Start Dreaming

What Does One Say?

2017-01-14T14:12:00.001-05:00

Wow... I honestly thought I was done with even trying to write on my blog anymore. I have missed it but my priorities don't allow for the freedom these days. I so wanted to do techie classes on here with our Raspberry Pi or to give web site tips but that's not happening. Due to different things in life I've stepped away from teaching outside my own kiddos. I was sad to do that. I was also relieved. Isn't that terrible? Feels terrible sometimes. I'm also (trying... really trying... it's a difficult skill to get away from...) getting away from web design.

Lately my time has been spent pretty close to home with family and friends. I'm getting more involved at our church and I have to say that has been hard! I'm so much better being a wallflower then I am amongst people. People make me nervous. Hehehhe... I feel much safer online in a virtual world because it's easier to avoid the messiness of... I dunno... Life? So sad... I need to not let life scare me away from doing life though right? Yah... I'm trying. Always learning is my thing.

So... There ya have it. I have a new to me tablet that I don't have to share with the kids (that's amazing in itself) and its reawakening old hobbies that I used to enjoy. Like blogging! I went to load up some apps and lookie-lookie, there's my old blogging app waving at me. Hmmmmm... We shall see... I've installed it. It does make it a lot easier try and blog again though. Tablets are more portable. Also more distracting.... Hehehe... It'll be a love-hate relationship. I'm sure.

Basic Introduction to Raspberry Pi

2015-04-09T10:48:00.000-04:00

For those who are unfamiliar with this little tiny computer. This is a Raspberry Pi:

To be specific this is a Raspberry Pi Model B. It has 512 MB of Ram. The SD card is the harddrive. It operates on a Linux based operating system (I use Raspbian, which is built on the Linux Operating System Debian Wheezy, most of the time) loaded on that little card. It connects to a monitor or TV via HDMI. There are 2 USB ports that you can use to connect a wifi adapter, keyboard, powered USB Hub, etc. Whatever you might need to operate this tiny computer.

There are several different styles of Raspberry Pi out there these days too. Here's a very BRIEF list of the differences in the boards:

Model A - Basic unit with 1 USB port and 256 MB Ram
Model B - 2 USB port and majority has 512 MB of Ram but some original boards only have the 256 MB Ram
Model A+ - has an increase in the GPIO pins from 26 to 40
Model B+ - increased GPIO pins from 26 to 40 and 4 USB ports
Raspberry Pi 2 - 1 GB of Ram (huge increase!) and 40 GPIO pins

You can read all about the little differences between each board on the Raspberry Pi Foundation - Models and Revisions page. My little list is more of a way for you to identify the difference between the boards by sight. Except the Model A and Model A+ or the Model B+ and Pi 2... They basically look the same.

What can someone do with this little thing? Well... you can make a private Minecraft Server (done that), a media center (done), webserver (want to do), retro game system (want to do) or any other number of things. Just do a search for Raspberry Pi projects to see the options. Be prepared to muttle through more than one tutorial to get your end result. Currently I am working on attaching my Pi to an old RC car and controlling it from my phone!! Amazing!!

Here are some of my favorite Raspberry Pi resources:

Raspberry Pi Foundation
MagPi Magazine
Adafruit Tutorials
Element 14 Community
(I won a Raspberry Pi 2 in one of their twitter competitions! LOVE IT!)

Notice: I am NOT affiliated or receiving any compensation from any
of the websites I have listed in this post as resources.

Change of Direction

2015-04-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have written about so many topics on this blog, why not add another one. Right? Lately I have been toying with the idea of teaching a few techie home school classes from my home. I recently taught one in a co-op we are part of. I had a lot of fun with it! I was so impressed at how many of the kids picked up on the information and really ran with it. But I really want to teach a class on the Raspberry Pi. I don't feel I am NOT an expert in this area at all. Actually most of the time I am seriously frustrated because I cannot find the exact information I am looking for.

So my blog... I am going to start compiling my notes and information here. Techie stuff... not just for me to organize my thoughts but so other people can learn too. Maybe. And someday I can have students reference here for their project details too. Maybe...

