Just slowing down a bit

I have been less than enthusiastic about the ole blog the last few weeks. There have been some personal struggles that I've been dealing with that have weighed down my heart considerably. It's something that I can't do anything about and finally, after the advice and counsel of good friends, was able to just give over to God. The burden is way too big and honestly there is nothing that I, in my power, can do; so thankfully, while my heart is still sore, I am not dwelling on it as I was.

I've got less than six weeks left in the semester with Ulysses, and while I have learned a LOT, and certainly have a new respect for James Joyce, it will be some time before I pick any of his material up again. It looks like I will finish the course strong and I am extremely excited about writing the final paper that I have due that first week of May.

The baby is approaching the 3 pound mark and getting more vigorous every day. I can't believe that I'm already 30 weeks and that in just two months or so, we'll have another baby here. :)

As we prepare for her birth, we're also preparing the older girl's room for Charlotte. My darling husband, Aaron, painted the girls room for me this last weekend and it is now a lovely shade of purple. I can hardly wait to see where we'll go from here with the decorations and the mural Aaron's sister, Mary may be starting soon.

As we start April and then May, we'll also be starting planning for our flower beds and veggie garden. I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to those summer tomatoes.

With all that's going on in our family right now, I'm sure you can understand that the posts here are not as frequent as I'd normally do, but I will try to keep it updated fairly regularly. I hope that you all are enjoying Spring. Has anyone else noticed the Magnolia trees have blossomed? I absolutely ADORE Magnolias and hope to be able to get one someday when we have a larger space to put it.

Never Again

I do solemnly swear to never again make Tater Tot Casserole for dinner. This is my promise. This is my pledge.

Yummers!

I have been trying out some freezer meals in anticipation for putting up a few that first week of June to help us get through those first weeks after Maddie's birth a bit easier and have found two that I absolutely loved that were super easy to make. The above Chicken Pot Pie and a Chicken Tater Bake. The best thing about these recipes is that they each make two meals. One to eat when you make it and another to sock away in the freezer. Bonus! The recipes can both be found on the recipe blog I do with my sister, Amy. Maybe it's something you'd like to try? :)

Busy Week

We have had a super busy week for a family that stayed home most of it. I ran after the children with the camera trying to chronicle parts of it and as you can tell from the bellow picture, Abby was getting a little sick of me.

She then decided it was okay and that she'd give me a smile. :)

A new Abby achievement for this week is puzzles. She will sit and do puzzles over and over as long as someone is there to do them with her. She's getting pretty good at them, too. Anna started really enjoying the 24 piece puzzles a few months ago, but I think she's ready for the next size up...not sure what that is though. 50? 100? Maybe it would be a good Easter gift or even better new baby gifts? :)


My beautiful man Aaron has started to prime the girl's room in anticipation for its "grand" makeover before Charlotte moves in. For those of you who actually saw this room, it is a big improvement just to have it primed. Early last year, Anna went around the room with a pink highlighter, and Magic Eraser was getting us nowhere. Abby then added her touch during nap one day after sneaking in a box of crayons. I cannot tell you how much better that makes me feel that have that covered up. We're very excited about our princess themed room that will hopefully be completed before Maddie gets here in June.

We have had some lovely, just gorgeous weather here in central Indiana with temps almost to 70, which was then promptly followed by temps that dipping below freezing. But, we were definitely taking advantage of every second that we could. Abby and Anna enjoyed spending some time outside in their playhouse, which was a great "hand-me-down" piece that we received last year. Thanks, Emily! While the girls played, I was able to go through the yard and clean up all the winter debris and clear out leaves and sweep down the patio. It feels good to get a start on some of those Spring tasks. Aaron and I also tackled part of the garage and a closet; making a trip to Goodwill with a trunk load of donations. I'm hoping that we'll have nice enough weather next weekend to get even more down outside. We've already had some crocus' bloom; which were promptly destroyed, but beautiful nonetheless. I see daffodils starting to sprout and can hardly wait to get started on my flower beds.

We hope you're enjoying the Spring routines as much as we are!

