A Word About Homeschooling To Newbies

Looking over our homeschool newsletter, I am thrilled to see how many new homeschoolers are added to our number every year.  Some are pulling kiddos out of public/private schools, and some are just starting with their preschooler.  And now there are even some second generation homeschool mommas!  I think that's precious.

I have homeschooled now for 17 years.  We have 9 kiddos that have been homeschooled since they were born.  1 has graduated college, 2 will be starting college in the fall, and 6 are still working with Momma at home.  

When my oldest was kindergarten age, she had 3 little siblings and I was one tired momma!  I was busy taking care of my growing family, nursing a baby, trying to figure out how to homeschool, and feeling very inadequate to the task!  I felt like I had to do it all.  And what if I failed?  What if I picked the wrong curriculum?  What if there were gaps?  And what was all this talk about socialization anyway?  What if she never learned to read?  How was she going to make friends?  And how was my baby son going to play sports when the time came?  How could I spend the time necessary when I had so many other people that needed me too?   And then what about college??

17 years later and 3 graduations behind me, I have way more peace than I did in those early years.  There were many people from all different places that have spoken into my life over the years and helped me to get to a more comfortable place in my homeschooling.   And as I am preparing for a new school year and reviewing the tricks of the trade, I thought I'd throw out some of my favorite ideas that others taught me back in the day.

#1.  Do not babysit your kids during school.
A single homeschool dad of 12 hooked me onto this philosophy when I was just beginning.  He stressed teaching your kids to read and learn all math facts by rote.  Then turn them loose!  Once they can read,  they need to do as much on their own as possible without Mom holding their hand.  Give them their assignments, and expect them to read it and do it.

Now I'm not gonna lie.  I've had some very "hands-on" friends that do everything with their kids.  Even their high schoolers.  They have elaborate history programs and adopt the learn-it-together approach.  And listening to all they (the WHOLE family) accomplished made me feel guilty,  inadequate, and as though I wasn't doing enough.   But no matter how impressed I was, with 9 kids there was NO WAY I could ever make that happen.

Then my daughter said something out-of-the-blue one day that gave me great encouragement.  You see, my oldest daughter recently graduated college.  She was homeschooled every day of her life, received a very generous full-ride college scholarship and graduated with honors in 4 years.  She said  the thing that benefited her the most was the fact that she was taught to teach herself in our homeschool.  She was never spoon-fed information and she wasn't dependent on a teacher to help her learn everything she needed.  Online classes were also easy because she didn't need special attention.

Teaching your kids to teach themselves relieves a lot of the pressure of thinking you have to do it all. My kids' successes are THEIR successes.  It was their work, their time, their diligence.  I just helped to make it happen by expecting them to do it and keeping them accountable.

#2.  Stay home during school. 
No matter how quick the trip, once I leave the house the momentum is gone.  I may have grand plans of picking it up where we left off.  But I find that if we stay home we eliminate the re-entry process, maintain momentum, and get a lot more done.

#3.  Make a schedule and stick to it.
There's a million different ways of going about it, and here is a site I really like.  Their resources are very helpful...especially for first year homeschoolers.  Work and re-work your schedule until it fits your family just right.  Establish a chore routine and menu plan.  The time it takes to maintain this (and it does take time!) will pay off in peaceful days with happier people.   If everyone knows what to expect every day there will be less frustrations and more cooperation.

#4. Be Flexible! 
Your schedule is only a tool to help keep everyone on track.  It's not the boss of you.  So if something better comes along, by all means ditch the schedule and go with that!   I have a friend that tries to get in 3 full serious days of work in the beginning of the week.  Then if the end of the week starts to fall apart, she feels better knowing that most of the week was spent in diligent study times.

Those 4 principles have helped me more than anything else over the years.  And as I'm working on our new school schedule, I am keeping these ideas on the forefront of my mind!

A Sneak Peek At Our Back-To-School Plans

It's almost time!!  This will be my 22nd year of homeschooling.  Or if you count actual school grades, my 17th year.  Anyhow, it's a long time.  I'm just coming out of a rut of school dread and I'm actually looking forward to this year.  And while I don't wanna sound annoying cheerful (because if you are not looking forward to school, I totally get it.), I am thrilled to finally feel a bit of enthusiasm.

"Back To School" doesn't just mean back to school around here.  It pretty much means clean up, strategize, plan, reorganize, restock, and re-plan.

