Why Haven't I Posted?

Because I can't put down this book:



Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors. This book is good, though I'd have to say that my favorite from her is Redeeming Love followed closely by the Mark of the Lion Trilogy. Nevertheless, I still stayed up until 2am this morning reading it.

And since the kids are safely tucked in bed and I know there's no chance of interruptions, I'll have to talk to you later....I need to get back to my reading ;o). Pin It Now!

We're groovy!

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Smile Award and Sketch Tuesday

Well, I had two really fun things happen today in my blog world!

First, A6 had her "Pink Sketch" posted on the Harmony Art Mom blog for Sketch Tuesday. If you check it out, A6's sketch is the pink flower pasted on the pink construction paper. And if you want to participate, this week's assignment is to draw something that lives in a tree. I think the whole family might participate this week!

Secondly, I received the Smile Award from Marcy at Sir Galahad Academy!!! Thanks Marcy...you've certainly brought a smile to my face!



Plus, the really fun part is I get to give it away to five bloggers as well! So here goes...

People Who Make Me Smile

First is Jenn at Classless and Lovin' It just because I like her blog and I think if I met her in person, I would like for her to be my friend. :0)

Next is Angel at Aduladi' & Co. because I admire her and think she's brave. :o)

To Cindy at On Our Journey Westward and Melissa at In the Sparrow's Nest because their blogs are a wealth of information and they inspired me to do Nature Study with my children. :o) :o)

And to Marybeth at Cheaper By the Half Dozen because I just found her blog and I'm so happy I did! :o)

Okay...I know I'm only supposed to do five...but just one more...

And to Barb at Harmony Art Mom
because she made my daughter smile today. :o)

Here are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator (it's right on the award-The Babblings of Mere)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award (see below.)
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human). Well, I am sure am glad for that exception.
2. Must love one another. Thank God that He's helping me there.
3. Must make mistakes. I got that one covered.
4. Must learn from others. Well, that's one of my favorite things to do.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world. Hmmm...I hope so.
6. Must love life. Is there really anyone who doesn't?
7. Must love kids. I certainly love mine! Pin It Now!

Get Well Lapbook

My mom is in the hospital recovering from surgery this week. I could have had the kids make her six construction paper cards, but I thought a Get Well lapbook would be even better! This way each of the kids could make her a "card" and they would all be housed in one place. I found a free nurse coloring page for the cover and H3 and A6 colored it.


Here is the lapbook completely opened up. I printed off some wallet sized pictures on white cardstock and matted them with scrapbook paper to decorate around the mini-books.


This is the left inside flap. There is a matted picture of E1 on top since he wasn't big enough to participate in the card-making fun. On the bottom, H3 colored and glued on a petal book.


When the petal book is opened, a pretty picture of H3 is revealed.


Next to a picture of Baby L is a wheel book that E4 helped to create.


As mom turns the wheel, she'll see pictures (like this smiley face) that E4 drew for her.


At the top, I folded an origami cup to use as a pocket to hold A6's flower card.


Mom can pull the card out to see the flowers that A6 drew and colored. She also wrote mom a note on the back.


Lift up the flap of the pocket to see a picture of A6.


On the far right is G7's pop-up card above a photo of Mom and me.


When opened, up pops a picture and note from G7.

Mom really loved her lapbook and we all loved giving her a little something more than construction paper. If you've never lapbooked before, Homeschool Share is a wonderful free resource. You can find instructions and templates for all of the books we made in this lapbook there.

I would so appreciate any prayers made on my mother's behalf. We are especially praying for a quick recovery. Pin It Now!

Beware: Learning is happening here!

Well, today finished off Week One of our homeschool year. I'm very pleased overall with the way things are going.


H3 has been learning all about the letter A this week. She completed the 'A' page of her Alphabet notebook. I got the idea and FREE*!!* printables from Homeschool Share.


The close up shows the two mini books we made. The top book has several pages and she flips through it and says, "A is for apple...A is for angel." My favorite is "A is for astronaut." If you could only hear her 3 year old voice pronounce that word!


