The Solberg Series

Adoption Time

2012-01-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's here, it's time! I am heading out very soon to go get our son, Luke. Everything is complete, finalized, in order, finished, etc. We got our last piece of paper in the mail today. I most likely will not be posting again until after the trip. :( There is a lot to do.

Cade only thinks he gets a 3 week vacation from school! Poor guy, he's in for a rude awakening. It will be scaled back however so he better be happy with that.

I am soooooo stinking excited!! I can't believe we're finally about to meet. But we are. God's blessing has been all over this adoption-it's truly amazing! It's because of Him and through Him that we get to be Luke's parents, his forever family.

We are so blessed!

Wow

2012-01-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize it has been such a long time since I posted! I still don't have time to write anything-I need to go to sleep! Just a couple of Christmas pictures being posted.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

2011-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here. I'm so excited. This is my absolute most favorite time of the year. We are finished shopping for the kids-we scaled down this year, way down! Somehow I think they will be just fine. I'm trying to find new traditions to start with the family during December-I'm copying from other blogs. One is a basket of Christmas books and the kids pick one out and we read it every night. Next year, we will wrap 25 books and they can open one each night and we'll read them! I love reading other blogs to get ideas. Anyway, that's just one we've started this year, you get the idea. :)

Cade is headed off to Winterfest camp at Pine Cove this weekend. It's a Christian summer camp that offers this winter weekend camp every December. He is going to have a blast! We'll take him this evening and pick him up Sunday after church. He also starts basketball in January and they've already started practices. He's getting into running and wanting to bike with his dad more. He's getting a new bike after Christmas so he and Jeff can ride together. Last night Jeff took him running with him, for fun, and they ran 6-1/2 miles but then it got dark. Jeff seemed very, very impressed with Cade, that he wanted to just go run and then was able to run that far. We are finished with school until the first week in January. I am sooooo glad-I'm sure Cade is too. BUT I'm realllllllyyyyyy glad for the break! haha

I've been reorganizing the school/playroom again-shocker. I'm always looking at ways to re-vamp it. I've been very lazy with Jenna's school, but in January that will change. It will be a formal program and scheduled time. She can recognize a lot of her letters, spell her name (although now she spells it like this ANNEJ and writes it right to left-not sure what to do about that-suggestions?) She is a lefty. She knows colors, counts to twenty, counts to 5 in spanish-maybe 10 (working on that). She loves school and is VERY excited about starting the Venture homeschool co-op next year. She will go on Tuesdays with Cade.

Cloee is doing great. She can also count to 10 and wants to do school with Jenna all of the time! It's very cute. I think she's ready to potty-train. I hate potty-training! She likes to go in the bathroom and pull her "panties" (pull-ups) down and sit on the toilet. Have I mentioned how much I hate potty-training. Can they just potty train themselves????

Our adoption is final. Waiting on the I171H approval letter from our government that says we can adopt internationally. That is the final thing over here. We're ready! Ready to get our little boy home and shower him with hugs, kisses and love. I hate that we won't be having Christmas with him but this will be the last Christmas that happens! His birthday is in January-he'll be two. I don't think I will be there for it, but we will put together a homecoming/birthday celebration when he comes home with me for good. I simply can't wait!

I'm reading the Hunger Games trilogy right now-on the last book. Have you read it? You should, it's pretty good. Very different from what I'm used to reading these days.

That's it for now!

Blessings!
Lauree

the guy in the red suit - take 2

2011-12-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Where the stores, our tvs, children's thoughts are taken over by the guy in the red suit, yep, santa. I feel the need to post about this again because he is everywhere and it is truly a shame.

I don't think our families were very excited when we told them santa would not be welcome in our house anymore. I mean, we grew up with santa and it was fun for a few years, so I understand how it is hard for people to understand.

I seem to be hearing of more people getting rid of santa and focusing on Jesus. This makes me very happy, and I 100% believe that this makes our Lord and Savior very happy too.

But while I'm hearing about more people giving santa the boot, I still also hear people saying (when they find out we or someone else is not "doing" santa)"well, as long as your kids don't ruin it for mine" or "well, as long as your kids don't tell mine" - tell them what? The TRUTH? It's a horrible delimma for those of us who want our children to grow up with complete focus on Jesus-no sharing.

But guess what? We, the ones who don't invite santa into our homes, typically raise our children to be respectful of what others do in their homes about the not-real santa. But we can't guarantee they won't speak the truth, because after all, they are raised to tell the truth.

However, last night at Church in RA's (the boys group) some kids started talking about how santa isn't real and the teachers were getting on to them to not ruin it for the kids who believe. WHAT? Cade told me he did not get involved in it even though santa is NOT real. So you see, people who are worried about OUR kids telling your kids the truth and ruining Christmas, you need to be more worried about the kids who believed then found out the truth, because they are the ones who will be telling your kids the truth more often than not.

I don't judge anyone for using santa (we did with Cade, but our hearts changed) and most of my close friends use santa but those of us who don't are getting tired of hearing, "your kids better not ruin it for my kids, etc".

For us, as we try to completely focus on Jesus and to enjoy giving more than receiving, it's hard to explain why we need "Angel Trees" if there is supposedly a santa and it's hard to explain why we need to send boxes of presents to children in other countries. Why does santa not give to the orphans? Really? Are we going to lie about that?

Do I believe that you can do santa and your children still learn what Christmas is really about? You bet! One of my best friends' daughter put on her Christmas wish list - water, food, and money to give to the Sweet Sleep mission fund at our Church (to build beds for kids in orphanages). That kid GETS IT! and they do santa.

We don't do santa, you do-the world hasn't fallen apart. Let's be a little more tolerant of each other during this Christmas season, showing God's love, being a light to others and focusing on the reason for this beautiful season.

snapshots

2011-11-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

pumpkin patch trip

Cade, the hunter

The big kids thought it would be funny to swing in the baby swings....until I took this picture.

Well Said!

2011-11-19T06:51:00.000-08:00

Found this on a blog I read.

"We were not afraid of public school. We did not feel we could give our children a better education, it had nothing to do with that at all. It all had to do with the fact that we felt like our children could grow up, and spend their days in our home, and end up in a better place than if they went off to school during the most important years of their life. And we have actually found that to be the case." Chris Davis, Homeschool Pioneer

Happy Family Day Cloee!

2011-11-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today, I stood in an airport in Washington D.C. waiting to meet my daughter for the first time. I remember Jilma walking through with a child in a stroller and I wondered, "where's Cloee?" She was actually wearing her but you could not tell there was a baby in there, she was so tiny. When she handed me this teeny tiny 8-1/2 lb. baby girl, I almost panicked. Wondering how I was going to handle such a small thing!
(This is Cloee's first picture in the airport that day.)

This is our little baby now.

She is full of life and brings such joy to our lives. Thank you God for blessing us with her!

Bonding

2011-09-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Last night, some things were mentioned in a group I'm involved in about adoption, birthing and bonding. While I can't address the second one, I can address the other two. I've hesitated to write about this but I feel like now is the time. Maybe what I've experienced will atleast provide knowledge for adoptive parents.

When we were in the process of adopting Cade, we were so naive to international adoption. I look back and will laugh at that whole process. From start to finish, Cade's adoption took 6 months. Incredibly fast. One thing our social worker warned us about was that we would feel at some point that we had messed up and probably shouldn't have adopted. Really? I couldn't imagine that, AT ALL. Seeing Cade for the first time, was love at first sight for me. My heart was overflowing. He was such a happy toddler and took right to us. We bonded immediately. Ahhhhh.....Motherhood. It was joyous! Exactly how I pictured it.

Fast forward a couple of months, I began doubting myself and my ability to parent Cade. Did we make a mistake? Surely there was a better parent out there (I can look back and see that maybe I had a touch of post-adoption blues that I thought was completely bogus at the time!). The one thing that I held on to was what our social worker had told me. This feeling was normal and it would pass. It did! I don't remember how long it took but it did. It was okay to feel this way and it was only temporary. I was so thankful she told me about this or I may have become really depressed about it.

Fast forward to Jenna's adoption. This adoption and wait tested my Faith so many times. Completely different to Cade's adoption, I spent a lot of time on my knees praying and crying. What was supposed to take 6-7 months once our dossier was logged in, wound up taking 2 years from log in date-to get our little girl. However, this waiting period strengthened my relationship with our God. I guess it could have gone the other way, but I knew His plan was perfect even if I didn't want to agree alot of the time! Fast Forward to what is called "gotcha day" and we felt prepared for screaming baby! The reality of screaming baby is very different from just thinking of screaming baby. For us, it was 2-1/2 hours of solid screaming. It was not love at first sight for me (in person). I was freaked and sweating profusely-we walked and sang, and walked and sang trying to soothe her. For me, it was impossible to bond that first day. After that, she seemed resigned to the fact that her life had changed. Later, we did get our first smile and things seemed to be moving in the right direction. Then, she got sick. Very, Very sick. Our guide rushed us to the hospital. All thoughts of bonding went out the door. I had a baby that was deathly sick and I didn't have time to be all lovey dovey with lovey dovey thoughts. I was feeling crushed, sick-this just simply could not be happening. Sitting in the hospital with an IV in her head for hours. Just me, sitting on a wooden bench, holding my little girl who we waited for over 2 years for and who was deathly sick. I didn't have time to bond, I was in constant prayer. It was an impossible situation, only made possible through God's strength. She did not get better and indeed, got worse. Thoughts of losing my little girl seemed to take hold and then I got sick. I could tell it was a major sinus infection. I.felt.horrible. But I didn't have time for that. (Jeff had also been sick and Cade went with us on that trip. Jeff had to entertain Cade while all of this was going on). Yes, bonding was occurring, but it was much different than with Cade. Fast forward to arriving home. IT.WAS.HARD. Jenna did not adjust to the time difference for quite some time. She had a double ear infection, upper respiratory infection. I had a major sinus infection. She woke up all night screaming. I would almost pass out leaning over her crib from the sinus infection and lack of sleep. It was not fun. I only wanted sleep. Every time she slept, I would fall asleep. I did not feel myself for quite a few weeks. When you don't feel yourself, you can not bond as easily with your new child (or atleast I couldn't). Then I got depressed thinking something was wrong with me (I would say post-adoption blues again), I loved this child but it didn't take me by storm like the love I felt for Cade-immediately. All of this to say, give it time. It happens and it did happen for me. Everyone talked about how good she was bonding, but noone ever touches on the parental bonding. I don't know when it happened, but one day as I was looking at her, it was there. There was the feeling-unabashed joy. A feeling of such intense love where you just cry from the happiness spilling out of your heart.

Fast forward to Cloee's adoption. This adoption is probably why I have hesitated to write this for so long. I'm not sure I could ever adequately describe my feelings. Cloee was not our first child from Congo, Cassie was. As our court proceedings wrapped up, she contracted Malaria and died. Jeff and I had never experienced anything like this, the utter heart break of losing a child. I was so sure noone would understand how we felt since we had never even held her in our arms. But we had an overwhelming support system. One thing I do want to point out is that we know God allowed this to happen. His Will is perfect. And there is nowhere that states Christians will have an easy life and not suffer the same as non-Christians. But what we do have is Hope and we have our Father God. Cloee's referral came shortly after Cassie's death. My heart simply was not overjoyed because it was clouded with grief. But we knew we would keep moving forward. My feelings were always bittersweet, I'm sure most would understand that. I was attacked with guilt over and over again. How can you be happy about Cloee, when Cassie died? Cassie had to die in order for Cloee to come home. Over and over again, it was relentless. I would feel joy one day and be ashamed the next. It was a horrible cycle that left me wiped out.

The day I met Cloee and finally got to hold her was overwhelming for me. I remember looking at her and thinking, "thank you God, she is home safe" but at the same time I kept thinking, "Cassie had to die for this child to come home." It was an ugly battle within my heart. The bonding, I believe, occurred the way it should. But the guilt at feeling happy is something I struggled with and something I now believe I had to "go through" so I could come out on the other side-a better mom, a bonded mom, a stronger Christian, in love with the daughter God brought to our family.

All of this to say, bonding is different for each person. It could take a while or it could be immediate. By the Grace of God, it will all work out for His glory and according to His Will.

We Are.......

2011-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Adopting again!

Yes, it's true! Since I plan on keeping my blog open to the public I will not be posting much about it until everything is finalized.

