Apple Jack Festival

We spent the day in Nebraska City, enjoying some old fashioned fun today. Visiting all three Apple orchards, enjoying caramel apples, a little treasure huntin at the flea market, vintage cars, apple cobble with homemade ice cream, a few local history lessons, all topped off with bringing home a couple dozen fresh baked apple donuts made for an awesome autumn day. Ironically enough, the cider apples we trekked there to get, were nowhere to be had, so we need to go back to the orchard next 

weekend to get a few bushels. After all, it's about time to get our cider press going :) 

Where's Gracie?

My annual day of indulgence...

I look forward to this every September...the Beth Moore simulcast. An all day event spent in worship and scripture under the teaching of Beth Moore...from my home :)

Seriously, could it get any better than that for an introvert????  I don't think so. 

I love women's events and have been blessed to attend Women of Faith several times. It's energizing, fun, gripping, and exhausting. Being able to attend via simulcast is an awesome option, especially when there's not an event close by. I've taken part in this one for the past several years and LOVE IT!  I set aside the day to spend with God and just leave my heart and soul open and vulnerable to Him with as few distractions as possible. Thankfully, my family loves me enough to allow me this time each year and they giggle and shake their heads at my traditions that I uphold when the day arrives. 

It all starts with a bit of prep work ahead of time...get my office/studio cleaned up and all the school work that has scattered around during the week put away where it belongs. Clear my desk and work table. Fluff the sofa pillows and make sure a couple quilts are nearby to curl up with. Choose just the right journal to take notes. Order the Living Proof event tee shirt. And most importantly, make sure my coffee pods and creamer is fully stocked:). The morning of the simulcast, starts out with a very non-healthy breakfast choice which requires a donut run. This is 1) an indulgent choice for me and 2) helps make the morning less of a hassle for the rest of the family. Craig being the supportive and encouraging husband he is, was prepared to make pancakes, bacon, and eggs...I told him to go ahead with the bacon but forget the rest. I mean, come on, does it get any more indulgent than donuts and bacon on a Saturday morning??? 😍😍😍

I try to enjoy my simulcast day in as much the same way as I would if I were actually attending the event itself, only there are perks to being home. I can curl up on the sofa with a cute companion and warm quilt, I can spread out my Bible and journal on my desk for all my note taking, my beverage supply is unlimited (and the ladies room is only steps away;). That said, if you were a fly on my wall, you'd see that I indeed join in as though I were there....yes, you'd see (and God help you, hear) me singing along during worship with my hands lifted in praise. When Beth asks us to repeat after her, I repeat after her...out loud. I laugh out loud and at times you might see tears. None of that seems too indulgent, right?

Well, here's where my sweet husband started cracking up.... If you go to any event like this, of course you're going to have a yummy (probably not the healthiest) lunch, and of course you're bound to do a little shopping on the concourse. Of course I make that part of my annual tradition as well....during our lunch break I have enough time to drive thru Slim Chicken (and swap out fried pickles in place of fries:). This is literally the ONLY time I ever eat there. And, to be honest, the only reason I do is because of the fried pickles. From there I "shop the concourse" aka Family Christian Store. The best thing about that is 1) I don't have to fight any crowds and 2) I always have a great coupon. Yeah, when Craig heard that I "shop the concourse" he nearly spit out his coffee from laughing. 

Alrighty, there ya'll have it...my day of indulgence. I know, I know...I'm living on the wild side, eating donuts and bacon and fried pickles, singing praises to God out loud in my office with my hands raised to Him, and "shopping the concourse".  What can I say? I'm a mom... This is as wild as it gets 🙃

No, I did not eat all that for breakfast :)

This year's shirt is a cute baseball style :)

My little companion, Annie Girl

Gotta have a Diet Cherry Coke to keep going :)

Way too much food, but that's ok...Craig is upstairs watching football and will gladly eat what I don't ;)

The fruits of my shopping :)

Told ya'll there'd be plenty left for Craig to enjoy :)

Isn't she adorable?

All I Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten....

 

Remember when that little book took the best seller list by storm so many years ago?  I'll be honest with you, I've not ever actually read it, but I've seen many little gems from it that make me smile...and they are poignately true. 

Our second week of this new school year was a bit bumpy with tired girls and crabby attitudes. But, as with everything in life, we adjust and keep on keeping on ;)  By Tuesday, I'm not gonna lie, it felt like (and I was wishing) it was Friday....seriously, it was only Tuesday!!!  And, I could tell before the girls were really even moving around too much that our day was already heading off the rails.  There wasn't enough caffeine on this planet to help this homeschool mom get things going in the right direction and I could see that right off. So, being an expert at rolling with the punches, I decided the best course of action was to flip-flop our schedule for the day. Craig was heading out of state and Sarah was working that morning anyway....so I told the girls to hurry up and get ready, we were going to go on a field trip. Yeah, this was more of the fun kind rather than the educational kind, but it still opened up lots of discussion on several topics which led to lots of research on a few things later on, so in this case we'll count it (plus, we did do our lessons that afternoon, so it's not like we skipped out of school). I took the girls to see Pete's Dragon...yup, highly educational;). And, since we went to an early morning showing during the week, we had the theater all to ourselves. Totally awesome!!!  It was a great movie; much better than the version I saw at their age. And, we did take the opportunity to learn about the logging industry afterward, along with a short study of dragons...in the Bible (yes, you read that right:).

