It's (Home)School Time!

The long lazy days of summer are finally at an end. We just started noticing a nip in the air at night and in the morning, no more triple digits days! So around here that means it's time to move on to the next phase, the Fall School Semester. I absolutely love Fall so I can't wait for it to really feel like Fall, but until then, we pretend and get going on our schooling.

We just completed our 1st day of school this morning. I now have a 3rd grader (yikes!), a 1st grader, a pre-schooler, and a "do whatever I wanter" (20 months). Everything went great! Cody even said he was so glad to be back doing school again because the mornings go by so fast and he doesn't have to think about what to do each day (he loves the schedules like me!).

We are using My Father's World again this year (http://www.mfwbooks.com/). We are doing Exploring Countries and Cultures which uses a Charlotte Mason Unit Study approach. It is the first year of their 5 year cycle where all children in your family (grades 2nd-8th) are taught the same stuff but at their own level. Younger siblings can jump in too wherever their interest falls. I will also be doing MFW's 1st grade with Owen. I was very pleased with how well Cody learned to read so I plan to use it again. Claire is just doing basic pre-school activities in a workbook and participating wherever she likes with MFW's ECC.

I love the way My Father's World curriculum is set up. Everything you need to teach is laid out for you in the teacher's manual, but it's not so much information that you get overwhelmed. You just pick and choose what works for your family at their ages and abilities. It includes all subjects except math and language arts (we use Math-U-See and Queen Homeschool's Language Lessons for the Very Young).

Since this curriculum runs in a 5 year cycle, i will use it again in 5 years as we cycle through the program. This way all of my children will get the same information at some point throughout the cycle. Then they will go on to MFW's high school program.

MFW also has pre-school, Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade (an overview of U.S. History if your oldest child is 2nd grade, but not ready to start the cycle yet). We have used the Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade curriculums so far and absolutely love them, some more than others. All of their curriculum is Bible based and I am always amazed at how well they explain and incorporate bible topics that I would have never thought to explain.

In addition to getting all of our school stuff ready I have finished our daily schedule, school schedule, and chore chart which are below, for those who like that stuff!

(All of the margins are messed up in the schedules. I don't know why I tried to line it all up because Blogger just throws it all over to the left side-sorry. The times are all to the left and the other stuff should be tabbed in a bit.)

Davis Daily Schedule (Fall 2009)
7:30am-Wake-Up/Breakfast Prep
Outside Chores
8:00am-Breakfast
Take Vitamins-Claire pass out
Clear Spot at Table
Breakfast Chores
Get Dressed
Make Bed
Brush Hair
Brush Teeth
Start 1st Laundry Load
Play Outside (if time)
9:00am Morning School (see chart)
11:30am-Lunch Prep/Put Clothes in Dryer
12:00pm Lunch
Clear Spot at Table
Lunch Chores
Start 2nd Laundry Load
1:00pm-Rest Time/Kate Nap
2:00pm-Phonics-Owen w/Mama
Monday- Claire Dance
Tuesday- Cody Computer
Wednesday- Claire Computer
Thursday- Owen Computer
Friday- Wii (pizza/movie night)
3:30pm-Free Time
5:00pm-Dinner Prep
5:30 pm-Room Clean Up
6:00pm-Dinner
Clear Spot at Table
Dinner Chores
6:30pm-Animal Chores/Outside Time
7:30pm-Bedtime Routine
Showers/Baths
Put on Pajama’s
Brush Teeth
Brush Hair
Read Books-if time
8:30pm-Bed-Claire,Kate,Cody,Owen
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School Schedule Fall 2009
Morning:
9:00am-Pledge
Songs
Catechism
Prayer
9:15am-Bible Stories to Read/Coloring Page
9:30am-My Father’s World
10:30am-Snack/Break
10:45am-Finish MFW

Monday: Math
Tuesday: Art/Theme Crafts
Wednesday: Nature Walk/Notebook
Thursday: Read Aloud from scheduled reading/Spanish
Friday: Children’s Sake Co-op/PE Co-op
2:00pm-Owen MFW Phonics w/Mama
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The boxes that were at the end of the chore lines below did not show up. I laminated this and put it up on the fridge for the kids to color in the box as they complete the chore each day.

