less than 4 days..

until i have surgery to remove all (yes, all) of my teeth and get dentures. it sucks, but my teeth have been getting worse since having my kids, and its affecting my health and my smile. needless to say, i'm so excited to get a new smile and be able to feel confident and take loads of pictures with my boys, instead of being the one that's behind the camera all the time. i know the FireBird isn't going to know what to think when he sees mommy with new pretty white teeth. i will be posting before and after pictures after the swelling in my gums go down.

*meaghan*

Phone problems

Well...well...well...well... That's all I can say y'all! My youngest son...My sweet, precious, lovable, baby boy...has done it AGAIN! He has ruined another cell phone. In his very short four years on this Earth he has managed to ruin two. very. expensive. cell. phones. What do I get stuck with...my hubby's old busted phone. Thankfully we both had the same kind of phone...and maybe...just maybe...he might be able to fix it by switching the screens. I sure hope so! I was able to get my pics off of the phone even after I had no screen :) The first phone he broke wasn't entirely his fault. The buttons were messed up and he ended up locking the screen. This phone...well....it wasn't completely his fault either. He was trying to bring it to me and it fell into the pool. This phone has no access to the insides unless you dig out the screwdriver and try to pry it apart. There was just no saving it. None. At. All. 

I started to look for a new phone online...and let me just say this much...there is no way....that I will EVER pay more for a phone than I would for a car payment. It's crazy ridiculous! I can't even begin to imagine what phones will cost years from now. You can't even get a cheap Go-Phone anymore...at least not that I've seen! Hopefully the screen swap will work. It seems to be the only decent solution. I really don't want to buy another phone. 

BTW...I am so frustrated over phones, the fact that my computer mouse isn't working right...when it rains it pours??...and the fact that my house looked like a tornado ran through it that I refuse to even check this post to make sure that it makes sense. I love you all...all four or five of you. I am sure you can forgive me for it :) right??

 Anywho...time to get kiddos to bed :) Have a great night y'all!!

*hugs n love*

Grace  

2014-2015 Curriculum Choices

I got myself a printer for Mother's Day. It's the Epson Workforce Pro WP-4530. I couldn't be more happy about this. For one...the printer was on sale...Half off!! Two...I needed a new printer! I have already printed about 350 pages!!

I have decided on our curriculum and really needed to get started planning. Before too much longer we will be starting back up. I have to have plenty of time to plan! I am seriously on cloud 9 though!! All those decisions that I had been worrying about just seemed to disappear. Price had been a bit of an issue. I have a really hard time paying for something that we may or may not like. Call it the cheap-o in me. I dunno. I just couldn't bring myself to doing that.

So....before we invest every little penny we have on elementary schooling, I figured out a wonderful way to make it happen for us...on the cheap!  My state doesn't have many requirements...not compared to some!

 This is what the Texas Home School Coalition says: To home school legally in Texas, you must follow three state law requirements:

• The instruction must be bona fide (i.e., not a sham).
• The curriculum must be in visual form (e.g., books, workbooks, video monitor).
• The curriculum must include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics, and good citizenship.

Well...I got that down! 

1. It's definitely not a sham

2. It is in visual form

3. I have the five basic subjects PLUS Bible, Science and History/Geography :)

Reading will be done together. They will simply have different assignments to go along with the reading. Little two can draw pictures and the bigger two can write essays and reviews aka book reports :)

Spelling will consist of words from k12 Reader. We will find our definitions on Monday. Tuesdays will be for making sentences. Wednesday will be a fun activity with our words. Thursday will be test day.

Grammar will be done daily with two lessons on Monday, two lessons on Tuesday, one lesson and a review on Wednesday, and a quiz on Thursday. I found Grammar lessons here: Daily Grammar

Mathematics-Making Math Meaningful. I still need to order the books...then I will know how to plan there.

