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General Information
Upcoming events
- Field Day - Jun 28-29. North side of the Laramie Depot. Set up Saturday morning (meet at 10am - note change). Picnic Saturday evening. Bring a side dish or desert and something to drink. Burgers and fixings and paper plates and such will be provided by the club. Talk in on UARC Repeater (146.610-).
- Laramie Enduro - communications support - July 26, 2014
- Happy Jack Endurance horse ride - communications support - August 23-24, 2014
- High Plains Ham Round-Up - Saturday September 6, 2014 - Curt Gowdy state park.
UARC Meetings
The club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm except during the summer months. If possible, check the Laramie Area Amateur Radio Net for announcements.
Anyone interested in Amateur Radio is invited to attend!
Next Club Meeting
The next meeting will be in the fall.
Club Dues
$10 - Student
$20 - Individual
$30 - Family
Laramie Area Amateur Radio Net
The club participates in the Laramie Area Amateur Radio Net, a weekly VHF net on Sundays at 6:15 pm. The UARC repeater frequency is 146.61 MHz with a 600 kHz negative offset, or 146.61 MHz simplex, in case of repeater malfunction.
E-Mail list
Join our new e-mail list and keep up to date with the latest news. Send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com to subscribe.


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Published in General
Published in General
Definatly one of the better Anime video sites out there with over 10,000 videos. Plain and simple layout, just the way we like it.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Multimedia Presentations
Cell Phone Tour
Use your cell phone to listen to Whitefish Independent High School students tell you what they learned about some of the park's historic structures on the headquarters district historic walking tour.
Did You Know?
Did you know that some alpine plants can live to be more than a hundred years old, despite living in harsh weather conditions?


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text: May 8, 2014 – Nationally known political analyst Stuart Rothenberg will offer insight on the upcoming midterm elections and their potential repercussions for the credit union industry in his keynote address to credit union attendees during NAFCU's 2014 Congressional Caucus in Washington, D.C."Rothenberg's keen perspective on the current political landscape will help credit union members gain a better understanding of its effects on the industry and what to look for in the 2014 elections," said Dan Berger, NAFCU's president and CEO. "With the increasing regulatory burdens facing credit unions, now is the time to advocate for your members. Come to Washington, and let policy makers know that 'enough is enough' when it comes to overregulation of credit unions."Rothenberg is editor and publisher of The Rothenberg Political Report and a columnist for Roll Call. He was an on-air political analyst for CNN for more than a decade and has appeared on "Meet the Press," "Nightline" and many other television programs. Rothenberg is slated to speak Sept. 10. This year's Caucus will feature a robust lineup of speakers, including Berger, members from the House and Senate and federal agencies having an impact on credit union operations. Attendees will also walk Capitol Hill and educate lawmakers on key issues of concern to credit unions, including regulatory relief, protecting the credit union tax exemption, data security and housing finance reform.Caucus takes place Sept. 9-12 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel and is open to NAFCU members and nonmembers. The deadline for early registration savings of $100 is July 18.


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- Severe Weather in the Northeast and Midwest
- Tropical Storm Dolly in the Gulf
- Double Tropical Threat Brewing
- Hot Time at Dragon Con
- Why so Few Tornadoes in August?
- Mother Nature at Her Best, and Worst
- Papua New Guinea Volcano Erupts
- The Lost Hurricane
- Whale Watching in the Big Apple
- Mammoth Skeleton Discovery
- Ever Pee in the Sea?
- Terrible News for Bottled Water Drinkers
- Still The Season for Tornadoes
- WATCH: Shocking Photobomb
- Flight So Insane, Borderline Suicidal
- Cali Earthquake Brings Fire
- Football Helps Joplin Recover
- Most Dangerous Hurricane Cities: Tampa
- Most Dangerous Hurricane Cities: Ft. Myers
- Most Dangerous City Hurricane Cities: New Orleans
- Most Dangerous Hurricane Cities: Miami
- Paul Goodloe Takes the Ice Bucket Challenge
- Proof Change is Really Happening
- Every Hurricane Since 1851
- What Are Your Nails Trying to Say?
- Most Unusual Waterfall in the World
- Football Practice Ends in Tragedy
- Second Flood Victim Found
- Elephants on Brink of Extinction
- Hot Dogs Cool Off with a Swim
- A Six Sided Hurricane?
- Clouds Playing Piano
- Cities and Towns with Weather Names
- Bad News for Coffee Lovers
- Girl and Dog Survive 11 Days Alone
- 3 People Caught in Hurricane, Rescued
- Scientists Baffled By This
- Abandoned and Left to Die
- Boy's Reaction to Butterfly is TOO CUTE
- Dangers of Leaving Pets in Hot Cars
- Firefighters Battle Med Clinic Fire
- Hurricanes: 5 Things You Need to Know
- Mystery Lake Found, But DON'T SWIM There
- Can Ebola Spread on a Plane?
- August's Farmers Forecast with Paul Walsh
- Cook a Steak... with LAVA
- Not a Snowflake... A Floating Hotel!
- More Bad News for Bacon Lovers
- Saturn Photobombs the Moon
- Using This Might KILL You
- Tiny Skeleton Art, Creepy or Cool?
- Incredible Barefoot Waterskiing
- Drone Unlocks Hurricane Secrets
- One Mother's Tragic Story
- Bad News for Millions Across South
- Scattered vs. Isolated Thunderstorms
- Making it Rain with Lasers
- Woman's Dive Goes Terribly Wrong
- Summer's Hidden Freeway Danger
- Now THAT'S a Photobomb!
- Bad News for Beef Lovers
- Bad News for Seafood Lovers
- Cute Baby Turtles Explode from Nest
- Boston Area Sees Heavy Tree Damage
- A Weatherman for 84 years
- Don't Let Mosquitos Bug You this Summer
- New Warning From Scientists
- See How You Could Win $25 Million From NASA
- View From Above A World Hub
- Secret Bear Feeding Spot FOUND
- Boys Perish Soon After This Selfie
- You Won't Believe What She Did
- Subways You Must See!
- New Clues to Lives of Ancient Mummies!
- Whoa. A Man Punched by Whale
- Storm Watch
The annual sick season is upon us.
The first signs of fall each year inaugurate the cold and flu season -- along with higher absence rates at work and school.
But studies and surveys make it clear that illness gets two-thirds of the blame for "sick" days. One-third of the reasons are all over the map.
(More: Best & Worst Natural Flu Remedies | Self Treat or See a Doctor?)
Take the employee who couldn't come to work because of a toe stuck in a faucet. Or the employee who was upset after watching "The Hunger Games" movie. Or the one whose hair turned orange in a home dye job.
All three were real-life examples shared Tuesday in a CareerBuilder survey in which human resource managers were asked for unusual absence excuses they'd heard.
The excuses may be funny, but business managers and productivity experts aren't laughing.
American workers take about 2.8 million work days of unplanned absences a year, not counting planned vacation days, holidays or personal days. And that costs billions of dollars in lost productivity.
A 2010 Mercer/Marsh report on the financial effect of employee absences said the cost of unplanned time off amounted to 5.8 percent of total payroll costs.
As a percentage, that's not a big figure. But, the report noted, "the total costs for planned absences, such as vacations and holidays, average an equivalent of 26 percent of base payroll."
In other words, one-fourth of employers' payroll expenses cover work time when employees aren't at work.
That helps explain why some employers check up on workers who call in sick. According to a Harris Interactive survey taken in August and September, nearly one-third of employers who responded said they usually called the employee at home later in the day or required a doctor's note to verify that the person was at home or was truly sick.
About one in five of the employers surveyed said they'd asked other employees to call "a suspected faker," and about one in seven said they'd gone so far as to drive by a suspected faker's home.
The psychological jury is out, though, as to whether faked sick days are completely bad. "Mental health days" get credence from counselors who see the toll of stressful workplaces.
According to Sean Sullivan, a co-founder of the Institute for Health and Productivity, there's a "presenteeism" problem when workers come to work but aren't fully functioning because of physical, emotional or other time-draining distractions.
Organizations aren't getting value out of workers who show up but aren't really working. So in those cases, it may not make much difference if an employee calls in sick or shows up.
Workplaces with excessive unplanned absences may need to reassess their corporate culture.
Connie Russell, a Kansas City leadership coach and counselor, said managers "need to make sure that employees understand how their work contributes to the overall good and that their contributions are valued."
When that communication is missing, workers are more likely to not know -- or not care -- that it costs their organizations when they don't show up.
"I'm also hearing that people are experiencing burnout, that it's hard to work in environments of hyper change," Russell said, noting another reason why otherwise good workers might take unplanned days off.
The new CareerBuilder survey found that next to being sick, the most common reason workers call in sick is because they "don't feel like going to work." One-third of the respondents admitted that reason.
Nearly one-third said they called in sick simply because they "felt like they needed to relax." Other excuses included catching up on sleep or running errands.
All of those reasons are likely to be used more frequently as the year winds down. December ranks as the most popular month to call in sick.