I will say our paperwork has been sent and it's a BOY!!! We are so very excited and have had such encouragement from most everybody! What a blessing!

It was a total God-thing and who are we to say No to God? Right? Amen.

I'm not sure how much I'll be around as I get ready for our homestudy but after that I will be posting again more regularly.

Stay tuned.....

Americans on the outside, looking in.

2011-09-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Memories of 9/11/2001 will forever be a mixture bittersweet feelings. Such joy for our new family, such sorrow for our Country.

At the time, we had been in Ukraine for five weeks awaiting the finalization of our adoption of our then 18-month old son, Cade. We were to fly to Warsaw, Poland the very next day and were anxiously packing to come home on September 11, 2001. At approximately 6pm in Ukraine (they are ahead by 8 hours), my mother called from the States, hysterical, to tell us what had happened. She might as well have been speaking Russian because I could not make sense of what she was saying. Our Ukrainian hostess ran to turn her television on and started yelling and crying. We hung up the phone and ran in to where she was. We watching CNN but it was in Russian. We could only see the planes hitting the twin towers, our hostess was trying to translate, we stood there dumbfounded holding Cade. Over and over, we were saying, "what, what, what are you saying, our country attacked, what?" It was insane. We could only continue to watch the devastating video as it unfolded, remaining in shock and continued disbelief. Our country. under attack. It was a surreal moment of utter horror. Our hostess tried her best to translate, but missed on a few key points. The main one being that President Bush ordered our military to take down one of the passenger airlines. (this was eventually cleared up but not soon enough!!) When the tears came, they were unstoppable. We still had to finish packing to fly out the next day, with our new son.

Then the fear set in - fear of flying, fear for our country and a fear of not being able to get home.

We had a long journey to get home. As we left for the airport in Kiev, Ukraine (flights had not been grounded to other countries, only to the U.S.), our new Ukrainian friends sent us off with hugs, tears and prayers for our country. I did not think I had the strength nor the courage to board that plane the very next day after airplanes had been used as weapons against innocent people. (We still had heard nothing in English). My husband became my strength on that flight, as he held our son and held my hand. God was with us! The flight, uneventful.

Once in Warsaw, Poland, we could not get any information as to when we would be able to leave the country. They did not want Americans on their planes. We were stuck in a country with no idea of when we could leave.

We were staying in a Sheraton hotel and finally were able to find an English channel and finally learned the true story of 9/11. Our hotel was on lock down. Americans should not leave and if you must, don't look American. What? We had a baby who needed formula, baby food and diapers. It was a scary time, I have never in my life experienced abject fear as when walking to the store in Poland. Our hotel went on lock down for a couple of days-no leaving. Terrorist cells were popping up everywhere. We had no translator, nothing.

We had to make our way to the U.S. Embassy by foot. Never have I seen a place so well guarded but it was frightening. The guards in full black body suits, black masks, and mean looking guns-everywhere.

The most moving event I have ever seen was outside the Embassy. The Polish people had erected a massive, beautiful memorial with the American flag. There were so many people there, burning candles and bringing flowers. They were crying and they were praying for our country. The support we (Americans) were shown in two different countries was simply amazing. It showed me that Americans are truly cared about in other countries and that our country was being prayed for by people who will never get to enjoy the freedoms we so frequently take for granted.

We finally able to leave Warsaw, Poland after about 1-1/2 weeks. Our flight to Austria-uneventful. When we were in line to board the BIG plane that would bring us to the U.S., I was a scared, hysterical mess. They had a lady set up taking our information for our families in the event something happened and numbers of those we would like them to contact. I did not feel very confident. I prayed and prayed-please just get us home.

Once on the BIG plane (which was heading for Chicago), a man sat down across from us and spoke to us and chatted with Cade. Could he see the terror in my eyes? Could he smell the fear on me? The next minute, he turned and handed us a bunch of patches - civil police, etc. He looked right at me and said, "Nothing is going to happen on this plane, you will be safe." He turned then to unload his guns and put them in the overhead compartment, turned back and said, "two more of my friends are on this plane." They were returning to the U.S. after spending a very long time policing in Kosovo. I felt like the utter relief that shook through me would have shaken the plane. Not to mention the fact that only men took up the outer seats-things were so very different in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Landing in Chicago, we were reminded againof the enormous tragedy our country had suffered. The airport was covered with armed guards. There were lines and lines of luggage that had been cut and ripped open then left to be claimed.

We we landed in Houston, it was very emotional. I began to cry, lean on my husband and hug our new son. WE HAD MADE IT HOME - PRAISE GOD! What a wonderful, indescribable feeling. Everyone on the plane began to clap as we pulled into the gate. At that point, the flight attendant spoke of her fellow flight attendants and pilots who died on that horrible day. And then she led all of in an amazing prayer for all of the victims of 9/11.

Looking back, a decade ago, I am reminded so much of God's blessings and that we must praise him in the good times and the bad times. We continue to pray for the families and friends of the victims and are reminded of what is truly important - God, family, and friends.

God bless our country.

Jeremiah 29:11

(this post was not proof-read, sorry in advance of typos.)

Happy Family Day - 10 years ago today

2011-09-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

God blessed us so much when Cade joined our family on September 5, 2001.

Cloee turns 2

2011-09-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

These are Cloee's baby pictures from when she lived with the Loma family. I will be forever grateful to them for taking my baby into their family and loving her until she could come home. They are an amazing family. God is using them to touch so many lives.

The picture above is my first time with Cloee, on November 17th, in the airport. She was so very tiny, she scared me!

Pastor Loma and Mama Loma and their family plus a few foster kids waiting on their families! Mama Loma is holding my precious girl!

And Cloee today. Sweet girl, you have brought so much joy into our lives. We are so thankful God brought us together to be a family.

52-Week Organization Challenge - The Beast

2011-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

It was time.....to tackle the beast and pray that I would win. I dreaded this task, I put it off....hoping the cleaning fairy would take care of it for me. But alas, she did not show up. Every time I opened the door, it reached for me but I tap-danced around and got out quick. But the beast kept growing, until it ensnared my feet every time I stepped into it and I couldn't avoid it any longer. It was time.....

Yep, this is our master closet. It took on a life of it's own!

And now, I have tamed the beast. It is under my authority again and I love it. I stand in it and twirl around. I breathe deeply and sigh with utter calmness and peace knowing nothing is going to latch on to my feet and pull me in....foreverrrrrrrr.

Don't forget to head over to OrgJunkie's 52-Week Organization Challenge and check out her blog and see what others are organizing!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

I still plan menus, but have not kept up with it on my blog. If you don't menu plan, you should definitely give it a try! It saves you money in the grocery store and helps me to be much more efficient with my time. Even if I switch my days around, I still have a plan. My weakness was breakfast though. So I'm really trying to focus on that right now. So here goes:

~MONDAY:
Breakfast: Muffins and smoothies (muffins made on Sunday)
Lunch: Cheese and crackers with bananas
Dinner: Crockpot chicken thighs, scalloped potatoes, veggies

~TUESDAY:
Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, oranges
Lunch: PB&J sandwiches, carrot sticks
Dinner: 5-Ingredient Pasta Toss (Meatless)w/salad

~WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast: Baked oatmeal
Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas with fruit
Dinner: Spaghetti with salad

~THURSDAY:
Breakfast: Eggs and toast, fruit
Lunch: Tuna Pasta salad, fruit
Dinner: Crock Pot Beef tips with Rice, veggies

~FRIDAY:
Breakfast: muffins and smoothies
Lunch: meat, cheese, crackers (think lunchables), fruit
Dinner: Pizza!

~SATURDAY:
Breakfast: Chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, bacon
Lunch: sandwiches and chips, fruit
Dinner: left-overs

~SUNDAY:
Breakfast: Cereal or left-over muffins
Lunch: Tuna salad or chicken salad sanwiches
Dinner: Yikes, good question-forgot to plan, have to get back to you on that one!

So that's it. Must go get ready for school! I think I'll link this to OrgJunkie's website so you can check out what others are cooking up for the week.

Blessings!

Weekly Wrap-up #2 (MFW)

2011-08-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

We just finished another week in My Father's World, and I'm happy to say I still LOVE it! This week we added in Handwriting, grammar, math, and read-alouds.

In Bible: We read in Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms, Luke, and Revelation. We also read in "Window on the World" learning a bit about Judaism. I really like this book because it explains these other religions and gives a small history.

Handwriting is simply copy work so I won't be talking about it. It is a 4-day per week program with the last day being the copying of a scripture verse. I check his work daily and circle the words, letters that are written the best.

In Grammar, we began with a pretest then worked in the book through the week. We are using Winston Grammar and WOW! We love it too!

In Math, we started Math-U-See. I cannot say enough good things about this program. Cade is in the Epsilon level-which is ALL about fractions. This program THE. BEST. EVER! (I will be starting Jenna at the Kinder level next year). On Mondays, we watch a dvd of the new material being taught. Cade and I both watch it and talk about it. The teacher is fabulous. He is teaching a class of young students and works on a whiteboard and uses manipulatives. Cade then works through the 1st worksheet using his own manipulatives. Each day he then did two worksheets and Thursday was a test for mastery. So he had his first test this week and he aced it! (Go Cade!) Have I said I hate fractions?? I do! I can even do fractions with this program. :)

In Geography, Cade finished his Maps and Globes book. He learned about
latitude, longitude, elevation, physical and political maps, and local maps.

In Science, He learned about Biomes around the world and began studying our World Atlas, and learned about oxygen and water cycles. He also started his Nature notebook (nature walk). It was so hot so he decided he wanted to draw an ant pile and the busy ants. He documents weather, location, etc. things like that.

Read Alouds: We started Kingdom Tales from My Father's World. The lesson I learned this week is that when it says "preview" before reading, it may not be appropriate for younger kids, they are NOT kidding. These stories are pretty intense, I will not being reading these aloud to Jenna and Cloee. There are a few questions at the end for discussion. The stories always link to Jesus and the Bible, which I love.

Cade working on Grids.

Working on Grammar

Read Aloud time is very relaxing.

Jenna working on her Letter of the Week stuff

Cloee likes to watch everyone, sometimes very closely.

Cloee working on stacking on her blanket. We are trying blanket training. She is at 5-10 minutes right now. This is simply staying on the blanket playing quietly while I work with Cade or Jenna.

Doing a good job!

Letter A

Coloring time

Quiet time reading while I work with Jenna

And let's not forget Maggie. She hangs with us in the classroom.

I've spent way too long on this post. Need to get back to the kiddos, they're getting very loud.

Blessings!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

This is a very special picture to me. This is my dad. This was the first time my kids met my dad. It's a long story. To sum it up though, I love my dad. (Cloee was in the middle of a meltdown and had to be put in the van).

52-Week Organization Challenge

2011-08-23T05:31:00.000-07:00

Before we started school, I spent some time in our school room. This is my homeschool cabinet. By the end of the school year which was just in July, That cabinet was S.C.A.R.Y. As in, you are at risk opening the doors!

The first two pictures are basically the same thing - the BEFORE look.

The next two pictures are the AFTER look

I love opening the doors now and can breathe calmly when I do! Linking this up to OrgJunkie's 52-week challenge. Check her out and what others are organizing!

Mugshot Monday

2011-08-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Church Camp (Finally found my camera)

Week #1 Review - MFW

2011-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

This week was our first week in My Father's World. Cade is in the Exloring Countries and Cultures. I LOVE My Father's World, that's all I can say. Cade really enjoyed the first week. However, the first week was an intro and we only included Bible, Geography and Science. Next week, we add all but one class so his days will be a little longer. I eliminated "Wee Sing" from his curriculum. This seems to be for younger children. I will play it and the girls can learn the music but it won't be in Cade's lesson plans.
In Bible this week, Cade began reading Window on the World (an intro and an overview of Christianity. He enjoyed looking at some of the Churches in Eastern Europe-most likely because he is from there! :) He also learned that the Garden of Eden was the very first Ecosystem, which tied into his Science. We read "God Speaks Numanggang"-pretty cool learning how they developed the language and that it took 30 years to do that and translate the new testament and Psalms. Fabulous missionary work! Cade was entranced.
In Geography, Cade filled out his "passport application" - he thought that was pretty cool, He filled it out by himself, wrote a "check" for the fee, an addressed the envelope to mail to the "passport center" which is me. cute, huh? He even asked today when his passport would come in! Our focus this week was on Maps and Glopes.
In Science, Cade learned about Ecosystems and did two projects (one was basically already done thanks to his zoo camp!). Earthworm habitat (studying Wiggles the Worm) and measuring out a habitat in the yard and examining it and journaling about it.
Jenna started PreK. She is actually using MFW PreK. She worked on matching, lacing, left to right, up and down, and the letter A (which she already knows but still needs practice writing.)