E4 has learned the seven letter strokes this week. The program I used with the oldest two had them writing the letter strokes on the memory board (see previous post) and penmanship paper SEVERAL times. While we still do this, I don't want to get bogged down and lose the fun of learning. E4 is a young Kindergartner and also very hyperactive. I lose his attention quickly. So today, we only wrote our letter strokes two times on paper and then we played 'Phono Bingo'!


We made this game quickly...I drew a Bingo style gameboard on drawing paper and drew penmanship lines in each block. I let E4 fill in the blocks with letter strokes while I made the cards with each of the letter strokes to pull from a baggie. By the end of the game, I could tell that E4 was recognizing each letter stroke easily.


A6 created number towers for math today.


We read A Tree is Nice yesterday and G7 retold it in his own words today.


I really like the LLATL curriculum and so does G7. I love the reading and G7 likes the workbook format.


Here, E1 tries to decide if he should eat the crayon or throw it on the floor. He threw it on the floor...See, he's learning too! Pin It Now!

Our den of Knowledge

I have seen so many lovely school rooms posted in the past couple weeks. I'm afraid ours doesn't compare, but it currently works for us.


Our school room is located in our basement. These pictures were taken at night, but there's actually a lot of natural light that comes through the two windows. The majority of our basement is unfinished, but we have two rooms that are finished. This one and a small playroom located right next door. We really only use this room for language arts and math. Other subjects we do at the kitchen table, on the couch, and outside.


I have a small table next to the door that I keep blank paper (lined, notebook, and drawing), tissues, and paper towels on. I had some sort of kitchen utensil holding thing that I use to hang my scissors from and hold rulers and tape.

Underneath the table we have a LARGE box for keeping library books in (so we know where to find them when it is time to take them back). I also have a box labeled 'Boredom Busters'. I have a ton of workbooks that I've picked up at yardsales and curriculum swaps and such. I cut the binding of all of these books, so that the worksheets were already torn out and then divided them according to grade level. This way, when I'm working with one student, and another needs something to do, I can tell him to pick out any worksheet that he wants to from his grade level.


This is my desk with pencils, markers, colored pencils, paint, etc. As you can see, I never actually sit at my desk as I store my scrapbook supplies underneath it. The Ten Commandments are posted above...Eventually I'll get a nice frame for this.


On the other side of my whiteboards are my wire cubes. I bought these at a yardsale for $5 and they are very sturdy (as long as you don't move them). I keep curriculum, extra binders and notebooks, math manipulatives, and extra "busy" things like puzzles, play-dough, and flashcards.


My bulletin board has the day of the week, weather, letter of the week, a US map, and some favorite artwork. The carts mostly hold craft supplies.


This was a last-minute project. I wanted a backdrop to hang the kids' artwork on, but didn't want to invest in another bulletin board. I had bought a wallpaper sample book for a quarter at a yardsale, and decided to just cut the samples out of the book and tape them together to form my background. (I was actually holding Baby L the entire time I was making this and was ready to just get it over with, so I wasn't picky at all with what patterns I chose...next time I'll pick ones that match better.) I just used pushpins to tack it up to the wall. The rule is each child can only display one 'masterpiece' at a time. I just tape their artwork to the display.


This bookshelf holds all of our picture books and a few reference books and extra curriculum.

Curious how others are setting up their school rooms? Cindy at On Our Journey Westward reorganized her schoolroom just in time this past week. Amy at Hidden Creek Homeschool was inspired to finish hers as well. Don't miss the classroom at Wazley Academy...you'll be totally jealous of all that storage space!

If you've blogged about your school room, I'd love to see it! Leave me a comment to tell me where to find it. Pin It Now!

274 days to go.

Today was our official first day of school. We have 274 more days until our official last day of school this year. What can I say...I've never really been a 'glass-half-full' type of girl.

I've been trying to decide if I consider this day a success. I'm pretty sure I do. We completed all of the lessons I had planned. We had some fun. There was actual, real learning taking place.