Good Citizenship- a combination of discussions and A salute to our flag TM and A salute to our flag SM

Bible Studies from Easy Peasy

Science from Easy Peasy

History and Geography came from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I ordered the Expedition Earth and Road Trip USA for $30 :) This is the part of our curriculum that has us ALL really excited!! The whole curriculum is very well planned out. I started to build my own, but the price was right and Erica did such a lovely job on it!! I can promise you that if you decide to purchase either one, you will not be disappointed! She has them as a combo pack for $30...I think it's the best 30 bucks that I've spent in a long time!! 
Here's the plan:
We are going to begin with Road Trip USA. We will not be doing two states a week. Instead, we will be doing just one and spending more time on it with some extra activities and reading materials :) Of course this means we will be doing History and Geography all year...but it's worth it :) Next year we will do Expedition Earth. 
Here is a link to the Confessions of a Homeschooler Store :) {Can you tell by all the smiley faces how excited we are??} :) 

It has taken me two hours to make this post...my kiddos are being a handful today. Hopefully after lunch and a good nap we will be able to turn the afternoon around!! Hope you all are having a beautiful weekend!! 

*hugs* 

Grace

4 months already gone

its been 4 months since i gave birth to my little Mockingbird, and i cant believe it!! my Firebird turned 2 in january and ever since bringing the baby home, he looks so much bigger than before i gave birth to his brother; how is that even possible? Firebird got his first haircut (yes, at 2 years old, i didnt want to cut his beautiful curls off we decided it'd be better for the hot texas summers), and he looks more like a toddler now than before. his hair still curls and its adorable. Mockingbird can roll over to his side and somehow manages to curl up into a ball and roll in circles to move around his playmat, yet cant roll to his tummy yet. also, tummy-time is a nightmare with this child! if hes flat on the floor, forget it, hes done and you better roll him back over before he screams! put a bobby pillow under him, and hes fine for about an hour. my neighbor gave us her sons old bimbo seat since Mockingbird LOVES to sit up and see everything that's going on, from his big brother playing to the disney junior cartoons that are playing constantly on the tv (doc mcstuffians, anyone?) to me getting up and chasing the big brother around. 

Firebird also has a pretty bad hearing loss (runs in my side of the family, usually it hits just the women but Firebird is the first male in 5 generations to get it) and has hearing aids to help him hear, plus we have a speech therapist that comes 4 times a month to work with him. hes been getting better about talking and asking for things he wants. he can say all 5 of his favorite fruits,  3 of his favorite drinks ( milk, juice and water) and when he wants to watch Mighty Morphing Power Rangers (think 90s) he'll say "its time!" (we're still working on 'morphing') when its time for bed, he automatically gets his cup and will call for his stuffed wolf by howling and signing 'wolf'. cutest thing you would ever see! he may not be able to hear most of the world around him, but hes definitely a pretty smart kid.

this is all for now, im going to try to get in a better habit of posting. let us know what you enjoy about our blog so far or even tell us what you'd like to see!!

*meaghan*

Math Curriculum

Choosing curriculum for your kiddos is NOT an easy process! I mean, Geez! There are loads of options out there. I have been hunting for a budget friendly curriculum. It also has to be easy to use for the kiddos and us. I started searching for math first. I found something that I think will work for our family. It's affordable, explains why, and seems user friendly. Making Math Meaningful. I don't personally know anyone who has used it. BUT we are willing to be the test subjects for this math course. This way we can report back to our friends who are curious about it. There are sample pages on the website...added plus since some of the choices I found did not have them. It goes to grade 8 with Algebra and Geometry being taught early on. I tried to find a 1-12 program that I thought we would like, but didn't find one...yet. I think I will be ordering it by the end of next week. Once it comes in the mail I will get started on lesson plans for next year. Have you chosen a math curriculum yet? IF so please share it with us :) We would LOVE to hear from you!!

