Considering Caged Birds

We've been reading a really cool book for school lately called "The Land I Lost."  This is the second time we've read it since this is the second time that Eastern Hemisphere has rolled around in our Sonlight curriculum, since I'm on my second batch of kiddos.  Secondly.... it is about Vietnam, a very long time ago.  A man tells stories about his boyhood adventures-- lots of giant snakes, water buffalos, monkeys, alligators, wild boars and birds.  One of the bird stories that we read the other day really impacted me and got me thinking.

Tip Tuesday: Inspect What You Expect

I recently read an interesting book called Large Family Logistics.  It was written by a mom of nine.  I figured that since I only raised eight, I could learn a thing or two.  ; )

Well, the book was really annoying...for the most part.

This lady is terribly organized and boring and not at all like me.  Except for maybe the boring part.  Maybe it was just her writing style.  I'm not sure.  But she also cleans her bathroom every single day.

Every.  Single.  DAY.

Yes.  I know.  What a freak, right?

Just kidding.  Sortof.

But one thing I did learn from the book is this:

How I Roll

I just heard the school bus drive by my house.  My kiddos are still snoozing.  The house is completely silent and dark.  The sound of that school bus reminds me of how blessed I am to home school.  What a privilege it is. What a responsibility.

Truth is, I've been having one of those freak-out-about-everything weeks.

What's Up

 
Dude!  Things have gotten busy around here.  Bu-sy!  I'm tellin' ya!  I'm not really sure what changed, but the days are fuller than ever and I haven't been bored for several weeks, not even for ten minutes.  And I guess that's a good thing, since a friend of mine recently told me that boredom is actually a need for meaning and purpose, rather than just "activity."

 I'm not sure about the whole meaning and purpose to what I've been busy doing... but I sure have had a lot of "activity" lately.

 
So, here's a few things we've been busy with...

Tip Tuesday: A Handy "Spanker"

Hey there!  I just got back from vacation this past week and now school is in full swing so I haven't had much time to talk with you guys.  I missed ya!  I'll post a bunch of pictures as soon as our Mac gets back from the doc.... again.  Yeah, now there's a tip for ya...  macs are great and very user-friendly--when they're working.  But, if they break, it's gonna be expensive and you sure can't do-it-yourself.  So, I'm on a borrowed pc, yet again.  And all of my pictures are out there in limbo somewhere.  But that's all beside the point, right?

So....what's up with this "spanker"?

W.W.?.D.?

 

Thanks to my crazy busy life, I haven't been keeping up with the ole blog too much lately.  But, here's an oldy that I thought some of my new blog friends might appreciate....

Remember the old WWJD days? Yep, been there, done that, even got the T shirt. When faced with a dilemma, you were supposed to ask yourself, "What would Jesus Do?", and then you'd supposedly know what to do. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Only one major problem... Jesus was a single guy.

Tip Tuesday: How to Jog...A Guide For Mommies

Who, Me?  Jog?

 Yeah, right!

I'm as shocked as you are.

It all started when I got this bright idea to exercise at least 20 minutes a day, six days a week starting in August...

The Big Day

Today was the day.
My first little fledgling flew the coop.
My boy went off to college.

Bye, bye, Jacob.

A Motherhood Conundrum

Do you ever get that nagging feeling that you were made for more than this?

Like, Yes, I know that all this Mommy stuff is super important and all, but isn't there something else I should be doing?

And I know that growing food, cooking food and cleaning up after the food is important and all but it feels so temporary.

And raising all these children is so meaningful and eternal and close to God's heart, but...

A Recipe That Works

Lately I've been on a quest for good, reliable canning recipes.  Thanks to all that rain, I've got lots of veggies to deal with.  It's a good problem to have, but a problem, none the less.  You'd think you could just look up what to do with banana peppers and there would be some sort of consensus on how to safely and easily can them.  But there's not.  There's 45 recipes for the same thing.  And they're all different.  Different ingredients.  Different processing times.  Different etc.   Now, if it was just cooked peppers that I was wanting, I would just pick any old recipe and wing it.  Then eat it.  And not really give it much thought.  But canning is a different story.  Improperly canned foods can kill people.

College Update: Packing and Procrastination

I just realized that I haven't updated you guys in a while on the whole traumatic first-kid-moving-away-to-college adventure.  I guess I haven't been feeling quite so traumatized lately.  That's a good thing, right?  I'm sure it will hit me out of the blue one of these days and I'll be all freaked out again.  But for now, I'm OK.

So, are you curious how it's going for a homeschooler getting ready to move off to college?

Painting Silly Faces

 This is such a totally random and strange post.

  I guess it's alot like my life, really!

Seventeen and Still Sweet as Ever

Who says teenagers have to be difficult?

Well, whoever it was sure didn't know Graci!

Little Viney Things

Many of you know that I'm new to gardening.  I've grown lots of gardens in the past, but never very successfully.  And none that I truly cared about.  So I never really thought of myself as a gardener. This year is different.

This year I really care about my plants.  I've been babying them since February and I really want them to grow.  I actually go out into the garden at least once every day and check on everything.  And I'm learning so much.  About plants and also about life.  I'm learning how to be more patient.  And nurturing.  And I'm learning about these little viney things.

What to Do With Toddlers

 Thanks for all the great responses to the homeschool question, "What do I do with the baby/toddler while I'm trying to teach school?"  You can read other mom's great ideas in the comments of the last post.  I'm hoping to get a few more on there pretty soon.

 While we're waiting...

Homeschool Forum Question: What to do with Toddlers

Hi there faithful blog friends!  Today I've got a question for YOU.  You're all so smart and helpful, I'm sure you've got lots of answers.  So, here's the question...

Yesterday I had a really nice talk with a younger homeschool mom who was heading to one of our local conventions for the weekend.  She said that she wished there was a speaker there who would address one of her most pressing issues...

What to do with the baby/toddler while homeschooling?

I think that the issue is rarely brought up at convention/co-op etc. because the speaker is often older and busy touring conventions, often DONE homeschooling or has a husband who is HOME and helping on a daily basis.  Young moms with babies who are in the thick of it are rarely ever the guest speakers!  So, that's where you come in!  What advice do you have for this young mom? 

And if you're not a homeschooler, don't worry!  You can also chime in if you're a mom... coz ALL moms have their own helpful methods for keeping those littles under control and happily occupied while you're busy doing something else.

OK, so, Fire away!

The Weight of Words

 
When giving directions to a house here in Kentucky, we often say something like, "Pass the third liquor store and turn at the tobacco warehouse."  Sounds just great, doesn't it?  Of course there's plenty of horse and cow farms and other beautiful things along the way, but we usually mention the stores, for some reason.  Well, that might all be about to change.  Thanks to me.  And my words.

Yikes!

 My babies are growing up and it's freaking me out!!!

I know, that's what's supposed to happen.

One of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

I'm doing much better today.  Not really pingin' anymore.  Everybody's happy and thank you all for your prayers!  The thing that was totally stressing me out is done.  Sometimes you don't even realize what it is exactly until it's over and you're not stressed anymore.  A great night's sleep really helps, too.

Anyways, I've been reading this book that is totally uncharacteristic of my normal reading habits.  I usually read about how-to type stuff relating to home and garden mostly.  Sometimes schooling or relationships or psychology or art.  But not leadership.  I guess it's about time I learned some of this stuff, then.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership just turned up in my house somehow.

When It Rains It Pours

Do you ever have so many different things going on at the same time that you forget your phone number and neglect to buy soap and toilet paper?

I do.

Right now.