It’s that time again! Time for me to hook up with iHomeschool Network for 10 in 10. This week’s topic was Top 10 must haves and I have narrowed my focus to just my Top 10 Homeschooling Chaos Tamers. I have two “school aged” kiddos and two under 4. There is a lot of chaos. Some things only work for a brief time, some are too messy to be taken out too often, but all of them have bought me time and a little peace to get us through the day.

1. Dish Soap and Cookie Sheets – In a pinch, I’ll mix up some dish soap bubbles in a pitcher and scoop out bubbles onto a tray to let the babies scoop, stir, and pop the bubbles. If it’s warm outside, I set them on the back deck where I can see them. If it’s cold or rainy, then I my floor just gets clean too. Double win.
2. Bathtub – almost everyone has one already right? I know you shouldn’t let little ones in there unattended! Hold a read aloud in the hall way while the little ones color the tub and walls without water in there. You can get really fancy and let them paint with paint brushes and shaving cream. They can doodle away and when they are all done you can run the water and wash it away.
3. Puzzles- We have a stash of wooden chunky puzzles and thick card board ones. I’ve been astonished to see my 3 year old start tackling her sister’s 100 piece “big girl” puzzles. On a good day I can get almost an HOUR of peace by bringing them out.
4. Blocks – These may be Legos, wooden blocks, Mega Bloks, or foam blocks. Anything that can be stacked, and subsequently knocked down.
5. Clear Packing Tape and old boxes – My girls love to save cereal boxes, oatmeal tubes, Amazon boxes and more. Reassemble them with some clear packing tape and you have super duper uber mega awesome blocks!
6. Pool Noodle Beads and Rope- Pool noodles cut surprisingly easy and combined with some cotton clothesline rope you end up with the super cool giant bead set! No worries about choking with these beads! Off season or can’t get a hold of a pool noodle? Grab your old foam rollers (oh, you know you have some somewhere… ) and cut them up. Pair them with shoestrings or pipe cleaners.
7. Dry beans and scoops – I keep two bags of these in a shoebox tubs with some old measuring spoons and condiment cups. I usually set the shoebox tub on a craft tray, or cookie sheet, to reduce the beans on the floor.
8. Mason Jars and craft sticks – This was our most loved new addition to the toddler corner this year. Some nail holes in the lid and some craft sticks from the dollar store for the WIN! These are a tad bigger than a tooth pick but are NOT pointy. More like colored matchsticks without the flammable end.  I only give them about twenty sticks at a time.    
9. Pom Pom Balls and Plastic tubs – This was another winner this year. I’m pretty sure I found this on another blog but I can’t remember where!! (If it’s your blog let me know and I’ll add credit to this post).  This was a clamshell package that held apple slices. I have recreated it with butter tubs but Lil Man really prefers to see the pom poms fill up the container. Create a hole in the top and hand them some poms. Lil Man would sit for almost an hour pushing the balls through the lid, dumping them out, and starting over.  
10. Old Wrapping Paper – Unroll the paper, decorated side down, across the kitchen floor and toss out some crayons, pencils, or chalk. My little ones love to doodle and crawl around on the floor creating all kinds of scenes.

What do you do to keep your little ones busy? I’d love some new ideas for next year. Did you see my Top Ten Homeschool Websites Post from our first 10 in 10 week? (Wondering what happened to my Student Anxiety posts? yea, me too… sorry y’all, the holiday messed me all up. It’ll be back next week!)

Be sure to click the graphic above to check out what the other homeschooling ladies are sharing and give some love below to Angie, the creative lady that started it all.

This blog hop is inspired by our dear friend and sister Angie of Many Little Blessings. We would love to have you join us during our ten week adventure. Please link up at Angie’s blog by clicking the image below.

I’m joining 35 other bloggers for a 10 in 10 series! Over the next ten weeks, every Tuesday, I’ll be posting my top ten list. This week, I’m sharing my 10 Must Have Homeschool Websites!

I tried to dig a little deeper in my bookmarks to share sites that are commonly shared but are wonderful none the less!

