Halloween- What Do You Do?

Over the years, we have done a couple of things for Halloween. When my husband was in the military, we trick or treated on base. This was the safest place. We also trick or treated around the mall one year. When we moved back home, a very small town, we went around town to the people we know. I also started taking the kids to the carnival at the small school I attended as a child. Talk about bringing back memories. We have a blast there!

Now that we have moved out to the country, where I grew up, we just go to the carnival. I like this the better than trick or treating because you don't have to drive to the different houses(or walk). Everything is under one roof. The kids also have much more fun because they get to play games to win the candy. The one catch- this one costs money. You have to buy the tickets to play the games. It is 50 cents a ticket and the money goes to the school in this way- each class has a booth(It is a school of about 250 students K-12) and the tickets used at their booth are cashed in at the end of the night. That money goes to their class to be used as needed. I consider it a fun night out since my kids are home schooled.

Do you let your kids dress up? What do you let them wear? My rule is this- if it is something I consider of the devil, like a "witch" or the "grim reaper", or something evil like that, they are not allowed to wear it. I do let them choose otherwise. I think it is great to get to dress up fun and have a good time together as a family!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this! Please feel free to comment.
God bless!

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TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR THE FREE BOOK! Find the info in my past posts.
Good luck!

To school, or not to school...

I am not talking about home schooling. I am talking about my schooling- college. I finished up my associate degree (by taking online classes) last year. After that, my plan was to finish my bachelor's and then my master's, so that when my youngest was about sixteen, I would be able to consider employment. The degree was to be in English and if I teach, I wanted to teach college. My plans hit a snag. You can easily find online classes offered for your associate or your master's. The bachelor's, well that is another story. At this point in time, I do not want to take out a loan because once I do that, I must devote the next six or so years to being in school non- stop until I finish so that the loans do not become due. Also, if I take a loan, I want the amount to be able to pay for college and still have at least half left over for investing. In that way I am hoping to be able to use the invested money to help pay off the loan when it becomes due.

Another snag- I am unable to attend classes because home schooling my children is a priority right now. I have only come across one university(I also receive the pell grant, so I must attend a university that accepts it) that offers a Bachelor's that can be taken online. It is a business degree. I considered this and at the last minute dropped mainly because of the costs.

There is something else nagging at me as well though. When I attend school, it takes up every bit of my free time. When my kids were smaller, it seemed I was always running around doing something. As my kids have gotten older, I have noticed that I have more free time. And now that we live next to my parents, I have noticed enough free time that I have taken up sewing projects lately! So, when I think about attending school and giving a lot of that up, I am not sure I want to anymore. At least not at this point in time.

I enjoy my schooling very much. I am a bookworm for sure. My husband tells me I am very book smart but have no commom sense. There are times when I have to agree with him. I know that if I really wanted to and made it a priority, I could be anything I wanted to be job wise. For me, that is a hard reality sometimes. I am really giving up quite a bit to stay at home and be with my children all day. I admit, sometimes I wonder about this decision. But as I am getting older and honestly, getting closer to my heavenly Father, I am more settled and content with doing just what I am doing.

It is still a struggle for me sometimes. I wonder if I should go ahead and put them in the small school we have moved near to. I wonder if I should go ahead and give up my free time and continue my education. Should I keep home schooling. Should I just relax and enjoy the wonderful free time God has blessed me with. I know there are mothers out there who don't think on these things and are perfectly content to be at home. I am sure there are mothers out there like me though. They choose to do what they feel and know is right for their family at this moment, but also dream and know that God wants more out of them in their future. They just don't know what it is or how to go about it. They just trust that God will grant them time and are patient and content with the now.

I think I will make this post #1, as I am not happy with ending it there, but have taken up enough of your time. So, next Monday, I'll finish this up.

God bless!
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Don't forget about the free book! Tomorrow is the last day! Look for the info in my older posts.

Making Hand Soap...

