Thursday To-Do List

Here is my list of things to do today:

Shower and get dressed
Bible study
school
lunch prep/lunch/lunch cleanup
work on baby bib if there is time
Gregory has his 1st degree black belt testing in Champaign tonight so we will have to leave plenty early to get there in time for that. Good luck Gregory!!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Doctor's Appointments

Yesterday was my 31 week check-up. On the way into town I commented to dh that my doctor had never had to deliver a baby during any of my appointmets.....he was always there, on time and ready. I spoke too soon!!!! We got back into the exam room and were the next up and we could hear him in the hall giving instructions. He had to go do an emergency c-section! So I got to see the physician's assistant. She is a very nice lady. Baby is head down, but transverse at this point. Gregory was transverse when I went into labor with him and the nurses manually turned him straight down. I don't want a repeat of that procedure....it is very painful. So hopefully the little tyke will settle fully head down sometime in the next few weeks.

Norman also had an appointment. The doctor is scheduling an MRI to see if they can find the source for the back pain he has been sufferering with all summer.

Otherwise we are both healthy as horses :)

Wednesday To-Do List

It looks like I accomplished everything on yesterday's list. I did cut out one of the pieces for the diaper bag. I think that it will be easy to sew together, but I hate cutting out the pieces and then I will have to find the sewing machine......it tends to get buried with lack of use :) The UPS man brought some books that I had ordered from Rainbow Resource so I was easily sidetracked. Lee is having some trouble with Spelling. We have been using Spelling Power and Greg may continue with that, but Lee needed something different so I ordered A Reason for Spelling. From looking at the book, I think that it will be a perfect fit! I ordered book B but I am sure that we will zip through it pretty quick and begin work on book C sometime in the spring. I am going to give Greg the option of switching over or staying with Spelling Power. He would also be using Book B, but probably at the normal pace. I also ordered some math workbooks from Mindware. The title were Addition Adventures, Subtraction Adventures, Multiplication Mosaics and More Multliplication Mosaics. Greg already did one of the activites. They are going to be a hit too. I didn't work on the baby bib. I was watching TV in bed and fell asleep sometime after 8. I guess that I was tired. Today is a busy day with doctor's appointments and all that so I don't imagine I will get any housework done today. I am so thankful that I had the energy to do a lot of it earlier this week.

Showered and dressed (done)
Bible study (done)
Take TV to repair shop
My doctor's appt.
Norman's doctor's appt.
Spend the afternoon at mil's house
taekwondo

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Blessings,
Carie

Tuesday's To-Do List

I am so very pleased with myself cause even though I was suffering through a major case of the grumpies I accomplished everything on yesterday's list PLUS I vaccumed the living room and master bedroom :) I also wanted to mention that Dh and I (mainly dh) put together the new crib Thursday afternoon, so the master bedroom is completely ready for the baby :) I am very excited and relieved about that. On Tuesday's I don't HAVE to go anywhere so I am hoping to accomplish more homemaking and handworking :)

Get showered and dressed (after I get done here)
Bible study
School
Laundry (probably 2 loads)
lunch prep/lunch/lunch clean-up (I don't know yet what is on the menu)
finish decluttering living room (I have dh's end table left - it is the worst)
declutter the master bath and sweep in there
work on diaper bag (I am adapting a purse pattern for a diaper bag, we will see how it goes)
work on baby bib (if there is time)
supper prep/supper/clean-up (probably sandwiches again)

I think that is all that I will have time for. I hope to get all of this accomplished and then my list will be down by almost half :) YEAH!!!!! Course I am already thinking of new things for a new list, but that's alright. I am taking it one day at a time. I have a doctor's appt. in the morning so I probably won't post a list or update. I will do that on Thursday. Have a great, blessed, Lord-filled day!

Blessings,
Carie

Monday's to-do list

I tend to feel overwhelmed on Monday's. The nesting instinict is in full force and my house is a disaster so that isn't helping things. Here are the things that I hope to accomplish today:

Bible study (done)
School (working on it- they are reading right now)
laundry (one load on the line, one in the washer)
sweep and pick-up the kitchen
declutter living room (this may take a few times)
dust master bedroom
lunch (some kind of steak with some kind of potatoes)
lunch cleanup
fold and put away laundry
supper and clean-up (usually sandwiches on the run)
taekwondo

I will try to post in the morning so that I can be accountable for how I did and also to post tomorrow's list. I have several projects that need to be done before baby gets here and I am hoping that the accountability will help get the projects done!

Blessings,
Carie

What we have been up to lately

I feel badly for my few readers cause most of my blog posts have been about the baby or baby related items. I am sure that most of you are sick of hearing about it. I will admit that since conception this baby has been an all-consuming passion of mine. I have been over-preparing ever since LOL. I don't know what I will do with myself once he finally gets here.

Anyway, there is life going on here that doesn't really have anything to do with the baby. Although I will say that I am getting fat and he is getting heavy.....all of a sudden my belly popped and he is all out front LOL

School is going nicely. I get the boys up at 8 and they eat breakfast while I read from the New testament and Old Testament (Sonlight scheduled readings). Then we work on character studies that I took from the Plants Grown Up Book from Doorposts. The boys are required to work on 1 memory verse and 1 "project" at a time. Lee is really wanting to do the memory work and no projects but I am refusing to let him select a new verse until he does a project :) I am a horribly mean mother, I know. We are also memorizing Psalm 8 together and I am working on Proverbs 31:10-31 personally. Then they go brush teeth, get dressed and pick up their bedrooms. "School" starts at 9. They are allowed to work on subjects in whatever order they please and it varies every day. More often then not, Lee chooses to read first and that really warms my "Mommy heart". Until this year he hated to read. I confess that I am paying them $1 for every 100 pages that they read independently, but whatever it takes right??? We stop for lunch at 11. Greg is almost always done. Lee is almost never done. He really is a dawdler....we are working on that. At 1:30 Norman goes to work and we do science, history and read alouds (Sonlight again). That usually takes until around 3 and then sometimes I require that Lee finish up his assignments depending on the amount of dawdling involved in the delay that day. The routine is working well for us and I am so glad that I choose Sonlight this year. I am convinced that if I was putting stuff together on my own again that I would be a basket-case by now.

Norman bought a trampoline and a 51 inch TV. So far this summer he has bought 2 dirt bikes (for the boys) and the corresponding paraphenalia (helmets, goggles and gloves). Now the trampoline and this huge TV that is taking up half of my front living room wall. I will admit that it is impressive even if it is HUGE and kinda tacky looking. That's alright. He is very pleased with himself and I know that he (and probably the boys) will get much enjoyment out of it. I am watching the History Channel right now.....the cars and people's heads are very large on this TV. My little dog is afraid of it LOL

So now the living room is in shambles until Norman has some time to help me rearrange furniture. I could probably move it myself but I can hear everyone I know throwing a fit when they find out that I did it......especially Norman......man would I be in trouble. We will see how long I can stand it like this.......

I am working on cleaning carpet spots made by my little dog Sadie. Sometimes we over-estimate the amount of time we can leave her home alone :) I got some great cleaner from Walmart that seems to be taking up the "set-in" stains and I am sure that if I keep it on hand for "when it happens" then things will be a lot easier.

I am working on a bib for the baby.......sorry, this isn't a post about the baby is it? Anyway, it is almost done. I decided that I wasn't going to knit a baby blanket cause I have already recieved one (from Norman's grandmother) and I know that my mom is making one.....probably my grandmother too. I made some little knitted hats this spring and some cotton/flannel receiving blankets and now the bib so I can be content that he isn't being neglected by his mother.

My bedroom is also in shambles cause the old TV and entertainment center is going in there. I guess that it is good that we don't have the crib up yet :) I am hoping to get it soon though.

In the evenings the boys and I have been doing Bible speed drills. I call out a verse and they see who can look it up the fastest. Lee is faster, but he lets Greg win sometimes which keeps everyone happy. I am thrilled that they thought this up themselves. It is wonderful to have this activity to end our days together.

Taekwondo is going good. We had several classes off for Labor Day and that was wonderful. I sometimes forget how nice it is to stay at home in the evenings :)

I guess that is all that is going on around here. If you want to know what is up with my spiritually see my post below. I can't promise that the next few posts won't be about baby but I will try to do better in the future :)

Blessings,
Carie

Implementing Romans 12

Our Sunday morning speaker presented a message that was taken from Romans 5 and Romans 12. It was a wonderful message about the Holy Spirit and the hope that he brings to our lives through Jesus. While scanning the rest of the Romans 12 text I decided to study further this week.

I took 3 pages of notes yesterday while reading/studying. I don't intend to share them because I am sure that they don't make sense to anyone but me :) I will however share some ways that I am going to try to implement Romans 12 in my life. These are convictions that I feel God has placed on me, after much prayer. I encourage you to study Romans 12 and see what plans God has for you!

1. My body is a living sacrifice
A. I need to eat nutritious foods in moderation
B. I need to exercise or at least stretch out daily

2. Be not conformed to this world
A. Study topics that I need clarified (partial list: modesty, prophecy, laziness and gossip)
B. form my own beliefs about those studied topics
C. follow those beliefs
****Stay in God's word everyday****

3. Pray about and follow God's leading regarding my gifts (I am sharing what I believe my gifts to be at this point.....I am open to following God's leading in this area though)
A. encouragement (send at least 1 card to someone that God places on my heart each week)
B. teaching (develop my 5 fat files, starting with the above mentioned studies)
C. singing (prepare 1 song a month and SING it at worship services)

4. Work on laziness (at home and elsewhere) - keep my eyes open to ways I can serve God's kingdom

5. Pray constantly

6. Be willing to open my home to others - to do this I must be prepared! I don't expect my home to be spotless or a showplace, but it needs to be moderately clean and I need to be prepared at a moments notice for guests. This also returns to my need to overcome my laziness!

