Welcome 2014!

I hope you're ringing in the New Year with a BANG!  We are planning a shin dig with my cousin and her littles.  Food, games and fun!  I have had a few quiet moments to do my "planning retreat!" and I've found that it may take longer than just one session, perhaps a planning month is more my style.  I am planning meals (loose meal plans, I've discovered I don't like things to be too set in stone....funny the things you learn about yourself as you get older.) I've thought a lot about my word......My one word goal for 2014 is:

ACT

Are you EXCITED?!?!?!  I really like this word.  It can mean so many different things.  You can ACT appropriately, you can ACT your age, you can ACT when something difficult is thrown your way.  You can ACT up, you can ACT out.  Act, just a smalll simple word yet it's meaning is so deep.  My Jo recently came home from church and showed me a very inspiring video.   "Only a Stonecutter" is a powerful video clip about the faith and persistence of one man.  Regardless of your religious affiliation, his dedication and determination are unlike anyone I've ever met!  I encourage you to watch it!  This is the main reason I chose the word ACT.  In the beginning of the clip the son says that there are two kinds of people in the world those that act and those that are acted upon! ...............WOW!  

I won't give the rest of it away, seriously watch it!! It's AMAZING!  For this reason, I choose to be a kind of person that acts!  I want my children to remember me as the mom who did her best, worked hard and made every moment count. ACT....I want to act on the promptings and stirrings I have to help others.  I often feel the need to call someone or write a letter or drop something off but I neglect these feelings and just let my own busy-ness get in the way.  I want to ACT first, and by doing so I hope to have less busy-ness and more I'm so glad I did's.  Act.....when life get's rough I want to ACT, I don't want to sit idly by or wish I would've done something to make the situation better.  For instance I have been trying so hard to be a morning person, it. just. doesn't. work.  I will keep trying however, but when my night owl is bursting at the seams to get out...I'll let it out and make the most of it.  By doing things that are productive and bettering my self, my family's life, maybe even filling my bucket so I can better serve and do and help those around me.

I don't know about you, but my TO DO LIST keeps growing.... but I'm not going to let that get me down.  I'm going to love that I have stuff that needs done, love that I can keep improving, keep plodding along and making progress.  I WILL ACT in 2014!  In Lieu of pictures....(because my google plus isn't allowing me to upload any at the moment HAHA!) I found a bunch of really cool quotes on my favorite pinning place that are all about ACT!  Enjoy ~

Clam Chowder ~ Yum

I LOVE WINTER!  Okay I think we all have heard enough of that.  But it's not that I love freezing weather in fact I don't really like it when it's -18... No... No ... I don't.  But I love soup and warm mittens and brown paper packages tied up with string... THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!  Okay enough singing.  I truly love the warm foods, the wood burning in our fireplace, snuggling down with a good book and hot cocoa.  I love the very essence of winter!  Plus I love SOUP!  And soup just isn't good when it's 70 degrees outside.

CLAM CHOWDER was calling my name.  In all the eleven years I've been a wife..and mother for that matter, I've never once made clam chowder.  WHY?!  I have no clue, I simply love the stuff but it seemed just too difficult to make.  My mom gave me some canned clams a while back and I needed to use them... so I whipped out my trusty smart phone with my well used pinning app and searched up some 'easy clam chowder' because I thought that easy would be necessary cause it looked difficult :).  BINGO...WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER (or clam chowder).  I found a FABULOUS recipe that was OH SO YUMMY! Even HANK said "this is really good!"  Okay I give him a hard time (rightfully so, he's forever teasing me and I don't know that we've ever had a serious conversation our whole married life...or have we? no one will ever know ha!) but really he is easy to fee, he pretty much eats whatever I make just doesn't usually LOVE it very often.  So the moment he said it was "really good!" I had Jo make him put it in writing.  Yes, I have a piece of paper with his signature stating that the soup I made was "really good!" :) (insert proud wife face here).  I made it for our family cmas party at my parent's house too!  REALLY GOOD SOUP PEOPLE!!!!  So try it out.  I doubled it the first time (we fed 5 people with not very much left over) then I quadrupled it for our party and it was plenty. I adapted it a little as I did not have any bottled clam juice so I just used chicken stock (I did use the clam juice from the canned clams but didn't really count that as it wasn't much.) I also used a lot more cream than they suggest...really it's a very adaptable recipe and very forgiving you can make it as thick or thin as you want and you could add peas or other veggies to it as well.  Enjoy ~  Recipe courtesy of Chef Ron Lock @ chefronlock.com 

