Mommy's Retreat

I am so blessed to have a husband who is aware of the daily challenges that I face, and who wants to give me a "break" as often as he can!!  He is usually very agreeable to my slipping out of the house when I can to shop by myself, or run an errand alone, and I know he wants to do those kind of things more often than he is able (with his long work hours).  This weekend I get to go with the ladies of our church to our annual fall Ladies Retreat.
Last year, he bent over backwards and basically demanded that I go, and I was so thrilled to get such an opportunity.  What a blessing to just fellowship with other ladies for 2 nights and 2 days!!
This year, I asked him if I could go again, and he agreed!!!  He took the entire week of work off to take care of all the domestic and child care responsibilities, and I'll be gone until Saturday late afternoon!!  He's even going to do the grocery shopping while I'm gone too!!!  Isn't he AMAZING!!!!
Be back next week with pictures and memories of a refreshing time!!

Back-to-school: SNACK TIME!!!!

Another thing that can be challenging about homeschooling is the amount of food consumed by children who are home all day.  

Children are just hungry.  

My boys seems to be hungry ALL the time!!  

The girls not as much.  

But it goes without saying that when they are home as opposed to away from home (i.e. a school) they are consuming more of your grocery budget!!  One frustrating tendency that my children have is eating hardly anything at breakfast and then finding themselves "STARVIN'" about 2 hours before lunchtime.  Then commences the constant grazing and rummaging through the kitchen,

 spoiling and plundering all my meal supplies for the week!!  

So, in addition to meal plans, I have found I need to have a "PLAN OF A-SNACK" as well!!

Additionally, for children with ADHD, when hunger kicks in it often triggers angry emotional outbursts and annoying behavior.  So keeping those hunger pangs in check is another key to a more peaceful school day!!

I like to have a morning snack and an afternoon snack planned.  You'll usually see us taking a break and refueling around 10:30 am and 3:00 pm.  Here are a few ideas that work really well for us!!  I'm still sticking to a list of things that are not a part of our diet anymore including high fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial colors, less cow's milk and less gluten.  My official list is found here.

5 Days of Hunger-Busting Snacks

Monday:  "Power Balls"

In a blender, coarsely chop: 

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raisins

Mix with:

1 T. oat bran

1 - 16 oz jar crunchy or creamy peanut butter

1 T. apple juice concentrate

Mix with hands.  This will be sticky.  I have chopped a little more of the seeds and raisins together and added it to the mix so it was easier to roll into balls.

Roll in unsweetened shredded coconut.

Store in refrigerator.

Makes 3 dozen

** You can add in carob chips or whole raisins too!!

Tuesday:  Apple "Cupcakes"

These are so simple to make:
Half an apple crosswise and scoop or cut out the middle with the core.
"Frost" it with peanut butter or cream cheese (that has been mixed with a little sugar).
Sprinkle on any fun topping you like:
Raisins
Cereal
Nuts

Wednesday:  Fresh veggies and hummus dip

Hummus Dip

Drain a 15 oz. can of chickpeas reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid.
Toss the chickpeas into the blender.
Add 1 clove of garlic (I sometimes use two as we love garlic!!),
1 tsp. cumin,
splash of lemon juice,
dash of salt,
and the reserved 1/4 cup of liquid.
Blend together until very smooth.
DELISH!!!
Also, lovely when served with Tortilla Strips

**I do have to be honest and say that not all my children are crazy about this one.
If they like the hummus, they prefer it with the tortilla strips that I buy from Costco (gluten free).
But we're working on eating more veggies, and I firmly believe that the more a child is exposed to certain veggies, they will eventually learn to enjoy them.  You could even slather some peanut butter on that celery too.  The pretty the presentation, the more excited they are also!!!

Thursday:  Mini Clementine Oranges

"Very-Berry Smoothies"

(I hope you can tell this is a picture I copied from somewhere on the web.
But this is exactly what mine would look like!!)


In a blender,
pour 3-4 cups of milk (I use skim, cow but you could use soy or almond or goat, etc.)
1 cup frozen strawberries
Handful of frozen blueberries (you could also substitute frozen bananas too!!)
Couple tablespoons of honey or "splenda" if you prefer
Scoop of ground flaxseed

Blend it all on high until smoothie like consistency.  I like ours really thick, so I may add more frozen berries if too thin.

Friday:  Popcorn  (Fresh popped or microwave)

Making popcorn on the stove is so much fun!!

It's a great fall/winter treat too!!

And.....gluten free!!

Here is a simple way to do that!

Monday Fundays!!!

Last Monday we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and our gifted zoo membership and took the children to see the new addition at our local zoo.  Then we used one of the last remaining prizes from the summer library reading program (a free kids meal for each child!!) and went for lunch at Applebees!!!  

Total cost for the entire trip: $21 (lunch for both Mom and Dad and an appetizer to share!!) 

 Come!!!  

Take a peek!!

The Dallas Zoo recently finished this amazing addition!

If you are local, it's a must see!!

The children were so excited with how close you can get to the giraffes!!

Our zoo went from 2 giraffes to 10!!!

