Light Bulb Moments

Things I've learned this week, nothing earth shattering or life changing...just random thoughts.

1. Never wipe down the counters and clean the kitchen floor right before lunch time. With dark counter tops and espresso maple floors...what's the point? Note to self: never, ever buy dark wood floors again, or dark counter tops...or stainless steel appliances!

2. I'm fed up with all these teenage girls who 'throw away their babies' or try harming them when there are so many wonderful people who want a baby. Not to mention Baby Safe Havens all over the place. Maybe we need to do a better job at getting the word out to these young girls. Do they not know about these Baby Safe Havens? Do they not realize they have options and can remain anonymous? It's time to organize my newborn service project I've been thinking about since we adopted Sophia. That's another post and I'll need volunteers, so hopefully some of your hearts will feel the desire to help.

3. As bad as I want to go to Rocky Point, Mexico this spring...it's sounding too unsafe w/ all the drug wars I keep seeing on the news. I don't dare take my kids anymore. Anyone else feel this way too?

4. When too lazy to return my shopping cart to the designated area...first, make sure it's not in the way of my own car! :)

5. Quiet prayer/scripture time each morning is SO beneficial to me, it's not easy finding a quiet place but I still need to do it.

6. Realized maybe we've got a 'good thing going' after taking the boys back to their old school to put them on next years wait list (gotta keep my options open), only to find out they were having a practice 'lock down'!

7. I can survive with just one reality television show a week.

8. Staying motivated to workout regularly and cook great dinners will always be a constant battle, no matter how good my intentions are.

9. Maybe Kade can do without soccer this season...he is only 6 and has the rest of his life to become a professional athlete. Besides, when we keep asking him if he's read for soccer he answers "NO"!

10. I should probably include my Diet Coke costs into my home school budget...I mean they're definitely home school related.

11. I'm over facebook. It was great to see what everyone from high school looks like but I don't need anything else taking up my free time.

12. If you want Sophia to do something you have to tell her to do the opposite. She's not as innocent as she looks...she's seriously turning into a female version of Dennis The Menace! It's hilarious but very frustrating at times. :)

13. IT'S OFFICIAL...I'm half retarded. Yip, Yesterday's 'field trip' to see Peter and The Wolf actually went down on Tuesday. Seriously, this kind of thing happens to me all the time. I put forth the effort, try to plan and organize, mark it on my calendar, and still...I find a way to screw it up! Like Jaxon said, "Everyone makes mistakes mom, it's OK, that's what life's all about". I swear that kid has the soul of an old man!

14. Making up for my 'mistakes' with Happy Meals and a day at the park actually does work.

15. I'm sick of hearing myself talk and I'm spending too much time blogging. Time to rearrange my priorities and take a SPRING BLOG BREAK! Yip that's right, it's spring here in Arizona and it's the perfect time to be outside. I love you all and will peek at your blogs as much as I can, but I really want to take this time to enjoy my kids, the weather...and my books. See you all after Easter.

In Good Company

I have always been shy, especially when in a big group or public speaking setting. It seems the older I've gotten the more fear stricken I've become. I am praying for help in this area, as I don't want to miss opportunities of growth and I realize the importance of sharing with others. Like it says in this scripture...
"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
-Matthew 5:15-16
I am fully aware of my weaknesses and my lack of sharing my light to it's brightest. We are all different and not everyone is on the same spiritual level, or has the same gifts. My brother Jeff hears the phone ring and actually hopes it's someone asking him to speak in church...that's not me nor will it ever be me. I'm no longer going to get down on myself for not being like my brother. Instead I'll keep trying my best to use the talents and attributes that I have been given, to serve my neighbors and share in ways that I can. It's not something others should judge, and yet that's exactly what I use to do. I would look at those who had this same struggle, and get so bothered with being told 'no they couldn't say the prayer', or 'no they didn't get their visiting teaching done' (or whatever) and judge it as laziness or an unwillingness to serve. I now realize just how wrong that was!
After having this 'epiphany' am I still judgemental of others? Um...YES! I wish I could say I wasn't but I have always liked having a good laugh and often times, it's at another persons expense. Far too often I find myself being quick to criticize or judge. I am going to try and be more aware of my tongue. This is something that has annoyed me about myself for a long time. It's been one of those repeated 'resolutions' every January, and yet I continue to fail. Last New Year's Eve, when I was telling my family of this resolution, I broke it with the very next sentence that came from my mouth. Sure we all had a big laugh, but I really do want to do better. After all, wouldn't we rather be in good company, surrounding ourselves with those who are positive and uplifting?

Here's another scripture I came across...

