Homeschooling~The Early Years

If you are just beginning to homeschool or are considering it for the future here is a resource well worth looking into. An excerpt:

A Parent's Chief Duty

1. Understand that bringing up and educating your child is the most important job in society.

2. Form in your child right habits of thinking and behaving.

3. Nourish your child's mind with loving, right, and noble ideas.

For more on homeschooling the early years click on the link below.

The Early Years

Camping and outdoor cooking

With summer comes camping, and with camping comes, cooking out doors. And since I am a fan of cast iron cooking I would like to share some of our favorite camping meals. (With practice, you too will be able to pull these simple meals off)

Almost Pumpkin Pie~one of the easier dutch oven recipes

Filling:

1 29 oz. can pumpkin

1 T. pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs

1 C. sugar

1/2 teas. salt

1 teas. vanilla

1 C. evaporated milk

Topping:

1 package yellow cake mix

1 C. chopped pecans

1 C. butter

Mix together all filling ingredients. Pour into greased 12 inch dutch oven. Cut butter into cake mix with pastry blender, then mix in nuts. Sprinkle over top. Bake for 1 hour with 8 charcoal briquettes on the bottom and 16 on top. Serve alone, with ice cream or whipped cream, or even when it is cool. It makes a wonderful dish for breakfast.

Wonderful Wednesday

At least us kids think its wonderful. Thanks mom!

Melt 1 & 1/4 C peanut butter with

1 C. honey or kayo syrup and

1 C. brown, white, or all natural sugar

8 C. dry cereal-we combined both chex and cheerios because we didn't have enough of either!

When mixture is all melted together add cereal and stir to coat. Press into pan and cool.

PS. If you don't have any dry cereal on hand use popcorn. That's yummy too.

Banish toxins

These little tidbits from JM online were sure eye openers for me! I'm sure our bodies would function much better is kept free from the many contaminants around us.

In an effort to minimize our consumption of pesticides and other chemicals, we make a point of buying organic good when we can. But foods aren't the only things in your kitchen that can harbor harmful ingredients. By now, I'm sure you all know that you should steer clear of certain plastics and not use disinfectants and cleaners that contain poisonous chemicals - but do you know why these things are harmful? I know some of you may say, "We grew up with lead paint and other chemicals and we're fine." It's true that we didn't know how harmful some products were years ago, but because we didn't know, does that really mean you're fine? Do you know exactly what's going into your body these days? Here's a little list to help - these are some of the biggest hormone offenders that could be in your kitchen:

Bisphenol A (BPA): BPAs are chemical compounds that are added to plastics to make them more durable, commonly found in the linings of food containers, beverage cans, some baby bottles, and drinking bottles, and they can leach out into foods and liquids. Harmful side effects from consuming them can include increased risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer, infertility, PCOS, and insulin resistance (which in turn can lead to type 2 diabetes). To be safe, store foods in glass containers, drink from stainless steal water bottles, and do your best to avoid canned foods. HERE is a link to read more on this canned foods. I must admit, I have MUCH to be working on when it comes to feeding my family. This knowledge I have been learning has definitely been an eye opening experience for me!

Polychlorinated biphenyis (PCB's): These major endocrine disruptors are chlorinated chemicals that were used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment; they may still be found in old fluorescent light fixtures and some electrical appliances. Because of evidence that they built up in the environment and caused harmful health effects, their manufacture was banned in the US in 1977. Because of their persistence in the environment, however, farmed salmon and certain freshwater fish have PCBs circulating in their systems. Don't take chances when you eat fish.

Volatile organic compounds VOCs): These are chemical compounds emitted as gases by such seemingly innocent everyday products as paints, plastics, cleansers, solvents, air fresheners, dryer sheets, dry-cleaned clothing, and cosmetics, and they can cause you endocrine system a whole mess of problems. I'm talking nausea, headaches, drowsiness, sore throat, dizziness, memory impairment, and - the the long run - possibly cancer. For kitchen cleaning projects, switch to all vinegar, and lemon juice.

Chlorinated products: We all grew up with them - white paper towels, white paper napkins, and white coffee filters. And most of us don't think twice about what these products mean for our endocrine systems. But it's not good: The Environmental Protection Agency found that dioxins, the by-products of many industrial processes involving chlorine, including pulp and paper bleaching, are 300,000 times more carcinogenic than DDT (a synthetic pesticide now banned in the US). How's that for a wake-up call? Keep yourself and your family safe and stick to products labeled chlorine-free, or PCF. Your hormones will thank you. Jillian Michaels

Taming the cookie monster.....or, monsters?

