Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~January 31, 2011
Outside my window... light snow flurries falling...a LOT more coming~forcasting 10-20 inches between today and Wednesday night!
I am thinking...about heading to the grocery store before the huge snowstorm comes
From the learning room...David's reign, map skills, fractions, and cutting and pasting, practicing writing her name for the 4year old
I am thankful for...my warm home during this cold, snowy weather
From the kitchen...french toast and sausages (we like having breakfast for suppers!)
I am wearing...jeans and blue sweater
I am creating...finishing some burp cloths
I am going...to be more intentional in certain areas of my life
I am reading... Bible~daily, waiting for my copy of Large Family Logistics to come in the mail...I can't wait!
I am praying...for our son to finally be rid of his hives~he's still struggling with them, for guidance in the same area's I want to be more intentional about, also about some unexpected expenses and our finances
I am hearing...the heater, and a little one whining because he wants a snack ;(
Around the house...LOTS of laundry to do, I got off the schedule and now I have at least 10 loads to do today
One of my favorite things...snow days...we're all hoping for a few this week!
A few plans for the rest of the week...haircuts for the littlest 2 kiddo's, music lessons, and I'm sure we'll be shovelling and snow blowing  over the next few days!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

The poor boy looks like a raccoon because of the hives around his eyes!

Thanks for stopping by.  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

UGH!!

Our poor baby still has the hives.  They have gotten worse and I needed to take him in to the doctor this morning.  We have been giving him Benadryl every 4 hours on the dot!  Turns out, Benadryl has the opposite effect on him that it has on most kids.  It makes him hyper!  He was up ALL night last night.  We finally got him to settle down and he slept off and on from 3:30-5:30 this morning.  He is sooo itchy!  I feel just terrible for him.  He is too litle to understand what is going on.  He just knows that he feels rotten and itchy and mamma and dadda aren't helping him.  He got a shot of a steroid, some liquid steroid to take at home, and a different anti-histimine.  We are praying that he will be able to get some sleep tonight (mainly because mommy and daddy need sleep!).  He is trying to nap right now and I think he's finally settling down.  I hate when my kids are hurting (or itching) and I can't do anything to help them.

This weekend we will finish painting the basement.  I am excited to get that done and get it cleaned up for good.  We've been working on the basement for several months now and it will be good for it to be done! 

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Not What I Had Planned....

I just love the days when things just don't go as expected (insert sarcasm here!).  We've been homeschooling for the past 2 weeks, and while we are doing OK, I just don't feel a good rhythm yet.  Most of that is just organization on my part.  It has been difficult to get into the routine of homeschooling as well as cleaning, groceries, appointments, errands, etc.  So I made up my mind that we were going to dive head first into homeschooling, get organized, and all would be wonderful.  This is when the Lord says..."Wait a minute...who is in control here?"

This morning started off well.  It had snowed overnight, so our son was looking forward to snow blowing the driveway, sidewalk, and our neighbors driveway.  We had breakfast, got the kids who are in school off, came home and was going to get the baby dressed.  That's when I saw it....

the poor baby has HIVES! 

He's been on an antibiotic for the past week for a double ear infection and guess what?!  He's allergic to it!  He's had this antibiotic before and never had a problem with it.  He'd been scratching his tummy this morning, but I didn't realize the poor boy had this going on!  So, off we went to the pharmacy to get some Benadryl.  It has helped him some~he hasn't been scratching his tummy as often.

So, a lesson learned in Who is really in control of my day.  Thankfully this is a pretty minor wrench thrown into the day.  Baby gets a little more snuggling, homeschooling still is going fine, and I'm still learning to depend more on the Lord for all things.

I am linking this up to Thankful Thursday's site.  I know this isn't my usual Thankful post, but I have wanted to get back to doing that again.  I am thankful today for gentle reminders from the Lord to remember what really is important in life.  I am thankful that my children are healthy (and itchy!). 