*hugs*
Grace

The absent blogger

I have been away for a little bit. Between kiddos, home responsibilities, and disabilities it has all just taken everything I have to get it all done and together. I have been a busy little bee though working around the house to kick start spring cleaning since February. I'm not done. I don't know if it will ever be completely done. Every time I get a room completely cleaned and organized someone goes back in there and destroys it again. Except my laundry room. Which I am proud to say is 95% clean. By the end of the day it will be at 100%...even if it kills me. I have to finish do the laundry (it's never-ending, right?), wipe down appliances, and sweep/mop. Then it will be done :)  I plan to do that this evening. Next will be the kiddos bathroom and then my bathroom. I'm starting with the little rooms because I feel much more accomplished when I can see a room go from a disaster zone to clean in no time at all. I am hoping by May to have the majority of the house in some sort of order. I'm also working a little each day in one of the bigger rooms until I have very little to do in there. I did not realize the amount of junk we have accumulated over the years until we moved here. I have donated around 60 13-gallon trash bags worth of clothing, bedding, and toys. Probably another 6-10 medium sized moving boxes that had shoes, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and home decor. And yet...I'm not done. I will not be finished until everything has a proper place in this house. 

We have a project this weekend to complete. We are going to sand our homemade chalk board and hang it. It has been just sitting there. Looking lonely and being unused. I am beyond ready to get it taken care of so we can write on it...without having to write over the little bumps. 

The big boys and I are taking a working lunch to get caught up on their school work and my research for the next school year. This summer we will be doing some history/geography and science unit studies. I am also trying to get those items together. 

I ordered books from Barnes and Noble last week. They will be here today!!  We have been working on the Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool curriculum. We find it difficult to completely follow the curriculum on the computer. Sooo I have ordered the reading books, since reading takes the majority of our time.

On another note...tomorrow is my oldest sons 10th birthday!!! Happy birthday Bubba!! We love you so much!! 

That's all the time I have for my random thoughts. Work time for this gal!! 

 

*hugs*

Grace

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Number 1 Hits Puberty :(

Ok, So, I'm not a boy.
Clearly I know nothing about being a boy.
My husband says he will handle boy issues.
Number 1 doesn't like to talk to me about being a boy.
I'm generally OK with that.
This new round of boy craziness is starting to freak me out a bit.
He's 9.
He has his first pimple.
I'm scared to ask what else is going on.
I catch myself staring at his face.
Number 1 asks..
Why are you staring at me mom?
I say it's because it's a mama thing.
Maybe it is.
Maybe I am trying to preserve this image of him for a while.
Or maybe I am trying to search his face to see if he is growing facial hair.
I doubt he is...
Yet.
But it wont be long.

Here's what I want to know though.
It stinks!

Why didn't anybody tell me puberty can start around 9?
I didn't know this was normal until today.

Dear pediatrician...you suck!
Thanks!
You left me high and dry with no information!
I had to find out from the internet!

It's no wonder my kid is acting Crazy..with a capital C!
It's no wonder I feel out of my mind crazy!
When did he go from being tiny and precious to being big and obnoxious?
Don't get me wrong...
I love the dude like crazy.
But, sometimes he drives me up a wall.
He throws the biggest tantrums for whatever reason.
Sometimes no reason at all.
I know this only because when I ask he simply says I don't know.
Wanna talk about throwing me for a loop??
I don't know.
Ya know...as a parent, I wish I could get by with I don't know and it be a good enough answer.
Mom, where do babies come from? I don't know.
Mom, why can't we have ice cream for supper? I don't know.
Mom, (insert nine millionth question of the day)? I don't know.
If only being a mommy was as easy as I don't know.
For those of you who have already gone through this...Congrats!!
For those of you still waiting for this day to come...Good luck!
As for me, Number 1 equals round 1 of this sort of torture.
I still have three more to go.
Thankfully, or maybe not so much, Number 4 is a girl.
BTW...Number 1...IF you ever read this...Just remember that I love you.

