2015 Bucket List

 

2015 Bucket List

I'm not one that makes New Years resolutions, but I do try to have a few things to focus on each year.
One year I decided I was going to focus on my patience, another year was to read more, and often I had a long list of things I wished to work on throughout the year. This year, I have decided I wanted a "Bucket List" of sorts for the upcoming year. Here it goes... (in no particular order)

1) More time outdoors
 Being in Colorado there are only handful of days throughout the year that are either too hot or too cold to go outside.

2) Truly embrace and live the Unschooling life
I feel that this is exactly what we all need at the moment. We all love the freedom to explore as the desire hits. I have very curious and creative children and I want for them to have this time to follow what they are interested in and to truly enjoy being a child and exploring the world around them.

3) More time with family and friends
I hope to have family and friends over for dinner each month and to connect with them for fun outings. We are a very social and busy family but we have not been able to spend as much time with everyone as we have hoped.

4) Get back to church weekly
With so much stuff going on the last few months, and after caring for and losing hubby's dad this fall, we have been unable to make it to church weekly.

5) Have fun
This one is pretty simple. I want us all to have fun each day.

6) Write letters to family, friends, and pen-pals.
Even though we are going to try this unschooling thing, I want to have a strong focus on writing. The kids each have pen-pals and plenty of family and friends to write to, as do I. Everyone loves getting mail and personal letters are something we all can treasure for many years to come.

7) Date night
Hubby and I have not been able to get out on a date night in a very long time. We do make sure to have some time together each night after the kids have gone to bed, but we need to get back to having some time away just the two of us. We also want to get back into having date nights with the kids. Nothing fancy, but we used to take turns having a date night with one child at a time. Daddy would take one of the kids out to get a hamburger and go do something fun, or I would do the same, and at times hubby and I would take one child and have some time with all three of us together. The kids really enjoy and look forward to these date nights, even if it was just a picnic and time at the park. It's special time just for them.

8) Make time for and enjoy my hobbies
Hobbies have taken a back seat for a long time and I miss them terribly. I enjoy sewing and have quite a few projects I need to finish and things I wish to make for my family and friends. I hope to make time, even if it's just one day a month, to sew.
Photography is one of my biggest loves. I have started to get my business going a few times and have to let it go each time as the priorities changed. Family and homeschooling comes first, but this year I plan to just enjoy my photography and not try to make it a "job" as I had in the past. The time for my business will come when it meant to, so for now I am just going to dust off the camera, and myself, and enjoy doing what I love and "gift" my love to friends, family, and anyone else willing to be on the other end of the camera.

9) Clean out!
This one will take a lot of time and work on my part to get the family on board. We have way too much stuff and I would love to simplify by clearing out what we don't need and won't use.
I'd love to sell everything, move into an RV and travel for a year or two, but convincing hubby is going to be incredibly difficult.

10) Go camping more often, and take a family vacation
We all, well at least the kids and I, really enjoy camping. We go at least twice a summer but I'd like to take more little camping trips this spring and summer. My kids are most at home in the mountains, around a camp fire, and outdoors with nature. I also hope we can finally take a family vacation this spring. Again, nothing fancy but we hope to take a drive and go visit the Sand Dunes and maybe Mesa Verde. We will camp the entire time, but to just get away and go see something other than our town, will be a great break and fun for us all.


I'm sure that this year goes on, things will change and our bucket list may as well. That's alright with me, as long as we are working to move forward and keeping God, family, and enjoying life as our top priorities, I'll be happy.

What's on your 2015 Bucket List?

Happy New Year to you all.
I wish you all a wonderful New Year with joy, peace and many blessings.

Our unschooling adventure begins...now!

  We have made quite a few changes in our homeschool journey over the years. This is our 9^th year homeschooling and like most we started with a set curriculum and did school-at-home. Each year I would change a few things to fit our needs better and over the years I became more comfortable making my own lesson plans and eventually planned most all the lessons, though I still used a math curriculum for the kids and a few workbooks here and there to fill in or to get ideas from. The last year or two we have moved into a very relaxed unit study style of homeschool and it has done very well for us. Though in the last few months we have felt burned out and in need of a change, and a break. It has been a long rough year and we are now feeling the full effects of this last year.

I have been feeling pulled or maybe lead to make a drastic change in how we homeschool. So after a lot of research, talking with hubby and the kids, and some more research, we are making the move to an unschooling style of homeschool. Though, I haven't figured out all the details of how this will work just yet. I want to embrace the unschooling life as much as I can. I’m afraid it may somewhat limited because of my personality, but we're going to give it a go anyway.

I'm not the best one to explain what unschooling is just yet as I am still researching and trying to figure out exactly how we will do this. I have found a few posts that explains unschooling quite well and a blog that has many wonderful posts on their unschooling adventures. The first link, “Zen Habits Unschooling” will take you to a great post that describes much of what we are looking and hoping for.

Zen Habits Unschooling
The Natural Child Project
Stories of an Unschooling Family

 I realized after deciding to set the curriculum and school books aside for now, that letting go of the traditional way of thinking about learning opens up opportunities in ways I never imagined. The kids and I have talked about what we each would like to do, what projects we plan to work on, and things we'd like to work into our daily routine. I have to say that I was quite happy when the kids all said they wanted to keep our couch cuddles and reading time. We would read together before, but we often ended up putting it off until after our other work and workbook pages were done. Which of course was more often that I liked, and would mean we missed reading together that day. The kids still did their own reading, we just weren't always able to get our family reading done, which I feel should have been a priority. But I’m excited that it is a top priority now.

For a long time, I was too worried about having pages in a workbook filled out or having each and every single math or English lesson done. I was more concerned about making sure my school planner had enough “schoolish” assignments listed and checked off, and making sure we did enough to appease what others would expect a proper homeschool family to do. Even though, I knew it wasn’t what we needed to be doing.

Looking back, it was clear even then that the kids learned far more when we were out on one of our adventures, working on a hands-on activity, spending time with grandparents and great-grandparents, or reading about and exploring places the kids were interested in. Very few if any workbook assignments have been remembered, yet all three kiddos can tell you every detail of each of our adventures and stories we’ve read or activities and projects we’ve done. I’ve known this for a long time and have tried to adjust things as much as I thought was right.  I have come to a point when the tears over a math lesson, or frustration with diagraming a sentence (not necessary until late high school or college level) and stress over concepts one is clearly not ready for, is not acceptable to me anymore. Homeschooling is not something we do between the hours of 8am and 3pm, it truly is a life style and when that lifestyle or something within that lifestyle begins to affect the family harmony and relationships and ability to move forward, a change is needed.