Homemade oreo cookies

Someone, or several someones didn't have enough patience to wait for the filling.

1 box cake mix

2 eggs

2/3 shortening

mMx together until thick, scoop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 14 minutes. Frost with your favorite white frosting and enjoy!!!

Wonderful Wednesday

Look mom, soon it will be summer!!!

(uh, mom, we're missing a couple kids)

Getting Started in Homeschooling (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Getting Started in Homeschooling (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Education Is (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Education Is (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Smooth and Easy Days (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Smooth and Easy Days (free e-book) – Simply Charlotte Mason

Who eats ice cream during exercise?

And amazingly, gets away with it!! The beauty of youth!!

Treasures of the Heart

I tiptoe past the bedrooms

And try to hold my breath

When suddenly a shadow

Scares me half to death

It's just a little angel

Appearing in the hall

So much for time alone, she's more

Important after all.

Sometimes I'm such a failure

As a mother and a wife

I often get impatient

And frustrated with my life

I don't live in a mansion

My clothes are not so fine

But I can live without them

As long as these are mine.

Little cherub kisses,

'Mommy, I love you!'

Snuggles in the morning

And look what I can do

May every precious moment

Forever leave its mark

I'll never take for granted

These treasures of my heart.~Linda Long

So some things ever touch your heart more than others? A story you hear, a poem you've read, a passing thought, a comment someone may make. For me, when I come across something that strikes me I like to write it down. And by doing so it oftimes becomes written on my heart popping into my mind at times when I need to remember it most. This is one of those 'things' that I was touched by.

One Room School Series~Making it work part 1

Teaching with toddlers & babies

I am beginning this series in response to the many emails I receive on the topic of homeschooling many children. It is my prayer that the things I will share in this series will bless, inspire, encourage, and uplift you in your homeschooling journey.

When I began homeschooling I had 3 children ages 5 to baby. I hardly can remember a time NOT having little ones near when homeschooling the older ones. Here are some things we have tried in order to keep order while teaching.

Babies~

When a new little was born we would normally take school off for a season. A season usually meant anywhere from a few weeks to a couple on months. Depending on the age of the children being taught. If I had strong readers then they could move on on their own to some degree. But for the little ones, preschool age to around 8 or 9 we laid low for a bit. Mostly reading stories to them while I would nurse and rest. Also, the older ones were happy to pitch in and keep little ones occupied with simple math activities and reading stories to them. But, if you are a brand new mom and haven't enjoyed the blessings yet of 'older' children then that tells me that your children are still quite young and therefore taking time off as needed is NOT going to do permanent academic harm to your child. Always remember young mothers, that living and loving is also a learning adventure and is important as well as their schooling. As the babies got a bit older and could be entertained we slowly would move into more of a full time schedule. If baby were sleeping then I would hit the harder subjects that took more time. When baby was awake I found it helpful to rotate the baby in 20 minute increments of play with an older child while I worked with younger ones. Wearing the baby while schooling cuts down on a lot of fussing and keeps baby content being close to mom. But the thing I found most helpful was keeping school simple. The 3 R's are my moto. Rich, well written, living books, copybooks for recording and narrating are a must for a well rounded education. Having children put in writing things learned while reading does wonders.

Multi tasking~I like to walk a lot. When my twins were 5 I would put them in the double jogger, Janai who was a baby I would wear, and Makenzie who was a toddler would be in the stroller. Another child would push that one. The twins would have their little phonics book in hand and as we walked we would do phonics. When they were finished I would do oral schooling with the few older children who would be with me. Mental math problems, spelling, geography quizzing, and narrations are all something we could do while walking, working in the home or even at bath time! Every minute of our day could be used wisely with our children one on one. Driving in the car is another way to get in those read aloud books using cd's. Think about what you could be going over with your child while at the same time doing something else.

