Rockin C

From the Porch

2013-07-26T10:41:00.001-05:00

Over the last nearly year our family has been completely uplifted by our friends & family. We have stood in the face of the worst imaginable storm, journeyed through the darkest valley, & continued to hold tightly to God's amazing unfailing grace.

It's hard to believe today marks a year since the last week we shared with Truman on this earth. The last year I have trulee wept between the porch & the altar...

I would like to invite you to visit my new website, from the PORCH. It has been on my heart & in the works for quite some time. While I was at an A.C.T.S. retreat God gave me the word "SERVE". At first I wasn't sure what He was calling me to do, but He has made it very clear the past few months.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, & could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'"
-Erma Bombeck

So in memory of Truman, here is to allowing God to use me & our journey for His glory!

Goodbye

2012-12-02T23:02:00.001-06:00

For the past several months my blog’s privacy settings have been set to private. Since the sudden change, I have thought & prayed about whether to continue this blog or not, but it just doesn’t seem right anymore. You see, this was a fun outlet for me to reflect our country living, child-rearing, homeschooling journey. I loved sharing our wonderfully crazy life with you, but this isn’t our lives are anymore & we will never be these people again. Four months ago today our family experienced a tragic accident & our three year old son, Truman, went to heaven. I have been rather private over the matter & have hesitated to share, even with some of my friends & family, the details of the day our lives were forever changed . . .

Just a few days before “the accident” my (step)daughter had moved back home. For those of you that are familiar with this part of our story, know the joy in my heart to finally have all the beds in our house filled again. I was so excited to have her home I quickly became busy integrating her back into our family. At the time there seemed to be two important tasks:

Get her on the homeschool volleyball team
Get her a cell phone (To a teenage girl a cell phone is like a necessity.)

August 2nd I woke up with the above “To Do List” & a sweet blue-eyed boy asking me,

“Mommy, what’s for breakfast?”

I smiled into those eyes & for a moment got lost in the depths of them. He could have asked me for anything in those moments & I would have caved. Knowing the answer (pancakes) I asked,

“What would you like?”

Sure enough he requested his favorite,

“PANTAKES!”

Remembering we used the last of the milk the night before I asked him if he wanted to go to his favorite place in the world,

“Oh, baby we don’t have milk to make them. Do you want to go to the dairy with mommy?”

He excitedly agreed, but after looking at the time I realized it would be almost noon before we were able to actually eat pancakes if we had to make a trip to the dairy first, so I suggested the next best thing – waffles! He excitedly agreed & we set off about our day. It was a beautiful day, but we were in the middle of a Texas summer which meant scorching temps were a given no matter how deceiving the beautiful blue sky was. Later in the morning I went out to hang some sheets on the line & he tagged along asking his most popular question,

“Why you do that?”

He giggled as he ran through my sheets blowing in the breeze then off he went to explore the farm & follow his daddy around. I set about my daily tasks, then decided to edit some pictures & work on a project for our homeschool group. My big kids joined me on my bed & began to search Craig’s List for iPhones (*Tyler wanted to upgrade his iPhone & was looking for a good deal with Taylor.) We ended up finding someone with 2 iPhone 4’s for $500. I thought it was the perfect deal & was grateful to only have to make one deal – ending the iPhone hunt for both kids. Tim was not so enthusiastic about the deal – especially because I would have to meet the guy about an hour away by myself. At this point it was lunch time, I was nursing Tara & wrapping up my project on the computer. The little boys were in & out, the big kids were getting ready, & Tim & I were discussing the meeting. Being a police officer, he cautioned me on traveling with that much cash alone to meet a stranger who for reasons unknown to us, unusually had 2 cell phones for sale. I reassured him & casually suggested taking his small handgun “just incase". He agreed, started to get the gun out & load it. It was our normal chaotic “getting ready mode” – kids in & out, everyone doing their own thing. I was half paying attention to Tim & what everyone else was doing. I told my big kids to get their shoes on & grab a bite to eat while I made a quick phone call. Tim & Truman went to lie in the other bedroom to get a break from the heat & watch TV. My room emptied, I had nursed Tara to sleep by now & was taking advantage of 5 minutes of quietness before I left. I was on the phone for maybe 3 minutes & heard a loud noise coming from my porch just outside my bedroom. I looked up & saw Trevor standing in my doorway. I asked him what the noise was but he didn’t know. Assuming it was my dogs knocking a mason jar off the table outside, I told Trevor to go check to see what the noise was. (As I type this my stomach is in knots thinking of what I almost sent my 6 year old to do…) Something inside of me (the Holy Spirit – without a doubt) kicked me into mommy mode & I went with my instincts. I flew out of bed, dropping the phone & waking Tara up, telling Trevor to keep her from falling off the bed as I rushed out the door. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to find, how my entire family’s life was about to change... I found Truman lying on the ground bleeding from his eye. Initially, I had no idea what was happening. My “mommy to many boys” instincts took over. As I picked him up I told myself he was going to be okay & I started screaming for Tim, but when I held him I didn’t feel his arms squeeze me like they so often had all the other times I embraced him. I gave him to Tim & immediately called 911. Retelling the story is not easy for me on so many levels. First, it has been so traumatic I don’t remember everything in detail – it’s like labor – you kinda know what happen, not exactly in order, & are foggy on specifics. Almost any time a young child has an accident the responsibility lies on an adult. There is no denying we are responsible for our son’s death. We made a fatal mistake. So when I tell you there was less than a 1-2 minute time frame our son had access to a loaded gun, it is not an excuse or an attempt at trying to avoid responsibility. Tim & I struggle daily with carrying the responsibility & not allowing guilt to consume us. As much as I don’t want my son’s death to be about the accident, I want to tell you that if you have a gun it should NEVER be loaded unless you are personally wearing it. Since Truman’s accident we have discovered & been told about numerous gun accidents involving a child. We have stored our weapons unloaded in a locked gun safe & kept the ammunition stored high in another room. We never thought in the moment that we were being careless or endangering our child, but even he best of intentions can still lead to deadly consequences so please don’t let our son’s death be in vain.

