My name is...

Recently, my precious angel, born of my womb
that I carried selflessly (forgoing all things sushi) for 39 weeks
began to call out to me in the night

It must be me she was calling out to
since Big Daddy "doesn't do" night shift

At 1:30am this morning,
what did I hear coming from the baby monitor?

Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada

Returning to her nursery at 5:30am
I received the biggest smile ever
one that melts the heart and makes you not care about
the bags under your eyes
or the fact that you now consider
4 hours of uninterrupted sleep a luxury

With the voice of an angel my darling daughter said,

"Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada"

While feeding her oatmeal she proclaimed her thanks, enthusiastically
DADA, DADA, DADA!



While playing with her on the floor
she looked at me with those big gorgeous eyes and said again
DADA, DADA, DADA,

As I put her on the floor with her toys and left to start dinner
She called me back with
DADA, DADA, DADA

So, my precious baby girl has named me Dada.

I have no idea what she will call Big Daddy
But really, that's his problem isn't it?

My name is now Dada

Happy Day

When I heard the UPS Truck pull up to the front of my house I knew it was going to be a good day. The UPS truck is like Santa for me. I live for the packages that arrive at my door. Mostly homeschooling supplies, sometimes review products for Heart of the Matter, frequently books from Amazon.com, and sometimes surprises like the one I received on Saturday!

Kelli Crowe sent me a surprise goody bag.
Isn't she awesome?

I feel so inspired to start cropping again!

Why I love Kelli Crowe

1.) She is a homeschool mom
2.) She has a quirky sense of humor
3.) She is a scrapbook artist
4.) She is thoughtful enough to take the time to send a goody bag!
5.) She blogs
6.) She has an amazing scrapbook room

What happy surprise did you receive recently?

Fall Decor

It's not easy trying to bring Fall to Sunny Florida, ya'll.

The Palm trees and the bamboo just don't change colors unless they are DEAD;
and then they are not so much a marker for fall, so much as a potential hurricane hazard.

Still, I must admit that I am a teeny tiny bit nostalgic for our days in Pennsylvania when we had leaves to jump in and trees changing colors.

But don't tell Big Daddy I admitted that.

While reading blogs (instead of newspapers) this morning and following the veritable rabbit trail to new blogs (that I must add to Google Reader, even though I'm not 100% sure how to find it again) I happened upon Layla's blog, the lettered cottage, and saw her fall centerpiece post...and I was inspired.

So what to do?
Of course I had borrow that idea and make my own.

Here is my fall floral arrangement.

Complete with organic limes from Whole Foods.

I'm sure Big Daddy appreciated the fact that my inspiration hit me
in the organic produce aisle at Whole Foods.
What do you think?Actually, I'm just teasing.
Big Daddy didn't seem to care.

Thanks Layla for the inspiration and I sure do wish you the best on your HGTV auditions.
When I had my store, Style House, I was lucky enough to appear on 3 episodes of Smart Design and I'm still flying high from that accomplishment almost 6 years and 4 kids later!

I'll post more of my fall touches to the blog later this week.
Try not to bite your finger nails down in anticipation.
Stubby nail bitten nails are never in, no matter the season.

Bible Study: week one

My friend Amy Bayliss wrote a 10- week Bible Study that really caught my attention, based on Proverbs 31. I invite you to join us for this study as I post my thoughts here as well.

Week one: Shattering the Myths

Well, this study started out with a bang for me. I had absolutely never before read that it was believed that the author of "The Wife of noble character" in Proverbs 31 was Bathsheba or that the woman she describes is not an actual woman, but a description of her wishes and desires for her son.

Of course I had to do a little research on my own to find out more about this eye opening revelation. Here is what I found:

Bible Track
The perfect wife
Bathsheba: Finding Faith after failure

• List three things about Bathsheba that stand out to you.

She was an adulteress
Helped her son Solomon become King
She took her sin, turned it around, and was blessed

• Questions to ponder: What is the one verse in Proverbs 31:11-28 that you would most like to accomplish?
  

Proverbs 31:28 speaks to me the most.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her

I feel that my children are my legacy on this earth. I would want them to look back on me with pride and to feel that I taught them well. To know that I loved them and desired the best for them. I often tell my children that I'm so glad that God let me be their mother. I would really like them to feel the same way. If my children can look back on their time with me and say, "Our mother loved us and taught us to love and respect the Lord". I will have succeeded on earth.

Its taken me a long time to come to this point where I really only care what my children and my husband think of me. In a time when I watch marriages around me crumble, marriages that I often thought were better than mine, I would want to know that my husband was proud of me, that he cherished me, and that he was so glad that he married me---- he would praise me to others.

