It's been almost 17 years since my grandmother passed away. It took many years to grieve that loss, but even now I still find times when I am desperate to talk with her. This is how it would've gone today:
Me: "Hi, Grandma."
Grandma: "Hi, baby, how are you?"
Me: "I miss you."
Grandma: "I miss you too."
Me: "Some amazing stuff is happening, and I want to tell you all about it."
Grandma: "Okay, shoot!"
Me: "Well, to start, last night I had a horrible dream that momma died in a car wreck. Daddy was a mess, and it was just awful."
Grandma: "Well, you know she's okay, right?"
Me: "Yeah, but I had to text her first thing this morning, because it was just so real!"
Grandma: "You always have crazy dreams. Do you remember those dreams when you were little?"
Me: "Yep. I love that you remember everything I tell you."
Grandma: "Well, not everything, but I try to listen."
Me: "I love you, Grandma."
Grandma: "I love you too, baby. Tell me about the rest of your day."
Then I'd go on to tell her about the article I read on facebook about blessings, and she'd give me her best advice on that, but mostly let me process it aloud with her as I always need to. I'd tell her how God has been moving in me and coming out my mouth, and surprising me with things to say and speak over others. She'd affirm my love for Jesus, remind me to pray, and read my Bible. She'd share a story from her wealth of life experiences.
I'd tell her about my amazing friendship with someone that I've spent so little time with, but feel a kindred soul with. I'd tell her about the lunch with this friend today, what I ate, what she ate, what we said, and so on. If somehow I left a detail out--she'd notice and ask.
I'd tell her about the massage I had today--a mayan abdominal massage. A new experience that left me feeling great, and that I'd done it sooner. She'd have me slow down, spell that, and ask where she could get one. She'd tell me she's glad I'm taking care of myself, and I should do it more often.
I'd tell her about my awesome kids. I'd hear the ache in her voice to want to be here with them, holding them, kissing them, laughing her big laugh that made her whole body shake. I'd think how I hope to be even just a fraction of the grandma she is to me when I become a grandmother.
She wouldn't want to hang up, but I'd know it was time to let her rest. I can talk and talk, and she'll listen and listen no matter how tired she becomes.
Me: "Grandma, I love you. I can't wait to see you again. I can't wait for your big hugs."
Grandma: "Me too, kiddo. I love you. Be good."
I know that day is coming. I sometimes long for them more than food and water. It makes me think though, do I long for the Father like this? Do I long to tell him about my day? Do I ache to feel his embrace? Can I hear his voice so clearly in my mind, as I can hear my grandma? I know the day is also coming soon when I will be in His presence. Will I have a good story of my life to share? Will I be overwhelmed with joy? I am so glad though that Grandma will be there with me. I am assured of that.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Flexible Learning Schedules
One of the greatest things about schooling at home is that our schedule is adaptable. We school when it is convenient for us! Which sometimes means my kids do schoolwork on snow days or holidays. Or, we take off a random day to work on house projects.
The weather has turned pretty cold in Colorado. It seems like it is pitch black before 6PM. Today the sun is out, and my kids are currently running and riding bikes. Have we done much school? Nope. We read books earlier this morning, but that's it. They are aware that later this afternoon we'll hit the books, but right now--enjoy the sun while you can! We do something similar in the summer--play while it is cool in the mornings, learn in the afternoons when it is too hot outside.
I am the type of person who easily gets into a "get the work done first--play later" mode. I like to make my list, cross off the items, and then enjoy the rest of my day. I'm learning that sometimes life doesn't work that way, and if we are not flexible we'll miss great opportunities that God is giving us right now.
You know another great thing about homeschool? Learning happens ALL the time--even when we're not at the table. My kids just told me they spotted a hawk & they want to look it up in the bird book. We're studying birds in science right now, and they are fascinated with all the various kinds of birds that are in our neighborhood. They grab their field guide and sketchbook and off they go! My little Audubons. When we left public school for the final time, my son HATED school. My husband and I knew that one of our goals had to be re-instilling a love for learning with him. I love seeing his eyes get wide with excitement over something we're studying. It may not officially be a science day on our schedule, but that hawk is here right now. Good thing I'm learning to be flexible.
The weather has turned pretty cold in Colorado. It seems like it is pitch black before 6PM. Today the sun is out, and my kids are currently running and riding bikes. Have we done much school? Nope. We read books earlier this morning, but that's it. They are aware that later this afternoon we'll hit the books, but right now--enjoy the sun while you can! We do something similar in the summer--play while it is cool in the mornings, learn in the afternoons when it is too hot outside.
