Wednesday

Lent begins today. 

During Lent, I’ll be going ‘unplugged’ (no blogging or Facebook & I’m thinking no blog reader either – YIKES!!).  I did this last year & was truly blessed & developed a greater discipline for managing my computer time. The internet makes a great servant but a poor master.  My boys are also “lenting” with me.  Tyler is giving up his iPod Touch, Tucker his DS, & Trevor his Leapster.  The younger too aren’t big on electronics, but the iPod will be difficult for Ty.  I don’t make my kids participate, but they are boys & always up for a challenge.  However, I do explain the reasoning & try to make clear the commitment they are making.  To God.  When they are tempted, I don’t pressure them or make them feel guilty either.  Heck, I feel the same temptations!!  I just remind them of the promise they made & tell them it is my job as their mom to help them keep their promise.  I try to encourage them & not give them a guilt trip.  Click HERE to read Edie’s A-MAZ-ING post on about Lent.

 

Truman.

Today marks 4 weeks of Truman being fever FREE!!  He is such a trooper.  He did amazingly well recovering from his surgery.  WOW!  It has been such a blessing to have him running around, following Tim every where, & jumping in on fights with his big brothers.  He has decided he is ready for a big boy potty & is for the most part using it!!  He also got his first hair cut.  Well, it was more like a trim, but it was way overdue!!!  What a joy this boys is.  Praise God!!

  

 

Pregnancy.

I am also 10 weeks into my pregnancy today.  1/4 done!  YAY!  I feel great.  Well, as great as great can be in the first trimester of a pregnancy.  This is by far, the easiest pregnancy every for me (so far – knock on wood!!)  I am queasy (A LOT), but no throwing up, no sudden rushing to hug the toilet (which I share with 4 boys & a man).  More than anything, I’m tired.  Very very tired.  I’m not a nap-taker, but I’m done by 2pm most days.  My floors are covered in dirty laundry, beds are full of laundry waiting to be folded & put away, drawers are empty.  I cooked breakfast for the first time yesterday – I have to eat almost right away.  I felt bad & the eggs are piling up, so after I had a bowl of cereal I cooked for my crew (then I ate again!)  I’m so happy to be able to actually eat.  I do have to be selective in my food choices.  We are eating lot’s of rice around here.  I’m craving very bland foods.  Smells bother me the most.  Which is tough living with the 4 boys & a man!!  I had my first doctor’s appointment last week & we got to see a tiny little baby (just one) with a strong little heartbeat.  I’m so excited!  and no.  No clue or guessing as to what I’m having.  Yes, I will find out.  Soon actually, like 5-6 weeks.  I would LOVE a little LOT of pink, ribbons & bows, but I truly do love my boys & take great pride in being a mommy to many boys.  We’ll see what God decides!

 

Me.

I’m still devouring 1,000 Gifts & I’ve almost listed 100 of my own (the whole lack of energy/sleep thing has put a damper on this slightly).  I cut about 6 inches of my hair off & dyed a streak teal.  My boys think I’m crazy.  I needed something fun.  I’ve said goodbye to my size 2 jeans.  I’m only 10 weeks, but after doing this 6x now – my body knows exactly what to do.  I’ve sported the belly band, but comfort is comfort!  I also go the new iPhone, only to be greatly disappointed to learn that a newer one is coming out it June.  Oh well!  I’m working on a make-over plan for the boys room (& mine!!!)  I will be purchasing my first real set of furniture soon.  I can’t wait!!

 

School. 

School Days VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

YIKES!  Yes, we homeschool.  And hopefully, we will be doing more HOMEschool.  Monday marked the last doctor’s appointment on my calendar!  YAY!  We are getting the basics down (most days), but I’ve pretty much let anything & everything “extra” go.  I’m totally okay with that.  I’ve boosted up our workbox system (which was none existent for a long stretch).  We have a pretty good routine down (on normal days) so I decided to add fun stuff to all their boxes.  This is my way of organizing their “centers”.  I’ll post more on these when I return from Lent break.  I also started my first week of phonics with my own twist & the boys are doing fabulous.  Tyler is currently on a Wimpy Kid reading marathon.  Twaddle = absolutely.  Fun = without doubt!

 

My outlaws.