Easy Peasy Philly Cheese Steak

So my husband works in a place where he can't always sit down to a meal. Sad, but true. I have had to come up with super easy supper ideas that I can cook in no time at all, that will reheat easy and still be delicious, and be portable. They also have to appeal to my pickiest eater. That person is NOT my two year old, four year old, seven year old, or even nine year old. Oh no! That person, who has earned the pickiest eater of the year award, is my sweet, dear husband. The man is dreamy, caring, kind, and makes me feel like a princess. BUT he can also be the most annoying thing ever! He hates tomato sauce of any kind. Any side of beef is gross. He can't stand pork. He doesn't enjoy soy. He will eat some chicken. What is there left to feed him? Well, I have taken some of the things he can't stand lately and have turned them into wonderful meals that he enjoys. Last week I planned out a few meals. I will admit that I have only gotten to a couple of them because Super Bowl Sunday we had nachos, and I made enough to feed the whole US Army. Ok, so maybe not the whole Army but close to it. Some nights I am super thankful for leftovers! Last night he grilled hot dogs for the kids. He ate nachos. And I had a honey bun. Can you see me hiding my head in shame as I type that? It was the most delicious honey bun I've had all week. The only one I had all week because the store has been out of the Tastykake honey buns. I don't care for any of the others. Anywho, So Friday night I made Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I love the one's from Chili's and from Subway, but I didn't feel like sending him to get food after he got off work. I must say that I'm quite over the ones from those two places and will be enjoying my own from now on. They were so simple that I don't know why I was afraid to make them before. So here we go!!

The mushrooms are baby bellas. Any fresh button mushroom will work. Notice I said fresh, not canned.

I got mine pre-sliced, because that's just how I roll. If there are only a couple of you then I would suggest cutting the veggies down. I'm feeding 6, and one takes leftovers to work. Since he does that I usually make my recipes to feed 8.

I used eye of round steak that was cut thin. I'm sure most steak would be fine...you don't want to know what I paid for it, but the steak I used was already thin so making the thin slices was easier for me. Plus I had to do two packages of meat. Put the meat in the freezer for about an hour or two before you start cutting it. It will make it easier to slice.

Chop the top of your bell pepper off. 

To help the seeds come out I always pop the open end into my hand.

See my pretty Rachel Ray Garbage Bowl? 

I absolutely LOVE it! 

Once you get the top and bottom cut, cut them in half.

Clean up the inside.

And start slicing. This is how I prefer to do strips of bell peppers.

I'm no pro, but it works for me.

Once they are done you should have super thin strips of bell pepper.

Now, on to the onions.

Take the top off, then clean it up. My husband

loves to drive me crazy by leaving the onion skin on. To me that is

just gross!

Place it back on the cut side and cut it in half.

Then lay it on its side and start slicing away....watch

your fingers though. Hubby says to chew gum when I cut

the onions. I can tell you that juicy fruit bubble

gum does not do the trick!

Plenty of beautiful slices. I don't bother separating them yet. 

They will get mixed up in the skillet.

Usually I use olive or grape seed oil, but I had some leftover butter in the fridge from 

some cookies I had made before Christmas. I figured I better use it before I have to toss it.

I used about 1/4 cup. Use your best judgement here.

Toss in about a handful of mushrooms once the butter has melted. 

I worked on some meat while it was melting.

 If you don't like mushrooms then just eliminate this step entirely. 

Toss in the onions and bell peppers.

Saute them until the mushrooms get a bit soft. 

Trim any fat and excess nonsense off the meat. 

Slice the steak as thin as you can get it. 

I just love that color!

Then put the meat into the same skillet you used to saute the veggies. 

Add a little bit of salt and pepper.

I used sea salt, but that's just what we are used to. 

Plus, I will confess, I like playing with the grinder.

It makes me feel professional...don't tell anyone...promise??

Brown the meat.

I used White American sliced cheese. 

But, that's because that is what I usually eat on mine. 

If you prefer pepperjack or any other kind of cheese feel free to use it.