I have a lot of respect for my husband and so it is understandable that I would feel pride from receiving praise from someone that I regard so much.

While I still aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman----I see it for what it is now.
A beautiful poem, something to aim for, but not something beat myself up over or feel like a failure because of.

When I read it again, knowing it is the words of a wise mother to her son, I see it clearly, and I realize that I want that for my sons too. You always want better for your children. So it is quite possible that the woman who wrote this, was not all of those things, but she wanted that for her son----better.

I strive to be better each day.
Proverbs 31 is now something to inspire me and something for me to aspire to----knowing that I may never do it all at once, and that there are things that I may never even attempt (plant a vineyard, makes linens) and that's okay.

How do you feel about Proverbs 31?

Craft: Picture Me Stick Puppet

Materials:
2 popsicle sticks
1 photo of your child
2 pieces of patterned paper
glue stick
scissors

Instructions:

1. Cut one popsicle stick in half with scissors
2. Cut out clothing for stick figure (dress or pants and shirt)
3. Cut out head of child from photograph
4. Glue headpiece onto stick figure
5. Lay dress or shirt onto stick figure, below head to get placement for arms
6. remove dress or shirt piece and glue "arms" onto popsicle stick
7. Glue clothing
   
8. allow glue to dry for at least 15 minutes before using

Don't be a perfectionist with this craft. Allow your child to have fun making this craft and designing the clothes---so what if the arms are a little off and the clothing isn't perfect? It is still a fun craft and it involved cutting, gluing and dramatic play!

Although your kids will absolutely love seeing a stick puppet of themselves, don't forget to make one of Mom and Dad and the family pets. They will enjoy acting out scenes if they have the entire family to play with.

Craft Time: Table Settings

As part of our curriculum I've added "Life Skills" to our lineup.
Since my children are all under six years of age they actually enjoy this subject, but I'm told that this will soon come to an end so I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

Life Lesson: How to set a table.

I wanted them to set the table for each meal as part of their job.
In our family I prefer to use the term job over chore.
Because, a chore is exactly that----- An unpleasant or burdensome task.

While job is something you can take pride in.
You have a job.
You have a purpose.

"Mom, I don't have a fork"

"Whose job is it to get a fork?"

When you've completed the Placemat above your child can use that as a visual reminder of how to set the table. My three year old daughter has no problem placing the dishes and silverware on her placemat, and she takes great pride in it.

You may also choose to label each item on the placemat, although we did not do this. To get the perfect size placemat I just traced one of our favorite placemats, but you can cut them to any size. If you round out the corners it looks a bit more professional.

If you aren't up for an art project you can purchase a cute tablesetting kit from Constructive Playthings (see item #XX-89840 currently on sale for $15.97 (so don't say I never passed on a money saving idea).


Williams Sonoma also has a cute Melamine Puzzle Tray that is part tablesetting instruction and part puzzle. It's pretty cute and if I wasn't so impressed with myself for creating this tablesetting craft using my left over scrapbooking papers I may have considered it. But you are obviously free to purchase and let me know how it was!


Flip Flops and Applesauce also has a cute story to share with your child to help them remember how to set the table.

Children's Flatware

After my post about making a Tablesetting Placemat, I realized I should offer up some great children's flatware sites too, in case you feel inspired.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Paul Revere Flatware by Oneida for when you (as in Mommy) have outgrown the plastic crayola crayon look on your table.

Williams Sonoma colorful, yet classy flatware for children

Williams Sonoma Kids' animal flatware, cute for kids, classic for mom

Happy Shopping!

He loves me

I've had a really trying week.
I'm certain the Lord has been trying to reveal something to me, but,

in typical stubborn fashion, I am slow to learn and so I am frustrated.

My husband is out of town on an extended trip.
He travels frequently but I have to admit that its getting harder as the children get older.
They miss him and I can see it.
He misses them and I can hear it.
I am overwhelmed and I feel his absence.

There is no one to share the nuances of the day with.
No one home who will "get the joke" or find it so precious that our twin sons both say "constructions" instead of "instructions",
our daughter calls polka dots "cocoa dots"
and the baby is starting to say "dada" at 1:30am.

In the midst of feeling sorry for myself, I came home to flowers

Two for me and one for our daughter----who also had a bad day when two of her friends failed to show up for a playdate that was just for her---all little girls.

It made me feel cherished and loved.
It made me see the beauty in the day and not the "failures".
It made me realize that my husband still courts me.
And I need to start courting him.

