Harvest Time

In this part of the country, it is harvest time--more specifically for the farmers, wheat harvest. My dh works on a farm and has helped them with their 600 acres of wheat--his first experience of "the harvest". His job? Hauling the large bales of straw. Before you start to feel sorry for him in this early-in-coming-dog-days-of-summer-99degree-SW-MO-weather, he has air-conditioning and is only out in the heat when he's running between the truck or tractor or dumping the bales :) He has been putting in some LONG 12-14+ hour days though and it will be a relief [somewhat *LOL*] when he makes it home before dinner sometime soon.

Bigger news?!? It's also time to be out blueberry picking!! And even though we haven't braved the heat and prices, I would so love to stock up my freezer with this yummy fruit!

We have had nice friends share some bags of the sweet blue good-for-you treats and I decided we could have some blueberry pancakes this morning. We usually just have cold cereal, but once every couple of weeks, I'll try to do pancakes (sometimes it's cause we're out of milk). Well, I've been looking up different recipes for pancakes and trying to find the easiest to do and this time, I googled "easy blueberry pancakes". And, although I doubted the ease of this recipe, my girls and I found it easy enough to do (and I didn't HAVE to dbl the recipe like usual, although I could have). While my 8yo is beating the egg whites, continually asking if they are "stiff "yet (how am I supposed to know--I hadn't a clue!!), I am mixing up the dry ingredients [I don't "sift" either, just stir] and stumbling over the 3yo with the best intentions of helping also. Thankfully, my boys are later sleepers, so I didn't have TOO much help in the kitchen. My 3yo DID get to add the frozen blueberries and have the first plate of yummy pancakes.

Our review of this recipe?

**** 4 stars!! ALL 4 kids say it is a "keeper" and would be good even without the blueberries. I had to agree after I finally was able to take my first bite also. I did have 3 dirty bowls from preparation instead of just 1, but it may have been worth it for the excellent taste--and whatever "stiff egg whites" even DO for a recipe, I think as long as I have an extra set of hands to do that job, it must be worth it!

ALSO--this would be great if you didn't have syrup (although we did) because the yummy blueberry juice gets spread out and fairly syrupy on its own. It may be tart without the syrup though, depending on the sweetness of your berries.
AND--for a finger food? Maybe after the blueberries have cooled. IMO--Too messy to be picked up and eaten if it has berries in it (unless there are just 1 or 2). I used to do this with regular pancakes before my 2yo knew what syrup was and I didn't want a messy boy to clean up, but today he had a bath after breakfast :)

The only complaint?

"OUCH! That blueberry squirted on me and it burned me(my tongue, my mouth, my lips, etc)!" No real burns, there were smiles on their faces as they shared these apparently wonderful complaints.

Fine Arts free mini unit

I was referred to this site from my subscriber exclusive email from Homeschool Freebie of the Day and WOW!! They are giving away a mini unit (about 6 weeks) over Monet and Mendellsohn. So grateful for some more freebies in this area. I'm lacking in teaching any kind of real art, music, etc. Most of that comes from our co-op, for which I am ever so grateful. BUT, the art and music appreciation could really use some expanding. Let's see if I implement this one anytime soon :) I think the kids might enjoy it!!

My road to no birth-control.....

Here's my personal experience (REMEMBER--JUST ME!!) on the road to no birth-control.......[beware--may be TMI and for an adult audience!!]

