Learning to Celebrate Autism

My blog description says that I have a dab of Autism thrown in but lately I haven't been speaking the language of Autism lately.  

I think I've been hiding from Autism. 

Is that even possible? 

Not so much. 

Well I've been trying to.  I don't think it's been going very well but, oh well, I'm a gal who likes to try new things. 

For those of you who are new here, our son, Cal, is seven and was diagnosed with Autism when he was four-ish.  So we've been figuring it out for a little while.  We've been through a myriad of therapies and counseling and services and oils and supplements and anything and everything (it's felt like ) that we could get our hands on. 

When he was very first diagnosed we took him off gluten and anything else we thought that might help.

But nothing happened. 

So we resumed life and tried to figure out our life with our shiny new diagnosis.

Then this past year everyone kept saying "you really should take him off gluten", "you should really try gluten free" and I thought thanks you hippies but we've been there, done that and nothing happened.  It did seem to keep coming up though so we figured we'd give it a whirl maybe someday a long, long way down the road. 

But towards the end of the summer I was at my wit's end with the kid.  He was hitting and destructive and there seemed to be no end in sight.   He was like a human tornado. 

So one month I was out monthly shopping and I saw these great Bob's Red Mill mixes on sale.  And before I knew it I had sixteen gluten free mixes in my cart and I had sent a text message to Nick saying "we've gone gluten free. Deal." You can tell we're really in love,right?

And guess what?  The gluten free diet is working!  Working, I tell ya, working! I'm so thrilled to tell you all about that sometime but seeing as my vast knowledge basically spans me telling you it works and I'm happy...that's about it. 

I can tell you that is has helped him to be so much more vocal and to show us his emotions. When before he felt excluded by neighbor friends he would punch or kick or throw something.  Now he comes in with big crocodile tears to throw himself in my arms and talk incoherently about it until I can calm him down and work through what he could do in the situation. 

For those of you who are Mommas or more specifically, autism Mommas, I know you are smiling and nodding with me because as much as we never want our kiddos to be sad, you know that that is indeed a very, very good thing. 

Anyway, Monday we were at therapy; which even that I've been in denial about.  Cal goes to therapy but we don't really NEED to go, just finishing up probably...

That is until the occupational therapist gave me his evaluation of how he's doing. 

And reality gets to smack me in the face all over again with the clear message of "HELLO!  Your son has Autism!" I had clearly forgotten...almost. 

Sometimes you can run but you just can't hide. 

The fact is my son has autism and try as I would like to think he doesn't, he does.  Me burying my head in the sand doesn't seem to take that away.  Weird that doesn't work, right?

Sometimes it's really hard.  I am part of the strongest group of moms ever that I had always hoped I would never, ever would have to be a part of.  And yet I am learning after I get my head out of the sand to hold it high because, by golly, we are making it.  We are figuring this out.  

The broken windows. 

And the broken Nintendo 3DS. 

And the armrest that was bit through. 

All totally workable. 

And the evaluation that normally would have me locked in my house crying my eyes out?  Well I actually looked at the dern thing and believe it or not, we're at least making progress.  And that seems to be something to celebrate. 

Celebrate. What a word. 

Yes, I celebrate my son's autism. 

I celebrate that being gluten free is working, that he is talking and communicating more and we are able to help him in this small, super expensive way. 

I celebrate that I get to be his mom and he let's me snuggle.  Even if I have a three kiss rule to follow that he strictly enforces. 

And I will keep celebrating because there is so much to celebrate.  And there will continue to be.

Always.

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Apples

We have apples coming out of our ears.  

For real. 

You can read all about our apple picking adventures here.  For some reason I always say we're not going to get that many apples this year...

And then we wind up with gobs and gobs of apples.  Budget fail!  Because they always go bad, ya know?  It really is true that one bad apple ruins the whole bunch...

Anyway, so I've been trying to use up these dern apples and I decided to just go for broke and make something super nutritious...

Caramel apples.  Which sounded super easy until I realized I have never made them.  So here's what I came up with and what I learned along the way...

Crock-Pot SCCPVC605-S 6-Quart Countdown Oval Slow Cooker with Dipper, Stainless Steel

I made my caramel sauce in the slow cooker.  I found a bowl that fit in my crockpot that still had room around it so I could lift it out.  I am sure this will be different for everyone so just mess with your bowls until you can find one that works for you. 

And by the way if you need a crockpot you can buy the same one I have on Amazon.  And right now it looks like it's on sale for 45% off for only $29.99.  You can click here to check it out. Deal!

Anyway, I then opened up the two bags of caramels that I bought at the store.  I got about half way through unwrapping one when I got this great idea and called in the kids to finish the rest.  I have no idea how many they ate.  I decided to turn a blind eye and not judge them. 

Anyway, a few minutes and a ton of wrappers later they were done and all of the caramels were ready to go. 

I then poured water carefully AROUND the bowl (not in the bowl).  You have to play around with this too.  I think I ended up with about 6 cups of water.  I say I think because I dumped a bunch of water in there and then when the bowl began to float I had to take some out.  As difficult as caramel apples are I didn't want to complicate things by having to follow a bobbing bowl around in the water. 

I then turned my slow cooker to high and let it go.  I stirred it about every half an hour to see how it was coming along.  My caramel took about two hours to get soft enough to dunk apples into.  The photo is what it looked like when it was time to dip.  I posted that one to show you what it should look like.  I didn't think it would be ready but upon completion of stirring it was ready and we were thrilled! 