Free Snowman Printable Mad Lib

2014-02-14T11:41:00.000-05:00

We are trying to break up the monotony of our winter school hours with something a bit different. The kids all worked together to come up with a snowman story. After we all edited it a bit, they went back through and found all the parts of speech they could. (My oldest student and I had to help with the story editing to make sure we could get a good variety of parts of speech.) Then I took the story to the computer and put it together as a Mad Lib. Wooowho! They've had fun and learned things! We hope you enjoy this little Mad Lib game as much as we do!

Snowman Story - Mad Lib Style

Works on Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives

Next time I will have my older students transfer it to the computer instead of me doing all that work. This has been a fun project! I am not the best at grammar/parts of speech so I hope it is okay. Parts of the story are funny to us because of who added the sentence but I hope it makes sense for everyone else too.

Hahaha!

Free Valentine Copy Work Printable

2014-01-31T12:52:00.000-05:00

I put together some copy work sheets for a few of my kiddos so we could break away from the handwriting book for a bit. Sometimes something new can be fun... even if it is the same work. We will tie these in with looking up verses in the Bible and maybe use them as journal prompts too.

There are two different sets of worksheets. One is for K-2 and the other 3-5, but it really depends on your student as to which one you want to use.

Valentine Scripture Copy Work Gr 3-5

2013 - 2014 Free Lesson Planner!

2013-12-03T12:54:00.001-05:00

I have updated my Lesson Planner... actually it has been updated for quite a long time now. I am just now getting around to putting it HERE for everyone else! Ha! I'm so organized. (rolls eyes)

I love my lesson planner. I have it setup to record 3 students now! It has everything that I need to keep on track for the school year. There are planning sheets, areas to keep various records of progress or where improvement is needed, pages for reading lists, etc. I keep it all in a 3 ring binder. The kids know how to use it too so they can get started on a school day without me, if needed.

At any rate, here's the freebie version of the lesson planner.

Nice and simple! Love simple!
It does not contain all the great planning sheets the full version does, but it's still a really great tool.

If you would like the full version of my Lesson Planner, just click here.

FREE 2013-2014 Homeschool Lesson Planner

Lost Focus

2013-11-05T12:18:00.000-05:00

Well hello! I bet you didn't think you would see me here now did you? I didn't think I would see me here either. But here I am! I am amongst the living. If you want to keep up with me more, I suggest you follow my twitter account. Tweets are easy. I am going to be removing the facebook account for this blog soon though. I am just not a facebook fan for many reasons and I am so ready to move on.

Where am I moving to? Ahhh... well... for those who really want to know I am stepping away from the blog world. Not entirely. Not that I was ever "in" the blog world. Hehehee...

Blogging is hard to give up. Once you start it, it's in your blood. I will pop over here every now and again but over the past few months I began to realize what my struggle has been with blogging. Blogging isn't easy and the stand I have made with being as anonymous as possible with blogging only makes it more difficult. It was difficult to find time to blog and to figure out topics to blog. Since I have stepped back I have a LOT more free time. Amazing... what is this free time?

Any way... I should never have been blogging for the reasons I was in the first place. I was using blogging as a place to vent. I was writing for you and I was (mostly) writing for me. Neither of those are really good reasons in my book for what I have been writing. (Not that anything I have written has been monumental or anything...) I was writing to be known. I was writing to fit in.

Guess what I found out....

I AM known! I HAVE a place!

God knows me! I have missed this point. Drastically missed it....

I have now gone back to journalling and it's all between me and God. It is freeing! It is moving.... It is moving me in directions I never expected.

So I will continue to write every now and again. Nothing crazy... nothing exceptional either. Nobody may even be reading this now and I am totally okay with that. (Pst! The numbers don't matter! Stop checking your stats!!!) Hehehee... I do want to cover a few topics though and if I ever get the time, I will. For now... my time is precious and I am holding it close to my family.

Take care!
Have a great week!!

Hmm... I think I need to make a new label: Why I DON'T Blog.... ah well...

Changing it up...

