homemaker, not by any stretch, and nearly EVERYTHING i do learn is either the hard way by experience or by magazine articles from experienced moms like Lorrie.  I completely recognized myself in an article by Jenny Silliman, about generousity, and having a "i have to protect every cent of my husband's income or we are destined for certain poverty" kind of attitude about giving..  wow! that's a whole nother post, but suffice to say, i appreciated the wake up call.   Finally, the last article in the magazine was "12 things i would not change."  It included things like, i would not have any less children, i would not read my bible any less, etc.  very very great in terms of BIG PICTURE, which for me is so crucial.. i tend to get bogged down in the drudgery of everyday life, and really benefit from a big picture every once in a while.  I already see items in that list that i don't do nearly enough.  I am going to try to improve that, and prioritize.  I don't want to leave this life knowing i settled for the good, while neglecting the best! Thanks Teach magazine for another great and inspiring issue! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/250175/ Mon, 4 Dec 2006 21:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/250175/ Hey all! thought i'd post my banner for this site... they are offering affiliates 25% so we are homeschool fundraising, for everything we SHOULD have bought by now but haven't quite been able to make it happen! so if you are needing anything from there, please consider using my link!!  also don't forget to check back every monday for their freebie.. this weeks is really good!  thanks!! my link is this and i'll include the banner too, which updates the freebie each week i think!  http://www.homeschoolestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=230&affiliate_id=203<a href="http://www.HomeSchoolEStore.com/catalog/index.php?affiliate_id=203"><img src="http://www.homeschoolestore.com/catalog/images/banners/HSESAd468x60.gif" border="0" alt=""></a> http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/212832/ Mon, 2 Oct 2006 14:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/212832/ And the hits just keep on coming....  ok, in all fairness, there's been a LOT of good days in the last month...  i only seem to post, on the really bad ones... its not so much a really bad day really, as it is the culmination of a lot of stressful circumstances... our car, the one dh uses as a commuter car just had the clutch go out yesterday.. which means he's using our 30 yr old van as his commuter car, granted, works not very far away but that van is on its last legs and its what gets our family of 7 to church and grocery shopping, so its very very essential... which makes me nervous and scared.  the post baby finances are a nightmare...  just trying to hold on till tax return time, or at LEAST jan 1 when we can take out our post tax savings from his work plan, but then next year at this time of year we will be in the same predicament...  but it beats throwing more money into overdrafts and payday loans! ugg... we start to get ahead and it doesn't even make a dent into the big picture.. it seems so hopeless... And as for me.. i'm doing OK, if i can manage to remember my st. johns wort.which i haven't because i'm on antibiotics for mastitis, which i've had for the 4th TIME since leif was born 2 mos ago...  i'd been able to fight it off without antibiotics till this time when the fever and aches and not to mention boob situation just would not go away.  But i think at this point i'm just plain too rundown... the nonsensible side of me just plain feels like i'm going to drop dead at any given point from exhaustion but the realistic side of me knows that exhaustion is never that merciful.. that i'll end up floating around in this state of walking dead for at least the next 6 months.  i'm only 2 months into the new baby thing, and i'm cooking now, a little, which for my family is definately a good thing.. they've subsisted on junk for FAR too long... but i'm already sick of the just barely squeaking by perspective, in EVERY area of life... its getting really really old! i'm just having one of those "i want my mommy" moments, but then its like, "oh yeah, i dont' have one!" she's ALIVE, she just plain doesn't want me anymore, why i torture myself with stuff like this is beyond me... just because its TRUE doesn't mean i have to dwell on it, right???   hopefully i'll manage to post an entry on a good day, because i'm thinking anyone reading at this point, thinks i'm a completely insane loser embedded in self-pity, which is not entirely true! if you knew me in person, you'd probably like me :-) Off to serve lunch!R http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/211408/ Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:06:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/211408/ dh is working another saturday... this one voluntarily... trying to dig out of the "just had a baby" financial pit. he promised it would be a short day.  It's not!  So here i am, trying to pick up the slack again... house is a disaster... kids are unruly and wanting to go places and do things that we just plain can't afford... dh's mood level is beyond foul... last sunday i was awakened from a nap i was taking... which was only because i was on my second bout of mastitis that i've had in the 4 weeks (as of last weekend, he's 5 weeks now) that Leif has been on the outside, and  i was resting in hopes of fighting it off well enough to not have to get antibiotics (and pay for a co-pay, and have dh miss a day of work....) well, i was awakened from my nap to hear dh completely flipping out at nik, who is 7 because he was playing with the hose, dropped it and it started shooting in the front door.  ok, so bye bye rest...   had a long talk about it, dh agreed to calm down a bit..  but his mood level still sucks. and today i've reached that point... that point where i can't just keep covering everything... trying to be nice to the kids because i know dh won't be... trying to keep everything under control, keep the ants out of the kitchen and the moths out of the pantry.... (yes my house is a mess but its NOT as gross as it sounds form that last statement, REALLY its just been a rough couple of weeks in regard to insects!)  