New baby chicks!

We didn't think any of these would hatch. The mama was setting faithfully, but we thought it got too cold in the beginning and that it had been too long. We were about to toss the eggs, actually! It's a good thing we didn't! We were going to candle them first though.

Aren't they adorable?! The rooster is a Golden Laced Wyandotte and the Mama Hen is a Rhode Island Red (which is my favorite breed right now.....they are so friendly!). We ended up with 6 babies, which DOUBLED our current chicken population. Fun!!

Feeling crafty?

I've been wanting to look up some "how-tos", so I thought I'd take some time to put a lot of links into one blog post.

First, I have been intending to get some PVC pipes for the kids to just play with. They are very inexpensive and so much fun to build things with, so there is now a reminder on my phone to get some in a few days. Here are some links I found on making toys and crafts out of PVC.

Rola Bola (this site is so cute!)

Train whistle (definitely doing this one!!)

Pipe flute (lots of how-tos to pick from on this one!)

Ladder Golf

Rackets (genius!)

Baby/toddler toy to lay under (definitely need to do this too for our new baby!!)

A smaller version of the toy rack

Toddler parallel bars by the same people....genius!

Deluxe Kid Wash (been meaning to make this for a while!)

Another more simple sprinker

Super soaker guns, and guns of all types!

Marshmallow gun (how-to video.....this is a really cool gun, and I think the guy is funny!)

This site has lots of homemade toy ideas! (where I got the marshmallow gun video) Some of my favorites are Checkers, Mancala, swings, puppets, play-dough and sorting toys!

We have also had a TON of fun making our own hula hoops! They are super easy and very inexpensive, and they last for years!!!

Since I posted my eHow link, here are a couple of other how-to articles I posted on things we have also done in the past and loved!

Imitation Floam

Jump ropes out of nylon loops

And speaking of nylon loops, this is a very inexpensive book that has quite a few really cute crafts in it using nylon loops or plastic laces.


One more....here are some fun science experiments to try!


I need to stop there for now. There is just so much that it will take all day! I think we will be making a lot of these in the next few days and weeks ahead. I will be sure to post pictures of all our creations!

Transition phase, part 2

So I am trying to decide which direction to go in regards to curriculum, if I even follow any. My over all philosophy is TJEd, and I also love the Charlotte Mason philosophy. As far as curriculum, I am really LOVING Heart of Wisdom, and it is all free!

My original intent a year or two ago, when I first decided it was time to do *something* a little more intentional with the kids.....something more than "just playing" since they are getting older and need more (and are playing less), was to teach exclusively (or as exclusively as possible) from the bible itself. I still intend to do that, but I am also learning, about myself, that I am not really creative when it comes to making up "lesson plans" from scratch! So now I am trying to be careful not to rely too heavily on non-bible curriculums, but to simply use them as a guide. I want to teach history straight from the bible, and hand writing will be copying down verses and passages of Scripture. We have done a lot of scrapbooking, and I think I will also incorporate some lapbooking. There are many, many numbers in the bible, so planning math lessons should come fairly easily! There is all kinds of science in the bible. I may use this site a lot for ideas!

I also have the Keepers and Contenders books for them to go through, and I am really loving them so far! They seem very biblical and practical to helping them learn how to be a good husband/wife and father/mother someday, which is something I want them to be great at! Many of the skills the boys will get from it are similar to the Scouting skills. We may just "award" them some badges for things they have already done, but some of them will be done again, depending on the particular skill and the need.

We also have bible maps as well as current maps that the kids really LOVE to look at, and we can do a lot with those as well! Geography, world missions, unit studies on certain countries, etc.

I think that covers most all of the basics. As they continue to get older, I will help them learn how to seek out information to be able to study whatever area they are interested in and help them reach their specific goals.

In addition to all of this, there are tons of free things on the internet. I do make use of them quite often, but I want to do more! There are educational games as well as an almost unlimited number of free printable materials of all kinds. And of course, any time the kids ask me some off-the-wall question, we just search the 'net and find out all kinds of fascinating information!

Whew! I do feel better now that all this is out! I just really love homeschooling. :)

Homemade swings!!!