Ingredients

• 2 (6-1/2-ounce) cans minced clams, with their juices
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
• 1 cup small-dice yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
• 1 slice thick-cut bacon, finely chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 pound russet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into medium dice
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Sea Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Strain the clams over a bowl. Reserve Juice and set clams aside.
   
   
2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add in the onion and the bacon. Cook, stirring now and then until the fat from the bacon has rendered. 8-10 minutes.
   
   
3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes but do not brown the flour.
   
   
4. Stirring constantly, slowly add the reserved strained clam juice and bottled clam juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the potatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are knife tender, about 15 minutes.
   
   
5. Stir in the cream and reserved clams and return to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Out with the old...

As 2013 comes to a close I reflect on the things I had set out to do.  My "word" for 2013 was Strengthen. Although I did not accomplish all that I thought I would, but I did strengthen many things this year.  I set out to strengthen all areas of my life, my family, my mind, my body, my spirit....I like this 'one word' goal because it is easy to remember and I often found myself thinking about my "word".  I don't know that I accomplished all that I needed to or all that I would've liked, but I did make a great effort to Strengthen the things I could.  My family was strengthened by me spending time with them, teaching them and doing things for and with them, we were also blessed (or maybe it was procrastination HA!) with me taking a little break in school while I got ready for my big test this fall/winter.  It was LOVELY to have a break but it was even sweeter to pass the test (with the exception of the writing part...still waiting on the results)! It is so true that you don't know what you have until it's gone.  My brain NEEDED a break! I felt my sanity starting to wobble and so the break was welcomed and I read a lot more (things that didn't pertain to school....there is life out there!:))  I was able to focus on things I needed to and was able to get a few little projects done, which is good for the mind and body. But as I dreaded the return of school and all that it entails ....I realized how much I miss it!  I miss studying and writing papers (SICK.... I KNOW!) I miss the interaction I have with classmates and the instructors.  I also feel that when I am pressed for time I generally make the most of the time I have.  School makes me prioritize more and I seem to function better.  2013 was EPIC just as I thought it would be!  We farmed more than we ever have before, we had a baby horse and he's healthy and happy, all three little ones are schooling and loving it, we are experimenting with our "style" of schooling and we love learning how we learn and what we want to learn.  I'd say 2013 was a success!

As we prepare for 2014 which brings a new start, new goals and new plans....we begin with what we know will happen: I will start school again the first week of January, Hank will have more land to farm, we will continue to homeschool.  Those things we know are certain!  Recently I read a blog post from somewhere in blog land that had a new year planning retreat......what a great idea!! This retreat includes YOU yourself, a quiet place where you will not be interrupted, something good to munch on and something warm to drink, a pad of paper and pen.  I have a goal to DO this planning session, whether it be 2 days after the new year or today!  I will make this happen! I think planning is such a great thing, goals are so great and they help us to realize what is most important to us.  I want to make plans for being productive, make plans for my new "word" (stay tuned....it's a good one), make plans for homeschooling, make plans for serving, make plans for creating and make goals for where I want to be next year.  I use to look as goals as something I didn't want to make because at the end of the year... when I had forgotten my goals.....I would just feel discouraged but if I have a plan and a few good motto's/words that I know I want to work on, they will constantly remind me of what I want and what I am working towards.  Goals aren't suppose to be depressing they are suppose to help us find focus and lead us in the direction we want to go.  Whether we get there in 12 months or in 12 years doesn't matter, it only matters that we keep making progress!

