School Curriculum 2015/16

We are a classically leaning homeschool family.  

I like to think that we homeschool with the classical method but we're cool and swanky here.  

But then again, maybe not. 

When I first started homeschooling I think the very first book I read was The Well Trained Mind.

Mind. Blowing. It was such a great book.  It's thick so if you read it, just know that you don't have to read the whole thing.  It's not a sit down and read from cover to cover kind of book.  Rather it's a book that explains the way kids learn, how they memorize, how the one-room school house of learning and teaching was so great, and then the book is split in chunks for age groups from preschool through high school. 

The book is not a set curriculum but as it was written by a mother and daughter who both have homeschooled their children, it's more of a "this is what we think is really great for this subject...." kind of approach and then it gives different suggestions for what to order. 

Most of the things that they offer are relatively inexpensive which was my biggest concern when i started piecing everything together. 

And since we piece everything together it is often difficult to tell people what I use when I am asked.  So I thought I'd write it down here for you and for me have to remember, lol.  

I'm just going to list everything together because there is a lot of duplication.  When you have kids 18 months apart in age, they pretty much can study the same things just a little tweaked to be at different levels.  You know, I'm lazy like that. In the subjects where they have different work, I've made a note.  

So here we go...

Emma Kazoo's in the 4th grade!!!

Bible: Awanas (Cals in Sparks and Emma's in T&T)

Spelling: Spelling Plus

Grammar: First Language Lessons (Emma has level 4, Cal has level 3)

Handwriting/Writing: Emma: Draw and Write Through History, Books 1 and 2

Calvin: Handwriting Without Tears, Level 2

Math: Saxon (Emma's doing 5/4, Cal's dong 3)

Latin: Emma is doing Latina Christiana I, Cal's doing, well, Cal isn't doing any Latin

History: The Story of the World, Volume 1 (Ancient Times)

Geography: The Story of the World, Activity Book for Volume 1 (Ancient Times) 

Science: Apologia's Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics

Art: Classical Conversations

Music: Classical Conversations and Piano Lessons

Keyboarding: Scholastic Jump Start Typing

I listed links on everything to the publishers when I could so you can do your own research and see what all they offer and all of the supplemental products.  But we buy most of our things from Christian Book.  They always have great prices and a lot of times I can score a free shipping deal which makes it not as painless to shop. 

This is a bit confusing (or maybe just to me???) so I hesitate to bring this up but...I also use Classical Conversations. 

Kind of.  

Just a little bit. 

So here's some backstory for you. 

Last year we did Classical Conversations because it seemed so easy. But we had to do it at home because we had ABA therapy for Cal and I just could not get it to work with our schedule.  

From everything I've heard from all of my awesome friends I'm assuming I didn't dig it as much as I had hoped because we did it at home. 

What I took away from doing CC for a year at home was that I really, really enjoying the methodology behind it all and how they teach kids to memorize and remember. 

What I am not a fan of is how little it taught of history compared to The Story of the World.  We have used SOTW since we started homeschooling and I've always enjoyed how the history reads like a story and that the activity book pretty much has everything that you need...including maps that teach geography.  

So the long and short of it is I still have my CC foundations guide and I went through and compared everything in it to the story of the world and matched the weeks up.  To do it, it literally took me two entire days and I was locked in a hotel room by myself trying to figure out how it all would fit.  But it does and so we will have memory work that goes with the stories and the reading and maps and the activities.  

I hope that all makes sense.  It probably all sounds insane and like too much work but what I have found in the 5 YEARS I have been doing this is that everybody has something different that works for them. 

I can't believe I've been homeschooling for 5 years.  I should know how to do this already, right? 

So there ya go, the long and short of what we will be doing.  Pray for us please... I think, no I know we will need it! 

Train Fun at Fernwood

I know I have spoken of Fernwood before.  

It is hard to put into words a place of visual beauty. 

But I'll try. 

Or you could just go.  You know, just saying. 

The kids and I went there.  It is instantly so peaceful.  The greens against one another invoke a tranquil atmosphere...

That is until someone spots a snake and then times because a bit more raucous.  

But that's the fun of going.

Armed with a Water Bottle...

And a map, we set out for the Railway Garden.  Not that we needed a map but in school we have been learning map skills so they were having a good time locating where we were on the map as we walked towards the trains.  

The Railway Gardens are amazing!  Water features, secret doorways, and plants all mix together around 4 trains as they pass through tracks on various levels...above you, under, below, beside.  It is just amazing and so fun! 

It always seems too that everytime we go we find something new to see!  

This time I caught sight of this darling covered bridge!  Isn't it just the cutest little thing?  

There are also all of these amazing buildings like this one nestled in for the trains to pass.  They look like local popular buildings. 

We are on Chapter 9 of "The Borrowers" and Emma and Calvin really enjoyed imagining Arrietty exploring the garden.  

But anyway, like I said before, so many things to spot! 

As many things as there are to spot our absolute fave is this cute, little ladybug train car.  How adorable is this? It zips around and the kids squeal when they see it and run to show me where it is...so many precious moments for me to remember.  Love sharing this with them before school gets started again.  

This train is my fave!  