How do you court your husband?
Have you stopped just because you are married?

Balancing Mom & Teacher

This weeks Heart of the Matter Meme is about Balancing your role as Mom and Teacher.

Although I may separate Mommy and Teacher on my blog----I don't separate it in my home life with my children.

I think a mother's natural role is to teach or instruct her child. I have been teaching them knowingly and unknowingly since the moment they were placed into my arms.

Now that I'm also teaching: language arts, history, geography, mathematics, science, art, Spanish, Critical Thinking and Life Skills, only means that I am busier and have a messier desk---not that I have two roles to balance.

All I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
Abraham Lincoln

I'm glad I don't feel a need to balance being Mommy and Teacher because I am already struggling with balancing:
Mommy and Wife
My Families interests/needs and my own personal interests/needs
Family and Friendships

I think we need to embrace our role as mothers and look (briefly) beyond the cooking, cleaning, nurturing, and disciplining and consider our opportunity to serve, not only as a teacher, but as a mentor to our children.

Mentor: To serve as a teacher or trusted counselor

This is something all mothers have an opportunity (and a responsibility) to do, regardless of whether they choose to educate their children at home.

So, my challenge to you is to not balance being Mom and Teacher, but to embrace it.

Martha Blogs

Martha Stewart wants all bloggers to visit her blog, read her blogging tips and let her know about your blog. If selected, Martha will tell the world about your blog!

Many of the blogs posted were similar in style to Martha's so I thought it would be nice to get the homeschool community to submit their blogs and leave the Martha Stewart stylings to Martha herself!

Let's see who Martha chooses to showcase on her blog.
Thanks to Chocolate on my Cranium for posting about this on her blog.

Inspiration

A friend sent me a link to this video and it came at just the right time.
Ironically, last year I saw this in a magazine and I had even copied it for my MOPS group,
but that article and its words had left my memory.

So, God in His infinite wisdom had a friend send me the video link.
Isn't it amazing how God works?

When He put this friend in my life, He knew that a year after knowing her she would send me this...and I would need it.

I am posting it for you, just in case you need it too.
Please pass it along because you never know who you may touch and we all need encouragement.

At least the geckos and the tortoise appreciate me

Cooking for my children is a thankless job.

Big Daddy swears that one day they will B-E-G me to cook one of my dishes for them, but I'm not banking on it.

If you have been following our blog as closely as you should be, then you know that we've recently added a trio of geckos and a tortoise to our lives. This means 4 more things for mom to take care of and prepare food for.

While some mothers might feel burdened by this extra responsibility, I am feeling oddly invigorated------ because at least they appreciate my efforts and eat my food without whining, complaining, and asking how many more bites before they can get dessert.

Cooking dinner for my children is stressful and a chore I am frankly beginning to resent.
Was it me I heard yelling,

"I should just buy the food at the grocery store and then dump the groceries in the trash when I get home so that I don't waste time cooking. Because, that's where it ends up anyway so I don't know why I bother!"

Or was that another crazy woman that lives in my house?


I should probably be ashamed to admit this but, I'm actually enjoying preparing meals for the geckos and tortoise.

My heart literally sings as I prepare a lovely menu of gut loaded crickets and juicy mealworms dusted with calcium with D3 for our geckos (Ali, Leo, and Spotty); while Lady (the tortoise) gets beautiful salads of: endive, escarole, romaine, hibiscus flowers and leaves, cantaloupe, strawberries, and shredded carrots, sprinkled with rehydrated cat food and juicy mealworms lightly dusted in pure calcium carbonate.

Sure, sifting through the oatmeal for mealworms can be a little creepy----but once you get over the fact it's gross...and well it's the larva for a Darkling Beetle...and it's gross....

Okay, enough about the mealworms.

Just look at Lady,
with every bite she warms my poor
little
disgruntled
cooking
mommy heart.

What's Cooking?

I realize it's been awhile since I posted a recipe.
Some of you are probably thinking that's because I haven't been cooking.
Some of you would probably be right.
I haven't been cooking....much.

But I do have a few recipes that I've tried in the past two weeks that I believe are worth passing on. Of course my picky eating young ones probably wouldn't recommend a single one of these.

One, literally gagged while eating his dinner.
Not exactly the response I was hoping for.
The ironic part is, I can actually cook. Really, I can. However my son has decided he hates chicken---and basically anything I cook that isn't mac n cheese, hot dogs, clams, waffles, PBJ sandwiches, cheese burgers, or scrambled egg sandwiches in a hot dog bun. And, he's probably learned that by throwing up or gagging you get out of eating your dinner.