I dipped the apples just as a precaution but the caramel didn't get too hot so I probably could have let the kiddos.  But safety first!  As you can see I used popsicle sticks and just jammed them in there about half way through the core.  None fell out which was good.  And no one had kabob skewers to try to impale each other with so even better! 

I would like to point out that these caramel apples are not what you would call "magazine perfect" but they are what you could call "kid perfect" because they helped and loved them and to me that's all that matters.  And besides who doesn't like an apple with ooey-gooey caramel running down the sides?

We dipped half of the apples in sprinkles and the other half left bare. I was thinking nuts but we had these when we had new friends over and I wasn't sure about nut allergies.  So maybe nuts would work next time.  I'm also posting these AFTER Halloween because I thought that chopping up leftover candy and using it as a topping would be a really great idea!  

My mother hen piece of advice here is to make sure you really scrape down the bottoms of your apples before you put them on the wax paper.  The caramel will ooze that way as God dictated that's how gravity works, so only scraping a wee bit off results in this big boogery end.  Which is just all caramel and sprinkles which can't be totally bad, right?

Oh and I thought that was my last bit of advice but it wasn't.  Make sure you spray your wax paper with a cooking spray.  We did not and on some of the apples I was stuck (get it? ha!) trying to pick wax paper pieces off of the apples.  Not so fun.  

I hope you enjoy making your own ooey-gooey caramel apples!  

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

Halloween Recap

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed trick or treating with your little ones.  

We saw many so cute little outfits while we were out in the rain (yuck) going door to door for candy.  We live in a National Historic District Neighborhood and it is always so picturesque and wonderful meandering through our streets. 

Last year even before Halloween was over Emma was begging us to have Frozen costumes.  So for a year our fate has been sealed as to what we were going to be.  Nick and I have never dressed up before with the kids so this was a first for us. 

I will say that we had a lot of fun as a family.  This year already Calvin has already chosen what we will be for next year and while I am going to keep it a secret I will say I think that it will be a lot of fun and super cute!

And has anyone noticed that Halloween has become this huge two week long spectacular?  I am pretty sure that everyone could find something Halloweeny to do every day during the two weeks leading up to the big day.  Trunk or treats, Harvest Parties, Halloween Haunts, on and on are going on. 

We went to the Fernwood Halloween event and to a party our realtor's office had.  Both were a lot of fun and the kids had a really good time.  It really makes the cost factor a lot easier to justify to Nick for costumes when we will be in them more than just one time.  

Well anyway, I've got to get back to homeschooling but hope you all had a spooky weekend!  And don't forget today's the last day to sign up for my Usborne Sticker Book contest....I'm giving a book away and would love for you to sign up! 

Happy Monday friends! 

Giveaway: Usborne Egyptian Mummies Sticker Book

Here in homeschool land we are back to learning about the Ancient Times this year.  This week we are covering when Joseph took care of Egypt by preparing for the famine.  

And since we were talking Egypt and it's the week of Halloween I surprised the kids with sticker books.  They were so thrilled!  It's so fun seeing them get excited over books.  

It's the Usborne Egyptian Mummies Sticker Book.  It is so much fun and packed with stickers and things to do so it provides of quiet play and learning for kids.  How amazing does that sound?

As you know I am an Usborne Books  Consultant and so I just think these books are so amazing.  The biggest feature I love about Usborne is my patented saying that they are "sneakily educational".  And that is so true with these books too.  The Usborne website explains how this was written with an Egyptologist. so all of the facts that you are reading are accurate and not just bland facts that every book has.  That is the coolest thing!  

So I started our morning out with a spooky halloween breakfast of warm apple cider, cocoa puffs, and a marshmallow peep (because it's Halloweeny time!). Then while they noshed and worked on their sticker books I read to them the chapter from our history book.  And seriously this would be one of my biggest learning tips, especially if you have boys: when you're reading to them let them do something with their hands  Anything. Stickers, playdough, legos, blocks.  Their brains absorb so much more when their hands or bodies are moving, it's incredible.  

Anyway, because I love this book I've deciced to give one of them away to one lucky reader!  The sheer fact that there are over 650 stickers in this puppy is just mind blowing!  There are lots of ways to enter into the drawing and the drawing will go all through the spooky Mummy filled weekend.  I know we're all super busy this weekend with our littles so this will give you plenty of time to get those entries in.  

Entry-Form

If you would like to purchase this book (or others) in the event of not winning be sure to check out my website here!  I'd love to see you get good books for your kiddos that they will love! Good luck and I hope all of you  mummies and deadies have a wonderful weekend trick-or-treating! 

How Money Making Mom is Helping Me in My Quest for Awesomeness

Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to be on a conference call with Crystal Paine.  And it was such a blessing.  

She is the creator of MoneySavingMom.com and is a New York Times Bestselling Author.  

Not to mention she wrote Money Making Mom which is being released November 3rd!  (but you can pre-order it now!!!  Go do it!  Click here  to go get it...I'll wait!) I am so blessed to be part of the launch team for the book and having read it I can tell you it is a-to-the-mazing! 

She's like Elvis to me. 

Like Spock to a trekkie.

Wow.  