I had to practically peel these two away from the trains.  If you have a little train lover you should go too!  When Cal was huge into Thomas (like 3-ish) we loved coming here are seeing all the "choo-choo's" whirring by.  And now look how grown they are :(  But they still love coming :)  

Fernwood's website says that the Railway Garden will be closed for the year after October 31st, so be sure you go check it out...it's a must if you live in the area!  

*This post may contain affiliate links.  If you have any questions, be sure to read my disclosure policy here :)

Pumpkin Pie Spice French Press Coffee

I slept this morning until 8:50.  It was glorious!  

After working on the resale I was tuckered out. So when Nick woke me this morning I remember just saying "I'm sleeping in!"  I kind of felt like the queen! 

But when I woke up I felt groggy and needing coffee.  

And ya'll it is chilly here!  So I made some Pumpkin Spice Coffee...it will be Autumn soon!  

And you should know I had to change that because I initially wrote pimpin coffee.  'Yo. 

In the Spring I bought coffee on clearance for $1.94! Score!  At the time it seemed kind of dumb because I wasn't in the mood for it but now here it is crisp and it worked out perfectly.  It's a lovely thing to already have in the house what you are in the mood for and not have to go tromping to Target with the kids in tow to find it.

In the photo above is the coffee, my mug which I swear holds like 100 oz of coffee. I found it at the Homegoods in Gurney Mills in Illinois.  I love it but am in the mood to change so I'm on the hunt (or if anyone wants to send me one, hint, hint :)  ).  And the french  press. 

Oh, the French Press. 

We have a Keurig that I use regularly.  And we still have a coffee pot tucked away in the pantry to make lots of coffee for parties.  But when I feel like making myself coffee these days I pull out my French Press.  

This is my french press.  After borrowing my Mother-in-Law's when we went camping I knew I had to get my own.  

Mine appears to be pretty hard to find these days.  It was released for Bodum's 70th anniversary.  I love it because the pink matches my kitchen so it looks so pretty sitting on my counter. If you want to buy your own they have them at the Vermont Kitchen Supply.

They also have lots of color combinations available.  Bodum makes bigger ones but for me at home with the kids this size seems to be perfect.  I get about two cups of coffee out of it and am pleased as punch all day.  

So Happy Pumpkin Pie Spice Day!  Go whip yourself up some coffee in your french press.  It always makes me feel happy and special and I know it will for you too!  

Cheers, friends. 

When the Fun Starts Feeling Like a Job...

Again, life happens and I haven't been on here much.  I'm so lame.  

But more than that the transition to this new blog has left me feeling like this just wasn't fun anymore.  

Which just shouldn't be true.  

I love to write.  I was the girl who would ask to stay in from recess to write.  The girl who went to her diary first to scribble through tears.  I was born to write. 

So boo to this feeling like a job because this should be fun.  The reason I started this blog (in case you were wondering) is to keep a record of our family for me and for the kiddos to read when they are all grown up. 

And it is so edifying!  Recently my cousin who is also the web designer was able to transfer ALL of my old blog posts onto this site.  It was so fun to read through and see how God has moved in our lives. For example...

When Calvin was a year and a half old Nick lost his job.  It was horrible.  Joy sucking bad.  And the kids were young enough that we made a vow about (or at least figured we'd take a stab at) them not even knowing what was going on.  We didn't want anything to change for them.  So Nick stayed home but Emma still went to preschool and we still had Christmas and we muddled through. 

At least I thought we muddled through.  But looking back through those blog posts helped me to see how awesome we were doing.  We had apples to pick and pumpkins to carve along with picnics to celebrate with and "happy pumpkin carving" decorated cakes to enjoy.  We weren't starving, or scared in the pictures.  We were happy and laughing and enjoying watching how our babies were growing.  And so I have this blog to celebrate how far we've come and how much God can carry us through.  We are better, we are stronger, we are here.  And this blog can be a testament to that.  

And while that was why I started writing this blog I have continued writing this blog because I have had countless parents tell me through so many different avenues that our transparency in the struggles of homeschooling and autism and marriage and everything else is so nice to see.  Because when you are in the trenches it is so nice to sometimes hear someone else saying "geesh, this is just the worst."  Because sometimes it is.  And sometimes it's the best.  And I'll say that too.   

So I'm getting back into blogging.  Nick's head has hurt, our son has been crazy, I've been marketing a sale, organizing curriculum, planning a school year, and cleaning a house.  But mostly I've been with two little guys trying to find fun things to do as we celebrate the end of the summer and the welcoming of Autumn.  

May you find the joy in that too.  

The Value of a Fernwood Membership

Our new membership cards came earlier this month to the Fernwood Botanical Gardens!  We love, love, love this place!  If you haven't been, allow me to tell you: it is amazing!  It's a gorgeous Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve in Niles, Michigan.  

We're big fans of the Cabana.  Most of the time when we go the kiddos stop in here and don't want to go anywhere else.  They're cute like that.  And I totally get that because seriously, I can pretend I'm off on some exotic island when we're in the Cabana.  So wonderful. 

The flowers, the trails, the train garden, the frogs to find.  The water wheel.  Everything kids love.  And it's for grown ups too :)  

When talking to my mom friends it seems like the conversation always seems to come around to things to do with your kids in the Michiana area.  I'm always amazed that hardly anyone takes their kids to Fernwood.  

