Things that Drive Me Nuts

Our yard, spring 2011

I love people, I really do.

But sometimes they just don't think.....(No, I'm not talking about myself.  Of course not.  I never have foot-in-the-mouth syndrome.  Stop laughing.)

Here's just a little taste of things I've heard lately, and I only have four kiddos.  I don't know how you girls with six or ten kids do it, but I hope to find out for myself one day.... :)

It just cracks me up to watch people when we come into a store or restaurant.  Is having four kids so crazy?!  Apparently, yes.  For the record, I am not offended, just amused (well, mostly).

Here we go!

* Don't tell me that you would kill yourself/scratch your eyes out/want to die if you had four kids.  Especially in front of the kids.

* Please stop saying "Now you finally got your boy and you can stop having babies."  Some of us LIKE having babies.  We are doing it on purpose.  (Well, not the first one, but that is a different story).

* On that same note, don't ask whether we have so many kids because we were trying for a boy.  NO.  We would have been thrilled with all girls.  Yes, Seth too.  Really.

* Stop saying that we are going to have an awful time when they are all teenagers.  Most of the teenagers I know are pretty amazing.  I'll take my chances.

* No, I did not have all super easy pregnancies or deliveries and that's why we have so many kids.  I'll spare you the details this time, but if you keep asking, I'd be happy to launch into things that would make you blush.  I have four kids.  Nothing embarrasses me.  I have no dignity about my baby parts left.

Henry, 5 months

* No, not all my babies were such easy babies.  Some have been very difficult.  (And not my first baby either, despite what I thought at the time, ha!).  They did not all sleep through the night at three weeks.  In fact, not-a-one of them slept through the night before a year.  My two year old still wakes up at least once a night.

* Nope, I am not that patient of a person, by nature.  You know how you get better at something?  Practice.  You know how you get to practice patience?  Children.

*You would go crazy with nothing to do all day if you didn't work?!  Trust me, it's a lot more of a haven't-sat-down-in-12-hours-type situation.  I had a lot more time on my hands back when we had a nanny.

*Similarly, if you could never homeschool because your kids drive you nuts and so you can't wait for their vacations to be over so that they leave you alone, you know who to look to, right?  Oh, it's the school's fault?  Okay then.

*Yes, they're all mine.  Yes, they're all my husband's.

*No, we're not done yet.  Or maybe we are.  Who knows?

*No, we don't belong to a faith that has a "quiverfull" mentality (but frankly, I haven't asked, so I could be wrong).

*Yup, I finished high school.  And college too.  I am, however, a law school dropout.  No, I didn't take the Bar.  Yes, I did work.  Yes, that is giving up a lot of income.

Children's Dedication at Church

* I am 29.

* My husband isn't "making" me have these babies.  Seriously.

*Nope, we're not rich.  Really.  Trust me.  But my husband does work very hard so that I can stay home!

*Staring isn't nice either.

(Now, if you're sitting there and thinking you have said one of those things to me, don't worry!  I am only talking about when strangers ask this stuff).

I know some people suggest coming up with some kind of snappy reply, but I don't think that is particularly helpful.  Mostly, it is just so unusual to see larger families anymore that people are curious and want to comment.  I truly don't believe that most people mean to be negative.  I usually try to say something like "Yes, we've been very blessed!" because it seems like people don't realize that we DO consider our children blessings, not burdens.  We are grateful for these babies everyday!  I hope some of the people who make negative comments see our joy, and maybe think about children in a different way.  (Well, just well-behaved children.  Those brats on the playground are on their own).  But more than that, I want our children to hear that we consider them blessings, no matter what crazy-eyes-lady in the Applebees just said.

The two other things I hear most often are "You have your hands full" and "You must be a busy lady".  Yes and yes.  Neither of those bother me at all, because I know people are just being friendly.  Er...and I may have said that to other moms myself once or twice.  My favorite reply is usually "Yes, and we like it that way!"

Charlotte's 2nd Birthday

What kind of crazy comments do you hear when your family goes out?  I'm betting some of you with multi-racial families get alllll kinds of goodies.