There are details following the accident that our family wishes to keep private at this point (for our own heeling, not anything we are trying to hide or keep a secret) & questions we aren’t ready to answer, but the story doesn’t end here. More than I want to tell you what happened, I want to tell you what God has done & continues to do for our family. It wouldn’t do Truman’s life justice to end this blog focusing on the accident, because as it would seem that God turned His back on our family & wasn’t looking in those few moments of the accident when our worlds went wrong, He was still very much in control. Before I went in the house to tell my other kids that Truman went to Heaven I put my hands on the same door I found Truman outside of, closed my eyes, & I prayed. I begged God to let His light shine down through this tragedy. When Talon died I would have slapped anyone that even suggested good would come from his death. It took years for me to be able to see God’s hand in that deep of a loss. I told God (as if He didn’t know) that my kids were going to need to see Him in this & feel His presence immediately. If they couldn’t see Him through this they may never give it to Him. I needed to see Him too. As the day grew darker, His light seeped in through our friends & family that surrounded us. Through completely numbness & heartache I could feel Him holding me up. A couple days later Tim (who had been uncontrollably wailing nonstop) & I were lying in bed & he looked over at me & said, “I want your faith.” He has always been very supportive of my faith & raising our children with Christian values, but he never took the role as the spiritual leader nor did he ever completely surrender his life to God. There were years of our marriage that I begged, pleaded, threatened & blackmailed him into church, but over our 10 year marriage I realized I was not his god & it was not my job to convict him – God himself would do that in His timing. My job as his wife was to let my walk speak for itself, to allow him to see Christ in me & hopefully seek Him. Never did I ever think that Truman’s death would bring Tim closer to God, because to be quite honest he grew very angry & turned away from God when Talon died. But that morning I looked into the eyes of a broken man & he wanted to be saved. I walked him through the ABC’s of a believer. I told him faith is not something you earn – it is a gift – you have to ask for it & accept it. I told him to admit he believes in Jesus Christ as his savior & to confess his sins to him. In his deepest despair my husband ask Jesus into his heart. That afternoon our pastor was praying with Tim, asking God to give him comfort in knowing that Truman was in a better place. During that prayer Tim (the same man who used to reason with me – suggesting that the people from “the burning bush story” were smoking dope) said God gave him a beautiful vision of Truman surrounded by light running joyfully in love. If you are a believer you know exactly what the description of light & love are – my friends that is what we are told God himself is. God knew my husband. He knew he had to see to believe. He knew exactly what he needed. Don’t get me wrong, this journey is in no way, shape, or form easy. There are days it seems down right impossible, but God knew what Tim needed in order to not give up. During those first few days, the officers on Tim’s shift & some of our closest friends were taking turns staying with Tim – they would not leave him alone for fear he would end his own life. Those aren’t easy words to write, but it is the truth. Our lives have been completely shattered & it is by Grace alone that we are in the beginning stages of mending our brokenness.

Truman’s funeral was described by many as powerful & moving. Tim was baptized following the service in which I shared his eulogy with over 600 people in a standing room only in our church sanctuary & the fellowship hall became an overflow room as well. Now I will share it with you…

I want all of you to know that my faith has not been shaken. "God is good!" That is what the last shirt my sweet boy had on said. Our family has been doing a lot of crying out to the Lord over the last few days & I speak for all of us when I tell you that our God is faithful. He is the same today as He was a few days ago when we could still hear Truman's little footsteps throughout our house.

As I sat in the middle of my boys' room - with Truman's toys scattered across the floor & his drawers still half opened with clothes spilling out & his little cups of dry cereal all over the place - my prayer was that everyone here today sees the glory of God in our family in the midst of this devastating storm. I pray that as we share Truman's life with you - you will see God in his life. About a week ago Truman asked me, "Mama, where is God?" I told him God was in Heaven & in His heart. Then he got a confused look on his face & said, "I don't see Him!" I assured him, "He is in your heart baby." Then he said, "I don't feel Him?!" I smiled & told him He was there & he just smiled. I know without a doubt Truman is running around in Heaven.

Truman was Tim & I's fifth son. When we learned we were having "another" boy, Tim immediately insisted on naming him Truman. For the remainder of my pregnancy his name was an on-going debate between Tim & I. He loved the name & I did not (at all). But when Truman was born my doctor (who has delivered all my babies & was aware of the name debate) settled it for us when Truman peed on him before they even cut the cord. My doctor announced, "well he is a 'true-man' & will fit right in with your crew." And he fit right in indeed!

Truman loved being a brother. He thought he was the boss & worked hard at keeping his brothers in line. He never walked away from a fight & took their brotherly teasing so well. Truman had a small obsession with gum & one day I walked in & found Tucker & Trevor holding a small stick with a string tied on with a piece of gum on the end - they were fishing for Truman. They had been teasing Truman with the gum. Eventually he caught it & took off running. Tyler & Truman would go off on 4-wheeler rides together & Tyler would often bring him back asleep in his arms. I am going to miss looking out my window finding Truman & Tucker off on one of their little adventures & bird hunting. Truman had a bit of a different relationship with Trevor than he had with his other two big brothers. Truman got sweet satisfaction out of terrorizing Trevor. And Trevor took it so well. I would often have to get onto Trevor for giving into Truman so much. Trevor would repeatedly tell me, "It's okay mom, he can have it." As much as my boys fought, they loved. They could spend hours together playing Lego's. As a matter of fact, they gave Truman some geography lessons during their own little "legoland." One day I heard Truman arguing with his brothers on our (map) rug in our schoolroom over who owned Texas & Mexico.

As much as Truman loved his brotherhood he was equally crazy about his sissies. And they tolerated him so well. Tiya was telling us the last time she saw visited us Truman kept shaking his bootie at her. Truman was naked 90% of the time. Taylor & Truman had such a sweet relationship. I'd always get a giggle hearing her manipulate him into rubbing her back. She would say, "No bubba, don't do it! Don't you rub my back!" And the next thing I knew his little hands were squeezing her shoulders, both of them smiling ear to ear. Truman was chronically ill from the time he was 10 months old until a few months before his second birthday. I had a lot of snuggle & loving time on him. So you can imagine my concern when Taralyn came along, but Truman was not the least bit jealous. He fell in love with her & took his big brother role very seriously. The other day I swatted Tara for biting me & Truman got very upset with me, "Mommy, don't spank Tara," he demanded. I tried to explain, "Truman she bit me!" Then in the sweetest little voice he gently tells his baby sister, "No, no Tara. No biting." I'm just heartbroken that we aren't going to get to see that relationship grow.

Truman was quite the ladies man… I was watching videos of him playing with my sister & in his deep big boy voice he just insisted that she stay at “his” house & never go home. He loved his aunt he called “sissy.” One of my favorite stories to tell of Truman this summer is when he asked his babysitter, Macy, how old she was. “I’m 15,” Macy said. Then in a disappointing voice he says, “Oh, I not enough, I just 3.” Truman’s best friend was his cousin, Naomi, who’s just 3 months older that him. He nicked named her “Nam.” Nam is twice his size, but she would just let him boss her & push her around. In fact, the last time they were playing together I overheard Truman telling her to be a “goodBOY.” Those two loved each other so much. Naomi doesn’t talk much, but it never hindered their relationship, he could always understand her. Last week Naomi kept telling her mom & me something & after several attempts of us trying to figure out what she was saying, I finally looked at Truman & asked him what she said. Without any hesitation, he said so matter-of-a-fact, “she wants her Dora cup.”

