Uncomfortable….. Things that make me?

 

Let me start of by saying I am a big night owl.  BIG!

I could stay up until all hours of the night and sleep. all. day. EASY.

However I have these little people who live with me and wake up before the afternoon, (Can you believe it?) therefore I must get up and moving in the mornings no matter how late I stay up. 

I was going to write about how uncomfortable I am when people show up at my door before 10 am and it is obvious I am just waking up, but now as I write this, I realize what really makes me uncomfortable is…..

Getting up in the morning. 

Yep, that’s it! 

This is part of the

 

Just a little note:

I wrote this post last night. LATE! 

My Life Story in 206 words.

 

 

I was born in Utah, moved to Colorado at a very young age.  My parents got a divorce and I moved back to Utah with my mom in  first grade,  moved back to Colorado with my dad in 9th grade, moved back to Utah in 10th grade.  I still live in Utah.  I had my first child at the age of 18.  Got married to a guy I knew much of my life (not the father of my first)  had my second child at the age of 20. Bought my first house.  Sewed my wild oats. Got divorced, age 22. I have always had and still have an amazing relationship with my ex husband.  Sewed some more wild oats.  Eloped to Vegas with a guy I knew only a month – to the day – age 23.  Been happily married to him ever since.  We had 2 more children.  Bought and sold 2 houses.  We made an incredibly brave decision to move over 200 miles away from anyone we knew for a job.  Now we rent and can’t wait to buy again.  We decided to homeschool when my oldest was in 3rd grade and have never looked back!   I love being a mom and a wife.

 

This is part of the Blog Every Day in  May challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

Hey God, I’ve Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I’m Gonna Throw UP!!

 

~GIVEAWAY~

I am sure you have heard the Bible story of Jonah and Whale, but have you heard the whales side of the story?

We were just sent Hey God, I’ve Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I’m Gonna Throw UP!! 

Written by Troy Schmidt

Illustrated by Cory Jones

This book shares the whales side of the story in a fun, entertaining way.  We had so much fun reading this book.  This book helps the story be even more memorable.  It discusses how both Jonah and The Whale had to be obedient to God. 

The eye catching illustrations throughout the book are so cute! 

The end of the book has a Parents Guide with fun suggestions to do with your children to help them realize how hard this must have been for Jonah and The Whale. 

There are suggestions of things to read, think and do. 

Watch for other similar titles like this too.

Hey God, I've Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I'm Gonna Throw Up!

Brought to you by B&H Kids, Available May 1, 2013.
This book is just $9.99 and will entertain you and your kids!  Available here.

 

Website:  http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/books/products.asp?p=9781433679643

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/troyeschmidt 

 https://www.facebook.com/bhpublishing?fref=ts

Twitter: @troyeschmidt

About the Author:
Troy Schmidt has writing and video production credits ranging from assignments with Disney (The Mickey Mouse Club) and Nickelodeon to Max Lucado's Hermie franchise. He is currently the lead writer for The American Bible Challenge hosted by Jeff Foxworthy on the Game Show Network. Troy and his wife have three sons.
The series:  This is just the first in a series!  Other books available include Hey God, Can You Stop the Rain so I Can Get off Noah's Smelly Ark? and Hey God, I'm Having an Awful Vacation in Egypt Thanks to Moses!

So for the fun to begin I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!!

To enter just leave a comment telling me you want to win.  Be sure and leave an email address where I can get ahold of you!  This contest will end May 12th and the winner will be notified May 13th. 

 

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

F is for Family

 

My family is incredibly important to me.  I am sure yours is to you as well.

Family time is one of the main reasons we choose to homeschool. 

We like to learn what we call Family Style, hence the name of my blog.

Our favorite way to learn and my favorite way to teach is Family Style.  I like when we are all learning together.  Don’t get me wrong we do some subjects individually.  Math, Reading, Language and then I have the older kids in a much higher level science.  I always include my younger kids in any experiments they are doing.

We also do history together. I do a read aloud living book.  We also do other family activities.  In fact, each day we take the afternoons and do family subjects. 

One of my favorite sayings is

“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun!”

You planned, now what?