7. Avoid arguing at all cost - be humble in all situations

This is what I am learning. I will probably reread Romans 12 at least once this week. I am praying that God will continue to work on me and in my life. I know that there is much to do - this is just a starting point!!!!!

29 Weeks

Today was my 29 week doctor's appointment. Everything is going well. From now on I will be having my appointments every 2 weeks. I guess that will make things go faster :) The downside is that the doctor said that I couldn't travel farther than 1 hour from my hospital after 32 weeks. I was hoping to go on an overnite trip to a taekwondo tournament in Edgewood, KY (south of Cincinnati, OH). I guess that is out now :( But that's ok. While the guys are gone I guess that I will keep myself busy around here.

Physically, I can definately tell that the pregnancy is progressing. I always get carpal tunnel when pregnant and it is in full swing. My sciatic nerve is also making it very difficult to sleep, sit and walk. I am uncomfortable, but it isn't anything that I can't handle.

We heard the baby's heartbeat on our home doppler today for the first time! That was exciting. I was beginning to think that it would never work. So we have something to entertain us now. The baby was still feet down, but the doctor said that we had until about 35 weeks for him to turn. I sure hope he feels inclined to do so sometime soon.

Guess that is it. I am having a lazy day today. I think that I will work on a cross stitch bib that I started this spring. Have a good week!
Blessings,
Carie

Sunday - Minute by Minute

This concludes my minute by minute week. I hope that you have enjoyed or been encouaged by the look into our daily lives.

On Sunday morning I woke up, at 6, and had cereal for breakfast. I remembered that I needed the last egg for the meatloaf :) I mixed up the meatloaf and peeled potatoes and got that ready to cook once we got home from church. Then I checked email, showered and dressed. I dozed on the couch till time to wake the boys up. They were hard to get up after our late night the night before.

Our Sunday services were very uplifting. We are studying Matthew 24 in Sunday school. I am going to be working on that more in-depth this week. We had a substitute preacher, a young man still in Bible college who did a wonderful job speaking on the direction of the church.

After services, I made some copies and we went home. Thankfully Norman had stuck the meatloaf in the oven so I started the potatoes and broccoli and mixed up the cheese sauce. Then I vaccumed the living room, hallway and air conditioner door vents. Then we had lunch (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese). After lunch I cleaned up the mess and got Norman off to work. I cleaned off the kitchen table, put on a clean table cloth, made tea and Kool-Aid and mixed up an apple cobbler. The other parents involved in the youth group came for a meeting.

We enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship together.

After they left, I fed the boys supper and cleaned up the kitchen. Then we went to evening church services. Tonight we had a meeting about the direction of our church.

When we got home, late again, I went to bed!

Blessings,
Carie

Saturday - Minute by Minute

On Saturday I was up at 6. Ate an egg for breakfast (the baby is sitting on my stomach so I am having to limit what I eat at one time to keep from feeling ill). My niece got here at 6:45 (I am babysitting today). I showered, dressed and checked on the internet/email.

I woke Norman and the kids around 8. The kids ate breakfast and got dressed. Norman just got dressed :) We gathered up our taekwondo stuff and headed for town. Today is rank testing :)

I dropped Norman and the kids off at his vehicle (we had left it in town) and I ran to Walmart for some last minute items that we needed for the cookout. It rained while I was at Walmart, but it didn't rain across town at the park (where the testing/cookout was being held). I met everyone at the park and testing began. Everyone did great!

After testing we enjoyed a fine cookout of hot dogs and hamburgers with all the salads and desserts you can imagine. Everything was fabulous :) Then we sat and visited while all the kids played with water guns/ballons/buckets/hoses. They were all very wet!

Norman left for work. About 1 hour later I got a call from him that he had a blown tire and I would need to come and get him (he didn't realize this vehicle didn't have a spare). We are so grateful to God that his tire blew while sitting at a gas station. If it would have went while he was driving he would have probably wrecked. While he was waiting on me to get there a good Samaritan showed up with a spare tire for him to borrow. What a blessing!!!!! By the time I got there all I had to do was follow him home. He had to call in to work because it was so late by the time I was able to get there. He will be driving my van the rest of the week until he has time to take his truck to get new tires.

We got home and I went back to town to Walmart to get school supplies for the kids. We had leftovers for supper and then enjoyed our unexpected "family" evening with a trip to the drive-in movie theatre. We watched Rush Hour 3 and Bourne Ultimatum. Well, some of us did! I fell asleep in the van about half-way through the first movie!!!!!! I knew that I was tired.

We made it home after midnight and I fell into bed.

Not really a typical day here, but maybe more typical than not. Things don't seem to always go as planned around here :)
Blessings,
Carie

Friday - Minute by Minute

On Friday morning I woke up at 7 and ate my eggs while checking my email. Afterwards I showered, got dressed and started a load of laundry.

I woke the boys and we did our Bible reading, character training and memory work. They did their chores and got dressed while I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher and changed around the laundry.

****Side note **** Leland is loving his reader from Sonlight Core 3. He is reading A Lion to Guard Us and can't hardly put it down. He begs to do his reading first and has been consistantly reading more than required every day!!!!!! With an attitude like that from "he who hates school" school has become a joy :)

Once we are done with our morning assignments, I fixed lunch (tacos) while we danced to some 80's music CDs that Norman got in the mail. The kids were suitably embarrassed by their parents :)

We ate lunch while the boys played chess and I checked the internet again. I decluttered the living room. Norman left for work and we finished school then the boys picked up their stuff from the living room.

Once that was finished I sat down and made up a supply list for next week's science assignments and wrote 2 cards/letters to be mailed. I had just sat down to take a little siesta when it was time to leave for a planetarium exhibit that we were attending. So off we went!!!!

The exhibit was cool. The boys really liked it and now we know what to look for with Greg's telescope.

We got home late and I collapsed in bed.

I am getting ready to hit the shower now for Saturday :)
Post more about that later.
Blessings,
Carie

Thursday - Minute by Minute

Once again, Thursday didn't go exactly as I had planned...or even hoped for that matter.

I got up late because I had another night of really bad sleep. The phone woke me up. I hate when that happens. So after prying my eyes open I fixed myself egg burritos and ate while talking to my mom on the phone (she wasn't the call that woke me up, but she was right behind it!). After breakfast I checked email and spent way to much time on the internet. I also talked to a dear friend on the phone and then finished my internet stuff.

After dragging myself off the computer I took a shower and got dressed. I woke the boys up an hour later than usual. My mother-in-law called and needed dh to work on her car so I woke him up and then we started school. We skipped Bible reading, character study and memory work. Norman left. The boys finished up their schoolwork while I decluttered the kitchen. You can actually see both ends of my bar now :) When the clock struck 11 I dismissed the boys to do their chores and I fixed lunch, tuna helper, which I know isn't the best (and I won't tell you what they had for breakfast) but I figured that it was something.

I sat down and read my mail.

By then dh had made it back home. He and Lee played a couple of games of chess while Greg and I watched then the boys and I finished school. After school was done Norman and Greg went outside and fixed the door on my van (the drivers side sliding door hasn't opened in close to 2 years). I talked to my brother briefly on the phone and then laid down in my chair and took a nap. I have no idea what the rest of them where doing :)

We left for town about 3:30 and went to the bank and medicine shoppe to get prescriptions filled. We also went to Dairy Queen and had peanut buster parfaits :) Yummy!!!!! Then we went to taekwondo.

I do almost all of the bookkeeping and secretarial work at taekwondo so I am usually pretty busy while we are there. When I am not actually busy I work sudoku puzzles. We got home very late, again, and I collapsed into bed.

Here it is Friday morning and I up only slightly earlier than yesterday.....but I am almost done on the internet. We might actually get school started when we are supposed to today.

Have a good day!
Blessings,
Carie

Wednesday - Minute by Minutes

Wednesday is always my day "off" cause dh is home and we do things with him. I got up late, around 7, cause I didn't sleep worth a hoot. I ate an egg/potato scramble, checked email and got in the shower. Dh got up early, picked the garden (I am done canning so all the leftover tomatos are going to his mom's) and then we got ready to leave. We usually spend Wednesdays at my mother-in-laws house. We played scrabble most of the day and visited while the kids played. I had a funeral visitation to attend and then we went to town for Taekwondo. While in town I picked up some cat food (the cat had been out of food for all of about 8 hours, but he thought he might starve) and played with our instructor's son while they had class. We ate supper at McDonald's and then came home and I collapsed into bed.

I didn't sleep good Wednesday night either and I have gotten an even later start for this Thursday. I really, really need to get in the shower now :)

Blessings,
Carie

Tuesday - Minute by Minute

Today is one of those days when I have been busy all day but didn't manage to accomplish much!

I got up at 6:15, sat down to watch a little FNC and went back to sleep. Woke up at 7, jumped in the shower and got dressed. I grabbed a load of laundry (sheets) and got that started and then made myself egg burritos. While they were cooking, my mom called. We visited and then I ate breakfast and hung out the sheets. I started the next load (towels) and then woke the boys up.