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Weekdays at Noon on 92.3 KTAR
Arizona's Noon News & Karie Dozer
New Phoenix facility helps homeless and sick
Phoenix just recently opened a facility provided by Circle the City to help the sick and homeless.
"We take homeless men and women, who need further recovery. And they receive during their time with us, physician care, nursing care, a lovely clean place to sleep and shower, and three good meals a day," Sister Adele O'Sullivan from City the Circle told News/Talk 92.3 KTAR's Karie & Chuck.
The facility also provides case managers, who help homeless people with opportunities for after they get better.
"It's a place where people don't need to worry about anything but getting well."
O'Sullivan, who founded Circle the City, receives funding from hospitals and through donations.
"I think the standard number in most acute care hospitals is about $1,000 a day or more that it costs to keep someone in a hospital. We would provide the person the adequate level of care for probably in the ballpark of $200 a day."
They have physicians and nurses on-site every day. They also have a call system in case of an emergency.
"It's our hope that in most cases that people will not go back to the streets," O'Sullivan said. "We are making an intensive effort so that first we address the underlying cause of the homelessness while they are here and try to pull supports in.
Most Popular
On Demand
- August 18, 2014 - Hour: 1Rabbits being sold at Whole Foods for food? Oh the humanity!!!
- August 15, 2014 - Hour: 1New video evidence in the Ferguson, MO case...
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- August 14, 2014 - Hour: 1The VA continues to let our vets down...
- August 14, 2014 - Hour: 2Terros and Honor House guide vets where the VA can't
- August 13, 2014 - Hour: 1The Phoenix VA turns down a veteran who went to them suffering from depression contemplating suicide
Interviews and Segments
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Richard and Darlene Tuschhoff
Richard and Darlene Tuschhoff celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on February 25.
They were married in Brainerd on February 25, 1961.
They currently live in Albuquerque, NM. and they will celebrate with the family in a planned trip back to Minnesota this summer
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You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us at email@example.com and we can help you.


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Description: 37 Hud Mods // Thank you for over 24000 Downloads!YOU'RE AMAZING!Downloadlink:http://uploaded.to/file/viv3891uhttps://rapidshare.com/files/3652085963/Hud_Mods.rarhttp://www.mediafire.com/?91sybmj3sgjojngSome of them are from these guys:http://www.youtube.com/user/SKSSoftairhttp://www.youtube.com/user/tiiMoo18http://www.youtube.com/user/conversPLhttp://www.youtube.com/user/wnbhighhttp://www.youtube.com/user/XForceProgramsNot all are from these guys.Song:Chingy - Gettin' it [before]Seether - 69 Tea [now]I DO NOT OWN THIS SONG!Tags:Gta San Andreas Hud Mods GTA: San Andreas letzte Mission GTA: San Andreas - ps2 - 104 - End of the Line [1/3] GTA: San Andreas - ps2 - 104 - End of the Line [2/3] GTA: San Andreas - ps2 - 104 - End of the Line [3/3] GTA San Andreas suscriptores street love gta sanandreas.avi GTA MOVIE GTAmissions GTASeriesVideos GTA V looks slightly better than San Andreas (Original) Fast & Furious Grand Theft Auto 4 Video Review - Exclusive!!! (Xbox 360) Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day (HD) Superman Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas GTA 4 GTA 5 GTA Vice City GTA4 - Scooter Brothers!! AutumnTheCuzzy super...tectonic dance GTA 4 JACKASS Gta San Andreas --The Ultimate Graphics and HUD Mod monitage! -- GTA IV HUD and Niko Bellic Mod + Cleo for GTA SA San Andreas Graphics Mod (ENB Series) (Bloom and Reflections are Modifiable) TOP 10 GTA CHARACTERS GTA San Andreas HD (GTA IV Graphic and Physic) 10 THINGS WE WANT IN GTA 5. GTA4 Real Life Lollipop Girl! Did you really read this shit? GTA San Andreas gratis download [BEST] GTA San Andreas Funny & Cool Vehicle 2 !! by OndyTHX - Car Airbag - MEGA PACK FREE DOWNLOAD ! - The Best GTA San Andreas Car Mods The Best GTA San Andreas Car Mods GTA San Andreas Theme Song ♫ [BEST QUALITY!] GTA 4 Stunts 3 GTA 4 IV PC FERRARI ENZO CRASH TESTING HD "STOP SOPA" GTA IV Mod - мотоцикл из фильма "Трон".mpg GTA: San Andreas - Dog GTA SA: Shark attack Mod CJ Raps! How CJs mom died OG Loc Rap CJ's Moms Murder "the truth" Grand Theft Auto IV - 1967 Shelby GT500 Complete Destruction Dancing Car Optimus Prime in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Naruto Gta San
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A Gta Sa plane/vheical Hud mod. Made by Rroysuke. Download hud: hotmist.ddo.jp Download CLEO 3 Library: cleo.sannybuilder.com Once done downloading install CLEO 3 Library and then extract the hud file with winrar to C:/Progra Files/ Gta San andreas/ To turn on the mod, type "Hud". Enjoy!
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Download link - www.sendspace.com The crosshair is same as original one! To install this mod you must drag the hud.txd into your models folder which is in your GTA SA Folder (GTA SA/models) This video was recorded in a server called "Gangstar-Nation RPG [www.gn-rpg.tk] If you wish to join this server add the following IP to your SAMP Server IP: 22.214.171.124:7778 Don't Forget To Comment Rate & Subscribe! PS: I DID NOT MAKE THIS MOD!
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| ★ Mod - Pack / Informationen ★ |_______________ ► Inhalt : Interface / Hud / Color - Mod ► Download : www.file-upload.net _______________ | ★ Information ★ |_______________ ► Musik : Unbekannt ► Video - Programm : Sony Vegas Pro 11 ► Aufnahme - Programm : Fraps ► Lets Play's & Gameplay ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ νιѕι тнє σƒƒι¢ιαℓ ωєвѕιтєѕ σƒ † The Legend Killer † FACEBOOK : www.facebook.com TWITTER : twitter.com Signature: ℓєgєη∂ кιℓℓєя
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programs and files needed sorry for fast video didnt clock until i was finished uploading it so er live with it :D Icon Template by PabelR7: www.mediafire.com 3ds Max 7 + Crack (Small Version) depositfiles.com GIMP: www.gimp.org Kams Script Tools b23.ru TXD Workshop 4.0B b23.ru Shout out to DovydasRybakas for requesting this video and also to Skript47 and XeRoX24 for getting me to the stage i am, any problems (theres a place near the bottom where it is fadely writen Respond to this video...) xD also please haters get out, if you dont like this video then dont go on this video simple.
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FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison on a drug conspiracy charge.
Craig Thompson, of Centerville, Minn., pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He's 1 of 10 people charged in the case.
Authorities say the 42-year-old Thompson was part of an organization that brought methamphetamine from the Twin Cities to the Brainerd, Minn., area and Fargo.
Thompson is seventh person to be sentenced in the case.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Apartamentos Terraluna
No availability found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
Travel Blogs from C¾rdoba
Love Affair with Everywhere--Cordoba
... I am amazed that this structure is still standing and both sections respected (although it is forbidden for Muslims to worship here) architecturally and historically.
From here we crossed through another of the three remaining gates, back over the bridge on Guadalquivir River and looked back for a beautiful view of the bridge, gates and historic city of Cordoba.
Off to Sevilla.
instagram: @loveaffairwitheverywhere
Being lost in Cordoba isn't so bad
... he is one of their biggest points of pride. even though personally i dont really like the whole torero thing, i learned very quickly that of you badmouth Manolete, (or the sport, really) you should run and take cover because a bunch of crazy spaniards will run at you.
4. Palacio Viana. an old house right in the core of cordoba, that is so beautiful i died. So its this palace, and some important spanish guy lived there. The whole tour was ...
Islam 0, Christians 1
... to the old city just as the sun is setting. A quick look around is in order before we start thinking about what to do for the evening. Gail is keen to see a Flamenco show whilst I just want to eat. The dilemma is resolved when we spot a restaurant offering a free Flamenco show at 9.00 pm for all diners. The show was short but interesting, the food was reasonable and the drinks paid for the "free" show! I was wondering why there was no drink menu/price ...
Southern Spain
... skills involved.
From Seville we headed west to Granada which has a beautiful setting with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains in the background. We loved Granada. It has about 300 thousand people and has a real buzz about it. Lots of young people, good music and a nice laid-back feel. It was the Muslim capital for eight centuries and much of its architecture and street life reflect this. It has an old Moorish quarter with narrow cobblestone streets and ...
For whom the rain blows !
... tries to explain where we can park the motorhome but this is obviously complicated. Having decided that a riot is unlikely, that helping a couple of old English fogeys might be a good PR exercise, the senior officer instructs the younger one to escort us to the parking spot. We follow the police van through a myriad of streets and one way systems. We cannot thank the officer enough but I think Se±or might have over done it with the big bear hug!!