For us, that change is not giving up on homeschooling, it’s taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture. The bigger picture I see, is not a race or competition to finish on top or first. It’s the journey of exploration and learning how to learn and to love learning. This is why we are making the change. I want for my children to have an absolute love of learning and exploring, not a long list of memorized facts or formulas. I want them to be inspired to investigate and dig deeper into what they find interesting. I don’t want them to trudge through what a school book says they are required to do. I want for them to have the freedom to pursue what they wish, and to have the freedom, support, guidance, and resources to do so.

I am making a leap of faith into what I truly feel is right for all of us. Don’t tell, but I’m also keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that this journey I see play out in my head, will be everything I think it will be.

You’re welcome to join us on our journey as we jump in with both feet and see what happens.

          

We're still here...

                  Once again, life has taken over and held my blog hostage. Life, and the need for sleep has kept my blog out of reach and gathering dust. My poor neglected blog.

Well as you can see we are still here. It has been a busy and long few months since I last posted, but we are well and moving forward.

The kiddos keep growing, in spite of my demands to quit growing. Our homeschool journey continues and it on most days is still enjoyed by all. Hubby and I are still loving this crazy thing we call life, and I am looing forward to a fun Christmas with my family and a New Year.

I know this is a very short post, but I will be back soon to update on life and our homeschool journey.

I hope you all are dong well.

Camping Photos Part 2



The kids have so much fun camping each year.

A good part of that reason, along with playing in the mountains and fishing, is riding the

zip line my grandpa sets up each year.

 

A good nap is always welcome after a long day of playing in the creek and running through

the mountains...barefoot.

 Shoes are so overrated. 

 

Daddy and Little Man enjoyed riding up the mountain trails on the ATV.

Little Man tells it as though he was the one driving and Daddy was just "enjoying" the ride.

 

Wild Thing lasted about ten minutes once we made it to camp before he took off fishing!

 He had talked of nothing else for weeks before this trip.

His weekend was quite successful when it came to fishing, he caught nearly 12 fish all on his own.

He was quite proud of himself.

 

Playing in the creek is a favorite past-time.

Though, this year the water was a tad bit cooler than previous years.

So the time spent in the creek was still often, but short and sweet.

 

Little Man decided to test the water before he jumped in again.

And yes, it was still cold, but still so much fun!

 

We were treated to a beautiful rainbow after a short round of rain.

 

The sunsets are such a treat each night.

 

I got up before the rest of the family on the last day at camp and enjoyed

the peaceful woods alone. It was nice to have some time alone to walk through the woods.

God's beautiful creation, is amazing.

 

It was nice to get back to the "natural" cycle of going to bed when the sun goes

down, and waking up with the sun. It just felt, right!

 

This is part of the road to camp. Specifically, the part of the road where the kids

remind me to put the John Denver cd in and start our almost-to-camp song.

Every year, we listen to John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads, as we make the drive

up the dirt road to camp.

 

The meadow just as we're leaving.

It's the perfect place for my log cabin.

 



 

We would love to live near our camp someday.

The kids and I have already decided we would be quite happy in the little

town just down from camp. Hubby still needs a little a little more convincing.

Camping Photos -Part 1-

      We had a wonderful time camping over the 4th of July. We enjoyed being outdoors for four days, and I truly loved being tech-free for the weekend. I turned off my cell phone and didn't miss it the entire time. It was nice. Now to just work on starting another tech-free week for the family!

I promised I share some camping photos, so here we go...

 

We took a nice hike up the mountain trail and were pleased to enjoy such beautiful sites along the way.

 

I love taking shots from different angles.





 

Each year I take this a picture from this very spot.

And every year it's so different but, absolutely beautiful.

 

 

 



 

Though we didn't enjoy sitting around the campfire in the rain,

we all were treated with a beautiful rainbow afterwards.

If you look closely on the right, it was a double rainbow. 

I love this shot. It was just the perfect setting. 

 

 

The photos never quite do the beauty of this place justice, but I'm sure you can see why we enjoy this place year after year.

 

What did you do for the 4th of July? Do you have a favorite camping place?





Quick post...

This picture has absolutely no point in the post. I just happen to love frogs and think this frog looks like one awesome guy...or girl.   

  

One of these days, probably during the winter when we're not quite so busy, I'll manage to get back into the habit of blogging regularly. I miss blogging and I miss reading my blogger buddies' posts. Though a few times a week I try to take a quick peek a blog post or two. 

It has been an odd summer so far. Busy and yet, not. We did get up into the mountains over the 4th and had a great time. We spent nearly four days in the mountains and away from the city. It was so nice to be up in the woods again,walking through the trees and playing in the creek...the COLD creek! It was a much needed outdoor break us all. 

The kids were so happy to be back "home" in hills. They spent the entire four days outdoors playing, fishing, riding ATV's, having water fights, romping though the trees, sitting by the campfire, and turning from nice clean kiddos to dirt covered,and completely happy creatures. They enjoyed roasting marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire and hot chocolate around the campfire. And I couldn't forget the zip line! Every year my grandpa brings and sets up a cable zip line across the small creek we camp near. It is something the kids look forward to all year long! They spend a great deal of the weekend sending each other across the creek and spraying each other with squirt guns as they ride across. 

With us and the kids being so familiar with our campsite and knowing how safe it is up where we camp, I am able to actually sit down and enjoy a little quiet time while the kids play. As much as I miss my kiddos being little I enjoy camping more now that I am able to let the kids run and play, within their boundaries, and not have to chase them each and every step of the way. 

I will return soon and share some of our camping photos. Until then, I hope you all are having a wonderful summer. 

**Please ignore all the grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm posting on an ipad and can't figure out how to scroll back up to correct anything. Though, I'm sure if I woke my daughter, she'd know how to fix it all. 

This is my favorite quote: 

Homeschool Project Fair Photos...Finally.

Once again, life has been busy and I have not had the time to update my poor neglected blog.
I am glad life is busy as it keeps me from adding too much more to my plate, but I sure look forward to a few lazy days up in the mountains and far away from the city!

As I promised, here are some of the photos from our Homeschool Project Fair back in May.
I was very pleased with how well it turned out. We had 20 projects entered, which consisted of simple projects from kids as young as five to quite involved projects done by a whole family.