We made it thru Tuesday, and when we all dropped into bed, it still felt like it should've been Friday, so I was sorely disappointed to wake up the next morning and find that it was....wednesday🙃

This was just one of "those" weeks. The kind that you make it thru, then you look back and realize there were several smiles and giggles along the way.  Lessons were a struggle this week because, frankly, this year is a bit more difficult as I'm making the girls stretch a bit more than they'd like. I'm not asking them to do the impossible, I'm just asking them to "grow" and sometimes that's just not much fun. Today, Hannah made a comment that I think pretty much sums it all up (at least their side of things;) "Why can't we just learn everything we need to learn in kindergarten when it's fun and easy?"  Then of course she had to add her solution to these sticky days "I think we should just be able to watch videos of other people doing crafts and then make what they've made". Alrighty then, there ya'll have it...the ideal society from an 11 year old's perspective is an artisan society and there would be no need for spelling or math 😉

Gracie's infamous red pen I'm only "allowed" to use to write 100% on her assignments :)

To help Hannah with her spelling words, she made her own flash cards. It's an organizational trick that seems to work well with my two dyslexics. 

Starbucks next to her Christmas tree, with music, is the way Sarah schools best. 

Change is HARD....

Growing = Change and change is never easy even when it's the opportunity of a lifetime. God brought the Warner and Osborne family to us (or us to them, I'm not sure which;) in the spring of 2015. Something as simple as some homeschool group riding lessons to see if the girls would really like it was all it took to connect the hearts of our two families, especially our daughters. Between our two families we have 9 daughters (and a lone son, poor boy;) and they have all just clicked as though they're one big family...they've become our horse family and we love them dearly. Like all families, there comes a time when kids spread their wings and leave the nest...it's that time for Shawnea and Sierra. 

These two girls are heading out for an apportunity of a lifetime. They'll be working students at a farm in Minnesota, breaking warm blood babies, working around the barn, and growing and stretching further under the instruction of a new trainer. Shawnea and Sierra are amazing young women. At only 18 and (almost) 17, they've achieved success in the show ring that riders (hunters & jumpers) much older than they still strive to achieve. I've watched them not only work hard while riding and jumping in the ring, but also in and around the barn. They listen and accept instruction, which is what helps make them great equestrians. Then, I have had the privilege of watching them on the other end, as the instructors. They're awesome. Always gentle, yet pushing their students just enough, and offering them the benefits of the same great training they've had. It's such an amazing circle. I watch them with Gracie and Hannah and never cease to smile. Their gentle correction in the ring and then the fun in the barn or yard. There's never a shortage of laughter:)

I just LOVE these two girls, we all do, and honestly, I happily count them as My own. They are going to be so greatly missed. We can't wait till they get back home for Christmas, even if it is just for a visit before continuing on this amazing journey. We promise to spoil Piggy for you, Sierra;)

She Did It Again...

For a second weekend in a row, sweet Gracie showed. To be honest, we weren't all that certain what this weekend was going to hold because she had come down with a little stomach bug on Thursday. By Saturday she was feeling pretty much like herself but still didn't really want to risk eating much, however, she gave the go ahead that she planned to give it her best today. 

She and Daddy did very well and she improved in a couple of classes from last weekend. Thankfully there weren't any funky low blood sugars to contend with this weekend :)  She rode hard and came home exhausted. I have a sneaky suspicion it may be slow starting tomorrow morning ;)  

Love Notes and Introverts....

What does that picture up there make you want to do?  For most people, it causes them to want to go get the bottle of windex and a rag and clean it;). But, not for me or my family. You see, we are all "note leavers". We leave notes for each other. It might be a reminder, a shopping list, directions, Craig knows that I need pictures if he's sending me to the hardware store and so he sends me with a post-it note with a hand drawn diagram and a description written in language I'll understand (yes, I guarentee he will include the word "thingy" at least once because that's my language;). But most of all we leave each other love notes. 

The girls leave Craig and I notes and pictures at our computers and on our pillows. I'll leave them notes in their school books and on their phones. The bathroom mirrors have been the location of some of the most epic love notes ever (think giant post-it note art or retro Marilyn Monroe lipstick love notes).  It doesn't really matter where or what, it's just always nice when you see that your child or spouse or sister was thinking about you and let you know it.  