 BUT the slices made it easier to heat, and let's face it, I don't feel like cubing up some cheese after a long day.

I added a bit of milk to make the cheese sauce creamy. 

I snuck a few pieces of meat out while insisting that I had to make sure it was right.

 It was, but I wasn't about to tell the kids that.

Ta-Da! 

All done.

 I simply buttered and toasted some sub rolls in the oven.

Of course that isn't what my finished product looked like. 

I prefer extra veggies, like some baby spinach and fresh slices of tomato on it.

Along with some creamy chipotle dressing. 

I know. 

It's not a true Philly with everything that I put on it.

 But that is how I like it.

Recipe Below is for a family of 4

Ingredients

1-2 lbs steak, thinly sliced

1 small bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh button mushrooms, sliced

6-8 slices of american cheese slices, or soft cheese of choice

3 Tablespoons milk

1/4 cup butter + butter for rolls

1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Sub Rolls

Instructions

 Add butter to warm skillet. Once melted add veggies and saute until soft, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove veggies with tongs and place in a bowl. Put meat in skillet and add salt and pepper.  Brown meat, about 5-10 minutes. While meat is cooking, butter rolls and set aside. Drain the excess juice, then put meat back into skillet and add cheese and milk. Heat until cheese is melted and mixed in good with the meat. Place rolls into oven on broil setting to toast them. Remember to keep the meat mixture warm. More milk may be added to keep the cheese creamy. Assemble and enjoy!

Printer Friendly Recipe 

January 31, 2014

Friday is the day in our home where we typically run errands. Breakfast is over which means it's time to start chores and get ready to go. When we come home we usually finish up chores and then start supper. Tonight I'm making Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches and a creamy chocolate pudding pie for dessert. The kiddos are super excited. I've never attempted to make the subs before. But the pie. Oh the pie, they LOVE!! It's usually gone in no time. That is what makes this mama happy. Well..I better get ready to get errands taken care of. I'll need to get over here and get recipes and pics posted soon. Tonight I will be pulling them from my camera. Anyways, I better quit typing and get them ready to go or we won't be making anything special tonight. Let us know how you spend your Fridays :)  

December 14, 2013

only 11 days until Christmas!! im so excited, i cant wait, mostly because i'll be holding my new little one by then. and this is the outfit he will be wearing when we come home!

*meaghan*

december 10, 2013

time to introduce myself.

i'm Meaghan, pronounced just like Megan, my momma just gave me the Old English spelling of the name.

 i am a part time SAHM, and i work in retail.

 i'm actually married to Grace's brother, making us awesome sister-in-laws! my husband and i have been married for over 2 years now.

 i have two sons, the oldest will be 2 in January, and the youngest will actually be here in less than 2 weeks, on December 23 (so ready to be able to hold him in our arms and actually have my bladder back lol).

 i'm almost 23 years old.
i love cooking up new recipies, finding random stuff to make things out of, and i'm hooked to Pintrest!

 i'm addicted to any type of ghost or paranormal show, Pawn Stars, Law&Order SVU (with Olivia and Elliot) Storage Wars, David Tutera's my fair wedding, Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls and New Girl.

i love country music, pop, and some rock n roll. i adore Taylor Swift (yes i know most of her songs re about her exes, which some i completely relate to, but she does have other songs that dont relate to her exes).

my two favorite radio shows are Kidd Kraddick In The Morning (106.1 KISS FM) and the Russ Martin Show (97.1 The Eagle).

i love animals, and have owned lots. mostly cats and dogs, but i've also had ducks, chickens, goats, horses, calves, African Gray geese (my favorite), rabbits, ferrets and fish.

i love clipping coupons and sorting them but somehow always forget to bring them with me to the store!

i love to read, mostly on my kindle, once i'm in a good book, i tend to read halfway thru the book or finish it completely.

i run a FaceBook page, Disabled not Dead2 (https://www.facebook.com/disablednotdead2)

thats all for now :) Grace and i are trying to get into habit of posting more often so stay tuned!!