I am the type of person who easily gets into a "get the work done first--play later" mode. I like to make my list, cross off the items, and then enjoy the rest of my day. I'm learning that sometimes life doesn't work that way, and if we are not flexible we'll miss great opportunities that God is giving us right now.
You know another great thing about homeschool? Learning happens ALL the time--even when we're not at the table. My kids just told me they spotted a hawk & they want to look it up in the bird book. We're studying birds in science right now, and they are fascinated with all the various kinds of birds that are in our neighborhood. They grab their field guide and sketchbook and off they go! My little Audubons. When we left public school for the final time, my son HATED school. My husband and I knew that one of our goals had to be re-instilling a love for learning with him. I love seeing his eyes get wide with excitement over something we're studying. It may not officially be a science day on our schedule, but that hawk is here right now. Good thing I'm learning to be flexible.
Parasite Cleanse Day 2
Breakfast
Pumpkin-cranberry baked oatmeal
Scrambled eggs
Herbal tea
Lunch
Beef franks
Snap peas
Carrots
Blackberries
I had an apple
Dinner
Black bean and corn stew
GF, SF, DF cornbread
Green salad
The kids are managing the no sugar thing well. I made some hot cocoa last night. Being that stevia was the only sweetener it was a bit intense. Everyone liked it except for our little girl. She's very much looking forward to the treats she knows are coming with her birthday this weekend. I'm trying to keep her sugar desires in check. Not an easy task.
Since starting the detox two weeks ago, I've lost over 5 pounds. I wasn't aiming to lose weight, but it is a nice side effect. :)
Monday, November 11, 2013
De-tox & Cleanse Pt2
Today is day one of the parasite cleanse and the last day of the herbal detox. The herbal detox went well with only a couple cheats (mainly due to poor planning). I am pleased that I started the herbal detox prior to my family starting the parasite cleanse. This allowed me nearly 2 weeks to refine recipes, as well as to prepare my kiddos for the strict diet changes. I am surprised how well they adjusted to the meals I planned, and the idea that they wouldn't be having dessert for quite a while.
I didn't have to make crazy changes to most of our dinners. Breakfasts and lunches are a bit more of a challenge, but I think I've got some good ideas to get us through it.
Day One Parasite Cleanse Menu
Breakfast: Almond-Apple pancakes with almond butter and raspberry puree
Lunch: salad with carrots & bell peppers, boiled eggs, quinoa noodles, and anything else I can find in the bare cupboard (shopping day is coming)
Dinner: butternut squash soup and chicken apple sausages, green salad
Other meals coming up:
Black bean and corn stew
Roasted chicken
Tortilla chicken stew
Roasted sausages and vegetables
Cheeseless chicken enchiladas
Pumpkin polenta, chorizo & black beans
Almond & Raspberry sandwiches
Chicken lettuce wraps
Beef & butternut squash stew
Sweet potato & sausage hash
Pumpkin cranberry baked oatmeal
Zucchini chocolate bread
Cinnamon spice oatmeal pancakes
I didn't have to make crazy changes to most of our dinners. Breakfasts and lunches are a bit more of a challenge, but I think I've got some good ideas to get us through it.
Day One Parasite Cleanse Menu
Breakfast: Almond-Apple pancakes with almond butter and raspberry puree
Lunch: salad with carrots & bell peppers, boiled eggs, quinoa noodles, and anything else I can find in the bare cupboard (shopping day is coming)
Dinner: butternut squash soup and chicken apple sausages, green salad
Other meals coming up:
Black bean and corn stew
Roasted chicken
Tortilla chicken stew
Roasted sausages and vegetables
Cheeseless chicken enchiladas
Pumpkin polenta, chorizo & black beans
Almond & Raspberry sandwiches
Chicken lettuce wraps
Beef & butternut squash stew
Sweet potato & sausage hash
Pumpkin cranberry baked oatmeal
Zucchini chocolate bread
Cinnamon spice oatmeal pancakes
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Detox//Day One
Day 1
For a variety of reasons, none of which I plan to share on the interwebs, I decided it was time to cleanse out my body. This is coming in the form of a herbal d-tox:
Followed by a parasite cleanse:
This will take a total of 47 days. Being that we have a couple holidays and birthday during these days, we'll have 3 days that we won't be AS strict as most days. Today is the first day of the herbal d-tox, and it really wasn't bad. Earlier this year I did the Whole 30, though not a cleanse per say, it was a good experience. It mainly opened my eyes to how truly addicted to sugar I am (as well as my kids and husband).