On the flip side, we started homeschooling this morning at 8:30 am and I wasn't closing the last textbook until 6pm. Plus, I had to stop at least every 30 minutes to discipline H3 who was definitely testing boundaries today (more than usual). I'm not exaggerating on the 30 minute thing. I think the child spent more waking hours in time out today than out of it.

Here's how our day went...

The alarm clock went off at 7am. I, of course, was already awake nursing Baby L.

By 8am, I had changed from pajama bottoms to blue jeans, read a chapter of Psalms and a short devotion, and all of the kids were awake and seated at the table eating a breakfast of champions...two honeybuns and a tall glass of milk.

We gathered for our Circle Time, reading and discussing our first Bible Lesson. We are memorizing John 1:2-3 this week and the first verse and chorus of 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus'.

Then, we headed downstairs to the schoolroom. First, 30 minutes of Pre-K with H3.



This week we are learning the letter A, the number 1, and the square is our shape of the week. We reviewed these and then read How to Grow an Apple Pie Tree. She also worked on a page from her Heavenly Helper Workbook. I actually bought these for $1.00 each at the Dollar Store and they are perfect for teaching letters, numbers, shapes, and colors simply.



Next, I worked with E4 for an hour. We started by learning the first three letter strokes-the clock stroke, the short line, and the tall line.



Studies have shown that using a multi-sensory approach is helpful when trying to set things to memory. We have always used a Memory Board with our Kindergarten students when learning their phonograms for the first time. I draw a clock (our kids learn to write letters using the Rigg's Institute's clock method)on a rough surface, such as the back of a Dollar Store kid's chalkboard. E4 listens to instructions on how to write the letter, and repeats them back as he is looking at and 'writing' it with his finger (touch) several times. Once he has done this, then he writes it on his penmanship paper.



E4 also completed one page of his Ready Writer. He was very excited by this as he has been waiting for the day to have his own after seeing G7 and A6 work through theirs in their Kindergarten years.


Another hour...this time with A6. Here she is working on the first lesson in Learning Language Arts Through Literature-The Blue Book. This was a simple 'pre-reading' activity sorting circular patterns from lined patterns. She also completed her first lesson in Saxon Math 1.

Finally we took a much needed break for lunch. It was supposed to only be an hour break...it lasted an hour and twenty.



My next hour was spent with G7. His first lesson with Learning Language Arts Through Literature-The Red Book went well. Here he is sorting Short Vowel Sound Words. We also read a poem, talked about 'naming words' (nouns), and did some dictation. He completed his first lesson of Saxon Math 2.

We moved back upstairs for History. We discussed the Principle of Individuality and copied a poem into our History Notebooks.



If you're curious about the bloody fingerprints, don't worry, the kids are okay. We were supposed to decorate the page with our thumbprints, and our red stamp pad was the only one that wasn't dried up. We also began reading Leif the Lucky, beginning our study on Early American History.

We spent our 'recess' outside riding bikes as the school bus drove by dropping kids off. Then the kids rested inside as I read a chapter of Teddy's Button to them.



Lastly, G7 and I read a few pages of Jeannie Fulbright's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. This is in preparation for a co-op class that G7 will be taking on this text beginning next week.

By this time Hubby was calling to tell me he was on his way home. Hallelujah! We survived! Pin It Now!

Daily Schedule

It is finally upon us. The first day of school for our crew begins Monday. The lesson plans have been entered into the computer, the appropriate books purchased or on loan from the library, and the school room is completely, er,uh...almost organized. Just like the when I was a little girl, I am feeling the flutter of those 'first day butterflies'.

Though this time I'm not nervous about getting lost in a maze of hallways, or having no one to sit with at the lunch table, or forgetting my locker combination. No, this time my worries are much different.

Mine is the issue of time. Why exactly did God only put 24 hours in a day? This year I will be teaching a second grader, a first grader, a kindergartner, and a pre-schooler. On top of that I have a very rambunctious one year old and a nursing infant. There really aren't enough hours in the day for this.

