School Prep

It's about that time. As we approach August, I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I realize that not only is my oldest starting Kindergarten, but so am I...we are beginning a homeschool journey that seems a little strange and thrilling to me and I think a little of the same for my child, too.

So, I was contemplating this homeschool journey and thinking about blogging it here, but I really think, rather than go on and on about that, I will just share things I am learning as a mom, along with the usual food, garden, home, etc type stuff. From time to time, I will share some fun things that we've discovered but since I have found that I can get easily bogged down by reading other homeschooler's blogs, I won't go there often.

What I will do, is share this super cute Pinterest project (one of few I managed to do this summer) that I did with my boys to celebrate the Fourth.

Aren't they cute!? We did their handprint with blue fabric paint and I painted the stripes in red with a sponge brush. In hindsight, I think I would've done grey shirts...they don't stay white long! (: We were sure to put their names and the year on them too, so someday, when I make them t-shirt quilts, I can add these little cuties to it.

Happy Back-to-School, whatever that may look like for you and your family! Have a great year!!

Floor Mopping Lessons

  Today, as I contemplated use of duct tape on my whining boys (just kidding, I'd never do it, but it's awfully tempting!), I had the bright idea to burn off a little of my frustration with some housework. This way, I could burn calories doing something that needed to be done and possibly not be quite so annoyed with all the whining going on in my house. The changing-by-the-minute Oklahoma weather decided to turn back to winter yesterday and the penned up boys were beginning to revolt!
  The oldest was chomping at the bit and hounding me to help me do something today...in between whining about his brother. He is used to helping out with particular things like vacuuming, putting away his clothes, making his bed, and feeding the dog, amongst a few other things, but today, he wanted to be doing whatever I was doing.  I gratefully obliged and he helped declutter and entertain his little brother while I swept so we could then mop. That part went smoothly enough.

Then the magic happened....
  I gave him a damp mop rag and away he went! Then the little one wanted to join in, but he only wanted to wash his cars and wipe the small tables, so I let him have at it. Who am I to turn down some help with housework and my boys wanting to be clean!?? As it turns out, this whole helping idea was rather great! You see, they were so busy helping that they forgot to be annoyed and pestered by ea ch other and they focused...yes, FOCUSED (with boys of 5 and 2 this is rare!)...on their little jobs. Not only are they learning about helping around the house, they are learning to finish a job, do a job well, listen for directions, focus on the task at hand, do their work cheerfully, and take pride in their work.

  I pray that someday, their future wives will be thankful I taught their husbands to be helpful around the house. I thank God that He is teaching me that even the small, seemingly mundane and insignificant things can be used to teach my boys life lessons and guide them towards Him. I pray I can be as cheerful and willing in the purpose He  has for me, as my boys are in the jobs I have for them.

Baby Blankies

Since it seems that half the women I know are having babies lately, I decided I would make some homemade and useful baby gifts. Thanks to some suggestions and searching on Pinterest (of course), I found these super cute car seat blankets! I made flannel and reversible cotton fabric ones with no batting in them for spring and fall type weather.

I hope Momma's and babies both love them as much as Bear and George!

Egg-cited

      To tell you the truth, I wasn't quite sure that either of my boys would be all that interested in coloring Easter eggs this year, but to my suprise, both of them seemed extremely enthused about it once we got started. My mother-in-law was really excited to color eggs with the kids, so we went a little overboard on which kit and methods to use, so after our little egg trials, I can now tell you that I will probably NEVER do the dye cup method ever again!
     We did the Rainbow Eggs (these are the purple and one bright red one...we broke a few shells, by the way) and we loved it! It was super easy, very little mess, and it was fun because the kids could squirt it and see the eggs turning color immediately unlike the dye cups that take 10 minutes for any color! Mom-n-law made hand painted "candy apple" eggs that were shiny...pretty but not for kiddos. My five year old discovered this package of q-tip looking things that were actually swabs that you can paint the dye on the eggs with....LOVED these!! They are Paas brand and easy for both the kids (and Mom) to use. Also, with the non-soaking methods, the idea of the dye not soaking completely through the egg is nice if you'd like to use them for deviled eggs or something later and don't want them to be colored.
      Since it's spring and the weather changes quickly, I recommend doing eggs on a rainy or cold day, like we did. We didn't feel bad about being in the kitchen for a while since it was too drizzly and cold to be out in the yard! Our Easter plans are to have a family meal after church and enjoy time together while remember the reason for Easter...the Risen Savior! Enjoy your eggs and enjoy your Easter!