We did bible reading, character training and Bible memory then they went to get dressed and pick up their rooms while I hung out the towels. They decided to do reading first so I quick checked my email. I prepped other school stuff while they finished reading and then we worked on math assignments. Lee is really having trouble with double digit multiplication. Greg worked through most of his schoolwork while Lee and I worked on math. At 11 I dismissed them to do their chores while I fixed lunch (pancakes). I also mixed up some brownies :)

After we ate lunch, I read the mail and then cleaned up the kitchen. Then I sat down to rest and visit with dh. He left for work a little early today. At 1:30 we finished up schoolwork. The boys brought in the laundry and I folded it and put it away. Then I mixed up banana bread (my bananas were very brown) and put it into the oven. The boys rode their bikes to grandma's house.

I rested (and almost went to sleep) while the bread baked. I am so tired lately!!!!! When the bread got done I took half a loaf and went to my mom's for supper. The boys played while she and I visited. We had grilled chicken, potato salad and fresh tomatoes for supper. We just got home a little bit ago. The boys took their baths and are watching an episode of Monk that we had on the DVR. I am on the internet :)

I hope that everyone had a good day!
Blessings,
Carie

Monday, Minute by Minute

Candy recommended that we post about our daily activities this week as part of a self-improvement exercise. I agree, so here goes:

I get up at 6 a.m. most days. I got up and flopped on the couch and watched about 15 mins. of Fox News Channel. Then I showered, dressed and started laundry (colors). I fixed myself breakfast (egg and sausage burritos with cheese) and ate. Hung the laundry on the clothesline and started another load (jeans). I got the boys up (around 8) and fed them breakfast while I read our new testament and old testament Bible readings. We also worked on memory work and character training. While I hung out the jeans the boys got dressed, brushed teeth and picked up their bedrooms. School officially starts at 9. They decided to read first so I began making bread dough (Honey Wheat recipe from More With Less Cookbook) and got out meat for lunch.
I also started a load of whites and put them in the dryer (it was sprinkling outside).

We worked on school work until 11 when I started lunch. The boys did their chores (feed dog and fetch mail). We had round steak, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese for lunch. Then I did lunch clean up, put the bread in the oven and visited with Norman until he left for work at 1:30.

Once Norman went to work we did our history, read aloud and science assignments (Sonlight Core 3) and Lee finished the assignments that he didn't get to in the morning. When we got that finished and my planner up-to-date I swept the kitchen floor while the boys brought the laundry in from the line. I folded it and we all put it away. Now the boys are playing while I am reading on the internet.

We are having grilled cheese sandwiches for supper and then we are off to town to run errands and go to taekwondo. I work at the front desk answering the phone and doing paperwork while the boys take classes. When we get home (probably around 9) I will collapse in bed :)

I will post again tomorrow. I am already finding gaps in my use of time......I could really use my time better. I need to work on that before this baby gets here :)

Blessings,
Carie

Saturday Happenings

Officially the 3rd trimester begins TODAY for me and Baby!!!!!! Yeah!!!!! We are 2/3 of the way there.

Currently my servants (dishwasher and washing machine) are working on their duties. I have canning jars and other dishes in the dishwasher in preparation for the 12 quarts of spaghetti sauce I will be working up this afternoon. My washing machine is on its 3rd load of laundry (the first 2 are on the clothes line) and has one more to do before it is done. After I get done with this post (I logged on to do some online banking and check email) I will be doing the quiet cleaning of the house. Dh worked OT last night and will be working another 16 hours tonight so he needs all the sleep and quiet that I can give him. After he leaves for work at 1:30 I will get the tomatoes ran through the food processor, get the sauce cooking and then do the vacuuming of the carpets and clean-up of our room and bathroom.

I am praising God today because the governor and state courts reached an agreement to cut the Aug. 15th and 31st checks for state employees. Hopefully by the 31st they will have the budget voted on and everything can return to normal. I am so glad that we have at least this little bit of a reprieve. I reworked out budget yesterday and was very pleased to see that we had a little bit of money left over each paycheck. I guess that usually that money was just "disappearing". Now I have it assigned a "job". I am still working on this budgeting thing, but with God's help I will get it all figured out.

Better get to work!!!!! Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

My Home Management Binder

I am working on my Home Management Binder (HMB) and thought that I would share how I have mine set up.

Cover Page
Picture of the boys taken in 2004.

Front Pages
Emergency contacts. The first page is a list of emergency numbers, mostly fire, doctors and hospital. The next page contains our address, directions to our house and names and numbers of family/friends to contact in cause of emergency. This is basically a "babysitter" page with all the important information in one place.

Home Section
This section contains all of the home making stuff.

Routines
all routines are works-in-progress :)
Before-Bed Routine
shine my sink
lay out clothes for tomorrow
brush my teethc and remind the kids to do the same!

Morning Routine
get out of bed
get showered and dressed
while in the bathroom, swish the toliet, wipe the counters and put things away
scoop cat liter box (not while I am pregnant - that is dh's job)
empty the dishwasher
check calender
made sure the assignments are ready for the boys
start laundry
bible study
set out lunch to thaw

Afternoon Routine
decide on supper
clean as I go
deal with mail
check on laundry
check the daily duties or target zone for cleaning

Daily Duties
Monday - Errand/grocery day
Tuesday - Zone cleaning
Wednesday - Office day
update planner and HMB
mail cards, letters and bills
declutter desk area
Thursday - Project day
clean out purse and van
outdoor work
Friday - Kitchen Day
mass cooking, bake bread and desserts
clean fridge
update menus and make grocery lists
Saturday - Weekly Cleaning Day (ala flylady)

Zone Section
This is where I keep my checklists for my zone cleaning, ala flylady. I will be doing one zone each week with most of the cleaning for that zone to be done on Tuesday and Thursday.

Menu Lists
I made up these menu list a year or so ago. I chose 6 meals for each week with a 4 week rotation. Then a made up a grocery list for each week (including everything needed for those meals). That way I can look at my menu list and the check the grocery list and see what is needed that week. I also have an extras list with things like household goods, dog food, kool aid, etc. I try to have a variety of foods each week.

Here is a sample from week 1:
Day 1: chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes
Day 2: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Day 3: tenderloin steaks, mac and cheese, carrots
Day 4: grilled/broiled chicken breasts, diced/baked potatoes, broccoli
Day 5: tacos
Day 6: sausage/bacon, eggs, toast

I am out of time this morning. We are having our last Fabulous Friday for the summer! Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

Today is a beautiful day!

The weather here is absolutely beautiful! Hot, but beautiful :) I am working in the house due to the heat. I worked very hard today cleaning and reorganizing the school stuff in the living room. I was able to make room for the newly cleaned changing table and I stocked the shelves with receiving blankets, burp rags, bibs and diapers. I am pleased with the results.

Norman and the boys are at his mom's house working on his sister's car. I have been researching Home Management Binders online (see Candy's website). I am going to work on re-organizing my binder the rest of this week. Some of the categories in my HMB contains are:
Schedules
Menus
Cleaning
Homeschool
Children
Budget
Gardening
Sewing

I may add more sections later also. I will try to post about each section as I get it done. If this is something that interested you, I urge you to check out Candy's website and set up your own HMB!

I am feeling very, very tired (we were up late last night and I got up early this a.m.) so I am thinking of taking a nap while it is so quiet here.

Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Carie

26 Weeks

Hello everyone!

My doctor's appt. on Wed. went well. When I commented to the doctor that I has having many slightly painful contractions he ordered an ultrasound to make sure that everything was ok. Everything is ok and we got some more wonderful pictures of our darling baby boy. He is still a boy for those of you who were wondering LOL! He weights 2 pounds, which is a little big for his age, but everything looks great.

I haven't got back the results from my gtt test yet, but I did get a card from the doctor's office that said I was low on iron so now I am taking supplements in addition to everything else. I feel compelled to eat a large breakfast so that all those pills aren't swimming around in there by themselves!

As a side note, the state of IL hasn't balanced their budget yet. Norman, and all other state employees, got notice on July 31 that they may not be getting their Aug. 15th paychecks on time. They could delay payment indefinately until the budget is balanced. In 2003 I think, it took until Oct. althought they continued to pay us during that time. So we are in limbo. We have some in savings and a good payment history with all of our bills so we will be good for at least a month and various friends have offered assistance if it goes beyond that. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends! They are more like family :)

This is our wake-up call I guess that we need to get our financial affairs into better order. So I guess we will be working on that as soon as the paychecks start coming back in. I know most of the tricks for frugal living, but I am open to more suggestions and any ideas on how to bulk up that savings account. I know that I have a few blog readers................................any ideas anyone???

We are getting ready to leave for a taekwondo tournament in Lawrencevile IL. This will be a nice short drive. I hope that everyone else has a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

The prodigal son and character training

Our guest speaker at morning services spoke about the prodigal son. He spoke from experience, having been a prodigal and having a son that was still a prodigal. His testimony was very eye-opening.....and heartbreaking.

One of my worst fears, I think, is that my sons will turn their backs on God. I live with this daily since their father hasn't made a commitment himself to Christ. I want them to know God and to enjoy a daily relationship with him. I wasn't taught how to do this as a child either, so I find it very difficult to instill this in them. I feel like I am floundering in the water sometimes. I am frustrated that I feeling like I am failing at something that is so very, very important to their lives.

This year we are reading the Bible together every morning. I tend to want to rush through this, but I am trying to open the table for questions and discussion. I want them to feel able to discuss things with me and for us to be able to seek the answers if I don't have them. I know that I don't have all the answers!!!!! We are also going to start character training. I am using Plants Grown Up from Doorposts for this. I want as much of our focus to be on how our behavior and attitudes look like in God's eyes. This includes ME as well. On that front I have been reading Beauty in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George. This book is touching me on many fronts. It is an in-depth study of Proverbs 31. If I am able to process all the information in that book I will have developed a lot of wisdom. Wisdom is from God and I hope to be able to obtain God's wisdom for me and my life.