I make endless lists.
I shop what I already have.
I shop the libraries.
I read reviews.
I shop the internet.
And used books sales.
And I spend money.
Then I lesson plan.
Lots of lesson planning.
I take inventory of socks/underwear.
I buy more socks and underwear and spend more money.
I reorganize the school storage.
I shop the back-to-school items.
And I spend more money.
I make goals for each kiddo.
I re-do the chore schedule.
I plan a special breakfast.
With juice.
And fun snacks on the side.
And it's all a surprise.
Including one BIG surprise for each kid.

It's a HUGE day.  And it's a bunch of fun.

Here's a peek at some of the new things for this year.

~No matter what I've tried, I can't seem to convince my kids to re-use a cup.  I've assigned special cups to each kid.  I've bought everyone water bottles.  I've put cups in designated places.  Nothing.  We are still washing 20 cups a day.

Just when I was ready to give up, admit defeat, and move on with my life, Nikki introduced me to these.  Sip And Straw Lids.   And I think this just might be the answer!  The only problem is that the straws are all the same.  So I bought extra straws that were all different.  We'll see....

~This year we have 2 college bound students and 1 high school student doing part-time concurrent enrollment at the high school.   This means 3 of our kids will not be home for several hours of the day and each has a different schedule.

I took them out of the kitchen clean-up rotation leaving only 5 younger kids to rotate the weeks.  BUT I'm having LB help every night with her younger sibling on duty and the college kids will be responsible for the whole weekend's kitchen work together.  So basically it means the youngers will only be on duty Monday-Friday (rotating every week) and will have a helper every evening.

~I'm changing our writing curriculum this year to Write Shop.  This was a considerable portion of my book money.   I have 2 kids that will do the older version and 2 kids doing the Jr version.  Then I have one that falls in the middle and will do a little of both.  To save some money, I didn't buy the teacher's books.  I hardly ever buy the teacher's book for anything.  I think I'll be ok with the older version, but looking over the younger one has thrown me for a loop!  I'm still hoping to wing it without spending more money on it.

~LB's big surprise is a fancy calculator.   I had to buy this used on EBay because Oh My Word they are super pricey!  But she has been using the same little pink calculator I bought her at the dollar store 6 years ago.  And besides having to re-write the numbers on the buttons with a sharpie, it works great.  However, it can't be programmed with ACT formulas so it was time to upgrade.

~My Mally Girl is getting the last 4 Moody books in the series she loves.

~And Zekey is getting his first paint-by-number in hopes of helping with some fine motor skills.

~Another big change this year is that we are switching to more traditional text books for some subjects.  The reason being that our younger kids are getting older and needing to be better test takers.  Text books, complete with quizzes and tests, will offer more practice at this.  It doesn't matter how smart you are, if you are a crummy tester it's not going to land you a scholarship.  My boys need some practice in this area.

~2 of my boys are getting new back packs.  Christian will use his at school, but Jes really has no school related back pack needs.  I'm sure he will fill it with all matter of boy junk and be thrilled to have another area of personal space.

~Now Lane will be starting college.  But as far as I can tell, she already has every practical need met. So this year I bought her 2 cases of juice.  She loves having juice for after work and I rarely ever buy those little bottles.  Juice is a BIG deal at this house!

~There's LOTS of new traditional type school supplies waiting, plus some that are a little different that we've never tried before.

Our party is scheduled for Monday.  And for the first time ever, their daddy will be home to celebrate too!  I'm looking forward to showing you his real pictures instead of my iPhone pictures this year!

A Little Bit Of Lately

~I had a huge day of errands and appts one day this week.  And when I found myself with an excuse to pop into Hobby Lobby, I was thrilled.

Hobby Lobby ALONE!!  

Do you need a moment to appreciate that?  Because I can tell you it's never happened before and will likely never happen again.  But this time, a sheer miracle found me browsing the fancy delicate beautifulness without me directing a line of children to not sit on anything, lean against the shelves, and to walk with their hands behind their backs.  

The clearance aisle was full of fun.  And there were these wooden swirly monogram letters like you can hang on your front door.  For 80% off!!  So I dug through the Ps and Ys and Zs and finally found something that might be a T.  But it was hard to tell with all that swirlyness going on.  So I asked the lady on the aisle with me if she thought it was a T.  She took off her glasses, backed up, studied it, and told me to turn it upside down.  It was iffy.  And we couldn't be sure.... but it just might be a T.  But finally I decided that if it took that much imagination to figure it out, my guests coming to the front door would have no idea what it was supposed to be.  So I left it there.  

But there was a very pretty picture that I loved just across the way and I knew just where I would hang it.  