1. Worksheet Works - This site has a TON of free, semi-customizable, worksheets on a variety of subjects! It says it is in Beta testing, so I’m assuming once it’s complete it may go the way of SuperTeacherWorksheets and start charging but they might surprise me!  I’m going to keep using them for as long as I can! Personal fav: Logic worksheets!
2. Homeschool Share - This site has great unit studies, lapbooks, and studies that follow the FIAR curriculum. Recently added to include FREE typeable lapbook templates for blog subscribers.
3. File Folder Fun - This is one site I used for our Creation Lapbook and our Math Offices.  Great resource for file folder games, a resource we loved when we worked the Workbox System.
4. Notebooking Fairy - I’m fairly new to notebooking (so if anyone wants to mentor this newbie I’d really love to give this a more sincere try!). The Notebooking Fairy is impressive with her pages and offers! What I love most is that she is taking suggestions! She loves feedback and requests.
5. Learning Page -I used this a lot with the younger grades, and will use it again when Bubbagirl gets older. I loved the themed sets that covered multiple subjects. One year we had a full dinosaur “mural” in our hallway thanks to Learning Page.
6. This Day in History - This site is a more recent find, but I love how they list the subjects along the side so you can easily find a variety of news stories.
7. ABC Teach - This is another site that has a free option and a membership option.  I found it while looking for field trip ideas. They have some really cool field trip checklists, worksheets, and forms. They have other cool freebies, like this Family Activity Planner for checking out your neighborhood.
8. School Express - This site has 16000 + free worksheets, free make-a-quiz, free make-a-shape-puzzle, as well as very affordable thematic eWorkbook units.
9. Super Teacher Worksheets - As I mentioned in #1, Super Teacher Worksheets is pretty cool. I was sad to see it move to a membership site; however, being a self hosted blog I understand the cost that is involved in maintaining a site like Super Teacher Worksheets. The membership fee is $20, so next year I may trade my Enchanted Learning membership for this one. (Enchanted Learning was great with the younger grades for us!)
10. TLS Books - From preschool to 6th grade, TLS books provides free resources that cover a variety of subjects including foreign language! Make sure to check out Dragon’s Daily Drill!

This blog hop is inspired by our dear friend and sister Angie of Many Little Blessings. We would love to have you join us during our ten week adventure. Please link up at Angie’s blog by clicking the image below.
 

This is part two, of a five-part series, on easing anxiety in students. Subscribe to Chaos Appreciation through your favorite reader or email and guarantee you don’t miss anything!  

In part one of our series, we made Homemade Stress Balls. They worked well and fit in my purse nicely for car trips and waiting rooms. This week I am going to show you how to make your own DIY Zen Garden.  I recently saw the original style zen garden with wooden rake and bag of sand at the dollar store. I like our homemade version because the seeds give an entirely different texture for kids, it can eventually be repurposed into bird food, and sand is messy. I avoid sand.

DIY Zen Garden

I never really understood the purpose of those boxes full of sand until I had one. It sat on my desk and gave me endless hours of momentary relief. **Dear Past Bosses, I did not spend HOURS consecutively. It was little 15 second increments of time that prevented me from behaving in unprofessional ways.**

Supplies

• Birdseed ( Quinoa, Barley, Grits, or Rice work also)
• Tray, mine was from chinese take out
• Old forks
• Rocks, Pebbles, Shells

Directions

1. Pour seed into tray.
2. Bend tines of fork into a rake. I planned on using a tool of some kind but Mr. just used his hands.
3. Add Pebbles
4. Enjoy!

Check out iHomeschoolNetwork to see other’s participating in The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

In my life this week…

This week, we spent some time helping my mom get settled in her new apartment. To be specific, we hooked her up with Netflix and Hulu Plus and then dumped three of the four kids on her so I could grocery shop. The Hello Mornings challenge began this week, I was a little late getting up but didn’t fall behind.

In our homeschool this week…

Compared to last week, we accomplished diddly squat. We played with water beads. They inevitably ended up all over the kitchen floor (hundreds of them), then all over the back deck. The deck would be where the small kiddos decided to squish them under their feet like wine makers in Italy! Just and FYI, squished water beads feel eerily similar to stepping on slugs. We did some more workbook practice to get ready for our tests. As a treat, today we watched Creatures that Defy Evolution on Netflix. I think there was more detail about animals in that show than any other nature show I’ve ever seen. We now know how a giraffe keeps from blowing his brains out.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Keep it simple. I’m drowning in homeschool stuff… supplies, books, eBooks, papers, glue, boxes, games…..  I really need to step back, declutter this mess and go back to basics.

I am inspired by…

Sadly, I’m not very inspired this week. It’s “that” week…the one where my pants don’t fit and I cry a lot. I feel the need to purge everything from clothes to extra curtains. Maybe we could just say I’m inspired by whacked out hormones.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We headed out yesterday for our final Activity Day with our homeschool group. Doodlebug finished her skirt, Taderbug learned how to eat with the Queen, and I helped my 3/4-year-old class make bear faces while reading The Three Bears.