On the baby front.......
I have an appointment Wednesday morning. I will have my gestational diabetes test then. I have been having TONS of braxton hicks contractions. By evening my stomach area HURTS. I don't really remember braxton hicks hurting this bad. It isn't unbearable but it is uncomfortable. I am hoping to be reassured by the doctor that all is well. At 25 weeks it is WAY too early for this little one to be making his appearance. He sure is kicking.......all the time. I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy feeling this little angel move inside of me.....that is the biggest privilege of impending mother-hood I think :)

We are still off school this week. Norman starts vacation on Wednesday so I didn't see any point in starting again for 2 days. We will begin again the Monday after he goes back to work.

I hope that all of my readers are well. I will try to update after my appointment.
Blessings,
Carie

Time is Flying By

We have been so busy and time has been flying by, but sometimes the days seems to DRAG........I just don't understand it.

Right now I am concentrating on moving school from the back of our living room (I had it set up like a little school room with desks and everything) to our kitchen. I thought of doing this a while back but figured that the boys would revolt at losing their desks..........they brought it up a week or so ago and so now we are moving! In lieu of desks I bought sterilite 3 drawer units on rollers. I get the top drawer of each and the boys get the bottom 2. We have trays and tubs set on top to hold stuff that we all use. It will be a couple of weeks before we use these though.....Lee is leaving for a week of church camp on Sunday. I am hoping to convince Norman to either build or buy another set of bookshelves to put additional school stuff in the living room and then I will probably contemplate how to reorganize the living room furniture to maximize space before the baby arrives.

Speaking of the baby..................I am getting ready to register at Walmart, probably next week. We bought the cutest little pair of blue puppy dog booties the other day. I just love them. I can't wait until baby gets here........I am overjoyed with anticipation :)

The weather is delightful here today and I am so glad that it isn't sooooo hot again. I know that it is still July and it will be hot again, but I am enjoying it while it is here.

Well, I suppose that I should find something to fill my time. I seem to be at a loss of things to do today.....I don't want to do what needs to be done LOL. I suppose that I could go eat some more sweet corn now :) Baby would like that anyway!

Blessings,
Carie

And our baby is a............

Boy!!!!!!


The ultrasound made our baby's gender VERY obvious......the ultrasound tech wasn't even looking and saw his "private parts" LOL

I have to admit that I am a little disappointed.....I had truly hoped that this time would be a girl, but we are very excited about our new little one and so very grateful to God that he seems to be healthy. He is head up, which explains all the kicking in my pelvic region. I really wish that he would flip and kick at my rib cage for a while :) His growth seemed to be right on track for his gestational age. We have several pictures to keep us content until he decides to make an appearance. Now we just have to come up with a name!!!!!

Blessings,
Carie

Back to School

We are back to school again already :) Our first day was July 2nd. We completed 2 days last week and 2 days so far this week. Since we are doing 4-day Sonlight that means that we have officially completed a week of school! Those 4 days went fabulous. Our days seem to be longer but that is to be expected, I suppose, with a 2nd grader and a 5th grader. The boys are liking Sonlight. I am surprised that there haven't been any moans from the "peanut gallery" but they are loving the books. Absolutely loving them :)

We have tomorrow off due to our ultrasound appointment. I will post about the baby after the appointment tomorrow. Have a great evening!

Blessings,
Carie

What is new with us

I have been bad about updating. Please forgive me.

I am 4 months pregnant.....officially. Morning sickness is still here and I am still losing weight and I DON'T look pregnant, but that's alright. I have an appt. in the morning so I will be very glad to hear that baby's heartbeat :)

We finished school today. We are taking the month of June off and I have a LOT of work to do. I just placed my order with Sonlight for the majority of next year's books. We are switching from My Father's World to Sonlight mainly because I can't rely on the library for our reading books......not this year with the baby on the way. I have got to get the school area fixed up for the new year. I really dread this job. And I have less than a month to do it.

A friend came over today and we cleaned up my bedroom and made room for baby stuff. I am hoping to get it here at least before the first of July when we will start school again. I am afraid of getting overwhelmed with too much to do.

We are busy in June. The boys are playing baseball and still have taekwondo 2-3 times a week. We will be going on a 3-5 day vacation to Little Rock, Arkansas towards the end of the month and there is still a lot of things to be done before that. Busy, busy, busy :)

I have been feeling the baby kick a little bit every now and then. I forgot how cool that way!!!!! What a blessing from God!

I will try to update again after my appt.
Blessings,
Carie

8 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by Candy so here goes:

1. I always wanted to have 10 children

2. I LOVE being pregnant

3. I love to do laundry (wash, dry, fold) but I HATE to put it away.

4. I can read over 300 pages of an interesting book in one day (assuming I do NOTHING else all day)

5. I love history, both studying it and anything historical.

6. I really want to wear a hoop skirt with all those petticoats and stuff one day

7. I clean when I am mad

8. I love to bake bread (and eat it straight out of the oven too)

Most of you probably aren't surprised by this list.......but maybe some of you are!
Blessings,
Carie

Baby Clothes and Stuff

Beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine have greeted us today. It truly is a beautiful day.....straight from the hand of God.

After worship services and a pie social this a.m. we came home. I have zig-zag stitched some fabric that I bought at JoAnn's to make receiving blankets. It is now in the washer and heading to the dryer to be shrunk. After that is done I am going to iron and sew the blankets together. I ventured out into the garage after that was started and fetched 2 rubbermaid boxes of baby clothes that I had stored. About 2/3 of them were definately boys clothes, sized 0-6 months, but the other 1/3 was "universal" clothes (yellow/green/white sleepers, gowns and onesies), receiving blankets, a crib sheet, burb rags and a few pair of socks. That is all going into the wash next. I will probably wash the load of boys clothes also and then return them to the rubbermaid tote. That way they will be ready if I need them and if not I can go ahead and donate them to the crisis pregnancy center.

I am beginning my 14th week of pregnancy and really feeling everything coming together. My tummy is tender in spots where it is starting to grow. I may make it into my maternity clothes yet :)

I will try to be more diligent about updated! I have a doctor's appt. on May 14th and will try to update everyone then :)
Blessings,
Carie

Poison Ivy

It strikes us every year, although this year the victim was surpising to me. Greg showed signs of having poison ivy on Wed. and by today (Friday) his face was swollen and the rash was very close to his left eye. This is the kid that doesn't usually get poison ivy. I called the doctor's office and the took him in. He received the standard shot and prednisone pills. Should be all better by tomorrow afternoon. Lee has a couple of small, localized patches so he is taking poison ivy baths and benadryl and hoping that it doesn't spread. They have been playing in the woods a lot lately and mushroom hunted on Wednesday. The biggest surpise is that I have 4 small patches of poison ivy. I haven't been in the woods. I haven't bee weeding in the garden or yard. I have barely been out of the house this week. And yet I have poison ivy :( I am treating it topically and taking OB approved benadryl. I hope it clears up because I don't know if they will give me the shot and prednisone while I am pregnant. I guess if it gets bad enough they will, but I don't want to have to take something that will harm the baby.

Speaking of baby, things are going well. I have been maintaining weight and feel like most of the morning sickness is gone. I am still gaggy, but I can eat and am functioning about as well as I ever did. Laziness is hard to conquer when you have a good excuse not to do anything :) I am a little disappointed that my belly isn't pooched out more yet. By now I was wearing maternity clothes with the boys, although that may have been more out of excitement than need. Now, I only have a couple of maternity items so I am trying not to wear them until I NEED too.......I wish that time would hurry up. It would be great if this pregnancy was visible. Remind me I said that in August!

The weather here has been fantastic so we took the week off of school for "spring break". We only have about 3 weeks of work left so we should be finishing up soon. I look forward to starting our new year in July, but I have a lot of work left to do until then. I am praying for strength!!!

I guess that is all for now. Please pray that this poison ivy goes away!!!!! Thanks!
Blessings,
Carie

Homeschool Tuesday

Today was just another day in our fabulous homeschool. I find that most days the routine runs itself :)

Greg
15 mins. independent reading (almost done with Boxcar Children book 1)
20 mins. book basket (he was reading about the moon)
spelling practice
copywork (a verse fromGenesis)
Math review sheet
Math fact practice (using fact cards and wrap ups)
Victory Drill Book

Lee
30 mins. independent reading (Revenge of the Shadow King)
20 mins. book basket (he was reading about the phases of the moon)
spelling quiz (he missed 1 and wrote it 5 times for practice)
critical thinking worksheet (from Math Detective book)
Math review sheet
Latin (workbook activity and flashcards)
Victory Drill Book

Together
We read about Balaam and his donkey. We also read another chapter from Tirzah. This morning the boys helped dad mow the yard. This afternoon they went to grandma and grandpa's house for a while.

Tomorrow
We usually take Wednesday off from formal schooling because daddy is home. Unless we manage to do something spectacular, I won't post again until Thursday :)

Have a great day!

Homeschool Monday

Candy is hosting a Homeschool Week over at here blog, so I thought that I would join in. Here is a look at our Monday:

Greg (7 years old - 1st grade)
15 mins. independent reading (Boxcar Children book #1)
20 mins. book basket reading
Italic handwriting page (he was working on numbers 0-5)
Math-u-see page (it was a review page, he is working on addition)
Spelling quiz (he aced it....moving on to the next list)
He spent probably 10 mins. working on his math facts using fact cards and wrap ups.
He is on the last page in Victory Drill Book, a speed reading drill book so he worked on that. The words are 3 syllable (generous, character, ect.)