There were also a couple older women in Truman’s life as well – his grandmas. He loved to go play at his Gammy’s house & fill up on cool-aid & brownies. Truman also made frequent phone calls to my mom – in which he would tell her he “hates her house.” “I hate dat place,” he would say. That was a frequent saying of his. At times he “hated” everything! During dinner he would tell me he “hated” whatever it was I had made. Cereal was all he ever really wanted to eat. Truman was quite the character. He was full of catch phrases. Some of our favorites were when he would “whoo hoo” for us, or tell us he “ewed” (instead of “pooped”) when he went potty & everything was “Dat Mine!!” Every time his PawPaw would visit he’d ask him, “Got gum?” Truman had such a unique personality – to know him was to love him. He was so busy, but he was such a lovebug – always telling us he loved us. And if he ever wanted to tell you something & had the slightest inkling you weren’t listening, he would grab your face & get as close as he could & in the sweetest little voice tell you whatever it was he had to say. Our family is going to miss those little hands around our faces. There are so many special things we are going to miss about Truman . . .
Truman loved eating watermelon, he could eat an entire pack of gum in minutes, he had quite an imagination – I loved hearing him play by himself. I’d even catch him playing with the Diego & Batman charms on his crocs while we were driving in the car. Our schoolroom still has his castle set-up with pirates all around from the last time he played with them.

Truman, being the youngest boy, got lots of mommy time. I spent 2 days a week doing preschool with him. He was so smart & he loved doing school. He especially loved turning our schoolroom up-side-down. He had a tray of dried rice I had dyed for him & it never failed that rice would be all over the place by day’s end. He was my little helper – he loved helping me do laundry & got so excited when I would let him push the buttons on the washing machine. Washing dishes would entertain him almost long enough for me to make dinner. I could never make pancakes without him – by the time he was 2 he knew all the ingredients & would have them all spread out on the counter for me. One of his favorite places to go was to see Charles at the dairy & it always surprised Charles if Truman had clothes on. We made wonderful memories on our trips to the dairy. Our family has a tradition we started years ago – we always eat dinner together & we always go around the table & share the best part of our day. As soon as Truman was old enough to talk – he picked up on our routine & quickly became the initiator. I can almost hear him asking, “I pick you, mommy! Best part?” What I am going to miss most though, is the way he would wrap his little arms around my neck & pat my back.

Some of my favorite stories of Truman are with Tim. He was such a daddy’s boy. He loved his daddy so much. Even after 6 kids, Tim never was big on keeping the little ones, but Truman didn’t give Tim much of a choice. The first thing he would say each morning was, “My daddy home?” If Tim was working he’d insisted on calling him every morning. But the days Tim was home Truman would immediately jump out of bed & begin searching for his daddy. He would swing the door open & “whoo-hoo” for Tim. If Tim didn’t respond quickly enough Truman would begin screaming hysterically for his daddy. Schooling with Truman on Tim’s days off was nearly impossible. He would follow his daddy all over our farm. It didn’t matter what Tim was doing – Truman was right there with him. When it was time to come in he would curl up in bed with him & watch “Bobby Hill.” Truman was unmistakably Tim’s “mini-me.” Truman loved to do everything his daddy did. After Truman came along Tim’s personal fishing time was very limited because he was busy baiting Truman’s hook for him. Early this spring we were all fishing at our lake & Tim had rigged Truman a fishing pole with a bobber & worm on it. Truman caught fish after fish & was so proud of himself. When we got home he had a look of disappointment on his face (since he had fished all on his own for the first time, he thought he was big enough to go on a “big boy fishing trip on Lake Texoma). It wasn’t a few weeks later Tim took ALL his boys on an all day fishing trip. Truman was on top of the world. He was so proud to be your son Tim.

Truman had the most beautiful blue eyes – they had me hook-line-and-sinker, but boy was he a stinker! To say he was a “busy little boy” is an understatement. After only a week of having his new leap pad he had scratched the entire screen to the point of making it unusable. I can’t count all the places he has scribbled on. Just the other day I had bought him new crayons & he got them out & scribbled all over the kitchen table. He was determined to be an artist. Not to mention the time he snuck fingernail polish outside & painted every seat in his daddy’s boat pink. I can’t count the broken toys, or clothes I’ve picked up all over our property from Truman. Did I mention he liked to be naked? He never hesitated stripping down wherever he was.

There is no doubt in my mind that Truman lived a full life in 3 years. In closing I would like to share a story a close friend of mine wrote . . .

“When he opened his eyes, the light was greater than the brightest days on the lake when the sun would reflect off of the water, doubling its glory. This light was not from the sun. It was from the King. It did not cause him to squint or turn away. Instead, his big shining eyes, lakes of sapphire blue, lit up with laughter as he spied the man kneeled on the ground ahead of him. Jesus knelt, arms spread wide, grinning from ear to ear as he waited to embrace His beloved child. Truman’s little legs could not carry him fast enough as he ran toward Him.

The soft grass padded his bare little feet as he ran toward the man he most certainly knew. He squealed with delight as Jesus intercepted him mid-air, and the two tumbled gently to the ground. “I’ve been waiting for you, Truman,” He chuckled. The boy’s tiny fingers gripped His large hands and he noticed they were even bigger than his daddy’s. He looked at Jesus’ wide smile and thought it was even more beautiful than his mama’s. He wanted to know when he would see them again, and the King heard the question in his heart. “Soon, little one. They are all mine, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. You will see them when it is their turn.”

And, more comforted than he had ever been before, Truman nuzzled into the strong chest of the man he had known even before he was knit together in his mother’s womb, and smiled. As he looked around, there were many smiling children surrounding the peaceful King. Right away, they all began to look at another young child parting the crowd as he walked through. “He looks like me,” Truman thought. And he did. He looked like all the other boys who were so loved and cherished in the Scott’s earthly home.

“Bubba!” he shrieked excitedly. Talon and Truman smiled at each other with identical mischievous grins that stretched from one ear to the other. Their thickly lashed blue eyes shone with recognition and Jesus released Truman to embrace his brother. “I’ve been watching you,” Talon said. “We have a lot of playing to catch up on.”

And with that the two brothers began to race across the heavenly fields, laden with countless other laughing children. They stopped for a moment and looked back to see the King’s eyes gleaming with delight. “Welcome home little one,” He said. And with that, claps and cheers from hundreds of heavenly being filled the skies and the boys’ hearts were fuller then they had ever been on earth.”

God’s work in my husband’s heart is not the only thing He has done – He has continued to be faithful throughout this walk in the valley of the shadow of death. Writing has proven to be an outlet for me during this time & I believe God has given me a story to tell. I am prayerfully considering starting a new blog in the near future for those that are brave enough to journey with me. Our family is so thankful for the support & love our extended family, friends, & community have shown us.

One word – ETERNITY! As Christians we talk about eternity in the sense of the end of the world, the end of our long lived lives. Sweet friends, eternity is today, right now, a phone call away, a drive to the store, a kiss goodnight . . . I couldn’t share it better than Seven Curtis Chapman, “As Crazy as this seems right now, the only thing I can say to honor the life of my sons & our terrible loss at this moment is to ask you, please don’t miss this . . . we will ALL stand here one day & face eternity. If you don’t know the One who can give you eternal life, His name is Jesus . . . you need to meet my little boys in heaven . . . they are amazing!”