Whaaaa???  

We love, love, love (I feel like I've said this before...) Fernwood so here I am to say, I'll be writing more about this wonderful place and all of the cool things you can do there.  But first let's talk basics...

You need to get yourself a membership.  

Do it. 

Do it right now.  :)  

Of course you don't have to have a membership.  Admission for adults is $8.00 and children 6 and up are only $3.00.  But it would just makes sense for you....allow me to be your tour guide and explain...

For a family of four admission will run you $22.00 if your kids are older than 5.  A preferred membership gets you and 5 others in for only $65.00 a year!  Go three times and your membership has paid for itself.  So it's a really great value to go again and again.  If you have a kiddo who is under 6 then you can get a basic membership for only $45.00 and it will let you and two others in.  

There is so much to do at Fernwood!  I know you will love it as much as we do.  And if you want to try before you buy they are having a Family Summer Free Day on Wednesday, August 5th so you can bring your family and hang out there.  How amazing is that?  

Anyway, as a member we get all kinds of discounts to programs, their giftshop, and other things. But one of our favorite perks is the reciprocal gardens admission program.  You can check the list of participating locations out here.  There are over 450 places it is honored. It has saved us a bundle and more than pays for a membership!  

The first place I tried it was at the Chicago Botanical Gardens which are free but parking is $25!!!!  Holy fee to park your car, Batman! But with our Fernwood Membership we received free parking so with a savings of $25 I was sold.  :)  

Then when we were in Hershey, PA and I was searching for cheap things to do we were able to visit the Hershey Gardens for free!  Admission would have been $25.50 for the kids and I to get in but was free with our Fernwood Membership!  Score! 

If you need more reasons why a Fernwood Membership is super economical, let me give you two more: 

In your membership packet (at least every time in mine) has always been a free membership to Better Homes and Gardens and a coupon for something free.  

So Nick and I are planning on a date to their cafe and we'll share a free dessert (a $4.00 value).  

And you can get a FREE magazine subscription just for being a member!  Or if you don't want it there's a box on the very bottom of the card that you can check and they will send you a $6.00 refund.  

So let's break it down for you now...

$65.00 Fernwood Membership

-$25.00 Chicago Botanic Gardens Parking I got for free

-$25.50 Hershey Gardens Admission I got for free 

-$4.00 free dessert

-$6.00 magazine refund 

=$4.50 difference

Such an amazing deal!  

And there are so many other ways to save...facility rentals, programs, classes, plant sales, on and on.  

So if you are in the Michiana area I hope you'll visit Fernwood and make some memories with your kids there. With the toll road and by-pass it's super easy and quick to get to no matter where you are in the area.  And don't forget to get yourself a membership!  Perhaps we'll see each other under the trains :) 

Hotel Life with Kids

Our family is a traveling family.  

Not a hand me a tambourine kind of family. 

Or a gypsy kind of family. 

This is the second year of my husband traveling for work and every once in a while the stars align and we get to go with him.  I think that is one of the best rewards of homeschooling...every place is our classroom and most times we can go with him on a whim to wherever the road takes us.  

Now I feel like I should say (in case any big whig corporate people ever stumbled upon this) that we are very picky about traveling with Nick.  We don't cost the business any extra.  When we go out to dinner, he pays for his with his corporate card and the rest of us are on our own ticket.  But when work is already paying for him to drive and stay there then why not take advantage of a deal for our family and snatch it up.  

*My disclaimer here is that upon accepting his position my husband made it clear that his family can travel and that was what he wanted.  They graciously agreed.  So if you are thinking of doing this with your family, please make sure it is okay first.  It makes you feel a whole lot better that you don't have to be sneaky or anything.  Moving on...

As I homeschool the children we are a one-income family meaning that I like to save money wherever possible.  And something about traveling makes the frugality in me come out.  Also, kind of the hobo in me come out.  Or the McGyver-ness of me come out.  Not sure but I start to feel like "give me a coffee maker and an outlet and I'll be good to go".  

I have spent a chunk of my life pinteresting and googling hotel living and while I have found some, I can't say I have been overwhelmed with helpfulness or anything.  

Anyway, since I have stayed in a hotel room with children about 4 times in the past year I feel like I've gotten pretty good at setting up a good base camp and keeping the kids occupied cheaply and easily. So I thought I would share some tips I have.  Whether you are staying a long time or just going somewhere for vacation these will hopefully be helpful to you: 

* Stay at a place with the following: 

-pool. Let's face it, anywhere with a pool makes it feel more like a vacation.  Plus what swimming kiddos can help but have a good nights sleep after swimming?  I pack two bathing suits so I can dry one while they swim again without a cold suit. 

-mini fridge. You can basically bring anything with a mini fridge.  I personally like to bring my own coffee creamer so I can fix my coffee how I like it at home.  When you go out to eat you can also take the leftovers back to the hotel for another meal.  Money saver!!!

-microwave.  Heat up the leftovers.  Bring along popcorn to munch while you watch a movie. Whatever...I'm guessing you know how to work a microwave so I'm moving on. 