Toddlers~

Toddlers can be tricky. I've tried many things with my toddlers over the years and while I don't want to discourage you, I won't lie; keeping them busy without allowing them to tear apart the house isn't easy. One thing I found helpful was to keep a special box full with toys, snacks, and board books. I kept it put up most of the time and ONLY pulled it out when I got desperate so as to keep it all new!! Otherwise, again, assigning an older sibling to play with the toddler is always helpful. For those who really don't have too many 'older' children you will find that even a child as young as 6 or 7 can keep a busy toddler happy. If you are a mom who frowns on play pins like me then you may need to allow the living area to get a bit messy with toys, blankets, books, crayons, paper, etc. anything a toddler may bring out in order to keep himself busy. Homemade tents are always a plus for little ones. And same as babies, even toddlers enjoy it when mom tucks them into a pack and wears them around for a bit. And naps are key for any house with a toddler!! And remember, when toddlers and babies are sleeping make sure you make the most of that time. But a mom with many little ones needs to rest too so I suggest lying down on the sofa and reading aloud to the other children while babies are sleeping. While I'm not a big fan of TV I have been known to put in one of those Baby Einstein videos to keep little ones happy for a time!

How about you? Please feel free to add any other ideas you may have in order that we all may be edified. Next in Our One Room School~'Teaching while preschoolers are present'

A parent's SOLE responsibilty

Who's running around Walmart these days? DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN & PASSIVE PARENTS! I really dislike Walmart but try as I might I always end up paying them a visit for one reason or another. Oh, I'm not implying that Walmart has anything to do with the following experience I am about to share with you. (I'm just saying I hate Walmart)

So here's this mom; a toddler in the front seat, a preschooler in the cart and two children tagging along behind. I'm thinking ages 7-10 give or take. Forgive me if this story is the norm but you have to remember that I live in a bubble, in the country, and not much of a 'get around town' kinda girl. (the kind that hits all the stores all the time)

Back to the little family. Mom says to one of the boys in tow. "Here is the shirt I picked out for your pictures." Son shoots back with, "I don't like that shirt and I'm not wearing it." Mom~"Well you are going to have to, it's one of the cheaper ones." Child, in a hot, irritated voice. "Mom, I don't think you're listening to me. I said I'm NOT wearing it. So just put it back on the rack right now. You never listen, never, now put it back."