2013-07-15T07:17:00.000-04:00

After prayer and a nice blogging break, I have decided that I am going to continue blogging but not in the same way I was and things will be changing around here. Happy to have found a happy medium in my world!

I will be back! Working on some "behind the scenes" changes is all. Hoping to pull this all off but I know that life will get in the way. Hehehe... Life is good at that. Wouldn't have it any other way though.

Blogging Back-Burner

2013-06-03T23:43:00.004-04:00

Welp... it's official! I am not really a daily blogging kind of person. Life is just in my way. I want to be a daily blogger! I find it fun, relaxing and interesting! I've been reading more about blogging even. I am just not sure how much further it can all fit in my life though.

See life is kind of crazy. Lot's of work and little play. It's okay though! I know why my husband and I are working so hard. There are 2 huge goals we are working towards. Paying off debt and a so totally awesome vacation that I am so excited about!!! This is a big thing for us! We can't afford things like this on a regular bases. Yearly we struggle just to get to a camp ground or something. I want our kids to have a chance for more travel. Travel is fun! I just know that we can't.... Except this year we are taking the plunge. I am praying that it doesn't all fall to pieces in front of us though.

At any rate... I am so thankful we are all finally healthy again. The weather in the area has been fluctuating a lot and I think it just lead to us getting sick. It seems like everyone had a bit of something different. It's nice to have the energy to get done what I set out to do each day. It is a bummer that I am so far behind right now, but the kids are working hard with me and we are getting caught up again. They have been so awesome through all of this! I feel like time is slipping past so quickly. They have grown up so much this year.

Before I become a big sentimental puddle, I'm going to call it a night. I hope to blog again another day but I just let you know now that this blogging is on the back-burner for me. As well as photography, reading and almost all other things that I find a lot of fun. I am working at keeping our coupons straight and the sewing machine humming. I need to have a bit of something fun to do.

Take care!
Dee

Zero!

2013-05-01T00:07:00.002-04:00

Oh my… I thought a had a post started for today. I thought it was something like Ground Zero or the likes. It was about my tomatoes and how the garden was ground zero. Argh… I cannot find the post. I do believe my mind made it all up. It was just a dream.

So I have Zero… Nothing… Notta… Zilch. It’s too late for my brain to work on anything. Last post of the #AtoZChallenge and I bomb out on it. Nice….

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter X for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Yawn

2013-04-29T23:16:00.001-04:00

Pesky thing… Yawning… The kids recently asked me, “why do I yawn after I see someone else yawn?” And you know what, I have not a clue why. I decided to do a bit of research. Do you know how hard it is to not yawn while researching yawning?

I found an article that mentioned yawning was a way to expel large amounts of carbon dioxide. Another article talked about it being a way to cool off the brain. Both of articles talked about no one having any idea what yawning was really for either. Sheesh…

I also noticed in an article (linked here) that yawning could be an emotional/subconscious response. In a nut shell the article was saying that yawning is a form of empathy. I guess it's been found in studies that autistic children do not "catch" a yawn like other people do because they do not have empathy.

Do you happen to know why we yawn? Why is it so contagious?

Yawnnnnn… It’s time for me to answer the call of my yawn and get some sleep.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here
This is Letter Y for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

X is a Wonderful Thing!

2013-04-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

I was trying to figure out what word started with X that I could write about today. I couldn’t. I have been thinking on it for awhile too. My little list of possibilities has been what has gotten me through the #AtoZChallenge! Well… X had me stumped. Until I noticed a trend on my list. Every time I got a post written up I would cross it off with nothing other than a X. Eureka!

A X is a wonderful thing! I can count how many projects I’ve completed with each X I see throughout the day. X makes me feel a bit more organized and accomplished.

(I wish my list was THIS short everyday! No real list was hurt in the production of this post. I made up pseudo lists especially for today.)

At times I end up making my stress relieving X with whatever I may have on hand. I cannot tell you how many times a crayon has bailed me out.

So enjoy the letter X! Embrace it even! Bring it into your home and change the way you feel everyday. I think I may be getting a little slap-happy with this A to Z Blog Post Challenge.

What would you write about with the letter X as your inspiration?