And isn't it lovely?  But my walls aren't really that color.  

Unfortunately I can't do anything about the smoke alarm or thermostat.  But that unsightly switch plate with the mountain home scene etched into it will have to go.  

~My kids have 3 more days of speed camp next week.  After that it's the big back-to-school party!!  And I'm so eager to get started with our new stuff and new schedule before our lives get busier with little foster babies.  

~AND, the crews are here this week making the final plans for the new childrens' home, Maggie House.  They have a nice construction budget and it will house 30 boys and 30 girls.  It will be open in February.  THIS February!!    We are beyond excited.  

~We got another piece of good news this week with an email awarding Laney a college scholarship we didn't expect.  I know!!  So her plans have changed a bit and she is adding more classes and shopping for books.  I'm so happy for her.  And very grateful.

~Remember Blue?  My neighbor's dog.

Well Blue hasn't been here all week.  And we can only assume that my neighbor finally found some combination of devices to keep Blue in his own yard.  Since it took us approximately 5 minutes to fall head over heels for this pup, we are contemplating how to break him out without being caught.

~One more thing.   This recipe!!  We love it.  Except we don't know Molly.  And we don't know anybody else named Molly.  So it's needing a new name.

Happy Anniversary!!

On Tuesday, Honey and I celebrated 26 years of wedded bliss.  TWENTY SIX!!  

Ok, well it hasn't all been bliss.  We've had our share of stupid arguments and silent dinners and loud conversations.  But for the most part, I'd describe it as AWESOMENESS.  

We were talking about some of our favorite memories together.  Now we haven't taken any cruises or mission trips or done anything glamorous.  We spent the first 3 1/2  years together eating Lucky Charms on the couch for supper and walking the dogs at the park.  The next 22 1/2 years we've spent raising 9 gorgeous kids.  I was pregnant and/or nursing for 16 years.  

That's a lot of sleepless nights, tears, poopy diapers, dirty laundry, car seat loading, car seat unloading, seatbelt buckling, shoe tying, puke cleaning, and snot wiping.  It's been 22 years of teething babies, stubborn toddlers, athletic boys, bossy little girls, and emotional teenagers.  

But do you know, do you know?  That not one of our favorite memories revolved around kids!?  Yes, the kids were there.  They were included.  But they were not the stars and focal points of the memories.  When it came down to just our favorite times, it included stuff that the two of us had done together.  Whether it was coordinating a move, learning something new, or a particular date we had at a certain place.  

I count that as a HUGE win.  Because people tell me that someday my kids will all be gone and living their own lives and we will have all the groceries to ourselves.  And as my older ones are growing up, I'm seeing that play out on a small scale.  Now ya'll.  After having these people around for over 22 years, we've grown rather fond of them.  What would we even talk about if it didn't have something to do with math homework or football camp? And living life without them eating up every scrap of food sounds a little boring.  

So when our favorites list involved 2 people instead of 11, I was tickled to think that when that time comes, we still might have just as much fun together as we did back in the day.  And with over 26 years of practice, I might even be able to come up with something better for dinner than Lucky Charms!  

A Gappy Grin

Look what's missing!! 

He's been working on that tooth for some time.  But finally it's OUT!!  And he couldn't be more thrilled.

We have a tradition of the"tooth fairy" taking you out to lunch when you loose the first tooth.  After that, it's money.  And our kids have always known the whole tooth fairy game.  But even though this is his 3rd tooth he still asked begged for the tooth fairy to take him just one last time.

Here's the note he found under his pillow.  

Early this morning, I hear him yell, "YESSSS!!" from his bed. 

I love this new smile! 

Nine Uninteresting Things

One~ I had some friends over today to visit and to watch my mother-in-law make kimchi.  It's been something I've wanted to do before school officially started for everyone.  Now I don't like kimchi.  Not at all.  But it's fun to watch her work in the kitchen.  And she has this gift of making a big batch of anything with hardly any mess.  I do not have that gift.

Two~ We are taking pizza to the in-laws for dinner tonight.  NOT homemade pizza either!  It's Tate's last night before flying back to AZ.  We're going to miss him.

Three~ For the first time in forever I'm excited about starting a new school year.  EXCITED I tell ya!  And truth be known, I'm always excited about the party but not about the work that lies ahead.  This year it's both.  I think the kids will really enjoy the new structure of school.

Four~ We are saving up for another car.  We have more drivers all needing to go in different directions. Honey is selling his motorcycle and we are used car shopping and saving.  It has really sparked my interest in money management.  For 26 years Honey has taken care of all things money.  And he's done a great job. But now I'd like to help out a bit.