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Monday, 16 April 2012
Marie has chosen TIME as our word for inspiration for this week and that made me think of SPRING TIME so here we are. I wanted to 'tweak' this a little more but I ran out of TIME!
Credit to Minette143, Ruby Blossom and Bluesse.
Thank you for looking.
18 comments:
Taluula, this one is fabulous! So much details, so beautiful colors & so clever artwork!ReplyDelete
She doen't run after time; it's quite a serene vision of it!
The first thing I noticed was the inside of the umbrella with the clouds !!ReplyDelete
And with all the rest it turned out great !! I'ts not to see that you run out of time at all Ann !!
You always create a wonderful sense of place and time in your art. This piece is so light and fresh--it IS Spring time--and I want to be there, lying in the grass.ReplyDelete
Even "untweaked", it's a marvel, Ann. Must've been some book she read....it certainly elevated her!ReplyDelete
your "spring" time is ingenious!! soooo clever!!!ReplyDelete
You do come up with the most creative spectacular piece, Ann! Fabulous!ReplyDelete
Beautiful whimsy- soft and fleeting just like time well spent!ReplyDelete
Your style is enchanting. I love visiting and seeing into your creative mind. Thanks for sharing, Connie :)ReplyDelete
Love the "spring" time, so fun!!!ReplyDelete
A very creative un-tweaked piece. Love the bubble.ReplyDelete
The sky in the umbrella is genius! Beautiful work.ReplyDelete
No Tweeking needed, well done very creativeReplyDelete
Beautiful creation! Absolutley full of spring time.ReplyDelete
Have a great day!
Always, Queenie
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Her time is a dream time, maybe there's room for one more...ReplyDelete
She's certainly got a spring in her step, Ann, (couldn't resist that!!) love your whimsical piece!ReplyDelete
This is sensational, Ann. I just love that umbrella with the sky showing through. Inspired! The whole effect is gorgeous. Whoohoo.ReplyDelete
Oh, bravo! What a great play on words along with fun colorful visual appeal. Dynamite!ReplyDelete


text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27236763298428066662014-09-01T13:51:46.423-05:00Kate's Great CraftsKatherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-15901177995804011442014-09-01T13:11:00.001-05:002014-09-01T13:13:27.378-05:00Menu Plan September 1-15

I made these Vanilla Cheesecake Baked Apples (and pears too, in my case). They were delicious! I may have eaten the entire plate by myself in one sitting...

This past week I also attempted to make tortillas for the first time using this recipe. It actually went pretty well, and I plan on continuing to do that when we need tortillas, since it's pretty easy and a lot cheaper than buying a pack from the store (plus the ingredients list is a lot shorter!).

Here's the plan for the first part of September.

Monday, September 1
Breakfast: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and Apple Zucchini Muffins (made with all oat flour so they're gluten free)
Lunch: Leftover Mushroom Barley Soup and Biscuits
Dinner: Black Bean Taco Salads

Tuesday, September 2
Breakfast: Leftover Zucchini Muffins
Lunch: BLTs
Dinner: Black Bean Taco Salads

Wednesday, September 3

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Hot Dogs, Homemade Mac and Cheese
Dinner: Chicken Pepper Bake

Thursday, September 4

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Turkey Bacon Wraps
Dinner: Coconut Chicken Soup

Friday, September 5

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Turkey Bacon Wraps
Dinner: Coconut Chicken Soup

Saturday, September 6

Breakfast: Eggs and Sweet Potatoes
Lunch: Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions over Rice
Dinner: Oatmeal Pancakes

Sunday, September 7

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftover Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions over Rice
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas, Crockpot Refried Beans

Monday, September 8

Breakfast: Eggs and Bacon
Lunch: Taco Soup, Tortilla Strips
Dinner: Chicken Pasta with Peas (using gluten free pasta)

Tuesday, September 9

Breakfast: Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftover Taco Soup and Tortilla Strips
Dinner: Cobb Salads

Wednesday, September 10

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: BLTs
Dinner: Cobb Salads

Thursday, September 11 - my birthday!

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Chicken, Black Bean, and Mexi Rice Bowls
Dinner: Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, and Black Bean Brownies with Frosting

Friday, September 12

Breakfast: Southwest Frittata
Lunch: Leftover Rice Bowls
Dinner: Chili

Saturday, September 13

Breakfast: Southwest Frittata
Lunch: Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Dinner: 7 Layer Casserole

Sunday, September 14

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftover 7 Layer Casserole
Dinner: Chili

Monday, September 15

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches, Soups from the Freezer
Dinner: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on Biscuits

I took a look at all of the recipes we've eaten lately (plus a few we'd forgotten about) and tried to find the cheapest ones that still fit with our diet nowadays (aka gluten free or gluten free adaptable, lots of veggies and protein). Since we're trying to save money, I'm really trying to stick with my grocery budget, something I haven't done very well with the past few months. We'll see how this month goes, but so far we're on track!

I'm linking to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.
Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-3638481729593596402014-09-01T12:48:00.000-05:002014-09-01T12:48:54.111-05:00August Goals UpdateMy goals were very school-oriented this month, and I managed to get everything ready in time to start!

Parenting:

Start teaching Hannah how to eat with utensils. We've started, and she's willing to use them when I feed her, but she has no interest in picking them up herself.

Get rid of Hannah's pacifier. Done!

Continue weekly library trips. We go every Thursday afternoon!

Homeschooling:

Plan my first 3 Science Units. I planned my first unit, which will take us through September. I haven't planned anything beyond that yet, but I do have other unit ideas and resources saved. It's just a matter of putting it into my weekly lesson plans.

Order my math curriculum and plan the first two months. I opted to use the free math resources through Wittenberg Academy, and I have the first month planned out.

Plan A through D in Letter of the Week. Done! I'm excited to see which activities Jonah likes best.

Blogging:

Post our specific homeschool curriculum. You can read about it here.

Do at least 2 craft projects and post about them. I only managed to do one Iron Craft project.

Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-38282645625705071042014-08-31T12:40:00.000-05:002014-08-31T12:40:00.275-05:00What I'm Reading...

Hannah enjoying some playing at the park. Unlike her brothers, she's not scared of getting dirty.

Look Up To Someone. I loved the quotation that started this post: "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." (Becoming Minimalist)

The Preschool Years: Turning Mommy Guilt Into Mommy Grace. I think I have had all of these questions and doubts over the past month or so, so this was really encouraging! (1+1+1=1)

5 Things I've Learned About Myself As An Introvert. I pretty much could have written this post. I sat and nodded through it as I read. (Andrea Dekker)

A Rich Life With Less Stuff: The Minimalists At Tedx. If you want to see a brief talk on minimalism and it's positive effects on your life, watch this video. (The Minimalists)

The Spending That Makes You Happy. As we work on spending less and paying things off, we've been evaluating what we spend money on. Some things have been worth it. Many have not. Figuring out the difference is helpful. (The Simple Dollar)

Kathryn's Release From Social Media Compulsion. I'd love for this to be my perspective. It's definitely a work in progress right now. (The Art Of Simple)Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-52858586579859657812014-08-30T12:56:00.000-05:002014-08-30T12:56:00.621-05:00Books I've Read: August 2014

There may be an extra book in this stack, because I thought I might get ambitious and read it. Didn't happen, but I plan to read it during September! But look, actual paper books!

Eve by Anna Carey. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. This was a pretty quick read, another dystopian fiction story. Ninety-eight percent of the world has been wiped out by a virus, one that was not really explained well - where did it come from? how did it stop? was it cured, or did the surviving people just hide for long enough that the virus died? Girls are basically made into breeding machines to repopulate the earth, and Eve finds out soon enough to escape. She started out really naive and by the end of the story she got better, but overall she was a little dumb. The book kept me interested enough to want to find out what happened in the next two in the trilogy.

Once by Anna Carey. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. Stop the presses! I actually liked the second book in a trilogy the best! I think a big part of this was that there was a twist in the story about a quarter of the way through that I wasn't expecting. I love when books surprise me! This moved the story along pretty well, although there were a few slower parts in the middle. Overall, a good book though.

Rise by Anna Carey. I read a paper copy of this book from the library. This was an okay conclusion to the trilogy. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it finally did in the last two pages of the book. I wish that thing would have happened sooner. (Is that vague enough to be spoiler free?) This one got a little bit long for me in the middle, and then the end felt really rushed, like the author was just checking off everything that needed to be wrapped up without talking about any of it too much. Overall, I enjoyed this trilogy though.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I read the paper copy of this book that we bought from a local bookstore. I've heard a lot about Dave Ramsey's methods over the past few years, but this is the first time I actually read his book. We started our total money makeover on 8/20/14. We are hoping to have our $1,000 emergency fund saved within a month, from leftover money from Jesse's paycheck and from selling stuff around the house. Right now I'm excited about doing this, and Jesse is too, but I know it will be a long way to the finish line, so I'm glad that this book has success stories interspersed with the steps, because we'll need the reminders during the hard times.

