Why We Homeschool

Since this blog-o-mine is supposed to have a little something to do with homeschooling (according to my blog subtitle anyway), I thought I'd share why we decided to school our kids at home.

In August we began our second consecutive year of homeschooling. I say consecutive because we homeschooled for a year when my oldest, Todd, was in 4th grade and my second oldest, Zack, was in kindergarten. They're now starting 10th grade and 6th grade. YIKES! Where does the time go?

Anywho, back to my story. You might want to pop some popcorn. I can be a long-winded sometimes.

We made the decision to homeschool Todd because he was struggling to stay on task. We'd been going through this since the first grade. He was bored with the work and would end up distracting the other students. Every teacher I talked to told me he was so far beyond the rest of the class, which was why he was bored. Nothing we tried helped him succeed in the public school setting. So, we researched homeschooling, prayed about it, and decided to go for it. I was working at night, had a baby, a toddler, plus the two school-aged kiddos. Honestly, it felt like more of a whirlwind of craziness than anything that might have resembled school. I was overwhelmed and felt like I didn't have any outside support, with the exception of my hubby. I let all the negative voices win (mine and others), and I sent the kids back to public school the next year.

Flash forward four years and we have bullying issues (Todd was the kid who'd get suspended because he defended himself), a sleep disorder (Todd again--started in the 5th grade---of course that led to issues with teachers), a move to a new school district, more issues with teachers because they didn't understand the sleep disorder, more bullying (the younger boys this time) . . . you get the picture. Less than three months at the new school and thoughts of homeschooling started cluttering my mind.

I began to panic. I seriously freaked out a little. All I could think about was the last time we attempted homeschooling. This time around I would be teaching all four of them with one of those being high school age. What the heck was I thinking?

I struggled with this decision for quite a while. Months. Ian and I discussed the pros and cons along with the possibility of homeschooling the younger three and letting the oldest finish public high school despite the sleep issues. I prayed and prayed about this. I can't remember another time that I'd prayed so intently over something. And just when I thought I felt good about homeschooling, there'd be a monkey wrench thrown into the plan. Finally, I prayed for some sort of sign. I told Heavenly Father if this was what He wanted me to do, then I needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Guess what? I received an answer to that prayer.

My youngest, Lauren, was out of school for kindergarten registration day. She had a tall order for her special alone-time-with-mommy day. She wanted to have lunch at the golden arches (Ptooie!) and go to the park to play. Even though that's not my favorite place to eat, it's the girl's, so that's where we went. We made it to the park just as a group of moms and kids were packing up to leave. I knew they had to be homeschoolers. I could hardly contain my excitement! I had a nice chat with one of the moms for a few minutes before they left. We exchanged numbers, facebook info, and homeschool group info. As I talked with this mom, I felt an immense weight lifting from my shoulders and an incredible warmth hugging my entire body. This was it. My sign.

From that moment I knew homeschooling was the plan, and I haven't looked back. WE haven't looked back. My only regret is not sticking with it the first time around. But I think that was part of the plan too. I believe He knew I needed time to grow as a mom and feel more confident in my abilities.

No matter what negative comments might come our way, or if we get weird looks in Walmart because my motley crew is in there during school hours . . . all of that doesn't matter, because I know I'm doing what my Heavenly Father wants me to do. If I start to feel a little overwhelmed, I just remember that day at the park and the feeling I had, and I know that I can keep going. Everything will be ok.

And sometimes my hubby has to rescue me and take me on a mini date to Sonic for a half-priced milkshake.

That's ok too.

You know what? We haven't had the first negative comment or nasty look. At least not when I'm looking or listening. But who cares? More often than not, the adults we meet on a regular basis (bank, grocery story, gas station, library) know we homeschool. And the ones who don't know are surprisingly accepting of our answer when they ask, "Is school out today?".

Getting Back to Normal

I've been M.I.A. again. I apologize. I've been so preoccupied with this thing called life that I haven't given my blog a second thought . . . or any thought at all for that matter.

We've been busy job stressing hunting for Ian, playing catch-up with school since we took off an extra week at Christmas, and just being so focused on these two things that we haven't allowed room for anything else. YIKES!

The job. Yes. Well, I won't bore you with the details, but we went from what we thought was a sure thing, to scrambling to apply for anything and everything, to accepting an over-the-road job, to getting a call at the very last minute for the much-prayed-for local job. Woohoo!!!!!

It might sound like all of this happened really quickly, but the whole process took about 3 months. Whew! I'm so glad to have that part behind us.

But, you know what? I'm so thankful for the lessons I learned during that time.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned these past few months is faith. I always hear people say 'Let go and let God'. That is truly easier said than done. When I was finally able to do this, I felt so much more at ease about our circumstances and knew that things would work out. It definitely took longer than I would've liked, and things didn't turn out like I first thought they would, but they did work out.