I think I was more excited about working on the photos for this post than the actual post. It was fun to dust off my camera. Even for something as simple as a list with a X on it.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here
This is Letter X for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

W is for Writing

2013-04-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

Everyday. Maybe I should have W is for Wow! I am just shocked that I have been writing almost everyday for a month. This #AtoZChallenge is pretty amazing.

Now how do I keep writing everyday? Do I want to continue writing everyday? Part of me wants to keep writing everyday and another part of me is looking forward to not having to worry about writing everyday. (Oh… W could be for Worry! We just talked about worrying too much in our devotions this morning.) This writing everyday on my blog has helped me look at my blog in a different light. I may have some new ideas and directions for it. I just don’t know if I can pull it off.

The reason I am torn on writing everyday is because I really just don’t have the time to write everyday. I want to write. I want to do more with this blog but if I let it take over too much than my other priorities slip to the wayside. I can’t let that happen.

So I really have not helped myself much here at all. Continue striving to write everyday? Give myself a break and stop? I am pretty sure that I can come up with something to write about everyday but finding the time. Balance… Something I do not have but I am working toward it.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter W for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Vemma Equals Vitamins

2013-04-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

I am a fan of Vemma. It is a liquid vitamin. Before I go any further though a few disclaimers:

I am not a doctor. You should speak with your doctor about any medically related questions you may have that include adding a vitamin to your diet. Be careful of food allergies, even in vitamin supplements.

I do not sell this product nor am I getting any kick back for talking about this product. I do have an advertisement for this product on my page but this is not part of that advertisement package. I was already using the product before I took on that advertisement.

There… Done with that mess. Now, about this liquid gold! I don’t know all the technical jibber-jabber to make it sound awesome. I am just a mom who started using it and found out who well it worked!

Vemma is a supplement in liquid format. The adult version of this taste a bit like pineapple, coconut yummy. The children's version (pictured here) is very much like orange juice. The fantastic little Verve in the photo is an energy drink combo of Vemma that will keep you going all. day. long.

I am a firm believer in variety in your diet is key too good health. Adding a supplement can help but it shouldn’t be something you rely on for good health. With Vemma being a liquid the body has an easier time absorbing all the goodies. That is a plus in my book!

Do you remember reading about some issues one of my kiddo's has been experiencing? Cyclic vomiting syndrome, IBD, colitis and now some weird thing I can't even pronounce let alone spell. Well, I am pretty sure that Vemma is helping my kid be more normal. Somehow it soothes the guts and it has definitely boosted them out of anemia. It is such a joy to see this kid up and running! Keep up with siblings! And keeping their head out of a bucket.

I love that I can read and understand what is IN Vemma too. Especially the section listing no artificial flavors, colors, gluten free and NO GMO! Woowho! Triple score! The kids have been very healthy this winter. I hope that they can continue that route. Even if one of them seems to have a body that wants to fight itself off. Vemma helps but I knew that it wouldn’t make everything perfect. I am thrilled with what I believe it has done for the kids though. You can learn more about the products by clicking the little rotating ad in my sidebar of clicking right here.

Do you use an vitamins at your house? Have anything to recommend?

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter V for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

U is for Umbrella

2013-04-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

I never have them when I need one and when I do happen to have one it’s usually broken. Even a broken umbrella can help get back into a locked car though! That’s always good. Other than that I am almost to the point of NOT getting another umbrella. Do you have one that you can recommend? I find the ones that look like animals are super cute. I would love a great big umbrella that is clear. Matches everything! Right?

There are so many styles of umbrellas too. The enormous ones that will not hang off a stroller to save your life. The star wars kind that pop up and open like a saber. (These never get used for their real purpose around here so I try and avoid those now. Hehe…) The tiny pocket ones that I can’t even fit under alone and should never consider myself and four kids huddling under.