Cade's 5th grade curriculum

Jenna's Pre-K curriculum - Some. ha. I have a lot of workbooks too. :)

Reading happens everywhere in our house.

Backyard habitat project. He's measuring the specified dimensions.

Answering the questions in his journal about his "habitat".

Working on his World map. Thankfully he remembered his continents, oceans and hemispheres from last year!

Completing his passport application!

Jenna hard at work at her school table.

She loves school.

Some of her work. She got tired of coloring the fishes and told me she was done with school. :)

Letter A practice.
We are looking forward to next week!

SHINE Academy

2011-08-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

BUSY has been the name of the game recently. We technically started our new homeschool year on Monday (I counted Cade's educational zoo camp last week as part of his homeschool as well). I have a whole new set of curriculum for Cade this year. Cade will also be starting a homeschooling co-op in September called Venture. He will be going every Tuesday from 8:30-3:30-the last hour he will be in a Chess class learning how to play. This may be a co-op he participates in through high school, we'll just have to see how it goes. Cade is in the 5th grade this year and we should finish the year in April 2012.

Jenna started Pre-K Monday as well. She loves it and loves learning. I have a curriculum for her as well. Cloee is in Tot school - ha! She has a crate of stuff that she plays with only during school time so it stays special. :)

This week our day looks like: Breakfast and Bible (got the idea from Raising Arrows); then Cade plays with Cloee for 30 - 45 minutes so I can work with Jenna one-on-one. Then Jenna and Cloee can go play or play in the Tot school box while I work with Cade. The morning is very busy and slows down by lunch. This week Cade is only working on Bible, Geography, and Science. Next week we start adding in the remaining classes.

So, here's a list of our curriculum:
For Cade:

~My Father's World (Exploring Countries and Cultures) This covers Bible, Geography and Science. All Read Alouds included as well. They cover Missionaries and their lives.
~Math U See (Epsilon)
~All About Spelling
~A Reason for Handwriting (E)
~Winston Grammar
~Bob Jones Reading (this was a last minute add in because I love the book)
We will also include writing prompts, nature studies/walks, Dave Ramsey's Jr financial kit, and cooking. These classes will not be every day.

For Jenna:
~My Father's World and Sonlight
~Letter of the Week Curriculum
That's the formal stuff. I have so many pre-K school books, she will have lots of practice stuff. The LOTW curriculum includes memorizing bible verses also. Lots of coloring, cutting and play-doh time and crafts!

For Cloee:
~her Tot box, I will go more into that another time. She is learning to sit relatively quietly while I read our Bibe stories and she will sit with Jenna while coloring, etc. A lot of time she is just wandering around playing.

I feel much more comfortable going into my 2nd year of homeschooling plus I'm very excited about Cade's new curriculum. He has expressed a heartfelt desire to go to other countries to talk about Jesus and help orphans, I think this curriculum is perfect because it has a lot of focus on Missionaries.

That's it for now. I need to start school with Jenna. My hope is to do a weekly wrap-up on Fridays or Saturdays to show what we've been doing. As soon as I find my camera, I will be able to post some organization challenge pictures.

Blessings!

Tidbits and such

2011-08-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post! I didn't realize that until today. I don't have any pictures downloaded yet so this is just a catch-up post for now.

My life:

~The first week of July I went to Church camp in Alabama, with Cade. I thought it was crazy hot. Little did I know what was ahead for us in Texas!!

~Cade had soccer camp the week after Church camp so I was driving him around everyday.

~The next week my Uncle died from a heart attack. We made a very quick trip to Kentwood, Louisiana and my kids got to meet some family they've never met before.

~Came home on Wednesday and re-packed for a trip to San Antonio for our annual China adoption reunion (Jeff had to stay and work). That week was an extreme adventure, traveling without Jeff. Hopefully I don't have to do that anytime soon again.

~This week I've been cleaning like crazy, getting ready for school. We start next week. I have cleaning projects to be posted!!

~I'm painting this weekend!! Our living room, dining area, hallway, and front entry need a facelift.

That's it for now. Busy, Busy, Busy. Surely things will slow down when school starts?

52-Week Organization Challenge

2011-07-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

The 2010-2011 School year is over for us! yea!!! This first picture is what happens when school is in session!! How in the world did that happen? We WILL have a better plan for the 2011-2012 school year. The second picture is what happens when school is out and I actually put my reading material in better places. This makes me happy and peaceful.

Check out Orgjunkie's blog for more organization tips and pictures.

52-Weeks Organization Challenge

2011-06-27T07:48:00.001-07:00

This past week involved organizing several of the drawers in the girls' room. I have extra space now! WOW!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

They approve!

I'm linking up to orgjunkie's challenge. Check out what everyone else is doing!

Snippets And Such

2011-06-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't have a lot to say about any one specific topic but I know sometimes family and friends like to know what's going on in our lives.

~I'm overwhelmed today, yesterday and maybe tomorrow. I can't keep up with my tiny
tornadoes and this house

~Cade finished baskeball camp today.

~Cloee is talking pretty darn good these days. And it's so cute when she tells me, "Mama No" and wags her finger at me.

~My two oldest children are having relationship issues, I'm going to pull my hair out or beat them (that's a joke, lighten up)-maybe just drag out the "spanking spoon"-mama means business when that comes out.

~We wrap up our school year next Tuesday, Cade only has History these days.

~I'm working on next year's schedule and curriculum (that's a later post).

~We survived our first homeschool year. Lots of yelling, crying, fit-throwing, laughter, joking and Cade did some too. :)

~I love homeschooling.

~Cade and I leave July 4th (Happy Birthday Julie!) for Church camp in Alabama for a week-very excited. Our special babysitter will be with the girls everyday.

~I'm still struggling with my weight loss.....that I don't post about anymore.

~I love running, again.

~My keyboard is sticking, hmmmm.

That's all I have right now.

Recent Cakes

2011-06-21T07:46:00.001-07:00

Menu-Plan Monday

2011-06-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this in awhile, so I thought I would post about it today. I still menu-plan weekly, but I haven't posted about it in awhile. This is our dinner menu, we typically have vegetables with it. Right now we have lots of tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini (from our garden). And fresh fruit for dessert! Soon it will be watermelons from our garden-yum, can't wait!

Monday: Beef fried rice

Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Wednesday: Cheesy Macaroni-Beef Skillet

Thursday: Chicken and potato bake

Friday: Pizza and Smoothie night

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Baked Potato Bar

I'm going to link this up to Orgjunkie's website, so check out what everyone else is eating this week.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

My blogging break is over. I needed a break, wasn't sure I had much to talk about. I know, you're shocked. We've been very busy and school is still in session until probably June 30th, but we're down to just Math and History. Today will be pictures from our vacation.

Vacation!

2011-05-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

I did not succeed in organizing anything in my house this week. This week, I guess you could say, was about maintaining and cleaning. I also had a cupcake order to complete and a vacation to get ready for! We are headed to Galveston for a get-away and staying in a beach house. I CANNOT wait to get away. To unplug and just be with my family. We don't plan on going anywhere while there! Maybe out to eat once but other than that we will be in seclusion where we can focus on each other and build a few memories. Have a lovely week or two!

Play Time

2011-05-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

My friend, Jennifer, and I started a version of our own "Mom's Day Out". She came up with this wonderful idea and I have LOVED it. We do it once a month for each other for about 3 hours (9-12 usually). We both homeschool and it's really great to sometimes take care of things without the kids or rather just easier! I had all of the kids last Friday.

We did a Mother's Day craft but apparently I haven't downloaded that yet. Oh well, maybe next time!

52-Week Organization Challenge-The end of our bed

2011-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

And.....I'm back....to organizing and de-cluttering the homestead. Things seem to be back in control and I'm ready to re-focus my energy. This week (or rather for last week) I chose the end of our bed. Much like that big corner in our room, the end of our bed is the local stomping ground for......everything. If I don't have time to deal with it, then that's a great spot to drop something off. Seriously? Yep. The last picture is what it actually looks like. That is a box of pictures and photo albums.....can I make that part of my organization challenge???

Anyway, Laura over at orgjunkie.com asks questions each week:
Questions to ponder this week:

1.Do you sometimes use limited funds as an excuse not to get organized?
~Absolutely! I may need a new "product" in order to get organized. If I don't have it then, sorry, I won't get it organized. :)

2.What’s on your list to organize this week?
~ This week I think I will work on the girls' room, specifically their dresser drawers. It seems like I am always having to do something in this room. 2 girls in one room equals constant cleaning!
3.What one task do you notice yourself continually putting off? Why do you think that is?
~ That's easy....our master closet. Lord help me! I keep putting it off because it is going to be a beast to organize!

Pneumothorax......what?

2011-05-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

So, last Sunday Jeff went for a bike ride and it turned his world upside down. Let me preface this story by saying Jeff is physically fit. At this point in his life, he is in the best shape he has ever been in. He's been running, biking, working out for quite some time. Eating healthier, etc.

So imagine my surprise when Jeff comes back from his bike ride stumbling into the house, clutching his chest and can't catch a breath. How fast do you think it took me to go into "freak out" mode? It's not a good mode for me! I wanted to call 911 but Jeff was insistent that I not do that. He said as he was riding, he was hit with this severe piercing pain in his chest and couldn't breathe. (Okay, so I'm thinking some type of cardiac event, right?)

He was able to finally catch a breath, but the intense pain did not let up. Silly man took a shower and went to a Church meeting. I begged him to go to the emergency room or at the very least go to the urgent care, he instead went to work and then out of town to work for a couple of days. (Maybe this post is more about me venting than explaining what happened to my husband, what do you think?)

He's not sleeping because he's in pain, shortness of breath when doing anything. So when he came home Tuesday night I begged him to stop by the urgent care on his way out of town the next morning and I know you will be shocked....he did. I only thought a possible infection....it was much worse.

They told him to go straight to the hospital through the ER, do not pass GO, do not collect $100. His lung had either partially or completely collapsed and it happened when he was on his bike ride...4 days ago at that time. They told him he would be getting a chest tube and be in the hospital for a few days....um, WHAT!?!?

I won't go detail about my melt down event and hysterical crying.....what if something had happened on that long drive, by himself, to Mississippi? Okay, not going there.

So at the ER the doctor says he actually does not have to check into the hospital....yet. He gave Jeff the option of waiting until Monday to see if there is any healing on its own or to check-in then and have the chest tube put in. Guess what he chose?? Actually, healing on its own would be the less invasive procedure and wouldn't take as long to heal. At this point, he can go to work but 6 weeks of no exercise. :( He chose this option because the doctor recommended it and kudos to the doctor for calling him everyday and talking to Jeff about his symptoms and how he is feeling!!

So, if you read this, could you please say a prayer for my husband. It is very painful. There is only a 20% chance this will heal on its own, please pray Jeff is in the 20%! If you're bored and want to see what a chest tube insertion involves, you can find it on youtube. We don't want that!

Definition: A pneumothorax (noo-mo-THOR-acks) is a collapsed lung. Pneumothorax occurs when air leaks into the space between your lungs and chest wall. This air pushes on the outside of your lung and makes it collapse. In most cases, only a portion of the lung collapses.

Just a test

2011-05-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

Trying to install something on my blog. Just a test.

Easter!

2011-04-25T18:18:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful day! The kids woke up and went through their Easter baskets from us, then we went to Church. Jeff worked in Blast with the elementary age kids and I worked in Boom with the pre-k'ers. We heard the service was wonderful and I know the music was outstanding. We volunteer (along with many others) so that others can enjoy the service with their families. And I really enjoy playing with the kiddos. Anyway, the afternoon was spent with special friends with lots of food (too much), egg hunting with lots of candy (too much), and swimming. It was a wonderful day for celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Organizing....The Playroom (52-weeks Challenge)

2011-04-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is actually last week's project-I took this week off from projects. Jenna's birthday was last weekend and I really needed to get the playroom in order. I organized the toys (got rid of a lot of stuff-shhhh). I've printed pictures to laminate on each of the boxes that toys are in-Barbies, baby dolls, kitchen, misc, etc. My rule now is one box at a time, then put it up and get another box if so desired. I just can't keep up otherwise. So far it seems to be working. I do see a few toys that aren't in their proper place as I type this so we'll fix that today.

