July is Here!

That means it’s time for a new mission of the month post (and that this summer and year are half-way over already – time is flying!)

I’ll start by recapping June.

1. Scrapbook September-November ’08 for all books.
2. Finish making shorts for girls from holey jeans.
3. Plan and celebrate Elizabeth’s birthday.
4. Plan James’ birthday party.
5. At least one date with Billy.
6. Plan Six Flags trip.
7. Read one fiction book. (The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini)
8. Read one non-fiction book. (Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel)
9. Flat Stanley Project.
10. Plan & Do “Play-School” with kids 4 days a week. (http://tinyurl.com/3c6uant)
11. Put away all of last year’s school stuff.
12. Create a School Planner for next year.
13. Eliminate white toy cabinet.
14. Have guests over 2-3 times.

1. Review Pimsleur lessons 1-3.
2. Plan a Tuesday night.
3. Lesson Plan 5 chapters for next year.

July is going to be a bit busy so my mission list is considerably shorter.  I decided to not be so lofty with my goals.  

1. Plan children’s activities for MMAD week.
2. Plan handwriting curriculum.
3. Read one book.
4. Plan camping trip.
5. Scrapbook 2 months.
6. Reorganize activity shelf for school.
7. Get kids’ school notebooks ready.

 

Fondant Fun

My daughter found a picture of a beautiful princess castle cake in one of my cake books and requested that I make that cake for her birthday.  It looked pretty simple so I agreed.  I didn’t quite process, however, that we would not be able to find safe (in our family that means milk free due to a severe milk allergy) candies to decorate it.  This  led me to try my hands at making fondant for the very first time.  A friend of mine uses fondant quite often and also has food allergies in her family so I asked her what recipe she uses.  This is the recipe I used and here are my observations.

1. This is REALLY FUN!
2. Either use a bowl with a handle for your melted marshmallow mixture, or plan on washing your hands between greasing your counter and dumping the mixture.
3. DO NOT try this for the first time if you have young children awake in your care.
4. It is messy, but didn’t take any longer to clean up than any of my other cooking or baking adventures.
5. I found it surprisingly easy to roll out and shape the way I wanted it.
6. It tastes much better than I remember.  Maybe I was prego every other time I’ve had it.
7. The only negative I have to say is it was very difficult to knead after it had been in the fridge all night.  However, it did get easier after warming it slowly in the microwave.

If you enjoy decorating cakes and have never given fondant a try you have no idea what you are missing!

Parenting with Grace

Through following links from one link to another I stumbled upon a book titled “Grace Based Parenting” by Dr. Tim Kimmel.  I knew instantly that this was a book I needed to read.  I had the library order it for me and anticipated its arrival.  Now, having completed it I must say I feel as though I have been lovingly reprimanded for many of my parenting techniques.  Dr. Kimmel share through-out the book many real life examples of how important grace is in parenting.  To be clear, grace isn’t letting our children do whatever they want with no guidelines what-so-ever.  But  neither should parenting be about setting a bunch of rules that must be followed precisely.  The bottom line is God treats us with grace.  He provides us a secure love, a purpose in life and hope.  He allows us to be different, vulnerable, to talk freely with Him, and to make mistakes.  God shows us grace and if we want our children to grow up secure, confident, and Christ’s disciples, then we must get down on our knees and figure out what it means to parent them with grace.  I am so glad I read this book and I highly recommend it.  Now, I must get to the tough business of making life changes so that my children can know grace.

Save on Wipes!

Here is a quick, money-saving tip for those still using store-bought baby wipes.  I recently watched a couple new moms tear their wipes in half before using them on their babies’ diaper changes.  They said they don’t really need the whole wipe.  I tried it for myself and found they are right!  I use the same number of half wipes as I would normally use whole wipes.  We just cut that expense in half!

Mission of Month: June 2011

I found another blogger who shares her monthly goals, just as I do, and has cute icons to go along with it.  Check out Mama Jenn to see what she is up to also. Here my accomplishments for May:I did complete a few bonus projects this month.  After the school shelf was re-organized, I turned the unsightly diaper box into a beautiful canvas tote.  My other fun project was turning an old sheet into curtains for the girls’ room.  Yea!  Now on to this month’s list.   Drum roll, please!