Visit our host, Lynn, at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for more thankful posts.  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~January 25, 2011
Outside my window... another dreary, cold winter day
I am thinking...about starting a Daniel Fast(still reading about it)
From the learning room...Latin America, greatest common factors and least common multiples , Saul and David, and Bible stories to read and color for the 4year old~~We're still tweeking our schedules to see what works best for us
I am thankful for...my healthy children
From the kitchen...chili and bread
I am wearing...khaki's and black sweater
I am creating...finishing some burp cloths
I am going...to start making some changes in my(our) life(lives)
I am reading... Bible~daily, and The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory
I am praying...for my father in law as he struggles with some heart issues
I am hearing...my one year old singing "Nummy Nummy" because he wants me to put in a Wiggles DVD
Around the house...our bed washed and dried, started washing kids clothes, need to vacuum the living room.  We will finish painting the basement family room this weekend.
One of my favorite things...homeschooling~ I do enjoy it!
A few plans for the rest of the week...babysitting a friends baby this afternoon (yeah!), a homeschooling moms meeting tonight, music lessons Thursday, painting on Saturday
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

longing for the days when we see this again.....

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

I WON!!!

For the first time EVER, I have won a give-away.  I won this give-away over at Guiding Light Homeschool for a DVD.  I won "A Walk In My Shoes" DVD.  This is a family friendly movie and I'm so excited about it!  We usually do pizza and movie night on Friday nights, so this fits right in in our family!  Head over to Guiding Light Homeschool as she has other give-aways going on right now!  Thanks, Dawn!


Blessings,

Yikes!

School's cancelled.  Our daughter's ski trip is cancelled.  I'm not sure what she is most upset about~the cancelled ski trip or the fact that she got out of bed and had breakfast only to find out 15 minutes before we would leave for school that school is cancelled.  This is definately a day to stay snuggled in bed.  Unfortunately....all of our children are up and ready to start the day!  I think we'll snuggle under quilts and blankets and watch some movies, make popcorn and hot chocolate!

Have a warm day!

Blessings,




Added:  I didn't realize that the above graphic updates as the temp changes.  When I wrote this post, the temp was -11 degrees and the windchill was -25.  I know that some of you have much colder temps regularly, but for us that is just plain COLD!!

Project 365~January 2011

More pictures from my project 365 photoalbum....



Day 12

We had new heat ducts placed in our basement

Day 13

Our homeschooling curriculum arrived

Day 14

Our official first day of homeschooling

Day 15

snow blowing after a snowfall

Day 16

We had a few sick kiddo's who spent most of the day on the couch

Day 17

playing in the snow

I am really enjoying taking a picture of something every day.  Most of my pictures include our children, but they are what I fill my days with!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great day!

Blessings,

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~January 17, 2011
Outside my window... SNOW! We are expecting 3-5" today!
 I am thinking...that I need to get an organizer to keep all the things running around my head organized and to get them done!
From the Learning Room...still trying to figure out schedules and each other!
I am thankful for...faithful friends who are also great prayer warriors!
From the kitchen...tortilla chip casserole, pudding, hoping to get a cake made for dessert!
I am wearing...jeans and Green Bay Packers sweatshirt (they did great this weekend!)
I am creating...finishing some burp cloths
I am going...to have to call the doctor to get appointments for our youngest 2 who have terrible coughs and colds
I am reading... Bible~daily!
I am praying...for guidance with some goals
I am hearing...Scooby Doo on the television downstairs, the heater running
Around the house...need to mop floors and fold laundry
One of my favorite things...quiet snowfalls~I love when it snows (as long as I don't have to drive in it!)
A few plans for the rest of the week...music lessons, and possibly doctor's appointments for our sick kiddo's
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Our new window cleaner!  (c:

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great day!

Blessings,

It's HERE!!

We finally received our curriculum in the mail for homeschooling our oldest son!  We are all so excited to start....well maybe excited is only on my part.  As my son said..."this has to be the longest Christmas vacation ever!"  I think he's getting a little to used to it!

