red oak lane

This week...

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

In my life this week... I won a contest on Talysa's blog! Ok, actually, I won the contest a few weeks ago, but the prize came today! I love, love, LOVE it!!! I won a gift card to Lisa Leonard Jewelry and I got this:

Places we are going and people we are seeing...
We went to Ikea this week. Always fun. Always photo opps. The closest Ikea to us overlooks Newark Airport, so you get to watch planes take off while you eat. Who knew Ikea desserts could look so fabulous? My husband is a grown up kid and I wouldn't want him any other way; he makes life FUN! So do my girls :) I love being with my family, no matter where we are!

In our homeschool this week...

We ordered Chinese food this week.

We read this really great book on Kubla Khan (this is one of my favorite resources this week!).

I always feel like I don't know exactly what a living book is, but I would hedge a guess that this is one. I also gave a Science test this week. I know, I know...I really don't believe learning for tests is a good thing. BUT, I hope my girls go to college and I feel that sometimes we just need to give tests/take tests in preparation. They both scored an 82%, so I guess I didn't make it too easy ;-) They did get different answers wrong, so I guess they didn't cheat. I did write in longhand, because I was too lazy to go buy printer ink.

The girls also each read a biography of Joan of Arc, found her fascinating and they both wrote reports on her. I got a few books and let them choose the one they wanted to read. I was very pleased that they didn't go for the thinnest ones!

We also watched a movie about Joan. All of these Joan of Arc resources are favorites this week, we really enjoyed diving in to her life!

I saw Deep Space Sparkle on Jen at Little Homeschool on the Prairie's blog last week and checked it out. We tried our hand at one perspective drawing, which I am realizing, this collage only shows half of each girl's drawing.

Lots and lots and lots of Stop Motion videos were made.

I am Hubby came home early one day this week and we made this awesome mango/avocado salsa and fish tacos.

We had the first corn of the year and I ~~annoyed~~ entertained my family with the story I tell every time I eat corn on the cob.... I ~~pretend~~ think of myself as a typewriter and hear a little "ding!" as I get to the end of the ear.

Linking up with

Thankful Thursday - the Almost Memorial Day Weekend Edition!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I just feel so THANKFUL to have this life.

A handy husband who can replace windows :)

Days spent with my girls immersing ourselves in the life of Joan of Arc!

Friends that are more like family :)

A wonderful opportunity this week!

A beautiful lake to spend Memorial Day Weekend at!

Fun friends that I can't wait to see!!

An adorable little dog :)

I have been blessed!

Thank you, Lord!

Grab a button and share how you have been blessed this week!

Changing History

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Last year, we made the decision to homeschool year round, taking breaks when we want to or need to.

One thing I am learning about myself this year, is that I can only do one "in-depth" subject really well at a time. We can do math and writing and Latin, Logic, Geography, etc. I can come up with art projects every day of the week and get into artist studies.

I can't, for some reason, put my all into Science and History at the same time.

I tend to focus on one or the other. Last year, I had given myself permission to focus on history and just have fun with science experiments. I had even posted about spending a few months on History and then a few months on Science, only to read a few days later another blogger's opinion about not doing both simultaneously. I took this personally, although it may not have been intended that way. This blogger reads my blog, comments often...were they responding to my post about focusing on History or Science one at a time? I second-guessed myself. And ultimately made the decision to try to do it all again at the same time this year.

But, after 8 months, we were only on Chapter 19 of our History book. Yes, we had taken a few weeks to explore World Religions and another few weeks to peruse Viking books and Norwegian mythology...but my focus was really Biology this year. I had Biology-on-the-Brain, I was constantly thinking of creative ways to teach my girls about the parts of the brain, the chambers of the heart, the different systems of the human body and how they work together; we were all over growing germs and learning about diseases; my girls have a good understanding of neurons and how they work; we drew diagrams of eyes and ears, hearts and lungs, kidneys and the digestive system. We made life size diagrams of ourselves and sketched in our organs. We made models of the human brain and the human heart. I saw my girls making connections, getting excited and digging in to biology... we spent hours each week engrossed in human biology. I got excited and was googling and finding websites and additional resources... and we seldom found time for history.

As we near the summer of our second year of homeschooling, I am okay with this. I am ready to accept that despite what other bloggers may think, what other homeschool moms may say, what experts in education may expound upon...I am better at focusing on one thing at a time. This is what works for us: really digging in and not coming up for air until we have learned everything about that topic...and THEN moving on to the next one. Intense in-depth studies in history and science work better for us than moving back and forth between the two subjects.

I have gone against my own rules and created a detailed plan of how to finish Story of the World Volume 2 by the time we leave for the lake at the end of June (there is a reason for this, which I will explain more at another time). I am getting excited about history--we are getting to the "good stuff"...Robin Hood, the Black Plague, Joan of Arc, Henry the VIII, Anne Boleyn, Shakespeare... I rather like the idea of digging in and doing an in-depth study of one subject like this at a time.

I feel it's disjointed doing history one day, reading about the Crusades and then learning about red blood cells the next day and not going back over the Crusades or learning about Robin Hood for a few days... we lose momentum, it loses some of it's excitement if we wait so long between chapters.

So, I am going against what other bloggers may say, what experts in the field may have written and we are doing what works for us.

We are also going a little against the way our history program is set up. My girls despise writing summaries of every section. So, I have made a list of various important people and places that we will cover and have assigned the girls to each Google those people and print out a picture of each person. Then, they will write facts about that person or place on the page with that person's picture. I will have them do summaries on some of the chapters that don't cover famous people or places or where we didn't print out a picture. Also, I want to do a more in-depth study of Joan of Arc and do a project on Explorers that will include maps of that Explorer's route. I am getting excited for history again. I am looking for additional resources in history now, as opposed to science. I have History-on-the-Brain now and am constantly thinking of different things we can do with this time period...timelines, documentaries, daytrips, books, movies, projects, etc.

Knowing what works for YOU is crucial to homeschooling. Don't worry about the opinions of other bloggers, homeschool moms or "experts"... do what is best for your family.

Tuna & Avocado Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

This is my ultimate favorite meal EVER in the whole wide world!

I LOVE seared tuna.
I LOVE avocados.

Put them together and it's like pure Awesome-ness!

This recipe is so easy it is not even funny.

Start with 2 lbs. of SUSHI GRADE Ahi tuna.

Douse it with a little cracked pepper and kosher salt :)

Get a frying pan nice + hot.
Brush a little olive oil on both sides of each piece of tuna.
About 30 seconds on each side sears it.

Zest two limes.
Squeeze juice from 3 limes into a small bowl.

Add 1 tsp Wasabi powder to lime juice + zest.

Add 2 tsp Sri Racha and 2 tsp soy sauce to lime zest and wasabi powder. Chop 1 small red onion and throw that in as well. Add 2tbsp. olive oil.

Dice three Avocados.