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth...And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"

- Colossians 3:8,10

In this scripture we are told to rid ourselves completely of ill speaking and negative feelings and behave more Christlike. I've decided with His help I know I can do better, maybe asking daily for strength will make the difference. Why didn't I think of that before? :)

Guest Room Let's Try This Again

OK so I'm sorta embarrassed that I even showed you the guest room before it was finished. Well, since last week I've added barn stars, and switched up the night table, it now looks much better. I also made some mistreated bed skirts, or in other words bought some el cheapo fabric from Walkmart and used my staple gun to create pleats, just stapling away. The fabric doesn't go all the way around the beds since they are up against the walls. Thanks again Edie for the mistreatment idea. LOVE IT!!! Total cost of two XL bed skirts...$14, stars bought at Hobby Lobby and spray painted ivory, already had the lamp and frame, Micheals for the hydrengeas and pitcher, Marshalls for the acorn or artichoke thingy a $3 find and it's nice and heavy.






Anyone coming to Arizona? I know where you can stay!!

Check back in a day or two for some quick and easy ways to glam up your candles and frames, but after that I'm feeling a decorating dry spell coming on.

Meet My New Daily Fix

I've never liked the taste of it but lately I just need it! Today's another classic case of me feeling grumpy, tired and just not so hot, all because I ate the wrong thing last night. Costco pizza apparently doesn't agree with my lactose intolerant stomach. Even though I took half the cheese off, I still got sick. Why do I eat pizza if I'm lactose intolerant...because I LOVE it! The thing is, most times I'm OK but once in a while I get sick, maybe it's the kind of cheese they use. I guess I'll add Costco to my list so I don't go through this again. It also didn't help that Kimball woke early only to find Sophia sitting on the stairs. She then got in bed with me but of course that was a lost cause, she was ready to start her day. I'm hoping the field trip we're going on will get me out of this rut.

A Somewhat Typical Day....

One of the many beauties of homeschooling is having the ability to mix things up if needed. Since I love to read others schedules, here is a pretty good idea of how most days are around here.

7:30 Boys wake up

7:30 Eat breakfast

8:00 Piano practice and chores

9:00 Devotional (prayer, pledge, scripture stories)

9:30 Read Aloud (currently reading Eight Cousins)

10:00 Math - Jaxon, Math/Handwriting/Spanish - Kade,

10:30 Snack - Jaxon & Kade

10:45 Resume

11:15 - 1:30 *History/Geography/Science/Language Arts - Jaxon

11:15 Assigned Read - Kade

11:30 Reading Comprehension (this includes nature study) - Kade

11:45 Kade's done and playing

12:30 Lunch - All

12:45 Resume - Jaxon

1:30 - 2:30 Quiet Time/Personal Studies (Jaxon reads 2 chapters of his assigned book, memorizes poems and journals. Kade colors, studies flash cards or draws).

2:30 - 4:30 Free time (they play outside, play on computer and watch t.v., Jaxon also uses some of this time to write his book).

3:00 - Snack

4:30 - P.E. (martial arts, soccer, swimming, tramp, treadmill, ride bikes and scooters, varies depending on time of year).

6:00 - Dinner

7:00 - 8:00 Free Reading in bed - Jaxon and Kade

8:00 - Lights Out

*Note: Though I love the Charlotte Mason & Classical method's, Jaxon had a hard time being independent and keeping on task, and I had a hard time keeping it all corrected, organized and tracked the way I'd like. We are now trying Switched On School House for the subjects noted. In addition to S.O.S' history, he also reads a chapter a week of The Story of the World.

The boys also study poetry, handicrafts, nature, art, and music on a weekly/biweekly basis. We have bagged the Latin with Jaxon for now, we'll add it a little later. Possibly just get it in during summer. He's also getting spanish weekly at the enrichment program.

Friday's were meant to be 'Fun Friday's' but with the enrichment program taking up a whole day, I make them go 5 days a week. Since they are pretty short days, they don't seem to mind it. We do however go to parks, the library and have movie night on Friday's.

After typing up many different fancy schedules, this is the way it has ended up. Now it's second nature and we don't have to look at a schedule to keep us in line.

Ten Minutes To A Room You'll Love

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It's no secret for the last year I've been loving the Nester and soakin' up her knowledge like a porous sponge. Well tomorrow she's having another linky party, a place we can all share our 10 minute room make-overs...or in my case many long hours of indecisiveness...I get it from my mother!!
Thanks to the Nester's recent tutorials, I was able to get some great ideas on how to decorate my entry table. Until yesterday it's been a barren eye sore...at least to me. I don't love this table by any means, so her tips made all the difference. I LOVE IT!!

