Time to think about school planning!

Summer is just barely started, but if you are a homeschooler you are already thinking about the next school year.  I thought I'd share what I'm doing to prepare for school planning in case it helps someone else through this process, but also for future reference for myself because I'm likely to forget.

1.  My husband and I recently went out on a planning date.  Our family seems to do best using a unit study format, this was a time for us to discuss what those would be.  I had some ideas, and we have some that we repeat every year.  I wanted to know what my husband wanted our family to be learning. Together we ran through not only our ideas for what we thought we should be studying, but what we knew would be going on in our family in this coming year (a new baby and a move).  We put together a basic outline for the coming school year.

2.  I'm giving some time to prayer and thought about each child, and what they are needing in the coming year.  I'll have 5 school age kids this year, I need to assess where each one of them is, their strengths and weaknesses (both educationally and spiritually).  I'll also have three little ones that will need direction in their days (a preschooler, toddler, and a newborn in October).  Little ones should not be free to run wild, they need some direction in their days, they also need plenty of love and attention.

3.  Start training.  Have you ever put together a wonderful school plan/schedule only to have it fall apart the first day/week?  I have.  Sometimes we over plan; or just forget about the many interruptions that happen in a day.  Other times the kids are having a hard time adjusting to the new structure or concepts, they just are not ready for 1/2 hour of the planned activity, they would do better starting with 10 minutes and working their way up to that 30 minutes.  Maybe they had too much freedom through the summer and are resisting the reinstated structure?  Think about those activities you may be planning for the little ones such as circle time, room time, blanket time, craft/table time and use this summer time to teach them what will be expected during these times.  Keep some structure to your days through the summer, don't just let them run wild as you focus on school planning and summer projects. This can help those first days run and bit more smoothly.

*We're working on room time for these two.  I made a recording for them to listen to (the first was 7.5 minutes) and give them a basket of toys.  They are so excited about room time every day and ready to move up to 15 minutes.  They will work up to 30-40 minutes for this school year.  While they are happy playing together in a bedroom listening to a recording of mommy talking to them; teaching manners, going over memory verses and singing songs, I'll be using that time to teach reading and math lessons to my younger two students.  My kindergartener has also asked to do room time, I'll most likely have the baby join her in a bouncy seat so they can have some time together.

4. Recruit helpers!  I'll be busy putting together school plans, binders, and activities, but I don't need to do it all on my own.  My kids love helping with these sorts of things, and it helps them get excited about the coming school year too.  Think about what areas you can involve the kids in this process.

5. Plan for fun too, don't just let the summer waste away with the kids roaming around with too much free time.  Plan some fun activities.  We have a family pass to the Children's museum in town that I plan to use a few times.  With the combination of the heat and my pregnant belly a friend's invitation to come swimming at her place regularly sounded great.  On many afternoons when it often feels so hot (110+ degrees) we just don't want to do a thing I'll be letting the kids set up our projector in the living room so we can watch a couple of special DVD's I'm planning on purchasing as a special summer treat.  The big kids all have projects they are looking forward to having more time for.  I've got some special plans for the little ones as well, but that will be its own post.

6. Don't forget to clean out the books and curriculum that just is not working for your family or you don't need anymore.  Many groups have used curriculum/book sales this time of year (or you could use e-bay).  By selling these things you may be able to help finance the needs for the coming year.

Ok, thats my plan for getting the ball rolling on school planning this year.  It may help to know that I plan for the whole year.  This is just my brainstorming and outlining phase.  Next month I'll actually start putting things together.  My kids will have binders with a assignments, worksheets, activities etc. for the whole year; they are divided by month.  I'll have a circle time binder with topics, memory verses, as well as notes for our read-alouds, library books to request and supplies needed.

How do you plan for getting the next school year together?

Surviving Morning sickness (hyperemesis)

Well, I made it through my 8th round of "morning" sickness.  Who ever thought to call it "morning" sickness?  Every time it has been 24 hrs, and often it has been worse in the afternoons or evenings.  Morning sickness in general is rough, you are exhausted and nauseated constantly; then throw in a few kids and it gets really rough.  Some of us get to spend the entire time throwing up (or working really hard not too).