Yesterday, my daughter pulled out the soap making kit that had been given to us last Christmas. She has pulled it out quite a few times and I always say, "we'll do it another time when I have more time to do it" or something like that. Which explains why we've had it so long and it still isn't done.
This time, I decided we'd do it. I prepared myself for the huge mess that was going to be made and we got started. All in all, it took about 25 minutes and the mess was easily wiped up on the counter. Boy, was I surprised. The girls had a fabulous time! My youngest daughter took her soap to her Granny and my oldest daughter put hers in the kid's bathroom to use.
This was a prepared kit, so I don't have home made instructions for it. I am pretty sure you can find these at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They made the liquid soap that comes out of a pump container, not the bar soap.

Anyway, my Family Day Friday idea is this. Do you have any crafts that have been taking up space on a shelf, in the floor, or anywhere else. Make today the day that you choose to do one of them (or more) with your kids. You may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. And if it is a big mess, just think of all the fun you're having!

God bless!
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5 days left in the book giveaway! Look for the post in my past posts section for the details.

Organic coupons!!!

I just love finding coupons for my organic buys! I don't find them very often, so I was thrilled to find this deal. I went to my local "Natural Foods Market" for vitamins and they offered me the usual magazine at the checkout. I said sure and went to the car. As I thumbed through the pages I came across a small booklet. It was full of coupons. Most of them were for Organic Valley items, but I also found one for my Meyers goat milk. I was so excited. I cannot tell you the exact coupons as I don't have the booklet on me right now, but there are a few others in the magazine itself as well. For a free magazine, this wasn't a bad deal. The name of the magazine is "delicious living". I am not sure if you can get this magazine at another market or not. But if you have a Natural Foods Market, be sure to ask for the September 2008 issue.

God bless!
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Don't forget about the book I'm giving away- you still have 6 days! Look for it in my older posts.

Janette Oke can write...

I just finished reading "Once Upon a Summer", which starts another series of Janette Oke's. I admit that I liked "Love Comes Softly" better, but she has managed to grab my attention anyway. I will have to read on in this series as well.

Once Upon a Summer is about a nineteen year old girl who decides to head to the other side of the country for a teaching job. She has to learn how to care for herself on her own and how to live in a new part of the country. She quickly falls in love with her students and the country about her. She also falls in love with a "Mountie" along the way, but seeing as how this is based on "the olden days", there is nothing in the book that would cause a child to be unable to read it. As a matter of fact, Janette Oke's books do a fabulous job of showing the respect men and women should have for each other and the bond of marriage.

It is another book that I recommend highly.
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On another note: Don't forget the FREE book I'm giving away!
Check out my past posts for the giveaway- you still have seven days!
Good luck!

God bless!

PRAY for our military!

One of my brothers is leaving for Korea this morning. We got to spend some time together yesterday. My family is somewhat of a military family. My dad was in the navy. My oldest brother was also in the navy. My other brother is still in the army(the one going to Korea). One of my brothers-in-law was in the Air Force. And my husband was in the army. So you could say I know a little about military life. Corey, headed for Korea, is on my mind this morning. He has been in the military for almost ten years. He has been to Iraq twice and this is his second time to Korea. That's not including the other small tours. My husband was in for just over six years and also went to Korea and then Iraq(and other small tours).

The reason I wanted to write about "our military" this morning is because I think there are many people out there who do not understand how important it is to support and pray for these boys and girls. My husband now has PTSD(post traumatic stress syndrome) from Iraq mainly, and I see a lot of the same symptoms in my brother as well. Joining the military was a choice for both of them, and they are both proud to have served and be serving our country. But at the same time, they each are having a hard time with the emotions brought out from serving in a war. I know there are so many others like them. My point- pray for them. Whether or not the war is right, and no matter your feelings about the situation, PRAY for them. I am admonishing myself here extremely. I pray for my husband daily, but I do not pray for the other soldiers nearly enough.

These young men and women will come home and return to being a part of this society. They will have to try to live as normal of a life as possible. And believe it or not, this will be hard for a lot of them.
Okay, I will get off this "soap box". My heart had the need to share this. I do hope you will consider what I have said and add this to your prayer list.

Have a great week and God bless!

