ORGANIZING ALL THOSE BOOKS

Up in the school room, teddy is relaxing.

You've experienced this.  It's St. Patrick's Day, but you can't find the St. Patrick book you know you own on any of your bookshelves.  But good news- you just found the Easter book you couldn't find at Easter... Familiar? 

Nothing makes me more crazy.

So when I decided to organize the books upstairs, I did a quick search for inexpensive book storage hoping to be inspired.  And I was.  I fell in love with this idea of sorting books by category in organized bins. 

Using IKEA magazine files-- at just $1.49 for a 5 pack,  I didn't need to reform my book hoarding ways, I could just sort my stash for $20!  So that's what I did.

They are now all sorted.  I have categories:

• By topic (Apologetics, Art, Atlas, Biographies, Birds, Butterflies, Coloring, Christian Character, Dinosaurs...)
• By reader age (Young Readers 5-7; Young Readers 8-12...)
• The four history periods we cover (History- Creation to Greeks, History- Rome to Reformation, History- Exploration to 1950 and History- 1850 to Modern)
• Holidays and Seasonal
• Puritans
• US Presidents

And so on.  Then, all of the categories are alphabetized so that I can actually find that St. Patrick book when I want it- there it is, right there in Holidays and Seasonal.  Tada! 

And more than that, when a reader needs a book I can guide them to all the choices that are appropriate for their age as well as make sure they don't miss out on any of the fun books along the way. 

Books by category.

 

 

 

 

I turned the magazine racks so that books are easy to grab and used simple 4x6 cards cut in half for labeling the boxes.  I didn't even use a printer to make it fancy. 

 

So for a $20. investment and very little time, we got completely organized.  Of course, then I went to our local Homeschool conference and bought more books... 

 

My husband should really be presented with an award for patience.  :)

 

Enjoy all your before school organizing! 

 

 

 

Blessings friends,

 

 

 

 

 

 



KEEPING FIRST THINGS FIRST

Big rocks first.

Maybe you have heard the rock and sand analogy. It goes something like this. We all have a bucket. And in it we want to carry a few big rocks, a few pebbles and some sand. The dilemma is how to fit everything in. If we fill our bucket up with sand first, we will never have the space for the large rocks, let alone the pebbles we also wish to carry. But if we choose to place the large rocks in our bucket first, then the pebbles and sand have a way of slipping in between the cracks. With careful planning, we have more room for both.

Colleen Adams, Christian wife, homeschool mother and counselor, helps women to plan the “big rocks” they wish to focus on with their lives.

In her experience as a counselor, she has met with many older women who are now deeply discouraged because they allowed life to simply “happen to them.” They allowed their buckets to be filled with unimportant things- sand- and never prayerfully considered the big rocks they wish they had carried.
 

Do we have a clear direction? Are we excitedly and vibrantly living the purpose God has for us (Jer. 1:9, Eph. 2:10)? Or are we feeling hopeless, discontent and like life is just happening to us? Colleen encourages all women to set godly goals; to check these goals quarterly (a big key in success) and to use the talents God has given them- to the max! I recently had the opportunity to hear Colleen speak, and I wanted to share her insight with you.

THE PURPOSE OF GODLY GOALS

Enjoying a Winter Brunch with CVP and RPC.

Of course, the only good goal for our lives is a godly goal. We desire all of our pursuits to be lined up with Scripture. Colleen is so careful to explain that setting godly goals is a tool to help us clear our thinking and help us to pursue the things we feel the Lord is calling us to do. We do not seek to do something for God (to earn His favor) but we do seek to be an intentional steward of the talents the Lord has given us.

You may say, I just want a simple life. Well, that is just what goals help us to have. Instead of being pulled one hundred different directions, we are able to set a course following prayerful planning with the Lord and our husbands.

You may not feel like you are a natural planner. Colleen encourages us that we can all plan. If we were able to plan our wedding and Christmas, we can plan our marriage and our goals for the next few months.

You may feel like you don't see the benefit in being structured. Colleen shares that life goals cultivate an awareness in us and asserts that a lack of awareness causes us to make poor choices. She shares that every contestant on the Biggest Loser has the same things in common: they were not aware of the calories they were eating, they did not plan their meals or exercise and they chose the wrong things to eat (not enough protein, very little water and very little whole grain). Soon they were not in control at all, but at a loss as to how they were hundreds of pounds overweight. We are continually choosing one thing over another. Doesn't it make sense that we would want to be aware- clear sighted and prayerfully directed- when making these choices?