I've struggled with hyperemesis with with most of my pregnancies (I didn't with one, but I miscarried that baby).  To say it is rough would be an understatement, but each of these sweet babies are so worth it, I'm happy to (in a small way) offer my body as a living sacrifice.  These are some of the things I've found have helped over the years....

1. Whole foods (no, not the store); eating foods that are NOT processed,  and ARE full of the nutrients my body needs really do help.  Keeping a good diet before getting pregnant has seemed to help.  For me a diet high in meat, eggs, and vegetables really keeps me going; on the other hand too many sugars (including whole grains and fruits) seem to take my blood sugar levels on a ride that makes me sick.

*This has been one of my favorite meals.  Onions and spinach cooked up in olive oil and an egg or two fried over it.  Season with salt.  Serve with avocado over the top.  A friend of mine suggested it as it helped her through morning sickness as well.  I found that this seemed to be just the right combination of protein, fats, and vitamins to settle my stomach and help me feel satisfied.

2. Stay hydrated!  This sounds easier than it is.  I've found that drinking from a straw works better than from a cup.  We have four sources of water in our house (tap, filtered refrigerator water, water cooler,and a berkey) I couldn't stand any of them.  Other drinks would work for a while (like a couple of days), but eventually would make me sick.  The ONLY thing I could drink consistently was the water from Sonic.  Yep, twice a day we (mostly my husband) would go order a RT44 WATER.  Hey, you do what you gotta do.

3.  Don't worry about the house, and homeschooling.  Just do what you can, it'll all be there when you get better.  Do try to enjoy the kids.  Use this time to snuggle with the little ones.  This is also a time when kids will step up and help out more.  I've seen this every time, the kids are eager to serve and are excited about the new baby.  *This is also the time to take the easy route.  I prefer to serve my kids homemade meals made with whole grains and such.  While my big kids helped out quite a bit and did manage quite a few healthy meals, this is also the time for letting them have French toast sticks or cereal for breakfast, PB&J or Mac&Cheese regularly for lunch, and Pizza for dinner often.  This is a short season, you will all recover soon enough!  

4. Drugs!  Truly, I don't know how I'd make it through without drugs.  While I'm the type that tries not to even take Tylenol (pregnant or not).  Zofran is my best friend during this time.  It keeps me from needing IV's or a stay in the hospital.  It allows me to be somewhat functional and present instead of constantly running to the bathroom, lossing excessive amounts of weight, and getting so worn down that I need further medical intervention. (Without drugs I do get to a point that I can't even keep water down ans lose weight.)  *laughter is good medecine too.  Being sick can lead you to be in some fairly pathetic situations that can be quite disheartning if you don't approach them with a bit of humor.  One thing I've found is that toddlers contribute quite a bit of humor as they watch mommy go through something they don't understand.  I've had toddlers chase me as I run to the bathroom and stand behind me making the same noises I'm making OR clapping and cheering me on.  Yea, laugh so you don't cry. ;)

5.  Training the kids; this should be a part of your regular parenting, and if it has been, now is a time you will see the results.  If you have not been, you will also see the results. ;)  If you know ahead of time that morning sickness could be an issue, I'd encourage you to look for areas that your kids need help in obediance or could step in and help more. *Be realistic in your expectations.  If you have all littles it may be that the most you can hope for is that they pick up their toys and grab diapers (or other commonly needed easily accesible items).  Maybe they could make their own PB&J?  As they get older they can help more.  My oldest is 12, I also had a 10 and 9 year old for this go 'round; this is the first time our home has been maintained and meals resembled our regular diet.

6. Natural remedies do not work well when you are in the thick of this kind of morning sickness, but it can ease some of the symptoms early on or at the end.  I've found Lemon and Peppermint to be very helpful both in the form of tea and essential oils.  Ginger has been said to be helpful too, but I usually can't stand the smell or taste or ginger.  In one pregnancy I did find that ginger root tablets helped, but I had to swallow them down with something with a strong flavor to cover up the ginger.