Let’s say, you spend your entire Sunday night lesson planning for the following week.  You have everything planned out, a schedule in place, all the supplies you need (you think), and you are feeling really good.  Great, in fact, like this next week is going to be amazing.  I mean just look at those pretty plans.  You, my friend, are going to get so much done! 
It’s Monday morning, you have kept your plans realistic, so you aren’t starting school at some crazy early hour like 9 am.  No, you plan to gradually wake the children, let them come down to breakfast and get ready for the day {hahahaha}, and you have set an official start time of 10 am. So far things are going good, except for you forgot to plan breakfast, so the kids all decide on something different, bagels for one, cut fruit for another, one more wants cereal and the baby wants waffles (for every meal).   Fine, since you want this week to go so well with attitudes and all you decide fine they can all eat what they choose for breakfast.  Then we will start school at 10 am you tell them.
It’s now 9:40 am and you call up to the kids, “20 Minutes” then come on down to get started.  That is when the fighting starts,
“She’s taking to long in the bathroom”,
“If he would quit bugging me I would have been done by now.”
“Uh Oh, Mom, I spilled juice all over the floor!
One of the girls remains quiet.  You go to make sure she knows, only to discover she has gone back to bed!  UGHHH! 
You will not give up hope yet, after all you spent so much time and effort planning!  You left some wiggle room, you do know your family, after all.
This can still work, will it really matter if you start school a few minutes late?
10:30 rolls around and you finally see all children in the same room.  You have already started the 2nd grader on her morning book work,  You have the baby occupied doing puzzles and the older boy has begun his copy work and is moving on to math.  You are feeling pretty good.  Then you realize you are still missing a child.
“Hmmm, where could she be, I know I woke her up TWICE!!”
You go up and check, sure enough she is still in bed!!
You ask her why?  What made her so tired today?  She informs you about how she stayed up so late reading.  She begins to tell you all about the book she is in.
You decide to let it slide, since she was up reading.  You let her know she has 20 minutes to begin her morning independent work or else!
Heading back downstairs you find that the 2nd grader instead of doing her math is now doing puzzles with the 3 year old.  Fine, they are getting bonding time.
“I need to get this breakfast mess cleaned up!”
By the time you get much of the mess cleaned up it is now 11.
You get the 2nd grader back on task by having her read a simple picture book to her little brother while you listen and switch out the laundry (which you left off your wonderful plan!)
Finally!!!  Ms. Sleepyhead is up!  You make sure she gets started right away on her morning independent work. 
Hmmm, where is the 8th grader.  He is supposed to be doing his independent work. 
You go find him, in his room, working.  You think, “I wonder if he heard me coming, or if he was working the entire time?”  You may never know!
Now you spend some time reading aloud a silly chapter book to the two younger kids until it is time to start lunch!  YES!!! This was on the plan.  You do a little WHOOP WHOOP, in your head of course. 
You make an amazing lunch of macaroni and cheese with ham and broccoli.  You know casserole style.  At lunch you read a One Minute Mystery and discuss it while you are all eating.  Ahem, also on the plan!
After lunch, you do a family quick clean.  (Yep, on the plan, things are looking okay!)
After the clean you decide to do your family subjects; history reading and science experiments. 
You read aloud a chapter from Sacagawea.  Sometime during the reading that baby heads upstairs to play with toys.  (mmmhmmm, plan!)
You all move around the table, ready for science.  The kids begin reading while you gather the simple supplies needed.  Like a paper cup, a rubber band, some index cards…
“Wait, who used all the paper cups?  I bought those specifically for this science!” 
You decide you can improvise with plastic disposable cups you find in the back of the pantry. 
“Ok, your behinds are saved. I think these will work.”
Yea, NO, they don’t.  They are much to big and they crack to easily when the pressure that you need to apply is applied. 
“Fine!  Do you guys understand what this experiment is trying to teach you?  Do you see how this could have worked?”
They say they do.  You hope they really do. 
The baby has joined you sometime in all this.  It is nearing 3 pm and you decide it is time for a break. 