The only thing between me and these beauties was a thick 'ol piece of glass!!

In the "Children's Zoo" portion, the school age children took their nature journals we've been working on here at home and discussed them with the guides in the "trading post".  They received points for their work and then can "purchase" other nature related items (shells, rocks, bug collections, mineral samples, etc.) with those points.

Our little dolly tickling her toes in the stream!!

Yes.....don't worry!!!  We slathered everybody's hands with hand sanitizer before they started handling their french fries!!!

Such a fun day!!!

Saturdays are for: Tents and "Tom and Jerry"

Occasionally, we put up our small pup tent in the living room for the children to enjoy a "camp-out" on 

Friday nights.

It makes for a great addition to "Friday night movie night" and an incentive for good behavior through-out the week!!

"Proverbs 32"

You've all heard of the "Proverbs 31 Woman?"

Here is a thought-provoking twist on that challenging portion of Scripture from my friend, Mary DeVore.

"Proverbs 32"

Who can find an unvirtuous woman? For her price is far below rubies.

The heart of her husband doth not trust in her,

so that he has great need of spoil.

She will do him evil, and not good,

all the days of her life.

She seeks after gold and earthly treasure,

but worketh not with her hands.

She rises up late and drives through the doughnut shop for her household,

and takes a portion to her boss.

She considereth a field and puts it on her credit card;

because of the waste of her hands she can not plant a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with stubbornness and her arms with rebellion.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is not as good as her neighbors;

her TV goeth not off by night.

She never stretcheth her hand to the poor;

yea, she holds back her hand from the needy.

She is afraid of the snow for her household;

for all her household are clothed in thin cotton.

Her husband is not known in the gates;

and he sitteth not among the elders of the land.

She buys fine linen and her clothing is extravagent.

Weakness and disgrace are her clothing;

and she shall weep in time to come.

She openeth her mouth with foolishness,

and in her tongue is the law of gossip.

She does not look well to the ways of her household,

and eats the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up and call her cursed;

her husband also and he reproacheth her.

Many daughters have not done virtuously,

but thou excellest them all.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

and a woman who feareth not the Lord shall be cursed.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her own works condemn her in the gates.

~~Mary DeVore

Back-to-school: Time for our husbands!!

This is completely off of the subject of homeschooling.

Well, not really.

It's a bit of a spin-off because yet another challenge of homeschooling is making the time for our husbands in the midst of the pile of things we have to manage everyday.

See, I can pour myself into designing the best schedule and meal plans for our day,

yet I forget about time with my husband.

I have learned that it's frighteningly easy to get caught up in the loudest "squeak",

those things that demand my attention because they are obvious, helpless, and needy.

By the end of the day, after I've run around squirting oil on all the squeaky spots,

I'm exhausted.  

Ready for bed.

But what about the most important relationship on earth that I have?

What about the person who I chose to live the rest of my life with and has given me

the children I always wanted?

Is there any time left for my husband?

It's hard to pace myself.

It's hard to admit that I MUST put my relationship with my husband on the TOP of the priority list

rather than on the back burner.

If I don't consciously MAKE the time, it will not happen!!

When all the work I'm doing today is done,

when my children are out and on their own,

it will be just he and I together in the house.

What will we have to talk about then?

Will there be anything that we like to do together because we've maintained that in our childrearing years?

Recently, I came across a couple pieces written by a precious lady from our former church.

Both pieces are thought-provoking twists on Scriptures written to challenge women 

(though they apply to both men and women).

They have been inspiring me to watch my attitudes and check my priorities.

I Corinthians 13:

Through the Mind of a Housewife

by Mary DeVore

If I decorate my house with coordinated drapes, furniture, and wallpaper,

but do not show love to my husband,

I am just a decorator.....

If I slave away in the kitchen baking beautiful cakes and gourmet meals 

and arrange an elegant table 

and do not show love to my husband,

I am just a cook......

If I work at a soup kitchen, 

and visit nursing homes,

and give all I have to a charity,

and do not show love to my husband,

it profits me nothing.....

Love doesn't envy another's home that has more than we can afford.

Love shows respect to my husband.

Love helps me to be the heart of my home.

Love bears all things, 

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never fails.

Cars will get old,

furniture will wear out,

and houses will become run down.

But showing love to my husband endures forever.

Back-to-school: Big secrets of a homeschooling house...ssssshhhh!!

Since beginning our homeschooling journey 8 years ago, I've learned a thing or two.

I am by no mean a "know-it-all," but I've been around the block a time or two, and made dozens.....no.....hundreds of mistakes.

I think that one of my biggest mistakes was thinking that you can manage teaching several different ages and learning abilities, all the core subjects all at the same time with 2 pre-schoolers stealthily snooping around, while preparing 3 meals a day, cleaning up after said pre-schoolers, keeping the laundry neatly folded and the house neat-as-a-pin, and participating in a myriade of outside sports teams, church activities, homeschool "co-op" groups, music lessons, and remain smiling and completely peaceful and sane all at the same time!!

Let me blow the lid off this cover-up right now.

