Hello to All,

I had completely forgotten this even existed until I received an email from someone complimenting my blog!! Which I found quite humorous to honest. A blog that hasn't been touched in 2 years. I did not even think my password would work. But it did and here I am. For any of you interested I am going to begin again and blog. Not becaise I am so full of wisdom like some of my mom friends but because I think it is neat to share your homeschool journey and give out good ideas that you have learned from someone else. My motto in parenting and in homeschooling is "Do not try to reinvent the wheel." I am here, you are here so obviously our mothers, fathers and  grandparents must have known something. Right??? And if you don't think they got it right or did it wrong then you can just Google it :-)
 I look forward to sharing with you guys.

Since it has been 2 years my bunch has changed. And for safety reasons I will not be using their real names but if you know us you who is who! Monkey and Pinky are in second grade while Doozer is in first grade. 

Here they are
 

 

 

And yes they love each other this much all day every day!! And yes we dress this cute aaalllllll the time. I look am looking forward to sharing all my knowledge with you from here on out... Said with much sarcasm.

 



 

We Love the Library

Not just because it is free, although that is a wonderful benefit!! Our library here by where we live has great children's programs, children's story times and children computers loaded with lots of children's games!! The girls absolutely love getting to go and now that it is right around the corner we go often. And yes we check books out by the dozens!! 21 to be exact on our last visit. I am also going to sing the praises of a blog I follow called Once Upon a Book, here is the link if you want to check it out, http://www.onceuponabook.com. I signed up to follow via email so every week I get emails with the name of a book,  printables that go with the book, crafts and even a Bible verse... ALL FOR FREE!! Did I mention it was FREE???? Seriously one of the most awesome blogs out there if you have young children. It is connected to a blog called Totally Tots, which has some great ideas for younger children. Anyway check it out I think you might like what you find. They have done all the leg work all you have to do is get the book from the library and print out the pages!! The Once Upon a Book is a great add on to our schooling. My girls love to read like most children do and I am trying to encourage that as much as possible! We spend at least 20 min but usually ends up being an hour reading everyday, me reading to them. The older girls have started reading some which is so exciting!! We are doing the ABeka curriculum which so far I really enjoy since my girls love to do papers!. Anyway I wasn't sure if what we were doing was working and I wasn't sure if they were actually learning anything blah blah blah.. All the things you think as a mother but anyway as the lessons have progressed sure enough they are reading and writing, sounding things out. So for now I feel I am doing a good job.... Pray for us if you think of us!! This is a new journey but I feel it's the right one!

Swim Lessons

We have decided to put the three monkeys in swim lessons!! They have no fear of water so we felt it might do them some good. I have let them play in the water in their kiddie pool before and even in  a swimming pool with their floaties on and since we say you're going swimming they just assumed they were swimming. So I had to reprogram them that they were not swimming they were just playing. Anyway I am very glad that we have decided to do this, water can be so dangerous and children only need an inch of water to drown in if they don't know how to respond. So if y0u are thinking about having your children learn I encourage it, if that means anything!! Of course I learned by jumping in and there not being anyone there to catch me so I took of swimming.. I guess that is not considered acceptable these days!! The little tadpoles are already swimming a little on their own and I am very proud of them!!

Howdy Y'all

Hey everybody!! It's been a very long time since I have sat down to the computer! With the smart phones around there really isn't a need to sit down to an actual computer anymore, I can do it all from my phone.. Who would have thought, I can even blog from my phone but that to me is pushing it a little.  
         The girls are growing so fast and  we are staying so busy. I have continued to do school with them since they have no clue what summer break is yet!! The twins read their first book yesterday and I was so happy I can't even begin to tell you. Not because I want to pat myself on the back and say look what I have done but because the look on their faces! They were so proud of themselves. I would like to point out I only do school with them because they ask to, I do not push at this point because I do think they are young. But it does add some structure to our day and we spend time together doing things that they enjoy. I was getting a little to wrapped up in schooling and began getting frustrated with one of my girls.. anyway I stepped back and realized what is the big deal here? Who cares if they can read or write, seriously?!? I didn't start school until I was six, I did not go to kindergarten and I would like to think I turned out just fine... We have decided after much prayer to home school the girls. We are going to do it for a year or two and then evaluate where the girls are and how they are growing and learning. I hope it works for us and I think it will. So say a prayer if you think about us as we journey through the growing up years! I am putting some pictures of them up doing their work in the school room. I am very thankful that our new home has enough space for us to have a room just for school!

Kids LOVE their Glue... Why is that?!?

Concentrating!!