Thinking about this blog, I sometimes write consistently......... then at times I hardly write at all.  I became discouraged about that and thought maybe it was best if I just didn't blog. But then I went back to the reasons I started blogging in the first place:  I love to share my ideas, I love to write, I love to express myself through written word and tend to do so a lot better than I do verbally ;).  So the Blog stays!  I mainly write for my own purpose anyway and if I happen to inspire one or two of you out there along the way that will just be icing on the cake.

So here's to Planning Retreats and new things to come! I hope your 2013 was as EPIC as mine! A big thanks to all those who read my blog once, or always....I'm happy you do!

Simplifying.....just about everything

Simplifying has been on my mind a lot lately.  The fact that we have so much "STUFF" and the fact that our comfy home seems to be overrun with this "STUFF" is a little annoying to me...especially for the past few weeks.  I'm kind of in a weird funk, I feel....OFF somehow, not sure how or why but I feel the need for a major change a major life (or maybe attitude) adjustment.  I bought a great book on simplifying (it was for homeschooling but applies to so much more).  This book truly touched me, I have this need to fill my bucket more, live life instead of "manage stuff" as a friend of mine put it.  With Christmas quickly approaching my desire to buy stuff is GONE, ZILCH, DI-PLEATED, OBSOLETE, NON EXISTENT!  I don't need more "CRAP" "STUFF"!!!  Sorry kids, mom's not going all out this year.  Once upon a time there was a simpler life, a life that wasn't made up of feeling like we were running marathons all day (on conveyor belts that never end), it wasn't made up of how much can we cram into one day, and it wasn't made up of houses full of stuff we don't need.  Now some may like life busy, like the running the doing.........that's cool, that's you, but this mama needs down time.  I need to be a Family, I need to read and listen, I need to clean (I know that's odd, but I do) I want to do a few projects sometimes, I want to enjoy this life!
Some of my fondest memories of my childhood are, going to my great grandmother's house, with her tiny kitchen with ONE drawer full of toys for us to play with.  That kitchen made the BEST food (well the cook did, but it wasn't a fancy kitchen with all the gadgets and quadruple cupboard space) they had no garage yet survived, the washer had to be drug into the kitchen and hooked up to the sink (bet they didn't throw their "mom I tried it on so it's dirty right?" clothes in the hamper)!  My grandma had an end table that was made from a bucket of wheat (food storage) and a glass top, covered with a table cloth and complete with a lamp.  She lived SIMPLY, she was happy, she spent time cooking, canning, making things work for her, and serving others.  I bet every single woman that knew my grandma had a phone call for their birthday! VERY little was EVER wasted.  In fact I remember her washing the wrappers to butter so she could wrap something else in it.  (I use 500 feet of plastic wrap!)

Yes some of these conveniences we have are life savers, some I would not want to do without.  Like, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, my mixer, garbage disposals, etc.  But something in me is dying for SIMPLE, I want to just live and not have all this stuff to wade through.  I'm on a mission!  My to do list on my phone (yeah not wanting to give that little puppy up!) has a new ~Simplify task on it.  One that I have had on for a week and don't plan on EVER checking off.  So far I've gutted my closet (got rid of things that I just don't wear and won't ever, got rid of the things that I say "one day I'll fit into it again", that one day will come but until then I'm loving this body, dressing this me and I'm perfectly okay with that!), I cleaned out a bunch of paper work in the desk.  Not anything HUGE or MAJOR but it's a beginning and I won't finish til my house is "orderly" til things have a place and we can LIVE and not MANAGE (and I probably won't reach that in this lifetime haha!)  Baby steps, baby steps.

My great grandma's house was probably one of my favorite places on this Earth!  The feeling that was there was indescribable, my little granny had time for us, she let us cut bread, peel apples, we worked, we made memories and we did it with so much less than we have now.  We did it simply, we lived, we let life get in the way and it didn't mess up our schedule or our long list of "get there, go here's".