So I figured I would only have the chance to listen to her but it would be neat so I did it.  And truth be told I almost didn't.  The kids had a harvest party at the exact same time but when I was talking to Nick in the morning he said "I really think you need to take that call."  So I did. Husbands are great for stuff like that. 

During the call, the moderator started reading questions that launch team members had written to ask Crystal; I was shocked when my question was read and then I had the chance to hear her answer it.  Later on in the call I indicated I had a question, never thinking that she would take my question. 

But she did. 

I felt like I was talking to Elvis. Or Alf, which is basically Elvis but cooler.  I'm not sure where I'm getting the hang up on Elvis, but let's just go with it shall we?

I asked her about keeping your self-confidence up and how to keep writing when self-doubt creeps in and you wonder why you should even write and/or you wonder who even cares about what you have to say. 

And the Lord must have known what I needed to hear because it truly felt like He was speaking through her.  She told me, "Lindsay, no one else has your story.  You are the only you.  The world needs to hear your story."  By the way I know what she said because I was frantically writing because I'm a dork like that.  You know it! 

Wow.  It was amazing and I thought she was such a good motivational speaker but as the conversation went on she didn't say "so and so's name, cool words, cool words, cool words" like she did with me.  It was truly heaven sent. 

Because if you've been paying attention it's been a little quiet on my end lately.  The self-doubt has crept in again.  I've been trying to fight it.  I've been trying my best to get the blog off the ground and running and trying to appear all cool when I'm not.  But I feel like I've been failing.  And if you've been around here, loitering for quite a while, then you know this is a broken record from me.  Lindsay writes, Lindsay feels like a fool, Lindsay doesn't write. And repeat. 

Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!

But I know this is a new page for me.  A new start.  Why you ask? Well...

I've been reading the Money Making Mom book and it has been simply amazing!  It got my creative juices flowing.  I've been lugging a journal around with me everywhere I go to write lists and hopes and dreams and just in general, to write. I love to write.  I always have.  When I was a little girl I used to BEG the teacher to LET me stay in from recess so I could work on a story I was creating. This book reminded me of that little girl: that I love to write.  It fuels me and makes me feel like maybe I'm not quite as awkward as I think I in real life am.  

The whole basis of the book, Money Making Mom is that all moms possess some star they can hitch their wagon to.  A God given talent that we can groom into something amazing.  I'm guessing (just guessing here) that we're not all going to come out of the gate making six-figure salaries a year but at least we can find something to do that will bring us joy or extra income to bless with or at least bring some grown-ups into our line of conversation before the monotony of cheerio scraping gets all seeped into our brains.  And isn't that what it should be about?  The blessing part, not the oat cereal goo that coagulates on high chair trays...you know what I'm talking about. 

I love this quote because it's not an inward, "what can making money do for me and my family?" perspective but rather an outward, God's love pouring out to help others through our talents perspective. That will help keep me pushing on when the walls feel like they are closing in and I lose sight of the talents and passions God has gifted me with. 

I really want to encourage you to go buy this book.  And if you're lazy like me and have dried glue on your sweatpants (I'm not even going to try to be cool today and call them yoga pants.  They're straight up, bought at K-Mart, sweats) from constructing zigurats then you can buy from Amazon.  That's how hipsters buy you know, so see?  You're one step closer to cool. I bet hipsters don't get dried glue on their skinny jeans.  I bet google would know...

And I bet that google knows that I'm back, Jack!  I've got a story to tell!! And it would tell you that Money Making Mom is a really good book.  Like I just did!  

In the meantime I'm working on conquering my fears and this doubt that Satan loves to bait me with.  And I'm working on understanding conference calls.  After multiple texts to my husband on the proper time to call in and how to do it and do I mute and this that and the other I realized that I have truly become a stay at home mom.  When conference calls seem foreign that fact kind of smacks you in the face like a good book.  A good book like "Money Making Mom."  You should go buy it. Work on it.  Amazon it.  Now.:)

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

Apple Picking 2015

These are the moments that I try to shove into the deep recesses of my mind so when I am old I can remember them.  I am so thankful for things like blogs so I can jot down the details of the day along with all of the wonderful photos and try to remember the time when they are this small.  I love these two children so much.  They fill my life with such joy.  

We go apple picking every year.  This year however was the first year that we went during October.  Picking apples in October apparently is very lame as there were hardly any apples.  But we learned our lesson and from now on will make sure that we go in September.  Before apple picking we always travel all the way to Bonneyville Mill for a picnic and some football.  

They have the most gorgeous Dahlia garden.  Seriously, out of a dream or something.  So of course I love taking pictures of our little lady with her little lady.  Can I please just bottle this age up of carrying a doll around in a sweet dress? I am sure I will blink and it will be gone.  This sweet girl and her happy heart captivate me.  I love being her Momma. 

And in a stark contrast from the sweet girl in a flower garden is the rowdy boy having fun climbing all over an old dam.  I love his adventurous spirit although most of the time it makes me feel like my stomach is up in my throat and I am suffocating.  But I am learning to let go and try to watch him have fun exploring.  

If you ever get the chance to go to this mill when it is operating you have to go.  You just have to.  Built in 1832 it's incredible that it is still working.  They have the cutest store that we buy our cornmeal from every year.  The photo above is the chute of the cornmeal coming out from the stone. 

There were these darling old bags and promotional items posted up from back in the day.  I thought they were so neat.  

After that we left the park and made our way to the orchards. 