Good Times VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We are ALL enjoying this much awaited & longed for spring-weather!  You will find us going on 4-wheeler rides, nature walks, fishing, kite flying – lot’s of outside play!  The boys have even ventured into the lake already – burrr!!!!We are just plain having FUN!! 

 

Farm life. 

 

I just hear the mouse trap go off . . . yes!  That is life in the country.  I’ve begged Big Daddy to declare war on our furry little pests before my city girl mama get’s here this Friday.  I’m sooo excited to hug her.  I miss her so much!!  Anyway, the farm is just a poppin’ calves everywhere, we are getting ready to send our bulls off to the sell.  We are up to 15 kids (baby goats).  We’ve lost 6 though.  Very sad.  All sets of triplets.  One nanny wasn’t separated from the herd & we think they were trampled.  The other nanny is just a bad mama.  We aren’t sure why her babies died, but she has never raised any of her babies.  I’m kinda mad at her right now!  The other babies are way too cute & the boys are spending lots of time chasing them around.  Even Truman loves the new goats.  I’m afraid he may think I have a baby goat in my tummy because I’ve been pointing to my (growing) tummy & saying baby.  When someone asks him where the baby is he points to the baby goats. 

 

My kitchen. 

I was hoping to get a post up of the finished product, but I’ve just been so tired I didn’t get around to it.  Big Daddy took out the double doors (there were 3-4 doors/3 entries to the kitchen) that lead to the boys room.  In the place of the doors is now an awesome spacious pantry.  I absolutely LOVE it!!  Here is a cute little peak!!

 

Well, it is almost midnight.  Blessings!  See ya in 40 days!!

Chores

My chore charts (HERE & HERE) are two of my most popular posts.  I keep meaning to put together a new chore chart, but I just can’t seem to find the time or creative skills to bling something up that will work for our entire family.  The general store idea works – on normal weeks.  But if you’ve read my blog very long, you’ll know that my family has not seen a “normal” week in quite some time.  Take the last 4 weeks for example – 2 surgeries, multiple doctors appointments, & sick babes.  Life for us is just crazy & because we live out in the middle of no where it pretty much takes all day to do anything.  Another problem I have is Big Daddy.  He is such a “By God . . .” Daddy – you know – “do it because I say so!”  He doesn’t understand why the kids need chore charts, incentives, or reminders for something he says to do & should be done every day. 

The biggest problem is the differences in my kids.  Tyler – 99% of the time he is self motivated, extremely responsible, great attitude, very hard worker.  He is the definition of diligence.  Once he mastered his chores & we saw the incredible attitude he has in doing them we decided to reward him with an allowance.  He usually ends up doing more than his chores – as he is the oldest & most responsible, he just naturally has become our “go-to-guy”.  He deserves & earns every bit of his $20 bonus a month.  I really don’t want to call this an allowance, because we did not decide to pay to do his chores, but we wanted to acknowledge how much we appreciate his work ethics.  Tucker & Trevor on the other hand are the complete opposite from their older brother.  Tucker wants to be paid.  Then work.  LOL  Because this is not our first rodeo, Big Daddy & I are learning to speak their languages.  It is so much easier to find some middle ground than it is to fight them every step of the way.  We certainly will not pay him to work, but I am thinking on a reward system that works frequently.  I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get Trevor to work.  He does pretty well working alongside some one.  He is more than willing to help Tucker, but Tucker is so stubborn he refuses to accept the help most of the time.  Trevor may become Tyler or mommy’s helper with a few individual chores himself. 

Don’t misunderstand me, regardless of the above issues, ALL my boys work.  They all do chores . . .

Tyler is 10.  His main responsibilities are for the goats & chickens.  He lets them out in the morning, put them up at night, feeds & waters them, cleans their pen, & anything else that involves them animals (like chasing them out of the watermelon patch, garden, wheat field, or neighbors flowerbed).  He also helps feed cows during the winter & works in the garden during the spring/summer. 

Tucker is 6.  He is suppose to feed the dogs & pick up their poop out of the yard.  He also is in charge of gathering the chickens egg, but Tyler usually does it because Tucker is scared of our papa goat & snakes during the summer. 