Sugar, Salt, Fat by Michael Moss. I read the paper copy of this book that I got at the airport on our Paris trip. I finally finished it! This book was divided into three sections, one for each subject in the title. Each chapter focused on a specific company or product, while also expounding on problems with the category as a whole. I liked the combination of stories and anecdotes with facts. Like in the chapter on Lunchables, in the fat section, I learned that "nearly one in four American adolescents may be on the verge of developing type 2 diabetes or already have it." Scary facts, but facts nonetheless.

I think one of my favorite quotations was this one though: "There is a class issue at work in processed foods, in which the inventors and company executives don't generally partake in their own creations." If that doesn't tell you something is wrong with our food systems in this country, I don't know what does.

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. I read a paper copy of this book from the library, but I plan on buying my own copy at some point. (And technically, I only finished the first two sections, but the third is high school, and as of now we're not planning on homeschooling for that) This has been called the "homeschool Bible" by some, and I understand the distinction after reading it myself. While this book doesn't say "do this for this amount of time for this year", it does provide several options for curriculum, as well as numerous supplemental sources, plus examples of schedules, examples of methods, and suggestions for how to include different things in the homeschool year. It also weaves in a basic understanding of what it means to classically homeschool, which is more or less what we're planning on.

I like that this book was broken down into three sections (grades 1-4, 5-8, and high school) and spoke to what should be learned during each period. I liked that there were several options for curriculum given for each subject/grade level, with enough of a description that you can still control what and how you learn, but you don't have to wade through the endless possibilities that exist from starting an online search when you know nothing. Overall, this was a really good resource, and one that I'll be re-reading probably every year when I'm planning what to do next. My only wish is that I had had more time to read, budget, and plan for this year, but I think we'll still do okay, and I have lots of ideas for next year!

Book Total for this month: 6 books read. Total this year: 19 books read.Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-84653451112022574612014-08-27T14:04:00.000-05:002014-08-29T09:42:51.815-05:00On Who I AmIt was the summer after 8th grade, and my family was taking the Disney World trip down to Florida. We were waiting at the airport, and I watched her walk past. Clack, clack, clack. Her black heels slapped the floor with each confident step, her carry-on rolling behind her, her Starbucks in her hand. She was calm and ready to take on the world at seven in the morning. She exuded ease and self-assurance, and I wanted to be her.

Fast forward fourteen years, and here I am. I am not a successful businesswoman, flying across the country to whatever important meeting or conference is taking place this week. I am in the midst of baking muffins and changing diapers, reading stories and finding lost toys, planning math lessons and telling Bible stories. It's not quite the same.

But I do have something in common with the woman at the airport. It's taken me years, but I'm comfortable in my own skin.

A lot of the lifestyle choices we've made are not the usual. I'm passionate about feeding my family real food, about teaching my children at home, about the importance of having space in my home and my life. These ideas aren't for everyone, and it can be hard to explain and defend these choices to people who don't do the same.

For a long time, I've looked at being a stay-at-home mom as "what I'm doing for now", with the idea that there would always be something else to follow. What that is, I've never been too clear on. All of the roles I fall into as the believer, wife, mom, chef, financial manager, teacher, helper, maid are the things that fill my life, that make me me. I've read that you're not supposed to identify yourself by what you do, because if that were to go away, you would still be yourself. And that's true, I suppose. But I also think that what we do does define us. It does shape us.

Will I always be the stay-at-home mom? Probably not. But right now, that's who I am. I'm not just a stay-at-home mom. I'm not settling for this while waiting to move on to something else. This is what I'm doing. And I really enjoy all of the different hats I get to wear. It's not a life full of Christmas-card-worthy updates (unless you are excited to hear how many times I've put the books back on the bookshelf today). But it's my simple little life, and I like it.

One of the things that drew me to this woman in the airport was how sure of herself she seemed. And while I may not be a career woman jetting off somewhere anytime soon, I do have that. I'm confident in myself, and in my decisions. I know what I like, I know what I'm good at, and I'm starting to embrace that my life is not in a state of "for now". This is my life. This is who I am. And I like it.Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-72180810712518986832014-08-25T12:40:00.000-05:002014-08-25T12:40:13.285-05:00A-Z Of Bookish QuestionsMy friend Wesley posted this trivia list on her blog the other day (go check it out for lots of good book reviews), and I thought it was lots of fun. I enjoy filling these out and reading them, and hopefully you do too! Here's your useless Katy trivia of the day...

The books I read sometimes look like this...

Author you've read the most books from: Probably Lisa Scottoline. Back in high school I read every book she had out at the time. I know there are several more now.
Best sequel ever: I tend to read trilogies, and I usually don't like the second book. But I liked Once by Anna Carey (review in my end of the month books post later this month!)
Currently reading: The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer; Sugar, Salt, Fat by Michael Moss, and The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
Drink of choice while reading: A good cup of coffee.
E-reader or physical book: I like both, for very different reasons. I like the feel of an actual paper book. I like e-readers for their convenience, space-saving capabilities, and the amount of free books that are available. But I've also started using the library weekly again, so there's pros to both.
Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school: Tobias aka Four from Divergent. He reminds me of my husband.
Glad you gave this book a chance: War and Peace. It was a huge task that took me I think 6 months to finish, but it was full of such strong characters.
Hidden gem book: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read this in one sitting at Barnes and Noble during my college days, and it stuck with me.
Irritated by: Books that drag out the middle of the story just to wrap everything up in two pages. Pacing, people.
Just finished: Eve, Once, and Rise by Anna Carey.
Kind of books you won't read: Smutty romance and 50 Shades of Grey.
Longest book you've read: War and Peace.
Major book hangover because of: Harry Potter. I definitely wished for that series to keep going when it was done.
Number of bookcases you own: One! And of that one five-shelfer, I have three shelves devoted to fiction, one to non-fiction and photo albums, and two for kid books. And if you can add, you'll realize that's six shelves - we use the top with bookends too. But that's our limit!
One book you read multiple times: I don't re-read too many, but I've read all of the Harry Potter books a few times, and the first couple of both the Anne of Green Gables series and the Little House on the Prairie series a few times. One day I will actually finish those series...
Preferred place to read: A coffee shop
Quote you like from a book you read: Live like no one else so you can live like no one else. - Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover, which is fresh in my mind.
Reading regret: I wish I had more time to read! But I also know that I sometimes choose to do other things instead, which I'm working on.
Series you started and need to finish: Anne of Green Gables. I started early this year, made it halfway through book 5, and got distracted by other books.
Three of your all time favorite books: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield for the story, Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman for the writing style, and The Seventh Princess by Nick Horn from my childhood (and I still have it!)
Unapologetic fangirl for: Young Adult fiction. Most of the fiction I read comes from the teen section.
Very excited for this release more than all the others: I don't keep up on new books enough to know what's coming out. I'm usually years behind, but at least I have the benefit of not having to wait for sequels!
Worst bookish habit: Getting caught up in a book during the kids' naptime, and then continuing to read all afternoon while they interrupt me every two seconds, instead of putting the book down and coming back to it later.
X marks the spot: I have a ribbon and button bookmark (read: kid-proof) that I use most of the time, and I also use a part of a box from a bakery in Paris.
Your latest book purchase: The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
Zzzz snatcher book: I can't remember the last time I was bored with a book. I'm usually pretty good at picking things I want to read. But if I ever really don't like something, I'll put it down for awhile.

Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-42847964596609870502014-08-24T15:01:00.000-05:002014-08-24T15:01:00.685-05:00What I'm Reading...

This week we've been reading through Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover, and we're starting at the beginning, with getting our $1,000 Emergency Fund. That means gathering lots of stuff to sell! On the right was my first pile, the "easy stuff" to find. We have so much stuff!

How To Live An Exceptional Life, Even When Life Doesn't Feel Exceptional. "There is a backstory. Practicing and packing. Preparing and praying. Failing and trying again. And again. And again." The exceptional stories we hear have a lot of work in the background, work that is full of unexceptional details. (The Art of Simple)

Why Today's Kids Need To Know Nursery Rhymes. My mom, who teaches preschool, has told me several times that the majority of her students don't know any of the nursery rhymes that she teaches until they learn them at school. They're important! (The Measured Mom)

Nine Strategies For Fixing Common Budget Problems. Pretty sure we've hit most of these already, and I'm sure some will come up again. (The Simple Dollar)

My Stress-Free Homeschool Planning Method. I do like to have things all set up, but I may switch to a checklist method to try it out after the first couple weeks are through. (Life Your Way)

The Pictures We Hang On Our Walls. "The pictures on our walls invite us to something better. They remind us of a life lived on purpose with meaning. And they call for us to focus on the very things that make us human." (Becoming Minimalist)Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-68797723637018802852014-08-20T12:52:00.000-05:002014-08-20T14:59:12.675-05:00Our 2014 Homeschool CurriculumI'm nearly ready to start our homeschool year. And by "nearly ready", I mean I still don't really know what I'm doing, but I have resources for most of my subjects, and a few things specifically written out, so that's something, right? I think because we don't officially have to report this year since Jonah is not at the age limit of 6 for Wisconsin, I feel a little bit more at ease about jumping into things and seeing how it works as we go. This is major progress for my Type A planning personality, by the way.