Five~ Mally learned to ripstick!  She's so happy.

Six~ I bought some curtains at Savers during the 50% sale.  I like the color and design but they were not even close to the right length.  So I pinned them up and played with them until I got them to a place that looked good.  I left them like that for Tracy to see and to ask about how to sew them.  I can barely sew a stitch and wasn't looking forward to this part.  But Tracy showed me how to pin them a different way that I didn't need to sew!!  Happy!

Seven~ It's July and I'm wearing a light jacket and drinking hot chocolate.  Oh I'm in love! And tomorrow morning I will need to check our bees and I won't have a heat stroke in the bee gear.  These cooler temps make me ready for some Tiger football!

Eight~ We are months and months away from opening our home for foster care.  But I am working toward getting some things we'll need for our home study.  We have a new fire extinguisher and a trash can with a lid.  We also have a crib in our room for our foster babies.  I was needing to buy one at some point, but Dana gave me hers.   I'm still needing a mattress and hope to find one at GKS this fall.

Nine~ I think this could be labeled Most Boring Post Ever.  Maybe it's because we are in between ball seasons.   But it pretty much sums up life at this point. And sometimes boring is good.

Learning To Live Intentionally

I'm reading through 1 Corinthians these days.  It's interesting how Paul addresses the churches so differently and speaks to their individual needs.  And then at the same time, I find my "need" in whichever epistle I'm reading and it's as though he is speaking to me.  Apparently I have ever-changing issues.

If I were to summarize 1 Corinthians it would be Intentional Living.  Paul speaks a lot about our bodies, how to honor God, putting people first, and also warnings against serving ourselves.

Yesterday, I spoke to my kids about storing up treasure in heaven.  God tells us that our treasure should not be here on earth where moths destroy and thieves steal, but storing up treasure in heaven instead.  Laney mentioned that whenever she heard that teaching it always sounded like we were to store up our own personal treasure boxes for ourselves as the end goal.

But it's not that.

Our goal is glorifying God.  And one of the biggest ways we do that is by putting ourselves last and loving others.  The treasure is the by-product of a life of love.  "....just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."  1Cor 10:33

But it doesn't just come naturally.  And that's where the instruction comes in.  Do this.  Do that.  And by all means, DON'T do that!!  It's not burdensome, but freeing.  Not only does Paul say "love one another" but he tells us how to do that in chapter 13.

My planner is full of the day-to-day business of life.  There are reminders, menu plans, shopping lists, school ideas, various Scriptures to remember, and the big list of things to do.  But sometimes in the afternoons I find myself in a place of not knowing what to do.  Not that I'm bored, but just overwhelmed with not knowing where to start or what to jump into next.  And often I'm jumping from thing to thing without ever feeling like I'm getting anything done.

This verse has helped..... "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you my obtain it."

Again, this speaks of intentional living.  Having a purpose and then ordering life so that I can achieve that end result.  And the result is ultimately loving God and loving others.

The afternoon is a good time to check off everything that has been done and then evaluate and prioritize the remainder.  By afternoon school is finished, 2 meals are done and cleaned up, and there is a bit more freedom in how to spend the time.  I can play with my kids, swim, or go for a walk.  We can read, make cookies, or just have quiet time.  I can glance at my planner and decide how to spend that time with the goal of loving others and not just catching up on Pinterest.  Every day is different.  But by intentionally prioritizing that time,  there is an actual purpose behind what I'm choosing and I don't feel as though I'm just hopping from thing to thing.

New Friend

Meet Blue

He's our neighbor's new puppy that finds his way over to visit.  

He's the sweetest, most lovable little guy. 

And we have had fun with some puppy love.  

Nana's Dip

This week was Bee Club.  Some of my kids love going to Bee Club with me but I suspect it has nothing to do with learning about bees and everything to do with the snack table.  

You see, these people go ALL OUT with the snacks.   We're talking fried chicken, cheese trays, homemade breads, and endless cookies.  I've never ever seen just a regular chip and dip bowl.  No...that would never do for Bee Club.  

And every month I say I'm going to take something.  And every month it never happens.  Unless you count that one time that I thought it was a potluck BBQ and I took a watermelon.  Turns out, it wasn't.  

But this time, with our garden overload, I decided to take a plate of cucumbers and dip.  And even Honey, who has never seen the snack table at Bee Club, thought I would come home with every one of those cucumbers and a full dip bowl.  

But he was wrong. 

Very Wrong!  Because he didn't take into account THE DIP.  

