Friday ramblings....

Today is Friday and it seems like I've got an endless list of things to do. Hubby is leaving for a work trip on Sunday and the boys my grandma and I are headed out to WI for a few days of vacation while hubby is gone. So I've got a lot to do to get ready I always like the house spotless before I leave on a trip so i've been cleaning like crazy today. Plus keeping up on all the laundry our household generates is a task all by itself. I think we generate more laundery than anyone I know. Hubby and I are training for a 25K by us so working out 4-5 days a week each is a few loads of workout clothes there. It just blows my mind when I sit and think of how much laundry I do I think my boys need to learn how to do laundry. Next I need to clean out my car it's not to bad but it needs a good vacuum and quick wipe down. We hit a 100,000 miles on our van this week seems like a ton of miles I'm praying this van goes for many more miles it's been a good car for us . Well I better get to my cleanin and such have a great weekend !!

"A Mom Just like You"

Fantanstic, Fantastic book by Vicki Farris it is honestly the best homeschooling book I've read. Not that I've read that many but I can really see myself in her and some of my struggles in her also. She makes some very good points in the book a must read I think for every homeschooling mother. I also started reading this series of books by Beverly Lewis she is a christian author and these books are all set in Lancaster, Penn. in the Amish country. Most of the characters are Amish they've been good books to. Sometimes I think I read to much I don't let myself read during the day anymore I wait until the kiddo's are in bed at night. Except on the weekends then I will read during the day if I have time. If I do read during the day during the school week I get nothing done I will sit and read my book all day until it's done bad habit. So now we read only at night that way things get done during the day, it's quiet at night and I'm not neglecting my kids. Well just had to right my update on that good book now I need to run a few errands and get some laundry folded...the never ending task. On a side note I told Ben not to long ago we should go naked for a day that way I'd stay caught up on the laundry for at least one day:) Yeah we agreed it wouldn't be a good idea..but oh, wouldn't it be great to not have any laundry for just one day...

Oh, thank the Lord...

for my hubby! He is such a thoughtful most above all God fearing man. Homeshooling sometimes can be so challenging and downright draining of your spirit and physical self. He brings me up when I need it and encourages me along the way. He stopped home today at just the right moment for lunch both boys are doing their math assignment Kaleb a test and Lucas his regular lesson for the day. So while giving Kaleb his test Lucas needs help with his math and let me tell you fifth grade math can be very challenging. I was feeling flustered and just having a weak moment so he stepped in and helped Lucas with his math it was bliss I didn't have to sit and figure it out and then try and explain it. Hubby is so good at math and so is Lucas and their minds seem to think alike when it comes to math and numbers so Lucas usually understands it and can finish hubby's thoughts when they do it together. So we are done schooling for the day now and I can sit down and read my new book I picked up at the library today.

Which brings me to my next point I got this great book called "A Mom just Like you" by Vickie and Jayme Farris. I've heard several good reviews on it from homeschooling moms although I've only read the first chapter it looks to be a very good book. Very down to earth for the normal homeschool mother. I read some books and these women seem like "super" moms and I always get done reading the book feeling like I don't measure up or compare and should be doing more and more and more. This book is just not like that well not the first chapter..hahaha I'll post what I think when I'm doing reading it. But for anyone who already homeschools or looking to start or don't even know yet I think this would be a very good read. I feel in no way am I a "super" mom I just try my best with the Lord guiding my way and pray my children are on the right path. With God's grace and mercy we make it through each day and week and year of homeschooling. Well off to start read the new book.

Book I've been reading...

it's called "Beyond Antibiotics more than 50 ways to boost your immunity without antibiotics". Long title and it has three authors it's a great book. It goes into why we get sick and what you can take naturally to not get sick. Vitamin C is a big one everyone should take it the stories in the book are amazing from what Vit. C has done for people. Their defiantly is a place for antibiotics and that's their point but way to many people take them all the time for things they don't even help for. It's been a very good read for me I started reading it in the doctor's office a few weeks ago and then got it from the library to finish it's very eye opening for sure.

The boys and I went to our local presidential museum today what a history lesson it was. Wow, it was awesome the boys learned so much. They were really interested in the Vietnam war for some reason so were going to start studying that. My uncle was in that war so I think I'll have them talk to him to about his experiences in it. That is if it's not to painful for my uncle to talk about I'll have to call him up. They had a real helicopter inside the museum from the war so that's probably why that part stuck out more than the rest. They had a large display on slavery to and Abe Lincoln's involvement with that which we had studied last year so it was neat for them to see actual artifacts of something we studied already. I think when their older I'll take them again you can learn a lot more by reading everything but of course what 10 and 6 yr old do that but they still learned something so it was a good history lesson for the day.