These two are the apples of my eye...ey?  ey?  Ya get that? 

For the past few years I've been able to say "okay, bucket heads" and they've put their buckets on their heads.  But this year it was aparently cooler to shove his sisters bucket on her head than to put the bucket on his head.  

<sigh> it's the end of an era...

This year it was nice that they wanted to use the grabby stick thing because up high was about the only place that we could find apples :(  Boo.  

Success at last!  This seriously felt like it took forever!  Forever, Jerry! And can I please just have her clothes in my size?  So stinking cute! 

And then there's this guy.  He is such a goof.  Which I love.  He thoroughly enjoys going before me and looking for ways to make me laugh.  That or ways to make me freak out.  Either way he's looking out for my entertainment benefit.  I guess I will choose to look at it that way.  

Is there anything more peace inducing than to take the time to look at an apple and it's leaves.  It's such an amazing thing that God created because He loves us.  It just takes my breath away and I love sharing this type of thing with our kids.  The way that the star is formed inside the apple, all of the varieties, the way they grow on the tree, it all is just simply amazing.  

This is all we picked this year.  One reason because all they had were the "delicious" varieties which I tend to not find so delicious.  Another reason was that you could see these were heavily sprayed.  And the third reason being that Meijer has apples on sale for 59 cents this week and these puppies were 85 cents.  We got this amount for the memories, thank you. 

Have y'all gone and done your apple picking?  Were you late this year like we were or did you go earlier?  I'm curious is apples were in short supply this year or if it was because we were a week later than we normally are.  

Happy Fall, Y'all! 

Fernwood is Boo-tiful!

We are so excited to be attending Fernwood's Annual Halloween event!  This year The Halloween Happening is taking place on Saturday, October 24th from 6-8 pm.  You can find our more information here on their site but from their website they said:

“Calling all ghosts, ghouls, and witches! Dress in your best costume and find your way to Fernwood to celbrate Halloween with activities and treats for the entire family. Create Winifred’s magical bubbles along with Cheri Hallwood, local award-winning author of Frogwilla, Winter’s First Snowflake, The Curious Polka-dot Present, and One Wish for Winifred Witch. Her books will be available for purchase and signing. Enjoy trick or treating in the gardens, pumpkin decorating, spooky creatures and stories, and more!
Also, delicious spooky snacks will be available for purchase. ”

— http://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/october-24-fernwood

Last year we took a gorgeous American Girl's Samantha Tarkington and a handsome Luke Skywalker to the Halloween Happening.  It was such a wonderful evening.  

The kids loved trick or treating around the gardens. Who doesn't love to get candy?  And they loved to see all of the volunteers in their costumes.  Everyone was so nice and the whole outfit had such a great atmosphere. 

And as much as my kids love to see the trains (you can read all about the train garden and our deep affection for it here), they love it even more when it is spooky and scary.  Well maybe not scary but a lot of fun! 

One of our favorite times of the evening though was roasting marshmallows over the fire and making s'mores!  Such a fun time sitting around the fire with other families and making a snack.

They had a variety of snacks available and it provided a laid back time for our family. 

After the snack we made our way to the main building.  And as much as the kids loved the event I was just amazed by all of the details that Fernwood did.  All of the lights  in the trees and all of the fun.  You can tell they put a lot of thought and time into the event.  

The last thing we did for the evening was to paint these adorable pumpkins.  

Aren't these little pumpkins just the cutest?  Our kids had so much fun!  

If you are looking for a fun event to celebrate Halloween we'd love to hang with you at Fernwood this year.  I love that there is trick or treating, decorations, fun spookiness, snacks, crafts...a little bit of everything to do! 

These two will tell you you'll have a hauntingly good time!!!

Large-ish Home Organization

These type of posts keep coming up on my Pinterest Feed:

Things about how to keep a small house clean in 9 easy steps.  

Or how this family of 14 live comfortably in a 900 square foot house. Or something like that.  

Don't get me wrong.  Good for them. 

But here's my problem...

That's pretty much the furthest thing from my mind. 

I have a honkin' Queen Anne Victorian style home with 5 floors when you count the basement and the attic. 

Small space is the last thing I am thinking of.  

Seriously, sometimes the last thing of the day because I often dream of a smaller space.  

Ah, to be all cozy in a teeny post-stamp home with a tidy little garden...

But my dreams are interrupted by someone paging me on the intercom from the third floor asking if lunch is ready...yet. 

Don't get me wrong I love our home.  I love the freedom we have to go into another room and work on our own thing in our own space when we need that. Or that we have a craft table and a formal dining room table to use for projects, eating, and other things. I love that my children don't have to share a room, that they have a niche of this world to call their own...to escape to when they need.  I think that is important.

 I love having our own classroom away from the rest of the house with an honest to goodness door that I can close when we are done and not have to look at or think about or pick up before we can eat.  I've spent many a time trying to think of creative ways my friends can have a space like that in their own homes so I get it, it's a good thing to have.  

I feel very blessed to have a craft room with a place to store fabric and craft supplies, a place to have our sewing machine set up and open permanently.  

And I am not kidding you, our daughter was 7 before she realized that our home had a balcony.  Like Lucy and the wardrobe containing Narnia, she apparently had to get to that part of the house to discover the fun.  

But sometimes the blessing can feel like a curse.  Especially when I'm in the classroom on the 3rd floor with something that needs to be put away in the basement.  