Nevertheless, I have a...cue the music now... written schedule. After all, isn't the written schedule the answer to all of the homeschool mother's woes. Forget for a moment that the written schedule always gets chucked out the window after a week's time. The written schedule gives us hope, that if there ever were the perfect day from heaven, then all actually could be accomplished.

So without further ado...

My Daily Schedule

7am-oh, I have to start drinking coffee-awake and groom. Grooming is, indeed, very important.

7:30- Personal Quiet Time. Everyone knows that this Momma has truly never had a quiet Quiet Time, but we should all have goals to strive toward.

8:00-Breakfast and quick clean-up.

8:30-9:30-Circle Time. We will all gather in the living room to read our bible story and devotional, have a time of prayer, and memory work. This year we will memorize a verse of scripture each week and a stanza from a hymn or worship song.

Next I will begin working one on one with each of the children individually. We will do this in the schoolroom (with the playroom right next to us for E1). While I'm working with one of the kids, the others will be doing their morning routine, independent work, and play.

9:30-10:00-30 minutes of pre-k with H3. We will review a letter, number, and color/shape each week. I have loosely based this on the free Letter of the Week online curriculum.

10:00-11:00- One hour of K with E4 (will be E5 in 3 weeks). We will be spending this time working on memorizing and writing phonograms using The Rigg's Institute phonogram cards. We will also work our way through Saxon Math K.

11:00-12:00- One hour of 1st grade with A6. We are using Learning Language Arts through Literature-The Blue Book and Saxon 1.

12:00-1:00- break for lunch.

1:00-2:00- One hour of 2nd Grade with G7. We are using LLATL-the Red Book and Saxon 2.

Our independent work includes ReadyWriter for K, and Italic Handwriting B & C for 1st and 2nd.

2:00-3:00- Back upstairs all together for Science/History (depending on the day of the week. We're using Real Science-4-Kids Pre-level Biology first semester and Pre-Level Chemistry 2nd semester. We're using Beautiful Feet Books Early American History.

3:00-3:45-Outside play while I grade papers.

3:45-FREE TIME

5:00- Family Reading

5:30- Finish any homework. Such as Saxon Math and co-op work.

6:00- Prepare dinner while kids do evening chores. We eat late because hubby doesn't get home until after 6:30.

6:45- Dinner

7:15- Clean-up

7:30- Baths

8:00- Family Time

9:00- Kids bed time

Well, that's it. My stepdad always said if it works on paper it will work in real life. I guess I'll be testing that theory come Monday. Pin It Now!

Drumroll please...

Ok...here it is....what you all have been waiting for...

And the winner is...

Mrs. Hewett!!!

Congratulations to Mrs. Hewett for winning the TOS Digital Subscription! Thanks for all who responded. It was so much fun reading everyone's comments. I hope to see you all back soon.

Don't feel sad if you didn't win. You can still order your subscription. And if you couldn't tell from my previous post, I absolutley love this magazine and totally think the digital subscription is worth the small fee! Pin It Now!

A Testimony of True Love

I thought I could write a love letter to You, but my pen seemed to be stilled in awe. All of my words seemed to fall short. And they were unworthy of You...

There once was a little girl who dreamed of love. A love everlasting and true. But her hair wasn't golden, though her eyes were blue. Just not blue enough to turn any heads. Her voice not loud enough to draw any attention.

So she grew in the shadows.

As with all shadows, darkness and gloom crept in. And there was one who is evil who took delight in torturing the young girl. She became callous and cold, untrusting and hopeless. Confused, she searched for answers but was led astray by the evil one. As the years passed she grew deeper and deeper into despair.

Still the evil one was not satisfied. So he devised a quite cunning plan. A plan to drive her far from true love. And he was quite proud of himself.