Food for a Farmer 5/9 and 5/16

Lunch 5/9

Chicken Salad Cordon Bleu Sandwiches (chicken salad with ham and swiss cheese)
Chips
Apples
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nestle Tollhouse recipe)


Lunch 5/16

BBQ Meatball Sandwiches
Chips
Carrot Sticks
Peanut Butter Cookies (Betty Crocker recipe)

I highly, highly suggest these BBQ Meatballs.  I know the recipe looks kind of meh, but everyone I've ever served it to loves it, even if they were skeptical beforehand.  I quadruple the recipe and serve one portion for dinner, one for the freezer, and one to make sandwiches with the next day (yes, I know that technically only makes three portions, but the other one is spread out over all those things.....we have a big family.  And my husband adores these).

These sandwiches are (and this is verbatim), "A *expletive* number one awesome" says Farmer Nate of rural Kent, IL.  That's as good it gets around here.

An Open Letter to Abusive Men

Are you a child?  This post isn't for you.  Maybe you would like to head on over here.

Grown-ups?  This post contains profanity.


A young woman I know and love has been having an issue with an abusive (much older-in his sixties-) man in her life this week, and things escalated to the point where he was threatening her.

(Gentlemen: we all know that you cannot call a girl certain names, right?  That is verbal abuse.  We also know that we can't threaten to physically harm her, right?  That is also abuse.  You also cannot harass people she knows on the internet, or in real life.  That is harassment.  Glad we got that cleared up).

If you know me at all in real life, you know that I am a real mama bear, and I have a protective streak a mile wide.  For better or worse, I'm not messing around when it comes to the girls I love.  And guess what?  I'm not that nice of a person.  (Consider yourself warned).  So as a preface to...you know....actually killing him, with her permission, I dropped him a little note.

She says I can share this with you.  Enjoy.

(All names changed to protect the innocent.  And the guilty, not that he deserves it).






What should we call him for blog purposes?  Bastard it is-

Let's have a talk, shall we?  

Despite any feelings I may have had about what was going on between you and SweetGirl in the past, I have left you well enough alone.  Girl is a grown-up, and she needs to live her own life.  I have never interfered with your personal life, by telling you, for example, that you are a sick and morally corrupt man for taking advantage of a girl her age and in her position.  Like I said, I have left you alone.  Now, however, a line has been crossed and I am unwilling to let your behavior continue.  

I understand that you have certain feelings for SweetGirl that are not reciprocated, and I'm sure that is heartbreaking.  I am sympathetic to the fact that you feel like you were the one who may have been taken advantage of here.  I have no doubt that SweetGirl has said and done things that are infuriating and frustrating beyond words.  I appreciate any assistance that you have given her, financially or otherwise.

But I don't give a shit.  Your behavior is completely unacceptable.  Let's not even talk about how ridiculous it is for a man your age to be acting this way.  If you ever, ever speak to her like you have been doing, or threaten her again in any way, I will call the police.  I will call everyday.  I will come out there and make your life miserable, in every single legal way possible.  This is the worst possible situation for you- a woman who went to law school, at home with four children and nothing but time.

Stop calling her.  Stop texting her.  Stop Facebooking her or her friends.  Stop blackmailing her.  Stop trying to see her.  She does not want to see or talk to you again.  You will get your keys back when she gets around to it.

You seem to think that SweetGirl is all alone in the world, and because of that, you can treat her however you want.  That is just not the case.  Whether or not she is strong enough to stand for herself, we are here to stand for her.  

You gambled and lost on this one buddy.  Take it like the grown-up you're supposed to be and leave her the hell alone.

Shannon O'Dell Wenzel

P.S.  Stop threatening to tell me all SweetGirl's deep dark secrets.  I don't care.  You can't shock me.  I know her worst qualities and I love her anyway.  That's what love is.  I am 100% certain that everyone else in her life feels the same way.

See now, I told you that I'm not that nice of a person.  Half of you are probably surprised, and the other half not at all.  But if you are a man thinking about being abusive to one of my girls, my friends, my sisters, my niece, you should probably think twice (although I'm thinking that my niece's daddy has her covered with a lot more than an email).

And on that note, Happy Friday!  Go out and have fun!  Try not to abuse women.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Do you want some yummy homemade bread to go with your jam?  Of course you do!  If your man was impressed with the jam, he will propose for sure when he sees this.  It's Engagement Bread!  (Raise your hand if you remember Engagement Chicken).  (If you're already married with kids, nothing you do will impress him very much after watching childbirth, but at least he won't be wondering what you did all day.  And I guarantee he'll be very very happy).