I have faced the unthinkable moment. I have stood at heaven’s door & placed 2 of my sweet boys in the arms of Jesus. I have all the reason I will every need to seek His Kingdom.

“…The Lord gives & He takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Meal Planning

2012-07-30T10:51:00.000-05:00

Living out in the country makes meal planning a must. Fridays are my typical “town day” so I would plan meals for a week to 2 weeks at a time. Then this winter I decided to make plans for the entire month of December since it would be so chilly outside & I had an infant. I saved sooo much money! Not to mention I still had meals that I planned but never cooked (because we ate out or had left-overs or something). My meal planning was getting so mundane & boring. I seriously dreaded it. Then Pinterest. (enough said). Ahhh. Sweet Pinterest. I suddenly was flooded with recipes I wanted to try.

So with all that said, I made a chart of all the meals I cook or want to cook by category.

Then I made a theme for each week to help me balance the variety.

Next, I created a new “MEAL” calendar in my Google calendars & inserted them into my calendar.

*I added the meal possibilities up for each & set them to repeat according to the number of meals to rotate through.

Ex. Tuesday “Comfort Food” has 4 possibilities so I set each one to repeat every 4 weeks.

The only exception to this was Friday “Crockpot” day because there were 13 meals. I just inserted them in without a repeat & I’ll just update it when necessary.

I also tried to take into consideration meal difficulty, type of food (chicken, beef, pork) for other meals that week or the week before. It didn’t always work out how my OCD brain would like it but it’s done & I always have the option to cut & paste as we go.

I left the weekends open for grilling, trying new recipes, eating out, left-overs, etc. (Sundays are typically a “special” or requested meal. I will plan those as they come. It just feels so good to have the majority of our meals planned indefinitely.

Now, I just need to find time to get corresponding monthly grocery lists made & WOW!! I’ll be rockin’! Maybe then I will be ready to get serious about couponing.

Tot Boxes

2012-07-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

I needed activities quick & on hand, but I also wanted to make sure I was getting a variety of activities that would benefit him as well as keep him busy. In addition I wanted to try to tie in a few of our themes (color, letter, shape) as much as possible so here are Truman’s Tot Boxes for Letter A & the Color Red.

On the top shelf are a rice box to practice pouring, scooping, & just fun, a moon sand box with the Melissa & Doug wooden play dough set, & a sand tray to encourage beginning writing skills. *Be not mistake, the 3 boxes get mixed together in his kitchen area FREQUENTLY. ~no big deal – either way he is using his imagination & having a good time. The other boxes have cutting practice, shape/color sorting, an alphabet sensory box (I put letter “A” beads, foam letter, & magnet + an apple, ax & alligator, transferring practice, stamping (with an alligator stamp), & painting. I tried to use item that were the color we were focusing on (red rice, sand, paper, pom-poms, paint). As it is now, we are sticking to the same themes for about 2 weeks so that will be the time frame I plan to use for re-doing these.

I currently have 10 busy bags, mostly of activities I already had in our schoolroom. I have just found that by storing them in the manner of “busy bags” has made it so much easier in our schoolroom & on the go . . .

In his main notebook I printed pages from 1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations, & Confessions of a Homeschooler (*I did not print EVERYTHING each site had – ONLY the ones I thought he would enjoy/I liked.) I put the printouts in page protectors so he could reuse it (otherwise, it would last 5 minutes). The first page is his scripture (letter related from Raising Rockstars Preschool Pack) followed by letter pages, then shapes, colors, numbers, & lastly a page with his name on it (for name recognition).

I had no true intentions of beginning letters with him until August so at this point I am just following his lead. We will work on a letter as long as he needs/wants. I’m not doing a “letter a week” schedule. I will lightly focus on a different shape & color each week, but his folder content is not exclusive to this.

Plan of attack

2012-07-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

I am bound & determined to get things back on track around here. And it isn’t just schooling. A couple weeks ago, I really started to crack down on the boys’ morning routine & chores. Now that our mornings are going smoothly, I am ready to tackle the next obstacle – our afternoon schedule. I have gone through seasons of very strict minute-to-minute schedules & then lived the complete opposite for way too long. LOL I’m ready to find some middle ground.

Here is my plan of attack

Make your dream schedule (with or without time slots)
Set unchangeable activities that you aren’t willing to be flexible with of the day (wake-up time, meals, etc.)
Take into consideration special needs (beginning readers, areas there is struggling, demanding toddlers, etc.)
Set guidelines & create boundaries to avoid interruptions
Add personal quiet time for recharging.
Consider an early morning or later bedtime for older kids to have uninterrupted work time.
Give yourself a catch up time for the things you didn’t get done during the first part of the day.
Rotate history & science (every-other-day, weekly, monthly, seasonally)
Stagger new lessons
Create stations & rotate (independent work, one-on-one time, educational play/electronics)

One thing that I am having to flip back & forth from is core work vs. “extras”. I have had great school years where we started with the core, got ‘er done, & enjoyed our other studies during the afternoon. This has worked great for us at times, but during this season, Tyler’s work just isn’t always completed by lunch, so it either doesn’t get done or we are left waiting on him. So in my attempt to use our time best, we are going to do the opposite. Do you start with core subjects or group studies?

3-0

2012-07-21T18:20:00.000-05:00

I wasn’t exactly excited about saying goodbye to my 20’s.

They were good to me!

But in May I turned thirty.

It was actually quite fabulous.

I totally did it with {Tiffany’s} style!

First, I woke up to this.

Some anonymous friends of mine (I know who you are) “decorated” my yard, house & yard.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I get to town & find there are signs everywhere announcing my thirty-hood.

My awesome husband got me a beautiful necklace from Tiffany’s

& had it made into a mother’s necklace (he knows my heart)

Isn’t it beautiful.

My mama & sister & brother were here.

Us girls spent the morning at the spa & then . . .

We partied like rockstars. Not really, but it was a great party.

So far thirty ain’t too bad ;)

My Dream Schedule

2012-07-20T22:09:00.001-05:00

In my fantasy world, I would LOVE to start my day with a glass of OJ, some fresh fruit, & quiet time with the Lord on my front porch while the sun rises.

Reality. I wake up to a baby who needs a diaper change, a 3 year old who is completely recharged, & 3 others that need a little morning motivation.

So, as I post my “dream” schedule, know that it is partially just that – a dream. Or perhaps a goal. This is not something I plan to implement all at once or immediately. And as I attempt to ease our way into resembling something like this – I am sure things will change & it will continually be tweaked.

Workout, Devotional, dress (like actually look cute & have my hair & make-up done), & get my morning chores done before my kids are up.