Quietly, he stepped into the shadow where she lay weeping. "I'm going to make you beautiful," he whispered in her ear. Surprised to hear such a sweet sound, the girl came near to listen more closely. The evil one kissed her cheek and a rosy complexion appeared. He touched the dull strands of her hair and they bloomed into golden locks. He looked deep in her eyes and they became bluer than ever before.

"Look at what I have done," he said. He led her over to a tall, slender mirror. And though the glass was broken in two, she could still see her reflexion. Her eyes widened in amazement and she spun around and around. She was beautiful!

"Now listen closely and do as I say," the evil one's voice grew more intense and she obeyed. He taught her what clothes to wear and what things to say. "If it is love that you want," he finally sneered, "then I'll give you love of all sorts." And with that, he pushed her out of her shadow.

Heads began to turn and eyes began to stare. Just as he had promised, the evil one sent loves of all kinds - young men with promises all their own. Each time, she was deceived. For they were drawn to her beauty, but with passing time she became less and less beautiful to them and they went away.

And the girl began to believe the evil one's lie...that there was no true love.

Thankfully, her story does not end with a lie.

You see, this young girl did not happen into being by chance. She had a Maker. One who knew her and cherished her. And all those times she thought she was alone and unseen in the shadows, He was there. And as her tears would fall, He would wipe them away and hold her as she cried. For He too, had a plan.

There was one last young man who had discovered the girl's beauty. And in a last ditch effort at love she became fiercely devoted to him. But instead of being scared away, the Maker prompted this young man to do the unimaginable...to take her as his bride.

Oh, what bliss! How happy she was! "I have found the truest of loves!" she exclaimed.

But once again, she was deceived...this time by herself.

You see, she had no idea that the truest love could not come from any worldly thing, man, or beast. And as the days and nights wore on, her beauty began to fade. Certain that the young man would love her no more, she began to retreat back into the shadows. When he tried to enter in and rescue her, she would not permit it.

"I have tasted his love and yet my heart aches for more," she cried bitterly. "I want so much more."

Suddenly, she felt a presence in her midst. Her movements froze and she became quite frightened. "Who's there?" she managed.

"I will make you beautiful," the Voice said slowly.

The girl didn't recognize the Voice, yet she felt as if It had spoken to her before. Curious, she asked, "Would You come closer?"

As he stepped toward her, light flooded her shadows and shined so bright that she fell to her knees and covered her eyes. But as she felt Him move near her, she finally remembered that He had always been with her.

Still covering her eyes, but feeling for His hand she asked, "Are You my true love?"

"I am True Love," He answered, "and I will make you beautiful."

"I've never truly been beautiful," the girl admitted, ashamed.

"I know," He said. "But you can be, if you'd only ask.

And with that, the girl fell face down and worshiped the Holy One with gratitude. "Oh Lord," she exclaimed, "please make me beautiful!"

And so He did, He is, and He will.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." - Proverbs 31:30 Pin It Now!

TOS Planner and Another Chance to Win!

I just downloaded the new planner from The Old Schoolhouse a few days ago. I couldn’t believe it when I opened it to find that it had 247 pages! Yes, 247 pages of calendars, articles, home schooling helps, and forms, forms, and oh yeah…more forms!

The TOS Planner (which is in e-book format) begins with calendar pages starting in July 2008 and ending with June 2009. The calendars have large blocks to write or type (yes, I said type because you can actually type right in to the calendar blocks before you print) all of your appointments or assignments. Each month you will also find a featured article, great recipes (24 in all), and home schooling resources. Many articles are written by well known home school writers…do Jeannie Fulbright, Amanda Bennett, Terri Johnson, JoJo Tabares, and Amy Pac sound familiar? And the resources are endless. Here are just a few…

Timeline of Inventions
Famous Composers
Famous Artists
Countries and Capitals
U.S. Presidents and Their Wives
Seven Wonders of the Ancient/Modern World
Important U.S. Documents from the National Archives
Periodic Table with Elements

My dad happened to be visiting when I first downloaded my planner and I was scrolling through the pages. When I got to the Timeline of Inventions, my 7 year old immediately began quizzing my dad. “Pepaw, do you know what year the refrigerator was invented?…how about crayons?….how about the DVD?”