I've learned that prayer works. Of course I already knew this, but there have been times in my life where I wondered if my prayers were actually being heard. But, I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and my family and is aware of our needs. I learned this time and time again each time a much needed blessing came our way. It might have been a few groceries when we were running low on everything, a freezer of deer meat to help us through an especially rough patch, a little extra cash at just the right time to help with bills, or a tank of gas to help us through the week. These are just a few, but every single one of them came at exactly the right time and were so very appreciated.

I've learned (and am still learning) patience. And if you know me very well, you know patience isn't my strongest virtue. I think patience and faith go hand in hand. I had to learn to be patient with Heavenly Father's timing, there again, having faith that things would work out, maybe not according to my or Ian's plan, but according to His plan for us. That's a tough one because I have a strong need to be in control, and I really hate feeling out of control. Just ask my hubby. He calls me anal retentive. But, you know what? I'm making progress in this department.

I've also learned the importance of having an emergency fund, a savings account, and food storage. I won't elaborate on these right now, but I will say that these three things are at the top of my list of goals this year.

(photo courtesy of emilymcdowelldraws on etsy)

 I know this isn't the end of life's storms for me and my family, but as long as we remember to have faith, trust in Heavenly Father, talk to Him every day, and be patient with His timing, I know He will help us sail through not only the calm waters, but the raging waters, too.

Sunday Sweets - Life's Ups and Downs

It's not fair! How many times do you hear that in a week?

I hear it at least once a day from my kids. 

And you know what? They're right. Life's not fair. 

It can be pretty crappy sometimes. 

We all have experienced the up and downs of life. And, at times, I'm sure we're tempted to scream, "IT'S NOT FAIR!" It's during those times that this particular scripture comes to my mind.

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."

~D&C 121:7-8

I love this scripture. It reminds me to hang in there, because the not-so-fun moments in life won't last forever. It also encourages me to remember my blessings and to look on the bright side of things. I know that last part is often easier said than done when you're right in the middle of one of life's many tests.

Now, I realize my last couple of Sunday Sweets posts have been about having a happy attitude. Maybe it's because I need the reminders on a daily, weekly, and sometimes hourly basis. Maybe you do, too.

Hang in there! There is light at the end of the tunnel!

And, while you're hanging in there and you think you can't hang in there anymore, just remember this:

Chocolate always makes everything better. Don't you agree?

Ok, folks. Are you ready for the second part of Sunday Sweets? I know I am.

I made these little morsels of yumminess (is that even a word?) for our Geography Co-op class this past week. We've been studying Israel, and decided to have a Passover meal for our lunch. They're called Matzo Caramel Crunch, and let me tell you, they are SO good.

If you've never heard of Matzo before, here's a mini lesson. Matzo, Matza, or Matzah, is an unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the week-long Passover holiday, when eating chametz--bread and other food made with leavened grain is forbidden according to Jewish religious law. (Wikipedia)

Guess what? There's chocolate involved! Ready? Let's go.

Matzo Caramel Crunch

Ingredients:

Enough Matzos to cover the bottom of a jelly pan (I found them at our local Winn Dixie--Walmart didn't have them)

2 sticks of butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds that I toasted in the over for a few minutes.)

2 cups chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Cover a large jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray well with nonstick spray.

2. Lay matzos flat in the prepared pan. Be sure the entire bottom is covered with matzo, trimming them to the right size if needed.

3. Combine butter and sugar in a pot and heat to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Pour butter-sugar mixture over matzos. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. (I didn't let mine go past 10 minutes.)

5. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot brittle. Let the chocolate start to melt a little and then spread with a knife.

6. Top with nuts.

7. Refrigerate until set. (I had to put mine in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to firm up all the way.)

8. Break into pieces and serve.

These would be great for party treats, family home evening treats, or anytime treats. Enjoy!

Frugal Friday ~ Homemade Laundry Soap

My family of six makes LOTS of dirty laundry. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw the bottom of my hampers, because lets be real here, LAUNDRY IS NEVER DONE. This means I'd have to buy laundry soap almost as frequently as Lauren changes clothes.

If you have a little girl living at your house, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I stumbled onto the homemade laundry soap movement purely out of necessity. We were going through some financial struggles and had to find ways to pinch pennies. After making our first batch we realized how much money were were going to save, and we haven't gone back to the store-bought stuff since. That was probably 5 or 6 years ago.

Now, I know there are a million and one laundry soap recipes floating around out there on the web, and maybe you've tried a few, but since I'm asked so often about mine, I figured I'd make mine number one million and two. (Hey, that rhymed! I'm a poet and don't know it! Oh, never mind.) 