Here's what we have planned to use for this year. I am guessing at least some of this will change as we figure out what works for us, but this is at least where we are starting.

One of my big resources is Wittenberg Academy, a free classical Lutheran homeschool curriculum. This is their first year, so it will be kind of cool to see how it all works. They use public domain (meaning free) resources and pdfs, and the curriculum is all set up for you as long as you are registered. We won't be using all of the subjects, because I have some things I wanted to do differently, but we will use this for some subjects.

Bible Stories, Memory Work, and Hymnology. This is actually the one thing I don't have fully figured out yet. You'd think the pastor's wife would be on the ball with this one, but no. We are using Wittenberg Academy for some of our other subjects, and I expected them to have a Bible History section, but I haven't found it yet. So I'm still looking into that. We were going to do Christ Light, but it's kind of expensive.

For Memory Work, we will be starting On My Heart, and I will also be picking one hymn to work on each week. Most will be seasonally appropriate, or something that we will be singing in church soon (as the organist, I have all the ins on what's coming up).

Math. We are starting out with the math on Wittenberg Academy, which is a 3-day-a-week setup. I will supplement this with activities and worksheets that I find online for free. It seems really basic (it is Kindergarten math after all), so if Jonah ends up flying through it really quickly, I may still look into ordering Saxon, which is what I originally planned on. However, free won out over $60, at least to start.

Reading. For learning letters, we are using Letter of the Week, which I found awhile ago and really liked, and then it was also recommended by a teacher friend, which is a bonus. The only sad part for me is we have a black and white printer, which means some of the materials I'll have to print, and then attempt to color to make them pretty. I'll supplement this with other letter-appropriate crafts and projects I find online.

We will also be reading a lot! I'll be using reading lists like this to find books that reinforce the letter of the week. We're also going to be doing a chapter a day of some longer books, starting with Stuart Little. And finally, we'll have other more factual books available that go with our science units. Plus, Jonah and Matthew each pick out 2-3 books for fun each week at the library. Read read read!

Handwriting. There are tons of free resources out there for handwriting practice. We'll be using some of these each week to go with our letter of the week.

Letters of All Sizes from The Measured Mom. This will be our introductory page each week to get used to writing the letter.

Alphabet Tracing Worksheets from Itsy Bitsy Fun. This will be practice for writing uppercase and lowercase of each letter.

A-Z Beginner's Handwriting Book from CurrClick. This one has the letter, a short word, and a space for drawing a picture of that word.

Bible Based Handwriting Curriculum from Frugal Homeschool Family. This one starts with letters, moves on to Biblical names and words, and eventually to Bible passages. It was on a special free promotion last week, so I picked it up!

I like A Reason For Handwriting, especially because there are Bible verses that go with each letter, but I chose not to do that this year for two reasons. First, I have enough other free resources for now, and second, because the Bible verses don't start until the next book anyway. We may revisit that for next year.

Science. Right now my plan is to do units on different topics. I do also like the science included in the Wittenberg Academy curriculum, because it includes Biblical stories and principles in it, so we will probably use that too, as it fits in with the topics. Our first unit will be Oceans, ending with a field trip to Lake Michigan toward the end of September (that's as close as we get to an ocean in the midwest, but we'll talk about the differences too).

History. I looked into Story of the World, and I really like it, but I think it may be just a bit over Jonah's head, and since it's geared toward starting in 1st grade, we're going to wait on that until next year. Our history this year will focus on holidays, plus other random little tidbits as they come up, like learning about Johnny Appleseed during the month of September.

Art. Our art projects will go along with our Letter of the Week, Science, or the season. For little kids, there are endless amounts of project ideas online, and I like to think I'm creative every now and then, so we should have no issue coming up with these!

I think that's it! Right now I have my first month or so mapped out with lots and lots to do every morning of the 5-day week. We won't do it all. I'm at least realistic enough to know that. We may end up shifting into a 4-day week if 5 days gets to be too much, especially with doctor appointments and grocery shopping and household things. But for now, this is the plan!
Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-73186325005854681332014-08-19T13:35:00.001-05:002014-08-19T13:35:57.799-05:00On Diapers and the Walgreens Well Beginnings Brand
Last week we ran out of overnight diapers. I knew that it would be a few days before I had money in my Amazon account from Swagbucks to order more, so it was time to try something different. I put Hannah in a Well Beginnings diaper from Walgreens and crossed my fingers. And it worked! It lasted the whole night without leaks.

The last time we tried store brand diapers for overnights, it did not go well. We had leaks by the wee hours of the morning, unhappy kids, and tired parents. This was definitely better. These diapers have lots of great features, like a wetness indicator on the smaller sizes and a stretchy waistband, but my favorite feature is the price. These diapers are $8.99 for a jumbo pack, but they're on sale quite often for less. If you follow this blog, you've seen them several times in my weekly coupon posts.

Well Beginnings is Walgreens' brand for all your baby product needs, from diapers and wipes to baby wash to formula. I have always been a firm believer that store brands are just as good as name brands, and this brand has the quality products to back me up. For more information on all the products, you can check out the Well Beginnings website, or the Walgreens Facebook page.

We don't use disposables all the time, but when we do, I like to know that they're up to the challenge. And saving money is always a plus!

Some links in this post are affiliate links.
Disclosure: I received a Well Beginnings sample pack and coupons from Moms Meet as compensation for this review. As always, all opinions are my own.Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-55437610518546893262014-08-17T12:51:00.000-05:002014-08-17T12:51:00.059-05:00What I'm Reading...

Over the last few weeks Hannah has become obsessed with having her shoes on, and has gone from taking a few hesitant steps to walking everywhere, all the time. She's growing up so fast!

Can I See Your Belly Button? Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but this one made me cry. (Momastery via Life Your Way)

A Life-Changing Challenge: Add One Compliment. This is an interesting idea, and I bet it would result in a lot of extra good feelings. (Becoming Minimalist)

30 Great Gifts For $5 (Or Less!). There are a lot of good ideas on this list. I might be biased though, because practical, consumable gifts are my favorite, and I know they're not for everyone. (The Simple Dollar)

Play Is A Child's Work. This is a good reminder for me to just let play happen, even if it sometimes turns into unorganized chaos. (Simple Homeschool)

The One-Pile Cleaning Method For Kids. We do this sometimes when there's a lot to pick up in the living room, and it works! (Life Your Way)Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-22842545487505986322014-08-16T12:01:00.000-05:002014-08-16T12:01:00.154-05:00Menu Plan August 16-31

With the abundance of fresh veggies at the Farmer's Market, we decided to have ratatouille for dinner last meal plan. It was both beautiful and delicious! (The kids were not as thrilled about it though)

Here's what's on the menu this time around:

Saturday, August 16
Breakfast: Whatever you find (yogurt/granola, cereal, oatmeal)
Lunch: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Dinner: Stuffed Peppers

Sunday, August 17
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: BLTs
Dinner: Mini Pepper Nachos with Black Beans

Monday, August 18

Breakfast: Zucchini Apple Muffins
Lunch: Cobb Salads
Dinner: Cheesy Chicken Rice Bake

Tuesday, August 19

Breakfast: Zucchini Apple Muffins
Lunch: Cobb Salads
Dinner: Leftover Cheesy Chicken Rice Bake

Wednesday, August 20

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Crockpot Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions over Rice
Dinner: Oatmeal Pancakes

Thursday, August 21

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Leftover Crockpot Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Dinner: Black Bean Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries

Friday, August 22

Breakfast: Eggs and Veggies
Lunch: Pinto Bean and Ground Turkey Taco Salads
Dinner: Chicken Pepper Bake

Saturday, August 23

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Leftover Chicken Pepper Bake or Stir Fry (the chicken pepper bake is a new recipe, so I'm not sure if it will be enough for two nights, so I'll have a bag of stir fry veggies ready just in case)

Sunday, August 24

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Soups from the Freezer, Easy Cheesy Biscuits
Dinner: Homemade Pizza - chicken, black olives, mushrooms, and whatever random veggies we have

Monday, August 25

Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, and Sweet Potatoes
Lunch: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Hot Dogs
Dinner: Mini Meat Loaves, Broccoli

Tuesday, August 26

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Leftover Mini Meat Loaves
Dinner: Crockpot Southern Chicken Stew, Biscuits

Wednesday, August 27

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Chicken Enchilada Chili
Dinner: Leftover Southern Chicken Stew and Biscuits

Thursday, August 28

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Enchilada Chili
Dinner: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

Friday, August 29

Breakfast: Strawberry Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas

Saturday, August 30

Breakfast: Eggs, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potatoes
Lunch: Mushroom Vegetable Soup with Barley
Dinner: Enchiladas

Sunday, August 31

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Leftover Mushroom Vegetable Soup
Dinner: Leftover Enchiladas

I'm also planning on making some Chocolate Zucchini Muffins for snacking and the freezer, or some Zucchini Brownies (or maybe both!). We are blessed with friends and neighbors who are sharing their garden goodies with us, and the zucchini is flooding in!
Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-22198590814132511512014-08-14T16:25:00.000-05:002014-08-14T16:25:00.251-05:00Weekly Coupon Shopping
Walgreens

I went back and forth over doing this deal, because it would use up all of my extra cash in my grocery money for the month, but I decided to do it anyways. It just means if I need any non-food items for the rest of the month, I'm limited to Walgreens points and a few CVS ECBs that I have leftover. But I should be set, so I think that's okay.