We are all introverts by nature. Some of us are more outgoing than the others, but indeed we are still a family of homebodies. We are also a family of predominately females, which means, introverts or not, we still have a lot of words to expend throughout our days. Texting one another and leaving notes is how we get those words out, love on each other, and still manage to not get so overwhelmed with "communication" due to our introverted natures. My little tribe gets this because, well, because we are all very much alike and use to our quirkiness. Trust me, there's no shortage of talking and laughter in this house, but combined with life outside of these walls, it can become too much and we can all end up on sensory overload. 

You've heard the saying "No coffee, no talkie"? Around here, we all get that, only it has nothing to do with coffee. It has to do with personal space, so to speak. For instance, my family knows not to approach me in the morning until I've been up and going for a couple of hours at least. Yes, I'm upright and functioning, I'm probably showered and dressed. But...I'm really not capable of actually uttering anything that even remotely sounds like cohesively strung together words. Seriously, I. JUST. CAN. NOT. DO. IT. I want to, I really do. But I just can't. So...I leave my family notes or send them texts. I tell them good morning and that I love them:). Words my mouth just can't form before about 9am;)  And, they respond with notes and texts of their own. Do you know that I think I have just about every scrap of paper and post-it not that my family has left me any note on?  Knowing that Craig takes the time to draw me a picture of what I need to find at the hardware store means the world to mean. The "I love you mom" notes I find all over the house to brighten up my day. The picture drawn with nail polish. Yes, I save them all. So what about the love note that Gracie started, Hannah continued, and Craig wrote in reverse so I could see "I love you" every time I look in my rear view mirror while he was in Colorado?  Yup, it remains. I'd rather drive a dusty truck with a love note on the window, that makes me smile when the world is weighing me down. Love notes and introverts...these are my people :)

Our First Week of the 2016-17 School Year....

It finally arrived, our first day. Our traditional big back to school breakfast was offered...chocolate chip muffins, scrambled eggs made to order, sausage,  fresh OJ, strawberries, fruit and yogurt 

parfaits topped with granola, iced 

coffee...basically, everyone's favorites. There was only one problem... Nobody was hungry 😂😂😂. Seriously, Hannah, who'd been talking about her back to school breakfast for weeks, barely ate a muffin. Alrighty, we were off to a good start 😉

Next up, the traditional first day pictures....which were met with a chorus of "now?"  "Can't it wait till tomorrow?" "Do I really have to get ACTUALLY dressed, or can I just take it in my pjs?"  Hhhmmmmm....keep in mind, it's like 9:30 and they're acting like its the crack of dawn🙄. 

We finally get settled in and started on our lessons. Just like we have every school day for all these years, we began by saying the pledge of allegiance to our flag, doing a morning devotion and prayer...or so I thought, until this morning, when we finished and I excused Sarah to go do her lessons. The girls start giggling and inform me that I forgot to ACTUALLY SAY OUR PRAYER (both yesterday and today) which I quickly remedied😅. I guess they weren't the only ones needing to wake up a bit more 😂

Our lessons are going great and the girls are proving to be true to form. Hannah made it thru until today without any meltdowns, but I guess her spelling words were just too much to handle..."F A R M" was fine to write 5 times; matter of fact, I guess it was fine to write 50 times...it was the other dozen or so words that put her over the edge today. So, we erased "F A R M" all but the 5 times I'd asked for it to be written and put her spelling aside. She can finish that up tonight while her sisters are at church. Gracie, of course, had a near heart attack when she saw me start to mark a math problem wrong. So instead, I erased the answers of the 2 or 3 she missed and she re-worked them, correctly this time. I asked her, however, why she had me buy a package of very specific red pens...her answer: "So you can write 100% right here on all my assignments".  Oh, of course, my sweet child. Why on earth didn't I think of that 😂

We are doing pioneer studies this year using the Prairie Primer which is based on the Little House on the Prairie books. I've used it in the past with Tess and Sarah for summer studies and loved it, and decided to build our year around it this year for Gracie and Hannah. One thing we learned about today was molasses and how it's processed. Laura Ingalls seemed to have loved molasses as she commented on how tasty it was on top of cornbread and corncakes quite often. Ok, let me just say honestly, some things are just flat out flops and this was one of those things. Thankfully, we didn't spend much time on it, but I think the biggest take away from it was MOLASSES IS NOT VERY TASTY. We had a "pioneer" lunch as though we were traveling across the prairie in our covered wagon. We discussed why we weren't eating freshly prepared foods and how they were preserved. We had corn muffins (admittedly not cooked over a campfire) and we each tried a little molasses on them. We came to the conclusion that butter and honey is MUCH better 😉

All in all our school year is getting off to a good start and as long as I don't try pawning off molasses as a condiment again, I think the girls will happily sit down each day for their lessons 😉

Just in case you're wondering what all is on that plate...beef jerky, dried apples, cornbread, and, of course, molasses ;)

Gracie's First Show

Wow!  Ok, so I'm gonna tell ya'll flat out...I know NOTHING when it comes to the world of showing horses. Seriously...I make sure the girls show up with boots half chaps, helmets, and food, lots and lots of food. We've been blessed with an amazing horse family and a trainer, Anne Warner, who takes them under her wing and nurtures them along. She tells me they have natural talent...What I know is they have an all consuming love for horses. So much so that they would rather be mucking out stalls than anything else, when they aren't riding, of course. 