I must confess that once I opened the teacher's manuals, I started thinking "what was I thinking?"  "What have we done?"  "This was a very bad idea!"  But I am trying not to let those thoughts take over my mind.  There are many homeschooling families out there that have walked this path before me and with me.  There are many in our little community and I am really looking forward to meeting them later this month.  I have lots of questions.  But one of the joys of homeschooling is we can make it whatever we want it to be.  My son and I have already jotted down a "tentative" schedule and we'll see how things go.  I'll keep you posted!!

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Appointments, Appointments, Appointments!

Doctor's appointments are nothing new in our family.  We have a son who has special needs and another who has had heart problems.  Of course, almost all of their appointments are with specialists who are 1 1/2 hours away.  That makes these appointments a half day or longer away from home.  I am thankful for these doctors~don't get the wrong impression.  I just wish we didn't need them. 

Today we had an appointment for our oldest son with his rheumatologist.  The appointment went well~in fact, he can stop taking some medications.  This was a great relief.  We are hoping that the antibiotic injections that he is getting each month will do the trick.  (We found out in early fall that he has been harboring a strep infection that has been attacking his heart~causing inflamation around his heart and other problems.  He had open heart surgery 2 1/2 years ago due to two holes in his heart and problems with his pulmonary veins.)  He has not had any heart problems since early June.  We are very thankful for that.  We are praying that this will be the end of those problems.  It is always scary when something happens with his heart.  We always go back in our minds to his  surgery~and we don't want to go through that again!

Tomorrow is an appointment for our middle son, Friday is checkups with our family doctor for two of the kids, and Monday is yet another appointment.  Thankfully after that we have a few weeks before any more appointments!

Just another week in our life!  Starting homeschooling with our oldest son is off to a "running" start!  Our life is always interesting~blessed, but interesting!!

I pray you are having a less hectic week!

Blessings,

Project 365~January 2011

One of the goals I wanted to start this year is Project 365.  You take a picture everyday of something that will remind you of what you did that day.  I have some friends who did this last year.  At the end of the year I would like to put all the pictures into an album to remember 2011.  Here's my start for this year.

Day 1

Fun times with Daddy!

Day 2

Playing together

Day 3

Making cookies together

Day 4

Sibling fun!

Day 5

Cleaning a bedroom~can you see why??

Day 6

We love legos!

Day 7

A light snowfall

Day 8

Blurry picture, I know, but it was his first time trying to put his own pants on completely by himself!  Who needs 2 leg holes in pants?

Day 9

Our youngest son with his great grandpa~Almost 90 years between them!

Day 10

painting the tea set she got as a present

Day 11

One of our bushes after a snowfall

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Blessings,

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~January 11, 2011
Outside my window... sun is trying to come out, but otherwise just dreary and cold!
I am thinking...about our homeschooling schedule
I am thankful for...a nice weekend with family for our last Christmas party
From the kitchen...cheesy potatoes and ham, peas, applesauce
I am wearing...jeans and long sleeved green shirt
I am creating...some burp cloths
I am going...get my new year's goals posted this week (I know that was last weeks goal, too!)
I am reading... Bible~daily!
I am praying...for guidance with some goals
I am hearing...nothing!!  All the kiddo's are involved in quiet play!
Around the house...laundry started, clean bathrooms, vaccum floors
One of my favorite things...peace in the family
A few plans for the rest of the week...music lessons, and a few doctor's appointments this week.  Our daughters piano recital is Saturday~we're excited for it!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

just a small portion of the bedroom we cleaned last week.  How can one boy have such a mess???

 Thanks for stopping by.  To read more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

Frugal Living...Make It Yourself!

Our family loves taco's.  We have them several times a month.  It is easy~our 12 year old loves to make them~and it is a fairly inexpensive meal.  One way we make it more economical is to make our own taco seasoning.  This recipe is one that our family likes the best, and really does taste like the store bought seasoning.  I got it online from a blog, unfortunately I didn't write down where.  So if you are reading this saying..."Hey, that is my recipe!", let me know and I will be happy to give you credit!! (c:

Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp dried Oregano
2 Tbsp salt (I do use less that this, though)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion flakes
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp black pepper

Mix together in a small container.  Add 1-2 Tbsp of mix per pound of ground beef as your family likes it.