Maybe I should just get everyone their own personal poncho. Nothing beats a giant plastic trash bag in a monsoon. I could keep them in my purse like everything else.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This mindless post is for my Letter U in the #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Tomatoes

2013-04-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

Tomatoes… I have quite a few of them growing inside right now. The weather outside is too goofy for me to move them out! I am anxious to get them outside though. Very excited to have all the rain fall happening this year that is breaking our drought! I am a bit worried that maybe too much rain is falling and maybe everything will be too wet and too little sun for the plants to even grow. I think it will all work out in the end though. I am hoping that it will. I have even picked up a few new products to try with my tomatoes too!

Alas.. this day has gotten away from me and I had no energy to take pictures of the products that night. So I got the post up and added the photos below the next day.

I am going to be trying out a torch (this one is a mini one) for weed killing and I picked up some organic fertilizer to give my garden a boost. This fall I want to plant a cover crop instead. I did not know about it before though.

This post is linked up to Tuesday Garden Party!

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter T for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

S is for Spreadsheet

2013-04-22T21:02:00.000-04:00

Spreadsheets. Love ‘em, hate ‘em but always use ‘em. I have my homeschool lesson planner in a spreadsheet, I tally up coupons using a spreadsheet and right now I am working on an awesome menu planner in a spreadsheet. There are times that I love creating monstrosity formulas just to see them do something. I know that a huge formula isn’t the answer to getting everything done though. They are just fun! The only way I have learned algebra and higher math are with spreadsheets.

I love ‘em! Do you?
What is your favorite spreadsheet project that you have ever created?

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter S for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Queen for the Day with Rest

2013-04-21T22:32:00.000-04:00

Welp… I got all messed up this weekend. Right now I am sitting here watching a Hallmark movie. I love Hallmark movies! They make me cry sometimes. This one is REALLY good and REALLY distracting.

At any rate, I need to try and catch up with my #atozchallenge! I had a HORRIBLE migraine starting on Friday and finally leaving me very late on Saturday. When it left though I was left with Vertigo. Not overwhelmingly awful Vertigo but just enough to be annoying. I have not had the weekend I planned to have of being Queen for a Day and lots and lots and lots and lots of Rest! I did get the Rest but not the Queen. Hehe… And actually it’s not really a Queen thing it’s just that I have adjusted our schedule to accommodate me not performing a chore on Saturday or Sunday. I did this to help me with my feelings of being overwhelmed. Headaches and Vertigo do not help with feelings of overwhelmed. At all. Just in case you didn’t know that.

So… My plan is to make Saturday a mommy rest day. I don’t put chores on my Saturday to do list but instead fill it with things that I have been wanting to get to all week! Things like sewing, creating flower clips for my Etsy shop (I need to add more… that was something I was going to do this Saturday), taking pictures, playing a favorite computer game, etc. I try not to do things like vacuuming, making breakfast or lunch (I so wear out of making 3 meals a day! One of my toughest chores.), lesson plans, etc. Sunday is saved for lesson plans, meal planning, etc. I would use Sunday as my day of rest but by the time we get home most of the day is gone. I have recently found it so rewarding and enlightening to use a WHOLE day just for what I want to do instead of part of a day.

Queen for a day! I get to do what I want and rest. Amazing the amounts of rest that can occur even when working on something. Usually if it’s something you really love to work on. I did not get that this week due to having the world knocked out from under me. Literally at times. I hate trying to walk in a fun house. Maybe this coming Saturday I can try again. Yay!!

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter Q and R for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Postponing Q....

2013-04-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

Howdy all!

Due to a massive headache my Q post will be late. I will post it tomorrow because I honestly have an idea but I could not get to it today with a nutty schedule and this head of mine. I am off to sleep in hopes this headhche will go away.

Thanks for understanding!

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

Tame Your Passwords!

2013-04-18T16:00:00.001-04:00

I have more Internet accounts than you can shake a stick at. Are you familiar with this? I blog, tweet, facebook, email (times 5), I coupon, MyPoints, Swagbucks and more. How in the world does one person keep track of all of these passwords PLUS I keep track of some of my kids passwords and some of my clients. EEP! Password overload!

I used to keep a journal book that I could just write on the next page. There was no order. Did you get that? 500 million passwords, site addresses and user names in no specific order. I hated it when my brain would not recall the password I needed. Usually added another 10 min to any project I was working on. ARGH! Just thinking about it makes me want to stop what I am doing and work on something else. (That's usually what I did too!)