I would LOVE to wake up before the kids & have an hour to myself. This just isn’t possible right now because I have babies in bed that have mommy sensors & if I make the slightest movement – they are up.

Breakfast 8 a.m.
Bible/Spanish
Calendar time & Character
Story time with 3 younger boys, Tyler start independent work (Devotional, Grammar, Writing)
Preschool (about an hours of guided activities), T & T FIAR activities
Snack & Group studies (our Winter Promise studies)

This is probably doable & my goal is to have this done by 12:30

Lunch (tutoring/free time “catch up time”)
Truman quiet time, Tyler Reading & Math, Tucker & Trevor rotate stations (one-on-one with mom, independent work, educational activities)
Tucker & Trevor group work: Generations of Virtue/Math/Writing /Language
Tyler one-one-one

My goal is to be done with school by 4:30

Kids outside, Me – laundry, dinner, kitchen
Dinner 6:30
Pick up the house
Kids outside/inside electronics
Bedtime 9/9:30

Each day this will look a little different. Mondays I will devote more time to Tucker & Trevor’s schooling, Tuesdays & Wednesdays will be Preschool, Thursdays focus more on 1:1 with Tyler & I will go over his weekly work, & Fridays will be our review & project days, along with a nature lesson. Also, I’m not planning on doing every subject, every day. Both our Bible & Spanish are DVD based, so we will rotate those (on the days we do Spanish I will add a character trait to our calendar time). Other than Mondays, I will be rotating Language & Writing with T & T.

What is your dream schedule? Do you have any tips for homeschooling multiple ages? Please feel free to leave a comment with any helpful tips – I am desperate!!

Dyslexia

2012-07-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

I’m not positive, but my sweet Tucker may have a learning disability – he could possibly be dyslexic. It runs in my family. My grandpa (who is a retired fire chief), my dad (who is a successful printer), & my little brother (who is still in elementary school) are all dyslexic. It would not surprise me at all if one of my children are. This post isn’t about Tucker though. It is a copy (names removed) of a post made in our homeschool yahoo group.

“Sadly this question stems from an argument my mother and I got into last night where she, the former teacher, pointed out how horrible my 2nd graders handwriting, sentence structure, etc. is and also wrote my child a letter saying the same. Then when I told her ok, no complaints when I pull her and teach her next year ...and at that started stating all these reasons why I need to keep her in school.
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I have to admit I fear getting over my head. While I have it myself, I have no clue how to teach a child with dyslexia. For that matter she has never been officially tested because the school doesn't seem to think she is bad enough, she is making A's, and I don't have the funds to have her tested myself.
So if anyone has any tips, tricks, etc. , please send them my way :) “

The response to this post was so encouraging I wanted to share it . . .

“God can take what we think might be bad and use it for good. Pulling her out and homeschooling her could be the best thing you've done for both you and her, and for your family. It may turn out to be a huge blessing. :-) I'm sure it will!
The Scottish Rite Hospital tests for dyslexia, and helps with ways to accommodate. It's a visual problem, so there are overlays and glasses (they can prescribe.
God bless you!
p.s. I had horrible handwriting forever - still do! I survived. :-)”

“I have a special boy that looks at the world different than most of us. That being said, I laugh and smile with him more than the others in our family. Life and schooling is a journey AND a destination and that is where I see the grace and hand of God because schooling him is not easy at
all. I would second Handwriting without Tears. He was nearly eight when hisOccupational Therapist recommended it and although he was in second grade, she was adamant that we start with the first (preschool ) book. Fortunately it is one of the curricula that does not mark the grades on the books. Last year the State of Texas adopted HWT as its handwriting curriculum. HWT changed our life. He begged to learn cursive. He still prints in all caps most of the time but it is legible and I know there are other more important "battles" for the our family. One more suggestion would be to check with Scottish Rite. I believe that dyslexia is one of the few learning disabilities that they treat and if I remember correctly from what my sis in law said, there is a gal up this way that was just trained in a supposedly very effective program for that.
God will not call you to something that He will not equip you to do.....Sometimes in the most interesting of ways but it is an exciting journey :-) nonetheless. I have "donated" to several different curricula companies over the years when I finally accepted the fact that what I was
trying to use was not working. It was a major step for me also to switch in the middle of the year. And if there is a day (or week!!)that you just do one subject if it's going great, do it....
I don't have experience with dyslexia but I do have an atypical child, so please feel free to call me or email privately if you want....”

“First of all {HUGS} I can't believe a grand mother would treat her grand daughter (and daughter) like this! What a way to destroy the very soul of both of you! She is not a creator but a destroyer. Bring your daughter home, love her, tell her how wonderful she is. Her self worth should not be based on her handwriting!!!! We call our ADD and dyslexia a gift. My dh is dyslexic and he could read papers upside down (when he was with opposing counsel's office) so
we consider it a gift. We also see things differently and have lots of fun with the non-ADD and ADD folks in the family. We love all the folks with their different gifting and talents. Get some Ruth Beechick books on teaching these things, and talk with Jan Bedell of Little Giant Steps, and love your daughter. I bet she has some wonderful talents that make her very special in your eyes and in God's eyes.”

“ ‘her self worth should not be based on her handwriting’- best advice I've seen in awhile!!!
A public school teacher will definitely see things differently. There are some school-teaches-turned-homeschool moms on this loop. Hopefully they can give you some insight.
Basically, in homeschooling, there will be challenges just as in parenting. Just do what you would normally do: research the issue, seek advice from like-minded people, and love your daughter through the process.
A note on 2nd grade sentence structure: what exactly is a 2nd grader expected to do?
Wow!”

“I feel so inexperienced to offer advice in this area; however, I do want to encourage you to find your confidence in God - not other peoples opinions, your teaching ability, or your daughters abilities/disabilities. If God is leading you to homeschooling He will direct your path. Remember He works for the good & has plans to prosper you & your daughter! I think there is this myth that homeschooling is always fun, easy, & 100% successful. I don't want to discourage you, but it isn't *always* fun, there are times it is very difficult, & as hard as it is to admit, there will be gaps. - Don't get me wrong, there is great joy in teaching your child & there are wonderful memories to share & learning TOGETHER. No matter what method you choose, what curriculum you buy, groups you join, etc. if you can put the love for learning in your child - you will succeed! I believe this is (one area) our public schools sometimes fail (& not for a lack of good teachers) - there is so much focus put on test scores the love for learning is lost.
With that said - I don't have a diagnosed "dyslexic" child; however 2 of my children are on the slower end in certain subjects & have areas of weaknesses that are below "normal" for their age. Sometimes a child is just slower, & sometimes there are things/subjects that our kids just aren't "good at". This doesn't mean they are dyslexic or have a disability (however it can be & there are fantastic resources for homeschooling children with dyslexia). As far as handwriting - I would suggest working on fine motor skills. Handwriting Without Tears is an awesome curriculum.
You only mentioned handwriting so I don't know if there are other subjects you are concerned with, but All About Learning is an excellent curriculum (ESPECIALLY for learning disabilities)- it is a reading/phonics & spelling program. Math U See is also a great hands-on curriculum.”