Flannel Board Fun

When my kids were smaller, they loved playing with flannel boards. They still do sometimes. Flannel boards are easy and inexpensive to make. To make the board itself, we took a box and cut it along one of the corners, so it would fold out lengthwise. We then took felt we bought from the store (We got ours from Wal-Mart and it cost less than 50 cents a piece- it may be a little more now) and wrapped it around the box. We hot glued the edges of the felt down. It's all finished. Easy enough.

To use your board, you can purchase some different colored felt and cut out characters to go with stories. If your child has a favorite story, let him/her help you cut out some characters and then retell the story using them. Also, you can cut out letters and numbers to help your child learn these. Shapes could be learned this way as well. The possibilities are almost endless.

Another idea is that these make great homemade gifts an older child can make on their own and give away.

Have fun and God bless!

One Adventure Ends...Another Begins

I did something today that I wasn't sure would ever happen. I gathered up all the items that belong in my phonics program, put it back together and then placed it on a high shelf to be (hopefully) handed down to my grandchildren one day! This is both a sad and exciting event. My youngest is now beginning to read on her own and no longer needs the program. I have to admit that this is a little sad to me because the early years are my favorite to teach. I love watching their excitement when the light bulb comes on. Young children learn in the easiest way. There's no books or assignments. You don't have to schedule in everything they need to learn because they simply learn by living. You just enjoy them.

Now, I am entering into new territory. My oldest just turned thirteen. I still can't believe I am old enough to have a teenager. As my kids have gotten older, I have learned a few things about myself. I love being able to talk to them. I mean a real conversation. That is something that is sort of hard to do with a three year old. I also very much enjoy knowing that they can take care of their own needs. What I mean by that is: they can bathe themselves, brush their own teeth, fix a sandwich for lunch, do some chores around the house, etc... I also enjoy their company. We discuss books, movies, likes, and dislikes, and are becoming, in a way, friends.

What I don't enjoy is having to be more scheduled with school(I am not a schedule person) and making sure my oldest is learning what he needs to be able to go to college one day. I don't enjoy having to tell him he has to do his math, whether he likes it or not. I don't enjoy grading all the papers. I don't enjoy making sure he hasn't missed something he should have learned. Now, I know he must learn to be responsible not only with the things he likes, but those he doesn't like as well. And I know he needs to learn that sometimes life is just not fun, it is hard work. I also know that just because I don't like doing these things doesn't mean I don't have to do them. I do. And I will. But I am not going to promise to smile the whole time! ;) Sometimes it is a struggle for me to continue home schooling. But most of the time it isn't. And I truly believe this is where God wants me to be and what He wants me doing right now.

So, life is still going on and I am seeing opportunities every day to enjoy my children. We don't do any more "book" work than what has to be done. And I still throw "hands on" activities in there pretty often. I am going to enjoy these last "early" years of my youngest daughter's and hang on for the ride through the teenage years up ahead! (By the way, I am open to any good advice!)

God Bless!

Don't miss the free book "give away". Look for it under the title "My first give away-free book."

My first give away- A FREE BOOK!

Up for grabs is a wonderful Magic Tree House book by Mary Pope Osborne. These are great books for kids. This one is #4 Pirates Past Noon. I'll just put down what is on the back cover: It's a treasure trove of trouble when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands and nasty pirates! Will they discover buried treasure? Or will they walk the plank?

Okay, here's what you do to get the book. Just comment on any post of mine starting September 17th thru September 30th. When you do, I'll add your name to the drawing(be sure and leave your blog address or email so I can contact you if you win). You may come back each day and I will add your name for each day you comment. That means you could have your name added 14 times! I will draw one name on October 1st and then contact the winner! ;) This is exciting!

Good luck and God bless!