-a coffee maker can be your best friend.  Here is what I've done with it.  Made coffee, ha!. Ran hot water through for hot cocoa.  Made hot water for Ramen soup. Made hot water and dumped it into a tub that had a temperature control so I couldn't get the water hot enough.  I am sure you could think of other things. Basically if it has to do with hot water, you could do it with a coffee maker.

-free breakfast. Read free breakfast also as: future snacks for your kids.  Most breakfasts have pastries, yogurt cups, and fruit which can all be brought back to the hotel room for a snack for later on. Another thing I will take from there are two coffee cups, packs of hot cocoa, and stirrers.  When we get back from the pool my kids love having hot cocoa to warm up.  I also love getting the hard boiled eggs from the little fridge for myself for a protein packed pick me up in the afternoon.  Also, when you have the mini-fridge you can put all of this in there.  Oh and I have to remind you to grab plastic cutlery!  It's hard to eat ramen without a fork or spoon.  It's very interesting to do!  It feels like some type of youth group game.  Anyway, get silverware. 

Just do it.  I mean it. 

Our two favorite hotel chains so far have been: 

Holiday Inn Express (we have had NO luck with straight up Holiday Inn hotels though)

Springhill Suites (A Mariott Hotel) 

These two have had all of the above necessities for us.  

Here are some helpful items to have/take: 

*Plastic hangers. When we go anywhere it always seems like they have those hangers with the little rod with a ball that attaches to the thing on the rod to become a hanger so you can't steal.  Which by the way do not work too well in the shower.  So I pack 5 little kid plastic hangers so I can hang bathing suits on them and hang them on the shower rod.  Amazingly this works so much better than trying to drape wet suits all over God's creation.  And they dry so much better.  

*A knife.  Not like a shiv or anything but a nice kitchen knife.  A lot of times the buffets have little cups of peanut butter by the bagels so a couple of those with a cut up apple makes for a great afternoon snack for little kids.  

*Plastic Bags. I try to bring a trash bag from home for dirty clothes.  It makes keeping the room tidy with four people so much easier when you can just chuck all of the clothes you've used into one bag.  When we get home that bag goes right to the laundry room and the rest can be put away. I also save plastic bags from take out, purchases, whatever that we collect while there.  I use them for trash.  Hotels must be really proud that they have the world's smallest trashcans because they are always inequitably tiny.  And with 4 people there for days on end it always ends up getting too full.  They are also good for dirty shoes, beach items, whatever.  

*Food.  I'm not saying by any means you have to bring bags and bags of groceries but a few items will save you some serious cash.  Here are my staples I bring and how they save me: coffee creamer (I don't run to Starbucks anymore!), microwave popcorn (saves you from running out for a snack), fruit (this REALLY helps keep my kids, shall we say, regular? while on vacation and eating junk food galore!), ramen noodle cups (we never eat these at home but at hotels the kids LOVE them). 

*A Netflix Account and a way to watch it.  One of our last trips we went to a small city and there really wasn't much to do.  There were playgrounds and a couple of fun outdoorsy things but it poured for two days straight and we were running out of things to do.  The hotel had maybe 5 channels on a good day and none of them were kid appropriate.  I have no idea what I would have done if I hadn't had our computer.  I set it up and we had popcorn and hot cocoa and watched a movie.  What could have been the worst, most boring day ever was turned into a rainy day memory save for the Netflix.  

Here are some organizational tips I have for staying in a hotel room with kids: 

*Unpack.  I mean it. Before we started traveling regularly we hardly ever used the dressers in hotels or even unpacked at all.  We would just take out what we needed as we needed it and then shoved it back in when we were done.  Wrong!  The best thing I have found to keep me sane is to unpack.  Nick still hates unpacking and most hotel dressers have 3 drawers so I use one drawer for my things and one for each kid.  I unpack everything from their bags and then find somewhere to shove the bags.  It's so great to not have those things to be tripping over.  In a couple of hotels I've even taken them back out to the car so we didn't even have to deal with them.  

*Set up stations/areas. In the area below the nightstand table I put all of our books and activities.  On the desk I put all of our charges, nooks, phones, and computer.  In the kitchen area I put all of the food (genius, I know).  In the bathroom I put all shower stuff in the shower and everything else below the sink. I put the bag for dirty clothes by the front door or in a closet.  It makes it easier to find things when everything's not just jammed together in bags in say, the closet area or somewhere.   

*Put your purse by the door.  And repeat.  When you're leaving it's easy to find.  If there's a fire it's easy to find.  It's just easy.  Don't put it by an open door but a normal, safe, closed door is just fine :) 

*I feel like Ross Geller from Friends telling you to do this but...Get a late check out.  Just ask.  We've never not been able to get a later check out.  It takes away some of the stress to get out the door and if the kids want to have a last minute swim it's a lot easier to get everyone showered, dressed, and out the door when you have an extra hour or two.  

So there you go.  I hope some of these help you and save you some sanity during your next trip with your kiddos!  Please feel free to share any tips you have...Lord knows I need all the help I can get! :) 

Tigers and Bridges and the Randomness of it All

Sometimes life is a bit odd...

Like maybe you have a tiger for dinner.  

His name is Hobbes by the way.  

He wasn't thrilled with us not having tuna but he was a trooper and stuck around. 