My children made these swings all by themselves! We didn't even know they were making them until they came in feeling dizzy. :) I checked to make sure they were safe enough, and they do look to be pretty safe, actually! I talked to them about what to watch for (mostly not sticking their head where it can get caught! Yikes!), but otherwise they looked pretty safe to me. The cables they used are for very large dogs (which we hardly ever used), so they should hold plenty of weight. I didn't get a picture of the knots/ties Jonathan used up in the tree, but he is sure putting his knot-tying skills that he learned in Cub Scouts to good use!

I ended up getting several pics of Jacob because he is such a clown!

This was all on purpose, he didn't get hurt at all!

He gets out of trouble a lot because I can't help but laugh!

See? Look at that face! What a nut! lol

Jayla has always LOVED swings!

I love the spacing.....close, but not too close!

Transition phase.....

For me! I really am in a transition phase with our homeschooling this year. I have gone back and forth on exactly what I want to *do* with the kids, even though my philosophy hasn't really changed a lot.

We have always been lifeschoolers and have loved it! Lifeschooling is all about living LIFE and learning from it every day, through play, work, relationships, etc. Sometimes that includes structured book work, but usually only it if is necessary or requested. My children are not "behind" at all and are very bright. It has always worked so incredibly well for us.

But my kids are getting older.

I am beginning to see that they (my oldest two, mainly) are needing more structure and more direction. They read books all the time and still learn (and love it!), but as a Christian mother, I want them to learn very specific things, such as biblical doctrine, godly character, etc. Those are not things they can just "pick up", or if I leave it to that exclusively, they may just "pick up" unbiblical things! We have been doing these things along the way, but I just feel they need *more* of the intentional, structured stuff, if that makes sense.

I am not looking for a curriculum though. My idea is to use the bible as our textbook (as exclusively as possible) and life experiences (like celebrating God's holy days, a.k.a. feasts and the Sabbath), and learn this way. I just need to DO more though. We have been celebrating the feasts more, and it has been incredible, and we are wanting to do more next year!

I think my philosophy, as I see my kids growing and changing, is more along the lines of a Thomas Jefferson Education, a.k.a. Leadership Education. I have just never been forced to "move on" until now.....as my children are growing and moving into the second phase! Right now I am just trying to sort out my thoughts, look at all our options and make some decisions, so we have been mostly doing social activities this year, so far.

We can sure learn a lot from these types of activities as well! Anyone who tries to tell me that homeschooled children are not "socialized" and are weird is going to be laughed at in their face! My kids are extremely social, and I am having to turn down activities, even free ones, because there is not enough time in the day and week for it all!!!! I won't even go into that right now, but you can read all about homeschooling and socialization here. :)


Right now our weekly activities go as follows:

• Monday we have dance class and karate (free)
• Tuesdays my mom comes each week to do activities with the kids, then we have Keepers At Home (free) and Cub Scouts
• Wednesdays we have PE and lunch at the park with friends
• Thursdays we have my doctor's appointment, meet with friends for various activities (we're about to start a reading program, free) and homeschool soccer (free)
• Fridays is another optional PE class (free) as well as a bible study right before. Once a month we have Lego Club on Fridays as well.

I even tried to keep Thursdays and Fridays open!!!

In addition to these weekly activities, there are other things we try to squeeze in, such as a trip to the pumpkin patch, various museums (some free), open swim days (twice weekly) at a local high school, art class (weekly, free) at the library, farm tours (most free), and other various activities that come up often, such as festivals and expos. Oh, and did I mention that I am having another baby in 5 weeks?!

So that is where we're at right now. It is LIFE, and we are loving it! Although, I have to admit, I am REALLY looking forward to this baby coming so that I will be forced to slow down a bit! I am taking a much needed "babymoon", especially since I didn't have the chance to with my last one and ended up depressed.....it was horrible!

Speaking of my last one, he just woke up and needs me, so I will leave you with a picture taken a few days ago of the two of us and will pick this up later. :)

Massive update on all of us!

Warning: This is going to be quite long!!!