Throw the avocados in the bowl. Cut up tuna into chunks, throw that in the bowl. Top with the lime dressing. Garnish with some scallions. Call it a day. You're welcome!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sushi grade ahi tuna

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

kosher salt

cracked pepper

2 limes, zest grated

3 limed, juiced

1 tsp wasabi powder

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp. Sri Racha

3 avocados

1 small red onion

3 scallions, chopped

**recipe tweaked from Ina Garten's Seared Tuna Salad

Linking with

Venus Embrace - My Baby is Shaving Her Legs!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I remember when my girls were babies and it felt like the diaper and the waking up in the middle of the night stages would last FOREVER. I remember women in the supermarket telling me to enjoy it--it would go fast and be gone soon! I remember thinking I would trade places with them for a decent night's sleep. I feel like I blinked my eyes and here I am talking to Allie about make-up and shaving and puberty. It's crazy!

On the one hand, I wish we could go back in time so she could just be my little peanut forever. On the other hand, I realize that I need to talk to her about these things, and I need to keep the lines of communication open and make her feel comfortable talking to me about these things. I would rather she get this information from me than from TV or magazines or worse, other uninformed or misinformed kids!

At the end of last summer, Allie asked if she could shave her legs. I said a silent prayer and asked her to hold off until next summer - this summer!

After our mild winter, we are experiencing 80 and 90 degree days this spring, and Allie has already started wearing shorts. We had the "leg shaving" discussion again. I promised to buy her a razor and some shave gel. I was very excited to hear about a new razor FOR NEW SHAVERS.

I was very impressed with the design of the razor. There is a nice, cushiony edging around the razor.

The head gently pivots to conform to the shape of the leg. You can buy interchangeable blades for the Venus Embrace. Allie and I talked about how often to change the blades and how to know when the blade is dull.

Allie loves the fresh, clean, fruity scent of the Satin Care Passionista Fruit shave gel. This left her legs feeling soft and silky and really helped the razor glide over her skin. I told Allie how important it is to shave wet legs and to use a shave gel to avoid razor burn. We both really loved the sparkling scent of the Passionista Fruit shave gel!

The razor has five blades for extra smooth precision and a nice, close shave; there is a moisture strip that really helps the razor to glide smoothly over skin (this is important to me as I don't want Allie to cut herself!) and a smooth grip handle so it won't slip out of your hands in shower.

Allie was a little nervous about using the razor and possibly cutting herself. So I did the first few swipes, and then she saw how gentle the razor was and took over. At one point, she went to use her finger to clean hairs out of the blade and I warned her against doing that - I was glad to tell her of my mistakes--cuts and fingernails that got caught between the blades and shredded.

She was surprised at how easy the whole process was! The razor glided over her skin and contoured to her skin in a way I never saw before--allowing for a gentle, but thorough, smooth shave!

When we were done,

Allie loved how silky and smooth her legs felt!

We decided the best way to show off a great pair of legs is with a great pedicure! So to celebrate this milestone in Allie's life, I took the girls for mani/pedis :)

Please share a tip for tackling tough "firsts" conversations with your kids for a chance to be entered to win a $50 Visa gift card, courtesy of Venus and BlogHer! If you have a first-time shaver in your home, you should check out some of these great tips from Venus Embrace!

Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/21 - 6/30.

Be sure to visit the Venus Brand feature page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Sunday Q & A - Homeschool

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:30:00 +0000

1. What made you decide to homeschool?

We decided to homeschool for many reasons. We were unhappy with our school system and our daughters' experience in school. We didn't like the emphasis on the standardized test. We dealt with a bully and didn't agree with the way the school handled things.

2. Are you a Christian homeschool family?

We did not decide to homeschool because of our Christian beliefs, but I will say that since making the decision, we appreciate that we get to impart certain values to our girls.

3. What is your homeschool style/philosophy?

In recent months, we have come up with a new term for our style: hybrid. I was originally drawn to unschooling, but I also want to explore history and science with girls. I know they would never willingly do math, so we have curriculum for that. My girls are natural writers and write frequently on their own. My oldest started a book club with her friends, where they read and discuss classical literature once a month. Our "sitting down and reading together, notebooking and narration" time takes three hours or less a day and the girls are free to explore their own unschooling interests the rest of the time...they sew, make stop motion videos, read, write stories and plays, act out plays with friends, create jewelry etc. I say we are hybrid because we do some curriculum, but also make sure to leave a LOT of time for exploration.

My original answer: We are eclectic. From the very beginning, there were things I liked about various styles of homeschooling. We love unit studies and lapbooks and notebooks. We love living books. I like Susan Wise Bauer's approach to history and writing. My girls are visual learners and we like math manipulatives. I love science experiments.

I am also interested in allowing for a lot of time for my girls to explore on their own and learn about what they are interested in. We have sort of a hybrid model of what I want them to learn and what they want to learn.

4. Are you a homeschool blogger?

I consider myself a mom/family blogger that homeschools. The thing I always loved about blogging was that it was like that invitation in to that house with the light on in the windows, where you wondered what was going on...it's that view into someone else's life...they show you the inside of their kitchen cabinets or bedroom closet in an organization post and admit their failings and shortcomings. I would rather my blog feel like sitting down over a cup of tea with a friend than write about lesson plans and science experiments ALL the time.

5. What advice would you give a new homeschooler?

If you don't know any homeschoolers in your area, join a local Yahoo group and go on the field trips and meet people. Read blogs, do your research on how you want to approach things. Do your own thing. Enjoy your family. Learn about your kids. Read blogs for inspiration and ideas. Don't let other blogs make you feel you are not doing something right or as well as someone else or that you are not doing enough. Take time to de-school if your kids were in school - this is as important for you as it is for your kids. If you decide to use curriculum, add things slowly...decide on one subject and see how it goes, maybe you want to change your approach with another subject, try lapbooks or unit studies. Go slowly. Don't ever feel that you don't have enough time...it is more important that your children understand something than that you move fast.

Jackson Pollock, Johnny Swanson & the Human Body

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

In my life this week...I realized you need the rainy days because they make the sunny days that much brighter...and help you to appreciate the simple things in life, like sunshine, flowers and kids who don't give you a hard time :)

My favorite thing this week was...all of the emails and comments I got when I wrote a post about being a little down..the homeschool blog community rocks!

I am ~~reading~~ watching... Downton Abbey...Allie and I can not get enough! We are ravenous addicts for this show! Love it!!! I feel as though we are late to the party, but we have been catching up on Netflix!

In addition to a wonderful weekend spent exploring God's creation in a beautiful place,

learning about flowers and plants

and learning how the people of Paterson, NJ had harnessed the energy of the second largest waterfall on the East Coast to power factories and power plants, making Paterson, at one time, the capital of manufacturing, we spent a good part of the week finishing up our study of the biology.

We spent September-December using Real Science 4 Kids Biology,

over the winter, I created my own little Human Biology study.

1. We used these wonderful lapbooks from Elemental Science called Lapbooking through the Human Body, which you can buy at Currclick ;-)

Instead of copying the poem suggested in the lapbook and pasting it in the middle,

I had the girls draw a diagram of an eyeball and paste it on one side; today they will draw a diagram of the ear and paste on the other side.

2. I am a visual learner, I need to see things to understand them, I drew these diagrams of neurons and had the girls copy them into their notebooks.

3. We traced the digestive system from our USBourne Science Encyclopedia, glued that on one side of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, then wrote detailed descriptions of each part of the digestive system and glued that to the other side of the page for our notebooks.