Hmmm, if only I had been so smart when my mother forced me to eat Ox Tail, Sawfish & Ackee and other strong smelling foods I detested.

(sigh)

Once again, at least I ate well.
When Big Daddy is back in town, I just might make a few of these again.
















Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup butter, softened
3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Black Pepper (as liberal as you like)
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 lbs of Tilapia


Preheat broiler.
Grease your broiling pan and arrange single layer of Tilapia filets.
In a small bowl mix all ingredients (wet first, dry last) and set aside.
Broil a few inches from heat for 3 minutes on each side.
Topp with Parmesan cheese mixture and broil for 2-3 more minutes or until the topping is brown and fish flakes easily with a fork.




Quick Spinach Casserole

3-4 eggs
1 large tub of spinach
salt
pepper
Shredded cheese (your preference)

Beat eggs with salt and pepper in bowl
Add spinach and toss
Put in Cast Iron Skillet and bake at 375 degrees until egg sets and cheese melted.


Crockpot Portuguese Chicken
(Big Daddy liked this so much he had two servings)

1/2 lb. Chorizo Sausage, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 oz can tomato paste
4 oz can sliced black olives, drained (may be omitted)
2 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes with roasted garlic

Combine all ingredients except olives in 4 quart slowcooker; mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, chicken should be cooked thoroughly. Serve over rice.


All of these recipes were QUICK and easy to make. I especially liked the Tilapia Filets. They were very good and one of those recipes that gives you more "bang" because it appears that you spent more time and effort making it than you really did.

Ziplock Bags

I homeschool therefore I use ziplock bags.
I try to avoid going to Costco more than once every 5-6 weeks.
You see, I'm one of those people that goes in to buy the "staples" and comes out with two carts of stuff that I NEED----in bulk size of course.

If you have an Executive Membership, our local Costco will allow you to place your order by fax and they will pack it up for you to just pick up the next day.

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this program.

First, it cuts a good hour out of my day; Secondly, I save money because if I'm not cruising all over Costco then I'm only buying what I faxed in---thus "saving" money in my own twisted way.
It's a GREAT concept and one that I obviously don't take advantage of enough, since I still have the spoils of my last trip to Costco (6 weeks ago) in the back of my SUV.

Well, when making out my list today ( in my neverending quest to be Holly Homemaker) I realized that I need ziplock bags----AGAIN.

How could that be?

Upon further investigation I noticed it's because I use it to bag just about everything in my homeschooling arsenal of:

Math manipulatives,
Chalk,
Assorted flash cards,
Magnetic letters, etc.

Looking into my children's toy box I noticed that I have obviously passed on the "ziplocking-gene."

Either by nature or nurture.
Whichever you prefer.

Are you a Ziplock addict?
Am I the only one?

Priceless

Today was a really great day.

Even if my husband is out of town for the next 14 days and we miss him.
Even if I took the kids to a reptile show and we came home with:

• 3 Leopard Geckos (Leo, Spotty, and Ali---the albino gecko)
• 1 Red Footed Female Tortoise (Lady)
• 2 tanks
• 1 stands
• 1 giant rubbermaid tote
• 3 dozen crickets
• 1 cricket habitat (yes, they need a habitat)
• calcium for Geckos
• Sand for Geckos
• Bedding for Tortoise
• Tortoise dry food
• Cricket Supplements (yes, they need supplements 12 hours before we sacrifice them)
• Romaine Lettuce & shredded carrots for Tortoise
• 3 dishes
• Terrarium decor for the Geckos
• Hiding "cave" for the baby Tortoise
• 2 books on Geckos
• 2 book on Tortoises

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Total Cost................... $575.65

Seeing my kids faces as they carried their pets out the door...

P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S

Oh, did I mention that we have two female geckos and 1 male?

Yes, we hope to have a clutch of eggs in January or February.

Stay tuned...I sense a BIG unit study coming on!

Christian Drews

For those who may be following the Drews Family story of God's faithfulness and mercy, I wanted to let you know that Marsha has recently posted this update to her blog.

Please continue to lift this precious family up to the Lord, especially their two older sons who obviously miss their little brother a lot.

Your continued prayers are appreciated and felt.

Never, say never

When my twin boys were about 14 months I remember reading an article in People Magazine (yes, I'm one of those people that read People) about a woman who ran a potty training boot camp. Accompanying the article was a picture of about 12 little ones on their potty with juice boxes in hand. After the two day boot camp the kids went home without diapers and their parents left about $1,500 poorer.