Our daughters Faith and Michaela (right two) with friends at the brunch.

WHAT ARE YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES?

Colleen suggests that we each prayerfully consider what our non-negotiables (or big rocks) are. These are the daily things that must happen. Making your own non-negotiable list is eye opening. You will quickly see that many items that you spend valuable time on each day really just don't make the list! They aren't really important to us, but they do take up “rock time” without our even realizing it.

Some of the categories she encourages us to consider for our Top 10 list include:

1. Self Care (Being a good steward of God's house- this includes diet, exercise and sleep)
2. Spiritual Life (Bible and Bible and/or Catechism Memory, Family Worship)
3. Intellect and Emotional Life (Are you growing your intellect? Do you have a reading list for the year? Reading works by saints who have gone before us is valuable- we take strength from godly examples. What are your children using as their copy work? Are you dumping the bad baggage- rebellion, dreams of what isn't, bitterness?  Do you take 10-15 minutes to be alone each day?)
4. Relationships (Maybe this is making one-on-one time with your children each month, Connecting with one of your few close friends, Practicing gratitude)
5. Life Strategies and Time Management (Maybe this means logging your day to see where your time is going or planning how you will spread the gospel)
6. Nest Management (Our homes- Colleen suggests taking time to focus on the Master Bedroom first and clearing it of clutter to make it a haven and not a garage.)
7. Financial Stewardship
8. Unique You (What interests and talents has the Lord given you?)

There is so much I could share about each of these categories, but one thing she specifically warns women to avoid is the false and dangerous piety of neglecting self care. She says that we should not insult God by letting His house get run down. Caring for ourselves is not an end in itself and should not be out of balance with other goals, but self care does prepare us to serve others, to spread the gospel and to keep us from the temptation of pitying ourselves. Note: Items next to each category- in parentheses- are just to get us thinking about the goals we might wish to set in each category.

Sweet friends and family.

BE SUCCESSFUL

Colleen suggests that the surest way to succeed in keeping our goals is to:

1. Set just two very specific goals for each of your non-negotiables (ie. Don't just say for relationships that you want to be a "better" wife, but that you want to be a "better wife by" choosing to do something specific that will be meaningful to your husband.) 
2. Write your goals down on paper. Keep track of how you are doing (Colleen's family has even made a weekly checklist to keep their goals in sight each week).
3. Meet with your accountability partner- you husband or close friend once a quarter to review how things are going.  You don't have to wait until the New Year rolls around again to check in on your progress- by meeting quarterly you have the chance to start again every three months!

Our dear sister, Wendy, faithfully serving the women of CVP.

I hope you will be blessed by Colleen's wisdom as much as I was.

 

Question: What are your tricks for keeping first things first/ making sure you are getting your big rocks tackled each day? 


________________________________

Todd, Colleen and their five children serve as missionaries

in Quebec.

You can reach them at:

Field and Hearth Project, 3220 W. Monte Vista #300, Turlock, California 95380

Email: sevenadams@msn.com

WHEN YOU JUST WANT TO GIVE UP!

Do you ever feel stressed out, like a failure and just plain want to give up as a home school mom? 

I have a secret for you-  me too!  The truth is, everyone does sometimes. 

What triggers this process?  Maybe something isn't going right- maybe it's a lot of things.  The house is a mess; you are comparing yourself to someone else and you feel like you are missing the important stuff.  You want to throw in the towel and get an easier job!  But is that really the answer?

Maybe it's time to re-evaluate.



PESKY PEACE ROBBERS



We all have things that rob us of peace.  Sometimes our lives can be so busy that all of a sudden we find our home is unorganized; our little one is fussy and in desperate need of training; the windows are dirty and we are stressing out while teaching math because we know an important bill hasn't been paid! 

Now is the time to identify exactly what is robbing us of peace; pray with our spouse for wisdom and rally the troops!

It's okay to take some time out to tackle those windows and pay that bill.  And nothing helps to train a toddler out of whiny behaviour faster than being put to work and being praised for their efforts.
 
When the visual clutter is reduced peace is often restored and mom and kids can focus all the more on the academics or on reading an encouraging piece of literature together.  Put those peace robbers to rest-- even if that means taking a few minutes out a couple times a day to zip the house back in order. 