I'm not usually a peacock feathers kind of girl, but my friend Edie is rubbing off on me. I love her decorating style, fun and bold. I'm slowly getting a little more daring and trying not to toss everything that I would have before thought of as clutter.
The goal was to 'shop the house' but since I've been doing that for a while, there wasn't much to choose from. The mirror, candle, bird, books, and dried floral items and basket were all mine, the rest was purchased for a smokin' deal at Hobby Lobby. The basket is full of all my favorite decorating magazines.
Here I printed one of my favorite scriptures on pretty paper and framed it. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John3:16

Another easy addition to my piano...pine cones, shells, nuts etc. I already had this stuff minus the star fish...which by the way Sophia is totally afraid of.

I Did Not...

I did not go tanning and get so burned I couldn't leave the house, wear a bra, or put my arms down. No way, not me!

I did not wrestle a mountain lion off of my 6 year old, (woke up exhausted by the way). No way, not me!

I did not eat almost an entire plate of homemade oreos before sharing them with the family. No way, not me! Thanks Jess, they were delish.

I did not watch Coal Miner's Daughter and miss my deddy so much I could cry. No way not me!

I am not still in my pj's at 4:00 in the afternoon...NO WAY NOT ME!

The Real Deal...

Homeschooling is not always nursery rhymes and nature walks, but rather two year old's crumbling deodorant all over your bedroom, sneaky six year old's dumping their entire lunch down the kitchen sink, ten year old's who'd rather free read all day than do a single math problem and a mom who's left wondering "Why did I want to do this again?"

Here are a few good quotes I've come across this week:

"Pretending is acting a certain way and hoping that someday you will feel that way. Hypocrisy is acting a certain way and never intending to feel that way."
- C.S. Lewis

"No man can for any considerable time wear one face to himself and another to the multitude with out finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one."
- Nathaniel Hawthorn

I love blogging, it's been a great outlet for me and a fun way to connect with other women in my same situation, not to mention a great way to journal our happenings that would have otherwise fallen by the wayside. I do not however, wish to portray that I 'have it all together' or that I'm a 'pro at homeschooling' because that would just be pure hypocrisy. This is my first year, I'm learning as I go and praying for guidance AND patience through this journey, taking it one day at a time.

Hypocrisy = The intent to deceive others for the sake of appearing better than you know yourself to be.

When someone looks at my home school blog and tells me "I don't know how you do it , you are amazing," I not only laugh but I always let them know that cyberspace makes it easy to look like we've got all our ducks in a row. Not that I'm trying to deceive anyone, because I'm not but if I posted all the drama and chaos...I'd be bloggin' 24/7, so if you're thinking of homeschooling, let me tell you it's not for everyone. There are many pros but there's also cons that should be seriously considered.

I am going to make sure I'm 'keeping it real' on my blog but also, make sure my actions match my words. I am far from perfect, and know that I have a long way to go, but I'm trying and I truly desire to be the best example I can be to my kids, my husband and anyone I come in contact with. No one wants to be 'called out' by their facebook friend, or their ten year old for not practicing what they preach, so I'm going to commit to do better. I know I'll fall but I'll keep on trying. I love this quote too...

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you want them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."

- Thomas a Kempis

Oh and let's make one thing clear...that gorgeous, ginormous English Manor at the top of my blog...that's not our real home!

Am I a hypocrit? Of course I am...sometimes, I'm only human. Here's to staying true to ourselves, and using our blogs to support, uplift, and enlighten one another. Peace out, and blog on!!

Love Diaries & True Love Tortilla Soup

Are you ready for the most amazing tortilla soup recipe ever? I came up with this all on my own for the Love Day celebration we're having tonight. To quote Kimball "I'd pay good money for this".

True Love Tortilla Soup
2 large grilled and seasoned chicken breasts (cubed)
1/2 chopped onion (browned)
1 can white beans (undrained)
1 can corn (drained)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth
1 can Ro Tel tomatoes (I used mild)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. black pepper
few dashes salt
Bring all to a boil stirring often, simmer for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better).

Garnish with chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, tortilla chips/strips and sour cream. Makes approx. 6 large servings.

Warning: this is pretty spicy

Kade being sweet to his little sister by reading her a cute love book. For the last 4 years, Jaxon has been kind enough to read to Kade a full hour each night. Kade has LOVED their reading time and has always rejected my offers. Now that he's a great reader and is more confident with his skills, he gets to pay it forward.


So much for 'not wearing my heart on my sleeve', yesterday I did some window painting as a little P.D.A for Kimball...let's just say between this and the soup he's like a love sick puppy!



Have a fabulous weekend, I hope you all have a big pink fuzzy Heart Day!

The 4-1-1

I haven't really had much to blog about for a few days. Here's a run down of what we've been up to.

1. Kimball was able to attend his Grandma's funeral in Georgia this past weekend. We missed him too much and the weekend dragged on and on...guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. He was very happy to see so many distant relatives and hang out with his crazy uncle Johnny. It seems Johnny's snoring rubbed off on him!

