You should Quit Your Job!

Have you ever happened to have a rough day at work? Or even a whole week or even a whole season of hard times at work?? If your answer is 'YES'... then,

YOU SHOULD TOTALLY QUIT YOUR JOB! Seriously. Just quit!

Yeah well, if I told you that I get that advice at times, would you believe me? No really, I do.

I am a mother of 4. I homeschool 2 of them, grades K and 3. That means that I have a toddler and baby to take care of too. I also need to cook, clean and take care of my mental and physical health on top of the other million things that need doing. To top it off, my pregnancies can be quite testing to say the least, and I have been in situations at times where I've had to rely on other people's help. Yes, I've humbly asked or accepted a hand, to tackle my busy life.

I get a lot of advice and I hear a lot of opinions on how people think I should do things i.e. live life. When I've had a testing time in my life, as short as a hour or as long as a month (pregnancies for example), people tell me to give it up. They tell me we'd be better off putting our kids into school, stop having kids and to go get my life back (whatever that means???) To that I feel like saying,

-When the next tough time at work or in whatever you love to do happens, just give it up and quit! Life is supposed to be easy peasy all of the time, don't you know?? There are no trials, no testing, no growth, no negativity, no mistakes, and everything should be just great! If you don't have it good all of the time, you're obviously doing something wrong or don't know what you are doing, putting yourself into these situations... hello!

and that is what I feel like saying... but since I think before I speak type...

Okay, what I mean to say is that, life will always be hard at times in someway or another. We all have our trials, our bad days and we grow from them, we mature and we become more wise. We know the good days outnumber the bad by a zillion and we all make different choices in life, even though they may happen to have a hard journey to the destination and we may even have to ask and/or accept help to get there. Sometimes the journeys feel like they last forever! Hard work pays off. In my case, my pregnancies are hard, but they pay off, oh so well...

Children are a blessing, NOT a burden. My body might ache, my mind might be tired at times, well a lot perhaps, but my soul and heart leap for joy! Our children do not hinder our marriage but bring us closer together as a team, as husband and wife. 

This is my job. I am a mom. I homeschool them. I'm beat at the end of the day and cannot wait to put my feet up. There are days when I don't want to go to work, but I have to. There are days, I'm so tired, I moan about it and have a sour attitude about it, but it passes. There are times, I am so overwhelmed that I need to plug into the Word and prayer so that I can survive another hour... and I'd do anything for someone to just give me a hand. There are times I just want to scream... And it passes.

But guess what, I love my job. I love my calling. It's a holy calling. I love my family. Everyday I am taken aback by how blessed I am with all I have. I love teaching and spending time with my kids. I love watching them discover and grow. I love to menu plan and cook for them. I love taking them to activities and field trips. 

I love my job.

With or without kids, life can be testing.

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise" -Oscar Wilde

Colour Collage - Homeschool Crafts Idea

 Teach your kids the primary colours and the different mixes of primary colours.

 Doesn't have to be anything fancy, you know... :)

Get different colours of paint samplers from your local paint shop,

and before cutting and gluing, go through the different hues/shades/tones of 6 colours; red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

 This takes a while... so do your own studies/crafts while they cut and glue...

 Let them add stickers, glitter or sequence to it... they can choose where they belong according to colour.

K and J's work.

I love them!

Collages -Homeschool Project

("God's People" by K)

This week the kids worked on collages of their own. We used the stack of National Geographic mags I've stored for too long. Now, I know how we will be using them. I fondly remember my own art lessons, especially making collages and the ideas are limitless!

Here are some ideas on Collages:

• Seasons, weather
• Celestial
• Nature
• Animals, polar, ocean, grassland, jungle etc
• Healthy and unhealthy foods
• Physical activity, sports
• Feelings, moods, faces
• Space, planets
• Technology
• Bible
• Culture
• Art
• Words
• Countries
• Colour Map

 ("God's Creation" by J)

I already have a few collage themes planned out for this school year. Some of them will cover more than the subject 'art'.

Any more ideas on a theme? Let me know!

More on Homeschooling HERE!

More on Fun With Kids HERE

Managing Your Home Part 3

A little while ago I wrote this:

..."Organizing your home is quite the task. It takes a super mom to herd her little monkeys and get everyone and her home in order at all times. This, however is unrealistic and will only bring frustration and disappointment to those mothers who thrive on this.

But there is hope for us all, even for me as I write this in the midst of a chaotic moment in my home. I write down lists for my kids of chores that need to be completed before we begin our day. "Build the home, before we play in it" is somewhat what we are after. Well, I have my eldest back chatting and rebelling, my daughter in cloud 9 dreaming of butterflies and singing, and my littlest one, causing havoc as she trots along. Not the haven, I was hoping for.

I put KLOVE on for motivational music, to help us focus and plug in, only to find out it's just adding to the chaos. I really am starting to feel hopeless now, how does anyone teach their children to contribute to the family life"...