Trevor is 4.  He doesn’t have any assigned individual chores, but is the universal helper to his brothers.  He does not like to work alone, but typically has a happy heart to help out.

Truman is almost 2.  He loves wipies & is obsessed with wiping everything down.  He also puts some of the silverware away when his brothers unload the washer.  But he is REALLY good at creating most of the messes around here!

Together Tucker & Trevor unload the dishwasher & dump all the small trashes around the house.  And every now & then, they will fold a load of towels or sort socks for me.  All my boys put their own clothes away (this has always been their first real chore & usually starts between 2-3 years).  They are also in charge of their rooms; however, I usually end up cleaning it A LOT!  Occasionally, when the yard is out of control they will have a group pick up day.  Anytime there is much work to be done, or a large project (ie.  the house is a total disaster or the chicken coop needs its annual major cleanout) we all work together as a family.

Despite all the issues & my lack of inspiration, I have been thinking a lot about a new chore system.  We definitely need to come up with something to motivate the younger two boys as well has hold them more responsible for their duties.  I’ve considered trying Erica’s new chore chart, but I also love the way this family does chores.  Then, I found this post & the wheels started spinning even more.  Speaking of spinning, I LOVE the wheel!!

So, you see now, why I have been draggin’ on creating a new chore chart.  It is a bit more complicated than anticipated . . .

Next year.

It is that time of the year where curriculum & lesson plans are racing through most homeschool mama’s heads.  We are out to find the best curriculum, frugal deals, & create the perfect schedule.  I admitted a long time ago that even though I’m a totally fabulous schedule maker, WE are NOT a schedule family.  There is never a typical day, I’ve given up on scheduling our days, & embraced where we are in life & compromised with a routine. 

Next year our routine will probably be a lot different than it is now considering there will be a newborn thrown in the mix.  I’m not even going to go there at this point.  However, I have come up with a schedule.   Yes.  You read that right a schedule.  But not a daily schedule – an annual schedule.  After reading how this large family plans their homeschooling (you better believe I’m getting the desk apprentice!!), I knew right away that this is exactly what I need.  And is totally doable for me.  It is almost an incentive.  After finally coming to terms with having a chronically sick baby I admitted that I wasn’t able to “do it all”.  I had to figure out what my priorities were – the rocks (the basic school work:  Math, Reading, Writing & Grammar).  What the pebbles were (History & Science).  And what the sand was (too much to list!)  At first, I started off great.  I was determined to find our groove.  I did pretty good letting go, but then I fell off the wagon.  I felt like I needed to do it all.  About the same time I attempted to be super mom, the rug was pulled out from under me & I was bombarded with numerous doctor visits (try at least 10 within the last 4 weeks, which includes 2 surgeries & a short hospital stay – 2 specialist, one spontaneous, & multiple follow-ups).  The next two weeks very little got done.  Partly because things were just so crazy we really couldn’t, & partly because I felt like if I couldn’t do it all I just wouldn’t do it at all.

Anyway, I have decided to homeschool year around.  We pretty much already do, but I think if I let go of the “extra” & stretch our regular studies out over the entire year it will make it much easier to cope with this crazy life we live.  It will not only allow time off for the craziness, but also motivate me through it to look for a planned break & not feel like I’m behind or a loser homeschool mom.  My plan is exactly like theirs, but I love the flexibility this will allow.  They homeschool 3 months straight with a week off during the middle month, then an entire month off between the next 3 month stretch, etc. 

So, here is how I’m going to make it work for us in this season of life  . . .

My goal is still to finish our current school by May (at least the basics).  We will be gone most of May.  Tyler has church camp for a week in June, so I’m thinking June will be to tie up any loose ends & enjoy the summer days before the excruciating Texas heat runs us to indoors seeking ac.  In July we will start our new schedule, officially beginning our 2011-12 school year & if all goes well it will look something like this:

July-Sept:  School with a week off at the end of Sept

Oct:  OFF

Nov:  School with a week off during Thanksgiving

Dec:  OFF

Jan-Feb:  School

Mar-April:  School

We’ll either take May or June off depending on summer plans

I’m lovin’ it!  If this baby arrives in Sept or Oct it should allow me enough time to get in the swing of things, enjoy her  a newborn, & not feel overwhelmed with needing hurry back in time to keep up the pace of school.  The longer I journey down this road of homeschooling the more I’m learning to make the schedules, routines, chore systems, timing, curriculum work for me instead of me working for them!