My favorite thing this week was…

Answering the door to find the UPS man handing me a PSP Vita that I didn’t buy. It seems hubby really did win the Taco Bell contest!

What’s working/not working for us…

Time management and stuff management have been a big fail this week.

Questions/thoughts I have…

When you decide that something isn’t working for you this year for school do you pass it on or pack it away in case it works with a different child in another year?

Things I’m working on…

Growing this blog, trying to be more diligent in what I’m writing and when I’m posting. Sticking to the family budget is still a challenge. Planning for our vacation next week.

I’m reading…

Still reading my Bible (#hellomornings).

I’m cooking…

I cooked up some crock pot chicken and froze it! Today I browned up five pounds of ground beef, made spaghetti sauce with some and froze the rest. I love pre-prepped dinners.

I’m grateful for…

My mom making it safely up the mountain with her stuff and everyone who helped to get her stuff moved into her new place!

I’m praying for…

those who don’t ask.

Don’t forget to head over to iHomeschoolNetwork to check out the other journal posts!

**I am continuing my SOAP Study with Wednesday in the Word, hosted by Samantha at Sam’s Noggin**

Scripture

James 5:16
(NIV1984)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Observation

I am quick to offer prayer. I will jump to be the first to say “Praise the Lord” at your good news. I am getting better at remembering to praise God first when I experience His Blessings.  I keep my own needs to myself. Sometimes, if a friend senses a need and says they are going to pray for me, I feel guilty that they are wasting their precious prayers on me instead of a more worthy cause.  Maybe I don’t ask for prayers because I know prayers bring answers and answers bring change and change brings fear.

Who am I to say my private prayers are enough?

Who am I to hide my sins, shortcomings, and needs as if I have none?

It doesn’t glorify God for me to pray for others while giving off the appearance that you may need prayer but I have my stuff under control.

Application

First I need to be more diligent in praying for others. I need to pray for those outside of my circle of friends. I need to forgive and pray for those who have hurt me. I need to pray for those too proud to ask for prayers, which requires me to be observant and attentive. I also need to stop apologizing when I need to request prayers.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Contrary to my behaviors, I do not believe that “I’ve got this”. I don’t. Not even remotely. I need You. Help me to stop comparing my sins, needs, hurts or losses to everyone else’s. Help me to be a better friend and a better listener. Help me to stop and pray for those I feel are against me instead of complaining about them. Help me to let go of my pride, or my fear, or whatever it is that makes me hesitate to reach out to other’s for assistance or prayers. I may be preventing them from doing work You have asked them to do.

Amen

This is part one, of a five-part series, on easing anxiety in students. Subscribe to Chaos Appreciation through your favorite reader or email and guarantee you don’t miss anything!

The anxious student

Ever have your child scratch out “Review” on their math worksheet and replace it with “Poop”? It seems my very bright ten-year old doesn’t care too much for the field of mathematics. I notice that almost every day we sit to do work, even basic review work, she will lay her head on the table and cry about how “she can’t do it”. I’ve noticed that most of the time she’s not even looking at the problem; it just looks long or complicated and she panics. I’ve also noticed that video games or board games that involve big, complicated math do not bother her at all. She excels. Then I noticed that she and her sister did all their work with less fuss when they were given an opportunity to fidget, twitch, tap, rock, or do another activity often used by adults for stress / anxiety relief. That is what gave birth to this series: Five ways to ease student anxiety. I’ll post each Monday and send out a full recap of all five posts in our newsletter.

Homemade Stress Balls

Stress balls have been around for a long time. I used to have a big pink one with a face on it. It sat on a black base and felt like it was filled with dough. It used to sit on my desk at work and forewarned others that saw me mushing and distorting it’s tiny little head.

This weekend we made our own. I had made some of these years ago and my family loved them.