Davis Daily Chores (Fall 2009)

Outside Chores:
am- Feed Puppies____________________
Let Out Chickens_________________
Feed Cat________________________
Water: Chickens (2)_______________
Puppies (2)______________
Lambs Tub_______________
Extra Tub (garden)__________
Trees__________________
pm- Feed Puppies____________________
Take Scraps to Chickens ___________
Put Up Chickens _________________
Kitchen Chores: B L D
Meal Helper_____________________
Clear/Wipe Table_________________
Sweep Under Table_______________
Empty Dishwasher (when needed):
Bottom Rack/Silver ware_______
Top Rack____________________
Laundry:
Monday - Cody Owen
Tuesday- Claire Kate
Wednesday- Mama Daddy
Thursday- Daddy Misc
Friday- Misc Misc
Room Clean Up:
Living Room_____________________
Kid’s Bedroom___________________
Mama’s Bedroom________________

Well there you have it. Now you know how we do things around here.

Happy Homeschooling!

To Schedule Your Baby or Not?

This is an article from a recent Above Rubies magazine written by a mom in the same place as a lot of mom's out there. What do you do with your baby as far as getting them to sleep, eat, etc? Should you schedule them or nurse on demand? I hope the following story helps for lots of you out there with new babies or ones on the way!
PS-The books/manuals she mentions are all available through the Above Rubies website (tab on the right) or if you live near me, I have them (and many others) and would love to lend them to you!

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Baby Three Changed my Heart!

I was pregnant with my second child when a friend loaned me The Power of Motherhood. “You’re a fast reader, so read this and tell me what you think,” she said. I dutifully skimmed the book but returned it with a mental, “Thanks, but no thanks, I have a mothering system.” You see, I had read a book about scheduling and getting your babies to sleep through the night--man’s wisdom on parenting. I rigidly followed this schedule which involved letting your baby cry it out to teach the child to sleep.
My first child, Kaiser, slept through the night at six weeks. He was also fully weaned by that time, but he cried a lot to achieve that. The chapter in The Power of Motherhood titled “Mothers are Nurturers” especially grated me. I was convinced that this scheduling method was the way I’d mother all my children.
I read in that chapter from Isaiah 66:10-13, “That you may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations: that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Nancy followed by saying “Nursing is…total mothering to meet every need of the child…to satisfy, delight, console and comfort.” I was not moved. This way of mothering was not for me!
God gave us baby number two, my little redhead named Hudson. I scheduled him and he slept through the night at six weeks, self-soothing by sucking his thumb. I did manage to nurse him until he was 15 months old. This scheduling was so easy; baby number three would be no problem.
Baby number three arrived, my first little girl, Adeline. I tried to schedule her for the first three months of her life. But she would not be scheduled! She began to NOT sleep! She slept no longer than 45 minutes at a time 24 hours a day. She wanted to sleep with me! A big no-no according to the book. I was reeling! What had happened? Why wasn’t this working?
I was a mess due to the lack of sleep, but God finally had my attention. To save my sanity, I stopped trying to schedule and began to nurse when she needed me. Wonder of wonders, she began to sleep better, though she didn’t sleep through the night until she was five years old!
I began to study the Bible, seeking God’s wisdom. God brought me back to the Isaiah 66 passage and I got it! It had been three years since I had read this passage, but finally I understood. The beauty of mothering by offering my breast for comfort, nourishment and nurturing brought peace to my soul. I was and am at rest.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Mothering my first two children, I was selfish and controlling. I didn’t want to lose sleep! The book said to let the baby cry. Slowly, I became numb to his cries and my heart turned to stone. Even my husband would ask to pick up the crying baby to rock and comfort him, but I said, “No, the book says…”
After Addie, I pressured my husband into scheduling a vasectomy. He was reluctant as he wanted more children, but because I was such a mess, he agreed. A couple of days before the consultation, I read Isaiah 66 again. God used that to not only change my mothering but to open me up to the possibility of more children. We cancelled the appointment and eventually began to study the manual, Be Fruitful and Multiply.
We began to understand God’s plan for families as we went through each Scripture. I wept for the children I had missed out on by controlling my womb. I began to realize my lack of submission to God and my husband. My husband began to understand his role in leading the house. He now has a vision to change the world through godly children.
Since then, God has added two more blessings to our home. At one year, Haven is still nursing strong, day and night! She sleeps in a co-sleeper attached to our bed, and snuggles in an Ergo by day. Addie and Isaiah both nursed until they were almost three years old and weaned only after I got pregnant.
Mothering this way is such a beautiful picture of the love of God! Is it always easy? NO! With every baby I learn more about dying to my self. But, knowing my breasts comfort my little ones brings much peace to me. Now my husband has the opportunity to comfort and rock his little ones too!
LISA FALK
Plainville, Illinois, USA
dltalk@adams.net
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