Wow, I can't believe it has been 2 1/2 months since my last blog post! We have internet at home again, so I want to catch up (and backdate) on all my pictures, but I am just out of the habit, I guess.

Since today is October 1st, I will just post all my September pictures! But before I do that, here is a loooooong update on my current pregnancy.......

Wow, I cannot believe I am 33 weeks already! The time seems to have flown by!!! I guess it is because I have 4 other children already to keep me distracted, plus it really has been a super-easy pregnancy. I am so thankful for that!

I am having weekly appointments now. My blood pressure has been creeping up and I am on BP meds for it, but it is holding in the normal range. I have had quite a bit of swelling the last month or so. I know if I could get it off, my BP would go down even more. I don't think I will need to continue the meds once baby is born. It always goes down to normal fairly quickly, although my "normal" has been creeping up over the years. :(

Up until a month ago, I had only gained around 10 pounds. When I went in last week, I had doubled that!!! Yeah, lots of swelling! Yesterday I was back down 3 pounds, so that was nice.

My last two pregnancies I had bursitis in my hips. The only relief I could get, which also helped during the day, was to sleep in a recliner. It was actually quite comfortable! Well, I found out a week ago that sleeping in a reclined position is probably the worst position you can be in when pregnant. It can cause the baby to be breech, and guess what.....they both were! This pregnancy, for some reason, my hips have not bothered me. I have been able to sleep on my side, which is the best position, and this baby is in the PERFECT birth position!!! :) The ultrasound yesterday confirmed it. (It also showed normal response, fluid, etc......absolutely NO concerns!)

Other than being overweight and out of shape, I am feeling really, really good. The doctor seemed surprised when I told him that this pregnancy is going really well and I feel great. I had to tell him again about my last pregnancy when I had the HELLP syndrome and that this one was just so much better! I think he may have been worried it would come back, but at this point in my last pregnancy, I was already so sick. Jack was born at 34 weeks, and I am 33 right now! Praise God for a great pregnancy!!! :)

I am totally preparing for a VBAC. This doctor will deliver VBACs and breech babies, no problem, but he has to abide by hospital regulations. In my case, I am not "allowed" by this hospital to have a VBAC since I have had TWO c-sections in the past. They don't even consider that I previously had two vaginal births. Well, I found out that I can still legally have a VBAC. The laws are in my favor! I don't have to go in at the very last minute or have the baby at home, I can still have a hospital birth. Basically, they cannot force me to have a c-section, so all I have to do is refuse it. The hospital cannot turn me away, and my doctor cannot refuse to see me if it is within 30 days of delivery when I let him know my plans, so there ya go! :)

Oh, I just had a thought! So many women, myself included until a week ago, do not know their rights. I wonder, IF I have a very successful VBAC, if maybe I could help to change hospital policy?! How cool would that be? :)

My hope and prayer is that this labor and delivery, and the remaining few weeks, will go so incredibly well that I will be able to have my home birth someday! I am still striving for that, BUT, after my last experience and my own personal spiritual growth through all of that, it is not quite as important to me as it used to be. I saw my pride, and even though in the end I did do what was best for me and baby, just as I promised I would, I did not like that pride! So I gave it all to God and He has changed my heart on the whole "natural birth" issue. I can still strive for it, and I certainly will, but it is not the end of the world if it doesn't happen. Boy, it sure felt like it last time! :'(

A side note, my youngest actually has a genetic disorder. I'm not sure if that is the best description, but he has a duplication in a small segment of the short arm of his 6th chromosome (6p21.1). It doesn't have a name and little is known about it, but I really, truly believe that is what made my pregnancy with him so different and difficult. No one else in the family appears to have the same thing, so I don't expect any other babies to have it in the future. My hubby and I are going to be tested for it though just to be sure it is not inherited. If one of us is positive, then the geneticist thinks his symptoms may actually be caused from something else that we have not yet discovered, but if we are both negative, then it is highly likely what is causing his symptoms and physical characteristics.

I guess that's all I've got for now! If the rest of the pregnancy continues to go well, my next update might just be a birth story. :)

And now, enjoy the pics of my beautiful children.....or pictures they have taken.