After the planner pages comes over 70 forms to help you with home school planning and organizing your household. Again I’ll list just a few…

Annual Plans
Twelve Year Planning Pages
End of the Year Report Card
Test Score Recording Sheet
Weekly Planning
Field Trip Planning
Science Lab Sheet
Important Info for Baby Sitter
Chore charts
Grocery Lists
Budget Planning

It goes on and on…

You can download a sneak peak of the TOS Planner for free or order your copy here.

Also, I promised you another opportunity to enter the contest to win a TOS Digital Magazine Subscription. (Read about the contest here.) So here’s what you need to do…

Just leave a comment to this post answering one of the following questions: What is your best home school lesson planning tip? OR What feature of the TOS Planner is most appealing to you?

Answer one of these questions in the comment section (making sure to leave me an email or blog address) and I will enter you into the drawing for the TOS Digital Magazine Subscription. Don’t forget, you can be entered up to three times…

1. Leave a comment to this post answering one of the above questions.
2. Leave a comment to yesterday’s post here.
3. Post a message on your blog linking back to yesterday’s post about the contest. Make sure to let me know where to find the link when you leave your comment.

The contest is open until 11pm on Friday, August 15th when I will be randomly selecting the winner. Good Luck!!!

Pin It Now!

TOS Digital Subscription Giveaway!!!

Oh, I'm so excited! When The Old Schoolhouse Magazine started offering digital subscriptions a few months back, I signed up immediately. I have enjoyed having my favorite homeschool magazine delivered straight to my inbox ever since and now I have the pleasure of giving away a TOS Digital Subscription to one lucky winner!!

Want to win?! Great! Just read on...

Anyone who has read The Old Schoolhouse magazine knows that not only is it beautifully laid out, but that it is stock full of inspiring and helpful articles for every homeschool parent. In the Summer 2008 edition alone, you'll find over 180 pages of articles about homeschooling special needs children, homeschooling the gifted child, Charlotte Mason homeschooling, adoption, and intelligent design. You can read "Seven Special Reasons to Get Up and Get Out!" (an article about nature walking) or "Men and Their Flying Machines" (an entire unit study about Flight). This is just the tip of the iceberg and it's just one edition of the magazine!

So what's so special about the TOS Digital Subscription? Well for starters it's 32% less than the print subscription...not too shabby. Plus, you get your magazine instantly...no waiting around for the mail to arrive. And its just like looking at your print magazine! Click an arrow at the top of the screen and the page of your online magazine literally turns in front of you. Click on the screen to zoom in on the article to read it and then click it again to zoom out. Save the magazine on your computer and you can read it again and again and you'll never lose it! You can even email articles to your friends...how cool is that?

I think my favorite digital feature, however, is the links. I used to dog-ear and highlight my print magazine every time I saw a link in an advertisement or article that I wanted to check out. Then I'd have to rummage through it again trying to find all the links and type them in at my computer. With my online magazine, all I have to do is click on the link while I'm reading and it takes me right there. So easy!

I know you want your own TOS Digital Subscription now, so here's your chance to win...

There are three ways that you can enter and I will randomly select a winner at 11pm on Friday, August 15th. You can just do one of the following, and only be entered once. But if you do all three, I'll enter you into the drawing three times!!!

1. The first way to enter is to simply leave a comment below with a way for me to get back in touch with you (your blog address or email address).

2. The second way to enter is to post a message on your blog to tell your readers about the contest and linking them back here. Make sure to leave me a comment to tell me where you did this.

3. Lastly, visit my blog tomorrow (Monday, August 11) to read my next post about the TOS Planner to answer a simple question in the comment section and you'll be entered again!

I can't wait to read your comments and I can't wait to find out who wins! Start linking and commenting...See you tomorrow!

PS. My friend, Jenn, at Classless and Lovin' It is having the same contest! Check out her blog and sign up there to win. Pin It Now!