Why We are Choosing to Homeschool

My oldest child is only three and while we have yet to leap headlong into the homeschooling world, it was something that my husband and I decided on before we were even engaged. We personally, do not feel that, in good conscience, we could send our children to a public school. But, we also believe that it is the right of the parents (not the government or society) to choose how they want to educate their children and what would ultimately best work for their family situation. That said, here are a few thoughts for the day on why we homeschool. :)

There are so many more reasons why we homeschool, but the number one reason is that public schools or government schools directly attack my way of life and the moral values I want my children to learn. They teach that creationism is not a valid argument, and instead argue that it is the uneducated that follow that mindset. They teach sex education in elementary school and stress that abstinence until marriage is an unattainable and old-fashioned goal. History has been “rewritten” to completely keep God out of the founding of our country stating that most founding fathers were either atheists or deists. English curriculum contains books that openly attack religious morality and claim that it's okay because, “Hey, the children are reading!”

There are certainly several arguments about why homeschooling is wrong or at the very least should be heavily monitored by the very system that most homeschooling parents are trying to avoid, but my personal favorites are the following: Homeschooling parents are overprotective and are out of touch with reality! And the most common, albeit the most uneducated, What about socialization?!

The generalization that homeschooling parents are overprotective is an old and tired argument. As another homeschooling parent once said, we are simply “proactive.” I am not saying that there are not public school families who are not also proactive in their children's education, but neither would I say that they are overprotective in their desire to know what is being taught in the curriculum that their children are exposed to. I am simply cutting out the middle man, by being directly involved in the teaching and presentation of our curriculum, there is no necessary “un-teaching” that will have to occur. As for being out of touch with reality, I am well aware of the “reality” of the public school system, and quite frankly you can keep it. As someone who LOVED school, I myself dealt with drugs in the hallways and physical attacks. I will instead bring my children up in an environment that will actually meet the original goals of education and preserve in them a love for learning that will not be shadowed by the natural occurrences the environment of the public nourishes.

When someone says that our children are or will become under socialized, useless and zombiesque members of society, I usually laugh it off and pass it over as an old saying that is simply being repeated, because that's all anyone really knows to say when arguing against homeschooling. I think that people who use that argument are simply uneducated in all that is available to the homeschooling family. I am certainly not naive enough to think that there aren't those homeschoolers who fall into that unsocialized view, but the percentage of homeschool graduates that emerge that way is insignificant, and I believe shrinking.

Just a few thoughts headed your way after my reading of an anti-homeschooling article. I should really stay away from those things. :)

Shared List on Why Homeschool

Here is a little list that I love that I thought I'd share to give even further insight into why we are choosing to homeschool.

Why We Homeschool
from Amy Bell's Natural Learning Page

A few reasons, in no particular order, certainly not all-inclusive:

Because I think I am more intelligent and more capable than any teacher my child might have in a school. (How's that for elitist? )
Because I think my children are more intelligent and more capable than any teacher they might have in a school.
Because I don't trust people who don't love my children to have their best interests at heart.
Because I think schools short-change girls in science and math education and encourage violence in boys.
Because I do not value traditional measures of success.
Because I think schools damage a child's self-image, ability to make unassisted decisions, motivation, and trust in him or herself.
Because my own school experiences were miserably boring and useless.
Because I don't want my children's socialization to be hampered by being stuck with a random group of 25 or 30 age mates for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Because I want my children to have the freedom and flexibility to learn what, when, and how they choose.
Because I think schools are ineffective places for learning.
Because I think schools are fundamentally anti-intellectual, emphasize peer acceptance over moral values, and promote all the most trivial aspects of socialization.
Because we believe a strong family life is important. This is impossible when families are separated for most of their waking hours. We like being together.
Because I think spending most of the day indoors with two dozen kids the same age is unnatural, unhealthy, and very limiting. Children need to see much more of the world than that.
Because I think schools promote the status quo, conformity, obedience to authority, passivity, intellectual dependence, emotional dependence group identity, inter-group conflict, hostility towards achievement, and antipathy towards thought. And, they are a colossal waste of time.
Because we do so many interesting things, I don't know how we'd fit in time for school.
Because I think homeschooling helps my children be more secure, happier, and more accepting of others.
Because I don't believe in traditional measures of "appropriate" child behavior. (aka, I've seen 'normal', and I don't like it).
Because I don't like the idea of a school trying to teach values.
Because I don't trust the government with my money. Why would I trust them with my children?
Because I think learning is more meaningful when it is intrinsically motivated.
Because our children can be exposed to more of the world by being with me than by being in a school.
Because I adore my children. I intend that they have the widest, most broadening experiences I can provide.
Because homeschooling allows long, uninterrupted blocks of time to work on an activity ( which might involve daydreaming or planning or brainstorming).
Because homeschooled children can spend more time outdoors.
Because homeschooled children become more responsible for their own education. They will not be passive recipients of subject matter selected by their teachers (actually administrators or government committees), but will at least have input into designing their own education and will eventually take over full responsibility for it.
Because homeschooled children learn how to learn, not just how to be taught.
Because our children will learn to relate to people regardless of gender.
Because our boys will not learn to hate kissing and hugging and girls.
Because our girls will not learn to lose themselves during adolescence.