Great... 

Just great...

So my pinterest searches lately have been to try to discover ways to get things where they need to be efficiently without me having to sprint down and up three flights of stairs to get a roll of duct tape to it's home.  

I mean, seriously, the struggle is real around here...

So here are some things that I have come up with because apparently Pinterest hates you if you have a large home.  Pinterest must live in an apartment or something. 

Some of these may be just general organization ideas but it's my blog so I can put them in there.  These are just works for us with a big house: 

*stair organizers- my Aunt Jan MADE this for us...isn't it just the cutest thing you've ever seen?  I dump all kind of junk in here.  On one step I put Cal's stuff and on another I put Emma's and then they know where to look to find things when I tell them to take their things upstairs.  A friend of mine said she found hers at Pottery Barn.  And Pottery Barn is pretty awesome.  And my friends house looks amazing so you know, two reasons to go get some stair baskets.  

*Tote bags- In our homeschool classroom I keep a bag for each floor (so in our case, a bag for the basement, a bag for the main level, and a bag for the second floor) on the newel post at the top of the stairs and put things in it that need to go down.  When a bag is full-ish I take it down and put the items away.  It certainly makes it more efficient than taking one thing down at a time every time I find something that is a stray. 

*A Home for Everything- I try very hard to go by "a place for everything and everything in it's place".  

Create cleaning supply kits for each floor.  It is so much easier than lugging everything from story to story.  This is what I keep under the sink on the second floor.  I have some more bathroom specific cleaners in there too but I keep this basket so if I am cleaning a bedroom I can just grab this and go there and have everything I need.  Of course I have the bulk of our cleaning supplies in the laundry room and in the kitchen on the first floor.  But even on the third floor I keep clorox wipes, paper towels, and windex to clean.  Think about what you always find yourself having to go back downstairs or upstairs to get and keep those things where you actually need them.

Keep toys on each floor.  A friend had this tip for me and I already do it out of necessity that I don't have a specific spot that is big enough for ALL of their toys.  Because the third floor is our classroom I tend to keep the educational toys, games, and puzzles up there.  That way when I need them to listen but they are distracted I can have them work on a quiet learning toy and still stay engaged.  On the second floor in each of their rooms I have them keep things that they don't like others to play with.  Emma keeps her American Girls, Lalaloopsys, those girly type of things.  Cal keeps legos, circuit boards, swords, those things.  They both keep all of their stuffed animals in their rooms.  In the picture above is where Emma keeps her crochet projects and her stuffed animals.  Downstairs in their playroom (lovingly called "the blue room") we keep toys that they play with together.  Imaginext, blocks, craft supplies, Rokenbocks, etc. 

I find that it is easy to do have all toys in their own area.  It is super hard to know where to find something or where to put it away if you have for example, Barbies, on all three floors of the house.  If Emma keeps them in her bedroom then when I find a stray I know exactly where it should go. 

Okay so those are the meaty ways I've come up with.  But I am dying for more. So please share with me what works, what doesn't what you love and what hurts.  I need some more ideas to get this to work because it's always an up hill or up a flight of stairs battle here.  :) 

31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero Challenge

So I took the challenge this month from Living Well Spending Less' Ruth for their 31 day no spend challenge.  

She explained at the beginning that this would look different for every family.  For us we already had some things on the agenda that would mean we are spending money.  For example I know that we are entertaining and hosting family from out of state this month.  We went apple picking this month.  And I know we are going to run out of toilet paper before the end of the month.  All things we know we will be spending money on and have budgeted for so we are prepared.  

For us what this means is that when we are out and about we will not get the extras: the starbucks, the costco icecream, the dollar section at Target's toys, the anything else I can think of.  Also, we have a huge amount of food in our home so we will be eating from that and figuring out meals rather than going out to eat or running to the store for more food.  By the way, typing running to the store while we have this huge amount of food at home seems weird but that is exactly what happens.  Lame, I tell ya,lame.  

So on day 3, which was a few days ago she challenged us to come up with meals.  Due to my monthly grocery shopping I have lots to chose from.  And I still have over $100 in my grocery budget left for the month.  Meaning that if I can feed my family from what I already have rather than continuing to buy more then I can pocket that $100 plus for other things.  Hello start on Christmas shopping!  

While I have never joined a no spend "challenge" or anything formal before we have done these no spend times on our own before.  I usually do them when the kids have been driving me nuts about toys.  

I cannot stand when they beg and beg and beg for something, you buy it, and then they care so little about it by the time you get home from the store that they forget it in the car.  Or when they HAVE to have something or will apparently explode or something and then lose it and have no idea what you are even talking about when you ask what they did with it.  These are all true stories, folks. Sad but true.  

So I've put no spending into place when I want them to realize what they have.  And it shockingly works!  Are you bored?  Let's go over to this art area where we have a million and one art and craft supplies and you can find yourself something to do.  You have nothing to play with?  Why don't you play with the 57 Imaginext sets you have that you haven't touched for 4 months. 

And before you know it, they aren't bored, I've drilled into them an important lesson, and I feel like we are saving money by not buying things that we don't even need anyway. 

So there you have it.  I'm not spending any money this month.  How about you?  Would you like to take the challenge as well?  You can head over to her blog and read all about it for yourself. It's amazing and organized and you can even get emails daily from her on what to do.