For June:

1. Scrapbook September-November ’08 for all books.
2. Review Pimsleur lessons 1-3.
3. Finish making shorts for girls from holey jeans.
4. Plan and celebrate Elizabeth’s birthday.
5. Plan James’ birthday party.
6. Plan a Tuesday night.
7. At least one date with Billy.
8. Plan Six Flags trip.
9. Read one fiction book.
10. Read one non-fiction book.
11. Flat Stanley Project.
12. Plan & Do “Play-School” with kids 4 days a week.
13. Put away all of last year’s school stuff.
14. Create a School Planner for next year.
15. Lesson Plan 5 chapters for next year.
16. Eliminate white toy cabinet.
17. Have guests over 2-3 times.

That is a long list!  I’d better get moving.

Homeschool Curriculum

I have been asked many questions about choosing home-school curriculum.  I feel somewhat inexperienced to write on the topic, and I have not yet organised my own thoughts well enough to post any helpful blogs.  So I wanted to share this blog.  The writer is hosting an online curriculum fair, in which several different home-schoolers are posting about what curriculum they use and why it worked or didn’t work for them.  What a great way to get started in your curriculum search!

Personality?

In college I studied personality types and found the information very interesting and helpful as I relate to other people.  There are many different assessments available for figuring out what personality type an adult is. Once you know that information and gain an understanding in how to use that information,  it helps you to see a person’s strengths and focus areas.  Personally, this makes it easier for me to work with others as a team, and show grace more freely.

I have always known that if I could figure out what my children’s personality tendencies are, I could be a more effective (and understanding) parent.  Yet, until recently, I have been unable to find an assessment tool that would be fun for the kids and uses words they can relate to.

I’d like to share with you a new discovery.  It is called Kid’s Flag Page.  It is set up like a game/activity you play with your child, and includes a book to help you understand the results of the game.  Anyone could use this to help them be a better guide for their children.  I absolutely cannot wait for my opportunity to try it out!  You can check out this video to learn more.   Here is a give-a-way you can enter for your chance to win one.  Good luck!

 

10 quick organizing tips

Sometimes articles about organizing are very overwheming.  They make a job seem bigger than it is, or cost more that it really needs to.  Of course it would be nice if we had unlimited budgets to purchase the most attractive furniture for containing our belongings.  However that just isn’t practical for most of us.  Here is a simple article that has ten tips to help bring order to your home that anyone can afford.

http://organizing.yourway.net/10-things-to-do-everyday-to-stay-organized

May? Already?

Is it really May?  I hardly met half of my April goals.  Though it wasn’t because I slacked off and was lazy.  Billy’s trip to Haiti required much more of me than I expected or planned for.   God really blessed me by allowing me to help the Haiti team by assembling the baby layettes and packing their supply bags (and making sure none were over-weight).  He also blessed me while Billy was gone.  He taught me some important lessons about parenting styles and temporary-single-parenthood, and my own selfishness.  All that said, my May Goals list looks strangely similar to April’s list.  Here we go:

May Goals:

1. Make a perpetual to-do list for the kitchen.
2. Reorganize the school bookshelf.
3. Blog six times.
4. Relocate storage tubs of baby clothes.
5. Finish scrapping August 2008.
6. Make Victoria’s birthday scrapbook with her.
7. Finish skills evaluation for Victoria.
8. Look for missing Abeka reader.
9. Assess summer clothing needs (including swim-wear).
10. Plan a trip to Illinois???
11. Get 3-4 year old class ready to hand over.
12. Have a date with Billy.
13. Complete Pimsleur Haitian Creole lesson 4.

That’s just a few of my more “practical” goals for the month.  What are you trying to get done?

Be a Cake Decorator!

One way we save money while making birthdays special for our kids is by making our own cakes.  For me, I actually got pushed into this scene when we learned my oldest child has a life-threatening allergy to milk.  We don’t even have the option of buying a store made cake for her.  Yet, I still wanted her to have special cakes, so, I began decorating cakes.  It does take a little trial and error, but there is a lot of help on-line for tips and techniques.   Cake decorating has become a tradition that the kids really get excited about.  They love getting to choose the theme of their cake and waiting to see how mom makes it happen.