Tuesday's Talk

Any other writing moms out there? I really enjoy writing. I do not make enough time for it. About a year or so ago, I finished a course from the Chilren's Institute that taught me some about writing for children. I have a wonderful friend who finished the course as well and we have critiqued each others work. Both of us are quite secretive about this writing thing and do not share our work with others easily. But we trust each other and are great friends, so that helped.
To be honest, neither one of us knew the other was taking the course. So, her opinion of my work is- "It's very good." I have also been told by a few others that my writing is good. So, why is it that I have such a hard time believing that something could come of this "gift" of mine. I do believe it is a gift and I should use it for some purpose. I am just not sure what that is yet. I have been sending submissions to magazines, but do not have anything published yet.
The advice I mostly hear and read is to not give up. I am trying hard to listen to that advice.

It would be a great blessing to hear from any other moms going through a similar situation. Please feel free to comment!
God bless!

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My first GIVE AWAY! A FREE BOOK!

On a different note, tomorrow is Wednesday's Book of the Week and I will be announcing a giveaway (free book)! So come back tomorrow for all the details!

Monday's Home School

I don't know about you, but I love a good deal! And I especially enjoy getting something I need for free or almost free. Something else about me: I am almost always interested in new home school items(at least new to me anyway). In fact, that is something that I have had to work hard getting under control. I get bored with the stuff I have and start looking for something else all too quickly!
Back to the free thing. I have come across a website recently that offers something called Freebie Friday. If you go to there website and sign up for their newsletter (it is free also), they will send you a daily email. The also sell a magazine, but you don't have to order the magazine to get the newsletter. On Friday's, the email is about all sorts of free home school resources you can find online! The lady that writes it really does a great job finding different resources. It is not the same sites every time or anything like that.
Okay, so here is the site: theoldschoolhousemagazine.com (of course don't forget the three w's at the beginning)
After you check it out, please come back and let me know what you think!

Have fun and God bless!

Family Day Friday

I apologize for posting this a bit late. After the funeral yesterday, I am running a bit behind.

A very simple solution for family time is a good movie and popcorn. My kids love doing this together. This one requires a little money, but not much. You could also throw in some munchies like pretzels, carrots, or chips. Whatever your family likes.

My family has chosen a special night, usually Tuesday night, to have game night or movie night(just depending on how busy the day was, I sometimes like a calm movie night). They really enjoy knowing that this time has been set aside for something special.

Just have fun with your kids!
May God bless you.

Thursday's Thought

Patience.
That is a word that brings about quite a few different thoughts and emotions. For some, patience seems to come easily. For others, not so easily.

Last night, my husband joined me for a Wednesday night church service. That in itself is a miracle and blessing from God. We have been married for 13 years, and I don't remember him ever coming on Wednesday. I attend church regularly and have for our entire marriage. But I was brought up that way, and I believe that is what I need to do. He did not have the privilege I had of having a close relationship with the Lord from an early age.
I have prayed for him pretty much non-stop since the day we married. And I have to truthfully admit that there have been times when I just did not think he would ever care about having a relationship with God.
This is an area where God is teaching me some major patience. Very slowly, over the past few years, I have seen gradual changes in Steven. But sometimes it just seems things are not changing fast enough. I am amazed at the patience of God with mankind. How he doesn't just wipe us all off the face of the earth, I don't know.
I am writing this especially for those out there who are dealing with the same situation. Don't give up. Don't stop praying. Give it completely to God(it took some years for me to really do this one). Only He has enough patience to deal with it. But He can give you the patience you need on a "daily" basis.
I do hope I am more patient than I used to be. I still pray daily for God's help because I just know that without His help, I am more likely to yell, get upset, or just have a bad day. He gets me through and I am constantly watching out for those little signs that He is working in my life and those around me. When I see those signs, I know that He is with me and His patience is complete.

Romans 5:3,4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope...

Wednesday's Book of the Week

Today's book is titled "From Pulling Weeds to Picking Stocks" by the Beaty brothers. I am pretty sure that is spelled Beaty and not Beatty, but I may be wrong as I do not have the book in hand. I am finished reading it and it is at my parent's house right now. This book was advertised on Rush Limbaugh. It is written by a couple of teenage boys and their younger brother.

I read through the book in one afternoon. It is easily readable and to the point. The young men did a good job. The boys speak of how they have learned over the years to be wise with their money. They also speak a little of the hardships of their parents and how they have been taught to think twice about how they spend because of those hardships.