If you decide to hop on the no spend express, please let me know!  I'd love to know who else I am doing this with and we can all offer one another encouragement along the way!  And in case you want to get caught up on what she has spoken of you can check all of the previous days and challenges out here.  

Fernwood from A Child's Viewpoint

I spoke last week about how changing my perspective on our things that are cluttering our home is helping me to keep things tidier around here.  You can read more about that here.  

Well apparently I'm on some kind of "rose colored glasses" or "the eye of the beholder" kick because I am really trying to look at things from others' perspectives.  Neat how God works on your heart and it kind of takes over all aspects of your life, right?  

Anyway, we went to Fernwood (are you surprised? My kids BEG to go there) with my Mother-in-Law.  Anyway, I should have taken my phone for pictures but it was dead.  Dead, doorknob territory, dead.  And my camera battery had crawled in the same cemetary plot with the phone and they both were dead. 

I should have been really mad and frustrated with myself because that's what I do, but I wasn't.  I sought out the genius of it all and came up with having the kids take their point and shoots that their Grandma gave them for Christmas.  They LOVE taking pictures so it was fun to have them taking pictures around Fernwood of what they see and what they think is neat.  

So without further adieu here is a view of Fernwood and our day from about 48 inches up...

You've got to always love goofy looking selfies, right?  

Oh geesh, kids these days and their selfies.  

One of the reasons I love seeing kid pictures is because they see things from a perspective that is so ofter overlooked.  For example, this plant you walk under when you leave the main building.  I don't think I've ever paid much attention to it but it was a focal point for Emma.  Kids are pretty fascinating, aren't they? 

I think with the kids being city kids they would be content just looking in the wetlands section to find bugs or frogs and then leaving.  Seriously, I cannot be the only mom whose kids love to spend time in this part can I?  

Sisters are the only ones who catch their brothers being "eaten" by elephants, right?  So silly! 

I have to tell you that my goofy, fashion plate of a daughter got down in a photographer pose and started clicking her point-and-shoot away saying "this piece is really speaking to me".  She cracks me up.  Love her and this photo! 

I'll end you with this piece because it kind of spoke to me on a mothering level.  

Emma took this when we went on the river trail and then were headed back towards the nature center.  At least what we hoped was towards that way.  No one ever said I would win any awards when it came to following a map.  

I thought the little waterfalls were neat but in her tween way she seemed like "how lame mom" so we moved on.  But this photo of one of the mini waterfalls tells me that she was listening and watching too.  And she thought it was neat too.  

Ha!  So I guess the point is that even if they act like they're too cool for school and they don't want to be out in nature, they really do and they are seeing and noticing and getting it.  Everything works out the way it's supposed to, right? 

I hope you enjoyed this little perspective (ha! get it because she's short!?) of fernwood.  It's so fun seeing things from your kiddos angle and viewpoints.  

And if you are looking for a Christmas gift for a kiddos might I suggest a Fernwood Membership?  Or maybe a camera?  Or maybe both!  

Twas the Eve Before School Starts

'Twas the Eve Before School Starts and all through the schoolhouse...

not a creature was stirring, not even to chase a mouse (because there aren't any, thank you Lord!)

The posters were hung on the walls with care,

In hopes that the children soon would share;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, 

While visions of no ISTEP danced in their heads;

And Papa in his oils and I in my Clinique Face Masque, 

Had just settled our brains from the weariness of summer crap. 

When up in the classroom there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.  

Away to the third floor I flew like a flash, 

Tore open my binder, my notebook, and chocolate stash.

The moon on the breast of our new purchased supplies, 

Gave a luster to school that was coming so soon. 

When what did my wondering eyes did appear, 

But a bucket of pencils all colors and tiers. 

With an old dispenser full of eraser caps too, 

I knew in a moment this couldn't be a minds trick.

More glue sticks than any firetruck could hold, 

With art coming, all of the mediums came. 

"Now Pencils, now crayons, now art pastels too.  On chalk, on paints, on twistables, too!

To the top of the desks!  To the top of the shelves! 

Now stash away!  Stash away!  Stash away all!" 

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, 

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So the child were bucking, not wanting to go

Thinking all of the things they were wanting to do-

And then, in a twinkling, summer was through, 

It was time to start school with new supplies too. 

As I went back to bed and had just settled down, 

Dreams of all of the shiny school supplies could be found.

There were dry erase markers,  some thick and some thin, 

All cradled together inside of their bins. 

A bundle of books besides their desks lay, 

And activities to do and quietly play. 

Their books-how they line up!  How neat and how fresh!

Their workboxes all dolled up and ready to collect!

I woke up feeling refreshed and renewed, 

although someone nervous of all the to-dos. 

And so as this comes to an untimely end, 

as I prepare to do tests and to see summer end, 

I will brew one more sweet tea wearing flip flops and say: 

"Happy to school year to all, and to all a good life!"

The Secret to Keeping Your Home Tidy

Sometimes life feels like it sucks.  It can just suck life out of you, you know? 

Laundry used to be kind of fun when the kids were little and things were peeny and precious to put away.  

But now they are growing up and things get bigger and boring and blah.  I know that might seem weird to some of you but I have a feeling that I am not alone in this.  

That's right, you're nodding your head in agreement, aren't you?  Solidarity sister! 

So lately everything has just gotten blah.  Blah to pick up their crap.  Blah to vacuum.  Blah to unload the dishwasher.  Blah to do the laundry. 