“Here is a complete curriculum designed just for dyslexic students by Calvert (trusted in the homeschool world) and Jemicy (a private school that serves only dyslexic students): http://www.verticylearning.org/”

Do you have any advice for homeschooling dyslexic children?

Join the Party

2012-07-10T09:22:00.001-05:00

If you have read my blog for very long, or even recently, you would know it is no secret that I totally love the fabulous Thirty-One company!

What is Thirty-One you ask? Ahh my friends, you are missing out!

"Thirty-One has so many products that can help make your life easier. Whether it’s style, organization, the perfect giftable item — or a little bit of everything... From totes or purses you can wear while you’re out and about, thermals to help you transport food and drinks to a party, or organizational items to help you keep your house neat and tidy Thirty-One has a solution!"

i heart Thirty-One!!

I use the Organizing Utility tote for EVERYTHING! I think I have like 3 now (diaper bag, camera bag, school bag) & each of my kids have one too! There are now 14 colors to choose from (there is even a spirit line for school colors) & monogramming is only $5 this month!!

But this summer I have add a new favorite. The XXL Everyday Tote is absolutely PERFECT for this large families summer fun! I can tote ALL our lake/pool necessities (towels, change of clothes, swim toys, etc.) for me & my 5 kids!! And when I am not using it, it folds up and snaps for easy storage. It doesn’t look very big in the picture – when I ordered it I honestly was NOT expecting this mammer-jammer! *It measures approx: 16.75”H x 23.5”W x 11”D 9.5" handle drop. WOW!!

I just got the boys new cubbies for their room & need to order a few of the small utility bins (THEY HAVE CAMO!!!), plus a few of my friends & family have been wanting to place an order … So I decided to host another online party now through July 15.

THE SPECIAL IS AWESOME! This month for EVERY $31 you spend, you can get one of 5 items (in any offered print) for only $5, plus monogramming is only $5!!!

If you’d like to Join the Party too click HERE to shop!

Finding our groove.

2012-07-05T19:30:00.001-05:00

Life is busy for us.

I have found myself in unfamiliar territory as I wake up to a baby, unbelievably busy 3 year old, a 6 & 7 year old, & a very mature 11 year old. Some days I feel like I need a clone. Actually, a nanny would be fabulous! And to be totally honest with you, I sorta have one. For the summer at least. (*Never be afraid to take advantage of any opportunities of help) A couple days a week I have a high school girl coming in the mornings. The extra hands are a big help, but even so, I still feel like there isn’t enough of me (or energy) to go around. Life is good. I can’t complain, but we are STILL no where near where *I* would like to be as far as homeschooling accomplishments. In fact, I have been struggling with just getting the 3 R’s done. History & Science (& a few other things) are on hold right now. Schooling multiple ages is A LOT of work!

I am easing our way back into a more productive day. First, I’ve really been diligent with our morning routine. We are getting up about 7:30/8ish (as much as I love the idea of being up early – I am NOT a morning person. perhaps when I get uninterrupted sleep I will be more motivated to get up earlier.). I have held to my guns on the “work before play” rule. Chores are done, then breakfast.

For the past few weeks I have started doing preschool on Tue & Wed with Truman, my niece, & another little girl. This definitely takes some time away from the other kids, but I love this age & it is so important to me that Truman gets this time with me (& not for educational purposes). We have a lot of fun & they play so well together. A typical preschool day for them is: circle time (songs), Bible story, ABC song, letter practice, hands-on activities, snack, outside play, lunch, then quiet time.

While I am doing preschool with the preschoolers, my bigger boys are working on their independent work. Then we all meet for lunch. I also began tutoring a friends daughter from 12-1pm, Mon-Wed so after lunch I lay Tara down for a nap, the preschoolers have quiet time, & the bigger kids get a little free time.

Once I am done with tutoring I begin spelling & reading with Tucker, then switch & work with Trevor. This is where my energy level is plummeting & I need to get a better plan. Obviously, each day is a little different for us, some more drastically. We’ve successfully added some big changes to our day & are getting most of our priorities done, but I am still trying to find a balance with all the ages & needs of each child. I realize this is a season in our homeschooling journey & we might not be able to “do it all,” but I am still hopeful we can manage our time in the most productive way possible & I realize that doesn’t necessarily mean getting it all done. In an effort to do this, I’ve posted questions on facebook & done some surfing online. Some of the suggestions weren’t practical for us; however, I did get some great tips! I realize I am not the only homeschool mom that has a full house, so I will be sharing my plan of attack {soon} with you.

Kids’ {Home}School Bags

2012-05-31T08:23:00.000-05:00

I love my school tote sooo much I decided to get one for each of my boys.

A couple of months ago Thirty-One offered a 31% discount after every $31 you spent. It was the perfect incentive I needed to get this project in full swing. Once I got their bags ordered (& embroidered in “their colors”) I made a list of everything I wanted them to have in their bags. Mostly my list consisted of basic school supplies – which we already have in our schoolroom, but I wanted them to also have them in their bags to make it easy for when we are on the go or doing school at the house for whatever reason. It also makes it very convenient for them to pack up & head outside to do their work during these beautiful spring days we have been blessed with. Not to mention, the times I need to completely separate them. In addition to all the basic supplies, I also got them each their own water bottle (from Target) & included the open top file box (the medium size works the best) & file folders like mine has.

Each week I put whatever worksheets (typically math, handwriting, map work, etc.) in their daily files. This helps so much when we have to go somewhere at the last minute or when they are waiting on me to get to the school{barn}. Having their own bags & file folders has geared each of them to work more independently. They also keep books they are reading & any activities they want to work on during free time – for example Tucker has a farm activity book, Trevor has a drawing book, & Tyler has his current reading book & a couple magazines inside their bags.

They typically keep them next to or behind their desk so they are not in the way at all. Even little Truman has a a bag (which he is very protective of). He gets rather upset when it is time for me to update his.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the Thirty-One Products. In fact I love their products so much I keep toying with the idea of becoming a consultant.

Our Library Area

2012-05-28T05:27:00.000-05:00

I have looked high & low for shelving or some kind of cubbies that would fit under the windows in our library area. Nothing would either fit or match our bookcases, until I found an IKEA hack on Pinterest. I purchases 2 of the tall skinny Billy bookcases & turned them on their side. Pinterest get’s major props for this one!

This one is all geography related & is sectioned by: World geo, basic geo, & US geo.

The other one is for some of our favorite short stories & themes. I also have a few quiet activities for the boys to do while I read aloud. I don’t really love the colorful bin assortments, but it keeps them organized by theme until I find something better.

All this gave me a lot more room on my other shelves – which meant I had to totally rearrange the shelves – YIKES!! This was a bit of a challenge & very time consuming, but here is was I came up with:

The shelf on the left holds all our history books. The top shelf is for Ancients (we haven’t studied them in-depth yet, so there aren’t many), the next shelf is Middle Ages & Renaissance & the rest are American History (our current study).