I am having my kids read this book. If it hits home with any of them, that would be great! Most of us learn a little too late how to use our money wisely.

May God bless you.

Tuesday's Talk

Another year of home schooling. When I first began home schooling, I really had no idea that I would still be doing it seven years later. There are many times when I wonder if I should enroll the kids in school, but always change my mind. When I first started, I really did not have many doubts about being able to school my oldest son, Steven J. It was first grade, what could I do wrong. Then a few years went by and I discovered that I had serious doubts as to whether or not my son would ever read! ;) I follow the schooling method of Ruth Beechick and when they decide they want to read, they will. At least that's what the books say.

I trusted in the words of many different people who agreed with Ruth Beechick and just let my son keep "playing" until he was truly ready to put forth the effort. I did read to him, and the other children, from the beginning, a lot. And Steven J. started a phonics program (I think he was probably about seven) and read some words and small books here and there. When I was about to think he would be twelve before he really started reading good, he took an interest. He was about nine years old and within about 6 months, his reading level jumped over three grades!

He is now thirteen and reads, reads, and reads. We have a joke between each other. There are many times now when I will have to tell him to put his book down and help with something or do something else. He says, "You know mom, you used to gripe at me because I wasn't reading enough, and now you gripe at me because I'm reading too much!" Isn't that grand!

I am going through the exact same struggle(only he is even more reluctant to read) with my second son. But I am a little more relaxed about it. I've seen the rewards. My third child, a girl, taught herself how to read at about four and has been reading since. That one sort of blew my mind for a little while. And my fourth child, another girl, is finishing up phonics and starting small books at the age of seven. She is more interested than my boys, but not as interested as her sister.

It never seems to amaze me how different each child can be. I have learned over the years to trust my instincts a little more about what each child needs. And to say the least, it has been a great rollercoaster ride!

Please feel free to comment on any post. ;)
May God bless you.

Making Monday Meaningful

I am posting a little late as I received a call at 4:00 in the morning that one of my husband's aunts passed away.

For a lot of people, it seems Mondays are just not the best days. Having to get started back to your schedule is hard for some after the weekend. So I am going to try to post some way to make Mondays a little better for you and for me. (I am one of those that tends to be a little slow getting started on a schedule again after two days off.)

After receiving the call in the middle of the night, I did some thinking. Steven couldn't sleep, so he went on to work. We knew his aunt would pass at some time(she has been battling cancer), but I think we were both a bit surprised that it was this quickly. When someone passes, there are so many things that can go through your mind, but I think the most common is that it reminds us of how very short life really is. Not a one of us has a gaurantee of tomorrow. The Bible is very clear on the point that we should live one day at a time and make each moment count. I have missed quite a lot of moments. When something like this happens, I become a little more determined to do my best not to miss any more of those moments.

So, my way of making my Monday better is this: I am going to call all my children together and tell them that I love them and then name something special about each one of them. I will then hug each one. Now, we give hugs and say "I love you" regularly in our house, so this won't be anything unique. But we don't often enough tell each other something specific that we like about each other.

It is funny that something so simple can brighten your day. Tell someone what it is you like about them, whether it is that they are kind, hard working, honest, or whatever. Everyone likes to hear positive feedback. Not only will you make their day, you just might make yours as well.

May God bless you.

Family Day Friday

Cornstarch Clay:

Mix 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup cornstarch, and 1 1/4 cups water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. It should resemble bread dough. Pour onto wax paper to cool, then knead until smooth. Store in plastic bag or other airtight container.

This recipe is excellent for beads and Christmas ornaments as it dries very hard and can be painted. (Taken from Castlemoyle Books)

My daughter especially enjoys this recipe. It is a bit more time consuming to make beads, but for younger kids, you can just shape it or use cookie cutters.