This is the bread I make almost every week, as "everyday" bread, for breakfast or snacks or toast, or with soup or salads for dinner (supper to all you country girls).  I don't love this for sandwiches, except PB&J.  I always triple this recipe- one for now, one for the freezer, and one for Grandpa.  (This is Grandpa Leland's very favorite).

It  is not heavy like some wheat breads can be, because it is half white flour.  And I promise it is easy.  This is the first yeast bread I ever made, and it has NEVER failed for me.  Never.  You can do this!

Confession time: this is not my recipe.  (Let's be honest here- none of these are actually my recipes).  I originally found it at Tammy's Recipes.  She has a really great blog for simple, frugal, good food.  A couple of her recipes are things that I now make on a regular basis (try the Italian Cheese Bread or Best Ever Waffles).  If you want to read more detailed instructions, reviews, and variations for this bread, head on over there.

I make this in my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and regular bread pans because I don't have a bread machine, but there are instructions for that too, over at her site.  You could also do this by hand, if you want to feel like a real pioneer woman.

Okay, ready?  Here we go!

Kitchen Equipment: Mixer, measuring cups, large bowl, kitchen towel, bread pan, oven, cooling rack

Wheat Bread

Ingredients: 

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F- I just let the water heat up until hot and call it good)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Instructions: 

1. Combine first six ingredients in mixer fitted with dough hook.  Mix on low just to combine.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead in the mixer (I use speed 3 or 4) until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes.  I usually knead until the dough becomes a ball on the hook and kind of cleans the sides of the bowl.  If that never happens, add more flour by the tablespoon until it comes together more.

This a terrible picture, but this is pretty much what it looks like when I stop kneading.

3.  Place dough in a greased bowl (I use about 1T canola oil, but it doesn't matter.  Anything is fine), turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

This is what it looks like when I first put it in the bowl and flip it over.

This is what it looks like after rising 40 minutes.

4.  After 40 minutes or so, punch dough down.  Flour your countertop and knead by hand for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf.  I use the envelope method (see pictures and instructions below) to make my loaves.  First, form the dough into a rectangle and dimple it with your fingers.

Dimpled rectangle

Next, fold the left side of the rectangle in about one-third of the way, like you would a letter.

Left side folded in.

Then do the same to the right.  Now take the "letter" and put it with the long side facing you again.  Roll it back and forth a little bit until it stretches out longer.  Then, with the seam side up, repeat what you just did: dimple it with your fingers, fold in the left side, and fold in the right side.  The point here is to make the "skin" or outside layer as taut as possible.

Pinch the seam to make sure it is closed firmly.  If you need to, roll it on the counter again a little bit, until it is long enough to almost touch the ends of your loaf pan.  It's okay if it's not perfect.  It will work anyway.

This is what my dough looks like in the pan, before rising.

5.   Place in greased loaf pan, seam-side down, and cover with your towel. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.

Loaves after rising, ready to bake!

Top view, before baking.  See, not perfect at all.  They didn't rise evenly.  That is okay!

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 27-35 minutes.  My old oven took 27 minutes.  My new one takes 32.  You want to make sure it is done in the middle, so don't pull it too soon.  If loaf starts to get very brown too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

Finished Product!

7.  Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.  You can slice after about 20 minutes.  Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen.  This bread is perfect on the first day, great on the second day, and still good for toast on the third day.  After that, I would use it for French Toast.

You did it!  And isn't it amazing?!

Printable:

Wheat Bread

Ingredients: 

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F- I just let the water heat up until hot and call it good)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Instructions: 

1. Combine first six ingredients in mixer fitted with dough hook.  Mix on low just to combine.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead in the mixer (I use speed 3 or 4) until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes.  I usually knead until the dough becomes a ball on the hook and kind of cleans the sides of the bowl.  If that never happens, add more flour by the tablespoon until it comes together more.