Nana made this for us for Christian's graduation and we scarfed it down, scraped the bowl, and would've licked it if nobody had been watching.  

My Bee Club folks were equally impressed.  The cucumbers were gone, the bowl was scraped clean, and I found myself having to repeat the recipe over and over to the ladies.  

Now this is not a sweet dip.  It's perfect for chips, veggies, or maybe even to smear on your chicken.  But one lady clearly misunderstood and was dipping her cookies into Nana's dip!  Her cookies!!

Whatever.  

Now this will take you all of 45 seconds to make from start to finish but you have to let it set in the fridge for a few minutes before you eat it.  

1 cup each sour cream and mayo

About a tsp or so of granulated beef bullion 

Mix it all up.  The beef bullion will dissolve after a few minutes and you will need to stir it all together.

And that's it!!  Then go get yourself a bag of chips or maybe swing by my house and I'll help you out with some cucumbers.  

In Which I Discovered Something Incredible

I learned a new word.

"Columbus"

Meg said it means when you think you discovered something that everybody else already knows.  And I think it might fit just perfectly with what happened to me.

Do you remember years back when I was working through cooking whole chickens and turkeys?  Renee and I were learning this together and neither of us were impressed.  But whole chickens save money.  And you can boil the bones to make broth.  And they are versatile.  And did I mention they save money?  And I'm all about the saving money.

And then there was that year when turkeys hit their all-time low and went on sale for super cheap and I bought 12.

Well times haven't changed all that much, except that I'll never buy 12 turkeys again.  I still hate cooking whole chickens.

1. They come in a bag with chicken juice that always leaks.

2. You have to open the bag in the sink because if you puncture that bag in the wrong place, chicken juice will squirt out on you....with force!

3.  You have to pick up that chicken with your bare hands.

4.  There is that bag of guts you have to contend with.

5.  You have to super clean everything because of chicken juice.  The sink, the faucet, the outside of the seasoning jar, your hands, the utensils, everything.

6.  After you do whatever you are going to do with the chicken, you have to pick all the meat off the bones for later.  Again, with your bare hands.

7.  It always puts Momma in a bad mood.

So see?  It all adds up to be a pain in the butt.

But when I was going to bed one night, I had a fantastic idea.  You see, you don't have to buy whole chickens OR boneless skinless chicken pieces.  There's another option.  You can buy chicken pieces that have bones that are not the whole chicken but only the pieces you actually want!  There's a whole section of chicken choices in the grocery store that I have never bothered with!!  You still get the bones for broth but you don't get bags of guts.  Plus it comes on a nice styrofoam tray that contains the chicken juice a little better and you can use TONGS to pick it up.

As for the extra expense, it turns out it's only about ten cents a pound more.  And I'd happily pay that for family peace and less chicken juice.

I know!!

I single-handedly discovered a culinary secret that will change the whole game.  Or in other words, I  columbus-ed it.... and I'm mighty proud of myself.

Linky Love

We've had such a fun summer so far.  The pool is getting tons of action, popsicles are a staple in the freezer, and we are getting to spend more time at the library.  This week we watched The Lego Movie in the theater room at the library and the kids loved it.

The garden is growing, the bees are busily humming, and the weather has been perfect.  LOVE!

Here's some of what I've been reading and looking at this week....

Our foster care classes won't likely start until winter.  In the meantime, I'm educating myself and reading everything I can get my hands on.  I'm taking the angle of reading every horror story I can.  I want to be ready with an appropriate response and a right heart.  I don't want to judge, be prideful, or condemning. And I want to be prepared...at least as much as possible..and not shocked.  I have no fairy tale honeymoon dreams and I appreciate those who are able to give a no-fluff, serious look at the real world of orphan care.

Another Place At The Table

This is a fantastic book.  I couldn't put it down.  I devoured this and was disappointed it was over.  I borrowed this from Dana, but I need to get my own copy so I can read it anytime I like! 

To The End Of June

This is ok.  Not great. I would say it's a very raw account of heartbreak.  There have been some boring parts I've skipped but I'm about 1/2 way through it.  It was published in 2013 so it's very new and has current, accurate law info.  This is a library book but I may want to own it someday.

And as I read through these accounts and think about the ways it'll affect our family, I keep coming back to two words....Love and Peace.  I'm working on memorizing 1 Corinthians 13.  I've memorized it loosely over the years because it is so popular.  But I'm trying to nail it down word-for-word.  And I love this blog post titled Aggressively Living 1 Corinthians 13.  Wow.  I'm praying through every Verse of it.  