I started off scheduling my babies too. It wasn’t until baby number four, who refused to schedule and refused to sleep through the night until he was comforted at the breast, that I, too, changed to the Isaiah 66 way of mothering. Nancy Campbell
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End note-No mention is made about the benefits of demand nursing and natural baby spacing. It really does work if you know one important thing: You don't want your baby to sleep through the night! It's not that bad though if your baby co-sleeps and just nurses when he needs too. You learn to nurse in your sleep and I actually get more sleep this way then if i have to get out of bed to nurse. Click on the labels to the right for Breastfeeding, Natural Baby Spacing or Birth Control if you want to know more about how this works!~G

Time With The Lord

Motherhood doesn't allow for us to always do what we want, when we want when it comes to a daily devotion time; someone gets hurt, we have to change a poopy diaper, "i'm hungry", the phone rings, and on and on. I don't always have to the chance to sit for an extended time and just read my bible like i'd like to. I've struggled off and on with the guilt of not having a "daily devotion" early in the morning like many people say I should be doing. But i know that we are not all robots that perform and do things the exact same way, at the same time every day. God created us to be different. What works for one, doesn't always work for another.

Should we all be spending time with the Lord each day, reading his word and praying, yes! But it's not something that we should do because we have to so we can check it off our list. God wants our whole heart, not just a check mark on our daily list.

What i have come to know is that motherhood is about sacrifice. We give ourselves over to the care, nuture, and soul-shaping of the precious lives that have been lent to us. We sacrifice that savored one-on-one time we used to be able to spend with the Lord as long as we needed. For around 18-30 years (depending on how many children you have) a mother's life is not her own.

If 18-30 years sounds like a lot to you, it's really not in the span of a 100 year life, or even a 75 year life. It's really only like a couple of hours in the span of a day. That's scary to me and kind of sad. We really only have such a short time to teach and train our children before they are off on their own way. Yet, it is so important! Their future heavily depends on this time spent at home with you. Mothers give so much time in pouring out love, effort, emotion, and thought into our children's life so that they can one day, very soon, stand on their own. As a mother of young children, it can seem as if they are never going to grow up. You get caught up in the day-to-day of life that you forget how short a time you will have them, and before you know it, they are grown and starting their own family. Savor all that you can, it will soon pass!

All that being said, I know that God understands mothers, he came up with this job! He knows we are up many times during the night consoling a scared child, dealing with an ear infection, or nursing a baby (many times!). He knows that we are constantly pulled from one need to the next with hardly time to breath sometimes. He knows that we move at super-speed as we try to accomplish all of the day-to-day tasks it takes to run a household which are too many to name here. But, motherhood is only for a brief time and He knows that too! One day we will have the opportunity to sit for hours pouring over scripture and studying every word. One day we will be able to go to bible studies whenever we want.

For most mothers with children in the home, that is not today.

We have to soak up what He puts before us as we go through our day. It may be the question a child asks that causes you to pull out a bible and try to answer it, or maybe it's the devotion you do with them for school, or maybe it's something someone says that catches your attention, or maybe it's through the words of a song. It can be the words of encouragement from a friend or even a blog you read that day. Or maybe it's the way your husband reads a bible story to your children and it really blesses your heart. Whatever it may be for you, accept what the Lord gives you and apply it to your life. Don't live in guilt over not keeping up with someone else's standards.

Most of the time, for me, it's music. Everyday, the Lord teaches me something through the christian cd's that are constantly playing in my home. I can be at my wits end with crying or arguing children when a song will be playing that the Lord uses to calm my heart. Or maybe I am in a bad mood when i turn on a cd and everyone livens up as we sing and dance around the kitchen. Lots of times i am brought to tears through a song that brings me to repentance over my sins or they are tears of joy and thanksgiving when i am reminded of the blessing in my life. I know that God uses songs as a tool to bring me closer to him.