Lee (9 years old - 4th grade)
30 mins. independent reading (Revenge of the Shadow King)
20 mins. book basket reading
Italic Handwriting page (he is working on cursive capital letters)
Math-u-see page (review page, he is working on multiplication)
Spelling practice and review of words
Latin exercises (he is learning future tense verb endings - we forgot to do flashcards)
He worked through his 3 Victory Drill book pages.
He also spent about 10 mins. working through fact cards and wrap ups for multiplication practice.

Together
We have virtually abandoned science for the year. We finished everything that I wanted to get through so now we are done. And lets face it.....watching the huge snapping turtle cross the yard the other day is way more exciting than any book lesson.
For history we learned about the 40 years of wilderness wanderings by the Israelites for their failed trust in God. We also read a chapter in Tirzah.

That is about it. Things are winding down here so we are dropping subjects as we finish books. History and Bible will be the last to go (along with math) and we should finish our "year" in May sometime. We will probably take a very short break and then start the next "year" in early June assuming that I have ordered the rest of my books by then. I am also hoping to garner enough energy over the next couple of weeks to finish next years lesson plans :)

I will continue to post what we are doing this week for anyone interested, but to be honest it will probably just be more of the same thing. We aren't very exciting but we are consistent!
Blessings,
Carie

Convention news

The Indianapolis homeschool convention was wonderful. I had such a great time. It took me all day yesterday to recuperate from being tired, but I am so thankful that I was able to go this year.
Some of the speakers I heard:
Kevin Swanson
David Quine
Ray and Charlene Notgrass (separetly)
Steve Demme (Math-U-See)

Steve Demme is an awesome speaker. I was so blessed by his workshop. I have to say that it was my favorite of the whole weekend.

Things I purchased while there:
Math-U-See (gamma and delta)
Latin books (prima latina and latin christiana I)
planners (one for each boy and 1 for mom)
Italic Handwriting books (c and f)
A Mom After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George - for me!

I was so blessed by the whole experience. I am grateful that God allowed me to go and that I wasn't horribly sick the whole time I was there.

Happy Birthday to Greg!!!!!

I want to take a second to wish Greg a very happy birthday! He turns 7 tomorrow (actually sometime around 7 p.m. tomorrow night - I don't remember exactly!). He has asked for a telescope and I am pretty sure that is what he is getting - shush - don't tell. Norman is in charge of picking up the gift tonight.......last minute I know. But things around here have been..........busy :)

Have a great day! If you see my baby boy make sure to wish him a happy birthday!

Baby this and Baby that.....

Ok. Who knew that having a baby would be so much fun??? Especially since I am ohhh.........about 6 weeks along. Have I mentioned that this might be a VERY long 9 months???

The boys have been working up names for the baby. My mother, ever helpful, suggested Dudley Doo Right (she has since PROMISED not to suggest any more goofy names - who knew they would take her seriously?). With DDR effectively cut from the list we moved on. At the top of Greg's list is Billy Bob. I will admit that we are rednecks.....but not that bad! He is absolutely convinced that Billy Bob is the perfect name. Also topping his list are Sponge Bob and Patrick. He might not get to vote when election time comes :)

Lee's suggestions are much more sensible. He writes down every. single. name. he sees. He already has 3 pages of names. I have known about this baby for almost a week.....they have known for maybe 5 days...............see what I mean???

The boys have taken to walking around talking to my stomach. Greg was playing peek-a-boo with the baby yesterday.

We are hoping for a girl. We will be ecstatic with whatever we get, but we are voting for a girl. We can't convince Greg to refer to the baby as a SHE. I am taking that as a very bad sign. Also, he keeps saying that the baby is going to come out with a "friend". Norman says "what do you mean with a friend???" and Greg says "you know dad, 2 babies". I thought Norman would just fall over.

Needless to say, life here at our house is silliness as usual. Hopefully baby will have a gigantic sense of humor and a courageous heart.....probably won't make it 3 days around here without it :)

This week

This week has been exciting and exhausting. It is exciting to find out that we will be recieving a miracle from God, a blessing in the form of a little baby! We are so thrilled!!!!! The boys are eager to see the new arrival :) Norman is also excited.....we all are actually.

This pregnancy is already exhausting for me. I am having trouble eating anything. The only thing so far that I have been able to consistently eat without problems is my Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal in the morning (and noon and night sometimes). I am continually thirsty. I feel like I am dehydrated, but that can't be possible with the amount of water that I am drinking. I have been trying to get up in the a.m. and accomplish a few things, and after lunch I have been taking a nap. Then I am trying to work a little in the early evening and then I am laying down early to rest. I feel like I am sleeping a lot! I guess that is what my body needs right now, but it isn't horribly conducive to getting anything done that I wanted to. I can already see that I probably won't get the new flower beds done this year......it will take all my energy to upkeep the ones that I have.

I know that it will get better. I am NOT complaining. Every minute that I feel ill or that I can't eat something I thank God that I have this little person growing inside me. I know that this pregnancy is a privilege, not a right, and I am thankful for every minute of it.

If my posts seem sporadic they probably are. I don't have the extra energy to blog. I will definately try to post after doctor's appts. and such but I won't be doing much until I begin to feel better.

Thank you for your prayers!
Blessings,
Carie

Guess What!!!!

I am pregnant!!!!!

It truly is a miracle from God because the doctor said I didn't ovulate this past cycle. I must have ovulated on my own later. We are excited and thrilled. Norman is still out of town so we aren't telling the boys until he gets back.

I will post more later!
Blessings,
Carie

We are home alone!!!!

tlHa Ha!!!! Norman and Mr. G. left from Little Rock AR last night and will be there until Friday afternoon. The boys are I have some things planned......most of them revolving around eating at our favorite restaurants (we are pretty easy to please). I am going to try to get some cleaning done this week.
Today's list:
clean my bathroom
laundry
school (much to the boys' chagrin!)
Chad will be here in a little bit

I may even venture outside and try to soak up some sun. I am not an outside girl....for the most part I could live the better part of my life never spending much time outside. I do like flowers so I try to get some planted and we usually have a garden. I don't mind cookouts.......but I don't really just go outside to go outside. I am going to try to change that this year. I should be spending more time outside enjoying God's creation. I think that the sunlight would improve my disposition. And, lets face it, the amount of flowers I have on my list to plant this year, I will be out there 23 hours a day LOL

Enjoy the sunshine!!!!!
Blessings,
Carie

This week.....

Sunday night we had a testimony time at church and I was so blessed by everyone sharing. It is encouraging to see how God is working in the lives of others at the church. I also shared my testimony, for the first time, and was relieved to have so many other people say that they had suffered from many of the same things.....I know that I am not alone!

Yesterday was busy. I woke up late....7 a.m. and had quiet time then started baking cookies and preparing lunch. When the boys got up we started school while I finished prepping lunch. The cookies were chocolate chip and lunch was lasagna, cheesy broccoli and salad btw :) After lunch and clean-up the boys and I finished school and then I finished laundry and got it all folded and put away. Chad woke up from his nap, we had supper and were off to taekwondo for the evening. I was so busy I didn't know if I was coming or going!!!!!

Today has been much slower and calmer....I certainly prefer it this way!!!! I got up at 6 a.m. had quiet time and then managed to get my nose stuck in Dee Henderson's new book. I alternated reading with my shower, the boys school work and lunch prep (steak, mashed potatoes and green beans) and managed to finish it after lunch. I had started the book about a week ago but I got to a part where I just couldn't put it down!!!! I hate when that happens. After lunch we finished school and now I am keeping an eagle eye on Chad. He has a small rash on his arm that could be eczema or an allergic reaction. He is napping now with me periodically doing a full body check to make sure that it hasn't spread. I just can't image what he has eaten that would have caused a reaction because the boys and I are very careful about what he eats....I suppose that something could have gotten through though.....or it could be eczema.......

Tomorrow is breakfast with Uncle Larry and grocery shopping. Norman has a dr.'s appointment tomorrow afternoon and we will have taekwondo tomorrow evening............

I am going to try to post the results of my study of laziness....just some scripture that really spoke to me and my thoughts later today....maybe this evening. I have been working on a study of modesty and sometime in the near future I will be posting my thoughts on that as well.

Finally, I am gearing up for next years school year. This time, anticipating a possible pregnancy and birth next year, we will be starting next year's work as soon as we finish this year's. We will take time of during the summer but not the whole summer. I would prefer to have that time at a later date if I need it :)

My new cycle should be starting soon. I will definately let everyone know of my appointment date so that if you feel led to pray you can. I am praying that this is the cycle that everything works!!!!!!

I guess that is enough for now!!!! Have a good evening!

Another interesting article

This one is on legalism within the church. I found that this article seemed to articulate the things that I was thinking but couldn't put into complete thoughts or words. I really appreciate that the author took the time to write it. You can read the article HERE.

Update

Sorry that I haven't posted much this week. I have stayed busy with housework and Norman was off work for 3 days so we enjoyed our time together.

Wednesday
Today I just maintained the house. I didn't manage to accomplish any of the tasks on my list. I don't remember what we had for lunch :)

Thursday
I can't think of any of my household tasks that I accomplished. We got school done and then went to town to run errands before taekwondo. I think that we had tuna helper and chips for lunch.

Friday
Finally, I got some work done. Norman and the boys were running around with Mr. G. so while Chad was napping I was able to get to my list.

Things I accomplished:
45 minutes of decluttering - mostly hotspots and my bedroom
laundry - mainly the boy's clothes

Saturday
Today I visited my grandma and Aunt Marge. The boys stayed up late and slept late. I made spaghetti for lunch and after Norman went to work I was able to work as well.