There are some deep conversations going on.  

Deep. 

And then there's this girl.  Oh my, she has our whole big heart.  This girl is now a Junior Girl Scout.  No brownies for us around here.  

Sniff, sniff.  

I usually can make it through things pretty nonchalantly.  

Like sands through the hourglass...so are the days of our lives...

But this was taken during bridging ceremony which had me tearing up.  I think specifically because I kept remembering this silly girl in a blue daisy vest who had no problem wearing pigtails wherever she went.  

Where have those times gone?  

She just looks so grown up, I can hardly stand it!!!  

Aah!  

So that's the gist of what we've been doing in these parts.  

Oh and traveling.  

Lots and lots of travel.  In the last month we've been to Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.  Whew!  I'll blog about those sometime but not now.  

Now is built for randomness.  

Along with randomness comes random thoughts and here ya go...

 I was thinking about this past year that happened. I know that is something that generally people do around the first of the year but I am a late bloomer so here I am. 

I am just in awe of how God has shaped my life.  I have made peace with things I've struggled with for years.  FOR YEARS!  Things that you want to talk to people about and wrestle with and fret over and then it just eats you up .  Anyway, I finally took the plunge and answered God's calling to make things right and you know what?  It really was no big deal.  I mean it was a big deal but not nearly as big as my worried mind had made it into over the years.

I've also made things right with someone I was mean to in the past.  Do you have those people where you think about your past with them and kind of cringe?  Am I the only one who has done that?  Anyway, this person isn't really in my life anymore, but thank goodness for Facebook and its reconnecting ways!  I was able to reach out and apologize and I felt so much better.  Whether it was accepted or not I at least tried to make things right.  And you know what?  They forgave me and we were able to move past it which is so amazing.  God is just so good!

And on the other end of things I was able to finally bury the past with someone else who it just didn't work out with.  Someone who we had tried to make things right with and it was not reciprocated.  Shortly after we decided to cut ties (by we I mean Nicholas and I as we try to make decisions together) I read this devotion about not being close with everyone.  It gave the example of David not being all buddy buddy with Saul when he was trying to kill him but fled.  So I have felt such peace with the need to flee after a season of trying.  

And that's just the way God is.  I am so reminded of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

And I could go on and on with other examples about how God has helped us in family situations or I've seen God stand up for me.  In things with our house and car and traveling mercies, so much God has done this past year.  God is working everything out for our good.  It's so awesome to know that and have the peace that that brings. 

And so whatever you are going through, whether it has to do with having tigers over for supper or big girls walking over a bridge towards you and their future, just know that God works it all out for your good.  

Love you friends! 

To the Mommas Dreading Father's Day...

My husband is pretty much the best.  

Ever. 

It's recently come to my attention that people view us as this perfect family without any problems.  

And boy could that not be farther from the truth.  

Our marriage and family have at times been shaken by lies.  And fighting. By tears and frustration.  By broken promises, heartache, and unfaithfulness. 

Sin was welcomed into our home and the remains that it threatened to leave were devastating. 

We decided what would be left wouldn't be good enough.  

Not good enough for me. 

Not good enough for him. 

Not good enough for our children.

Not nearly, ever good enough for God. 

So we put our armor on and battled it out to stay "us".  It was hard and messy and grueling.

But what an even more amazing us we have become.  

Our story is a story of redemption. 

A story of a boy and a girl who married way too young.  Who were selfish and mean.  Who fought and expected way too much without putting nearly enough effort into a marriage that could very well have been doomed from the start. 

This isn't a story of bad.  

Rather it's a story of the good. 

A story of what God can do.  

A story that I hope brings you all hope.  

Because no matter what you are going through, we all deserve love.  God designed us to crave love.  To need love. 

Because God is love.  

And you just need Him.  

To be honest there were times when I never wanted to look at this man again in my life.  When he  had been kicked out and forbade back.  

But Christ said that wouldn't be the end of the story and after he knocked on my heart I opened the door and Wit found his way back to me. 

And now. 

Boy howdy am I over the moon for this boy. 

He fathers better than I could have expected.  And loves more than I could have hoped for.  He works and strives and sweats and strips (paint!) more than I could even ask of someone to do. 

And so for those of you with husbands like mine...husbands who are human and not perfect and sometimes falter, please celebrate them anyway.  Overlook the trash not taken out (again!) but never overlook the overtime he picked up so you could get that zoo membership for the kids.  Overlook the baseball watching but never overlook that he goes up to tuck the kids into bed and assures them with the safety and warmth that only a Daddy can bring. 

For those of you who are apart from your husbands and your babies Daddy's...either emotionally or physically or both:  Please don't give up hope.  God is hope and Jesus offers love and miracles and a redemption story that can be better than you ever hoped it could be.  Please don't give up. Don't stop praying.  Don't stop loving and crying and feeling alive.  

I hope our story gives you hope. I hope you know that I was apart for a Father's Day from my husband and didn't want him back and didn't know how we'd ever get on.  

And now this man makes me swoon.  He makes me laugh like when we were dating.  He makes me want to be better because that's what he deserves.  And I never, ever, ever thought that it could be this good.  

Ours is a story of redemption. 