Supplies

• Birdseed ( I recommend either not getting a mix with sunflower seeds or cracked corn or hiring my mom to sit and separate it – which I did* )
• Balloons – the only ones we had today were tiny ones, next time I’ll use regular sized balloons.
• Funnel
• Pencil (not pictured)

Directions

1. Blow up several balloons to stretch them out. DO NOT TIE THEM.
2. Put first balloon on the end of the funnel.
   
3. Holding the neck of the balloon, add birdseed to the funnel.
4. Take your pencil and use it to push the birdseed into the balloon. The balloon will stretch and hold the birdseed.
5. Push the pencil down into the balloon, stretching the balloon into a long ‘tube’, allowing you to find a piece of the neck with no birdseeds in it. Pinch, remove the pencil, remove the funnel and tie in a knot.
6. Take a second balloon, one that you stretched out previously, and stretch it over your filled balloon. Once you get one balloon inside another balloon you can blow up the second balloon, allowing the seed filled balloon to be moved around and laid near the bottom. Release the air, and tie. Cut off the end of the balloon (leaving the knot)
7. Repeat step 6 with a third balloon.
8. Squeeze

*No, I didn’t really hire my mom. I mean, she DID separate them but I didn’t pay her. She loves me and she enjoys doing things like that.

**Please ignore my horribly half painted nails. I never paint my nails. I was trying to “girl up” a bit and knew the were starting to look rough. We spent the weekend helping my mom move in to her new apartment and I didn’t have time (or energy) to fix them. But I will. Promise.

*** I’ve also seen these made with cornstarch or rice. I actually prefer the feel of the bird seeds squishing around.

Check out iHomeschoolNetwork to see other’s participating in The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

In my life this week…

This week, our sweet Mr. was out of town for work.  Instead of slacking off all week we managed to stay on top of our chores and were pleasantly surprised when he showed up a day early! I think even he was a bit surprised to see his home so tidy. We also tried to keep our excitement under control as we waited for the weekend when our Nanny (my mom) would move up here to live closer to us than she has been in over 18 years. No longer will I have to drive four hours to get a hug from mom. Just in time for Mother’s Day.

In our homeschool this week…

The annual tests arrived last week, so this week I had them practice review tests in their workbooks to get used to the types of problems they’ll face. We made bird feeders,

did puzzles,

created safari scenes with Model Magic,

created replicas from construction paper and packing tape,

rescued a cocoon

and finger painted. Actually, after that first go we did the finger painting again – with friends – seven kids total.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Don’t be afraid to offer a calculator. No, I didn’t let her use it for her work, but when she started melting down over how “I CAN’T DO THIS” thoughts I offered to let her check her work herself before I got it. When I mentioned she could use the calculator on my phone (secretly  practicing her calculator skills because I don’t need a kid that can’t use a cash register) she stopped whining and eagerly went back to work. I had her check her work with an orange pen (one of mine that they never get to use) so she could correct her work but I would know what she missed. She only missed one out of 32…. mom win right there. Kid win too.

I am inspired by…

This week I have been inspired by bad news… or maybe it was just no news. I have spent over a year suspecting our oldest daughters had difficulties (discussions had been had with doctors on topics of Asperger’s, NLVD, ADHD, anxiety, OCD…  no one would say for certain). We finally received the results and the news was good… nothing was wrong with them. Which is good, unless your brain immediately assumes the opposite of “nothing” is “my bad parenting”. I cried a lot. This week, knowing there was nothing to excuse their behaviors outside of what they were learning or reacting to at home, I calmed my voice, I listened, I responded, and I must say it’s been a pretty dang good week.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We didn’t go anywhere this week but we are excited to see Nanny (my mom) this weekend to help her move in!

My favorite thing this week was…

When my eldest daughter, the one that hates chores and ignores the section on “helpful things to do at home” on her responsibility chart, emptied the dishwasher when I asked her to put her laundry away. Seems she wanted help, because the pile looked like a lot and it overwhelmed her. She thought, on her own, that if she did one of my chores that it might free up a few minutes so that I could help her hang up her shirts. So we sat her bed and hung up shirts for a glorious 10 minutes of one on one time.

What’s working/not working for us…

Bedtime is still a struggle. Finding meals that everyone will eat is another stressor.

Questions/thoughts I have…

Bedtime routines like warm baths, singing or reading don’t settle my oldest. What can I do to help her settle down? I feel like I’ve tried everything.

Things I’m working on…

Focusing on family. Narrowing my online pursuits. Letting things go.

I’m reading…

Bible right now, the books I’m in the middle of have been put aside this week.

I’m cooking…

Shortly after Christmas, my sweet husband bought me my first purchased piece of cast iron cookware.

It’s a combo dutch oven / skillet. At first all I cooked was bacon and eggs in it but lately I’ve been putting the big part on the stove on med-high and getting it hot, adding a big spoon of coconut oil, throwing in frozen chicken, and putting the skillet/lid on top. When I peek in and hear it going good I turn it down and let it cook for about 45 minutes. NOM…. it was SO juicy!