We had art work, photographs, Lego creations, models, yummy projects that were shared with all, sweet scented candles, and more. Here are a few samples:

 

We had a young lady enter a history of Lego's project. It was a fantastic project. She had a great deal of information as well as a few samples of Lego creations and a video she made on an iPad.

Another young lady entered a project showing the geography of South America. She included a game in which visitors were asked to locate the different locations within South America. Sadly, I tried the game and was only able to locate three of her twenty-five listed places to find. Guess what I'm working on this summer? Yep, some geography!

We had a wonderful young lady enter homemade candles, which she made herself. They were very pretty to look at, and they smelled wonderful.



Lady Bug entered a drawing of a mermaid she had done earlier in the year. She loves to drawing.
The history of Popcorn was a hit! Everyone was happy to have a tasty treat while visiting the fair.
Our youngest fair participant was only five years old. She made a lovely painting of flowers in spring.
One of the Lego creations entered, was a Dog Park. He put a great deal of thought and work into his project.
Another little boy entered his project of the human body. He was shy, yet he did a great job telling everyone about what he learned while doing this project.

After spending a few months working on some Colorado history and then focusing our attention to the history of mining, we (the kids, myself, and my mom) worked to create this mining town model and display board with detailed information about mining back in the 1800's and pit mining now days. Having family involved in these projects has been a wonderful experience for us all.

The clock was made by the kids' grandpa for his dad many years ago. We were excited to use it in with our model for the fair.
The kids did most of the work on our model. They, with some help from grandma or myself, built cardboard buildings, a water tower, farm fencing, trees, and even a boardwalk along the old town stores.

We had a great time working on this project and learning a great deal about mining history. With the success of this project fair, we have decided to make this an annual event for our homeschool group and other interested local homeschool families.

Little Man had fun creating a Lego jail/castle, a car, and a motorcycle to go along with the dragon. Wild Thing  found a model of the Spirit of St. Louis, and after reading a little about it, he painted the model then went on to make a Lego model of it as well. He also entered a drawing he had done earlier in the year,  which he won a ribbon for at the homeschool art show this winter.
And last, our post card collection. A few months ago, we decided to start collecting post cards. We hope to have all fifty states by Christmas this year. We have already been sent cards from twenty states and nine or ten different countries. We were sent some post cards that belonged to my grandma who passed just a few months ago. One of the post cards we were sent is over a hundred years old! We are having a lot of fun collecting these cards.

The word of our project fair reached so much more than I imagined. Though we did not have a huge turn out of those visiting the fair, I found quite a few groups and organizations had heard about the fair we were putting on. In fact, we even met a local council woman that stopped by to support fellow homeschool families. She had heard about our fair in the local paper and as a previous homeschooler came by show her support and say, "hi." She was happy to see these children have an outlet to show their creativity and be recognized for their hard work.

A week after the fair, we held a reception of sorts for the fair participants. We enjoyed some snacks and handed out awards, ribbons, and a copy of all the comments left by our visitors. Before the fair I worked up a comment form for everyone who visited to write encouraging words to those who entered projects. Each project had nearly 20 comments from visitors, all of which were very kind and supportive. There we very simple comments such as, "Great Job", to more detailed comments telling the kids how creative and informative their projects were. The comments may have been my favorite part of the fair. Every kid/teen that entered a project was given a great deal of positive feedback on their project and hard work. I believe this will have a hand in encouraging these kiddos to join in our fair again next year.

There is so much more that went into this fair and even just in our own projects though I don't have the time to write another book to tell you everything. Overall the fair was a great success and wonderful experience for us all. I look forward to our Homeschool Project Fair again next year!

Tomorrow is the Homeschool Project Fair...

Picture of a corner of the mining town model the kids and I have worked on for
our upcoming homeschool project fair!

A peek at the display board for our unit study into mining.

 Tomorrow is the big day!
 Tomorrow we are having our 1st Annual Homeschool Project Fair!
 Everything is finally done and I can sit back and relax tonight (yeah right) right after dinner is done and cleaned up, dishes are done and put away, rest of laundry is dry, folded, and put away, kids are bathed and put to bed, and one last minute email is sent to the project fair participants, then, I can sit back and relax!

I am worn out and I'm not sure if my brain will still function after tomorrow but I have really enjoyed putting together this fair. I just hope that tomorrow goes well and that there are no issues! Most of all, I hope the kids enjoy this event and really get something out of it, as well as the public getting a chance to see into the world of homeschooling.

I will make sure to get back here soon and share some photos from the fair!
Wish me luck!

Hello

 Somehow I have found myself with a few moments of quiet this morning. Kids still sleeping, animals fed and snoozing, hubby is off to work, and I am wondering just how long the quiet will last.

We have a lot to accomplish today! We only have a few days to finish our projects for our homeschool project fair this Saturday! The kids have finished their mining town model and display board, as well as a few art projects, and some Lego creations. I have finished most of the fair preparations,  but of course I have procrastinated a bit,  and I am frantically working to finish up some last minute details! Four months of planning and in the last few days, I still have quite a bit to do. One of these days, I'll learn to get things done sooner!

Update: the quiet is gone! The boys are up and now the house sounds like a jungle/combat zone! As much as the noise sometimes puts me on the edge, I do know that before too long the noise of little kids will be gone and I'll miss it terribly. I'm not sure how my boys can roll out of bed with the energy of ten boys, and I'm lucky to roll out of bed with enough energy to walk downstairs and make coffee!

Well, it looks like I must get the day going and stop playing around in blog land. I will be back soon, hopefully with pictures of our Homeschool Project Fair!

Hope you all have a great rest of your week!

Simple Woman's Daybook

I know I haven't posted for nearly two months.
Yes, we are still alive!
I think!?!

It has been a whirlwind around here lately. Spring has come and as much as I hoped to settle down and relax, I have once again made sure our plates were full, too full. Oh well, that's what makes life interesting.

I saw this Simple Woman's Daybook post on another blog, and decided to borrow it.
I want to fill you all in on life these last few months, but my brain is on overload and other than answering a few questions, I don't think I can come up with too many coherent thoughts at the moment.
So here ya go...

Simple Woman's Daybook  April 29th

Outside my window...
I see the trees blowing in the wind, and I'm thinking I should get outside and pick up the kids' toys that just may end up in the neighbors yard. I also see my small patch of grass trying to turn green, as the rest of the yard holds fast to the light brown color it loves so much.

I see my garden in desperate need of some attention, and my trees that have somehow survived the winter, no thanks to me!