4. We read some living books.

5. We tried our hand at creating vaccines using a cool software program on line.

6. We checked out the petrie dishes we created a few weeks ago.

7. We decided to sterilize the petrie dishes, and use them to grow more germs!

8. We were out of Agar, but found a recipe for "germ food" online using gelatin and sugar.

We've been studying a different artist each week. Last week we studied Andy Warhol, this week we read a biography about Jackson Pollock (we love these biographies by Mike Venezia, they are my favorite resource this week!), we watched a documentary on Pollock and then tried our hand at painting like Pollock...turned up the music and got "in the middle" of our paintings!

These girls have also been reading TONS. Allie highly recommends the Penderwicks books, which are about a family who lives near the ocean and all kinds of things that happen to them. Johnny Swanson is about a boy who has his own business and gets in trouble with the wrong people; this book takes place when tuberculosis epidemic. Allie chose both books on her own and was excited to share what she learned with me and interested in learning more about TB.Piper will read any American Girl book ever published! She loves everything AG!

We've been enjoying this great weather by doing school on the deck every day :)

How was your week?

What did you do?

Linking up with

Thankful Thursday - the Mother's Day/Spring Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Things have been a little challenging around here, but as Susan pointed out, focusing on gratitude helps A LOT.

This week I am thankful for all of the bloggers who commented and sent me emails, tweets and direct messages of support and encouragement. I am very blessed to have such an awesome, supportive community and to call you all friends!

I am also thankful for:

an awesome family day on Sunday

Beautiful waterfalls

stunning flowers

a husband who is fine with wine & cheese for dinner

My mom always told me that "along with sunshine there needs to be a little rain sometimes"...and that it's the rain that helps us appreciate the sunshine.
Through the rain these past weeks, I saw who my real friends are and how blessed I am to have such an awesome support system!

I am so grateful to be feeling better and to NOT need surgery!!

Although I am still concerned about my Grandma, I am thankful that next week is the last week of programs at the library; although things continue to be confusing and challenging with Jason's family, I am grateful that Jason and I continue to talk openly from our hearts about our feelings.

I am also thankful for...

fresh peaches :)

my mom & our conversations

some great homeschool discussions with the girls & connections they are making

learning about the immune system in science the day before we learned about The Black Plague in history!

finding time for yoga or a walk every.single.day

when I am feeling overwhelmed, exercise really helps me get back on track!
I am grateful that I have time for it and make time for it.

good books to read
winning Talysa's Lisa Leonard giveaway!

a husband who works really hard to provide a great life for us

a vacation to plan and look forward to!

Growing up...

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:48:00 +0000

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:19:00 +0000

We love our day trips around here.

On Mother's Day, I get to plan whatever kind of day I want.

This year, I decided that I wanted to go to the Great Falls here in New Jersey. They are not really a tourist destination, although they are the second largest waterfall on the East Coast. The Great Falls are in an industrial area and their power is harnessed for energy. But they were beautiful.

I can't help but marvel at the beauty the Lord has created.

Great Falls is a small area, so after that we decided to go to an Arboretum. Jason serves on the Board there, but the girls and I have never been there, so it was a fun day for us.

Frelinghuysen Arboretum

While Jason and I indulged our love of flower photography, the girls entertained themselves by taking photos of their American Girl dolls.

We stopped at a cheese shop on the way home and set up my perfect little dinner :)

Cheese, rosemary crackers and olives are my perfect meal :)

There were gifts and Italian pastries and lots of family fun, but just being with my family is a gift to me!

Feeling bummed....

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

So often blog posts are upbeat and positive...who really wants to read a negative, depressing blog, right?

But sometimes that upbeat positive vibe gives the illusion that our lives are all perfect all the time. That's not true, at least not for me. Sometimes it makes me feel worse to read how awesome and wonderful and fantastic everyone on facebook or in the blog world is, when I feel like my life is overwhelming...sometimes, I will admit, it does make me remember not to sweat the small stuff, it does help to put me in a positive frame of mind to read upbeat stuff.

But right now, I am bummed and I am going to write a post about when life is overwhelming.

1. I am feeling selfish. My grandmother is 93 years old, she lives a half hour from me. Her brother-in-law is in the hospital, in and out of ICU and CCU for weeks now. My parents are at their lakehouse 4 hours away, so...some things fall to me. I offered to bring her to the hospital to see him a few weeks ago, when things were not hectic in my life and she had said she didn't want to go. NOW when my life feels overwhelming, we have events and functions every single day this week and my aunt's birthday party next weekend...now my grandma wants to go and I feel more overwhelmed and a little irritable...why couldn't she have gone a few weeks ago when it fit into my schedule? Why can't her sister or her niece or nephew, who all live a few blocks from her and are going to the hospital every single day to visit their husband/father bring my grandmother with them? Why does it fall on me? I work part-time, I homeschool my kids, I am hosting a party this weekend for my aunt...I have too much on my plate as it is right now...

2. I am feeling sorry for myself. I am burned out on library programs right now. In addition to homeschooling, running a home and working at the reference desk of the library, I run two Story & Craft programs at the library. The project I had planned for this week just didn't work out and I decided to let the kids use paint and these sponge brushes that are shaped like this:

The kids got crazy, it got messy. One of the kids told me that their mom liked the crafts that I did with them, but thought they should be more detailed. That hurt my feelings. The moms were NOT HAPPY that their children had painted and some of the kids had gotten a little paint on their clothes. Our children's librarian, who runs the other programs at the library, does beautiful, elaborate crafts each week...but this is her full-time job, her main priority; this is my priority when I am there, but I am honestly not thinking about it on Thursday when I am teaching my girls the chambers of the heart. Our children's librarian goes to craft stores and buys nifty supplies on her lunch hour; I don't get a lunch hour, if I buy craft supplies it's on my own time and quite frankly, as I said, i am not that focused on my programs on the 5 days a week when i don't work. Our children's librarian has one or two assistants for each of her programs. I run my programs by myself. We have been doing this every single week since the beginning of January, along with our other responsibilities, our children's librarian is getting burned out and ready for the Spring session of storytime to be over, as am I.

3. Oh yes, there is more... Jason's stepdad has cancer and I just don't understand Jason's family and his relationship with his family. Jason moved out at 17 because he was abused physically and emotionally. I met Jason when he was 21. He saw his family for holidays IF none of his friends invited him over, but often he spent Thanksgiving and Easter with friends, sometimes even Christmas with friends, instead of his family. There were a lot of wounds there. I thought I could save the day and help them all to heal and make nice and be friends...I tried for fifteen years and time and time again I was accused of not accepting them for who they were when I didn't understand why they couldn't commit to coming to my children's birthday parties or I was judgmental if I said that I didn't want their dog that I was allergic to in my house. There was always something I did wrong. There were nasty, berating phone calls from Jason's stepdad about everything from tying shoes to building our shed. I saw all of this as coming from people who were hurting, who were hurt by the world and I kept choosing to "turn the other cheek". But I kept getting slapped across the face. Eventually, I left it all up to Jason. He calls a few times a year. He has not felt the need to call lately. I will say that his stepdad has mellowed considerably since Jason's mom died six years ago. I have been calling to see how he is doing. His stepdad adores Jason and our girls. The whole thing just breaks my heart and I pray for Jason's whole family every single day.

Sunday Q & A - Visiting NYC, Philly, DC

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

I live in New Jersey. If you plan to travel to the area and have any questions, please email me, I love to talk about this area because I really do love it so much.