Our girls won’t eat chicken if it has “green stuff” (seasoning) on it and plain chicken in the oven dries out. This… everyone ate.

I’m grateful for…

Jesus. Mr. coming home early. My mom moving closer. My neighbor who keeps my sanity in check. and coffee.

I’m praying for…

*sigh* I wish this list weren’t so long. My prayer journal page is filled with online friends who are sick, hurt, lost, sad or facing unimaginable events. Tonight I will pray for my kids. They need the mom I know is inside of me and not the one on the outside trying to do everything for everyone exactly the way “they” want it done. I will pray they forgive me for yesterday, hug me in the morning, and know in their hearts and in their heads that their momma loves them….like Jesus loves them.

Don’t forget to head over to iHomeschoolNetwork to check out the other journal posts!

Last weekend, I asked Mr. to pick up some air-dry clay for a fossils project I wanted to do with the kiddos. He picked up some Crayola Model Magic since the container said “air-dry” on the side and called it a successful shopping trip. I didn’t specify that I wanted the tub of white; and assuming it was all the same stuff I hugged him and set out the wax paper for the project.

This is NOT the same air-dry clay that you get in the big tub. If fact, it’s kind of weird. It might be my texture issues getting in the way but the Model Magic felt spongy. It felt as if I was playing with a plasma version of fun foam.

It was sticking to our fake fossils (sea shells) and took forever to dry. I didn’t complain too much though since the kids had a blast playing with it for over two hours and we scored a pretty awesome Safari Diorama you’ll get to see more of in tomorrow’s post!

Sneak Peak:

This week my YouVersion Bible Plan took me into Galatians. The epistles are shorter making my reading appear more productive. I had fallen behind but am happy to say that I am all caught up.

I really enjoyed doing the S.O.A.P. method last week so I’m going to write this post in the same format.

Scripture

How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? –Galatians 3:3 NLT

Observation

I have spent all of my life working to be perfect, acceptable, and good enough. I know that there are events and people in my past that may have intensified my fear of rejection. Here it is, in my Bible, a verse showing me that I am not alone in my efforts to work for perfection. The fact is, I was born a sinner and the fear of someone finding out that I’m a sinner is a human emotion that may have been exaggerated by circumstances but the seedling of that emotion was with me at birth. It is with all of us at birth.

I read blogs and tweets, daily, of others working so hard to remind themselves that they don’t have to be perfect. Other blogger friends of mine rally around and remind each other that we all fall short and it is okay to not be perfect.

What if we all took a day, and remembered that we don’t have to work to be perfect. Christ did that for us already.

Application

A thought came to me today, as I tidied up my house for some last minute company. I will not lower my standards (homeschooling, housekeeping, appearance, etc.) to make you feel more comfortable; I WILL show you that sometimes I fall short of my standards, the world doesn’t end, it will be okay, because Jesus never asked me to be perfect. My efforts during my day should be at sharing the redeeming Grace of Jesus instead of making excuses for why I am less than the perfect mom, wife, teacher, and friend. I am, because God made me that way. Through Jesus, I am perfected.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Prayer

Dear Lord,

I overheard my daughters talking about how Jesus was “beat up” by the soldiers. I immediately felt the need to stop bathing the little ones and explain to my children that what Jesus experienced was way more than just a beating. Thank you for putting the words in my mouth for that conversation. Just enough detail for them to stop and get quiet and breathe in the intensity and seriousness of the crucifixion. “It wouldn’t be fair momma if I got in trouble for something someone else did.” She’s right. In this sinful world we would stomp our feet and cry out that it was “not fair”. Please, help me to stop taking the sacrifice my Savior made for me in vain anymore. Focus my eyes on Your expectations and not on the expectations of this world. I don’t want everyone to see a hard working mommy that is barely treading water. I want them to see You. Your Message. Your Grace. Jesus.

Amen

My friend Penny (of MeetPenny.com) is hosting a Facebook Party on Tuesday, May 15th at 8pm CST to discuss family nutrition, picky eaters and homeschooling. I’m pretty excited because I have three very picky eaters (four if you include myself) and I seem to be able to focus on school OR smart nutritious meal planning but not both.

So many great sponsors and prizes! Click over to her blog, Meet Penny and check them out!

Wait! First….  RSVP with this form first, and you will get a reminder email about the party and be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card!