A Peek into June's Monthly Shopping

So this past weekend we went grocery shopping.  But not just any grocery shopping...monthly grocery shopping.  

If you want you can read all about my Monthly Shopping Trips to salvage and discount stores to see where exactly I go and how and why I do it.  

As always, while driving to the first store we go to (which is about half an hour away) I am frantically finishing my grocery list and trying to remember if we needed vanilla or if we were good on that. 

I always remember though to stop in the midst of the craziness and the whining from the backseat for donuts, and pray for God's favor.  

After all, staying home is tough on the fiscal side of our household and groceries make up a big chunk of where our money goes.  

God doesn't let us down.  I am not surprised and yet every time He blows me away. 

I thought I would show you just a teeny bit of the deals that we scored this time around. 

I just can't believe the deals we got!  I know the photo shows some but let me expand a bit:

Orange Juice for 39 Cents!  The children love orange juice but I am a stickler that they can only have one glass a day.  Despite the vitamins it contains when you factor in the sugar content verses the fiber it lacks when the actual fruit is taken away, it's better to go for straight, whole fruits than just their juices.  Anyway, we go through about a carton and a half a week so we bought 6 of them for a total of $2.34!  How amazing is it that we bought enough orange juice to last us an entire month for less than the cost of one carton at a super market?  And in case you are wondering, these are not past their expiration date.  There's nothing wrong with them.  We have a deep freezer so we kept one out and froze the rest.  Amazing deal! 

Fage yogurt for $4 a case!  That's 12 cups of yogurt for $4.00.  These yogurts are about $1.29 at the stores near us so we saved $11.48 on something that would have cost us $15.48 at the store.  We stocked up and bought 3 cases of yogurt.  Again, we keep out a carton of yogurt and the rest goes into the deep freezer.  We were lucky to find that they were vanilla so it's a neutral flavor that can have preserves or fruit mixed in so we don't get bored.  Nick takes a yogurt to work every day and the kids love it so we go through a lot of this stuff.  Score!

Organic Buttermilk for 50 cents each!  Such an amazing deal :)  If I don't have buttermilk I usually do the 'ole teaspoon of vinegar to cup of milk trick to make buttermilk but in truth this buttermilk is so much creamier and yummier than my janked up version.  

Sargento cheeses for 50 cents each.  These go for about $3 at the store and they are so yummy!  We like to keep some little cheeses on hand so when we need a date-ish type thing to do we can break out some crackers and cheese after the kiddos go to bed and watch a movie. 

So those are just some of my finds.  As you can see, when all of the things I buy are discounted this deeply, it's no wonder we save so much money!  

Happy Shopping! 

• January 2015
  • Jan 5, 2015 January Christmas Prep: Advent Ahead of Time Jan 5, 2015
• December 2014
  • Dec 22, 2014 Welcome! Dec 22, 2014
  • Dec 15, 2014 Letting It Go: Re-prioritizing to Enjoy the Gift of Christmas Dec 15, 2014
  • Dec 11, 2014 Stay tuned :) Dec 11, 2014
  • Dec 3, 2014 Oh, Christmas Tree! Dec 3, 2014
• November 2014
  • Nov 24, 2014 What I Wore Mondays: Church Potluck Edition Nov 24, 2014
  • Nov 22, 2014 Dear Mama, Babies Don't Keep Nov 22, 2014
  • Nov 22, 2014 Thankful For My Babies Nov 22, 2014
  • Nov 21, 2014 Taylor Swift Told Me to Just Shake It Off! Nov 21, 2014
  • Nov 14, 2014 A Rough Day and Remembering God's Blessings Nov 14, 2014
  • Nov 12, 2014 I'm Lindsay and I'm an Usborne Books Consultant! Nov 12, 2014
  • Nov 10, 2014 What I Wore Mondays: Cozy Cardigan Edition Nov 10, 2014
  • Nov 8, 2014 Kicking Satan to the Curb After Moms' Night Out Nov 8, 2014
• September 2014
  • Sep 7, 2014 The Nina and the Pinta! Sep 7, 2014
  • Sep 4, 2014 September's Monthly Meal Plan Sep 4, 2014
• August 2014
  • Aug 30, 2014 My Monthly Grocery Shopping Trip Aug 30, 2014
  • Aug 25, 2014 Bass Masters Aug 25, 2014
  • Aug 25, 2014 Here Kitty, Kitty Aug 25, 2014
  • Aug 18, 2014 Snickerdoodles Aug 18, 2014
  • Aug 7, 2014 hello there Aug 7, 2014
• July 2014
  • Jul 7, 2014 MIA Jul 7, 2014
• May 2014
  • May 11, 2014 A Beautiful Mother's Day! May 11, 2014

What is the Reason Behind Your Clutter?

Can I be frank for a bit here?  

I have a problem over here with clutter.  

I mean, it's gotten bad. 

I didn't used to be this way and was always super tidy and obsessively organized. 

Earlier this year even,  I was getting to the point of hoarder status.

And not like stacks and stacks of stuff but in terms of the actual meaning behind the clutter.  

Allow me to explain...

First, allow me to say that I think America has a problem with clutter.  Too much stuff.  The Berenstein Bears and too much stuff. 