The middle bookcase holds all our science & nature books. The top shelf is astronomy, airplanes, & anatomy, the next shelf is ocean, then snakes & frogs, below that is nature books & botany, then there is a bug shelf (the black thing is going to be our bug collection), then next shelf holds all our varies animal books, and the last shelf is ALL our horse books.

The corner bookcases didn’t change much. The one on the left holds our reading books. I organized this mainly by reading level. I put the easies on the bottom (so the little boys could reach them) & the more difficult books on the very top. The other bookcase holds our art & music appreciation books, then our character & Bible study books & the last 2 shelves are for Pre-K & Kindergarten specific curriculum.

I found the cute little wagon at a garage sale & it holds all our Five in a Row books (& a few other favorites).

There are also 2 new additions to this area in our schoolroom. First – the rug. I found this for $50 at a flea market & I debated on getting it or not (I really wanted the entire US map rug), but I am so glad Big Daddy talked me into it. The boys LOVE it! They set up their forts & have battles – they each have a “territory”. It melts my heart when I overhear them playing & one says, “No, Texas & Mexico are my territory!” LOL

Last, but certainly not least is our new easel from Lake Shore Learning. First, I want to say – I LOVE IT. THEY LOVE IT. IT IS WORTH EVERY PRETTY PENNY IT COST. *I had to sell our pocket chart stand, A LOT of books, toys, curriculum, etc. to help pay for this. I also had a 20% off coupon – which helped quite a bit. I surfed the internet for hours looking for a good set-up for All About Spelling. Most of them were dry-erase boards on the ground (which is where ours has been in the past). This is a problem with a crawling baby & a mischievous 2 year old on the loose. I also needed storage for all their boxes & go-along materials. So, I bit the bullet & I am so glad I did. Originally I had our AAS set-up on the unlined side, but the boys were getting a little crazy with their BIG & small writing :) On the other side is Truman’s set up. The bigger boys use it every once-in-a-while for pocket chart activities & I also store their sight words at the top.

Our Language Arts & Art/Drawing Centers

2012-05-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

The more independent Tyler becomes, the more work he is doing on the computer. The past year we have really struggled with finding him an area he could spread out comfortably on while using the laptop. We looked at several options & decided on expanding out Expedit section.

The top section holds each of the boys’ binders, our dictionaries & thesaurus’, & writing materials.

Beneath are computer CD/DVD’s & craft bins.

To the right is our printer/copier, laminatorz, preschool packs, FIAR printouts, etc.

On the other side is our art/drawing center. I had little cubbies (from Big Lot’s) that fit perfectly inside to organize everything. The top 2 shelves have drawing books, paper, & notebooks. The bottom shelves have paint & stamping supplies.

The other cubbies are mostly language arts – letter activities, phonics, & thinking skills, etc.

I still have some organizing/re-arranging to do in this area, but at least now Tyler has plenty of space to spread out & get his work done.

Just a little rearranging & small changes in our school{barn}. . .

2012-05-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Something about our school{barn} just wasn’t flowing, but I just couldn’t pin-point it. After giving it some thought, I realized it was the “centers”/toys. The Lego’s & building area was on one side with the play kitchen area & the other toys were on the other side of the room. The boys were scattering all they “treasures” all over the room. I decided to move things around & this is what I came up with:

ALL of my boys love this table I got from IKEA. However, it just wasn’t wide enough for all of them to sit at at the same time so I purchased a second one to give them more space.

I also decided to moved my desk & Tara’s playpen around. I keep checking Craig’s List for a better desk, but so far I haven’t had much luck, but for now this will work.

I thought about cleaning my desk off, but I think I’ll keep it real for ya – this is how it looks by the end of every week. A fabulous DISASTER!

On a side note: Tara loves to play in her playpen! She is my first baby to actually stay in it without screaming fits. Eventually, I plan to fill it with plastic balls for her to play with, but I am waiting for her to loose interest in the current toys she has in there.

She is all over the play now – crawling & getting into everything – so I moved her play mat to the back of the schoolroom where there are more appropriate things for her to “discover”.

Best Days

2012-05-13T21:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I loaded all 5 kids & drove to TN to surprised my mom so I could spend Mother's Day with her. We had a wonderful day today - full of surprises! We got her the new iPhone 4s, did a little shopping, & then had a fabulous dinner. Then my "baby" sister blew us all away when she surprised us with her version of "Best Days" as her gift to our mom. Tears . . .

Our Building Center

2012-05-10T08:20:00.000-05:00

Since we don’t use our IKEA Trofast bins for “workboxes” anymore I decided to use them to organize our building center (mostly the Legos). I found these cool labels at (Yellow Mums), but I need a couple colors that weren’t included in the FREE download, so I messaged Laura at her Etsy shop - she was super sweet & not only made me the extra colors, but also custom labels for the rest of our building center. (*You gotta visit her Etsy shop! She has some VERY cute printouts!!)

The top half is devoted completely to Legos. Each of my boys have 2 shelves for completed projects & their own personal bin for their “work-in-progress.” We spent an entire day sorting Legos by color! One of my friends warned me that it would not stay this organized, but I have to tell you – they do a great job (on their own without any prompting) keeping it organized. In addition to the color coding, we also made a bin for instructions, Lego people, & Big Legos (for Truman; however, he his very close to needing his own bin as well.)

The bottom portion of our building center includes: gears, super structures, trains, tinker toys, wedgits, blocks, drill set, pegs, & lincoln logs.

This center is by far their favorite & most chosen 99% of the time. They spend hours in the floor building & creating & playing with each other. Priceless memories!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2012-05-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

Truman is currently learning the letter C & our theme is “caterpillars.” I have been so excited for this theme – we just love The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I set up his little area in our school{barn} with a felt mat & some books. He also has a few related books & activities inside his boxes.

I will be using Carissa’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar printouts, as well as several of the letter “C” printouts from Confession of a Homeschooler’s. Not to mention the plethora of idea’s I have pinned HERE.

We will also be including the Mustangs in on this one. For them I will be focusing more on number & color sight words, as well as the life cycle of a butterfly. We will be collecting as many different caterpillars as we can find & observing the different types of butterflies they turn into.

In addition to the letter “C”, Truman will be learning the color green & the same of a triangle. I have prepared a few trays & boxes for him: green rice, sand, & blubber (moon sand). The next row is play dough, colored pasta sorting, shape sorting transferring. The last row is a color green activities, letter box, stamping, & painting.

Truman usually spends 2-3 weeks on a theme & I know the bigger boys will not last that long on this, so with them I plan to follow up with a bug/garden/flower unit. (more on that soon hopefully)

Calendar & Morning Board

2012-05-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Are you ready to see all the changes that have been going on inside our school{barn}?