So today, the past year and a half of hard work culminated in Gracie's first show. She did awesome!  We had one little blood sugar issue (after amazing numbers all weekend long). Her first ride went really well, she finished and came out of the ring. I thought it may be a good time to do a finger poke since it would probably be at least 15 minutes before she rode again, so right there as she's still sitting atop her horse, just like at any normal lesson, she tests...uh oh...36!!!  Seriously???  I ask her how she feels and she says she feels fine. She chews five glucose tablets, which give her 20 grams of straight glucose, and never misses a stride. She gets down, walks around, drinks some water, pets one of the dogs, then back on her horse to ride again. This girl never ceases to amaze me!!!  The quiet strength and dignity with which she lives victoriously over her diabetes is truly beautiful. 

So, back to the show...she rode, she jumped, she smiled, she beamed actually, and she, along with her partner, Double Clear's Leap of Faith (we call him Daddy:) went on to win 2 1st place ribbons, 1 3rd place ribbon, and 2 4th place ribbons. Pretty darn good for the very first time :)  Of course, Daddy is an old pro at this and took it all in stride. He is an amazing guy...retired race horse, rescued off the track by Anne Warner, brought into her program and has proven himself to be probably the most versatile horse around. He can give beginner riders the confidence they need to progress, help growing riders mature and develope into really good riders, he jumps like nothing I've seen before, and according to my girls he is just a pure joy to ride. Gracie and Hannah LOVE our horse family (we all do:), and moving into this new phase - going from only lessons to also showing - is a blessing beyond  what I ever imagined...AND IT'S SO MUCH FUN :). I mean seriously, it's all about being with horses as much as possible, right ;)  CONGRATULATIONS GRACIE!!!

Date day with Sarah Camden

I enjoy taking one on one time with my girls, whenever I can.  As they get older it can get harder to find that time because their schedules get so busy, so we nab these times whenever we can. Today was one of these times...Sarah and I enjoyed mani-pedis (well, I just got a pedi) and then a quick lunch Inbetween her morning dance class and afternoon/evening work shift. What fun!  She shares my sarcasm, so it's always fun when we get to do something together. She also shares my love of pumpkin spiced lattes, although we ran out of time today and will have to grab one next week. That said...check out my pedi; I still ended up with my latte;)

As for lunch, in typical fashion, I pick mine from the middle and eat about 3 rings, washed down with a root beer:). Sarah finished my rings, critiquing them since she makes rings for runza nearly everyday;)  These are the moments I cherish

Remember that basket of art supplies?

Well, as inviting as it was, it was overflowing and would prove to be too much of a distraction when trying to get our lessons done. So I opted to reorganize a bit. I absolutely LOVE this vintage garden tote that I picked up at a farm auction a few years ago. It's proved to be a perfect solution to my marker addiction ;)  Now when we are sitting here, working away, there's no more hunting down pencils, pens, and markers :). Not to mention, it makes me happy just looking at it. One week from today our new school year begins!

A new season....

Do ya'll know what this is?  This absolutely beautiful little notebook is my new scripture writing journal for the fall season. You know...the all things pumpkin and cozy season...my favorite season...the season that is my fresh start every year:). I don't know what it is about September 1st, but I seriously feel the dust of the hot Nebraska summer just blow away and things just seem to settle down into a nice cadence around our home. It's when I get my groove back on, right along with my cute clothes and awesome boots that I love so much. 

Are you wondering what a scripture writing journal is?  Well, here's a strange little tidbit of information about me...I LOVE to write. I mean, I physically love putting pen or pencil to paper and practicing my penmanship. There's just something relaxing about it. And what better way to relax than in scripture, right?  Pinterest, (don't ya just LOVE Pinterest???) has lists of monthly scripture writing plans (and they're really cute too :) that you can download to get an easy start. Then, each day you just enjoy writing out scripture and spending time with God as you copy down his Word. This is something I've done forever, it seems, and I love it. If you're wanting to try something new in your quiet time, give it a shot. You may find you love it. And...there's an added bonus: you're leaving behind a precious gift for your children down the road. In this day of everything being in an electronic form, your handwritten pages will be a treasured gift for generations to come :)

My little Pinterest Princess

Gracie cracks me up!  She is her mama's daughter when it comes to her vintage soul, and it shines when she can come up with ways to use mason jars. She was so proud of herself tonight when she came down to my studio with her blanket, diabetes bag, and her bedtime snack. Her snack was a mason jar filled with yogurt and granola, on top the lid she had a chocolate muffin which she held in place with two strips of paper towel crossed over it and tucked neatly into the ring. She then taped a fork (yes, a fork, go figure:) to this and it all travelled quite nicely. I just love her ingenuity :)

The Last Week Of Summer....