As a homeschooling mom I know my kids need ME!  With that said we let life teach us a whole lot.  Yeah that unschooling stuff is REALLY rubbing off on me :) (AND I LIKE IT... Shhhh!).  I need to be there to help them with their stuff (mentally there), I'm famous for saying..."just a minute" and an hour later I arrive to help them.  I need to not be sorting through junk mail, or trying to find the counter, or folding MOUNDS of laundry ALL. THE. TIME.  So perhaps a little scheduling and a little.....eeeekk..... going to bed ontime and waking up earlier is going to be needed.  But, I really like the night owl life!!!!  If we are burning the candle mine burns a HECK of a lot better at midnight than 6am!  This simplifying life might have to teach me some knew habits, and break some very old ones.

Life isn't like it was back when my grandma made mush and eggs and bacon every morning, but my goal is to find that balance between the modern conveniences that make this day and age so AWESOME and the little white house that I so dearly loved!  There is a balance, a middle ground of finding a place for my "stuff" (or chucking it..... hey! There's a thought!) and allowing those conveniences that truly make life easier to have a place too! So here's to Simplifying! However and whatever that may be for you ~ Simplify away!!!

:)

Soup's on!

Potato Gnocchi (organic from Target) 

Have I mentioned that I LOVE FALL!  Okay I may get a bit giddy when Fall arrives.  No I 'm not a summer fan.  Don't get me wrong I love the green grass and the fact that we can spend time outside, but let's be honest after 80 degrees it's just too hot!!  I'm a spring, fall, winter fan!  But Fall is my all time FAVORITE! Especially because of the fact that we get to eat SOUP again!  Yes, I am aware they make (or you can) soup all year.  But eating soup when it's 80 degrees outside just IS NOT okay with me.

I love soup!  Most any kind of soup!  Chicken noodle, Beef Vegetable, Beef and Barley, Ham and bean, Clam Chowder, and I really love any kind of soup from the Olive Garden!  I found some recipes on my favorite Pinning location HAHA! And so I made Chicken Gnocchi soup!  OH HEAVEN HELP ME!  It was to DIE for! I even used the organic roasted chicken I made!  Yeah I was feeling very domestic :)  So here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 14 ounce can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 pound potato gnocchi

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil, over medium heat when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
• 2
  Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
• 3
  Into the roux add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings, simmer until soup is heated through.

Source: copycat recipes

             

Sauteing

SOUP~!

Now that you have it you may want to eat it alone.......in the dark.............where no one can find you!

Weekends

Sometimes, not very often, but every once in a blue moon we Weekend it up!  Meaning we spend a lot of quality time as family doing the things we all LOVE to do.  It might not be "fun" to the average person but it makes our Heart's Sing and keeps us closer together and helps us Strengthen our relationships.

She loves Crow!

This particular weekend we saddled up the horse and took turns riding him.  His name is Crow and he is super TALL! He's a cool horse, he even knows how to lay down so you can get off and on of him easily :).... (I know you're wishing he was you're horse huh?)

We also went up to the mountain ground and looked for the cows.  They were coming home soon so we needed to locate them and see if we could account for all 51 of them.  Not all of them are ours but we still have to keep track.

Two Cute cowgirls counting the herd

We found some cool scratches in the Aspen tree's where a Bear had climbed up!  SWEET!!!

And that's how we Weekend!  We love it, we love it, we love it, we do!  How do you weekend? 

Roasted Chicken

I love this rotisserie chickens you buy at the store.  You know the one's that have been sitting for hours under the heat lamp.  The one's that are probably made from hormone injected chickens.  I don't love that part!  I just love that it's DONE, it's prepared and all I have to do is shred and eat or add it to whatever we are eating.  I love that they are tender and their flavor is good.  So I found some Organic, yes ORGANIC, whole chickens on sale for $5.00 each!  So I snagged two up and thought I'd give this whole chicken thing a whirl.  Now they weren't rotisserie but they were roasted :)!  I found the recipe, yep Pinterest, DUH!  You can also find it here.   My chickens were a little larger than the recipe, and I may have forgot to put them in the oven at 3:00 when I had planned to.  Due to husband errands and laundry, they got in the oven at 6:30......which meant I was waiting up til 11:30 pm to get them out.  Oh but no!  They were larger you see and ended up getting done at 2:30 AM!  WOWSERS!  I would recommend starting sooner than that ;)

Don't they look LOVELY?!