I also see my compost pile that, at the moment, is a breakfast buffet to the squirrels and rabbits who dare to enter the yard with our ferocious little doggie.

I am thinking...
that I have once again filled my plate to overflowing! I love being busy and having many projects or commitments to keep my attention, yet, I'm feeling the strain of having spread myself a bit too thin and constantly taking on more and more. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a million and two things going at all times. I just might find out how to relax.
One of these days I will learn to say, "NO" and leave some room on my plate for downtime, but until then, I'll enjoy this busy lifestyle and work to make sure I am keeping my priorities in order within all this mess.
Busy bee me, that's who I am.

Hi, my name is Amber and I'm a busy bee.

I am thankful...
for my family, my health (what's left of it), and my friends.
I'm also thankful that as so many are affected by the tornadoes, we are safe in our home.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all affected.

In the kitchen...
I'm wishing I had a cook! I hate cooking, but I like to eat. My family also likes to eat, and they insist on doing so three times a day! Three times...Every day!

 I know, as a stay-at-home-mom, I'm supposed to be super mom and make wonderful meals, healthy meals, and all from scratch with only the best ingredients and yada, yada, yada. Well, not this mom, not right now anyway. Unfortunately, this last few months I have made very few "good" meals and we have had way too much fast food, which is not only terrible for your health but extremely expensive! We've had too many late evenings when we haven't made it home until well after 6 or 6:30pm. At that point, trying to come up with a meal, cook and serve it in time for kids to eat, bathe and get to bed by a decent time, is just not happening. I'm embarrassed by how often we have fallen back on frozen pizza or a quick run through the drive through.

I am wearing...
As it's still early, and kiddos are sleeping, I'm enjoying the morning in my pj's! Sweats and a sweater. It is spring and we have enjoyed some beautiful days, but this is Colorado and today I am reminded of that by the cooler temps. At least the sun is out and shining bright!

I am creating...
a mess! Actually, I haven't had any time to get much (any) sewing done. My poor daughter is going to get upset if we make it to June and she still has no shorts! My hope to set some time aside in the next few weeks to make summer shorts for the kiddos.
It's very difficult for me to find shorts that fit my daughter well and that are appropriate, as she is nearly as tall as I am but very thin, and all leg! I'm not too picky on what she wears as long as it's modest and clean. With that said, trying to find shorts that fit her well and are decent, is next to impossible, so for the last 6 or 7 years I have been making shorts for her each summer.
I enjoy making something she likes to wear, and she enjoys picking out material and patterns. I laugh at the psychedelic material and patches she picks out, and think how well she would have fit in back in the 70's!
I love that she feels comfortable enough to keep with her own style and not care what others think, or what's "cool" or in "style" at the moment.
This is one of my favorite benefits of homeschooling; each child/teen is free to be exactly who they wish to be without feeling the need to hide any part of themselves!

I am going...
insane, crazy, loco, nuts, to the funny farm. Name it and I've been there or headed there quickly!
That's the joy of my life. It's so much easier when you stop trying to be "normal" and just embrace the craziness and uniqueness that is you!
I have officially given up trying to blend in or do as others do, now I'm allowing myself to enjoy being me, even with my many, many flaws!
God loves me, my family loves me, my friends love me, and to my surprise they all keep admitting they know me or are related. I'm taking that as a compliment!

I am wondering...
how the homeschool project fair is going to turn out.
A few months back, I decided to organize, and run a local homeschool project fair for local homeschoolers.
I set the date. I reserved a large meeting room at the local library. I made flyers and placed them at local libraries and homeschool events. I've talked with the local newspaper and they have ad for the fair in the weekly paper. I have shared our flyer and information with multiple local homeschool organizations, web sites, and Facebook groups. I have poured much of myself  these last few months into getting this project fair planned and set to go.
The fair is open to all ages and projects. We have entries as simple as a piece of artwork from a 6 year old, to books that have been written by teens. We have a model of the human body, photographs, possibly even a few Lego creations, and much more.  For our project, the kids, my mom, and I, have worked on a model of an old mining town to display at the fair. (I will share photos soon)
I wanted this fair to be a fun way for homeschoolers of all ages and skill levels to display and share their homeschool projects.
So far, it's looking like it will be a great time and a great turn out.

I am reading...
I just started this, so I can't say much about the book yet.
So far it seems promising, but we'll see.




I am hoping...

that May goes well. We have so many things going on in May, and I am hoping we can accomplish everything we have planned and still make time to relax and enjoy the spring!

I'm also hoping that we can keep everyone healthy! We have spent far too much time sick these past few weeks, despite my frenzied cleaning trying to kill any cold and flu germs that chose to invade our home.

I am looking forward to...
a possible mini-vacation. We had hopes to head to sunny California this spring, but with finances and hubby's job changing we are not able to make it work this time.
We are planning (hoping) to take a short trip to the Sand Dunes this summer. A couple hour drive, easy camping, and lot's of outdoor time, it should be enjoyed by all .

I am learning...
I can not do everything and take proper care of myself and my family. I am learning to make time to get away ,and recharge even if it's just for a few hours. I'm also learning, or being reminded,  how important it is for hubby and I to get some time away with each other.
We did manage to get out for dinner and a night out with friends a few weekends ago. It was a much needed night out, and helped us re-connect. We are hoping to get out once a month, even is it's just out to the dollar theatre or a to enjoy a walk somewhere together.
 As busy as life is with kids, parents must make sure  to invest in their marriage!

Around the house...
I see too many toys, too much clutter, too many things that need attention, but that's ok. This is our life. One day and one project at a time, right? Someday, I'll look back and miss all this craziness! Even the toys all over the floor.

Quote for the day...
“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”
― Allen Saunders

Photo for the day...

This is from our field trip to the Cripple Creek & Victor mine, to go along with out unit study of mining. It was amazing to see the monster machines in action. I'm sure you can guess what job my boys both now plan to have when they grow up!



If you made it though all that, I hope you are doing well and have a wonderful week!

 

Enjoy life, and let it be caught on camera!

For those of you who are like me, always stepping aside, quickly standing up straight, or hiding your flaws when a camera points your way, read this!
For as long as I can remember, I have made sure to capture those I love on camera so that I will always have those memories forever. Yet, with all the memories I have caught on camera of my family and friends, I have not allowed for memories of me in this life to be caught on camera. Which means that I have only a few photos of myself and my kiddos or of my husband and I, and maybe a handful with my extended family and friends.