I just fell in love with this set-up in the Pottery Barn Kids Catalog.

But they were $100 . . . EACH

I really didn’t need a cork board & I have a HUGE chalkboard – It was the dry erase calendar board that caught my eye. I loved the old barn wood look, but still – $100?! I couldn’t do it. I really wanted to though.

Then I went to Canton Trades Day. And found the coolest frames!

I knew right away what I wanted to do with them.

I measured the frames, had Home Depot cut some dry erase boards to fit, did a little begging, pleading, & bartering with Big Daddy to put the dry erase boards inside the frames (not as easy as I imagined) & then I contacted Jessica who has an Etsy vinyl lettering design shop, Say It With Style. I sent her my ideas & a couple pictures & she did her magic. I however, did a lousy job applying the calendars – so I have to reorder another set to try again, but I could wait to show you.

But wait. It gets better. Wait for it . . . THEY OPEN!!

Inside the bigger door is our school store list on laminated poster board – fit perfectly. I haven’t decided yet what I am going to do on the smaller door ????

I LOVE THEM!

And they were not even close to $100!!!!

WARNING: Disaster Area!!

2012-05-04T04:25:00.001-05:00

I mentioned that I had been spending A LOT of time organizing my school{barn}…

I wasn’t lying when I said it was a total disaster area!

One Hundred Other Things . . .

2012-04-27T16:36:00.001-05:00

I did not purposefully abandon my poor little blog. I have just had at least one hundred other things that have stole my time. And I seriously have one hundred other things I should be doing right now, but my sweet girl …

… is sleeping & my boys are playing together …

This is a rare moment for me lately. Quiet.

I have done several photoshoots lately so I should be editing pictures, but I really wanted to pop in & update my blog. I still don’t have any intentions of completely quitting this blog, but motherhood & work on the side has taken top priority (leaving me with little options otherwise).

So what exactly have we been up to?

School. I’m going to be totally honest. School has been hard. Not “schooling” but school. Before I had Tara (ahem, 7 months ago) we were on such a fabulous routine & were really gettin’ ‘er done. Then I had a baby. I kept postponing our start date, holidays crept up on us, then my husband had a horrible gun accident. And it just kept seeming like something was in the way of school. We continued our enrichment classes & did most of our basic work, but not consistently. Suddenly, the flow of the schoolroom wasn’t working for us & I began to work on that. What I thought was going to be a quick update of our schoolroom turned into A LOT of work & took WAY longer than I anticipated. At one point in life, this slow-mo of school would have freaked me out & made me feel like a failure. I did struggle to be truthful, but I have learned to go with the flow. We are gradually easing our way back into a routine & getting more & more done each week. Sometimes it is a few steps forward & a couple backward – either way, we are enjoying this time together & I believe THAT is was is the most important. I have created a learning environment all over our property, house, & school{barn} so even when we aren’t “working” I trust my kids are still learning & I have learned to accept that at times. I have even stepped out of my type-A box & allowed a week lesson plan to take a couple weeks. I haven’t gone total “unschooler” on ya, but definitely relaxed more than I ever thought was possible. With that said, here is a glimpse into the last several weeks of our lives (& no, it isn’t pretty & scrapbooked).

Truman LOVES school:

My niece is Truman’s very best friend. He loves for her to do school with him, but he is not the nicest share-er.

We organized a field trip to our local dairy for our homeschool group.

Our schoolroom floor always looks something like this:

Saint Patrick’s Day was a lot of fun:

We finished our greenhouse!

The boys couldn’t resist the bunnies at the flea market right before Easter

Easter was a blast! We had a huge party at our house (3 egg hunts!!)

Tara’s first Easter Dress.

My brother-in-law got married & I was the wedding photographer (YIKES!)

And my handsome first born was the ring bearer.

We’ve enjoyed the sunshine at the park

My girly is getting so big & her brothers just adore her (still!)

This is life for us.

Canton, TX

2012-03-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

Nicki & I & our non-blogging friend Melissa (whose AWESOME Shabby Chic schoolhouse I will be to share her with you soon) ventured out to the largest flea market in the US. We had a BLAST! In fact, I’ve already got Big Daddy talked into going back for an entire weekend as a family. Yes, I said entire weekend! We got up before the sun even thought of coming out, drove 3 hours, started at sunrise, & walked until they shut ‘er down & STILL did NOT see it all. I would estimate we only covered half. And let me tell you – we booked it! We saw some fabulous antiques, amazing steals on our own projects, & fell in love with some delicious crafts & bling! I was totally bummed when half way into the day my battery went dead, resulting in several missed pictures :( I did manage to snap quite a few though! Here are my schoolroom finds . . .

LOVE IT!!

Caught Ya!

2012-03-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

Activity Bag Swap

2012-03-21T05:35:00.000-05:00

Nicki organized a Preschool Busy Bag Swap for our homeschool group & friends. It was a total success! There were 13 participants, so each family went home with 13 great new preschooler activities.

See all the great activities?

From top left:

*Rainbow and Bubble Gum pom-pom sort

Numbers with pony beads

Shape and color match

The Color Match Game

I Spy Bags

Build-a-Cupcake

*Links for colors and sequencing

Pony bead sorting and counting

Shoe lacing

Assorted card and activity games

Lacing shape match

ABC Wheel with matching clothespins

Paper clip and color swatch matching

Popsicle memory

I made these:

busy bag exchange

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

We had such a great turn out we decided to plan another swap. We organized 4 small groups of 5 this time (rather than one large swap) with themes & pre-picked activities & 3/4 of the groups are already full.

I am so excited!

It was like Christmas opening all the goodies!

Emergency Car Kit & Ouch Pouch

2012-03-20T05:20:00.000-05:00

I heart Pinterest! I actually gave it (& Facebook) up for Lent, but I’ve been working on some of the things I have pinned. This project was super easy! I just grabbed a wipe container, some scrap fabric, & an unused wetbag & then rummaged through our house for items to add to them.

Inside my car emergency kit are some fruit snacks (enough for me & all the kids), granola bars, sucker, pad, $21, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, mint, a pen, tweezers, fingernail clippers, & file, hair-tie, lip gloss, sunscreen, small baby spoon, diaper, wipes, Ziploc baggie & trash sack.

Inside my ouch pouch is adult, infant, & children’s Tylenol, Benadryl, syringes, suckers, Band-Aids, thermometer, & Neosporin.

I put these two kits in this reusable bag (which includes a mini thermal cooler – which is nice for medicines that have to be kept cool) & I also added 2 towels.

U.S. Maps

2012-03-19T05:04:00.000-05:00

Our school{barn} has had quite a few changes lately. One is this geography section. I fell in love with the pin maps at Montessori Print Shop. The first one on the top left is flags of the states, & the second map is the state names & capitals. I want to make the third map “animals of the U.S.” but I haven’t found any pre-made flags & haven’t had time to make my own yet. I just can’t help it - I have a small obsession with maps :)