Things I accomplished:
vacuum living room
sweep kitchen
load dishwasher and clean sink
finish laundry
wash sheets
bathe Sadie

I know that there are several things on my list that I didn't get done this week, but I am pleased with this weeks results. I will continue with the same list for next week and see what I am able to get done. I think that things in the house are coming along nicely!
Have a great weekend!

100 Posts

Yesterday's post was #100. In the blog world that seems to be a big deal so I thought that I would make note of it :)

Today is Tuesday, normally a "home" day, but today we had a homeschool meeting in town. While there we went to the library. We are just back home and after spending a little bit on the net I am going to do my menu plan and grocery list for this week. It is to my great fortune that Kroger and IGA have their sales fliers online :) It truly does make my grocery shopping that much easier and cost efficient.

Things that I have gotten done today:
bible study
baking (I baked a spice cake and banana bread for the homeschool meeting)
school
lunch (meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans)
homeschool meeting
library
****yet to be done - menu plan and grocery list***

Chad was here today and we had a good morning. I guess that he isn't read to much because he was enthralled with the whole procedure. We read The Grouchy Ladybug and The A Book. He really enjoyed counting the ants! Lee and Greg were able to display some of their Ancient Egypt projects at the homeschool meeting and then they were able to play with their friends. We have had a really good day today!

First thing in the morning I have to go to Effingham and take Uncle Larry shopping. We will go to breakfast and then shop. Then I will go back to his apartment and clean a little or pay bills for him. Usually my mom does this but she is "off" this week. Then when I get home it is payday....that means "pay the bills day". So very busy. Norman also has a doctor appointment. I guess that we will be busy.

Have a great day!

Monday, February 26

Praise the Lord!
It is a beautiful day!
Here it is almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I am pretty much finished with my day. We will eat supper in just a few minutes and then leave for taekwondo. Today I accomplished quite a bit, including:
bible study (regular reading plus I finished laziness study)
homeschool
lunch (fried chicken, scalloped potatoes and candied carrots)
laundry (1 load left to fold and then put everything away)
decluttered sewing area
knitted for about 30 minutes

Chad was here today. He celebrated his 4th birthday last week. He had a cold so he didn't go to school and was here for most of the day. His dad came and got him earlier for a doctor's appointment. Norman worked another double last night, so we had to be very, very quiet most of the day. He is back at work now and the boys are outside shooting at birds with their bb guns. I am enjoying the quiet :)

Tomorrow we have a homeschool meeting so I will have to do some baking first thing in the morning. I think that I am going to make a spice cake and banana bread to take with us. I will need to pick up drinks and paper products either today or tomorrow. We think that Greg may be trying to get a urinary track infection so I need to pick up some cranberry juice as well.
I guess that I may be doing a little shopping this evening.

This weeks chore list

I have decided that it will be easier if I make up a weekly chore list and then work from it all week rather than try to decide what to do each day at the beginning of the week.

My list for this week is:
scrub my shower
wipe down my tub (we don't use it much and it has collected dust)
dust and vaccum the living room
sweep and mop kitchen
water plants (did that today!)
bathe Sadie
declutter the toy room
declutter boys room
clean bathrooms
pick up the laundry room
check menu plan and make grocery list
wash sheets
3 15 minute declutter sessions (ala flylady)
15 minunte yard pickup (we need to get ready for spring and the yard is a mess)
declutter my sewing area (I hope to be doing some sewing soon)
15 minute closet declutter (my 8x10 walk-in closet - it is a mess)


I am going back to my 4 week menu rotation. I don't remember why I got off of it in the first place....it was so much easier for my poor little brain!!!!!
I am going to try doing the chores like this for a while and see how it goes. When I do my daily post I can be accountable for my chores.....maybe that will actually make me accountable to post as well. I am also hoping to finish up my study on laziness and post my thoughts/insights on that topic here as well.

Thanks for hanging in here with me this weekend. God has really spoken to me and I can see ways that I can improve my life and make it more pleasing to Him.

Have a great week!!!!!!

Living out my convictions

I have finally come to a realization. I apologize to my few readers for being whiny and self-centered yesterday. I wanted someone to say "this is what you need to do"........I needed someone to make this decision for me......someone to whom I could place all blame when confronted about my decisions. I realize today that I have to make this decision.....nobody else can make it. My dh isn't a believer, so he isn't going to make it for me......In fact I am pretty sure that he isn't going to support me in this decision. So to submit to him, I will wear pants whenever he wishes, and wear dresses the rest of the time. He doesn't mind me in skirts and when I wore them alot before he was ok with it because I was doing it because I liked them. I think that this solution will work for me and my family. I will be doing what I feel is right and continue to submit to my dh.

I am trying to work myself up to the questions that will invariably come my way. I want to be a good witness and example to those that ask about my dress. I want others to see Jesus in me.

I have lived almost 30 years of my life (the last 5-8 wondering about this question) living for me. I think that it is about time that I lived for God. I love skirts, always have, and see that this is a wonderful way for me to be an example of living for Jesus. I will be set apart from the world, even if I look like them some of the time (lots of people wear skirts at one time or the other). I realize that some people may not notice at first, but I hope that my attitude, demeanor and actions will also begin to be discreet and chaste.

This post seems to be all about me again, but in the end I hope that my decision will give God all the glory in the end.

Interesting Article

I stumbled upon this article after I posted below......I found it very interesting and reaffirming of what I am beginning to believe is true and right. If you are interested the link is HERE.

Please feel free to comment if you feel led.

Searching for the truth

Have you ever been searching for something that you can't quite put your finger on, but you are in desperate need to find it? That is how I have been feeling for the last couple of weeks. I thought that I had found some of the anwers when I began my in-depth Bible study of laziness the other day. I was/am learning and growing in the Lord and seeking His will in my life. That is good and worthy, but the learning and growing in the Lord just seems to keep me searching and seeking for more answers.

I am desiring greatly to understand how God wants me to be modest, chaste.....more ladylike in my actions, speech and life. I want to know how this should play out in my life. Should my dress be obviously feminine (as in only dresses/skirts)? How can I do this without being labled legalistic? Are my strong desires to do something indication of a conviction or just my emotions leading the way? And how do I KNOW????

Don't you wish that the Bible came in list form.....you should do this, and this, and this.....here are the guidelines for this, and this, and this.....?? I am confused by the conflicting opinions of people who have studied the Bible in depth and have come to 2 different conclusions......how is that completely possible??? If women are to look distinctively like women then why is this not preached from every pulpit in the country.......?? Are the guidelines of the past thousand years enough to make something feminine when this country has strayed from those norms for the last hundred (mainly the last 50) years?

I have seen so may women lately that I believe are dressing femininly for the Lord. I applaud their efforts and then feel guilty because I have read the scriptures on this and even though I agree with how it reads.......I don't do anything about it. I don't conform my life to the way that I am interpreting the scriptures...........

Why?? Because I don't want to be labeled a "religious fanatic". I don't want people to argue with me about legalism. I want people to see me as a discreet, chaste, modest women....God-fearing in thoughts and behavior. Is there a way to live out my convictions (which I believe my thoughts are becoming) without people judging? I don't want to judge anyone else.....I would never want to do that......and I fear of being judged myself. Is that feeling alone wrong?

Please, if anyone who reads this has any thoughts for me or answers to my questions.....I would love to search the scriptures in a specific direction. I have read most of the "typical" modest dressing verses and would love a new insight......A fresh look at this subject. Also, please pray for me if you feel led.....that I would take my convictions and make them part of my walk with God. Please pray that He will show me the way.

Thank you!
Carie

Hands and Hearts History Kits

Today is such a rainy day. After we finished our chores, we broke out our box of Hands and Hearts Ancient Egypt History Kits and got to work. The boys love to paint and I hate to let them (sooo messy) but this really forced my hand. They really enjoyed making the Egyptian throwing stick and then Wooden Paddle Doll. Right now they are playing Senet. I won earlier against Greg but lost against Lee. Now they are playing each other. I am so glad that I purchased this kit last fall. I was beginning to think that it was a waste of money because we were never going to have time to do it.........but NOW I will definately MAKE the time to do the other projects. We really, really enjoyed them.

If you are interested in Hands and Heart History Kits, there is an advertisement box on the right, toward the bottom that will take you straight to their site. They have loads of other interesting stuff there as well. I also bought History Pockets - Ancient Egypt and we have enjoyed using it as well. The boys are actually going to be showing a completed project at the homeschool meeting next week and we won't be doing it Monday!!!!! Everything is already complete. What a blessing for mom!!!!!

Political Activists

I know that a lot of homeschoolers are politically active, championing causes that they believe are right and good. My boys also have this tendency as well. Here are the causes that they are championing:

Lee:
He wants there to be unlimited peppermints at Ryan's restaurant. My dh tends to agree. Just last night he was again reprimanded by the staff for trying to take a small handfull of mints. Now mind you, he was getting the mints for all of us, not just himself. We had also just paid $30 for a buffet meal that we didn't eat near enough of (did you know that Ryan's has "repriced" their buffet??). He was so steamed that I thought he might blow his gasket. My dh was a little distrubed also. We might have to take this up with management next time that we are there.

Greg:
Greg is very upset by the Nike shoes sign that is on our local athletic shoe store. He has been upset about this sign since he learned to read. He says that it is pronounced Nike (long i, no sound after the k) and thinks that the shoe company is doing a great disservice to all the beginning readers of the world by not spelling correctly. He thinks that there should be a y at the end of Nike (Nikey) so that it will be phonetically correct. This sign drives him bonkers every time we pass it, and it is on the way to Walmart so that is frequently.