You begin to play outside with the kids.  (not on the plan, but it’s okay!)
You hear a scream!
You go running in the house!
Your 8 year old is crying, you try to figure out what is wrong. 
“What?  Where did you get hurt?  What is going on?”
Between sobs you get out of her that her butterfly cage with the butterflies she has been raising for the past 6 weeks was tipped over and it’s not looking good. (NOT ON THE PLAN!)
You run upstairs and sure enough, tipped and the feeder leaked everywhere.  4 of the 6 butterflies did not survive what is now known as the butterfly massacre. 
The 3 year old comes and says “Whoops, sorry.” as you are cleaning up the mess.  Ah ha, a confession.  That’s what he was doing. 
After cleaning out the cage, and letting the survivors know how sorry you are, you go back outside.   Then the neighborhood kids begin to come out to play.  You decide to head back in the house and switch that laundry again!  (yes, on the plan!)
Your husband arrives home from work and wants to go to the store right then.  You would love to go with him, so you do.  (nope, not on the plan)
You head out to the one store in your small town, you look “real nice”.  Real nice as in sweats and frizzy bun hair and no makeup. (betcha know what store I went to, huh?)
Of course, we run into someone he knows.  (NOT ON THE PLAN!!)  You try to act busy and hide.  Not wanting to be seen.  Then they acknowledge you. 
“Hi! How are you doing?”
“Me, uummm, I’m good,  just real busy!”   bye now, you think.
You are done – hungry and just want to go home and hide under your covers of embarrassment.
Your husband gets what he was after and you head home.
You keep your menu plan flexible so you choose a quick and easy dinner for tonight from it. 
While cooking your 3 year old has an accident, in his underwear.  (NOT ON THE PLAN)
You get him upstairs, give him a quick shower and get him in pajamas.  Then the smoke alarm goes off.  You realize you forgot to turn the heat down on the stove.  CRAP!!!
“Honey, let’s just go get something to eat.”
You go to your favorite little Mexican Restaurant and everything is great. 
You come home and get everyone ready for bed and clean up from the dinner you cooked. 
You get the kids in bed. Being quite sure to inform them not to read past 10pm.
You sit on the couch and think, what can I write that has to do with plans failing.
Hmmm. 

You see I know nothing about plans not falling apart.
No matter how hard I try,  life happens. 
Something I have come to realize is that the less I plan, the better off our days actually are.  The more we actually get done, or so it seems.

Click to read more stories about what happens “When Things Don’t Go As Planned”

This post is part of

A little note for you: Not everything in this story is true. Some of it is fictional.  Yea, yea,  that’s it.  : }

E is for Exercise

 

Well, here it is.  It’s that time of year again for me.  I want to be more in shape and healthier.  I don’t know why I don’t feel the same in the winter.  I always tend to eat more fruits and veggies in the spring and summer.  I also have somewhat of a desire to work out.  I have been struggling with that this past little while.

I will start out really great.  Doing about 30 minutes of hardcore – to me – exercise each morning.  Then something comes up and I take a day off. 

One turns into ummmm,  a long time.  Then the cycle starts all over.  I even joined an online exercise support group and they encourage me and let me know that it’s okay to fall.  Just get back up and try again. 

That is what I am here today doing.   

I will begin exercising each day for 20 minutes of focused exercises.

I will exercise 20 out of the next 30 days. 

That has to be doable for me. HASTA!!

Anyone have a routine they recommend? 

Hopefully next week for F I am not writing about Failure!! 

This is linked to:

Check out what others are blogging about for the letter E. 

Sacagawea {an interactive e-book review}

Knowledge Quest is a fairly well know company in homeschool circles.  They are most well known for the vast variety of maps and history resources they offer.  We were lucky enough to be able to use a new product. We received Sacagawea (Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know) Complete PDF e-book.  Ages 10+ ($4.97) Written by Karla Atkins.

Now this isn’t just any old e-book about Sacagawea. This 4 part series has been put together to make one complete book.  The book takes you through the beginning of Sacagawea’s life to her death. This book has interactive links, clear throughout the book.  Many words take you to great websites or pictures or even just descriptions.  This created rabbit trails for us and left my children wanting to know more. 

This 16 chapter book is 112 pages long in iBooks.  The interactive-ness of this book has made it so it has taken us a lot longer to get through then regular books. We only clicked on links that interested us.  It was very convenient to have them there. 

My family did enjoy this book, including my 8 year old.

To see what others think of this check out this post. To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.