Anyway, I started out making a liquid laundry soap. We used this recipe from The Family Homestead for several years. It seemed to last forever, and I LOVED that, but hated have to grate the soap, melt the soap, and then wait 24 hours for the gel to set up. Plus, my whites started looking dingy and always had a wet dog smell no matter what we did. Definitely not good. So, I set out to find a different recipe. 

I found a powder recipe I liked and decided to give it a try.

Our cast of characters are: 

1 - 4 lb. box of Borax
1 - 4 lb. box of Baking Soda
1 - 4 lb. box of Super Washing Soda
1 - bar of Zote Soap (Some recipes call for 1 1/2 bars. I think you can adjust the soap to your liking.)

You will need something to store the laundry soap in (a mop bucket or a gallon-size ice cream bucket will work, but make sure it's big enough to give you room to stir everything together) and a tablespoon OR one of those nifty little coffee scoops from the kitchen gadget aisle at Walmart.

Ok . . . here comes the hard part.

Open all of your boxes and pour ingredients into your bucket. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Break out your trusty cheese grater and grate your soap.

If you want to be really fancy, cut the soap into cubes and pop them into your food processor. I've been told the food processor works great, but if you want to get an awesome arm workout for the day, go with the cheese grater.

Alrighty, add the grated soap in with the rest of the ingredients and give them another good mixing.

This is what you'll get.

The recipe makes about twice the amount that you see in my bucket. We've been working on this batch for a little while.

Maybe one day I'll remember to take pictures of the whole process.

See my nifty little coffee scoop? One scoop equals 2 tablespoons (which is the amount you need per load, by the way), and it's PERFECT for the job. I love this thing. And I don't have to sacrifice one of my measuring spoons.

One batch will last my family 2 months. I did some calculating . . . ok, guesstimating . . . and you can get all of the ingredients for right around $10. That breaks down to $5 per month for laundry soap.

If you want to get really technical and break it down even more . . . 2 loads per day x 6 days (I try to not do laundry on Sundays) = 12 loads per week. 12 loads x 4 weeks in a month = 48 loads per month. $5.00 divided by 48 loads = $0.10 per load. Not too shabby, right?

Oh, and this is great for high efficiency machines because it doesn't make suds. I hope you'll give it a try.

The Dreaded 6 Letter Word

I'm always in awe of mothers with large families who seem to have it all together. You know the ones I'm talking about . . . . the kids are all dressed in clean clothes coordinated outfits, wearing socks AND shoes, hair brushed, teeth brushed, faces clean, marching around singing 'Do - A Deer' . . . just kidding . . . but you get the idea.

One thing that stands out with me is how their homes seem to operate like a well-oiled machine. The kids have assigned jobs around the house, the big ones help the little ones with certain things, etc. I've wracked my brain trying to figure out how these moms accomplish this, because, let's face it, I certainly don't have it all together.

One thing I forget to realize is that it takes time (lots of it), patience (even more of this), and consistency (I'm a slacker) to teach your children what is expected of them in the chore department.

CHORES. Aw, man!

I don't know about you, but that has to be my biggest battle around here. Nothing gets more grumbles, whining, and gnashing of teeth like hearing that six-letter word.

I've been on a mission for some time now trying to find a chore system that would work for my crew. We've tried chore charts with cute little pictures, check-lists, chore wheels that rotate weekly, and a bean bank system. We even tried  My Job Chart  for a little while. This is an online chore and reward system linked to Amazon where the kids can go in and choose prizes (that mom and dad have to pay for, of course) after they earn a set number of points for doing their chores every week. The kids enjoyed being able to go online and log their completed chores, but spent way too much time browsing Amazon for all the cool stuff they wanted. It was worse than Christmas.

I decided then that I don't agree with paying kids for doing everyday chores. I don't have a beef with anyone who pays their kids an allowance, and I'm not trying to convince anyone not to, it's just my preference.

I could see my kids starting to get hung up on the "I'm only doing it because I'm getting paid" mentality.

Nope. Not gonna fly around here.

We all live here together and everyone makes messes, so everyone has to do their part to help clean up those messes. Fair enough?

All of these different chore systems worked for a short while, but always fizzled out after about 2 weeks.

After more marathon chore system research, and in an attempt to help our summer days be full of other things besides TV, I finally came up with something that works for us. Now this is just the chore part of the system. We also have a Daily Must Do List (includes daily chores, school work, reading/writing time separate from school work) that has to be completed before they can earn TV or video game time.