Angel Soft 24 pack: $8.99, get 1,000 points ($1.00). Used $1/1 printable = paid $7.99, got 1,000 points.

2 Well Beginnings Jumbo Packs: B1G1 50% off $6.00, plus get 2,000 points when you buy 2. Used $1/1 coupon (came with a blog pack - look for a review next week!) = paid $8.00, got 2,000 points.

Cheerios: on clearance for $1.09. Used $1/1 (mailer) = $0.09, plus I'll get $0.75 back from SavingStar!

Starbucks Iced Coffee: $1.79. Used $1/1 printable (no longer available) = $0.79.

3 Lindsay Olives: $0.99 (ad coupon). Used $1/2 printable = paid $0.49 for 2 and $0.99 for 1.

2 Dawn Dish Soaps: $0.99 each. Used two $0.30/1 printables = paid $0.69 each.

Used 5,000 points when you spend $25+ ad coupon = paid $21.22 with tax, got 8,000 points back (1,000 for Angel Soft, 2,000 for diapers, 5,000 for the ad coupon).

I also have at least 5,000 points on my card, so I'll have to check to see what the next level of cashing them out is. I know 5,000 is $5, but I think the rate gets better if you have more points. I haven't done much with the points system so far, although I do have it set up to earn points for steps with my Fitbit too, so I get points from that as well. Every bit helps!
Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-65252304754385065472014-08-12T13:21:00.003-05:002014-08-12T13:21:59.798-05:00Iron Craft Challenge #16: Summer Whites
I really thought a project for a color challenge would be easy to come up with. And then we got one, and I drew a big fat blank. Finally, last night, I looked at what materials I had that fit with the color, white. White felt stood out, especially as something I could whip up quickly. At this rate I'm going to have enough Christmas ornaments to decorate a whole tree, just from Iron Craft challenges! But I like making them, and they're usually quick and easy.

I wanted to do a poofy tree with rounded branches, and I think I accomplished that. I drew a pattern on felt, and cut it out. I sewed the crystal beads (leftover from Challenge #1 this year) onto one side, then sewed the two sides together most of the way. I flipped it right side out, stuffed it, and sewed up the rest of the seam. And that was that!

How many Christmas ornaments am I up to now? How many more challenges will I end up making them for? Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-74352091824040599712014-08-10T13:07:00.000-05:002014-08-10T13:07:00.053-05:00What I'm Reading...

I've been participating in 31 Reasons I Love My Husband for the month of August. You can see all of my pictures over on Instagram.

The Care And Feeding Of Your Microbiome. This is a longer post, but worth the read! There's lots of good information here about the good bacteria in your gut. (Kitchen Stewardship)

The Meal-Planning Binder: The Easiest Method Of Meal Planning Ever! I have a binder with our favorite recipes in it, but it consists of our favorites from the last four years or so, half on note cards and half printed out, and there are many that we don't use any more because our eating habits have shifted. It's a good idea, but mine is badly in need of reorganization! (Little House Living)

We HAVE The Time...We Just Don't MAKE It. This is a good reminder that you always have a choice in how you spend your time (Andrea Dekker)

The Easiest Way To Organize Your Stuff. Couldn't have said it better myself. (The Minimalists)

For The Love Of Reading: Make Each Story A Celebration. I don't always feel like it, but I know my kids love when I do certain voices for certain stories. (The Happiest Home)Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-74126794424985912952014-08-09T15:48:00.003-05:002014-08-09T15:48:43.800-05:00On Feeling Overwhelmed And Just Doing The Next ThingYesterday, I woke up in a bad mood. I'm sure part of it had to do with the fact that it was Hannah's first night without her pacifier, and she was up crying for awhile in the early morning hours. And part of it was because I was thinking over all of the things I had on my to do list for the next couple weeks. I'm still very much in the midst of homeschool planning, trying to get the overall resources mapped out, and the specifics of the first month. Vacation Bible School is next week and I'm teaching the stories. I'm the only organist at church now. I have to remember to buy these five things at the grocery store. And so on and so forth.

All of a sudden, I felt very overwhelmed.

Earlier this summer, I made a specific effort to start getting rid of extra commitments in my life so I wouldn't feel stressed out, but a few things have crept back in, and there are some that are extra for right now, that won't normally be on my plate, but they're all at the same time, which makes it hard. I know I need more margin in my life, and I'm hoping that once I get past this couple-week span of crazy I can fall back into a calmer routine.

So instead of looking at the big list of everything that needed to be done, I focused on just doing the next thing. This isn't a new idea by any means, but every now and then I need a reminder to just focus on the small steps.

I printed out the calendar pages for my homeschool binder and hole punched them. I made a list of science activities to copy from a book I borrowed from the library. I chopped a veggie for dinner. I did the dishes. I picked art projects for two more weeks of school. None of these things took a lot of brainpower, but they helped me feel like I was making progress. They helped me feel a little bit less overwhelmed.

When I look at my to do list, it still keeps getting longer. There's still a lot to be done before VBS, before school starts, before Elizabeth is born, before Christmas. But I'm just a few steps closer.Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-73065423709915730922014-08-07T15:29:00.000-05:002014-08-07T15:29:00.111-05:00Weekly Coupon ShoppingTarget

I used a bunch of coupons to get some things for free (or nearly free)!

8 Up & Up Pocket Folders and 4 Up & Up Notecards: $0.50 each. Used four $1.50/1 Target printables = all free!

5 Post-It Notes: $1.02 each. Used four $1/1 Target printables and one $1/1 Target mailer = $0.10/5, or $0.02 each!

5 Scotch Tape: $1.02 each. Used four $1/1 Target printables and one $1/1 Target mailer = $0.10/5, or $0.02 each!

2 Suave Conditioners: $0.94 each. Used $1/2 Target mobile and two $0.50/1 printables = 2 free!

CVS

There wasn't much I wanted at CVS this week, but we still eat cereal for breakfast a couple times a week, so I stocked up on that.

8 Kellogg's Cereals: $1.99 each. Used two $1/2 printables and four $1.50/1 printables (Kellogg's Rewards) = paid $7.92, got $5ECBs for spending over $15.

Kit Kat: $0.99. Used $0.74/1 (CVS coupon machine) = paid $0.25.

Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-53275365389919153012014-08-04T15:52:00.001-05:002014-08-27T13:45:18.789-05:00August GoalsI can't believe it's a new month already! I feel like this summer has just flown by, and we're already almost to school time. Starting the I-don't-have-enough-ready-yet freak out...

Parenting:

Start teaching Hannah how to eat with utensils.

Get rid of Hannah's pacifier (this was my goal in June and we still haven't done it).

Continue weekly library trips. We've been doing this for a couple weeks now and everyone is enjoying it!

Homeschooling:

Plan my first 3 Science Units.

Order my math curriculum and plan the first two months.

Plan A through D in Letter of the Week.

Blogging:

Post our specific homeschool curriculum.

Do at least 2 craft projects and post about them. Each month there are two Iron Craft challenges, so I should manage this, but maybe I'll get ambitious and have more. We'll see.

I think that's probably enough, because with gearing up for homeschooling I'll be busy!

Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-37125519564142215732014-08-03T14:13:00.000-05:002014-08-04T15:28:53.494-05:00What I'm Reading...

Matthew enjoying hot chocolate for a snack earlier this week, per his request.

Can you tell homeschooling has been on my mind lately? Slowly but surely, I am getting closer to being ready to start.

The Two-Years-Of-Kindergarten Approach For Fall Babies. This is kind of what we're doing with Jonah, except we are mixing pre-K and Kindergarten materials into our mix this year, and we'll see where we end up at the end of the year. (Life Your Way)

Living On ONE Small Income As Homeschooling Families (Free Homeschool Deals) and When You Have No Money For Homeschool Curriculum (Simple Homeschool) were both good reminders that homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive, especially in these first years where it's more about the process of learning than a specific curriculum.

More And Better Words For Difficult Kids. I read once that for each negative word or event a child experiences, it takes four positive ones to make up for it. Positive words, and lots of them, will help kids. (The Art Of Simple)

4 Tips To Stop Eating Out Even If You Hate To Cook. I don't hate cooking by any means, but we do eat out more often than I'd like (and yes, more often than our menu plans show, especially when we end up in town around lunch time). When I spend more at the grocery store on foods we'll like and extras for snacks, we stay home more. For some reason I have a much harder time parting with the money at that point though, which is dumb, because it's a lot less money overall. (Money Saving Mom)

My Plan To Stay Offline And On At Home. "Then it happens – the whine! an item gets broke! the child gets hurt! I grit my teeth in frustration as my kids have distracted me from… my distraction… wait?" I get this way a lot, and I don't really have a good solution. (Holy Hen House)

How Much Food Is Enough? Reading this, I know I am guilty of overlooking the mass of food that we have in our house in favor of a trip to the grocery store to fill out the menu plan. But we have plenty. (The Nourishing Home via Don't Waste The Crumbs)Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-41681416200188852742014-08-01T14:39:00.000-05:002014-08-01T14:39:00.216-05:00Menu Plan August 1-15

In the past week I tried two recipes from Pinterest, both of which were delicious! First was a half recipe of Chocolate Pudding Pops with Avocado, because I had half an avocado with no purpose. They were really good, and Jonah didn't believe me when I told him there was avocado in them. Definitely doing that again if I have extra avocado (how many times can I say the word 'avocado'?)