I do not like keeping passwords on my computer, phone, browsers, etc. I've seen how people can be hacked. It's NOT pretty. Your underwear drawer is safer than your computer. Well.. at least mine is safer. No, I don't keep my computer passwords there, it was just a statement.
At any rate! I picked up this little beauty of a book called "The Personal Internet Address & Password Log Book" and I am a happy camper! You can get it from Amazon! Mailed to you! Can you remember your Amazon password?

(bangs head on desk)

All my sites, user names (most in code because I can remember a code... wait... can't I?!) and passwords in alphabetical order and I keep it handy for when I need it. I try not to take it out of the house with me. After you take off the front cover of the journal it's a very unassuming little book though. My kids still can't figure out what they are looking at... "You need me to bring you what? I don't see any red book (insert exact location). Where do I look again?" Nevermind... I'll just get it myself... First I tell the kid who is hunting to stay put though and then I walk in to pick it up from right in front of them.
See... no one would ever find it! I have proof. Leave it in plain sight.
Sigh!

This post contains an affiliate link that may give me a small commission. Woowho! Love those!

This is also linked up to the Welcome Home Wednesdays Linkup from Raising Arrows, Works for Me Wednseday from We Are That Family and it’s my Letter P for my #AtoZChallenge in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

Overwhelmed… I am… I was…

2013-04-17T22:31:00.001-04:00

O is for Overwhelmed. I felt it today! I tried to fight it and sort of lost and than regained my lost ground by prioritizing. That is my biggest weapon against feeling overwhelmed. Reprioritize. My other weapon is to grab the phone and call up my buddy! (@SuzyQOle! Help!) Beyond that I was a bit lost. My kids could see that I was struggling though and recommended I check out a few sessions at a homeschool conference I was attending. (They really did it in a nice way! I was touched that they were trying to help!) One of the sessions I attended was by Michelle from the Above Rubies ministry team. I didn’t know much about Above Rubies or Michelle but her topic was 10 Exits off of Overwhelmed Highway. One exit would be good for me, but 10? I’m on board.

When I entered the class I took my usual seat in the back. The classroom filled up quickly. The session didn’t start out all that awe-striking. I did not get a bunch of Ah HA moments throughout either. I was kind of let down. I did (almost unknowingly) take notes and brought those home. Maybe because the whole thing was my last session and I was just in shock mode over all that I learned? I don’t know. At any rate, I didn’t think it all made that much of a difference.

This week and half since than I have realized that I did learn more in that session than originally thought! Little statements and phrases Michelle said have stuck with me and I have applied them. Today, not so well. But here are a few that REALLY stuck with me and have helped in some instances:

- Who told you to do all of that?
I am already big at re-prioritizing my schedule often when I get flustered but this statement has really caused me to rethink whatever I start to get upset about in a big way. Who told me that I had to get the kitchen cleaned, dishes done, living room swept, dining room mopped, all of the bathrooms cleaned and full day of homeschooling in at the same time? Yah… me… and why would I think I could manage all that? Silly me… What REALLY needs done? Do that…

- Work on ONE thing that is bothering you
And get it done… just having this one thing will make your day seem better. My mom has always told me, “just go clean your kitchen sink. Right now. You will feel better with a clean kitchen sink.” Sounds silly doesn’t it? But it works! Just cleaning my kitchen sink sometimes makes the rest of what I need to get done fall into place.

- Stop, Drop and Roll
I loved this analogy!
Stop what you are doing
Drop the useless attitude
Roll onto the next project!

She even recommended that I should change the focus of my day to someone, anyone and do something nice for them. So instead of getting worked up about so many little things I should plan something nice for someone else. Of course that does help put me in a better mood! It sure is hard to do sometimes…
- If there is too much going on, focus on one thing.

This ties into the focusing on someone else a bit too. Really focusing on just getting dinner done instead of the million other little things might be all I can get done in a day sometimes. I should focus on that because it brings the family together though. It does help!