1. We are planning to come to New York City for a long weekend. What time of year is best to come?

This depends...Manhattan is beautiful when it is all decked out for Christmas...Rock Center, St. Pat's, the windows, the stores, the shops, Fifth Avenue, Radio City... anytime between Thanksgiving and New Year's is good but it can be chilly.

Rock Center is something to see at Christmastime!

You will more than likely want to walk around in NYC, the last two weeks of April and the first two or three weeks of May are best for this. The trees and flowers are in bloom and it is not too humid yet.

New Yorkers LOVE dogs! The girls LOVE to bring Oliver to Manhattan,
he gets a lot of attention!

2. Where do you recommend going in Manhattan?

This all depends on you and what you like. There are tons of great museums: the Met, MoMa, The Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim...just to name a few...

Most people like to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The WTC Memorial is open now, though it won't be complete for a couple of more years.

Personally, I have always preferred downtown to uptown. Greenwich Village, Chelsea, the East Village...campy shops, funky thrift stores, interesting people.... It's changed a lot down there since I was in my late teens and early 20s going to CBGBs & Bowery Ballroom... Limelight, Tunnel, Webster Hall, Sound Factory... but there is a TON of history down there. And the best Manhattan pizza is on Bleecker between 6th and 7th- John's of Bleecker--they don't take cash and they don't serve slices and if you ask for ranch dressing they might think you are crazy (we brought our California relatives there, apparently they eat pizza with ranch dressing in California!)

Little Italy

My favorite thing to do now in Manhattan is walk around Central Park. You can enter right on Fifth by the Plaza Hotel and walk around the pond...you will see what New York City is all about...street performers break dancing, people in their sixties roller boogey-ing, a violinist, a ballerina posed as a statue...there is so much culture and diversity in that park, it is different every time we go. The architecture is beautiful and there are so many hills and valley and fountains and stone arches...it is really something to see!

Central Park - one of my Top Three favorite places on Earth!

I would say that if you had 4 days, you should definitely try some NYC pizza, either at John's of Bleecker or at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. You should spend an afternoon in Central Park, plan a day for the Statue of Liberty. You may want to do Top of the Rock. See a Broadway show; off-Broadway is really cool too. And spend a couple of hours in a museum. There really is a lot to see and you could easily be busy for weeks.

It's worth the wait for Grimaldi's

3. I would like to come to the NY-Philly area, how long do you think I need to really experience both places?

At least a week.

There is so much to do in both places. At a minimum, four days in NYC. At least two more for Philly. Philly is a totally different city than New York. Philly is down to earth and relaxed compared to NY. I would recommend checking out Constitution Trail in Philly, that will take a full day. PLan on checking out cheesesteaks and seeing if you prefer Geno's or Pat's. There are tons of museums in Philadelphia, too: The Franklin Institute, Constitution Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art...just to name a few.

No education is complete without a trip to see the Liberty Bell!

4. How long does it take to get to Washington DC from Philly or NY?

It takes about 3.5 hours from Philly and about 5 from NY.

5. Do you have recommendations for DC?

All of the museums in DC are free...and there are A LOT. The Aquarium is totally worth it. You could spend days exploring the Smithsonian and not see it all. If you want to see the White House, make reservations well in advance. Get up early one morning and do the Mall...like 5am...it will be totally worth it!

Mother's Day Gift to You

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

For all of the Mom Bloggers who share their ups and their downs, the trials and the joys and the stress of being a mom...for letting me know I am not alone when I lose patience or get frustrated and for helping me see the beauty in the little moments....for all those who have encouraged me on the journey of homeschooling...and parenthood...and life...

My gift to you this Mother's Day is this ebook, it's a compilation of 8 blog posts by 8 different bloggers, giving their perspective on motherhood...what it means...why they love it...what they love about it...what is difficult...how they get through the rough patches...dealing with the mama guilt...taking care of ourselves, showing ourselves grace and remembering that God loves us.

We've also included journaling pages and meditations and a link to a Daily Devotional for Mothers.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Thankful Thursday - Thankful for Moms!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I have so many things to be thankful for, but every week as I take notice of little moments to be thankful for...it has really changed my life.

This week I am thankful for...

the colors of spring. I have been walking every morning and noticing all of the colors of the azaleas and flowers and cherry trees...

as I listen to the rain outside, I am thankful that we replaced our roof and that is a worry I no longer have.

I am thankful that on Monday, Allie found a quote that she wanted to memorize and memorized it all on her own! I had been having the girls memorize Bible verses and quotes that I love...and now she is starting to do that on her own!!

I am thankful that I have been taking the time to sit down with each girl and go over their math. They are both 3/4 or more done with their math textbooks and getting into more complicated things that frustrate them. By taking the time to sit down on the couch, relax together and go over it, they seem to be less frustrated + quicker to understand.

I worked on a project with some other bloggers this week. We have a gift for all of our readers on Friday and as I worked on this gift this week, things just fell into place seamlessly...and I thought, "That is God!"

I am so, So, SO thankful to all of the bloggers who participated in the Celebrating Motherhood series! All of their posts and unique perspectives on motherhood, being a mother and taking time for ourselves exceeded my expectations for this project! If you have not had a chance to read them, please do!

Lisa at Home to 4 Kiddos posted about Being a Christian Mom
Lisa at An Army Chap's Wife posted about God working in our children's hearts
Jennifer at Little Homeschool on the Prairie posted about Letting Go of Perfection
Karen at Homeschool Girls posted about her favorite moments being a mom
Susan at Learning ALL the Time posted about The Importance of Self-Care
Rebecca at Mom's Mustard Seed posted entitled Dear Mother, You are LOVED!
...and tomorrow, H-Mama at Family Team will post about The Proverbs 31 Woman!

I am SO thankful to all moms who share not only their joy, but their hearts, their pain, their troubles, and their worries and in doing so, help us to know that we are not alone on this journey.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

{Cute} Mother's Day Project

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:30:00 +0000

At the library where I work, we always have a Craft Day for various holidays so that children can make gifts for their family members.

Our children's librarian extraordinaire and my supervisor came up with these for Mother's Day this year. I LOVE that they are a useful and beautiful craft! My supervisor and I may or may not have made ourselves one while the kids were working on theirs ;-)

We got the frames from the dollar store:)
We glued the Post-It pad right on the glass.

Then we took out the cardboard, flipped a sheet of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper over and traced the size of the photo backing. Then we cut that out.

We added some embellishments to pretty them up :)

So there you have it.

Quick, easy, useful and pretty!

Good for Grandmas or Teachers or Aunts or Godmoms...

Linking with

Homeschooling & Socialization: The Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:07:00 +0000

It took us three years to make the decision to homeschool. Our biggest concern was our children's social life. Sure, we knew they could run more errands with me and interact with people in stores. We realized they would have more opportunities to interact with family. But would they have friends? And were all of the other kids weird - you know, the children of prairie dress or romper wearing mothers, children who lacked hygiene and social skills?