The second was One Bowl Oatmeal Blender Pancakes, which I made so Hannah could have them too. I modified the recipe a bit based on what we had (1 banana instead of two, 2 eggs instead of one, and no flax), and they turned out great! We'll be having those again soon.

I went over my grocery budget by about $50 last month ($20 was picking our own strawberries, but I was still over by quite a bit). So this month I'm going to attempt to do much better than that! Here's the first half...

Friday, August 1
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Sweet Corn, Apple Slices
Dinner: Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

Saturday, August 2
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Pinto Bean and Ground Turkey Taco Salads
Dinner: Thai Peanut Chicken Wraps

Sunday, August 3

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Lunch at the minor league baseball game
Dinner: Pinto Bean and Ground Turkey Taco Salads

Monday, August 4

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: BLTs

Tuesday, August 5

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Chicken Fajita Soup with Rice
Dinner: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Wednesday, August 6

Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, Sweet Potatoes
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Fajita Soup with Rice
Dinner: Leftover Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Thursday, August 7

Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Jelly Blueberry Banana Muffins
Lunch: Turkey Bacon Wraps
Dinner: Salmon, Broccoli, Rice

Friday, August 8

Breakfast: Muffins
Lunch: Turkey Bacon Wraps
Dinner: Pancakes and Eggs

Saturday, August 9

Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, Sweet Potatoes
Lunch: Cheeseburgers
Dinner: Grill Out Hot Dogs and Brats, Crockpot Baked Beans

Sunday August 10

Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Leftover Hot Dogs, Brats, and Baked Beans
Dinner: Ratatouille

Monday, August 11

Breakfast: Southwest Frittata
Lunch: Leftover Ratatouille
Dinner: Chicken Salads

Tuesday, August 12

Breakfast: Leftover Southwest Frittata
Lunch: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Dinner: Chicken Salads

Wednesday, August 13

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Sausage Zucchini Potato Soup
Dinner: Black Bean Fajita Casserole

Thursday, August 14

Breakfast: Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Lunch: Leftover Sausage Soup
Dinner: Leftover Fajita Casserole

Friday, August 15

Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Quesadillas
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry
Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-22253612758632799122014-08-01T07:43:00.001-05:002014-08-01T07:43:10.020-05:00July Goals UpdateI actually accomplished most of my goals for the month of July! Love it when that happens!

Parenting:

Get back into daily reading time with the kids, at least 5 days a week. I didn't necessarily keep track of this, but I think we did okay. Not great, but okay. Part of our homeschooling schedule will include a weekly library trip, as well as daily reading time, so that will help too.

Teach the kids another hymn verse. We learned I Pray Thee, Dear Lord Jesus for another night-time prayer.

Organizing:

Put away Hannah's too small clothes and check the next size up to see what we have for girl clothes, and make a list of what we need. Done!

Check Jonah and Matthew's next-size-up clothes as well, and make a list of what we need. Done!

Personal:

Finish reading Sugar, Salt, Fat, plus read 2 more books. I didn't finish Sugar, Salt, Fat yet (I got on a fiction kick instead), but I did read 8 books this month!

Make at least 2 craft projects.  I made a 4th of July door hanger with the kids, finished a few small projects which you can see in this post, and made an ornament and a flower embellishment for Iron Craft.

Blog:

Post at least one content post per week. Done!

Find a consistent time each week to work on the blog. Not done, but I did carve out at least two afternoons during naptime most weeks to write and plan things. Not consistent, but it worked, so I think that's good enough.

Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-83418937560652708012014-07-31T13:32:00.001-05:002014-07-31T13:32:54.194-05:00Books I've Read: July 2014

My pile of "books" read this month. I would guess next month's stack will include some actual paper books, but this month was all electronic.

Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. I used to follow the blog this book is based on, but I stopped reading it after awhile because, while I love the general concepts of a zero waste home and life, the actual content was things like appetizers made with pate and capers, and a lot of resources that are available in southern California, but not near me. The book was pretty similar.

I liked that each chapter had a list of the steps you could take based off of the 5 Rs (refusing, reducing, reusing, recycling, and rotting), and most chapters also had alphabetical lists of suggestions for steps you could take. The book is good at inspiring a mindset of wasting less, and working to find alternatives, but not necessarily great at the specifics that will work for everyone.

"Natural resources are running out, but we buy petroleum-based products. The economy is weak, but we indulge in foreign products. Our general health is declining, but we fuel our bodies with processed foods and bring toxic products into our homes. What we consume directly affects our environment, our economy, and our health, by supporting specific manufacturing practices and creating a demand to make more."

Wither by Lauren DeStefano. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd, in one three-and-a-half hour interrupted chunk one day. I was ready to read a good dystopian work of fiction that would be fast-paced and different from the non-fiction that I had been reading. This was that mostly. It got a little slow at points, but I did wonder how it would turn out so I kept going.

I like the main character, Rhine. She kind of reminds me of Katniss in The Hunger Games, coming from a challenging life, being thrown into a world she doesn't like but also has very conflicting feelings about after awhile. (Mild spoilers) I want to like Gabriel and the romance they're trying to create between the two of them, but it feels a little forced right now. Maybe as they continue to spend more time together it will feel more natural?

The one beef I had with this story was that the crisis of people dying at a young age from genetic mutations was never really explained. Science came up with an answer to cure cancer and deformities, but then everyone in the next generation started dying young. My hope was that the next two books would help with that (they didn't really). Overall this was a good light read, and I was able to get through it quickly, which I like from my fiction

Fever by Lauren DeStefano. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd, another one in one afternoon. I really didn't enjoy this one. I get that it was the middle book in the trilogy, but it was such a downer. Even the few triumphs the characters had were immediately cancelled out by about five more challenges.

The other part that bothered me was that in the first book, Rhine was set up to be this strong female heroine, and in this one, she got dumb. In the first book, she was strategic and had a plan for everything, and in this one, she spent the entire time reacting to things that happened to her because she didn't consider them beforehand.

Sever by Lauren DeStefano. I read this book on my Kindle (and I actually paid for it so I could finish the trilogy!). This book was a big meh. I was hoping things would pick up after the second book, and they did, kind of, but everything resolved just a bit too perfectly, without characters even questioning things as much as they should have. They just accepted things that didn't make sense for them to accept based on what they had believed for the rest of the series. I kept waiting for some big plot twist, or some startling turn of events, and there really wasn't anything.

Overall, the trilogy started out as an interesting concept, but I don't know that the author fleshed it out as much as she could have, and the characters were inconsistent. Definitely not my favorite, but an easy enough read to pass the time.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd (can you tell I'm really trying to take advantage of this free trial?). This is the first of a four-book series, another dystopian future one. This time around everyone gets an operation at 16 years old to change them from "ugly" (i.e. normally flawed) to "pretty" (evolutionarily desirable). This one focused on Tally right before her 16th birthday, and the group of rebels who don't want to be pretty. This is another interesting concept. How do these authors come up with these? I also appreciated that he went into detail about how some oil-mutating virus spread and made all petroleum products explode when they came into contact with oxygen. Cool!

I didn't necessarily relate to Tally all that much, because, go figure, at 15 she's a little immature. I'm old. I was interested to see what happened next, and the author did a good job of keeping things moving most of the time. Most of the characters are well-thought-out. I didn't necessarily like or relate to them, but they were consistent and fit in the story, so that's better than some other books I've read. Overall, the book was a decent read and I wanted to know what would happen next. All four books were available on Scribd when I signed up, so this was another series to fly through quickly.

Pretties by Scott Westerfield. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. This was the sequel to Uglies, and it moved the story along. I don't know, it wasn't as exciting as the first one. And the pretties...they're just dumb. They speak dumbly. They act dumbly. And since most of the story was focused on pretties, there was a lot of dumb to get past to get to the plot points. If you couldn't tell even from the books in this post, I usually don't enjoy middle books of trilogies/short series like this. They seem like they lean too much on the surrounding stories and aren't strong on their own. On to the next...

Specials by Scott Westerfield. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. This was better than Pretties, although this series as a whole has not been as strong as some of the others I've read in a similar style. It wrapped things up nicely, so I think the fourth book was not originally planned? I like that the author took Tally through the different categories of people, and I felt bad for her, because it seemed like any time she tried to fix something it backfired. I didn't exactly like her though, and I got really annoyed by the character Shay, so that maybe made it harder to read these books. I was curious to see if the fourth book would tie in the characters from the first three though, so I read that one too...