*meaghan*

The Old Daily Routine and Blog Design

Obviously this is a new blog. I've had one before, but never really messed with it. This one, however, seems different. This is a new chapter in our lives and for the first time I feel like I am able to share our journey with the world. Before homeschooling our daily routine was long and difficult. It became very monotonous. Day after day, after day, after day the same BORING routine. 

I don't even know how we did it to be honest. Every day it was like this: get the kiddos ready to go to school (don't even think about the coffee sitting in the pot that you took the time to set up the night before because it's crunch time now!), take them, come home and maybe drink a cup or two, get started on chores and taking care of the little ones needs. By afternoon it was lunch and nap time until time to pick up big kids from school. Get kids from school, help with homework, work on supper, feed kids, bathe them, put them to bed, chores, maybe some alone time if I didn't have a tiny one up with me, then crash by midnight. You know the old "wash, rinse, repeat" instructions. Well that was our life.

Notice that my life revolved around home and kids but no husband time? Well, that poor guy...bless his heart...seemed to feel a bit left out. Once a week or so we would try to spend time together, but it wasn't like we could chat about everything that happened in the week within a couple of hours. Most of our communication was through text messages. These days our lives seem much easier. Our schedule isn't so frustrating anymore. We even have free time to be able to do things together and as a family. 

I didn't know how well my blog would work out. So far not really anybody reading yet...but that's ok too. I'm still in the process of working out the kinks. The other day I was working on it and I really wanted to add a Pinterest widget. I tried over and over again to get it to work. I failed big time on my own. Thankfully though, there are other people out there who blog and build websites to help those of us who are strutggling to figure out all of this designer stuff on our own. Code it Pretty has a very nice tutorial on how to put your Pinterest widget on your blogger blog :) If you have just started on Blogger or have been doing it a while and don't know how to make it pretty I would suggest going to see hwat Marie has posted :) I think I'll spend the afternoon there. 

*hugs*

Grace 

Budgeting and the Pencil Sharpener Dilemma

 Since we have a family of 6 and my husband is the only one who brings in any income we have to budget. There are a ton of things I would love to have to make my life easier, but those things will have to wait. For instance, I would love, love, love to have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer...ya know the one with all of the attachments that I will probably only use once in a blue moon but would love to have anyways. Instead I have my good old trusty hand mixer. Is it fancy? No. But it does get the job done.

The cost of us sending our children to school was costing us nearly 600 dollars at the beginning of the year. Clothing, shoes, backpacks, school supplies, plus supplies to keep at home for homework were simply expensive no matter how many sales I hit. Right before school starts here we have tax free weekend. Which I recommend to anyone regardless of if they send their kiddos to public school, private school, or homeschool. Heck, even if you have little ones and keep them home or send them to daycare. Tax free weekend can be awesome if you plan it right. There are things that I will pick up before the big sale. But it is usually little things. 

That 600 didn't include school pictures (which we were rarely ever able to get because the beginning of school kicked us to the ground and we were still playing catch up from the beginning of the school year...one income families generally live paycheck to paycheck unless the working spouse makes an amazing living). We however have not had that luxury. 

My husband and I have had to "start over" well more than once in our marriage. Jobs came and went and every time he would have to start at the bottom and work his way up. By the time we would be OK something come up. Getting out of the military, found a job, had to move-found another job, found a better job-injury, school, another job that barely paid the bills, then another opportunity opened up and now we are doing OK again. Not great...but OK. 

Anywho...I had taken SOME of that money that we would have used (and managed to avoid putting us in even more debt) and built up our supplies. Since starting to homeschool my home has become a small office supply store. There is extra paper everywhere. Puzzles and games stacked up. A bookshelf overflowing with children's books. How have I managed all of these items in such a short time? Budget...with a capital B of course! Thrift stores, family contributions, and I make a lot of our resources. I also invest here and there in little items.