Choosing a hobby of photography has made it easy to hide behind the camera instead of ending up in front of it! As much as I felt I was doing something great by capturing others in moments we will never have again, I was allowing time to pass with little or no proof of my presence and love for my family, friends, and life!

This article/post has reminded me how important something such as a photo can mean to another, when a loved one is gone. And my thoughts were, "If I passed tomorrow, did I leave enough to remember me by?"

 From now on, I will be working on allowing myself to be caught on camera, enjoying this life that I do love! I would love for others later to "see" how much I did enjoy and how much I truly love my family and friends!  Knowing how much I treasure the photos I have of lost loved ones, I need to allow myself to be caught, flaws and all, on camera so that someday,  I too may be remembered by those I hold dear. And maybe even some great-great-great grandchildren, many years from now.

**This article hit me hard the day I read it. To be honest, it brought me to tears when I wrote the note above and shared the link on facebook.

Read it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teresa-s-porter/so-youre-feeling-too-fat-to-be-photographed_b_4351360.html

Sunday Savers...

 Save yourself!
Run away, far, far, away. Build a cozy little log cabin, live off the land, and don't get eaten by the bears!

Yep, that's my Sunday Savers advice for the week! Enjoy!

No, this has nothing to do with the so called zombie apocalypse, it's this mama's way of venting her frustration and needing a good long vacation...alone preferably!
Every mom/wife has those days, or weeks, when they feel like the entire world is out to make their life more difficult. Though this will pass, and I will once again love being home with my family and being the one who does everything!
Until then, I'm running away deep into the mountains, to find an already built log cabin with indoor plumbing!
I just might return...maybe!
Have a great week!

An ADHD Adventure...





ADD and ADHD, each can be seen as a curse, a disability, a blessing, or simply an adventure.
Our family has decided to see it as an adventure. Yes, this adventure often resembles a de-railing  freight train, but still, it's an adventure! And like all families with children, we have our good days and our not-so-good days.

I won't go into the long details, but a few years ago we, I, finally admitted, (hubby knew for a long time, I just took awhile longer to admit that he was right) that we have a child who has been blessed with ADHD. Yes, I say blessed, because I don't believe God curses anyone. I believe that we are given the opportunity to take our life and all the baggage, and make something of it, and to show others just what God sent us here for!

I know that each child with ADD or ADHD has a very different life. Some children are much more affected by their add/adhd than other children, and some are far more limited in their abilities than others due to add/adhd or other.

In our case, we have a wonderful young boy, who at 9 years old is incredibly busy, smart, very compassionate, and has an amazing imagination. On the other hand, he has a difficult time sitting still or focusing on school work. He is often distracted by noise, light, movement, or the thought that he might me missing something. He also has struggled with reading and writing for a long time.
Though this last few months he has improved greatly in his reading ability, and now will read...for fun! Previously, it was like pulling teeth to get him to read, and he could only get a few lines in before he was so frustrated that he'd give up. But slowly, we found ways to help him focus and to not have to work so hard to read. We worked, and worked, and worked together to read more and more, until finally he was comfortable reading on his own. Now, after his hard work, and finding a book that interested him, he is reading a large, for him, book and his confidence has soared.

Another area of struggle for him, is writing. He is able to write but has a very difficult time getting thoughts from his brain onto paper, he also has a hard time with spelling which adds frustration. What we have done to help, is when he is going to write something, I often will write, in his words, what he is to write on a small dry erase board. He then will copy that onto his paper. It really helps him get everything onto the paper. Otherwise, his mind is so busy that what he wanted to say, is long gone before he gets it written on the paper.

Today, he surprised me and reminded me just why I love homeschooling. His handwriting has always been rough, another struggle for him. Yet, today he was beginning a letter to his new pen-pal, and he worked so hard to make his writing neat and uniform. His letter looked wonderful! I was so proud of how hard he worked and how neat his handwriting was! I made sure to let him know how great he did. The best part was watching him smile at his own work, and show me each letter that he felt he wrote well. It was nice to see him have such pride in his work.

When children struggle with things like reading and writing, it's incredibly important to point out that which they do well, and to help them see how their hard work has paid off!

In our home, we have re-named ADHD from

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to:

 

          A- amazing ability to  

D- do, see, learn, and

 H- handle all things

 D- differently

 

 



Sunday Savers...on Tuesday

 So my Sunday Savers post is a wee bit late. Story of my wonderfully crazy life!
As I have not planned this post, I'm going to just wing it. Wish me luck!

So here we go...

Save on the Grocery Bill

Best tip I ever had for shopping was to work on a CASH ONLY basis! When I have things planned out well and the cash set aside, I have a great month. If not, well let's just not talk about that.

After paying the bills, (even some of those are paid in cash and not by check or online, I pull out cash and put the money into the proper envelope, similar to the "Dave Ramsey" way. Which means that when I go to the grocery store with my envelope containing what ever I budgeted for, I know that I ONLY have that cash to get what I need. It makes it hard to over spend when you have no buffer! It also makes you pay more attention to each item, the cost, and if it's truly needed!

Save on the Clothes

Last Sunday Savers post was ideas on saving money by shopping thrift stores and recycling by sewing or creatively reusing worn clothing. This time it's about ways to save the life of clothing. Just a little CPR and...ok, just kidding. Couldn't help but run with it!

For those with boys, the simplest way to save the wear and tear on clothing...
...is to have them enjoy life in their birthday suit! Honestly, that's just about the only thing that will save clothing from some children. My middle son can wear through a pair of jeans in such a way, I would have expected an entire herd of wild animals to have taken a turn attacking the jeans.  It's a gift my boy has! Oh my!

For everyone else, there are a few little things that can and will save some wear and tear on clothing.

For jeans, pants, shorts, skirts, and house pants, there is not always a need to wash them every time you wear them. No, I'm not saying wear dirty clothes, but I know there are many times when we simply run an errand or two and the kids have done nothing but do school work and sit in the car in the clothes they had on. That's when I tell them to set the pants aside and wear them again before I wash them. Believe it or not, that will add a little life to each pair of pants or skirt. It also saves on the laundry loads! Yet, shirts, socks and undies are a wash each time for us!

Also, when washing clothing, use a gentle or a homemade detergent! Many of the store bought detergents are quite harsh on the clothing as well as your skin! Make sure you use bleach sparingly, too much too often and clothes will become noticeably thinner and worn.