I needed the break this week and feel refreshed and ready to get back into it.

Next week, I think I'm heading back to our bedroom again. I will be so glad when that room is done!! Don't forget to head over to orgjunkie's website and checkout what others are organizing!

Happy 4th Birthday Jenna!

2011-04-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jenna's birthday over the weekend. Today is her actual birthday. I think she had a great time. We rented a princess bouncy house and the kids had a great time.

Busy, Busy Week!

2011-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have an incredibly busy week this week, so I won't be blogging. Well, I will have to add something Thursday or Friday-I have been busy cleaning and organizing as well! I have 3 cakes to bake and decorate this week-2 for Friday, 1 for Saturday. The one for Saturday is for Jenna's birthday. :) Cinderella. So up on deck are cakes representing Sweet 16, Tangled, and Cinderella. Family will be coming in this weekend, so that means cleaning! It's so hard to believe my baby is turning 4!! But that's for another post. ;)

So, let me close this post by showing you what I found to buy the girls. I love frugal shopping and finding great bargains and I did with this purchase. This 12-year old girl wanted to sell her barbie house, massive limo for Barbie, about 10 Barbies, a doll head to fix hair, etc. Tons of clothes and accessories. and all the furniture to the house. AND when I picked it up she had added about 6-7 kid Barbies. WOW! The girls were so excited!

I see the car is not in the picture, oh well. I got all of that for $55.00-Money well spent. Cade put the house together and organized it-He is sooooo good at that!

52-Week Organization Challenge-My side of the bed

2011-04-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

This past week I cleaned my side of the bed. I'm very sad because I thought I took before pictures and I didn't!! Ugh! I went around the house and took pictures of my ever-consuming clutter that I can't seem to get a handle on. So let's see if I can give a visual. As you look at the pictures, try to visualize the area around my bedside table completely stacked up with books and an assortment of junk. Then alongside under the window were a line of cute storage bins filled and overflowing all over the floor with papers, magazines, kid stuff. Then heading toward my bathroom were more plastic bins and a box of garage sale stuff. I emptied everything, threw most of it out, found homes for the rest. The paper in the corner is for a coconut tree I was cutting out for the playroom for a school project. It's very empty on that side now and I keep thinking I need to put something under the window but that will just clutter it up again. So it will remain empty for the time being. This took me all week. A much bigger job than it appeared. That and the fact Cloee was recovering from RSV then I got sick. Fun times at our house. This next week I won't be doing a big clean out other than cleaning the house and the playroom. We're having a birthday party here next weekend so I need the "seeable" areas presentable. haha. But, don't worry, the playroom is a DISASTER. So you will get before and after pictures!

Linking up to Orgjunkie this week. This is such a fun challenge-I'm loving it and so is my husband!!

San Francisco- part 2 in pictures

2011-04-06T08:07:00.001-07:00

The last of the pictures.

The Golden Gate Bridge. We walked it both ways. Amazing experience, and boy was it cold!

I thought this was pretty cool. Surfing with a kite or something. Turns out, a guy on one of these rescued a really idiotic high school boy that jumped off the bridge the next week on a dare by his friends. He survived. Most do not.

These men were at the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge doing some work. We got to talk to one awhile later after he came down. You could barely see them from the bottom!

Just thought this was a really cool boat.

On the boat coming back from Alcatraz.

Save me from prison. Yeah, i know, goofy.

Alcatraz- a sight to behold.

San Francisco

2011-04-05T11:25:00.001-07:00

Jeff surprised me with a trip to San Francisco for our aniversary at the end of February. It was a wonderful trip, lots of walking and lots of good food. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, hiked through Muir Woods, visited Alcatraz and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was really great to spend one on one time with my husband. With three kids and the busyness of life, it's hard to have that quality time. It was awesome! Jeff said he would like to plan something like this at least once a year for us and maybe some shorter trips as well. It really is a great way to reconnect with each other!

Everyone has a gig in San Francisco. This woman was an opera singer on the weekends. She had an amazing voice that carried f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

The entrance into Chinatown: We loved this area!

Stopped at a tea shop for some tea sampling-yes, we bought some.

Can you guess his gig? He is GOLDMAN-had to get my picture with him! Of course we saw at least 3 others plus some SILVERMEN too.

Hiking in Muir Woods. It was soooo cold, but what an awesome day!

These guys even had a gig - let's just stop and dance somewhere.

Loved this - Jesus loves you - right there in the middle of the crowd. Way to go anonymous man!

We were able to stop a watch a real and large protest to free Libya. Incredible.

There will be a part 2 in pictures. Thank you honey for an awesome trip! I love you!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Monday:
~B'fast: yogurt, cheesy eggs
~Lunch: Chicken nuggets, applesauce
~Dinner: Ranch Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, green beans

Tuesday:
~B'fast: Banana Nut Muffins, milk
~Lunch: Turkey rolls, cheese cubes, carrots
~Dinner: Nacho Mac 'N' Cheese, Salad

Wednesday:
~B'fast: Bacon Biscuits
~Lunch: Ham and Cheese Hot pockets, zucchini sticks
~Dinner: Crockpot Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, steamed vegies

Thursday:
~B'fast: toast, boiled eggs, fruit
~Lunch: PB & J, cucumbers and ranch
~Dinner: Orange Roughy w/Rice

Friday:
~B'fast: Baked Oatmeal, fruit
~Lunch: Cheese quesadillas, fruit/vegetable
~Dinner: Pizza Night!

Saturday:
~B'fast: Chocolate chip muffins (early soccer game)
~Lunch: Leftovers
~Dinner: Baked Potatoes and salad

Sunday:
~B'fast: Muffins or granola bars
~Lunch: Sandwiches, chips
~Dinner: Spaghetti, garlic bread

Snacks this week include: apple slices w/peanut butter, blueberries, cheese cubes, grapes, strawberris, fruit chews, goldfish, yogurt, smoothies, teddy grahams.

Last week's chicken chow mein was NOT a hit with the family. :( I kind of liked it, but if they won't eat it I won't be making it again. Taco night was the favorite-it always is!

I'll be linking up to orgjunkie's menu-plan monday. Go visit and find yourself a menu for the week!

Organization Challenge-A corner and a fridge

2011-04-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

This week has been a challenge for me and I did not accomplish what I intended. I did get a couple of small things completed. I thought I'd share why I ask my husband to pick the next area to organize. It's simply because I'm horribly unorganized and a clutter maker. Jeff.... is not. He tends to be more on the OCD side and my clutter issues drive him insane. (I love you honey!) Our clutter battles needed to come to an end and I thought if I included him in the decision making process this would help him also. He could pick and choose, the very worst or something not so bad but bothering him. However, when I asked him this week, he said, "I don't know! You're doing such a good job." He did pick my side of the bed. I did not get that completed. :( sorry honey. That will be for next week. Cloee came down with RSV Wednesday and cleaning, organizing projects, and pretty much everything else has come to a halt. Cloee is velcro baby this week so my priorities had to shift.

I did get two smallish projects completed: Our fridge in the kitchen and a corner in our playroom/schoolroom.

I don't have a before picture of the fridge. It was a spur of the moment thing when I heard a "grumble" come out of my husband when he opened the fridge. :) The last two times I have been grocery shopping I did not clean out the fridge. Imagine food stacked to the very front in layers and not being able to see what's behind the front items and if you move them then a whole bunch of stuff would fall out-that would be my "before" picture. Jeff was so impressed when he came home!

Again, I'm linking it to orgjunkie this week! look for her 52-weeks challenge blog entry.

Fieldtrip to the Zoo

2011-03-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Menu-Plan Monday

2011-03-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Another week already? Wow! In the interest of time, I'm not putting b'fast and lunch this week. You get the idea on previous menus. We're busy with school and laundry today.

Monday:
Hamburger helper-style dinner w/whole wheat pasta, vegies, rolls

Tuesday:
Tacos, rice and refried beans

Wednesday:
Creamy spaghetti crockpot with garlic bread

Thursday:
Chicken Chow-Mein (crockpot) didn't make this last week.

Friday:
Golden Chicken with Rice, vegies

Saturday:
Lemon Red Snapper with Herbed butter, sauteed zucchini

Sunday:
Baked Potato Bar, salad

The weekend meals, especially Saturday, are subject to change. Cade has a soccer tournament so that may require a meal out. haha.

I'm linking this up to Menu-Plan Monday over at orgjunkie's website. Check out the many ideas!

Organizing - Corner in the Master Bedroom!

2011-03-26T14:34:00.001-07:00

This job this week was pretty tough. I let Jeff pick what area I should de-clutter this week again. This area in our bedroom used to be the home of our computer, until we remodeled the garage. Unfortunately, before I found the perfect bookcase for the area, it became the holding ground for....everything. Don't know where it goes, throw it in the corner. Needs to be put in the attic, throw it in the corner. Too lazy to put the vacuum up, throw it in the corner....you get the picture, right? I found something I've been looking for since we moved here in April 2002, yes you read that right. I would never have guessed it was where I found it. I'll save it for the picture.

Before:

A whole box of too small shoes.

Making a little headway.

At the bottom in the corner, a box that has not been unpacked since we moved here. Note it says "Master Bath"

Everything in the box-clearly not just master bath stuff!

This is kinda pretty- a wedding gift from I don't know who. Not really my style now.

What in the world were my wedding pictures doing in this box?? I have been looking for those since we moved 9 years ago next month! I had given up hope. And yes, I quit working for awhile as I looked through these pictures I hadn't seen in 9 years! BTW, I sure was skinny back then!

After:

Now, I know me and this cannot remain empty like this, so it is very important that I find a used bookcase to my liking so I can put it there and not fill it with miscellaneous junk again!

I'm linking again to OrgJunkie's 52-week organization challenge. So, go check out what others are doing!

Baking Cupcakes

2011-03-24T14:09:00.001-07:00

I've been in the kitchen again. Someone ordered cupcakes for a lady who is having a baby boy. The animals were made to match her baby bedding. These were quite fun to make!

Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

2011-03-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

6 Servings
Prep: 30 min. Bake: 20 min.

Ingredients:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spread 1/3 cup cheese mixture over each noodle; carefully roll up.
Pour 1 cup spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Place roll-ups seam side down over sauce. Top with remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

(I didn't have any nutmeg and forgot to buy it at the store. It still tasted awesome!)
This recipe came from Taste of Home's Busy Family Cookbook.

Menu-Plan Monday

2011-03-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Before I begin though, I just have to say how absolutely wonderful the spinach lasagna roll-ups were. That will be on my "keeper" menu for sure. I may post the recipe tomorrow if I have time-they were that good!

Monday:
B'fast: Cereal, sausage biscuits
Lunch: beefaroni (ick-working on that!)
dinner: Leftovers

Tuesday:
B'fast: egg wraps, fruit
Lunch: PB&J, apple
Dinner: Out to eat for daddy's birthday-YUM!

Wednesday:
B'fast: Pancakes, sausage, fruit
Lunch: Ham, cheese, crackers (like a homemade lunchable)
dinner: Chicken Chow Mein (crockpot), sauteed zucchini/squash

Thursday:
Breakfast: Banana nut muffins, orange juice
Lunch: Macaroni and cheese (homemade, not the box), cucumbers and ranch
Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner (kids love this!)

Friday:
B'fast: Crockpot Oatmeal
Lunch: Picnic at the zoo-assortment of stuff
Dinner: Pizza night (homemade hopefully!)

Saturday:
B'fast: sausage biscuits, orange juice (early soccer game)
Lunch: Chicken nuggets, applesauce
Dinner: Who knows? may surprise the kids with drive-thru this week, if so then lunch will be changed to something a little better. :)

Sunday:
B'fast: Muffins, cereal, fruit
Lunch: Meatless lasagna (crockpot-different from last week)
Dinner: Leftovers.

In between meals, the kids do have snack times-variety of things. Goldfish, grapes, seasonal fruit, carrots & ranch, fruit snacks-things like that.

I'm linking up to orgjunkie's menu-plan monday so go check her out and the many many more menus and gather some ideas and plan your week!