It really is worth it.

A picture Lydia drew of me reading the Bible with the girls.

COUNT YOUR {OWN} BLESSINGS



Paul says that to comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise (2 Corinthians 10:12,17) but often we fall into that trap, don't we?  We look at the outside and notice when someone else seems to be doing better than we are and then we beat ourselves up.

Of course we usually don't compare rightly.  We compare an area in which we are weak to someone else's strength area.  We do this over and over and soon we see ourselves as a Wemick with all dots and no stars... sigh.

Of course, compounding the problem of comparing is that it usually results in being self focused and covetous- we want what they have (or what we think they have)- which keeps us from being thankful and content.  As our focus shifts to what we don't have we are not able to be thankful for what we do have. 

When you are feeling overwhelmed it is a great time to count your own blessings-- and not your neighbors.

Look at those sweet faces looking up at you and relish in the fact that YOU get to disciple those punkins in the Lord.  You have the ability to teach them your values; encourage them to esteem their brother as better than themselves; chip daily away on that pride (ours and theirs!) and protect them from the ungodly philosophies peddled in the world that would wreck havoc not only in our homes, but in their hearts.


You are able to give them the best teacher possible- one who loves and understands them; who sympathises with their weaknesses and prays for them.  Yes- YOU! 

No, they haven't arrived.  They are not perfect angels.  And honestly- neither are we. 

BUT because we are together we can help them to see their sin (and ours) so that we can seek the Lord and His mercy together.  As we learn God's Word and see our sin we are all the more motivated to freely run to the Fount of true, saving grace- the Lord Jesus.

Take time to thank God today for giving you the challenge of bringing up your children in Him.  Remember that He created your family for His own glory.  Ask Him to open your eyes and your heart to what is real and eternal today and count your blessings.

Seeking to focus on God's Truth.

DETERMINE TO BELIEVE GOD

So often we can become worried and distressed over the minor things (and when I say we- I am really saying me).  Spelling, geography, knowledge of literature- they all can become elevated to critical importance and then we make an important mistake.  We think that a teacher in a Christian school or a teacher in a government school has some secret key to knowledge and can make our children wise.

But the truth is, God does not say that if any of you lacks wisdom, let him go to school. 

He says:
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." -James 1:5

There are times we can be so wound up mentally that we are tempted to believe we don't have time for worship and Bible with the kids- we've got to get to those academics!

But Who gives the knowledge of the things we wish our children to learn?  (Thank you Lisa for this verse!)  We want our children to gain knowledge in all kinds of literature and learning and so we pursue those things, but we learn that GOD is the giver of all those gifts:


"To the four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning." -Daniel 1:17


Determine to set your own preconceived ideas aside; to believe God and take Him at His Word.  I had to be reminded again that my God is the One who fed thousands with five small loaves and two small fish (I love that Luke mentions that the loaves and fish were small... in case we thought big loaves of bread and fish would feed five thousand plus people- Luke 6:9)... and had twelve baskets left over!  He doesn't need us to bring Him perfection.  We bring Him our little bits and He does the real work.  His load is light. 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  -Matthew 6:33

"John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven." -John 3:27

Keeping things simple.

SIMPLIFY


Adjust not only your own expectations, but feel free to make adjustments to your routine that simplify. 


Creating Routines:  Remember in generations past families would have Monday as Meatloaf night and Tuesday as Taco night etc?  Routines can really help when we are feeling under pressure.  Whether they are meal routines or the routine of assigning an older girl to read a couple of books to a toddler before nap time.  If it is wholesome and it simplifies life, embrace it! 

Doing things Together:  Often just making the switch to do things together helps to simplify.  If everyone does chores at the same time, exercises at the same time and rests at the same time- even that adds simplicity.

Give yourself a Break:  Pencil in family and rest days on your calendar.  It may mean saying no to activities that would crowd into those slots, but often the fellowship within your family is lacking during these times when you are under pressure. 

Purge the Extra:  It's easy to accumulate a lot of stuff!  The problem is, the more we have the more we have to take care of.  Purge things you don't use.  Tuck away things you don't use daily.  Remember that your cabinets are valuable real estate.  If you are not using something maybe it's time to give it to someone who will.


It's ok to make changes that help you to simplify. 

Celebrating Oktoberfest with our German Uncle Sven and family.