And it's been that way for many months.  Maybe even a year or more.  

But then I realized something and it has seemed to change everything! 

I remembered back to when I found myself a new bride and so excited about everything our friends and family had blessed our home with...colanders, throw pillows, wooden spoons, and sheets.  They were all  new and crisp and wonderful.  It was all such a gift and we felt so blessed and loved. 

Then those started to get boring but a few years later we found out we were expecting our first child.  And soon we were registering  and then getting!  all kinds of amazing new things...outfits that were tiny, baskets, bins, combs, and clippers.  Again, friends and family gifted us with all of these fun and fabulous things.  I mean, how great is getting pregnant when you get to be the Momma to a perfect angel girl and get fabulous prizes?  

I get a little of that zing and "wow" each Christmas and after each of the children's birthdays when I am trying to figure out where I am going to put all of these toys.  

So if you'll notice I seem to be amazed and wondered by things when they are gifts.  When I feel super appreciative that someone gave it to me.  

But then I am dumb and forget the whole point of being a Christian and having Jesus on my side because, hello?  Isn't everything a gift?  Isn't it?  I mean, think about it real hard friends.  And so I have raised my appreciation level of things that are just things but things that are also so much more.  And that's the word that has changed everything...

Appreciate. 

I appreciate things more when I see them as gifts. 

Milk is a gift. 

Silverware is a gift. 

The nasty muddy kinked hose in the back yard is a gift. 

Underpants are a gift. 

And here's where I'll focus on underpants.  

A few months ago I confessed to a few friends that Emma had over 60 pairs of underpants. Clearly I had some type of problem.  No one needs a two month supply of unders, no matter how lazy their Mom may be.  

So I purged and decided what to keep and we are down to a "healthy" number of 30. 

Don't judge me. 

Well maybe you can judge me but I am doing better.  

When I wash the underpants of Princess Emma I now feel happy as I gently fold them and stack them.  Each pair is a gift from God.  Each pair is cute and fun and hopefully makes Emma feel well taken care of, protected, and loved.  She knows she doesn't have to worry for basic needs and that she is always provided for and cherished.  By God and by her parents. 

And appreciating things helps me to handle it better, to put it away nicelier (because you know that secretly is a real word), to spend more time feeling the cotton, and the softness of material.

So there it is: the secret to keeping my home tidy is appreciating what I have.  

Now that I have been appreciating things I want to see all of the pieces back in the game box when the night is over.  And the pajamas in pairs and nicely folded in the drawer.  And the bed made and the bedskirt straight.  And the dishes done and the dishwasher empty.  I want to see everything taken care of that God has gifted us with.  And in doing that I am finding that my house is picked up, tidy, and neat.  

And for me, that is everything. 

It's no longer feeling like a job or a struggle because the gift in and of itself is that I have been gifted with these things and this life. 

And what a glorious gift it is! 

I hope you can see things in a new light today friend, and can start to appreciate things in a new and exciting way!  

God Bless! 

Cal's 7th Birthday Party

In our house, we decided that 8 is the last year you get a Birthday party where family is invited.  I guess it has to end somewhere.  It's awkward to invite people to a party for your 23rd birthday, right?  

With Cal turning 7 this is one of our last big hurrah's.  Well, at least for family.  Not like grandparent family but extended family.  We chose this, not because we don't love them but because with friends coming too it's starting to get cramped in our house.  

I'm curious what everyone else does for Birthdays...parties, yea or nay?  Family parties, friend parties?  So far we've had family parties with a splash of friends added in.  A splash seems okay but the deluge seems unbearable. 

After you turn 8 in our household we've decided you can choose from either a) a friend birthday party or b) a small trip somewhere.  You pick, my friend. You pick. 

So anyway, I wanted to make this a good party and maybe because I am losing my mind, I went out and had some more details (at least I think) than I normally do.  

The theme we decided on this year was Dinosaurs.  And Hallelujah it was something generic.  No skylanders swap force for us, thank you.  Or as it was the last birthday for Cal, no winnie the pooh changed into Daniel Tiger in the final hour theme for us.  Whew. 

Also, I just have to tell you, the food had gotten a little out of control.  We've had familial pressure to provide a full meal to everyone at parties.  Which has continually made me feel like I am going to vomit from the pressure.  It's a kid birthday party and this party I finally decided to put the kabosh on the fully catered meal circle I had somehow duct taped myself to.  

So we served hot dogs.  

Classy, right?

The boy loved hotdogs.  People could argue that hotdogs would constitute a meal so I figured this was a gradual decrease in the food we are serving from the fully catered meal.  

See?  A woman can change :)

When in doubt, start with the cake picture, right?  How stinking cute is this cake?  And our neighbor made it to boot.  We are blessed with some very talented neighbors :)  If you need a cake and live in our area be sure to check her out.  Simply amazing!  Plus I don't think it gets any easier than having your husband walk across the street an hour before party time to get the cake. Love that feature! 

I always order a cake and then I make cupcakes to accompany it.  I do this for two reasons: 1)it's cheaper to just order a small cake and 2) I like to give people a choice between cake flavors.  So I usually order a very dark chocolate cake with a ganache filling, something ooey and gooey and yummy, and then I make a yellow cake into cupcakes.   

Here are some other photos of the big day...