And now, finally! 

We're done scheduling for now! It took some time, figuring it all out because no day in the week is the same for us. But we're done for now. We're on trial mode right now, just to see how well the master schedule will work out and I already have a feeling, that I'll be doing a few minor changes here and there, but all in all, I'll say it again - We're I'm DONE!

Here's an example of a day during our week. Oh yes, I went to dollar store and purchased 7 frames and some magnetic strip to minimize our fridge clutter. It looks nicer...

I've noticed better behavior in the kids and especially in me, holy moly, less of that tensed up wicked witchiness! The kids have been back chatting less, and it seems that they cannot argue with a schedule on the wall, but they can argue with me. If it's written, it goes and I've noticed an attitude change in them, I really have.

We get bible time each morning, and it can last from 15 to 30 minutes. I'm using this book with them, and we're enjoying it. The kids sit still, even our youngest who is 2 and these lessons lead to some deep conversations and it has really helped us bond. It gives a good start to the mornings and focuses our attention to the one who gives us time. Jesus. 

I must admit, I'm more flexible than maybe some other mothers are, using this method, and it's ok. Sometimes we decide to do other stuff instead of what's on the list, however, I've still noticed that everything gets done and we have plenty of rest too. It takes practice and consistency to create a new habit, a new schedule. We'll get there, I know it!

Another thing I have noticed is that the kids argue and bicker less. One, they don't get too bored and end up in each others faces, and two, I have the time to teach and take the time to guide them when I see a problem arising. I also believe that our bible time in the mornings places our hearts in a way that our minds are tuned with doing what is right. This is my opinion.

One thing I like about colour coding the schedule is, that my middle child doesn't yet know how to read, but by knowing the theme of the colours, she memorizes them quickly.

More on Organizing your home and scheduling HERE!

More on Fun With Kids HERE

More on Managing Your Home HERE

What are your tricks for keeping on top of things, or semi? :)

Naked Egg - Experiment - Homeschool Fun!

You take an egg, place it in a glass and fill it up with vinegar.

For a few days you watch it bubble.

And eventually the outer layer will dissolve.

How cool is that! It bounces!

If you bounce it too hard...

The kids were stoked!

More on 'Fun With Kids' HERE!

More on Homeschooling HERE!

Roles, Rights and Responsibilities (+Priviledges) -Homeschool Project

For the final project of my son's second grade, we went through his role, right and responsibilities being a part of our family and community. At the end, we added a list on priviledges, because sometimes we take for granted of the stuff we have and get. Little did I know that this porjects opened up some great conversation and bonding time with each other and also this was a great way to grow in Christ.

 

As he comes up with more rights, he can jot them down.

We had a good chat on his roles, and it also made me think of mine. I'm not just a wife and mommy, there is more to me! :)

Going through his responisbilites, it was a good reminder to him as well as me, that I or my husband, do not do everything for him. It is our duty to train them to be sufficient, and hard working and kind to people around him. No one is a servant to him, no one owes him anything. It is more blessed to give than to receive. I really enjoyed our time of discussion. Sometimes we may think that what we say to our kids doesn't "sink in", but it does.

Last but not least, what are your priviledges?

Time Chart -Crafts -Homeschool Project

Here is a fun way to help your kids create a 'Time Chart'. This is a great way to help them remember in order!

Plan it out! You can use any sized wheel (I used a pot lid to measure ours), any kind of card stock -be creative! Most importantly, let your kids be creative, give them options, ideas and guide them, but do not take over... too much;)

8 fractions:

1. There are 60 seconds in a minute
2. There are 60 minutes in a hour
3. There are 24h in a day
4. There are 7 days in a week
5. There are approx. 4 weeks in a month
6. (I forgot to put in 12 months in a year here) Months that have 30 days are...
7. Months that have 31 days are...
8. Month that has 28 days is, unless it's leap year (29) 

Extra info (on the back of the chart):

• 12 months in a year
• 365 days in a year
• 52 weeks in a year

This is my son's 2nd grade work.

What are your ways of teaching 'time'?

More on Homeschooling HERE

Managing Your Home Part 2

I am almost there. Figuring out this master schedule has really been a challenge. It's a lot of work, it takes a lot of thinking and planning and praying about whether our decisions are the right way to go for our family. I haven't yet completed the weekly master schedule, and one reason is that I have to make 7 schedules for 5 people. That's a lot of brain work, and usually by the evening my brain is fried already. Well this is what I've done so far.

First, I've listed all the norm activities and homeschooling for each child, for each day. This gives me a clear picture of the 'slots' for the other things that need doing. I'm trying not to over crowd the days, but also, I'm trying not to give them too much time to get bored and misbehave either.