I also like this blog about an easy Bible study method.  It has an awesome guilt-free slant that I'm all over! 

Here is a granola  recipe I want to try and here is a bean dip recipe that we made twice this week because WOW!! And I'm thinking I should just make it every day.

I hope you have a great 4th of July!

Our Weekend

Our Friday night tradition of sleeping wherever you want meant that Mally was able to talk her daddy out of his spot. He slept in Christian's bed since he was out of town anyway and I got a new sleeping partner. One that talks a lot and sings and giggles. But when it finally comes down to actual sleeping, she's pretty good at it.

So Saturday morning found us still in bed at 7:30. And it was heavenly.

The day was filled with all manner of work and play and busyness and laziness. Stuff like tilling the garden, cleaning out both refrigerators, dehydrating garden goodness, reading, music playing, and watching a scary YouTube thing. (Thanks Lane).

Zekey has a new library book that he's in love with. It's about dinosaurs but is a cross between a comic book and something that's actually informative. He wanted me to play a game that's in the book where you hide a dinosaur toy and the other person has to find it and you give them clues. Well the dinosaur toys were all the way out in the garage and the closest thing we found was a tiny orange ninja man.

So we hid and hunted Ninja Man. Afterward he read his other new book to me and smeared lotion on my hands and feet. It was like a spa day with entertainment.

Meg and Grandma and Grandpa came over for supper. Burgers and fries, manicures, Sherlock, and a discussion about why I always accidentally send Pinterest pins to Charlene and how to fix it. (Nobody knew).

The night ended with a broken something-or-other in the boys' bathroom forcing them to shower in the girls'. And then Mally deciding she was never getting married because BOYS, and she'd just live with us in whatever house we live in forever.  I decided not to hold my breath since I've been burned by that one before.

Tomorrow is church. And date night. And my boy comes home!! Just the right way to end the weekend.

Summertime!!

What will we ever do when these 3 day weekends are over?  We are becoming quite spoiled.

The first day of summer was celebrated by having friends over, making popsicles, and....picking up the new swimming pool that Nana and Grandpa bought the kids!  They are crazy excited over this!!  Only we didn't have time to set it up because we were due for dinner at the other grandparents.  Gotta love that! New pool, popsicles, AND no cooking dinner...bliss.

Only we couldn't pick up the pool until we emptied the trailer.  The trailer was full of last year's broken pool pieces, various broken bikes, and an old dishwasher that's been here for almost 2 years.   This required the dreaded trip to the dump which we had successfully avoided for the past...well, many many years.  My man HATES the dump and claims he gets a flat tire every time he goes.  Not to mention the $30+ dumping fee.

But this time it couldn't be avoided.  We racked our brains trying to think of a place with a big enough dumpster and then spent the 30 mile trip looking all along the way.  But no.  We finally got to the dump, held our noses, dumped our stuff, and went to pay.

$3.45.

It cost THREE DOLLARS AND FORTY FIVE CENTS!!  Why did we think $30?  Why did we wait so long and deal with that stupid dishwasher for years when for three dollars and forty five cents we would've been done with it a long time ago?  Sheeeesh.

Dinner was delicious as always when my mother-in-law cooks.  Steaks, world cup soccer, Sponge Bob, and getting some Meg time.

Now the pool is up and the Lord is helping us fill it with so much rain.  We already have our first cases of sunburn for the season and the water wasn't even deep enough to get completely wet!  They are LOVING it.

Baseball is chugging right along.  Our games keep getting rained out so the season has been looong.  But fun.  Unless your last game starts at 10pm.  Then it's not quite as much fun.  And afterward there's a lot of this.....

This guy is taking FULL advantage of the summer and squeezing in every fun thing he can do before school starts and busy life begins.  He's out of town AGAIN this week and we are missing him already.  But he's also using the time that he is home to be super helpful by doing things around the house, running errands, and running his little siblings here and there and everywhere. 

Our garden is growing and we are needing to pick cucumbers every day.  This week I tried fermenting them but I think I used the wrong kind of salt because they just aren't looking like they should.  The good thing is that I have plenty to play with until I get it right.  

This dog. 

She is the sweetest little love of a thing except she's also a ferocious killer that can't be trusted around anything with feathers.  

She also likes to torment the cat.   

Happy Summer!! 

T-Ball Fun!

Can you tell this guy had a fun t-ball season?

Ready to bat. 

My favorite!  So excited to get the out! 

First time across home plate! 

Adam Boy!!