Well I'm off to fold a mountain of laundry.

Happy Tuesday

to all nothing to exciting going on over here to really post on but I just thought I'd jump on anyway. Today is a catch-up day at home I have one day a week I do this. I stay home all day and bake and clean till I drop. So far today I've got applesauce cooking on the stove I have a bushel to do sounds like a lot of work but at least I can clean while the apples cook. I like deep cleaning the whole house one whole day a week and then just picking up the rest of the week rather than clean one room each day of the week works best for us and my schedule. I do recruit my little boys to help they are a huge help to they've been cleaning since they could walk they do an excellent job. I baked bread yesterday so that's done for the week I'm trying to bake homemade bread again I used to do it years ago it's so much healthier for us. But since I'm so much busier now I am making two loaves a week and then just buying a loaf or two. I figure it's better than nothing and then I don't get stressed out about having to bake bread every other day. Yeah we go through a lot of bread. Well onto my cleaning I have to get my boys done with school first.

We've hit the jackpot!!

On chicken that is lest anyone get to excited that we literally hit the jackpot. I made fried chicken tonight using the recipe that Esther sent over my way and it was a major major hit. Hubby who doesn't like chicken said it was the best chicken he'd ever eaten whoa that's so major. Everyone really liked it so I'll be making it again and again..thanx so much Esther for sending it my way. For the recipe go to http://www.tammysrecipes.com/moms_easy_fried_chicken It's awesome!

Doc visit

Well here we are eating all healthy and all and our little Kaleb has been dealing with a horrible sinus infection for a very long time. He has just not been himself the last two months feeling kind of crummy. He's had a post nasal drip that will drive anyone crazy within two minutes of being around him the snorting and clearing his throat and all. Plus his belly has been hurting for awhile so off to the Doc we go today. Doc said he has a sinus infection and gobs of fluid in his head which has been giving him headaches and part of his tummy troubles. He also is Vit. D deficit right now which most people are in the winter anyway. So I was very glad we made the trip out to see the Doc today hopefully in a few weeks Kaleb's nose will be cleared up so the post nasal drip goes away. Funny thing is he never complained at all about headaches only a belly ache every now and again guess kids are resiliant. I'm so thankful we have this Doc. by us he really has a gift for what he does. The Lord has truly blessed us with the ability to see this Doc. anytime you can get rid of something without an antibiotic I'm all for it.

The road to healthy eating..

Well tonight we had fish for dinner perch to be exact it was ok great somothered in tarter sauce I know that defeats the purpose of healthy but I did try. I'm sure i'll get used to fish as I make it more I'm hoping I'll acquire a taste for it. Hubby, Lucas and Kaleb loved it Roman didn't like it and kept spitting it out until I put tarter sauce on it..boy after my own heart:) Seriously though one package I bought wasn't enough next time I'll have to buy two my older two boys probably could've split one package and they didn't use tarter sauce for the record..heehee. So for my first time in my life cooking fish I'd say it was a hit. Poor hubby weighed himself today and he said he gained weight but he weighed himself at the gym and those scales I've found aren't to accurate. He's been eating so good now for the past five days and exercising every day I was certain he'd lose a couple of pounds. Our scale at home which is set according to my doctor's scale said he weighed the same so I think he should go by that one. I felt bad for him I don't want him to get discouraged I suggested he maybe needed to drink more water. He said he felt really good a lot better than he has lately so he's made some sort of progress at least. I've been working out for a few years quite faithfully since I had Roman but this week I started training for a half marathon that I"m running this spring again. I've done it the past two years and I actually look forward to it it keeps me in shape. Well I hear Lucas home from basketball practice so I better go check on how that went good night all.

Healthier eating

Soooo we are on a health kick hubby wants to lose weight and he decided we all should just eat healthier which is so true. I always thought we ate kind of healthy..nope..wrong..we eat/ate like crap. Although I'm not giving up my occasional Culver's ice cream treat but occasional is the key word here not three times a week. Hubby ate baked chicken last night for dinner quite a step in progress for him not sure he liked it to much but he ate it. Now it's my turn for fish my goal is to eat it twice a week for dinner..yuck..I can't stand fish or seafood but hubby ate chicken and so that is our deal chicken and fish each twice a week for dinner. I got some good recipes off the Internet so I'll try those. I even made home made bread today ground the wheat and all myself. I'm not sure it'll turn out I haven't made it in oh 6 years probably but I thought I'd give it a try again. My goal is to make two loaves a week and then buy one or so we'll see how much bread we really go through first. We are trying to eliminate processed foods which is basically everything we eat not totally but really making an effort to avoid them for awhile. I saw the movie "Super Size Me" the other night on tv and oh my was it an eye opener. It's quite disgusting what the American diet consists of those fast food places are the absolute worst. Not that I don't like the food but that movie was a huge eye opener if we hadn't decided to eat healthier before I saw the movie it would've made me want to. What is actually in chicken nuggets they serve at those places would make you up chuck seriously it's disgusting I'm not sure I can ever get those for my kids again without feeling guilty. Roman pulled a rice cake out of the cupboard today and thought it was a cookie so I gave him one plain thinking he wouldn't eat it he ate the whole thing and thought it was great. The other boys ate one with real peanut butter on it for lunch today and said it was the best thing they'd had for lunch in awhile..not kidding. Guess it goes to show even rice cakes can be good..hahahaha. Well that's my ramblings for today wish us luck on our new quest for healthier eating.