Seriously???  It never ceases to not take me by surprise.  No, it doesn't sneak up on me; I'm totally aware of it's arrival, I just always find it bittersweet.  I'm a homeschool mom for pete sake!  What is the deal?  My youngest has been asking to start back to school lessons for three weeks already and I've been telling her NO WAY... Sorry Chickadee, but the first day of school is already in my planner for September 6th...IN PEN.  There's no changing that, I mean, did I mention that it's in pen???

Yes, our new school supplies are ready to go, all organized and oh so tempting.  The basket of crayons and markers are just calling out to all of us.  Screaming at us to settle in and enjoy some creative journaling.  Fresh sketchbooks tucked in there as well, just peeking out and calling to the girls.  New glue sticks that aren't all sticky on the outside and dried up on the inside, watercolors, pastels, chalks, markers with the lids actually on, colored pencils with perfectly sharpened points.  And crayons!!!!!  Lots and Lots of crayons.  Whole and sharp and still with the wrappers (as opposed to broken and naked;)  A box of 96, a couple of 24 count boxes, a box of the JUMBO, even a box of scented.  I mean, you just never know what kind of crayon you may need, right?  Then there's the folders, the three ring binders, the spiral notebooks, the pens, the pencils, the scissors, the calculators, the rulers, reading books, math books, spelling books, handwriting books, health books, science books, history books, english books....I can go on and on and on.  It's a lot of stuff to start a new year.  And, it's all so pretty the last week of summer.  Full of promise and excitement.  But it's still A LOT OF STUFF.  And.... that's just the girls stuff.  Don't forget that I, as their teacher, have all the teacher guides to go along with all their books.  And, also being a female, I love pretty new supplies, so I too have a cute three ring binder to hold test guides, spelling lists, my planner, and everything else I need to keep my days stitched together.  Right now I'm looking at the work table in my studio, which also doubles as our school table, and I'm staring at stacks of books and papers, and notebooks, and piles of pencils and pens, and misc supplies, yet my eyes automatically go to our colorful art supply basket... and my spirit instantly calms.

This is our 14th year as a homeschool family and what school looks like now versus what it looked like when we began is vastly different.  Homeschooling is a journey as well as a lifestyle.  Do not let anyone ever let you believe it's just an academic choice.  When we first began I was still working 50 hours a week in our home doing licensed daycare and we only had 2 daughters.  Even though I knew WHY we had chosen to homeschool, it still took me a few years to not feel I needed to replicate a traditional school system's school day, and frankly I tended to just complicate things for all of us.  The early years were spent making sure that our oldest daughter was getting her school work done....which meant that she spent several hours each day at her desk doing traditional lessons, which made no sense since that was not her learning style and made us all miserable.  Tessie Bugg, if you're reading this, I'm apologizing yet again ;)  Fast forward to now.... our lessons are much more hands on and much less worksheet.  "Living Lessons" I like to call it, others call it "unschooling", no matter what you call it, it comes down to learning in a natural way, a way that supports and encourages our children to grow rather than to only meet a status quo.  I don't teach our girls how to take tests, rather, I teach our girls how to learn.  By teaching them how to learn, they will spend their entire lives growing and learning and never become stagnant and bored.  They dig into anything that interests them and they know no limits.  Historical facts aren't dry facts only memorized for a test; they are personal tidbits of information about real people, places, and events that the girls are given the opportunity to dive into and learn about.  For example, this past spring we had the opportunity to visit Monticello; suddenly Thomas Jefferson became very real to them as they walked the very floors he walked and stood by the bed he died in.  Learning about the lives of slaves was no longer a series of stories in their history lessons.... it became very alive to them as they walked along the road the Jefferson slaves lived and worked, spent time in their homes, shops,  and gardens, understood the difference of their lives "down there" versus up in the main house, and even as we visited the slave cemetery.   These are things that a traditional education, well what we've come to think of as a traditional education anyway, can never give them.