Week #11 - The Computer Desk

2011-03-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

So, this week I told Jeff to pick an area he would like to see organized. Of course, he said, "Only one?" Yep that's how this works. I don't get overwhelmed, stressed or feel like a failure if I don't accomplish more than that.

Below, is the before picture of my desk area. Also to the left, on the floor, is a box of accumulated papers. I accumulate a lot of papers! I print recipes, articles, and homeschool information!

Below: In the middle of my project. I did take a few breaks. That paper collection was overwhelming for me.

Below: This pile sat there for 24 hours. I just did not know what to do with it. I did figure it out though. ;)

Below: The final product.....it is a thing of beauty. haha.

Below: Storage box I had but it was buried under the pile of papers.

Below: What I have put in the storage box.

Below: This is new. It holds resources, notebooks and our Church directory.

Below: Looks better in this direction.

Below: Another new investment. I LOVE this drawer thingy. It fit perfect.

Below: What's inside the drawer thingy.

And again, in case you forgot. The final product.

This makes me sooooo happy. I think I will let Jeff pick again for this upcoming week. I have a feeling I know what he will choose and it is a much bigger project, but I'm sure I can accomplish it if I break it down into days.

I'm linking up to Org. Junkie's blog of the 52-Weeks of Organization Challenge

Jenna Gets a Hair Cut

2011-03-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it finally happened. Jenna wanted to get her hair cut. I loved her long hair but I have to admit she looks super cute with the new "do".

Look at how long her hair is here (Look in the zebra print of the bottom of her shirt-so long!!)

And TA DAAAAA:

Absolutely beautiful! She loved her new hair and kept swinging it around all day! Too cute!

Menu-Plan Monday

2011-03-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've been menu-planning a little while now. It truly is so much better than just "winging it." Last week I wound up switching days on a couple of things and I never made the chicken enchiladas. But that's okay. I had a plan and now I've moved the chicken enchiladas to today's menu. Typically on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I have to plan crockpot meals or very easy meals like spaghetti. Mondays and Thursdays are soccer and I have to leave the house at 5ish and don't get home until between 7:30 and 8pm. Wednesday is Church night and right now I'm leading a Women's Bible Study, so I have to be there around 6pm. So with that in mind, here's this week's menu:

Monday:
Breakfast: Breakfast bars, fruit
Lunch: Fish sticks, applesauce
Dinner: Chicken Enchiladas, salad, cookie

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Banana-nut muffins, fruit
Lunch: Ham & cheese rolls, carrots and ranch
Dinner: Smothered Chicken, pasta, vegies

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Eggs and biscuits
Lunch: PB&J sandwiches, cucumbers and ranch
Dinner: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (crockpot)

Thursday:
Breakfast: Pancakes and Turkey Bacon
Lunch: Hotdogs and fruit
Dinner: Cream Style Beef Tips over noodles (Crockpot)

Friday:
Breakfast: Toast and Eggs
Lunch: Ravioli, fruit
Dinner: Chicken nuggets and fries (made at home)

Saturday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, fruit
Lunch: egg salad sandwiches, vegie
Dinner: Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups (meatless)

Sunday:
Breakfast: Blueberry muffins
Lunch: Roast Chicken, potatoes, green beans
Dinner: Left-overs - choose your own.

I'm going to link up to orgjunkie's menu plan monday and you can go here to see many, many, many menu plans! It's awesome!

The Tupperware Cabinet

2011-03-10T20:17:00.001-08:00

Okay, I don't really own a lot of tupperware but I don't know what else to call it. The plastic cabinet? I have been inspired by I'm an Organizing Junkie to get a little more organized. She is awesome and I've decided to join in on her 52 weeks challenge. So my first week I decided to tackle the above mentioned cabinet.
Here is the before picture:

It's a mess, really, do I need that much plastic? So, here's the picture of everything on the floor. I threw a lot of it in the trash. We don't need that much plastic and I could use the bottom shelf for something new as you will see.

The last two pictures are the final clean and organized cabinet.

I'm really proud of this and when I open the cabinet door it has a very calming effect on me! The last picture is what I put on a basket that I put on the bottom shelf. This is something new for me so I'm not sure if it will work. It's a basket that I intend for everyone to throw the "kitchen papers" in rather than in the 3 hotspot corners in my kitchen. Anything can go in this basket and my goal is to go through it once a week. That's the problem though. I have done a similar basket idea and I never went through the baskets. I think they are on part of my 52 weeks of organization list. Check back next Friday and see what I tackled next!

Edited Friday morning: I'm linked up to org junkie's website for her challenge. You can click on here and visit lots of people's blogs who are in on the challenge!

Menu-Plan Monday (On Tuesday)

2011-03-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Thought I would try something new. Some time I hope to learn how to link up to the recipes but for this week I'm not. I have a new link to the right. I love this woman's website. I aspire to be her, I will never make it! I'm not an organizing junkie but I am learning a lot from her.

Monday:

B'fast: Eggs and biscuits
Lunch: Chicken fries, apple sauce
Dinner: Cheese Quesadillas (sp?)

Tuesday:

B'fast: Biscuits and sausage
Lunch: PB&J sandwich and bananas
Dinner: One pot spaghetti

Wednesday:

B'fast: Oatmeal w/raisins
Lunch: Ham&Cheese hot pockets, vegies w/ranch
Dinner: Eash Chicken Enchiladas, vegies

Thursday:

B'fast: pancakes, turkey sausage links
Lunch: Leftovers or turkey/cheese rolls with apples
Dinner: Either Leftovers or pizza-depends on lunch

Friday:

B'fast: Eggs and biscuits/pancakes, orange slices
Lunch: ?? (on the road or at home)
Dinner: Tacos with friends

The one pot spaghetti and chicken enchiladas are new recipes I got from the I'm an organizing junkie website to the right of my posts. We're going to a friend's camphouse this weekend so that's why I didn't put Saturday or Sunday right now. We'll be back Saturday night but I haven't thought about Sunday's meals yet. :) Menu planning really helps with eliminating the 5pm rush of "what's for dinner". I usually plan on the weekends and the shop from that list-which also saves money. Try it, you will like it!!

Jenna's first choir program at Church

2011-03-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Jenna started Little Lambs Choir this year and she LOVES it! She loves her teacher, Mr. Rick, even more. He is so awesome with the kiddos-they all adore him. You can see him playing his guitar in the middle of them. This was their first song in front of the whole church. Jenna told me that morning that she was a little nervous so I wasn't sure how it would go. But it went great and she sang and smiled, propped her hand on her hip and even gave her daddy a "thumbs up" in the middle of the song. It was great! We have a great group of 3-6 year olds learning to be followers of Jesus.

Excitedly waiting to get on stage!

Happy Birthday Cade!

2011-03-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

March 4, 2000 - our sweet baby boy, Cade, was born in Ukraine! Today is his 11th birthday and I still can't believe it. 11? Really? I want to slow down time, he is growing up too fast. I will get sad if I think about it too long. Enough of that Mama. Cade is growing into a wonderful young man. I thank God for him, he is such a blessing to us!

This is Cade today, March 4, 2011. Love you Cademan!

Our Homeschooling Day

2011-02-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post about what our day looks like. There are some things that I want to change for the next year but for now this works. Everyone gets up between 7-8am. We eat breakfast and I drink my coffee. Then:

~CADE:
completes his morning chores-this includes things like making his bed, bathroom hygiene, and taking care of the animals (food, cleaning and refilling water bowls).
Scool starts around 9ish. I'm not very strict on this, several times it's been 10ish. :0 Typcially he does his independent work first because I am doing things for the little girls and can't give him my undivided attention at that time. His independent work includes Handwriting, Daily Grams (part of Grammar), journal, and maybe his silent reading. He then will take a break for 15-30 minutes usually. Sometimes not if he is super focused. I allow Cade to pick and choose which assignments he wants to complete in whatever order he wants. If the girls are playing independently sometimes I will jump in with the assignments that require more of my help. Science and Grammar for instance. Cade has matured over the year regarding his ability to work independently. This is a good thing. At the beginning, I had to sit with him while he worked. I have a lesson plan book that I fill out each week and he pulls it out of the "teacher's box" on Mondays and begins to work his way through. Anyway, back to our day. Depending on Cade's focus that day, he can be finished with school by lunch, 2-ish or find himself still doing work at 3-ish. When the later time occurs that is usually because he is not very focused and it may not be a good day either. I try to keep that minimal routine in place. We school Mon-Thurs and usually have Fridays off. I love a 4-day school week and so does he. He is allowed to take breaks whenever he wants and he is allowed to take as long as he needs on the assignment. Cade has ADHD and more times than not, I find him at the kitchen table standing up to do his work. This includes a lot of bouncing, pencil drums, strange noises coming out of his mouth. He is not required to sit still as in public school. This works much better for him. His school includes Math (division of money and thousand's place right now), Grammar (adjectives right now), Spelling (18 words every week), Daily Grams (part of Grammar), Handwriting (cursive scripture copywork), Journal (whatever topics I pick), History & Geography (deserts right now), Science (Mars), Bible and silent reading (Hardy Boys #2 right now).

~JENNA:
Her morning starts with breakfast and I won't lie: I let her watch cartoons for awhile but not all of the time. Usually PBS or NickJr. I am working on this and thankfully she doesn't just sit there absorbed like a zombie. She and Cloee play together non-stop unless she goes to her school table to work on school stuff of her choosing. Her table is set up with her art supplies and she will work on that for quite some time. Right now she loves "wrapping presents". I found an old roll of wrapping paper and bought some cheap tape and that girl will be occupied for an hour. She likes to wrap presents for her daddy. If the weather is nice, they will go outside before lunch. Cade goes with them so I can begin making lunch, folding clothes, etc. They eat lunch and if the weather is nice and it's not crazy late, I will let them go out for 15 more minutes before nap time. Ahhhh, nap time. I LOVE nap time (or quiet time for Cade). Everyone does this-this is my break. I usually get 1 to 1-1/2 hours of quietness. When Jenna wakes up, it's snack time and then typically outside time, weather permitting.

~CLOEE:
Generally follows Jenna's schedule. She runs around the house and finds things to play with. She is not required to follow a strict routine. ;) Well, except for nap time but she likes nap time. (She will be 18-months on March 1st).

Cade has shown a lot of initiative lately with school. This week, he finished most of his classes yesterday (Wednesday)so that he only had a couple to finish today. I'm fine with that as long as he keeps a good attitude and gets all of his chores completed during the day.

Things I want to change: I think I want to become more structured in class times. So I will probably try that and if Cade doesn't like it we'll go back to this method. More structure for the little girls. Jenna is showing a great deal of interest in learning more things so I need to start working more with her and organize her day better. I've really slacked on things to do with the little girls. I feel like all of my focus has been centered on Cade this first year of homeschooling, trying to find a good fit for us.

I think that's pretty much our day. I'm sure I left out some pretty routine things and of course, this routine doesn't happen every day. We're fairly flexible at SHINE Academy.

Hunting

2011-02-09T16:45:00.001-08:00

I don't think I've posted these before. I think they speak for themselves. Hunting trips with Dad.

Burdens of the Heart

2011-02-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

My heart is heavy today, it periodically does this when I think of a certain family. I'm going to share a little of the story but obviously without the names because I didn't ask permission but I do ask that you pray for them.

There was a family who fell in love with a young man in an orphanage in another country. The young man was a teenager and lived a hard life-is there any other life when in an orphanage? I believe one of the parents saw this child on several occasions because of mission work. The adoption process started-wanted by all parties-and they scraped, saved and followed God's plan to adopt this boy. He became a part of their family, he became their son in more ways than just name. He was loved, unconditionally......maybe that was the problem. He traveled with them, they had a Church home, visited family. He went to school, they met his needs, helped him get his driver's license, cell phone-all the perks of the American teenager. His pictures showed happiness, showed a child who loved his family and wow, the love they had for him. So many opportunities for this young man. Struggles for the parents....as with any teenager, right.

A giant move for the family to a different State. Things are still seemingly fine, adjustments in the process. Son turns 18 and a few days later he simply packs up and leaves - for good. Left a note and without going into much detail basically said he was done, don't try to find him, and they just had too much love to give. He moved back to the State where they lived. Oddly enough, when one of the parents was back at the old home, they ran into their son. There was no closure, no real explanation but pretty much he was done being their son. Says he didn't use them and all of that stuff. Family offered to let him come back home, clearly he was struggling where he was. He didn't take them up on the offer and soon after even deleted his family from his facebook-that's pretty huge.