Not Enough

Chapter 2 of Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, hit home hard for me.  I remember several months ago my mom calling me one afternoon & the conversation started as normal,  “Hey honey.  How are you doin’?”  Tears instantly filled my eyes & a huge lump was stuck in my throat.  All I could say was, “Mom.  I’m . . . soooo overwhelmed.” 

Taylor had just left, Truman was so sick, the holidays just ended, and I was trying to find some kind of normal for us.  I was totally overwhelmed with life.  I suddenly didn’t enjoy the hobbies I traded late at night instead of sleep, I was so short with those I loved most, & I was being really hard on myself.  All the sudden life hit me in the face with a 2x4 & I just didn’t feel like I was enough.  I love homeschooling – this is our life, but it felt like such a burden.  Each day, I woke up feeling like I was going to fail somewhere (again). How am I going to do this?  How am I going to teach them (all of them!) to read & write before they graduate?  Dinner?  Honey, is pizza okay again?  Every aspect of life overwhelmed me & I felt like I was failing at it all.  I was just not enough for these sweet little faces that look up to me.  I felt so much pressure to have it all together & I was so far from it. 

I had allowed circumstances, ridicule, things not going my way, things out of my control (but completely in His!), like Ann describes, “It’s the in-between that drives us mad.”  I was certifiable crazy at times.  Slowly, very slowly, & in all honesty, it was only by the GRACE of God that I was able to let go of that wild depression.  I began waking up oddly early & not being able to go back to sleep.  I had always deeply desired to wake up & have personal quite time with the Lord, but it just never seemed to work out.  I grasped this opportunity & found myself spending hours with God.  I was even getting a warm, quiet bath without any interruptions.  It was so nice.  It was the Lord, wrapping His arms around me & filling me up at a time I just didn’t feel like I was enough.  As one of the ladies at the book club shared, “I am enough, because He is enough.” 

My absolute favorite parts of chapter 2:

“How do we live fully, so that we are fully ready to die?”

“Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him & crush Him & wound Him & yield a bounty of joy.  ….I’m celebrating greater gain through great loss.  ….The eucharist invites us to give thanks for dying.  To participate in His death with our own daily dying & give thanks for it.  ….grace, thanksgiving, joy – it might be like that – reaching for stars.  So hard.  So hard.  ….thanksgiving is what precedes the miracle of that salvation being fully worked out in our lives.”

This is a from another reader I think very profound, I have to include it as one of my favorite parts:

“One sin brought condemnation on all, and through one death, redemption came for all.  …..He could break the bread that last night with joy and thanksgiving because He was already looking at the outcome.  He wasn’t focused on death (or the scourging, or the spitting, or the judgment, or the climb carrying the beam, or the nails being pounded into His flesh), but on the JOY set before Him.  The joy set before Him was me!  It was us! 

And what does He ask of us?  Thanksgiving.  The recognition of what He did, the way He made, the grace He extended, the LIFE more abundant that we have because of His obedience to the Father.  If that isn’t something to be eternally madly, crazily thank for, I don’t know what is.”

Everyday LIFE Homeschooling Highlights Week 7 & 8

Whew!  This is soooo late.  The last time I posted our weekly review, I was on the verge of falling off the wagon & I even admitted a little fear for the upcoming weeks.  Instead of even attempting to keep up with school, we got done what we could (of the basics).  But mostly.  Mostly we enjoyed each other . . .

 

At times, I’m very hard on myself for the lack of check-marks next to the pretty little boxes in my homeschool planner, but then I look at pictures like these.  If my boys were in “school” they might have a nice collection of worksheets, & all kinds of facts memorized for a state standardized test, & they might even be “smarter” – better readers, writers, & spellers.  BUT they certainly would not have the invaluable time with their dad ( or me), the irreplaceable brotherly bond, or near as awesome fishing skills :)  We might be behind in public school standards or based on my planner, but I think we are right where God wants us & I’m totally cool with that, because He has a great way of working all the rest out. 

NEVER

 

There is NEVER

a dull moment

living in a house

full of boys . . .

I’m just sayin’!