The end result was Fantastic!  I used them in some tacos, sandwiches, soups, etc. They were moist and fell off the bone and had great flavor.  The onion in the chicken did a lot of good too and the rub was great!  I will totally be doing this again!

Give Me Food......and FIVE Kids Please!

So, I've been thinking a lot about this Blog and about what I want out of it and what I want it to be about.  I don't really just want to be a Homeschool blogger, because, yes Homeschooling is a HUGE part of our lives or is it, our lives are  HUGE part of Homeschooling?  Do you see the dilemma? Homeschooling is life it's what we do everyday 24/7 not just the "school" hours.  Learning happens each day whether we planned it and studied it or whether we took our 79 year old grandmother to lunch for the afternoon.  It's all life, it's all learning and everything is incorporated in it.  We are REAL people, we have good days, bad days, food days, no food days (only when I decide cold cereal sounds better than actually cooking something), sad days and exuberant days! Which made me think more about what I blog, and really I just want to blog about EVERYTHING, recipes, homeschooling, things I love, things I hate don't love.  Blah blah blah!  So with that, I'm just gonna be me and Blog about whatever makes my heart happy or sad or hungry at any particular time. This post....Happy Heart, Hungry Heart! :)

This past Saturday we had breakfast as a family!  I know, you're thinking..."Okay, that's really Cool... not!" but it really is, we have 5 kids, 2 of whom don't live with us all the time, you know they think school and jobs are all important and stuff, so we don't get to see them as much as we once did, or as much as we'd like to!  Saturday morning I made breakfast and all SEVEN of US sat and consumed it TOGETHER!  AHHH nothing makes a Mama's heart happier than having all her children together and enjoying something.

TRUE LOVE!

And to go along with our MAKE IT MONDAY theme ~ Here is what we MADE to eat!
We had overnight french toast with caramel syrup and Ham cups, and OJ don't forget the OJ!  Delicious, delightful and the perfect way to start a Saturday!  We are going to start planning at least monthly meals together, as they each get bigger it seems harder to get them all together, so making time now and planning things is important to me, (I think this is what they call a TRADITION :)).....and them! :)

All ready for the overnight refrigeration! 

And there you have it!  Food and Family....NEED I SAY MORE?!

What do you like to do with your kids? What TRADITIONS do you have?

Be Kind ~ Speak Kind

      This past weekend I've been very reflective.  Well that's not anything new, I'm often lost somewhere in "deep" thought, or thinking about things that matter most to me.  But this week marks the 3rd anniversary of my Grandpa passing away (right, weird that it's an anniversary, but he lived across the street from me and....we had a pretty good relationship he and I), it's also my most favorite time of the year.  I love FALL! I love the happiness it brings to my heart and soul and the chilly air.  I love wearing long sleeves and boots and being able to throw on a hoodie and jeans and not roast to death.  I love fire's and pumpkin smells and comfort food and falling leaves and EVERYTHING that Fall is.  With that, and my "reflective" mood, my 5 kids being under one roof for breakfast, a friend's trials, my grandmother aging and........life changing.  I find myself in tears a lot, for the changes mean I too am changing, my kids are changing my role as a mother to babies is gone and I now have a daughter who could very easily make me a grandmother in a few short years (not that I'm pressing the issue, but that it could be reality), my youngest is 5 and still a little girl but things are changing.  I'm not sad that they are changing, just reflective of what life brings, how short (yet long it seems sometimes) each season of life is.  How much we learn and grow from different things, the trials we think will surely do us in, yet we look back and they have made us who we are.
                                                