 

 

 

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

 

 

 

Get the rest you need.  A friend of mine often reminds me that this race is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

That thought is helpful to me. 

Remember to contact a godly friend who will pray for you and encourage you in the Word when you are down.  The Enemy would like nothing more than to divide and conquer. 

Exercise and eat foods that will give back to you- fruits and vegetables in place of french fries not only fuel you but help you to feel better about your choices.

Connect with your spouse.  If you can't go out, have a date at home!  Feed the kids early and let them watch a sweet video while you and your spouse have a special dinner over candlelight.

Take a little time out to do something that you can succeed at-- baking, writing, sewing, photography or some other hobby you have tucked aside.  Give yourself a little time each week to do something you can feel good about. 

And remember that God is glorified not in our strength, but in our weakness.

 

"But God chose the foolish things of the world

to shame the wise;

God chose the weak things of the world

to shame the strong."

-1 Corinthians 1:27

 

ORGANIZE IT SIMPLY {Kid's Closet}

All five of our girls share one room (I know that sounds a little crazy and crowded, but really- they love it!).
The only thing is, no matter how hard I try to keep things organized I end up needing to RE-organize their closet at least once every few months. Actually, that's not true. It probably needs to be reorganized every month... but I get to it every few.

Does this striketh a chord with anyone?
With the seasons changing again, I had another reason to be in there- pulling out the bulky sweaters and unpacking spring and summer wear. And I think I even found a way to keep the closet from getting so out of order.

EVERYDAY CLOTHES Since I was in there anyway, I decided to change the organization a bit. For everyday clothes I decided to add these daily organizers (hanging cubbies) for each girl.

My thought is, they will have an outfit a day all clean and ready to go. As I put away laundry I can load the cubbies with what I want, then I have a helper who hangs up the rest in the other closet (to follow). It really helps me to easily see what each girl has and doesn't have. In my mind, an outfit a day is plenty of clothing. Beyond that we just have more than we need. These cubbies help me keep the bare minimum.






You will see that Hailey realized I was about to take a photo and zipped right in to model her fancy attire- a bright hat with single matching mitten; homemade doll apron and an "It's my Birthday" button just in case someone is thinking about handing out presents. Thank you Hailey! :) The cubbies are from WalMart and are under $7.

The hairbows and headbands are organized into sturdy vases and a mirror from the thrift store hangs where the girls can finish their outfits.


SUNDAY BEST The other closet now holds their church outfits, their backpacks, hats and jackets. I had previously kept the two older girls in one closet and the younger three in the other, but this simplifies things for me.







 

Pictured above, Hailey's Sunday purse which carries her little books and do-dads found at the Dollar Tree Store.

I'd love to hear your creative kid's closet ideas!

May you be blessed,

SEEKING BALANCE {in the School Day}

The School Room. Lydia's Kindergarten desk and calendar pictured on right. A table open for those who want to craft or do something that takes space under the window. Egg crates hold dittos and things we need to access easily for our 5 girls(Toddler to 8th grade).

 

Dear Rebecca,

I was wondering if I might ask for some input (again).;) We homeschool our boys (two oldest) 60% of the week and two days they go to a sort of co-op, classical homeschool support school. On the three days I am home with our 4 children, ages 10, 7, 4 and 1, I struggle a bit to spend any quality time with my girls who are the youngest two. Obviously the baby requires attention from me but I have not been able to do things regularly with her like reading, play, etc. My 4 year old would also love more time with me but it is all I can do to read for a short time and then review phonograms with her. Sad. I often feel a bit stressed getting through our assignments, often not much before 4 p.m. and then feel like I had several missed opportunities with my girls.

I'd so appreciate your thoughts on how I might organize the day to also spend time with my 4 and 1 year old. What things are you doing with your younger two to teach them and nurture them?

Thanks for your gift of helpfulness that you so readily share with others.

Blessings,

Kim

Hi Kim!

You know, I think we all struggle from time to time feeling like we are failing in our effort to juggle everything. I know that Mama's ache when it feels like certain children aren't getting as much time or attention as I would like. I have sought the Lord myself over that issue from time to time. And He is so creative!

Here are some things that have helped me:

1. Realizing "Quality Time" does not always mean sitting down. Children love to be needed. They love to help Mama cook a meal, set the table, pull weeds, clean the bathroom or fold the laundry. It is fun (and play) for little ones to help Mama.