The Truth: Although we attended park dates and field trips prior to making the decision to homeschool and we found that the moms and kids did not wear rompers and prairie skirts and did have good hygiene and social skills, it still took a lot of effort to find our little niche in the homeschool world. It's not as easy as just meeting the kids and parents in your district. It takes some legwork, joining yahoo groups, seeking out field trips and attending park days, to meet other homeschool families and attempt to find some with whom you and your children have things in common. In our first year of homeschooling, we joined a co-op and although we connected with a lot of people and met a lot of people, we did not find our niche there. We traveled all over our state attending field trips, homeschool art shows, homeschool science fairs and homeschool geography fairs and we met a LOT of people, but we still didn't find our niche. It took us over a year to find our niche, a group where we felt we belonged, where we felt comfortable; a group of people that we could call on a rainy day for a playdate or create a book club with or have sleepover.

In part, I believe, this was because my girls (mostly my oldest) had a lot of "school" in her and was looking for the same kind of relationships.

Last year, Allie still got together with her school friends and they gossiped about other kids, girls dating, bases, clothes, what people wore, etc. Homeschool friendships are not like that.

The Difference: Last fall, we joined the homeschool soccer club in our area and met two other families. The girls hit it off and I hit it off with the moms. The phone started ringing, the girls would spend an hour giggling on the house phone with their new friends.

Their friends made them laugh.
There was no competition.
No gossip.
No talking about who wore what or who was dating whom.
The talk was silly chatter
or about a book they read
or a story they wrote
or planning the boutique or bakery they will one day open together.
The talk is about slumber parties they will have, the food and the decorations and the games.
Sometimes the talk is about youtube videos they make and share and watch while on the phone together.

We are very fortunate to have neighbors that homeschool. They were going through a lot last year, as the parents were in the middle of separating and are now in the process of getting a divorce, but in the last year we have become very close: sharing meals, weekly sleepovers, daily emails. Our girls consider the homeschool neighbors their sisters. We are fortunate to have this and it's pretty rare...but if I could create the perfect childhood for my girls, it would include what they share with the homeschool neighbor girls. They have deep, meaningful, emotional conversations. (I know, because I admit, that I eavesdrop, just a bit.) They talk about books they read and recommend books to each other. They write and perform plays together and make stop motion videos together. They enter competitions together and work hard together. Just today, Allie forwarded me an email of a story that one of her homeschool friends wrote and shared with her. My daughters at 10 and 12, have friendships the likes of which I did not have until late high school or college.

The homeschool kids we know are not into fashion, they know what they like, but they really don't care what store it came from or if it's the latest trend. Most of the homeschool kids we know have little technology and limited screen time. There is very little, if any, material competition between homeschool kids.

Homeschool friendships are not based on superficial quantities, such as who has what or who is friends with whom, friendships are based on shared interests, enjoying each other's company and having fun together.

The Odd & The Awkward: We have met some odd, socially awkward homeschool kids. We have encountered kids with uncombed hair and poor hygiene. On one of our early field trips, there was a kid who kept interrupting the tour guide to say inane things. Those kids reminded us of kids the girls knew from school! They remind me of kids I knew in school. There are kids in school who are just as awkward as the awkward homeschool kids. In all honesty, in our experience (and we have met hundreds of homeschool kids at this point) there are MORE homeschool kids who are not socially awkward and have good hygiene than there are socially awkward homeschoolers. I would guess, though no statistics exist on this, that the ratio of socially awkward homeschoolers is on par with the ratio of socially awkward school children. If there are 5 awkward kids for every 50 non-awkward kids in school, there are 5 awkward kids for every 50 non-awkward homeschool kids.

As I have stated, the friendships are different. Unlike school friendships, homeschool friendships are not based on 'being one of the crowd'. Homeschool kids are not concerned with what is cool or being part of the crowd. To some, and even to us at first, that was an unknown, it was unfamiliar and my girls were unsure how to proceed. It took them about a year to get past expecting that barometer of 'coolness' to determine their friendships.

One More Truth: One of the things that we have found and that I am still struggling with in terms of homeschool parents and homeschool children, is that some of our friends have this notion that their children are who their children are and they are not going to tell them how to behave. I am familiar with the theory of letting kids be themselves and learn from their surroundings. The way this theory works is that when this child acts inappropriately, they will learn from the reaction of people around them. If they hurt my feelings and I get mad, they will learn from that. If they do something strange and everyone looks at them like they are crazy, they will learn from that. It's interesting. Here are the two issues I have with it: first of all, when the child acts inappropriately, other children laugh and then this child thinks they are hilarious and keeps acting up; secondly, it sometimes puts other parents in the awkward position of sort of parenting this child or just getting really irritated when you are trying to have a serious conversation and this child keeps interrupting (it also means that my girls don't get as much out of a field trip when this child is 'acting up'.) But, I do believe that if they were in school, there would inevitably be a class clown who would do the same thing. To take a positive stance on this, homeschool kids who are exposed to this, even if their parents don't subscribe to this theory of parenting, learn how to handle different situations and different people from these kinds of situations.

In another recent situation, our girls got into an argument with a friend. The friend's parent acknowledged that their child was at fault, but wouldn't tell their child that. They didn't feel it was necessary to tell their child that they had acted inappropriately or make their child apologize. The parent apologized for their child, but said they knew their child wouldn't apologize, "that's just how [my child] is" they said. This gets tricky. We wouldn't accept that from our girls. We would tell our girls what they had done wrong and we would expect them to apologize. We have told our girls repeatedly to treat others as you want to be treated and we have told our girls that friends care about friends' feelings. What do you do when another parent doesn't tell their children the same thing? I'm not sure. We are still working on it. But, I can tell you that we had similar issues in public school. There were kids who hurt my kids' feelings and their parents really didn't think they were wrong. There were kids whose parents didn't tell them to treat others as you will be treated. No matter if a child is in school or homeschooled, they will encounter children from families who have values that are not consistent with the values of their family, therefore, no matter how or where a child is schooled, they will have experiences that will help them to learn how to navigate a diverse world.

Being a Girl + Cinco de Mayo

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

1. I try to be a "yes mom". So when my daughters came to me and said they wanted to make these tea cakes for book club this week, I might have thought 'we will never be able to make anything that looks like that!' but I didn't want my girls to grow up with that kind of self-defeating attitude. So, instead I said, "Sure! Let's go for it!"

This is what our tea cakes looked like. Not horrible, but most definitely not at all like the ones in the photo! We tried over and over with that icing...we read and re-read and re-re-re-re-re-read the instructions and you know what, that photo in the cookbook was created from a different recipe or something, because there was no way the icing in the recipe was going to be that thick and cover the whole cake!

2. The women in my family are all into needlework of one kind or another. Knitting, crocheting, embroidery, crewel...Jason's mom was into needlework, too. I am SO glad that Allie also really enjoys creating things with a needle and thread. Seems genetic in a way ;-)

3. Allie is really growing up. I struggle with this. Where did my sweet baby go? I am so grateful that she is maturing into a sweet young woman with good values and morals who I not only love, but I really and truly like her and I am VERY proud of her!

4. My girls are into all things fashion and make-up and hair styling. I am not. I never have been. Comfy jeans and t-shirts or sweaters are my thing. I have never been one to fuss over hair or make-up. My mom often cuts my hair. Jason has done it a few times, too. Last week, I decided to let the girls have a go at it. Reasoning that it would boost their confidence if it came out good and I could run to the salon if it didn't.

I wear my hair in a bob. Layers make it look too thin. It's a simple cut,

and I think Piper did a fabulous job with it!