Extras by Scott Westerfield. I read this book on my phone using my free trial of Scribd. This felt like a completely different story than the first three (I think it may have been an addition to the original trilogy, but I'm too lazy to go find out). Some familiar characters eventually showed up about halfway through, but I didn't really like or connect to any of the new characters, so this was definitely a slower read than the first three.

Overall, I wasn't the biggest fan of this series. I think the basic ideas were really cool, and I liked that some explanation was given for what happened, but I didn't really like any of the characters, and that makes it harder to get through a story. That being said, I think this series would make an awesome summer teen movie. There's plenty of action and opportunity for special effects, and the "pretties" part means plenty of opportunity for attractive teenagers.

Book Total for this month: 8 books read. Total this year: 13 books read.Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-12389832566000871902014-07-29T14:02:00.002-05:002014-07-29T14:02:21.856-05:00Iron Craft Challenge #15: Embellish

Once I read the challenge theme, I knew I wanted to do something with flowers. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to crafts with flowers, after all, but I haven't done much with any of those ideas. So I went with a simple felt flower like this one. I sewed a button in the middle, and hot glued the whole thing to a small doily. (Side note: I have several doilies and embroidered linens from my Grandma Winter, and I haven't come up with good ideas for using them, but this worked out really nicely for the random little doily!)

 I put a safety pin on the back and voila!

And here's the flower in action. Yes, my phone matches my shirt today. Black and white stripes are my favorite. I am a big nerd. Also, can you spot my helper in this photo? He was very curious what I was doing.

I really like how it turned out, and it will embellish lots of shirts!Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-57715101603310196992014-07-28T13:46:00.000-05:002014-07-28T13:46:00.300-05:00On Planning For Homeschool On The Cheap

Even though we had been going back and forth on homeschooling for awhile, we didn't actually jump into the decision to do it until mid-July. That means a little over a month of time before our tentative starting date of September 2. A little over a month to find curriculum to use, to plan everything, to pay for everything, to figure out schedules and routines.

That's not a lot of time.

I started out by making a list of the big subjects I needed/wanted to cover (the first four are the subjects required by the state; the last three are my additions):

Reading/Language Arts: This includes read-aloud time, letters, grammar, phonics, spelling, handwriting, and maybe foreign languages later on.

Math: This will also include calendar/weather time.

Social Studies: This includes history, geography, and cultural concepts. Jesse will probably include some sociology in here at some point.

Science and Health: This includes science, P.E., and what we call life skills (cooking, gardening, etc.)

Music/Hymnody

Art

Bible History and Memory Work

Once I had that list, I started going subject by subject to find curriculum, a mixture of pre-K and Kindergarten materials. Some I had an idea:

Reading: I want to make a list of read-alouds from several lists I have saved, and do a chapter a day, potentially with extra activities to go along with the stories.

Language Arts: I want to do Letter Of The Week to start, and have Handwriting and Art projects that coincide with that, as well as more reading with books that go with that letter (apple books for A and so on).

Art: I want to do seasonal art projects as well, which are easy to find on Pinterest, or projects that go with our Science units, or our Bible stories. Basically art will supplement our other activities most of the time.

Bible History: I want something similar to Christ Light (I was going to pick Christ Light, but I'm trying to find a cheaper option), something that has Bible stories, along with activities and memory work to go with each story.

Some I had no clue:

Math: I need a curriculum for math, because while math in Kindergarten isn't hard, I don't know which concepts need to be covered or what order to go in.

Science: Ugh. My science and social studies background is not strong.

And then I went down the rabbit hole. The Internet is a wonderful place to find everything you could possibly imagine for resources. When you're just starting out though, you want to save everything that might be useful because you don't know yet what might be useful. And you can't possibly save everything. And some things only have half the material available right now and you have to come back each week for the next piece, and who is going to remember all those different places?

I want this to be inexpensive. I am willing to spend money on curriculum that we will use, especially knowing that it will probably be used four times over (various learning styles taken into account, of course). But right now, money is tight. So I'm trying to find cheap and free resources for the things that I know better, so that I can spend the money on the things I don't know. (And I know we will need plenty of paper and toner for the printer for all those free printable activities!)

We did find several helpful resources at the library, and I'm sure there will be plenty more as we get into things.

So I'm making my lists. Must buy this. Would like this when we can afford this. Will ask for this for birthdays/Christmas.

For example, there's a fun-looking handwriting series that includes letters to trace and pictures to color, and starting in first grade, Bible verses to copy. Each year is about $18. But there are also many free online printables for letters, some with coloring pages, and I hope I am competent enough to find Bible passages. So those sets will go on my "Would like this" list, but we probably won't buy them right now.

And then there's my list of "next steps" for each subject. Print this free planner and put it in a binder. Get all of my links saved in one spot (or two - bookmarks on my computer and Pinterest). Download these files. Buy this curriculum. Each time I accomplish something on my list I add about three more things.

Does all this seem like a lot? My brain is overwhelmed. Planning is hard. If someone could just hand me the teacher's manuals and tell me to plan out the weeks, I could do that easily. But that kind of defeats the purpose of finding the best fit for your family, one of those things I like about homeschooling. So I soldier on.

Once I have my curriculum set in stone, I plan on posting a listing of what we will be using, knowing that it very well may change a few weeks/months in, if we find it isn't working for us. And my homeschooling updates should get more fun once we actually get started, hopefully with specifics about what we're doing, and what is working well (or not!).
Katherinehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-20280245072932752562014-07-27T12:02:00.000-05:002014-07-27T14:12:37.333-05:00What I'm Reading...

Today is our 7th anniversary. It is amazing to me how much we have grown and changed in the past seven years. I wouldn't trade them for anything!

The Homeschooler's Little House On The Prairie Site Tour Guide. I don't think I've ever read completely through this series (although I've read the first four or five books several times). We went to the pageant in Walnut Grove one year when I was younger, which was fun, and all of the sites listed here look cool! (Simple Homeschool)

Enough Is Enough. "But we already have enough. Once we train ourselves to recognize this truth, we are freed from the pursuit of more, we are liberated from the bondage of discontent, and we begin to experience true freedom in our lives." (Becoming Minimalist)

Inconsistent. I agreed with so much of this post. I am most definitely inconsistent too. (Holy Hen House)

How I Learned To Care Less About My Family And More About Myself. "Why does he get to sit on the internet for hours at a time? Why does she get to play on her DS and I can't? It's obviously not their faults, they do their best. But they are lucky in that there is a balance for them between caring for themselves and caring for others, and they are awesome because they can both do it flawlessly and without any effort. I, on the other hand, cannot." (Offbeat Home And Life)

Nine Questions To Help You Unclutter Your Recipes. The one that especially struck me was the one about keeping recipes that you will never use for sentimental reasons, because I have a recipe box mostly full of my Grandma's handwritten card that I keep for that reason. (Unclutterer)Katherinehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-2723676329842806666.post-84644005306435399432014-07-25T13:17:00.000-05:002014-07-25T13:17:00.315-05:00On Why We Are Choosing To Homeschool This YearNow that we've officially decided to start homeschooling, several people have asked me about our decision. Here's my answer. We chose homeschooling because we don't have a Christian day school at our church. The closest one is about 10 minutes away (not super far, but figuring out dropping off/picking up with other kids could get tricky), and I'm not sure of the cost, but it would cost something.

We aren't set against public schools by any means, but the focus there is so much on getting ready for tests, and starting that so young that it just seems to me like I'd rather start teaching my kids a joy for learning right away than have it drilled into their heads that they need to learn these things to pass a test. It also allows us to include "Jesus-y" things like Bible History, hymnology, and memory work that wouldn't be in public school.

And I can do it. Several of the bloggers I follow write about homeschooling, along with other facets of life, and some of my friends homeschool. From the examples I've seen, and from what I know about myself, I can teach my kids. I know them better than anyone else knows them. I can give them semi-one-on-one time (or at least one-on-three or -four time), which is a pretty good ratio, I think.

The hard part here is that, as an introvert, I know I need a certain amount of time each day to myself. A few minutes in the afternoon for a cup of coffee and some mindless Internet scrolling do wonders for my day. That will be a challenge for me to work around.

There's also that whole "having a baby in November/December" thing. I'm hoping that by then, we'll at least kind of have a routine, and subjects at least partially prepared ahead of time, so that we can keep going without taking a break. But if we need to, one of those benefits of homeschooling is the option to choose your breaks. So maybe we'll take a big Thanksgiving break and a shorter Christmas break.

Obviously there are pros and cons to all the schooling options, but those were the big ones for us. Cost. Distance. Love of learning vs. reiterating facts.

So now I move on to planning. Planning is hard. There are so many options online, which is both good and bad, because starting out is overwhelming trying to pick things, but once I get my basics covered, I think finding supplemental stuff will be really fun. And luckily I know a few people who are farther along than I am who have been giving me great advice and guidance for figuring some things out.

From here on out, I hope to update periodically with what we're doing, and how it's going. This first year will definitely be a learning process for all of us!Katherinehttp://email@example.com


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