When dh and I got engaged, I made an appt. with a GYN for my first check-up and to get on the pill since I'd heard it was the best in preventing pregnancy. I had my qualms about it, but pushed them aside because I did NOT want to have a baby right away! I was 19 years old and, unbeknownst to me, very selfish :) DH-to-be went with me to that first appt. and we watched a video about how the pill works (well, how any hormonal birth control works, really). I vividly remember the part where they state, "if the sperm and egg DO join together [on accident], they may be expelled" along with the fluid during the next cycle......I'd heard that and I knew what that meant. I am against abortion at any level and this was, to me, saying that it would abort your baby before you know about it. BUT, I pushed that feeling aside, knowing that the pill was widely accepted in churches and surely it would be okay--God didn't want me to be a pregnant newlywed, right?!?! LOL
Well, 8 months into the marriage, I was apparently an irresponsible pill taker and when I missed a couple, I was scared what might happen if I was pregnant and I continued taking them--THUS, baby #1. We were overjoyed!! I was pregnant for our first anniversary, quit college [and work] the following fall and she completely consumed my life when she was born January 2001. I was 21.
After dd#1, we didn't go back on the pill 1st cause I was breastfeeding, 2nd because of previous stated reasons. So, in come barrier methods [i.e. condoms]. We thought this much better since it didn't mess with my hormones and didn't expel any unwanted joint eggs and sperm--the spermicide just killed the sperm and blocked it from reaching my eggs......
Then, as I'm still breastfeeding, here came baby #2. I was quite unprepared and so wrapped up with my dd, that it took some time to get used to ds, born September 2002 when dd was 20 months old.
Back on the barrier methods for us--I was ADAMENT that I needed a bigger gap and made sure to always use some sort of pregnancy prevention for almost the next 2 years. In July 2004, we stopped using any sort of birth control. Our marriage was rocky and unstable though, and it was 6 months before I became pregnant. Baby #3 was born August 2005, into a restored marriage, thank the Lord!!
We started wondering what we would do for birth control next and decided to use withdrawal. This was not killing the sperm, just, again, preventing them from reaching the eggs, but we would also occasionnally use a barrier (foam or condom). WELL--here came baby #4 when #3 was 22 months old in June 2007. YAY!!
We continued to use withdrawal, but no more barriers for us. I still struggled with having more and more babies, knowing that I was not even 29 and the possibilities of having 10-15+ kids was overwhelming!! I PRAYED to God and CALLED upon Him to PLEASE give me another gap--maybe 5 years this time?!? *LOL* Then, I was convicted that we shouldn't turn over partial control to Him, but ALL control. My dh was more sure about that than I was (he's not the one suffering thru the physical pain of pregnancy or staying home and teaching them, right?!? haha). But I was overwhelmed with peace when around December 2008 I completely surrendered to God's control--no more birth control of any kind--natural, hormonal, or whatever. Well, you know my story from there! Babies #5 and #6 are on the way!! And, amazingly, as much as I don't feel like I have life together, I have peace. I have a bit of turmoil when I wonder God's plan after these girls, but I have peace in knowing what God has laid on my heart for the now and in following Him now.........
And to realize that we are being "fruitful" and "multiplying" God's Kingdom is also amazing. The Church is not just dying out because of lack of convictions and strength, the church has accepted the world's standards of abortion and taking control away from God! Not us. We are trying to follow His will for OUR lives and I pray you do the same, listening to His will for YOU........this is just me and my story.............

life lately....

At a calendar measurement of 23 weeks gestation, my belly is measuring 26 weeks. I had a dr. appt. Friday, June 19th and have gained a total of 13 pounds so far. I was a little concerned about not gaining enough for twins since I gained a total of 50# with each of my singletons, but my dr. kindly reminded me that I have plenty of time and the gaining will start picking up soon :) I do need to make sure and eat as much as I can now because there will be a time when there will be little room left for food ;)
Everything with the pregnancy looks good--no causes for concern at this time and no plans for bedrest, early labor etc......just waiting and seeing!!!
Apparently, I am a spectacle for others to gawk at already--especially when I have all 4 kids in tow. I know it shouldn't matter what others are thinking about me, but I feel very judged--like I'm the white trash mom who just keeps on having babies, instead of the mom following God's will for her life and trying to raise godly children. THEN, there's the twin thing--I really can't find much support for someone who homeschools, has twins on the way and will be a soon to be mom of 6 under age 9. SOOOO, I'm not trying anymore--those that just don't "get" the big family thing are not helpful and, although we run into them at church, the store, family gatherings, the pool, park, or library, or wherever, I'm trying to NOT surround myself with those ideas. It's hard enough to struggle on and not feel like I'm failing--I don't need the negativity breeding from the naysayers.......yet, I also feel like it is partly my job to educate people. Do I think God has called everyone to say no to birth control? Or has God called all Christians to homeschool? Or be a stay at home mom? WOW--those are some hot topics! But it is not my job to judge what God lays on anyone else's heart. Just because I am called, does not mean someone else is........ Saying that, I do believe that staying at home with my children, although very challenging, is the best way to "train up our children" and homeschooling is the best way to teach them with God in the center of our family. Now--birth control is a never ending issue with me and God. Basically, I have turned over all control to God, but whether or not we ever use any natural or artificial birth control again is up for question......we probably won't, which means we probably aren't done having children either. Irresponsible? No. Sane? Yes, although it may not seem like it (or feel like it at times). It's absent of today's "common sense" and we are definitely going against the flow of two-household incomes and 2.5 children, starting after you are 30yo.............just me............

language arts with games

We've done several little file folder games lately and have a few more in the works....I think the lessons stick better in the kids's minds when they have a hands-on activity. It also makes mommy/teacher seem a bit less of a stick in the mud and "summer school" more attractive.

1st grade
Pathways Phonics/Reading, lessons 105 and 108 teach the consonant digraphs "sh" and "ch". Then, lesson 120 teaches "th" and "wh". I used Lapbook Lesson's Rain Shower Digraphs for the "sh" and "ch", then used the blank ones to make "th" and "wh" umbrellas. We used his workbook page clip art for the drawings on these raindrops. We turned the umbrellas into pockets by cutting them apart and stapling, then contact papering the fronts. The raindrops were pasted onto cereal box cardboard and contact papered as well. We have added a half a folder to fold down in order to continue adding more umbrellas inside later--room for 4 more as of now. Mine looks nowhere as nice as the sample pictures on the site--just do what you can!!