Coach Rachuy was super fun and encouraging.  I hope Zboy had as much fun playing as we did watching!!

Some Big News and Other Stuff That's Not So Big

I love this life I have.  Seriously.

Last week I got to see a whole bunch of cutie pies at our church's VBS.   I helped with snacks while Christian and Josh ran games and Lane helped with the preK.   Fun stuff.

But.  My other church's VBS is going on right now and it's SOOOO hard to stay away!  There are old friends that have come back plus my own Awana peeps.  I miss them....a LOT.

Look at my garden goodness!  We also have lettuce, basil, kale, and some green tomatoes.  I don't have high hopes for my tomatoes this year.  After we had them all planted, I read that the variety we picked is a stingy producer.  Grrrrrr.......  And sure enough they are slow going.

We added some guinea chicks to the mix.  We have already lost 1/2 the population because KORRIE.
This farm life is expensive.

We've been spending a good deal of time at the ball fields.  The baseball season is nearly over but it's been a blast.  We bring snacks and water and lawn chairs and take pictures and visit and yell and clap.  My kids bring a soccer ball and play with anyone else who has to be there because their brother has a game.  Jess had a great time with this baby girl last night.  Isn't she the sweetest?

Date night this week and we tried a new pizza place, looked in the window at the pawn shop that was closed, and came home and watched Carol Burnett.

So you are all caught up now and are you ready for some big news?

BIG NEWS!!!

This summer we are starting foster parent training!!  I am beyond excited.  I've been wanting to do this FOREVER!!  My mind is swirling thinking of a million things.

My first priority right now is getting our school plans in place for the fall.  I'm using some new stuff, learning different curriculum, and working on a schedule.

In the meantime, I'm reading books, thinking about what I need to do to my house, and hoping to start paperwork next week.  I'm also praying now for whoever will come and stay with us for awhile.  EXCITED!!

Some Of My Favorites This Week

Here's some things I'm loving this week...

~While we were in Colorado, Rommel had a fan kinda like this.  When we got home, I bought one right away.  My goal for this summer is for our electric bill to stay under the $300 mark.  I know when canning season hits, that'll be HARD!  But still.  This fan is FANtastic!!  I wish I had 4 more.  But at $60 a pop, we will have one for awhile.

~My next door neighbor had a garage sale.  And I love garage sales of my friends because they usually have stuff I like.  We scored some new Tiger shirts and hats and several brand new candles.   I've been needing some new candles, so this was a gift just for me!  It inspired me to clean the whole house since everyone knows you can't light a candle unless the house is clean.  Then Jess surprised me with these roses from the front yard.  The smell is heavenly!!

See that bud vase?  I never remember not having it.  It was my mom's when I was a kid and now it's mine.

~So for all sports teams I like my boys to have the number of their birth.  Christian has always been #3 on every team unless he just had absolutely no choice.  And here's our caboose, #9 , looking fierce in his t-ball shirt.  LOVE.

~Me and my boy watching Nate's game together.  I have to admit, baseball is funner than I thought.   I'm enjoying the parents/grandparents too.  Way less intense than soccer and football, and that's kinda nice.

~Farm News:

Garden goodness!  The Lord has graciously given us so much rain with the perfect balance of sunshine and we haven't had to water a single time yet.  Our lettuce, basil, and kale are growing beautifully.   We have a few green tomatoes and peppers and we picked one zucchini.  Slowly we are adding tomato cages.  Last year we just staked them, but cages are far better.  Aldi has them for $1.49 each.  We have lots of tomato plants but I keep telling myself we will have these cages for years to come so the investment is worth it.

The bees are doing great.  I've decided to run double brood chambers this year.  That means more bees and a stronger hive but possibly less honey.  A stronger hive means less chance of pests and more ability to over winter.  We added vented covers to both hives since it's getting warmer and the bees are hanging out on their porch more.

We lost 2 more chickens this week.  One was because of Milo, the other was Korrie.  Grrrrr......
But we also added 4 Guinea chicks!  We are hoping to let them free range and deal with all the bugs, but with Korrie's killer instinct I'm not sure that's even possible.

Every Knee Every Tongue

One of my goals for 2014 was to memorize the whole book of Philippians.

I am nowhere close!  And here the year is half over already!  But I do read and re-read those 4 chapters all the time.  Sometimes in my Bible, sometimes on my phone, and sometimes I listen to it as I'm getting dressed in the bathroom.

This week I've been stopped by Philippians 2:10-11... "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

It will happen.  Someday.  Every single person.  But the question is, will it be too late?  Will Jesus look into the face of someone I love and say, "Depart from me, I never knew you"?