At the time that I read this, I the parenting expert of about 14 months, mocked these mothers. I thought to myself, "you have to be a pretty pathetic mother if you who would pay a stranger to potty train your child."

After all, didn't these women go to the library or watch Dr. Phil? After all, Doctor Phil claimed you can potty train a child in 24 hours with the right potty training doll and a promise of a party. I laughed and threw the magazine away vowing that this would NEVER be me. I mean I had housebroken dogs before. How hard could it be to potty train a human child that you could reason with... and bribe?

Well, my twin boys potty trained at 3 years and 3.5 years, they are after all individuals and not clones. My parents of course mocked me and claimed in "their day" the children were all potty trained at 18 months. But I didn't buy it. After all, weren't these the same parents who claimed to walk to school barefoot uphill, both ways? I was pleased with my boys potty training and my obvious advanced abilities as a mother.

When it came time for my daughter to potty train I felt it would be even easier. After all, she was a G-I-R-L.

And girls are just supposed to wake up one morning and declare,
"Mommy, I don't want these yucky diapers anymore. I'm ready for my Princess Panties!"

Also my daughter is smart.
Truly, she is.
Did I mention she is homeschooled?
Yes, she is homeschooled, so of course she is brilliant beyond measure.
Aren't all homeschooled children?

So why is she walking around in diapers still?
Why am I combing the internet trying to find that woman's name and number so I can offer her triple the wage to come to my house in Florida and potty train my daughter?

The reasons are sadly:

• My daughter is homeschooled. I feel it is a reflection on me and my ability to homeschool my children if my 3 year old daughter is in diapers. Homeschooled kids are expected to do everything better----and I feel judged. Every time someone comments, "Oh, she's still in diapers?" I feel they are really saying, "How can you homeschool your children when you cannot even potty train your 3 year old?"
• I find poopy diapers just plain G-R-O-S-S. I mean seriously, whoever said, "You don't mind changing diapers when it's your own child" was just plain crazy. I still gag and I'm well into my 5th year of changing poopy diapers. I am not above handing a diaper to a child and telling them to "go ask Daddy to change your diaper" while I go hide in the bathroom until the deed is done. I don't even want to think of the estimated number of diapers I've changed and will change before my tenure in poop is up.

I have officially given up.
If the Potty Training Boot Camp lady reads this post,
I just want to say-----HONEY CALL ME!

I have been humbled.

The pediatrician tells me my daughter won't go to college in diapers.
I'm not so sure.

Schedule Slave

I'm somewhat known in my family and circle of friends for being organized. I like schedules, what can I say? When I saw this cartoon from Todd Wilson I had to laugh at myself. This is exactly how I feel. Does Todd's wife know he is drawing cartoons about me?

Anyway, after pulling my (remaining) hair out and wondering what on earth I would blog about today, I started thinking of all the laughs my family and friends have at my expense. Then I thought maybe you'd like to join in on the chuckle.

So, here is a run down on the many ways I schedule or attempt to schedule.

When we go on vacation, I have a vacation schedule. How else will we know when we can relax and when we have some serious educational vacationing to do! (I jest) Actually, I have a schedule so Big Daddy knows when I expect him to be around and when he can take off for the nearest golf course!

I have a baby schedule posted on the fridge. I blame her occasional lack of following my carefully planned out schedule on the fact that she has not yet gotten Hooked on Phonics. Still its there. I also have a baby log where I log her bottles, diaper changes, naps etc. It helps my mommy brain as I run to and fro, from child to child, and activity to activity. It started with the twins and what can I say? Old habits die hard.

Last week I made a Correction & Celebration Chart for our family. Its not as pretty as I'd like it to be. But it's effective. It works and that is more important, right? It is working for our family and serves as a good reminder for me too. How many times have I grumbled and complained as I went about my daily duties?

I have a menu planner. But as Big Daddy knows, I rarely follow it and often go months in between posting a new one. So, let's not go there. Forget about the meal planner. I often do.

I have a teaching schedule and lesson plans. These are no laughing matter. Without it I wouldn't know where to begin. For me, seeing my schedule laid out in chunks makes it all manageable and doable.

I also created Schedule Cards for the kids. You can download yourself a set of 45 of them at my other blog, Passport Academy. The kids like seeing what is going to happen next and I like shouting "go look at the schedule" every time they ask me what is going to happen next. Okay, maybe I don't shout. Maybe I just sigh heavily and point to the calendar.

Hope you had a laugh at my expense. Feel free to share your organizational quirks in the comments.