Enjoy!!

Blessings,

A New Season in Our Home

There has been a slight change in our household over the Christmas break.  We have decided to homeschool our oldest son.  Some of you may remember that homeschooling has been something I have been thinking and praying about for a very long time.  It is truely my hearts desire to homeschool my children.  My husband was not on board with it.  He was content with how things were.  I have been praying for a long time for God to either change my husbands heart, or take the desire to homeschool out of my heart.

Our oldest son has been struggling in school for some time now.  He struggles academically (while he will get things, he must work extra hard to understand the assignments), but also struggles socially.  It has been a hard couple of years for him.  He has been struggling so much that he was having physical problems.  He came to me and asked if I still wanted to homeschool, because he would really like to be homeschooled.  My husband said yes without hesitation.

So now we are heading down a path that I have been praying about for several years and I find I have fear about it.  I would like to school all of our kids at home, but for now we are just schooling him.  Our oldest daughter is in 8th grade and has absolutely NO desire to be homeschooled.  She is very social and would like to continue at the school where she is at.  We are still praying on that one.  Our middle son is continuing at school for now as well.  He is autistic and is very rigid about his schedules.  He has an awesome teacher right now who is so in touch with his needs that we decided it was best for him to stay at school until I have a better understanding of how homeschooling will go.  Maybe in the fall...we'll see where God leads us.

So if you desire, I would definately appreciate prayers for guidance and wisdom as we set out on this adventure.  I am excited for it all to start (we are waiting for some materials-we ordered from Rod and Staff) and our son is excited to start as well.  I'll keep you posted on how things are going.  In the meantime, if you have any advice, I would love to hear it!  Thanks!

Blessings,

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~January 5, 2011
Outside my window... Sun is shining, expecting about an inch of snow today
I am thinking...lots of things going on in my head today!
I am thankful for...the Christmas holiday.  We had Christmas eve service at church, a great time with family, just relaxing, enjoying one another and celebrating our Saviour's birth.  I love Christmas!
From the kitchen...chili and homemade bread
I am wearing...jeans and sweater
I am creating...nothing this week
I am going...get my new year's goals posted this week (I hope!)
I am reading... Bible~daily!
I am praying...for guidance and wisdom
I am hearing...little ones creating grand things with lego's
Around the house...laundry started, toys need to be picked up in the living room, and cleaning our son's bedroom that looks like a tornado went through it! 
One of my favorite things...Christmas!  I hate to start packing up the decorations~although the tree needed to go.  It was a fire hazard!
A few plans for the rest of the week...music lessons start up again~that's about it this week.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Grandpa and Grandma with our kiddo's~It's impossible to get a picture with everyone looking!!

For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Happy 2011!!

Welcome to the New Year!!

We had a great Christmas break at our house.  My husband had off for 4 days during the Christmas weekend.  He has never had that much time off at the holidays before.  (He works in retail....so you understand why he doesn't get the time off.)  We really enjoyed the time together.  We celebrated Christmas with family the entire weekend of Christmas, and we have another family celebration this weekend.  I love getting together with family, and Christmas found one entire side of the family together.  That RARELY ever happens.  With several family members in different states, it makes getting together difficult.  So I cherish the times when we all get together.

New years eve was very quiet and uneventful around here.  Our church has a lock-in for the youth group during the night (goes 7pm until 7am), so our 2 oldest kids went to that.  Our 3 youngest went to bed around their usual times.  So hubby and I ordered pizza, drank sparkling grape juice, and watched movies.  We didn't quite make it to see the new year in, but we knew it would come just fine!  (c:

The "normal" routines are starting to settle in.  It has been very cold lately, but it did snow a bit last night~so at least it looks pretty outside!  There has been a slight change in our house, but I'll fill you in on that one later......

Have a great day!

Blessings,