3.  Place dough in a greased bowl (I use about 1T canola oil, but it doesn't matter.  Anything is fine), turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

4.  After 40 minutes or so, punch dough down.  Flour your countertop and knead by hand for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf.  I use the envelope method (see instructions below) to make my loaves.  First, form the dough into a rectangle and dimple it with your fingers.  Next, fold the left side of the rectangle in about one-third of the way, like you would a letter.  Then do the same to the right.  Now take the "letter" and put it with the long side facing you again.  Roll it back and forth a little bit until it stretches out longer.  Then, with the seam side up, repeat what you just did: dimple it with your fingers, fold in the left side, and fold in the right side.  The point here is to make the "skin" or outside layer as taut as possible.  Pinch the seam to make sure it is closed firmly.  If you need to, roll it on the counter again a little bit, until it is long enough to almost touch the ends of your loaf pan.  It's okay if it's not perfect.  It will work anyway.

5.   Place in greased loaf pan, seam-side down, and cover with your towel. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 27-35 minutes.  You want to make sure it is done in the middle, so don't pull it too soon.  If loaf starts to get very brown too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

7.  Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.  You can slice after about 20 minutes.  Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen.  This bread is perfect on the first day, great on the second day, and still good for toast on the third day.  After that, I would use it for French Toast.

Food for a Farmer 4/25 and 5/1

Every week during planting and picking I make sack lunches for the guys at the farm.  Like I said, they prefer basic food, so you won't find any gourmet ideas here.  But if you're trying to feed a bunch of hungry men, maybe you'll find this interesting.  (Really, I just want to keep track of what I've made for the future to avoid repeating too often).  I follow the basic pack-a-lunch formula that I'm sure you all remember from childhood: sandwich, chips, fruit or veg, and something I baked.  They grab whatever drink they want from the farm fridge.  I try to make the lunches big, because the men often only eat one meal per day.  Ideally, they can stretch these into two meals.

So.  Week of 4/29:

Italian Deli Subs

Chips

Carrot Sticks and Ranch Dipping Cups

Brian's Buffalo Cookies

Baby Ruth bars

Week of 5/1:

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Chips

Green Apples

Mini Snickers

(No baking this week because all the kids were sick).

If you have great, portable ideas for things that can be eaten cold, without utensils, while driving a tractor (I'm not kidding, those are the requirements), I would love to hear!

On Expectations

Let's talk about Mother's Day, friends.  Are you all excited?  Are you expecting Hubs to come up with some amazing plan for the day that involves limos and spas and absolutely no work for you?  Are you wondering what beautiful gift he'll be giving you to reflect his deep gratitude for your sacrifices and all your hard work?

You're about to be disappointed.

If it's not your first Mother's Day, you may have been hurt and bitter in the past that it seemed to be just another day, like any other.  You still had to change diapers.  You still needed to cook dinner (and lunch.  And maybe breakfast).  Maybe your husband planned a lunch out at a nice restaurant, but you still had to help restrain the 18 month old during the sure-to-be a three hour lunch.  Your husband may not have brought home the perfect gift.  Or maybe Mother's Day still seems to be about your mother and grandmother, and you wish it were your "turn".  You tend to spend the day feel angry and disappointed.  Why doesn't anyone recognize your hard work?!  Can't you have just one day to be about you?!  You deserve the day off damn it!

Ahem.

Brace yourself, I'm about to say something harsh:
You brought this on yourself.
Yup, I just said it's your own fault.  On Mother's Day.

Of course, you had plenty of help.  We've all seen so much Lifetime TV that we think a Danielle Steel novel is reality.  And the commercials for gifts are just ridiculous.

What we need to do here is manage expectations.  In reality, Mother's Day IS just another day.  A day in which meals will need to be made, diapers will need to be changed, laundry will need to be done, children will need to be trained.  You can expect that you will need to do at least some of that work.  While it would be nice if your husband and family took time out to express their gratitude for all your hard work, what really matters is if you feel appreciated in your day-to-day life.  If you don't, that is a much bigger issue than Mother's Day, and you need to have a serious discussion with your husband.  But if you do know that are appreciated everyday, and these feelings are all about holiday hype, I have some advice:  Mother's Day is another day you get to spend with your family.  You can wreck it for yourself with your hurt feelings, or you can treat it like a normal day and be surprised and happy by anything special that may happen.  It is within your power to make your own day.

Here's two ideas to make things a little better:

1.  Set Your Husband Up for Success
No matter how much we may want them to be, men are not like women in the planning department.  I know you probably already have Father's Day planned out, gift and all.  Good for you.  (Seriously).  But Mother's Day may not even be on his radar.  So TELL him.  Here's how that usually plays out in my house.