I hurt, hurt, hurt for this family. They feel used and probably with good reason. I mean, noone in the adoption world likes to say this, but they truly did save this boy. And we say it to biological children all of the time - they are ungrateful. I simply cannot imagine the pain and certainly don't really see God's plan in this. I do understand there is a plan, I have no doubts. But such pain for such a nice, God-loving family is hard to comprehend. And I know that noone is sheltered from pain, I get that. But they lost their son. And then I think of the son, who was a teenager when adopted, never knowing the true love of a Mom and Dad and not knowing the love of our God. How overwhelming this must have been for him. Parental rules made in love-he knew nothing about. Could his head and heart not handle someone loving him this way? Did he not see himself as worthy? Was it too late for him? Were the walls around his heart so hardened that they could not be broken down?

There is a lot of pain in this family and I imagine with the son as well. Orphanage life is hard, beyond our comprehension. That's not even a fitting statement for orphanage life. When I was allowed to sit with Cade (at 17-months)for a meal in his orphanage, I saw babies learning how to steal each others food when they turned their heads for a second, I saw them licking their fingers to pick up crumbs off of the table and floor. This is what they are learning as babies - already "survival of the fittest"; what have they learned by the time they are teenagers? My heart aches for this young man as well.

Please take some time to pray for this family-all of them. I pray God intervenes in the young man's life in a mighty way so he can realize the pain he caused and for him to allow his heart to open to be loved unconditionally. I pray God gives peace to this family, there is no understanding. I pray He gives them strength to let go and move on so they can find happiness again. I pray He gives them the knowledge that they did all they could for him and they did nothing wrong. I pray and I pray for their broken hearts!

(Edited to add: If you know this family, please don't mention their names in my comment section. TY.)

Weight Loss

2011-02-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I am healing slowly from my surgery. What an absolute pain and boy is it a slow process. The doctor says I'm doing good but I still really hurt by the end of the day.

I'm still working on a healthier me and walking on the treadmill these days. I am sooo looking forward to when I can run again but it'll be at least another month. I forgot to post my weight loss last week. But for the last two weeks I have lost a total of 3 lbs for a total of 14.4 lbs lost. Sure wish I could pull some of those "Biggest L*ser" numbers at weigh-in.

The thing that is really hard for me right now is the fact that I can't tell I've lost any weight. Technically, 14 lbs is a pretty good amount. I really wish I could see it. I think it would really motivate me if I could see a difference. I do have a pair of jeans that I try on every week and it did seem they zipped easier this time so I'll take that this week!!

Happy Healthy Eating!
Lauree

Will she or won't she......

2011-01-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

stay in her new temporary bed? Cloee's crib broke but we're not ready to put her in a twin bed yet so we came up with putting her crib mattress on the floor for now...

She does stay in it pretty good. Sometimes she likes to get up and go mess with Jenna. I have a feeling she will climb up into Jenna's twin bed with her soon. Both girls love Cloee's sleeping arrangements but mostly they like using it for a wrestling mat and a trampoline. Sometimes, every once in awhile, you may even catch Cade wrestling on it with the girls....I know....you're shocked.

Snow (Yes, this was awhile back)

2011-01-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

We don't get snow a lot in East Texas so it's very exciting when it comes! I'm just now posting these pictures, I think the snow was soon after my surgery-can't really remember as I was in la-la land with my BFF painkillers! I do remember Jeff getting the kids dressed and taking them outside. I did get up long enough to walk outside with my camera, laugh with the kids and then climb back in my bed! :)

Weight Loss and Surgery

2011-01-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted about my weight loss journey in awhile. I gained a couple of pounds over Christmas then had surgery on January 3rd. The surgery helped me lose about 5 lbs. So I'm at -11.4 lbs total.

Weight loss is hard. :) And I love food, all food. I need to find a before picture but since I hardly ever took pictures of myself that may be hard.

Healing from surgery is a long process. I'm so eager to get back into my exercising but am limited by my healing process. I am walking on the treadmill again for about 30 minutes.

Surgery? You may ask, what surgery? Well, I had a reduction in the upper region of my body. hahahaha. Something I have wanted forever. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end, but the pain I'm going through is intense....unbelievable. I'm so tired of being in pain that it actually affects my mood. :( The doctor did warn me that recovery is bad and especially the first 3 weeks. She was NOT kidding!

So that's what's going on in my journey to a healthier me.

Homeschool - 2nd semester

2011-01-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

We began our new semester a couple of weeks ago and I have discovered something about myself....I just don't like History. Maybe it's this course (which we won't be using next year). It is a struggle for me to do this class with Cade, poor thing.

We are moving right along in school and Cade still seems to like all of his classes still. I am looking at 5th grade curriculum now, I think we're are going to finish in May and he wants to go ahead and start 5th grade so we'll start that in June. We are still planning going year round. It gets so stinking hot here in the summer-the neighborhood kids don't even come out to play until the evening, so why not??

I'll be changing our whole curriculum I believe, except Grammar and Handwriting. I'm seriously looking into "My Father's World" for 5th grade. One of my friends is using it and seems to like it.

Our day is super relaxed. The kids wake up on their own and then Cade does his morning chores and maybe some exercises to help get rid of all of that stored up energy!! Breakfast then school starts. Since that seems to work, we'll probably keep that up until a problem is noticed. I don't designate time periods for school. Cade does the assignment until he is finished and then moves onto the next class. If he needs a break in between classes that's fine-usually he will complete one of his chores at this time. He does have free/quiet time after lunch which is used for a variety of things. So far that works for us and he still gets done at a reasonable hour. If it stops working, we'll change it.

Frugal Friday

2011-01-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

This was worthy of a Frugal Friday post:

Diapers from the Dollar Store

I never knew those things could be so cheap! And they have held up! So, you don't have to buy namebrand diapers thinking they are the best. Save your money and buy from the Dollar Store or even the generic brand at the great big WM. I spent about $6.00 on a pack of diapers that would cost $8-9 in the name brand.

I discovered Dollar Store diapers quite by accident and so glad I did!

Happy Saving!
Lauree

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from Christmas. We had Christmas without Santa this year and it was a huge success! The kids were still enchanted by the presents and excited about the day. Jenna never mentioned Santa, not once. She did a couple of weeks before Christmas. We had already decided we would neither confirm nor argue about the truth. There was already a small "belief" there and we would simply change the conversation after saying something like "you think so?". Our lives never missed a beat and they missed out on nothing. Even with Santa everywhere, I thought it was amazing how little it was brought up in our house. Every commercial had Santa in it because he is the marketing tool of the Christmas season and the only thing Jenna would say was, "that's Santa". We still watched "Santa" movies and "rudolph"-they are just movies with fake characters as are all other movies. It was never an issue. If you don't make it an issue, then it doesn't become one.

We didn't make a "happy birthday Jesus" cake-maybe one year we'll start doing that. My mom's birthday is Christmas Eve and I just don't want all of that cake in my house! We made a sugar-free cake for my mom (tasted pretty good) and Jenna decorated the whole thing, except for writing the name, but she did tell me what she wanted on there. She was so proud of herself! You'll see a picture below.

Blessings,
Lauree

3 years ago today......

2010-12-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

Jenna officially became a Solberg. We spent Christmas in Chongching, China with 2 other wonderful families-the Woods and Apgers. It's so very hard for me to believe we have had Jenna for 3 years now.

What started as a 6-9 month journey dragged on to a 2-year journey to our sweet little girl. We were tested time and time again. We were in the midst of an "unpredictable adoption" in the international adoption world. It was difficult and depressing and stressful to say the least. There is no way to accurately express my feelings during that time-now. I did blog about those feelings in my first blog Journey 4 Jenna. Countless times my heart was broken and so many tears shed. Never before had I experienced such an emotional roller coaster.

But in the midst of this roller coaster, of this unpredictable journey-the one thing I truly, truly learned is that our God is steadfast in His love for us. God will not take away our roller coasters, he will not take away the stress, the unpredictability but what He will do is carry us through. I learned about Trust in my Savior during that remarkable 2-year journey. I learned to lean on Him and I learned to give it all to Him. I could not handle my emotions by myself during that time and thankfully I didn't have to.

As tomorrow approaches, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I am in awe at the blessings He has bestowed on my family and especially me-a wonderful, loving husband and 3 of the most amazing children. That He would trust me to raise them and love them is humbling.

Do you know my Jesus? It's not hard. He wants you to choose Him, He loves you, He died on the Cross for you. Have you asked Him into your heart? Do you believe He sent His one and only Son to die on the Cross for your sins (for my sins) and that if you believe in Him and that He did this you would have eternal life? Your life will change. You can not reach your full potential without Him. I am always amazed when I think back on my life before I asked Him into my heart and the way my life is now. I thank God for His Son and tomorrow we will celebrate His day of birth.

As for today, we celebrate the unity of our family.

Merry Christmas and May God Bless you!

Love to all!
Lauree

Life, Computer Crashes and Chopped Hair

2010-12-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

I've missed blogging but I'm back.....did you know I was gone?? haha. My computer crashed. It was a sad day. I thought I had lost all of my pictures and my favorites and all of the stuff that you think you would die if you "lost." So far though I have found he was able to save a lot of my stuff, even my "favorites" which included tons of homeschool blogs and resources. I did lose some pre-K homeschool curriculum that I purchased-it was on my computer screen and now it's all gone. Some fabulous unit studies for Cade that he picked out on horses, dolphins, a Christmas one and several others. That makes me sad but I guess I can just purchase those again maybe. The unit studies were on a crazy sale and I'm cheap so that may not happen. :(
Jenna chopped her hair up and this time did a pretty good job at it. It was actually right around Thanksgiving. She was drawing and said it got in her way. We had a nice long talk about the advantages of pulling our hair up in a pony tail or barrettes (sp?) as opposed to just cutting off what's in the way. One piece at the very front is about 1/2 an inch long or shorter. So we're finally about to go get it cut and see what they can do. I'm thinking layers on the side.....

Cade finished up his soccer season and has started basketball, well, practice anyway. Games start in January. Jeff is his coach this year and Cade was very excited that he decided to do it again.

We are on Christmas break now until the 2nd week in January. Cade finished up the semester doing pretty good! We did have to back-track in Grammar one week because I just felt like he wasn't "getting it"-that's the nice part of homeschool-we can go over it until he does get it. Can't do that in public school, you just have to keep moving forward even if you don't understand the concept. He is a math whiz, so he's doing good in that class-very good. I think his reading is wonderful despite being dyslexic and having an auditory processing disorder. I'm proud of him!!

There is an on-line dyslexic class that I want to take-the teachers in Texas have to take it to become certified to teach dyslexia classes. It's kind of expensive, around $400 I think but I know it will help me teach Cade. We'll see.....

My mom is moving near us!!! Yea! We've been trying to get her closer for years. She found a house in the little bitty town next to us, so she'll be about 15 minutes from us now. She moves next week!

Cloee is still growing like a weed and is LOUD! She makes herself known in this house among the 3 kids. She has a mouth full of teeth and we can understand a few words that she says. Her favorite and most popular saying is "hungeeee" for "I'm hungry, feed me!" She says it all of the time. She eats wayyyyyyy more than Jenna does! She's in 18-month clothes and size 5 shoes. I think she'll be moving to 24-month clothes soon. I'm thinking I just need to buy 3 outfits because she grows so fast. She has a closet full of clothes and soon we're going to have to start all over again. Perspective: Jenna is in 3T clothes right now. I'm thinking little sister will pass her in the next year.

That's it for now! Hopefully one more post before Christmas!!

Weekly Weigh-In

2010-12-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

The past week was the first week on the new Points Plus system of Weight Watchers. I think I like it. It really does help you focus on getting more fruits and vegetables. I lost exactly what I had gained over Thanksgiving which I thought was funny.

~lost 1.6 lbs

so I'm back to 8.0 lbs lost. I feel like I'm struggling now. There has always been a point where I just can't lose and really start fluctuating. I've got to get in to see my doctor too for my thyroid check-was supposed to in August. oops. I have hypothyroidism and have had it since I was in 3rd grade.....many, many years ago. I refuse to just let it go and say I can't lose weight. Yes, it may be a little harder and take a little longer but I know I can succeed. Some weeks will be bad, some will be good and my moods about my weight loss will also go up and down.