    

Good Mom.....Bad Mom

The thought that goes through my head every night as I lay in bed re living the days events, all that we did or did not do, my endless to do list, did I discipline enough or was I to slack, did something happen today that will forever change their character..... SERIOUSLY????? I answer myself "Come on, get a grip" But let's be honest for some unknown or known reason we as moms seem to have this daily battle of good mom bad mom syndrome, which if you think about it is usually our own expectations of ourselves or the idea of motherhood that we have conjured up in our head!! I am not really even sure why I am writing this except to encourage myself and anyone else that might read... Don't be so hard on yourself. Motherhood is suppose to be a joyful time in our lives that passes all to quickly. Hold you head up high, chest out and know that if your children are happy, loved and loving you are probably doing a great job!! So close all the how to mother books, ease up on reading all the blogs and enjoy this time!! We are moms, hear us roar!!

WOW!! Time is flying by and I keep saying "OK I am going to sit down and re do my blog today"... Well today is that day ☻ I rarely sit down at the actual computer anymore now that I have a smart phone so I am using that as my excuse! I think it's a pretty good one! Our days are so full that sitting at the computer is not always an option or a desire, since we are being honest!! School, piano, cooking and playing seem to take up most of our week days and then we get to spend the weekends with our church family so it leaves little time!!
I am so encouraged right now, God is giving us the power and want to rise above the things that have been keeping us bound!! Strike while the iron is hot is the saying that just keeps flashing thru my head these past couple of weeks! So I am trying to do that!! We do not have to live defeated any longer.. Whether it's your short temper, lack of patience, your mouth, lack of sleep while dealing with small children (I had to throw that in there for my benefit) I can feel Him giving me the strength to move on and move up!! The church is doing so wonderful and every time church time rolls around we are just all so excited!! God is building His body and I want to be apart. I have been wondering and asking myself why doesn't everyone want to be involved and Bro Gary spoke on this the other night.. Not everyone wants to pay the price, sacrifice or give up self..... Easy to say but hard to do!! The girls have been singing "Lord I want to go" and "I'll say Yes Lord Yes" lately and I can tell that even in their young age I can see Jesus dealing with them.

We are settling into our house quite nicely, thankful the Lord helped us sell our house. We have an actual school room in this house which is really great!  I have been using just ABeka but recently added in Handwriting Without Tears which I really like. And I finally finished cutting out the 600+ pieces from he Betty Luken's Bible in Felt, the girls absolutely love this and the events actually stick in their heads a lot better than just reading. It came with a book on every even that happened in the Bible, a CD with coloring pages and activities and a filing system. It took me 5 months to cut it all out but now that I am done I am really excited!! Emma and Anna are taking piano lessons, which is going good. They are aspiring to play like Kim Collingsworth!! I hope they do, she is very talented.  Well nap time is over so I have to cut this short but will return soon to add pictures!!

I am still here

You mean I have a blog????
Who started it for me and why??
Haha... I won't bore you with all the reasons why I have not posted in almost four months....... But we are still here and doing great... And we have moved!! Praise the Lord!! Very exctied about that and we love our new home, kind of getting use to no ambulances or gun shots every night ☻ It's funny what you can come accustom to after awhile.
We have been getting cabin fever due to the weather and unpacking boxes. Today we went to prayer meeting, we have been missing them lately due to the move and being out of town. There is something about getting together with older women who have walked this way and praying with them.. I have missed going and glad to be back on track. I have found that when you spend more time in your own world doing your own thing, even though it seems important, you miss out on what God is doing. I love to fellowship and get together with God's people, it is very encouraging. Someone made the statement to me "Going to church doesn't make you anymore of a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a mechanic". This statement could hold true if all your doing is showing up at church but my reply is this: If you are a football or baseball player you have to show up for practice everyday and learn how to work together, think as a team, learn the plays and you hang out with other football players. I am on the team and I love to hear how God is working for others and what He is doing not just in my life but everyone else, not to mention I get a better idea of the plays to make when the enemy comes knocking at my door!! So if you think of me and the girls say a prayer for us as we try to get our lives back to normal and settled in!! And come visit us ☻

Kathryn and Laura's Birthday Party

A couple of Saturdays ago we went to a  birthday party at the oil ranch and really had good time. The girls got to ride ponies, pet goats, hay ride, train ride and Doozer milked a cow!! They had a cow milking station set up and Doozer just kept on about wanting to milk the cow so she walked right up there and the lady showed her what to do and when she did the milk shot out and Doozer jumped!! Monkey got grossed out and said "Doozer was touching that cows hinney and milk came out"!! It was a fun day with our family and friends, very glad we were invited!!