Me:  "Honey, what would you like to get your mother for Mother's Day?"
Hubs:  "Mother's Day?  Oh.  When is that?"

Now he's knows it is coming, because I told him.  Simple.  I may also mark it on our family calendar, in case he is feeling forgetful.  Then, when you bring his mom's gift home, he will be reminded again.  (But for goodness sake, make him sign his own card for her.  He is a grown man.  We're keeping expectations low here, not non-existent).

If you are expecting a certain gift, email him the exact link.  (Don't just tell him, he will forget).  Be prepared for him:  A) To just get this and be done (not a surprise gift or anything), or B) Not get this, because he can't wrap his mind around paying that much for whatever it is.  (You can buy it for yourself next week.  Smile and look happy about whatever he picked up at the gas station at 11pm last night).

If he doesn't manage to take your hints and still doesn't do anything nice for you, go ahead and be mad.  (Just kidding).  Remind yourself that you are buying your own gift tomorrow.  When you bring it home, make a joke about the "gift fairy".  As in, "I see the gift fairy was a little late with my Mother's Day gift this year.  Oh well, it is perfect!  Exactly what I wanted!" as you hold up said gift and dare him with your eyes to say anything but "I'm so sorry I forgot Mother's Day.  I am a moron."  (You don't get to joke like this if you just don't like what he gave you-bring it in the house quietly.  The point isn't to hurt his feelings.  It is to make yourself feel better).

2.  Do Something for Someone Else
(This is my standard having-a-bad-day advice, by the way).  Last year I had all of Seth's extended family over for Mother's Day lunch at my house.  I gave them gifts.  I made them a nice lunch.  I tried to make them feel special.  See where I'm going here?  It's a lot more fun when it's not about you.  I tried to show my gratitude and appreciation to people I love.  Often when we are making a nice day for other people, we end up making a nice day for ourselves as well.  At the very worst, after planning and cooking a lunch and cleaning up, you will be too tired to remember your high hopes for a spa day or diamonds.

Mother's Day is just a day like any other, with no power of its own.  The pressure comes from you.  If your husband does something amazing for you, great!  You deserve it!  I will be so happy for you!  But either way, if you manage your expectations, you will be happy.  If you cry and stomp your feet and feel resentful all day, you just ruined what could have been a great day.  Tomorrow, after the holiday hangover has worn off and you go back to your normal life, you will feel silly, and your children will remember that mom was always crabby on Mother's Day.  (If Mother's Day is genuinely important to you, wait until next week, after you cool down, to have a chat with your husband.  Make it clear that even if he thinks it is stupid, this is something he needs to do for you).

I know it can feel like you spend all your time doing things that nobody notices, that you don't even like doing, things that are of no benefit to yourself at all....

But wait.

In the long run, they are going to benefit you.  Every meal you cook, every sock you wash, every project you help with.....every time you control your temper, your selfishness, your exhaustion, you are building a family, a life.  Your life.

This is your Mother's Day gift.  A life blessed by family and children and a marriage and hard work.  A happy life.  And that beats the hell out of a cheap necklace.

P.S.  Are you feeling frustrated after reading this?  You feel like it's so unfair that you don't get a special day, that you would never do this to your husband on Father's Day blah blah blah?

Indeed.

I get it, I do.  I've felt that way too.  But we're big girls now, and we know that fairness has nothing to do with a happy life.  And that is our goal, right?!  Right.

On Homeschooling

First Day of School 2010

Wow, you guys are super curious about homeschooling!  I got a ton of emails and comments, so I am going to try to answer some questions and give you all a clearer picture of how things work around here.

But first, let me just clear up some common misconceptions that I heard.  I am not any more patient, faithful, brave, smart, or rich than anyone else, including you.  If anything, there is less money around my house than there may be at yours.  I did not always know we were going to homeschool.  Neither my husband or I were homeschooled, and we both had great school experiences as children.  I have absolutely nothing against the school system.  Both my mother-in-love and several of my best friends are teachers-excellent teachers, truly.