Here is my post with the recipe we use for homemade laundry soap. It's gentle on the clothing but cleans it well, and has been wonderful for our sensitive skin kiddos!
Hint: to make it a bit stronger but still gentle enough for our skin, I add two cups of powder laundry soap (Costco, Kirkland brand) to the 5 gallon mixture. The batch I make usually lasts us, a family of five, six months. I can't tell you the exact cost per load, but it's pennies, I assure you!

Another small tip is to either only partly dry some clothing in the dryer and hang up to finish drying or to line dry any clothing you can. In the summer I enjoy being able to hang clothing, blankets, and bedding outside to dry! It saves energy as well as wear and tear on clothing. You can always hang items to dry on a shower curtain rod in the laundry room, or a bathroom.


 Save Time

I said it last time and I'm going to say it again...

TURN IT OFF!

Turn off the computer!
Turn off the TV!
Turn off the iPad!
Turn off the phone! (yes, you will survive)
Turn off the tablet!
Turn off the kids' video games! (they too will survive, even if they don't think so)
Even if you keep tech time to a set limit each day, or have a no-tech day each weekend, that time will add up and you will find just how much time you really spend away from your family and your "off screen" life!

Talking with friends and family, technology is the biggest problem for those who complain of not having enough time. Just stop and think for a moment about how much time you spend on or in front of these devices. Now, what could you accomplish if that same amount of time was focused elsewhere, say on your family? Think about it!

Another time saver is to prioritize! For some that may include making a daily check list, in order of importance, or keeping a planner with daily tasks and chores written down. Others may simply need to stop and pick two or three things they want to accomplish in a day and focus on those!
It doesn't take planning your day down to the minute, but having an idea of what you'd like your day to look like, within reason, will help to stay on track and complete tasks.


Saving Your Sanity

Ok, so many of us are fighting a losing battle to keep what sanity we may have. Yet, if we don't try we can't possibly win, right?

We all need that "me" time, but we so often neglect our own needs so that we can keep up with whatever else we feel is more important at the time.  If you stop to look at how much you do each day, how much you care for others, and how much time you spend on household chores or work, you might realize that you really do need and deserve to have a little time to yourself. Everyone does! Those who take the time to care for themselves are far better equipped to care for their family and efficiently carryout the tasks that need to be done.

For those morning people:
Time reading the Bible and in prayer is the best way to start the day.
An early morning walk or run is a great way to get going and start your day in a peaceful and healthy way.
My favorite, when I can, is to swim. There is something about being in the water and watching the sun rise through the large windows at the pool that just starts the day well for me.

For those not-so-morning people:
An afternoon or evening walk or run are a great way to burn off steam and keep healthy, physically and mentally.
Take a quite drive. Sometimes just watching the trees pass on a peaceful drive can help one think and relax.
Take time each day or week to spend on a hobby you enjoy.



***“Peace begins with a smile..” Mother Teresa

**“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

*“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi  (my favorite quote)


Saving is something we can all do better with. Whether it's money, time, or sanity we can all work to save what we need.
It just takes effort and the courage to keep trying daily!

Weekly Wrap Up...

Weekly Wrap Up...

 Do you ever feel like your life is a scene from the running of the bulls in Spain?
I do, well maybe not quite so dramatic. But there are days, weeks, and months that I do wonder when the whirlwind of craziness will stop. Then, I stop and remember that this whirlwind of craziness is our life. It's our normal.

So what's been going on in our life lately? A bit of everything!

In the home:
We spent a full week doing nothing and resting due to everyone being sick. The next week was spent trying to catch up on school work, housework, and all the other little things that went undone the week before. Laundry is no fun when it hasn't been done for a week. Even now, I feel like we are still playing catch up.

In our homeschool:
We have continued to learn about Colorado and mining. Our favorite so far has been reading a fictional story about a family making their way to Colorado City during the Colorado gold rush. The kids have enjoyed hearing the names of places they know and are familiar with as well as the little stories behind them.

We had planned to make a trip to the local mining museum this past week, yet due to the snow and cold temps, we decided to post-pone the trip until the weather warms up. A good part of the museum is outdoors and we would like to enjoy the visit without freezing.

The kids are also working with their grandma on building a model of a mining town. Using cardboard and items from around the house. They just recently started but have plans for quite the little town.
Here is the bit they have started so far.

A few little buildings, and the beginning of a water tower. I love that my mom is so open and happy to help out and involve herself in our homeschool journey.

In my life this week:
It has been another off week. The temps here have been below freezing, which means no outdoor playing for the kiddos. Which in turn means that mom is just about to pull out her hair! Our house is comfy but there is no extra space for the kids to run and really play, at least not without breaking something. So when we have a week or so when it's simply too cold to get outside, we all end up with cabin fever and desperately need to get out and run!

With all this indoor time, I have been trying to go through and clean out our school stuff. We have tons and tons of  "school stuff". And, oh my goodness, the books we have could start a small library. I'm not even sure why we go to the library, we have our own private one here at home. Eight different bookshelves of different sizes overloaded with books, books, and more books!

So far all this cleaning out is resulting in a lot of moving things around and not getting rid of nearly enough! I keep telling hubby that we need to sell everything, move into an RV, and travel. He's not interested in that idea at all...yet! I'm not giving up, just working it slowly. Wish me luck!

Homeschool fun club:
Awhile back, after not finding a homeschool group that worked for us, we decided to start one of our own. This summer we had a few families that would meet with us and enjoy an afternoon together.
Simply by word-of-mouth and a table at our library homeschool resource day, our fun club now has 43 families. I figured we'd end up with a handful of homeschool families that were willing to join our group and meet for fun events or tours, but I didn't expect our group to grow the way it has.

It's been wonderful though. We usually meet two to three times a month, and we have enjoyed quite a few events with these families. In the last few months we have enjoyed nature walks, toured a police station (kids even had their finger prints done and climbed on a SWAT vehicle), had a costume Halloween party at a park, spent a few afternoons at the roller skating rink, toured a local museum, enjoyed game nights at our library in a private room just for our group, gone to the art museum, and enjoyed some very simple play dates at the park. For February, we will be enjoying another game night, a tour to the humane society, and another night roller skating.

I'm known for jumping into things a little too quickly and often saying, "yes" to far more than I should, but this is one of those things I'm glad I just jumped in and started. It has been wonderful for the kiddos and myself.

Looking forward:
At the moment, I am really trying to not look too far ahead. I am trying, though not always successfully, to focus on today. At the moment we have nothing big planned or expected in the near future, thankfully. Yet, we do have a special little boy who will be turning the 6 in just under two weeks. Yes, my baby boy is going to officially be a big boy. He says he has been a big boy for a long time, but mama is just not ready to admit it just yet.