7. The biggest one of all?  The body of Christ!  This go round was not any better physically (in fact it seemed to be a bit worse, or the meds didn't work as well), but in many ways it seemed much easier.  I know I had many praying for me, and I'm so thankful for their prayers.  We were also blessed to have an amazing community that stepped in in big and small ways to help us through this.  Meals were brought over regularly.  Others invited us over to get us out, but in a comfortable setting close to home. A young woman came into our home a couple times a week and helped with anything that needed to be done.  Some ran errands for us.  A friend took one of my more active boys to her home a couple of times a week (this child is a sweet heart, but is high energy AND needs constant supervision.  He was thrilled to get to go help this friend with yard work and I could rest knowing this child was in good hands).  The flexibility of many was appreciated as we worked around my "good" times.  In no way least; my husband and kids truly served our family in big ways.  They showed the love of Christ and servant's hearts as they cared for our home.

*None of this is intended as medical advice.  I'm just a mom sharing what has helped me get through this over the last 13 years.  If you are struggling to keep foods/liquids down while pregnant you really should speak to your doctor or mid-wife about it.

I'm linking to My Joy Filled life- pregnancy journal link-up

Eight is Great!

Eight is great!

One, our parenting journey had just begun.
With two our home had more blue.
Three?  Yippee!
Four was certainly no bore.
Five brought such joy to our busy hive.
Six brought us another pink fix.
Seven was an answer from heaven.
Eight?  Oh this will be great!

Please join us in our excitement as we anticipate the birth of our eighth baby mid-October.


This was the little poem I sent out to family this past week announcing that our eight baby is on its way!  We are so excited, but I'm struggling through morning sickness as usual.  I am so thankful for The Body of Christ during this time, we've been blessed with wonderful meals and so much help making this time much more bearable than usual.

Things will be quite slow around here for the next few weeks.

Swap (large family finances)

Every family has stuff around that they don't need, and also needs that must be filled.  The saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure" is what a Swap is all about.  When de-cluttering, switching out clothes for the season, or just moving on to other things/places; being able to bless others you know is always nice.  The church we've been attending does about six swaps a year and they are such a blessing!

Swap basics- First you'll need a group to do your swap with.  Our regular group is our church, but we've also done one with a homeschool group (these have all been organized by others in our groups, but I'm looking forward to being able to put them together at our next assignment).  I'm sure there are plenty of other groups that this could work with.  This is part of being a community, part of the body of Christ; caring for one another and sharing our blessings/burdens.

Next you'll need a space for this.  A large open space with lots of tables (labeled by category) is very nice but this can easily be done in a home as well.

Some guidelines are helpful.
- At our church swap everyone is welcome to choose things, even if they didn't bring anything.  You will need to decide for your group how you would want to do this.

-What to bring?  Anything can be brought as long as it is in good working condition (though our boys are THRILLED with broken electronics to take appart, a note on them is a good idea).  Clothes with no stains or holes are great.  Toys, games, books, and puzzles are fun.  Household items, craft supplies, decor and tools can be a wonderful blessing.  Baby gear is often very lightly used and has much life in it when you are done, bless someone else with it!  Furniture, bikes and other large items can really be a blessing, but it may be a good idea to send out an e-mail to the group with a picture to find out if anyone wants it before going through the effort of bringing it or make sure that the person responsible for the leftovers is willing to deal with it.  Livestock has been joked about at our swap...

-Set up.  Label tables/areas with categories such as baby, little girls, big girls, little boys, big boys, men, women, toys, books, household, shoes, etc...

-Order of picking needs to be determined.  You could give numbers in the order that people RSVP'd or arrived at the swap, or just not worry about it.

- Kids have fun at a swap too, but should wait until the adults have all had the chance to look over everything and have grabbed what they need.  Kids should be reminded that they need to check with parents before claiming anything.