So what do you do when you get freaked out, overwhelmed? I still have a long way to go with this. Today was a good example to me of what not to do. The past few hours have soothed me back into reality and I have a list ready for the whole week to get me through the craziness. I know a list! So stagnant and rigid. I need this right now though. That way I don’t try and focus on something that will get me no where and I end up frazzled again. Here’s hoping it works!

(Totally funny! The song “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is playing as I finish up this post too. Ha! Perfect timing!)

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter O for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

What Should I Write Now?

2013-04-16T22:33:00.001-04:00

No words? Nothing? I am having another letter with an issue here. Just like my forget it post I am tempted to say, “I got nothing.” Instead I turned to my kids and asked them. I told them about my blog posts that I am working on and how it works with letters of the alphabet. They thought the whole idea was very interesting and told me to write an entire post about… are you ready? Here is what I am supposed to write about:

Naps

That’s right! From my children who have hated to take a nap since the age of 2 I am not hearing that they want ME to focus more on naps. I have begged for a nap time before. I may just turn back to them tomorrow and tell them to write a paper for me about WHY NOT NAP? Yah… what do you think of that? I think the world would be a better place if everyone was to take a nap. Maybe even a few times each day. One nap a day for everyone and another nap during the day for just kids so the adults have a chance to finish something. Like their #atozchallenge posts on time.

I think I may take a nap tomorrow. To try and help my sanity.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter N for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Overcoming Mommy Madness

2013-04-15T22:50:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard of it? I am inflicted with it. I have recently found a small amount of relief for it but have also found that it’s still really easy to give into the disease. Mommy madness (to me) is defined as a mom (me) who gets mad either easily or often. When I PMS I am consumed by mommy madness. It is embarrassing and frustrating to me and my entire family. It is not pretty.

I try to make light of my “Mommy Madness” but trust me, it is nothing to make light of. If you have never experienced it before, yeehaw! I am so excited for you and I encourage you to keep it up! If you have experienced the madness of yelling, crying, apologizing and repeating more than you care to admit… well… can I just offer you a hug? A completely non-judgmental hug. We all have our baggage to deal with and I understand that. Let’s support each other and find ways to help each other around that baggage!

I knew I needed to work on things but a major warning bell for me was when my kids were helping me pick out my sessions for the amazing homeschool conference I was able to attend. Several of the sessions they picked while looking over the list had to do with being overwhelmed. What really impressed me though was how lovingly my own children presented it to me. I was brought to tears because they wanted to help me and realizing that they couldn’t/didn’t fully understand how to help me they prompted me to seek help with someone else. Blew my mind. Broke my heart.

How did I start? Before the this conference I had already started by openly discussing my feelings with my kids. I was careful on some details of my feelings because it may have involved their father, grandparents, etc and they didn’t need the gory details. A simple, “Mommy is frustrated with someone else but that gives me no right to take it out on you.” Was all they needed to relate. I soon began to hear my kids say these words! They were recognizing that they were angry but it was at a situation and not the person in front of them. Baby steps….

1. I want MY TIME, to do MY THING, to BE ME. Now, don’t get me wrong “me time” has it’s place but not in the selfish manner I was hunting it down. Constantly hunting for my time made me resent my children. If I resent them, than of course their “interruptions” will make me mad. I seem to struggle with this concept a lot or at least once a year. I need to remember this from my Standing Up Straight post.

(Click the image for full size. Adjust printer settings to landscape for printing on one page.)

2. I need to accept who I am and where I am going. Sounds simple enough but I’ve been fighting my purpose a lot lately. I have chosen a purpose of homeschooling my kids and I need to respect that, not fight it. Homeschooling has been moved up in my priority list. I have always had it pretty high on my list but now it’s even more so. Attending this conference made me see how I’ve let other things take over and how school was creeping into the back seat. I even let myself slide into the idea that I could “send my kids to school” and be okay with that. Wow… I heard the statistic that kids in schools spend 14,000 hours away from there families between kindergarten to high school. I don’t want to miss that much time with my kids. Personally, I didn’t like spending that much time behind a desk as a kid either. Don’t some of us get enough time behind a desk as adults?