Pathways Phonics and Reading, lesson 125 taught plurals that you add "es" instead of just "s" to. I decided this deserved a file folder game for my hands-on 6yo boy. I made up a not so pretty (but functional) Ice Cream Shop, adding "-es" game. I'm sorry, but I did this all by hand and not on the computer--but here is the explanation: You just use a file folder--put a cover on the front and I label my little tab so it can be filed and found again later. Holding the folder up like a regular 8.5x11 paper, you open it and paste your homemade ice cream cones along the bottom. I wrote the letters s, x, z, sh, and ch on these cones. Explain that words that end in these letters cannot just have s added to make them plural, you need to add es. I made ice cream scoops in various colors (glued onto thin cardboard and covered in contact paper) with various words on them like brush, fox, etc., being sure to not use words that need their consonant doubled like bus (those may be made later). I also made cherries with the letters "es" on them, so he puts the scoops on the right cones and then adds cherries to them. Later, for the doubling consonants, I may make nuts with the extra letters--we'll see!! All the scoops and cherries are held in a baggie that I stapled to the folder. You can get a lot fancier--but this worked for us!

2nd grade
We haven't been adding much fun in for my dd, so I decided I needed to look for something in her upcoming lessons. Tomorrow we learn contractions in Rod and Staff Phonics, unit 4, lesson 14. I found this lesson plan and thought it just PERFECT! I hope I feel like pulling it off well--if not, I'll be faking it and hope it sticks to their brains anyway. Contraction Surgery

Also for Phonics, beginning in lesson 20, she will be learning homonyms. They list 25 sounds in that first lesson, so those are what I am using to create Hatching Homonyms, a game that I am trying to partially do on the computer in order to save and share. The nests will be brown pockets with the pronunciation written on them (25 in all). The words and definitions are on eggs and they need to be put into the right nest. If you want these word eggs, please just email me and ask--I have them in Word documents (6 pages=52 words and 2 blank eggs). I will be doing the nests with pronunciations by hand since it is easier with the different symbols. I may use little brown paper sacks cut into nest shapes and, of course, contact paper to preserve them.
My kiddos help with the making of their own file folder games and lapbooks--it's not just me doing all the work. Depending on the difficulty and their age, I may do some of the cutting in order to have a NICELY done game that will last longer. I also do the contact papering since that is not cheap stuff and it's easily wrinkled.......your kids (or yourself) may or may not like artsy crafty things--to each his own, this is just me........

Portable Crib Stuff!

I found portable crib stuff! We need a new mattress, but it is $39 here (retails $60) so we'll see when that can happen! This bedding set looks adorable and it is $50, comes with the bumper, sheet, and blanket.
They also list retail $10 fitted sheets for $6--doesn't that seem a bit much for one little sheet? Of course, getting the elastic right would probably be a nightmare for the non-sewer that I am!!

Summer Lesson Plans

We're still trecking thru school. I think if we stopped completely, the kids would be fighting and getting into SO much trouble coming up with their own activities, we would all go nuts!!
We are done with this semester of History and they are just doing the basics of language and math--usually finishing before lunch. But they are asking "When are we doing a lapbook again?" So I guess it's time to look at some Science lapbooks for summertime!
We will also be visiting the local library this week to sign up for their Summer Reading Program and maybe let the little ones sit in on the story time on Wed. mornings. This would be a great day to pack lunch and go to the free wading pool across the street as soon as it opens, but that just may wipe me out TOO much for church on Wed. nights--we'll see!! We also plan on picking blueberries at a local farm sometime--maybe we'll check out Blueberries for Sal and do a cute lapbook I saw on that.....
If my oldest continues working ahead in her Phonics and English books, she will finish them soon after completing 2nd grade math around July 17th or so, leaving Reading, Copywork, and Spelling [and, honestly, copywork and spelling are really really simple and easy, maybe a total of an hour and a half per week for BOTH combined]. July 20th we plan on starting our "fall semester" of History--which is Quarter 3 of Vol. 1 Mystery of History. August 14th will wrap up all of 2nd grade work for dd H and she will get 2 weeks "off" with only History (including a lapbook) and whatever other fun stuff we come up with.
Our full fall semester starts August 31st--hopefully with me NOT on bedrest, but we'll see!
As for ds J?!?! Yes, he is not forgotten--I just don't have ALL his plans done for summer and I haven't made his purchases for next year yet. It looks like he will be finishing his Pathways language and Horizons 1 Math by the end of July, leaving him just about a whole month free from "regular school"!
I do have a couple little freebie math workbooks that they can do for fun during this off time and I hope to not have TOO much trouble getting back into the swing of things when we start again. But, then again, the curriculum all takes that into consideration and the first several lessons are all simple review which softens the start a bit....
Since dh was sick when we had our group's Award Banquet (and, let's face it, we weren't ready to promote yet), I'd like to have a NICE family dinner and ceremony when it is time to promote to the next level and start their new stuff in our "new" school room.....I just hope I am up and around and able to do that! I also want the chance to share with their dad in a "ceremony" of sorts what they are accomplishing. Who knows--maybe at LEAST we could go out for ice cream!! ;)