-What to do with the leftovers?  There are always plenty of great leftovers at the swaps.  Sometimes they just don't fill a need of those who are there, but could truly bless someone else.  There are many ministries, charities, and groups that are happy to take such things.  Make sure that you make arrangements ahead of time especially if it is a smaller organization.

Links I love

I enjoyed reading this article on not only our nations falling fertility rate, but the world as a whole.  I'm happy to be doing my part to keep the rate from falling even lower. ;)


Worried about my (or any other) naive homeschoolers heading out into the world and not knowing how to cope?  This post is a bit long, but it is wonderfully written and explains very well why we think homeschooling is best for our kids (though I did NOT write it).

I enjoyed reading through the entire blog The year of less recently.  Not surprisingly a blog about de-cluttering and a minimalist life did not take too long to read.  As it turned out, while the writer was simplifying she found that one of the things that was taking up too much time, and taking away from her family, was the blog.  I really liked many of the posts, but one of my favorites was this one;  I thought that numbers 10, 11 and 12 were especially good.

Healthy eating- getting the junk food out (Lent)

One of my goals for this year was to work on healthier eating.  We've been letting too much junk in, to help us get it all out of our systems we've got a plan for Lent.  Healthier eating is not just good for our bodies, it can help clear the mind and can even be better on the pocket book (healthier can mean less medical expenses, and I find that when I'm eating whole foods my body just feels more satisfied ).

No wheat- while we are not cutting out all grains, wheat (in the form of white flour) is in so much of the "junk" be bring into the house.  This (wheat) is also something we are phasing out, or keeping to a minimum for medical reasons.  For this period of time we are going to get it all our of our systems.  Oatmeal will be our main grain as well as some quinoa and a bit of brown rice.

No refined sugars-  This will easily cut out the rest of the junk.  No white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and (as always) no artificial sweeteners.  What will we be using?  We will mostly be using honey, maple syrup, and some stevia.

Dye free- We have been moving to no artificial colors, we will get all of it out of the house after Mardi Gras and then keep it out!

What will we be eating?  I find that when taking something away it is very helpful to focus on what we CAN have and even add in some new alternatives.

For breakfast we will be having baked oatmeal, eggs, some bacon and maybe sausage.   We may even try some yummy baked goods like doughnuts and cinnamon rolls.  This looked like a fun breakfast too.

Lunches are fairly easy; the kids have a favorite bean dish we will have regularly.  I've made quite the stash of crackers including graham crackers (a huge hit), club crackers (enjoyed by most), herb crackers (YUM!  I love these; the recipe is found in this book), and coconut crackers (good, but need to be cooked until crunchy next time).  We will add in fruits, veggies, cheese, and salami for some tasty lunches that are a hit with my kids.

Feeling bad for my poor kids?  Don't.  I've got plenty of goodies planned for this time including (but not limited to)....

Vanilla bean cake, brownies, honey "caramel" corn, and homemade Hazelnut spread(nutella) pictured to the right.

I'll be posting on my family blog about our Valentine's day treats as well as St. Patrick's day.  Head on over there to see what I come up with.

Some of my favorite (on line) resources for healthy but "normal" recipes are...

Deliciously Organic

Spunky Coconut

Elana's Pantry

What about you?  Are you making some changes to how your family is eating?  What are you doing?  What are some of your favorite resources?  What are you doing to make this fun and help you stick to your plans?

links I love

I just read this post on brave moms and brave kids.  It was so right on.  While there is a time to be protective and sheltering it is so important to let go (and be brave moms) so that our children can learn to be brave and learn to live a life for God!

This post (part way down you get to the part about raising a family on one income) from Raising Olives was such an inspiration to me as I learn to be a better steward of what God gives me and to rely on Him more.  I love the reminder of how very blessed we are and that so many things we have are truly luxuries.

Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:8

Here is another great one on Large Family Finances and living debt free.  It really is about lifestyle and expectations.

Following that thread I found this short sermon by Paul Washer very convicting and encouraging.

The Slavery of Serving Worldliness