3. Sleep! Oh my… I need more sleep! I no longer let myself take my laptop upstairs (except on weekends). I can have my phone and/or tablet but no more laptop. This makes me go to bed earlier and I get more sleep. More sleep equals a much more peaceful momma! This works for me.

4. Family devotions! This is another priority I have let slip away and I am picking it up again and running with it. The kids are enjoying devotions and I am learning a lot about them and myself. Silly to me that I did not do this every day before. Very silly.

5. Turning around being overwhelmed to productive. I attended a session at the GHC conference that was recommended by my kids. They only chose it for the title and at first I thought it would just be basic information that I already knew but it really made a difference! I will write more about it later though with my letter O post in the #atozchallenge. I see the clock and my phone alarm has gone off, I need to get to bed.

I hope something in this post may have helped you along the way or at least encouraged you in some way!

I don’t have to a mad mommy.

None of us do really.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter M for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Library - Best Online Tip!

2013-04-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

L is for Library! I love that my kids are so into reading now. It took some of them awhile but now I cannot get them to stop reading. The hard part for them is waiting. Waiting to get to the library again for the next book in their series. Well, I'm trying to be the good mom and I try to get their next books put on hold for them so they will be ready when they are done. I love that our library lets us put books on hold and will get them all ready for checkout at any library we choose. Makes me feel more like a super hero mom!

The hardest part about the whole process is figuring out WHAT the next book is in a series. Our library system is awesome but they do not list books in series or post books in order of their series on their website. (insert silent scream) I have one kid reading at least five different series! I can't even keep up with my own passwords, let alone my kids series of books.

Well, I found a gem! I contacted the library and gave them my whole sob story of how I couldn't figure out the next book in this series and needed help. (I need a lot of help! This is just an area that someone could actually help me.) It sounded more like a therapy letter. My letter got forwarded around a bit but someone finally had an answer. I think I should be more embarrassed because of how many people read my letter but it just goes to show that maybe I'm not the only one with this problem.

The gem is ANOTHER library's online catalog that actually figured out how to post a series of books: Take a look at Juvenile Series and Sequels Database.

(insert flashes of light and singing angels)

This library catalog allows you to search by series! You can either look over an expansive list of books or type in the series that you are hunting through. I love that it even gives you a picture of the books too! (Visual person here...)

They have it figured out! If this is your library, can you go and hug the web-master for me? Just tell them ~~the crazy lady on the internet~~ I told you to. I think they will understand. You might want to make sure of any security cameras in the vicinity and locate all your exits first.

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter L for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Killing Weeds

2013-04-12T23:43:00.000-04:00

I have been spending a lot of my “spare time” searching for ways to rid my garden of pesky weeds. Ha! Like I have spare time? At any rate… weeds… I want to kill them! (insert crazy-maniac-evil laugh here)

My husband has helped as much as he can with the weeds that infest my garden each year. The crazy thing is that the weeds aren’t IN the garden really. Horrible, terrible weeds that prick and poke grow AROUND the garden! ARGH! Mulching all around the garden has not helped as much as I had hoped that it would either. Soooo… I am on the hunt. How to better kill the weeds that attack me each year around the garden. Any ideas?

I have tried vinegar but I think I need a more acidic solution. Bleach did not seem to work well last year either. (Did I mention I lean towards the organic side of things? Don’t mention round-up… YUK!) I am going to try spreading borax around the house to prevent creepy crawlers from coming in more than I want but I am not sure it would help much with weeds. I am considering a little burn torch like the Red Dragon here, but fire makes me a bit nervous. Especially around flammable plants, mulch and raised beds. EEP! The idea of watching those nasty weeds wither from a touch of flame is strangely exhilarating though!

Find all my April Blogging from A to Z Challenge Posts Here

This is Letter K for my #atozchallenge
If you want to see more of the A to Z Blog Hop Challenge, click here!

Notice: There is an affiliate link in this post. I may get something if someone purchases this torch using this link. Most likely not but you have been warned. Heehehe!