Oh to go back..

Funny that my SIL posted something about this a little while ago I just read an email about growing up in the 60,s and 70's it was meant to be humerous but there are so many truths to it. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era it would be great not to have all the worry's and troubles we do today with the tv, internet, x-boxes etc. When we were kids we just took off for the day sometimes my parents had no idea where I was they always had an idea but they didn't always know for sure. My sister and I would go hiking for a while day we'd pack out back packs early in the morning with food and water etc. and head out sometimes not returning until dinner time or dark. We just head out in our woods and see where they led us it was so much fun and were were only 9 and 14 maybe even younger. I don't remember a childhood of watching a lot of tv we played outside all the time. We made an obstacle course in our woods it took two summers but boy was it fun. Another summer we built a teepee and pretended we were indians. We would also fill our kiddie pool up with as many frogs as we could catch in the swamp next door. I would head off on my bike and be gone the whole day my parents usually knew where to find me but even then I could be in the local orchard, at the park etc. I say all this because yesterday I was watching the neighbor boy I told the boys they could take a bike ride in our neighborhood as long as they stayed off the busy streets. So this usually takes them 15 min. they went on a bike ride and came back looking for lunch I told them to take one more bike ride and then lunch would be ready. So after a half hour and hubby and I have already eaten lunch their still not back he goes back to work and another 15 goes by. Now I'm starting to worry so I go next door to the neighbors thinking they maybe ended up there nope the neighbors older sister thinks she saw them at the park on her way home. I said nah my kids know their not allowed to go there alone. So she goes to look sure enough it was them they were found safe and sound and had lost track of time. I had a good talking to with both of them and explained to them how worried I was they also were both punished and the genuinily felt bad. So here I sat yesterday thinking how my parents wouldn't have even given it a second thought I'm sure they worried sometimes where exactly we were but never like I was yesterday I was frantic with worry. Sometimes I think I'm to over protective I should just let them go and roam the neighborhood especially being boys that's what boys do. But then I think of all the creeps and perv's out there and just can't do it. Letting them take bike rides on their own now is a huge step already for me that is. Hubby thinks they should have a little more freedom than they do so I'm trying to let go a little but man is it hard. I told them from now on I'd let them go to the park they'd have to wear a watch and be back at a specific time. That way I know where they are and when they'll be back. As for just taking off for adventures during they day...yikes...I'm just not ready for that yet maybe in a few years:) Mom, dad how ever did you do it? I love the outside and being outside a lot still as an adult and my kids are outside more than inside most days and for that I'm very thankful but it's sure is a different world we live in. As for the neighbor kid he got in trouble to but I felt bad since I was suppose to babysitting him I'm sure his mom will never let me live that one down..:)

Happy New Year..

To everyone. It was a crazy hectic weekend but we all survived although today I am very tired. I know I didn't get enough sleep at all I'm going to go to bed early tonight if possible. So since it's the start of a new year hubby and I mostly hubby decided we should eat healthier so that's our goal for this year. We both want to lose some weight before this 25K we do in the spring so we'll run fasta...:) Right now hubby is watching the Ford processional with the older boys and explaining to them what's happening and their looking at a book on president Ford Lucas pulled out from somewhere. What a great history lesson for the kids. We resumed school today somewhat we're only doing math, language and reading for this week. Next week we'll be back full force and the kids got history today to fantastic. I just applied for this job that I think will be a lot of fun my hubby thinks this is so perfect for me. If I get the job I'll be pulling weeds and doing landscaping things about 4 hours a week. I can do it on my own time whenever I want during the week and it's only for 9 months of the year. I love love love working in gardens and being outside mowing lawns etc. so this is a job for me. I asked hubby about it and said believe it or not I'd love it and he laughed and said it's a good job for me since he knows how much I enjoy working in the yard. So I'm excited if I get it I'll be pulling in a little extra cash and I'll have fun doing it. I'd have to study some books and take a test on landscape stuff I think I'd really learn a lot...woohoo...! Ok so that's the exciting news in our family now I'm off to get dinner going.