5. Piper had decided it is too much work to make her bed in the morning, so she grabs an afghan off the couch and wraps herself in it to sleep ON TOP OF THE COVERS at night. In the morning, she only has to artfully arrange the afghan over the couch again. "Why doesn't everyone do this?" she asks. "Makes sense, doesn't it?" she reasons.

6. The hubinator was born and raised in Southern California, so he takes his Mexican food serious. We always celebrate Cinco de Mayo. This year, he grilled skirt steak right on the coals, just like Alton Brown said and it was truly awesome!

We made some stuffed poblanos, salsa and some margaritas! Ole!

Poblanos Rellenos (Stuffed Poblanos)

4 poblano peppers (you can substitute bell peppers and I do make 2 bell peppers for my girls; poblanos tend to be too spicy for them)
2 ounces shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup raisins
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa (from a jar or make your own, recipe follows)

1. Rinse and core peppers.
2. Mix cheese, raisins, beans and salsa together.
3. Stuff peppers with cheese mixture.
4. Grill on indirect heat until cheese melts or bake at 375 for twenty minutes or so.
5. Enjoy! Ole!

Tomato Salsa
I used to buy salsa, and then I realized how easy it is to make and how much better it tastes! there is a LOT you can do with salsa, this is a very basic recipe. For a variation, you can roast all of the ingredients beforehand and then chop or put in the blender. For a refreshing summer recipe, leave it raw.

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped OR 4 regular tomatoes, chopped OR 1 package grape tomatoes, halved
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
salt
lime
jalapeno (optional)

1. Mix chopped cilantro, tomato, garlic, and onion together in a bowl. Add salt as desired. Add juice of one lime. Add chopped jalapeno, if you want. Allow to sit for a while so the flavors blend. Enjoy! Ole!

Ok, I will stop saying Ole! now!

Sunday Q & A - Blog Name Change

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sun, 06 May 2012 04:30:00 +0000

1. Why did you change the name of your blog?

I have had many blogs over the years and most didn't last long. I lost interest or got busy with other things or whatever. When I decided to start a new blog I really had little hope of it being around long and didn't put a lot of thought into what to call it. I didn't love the title Our Life in Words, but it was good enough. After a couple of years I realized I enjoyed blogging and decided that I wanted my blog to be a nice, cozy place on the internet where we could meet to discuss everything from decorating to recipes to homeschooling to parenting. I decided I wanted my blog to sound like a cozy address and decided to call it Magnolia Lane after my husband and my favorite tree.

In January 2012 I changed the name and url again and rather abruptly and completely started over from scratch. I had a follower, someone in my husband's family, who intentionally hurt our family several times, the last time being around Christmas 2011. At one time I had been close with the person who hurt us, but found myself in the middle of a family drama that I wanted no part of and when I said that, this person cut Jason and I off completely. When I started blogging in 2009, I had emailed family and friends to let them know this would be a place to keep up with what we were doing and see photos of the kids, etc. Although this person refused to speak to Jason or I and refused to see us when they came here from California to visit, I included them in that email, continued sending them Christmas and Birthday cards, included them on other emails I sent out about various things going on in our family that I chose not to post on the blog. Over time this person copied some of these emails and content from my blog and posted it on their blog. They accused me of being a bad Christian and wrote hurtful remarks about me and other people, things like: "I could make them cry, but I won't"; "Tried to be amicable, tried to work it out, sucks to be you now. game on."; Wrote about people wanting to control everything and people not letting their children sleep over this person's house; they wrote about the cops laughing when someone called the police regarding something this person had done. It was clear from their blog that they were troubled and my husband and I decided that we did not want them reading the blog and knowing everything that went on with us. I began to question what and how much I shared. I started to feel like I couldn't really be myself. My husband and I made the decision to change the name and url of the blog so that I could feel free to share as much of our family life/my thoughts and ideas, etc. as was healthy and appropriate.

When School is not the priority...

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:25:00 +0000

School has been taking quite a different turn around here as of late. My father-in-law was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which has had me quite upset for several reasons, some of which I have been praying about sharing on my blog in an effort to hopefully help someone else...I just have not decided yet how or if to share this. (I am realizing more and more my fear of being judged). I have been feeling under the weather, partly due to my father-in-law's diagnosis, partly because of some digestive issues that I have. For years my diet has consisted mainly of raw fruit and vegetables and whole grains with some dairy and little meat...as my doctor said, "...this diet is not without it's problems....people who eat processed foods and fast food have a different set of problems, but eating a high fiber, low-fat diet, although healthy can present some other painful issues...". All of this is to say that emotionally, physically and mentally I have been ... leaving a lot of things up to the girls...such as how they fill their time.

To my great surprise, the TV hardly ever goes on and when it does, it's to watch the Waltons on DVD. We realized that we hardly ever watch TV anymore and so we have decided to cancel cable. Today will be our first day without cable...we will see how it goes...

My girls have been making youtube videos, Allie is all about craft tutorials and movies with her sister and homeschool neighbors as characters. They have also made some "Man on the Street" videos where they ask random questions of people walking by...don't ask...if our neighbors didn't think we were looney for homeschooling, they surely think we are all looney now... The questions are innocuous, "What is your favorite kind of cheese? How do you eat this cheese?" or "Do you think there is anything worth watching on television?" or, they interview people walking their dogs, asking all kinds of questions about the dog. Fortunately, one particular dog-walker family homeschools their high school age kids and get really into being interviewed, hamming it up for the camera, etc.

Piper is all about stop-motion videos featuring her American Girl dolls. She makes various props for the dolls, creates storylines and has figured out how to make the video and post it to youtube. She taught herself how to do this.

Right now we are keeping the videos private, for just their friends and family to see.

Allie and Piper and the homeschool neighbors created a stop motion video for a stop motion video contest. The deadline is today. The girls have been working together for almost two weeks. They did this completely on their own, without any adult help or supervision. They assigned tasks, one of the homeschool neighbor girls wrote the plot, the other three created props and together they positioned the dolls over and over, taking photos, editing and making a movie. There were some disagreements and it was really difficult for me not to step in when sometimes it is so clear that one child wants to get their way and the other three are in disagreement; that one child feels excluded and picked on. It's a learning curve for all of them and me, for sure.

Both of the girls have been reading voraciously. Allie devoured the Hunger Games series and is now really into the Iron Queen series by Julie Kagawa. Piper is all about American Girl books, she's finished the series and making her way through the mysteries, while anxiously awaiting the McKenna movie and the Julie musical this summer.

Allie has been working on a self-assigned essay about the woman who created American Girl dolls. She has also been reading her Zoobooks and then doing further research on animals and has created an Animal Notebook.

Piper has created a notebook of ideas for stop motion videos, with notes on props, dolls, storylines, plots, characters....

In addition to the stop motion videos, Piper has been begging to bake. She has made all sorts of cookies and cakes lately. At first I was supervising, now I just show her where things are and put the trays or pans in the oven and take them out of the oven (we have a high wall oven).

The girls have continued to do math. This week, Allie assigned herself review work on percents and figuring out tax because she felt she needed more practice with that. I have been sitting patiently-or at least trying to- with Piper and trying to find ways to help her understand division.