I'm on the Committee for a local children's resale that happens twice a year and just seeing everything brought in, it only reiterates the too much stuff theory. 

In my own life I have been thinking a lot about why I have clutter. I believe people evolve and change as they grow and mature.  Events shape us and can define us or be a reason for us to change. 

Here are some of the reasons I've come up with for my clutter:

1.  Upbringing/ Poverty

I grew up pretty poor.  Government cheese at times poor.  And yet when I look back I remember my mom always had tons and tons of clothes.  Not that she was out buying lots, but that she never got rid of anything. I think I took from that that having a lot of stuff was the way to go: a safety net if you will. Whether you used the 78 purses you own or not, having them was the way to go. 

2. Empty Promises/The Search for Fulfillment

I recently started purging my closet and I am getting rid of things that I am not in love with.  I can't believe how many articles of clothing I am getting rid of because they aren't comfortable of flattering or both.  And when I take those things out of my closet I remember when I got them.  I can remember the feelings that came with purchasing them. So many times I was just stressed or bummed and wanted something new and pretty so I went out shopping and got the item just to get it.  It was probably a good deal and so at the time I convinced myself I needed it. I was trying to fulfill something in myself and it didn't work.  And how many times do we all do that?  That eliptical machine you never use but bought because you saw that as the way you were going to change your life and lose tons of weight.  Or furniture you don't need.  The world's best stroller so you can feel like the best mom. Whatever the items are, I think we're all guilty of it at one time or another. 

3. Fear

This is where I talk about the hoarder-ish quality in me that I didn't even know I had.  In January Nick and I went through and did a really deep clean of our bedroom.  Our bedroom, I would say, includes his walk in closet, my dressing room, and our actual bedroom. And it's probably like a lot of you guys' bedrooms in that, it becomes a dumping ground for all of the odd-jobby things you don't know what to do with or didn't have time to put away.  So we weeded through and purged and purged and screamed and weeded and purged and purged.  

What I was not expecting was for Nick to come into my dressing room with me. Why Hello.  And it was so embarrassing because he made me get rid of so much.  Ratty, dingy camisoles had to go.  6 of my 11 pairs of tennis shoes went. Old contacts that I had worn at some time of life after college but were just sitting in contact cases.  Case after case after case got thrown away.  It was really embarrassing.  Nick asked me what the heck I was thinking and for each item I found myself telling him I might need it if he ever loses his job.  

Which made me decide that I really might just be insane.  

See, Nick got laid off 6 years ago!  It was completely out of the blue, shocking, and lasted 6 months before he had an amazing job offered to him.  And it wasn't until Nick was asking me about these things did I realize how much his job loss had affected me.  Apparently, this deep down part of me is secretly terrified that he will lose his job again.  And I will find myself needing to wear old prescription contacts and dingy camisoles and nasty old tennis shoes.  

It will be a hot look. :)

So anyway, those are the few reasons I can think of why I have clutter.  

But you know what?

Stuff can't make me happy. 

But God can. 

Stuff can't protect me or take care of me. 

But God can. 

My stuff can't define me. 

But God can. 

My stuff doesn't bring me joy. 

But God can.

These past few weeks I've been decluttering and reading my Bible more.  And I can feel that my value and my joy come from Christ and not from how much stuff I have collected or can hold on to.  And I can tell you that in God there truly is a fullness of joy that you will never feel from any shopping excursion or purse-lined wall. 

In saying all of that, I would love to challenge you to think of if you have maybe had a problem or reason that you are holding onto unneeded items.  Do you have things you need to get rid of?  Are you trying to fill some void in your life with material possessions?  

Is it time to hurl some things out the door?  

I know it is for me!  

My Cat's a Little Chewie...

A few weeks ago I went with Nick out of town for a business trip.  It was heavenly!  

We got home super late on a Thursday night due to stupid Chicago rush hour traffic.  

Friday morning he got up to go to work and quickly woke me with a nice, calming, panic in his voice and the deer-in-headlight look.  

Oh great, someone broke into the car, or the house.  Or something's on fire! 

It was rather an unpleasant way to be woken, ahem. 

Turns out it was this: 

A teeny tiny kitten.  

Now to explain.  We put our cat down last July.  And then two days later got two new kittens.  Ugh. 

And perhaps we have waited too long in following Bob Barker's instructions but we have an appointment at the end of this month that has been standing for a few months.  Anyway, we have a male cat and a female cat.  We're pretty sure this kitten miracle came about when the female cat (whose name is Otis...don't try to keep up) got out because our boy cat (whose name is Stripe) has been seeming like he gets these urges but just kind of stands in the general vicinity of Otis, the girl cat and dry humps the air.  It's kind of like watching a college boy.  They think they know what they're doing to be cool but they don't have a clue.  

Um, you're doing that wrong. 

Anyway, so we have this cute little kitten now.  Otis, the ill named girl cat is Calvin's.  Stripe the boy cat who now doesn't have any stripes is Emma's.  So this new cat is mine.  

Mine, all mine.  Muahahaha.  

Well, it's not that severe.  

So anyway, these weird kids of mine.  One wanted to name it Tiger.   Then the other wanted Tiny.  Then we settled on Tiny Tiger.  Then, like we are shooting some type of rap video we started calling the thing TT.  