We started the year with the small pencil sharpeners from the dollar store. I bought Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils...you know, the good ones. BUT these pencil sharpeners were eating the pencils. I, of course, couldn't figure out if it was the pencils or the sharpeners that were the cause of my daily misery. Yes, misery. Every time I turned around we were having to sharpen pencils. Leads would break and by the time I got done sharpening pencils there wasn't much left of them. I almost couldn't believe that I had bought these amazing pencils. They were supposed to be the best of the best right? Well, they are pretty great and when staples or any other office supply store runs them on sale for less than a dollar for a 20 pack I thought I had saved a ton of money. 

What were we missing? A good pencil sharpener. I picked one up at Wal-Mart for under $10!! It's just like my trusty old hand mixer...nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I like it because it doesn't eat the pencils up like they are pieces of bacon at an all you can eat breakfast buffet. It's x-acto brand so I know I can trust it's quality. It even suctions to my desk and can be moved around to suit my righty and lefty handed babies pencil sharpening needs. PLUS it was well within our budget!! Do I sound excited about a pencil sharpener? Well if not then let me tell ya I am sooooo excited about this product!! I couldn't find it on Amazon for under 10. Office Max has it in a few different color choices but it isn't as cheap as Wal-Mart :) 

At the beginning of the year these pencil sharpeners were nowhere to be found on the shelves. Now that the madness of back-to-school shopping is well over with and businesses are gearing up for Christmas I can find some of what I need. I also picked up a laminating machine (again...it was nowhere to be found at the beginning of the school year) which I haven't gotten around to testing out but will soon.

I will be posting quite a bit on how we manage our budget and about some of the products we have tried out.  Also some tips and tricks from a homemaker that was raised by a homemaker (my beautiful Grandmaw). Also I will post links from time to time on some of the homeschooling resources we use.

Which pencils or pencil sharpeners are you crazy about? Tell us about it below :)

*hugs*

Grace

Kids say the darndest things!!

There are several phrases that my kiddos use that make me giggle. A couple of them lately have been "Whyyyyy????", "What is wrrong with YOU???", "But, but, but, but, but...", "I thought you loved me??". Yes ladies and gents! These are the phrases that my children use that make me giggle. Heck, I even have a smile on my face right now as I type this. You might be thinking "Man! This lady is rotten/evil/down-right-Mean (with a capital M of course)" No y'all. I'm not mean. These are simply giggles and smiles from a mom who is taking back her life and her home. You see, my children have become...oh how should I put this...terrorists. Yes! Little terrorists hell-bent on crushing my spirit and turning me into a rage induced monster. Will I allow this to happen? NO! 

I picked up a book the other day. A wonderful, fabulous, saved-my-life kinda book. It's called Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior, & Character in 5 Days By Dr. Kevin Leman. I didn't find myself in any one particular parenting strategy. Dr. Leman suggests that we all have one. Not this mama. Oooohhh no! Instead I am a mixture of all three types. I realize that my situation isn't the same as everyone else's. I am physically disabled, I have four children, and as of this year all four are homeschooled. It was hard for me to chase them down as toddlers to put them into a corner (I love the Supper Nanny techniques...just in case y'all were wondering.) So what has happened in my home because of my disabilities and the fact that I had a hard time chasing them all? Total chaos. At times, complete disrespect. 

I will admit that I failed as a mother along the way. I have four babies that God gave to me so I chose to ignore a lot of the things they did. Mostly because at the end of the night, when they were tucked into bed (usually mine) and sleeping they looked so sweet and innocent. Were they so innocent? Weeeell...yes...and a little bit of no. Children know how to manipulate those around them to get exactly what they want. How do I know?...I was a kid at one point! Little monsters! :) My best advice parents is this: Don't give in! It was easier for me to just let them stay up a bit late. Easier to give them a little more leeway when it came to not finishing their chores. I pushed and pushed for them to finish homework when in reality I should have taken the advice I had been given to just let them fail. But I shouldn't have taken the easy way out and since then I have been paying for it. Now, some may be thinking "Why on Earth would you let them fail?" I asked the same thing myself. But turns out that was actually great advice and I should have taken it. Instead I said "But this is my sweet precious angel. If I let them fail then aren't I failing as a parent?" UH NO! 