2. A Tea Party can take Five Minutes. A tea pot full of apple juice and a bowl of popcorn at a child sized table is elegant to a 4, 5 or 6 year old. Special moments do not have to be elaborate, and they don't have to take long. Just being willing to carve out five to fifteen minutes- look her in the eye and ask her about her favorite things- is worth so much to a little heart and to yours.

3. Realizing Quantity Time is Valuable. I have heard it said that quantity time is more valuable than quality time and I think there is something to that. The Deuteronomy 6 passage that we homeschoolers often hang our hat on says: "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." ~Deut. 6:7 You are so blessed to be home with your children!

The process of disciplining/ teaching God's commands takes quantity time. It's precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little (Is. 28:10). Just being aware of your role at home, guiding and directing your little ones back to God's Word all throughout the day is ministry and doing good to their souls.

I file the girl's completed schoolwork in binders. Each girl gets one binder for the Elementary years, one for the Middle years and soon to be added- one for the High School Years! To keep it easy, I just have wallet sized photos printed at Costco and place their picture on the binding.

4. Having a Daily Schedule/ Routine Really Helps. I find if we start and end the day with a specific schedule then I am able to fit more in than without it. I don't do well thinking on the spot, so spending a few minutes once a week to fill in my schedule works well for me. Without it, I am simply facilitating school work. I don't think our schedule is impressive, but I'll share a bit of it with you in case it may help:

MORNING

- Chores and Individual Bible time

- Meet for School

* Three fun songs with hand motions (I made a song schedule I just loop through it; find it here);

* Read a character/ Bible story (Right now we are using this)

* Memory Work (Working on the Shorter Catechism with the three older girls and small memory verses from our Bible story- above for the two little ones)

* The little ones break off and have their jobs while the older ones do their Daily Paragraph Editing with me- Lydia (6) works on a Rod and Staff Workbook and Hailey (2) is given a simple task like linking beads are something small to play with. That takes 10-15 minutes and when we are done and the little ones put their things away, they get a miniature candy.

* Read History aloud to everyone (I edit out sections that teach about false gods). The little girls usually have a coloring page to work on while I read and if they are quiet they get another miniature candy when we are done (yes, I reward them with sugar. I know, it's terrible but they love it!)

*Then we break off: Older 3 girls work on their Math and English while Lydia, Hailey and I go downstairs to prepare lunch.

AFTERNOON

- During lunch Faith reads her Science work to all of us (it's from Answers in Genesis and always interesting)

- After lunch is Bible (New Testament)

- Clean up

- Exercise

- Return to school work (a middle child, who has a break in their schedule at that time, will take a turn to read to Hailey before her nap and I work with Lydia on her reading lesson); this is when the girls will finish other lessons- Spanish or Typing etc.

- I may do a SWR Spelling Lesson with the middle girls or I may have them do a Sequential Spelling lesson (self directed) so I can answer an e-mail or pay bills

- When Hailey is alseep, and we are done with our school work, we can read some other book aloud or do some other job that may be needed. This is a good time to cuddle, have a tea party etc.

EVENING

- Dinner

-The younger girls hear Mama read a Bible story and each of the three of the younger girls get to pick a short story (A little Rod and Staff book, A Little House reader, A chapter or two from the Vision Forum Beautiful Girlhood Library etc.) while the older girls do a quick clean of the Living Room and kitchen.

- Then I do a Bible study with the 2 older girls. We are doing an Elizabeth George study that includes a workbook and DVD.

It might sound like a lot, but it isn't. Many items take minutes, but routines make me feel like specific things that are important to me get checked off my mental list- for example we sang together; we did a memory verse; I read solid character material to them and Bible. These things didn't take long, but they happened.

Another note about the evening schedule. The goal is to start early- sometimes even at 6:30 or 7 with the little girls, so that I can get spend time reading without being rushed and get through everything soon enough to have some quiet time in the evening before I hit the hay. We are good moms, we are there for the kids all day, but in the evening it is good to say good night and have quiet as well. Balance is healthy.

and finally,

 

 

We're teaching the older ones to help in various ways to minister to the younger children. One way they serve is with weekly puppet shows on character topics- because I know that I just can't do it all and it is good for the older ones to be needed as well! : )

5. Busy schedules aren't for everybody. Some families seem to thrive on busyness. Our family does not. A couple of years ago a classical co-op was beginning near us and I was asked to join and be one of the teachers. One of the reasons I declined was because I did not feel that our family would do well going back and forth for the benefit of just a couple of us. One of my friends tried it and after the first year, she pulled out. She felt like she never saw her children. Other friends have remained with it.