The growing kiddos:
My daughter, who is still my baby girl, is nearly 13 and growing way too fast. I am not sure I'm ready for this teen stage and all the changes that are coming with it. But I am enjoying watching her grow and change into such a beautiful young lady.

She has grown, or seemed to have grown, so much in the last few weeks. She is now babysitting and volunteering at our library once a week. As hard as it is to accept that my baby girl is no longer a baby, it's pretty awesome as well. I am enjoying watching her grow and take on more responsibility and yet keep her sweet and playful personality.

Wild Thing, my busy, busy boy! I love that boy so much and wonder at times, if God really thought I could keep up with him and teach him all he needs to know. Because I'm not too sure. I have learned so much from just being his mom. He has taught me to look beyond what we see and find an adventure in everything. He has taught me to really think outside the box, and that there is no such thing as teaching kids all the same way. He has taught me that being the one that's a little different or odd, is exactly what sets us apart and makes us pretty awesome people.

 I'm supposed to be teaching him and yet, he is teaching me far more!

Praying for:
My grandma! I love her and have not been able to see her as much as I'd like. I pray for her each night and that she will be comfortable and know just how many love her!

A dear friend who is dealing with some incredibly tough stuff right now. I pray for God to guide her each day, and for her to have the strength and courage to deal with the stress and struggles. 

Weekly Wrap Up...

Weekly Wrap Up:  link up with: Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Praying for this week:
Health! For the last week we have all been miserable with a winter cold. The kiddos are finally on the mend but I, for some reason, am holding on to this cold. Now, I hoping a good housecleaning, once I'm up to it, will help keep hubby from catching this cold, and from any of us catching it again!

Also, praying for those who have so little and are out in this cold weather.

Thankful for this week:
For a warm home and the items we need to care for our family when they are sick. When the kids decided to all get sick at the same time, I was happy that I had everything I needed to properly care for them. With so many struggling, and many not able to get to medicine or proper food, I am truly blessed to have all I need for my family.

In our homeschool this week:
Not much! We spent the week, just being sick. Though, Wild Thing did put in a few Magic School, and Bill Nye science tapes we had. We also, watched a few episodes of a family living "of the grid" in Alaska. Then we decided to have a little sewing lesson. Lady Bug made a hat for her great-grandma. Wild Thing made two cat nip pouches for the cats. And Little Man made two pillows, one for me and one for him. So I guess we still had some learning, just not the typical lessons.

With a sore throat and voice that is trying to leave me, I couldn't even read to the kids. Normally, when someone is sick, that's when we catch up on our reading. Not this time!

In my life this week:
I was sick. I took care of my kiddos, and kept up with dishes, mostly. That's pretty much it! I didn't even read much. I'm going to have to amp up the excitement next week to make up for lost time!

In our house this week:
Laundry is pilling up.
The dishes are only getting washed once a day, if that.
The pets are convinced we have become part cat, spending the day laying on the floor in the sun rays, watching tv all day, and napping off and on.
The toys are making their way to our living room, yet, not back to their home in the boys' room.
The floor is not vacuuming itself!
School work is sitting left undone and neglected.
Ugh, next week is going to be so much fun!

Our nature walk this week:
This is an area we have neglected terribly. I think the last nature walk we had was in late November. For nearly a month before Christmas, we had at least one of kiddos sick. Which meant we weren't able to get out in the cold. We also had a few weeks that were extremely cold. No one played outdoors! Then, Christmas came and we were so busy, we didn't make time to enjoy our nature walks. January hit and we were trying to get back into a "normal" daily routine, and now we're all sick, again.

I think I am missing our nature walks more than kids are. They don't seem to excited to get back to our weekly visits to the nature center. I may have to change things up a bit to get them all excited once again.

Just for me this week:
Not much. I really want to get back into a good workout schedule. But, as I often do, I keep putting it aside and telling myself, "tomorrow." Which of course tomorrow never comes. I'm going to just have to say, "TODAY!" But not until I'm better and can cross the room without coughing!

How was your week?

Things I Never Expected In Our Homeschool Journey

Things I Never Expected In Our Homeschool Journey

1. To argue with an 8 year old boy about some dinosaur facts...only to find out he was right the entire time!

2. To learn right along with my kiddos.

3. To enjoy re-reading my favorite books as a child...over, and over, and over!

4. To spend entire days on the floor, stairway, or under the table (aka: fort) doing school work.

5. To learn enough about bugs, dinosaurs, and sharks, that I feel I could have a degree in animal science.

6. That watching my children read their first words would be so amazing that I would be reduced to tears!

7. That our mental health day trips (spur of the moment trips on days when school and life are just not working) would turn out to be some of our best memories.

8. That laundry, cooking dinner, visiting grandparents, camping, fishing, and enjoying a day at the museum, all count as learning!

9. Our time spent outdoors would be just as, if not more, important that the academic lessons.

10. I never imagined how my children would bond, as they spent each day together learning, arguing, playing, and loving each other.

11. The talks that my pre-teen daughter and I would have because of our choice to homeschool.

12. The enjoyment I would get out of teaching my children and watching them learn.

13. That I would have to earn a science degree to fulfill my 9 year old son's thirst for science.

14. The videos we would watch all in the name of homeschooling. And the amount of information we would learn form those.

15. That we would end up trying every method of homeschooling there is.

16. That I would end up planning unit studies complete with awesome field trips and activities.

17. The amount of cuddle time we would have as a family for reading.

18. The wonderful discussions the kids and I would have over lunch.

19. The way (some) family and friends would reach out to be involved with or help our homeschooling.  

*20. I never dreamed homeschooling would completely change my life, forever. And that I am truly thankful for.

List it Tuesday Link Up- Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers:

Sunday Savers...

If your like me, you like to save!

What do I like to save?
-money on the grocery bill
-money on clothes for three busy kiddos
-time
-our stuff. I try to make sure that what we do have, continues to last and work well for us!
-and my sanity!

This post will be devoted to ways to save. I hope to have a Sunday Savers post each Sunday with ideas on how to save everything from money to the life of your household appliances.
Here we go...
Remember these are just my thoughts and ideas, no magic formulas or promises of great fortune in the future. Just my thoughts. Enjoy.

Save on the grocery bill:

Coupons are great, but to really save using coupons DON'T use them alone. Wait until the item is on sale and add the coupon (if your grocery store allows it). 