See...this is how it is: The older I get, the wiser I get. I've never been a mom to a 9 year old before. BUT I have been a 9 year old. Here's the problem...my kids aren't me. At 9 I was taking care of a household...mostly by myself. My mother jumped ship years before and my dad was an alcoholic. See...we all have issues. I survived. Probably for the better. I got the lectures my dad would give...but you know what I heard? This "           ". <-that my friends is pure gold! Some quality white noise headed your way ;)

 So I tried the lectures. Guess what?? Come on...guess. These kids are a lot like me. They listen to just enough to guess at just enough of what I am saying to repeat it back to me to get me to be quiet for 5 minutes so they can go back to doing whatever it was that they were doing that got them into trouble to begin with! Whew! (PS...I'm a long-winded kind of talker at times lol).

 Things are starting to shape up around here. For the better finally! Did they do their chores on time tonight. Nope. Did I stay on them...well...not as bad as I usually would. See...it's a learning process for us all I guess. But they did manage to get them done and here I am in my office (ALL BY MY BIG GIRL SELF FOR ONCE...YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!) listening to my children playing quietly before I send them to bed. So to my sweet children: You can ask those questions all you want and instead of being told "because I said so"-like so many parents have been known to say-you will simply be told "because I love you". Some day you might just understand where I am coming from...and then we can both giggle together. 

You can get Dr. Leman's book on Amazon and other fine retail stores BUT I'm just gonna post the Amazon link below :) As for me, I will be purchasing Dr. Leman's other books soon. Happy reading and Happy parenting!! 

Have a New Kid by Friday

It's raining...it's pouring...and the kids tell me I'm boring...

It has been a long day in our house. Light rain all day has made today an inside day. Apparently, I'm no fun! I make them do worksheets instead of playing in cold rainy weather. Man...I must be boring. My four children are homeschooled. Today is one of those "I want to pull my own hair out" kind of days. LIke...why did I bother to homeschool them? I'll remember tonight when they are sound asleep. I always do. My husband works nights a few times a month so when he is sleeping during the day we try to keep quiet. That is the reason for the worksheets today. If it were any other day we would have had a lot more fun. Anywho~I had started a blog a few years ago. It didn't work out the way I planned. Meaning...I planned to write and post different things...and that just didn't happen. This time though, things are different. My life has a whole new meaning. Not only do I have 3 beautiful boys who destroy my home, but I also have a gorgeous princess who joins in on the fun. I will give her this: for a 2 year old she loves to clean. My boys weren't that way. Another reason for this new blog is that I'm now a homeschool mom. This is our first year and so far we are enjoying it. Here's the thing though. There are many parents online asking a lot of the same questions. There are many ideas and wonderful teaching methods. I use what I call "The Mommy Method" to teach and parent my kiddos. Sure, I look up things on the internet or read books to help me find the answers...but at the end of the day I'm going to do what I feel is best in my heart. This blog will probably reflect that. Times are rough, money is tight, and mommy is frugal. I love cheap. I love education. I love crafts. There are many other things that I love, I'm sure. I enjoy a little bit of everything. I am one of those who could never decide on a career. One minute I wanted to be a teacher and the next I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a hairstylist and a gardener. A baker, a musician, a crafter, and the list is endless. Well, as luck would have it, I get to be all of those things. I earned my degree at Mommy's University. I taught myself how to be a mother. Somethings have been easier than others. Like learning to tune out screaming, yelling kiddos because they are wrestling behind me and still be able to make this post. Any questions or comments are always welcome here :)