      The lesson at church today was on words, how words can lift us up or bring us down.  How what we choose to say can make someones day, change their lives, motivate them, cause them heartache or perhaps break their spirit.  I love words! I love writing and sometimes when relationships have been rough I have found a pen in my hand and words flying onto the page so I could say what I needed to say and express what I needed to express without my emotions getting in the way, or my train of thought getting lost. Some of those words get crumpled up and thrown away as a release of some sort, and some have been gently placed on a pillow or tucked under the door of someone I love.  Some of my fondest possessions are letters from my mother, or notes from my husband, a letter one Christmas when I was given my mother's ring is probably as priceless as anything I own.  These words that I keep are words of love, words of encouragement of thankful hearts.  As I reflect on the words I hold dear to my heart I am reminded of the words I speak each day.  Yet, do these words always build up? Or do they tear down at times?

      Sometimes it's hard to decipher if you are hurting or helping someone, some people take constructive criticism well and work to better themselves and to see the potential that you see in them, others take it as a blow and feel completely defeated, perhaps never recovering from it fully.  As a mother I struggle to find the balance of words that help and words that hinder.  The words that encourage and the words that set a mark so high that they don't think they'll ever measure up so they quit trying.  The words as a wife that build up, show love and appreciation and encourage, and the words that deplete and "push buttons".  In my Quest to Strengthen, Kindness and speaking kindly is something I will probably be forever attempting  to master.  But, if each day I can think before I react, listen before I speak, and ponder before I pray.....one day I will be there!.  But for now I am challenging myself to complain less, to smile when I'm weary and my day has been too long, to say "yes" to more stories, cuddles, walks, talks, moments to be together, and "not right now" to the piles of laundry, the projects I want to finish or the books I long to read.  I want to be present in this day, be kind, be patient, be loving, I want to speak kind of everyone I meet, find goodness in everything I see and try my best to be better at all that I am and all that I will be.  I hope to speak words of encouragement, love,compassion and kindness to my family and friends, I hope to give strength to those who need it, to do good to those I serve and to help those who need help.  This year as I've worked on strengthening .......I've felt myself grow and become a better me, a stronger me and yet a more tender me. I hope to keep growing, changing and loving ALL the seasons of life that make me who I am.  I hope to be kinder, to speak with purpose and to hold my tongue at times (which some days.......needs to be done A LOT!).  I am not perfect, far from it, but my quest to be so is an interesting one, one that's brought me here, one that moves me forward, one that I truly love and am thankful for each day!  Remember one thing as you go about your week.........Be Kind!

                                       

Thanks for reading~ and remember I'd love to hear about your Quest's your triumphs and your learning moments :)

pictures found on this post were found on www.pinterest.com with no link to their source.

Floppy Chicken

So funny story, well I guess it didn't start out funny, but luckily it ended that way.  One Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago Buckwheat tells me his neck hurts and he isn't moving it like normal, kind of like he slept on it wrong.  I asked him why it hurt and he showed me this LUMP on his neck.  It wasn't like a bump or a bite or anything, it felt like he had somehow managed to get a large marble stuck under his skin.  My first reaction was "WHAT IS THIS!!!"

My second reaction was to call my mom....which is usually the much more logical thing to do HA!  My brother researched it on his phone and it said it could be a swollen gland or cancer or you know just about anything under the sun.  Don't research your symptoms on Google you will think you are going to DIE at any given moment!!!  So after some filtered searches and some discussions with those wiser than myself I decided that the best thing was to probably have it checked out so I could sleep soundly and so that if it was in fact something to be concerned about, then we could take the steps necessary.   So the next day we went to the doctor.  They were a little puzzled, not shocked or too concerned but they were stumped that it was only on one side of his neck and not both sides.  The doctor told us that we could have an ultra sound to make sure it wasn't anything to be too concerned about, but then she said we should probably do a blood sample first and if it came back with anything of concern then we would do an ultra sound or whatever needed to be done.  I was glad she was so informative and that we were taking baby steps to get the true answers not jumping into worst case scenario stuff right away.