I really do hope that eventually they channel this outrage at something that we might actually be able to change :)

Blessings,
Carie

Monday

Our power went off at 7:30 a.m. today and didn't come back on until noon. I was attempting to clean the shower in our bathroom when it went off. I just got finished with my housework and am pretty pleased with my accomplishments for the day.

I cleaned and decluttered the living room, dining room and kitchen.
I swept the kitchen and dining room and dusted and vaccumed the living room.
I cleaned the boys bathroom and my bathroom.
I am still working on laundry. The power being off all morning really slowed that down.
Sadie has a hurt leg so we are postponing her bath until she feels better.
I haven't been on the internet to see what flylady's zone assignment is yet so I am checking and then will get that done.

We have taekwondo tonight and Norman has tomorrow off so we will see how things go. I hope to finish the laundry tomorrow cause I know I won't get it all done today. Daniel cleared my driveway so we can get out!!!! Yeah!!!!!

Snow, Snow Go Away!!!!

Alright, I think that we have had enough of winter. At least here at our house we have. With Friday and Saturday's most recent snowfall (about 3 inches) and the horrible winds the boys and I have been snowbound since Sat. at noon. We were able to go to Effingham for taekwondo testing Saturday morning and just barely made it back up the driveway at noon. Norman immediately changed clothes and went to work.....barely making it back out again. The boys and I went to a cookout at mom's via my dad (and brother) picking us up in 4-wheel drive Jeep through the adjacent corn field. That is also how Norman was able to get home last night and then leave again for work today. Our long driveway is blown shut :) However the adjacent field is pretty much just dusted with snow. Imagine the irony :) Luckily brother Daniel will be able to plow the driveway tomorrow, allowing us to be like normal people again. And with temps climbing into the 40's and 50's this week I think that we will be getting around with no problem :)

Have a great week everyone!!!!!
Blessings,
Carie

Monday cleaning

Tomorrow will be a full day of cleaning. The boys are going across the field to grandma's to make DoodleDogs (Greg's word for snickerdoodle cookies) and to play Monopoly. They will probably be there at least part of the day and I intend to get as much cleaning done as possible while they are gone. I already have my portable CD playing ready to go with some sermon's on CD to listen to.
Here are some things that I hope to accomplish:
***clean and declutter the dining room and kitchen
***deep clean the boy's bathroom
***clean and declutter the living room
***deep clean my bathroom

Also:
clean out the fridge
flylady zone cleaning
work on partial master schedule
call the doctor's office about bloodwork results
Sadie's bath
laundry

A look into our homeschool

I think that it is important for us homeschool moms to see how others organize their days. I find it particularly encouraging and refreshing to see how others do things. I learn so much from my homeschool mom friends!!!!!!

Here is a look at our homeschool today :)

Chad (the little guy I babysit) got here early because school was canceled due to bad weather (he attends PreK at the public school and usually doesn't get here until around 11 a.m.). He arrived at around 8 a.m. Luckily I had knew that school was out and I had already showered and had breakfast. Norman worked a double shift last night so he was just getting home at 8 a.m. He would only be able to sleep a few hours before returning to work, so it was going to be imperative that we be very, very quiet this morning.
My boys got up, got dressed (Lee is still in his pj's for some reason), ate breakfast and brushed their teeth. We started school around 9 a.m. I instructed them to do all the subjects that required me FIRST (usually I let them pick the order) so that I could spend a little time with Chad one-on-one later. We zipped through copywork, Latin (Lee), math and spelling. Then both of my boys got to reading. They have time for selections of their choice and then time for book basket (history, science and literature selections). While they were reading I worked through a couple of preK worksheets with Chad. He likes to be able to "do school" too :)

I started cooking lunch about 10:30 and the boys finished up with their reading. They played quietly in their room until I called them for lunch at 11. We had hot dogs, pork and beans and green beans. When lunch was finished everyone gets "free time" till dad goes to work at 1:30. The boys played and I pre-read the science chapter for later. I also put an apple pie in the over to bake :)

Norman got up, cleaned up and left for work at 1:15. The road were horrible today and it took him forever to get to work......almost 1 1/2 hours rather than the 45 mins. it usually takes. We kept in touch by cell phone so that I knew he made it ok. School started back up at 1:30 and Chad laid down to take a nap. We read a chapter from Story of the World Vol. 1, reviewed our Veritas Press history and Bible cards and read the corresponding pages from Streams of Civilization. Then we started the book Tirzah. In case you were wondering we are studying ancient Egypt and the Old Testament this year. Then we read a chapter in our science book and discussed it. Then we were done!!!!!

The rest of the afternoon is left for playing (quietly while Chad is sleeping) and housework for mom. I am almost done with laundry. I think that we will have soup for supper. I managed to carve out some internet time (I always manage to get some time, it just depends on when!) and will be finishing up laundry, supper and kitchen pick-up shortly. Then I should have some time for Bible study (I am studying laziness) and knitting (trying to finish that pair of socks).

This is a pretty typical day. We are usually done with our a.m. subjects by 11. The best thing that I ever did was write out their daily assignments for them each day and they just check them off. They are very motivated to finish that card. I usually have time to check their assignments as they go. Chad should wake up from his nap at any time and his dad will be here to get him later. I guess that I should go finish up my housework!!!!!

Primary Language Lessons

It has been requested that I share how we use Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl in our homeschool. I would love to share!!!!!

We started using PLL when Lee was in 3rd grade. It is suggested that you start in 2nd grade and do half in 2nd and half in 3rd. We didn't have both years so we zipped through it at a much quicker pace. I will share how I used it with Lee and then how I plan to use it next year with Greg (2 year span).

Lee is my "non-writer". He does not like to write. I don't push it (many of you realize that boys develop that particular motor skill a little later than girls sometimes). Most of the exercises were done orally, even when instructed to write them. We didn't do any of the memorizing. We used those selections as reading practice (Lee was a slower reader also). I would have Lee write about every 3rd writing/composition exercise. That meant that he was writing about once a week. I usually had him do the copywork lessons as written and sometimes we would use them as dictation. We did a lesson every day (skipping some here and there) and were able to finish the book in one year.

With Greg (next year) we will be stretching the book out over 2 years. He will be doing a lesson every other day (we school 4 days a week). The only time that the days will fall together will be when a copywork exercise is to be used for dictation. I want the copywork to be fresh in his mind when we do the dictation. I am also breaking some of the longer assignments up into several days. I don't want to burden him with too much information too quickly. This will take us about half-way through the book. I felt that it would be better to use the "shorter" half :) of the book this year and work a little harder next year on the "longer" half :) I will probably use most of the exercises orally for Greg as well. His writing is more advanced than his brother's was at this stage, but I don't want to push him to hate it. Most of the written exercises will be composition, copywork and dictation rather than the "answer the question" variety. Those can be just as easily answered and understood orally as written.

I really love Emma Serl's approach to grammar and writing for the early grades. The approach is gentle and thorough enough for our family. We look forward to using Intermediate Language Lessons next year with Lee (we took the year off from English grammar and concentrated on Latin this year). ILL is to be used over 3 years and we will be condensing it down into 2. I will be able to detail how that will work for our family after I get ahold of the book :)
If anyone has any more questions, please let me know!!!

I am a woman

I just read this quote by Elizabeth Elliott and thought that it was so wonderful. It truly exemplifies what I want my life to be.k

The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be.

And my little dog too..........

I have a little dog.

If you have never met my little dog, please let me introduce you. My little dog is named Sadie. She is at least 3 years old.....a black cocker spaniel, weighing about 20 pounds. My little dog doesn't really like men, except Norman, and if they come in the house "unannounced" then she will yelp and cry and hide behind me.

Sadie sleeps in bed with us. Before Norman comes home from work at midnight she sleeps on his pillows by my head. After he comes to bed she sleeps at my feet. She also lays at my feet on the end of the recliner while I am knitting. Sadie loves potato chips, peanut butter, milk and bread. She also love chocolate but we try not to let her have any. My little dog can jump onto the breakfast bar by running across the room and leaping onto it. She gets up there every evening when we leave for taekwondo. She also sleeps on the kitchen table. Sadie would happily spend her days riding around in a car with me if I could let her.

My little dog had a bath this a.m. She has a bath every Saturday morning, but this morning we had some new oatmeal dog shampoo. It is vanilla scented. Now my little dog smells like oatmeal cookies :)

Quiet Moments

My boys went to my mom and dad's house (across the field) to visit for a little bit so I am enjoying some quiet moments and thought that I would post.

There have been so many things happening around here that I don't even know where to begin and gather my thoughts.

School plans have been made for next year. I am hoping to attend the Indianapolis Convention in March so I will buy most of my stuff there. I will place my order from My Father's World to correspond with that time. We probably won't take a lot of time off this summer so we will just go from one curriculum to the next.

Here is the rundown for next year:
Leland - 5th Grade
My Father's World Explorers-1850 (history/bible/science)
Math-U-See (whatever comes after Gamma - I don't have the book in front of me)
Italic Handwriting book F
Spellling Power
Latin Christiana I
Intermediate Language Lessons by Emma Serl
Writing - either Writing Strands 3 again or something else I pick up at convention
45 mins. of required reading every day plus book basket

Gregory - 2nd Grade
My Father's World Explorers-1850 (with the Adventures supplement)
Math-U-See Gamma
Italic Handwriting book C
Spelling Power
Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl
Prima Latina
30 mins. of required reading every day plus book basket

Now that Leland enjoys reading somewhat he will be required to choose a different genre of book to read and report on every month. Right now he is reading through the Boxcar Children series but I would like to expand his reading selections. Each month he will required to select a genre of books (historical fiction, biography, science, history, mystery, etc.), read it and give a short oral or written report (I haven't decided completely on the form of the report yet). Once that is done, he will be free to read whatever he likes (with approval) until the end of that month. I am hoping to open him up to the different styles of writing and then various things that can be learned or explored through reading. I think that this will be a compromise that we can both live with. Gregory will be exempt from this pattern for one more year while he develops his reading skills.