Obviously embarrassed mother steps up her pace in the hopes of being able to 'close' down the conversation. However, son was not going to let that happen. In a voice well above talking he shouts, "Mom, slow down, what the he** do you think you're doing? I was talking to you now stop walking right now."

~~~~~~~~~~

I was saddened by this whole scene. The love and respect between parents and children is such a positive thing to have and I hope that all parents who struggle can overcome these obvious trials and bring back peace into their homes. But it has to begin with mom's and dad's and much prayer. (I need to add that I understand there are families who struggle with a son or daughter who is suffering from emotional imbalances & my heart goes out to you as you give everything you have to help these little ones. Even children without obvious problems can be a challenge to their parents. But what I am trying to express in this post is bottom line, that we can't leave it to 'chance' how our children are being raised. Effort is key, diligence, prayer, etc. It is these things when in lack that we find ourselves drowning. Where there is no vision the people perish! But I know if we seek the Lord, pray, hope, love, and keep being consistent then the blessings will come.)~this is my eye's being opened edit

"A parent's sole responsibility"

There are many parents today, in and out of church who seem to have lost all common sense when it comes to raising children and teaching them to obey. Training our children in obedience leads to many God given blessings. Blessings I'm sure as parents we all hope to see in our children. Obedience opens the door to our children's hearts and better enables our teachings to find a place in their lives. Our one, true, and noblest example of obedience is our Savior Jesus Christ.

My question is why? Why is it so easy to be passive in the training of our children? I've come up with some examples of what can cause us to be a bit laid back in this responsibility.

Parental inexperience, (obviously a new parent will have inexperience, that's where scripture comes in, especially Proverbs) feeling inadequate, perhaps a bit apprehensive to fully, 100% expect obedience from our little ones. Maybe we fear that they won't love us, respect us, or end up resenting us because of our expectations we have for them. But as their parents it is our Godly role to see to this facet of their lives. Consider Eli and his sons. Eli was chastised by God for honoring his sons before God. God held Eli responsible for the desecration of the tabernacle because his son's made themselves vile and he restrained them not. Did Eli ever have a handle on his sons? Did he ever teach them about authority? Were they ever expected to obey mother and father, thereby teaching them obedience to authority? I feel that in order to obey our Father in heaven, obedience must first be learned on earth, in our home, under the righteous authority of the parents. It is very easy to allow small acts of defiance to go unpunished while raising our children. But we must remember that those small acts of defiance, if allowed to continue unchecked will grow into bigger acts in later years.

"One who has never been in the habit of submitting to others, will always be headstrong and self-willed; and such a character nobody loves." Harvey Newcomb

It has been my experience that when a child falls into 'woes' I must ask myself if I have been diligent. Diligent in attending to their training. Do I watch over my children, keep bad habits in check, and nip the beginning of bad habits and behavior in the bud before they intensify. Diligence~

Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

Diligence is the philosophers stone that turns every thing to gold.

I think that this is one of the many reasons why I love homeschooling. It enables me to be diligent. Being with our children, physically, for as many hours of the day possible is key to keeping them in 'check.' When they are off, doing who knows what, learning who knows what lessons, pulling who knows what kind of tricks children are capable of. Are we sure, absolutely sure that whoever our children are in the care of; will they correct bad behavior, (if they chance to see it) teach kindness to a child who is being selfish, encourage patience when it's not their turn, praise them when they have shown an act of kindness thereby encouraging them? I love having the opportunity to take a troubled little one and open up the scriptures, read them a story or poem to illustrate that there is a preferred way for them to act. To rise above the normal childhood antics that befalls everyone of them. Moms and dads, it is our job to do this. Diligence is the key. Be ever watchful over your children and teach them in the way. 24/7

"And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deut. 11:19

The effects of last weeks storms

Last Sunday found us spending lots of time in our basement and living under the light of candles! A few storms passed our way and in doing so took our van and left us with needing to replace our roof. The bright side. We won't have to go too far for our firewood this next winter. In fact, we won't be too far anywhere until we can replace our van. What we are finding too is that 12-15 passenger vans are really hard to come by without breaking our pocketbook!!! Fortunately, we have a great God and we know as always, He will provide.

After a while of living by candle light the littlest ones begged for a movie on the laptop. Fortunately the battery was fully charged. They were just a bit too young for the card games the older kids were playing.

My boys got this solar powered, hand generated radio for Christmas and it came in handy during our time of no electricity.

Power lines were broken in our yard from a tree falling on them and one of the trees began to burn bringing the fire department to the rescue. And with that, my efforts of trying to keep the children from wanting to sit near the windows to watch them work. But the wind and debris was just too much of a risk to have them that close to glass.

Favorite Asparagus-Potato Soup & Rhubarb Juice

With spring just around the corner we are gearing up for an abundance of wild asparagus that grows along our country road and the deep, red rhubarb that is in our yard. Here is our favorite way of using them both.

Soup

1 3/4 C. chicken broth

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 C. chopped onion

1 teas. salt

1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 C. milk