My main goal is to continue my effort to break the sugar addiction (the kids will be doing the paragone for kids). I'll be blogging the experience, mainly to share the meals. Proving to myself and doubters out there, that you can eat delicious, easy-to-make, kid-approved meals that are free from sugar (and gluten and dairy).
Day One Menu
breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and basil
lunch: vegetable soup
dinner: stuffed acorn squash (roasted acorn squash stuffed with quinoa, ground beef, onions, pecans, and dried cherries--no added sugar)
Feel free to comment if you'd like recipes.
For a variety of reasons, none of which I plan to share on the interwebs, I decided it was time to cleanse out my body. This is coming in the form of a herbal d-tox:
Followed by a parasite cleanse:
This will take a total of 47 days. Being that we have a couple holidays and birthday during these days, we'll have 3 days that we won't be AS strict as most days. Today is the first day of the herbal d-tox, and it really wasn't bad. Earlier this year I did the Whole 30, though not a cleanse per say, it was a good experience. It mainly opened my eyes to how truly addicted to sugar I am (as well as my kids and husband).
My main goal is to continue my effort to break the sugar addiction (the kids will be doing the paragone for kids). I'll be blogging the experience, mainly to share the meals. Proving to myself and doubters out there, that you can eat delicious, easy-to-make, kid-approved meals that are free from sugar (and gluten and dairy).
Day One Menu
breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach, tomatoes, and basil
lunch: vegetable soup
dinner: stuffed acorn squash (roasted acorn squash stuffed with quinoa, ground beef, onions, pecans, and dried cherries--no added sugar)
Feel free to comment if you'd like recipes.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Welcome To Our School
This year our kiddos thought it would be a good idea for our school to have a name. I told them it needed to represent our family values. After a few days of deliberation we settled on:
Faith Freedom Academy
I like it. It's simple and directly represents two of our family values: faith and freedom. This morning we decided on a mascot: the Mustang.
I can't wait to get some designing done with my husband to create our school brand & logo. Fun!
The countdown has begun! School starts in 1 week. We're gearing up this week, getting on a regular schedule, and finalizing last minute supplies. I will be posting pictures once we get going (and I remember to get the camera out).
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Schooling At Home...2013
I am incredibly excited about the coming school year. I think that is primarily due to the fact that I gave myself grace to take off all of August to devote to preparing and resting myself.
I've already shared the curriculum we've chosen for this year. One change to my previous post--the kids asked to take the year off from swim. I am a bit relieved (though also bummed--I liked swim), both financially and mentally. I really don't like doing too many activities if it can be avoided.
I've come up with a couple other tips for this year that are at least making me feel prepared mentally.
1. Schedule
Last year I had a flexible schedule written in my day planner. Despite all the fabulous technology available (which I use too) when it comes to homeschooling--I really need a paper day planner. Nothing fancy. I use this one: http://www.ataglance.com/ataglancestore/search/searchResults.jsp;jsessionid=D95EF4B6253FFF3AC351247B5263553D?_DARGS=/ataglancestore/search/facetSearch.jsp, (Mainly because it's pretty, and because I like a monthly & weekly view with ruling!) I keep our lesson plans, as well as our family schedule, in this planner. I use my iCal for everything except for lesson plans.
This year I am also utilizing my alarm app in my IPad as a Bell Schedule! I get lost into whatever we're doing when teaching, and sometimes forget to look at the clock. I put in fun noises to go off to remind us it's time to start the next subject or take a break. Much more fun than using the kitchen timer.
I also used Google docs to create a spreadsheet of our daily and weekly schedule, and to create our yearly calendar. Here's a look at that (daily on the left/weekly on the right)
2. Copying
It seemed like I was always copying lessons last year. Sometimes, I'd realize too late that I should have copied something--leaving the kids to sit and wait (not good). This year, I went to Office Depot & had someone else do it all! Woot! I am so excited to see their work copied, 3-hole punched, and waiting patiently in the cupboard for school to start. Yeah!
3. More Prep
My kiddos attend a homeschool enrichment program on Fridays. This is Eden's first year, and she is so excited. This leaves me a "free" day. I've already scheduled monthly lesson planning days, but I am more excited about my weekly Bible study with fellow moms. Each Friday morning at the local coffee shop we're getting together to simply read God's Word, and apply it to our roles as moms, drink some tea, and encourage one another.
More to come...