Copyright 1998 Amy Bell. (Some points admittedly pirated from other people's lists published on the net).

Update on the Kiddos

It has been ages since I have been up to leaving anything here on the old blog. Any reason I give would just sound like an excuse, so I'll just say, "I'm sorry!" and jump right into an update on the kids. :)

Charlotte is 13 months now. Her new favorite things include unplugging the phone at the answering machine, so that none of the cordless phones work, (If you have tried to call and can't get through to anyone...you now know who to blame) and also turning off the glowing red light for our computers. Lovely how this seriously go with the flow easy baby is now trying out her toddler ease of finding trouble. But, this is small potatoes to where her sisters were at this point, so no complaints. In the below picture, you can see her shirt sleeves are too short. That is a 12 mth outfit and we have just moved her on up to the 18 mth clothes and they fit perfectly. I can't believe she was already there. Although I shouldn't really be surprised. She weighed in at 25 lbs at her one year check-up, putting her in the 90th percentile for weight and she's also in the same range for height. She is doing some major teething here lately and also having to suffer with some skin issues...she's gotten attacked by the eczema fairy with one large patch on her back and one on her ankle that just seems to keep coming back. She is walking all over the place, but is still a bit unsure of herself outside. Hopefully, as the weather improves she'll get more opportunities for practice.


Abby is such a beautifully interesting child. She has come into her own when it comes to vocabulary and will talk to you as long as you're willing to come up with responses. She will chat with people on the phone, while I could never get Anna to do even a hi or goodbye. She is also extremely polite and helpful. She is always saying, "Thank you." and "You're welcome." and "Are you okay?" We are having a bit of a problem with pinching right now, but hopefully she'll grow out of it soon. Here she is in the dress-up outfit that Grandma Greenwood made for her last birthday. She likes to get dressed up before she she heads to "work." :)

Anna, our oldest, is "almost" potty-trained. Every week or so, we get a little closer, and I hope, I hope, I hope we'll have her completely potty trained before the newest baby comes. On other fronts you'll notice that Anna is clothed in the below picture. This is something we're working on and at times we actually go like a whole hour now where she'll keep her clothes on. She is turning into somewhat of a ham when it comes to the camera and loves to say, "cheese" and flash her mega smile. She is also becoming more of the typical older child in terms of finding perfection. Which, at times is throwing a wrench in our school time. She likes to practice her letters, but gets frustrated easily if one doesn't follow the form or doesn't look like Mommy's. Oh, well. We'll keep at it. :)

As for the newest baby, Maddie, she hit the two pound mark this past week and we'll enter our final trimester next week. In some ways I can hardly wait for this time to pass. I want to meet her and trace her features. I want to introduce her to her sisters and start that next chapter of our lives. In other ways, I don't know how I'm possibly going to get everything done that I need to before she gets here. We know that we won't be making the leap to a bigger place this year and possibly not next year either, unless God intervenes in an amazing way. Because of that, we're doing all we can to utilize all the available space we have and make the best possible storage decisions. We're getting rid of a lot of things that we haven't used in years and perhaps our new biggest challenge, we're preparing the girls room for a new occupant, as Charlotte will be vacating the nursery. I'm really excited about this project and will share bits of it with you as we make progress there over the next three months before Maddie gets here.

Again, sorry I've been a bit of a blog slacker, but hopefully, I'll get back into the swing of things and keep y'all updated better. :)