This weekend is going to be a challenge for me....soccer tournament all day Saturday. A friend of mine says she takes the little fruit and vegetable trays to her daughter's soccer games-I think I may go buy a couple. She was also my boot camp instructor and always has good ideas about that kind of stuff.

That's it for now! Happy Healthy eating!

cowgirl goulash

2010-12-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

I made up the name but the recipe came off of the internet. It's amazing....it's cheap.....it's quick. I was supposed to make something in the crockpot but didn't get it in the pot in time so.....last night I hit the internet to see what I could find. This is so stinkin' easy and everyone ate it up! I made the name for Jenna so she would eat it.

Cowgirl goulash:
~ 1 lb. ground meat (turkey, deer, cow, whatever)
~ 1 can cream of mushroom soup
~ 1 can condensed vegetable soup

That's it....yep, it's the truth.

Brown the meat (get the grease out if you have any) then add the other 2 ingredients and cook until hot. Serve with rice or pasta (we used brown rice). Add a salad, vegetable, roll and there you have it....one of the easiest recipes I have ever cooked!

Happy eating!

School Struggles

2010-12-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we're back into our homeschool routine after Thanksgiving break but I'm still really looking forward to our Christmas break. We are struggling in our homeschool and I just don't know what to do. I'm not sure how people stay sane with little ones running around screaming and arguing and then a son who is struggling with some grammar concepts. I'm feeling pulled in many directions at once.....too many directions. Did I bite off more than I can chew? Wouldn't be the first time.....

I'm beginning to feel like a failure at the homeschool thing with Cade with thoughts of putting him back in school. Or am I quitting because things are just hard right now? He really needs more than I can give him when the other kids are running around. So, we need prayers for our homeschool. I know I'm in a funk about it right now and it wouldn't be the first time. What to do, what to do?

Weekly Weigh-In

2010-12-01T06:50:00.001-08:00

I noticed I have not posted anything since the last weigh-in. boring! I will post Thanksgiving pictures and other stuff later this week. Getting ready for a garage sale-fun times!

Weight Watchers started a new program this week called the PointsPlus so I'm looking forward to trying this one. Most fruits and vegetable are 0 points whereas on the old plan they did have a Points value. Interesting.

I gained this week. :(

~+ 1.6 lbs

I didn't really want to gain this week obviously, but I also didn't want to go over 2lbs because I knew I didn't do as good. I got lazy counting points and our treadmill shut down to be serviced. The treadmill is now fixed and today starts a new WW week for me. Wish me luck and motivation-I need it.

Weekly Weigh-In

2010-11-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Almost forgot this! Was a little disappointed but still a loss.

-.2 lbs lost

have lost a total of 8 lbs so far! Was really hoping to go into Thanksgiving with a 10lb loss but can't dwell on what isn't, right??

My goal is to eat smaller portions Thursday and Saturday and not gain weight this week!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mugshot Monday

2010-11-22T11:43:00.001-08:00

Look at how long her hair is!

Fall Festival Fun

2010-11-19T09:06:00.001-08:00

Weekly Weigh-In

2010-11-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

We had our WW meeting tonight. I wasn't too excited about going after last week. I have to say that even though I lost I was NOT happy about how much. I was very depressed about it for a few days and don't think I even monitored my points as closely as I thought I should have! But I did pretty good I think.

~lost 2.2 lbs
~total lost at this point 7.8 lbs.

I was very happy with this. I exercised this week......once. But I took credit for it, don't think I didn't count it! I really wish I could lose 2.2 again next week, that would put me at 10 lbs, what a hoot before Thanksgiving. A girl can dream can't she?

My weight loss buddies all lost this week so that is awesome and one of them figured out that we have collectively lost 27.2 lbs. That's almost a Jenna. Crazy, huh? But what a great motivator!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

A little catching up. We went on a fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch a while back. I promise I did not teach Jenna how to pose like that. What is up with that?

Weekly Weigh-In #3

2010-11-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hmmmmm......thought about skipping this post but that defeats the accountability factor don't ya think?

~lost .2 lbs

I can't say how disappointed I was about this. It is a loss, I didn't gain any weight, yada, yada, yada......big stinking deal. When you really try and you follow the rules and this is what you get, well, pooh!

I did increase my vegetable intake this past week so I am happy with that. We learned last night that Weight Watchers is starting a new program on November 28th. At this point I can't be excited about that. I'm just learning this program and I bought the kit that includes all of the "Point" books, now I will have to buy the "NEW" kit with the new program.

Well, this certainly isn't an uplifting post about my weight loss journey is it? Oh well, that's life. I don't know what to do different. The speaker last night said people start dropping out at 5 weeks, I certainly understand why. I won't be dropping out; I'm going to keep trying but it's very disheartening when you have so much weight to lose and you lose .2 for a whole week.

So, today starts a new day and we'll just have to see how it goes........

What happened to modesty?

2010-11-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

Modesty in the way we dress? It seems as though people today have no respect for themselves or don't believe they are of any worth unless they are showing more than they should. I never really paid attention to it until, of course, I had children. And I really pay attention now that I teach Sunday School to 7th & 8th grade girls. The teachers in my SS class have told our girls before about skimpy dressing because 1) it's not what God wants for us
2) attracts the wrong kind of guy
3) takes the focus off what's in your heart and places it on the physical

I'm not advocating dresses-only or clothes that completely cover every square inch of you but I don't see anything wrong with that. I just see a lot of girls dressed in very seductive clothes and their parents allow it-i don't understand it. Do we absolutely have to fit into society's standards? Can parents not take a stand with their kids and say, "hey, you're advertising the wrong thing by wearing that" or "in our family, we dress more modestly". Just because the trends say, "looking like a ____ (fill in the blank as you see fit) is where it's at" must we, as parents, say, "sure sweetie, you need to look like every other in the box trendy person".

This is not what I want my son to see growing up and to be tempted by and definitely not what I want my girls to be around. So we are trying to teach our very young children about modesty. As for Cade, I have told him about girls dressing modestly and how I believe that is one small way to glorify God and even her future husband. As for my very young girls, the biggest thing for us is one-piece bathing suits or tankinis. I think if they are used to wearing this by the time they get older, hopefully, it will be less of any issue. We shall see .....

I can remember when I was talking to a mother of a boy in junior high and she said, "I understand that people always believe it's the boy's fault when things happen with their precious girls but if they could only see how their precious girls act around our boys - her son. It drives me crazy when they call his name and stretch and yawn so their shirts rise up to their chest so they can tempt them with their skin and when they bend over so their pants ride down to show their thongs". Nope, not always the boy's fault. Girls aren't stupid, they know what they are doing. Soooo, why not teach our girls to respect themselves and that they don't have to do those things to find the guy God has already chosen for them.

Last night, Jeff paused the tv during a football game and called me in there. Faith Hill was performing. He asked me, "isn't she married?" ummmm, yes indeed she is. "So, why's she dressed like that, there's nothing left to the imagination." And indeed there wasn't. This is what our girls look to for inspiration and what our boys look to and believe our girls should look like. Sad, don't you think?

I've seen young girls that wear dressy short-shorts to church and I think to myself, "what are you doing? and have your parents seen you?" I've told girls in my SS class-put your legs together, you're in a dress; pull your top up, pull your skirt down; I've even told someone to please not wear something again unless she has leggings on under it-all of these things I said with love. These girls know we love them and only want the best for them. But really, what is happening here-in our church?

Jeff and I are trying to raise our children to dress modestly, yes they're very young, but I think that's where it needs to starts. Will we succeed? Only God knows the answer to that. But we'll keep trying and keep teaching them. Our children are worth it and more importantly, God is worth it.

FYI-don't google image search "modesty" for something cute to post on your blog. Um, it pops up a lot of crude stuff. Niiiiccccceeeee.

Weekly Weigh-In # 2

2010-11-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night is our meeting and weigh-in night. Drumroll please........okay that doesn't work on a blog.

~LOST 2.0 lbs

Yea me! I hit my goal of 5 lbs this week (actually 5.4 lbs, I claiming it all folks) so I got my first 5 lb star in the meeting! Yea me!

That's the only goal I made this week. I really need to set some goals I think I will achieve so I don't start feeling like a loser-that only works when "losing" weight-haha-okay I really need to go drink my coffee.

So let's set more goals for this week:

~Lose 2.1+ lbs (this will change the 2nd number in my weight and what a hoot that would be)
~Increase Vegetables by 2 per day (Oh my!)
~Exercise 3 x this week (might as well leave it up there.

That's it. Will try to post pictures of the kids tomorrow from field trips and Fall Festival.

Did you vote?

2010-11-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

I took the kids with me to vote today. Mainly so Cade could see how the process works. He seemed pretty interested. We have a big campaign going on in our little town - wet or dry? I voted to keep our city dry! If you live in the city limits here, please go vote. But if you choose not to, then don't let me hear you complaining about the issues! (she says with a humorous smile)

Weekly Weigh-In #1

2010-10-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

Last night I went to my first weigh-in meeting at Weight Watchers. So here's the skinny (Bahahahaha):

~Lost 3.4 lbs

I was very excited to see this and it was more than I anticipated. I tried not to let the total amount of how much I need to lose ruin my happiness at having a loss this week. It's hard to say the least. I'm still focusing on my 5-lbs. I really hope to hit that next week. I get a "star" for my book mark if I do and it'll be nice to have that for motivation.

The first couple of days were rather hard for me and I wasn't really eating the right things so I ended up being hungry some. I also caught myself emotionally eating Friday. I realized it but did it anyway. It's very hard to change long-standing habits.

I did not reach my goal of excercise 3 x week. Ummmmm, let me be honest here.....I didn't even hit one day. I'm going to try very hard to get some walking in this weekend.

I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. Every food has a "point value" and you just decide how you want to use your points. I had some left over points at the end of my week last night. You're really supposed to use all of your points so I need to work on that. Yesterday was the only day I had "leftovers" so I thought that was pretty good.

So my goals this week:
~reach the 5 lb. loss mark
~Exercise this weekend
~Increase my fruit intake by 1 serving most days (let's be real here-most days)

Anyone else on a weight-loss journey to healthier lives and want to share?

Homeschooling update

2010-10-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Our hs schedule seems to be falling into a nice routine, one that I can live with. After a lot of trials and errors, we seem to be doing fairly well. I won't kid you, the first month was hard, crazy hard. I thought I had lost my mind but with lots of prayer and encouragement, I think we're going to make it.

I try to start school by 9am, sometimes it just doesn't happen with 3 other kids in the house but that's okay because homeschooling is flexible. Cade has his morning chores and I try to get breakfast ready. I am NOT a morning person anymore so I have found the very best thing for me is to take a shower in the morning. That really wakes me up and gets the cobwebs out of the head, even better than my morning coffee. When school starts we will all say the Pledge of Allegiance (I have a little flag that Jeff hung up for me) and a prayer. Then the little girls play for a few minutes while I go over Cade's daily to-do school list. At this point he then takes his independent work to his room (bed or desk, doesn't matter to me). I then work with Jenna and Miss K for about 30 minutes on pre-school stuff and that's it for them for the day. They do other things throughout the day - puzzles, cutting, gluing, play dough, dress up - you name it they've done it!

Now for Cloee - this girl sleeps late! A lot of times I will go wake her up at 10am! She is our official night owl. She goes to bed at 7:30 but sometimes, okay most nights, she wakes up and plays in her crib. It's crazy. She will also take an afternoon nap for a couple of hours.

Cade is free to come ask me questions during independent work time unless I am working in that 30 minute slot with the girls. If that's the case he will then move to something else and come back to the trouble area. Once he is done with independent work he is free until we sit down to work together. It's usually Spelling and Grammar that we do together everyday. Sometimes Science, history, if there is a lot of reading required and we'll take turns reading. This usually happens during quiet time so we can work together without interruptions. He also does his silent read during quiet time. Unfortunately, my read-aloud has fallen off the wagon. Hopefully I will get that back into full swing soon.