One thing I have learned, but not mastered just yet, is to only shop store sales Then buy in bulk!
For those that can shop weekly, take the time to go through the sale ads and purchase primarily what's on sale. By only buying what is already on sale, and combining coupons, you will save quite a bit on your grocery bill. What this means is that you make your weekly menu plans from what you already have in your fridge and pantry, only purchasing a few things needed for the week that are not on sale. Those items would be things like milk, bread, and eggs, or other things you use and finish quickly but can not stock up on.

It takes some planning, learning to stock on food, and time to go through the sale ads, but it's worth it. And, no, I'm not suggesting you make shopping a full time job and go to the extreme coupon shopping like you have seen on tv. Normal people don't have that much free time or patience to have a full-time job planning and shopping to save money.


Save on the clothes:

Clothes and kids! Saving clothes from such violent destruction with boys is nearly impossible!
My boys have managed to take a brand new pair of shoes or jeans and destroy them in a single day, sometimes less! Plus, they grow so fast that a pair of jeans that fits this month is likely to not fit in two weeks! With a track record like this, I refuse to pay very much for the kids' clothing.
 I shop at thrift stores and clearance racks! I have also been very lucky to have friends who pass clothes down to my kiddos.
Anyway, here are a few ways to save a little cash on clothes.

-Shop thrift stores:
I have found some great deals on clothes for my kiddos. Paying $25-$30 for a pair of jeans for my boys that are going to skid across the kitchen floor or slide down the driveway in, is just not for me!
Paying $2-$5 for a pair of jeans or walking out the door with 6 pair of jeans for the kids for under $30, is for me!

-Shop the season end sales:
 Buy the size you think they should fit into by the following year. Even with guess work, this has worked great for us. There will be times, something you bought doesn't quite fit by the next season,  when that happens, either hold it aside until it fits or hold it for the younger sibling. And if that doesn't work find a friend with children that size! Someone always wins!

-Recycle worn and torn clothing:
I like to sew. Which has been very handy, as I have been able to repair and re purpose many of the kids' clothes. All three of my kiddos are very tall and thin, so finding pants that fit around the tummy and aren't up to their knees is a challenge. Many times I have made pants for all of my kiddos and each year I make shorts for my long-legged daughter. Trying to find shorts that are a decent length that will fit a very tall and slim pre-teen, is nearly impossible. So we make shorts for her each year. You can see a past post here of shorts made for my daughter.

Even if you don't sew much, you can still make some fun things with old clothing.

Take some lace or fun material to add to the cuff of a pair of pants for your daughter to add a little length is they still fit around the waist! This has often saved us just another month or so until summer when she is wearing short for months.
Holes in the knee? My boys love the flame and camo patches we found. It adds color and a little more life to the pants.
We all grew up with cut off shorts. Well, we do the same, just add something to the edge to dress it up and the kids have a new fun pair of shorts. Easy!

There really is so much you can do, to add a little life to clothes. I'll try to find some photos next week and share more ideas!

Save time:

This one is harder. We are of a very busy, go, go, go society. Everyone is doing something or going somewhere all the time. Even when many of us are home, we are busy on the computer, phone, ipad, tablet, or watching tv. We are busy working on bills, doing laundry, taking care of kids, animals, and spouses. It's difficult to find time to be alone or just relax. But if we are to truly care for our self, we must take a break and make good use of our time.
For this I only have two tips:

#1- TURN IT OFF!
Turn off the computer (wait, not until you're done reading this)
Turn off the tv
Turn off the iPad
Turn off the phone (yes, you will survive)
Turn off the tablet
Turn off the kids' video games (they too will survive, even if they don't believe it)

Think about how much time you spend with these items. If you added it up for an entire day, week, or month you would see just how much of our lives we spend on technology and away from the outdoors and the lives of our family.

If you spend 1.5 hours a day on these items, you spend:

10.5 hours a week  (that's an extra work day)
45 hours a month  (that's a full work week)
547 hours a year  (that is way too much of your life)

It may not feel like that much, but when you add it up, it's a huge part of your life.

I'm not saying never enjoy the technology we have, but limit yourself. Decide what is acceptable for you and keep it to that limit of time. I try, not always very successfully, to keep my tech time to after the kids are in bed or when they are otherwise occupied. Even then, I could do much better.

Our family, at least the kids and I, have tech-free weeks. Here and there, I will tell the kids it's a tech-free week, and for that entire week, we don't turn on the tv, video games, or computer. I LOVE TECH FREE WEEK!!! I'll admit the first day or so can sometimes be rough if they have had too much tech time recently, but after that we all enjoy it. We all spend more time outside, read more books, we even pull out the board games and have a great time. After that week, I try to limit very strictly, the amount of tech time we all use. It has been just what wee needed many times. My goal is to have tech-free week, once a month. I'm still working on that one though.

#2-GET OUTDOORS!
If you get outside more, you will feel better, you will have more energy, and you will be more clearheaded! It may not help your laundry get done, or your bills paid, but it will make you feel better and that will help you to be more focused and able to accomplish what you need to.


Save your appliances and household items:

Dishwasher & Coffee pot

We have very hard water in our area, so the dishwasher and coffee pot are not always very happy. With the amount of calcium and minerals in our water, the build up on these items can be excessive.

I have found that instead of using rinse aid in the dishwasher, place some (1/2 cup) vinegar in with the dish soap, it helps to keep the build up down and helps with the dishes as well. Plus, it rids the dishwasher of any odor that may come about due to specks of food or other washed off but left in the drain pipes of the dishwasher.

Same with the coffee pot. Washing it out isn't always enough. So, once a month or so I'll run a pot of water and vinegar through and then rinse it well. It helps with the build up, and the staining. (check your coffee pot, some say not to use vinegar)


Saving your sanity:

As I am still working on this one, I will just suggest this:

-Spend the day really playing with your kids. Jump rope, ride a bike, toss a ball, get down and build with the blocks.  Be a kid for the day and remember what it was like to just enjoy life!

-Take 15 minutes EVERY DAY to do something JUST. FOR. YOU!
Read the Bible, lay in the sun, take a walk, sit in the car with the radio on and sing along, draw or paint, enjoy a few minutes with a hobby you enjoy, read, or simply sit in the grass (or snow) and watch the clouds (or night time stars) and just BE.

-Live in the moment. Don't focus on the future, don't dwell on the past, just enjoy this moment right now!

-Think positively. Negativity is contagious, so is positivity! So share!


Saving is something we can all do better with. Whether it's money, time, or sanity we can all work to save what we need.
It just takes effort and the courage to keep trying daily!