I get questions all the time when people find out we homeschool.  First off, let me say that every state has their own set of laws governing home education.  We are very fortunate that Nebraska strongly supports homeschooling, and I pray that doesn't change.  They allow families the freedom to school in the way that works best for them.  My girls are NOT morning kids (neither am I, for that matter), so you will never find us doing lessons at 8:00 am.  I shoot for 10:30 am, but that's a goal and I enjoy the freedom to adjust our day as needed, if that means we school later in the day, so be it:).  With the health issues our family has, it's a blessing to be able to have this flexibility!  Not all our lessons are book based, so just because my girls aren't sitting at a desk filling out worksheets, that doesn't mean we aren't schooling.  I'm not a firm believer in written tests being the end all be all....for instance, two of my girls typically do well with them but two do better if I test orally.  It's more important to me that they show they've mastered the lessons than forcing them to do things one way. If something just isn't clicking and it's clearly causing emotional issues (i.e. meltdowns), we take a step back.  We are not on some preconceived timetable that we have to meet.  My girls emotional health is more important than getting through a math unit "on time".  In my experience, by taking a step back and letting them advance at their own natural pace, they actually excel (with fewer migraines all the way around).  Grade levels are put in place for the ease of a school system not the benefit of kids and therefore I don't pay attention to them.  My kids are on grade level in some subjects and may be ahead or behind in others.... what's important is that they are actually learning, not how fast they are ingesting facts for a test.  On that note.... while certain relatives may freak out because my girls don't like to read out loud in front of people (keep in mind that two of my girls have dyslexia and still know how to read, and another is actually a very good reader but is not a brave reader) or recite their multiplication tables for the entertainment and amazement of all to behold (insert sarcasm) it does not mean they are stupid or unsocialized, it just means they are not trained monkeys;).  How do I know when the girls are ready to graduate?  When they finish their course of study, just like in any other school; only in our homeschool they have they option to set their own pace.  Tess chose to finish up early, whereas Sarah seems to be choosing to finish in a more traditional time frame, so far.  Oh, and here's a biggie.... COLLEGE IS NOT THE ONLY OPTION.  The fact is, Craig and I are raising our girls for the Kingdom of God, not some university system.  If they choose to go to college, that's fine...but guess what?  It's also totally fine with us if they choose not to go to college as well.  There are so many other options available and frankly, college isn't the right choice for everyone as it's been made out to be in the past couple of decades.

While I'm on it, (and this post has already taken a turn down some rabbit trail that I hadn't intended)....homeschooling allows kids to actually be kids (now, there's a novel concept).  Seriously, think about that for a minute; let it soak in.  Our school systems reflect what is going on in society, both good and bad, and we know that our kids are hitting puberty at a much early age than ever before. Why is that?  I'm sure the answers are vast; I can come up with dozens myself.... and they all lead me back to a core difference between homeschooling and what we've come to think of as the traditional school system.... homeschooling allows kids to learn and grow at their own natural pace, whereas school systems are set up to handle the masses and do not leave much room for individual growth and natural pacing.  I'm not suggesting that everyone rip their children out of their local school system, quit their jobs, and homeschool... I'm just pointing out the obvious core difference between the two.  Homeschool kids (and their families for that matter) are as vastly different and unique as there are stars in the sky, but one broad stroke of the brush I can make is that they are "different", which is exactly what we want them to be.  Different doesn't have to mean odd.  They deal with the same things every kid deals with.  They aren't sheltered from the hurt of bullies, the disappointment of not making the cut, being on the bad end of gossip, they still have to make decisions concerning "sex, drugs, and rock & roll".... and guess what? They aren't perfect; they mess up and make mistakes, sometimes even life changing mistakes at times.  But, they still have something their traditional school counterparts don't have and that is the freedom to have a childhood that is almost forgotten today.  Our days aren't spent inside with outside time being a 15 minute recess.  We aren't constrained to a desk.  We can take our learning anywhere we want.  If it's a nice fall day, we might pack up our books and head to the lake.  It's not uncommon to find the girls on the deck or up in the clubhouse doing their lessons.  And yes, we travel quite often, so they just pack up their backpacks and are use to schooling on the road.  They are much less stressed then their friends who attend traditional schools.  Think about it though.... we don't have homework; when their work is finished, they're done for the day.  Their friends are at school 7-8 hours a day, come home with a couple hours homework, plus sports.  They barely have time for dinner and a shower before bed.  Whereas in our home, evenings are relaxed and usually entail a bedtime snack after a long hot shower.  Yes, it's good to be a kid in our house :)

So, off this rabbit trail and back onto the original intent of this post.... the last week of summer.  It's fleeting and bittersweet.  I'm thrilled to see the heat and humidity of a Nebraska summer drift off into the prairie sunset as the crisp autumn air starts to usher in the season of spiced pumpkin everything :)
COZY!  Fire in the fireplace to warm the house.  The smell of bread and soup filling the air.  Chilly evenings laughing around the fire pit in the backyard.  Quilting!!!!  Flannel shirts, sweaters, jeans, and boots.  Seeing your breath in the morning air.  But also realizing that it's the 14th year of your homeschool journey which means your kids are growing up... one is already out on her own with another soon to follow, and the youngest two are at the threshold of the teen years.  You look around and wonder where it all went, then your eyes fall on that basket of pretty new art supplies ready for the new year, and you spend the last week of summer mulling over how vastly different your homeschool journey is now from where it was when you began.  14 years ago Tess sat at a desk, all proper and cute.....now, we school wherever we feel like it, sometimes hanging upside down from a favorite overstuffed chair, to read a favorite story if the mood strikes.... or maybe Dad will say, "pack your bags, we're hitting the road, I have a surprise" and we'll end up in Walnut Grove, MN again, jumping off of Laura's big rock into Plum Creek, just after we stood in the dug out, on the Banks of Plum Creek :)  You just never know where this crazy homeschool journey is going to take us ;)