This was the big moment of our guy making his wish.  Isn't he just the cutest little thing?  By the way I totally made his shirt.  No sewing or anything required.  I cut the 7 out of fabric and then put iron on fusing on the back and ironed it on the shirt.  It was a last minute idea but it is still holding and I had only planned on it sticking for the day.  So it works well if you need to do something in a pinch! 

I made up all of these printables to go with the food.  Aren't they just adorable?  They came with a kit that I will discuss a little further on in the blog.  

There's only one more egg in the basket but I made these as favors for the kiddos to take home.  

To make them we first blew up balloons.  This project was not for the faint of heart as I am scared of balloons and yes, I know, that is absurd.  Moving on.  The balloon is what gives the egg shape so you need one for every dino egg you are making.  For me, I needed what felt like 2,000 but I think in reality it was more like 12. 

I then Paper Mached the crap out of these balloons but I left an opening around the tie of the balloon.  You do this to put whatever you are putting in there in.  So whatever you are needing to get in there, that's the size of hole you need to leave. 

In our case this is what we put in the egg...a cute note, some candies, and a stuffed animal. 

As you can see it was a bit tight to get things in there but just gently ease things in there, take your time and it will all go in...hopefully.  :)

See?  They all worked out.  After this I carefully paper mached them closed.  I didn't take pictures of that because it was about 2 in the morning and by that point I just didn't care.  I then painted them white and added some fun polka dots.  Oh and just an fyi.  I used acrylic paint thinking it would be quick and easy....wrong!  It actually used a TON of paint because it's paper of course and it wanted to soak the paint in. So I had to do several coats.  Just a word to those of you who also might want to stay up until 2 trying to do this.  It will take you forever, just know it.  I found that putting them on a cooling rack with a fan going helped the drying process immensely.  

Anyway, moving on with the rest of the party: 

Moving on from Dino eggs I must tell you about the fact that this was the first year that Cal wanted to read the cards outloud to everyone.  It was amazing and adorable and hilarious all rolled into one.  

I've got oodles of these jobbers and we just love them!  You can make all kinds of color combinations for whatever you are celebrating and make them work for you.  I hang them from the dining room chandelier which you can see when you are coming into our home.  But you could hang them anywhere, of course.  I just love that when you see them they just scream "party!"  Love them! 

I had these stations around with things to do.  I got the decorations off of Etsy.  I love etsy!  So many things that are unique and I love that they support other Momma's who are trying to earn their living.  I ordered all of the dino printables off of an Etsy store called Your Pretty Party and I ordered the Custom Dinosaur Birthday Kit. 

So there you have it, our little bit of heaven for our little boy.  I love him so much and I love putting a party on to celebrate our little Calvin.  

I hope this helps you plan your little one's dino party.  So.much.fun!  I love putting on parties!  If you have put on a dino party I would love to see what you have done too :)  

Party On, Friends! 

Flexibility is a Stretch For Me.

So here in the Midwest it is still hot and I wish it would just be fall-ish already.  

Please?

We are in our third week of homeschooling.  We're already so far behind it's just pathetic.  On everything...school, laundry, stove wiping, dishes.  Just behind. 

I read this book over the summer called Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight-Managing Your Days Through the Homeschool Years by Heidi St. John.  

I would highly recommend it!  I needed an attitude adjustment regarding homeschooling and it was so helpful.  It really helped me to start seeing what I had been calling failures as just tests for trying something. I am now realizing that if it wasn't working I can change and tweak.  I don't have to stay with something just because that's what I have written down or have the supplies for or had in my brain that that was what had to happen.  I can change!  How liberating that feels!!!!!

Anyway, so with that in mind this whole behind in everything would have freaked me out last year.  I know, because I was behind last year pretty much from day one and I freaked out.  By the end of the school year I was basically curled up in a little ball, rocking to myself because I felt so defeated. 

But not this year.  And oh, how good that feels. 

Let me give you an example...

During our first week of school our printer decided it would no longer print unless we put ink into it.  The ink had been ordered and so we were waiting and waiting and waiting... needless to say the ink didn't come in time and there were tons of sheets i needed printed for some projects so we could get them done.  But they didn't get done.  Then we were supposed to go to two parks on two different days during that first week of school so we could journal what we found in nature.  The first park was missed because I felt sick the night we were all supposed to go and the next park we missed because it was pouring down rain. 

So last year I would have had a fit that we were behind.  I would have gotten the ink in week three of school, printed everything out I needed for those missing assignments from week one and then I would of had them sit on top of my desk to taunt me for the rest of the school year.  They would have said something like "look at us, you can't even get us done and we're from the first week of school.  How lame you are." or something like that. 

And last year I would have dragged my kids to both parks on Saturday, not where it would be cool and fun but more like I would be yelling at them and trying to make sure they were getting the most out of the educational trips we were on. 

But this year...I didn't. And I haven't.  And I won't.  

I skipped the unprinted assignments.  It will be okay. 

And we didn't go on those park excursions but we're going to a nature center tomorrow so we'll have fun.  Besides that, we went to a nature talk last week where I was reminded that Calvin hates journaling or drawing or anything.  I'm working on that with him but if it turns out he just isn't wired to enjoy that then I should probably stop trying to shove it down his throat. 

So there you have it.  I've become flexible. 

Somewhat. 

We took a field trip last week (week 2) and we're still trying to get caught up from that. 

Just kidding. 

Sort of. 

I'm a work in progress, folks.  What can I say?