Yo, TT, I gottcha chains, bro

So Mom and Dad stepped in for the official renaming of the cat.  

We had a girl cat named Roscoe we named when we first had were married.  Clearly this inability to name a cat a proper name is genetic in our family.  

Dry humping is not. 

Just in case you were curious. 

Anywho...

So this little guy made his debut on my Facebook page.  Isn't he the most adorable little thing that you have ever seen?  Yes he is.  Who's a good boy?  Yes?  Who's a good boy.  

 As you can see, he clearly is a Chewbacca.  

For now...

I'm kind of digging the name Winston right now... 

Oh dear.  

Anyone else have any dumb pet names they would like to own up to?  Eh?  Eh?

Awana

Last night was the Awards Ceremony for our kiddos Awana Program.  

We go over our Awana for the week every day during school so it's basically our Bible Curriculum which is easy peasey for me.  

All of the kids get some type of award which I think is super awesome.  This year Emma only got a participation award as she didn't get her books done.  The kids that did get their books completed received really neat awards so I'm hoping that gives her incentive to work extra hard next year to get things memorized and completed.  

Nothing like a little peer pressure, right?  

Anyway, because of he homeschooling Emma and Cal don't experience the fun days that school kids do like pajama day or crazy hair day.  And that's where Awana steps in.  I love that they get to experience "bring on spring day" or "crazy hat day" here so it kind of makes up for the lack of those days in school. 

Where Emma and Calvin attend Awana the award ceremony has an award time and then a little slide show.  It was so fun to see Emma in the sanctuary with her little friends grouped together, giggling over the pictures and having fun together.  I'm so glad she gets to have that somewhere.  Those are the types of things I get sad that she is missing out on in school.  

Now that Awana is over we are looking into the Awana TruthScripts program for home.  Has anyone done this?  It's a program for families to memorize together and it appears they have free resources and things on their site for you to use at home as incentives and prizes for learning verses.  You can check it out here.  

Next year we will be doing Awana again.  Calvin will be in Sparks and Emma will be in the Truth in Training program...can't wait to get started again and see how much they can learn!  

And let me know if you've done the Awana home program!  Did you like it lots?

Dear New Mommas...A letter from a Mom Celebrating her Baby's 9th Birthday

Today my little girl turned 9.  Even typing that seems absurd to me.  As I look back I just can't believe how quickly time has flown by.  

When Emma was born I was a working career woman.  I was exhausted.  And confused.  And I felt alone in the whole new-mommy thing.  I wish there had been things people had told me.  Here are a few things I've come up with along the way that I would tell all of you new Mommas.  Or even Mommas who aren't so green to this game we are all playing:

1) Write it down.  When I was with Emma and she was tiny I remember smelling her and looking at her so intently that it was like I was trying to consume her.  I was sure I would never ever forget those moments, that those would be permanently stamped in my brain and when I get old and gray those would keep me warm at night.  But the fact of the matter is that due to hormones and lack of sleep and life moving so fast, I can hardly remember any of it.  In fact when I squint really hard and cock my head to the side, trying to remember the newborn days, all I can really remember is the feeling of engorged breasts.  And let tell you, I'd rather that doesn't follow me into my golden years. 

I wish I had scribbled things down.  Things to jog my memory or little moments that have all meshed together into a giant fog of love. I started this a few years ago and it does help.  I write them in a format that I can someday give to my kids or at least share with them if, when I try to give it to them I find myself screaming "mine!mine!mine!".  After all, they can have it when I'm dead.

Just write stuff down. 

2) Do not wish the days away.  Ever. Even in your worst day there is someone laying in a hospital bed praying to the Lord to have one more day.  Never ever think "God please let this day just be over".  I've been there and I've done it and now I really would do anything to be back in those nasty days of diaper pails overflowing, three days of dishes in the sink, and a fussy baby wanting nothing but time with their Momma. Those days don't come back to you, trust me, I've tried.  No DeLorean can do it for you. 

3) Just savor it. Multi-tasking: that's my middle name.  I blog while family movie night.  I do devotions while folding laundry.  It's totally a mom thing to do.  But while you are sitting there breastfeeding, I invite you to put the God-forsaken facebook down and just breathe in the moment you are in.  Cry about it.  Pray about it.  Thank God for it.  He will meet you wherever you are.  Just take it all in and don't let the moment pass you by. 

4) Don't forget they're still little.  My Emma-Kazoo is 9 and I so often find myself thinking "wow, she's so big" but the truth is that she is so much smaller than she will be in 9 years when she is out making her own way in the world.  So don't stop doing the handprints and the painted feet just because they aren't simply toddling around.   You'll want these soft small hands recorded as well.  

5) It all works out.  If you are having your first baby, you're probably freaking out about everything. I remember Emma had really bad cradle cap and fretting and worrying about it.  But here she is 9 years later and not a smite of cradle cap exists.  Even the big problems all work out.  It all seems to work itself out in the end and nothing ever seems as bad as it does when you have too many hormones and too little sleep.  Just remember that.  

I hope my experience with my sweet baby girl helps you to stop and enjoy your sweet littles. They are such a blessing from God and worth every bit of worry and sleep deprivation and vomited nights and engorged boobs :)