Max William is 5

So, much like everything else, I'm late. Max turned 5 on August 9th. We loved on him, sang to him, Gracie even made special artwork to hang above his bed. But...the day got away from us and we just didn't get a chance to take him to HyVee for his birthday cookie. We bought cupcakes and he finally got to have his cake and eat it too tonight :)

Happy Birthday Max William. It's been quite the journey, to say the least😀

The View From My Back Porch 

As I sit here looking forward to starting another school year (our 14th as a homeschool family), I can't help but look back over the past couple of years and all that has been thrown our way.  Things that derailed us from our comfy daily routine and forced us to reach deep down to grasp tightly our family tie in order to stay grounded.  No, nothing earth shattering took place to cause a major interruption.... just lots of ordinary challenges that cause you to go off the rail.  Things like aging parents, health issues, transitioning daughters, careers, blessings (lots of blessings) and losses (those are always the hardest), etc.  Let me back up a bit, since it's been so long since I've sat at my computer to post....

2015 saw major challenges and changes for my mom.  At 70 years old she has always enjoyed fairly good health and has always been a little spitfire.  Last year, in February, she suffered major back pain that took her mobility away nearly instantly...she then had her first of 4 back surgeries to fix the problem.  March saw the second surgery, April the third, and finally June she had her fourth.  In-between, in May, she was hospitalized for several days for an infection she contracted from the hospital and her previous surgery.  Yes, the first half of 2015 was off to a rough start.  I spent it living with my mom, tending to her care and enjoying seeing her bounce back, slowly, to good health as the last half of the year rolled around.  Thankfully Mom lived only a matter of a few blocks away, and the girls would come over each day to work on their lessons and spend time with me and enjoy their grandma.  I would pop into our home each day to touch base, get fresh clothes, and breathe in the familiar air of my family and our life.  This was a challenging time, yet it was full of blessings each and every day, and I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything.  I saw God work in ways I wouldn't have noticed had our circumstances not been what they were.  Through it all, my husband kept things going at home, even navigating the emotional mine fields of 4 daughters (and may I remind you all that they are all true redheads;)  By the fall of last year, it became clear that, although Mom had recovered well, working nearly full time was no longer an option if she wanted to continue to enjoy a (mostly) pain-free back.  This meant that she needed to move so that she could retire with few worries.  Yes, another major change was on the horizon.  God blessed her however, by moving her into a lovely retirement apartment, only about a mile from our home.  It was a tough transition at first, as she faced downsizing one more time; but she quickly settled in and now enjoys her cozy new home.  Mom is such a social and outgoing person and God is using her in her new home to reach out to her neighbors and share His love with them through her friendship.  He's also blessed her finding a new purpose in serving her friends and neighbors since retiring, which she truly seems to love.  

During all this time, the girls continued to grown, learn, and thrive.  A huge blessing throughout this time was the girls drew closer to each other than they ever had before.  They learned to count on each other, support one another, and most importantly, to love on each other.  Now, don't get me wrong... they're girls which equates to a boatload of bickering and even some drama, but I see how close they truly have become over the past couple of years.  That does this mama's heart a world of good.  God has shown me that my girls hearts are truly filled with Him and that they seek to bring him glory and honor in their relationships with each other and us as their parents.  These girls stepped up to the plate to take care of the daily things that needed to be done even though so much of my focus and attention needed to be on caring for mom's needs during that time.  What a blessing to see God's promise fulfilled in this way! And as a sidenote: it's amazing to see how they work together when I removed myself from the equation... no more refereeing needed when it came to sisterly squabbles; they learned to work things through themselves and walked away feeling loved by each other in the end.  Yes, they still try to draw me into their little rumbles at times, but I now know they do not need Mom to act as referee; they are quite capable of handling their sisterly nuances themselves :)