Rocket is getting just a little too comfy in OUR house!

 Jonathan took several pictures of the storm earlier in the month. We don't see a lot of rainbows. Jack LOVED it!

They found this really cool caterpillar. I just realized we never identified it. Hmmmm.....I would post more pictures, but they all turned out fuzzy. Haha! Fuzzy. :)

Our Rooster, Prince.

Three of our five hens. They're laying now!!!! Good job, girls!

 At the museum, probably their favorite. We hadn't been here in a while, but this position (under the wooly mammoth's foot) is a tradition!

 Boys! *sigh*

 She's getting meaner as she gets older! Look at that face!

Jack had to join in too! This was his first, that I can remember.

I love the Discovery Room, and we haven't been in there since Jacob was a baby! It is usually closed when we go.

So I had to take lots of pictures in here! Jack loved digging for dinosaur bones, though I'm not really sure he knew what the point was.

Jacob actually spent most of his time here!

They had these really cool little chair things called Bilibos. Jayla pretty much hogged them both the whole time! I wish they made them for adults.

The museum had a chocolate exhibit. I was hoping for free samples, but it was still really cool. This is actually a giant wall. See the TVs?


On to Septemberfest!!!!

We go every year. There is always so much to do, and it is always FREE!

The kids love these things.

Jack didn't understand that he had to wait in line for another turn, so he was about to go a THIRD time before we were able to drag him off so that other kids could go.

His sister helped get him off. :)

I didn't know if he could do this obstacle course or not, but he did great!

With Sissy's help again, of course. :)

We got a ride on the wagon! Not all that exciting, but fun!

The female llama.....Nice hair!

The male

This is what Jonathan's hair was starting to look like before I shaved it off!

It took a few tries, but she got it!

Jack had a great toss but couldn't get it far enough.

Jacob got it on his first try! Click on the image and look at his mouth. :)

On your mark, get set, go!

I think Jayla was a little bored with this, but it helped pass the time while we were waiting in that long line.

Jack didn't quite get it. He thought it was fun, but he didn't understand that it was supposed to be a race.

And he just thought the cow was cute. Milk her? What?

This ride is always a favorite.

 We REALLY needed to sit down, so I was thankful for the librarians!!!

And we got to see the dance group that Jayla's ballet teacher is in!

All that fun just wiped him out!

I don't normally take pictures of our dinner, but this was some awesome Mexican food!!

This is what Myles had. Of course he had to get the Coke with real sugar in the picture. He ordered two drinks so he could get Dr. Pepper refills. Silly man!

Jacob and Jayla being silly. :)

And the highlight of our meal.......Jonathan taught Jack how to say "G'day, mate!", so I just HAD to get that on video! :) Of course, Daddy had to butt in, and he's loud! lol

Then we took several pictures of some cute littles from the church nursery. I won't post those here though since I do not have permission.

Then there was Sukkot, or Feast of Booths, or Feast of Tabernacles. This was our first year to actually celebrate this feast, and it was fun! In the last part of Lev. chapter 23 God gives directions on how to "do" this feast, and it really is not too demanding. We did not stay overnight in the booth though, we just ate dinner in it, but I am hoping that next year we can begin a tradition of camping out for a week! :)

 The booth still in progress, from behind.

Jacob exploring the inside. 

 He felt quite at home and just "dug" right in!

The booth and food were pretty much ready, so we walked around the property, gathering branches for our lulavs! 

I can't remember the names of all of them, but we all loved the flowery one. 

Jacob rarely poses for me, so I will take him up on it anytime he offers a smile! It is usually cheesy like this though! 

Jack was desperately thirsty and was about to serve himself some wine! No worries, we got him some water. :) 

This is the wonderful family who invited us. It was held at her dad's house. I really, truly appreciate their family. They are not about denominationalism or doing what feels comfortable, but they are not "legalistic" at all either. They just obey the bible out of their love for God!

The kids loved the candles, of course, and Jacob wouldn't let me get a picture of one without him! 

The finished lulav.

And that's about it for the month of September! I will try to keep this caught up now while also going back to catch up on the previous months this year.....and before the baby is born!!!!!