I'm hoping to create a grade book this year. I want a quick, easy view of my children's progress. Last year, I e-mailed reports to my husband every other month or so on how the kid's were doing on their math tests and other subjects--similar to a report card. This year, I'd like to be a bit more prepared and regular about keeping track. I admit, I'm more focused on teaching and learning than grading. It's easy for me to see how they're progressing, but my husband doesn't get to see that and I know he likes to hear more in-depth beyond his daily chats with them (or me) on what they're learning.
I've already shared the curriculum we've chosen for this year. One change to my previous post--the kids asked to take the year off from swim. I am a bit relieved (though also bummed--I liked swim), both financially and mentally. I really don't like doing too many activities if it can be avoided.
I've come up with a couple other tips for this year that are at least making me feel prepared mentally.
1. Schedule
Last year I had a flexible schedule written in my day planner. Despite all the fabulous technology available (which I use too) when it comes to homeschooling--I really need a paper day planner. Nothing fancy. I use this one: http://www.ataglance.com/ataglancestore/search/searchResults.jsp;jsessionid=D95EF4B6253FFF3AC351247B5263553D?_DARGS=/ataglancestore/search/facetSearch.jsp, (Mainly because it's pretty, and because I like a monthly & weekly view with ruling!) I keep our lesson plans, as well as our family schedule, in this planner. I use my iCal for everything except for lesson plans.
This year I am also utilizing my alarm app in my IPad as a Bell Schedule! I get lost into whatever we're doing when teaching, and sometimes forget to look at the clock. I put in fun noises to go off to remind us it's time to start the next subject or take a break. Much more fun than using the kitchen timer.
I also used Google docs to create a spreadsheet of our daily and weekly schedule, and to create our yearly calendar. Here's a look at that (daily on the left/weekly on the right)
| Owen | Eden | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||||
| 8:00 AM | Morning Devotional//Bible | BIBLE:: 30 minutes | 8:00 AM | Bible |
Access
| |||||
| 8:30 AM | PASSING | 8:30 AM | PASSING | |||||||
8:35 AM
| LoE | RoH, read, Latin |
ENGLISH:: 90 minutes
|
8:35 AM
|
English//Latin
| |||||
| RoH, read, Latin | LoE | |||||||||
| FLL & WWE | ||||||||||
| 10:05 AM | recess/snack | RECESS:: 15 minutes | 10:05 AM | recess//snack | ||||||
| 10:20 AM | PASSING | 10:20 AM | PASSING | |||||||
10:25 AM
|
Math
|
MATH:: 60 minutes
| 10:25 AM | Math | ||||||
| 11:25 AM | lunch |
History
| lunch | |||||||
| 11:25 AM | lunch | LUNCH:: 30 minutes | 11:55 AM | recess | recess | |||||
| 11:55 AM | recess | RECESS:: 15 minutes | 12:10 PM | History | Science |
lunch// recess
| Science | |||
| 12:10 PM | History//Science | HISTORY:: 45 minutes | 12:55 PM | PASSING | PASSING | |||||
| 12:55 PM | PASSING | 1:00 PM | Music//Art | Music//Art | Art w/Gramma | Music//Art | ||||
| 1:00 PM | Art/Music | Elective:: 45 minutes | 1:45 PM | clean up | ||||||
| 1:45 PM | clean up | 2:00 PM | DISMISS | |||||||
| 2:00 PM | DISMISS | |||||||||
2. Copying
It seemed like I was always copying lessons last year. Sometimes, I'd realize too late that I should have copied something--leaving the kids to sit and wait (not good). This year, I went to Office Depot & had someone else do it all! Woot! I am so excited to see their work copied, 3-hole punched, and waiting patiently in the cupboard for school to start. Yeah!
3. More Prep
My kiddos attend a homeschool enrichment program on Fridays. This is Eden's first year, and she is so excited. This leaves me a "free" day. I've already scheduled monthly lesson planning days, but I am more excited about my weekly Bible study with fellow moms. Each Friday morning at the local coffee shop we're getting together to simply read God's Word, and apply it to our roles as moms, drink some tea, and encourage one another.
More to come...
I'm hoping to create a grade book this year. I want a quick, easy view of my children's progress. Last year, I e-mailed reports to my husband every other month or so on how the kid's were doing on their math tests and other subjects--similar to a report card. This year, I'd like to be a bit more prepared and regular about keeping track. I admit, I'm more focused on teaching and learning than grading. It's easy for me to see how they're progressing, but my husband doesn't get to see that and I know he likes to hear more in-depth beyond his daily chats with them (or me) on what they're learning.
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