i am completely and totally burned out and i have absolutely no one to turn to. all my friends either have a bazillion kids, live too far away etc. adn for the first time, Andy is unavailable too.   i keep making alex my oldest cry, he's really sensitive... but i just need space... i'm sitting here at the computer listening to praise music, trying to find some peace and its just not happening...   i feel so totally abandoned... i am NEVER having a child again. This totally sucks, my life is falling apart and i'm totally alone.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/195123/ Sat, 2 Sep 2006 15:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/195123/ Looking for stickers for scrapbooking, or more obscure stickers to use for notebooking? check out this place<a href="http://www.stickerplanet.com/Default.asp?LK100"><IMG SRC="http://www.stickerplanet.com/images/banners/234x60_banner2.gif" WIDTH="234" HEIGHT="60" border="1"></a> http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/186580/ Sat, 19 Aug 2006 00:33:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/186580/ USED.  Like if you did actually succeed in working yourself to death from the constant onslaught of MESS and careless junk scattering, that they might notice you were gone... but only because their laundry piled up enough???  Or maybe its just the PPD rearing its ugly head... sigh... Rebecca (who WAS going to scrapbook while the baby sleeped but now gets to CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN, only to have it remessed in a matter of minutes) :-(  :-(  :-( http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/183865/ Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/183865/ Wow its been a long time since i've blogged!!!!!  First and foremost, our little Leif was born July 29th.  I promise i'll blog about that more later, but i've got so much on my mind i thought i'd unload here!  My Father in law just left this morning.  He'd been up since last saturday to visit, planning it to coincide roughly with Leif's birth.  He stayed with us and we have had a whirlwind week, crazy but fun.  Being 1-2 weeks postpartum i probably shouldn't have been running around so much but honestly, being out and about really helps me immensely ward off the postpartum depression which i get every time, BAD, each worse than the next.  I've been doing REALLY well this week but as real life approaches, dh going back to work wednesday, i'm getting nervous.  I'm planning to take ST. johns wort and regularily exercise and TRY to eat well, which is not exactly easy with a newborn and 4 other little ones to take care of... Anyway...  Danny, my FIL, left this morning and i was so sad :-( it was a really great visit.  Honestly, family has started to feel like a pain in the butt to me... not my immediate family of course, but the extended family.  It seems like just one blow after another... insults, criticism...  etc. My dad tries but he's just not in a place where he can be the kind of grandpa i want for my kids, just too much of his own life interferes with that... he REALLY tries though.  and Andy's mom... sigh... she doesn't like me.  She also doesn't visit, so we have minimal conflict, but its not exactly the best relationship we have either....   but danny is about the perfect grandpa ever... he tags along with us, but doesn't mind if we stay home,  he really ENJOYS the kids and as a result they have all developed a close relationship with him, this time, even more than the last two times, which were also good.  Well, anna to a lesser degree... she's having a REALLY hard time with Leif, she just has to work through her little 2 yo issues, LOL, but chloe was so upset she cried when grandpa left... me too...  for the absolute FIRST time i started to think about the possibility of moving closer....   before the can o' worms aspect completely overruled the other parts, but lets face it, we aren't getting any younger and neither are our parents..  They'll probably be needing us eventually, and that's really hard to manage from a distance.   I must say the Lord has a way of working on me and my attitude on different issues adn i think this week its clearly the extended family issue...  i've been awfully hard hearted on the family issue and really, for good reason.  I've been really badly hurt by family, and its hard to just go back for more, you know?  I kind of see us as starting a whole new family   a HEALTHY family free from sexual and physical and emotional abuse, and built on a foundation of Christ centered ness, all of which is totally new to us.  But we DON'T live in a vaccum, and while it breaks our hearts that some of our family doensn't know God in any way, and some minimally, it is excting to see that some of them DO! and exciting to see Him drawing us closer becaues indeed, God is a God of reconciliation, and that's a powerful thing. Its been a wrenching day, and its not even noon yet.  it is however time for some MAJOR Housework, so i should run, more about my sweetie later!!!!! :-) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/183685/ Mon, 14 Aug 2006 13:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mamakven/183685/