There are other times too. Like mowing the lawn. I love the quiet time i have as i sit and mow, even in the midst of at least one child on my lap. The loud sound of the mower drowns everything else out and i have time to think. Or, lots of times, it's when i am nursing a baby in my rocking chair. God has helped me sort out questions in my mind and shown me what i needed to see, all while rocking and nursing my baby. Lately, its been through the conversations i have with my 7 year old as i point out how we should treat others, from those suffering in other countries or just across town. I also pray all through the day as the need or chance arises.

My point is, that God can speak to us in many ways. For some, that may be a daily scheduled devotion time. For others, it's not. At this stage in my life, He touches and teaches me in the moment, not at a scheduled time. One day, it may be different.

But that's me. How does God reach you?

Don't live in bondage to someones else's idea or even mine of how you should be spending time with the Lord. Listen to him all through out your day. He is speaking, have ready ears to hear Him!

May you be blessed as you seek the Lord in your life!

Homemade Deodorant : )

Half of you are thinking nothing about the title, the other half are thinking i'm nuts. Either way, I had to share this. A couple of months ago I ran across this recipe to make homemade deodorant and had to try it out. I have searched for years to find a natural deodorant that actually works for my body chemistry, to no avail!
Here's the scoop on deodorant. Anti-persirant does exactly what it says, makes you not perspire. God designed our bodies to sweat. It is our body's way of getting rid of toxins. Therefore, if you don't sweat, you hold in all of those toxins that are really bad for you. It would make sense to me that certain cancers can stem from this build-up of toxins.
S0...
You need to sweat! Doesn't matter who you are, your health depends on sweating. Most women cringe at this, but it is for your own good, I promise!
However...
No one wants to stink. So what do you do? You use a deodorant to help disguise or neutralize the stink. The natural and organic sections in stores are full of lots of different kinds of deodorants these days. Finding the one that right for you is another story!
I tried at least 10 different natural deodorants and never found one that worked well all the time. So let my time, effort and wasted dollars benefit you by trying this recipe first, before spending lots of money on the natural deodorants. It is really so easy and it works.
Here it is:

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 deodorant container

For container, just use one of your old twist up containers or buy a cheap one and throw out the junk inside. Completely remove the part inside by twisting it all the way up and taking it out. Then you can clean all of the old stuff out and wash it with soap and water. Let it dry.

Mix the cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a separate bowl in the microwave or on the stove. Slowly pour the oil into the cornstarch/baking soda mix. The consistency should be pasty or slightly crumbly. Add more oil if it's too stiff. If you don't like the coconut smell, just add whatever essential oil scent you like at this point. I love the coconut smell! Then spoon it into the clean, dry container and let it sit overnight to harden or put it in the fridge to harden faster.

When you first begin using it, it may be somewhat abrasive to sensitive armpits. Just be gentle and it will get better the longer you use it. The baking soda is abrasive.

Now, here's what i've found. You will still sweat with this deodorant, good right! However, if you get really sweaty for an extended period, you may start to stink. What I've read about foul body odor is that it is a sign of toxins in your body. Even more reason to sweat and clear it out, although maybe not when you're in public ; ) If this happens, I just put more deodorant on and the smell is gone. Your body will begin to clear stuff out and you will begin to smell better as long as you are eating well! Meaning not lots of sugar, junk foods, partially hydrogenated foods, white flours, trans fats, etc.

So, here's to getting sweaty this summer! Hope this works for you as well as it did for me.

Happy Deodorant Making!!!

I love my job!

I am so overwhemled right now with how much I LOVE MY JOB! If you don't know me, that sounds weird, because my "job" is being a wife and mother! I am so thankful the Lord has burned a desire deep in my heart to be a homemaker. There is no place i'd rather be than in the heart of my home. I have not always cared for cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes, but lately, I feel so blessed and thankful to have a family to do these things for and it bring me such joy. I am busy from the moment i wake up to the second I lay down, and during most nights too. It's a satisfying busy though. Not the kind of busy that makes you frustrated and crazy (i've been there too!) but a fulfilling and peaceful busy. I've noticed recently too that because our days are pretty structured and full, there is so much less disciplining needed for my children. And i also don't mean the kind of busy where we are away from home a lot. Monday thru Thursday we are home all day doing our homeschooling, chores, and life stuff. Occasionally, we run errands in the afternoon if it works out. We have Cub Scouts and church certain evenings, but otherwise, we are home so that we can stay on our schedule. Fridays are our homeschool co-op and handbells classes and then the other Friday is our free day.