My point is simply this: If something is not working for your family it's ok to stop. If we are overly busy for one reason or another and we don't feel that we have the time to see our children, it is likely that we are also missing opportunities to tie our hearts together and to guide and direct their character.

 

JC Ryle once wrote:

 

"We live in days when there is a mighty zeal for education in every quarter. We hear of new schools rising on all sides. We are told of new systems, and new books for the young, of every sort and description. And still for all this, the vast majority of children are manifestly not trained in the way they should go (in reference to Proverbs 22:6), for when they grow up to man's estate, they do not walk with God."

 

He went on to say,

"In every step you take about them, in every plan, and scheme, and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out this mighty question, 'How will this affect their souls?'"

Sometimes we feel like this question of what is best for our children's souls is just one more thing to worry about, but in the end I am sure we'll be convinced it was the only thing worth worrying about.

I am not here to tell you your schedule is too busy or this co-op is not the best thing for your children's souls, but I would encourage you to ask the question. Because what does it profit us to gain the whole world- even the whole academic world- and lose the soul?

Richest blessings dear Kim.

 

The Halls are all Un-decked!

I was probably the last person out there to put away my Christmas decorations. Why do I think this? Because I put them away today. I am not sure why I waited, but the twinkly lights seemed so cheery and outside seemed so dark.


But then we had a little sun and I suppose I perked up and decided that I could put some of that cheer away. And it felt good.





Another thing I am likely the last person out there to do- I just donated all my VHS tapes (well, almost all). Our VCR finally kicked the bucket and what do you know, without all those VCR tapes in my buffet- that we really weren't watching anyway- I have more room for serving dishes. Smile.

I've been feeling a little creative- maybe it comes from being inside so much. So when the girls received new blankets with the Christmas money we were gifted, I thought we just might be able to tie them in with a few simple silhouettes painted on the walls. I drew the designs on the wall, got buy in from the girls and went to work.

With the Christmas activities behind us, we are back to our regular evening schedule- a Bible story and book reading with the little girls, followed by a richer Bible Study with the older girls.

I love finding new ways to use these IKEA magnetic boards. I posted some words up for Lydia and gave her a tub of letters and she has been making different words for the past couple of days. She loves using real words and it keeps her from just throwing a bunch of letters up and asking, "What does this spell?"

Free reading continues to include a lot of the Kingdom and Knight series books by Chuck Black. In fact, Faith often reads aloud to all of us...

when she isn't baking up some wonderful treat. She is just too good at baking. I don't want to say how many of these cookies I ate today.

As I mentioned, the sun has been visiting us. The girls were so excited, they asked to bring their school work outside to enjoy it!

It made us all downright cheery!

Since I was changing things around, I decided to update the blog header as well. What do you think?

May you have a lovely Christ filled day!

Updated Blog Banner

It's a new school year and it's time for reorganizing! Everything has been affected around here. Even the blog banner. This one reminds me of Romans 12:2:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

God's Word is amazing. The only "living and active" tool we will use teaching our little ones this year!


This was our previous banner, reminding us that we can count on God's promises. This cherry banner decorates the the girl's "Rain or Shine, God is Good all the Time" bedroom.  

So, do you want to see their room?


This isn't the best photo, but it was already on my hard drive, so I thought I'd share it. Don't you love seeing what other families are doing?

We chose white comforters, rather than the many pre-designed options, so that we can change the room when it strikes us with little investment. The room is designed with homemade art and homemade pillows reminiscent of raincoats in bright polka dots. To change the room we can make a few new homemade art pieces and some updated homemade pillows and it's a new room. Easy!  



The girls enjoy sharing a room. To give it an open feel we opted to trundle beds under (they are pulled out at night time and get tucked back away each morning) rather than building up just yet.  We learned that from a friend with eight children.  

The other side of the room mirrors this one, with the dresser in the center.


Blessings to you!




______________________________________
New banner created with GIMP, a free Photoshop-type program for Mac or PC.

Sunday Mornings on the Go!