Pics from last Friday's Finger Painting:

Thursday's Thought

Do your children ever argue? Okay, I probably already know the answer to that question. I have four and it seems that every day, at least two of them have decided to make the day "argument day". I have read about other families and how they deal with their children's arguing. I would try to implement their ideas, but I used to think that I must be not doing something right because it seemed every day at least one of them was just not being nice.

I have since discovered that is completely normal. You see, they do not argue all day(to clarify, there are a few times when it seems that is all they do) or about everything. They just disagree sometimes throughout the day. Yes, there are times when the disagreement gets out of control and usually it is over something so simple. But I have learned to watch them afterward and I cannot remember a time when any one of them held on to hateful feelings toward the other. I think that is a wonderful sign. They know how to forgive.

I have to think about my husband and his days at work. Even on a good day, he still has disagreements with one or two of his coworkers. Now they don't throw down or anything, but it is very difficult to always get along with everyone, all of the time. My hope is that my children will learn to respect and love those around them even through the disagreements.

So when your children are driving you crazy over the color of popsicle they want, just step back, take a deep breath and remember, "this too shall pass".

"Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God..." 1 John 4:7

May God bless you.

Wednesday's Book of the Week

I have mentioned this book before, but I want to add it to the Book of the Week list. In actuality, it is six books in all. The series is The Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke. The first book is Love Comes Softly and by far my favorite of the series. I came across this book, checked it out from the library, and proceeded to read it in two nights. I am bad about doing that. If I find a book I simply get caught up in, I just won't put it down. Sleepless nights.

Back to the book. The first one is about a young woman who loses her husband while traveling to a new part of the country. She has no choice but to marry a widower with a small child from the local town. They go through some very tought times, but have a respect for each other. Through time, they fall in love- softly(hence the name of the book). Janette Oke does a magnificent job of drawing you into the characters. The books go on in the series to tell you about the struggles and good times of the couple as well as their children. I am on the last book now.

These books are set in the "Little House on the Prairie" days. I have decided to add these to the required reading list for my girls in the future. I think they would make great reading for teenage ladies looking for wholesome reading.

On a side note, movies have been made of these books, but in my opinion, do a poor job of telling the story. I suggest reading the books instead.

May God bless you and happy reading!

Tuesday's Talk

Just before I went to bed last night, my husband, Steven, informed me that he needed a uniform washed for the morning. I, of course, said, "Thanks for telling me now." Okay, the uniform situation is a touchy one for me. His company has a dry cleaning service pick up the uniforms on Thursdays. At least it is supposed to be on Thursday's. There are weeks when they will simply show up on Wednesday. That's when I feel like calling the service. I have plenty of my own family washing to do and the uniforms just add to the situation.

So, I admit I need to work on my attitude concerning this. I put some in the wash(if I had been more concerned with making sure my husband had what he needed, I wouldn't have forgotten to wash some in the first place). Now, my washer is not a speed machine, so I was going to have to get up in the middle of the night and move them to the dryer(and take the white clothes out of the dryer as well, so I could put the uniforms in). This is not the first time I have had to do this. As I've mentioned, this is a sore spot.

At 12:something a.m., I woke up and remembered to go take care of the dryer thing. At 3:something a.m., Steven woke up, went to the bathroom, came out and asked me if I had taken care of the uniforms already. I told him "yes." Now, listen carefully, as this is the important part of this story. He then got back in bed and said, "I appreciate you." Now, I don't hear that on a regular basis. I don't even hear that on a non-regular basis. But I tell you what, when I do hear it, I am on cloud nine.

Steven and I have been going through some rough patches lately. And I don't mean just your normal marriage stuff. But we both know that we made a promise to each other and God joined us together. We love each other and are trying and praying to make this marriage a joyful one. We know our children are watching and we do not want them to learn that giving up or taking the easy way out is acceptable. Way too many people in this day and age simply throw up their hands and seperate or divorce. The Bible is clear that divorce is not the option God wants. Man decided they needed that option.

By the grace of God, Steven and I are making it. Prayer gets us through. The rough patches are beginning to smooth some. I am learning more and more about humility and patience. And once in a while, I receive a little reward. Steven gave me one last night when he told me he appreciates me. What more could a wife want.