I am also hoping to put more of a focus on character development this year and next. MFW programs to focus on character and training somewhat, but I know that this is an area that I need to work on with my children. While training my children I know that I will also have to work on my character.

I find that I struggle with depression frequently throughout each month. Most of the time I can't even put my finger on what the cause for my "blues" would be. I am just "blue". I feel that these feelings may be due to some discontent on my part and I am going to work on that. Sometimes I feel like I am pushing God away, when I really do need him more than ever. There are so many things that I daily as my God and I know that He just wants ME. All of ME. He wants ME with no strings attached and with no conditions. God wants me, all of my sinful nature and my many faults. He wants to work in my life and to use me to further His kingdom. I want to give myself to Him. Truly I do. But that is where it gets hard. I find it very hard to "let go" of my life. Even though I consiously know that God can do wonderful things in my life, I find myself afraid to relinquish control. "What ifs" plague my thoughts. I am scared. So this week and next I am going to be praying that God will help me reliquish control of my life to Him. I don't know what is going to happen next but I am excited to see how God will use me. Please pray for me, if you feel led, during this time.

Bittersweet Failure

To those of you who have been following our trials with infertility, I thank you for your prayers. We had what I am considering a set back on Monday. Monday was the day scheduled for my ultrasound and possible IUI. Take note of the word possible. I guess that I never considered that it wasn't possible, however my egg follicle was not mature, so I was not able to have the IUI done this cycle.

My medication dosage has been increased and we are hopefull for a successful round next time.

I can't describe the range of emotions that I have felt since Monday morning. I never, ever considered the possibility that the procedure couldn't be done. The sadness that I have felt over the missed opportunity is overwhelming. I am leaning on God's strength to get me through this sadness and back into an optimistic frame of mind. Once again, I am reminded of how many blessings I have in this life and of how gracious God has been to me. Please continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.

Blessings,
Carie

Snowy Sunday

A beautiful day!!!!
This is the first measurable snowfall that we have received this year. Norman has requested that the boys and I stay safely at home because the roads are a little nasty. We are happy to comply :) I am sure the boys will spend most of the day making snowmen and throwing snowballs.

I have only a little fringe left to put on Aunt B's latest shawl. I also completed a "furry" scarf for myself. I have a cute little pair of socks on needles right now. I also printed out a baby pattern.....not for the baby, but an ITEM for the baby...........I would rather not say what as the receiver may be reading this blog. In fact I have several baby gifts to making in the near future :)

I guess that things have been pretty quiet around here and appear to be remaining so...I love quiet winter days!!!!!

Blessings,
Carie

January's goings on

January has been a very busy month for us so far. I anticipate that the rest of the year will be as well. I laughed when people told me how busy I would be as my children got older because I couldn't imagine being any busier than I already was.........I was getting NO sleep with Norman working so far away from home and a baby and a toddler........it seemed never ending.......but now sometimes I long for those LOOOOONG days at home with nowhere to go ;)
School is going good. If we stay on this track, we may get a small break this summer after all. I had told Norman that we were just going to work through the summer, taking time off for camp and any trips, but I think that we may be able to swing a couple of weeks off in addition to those. The boys need to keep up the good work though.

We went on a field trip to the Crawford County Historical Society and the Oblong Oil Field Museum. The Historical society is in a big old hospital. The building is very neat. I think that I enjoyed looking at it as much as anything.

Winter finally arrived here with some cold air and a little snow yesterday. I let the boys play outside in the flurries in the morning with the promise of completed school work later. They held up their end of the bargain and we finished our day with some time at the library last night. Gregory is beginning to read chapter books :)

Would you believe that our Christmas tree is still up????? I told you I have been busy :) We are hoping to get it taken down this week. I was kidding Norman about putting bunny ornaments on it for Easter......you can tell that he is a MAN....he thought that it sounded like a great idea!

We also celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on Jan. 13th. We were able to go out for nice dinner (TGI Friday's) and a movie......

I am almost finished with another shawl for Aunt B. I have half of the fringe left to put on. I will try to finish it on Saturday. I started the cutest little pink scarf for myself. It is made out of eyelash yarn and a base yarn. I made several others and gave them away for Christmas gifts, but this one is for me. I have 5 baby gifts that I need to get done sometime this year.....with more to come I am sure :) I think that I am going to try a least a couple of sweaters/jackets rather than my standard blankets. We will see.....if the first one goes bad I will go back to blankets :)

We will be starting our first round of fertility treatments soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we pray to recieve more of God's precious little blessings.

Carie

Latin Centered Curriculum Review

I did a review of the Latin Centered Curriculum for TEACH magazine and it can be found HERE if you are interested. Whether or not you check out the review I encourage you to take a look at TEACH magazine. This is a great resource for homemakers and homeschoolers. The homepage is HERE.
Blessings,
Carie

New Year's Resolutions

As promised, here are my resolutions for the 2007. Although not necessarily written down, one of them is to be more prompt with my posting :)

1. Daily quiet time
2. Memorize 1 Bible verse a week - I am thinking of starting with Proverbs 31
3. Exercise at least 2 times a week - I will alternate with walking, Tae Bo and Pilates
4. Establish a cleaning routine and habits via flylady - I have been working on this for the last week.

I hope that with these new resolutions I will be able to more efficiently and effectively run my household and serve my family.

Here's to a wonderful 2007!
Blessings,
Carie

Our first Black Belt

Our family would like to announce that Leland is a 1st Degree Black Belt as of last night. He is the 1st in our family and the 1st in Effingham Taekwondo history to test straight through without any missed testings. It has taken him 2 years to achieve this goal and we couldn't be prouder of him.
Congratulations Lee!
We love you!
Mom, Dad and Greg

Happy New Year

The final days of this year have been so hectic. I really don't know where the time has gone and I don't really know where to start to catch all of you up :)

Christmas Projects
I managed to get all of my Christmas projects done. I am not real sure how but I did it. What a relief and a joy to be able to give all of my friends and family a little piece of me. I am already thinking of gift ideas for next year :)

Current Projects
Although my Christmas knitting is done, I still have things to do. Don't we always??? Anyway, I have 4 more shawls to make for Aunt B. I also have the yarn to make her a pair of socks and 2 pair for myself. I am also making scarves for the boys (camo). I have one done and have started the second. I am hoping to finish them up this week. Before July I need to make 4 baby blankets. I haven't choosen the yarn or patterns yet so I will need to do that.

Christmas
Christmas went well. I got a laptop (I am typing on it right now!) and a bo-staff and case from Norman and the boys. My mom got me luggage, a laptop bag, a gift card to Old Navy (now that I have lost almost 30 lbs. I will need that) and some other stuff that I can't think of right now. Everything was wonderful! Sometimes I miss the peacefulness of Christmas like when I was younger, but this year went really well and most of my family managed to keep most of their opinions to themselves (which really is a blessing).

I am working on my goals for the new year. I will post them as soon as I get them finalized. I hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year!
Blessings,
Carie

Merry Christmas

It has taken me so long to get this post done that I decided I had better tell everyone Merry Christmas now in case I wasn't back before the New Year. I can't believe how busy I have been!!!!!

We made it through the week with family in southern IL after Thanksgiving. It is enjoyable, but I am always glad to get home. We were able to welcome the arrival of a new nephew while we were there :) The family seems to be growing in leaps and bounds......Norman's father now has 5 grandchildren, 4 boys and 1 girl.

After our return, my mom and I went to Indianapolis IN for a day of shopping. We stayed overnight and spent some time in the hotel's hot tub. I came home with contact dermititis....and allergy to something in the whirlpool. I had the worst rash all over my legs. I ended up with 2 shots and a pack of prednisone. I can't sleep while I take prednisone so I am still recovering from that. Then Greg got a stomach bug......and I stayed up all night with him. We have rounded out our week with a church dinner and Christmas carolling :)

School is going well. The boys are really buckling down and I am keeping them on task. That seems to be the worst part of the battle.....me keeping them on task :) I think that we have decided on next year's curriculum also. We like to plan way advance of purchase time so that we can save up the needed funds. Although I really liked the "method" of veritas press, the planning has just got to be to much for me. And the literature selections for the periods of history are too advanced for Lee to read on his own....he just isn't there yet. And I don't have time to use them all as read-alouds. I briefly contemplated Sonlight.....until Norman got sticker shock.....and we have settled on My Father's World Explorers-1850. Greg will also study American History using MFW Adventures in American History supplement that I already have from 2 years ago. I think that we will stay with MFW suggestions for grammar and writing. We will also stay with Math-U-See and Italic Handwriting. And now I can breathe a sigh of relief that the decisions are all made for another year.

I have been finishing up my Christmas knitting.....1 1/2 projects are left to go. I have a couple of new patterns that I am wanting to try out after Christmas and I am going to give my socks top priority as well. Norman has been working lots of overtime lately.......he has worked the last 48 out of 72 hours. He is beat and sleeping soundly in bed this a.m. But it is very hard to do housework while he is sleeping so I think that I will go knit for a while and clean tomorrow!

Be patient!!!! I promise I am around even if I am not posting!
Blessings,
Carie