Overall I think we're doing just fine. I do think we are too "school" regimented. Next year I know I will change things but for now this is working and Cade likes the workbooks. He is doing better at thinking independently. At first this was a HUGE problem and he wouldn't do any of his classes on his own. Now he can with confidence and come to me when he has problems.

picture posting

2010-10-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Bring it on - Weight Watchers

2010-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, the ugly truth is my weight has gotten out of hand.....actually I let it go crazy! I'm not sure why. Yes, I have a couple of hormone issues that make it a little harder to keep weight off, but really, so what? That's just an excuse. My hormones are stablized periodically so why don't I lose weight then. What happened to my motivation? Do you know that I have run in various races, a half-marathon and a full marathon in 2005 (and I finished)? What went wrong? I could name excuse after excuse - kids, family, work, lack of energy, other commitments, yada, yada, yada and the excuses go on and on. But ultimately, it's my responsiblity. And I just simply let it go. My health was not a priority and I let every other thing in my life take priority. Now I'm living with Diabetes and High blood pressure - that's my life. Really? Me? The one who said that I would not become an overweight mom/wife like so many do? Yep, it's me. I'm tired of it; embarrassed to go anywhere, uncomfortable in my skin and F.O.R.G.E.T. clothes shopping!

So, I'm taking charge again, becoming responsible for my health again. I joined Weight Watchers last night to help me gain some control again. My weight loss goal is very intimidating. I can't even really think of it. They do a 5% goal and a 10% goal. Those intimidate me as well. So I am focusing on the 5 lbs. they talk about. That seems obtainable to me at this point. The thing with WW is that it is slow going. My mind wants FAST results - 50 lbs by next week please! and then of course I would gain 60 back, anyone know what I mean? So, if you're a reader of my blog you get to join my journey-hopefully you won't get too bored.

I wish I was confident enough to put a picture of myself up to show the "before" but you will just have to look at our family picture to get an idea-sorry. I think I will put one up at the end to show before and after. I will do a weekly weigh-in and post that-no matter what-even if I gain that week (Please NO!) - oh, and to clarify-it will be pounds lost or gained, not my actual weight-HA - no way!!

This is another form of accountability for me. Several of my friends joined with me and they will be my other "accountability" partners. Anybody want to join with me and report their weight-loss journey to better health and living longer for our children? My exercise goal right now is to do something 3 x per week. I know it's not much but it's a goal for now. I will increase it and certainly if I do more now, well, that's just icing on the cake (which I will not be eating right now!)

So, wish me luck and a strong will!

cake!

2010-10-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

2 cakes I made for this weekend.

Homeschool in pictures

2010-10-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Reading together

The coloring book station

My version of a tray system - choose your project

Music appreciation with Cade's Ipod

No school is complete without dress up time

The student hard at work

Tray work - this was a big hit

We do have time for smiles!

Homeschooling

2010-10-07T06:34:00.001-07:00

What do the little girls do while I'm homeschooling Cade?

Why....they hang out in the dog cage of course!

Cloee's birthday

2010-10-05T06:30:00.001-07:00

okay, yeah, well, I'm late with this. Since her birthday was over a month ago. We had a small celebration at our house. She got lots of clothes and some toys and had a great time.

Please note the pretty birthday sign hanging up with the orange duct tape. When you instruct your husband to hang up party signs you may want to indicate with what - flaming orange just doesn't match my theme does it? And, bless his heart (that's for Ryan & Kristin H), he didn't even realize it. Love that man! :)

Clothes Fairies

2010-10-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE clothes fairies-they save me soooo much money! I've had 3 visits recently and man, oh man, my cheap self loves it! First, my nephew had a growth spurt. Yea for me! He is the same age as Cade but now a little bigger so we got 2-3 sacks of clothes-wow! And shoes-woohoo! Cade is covered for the winter-what a blessing!!

Little miss KK that I keep during the week had some of her stuff cleaned out and Jenna got a bag full of clothes. She went from zero coats this winter to 4-wow. She won't need 4 so maybe I can be a clothes fairy for someone. She does need a Church coat, saw a cute one at T@rget last night, but, alas, I really have become cheap and wouldn't pay $24.99 for it. I believe she is covered for winter (definitely in pants and dresses) but may still need a couple of pjs and long sleeve shirts.

Cloee has had 2 clothes fairies recently: Jenna and her friend Jolie. She now has a clothing bag full of shoes from Jolie and winter pjs and well, everything. I was cleaning out the girls' closet and found 2 huge garbage bags of winter clothes I saved from Jenna. 18-months! perfect! Cloee needs NOTHING for winter and probably has too much! Jenna had lots of clothes because that was when I was working and was ignorant about being frugal! I may even clean out some of those winter clothes to bless someone else with. If I do that, then there's less laundry for me to do, and really, I like that!

This should have been a Frugal Friday post but well, I didn't feel so hot, so never got around to posting. I love my clothing fairies! I hope you are lucky enough to have one or two. BTW, that cute term "clothes fairies" is from my friend, Jennifer-not sure I would have come up with that all by myself! And if you count the fairies it was actually 4, I just didn't count Jenna. ;)

Have a great weekend!

September 30, 2009

2010-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

The day our world tilted on its axis. We have another daughter who is in Heaven now. Cassie Jamila. She died one year ago today. She died from Malaria in an orphanage in Democratic Republic of Congo. She was a very sick little girl. I never got to hold her other than in my heart. I wasn't with her when she died and I did not get to say good-bye to her at her burial. It's a thing that continually comes to mind. A regret I continually give to God, but take back from Him because I don't know how to let Him keep it. I know "she's in a better place" and all of the other platitudes you hear but it didn't always make me feel better. I miss this child of mine who was meant only to be in my heart and not in my arms.

This past year has taught me many things. That you can grieve and find joy in life at the same time. I remember holding Cloee for the first time and it was surreal - bittersweet. I was so happy to have her in my arms and then, too, I ached for my sweet Cassie, who I would never hold while on this earth. I experienced a complete dependence on my Lord and Savior-my Father. I could NOT do this, I knew that. I knew it when I cried on the phone with Jilma, our attorney. I knew I would not survive this unless I gave everything of me to my God. And I did. Completely. There were no "whys", no "please bring her backs", and no anger towards my Heavenly Father. My anger was toward the government, the system, the lack of medical care, the lack of funds, etc. I gave God my grief and He is the only reason I survived the death of baby Cassie. I cried and cried and cried some more. He dried my tears each time and I know He cried with me. I found my strength through Him unlike any other time in my life. I reached out to Him and gave Him everything and He answered and I survived.

Cassie's death and the arrival of Cloee are too much for my earthly understanding, if that makes sense. Without Cassie's death, there would be no Cloee Solberg. I can't imagine there not being a Cloee in our lives. When these thoughts occur, these are the ones that must go directly to God - immediately, because there is no understanding. God has taught me about joy. The joy of life. It doesn't stop and we just do the best that we can. Thankfully we have the option of choosing God and having His help and it can be better than expected.

It's been a hard and difficult year. God has also blessed me so much this year. Cloee coming home, quitting my job to be a stay-at-home mom, a husband that supports me in all my endeavors. He continued to bless me in the midst of my grieving. Today I thank God for His blessings and that includes Cassie Jamila. I love you baby girl and I will hold you when God says it's time.

Blogging Tidbits

2010-09-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

I have added a feature in the right column where you can subscribe to receive notifications of new posts by email if you'd like. Simply put in your email address.

Also, under my header to the left is a button named "home". If you go anywhere else in my blog you can simply click on "home" and it will take you back to my homepage and most current post.

That's it for now!

Dallas Cowboys Stadium

2010-09-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium-they were having homeschool day there and offering tours and lessons on the new stadium. It was awesome! We went with some other homeschooling friends and talk about fun when they got to go down on the field and run around!

Back up

2010-09-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

I'm back up and ready to start blogging again! Check back soon!

editied to add: Found "Blogs For a Cause" through my friend, Chelese's website-Countdown to Congo. Check out Blogs for a Cause on my sidebar-love her!!

Stay Tuned

2010-09-22T10:25:00.001-07:00

Again. :) We are working to change a few things, will return soon!

I found it but.....

2010-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

okay, i found my gadgets, but still have a lot of messed up stuff. guess I needed to take a break from freaking out last night. I just want to change one thing and I can't figure it out!! This is driving me nuts!

Under Construction

2010-09-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is just wonderful, lovely, so exciting....

I just screwed up my blog.....now what happened and where are all my gadgets? Ugh! Guess I'm going to put this blog "under contstruction" until I can get it fixed or something....I have no idea what I did and I'm very sad. C-R-A-P yes, it's a well-deserved word tonight.

Cloee Stats:

2010-09-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Cloee had her one year check up: She's healthy! These are the results:
Length: 82% ummmm, wow-we've never seen that before.
weight: 28% that seems low, but Dr. not concerned, said she's going to be tall and skinny-said she'll be our model. haha.

She is walking and trying to run; she eats our food and assumes she should get food every time someone else eats, even if she just ate; She can pick things up with her fingers, she says a few short words-dada, mama, ni-ni (night-night) and I'm sure there's other words but I don't understand her language yet; she loves music-bops her head and shakes her booty just like her big sister; She has several teeth and a bunch coming through-FUN times!; She is off the bottle and uses a sippy cup; loves to sing with you when you sing songs; she adores her sister and brother; she and Jenna chatter and laugh for hours at night (they do get in trouble at some point, I mean really, 11pm and they're still giggling and jumping around?); She is happy; She has a TEMPER; she doesn't like strangers; she prefers to be with me-attached to my leg, in my lap, arms-doesn't matter ;), she doesn't like to share (nor does her sister-I see fun times ahead with this); she is a thumb-sucker; She has the cutest gap between her top 2 teeth (I love it); she is a joy and I'm so lucky to get to stay home and raise her.

She is a blessing and I love her.

Should Santa be Retired?

2010-09-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, Santa has not been as fun as I thought. Cade asked quite awhile back about Santa and we told him the truth. I told Jeff I wasn't feeling Santa anymore and he was so relieved. He agrees with me in thinking Santa should retire.

I only know one person who doesn't "do" Santa and I know it has been difficult for her because her children know the truth and it's not the popular choice. So what happens when a child is confronted with "Santa" and they don't do the "Santa" fantasy? Children are honest and certainly speak their minds! So, I've read that some people teach their children that "Santa" is a fantasy, like the "toothfairy, Easter Bunny, etc" and that their family chooses not to "do" the fantasy, but that a lot of families choose to "do" the fantasy.

I am perfectly comfortable with retiring "Santa" from our house, but it is not the popular choice. I'm wondering if there are others out there who don't do the "Santa" game and if so, how do you blend that with your family and friends who do.

Tasty Tuesday

2010-09-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

I made a dish tonight that I just had to post about! We loved this recipe....the kids did not. But it was DELISH and fast and easy!

Guacamole Chicken:

1 lb. chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
8-oz. pkg. guacamole
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3/4 cup salsa
diced green onions or chives

1. Brown chicken pieces in large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Mix in guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Heat until warm.
3. Garnish with onions or chives
4. Serve over rice.

Easy dish. My variations: I used light sour cream, only used 1/2 cup salsa, and did not use any onions or chives.

I think this meal would be perfect with a crusty bread and a salad, we had neither! This recipe makes 4 servings. If you have more than 2 adults I would most definitely double it!

Curriculum Changes

2010-09-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Some days are good, some days are bad. I'm sure most of it is related to my inability to get completely organized. I'm trying. One thing that is bad and has stayed bad is my choice in Language Arts curriculum for Cade-He hates it and at this point I'm not that crazy about it either.

We were using Switched on Schoolhouse (SOS) Language Arts. It's computer based and I thought it might be really good for Cade.
W-R-O-N-G!
So after another battle yesterday, I threw in the white towel. I sat Cade down and talked about what he would like so I started researching. We went to the Christian Bookstore and sat down with several curriculums. He wanted a separate Spelling curriculum - SOS combined it all. So we decided on A Reason for Spelling.

We also use A Reason for Handwriting and Cade seemed very excited about this Spelling curriculum.
We also decided on "Easy Grammar" for his Language Arts. I had never researched this curriculum so we'll see..... But Cade was excited about this one so it's worth trying.

This is the teacher edition and there is also a student workbook.

So that's what's going on in Homeschool this week. Our schedule is working better. Next week we will get up even earlier so I can work with Cade on Language Arts while it's still quiet. Our School has a 4-day weekend starting today. Cade was very excited about that....as was his Mom!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Cloee

2010-09-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turns 1 today. She had a very rough start but because of God's Grace she is with us today. Thank you God for her!

In Congo, waiting to come home!