Let me give you a peek at the dirty laundry laying around in nearly every homeschoolers home.

Let me let you in on the big, dark secrets.

It ain't happenin'!!

If you are considering homeschooling

or if you have just begun homeschooling and you handled the first year okay,

but you're adding more children as the years go by and you're starting to feel overwhelmed,

won't you allow me to put your mind at ease.

Because when you are homeschooling multiple children (with a new baby or toddler or two):

1.  You have to adjust your priorities to what's realistic,

and accept what you're really capable of.

2.  You will always have dirty dishes in the sink.

3.  You will have a difficult time keeping on top of the laundry.

(Unless you can afford to bring in an extra person to handle this for you)

It takes a herculean effort to figure out the best strategy for YOU to handle your family's laundry efficiently with the limited time you have during schooling days. 

With a large family that produces several loads a day this is particularly challenging.
If you'd like to take a look at the system I've come up to tackle my own laundry challenges,
just click here.

4.  The pre-schoolers will make messes (that probably won't get cleaned up right away)

and there will be days when you cave to letting them watch more PBS or videos than they should.

5.   Not every homeschooling family wakes their children up at 6:00 am to start lessons, happy and smiling,

hair combed, and dressed at the kitchen table by 7:00 am.

6.  Your bathrooms probably won't be as clean as they would be if you were cleaning them all the time,

but since you are letting your older children learn these skills,

they won't be as thorough as adults yet.

7.  You will be late to nearly everything you leave the house for.

Especially if you have more than 5 children or a newborn in the house.

8.  Money will always be an issue.

No, the lack of money will always be an issue.

Especially in large families.

Because usually if you're homeschooling, that means you're only bringing in one, full-time income.

So you learn how to live large on way less.

You get your priorities straight really quick, and you figure out you don't need nearly

any of the stuff that you think you really do.

And the stuff you really do need, the Lord takes care of.

9.  Unlike teachers in a school (of any kind)
 you probably won't have an "aide" to make copies for you,
and cut out visuals for bulletin boards. 

 Nor will you have a cafeteria to send the children to where there
are lunch monitors who help your children open their juice boxes
 and cooks who have the meals already prepared,
 giving you a quiet lunch break by yourself.
 So being organized and having meals planned
(and even prepared in advance) is a huge plus.
  It takes a couple weeks or so to figure out the best plan for your family,
 but having a meal plan is one of your most critical tools!!

10.  Unlike teachers in a school, 
you are also probably using a room that doubles as a kitchen, 
or laundry folding area,
 or any other number of rooms that are busy
 and full of household items not normally found in a schoolroom. 

 It has taken me awhile to figure out that doing schoolwork
 in the same area in which you LIVE means things will get messy
 and your house won't look like the homes where children are not there.
No matter how long you've been training them and how many chore charts you have tried.

11.  I (ME, Mom) am the one who has had to learn the very most about what's really important.

  What really matters,
 and that letting go of the other stuff
 (of course, to within healthy, safe, LEGAL limits)
 is what is the hardest for the homeschooling mom.
So what, if there is still bits of grass and papers on the floor after bedtime.
 So what if the laundry is still piled up the next day.
  So what, if there is yet another wall colored on with marker, crayon, pencil, or pen (GRRRRRR!!).  So what if the kitchen floor hasn't been swept in a week
 because we're still looking for it from when a child was using it outside
 to knock something out of a tree?

What about the smirk on the face of your ADHD daughter when she realizes that she DOES know how to figure out the additive and multiplicative inverses of fractional problems?
Or the smile of joy on the face of your anxiety riddled son who has begun reading from his Bible OUT LOUD
even though he's worried he'll make a mistake and be laughed at?
Or the great fun you had with your daughter as she realizes she is beating the clock
during timed math flashcards!!
Nobody sees the TIME you've invested into the growth of these children, but they often notice what isn't done around the house.

It isn't about how the house looks, but what do my children remember about their life at home?
Did I make them daily feel like an inconvenience to me?
Did they feel like they were in the way all the time, and the next thing on my list was more important than listening to them or sitting with them for a minute?
Did I see them as more important than the never-ending little chores that pull at me to be done?
Do they see me practice what I say?

Doing things for them (or for the sake of the house) isn't the same as being WITH them.


So you'll have to excuse the way my house looks.
No, it does not look like the cover of  "Good Housekeeping."
But I'm spending time teaching my children,
teaching them how to love.
How to love each other.
How to love the Lord.
How to love their parents.
How to love their friends.
How to love learning.
How to love who God created them as with all their individual struggles and weaknesses.
How to love the family God put them in.
How to love the Word of God.

12.  Homeschooling is not always the joyous, fun experience often advertised by retired homeschoolers.

Many days I don't like it at all.
Many days are ugly and tedious,
and messy and frustrating,
and the routine can be mind-numbing.

But in my surrender to what the Lord is doing in my home,
I'm learning that when I'm broken and crushed,
 I'm learning how to be more like Christ.
Our Mighty Elohim breaks us so that He can flow through us more fully.

The big secret?
That the teacher is the one learning the most.