I've been praying for my family, my friends, my church, my Awana kids, anybody at all....even people at the grocery store that God will bring them to the place of bowing and confessing.

And if you are questioning, if you are struggling, if you are doubting this whole Christian thing...know that I am fighting for you on this side of heaven.  I don't want anybody I love to be lost.

An Unexpected Getaway

While life was chugging along for us in AR, exciting things were happening for some of our friends in Colorado.  Graduations and a surprise birthday party!  

I thought it would be fun to take LB since she hasn't been anywhere neat in a long time.   But it's no easy thing to travel so far with so many responsibilities at home.  I decided to go.  Then changed my mind.  Then Meg said she and Ethan were driving it and we could ride down with them.  I said yes.  Then I changed my mind.  

But I woke up Thursday morning and it was the first thing on my mind.  And I knew it was now or never.  So I texted my man to ask if we could fly standby on his dad's AA passes.  He hates standby and I figured he'd rather not since it was just the two of us going.  BUT SURPRISE!  He thought it was a good idea!  

That was 7am and by 10:30 we were sitting on a plane.  

My girl was soooo happy!!  

It was 4 days of love and bliss.  Our friends were so flexible and provided everything we needed and way more.  It was like a red carpet was rolled out for us!

4 days of awesome food, comfy beds, games, good talks, Bible study, church, parties, laughs, and pure sweetness. 

I love those people. 

Isn't Ms Gertrude beautiful?  We got to surprise her at her 90th birthday party!  She is just precious.  And it was special to be there since we also got to be at her 85th party before we moved back home. 

Rommel and Pam were the perfect spur-of-the-moment hosts!  I wish I had gotten pictures of more people.  WHY didn't I take more pictures??

LB got her Ella fix.  Aren't they adorable?  And Ella's momma is an amazing cook that fed us multiple times like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

This was a big graduation year for our homeschool CO peeps.  And one of the reasons that this was the perfect time to visit is because W's family had just moved to Arizona but came back for graduation.  So many friends in the same place at the same time! 

Congratulations graduates!

I was so grateful the Lord worked it all out.   But back at home I was getting bad news about my sweet Joey's condition.  And I prayed for him.  And for us.  And that we could get seats on the planes home (standby ya know) so I could be with my kiddos and help them process the whole thing.  

On the last flight there were 2 seats and 4 standby passengers ahead of us.  They never showed!  And we got right on and flew home.  God is so good. 

As Pam says, "I feel like God's favorite."  He is so incredibly good to us.  

A Piece Of My Heart Is Gone

And there are just no more words... 

A Little Bit Of Lately

Guess who comes home tonight?  MY BOY!!  Christian has been gone 10 days forever camping with friends and tonight he comes back!  We've been waiting all day, cleaning his room, cooking his favorite dinner, and making welcome home signs.  We've missed him.

Here's some things that have been going on this week...

Look how he sits at the piano!  Hilarious!  3 kids had a piano recital and did a great job.  Afterward, we had friends over for ice cream.

A big homeschool book sale!  Nevermind ZBoy's cheesy pose.  We sold some stuff and bought some stuff and the kids had a great time shopping.  I still came home with WAY more than I hoped.  So now it's all priced and ready for the graduate's garage sale next month.

Army guys, tanks, Christmas blocks, and a reader in the corner.  I love these people!

2 beautiful quarts of HONEY!!  This was left over from last year and needed to be pulled to make room for clean frames.  We already have some new honey that they've made this year so hopefully this summer we will have a great harvest.  Our bee club bought 2 new extractors and one of them gets to be stored at our house!

We have 24 eggs ready to hatch in the incubator.  But here's the thing.  We don't need 24 more chickens!!
My son was a bit ambitious this year and I'm hoping he can sell some of these.  Anybody need a baby chick?  I can hook ya up.

Joey is not good at all.  When we started slowing down on the prednisone, he went right back to horrible.  The vet upped the dose again but he's not bouncing back.  It's been up and down.  And as soon as we get our hopes up, he has a relapse.  I hate to see my sweet boy so sick.   Please keep praying for him.

Spiffy!!  These guys got to participate in a Vietnamese engagement party.  We had such a great time with June's family even though most of the time it was hard to understand each other.  I love how friendship and love can overcome all sorts of barriers!  June's family was very welcoming, hospitable, and so much fun to be with!  In the meantime, Honey and Eldest was shooting a friend's wedding.  Now he is sorting through over 1500 wedding photos!