Homeschooling and a great resource: The Homeschool Lounge

Getting ready to start back to school is just as much a big deal to homeschoolers as it is to those in public school.  As I began working on ideas for this school year to try to develop ideas to keep the boys engaged and focused I went looking for a good online source for ideas.  What I found was so much more :) 

The Homeschool Lounge is a community of Christian homeschoolers from all over the country who use different curriculum, styles, and activities to help teach their children and share them with others.  It was so nice to see families of 7, 8, or even 9 kids homeschooling.  Sometimes you can start to feel like a bit of an oddity when you have 7 kids and you homeschool them and the general reaction to your families choice is "are you crazy!?"  Talking to other moms I have already come up with some great ideas for the boys for this year.  We are still using ACE curriculum this year, which seems to work great for the boys.  Elijah has a hard time focusing so I am gonna use the 15 minute slot idea with him as to not overload him and see if that helps.  Also we are going to do math out loud and he will have thinking putty to keep his hands occupied and just push though reading.  After talking to Dr. Adams and several homeschooling moms who had the same problem with their sons, I am not even gonna struggle with his hand writing until he is older.  As long has he understands basic concepts in his mind and can do them, learning to put it on paper will come later.  This is one reason I homeschool because Elijah might be lost in the shuffle in public school when all he needs is a bit more attention and patience.   Soren, John Paul and Salem all enjoy school and show strengths in different areas.  Soren is 9 and reads at a 7th grade level.  John Paul is a grade and a half ahead in math and Salem is 5 doing 1st grade math.  That is why I like ACE because I can move them ahead in their strong areas while keeping pace in their other subjects and it does not throw all their work off.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to homeschool my children.  Being a mother is the most important ministry the Lord Jesus has ever given me and training up these children in the way they should go is a huge responsibility.  If you would pray for me that I would be a good teacher to my children and be able to address their strengths and weaknesses as need be.

Leota's Garden

As a mama I do not get to do many things just for me, so when I do get to do something just for me I want to do something I really enjoy and that will stick with me in some way.  I have taken up reading again, and just finished my third Francine Rivers book called Leota's Garden.  I really enjoy the way Rivers writes.  You truly feel like you are in the book with the characters, sharing their joys, hardships, and sorrows.  Rivers is a Christian author and her books always have something to do with her faith, at times making bold political statements.  I do not want to ruin Leota's Garden for anyone who wants to read it but it does make some pretty forward statements about current political issues and is a great read :)  Rivers is the author of my favorite book of all time called Redeeming Love.  Every woman, young and old should read this book.  I always get sad when I finish a book, because it feels a bit like loosing some old friends and a comfortable place to loose myself in, if not more than for a few minutes during my crazy day.  If anyone can suggest a good book to me, I would love hear your suggestions and if anyone has read Leota's Garden or any other Francine Rivers books, I think discussing them would be fun too!

Shopping In Bulk

Our Most Recent Trip of Sam's Club

John and I have tried to economize and get the best deals on groceries as often as possible, including shopping in bulk at Sam's Club.  This became much more of a necessity when we moved up here on Beech because the closest grocery store is 35 minutes away.  With the size of our family and distance from the store shopping in bulk was something we had do do for quantity of items, for the most part, as not to run out of things so quickly.  What I have realized here more recently is what a great deal shopping in bulk really is if you have the money and storage space to do it.  For example in the grocery store a 12oz bag of Crasians is $4.95 but if you go to Sam's Club a 48oz bag of Crasians is $7.95.  This is just one example, there are so many great deals from shopping in bulk.  It can be a bit more expensive but so much more for your money.  I understand that shopping like this is not a reality for some families but if there are things you think you might want to buy in bulk, give it a try.  Shopping in bulk is also enviromently friendly because there are less trips to the store in your car, less paper or plastic waste because of the packaging and stores like Sam's Club do not use bags at all :)

John Pauls Birthday Waffles

John Paul asked for chocolate chip waffles for is birthday breakfast.  Instead of buying the box of frozen waffles in the store I decided to make him some of my own.  I had never made homemade waffles before and they turned out pretty good, so I thought I would share the recipe :)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups self rising four
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• Dash of chapotle chili powder 
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing the iron
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup mini-chocolate chips
• 
  

Directions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Separate the 2 eggs and put all the whites in a large bowl.
In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until a batter is formed. Take care not to over mix the batter.  Whip the egg whites with a hand-held electric mixer or whisk, until they just begin to hold a loose peak. Scatter the sugar over the whites and continue beating until they hold a soft peak. Fold a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the base, then fold in the remaining whites. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Ode to John Paul

I woke up this morning knowing I wanted to share with everyone what a wonderful son I have, as today is his 8th birthday.  At first I thought to honor him I would share the story of his birth but after some thought I decided against it.  For those of you who know the story it was the longest, scariest, happiest day of my life.  To make a long story short when John Paul finally arrived he was 5 weeks early and had to be air lifted to Asheville. After a week long stay in the NicU his lungs were strong enough for him to come home.  But I want to share with you the wonderful young man my son is today.  I am overcome with emotion when I think about what a fine young man my son is.  He has more natural caring and compassion than any of the rest of my children.  Anyone who is around my kids much see's how wild and crazy they can be and they are a great majority of the time but watching them individually its amazing to me how different they are from each other.  John Paul considers his words more carefully than any of his brothers, except for Brandon of course.  He thinks about harsh things before he says them and really makes an effort not to hurt others feelings, be it adults or children.  John Paul is smart, so very smart.  He is a grade and a half in math already, he does not get that from me, as I am sure some of you noticed from my first post with the mathematical error :)  John Paul has a musical aptitude as well, his piano teacher has told me of her surprise at his ability to pick things up and retain them on more than one occasion.  Most of all I am proud of my son because he has a true love for the Lord Jesus.  He has witnessed to his friends about Jesus and is not afraid to share the love of the Lord with them :)  I love my son, John Paul Jones, and it has been one of the biggest honors and blessings of my life to be allowed to be his mama!

Best Bread for Every Day

With a family the size of mine I have to try to find ways every day to economize, as most families do.  One thing I have found that helps us out greatly is making homemade bread for every day use instead of buying store bought loaves.  The boys and Leah will literally go though a loaf of bread a day! At say $2.00 a pop on average thats $14.00 a week or $56.00 a month just on bread in our house!  To save money I have started making bread and have used several different recipes.  The one below is my favorite thus far.  Its quick, easy and an all around winner with the entire family (and with my crew that's a HARD thing to come by).  Give it a try, add your own variations and let me know what you think.  Here is a picture of my latest batch from last night :)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-White-Bread/Detail.aspx