2 T. whole wheat flour

1 C. colby cheese (cubed)

Mix together broth, potatoes, onion, and salt in saucepan. Cook until veggies are tender. Add asparagus and cook about 10 more minutes. Whisk the milk and flour together well in a bowl and stir into the broth mixture. Drop in the cubed cheese and stir until melted. Serve with homemade bread, muffins, or biscuits! So, so good! (I would at least double this for our family)

Juice

8 lbs. rhubarb

2 gallons water

1 (12 ounce) cans frozen orange juice

3 C. pineapple juice

4 C. sugar

1 (3 ounce) box strawberry gelatin

Mix rhubarb and water in a large kettle on the stove and cook until the rhubarb is soft. Put through a strainer and save the juice. Discard the stalks. Add orange juice, pineapple juice, sugar, and gelatin the the rhubarb juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves. You can serve it with the meal or bottle it and freeze it for future use.

For a delicious rhubarb crunch recipe click HERE.

Wordless Wednesday

I found my long, lost, bestest friend!!

Unfortunately, the 'best friend' isn't welcome and won't be hanging around too long!! (I didn't even know it was still alive!)

Eight is NEVER enough!

But I'll take it anyway!! (Of course I would prefer all 12 kids were available but that wasn't possible) Getting everyone together all at the same time is so difficult. Why does it have to be that way? Still, the ten of us had a good time at the kids' piano recital today.

101 Reasons as to why I homeschool

Reason 80

"He was not a perfect child, by any means, but, his faults were of the better sort; and being early taught the secret of self-control, he was not left at the mercy of appetites and passions, as some poor little mortals are, and then punished for yielding to the temptations against which they have no armour." Little Men by Louisa M. Alcott

The deliberate dumbing down of America

Reason 81~Why I homeschool



I love blogging about the pros of homeschooling but thats not what this is about. Its about children. Your children and mine. Listen, pray, and be watchful that none of the things spoken of in this video get above you. It is real. This is NOT my first run in with what this video speaks of. I've been homeschooling long enough, studying, reading, talking to others to know that this is real. Somebody did their homework. There is so much insight to this and must not, cannot be ignored. It's only 12 minutes but yet it speaks volumes. What a plan the adversary has created for the destruction of souls. What a perfect, laid out plan! Thankfully, as Christians, we know there is one bigger, with better plans for us that will bring joy and happiness rather than sorrow and death. God's plan is one that will not be forced down our throats; we have to embrace it on our own. The choice is up to each of us. Thanks to WHY HOMESCHOOL for sharing this.

After a long Wisconsin winter......

We get to live outside again. Yeah!!

Wonderful Wednesday~I LOVE a good deal

And this one, while small in it's own way, is great enough for me to blog about! For a couple of months I've been checking Scheel's to see when, or if the Sherpani bags will go on sale. No such luck. I've had my eye on this particular one for some time but will NOT pay 40.00 bucks for it. Who would have thought that I would find exactly what I was looking for at a thrift store. I love shopping at thrift stores and have never ran across exactly what I'm looking for and as far as that goes, something I've been looking for lately. This Sherpani bag looks like it's NEVER been used and I paid a whole .99 for it. How cool is that?

Please pass the bulgar!

Bulgar is man's oldest recorded use of wheat. Bulgur is made by soaking and cooking the whole wheat kernel, drying it and then removing part of the bran and cracking the remaining kernel into small pieces.

It's uses are numerous from salads to soup, from breads to desserts. It is a nutritious extender and thickener for meat dishes and soups.

Bulgur is convenient since it can be either soaked in water or cooked to be edible. It has the same nutritive value as whole wheat.

Bulgar Wheat Pilaf

2 C. bulgar wheat

3 1/2 C chicken or beef bouillon

3/4 C butter

1 C. chopped celery and leaves

1 C. chopped green onions (tops too)

1/2 C. chopped parsley

1 T. lemon pepper

salt

In heavy skillet with llid. Saute onions, celery and parsley lightly in 1/2 C of the butter, then add bulgar where and remaining butter. Stir until all is blended, lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Lower heat and add bouillon carefully, when mixture starts to boil lower heat to simmer and cover. Cook slowly with tight lid, don't open, until all liquid is absorbed, about 35-40 minutes. Let set for about 5 minutes. More liquid can be added if not done or too dry. Serves 6-8

If you want to make your own bulgar wheat HERE is a great site with easy instructions. Mostly we just use bulgar as a cereal adding honey and cream but I am trying to bust out of my bubble and find other uses for it!!

Cook without Teflon

Since I joined Jillian Michaels online nearly 2 months ago I am amazed at how much I am learning. Not just about diet and exercise but matters that are important to all of us. Especially those of us with children in the home. Daily I am email tips, ideas, recipes, exercise plan, meal plan, etc. and I would like to share some of the tips that I feel is a matter of importance to each or our well being. Here is her tip on using Teflon cookware that I found quite interesting.

"Teflon, the nonstick cooking wonder that changed the way we looked at the traditional pan (and eventually every kitchen item in sight), turned out to be not so wondrous after all. When heated the chemicals in the signature Teflon coating can do some serious damage to your liver, thyroid, (causing hormonal malfunction), and immune system. For the sake of your health, toss those old Teflon pans - especially the ones whose coatings have begun to flake off - and use iron, porcelain,-coated, stainless steal, and glass cookware instead. For those who can't bear to give up their nonstick pans, there are several companies that have created eco-friendly nonstick cookware. No sticking, no chemicals, happy hormones - enough said." Jillian Michaels

While we are on the subject I would like to add my 2 cents on cast iron pans. I have used them for years and it's all I own besides some glass baking ware. They last forever, help keep my body in the right amount of iron from cooking them, and they clean up easy.~