We've taken a relaxed approach to history, eliminating the summaries. We now read a section of a chapter each day and then look for youtube videos, read some of the corresponding reading, and/or print out pictures of the people we read about and write something about the people for our notebooks. I've also given them some words to define and assigned them to describe a feudal system. This is how we did history last year, before I realized you were supposed to do the summaries. I realized my girls retained what they learned this way last year better, so although I do feel that it is very important to be able to express what you learned in writing, I just don't have the energy or wherewithal right now to enforce that...maybe we will get back to that, maybe we will employ more of a notebooking approach...who knows?

We have added a Lapbook from Elemental Science to our Science Approach. Although this lapbook is really geared to younger kids, I find it really is helping to show the correlation between the various body systems and a great way to have an overview of each system at our fingertips.

When we were learning about the Five Senses, we blindfolded ourselves and used our other senses to guide us all over the house. Then the girls had a lot of fun giving me things to taste and making me guess what they were by touching, smelling and tasting them.

Are we headed toward unschooling? I am not sure. I still feel that kids need to learn discipline, they need to learn to absorb things they may not be wholeheartedly interested in, they need to learn to do things they may not love doing...because, maybe this is very cynical of me, but...that is life. If I had my way, I would lay in bed all the ding dong day and read novels...but I need to clean the house, make food, go shopping...sometimes I need to learn about illnesses, even though I don't want to...

So, right now, this is just where we are. I have been feeling bad about my lack of motivation in the school department as I deal with other things. I have been afraid that I would be judged harshly. But, I have come to the realization that right now, this is where we are. The girls ARE learning. We school year round and I am certain that we will get back in the swing of things in one way or another at some point. I have heard that all homeschoolers go through phases like this. I am proud that my girls are continuing their studies without my prompting. They are creating assignments about things they are interested in and using their time wisely. Those are huge lessons and I am SO proud of them for it!

Thankful Thursday - Celebrating Motherhood Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

1. I am thankful to all of the bloggers who are participating in Celebrating Motherhood Blog Event! I really hope that we can encourage mothers and help them to feel appreciated and extend grace to themselves!

2. I am thankful for having our vacation all shored up and booked! I am also very thankful that we have the funds to be able to have a vacation!

3. I am thankful to my husband who works hard so that we can have a good life!

4. I am thankful for the prospect of meeting with a blogger with whom I have been emailing back and forth for at least a year!!

5. I am thankful that Allie assigned herself math work this week. She said that she thought she needed more work with percents and figuring out tax.

6. I am thankful for the homeschool neighbor dad and how committed we all are to helping our girls to work out their differences, value their friendship and work together.

7. I am thankful to be feeling better! I was not feeling well for awhile, went to the doctor...but, thankfully, I am feeling MUCH better now!

8. I am thankful for my MOM and how she listens to all of my crazy ailments with concern no matter how graphic I get! It also helps that she was a nurse and is not uncomfortable with these health issue conversations.

9. I am thankful for my girls and their good health.

10. I am thankful that my family has agreed to cancel cable. We are dropping off the box today and officially canceling it. When we started homeschooling, I did not want to be one of 'those' families...but we have just found other things to do with our time that we enjoy more than TV...and we always have DVDs and Roku and Netflix and Youtube and Hulu...should the mood/need strike us...

11. I am very thankful for our little homeschool group and the enthusiasm with which everyone has embraced Allie's Mother-Daughter Book Club idea. We are headed to a friend's home today to discuss our most recent book and figure out what our next book will be! My girls get SO much from the reading and preparation for the discussions--they are reading and jotting down notes for discussion and questions to ask the group. They also had a lot of fun making little petits fours to bring with us today!

12. I am thankful to all of the bloggers who remind me how important it is to be present and to live in the moment and to enjoy my girls at this age right now and savor every moment!

Celebrating Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

"A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled."

~ Emily Dickinson

The work of being a wife and mother is 24-7, 365. Even when on vacation, the concerns for your family are front and center and you are on the job around the clock. There is no retirement with a gold watch after 25 or 45 years. It's often a thankless job and you rarely see the rewards of your effort instantly. If you are very lucky, there will be hand-holding and hugs, support and love when you need it. The real trial of our endeavor is lifelong...for us and for our children.

As mothers and wives we strive every single second of every single day to support our husbands and children. It is tireless work. Even when we are not actively doing something with our husband or children, their needs, wants, desires, problems... are on our mind...somewhere...even way in the back...they are there.

"She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them."

~ Margaret Culkin Banning

Most of us feel guilty doing for ourselves. We feel guilty taking time for ourselves. We feel bad spending money on ourselves. We know we can. We know we deserve it. But most of us would trade that shiny new car for horseback riding lessons for our kids and we know that designer outfit will get spit-up on or marker stains the first time we wear it. We only buy things for ourselves when we have to, when our yoga pants are stretched and ripped beyond wearability and it's more expensive to repair the minivan than to replace it.

Starting today, May 1, every week day from now until Mother's Day, another homeschool mom blogger will share the joys, the beauty and the work of Motherhood on their blog. We hope that you will tune in, read and feel empowered, understood and appreciated as a mom. On Friday, May 11 we will have a special gift for everyone - no blog following, commenting, entries required! This is our Mother's Day gift to you, our readers and friends.

Taking Care of Ourselves Means

Showing Ourselves Grace

There are things that I feel I am good at in my role as mom. I love cuddling and snuggling, I keep a clean home and make good meals, I encourage reading and learning and friendships.

But there are also ways that I fall short. I lose my patience or my temper. I snap at my kids sometimes when I don't mean to; I feel bad about that and I apologize. My kids tend to not need me until I get on the phone on an important call and then I feel guilty/annoyed. I lose track of time in the evening and let my kids stay up too late often. Sometimes I feel as though I am always in a rush and have far too many things to do and I know my kids sense this.

Do you see how my list of what I feel I am good at is shorter than the list of my flaws?

We have a hard time showing ourselves grace. Yet, when I read on other blogs how other moms lose their patience, I always comment that we all do that, we are human, we are not perfect. Apologizing to our children is important, it lets them know that we see our flaws, we are not perfect; it lets them know we are human and that we hopefully understand when they make mistakes.

I've found that I am a better mother, a better wife when I take time for myself. I tend to snap less and listen more, I tend to be more patient, less rushed and lose my tempter less frequently when I take a few minutes for myself.

If I don't have a lot of time, it can be something as simple as rubbing wonderfully scented lotion into my hands...it's amazing how that scent can sooth me and make me feel happier, more content. Even lighting a scented candle can improve my mood!

It can be something like reading a book for pleasure - not a book on parenting or homeschooling, but a fun book for me! Even if I only have ten minutes to read...

If I have more time, it can be a half hour nap on a day when I am tired or maybe a shopping trip all by myself for things for ME! I always feel guilty buying stuff just for me, so I usually buy some kind of treats for my girls and husband, too!

It can be going to a yoga class, tuning into Yogatoday.com, or going for a walk.

Ocassionally I have even been known to take a bubble bath with my book and some scented candles. check. check. check.

I have also been known to rent a chick flick and splurge on some sushi or watch an episode of one of my favorite TV series on Netflix with some popcorn or chocolate fro-yo!

What do you do to unwind and take care of yourself? OR, if you don't make time for this, what would you like to do?

Please check out Lisa at Home to 4 Kiddos post tomorrow!