My Little Ones

It has occurred to me that my little ones have never been properly introduced. Plus, this proud Mama just thinks they are so sweet to look at that I just knew you would enjoy seeing their pictures and having a peek into their personalities.


G7 is my first born, the oldest of our crew. He has a true heart of gold and an obedient spirit. I am so lucky to have him as he always willing to help and sensitive to others' needs.


My A6 is definitely a girly girl. She loves picking out her outfits, arts and crafts, and most recently horses. It has been a joy to see her becoming a little mama...she coos over Baby L and is usually the only one that can soothe her besides me.


Oh, God must have grand plans for our E4. He is currently "stuck in the middle", but definitely not content to be there! He is funny and bright and brave. I am most excited for E4 in our upcoming homeschool year...I can't wait to see how he blossoms in Kindergarten.


You never know which H3 you will get, as we often joke that she has two distinct personalities...one sweet and loving, the other rebellious and defiant. She may happily greet a new person or be reserved and cautious. There's no rhyme or reason to it, it's just who she wants to be that day.


E1 is the true reason I am so tired at the end of the day. He keeps me on my toes and running. This picture sums up his personality. As I was nursing Baby L, he climbed up onto our kitchen table and threw all but two of my dozen roses (an anniversary gift) onto the floor. He then used one of the roses to splash water everywhere....all the while donning an irresistible grin.


And Baby L...I've always said that I so love falling in love with a newborn baby. She wants to be with me at all times, but I'm ok with that because I feel the same way about her. She loves to be talked to and even at only two months coos back and smiles.

It's funny how my heart can swell with joy while thinking of them...after they're snugly tucked away in bed. Maybe I can capture some of that tonight and keep it with me till they wake in the morning. Pin It Now!

Hope for today.

I came face to face with disappointment today.

I've been waiting on God for a year and a half now. During our lives, we often find ourselves (or get ourselves) in situations that only He can rescue us from. I am there now. I have full faith that God will rescue us from this...in His timing.

We thought there might be the beginning of an answer today. But it wasn't.

Scriptures that I am clinging to:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." -Isaiah 64:4

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" - Luke 12:22-28

"In this greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." -1 Peter:6-7

On how God teaches us through our children...

While disciplining my three year old today I said to her, "You will stay in time out until you begin to obey me."

And God opened my ears to what I said.

I realized that I feel very much like I have been in "time out" for the past year and a half. I have also had the tendency to resist obedience.

Areas that I need to be obedient in:

Truly seeking God each day.
Showing respect to my husband.
Modeling a joyful spirit to my children.

Anyone want to hold me accountable? Pin It Now!

Babywearing

You are now looking at answered prayer!

Baby L is a precious little bundle...but a somewhat fussy, precious little bundle. Well, at least she's fussy when I'm not holding her. So I've been a tad bit concerned about the upcoming school year. I mean, I am the ultimate multi-tasker, but holding Baby L all day long would definitely make homeschooling more difficult.

While reading another blog recently I came across a term I had never heard of before: babywearing. I ran a search on the word and found a site that explained it completely.

As it turns out, lots of moms are wearing their babies...which offers comfort to their little ones and hands-free convenience for them!

One thing particularly exciting about this site is that it even gave instructions on how to make your own no-sew baby wrap. This is great, because purchasing pre-made baby carriers cost upwards of $60!

Basically, you just need to purchase 5 yards of fabric...either cotton jersey or a medium weight fleece. There are other fabrics that work too, but these are the ones to purchase if you want to avoid hemming.


Next, you need to cut the fabric so that it is 20-30 inches wide. The cool part is that when you do this, depending on how wide your fabric is, you'll actually end up with 2-3 wraps!

There are several different ways to wrap and carry your baby. The website has very detailed instructions and even videos to show you how to do it.

I bought my pretty pink fabric today, cut it, and with just a few practice tries...


Hands-free baby-holding! I'm ready to homeschool! Pin It Now!