For some of you, you may think that you would go crazy staying home all day, there have been times that I have even thought that. However, i have found that crazy days are days where there is no structure. I seem to wander around from one thing to the next, always busy, but never seeming to get much done. Then the kids are fine for a while, but then the bickering and fussing begins when they don't know what else to do or need some attention or guidance. So a general plan for the day with round about times gives us a guideline to go by. Even when we miss things or something else comes up, we can easily get back on track by jumping back into the schedule at any time.

Here is our daily schedule (i re-evaluate this frequently and change as needed):

7:15-Wake up

7:30-breakfast/clean-up/feed lambs

8:00-get dressed, make beds, brush teeth/hair, complete morning chores

9:00-Bible Study

9:30-Kate nap

begin School;M-Owen & Claire-letter of the week,Cody-Independent work

T-Math Day

W-Science Day

Th-Skittle School (if all work is completed this is their treat-they love it!Small candies are earned for answering questions and completing tasks/activities i give them based on their abitities; their favorite game is Alphabet Bingo! Since we don't eat a lot of sugar, this is a huge treat! Picture above is of Skittle School)

10:15-Snack/break

10:30-My Father's World (packaged curriculum)

11:15-outside playtime

12:00-lunch

12:30-clean up/misc

1:30-Kate nap

others-read books/play quietly/occasionally watch a video

3:00-Free time (T/Th-computer/Wii)

5:00-dinner prep

6:00-dinner

6:30-clean-up/girls bath

7:00-girls in bed/boys feed lambs/shower

7:30-boys in bed/read books

8:00/8:30-boys lights out

I plan out our dinner menu 1 month at a time. Since I am now cooking dinner everynight (very little leftovers anymore) we have some meals that are always the same. Friday night is Mama's Homemade Pizza Night and everyone's favorite meal of the week. I make a batch of homemade dough and get out all of the toppings like sauce, cheese, canadian bacon, italian sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc. Each person gets a chunk of dough and they roll it out in what ever shape they want and then top it to their liking. Sometime we watch a movie while we eat our pizza. I try to stick with the same type of meat each night, then vary the meal: Monday-chicken, Tuesday-ground beef, Wed.-eat at church, Th-misc, Friday-homemade pizza, Sat-crock pot meal; Sun-light meal (sandwiches,soup,etc)(we eat out usually after church for lunch so we're not as hungry for dinner).

We also have a weekly menu for breakfast and lunch. These do not change except when we get tired of eating the same things after a while.

Here is our laundry schedule:

M-Cody-am

Owen-noon

T-Claire-am

Kate-noon

Me-pm

W-Kenneth-am & noon

Th-linens-am & noon

F & S-misc-whatever didn't get done

I also alternate running the dishwasher and washing cloth diapers late at night. We have a septic system and since I am married to a septic installer I have to follow the "spread your laundry out" rule so our system doesn't get overloaded. Also, my children are trained to do their own laundry. They each have their own dirty clothes basket in the laundry room (they are responsible for putting all of their dirty clothes straight into their basket every day). At their designated time/day, they have to put their clothes in the washer and add our homemade(see my recipe in the Natural Cleaning tab on the right) laundry detergent(with help for younger ones). I usually move the load to the dryer since it is hard for them to reach way down in it. Then they have to put their dry clothes into their drawer (which is 1 huge drawer that is built into their beds). We do not fold, only hang special dresses or shirts! This is a stress saver for me at this point in life!!

Ahhh-It all sounds like so much, but really a little bit of planning goes a long way. I plan out our dinner meals at the beginning of each month and write it on my calendar so I see it every day. I also plan out 6 weeks of school at a time then take off one or two weeks so I can reevaluate our studies and adjust where needed. We are homeschooling year round so these are needed breaks to the kids as much as me. I found that taking the summer off led to lots of problems due to a lack of schedule, so we go year round with many breaks for resting and holidays. I then prepare for each week on sunday nights and get all of the materials needed for the week ready.

So...Staying home can be great! Just find what works best for your family and go with it. If you find yourself having a hard time, maybe you need to focus more time on your children. Play a game with them before you clean the kitchen or read a book to your little ones before starting school. Fill their cup first, before getting all of your housework done, and they will be content.

Also, one other thing I have found that makes our day go so much more peacefully is to not get on the phone or computer. It never fails, that when i do either of these, things get wild! I try to do these things after the kids are in bed.

Happy Homemaking!