I've also made a list of house work that needs doing daily, weekly and monthly. Finding the right slot for it and the right person to do it, assures it gets done and nothing piles up. When stuff piles up, it can get so overwhelming, and we often find ourselves at each others throats and rushing around, because we were not prepared. Unfortunately, relationships suffer and there is not enough time left for one on one time or family time, when its all rush rush "I can't read you a book now, because mum is doing EVERYTHING!!!!!!!" I don't want that. My desire it to spend a lot of time with my kids and investing in their lives. We're working towards that.

When there are clear slots for i.e dishes, quick tidy ups and everyone is involved and in training, nothing should pile up and there should be enough time to fellowship and do other activities. the laundry piles up and you find yourself doing several loads a day, without having the proper time to fold them away, on top of that you still need to do your basic daily chores and activities. And usually we got more on our plate "to do" than just one thing. I end up trying to do more than I can handle and "mum just turned into the wicked witch" to top it off! Oh, and when will you find the time to fold those several baskets of laundry? When your kids are asleep, cause you didn't want to sit down and relax anyways?

So, I made a chore list for each kid according to their age, and scattered it throughout the week. This allows me to do my chores too in scheduled slots, while supervising the kids. Hopefully, the training will go well and they absorb the new schedule well. 

Like I said, it isn't ready, I'm nearly there... Once I got it together, I will post a pic of one complete day and then follow ups on how the new schedule training is going for all of us.

More on Managing Your Home Part 1 HERE

How to de-itemize your home HERE

 How do you schedule?

Homemade Buttermilk Bread -Recipe

To complete our educational event of butter making, we used the byproduct buttermilk to make wonderful bread buns to accompany the delicious butter we just made.

We used this recipe, however, I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour, and instead of loaves, we made buns.

 So, this is buttermilk -homemade!

 We followed the recipe somewhat. I made a few changes and added some whole wheat flour.

The kids learned about yeast and why kneeding is important in bread making.

 All buttered up and ready to go into the oven!

 Piping hot yes, but delicious! The homemade butter is ah-mazing!!

Recipe here!

 Look at that. Homemade yummyness!

What is your favourite bread recipe? Do share!

Daily Lists

I have a tendency to make lists upon lists, of some which I might forget about and some that I carry with me at all times. I make lists on what lists I should make. I make grocery lists, garden planning lists, menu lists, to do lists, some day to do lists, summer activity lists, monthly lists, book lists, homeschool lists, diy lists, you name it. Oh and blog about lists!

I haven't completed our new master schedule as of yet, but I have worked on a fraction of it. It's a quick over view list of Mon-Fri, of what needs to get done, or maybe of what we aim to get done. I might plan a quick menu on the side, which to be honest, rarely goes to plan, and I might add a few must do tasks that come to mind as the week progresses.

Let me warn you, it's not pretty -but it works! It's just to map out the day for me, I'm a very visual person and I like to see things on paper :) 

Here it is. Oh, right, one of my kids stuck stickers on it to make it more attractive....

 I check things off and usually cross them out as a double check. I know, it's silly.

 

So basically, I write down the homework that needs covering and also the amount of time I want them to invest in it. I have a timer on my phone, on silent (only for me to see), so that I can decide whether we need to work on a topic a few more minutes or such. I have the errands needing to be done listed afterwards, the menu for the day on the side and a few "wishes" that would be nice, if it got done.

This is my little crazy list, simple yet keeps me and my household "on track". Of course, I am working on a simple binder which will be visible to me at all times and as well looks pretty, won't be as easily misplaced.

What are your lists like?

Do share!!!

More on Home Making and Managing Your Home HERE!

Making Butter -Fun and Useful

Wanna do something super fun with your kids that is educational and delicious?! Well guess what!

-We made butter today!

J is in second grade, and for Bible we studied about the "olden ways" of grinding grains and making butter. Back then it was hard work, but today, it's only a few minute process. J and K both enjoyed watching the whole process, but most of all, they enjoyed the taste testing afterwards.

I bought regular whipping cream out on a whim, but next time we'll definitely invest in good quality heavy cream from a local dairy farm. 

So this is what we did!

First we over whipped the cream until it separated and produced butter curd. 

Then we drained off the butter milk from the butter itself -easy peasy!

 Using a spatula, we pressed the excess butter milk, and what was left, was creamy butter!

 We have a bowl of butter milk for our next recipe -Buttermilk BREAD!!! Stay tuned! And a container full of home made, delicious, finger licking and creamy butter. Yum!

 Keeps in the fridge for about a month.

Buttermilk -not a waste, no indeed!But a side product! Buttermilk Bread, heavenly bread! Recipe coming later!

It makes me wonder, a few Christmas' ago, Finland had news galore about their empty butter shelves, in all the grocery shops throughout the country. Knowing what I know now, every household could've over whipped a bit of cream and finished off their Christmas recipes, no problem!

Have you tried making butter? I wanna hear all about it:)