Kind of Funny

Sunday was halloween as you all know but my girls do not even know what it is!! I could barely go to stores without them getting scared of all the halloween junk creeping them out... Anyway I will stay on the point ☻ Sunday night the doorbell kept ringing, in spite of the fact that we did not turn our porch light on for this very reason!! One of us would go to the door and explain we did not have any candy otherwise they just kept standing there ringing the bell... Almost every time the kids would not have any costumes on, at one point it was teenage boys carrying their backpacks!! So Chad and I kept making the statement to each other "they were not even dressed", we meant they weren't in costume!! Anyway long story short Monkey was later telling someone that "kids just kept coming asking for candy and they WEREN'T even dressed"!!! I thought this was really funny so I thought I would share, she just couldn't believe kids were asking for candy without clothes on!!!

A Trip to Blue Bell

Well it has been a long time since I sat down to write on my blog but we went to Brenham to the BlueBell Plant and also to a miniature horse farm with Gram and MaBeck back in July or Spet, can't really remember ☻ The girls had a lot of fun except Emma. She does not like to be in closed places with a lot of people she does not know. At BlueBell they walk you around the plant, which has not windows, down halls and into small rooms. Moneky shook the entire time ☻But she got ice cream at the end so everything was better. At the horse farm the girls walked right upto the fence and pet the horses without any problem. One of the horses reached thru and started eating Doozer's skirt which was pretty funny, to me at least!! We even packed our lunch and ate on the court house steps in downtown Brenham.

Taking It Easy

I am taking it a lot easier these days just enjoying my girls and their toddler years, which for the twins are almost over, they are 5 in December.......... Time has flown by and I can't tell how sad I am that they are so big... Their young years are a totaly blur except for the "big" moments, sad to say. I had been reading several parenting books and organizing/scheduling my time and spent most of the time beating myself up for failing to be just like the parents in the book. SO I decided to put them aside, almost immediately I felt a weight lifted off of me and alot of guilt as well, and I am following the MAIN book the Bible as my parenting guide. I don't want to offend anyone that reads parenting books it was just a little overwhelming for me personally. So we are spending a lot of time doing the small things, making crafts and outside. I have gotten totally relaxed with school but they are only four and three. And I also want to clear up that I can not teach them together, the 15months between Abby and the twins really shows up when doing school. Her attention span is a lot shorter. To help I have been teaching them separately which they like a lot. I figure they will have enough time to go to school when the time comes!!

They are growing so fast I can barely keep up with all the new things they are saying and doing like I should. I beat myself up all the time for not journaling, I sure feel alot of better if I would JUST do it..... So hopefully I will start ☻We have started going to prayer meeting on Wed mornings and the girls really like it. Yesterday they gave prayer request and then sang "I am Glad He laid His Hand on Me", makes a mommy proud! The other day I was driving and Anna/Emma started singing "There's Just Something About that Name". I am so thankful my children sing and know church songs, God has used them more than once to sing a song at just the right moment that I needed to hear from God. I am not trying to boast I am just thankful that my children love church, they get so excited when we go and I hope and pray it stays that way!! Chad was out working and saw a Thanksgiving tree so he suggested we do that and we did! The girls just love it and it makes it feel more like Fall even when it is 90 degrees outside. So we are just really enjoying ourselves!!

Thanksgiving Party

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Today we we had a Thanksgiving party at our house with all the girls little friends, it was a lot of fun. I decided to do it early because once you get into November all the busyness begins and there is hardly enough time for anything! Although I am hoping to have a Christmas/Twins Bday party one in December. I planned out two crafts for the children but most of their time they played outside and today was the perfect day for that because it was so pretty!! All in all there were 17 toddlers and 2 infants!! Poor George and Ethan were the only boys except the two infants, for his sake I hope they are up and running soon as George/Ethan are quite out numbered, 15 to 2!!!! I am so thankful for all my friends that I get to share motherhood with!! Hope you enjoy all the pictures as we sure enjoyed the day. Although Ethan might not say the same since he got hit in the head twice with a plastic baseball bat!! So thank you to all who came, I had fun and I know my girls for sure did!! Just an FYU that is not a Christmas Tree but it is a Thanksgiving Tree!! The topper says Give Thanks ☻

I am still here!!

WOW it has been a really busy last few months!! Lots of traveling, which we love!! There is nothing quite like traveling to other churches, seeing more of God's people and just lifting eachother up.. It is wonderful, I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus our children love to travel as well, they do so good!! There is something that is so special about mingling our spirits with others and hearing their testimonies, it is very encouraging. Not to mention you make friends for life too! Anyway I just wanted to pop in and let you all know we are still here and I have a lot of pictures to post and stories to tell so when I get some extra free time I will get on here and acutally write something!!