As to the state of our home during the past couple of years, with my attention being divided between our home and my mom's.... I've learned to embrace the "not so pinterest worthy"state of being.  Meaning, yes indeed our home went from lived in to FEMA zone pretty quickly during that time.  We were in survival mode: making sure everyone had clean clothes, meals were prepared and eaten (yes, I've finally accepted paper plates as legitimate dinnerware;), critters were cared for and fed, and bathrooms were at least clean, etc.  Kids just don't see a problem with their belongings strewn all throughout the house, carpets not getting vacuumed and furniture getting dusted, or floors not getting scrubbed.  "Gee Mom, we took a shower.... what do you mean you want us to clean up the bathroom as well?"  "Take out the trash?  Huh?  I thought trash day was on Friday...it's only Tuesday; why do I need to take it out?"  Or my personal favorite "It wasn't me..." in response to any "who left/did/didn't/made/dropped/etc" question I asked.  From the sounds of all the resounding "Not Me" answers I got, my only conclusion is that we either have ghosts or a few other people living here that I've yet to meet;)  Top this all off with the fact that we've been trying to get moved back to the family farm since spring of 2013 and have 1/4 of our belongings (you know, the stuff that you don't use on a weekly basis, but still NEED to have;) packed up in boxes stacked in "out of the way" places around our home, and you have a very "lived in" decor going on.  Well, once things settled down, after we got Mom moved and settled into her new home, I went on a semi-clean sweep of our entire home.  I mean, if you're going to get into every corner, nook, and cranny in your home to dust out the cobwebs, you might as well do it with Christmas music playing and Christmas decorations in hand to brighten up the place.  Yes, it took awhile and a lot of hard work to get things back into order, but we managed to get 'er done and enjoy a lovely holiday season all the way around :)

Step into this year.... 2016 started out slow and (dare I say) boring.  We were back into our groove around here.  The girls worked hard last year, selling things and working to earn enough money to surprise their dad with a trip to Disney World.  February came and off we went to Florida.  Traveling, as always, in our trusty Sequoia.  What an awesome trip!  Not only our week at Disney, but the places we stopped and visited all along the way, especially getting to go back to Pleasant Hill Kentucky.  Our last day on the road, however, saw my health plummeting.  Right on schedule, just like every February, bronchitis and pneumonia were coming on.  Yep, I got to spend the next several weeks meeting the needs of my family from my bed as I recovered.  Yet again, however, I got to enjoy the blessings of homeschooling and the flexibility it offers.  The girls have no problem doing lessons in my room, on my bed even :)  It's kinda like an ongoing educational slumber party at times like that :) I bounced back of course, just in time to head east with Craig.  As he worked with his clients, the girls and I enjoyed "real life learning".  The Museum of Pioneer Culture and Monticello were the highlights of that trip, along with exploring local historical sites in the areas we visited and stayed.  Our family doesn't fly any more; we made a choice years ago to drive instead.  The freedom it allows is well worth the added travel time.  The girls are use to packing up their school work to take along and their educational experience is so much richer since they aren't totally reliant on text books.  Hands on learning engages their minds in a way that dry words never can.  What they learn outside the walls of our "classroom," I would suggest, is more valuable than any curriculum based assignment could ever be.  We are heading into our 14th year (I think that's right) of homeschooling and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  

This year has also held more medical issues for our family.  Gracie's type 1 diabetes is well managed, however, it is a daily struggle to keep her healthy.  Insulin is not a cure, rather, it is her life support.  She will not outgrow this, and at the moment there is no cure available... there is however HOPE on the horizon.  Tess faced a minor surgery this year as well as a job change (yes, she's still teaching dance and acro :)  Sarah and Hannah are still dealing with their celiac issues.  And I was officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia to go along with my other health issues.  What is the one crazy thing I'm thanking God for most of all through our crazy journey the past couple of years?  The ability to finally accept that life is not a Pinterest Board.  It's going to be messy, chaotic, unscheduled.  Routines will be blown to bits, the well worn groove we find comfort in will veer off path, and things will fall through the cracks.  But, you know what?  I thank God that He never leaves and will continue to bless us and that in the end it will all be ok.... a beautiful mess, but His perfect plan all at the same time.  

So.... here I sit, looking back from my front porch so to speak, to find that I'm right where I'm suppose to be at this particular moment.  Diets and healthy habit attempts may have failed many times over, my prayer journal may look sporadic at best, my lesson plans may have been altered on the fly, let's not even talk about how my well planned monthly menus are laying there with nothing more than a longing glance tossed their way while I bake chicken strips, instant mashed potatoes, jarred gravy, and canned veggies to feed my family more times than not.  The fact remains that God is good all the time.  It's through His grace alone that we've made it through the past couple of years stronger than we were  before and that we have HOPE in HIM ALONE for a bright tomorrow.  Do we know when we will ever actually get moved back to the farm, or what might get thrown at us at the next doctor appointment, or anything else that may come our way?  Nope.  But I do know that God will never fail us and He is the one directing our path and binding our family together and to Him.  I choose to look forward and rest in His promises.... all the while trying to tame the laundry, get my kids to eat more veggies, keep my home in a way that won't cause me to cower should someone unexpectedly ring the door bell... and yes, start getting ready for Christmas while listening to christmas music even before we start back to our full time school schedule... because this is my crazy life; the one God designed for me.  Yup!  These are my monkeys and this most certainly is my circus :)