2. Sophia's doing much better with her sleeping. We just had to be consistent with her and even though she was still crying and wigging out when it was nap or bed time, we let her know she needed to sleep in her own room. Our new routine is to do a prayer and 3 songs (even at nap time) and though at first she was still throwing fits, it's become something she looks forward to. Now when I tell her it's time for bed, her first response is to make a panicked face, then she remembers it's prayer and song time and immediately folds her arms. We have to keep the door open about an inch and then she's fine. Thanks for all your advice, I knew I could count on my blogging friends.

3. The boys had been attending Eagleridge Enrichment program one day a week but we've decided not to keep that up. If we lived closer, it would be perfect but we don't and since they get out at different times, we're not only putting in a lot of driving time but we're also waiting an extra hour while Jaxon has his last class. I've also felt like it throws our schedule off too much. We like having Friday be a shorter fun day and it just hasn't felt possible when they are gone a full day each week.

4. I'm still sore as heck from my workouts, but loving them and I'm still motivated to reshape my body. I'm seeing results and feeling good. I wish the scale would show them quicker but slow and steady is OK.

5. My nephew Max returns from his 2 year LDS (Mormon) mission on Wednesday. I have several nieces and nephews who will be getting married this spring/summer so I'll have to wait until May to see him. I'm so proud of him for working hard and staying focused on his mission.

6. I'm having spring fever big time...I could really use a vacation somewhere. I'm working on some sort of get-a-way.

I'm off to spend a chilly but quiet afternoon reading good books while wrapped in my green blankie (which by the way I still wish was a Snuggie). Have a fabulous Monday!

Life Without A Camera!

That's right, my back up camera has died too. Unfortunately you won't get to see Jaxon get his green belt the other night, just picture him in all his glory...he was beaming! You'll also be missing Kimball's big scout camp out, animal skins, coyote heads and all, he was all rugged like that. Looks like I'll be camera shoppin' tomorrow. Until then you'll have to wait to see the cute stuff I've been working on. I'm excited to share...hope you'll stay tuned.

I'm hoping to find $1000 along the side of the road...what do you think my chances are?

February Fade Out?

This morning I was walking toward the gym and noticed several women around me 'booking it'. It hit me that there must be a great class about to start, so naturally I picked up the pace. I'm weaving in and out of people trying to get there first, wondering what it could be. Hoping it was a fun step or kick boxing class, maybe yoga or Pilate's, but no...it was a SPIN CLASS!

I hesitated because I was already extremely sore. Like, wake up in the middle of the night and moan sore. There wasn't much time to think since only a few bikes were left. Snooze you loose, so I decided to JUST DO IT (sorry Edie I'm borrowing your new motto). The seats are so uncomfortable that it actually motivates you to stand when going up those 'pretend hills'. Oh man did it burn!! I am so proud of myself for staying the ENTIRE time. I had only planned on staying the first half, but pushed through it.

In December I rejoined the gym and started working out 6 days a week. I was loving it but once Sophia started with the night terrors, my energy level got super low. For the last 2 weeks I haven't done a ton of working out and my eating hasn't been the best either. It sucks when you are all gung ho and then you 'fall off the wagon'. In January, I started with the Body for Life diet and after 2 weeks didn't want to look at any form of protein ever again. Since then I've decided, slow and steady wins the race. My new strategy is to eat less (which has been easier for me) and do fun workouts that I can mix up and not get bored of. I love to work out, I just need to remind myself (constantly) that I deserve that window of time for myself each day. To heck with all the millions of other things on my list, if I'm not exercising regularly...I start behaving badly!! There's just something about working out. If I don't do it, it doesn't matter what else I accomplish the entire day, I'll be down on myself.

So my question is...how are you all doing with your 'resolutions' and what are you doing to stay motivated about healthy living?

BTW - I can hardly walk, my thighs are BURNING but I feel great!! Those spin classes kick your butt, but you work up an amazing sweat!

Ummm, did I mention Aressted Development is hands down the.funniest.show.ever??

Senorita's Second

I can hardly believe Sophia is 2 years old. She was all smiles when it came time for presents. What a difference a year makes. Last year I had to help her, this year she ripped one open before it was even time.



I got her some Pretty Pony's because those are a classic from my childhood. I'm slowly getting her all my favorite toys. She has a Cabbage Patch Doll, I still need to get her a Strawberry Shortcake Doll, Rainbow Bright and a Care Bear...I'm trying to pace myself but it's hard. I just LOVE having a little girl!!
Last year she was afraid of the candle, this year she couldn't wait to blow it out.
She kept puffing but it took a little help from her dad.

We just had a low key night, we figured this was the last year we could get away with it and we were still trying to recoup from the Super Bowl bash.

We love you Sophia, you are a big bright star in our family and we can't imagine it without you.