Ever noticed that sister in laws are especially clever? Mine always is. I wanted to share an idea I gleaned from my dear sister in law, Erin.


SUNDAY MORNINGS ON THE GO!
On Sunday mornings we wanted to provide something healthy-- and fast for breakfast. Sugary things make it too difficult to stay still and concentrate, but a sit down breakfast always seems to take too long.

Erin's solution? Load and seat belt all the babes into the car (to avoid potential spills along the way) and deliver a simple breakfast for the {in both of our cases} lengthy drive to church.

Eggs, sprouted toast and fruit all divided neatly into 2 for $1 plates from the Dollar Tree works for us!

Thanks Joneses!

Now, if we could just find a way to speed up the animal chores...


Happy Sunday!
Rebecca

The Art of Progress

THE ART OF PROGRESS
It has been said that:

"the art of progress is to preserve order amid change."

Boy, that is an art, isn't it? Things do seem to continually change, and in an effort to preserve order in our home we found we needed to make a few simple changes as we began this school year.


WHERE WE HAVE DECIDED TO SCHOOL
We are finding that although we have a school room, we tend to end up back at the kitchen table. Does anyone else find that the kitchen table is just a homeschool magnet? It seems that things work best when we are all together, and the kitchen table makes that possible. However, this change has meant that we really needed to think through how to school during the day, then recover and experience a peaceful home life after the school work is done.


BOOK STORAGE
To work in our family space, we had to address book storage. There are books and binders we use on a daily basis* that must be close by, but I wanted to keep out of sight.

Because this is our home as well as our classroom, I really didn't want to look at school curriculum on the shelf when I am not teaching. That may not bother anyone else, but I knew it would be less than relaxing for me, so after some consideration, this is what we decided on: we purchased a black ottoman from Walmart.com. This one is large and holds all of our everyday curriculum with room to spare.

*Note: While we have many other homeschool resources, if I don't need them on a daily basis, I just tuck them away until I need them. I have a small closet for resources that are for Mama's use or craft surprises in my room and curriculum storage in our school room on shelves in the wall. Because these items are out of sight I am not seeing the clutter on a daily basis and that makes Mama feel relaxed.

Another reason I liked this option was the fact that this piece of furniture can fill many roles~ it is curriculum storage now, but it could be a coffee table, additional seating or even store blankets at the foot of my bed someday. Also, it was inexpensive, and with "site to store" shipping the freight was free. Love that.


MAGNET BOARDS
We have several visual learners under our roof, so I wanted a way to display learning material without having it become the wall paper of our home. I decided to add a couple of inexpensive magnet boards from IKEA to the wall. I purchased two, then my handy hubby took them, attached them together and hung them for me.

When we aren't using the magnet boards they can be empty and not draw a great deal of attention. When I want to get some extra mileage out of some hands on activities I've made or emphasize something new, I can add magnets to it and leave it on the board for a couple of weeks. It keeps these items corralled in one location which keeps things looking clean and neat. I love that. In the IKEA store, they carried these magnet boards in stainless and white as well.


CHALK BOARD
I wanted a chalk board near our kitchen table even before I decided that I would be doing school there this year. I love the idea of writing verses or quotes where we can see them and change things as often as I want. I originally saw the idea in a Pottery Barn catalog. They had several square boards together to make one large board. I think it cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $250. Well, that just sounded like a challenge to me. I showed my husband the catalog and told him that I knew they sold chalk board spray paint. Did he think we could make one? My hero always figures out a way.

While we created this board months ago, re-purposing it to use in our school day is a change for us.

What he did: Tom opted to use some left over bead board we had on hand. It was flat and came with primer already on it, so it was ready to paint. He cut it to the size I wanted and we used about 3 cans of black chalk board paint from Walmart~ somewhere around a $6-9 investment. He offered to frame it with molding, which is another option, but I like the simplicity of it plain. The black chalkboard looks so classic to me.

I erase it with a damp paper towel and let it dry before each use. I use regular chalk and it works great.


Blessings to you in the art of progress!
~Rebecca

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Intro. photo: More progress~ Hailey has moved from a bassinet to a crib. That is a big adjustment for her Mama. I have been in denial~ I am sure I should have moved her about 2 months ago, but she's still a tiny baby, right? Now that she is starting to roll I had to shake the denial. Lydia likes to keep the bench nearby so she can peek in at Hailey. : )