You can see what Lisa at An Army Chap's Wife has to say on Thursday and read Jennifer at Little Homeschool on the Prairie's thoughts on Friday!

Next week, we will hear from Karen at Homeschool Girls, Susan at Learning ALL the Time, Rebecca at Mom's Mustard Seeds and H-Mama at Family Team! Then, next Friday, we have a special gift for ALL of you wonderful moms out there!

Rutgers Day and other Random Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:30:00 +0000

1. We went to Rutgers Day with the homeschool neighbors on Saturday. It was a hoot. Seriously. We love Rutgers Day. Last year was all about "look at what we can learn" and this year was all "if you major in this you will study this and be able to work doing something like this!" Last year we focused on the students who were teaching what they learned in class in lieu of a final exam or as a final project. This year we focused on the different majors and the alumni that were back talking about what their major was and what they were doing now...we had no idea there were so many possibilities! Lots of food for thought for young girls...

We spent Rutgers Day at Cook, the Ag school.

2. I think it's ironic that in other parts of the country you have rodeos and county fairs { I've been fortunate to live in those other areas } and here in the Garden State, we do this kind of thing at a University.

3. I had no idea there was so much to study about animals beyond just veterinary medicine. There are a lot of options for animal lovers out there :-)

5. I think this pig has Philip Seymour Hoffman's eyes. I don't mean that as an insult to Philip Seymour Hoffman, but when I saw this pig's eyes, I thought they looked kind of intelligent.

6. Of course, these four bffs are planning their Rutgers experience together...I would LOVE to see all of these plans come to fruition.

7. We are planning a summer vacation and I can not for the life of me decide on which beach house to rent. Seriously, I am having way more trouble deciding which house to rent for a week than I had deciding which house to buy to live in for the rest of my life.

8. I have been feeling "under the weather" and have been to my doctor. I am convinced that I am dying even though my symptoms have only been going on a few days. I am doing the thing you are not supposed to do and checking my symptoms on the internet--they can really be so many things-but I am convinced they are deadly. ::sigh:: I hope I am just a hypochondriac!

her expressions sums up my own

8. I am really, really excited about a special project that starts tomorrow... celebrating motherhood: the joys, the beauty, the work...8 bloggers, 12 days...all writing empowering, appreciative posts about what I like to call "the toughest job you will ever love!" I hope you will come back tomorrow and check out the first post in the series!!

Linking with

Create Photo Collages & Banners with Picasa

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

In the last week, I have gotten several emails asking how to make photo collages with photos from a camera now that Picnik is gone and Photobucket has changed their photo editing options.

One option to easily make really cool collages is Picasa Photo Editing Software from Mac.

It's completely free.

Doesn't take up a ton of room.

Is easy to use.

cnet recommends it ;-)

It's very easy to install.

It will walk you through installation.

Then you want to click on the icon

It will open in this window

You will see your iphoto library in the lower left, click on the album from which you want to edit/make collages.

If you just want to make a hold down your Shift key and click on several photos that you want to include in your collage.

{Easy Breezy!}

Once you have selected your photos, click the second button from the left to Create Collage :)

You could still always click the Library tab at the top left and add more photos if you wanted :)

Picasa gives you more collage options than Photobucket did.

You can have pre-made Mosaic collages.

You can slide that grid spacing bar to make the grid marks between and around the photos larger or smaller.

To see all of the options, click the Settings tab, try the different options until you get the one you like.

Frame Mosaic option.

If you want to completely play around and create, choose the Picture Pile option :-)

From here you can make photos larger and smaller, drag them around and place them where you want them. Angle them...have fun with it!

You can make the photos larger and smaller by clicking on them and manipulating the little gauge with your mouse.

The album you chose the photos from will be in your left hand side and you can select other photos you want to use.

You can select your background/grid colors.

You can also use an image for your background.

Some folks upload scrapbook paper for backgrounds.

{Get creative!}

when you are happy with your collage, click

Create Collage

in the lower left (next to desktop background and above close)

Now you can edit your collage, make it lighter, edit for redeye, even add effects like Instagram by using those green and blue palettes tabs ;-)

you can make the photo lighter or brighter, reduce shadows, etc.

you can add text to your collage :-)

When you have edited your collage, click File > Save As and name your collage...

You could even use the Picture Pile feature to make little banners and signs for your blog.

Click on text and type in and play with fonts, styles and word placing.

Then crop that little area out of your collage ;-)

And save it on your computer!

Raising Independent Children

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:38:00 +0000

I have always believed that children should know how to entertain themselves. Another way of saying this is that I don't believe in 'entertaining' children.

When my girls were small, I would set toys out for them and go about my business of cleaning, laundry, meal prep. Up until they were 3 or 4, I always kept them in the room with me. I would give them pots and pans to play with if I was cooking and we kept their play kitchen in our kitchen. I had baskets of toys stowed away in various spots throughout our home and gave the girls toys as I did my thing. Our computer was in their playroom, so I was right nearby.

By the time my girls were 3 and 4, they had developed their own games, interests, and activities. My girls explored what interested them, read and learned what they needed to in order to create the things that they wanted to create or be able to do the things that they wanted to do. Several years ago, Allie was interested in Fimo clay and researched how to make things with Fimo clay in books and on youtube. Piper loves her American Girl dolls but I won't spend hundreds of dollars on furniture for them, so Piper looked at youtube for inspiration at how to use things we had around the house to make doll furniture. Recently my girls became interested in making stop motion videos and figured it out on their own, when I tried to help I over-complicated everything and confused them, so I left them alone to do their own thing.

I don't have the attention span to play Barbie dolls or dollhouse and my girls get frustrated with me when I try, because I don't do it the way that they do.

This is not to say that I don't do things with my girls. We just do other things. We cuddle in bed together and talk. We cuddle together while I read to them or we all read independently. We cook together. We watch movies together. We play games together. We go on long walks and bike rides together. We have "spa days" together where we do each other's nails and rub scented lotion in our skin. We go on field trips and day trips together.

I often hear moms say that blogging takes too much time away from their children or they feel guilty sitting and reading or doing something for themselves. I think it's important to take a step back and encourage our children to learn to do for themselves, to learn what they enjoy and how to pursue those things. I also think it is imperative that we show our children that we do the same, be it blogging or editing photos or teaching ourself web design, when we do something we enjoy, research HOW to do it, learn and grow from the experience, we are teaching our children a very important lesson: learning never ends!

Thankful Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Theresa) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

This week has had its ups and downs and I am grateful for the opportunity to write this list.

I am thankful for the many kind and compassionate emails that I received from people in the blogging community this week. We may never have met in person, but I think of many of you as close friends.

I am thankful for really great personal conversations with several friends and family members this week.

I am thankful for a long heart to heart with my husband and having Jason be able to tell me how he needs me to support him through his stepfather's illness.

I am thankful that the homeschool neighbor dad and girls will be keeping their house in the divorce settlement! Those girls are over several afternoons a week and if they moved, although we would keep in touch, it wouldn't be the same.

I am thankful for a fun barbecue to break up our week and celebrate that the homeschool neighbor dad and girls get to keep the house!!

I am thankful that we have good health insurance.

I am thankful that my mammogram came back fine.

I am thankful that I took the time Wednesday to really clean my house from top to bottom, even though we didn't start school until after 2pm. By then I was able to sit quietly and had more patience and was more relaxed.