DAILY CHORES

Todd – 15 min. room rescue/BR              Zack – 15 min. room rescue/BR

              Fold/Put Away Clothes                              Fold/Put Away Clothes

              Unload Dishwasher wks 1/3                      Unload Dishwasher wks 2/4

              Feed /Water Dogs/Cats wks 2/4              Feed/Water Dogs/Cats wks 1/3

              ROR – Kitchen                                            ROR - Bathroom  

    

Matt – 15 min. room rescue/BR              Lauren – 15 min. room rescue/BR

             Fold/Put Away Clothes                                  Fold/Put Away Clothes

             Reload Dishwasher wks 1/3                           Reload Dishwasher wks 2/4

             Feed/Water Chickens wks 2/4                      Feed/Water Chickens wks 1/3

             ROR – Family Room                                       ROR – Living Room

WEEKLY CHORES (ROR=Room of Requirement)

Todd – Kitchen (Help plan weekly menu/wipe down stove, cabinets, counters/sweep & mop)

Zack – Bathroom (Clean counter, sinks, & mirror/scrub tub & toilet/sweep/empty trash)

Matt – Family Room (Pick up trash & toys/straighten couch cushions/dust/vacuum)

Lauren – Living Room (Put away toys, etc./pick up trash/dust/vacuum/clean glass door)

FAMILY CHORES

Clean Up Kitchen/Dishes after Supper

LAUNDRY & SUPPER ASSIGNMENTS

Monday          Tuesday         Wednesday          Thursday              Friday          

       Todd                     Lauren                      Zack                              Matt                             Mom                   

Now, it might look like they have a ton to do and that I've worked myself out of a job. Trust me, they don't. And I haven't. All of my kids are still in the process of learning how to do their chores correctly, so that requires my (or dad's) help. I don't have to instruct the older two so much anymore, and the younger two . . . well, just don't look at their bedrooms, but we're getting better. Plus, I don't get blamed all the time if someone doesn't have clean pants!

Does this system work perfectly all of the time? No. Is my house spotless and dust free? Certainly not. Our house is well lived in. But this system does take off some of the pressure from thinking I have to do EVERYTHING.

My hope and prayer is that my kids will leave my home knowing how to cook, do laundry, take care of their own home, and clean a toilet. I'm confident my future daughters-in-law (and son-in-law) will thank me some day.

Sunday Sweets

I know I've explained the meaning of Sunday Sweets before, but since it's been over 2 years  a few weeks since I've posted one, I'll explain again.

I found this idea on another fab blog somewhere, but I have no clue where. So . . . we'll just say it's my idea. Comprende? *wink wink*

Ok, getting on with the explanation. 

I like to think of it as a two for one deal. You get an inspirational thought AND a divinely yummy recipe from yours truly. 

Work for you?

Works for me. 

Now that we understand each other, lets get to it. 

Today at church, a sweet sister shared with us how this past year hasn't turned out quite like she expected. Her family has had many trials during the last part of the year, but she's determined to keep her chin up and move forward with faith. Her courageous words made me think of these two quotes I found on Pinterest.

Isn't this so true? I love this one. Have you ever noticed how bright everything is after a good rain? The grass, the leaves on the trees, flower and vegetable gardens? Everything is so vibrant and perks right up after nice, soaking rain. I think that's also how life is sometimes. Without the clouds and the storms of life, we might not notice and appreciate the the brightly colored happy moments . . . the rainbows.

My little family is also facing some trials (whose isn't?), but I know as I strive to handle these things with a positive attitude and a happy spirit, we will see our rainbows . . . and they will be all the more beautiful. I know things will work out the way they should.

And now for the second sweet. YIPPEE! 

This recipe is from a dear friend from our military days, and boy are these things F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. And addictive!

Are you ready?

Golden Delights

1 box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1 stick of butter

1 box of powdered sugar

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the first 3 ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 15 x 10 in. pan to form the crust. Mix the last 3 ingredients together and pour on top of crust. Bake for 45 min. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Try eating only one. Enjoy!

It's been . . . .

. . . . 7 hours and 15 days . . . (sing it with me!) since you took your love away (in my best Sinead O'Connor impersonation).

No. Lets be serious. It's been 2 years and 5 months - almost to the day - since I last updated this blog o' mine.

At the encouragement of a friend, and after reading through all of my old posts, I remembered how much I enjoyed blogging and decided to give it another go.

Now, I'm not saying I'll be perfect at it, because lets be honest, life has a bad habit of getting in the way of good intentions, but I'll give it my best shot. 

So . . . what have I been up to in the last 2+ years? Hmmm . . . . let me think.

Ok . . . well. . . . I don't think I can remember that far back. You know, the whole getting-older-and-the-brain-doesn't-work-as-good thing. 

But some big events in the last year are:

We moved to a new house.

The kids changed schools because of the move.

I was called into the Primary presidency. 

Matt was baptized. 

We went on vacation to Atlanta.

We decided to homeschool the kids (lots and lots of prayer went into this one).

Ian quit both jobs so he could go to school for truck driving (lots and lots of prayer went into this one too).

I was released from my Primary calling and was immediately called into the Young Women presidency.

We are currently waiting on the start date for Ian's new job. (Please, please, PLEASE be soon!)

Anywho, that's about it. 

I think.

Yep, that sounds good for now.