Before we started, I pretty much thought that only the Duggars, Amish people, or hippies homeschooled their kids, and that they were all pretty much nuts.  I mean....I don't wear long skirts.  I still have a mouth like a trucker (but I'm working on it).  I still let my kids watch TV.  I still like going out for a drink with my girlfriends.  My kids are not super special little angels (well, they are special, but so are yours).  I am not perfect, not even kind of.  We are just a normal family who took a leap of faith and changed our lives.

And to be clear, that is what homeschooling is: a game-changer.  Somehow,  it is one of those decisions that makes you view the world and your life in an entirely different way.  It seems to affect all the decisions that you make after it, until you've woven the threads of your life into this amazing new thing, and it is so much better than you expected.  The longer we do it, the more surely I feel how right it is for families to spend most of their time together, making life and learning one and the same, instead of two separate things.

By having my children at home, we can complete all our academic work together, and still have time to build relationships with family, Daddy, the community, and each other.  We can experience all kinds of group activities, with children and adults of all ages, during the usual school day.  The kids have plenty of unstructured time to build, create, and play.  I can choose to teach my kids our values and answer their many, many questions in a way that reflects our family's beliefs (no matter how different or similar they may be from anyone else's).

ANYWAY.

I am way off track here.  Some of you wanted a more specific idea of our schedule, so here is a pretty average day Monday-Thursday.  (On Fridays we do art and art appreciation, science, and nature studies).  Other days we may have classes, Homeschool Enrichment Day (kind of a co-op), etc.  This is a lot more of a routine, not so much of a schedule by the clock:

Baby up, Mama up.  On a good day, when I get up on time, I have quiet time, read my email, and exercise.  On a not so good day, I get up in time to make breakfast.
Breakfast
Baby to nap, morning chores, sometimes a quick walk outside.
School-seat work* (let's say it is 9 am)
11am: Break time, make lunch
11:30: Lunch, then play-time
12:30: Littlest two sleeping, older two: Read Alouds
1pm: Quiet time for everyone
2:30: Everyone up, snack, TV time (told ya they watch TV)
3:30: Play-time, reading time, art projects, outside etc.
4:30: Get ready for Daddy and dinner.  We usually listen to music while we do this.
5:30 or 6: Daddy home!
6: Dinner and clean-up
7pm: Daddy time for girls, Mama puts baby to bed
8:30: Bedtime for girls

*So what gets done during seat work?  Everyday, Olivia, 5, completes the following subjects:
Language Arts: this is usually some kind of writing.  Writing letters to people, composing stories and little essays, etc.
Handwriting
Phonics Lesson/Learn to Read.  Olivia also usually reads a book to me during this time.
Grammar
Math
History (twice/week)

Amelia is working on a letter of the week curriculum.  Both girls are using the same Core from Sonlight, so she participates in all the same Read Alouds and activities at her own level.

During Read Aloud time, we are usually working from several books at one time, as dictated by our curriculum (Sonlight).  Many of the books are chapter books or short story books.  Others are the Bible, poetry, science, picture books, social studies, etc.  All of these are "living books" instead of textbooks.  (If you are looking for great books to read with your kids, I highly suggest that you take a look at Sonlight's website. (Full disclosure: that is my referral link.  Use it and get $5 off your first order of $50).  It is divided up by age or grade, and the reading suggestions are phenomenal.  You can buy the books themselves either from Sonlight, or Amazon, or get them at the library).  Besides the books assigned by the curriculum, the girls and I are usually reading another chapter book before naptime and bedtime.  I choose these based on what I like, or what the girls are interested in.  Choices have included all the Little House books, Charlotte's Web, Boxcar Children, Little Women, Junie B Jones, etc.

I will do another post on all the curriculum we have used and what we are planning on using next year, but hopefully this will give you an idea of how our days flow and what we are up to, and what we love about homeschooling.

And the kids, what do they love about homeschooling?:
Olivia: "Math.  I mean, that we get to be with each other, instead of just having a teacher."
Amelia: "I'm reading a book right now.  What sound does this letter make again?"

That is verbatim what they said.

STILL have questions?  Have at it in the comments, or email me.

Winner!

Thank you all so much for your support and kind words.  I really appreciate it!

Olivia chose the winner of our giveaway this morning from 34 entries, and the winner is.....................................

Sarah Leahy!

Email me Miss Sarah, and tell me if you would like a digital or plastic gift card, and to which charity you would like me to send the $15.

Thanks everyone for becoming a follower!  Happy Monday!