If any of you know me very well you know that blood, needles or anything of that nature just don't sit well with me.  (Yes I did have children and I even had them C-section ~ Fancy that!)  So I put my brave MOM face on and thought "You got this, he's a little BOY, you can't freak out now!"  Buckwheat was a LOT little nervous.  We don't really go to the doctor a lot and now they wanted his BLOOD?! He asked how they would get the blood out and I told him it would come from his veins and he melted into a puddle on my lap.  I quietly calmed him down and he very bravely asked "How much of my vein do they have to cut out mom?"  "OH NO Sweetheart they aren't cutting your veins out!"  I must not do a good job of explaining things to this brave little guy!  I told him they would poke a small needle and suck the blood out and that he wouldn't even be able to really see the hole.  He felt much better knowing that we wouldn't be slitting his arms open to remove his VEINS!!!  Then the assistant came in with the blood sucking equipment :)  I informed the assistant that I "get a little queasy with blood so I'll just sit behind him on the table and hold his hand"  the assistant smiled a little and watched me climb up behind Buckwheat so I could hold his hand but not have to look directly at what they were doing.  Jo quickly went to the waiting room as she was having NONE of this!  I tried to bribe Peanut into going with her but she wouldn't budge.  The assistant started inspecting Buckwheat's arms to find a "good vein".  Peanut was sitting across from us and looked at me and then started yelling "MY BROTHER IS GOING TO DIE!!!"  The assistant busted up laughing!  I was laughing trying to get Peanut to stop telling people her brother was dying and that he would be just fine!  I'm sure the assistant thought we were NUTS!

They poked the needle in and I held Buckwheat's right hand with my left and we looked at pictures on the opposite wall, trying to talk to him so he didn't concentrate on the needle.  He started giggling from Peanut's crazy antics and the vein closed off.  So round two!  The assistant goes and fetches the doctor so he can have a little help, and because the veins of a 7 year old just aren't that great for drawing blood.  They tied his arm, this time they used the right hand vein (ouch I hate the hand veins!) I put my arm around Buckwheat's neck because I couldn't hold his right hand anymore.  I held him and we started talking about different things. I tried to block out the conversation the doctor and assistant were having (because I'm visual I just can't shake those kinds of things LOL!) the blood was pumping so slowly it was taking FOREVER and poor Buckwheat was trying to hold still and the needle in his hand vein HURT, so the poor kid was being so tough!  After about 2 minutes .....which seemed like 10, the assistant said that the vein had collapsed because the suction was too strong for the vein...... I felt myself go warm..... I looked at the clock ........concentrate Kyndra concentrate.  No NO NO you're fine it's all going to be okay, Stay here, right ..................

"Mom, mom........are you okay?...........What's your mom's name?" I barley heard the voices.  "Kyndra" Buckwheat replied.   "Get him off the table," the doctor stated.  I slowly came to.  I felt the doctor push me back on the table and I saw the flashlight in my eyes.  "Are you okay?"  she said again.  "Yeah, I think so," I said.  Yep, I passed out!  Right over the top of my son with the needle in his hand.  He told me I fell on him, hit my head on the wall, did the floppy chicken with my tongue hanging out and my eyes in the back of my head.  LOL!  Oh the poor kid thought his mom was dying!! The assistant was trying to get the needle out of my son's hand and get him off the table.  The nurse was trying to keep me on the table (bless her heart).  I laid on the table, completely embarrassed and still dizzy and hot flashy from the fainting spell.  After a few minutes I sat in the chairs and My Brave little man had to get his blood drawn a THIRD TIME,  ALL BY HIMSELF!  And now we know that I honestly can't do it, not that I don't' want to be there but I just can't! :)  And we learned that a 7 year old is a WHOLE LOT BRAVER than his mama or he thought!

Oh, and it turns out it was a swollen gland.  It wasn't anything crazy and went away in a few days with some antibiotics.  Now we have a great story, and the knowledge that I need to call Sue my Oldest since she has medical training, or a friend  when a doctor springs a blood draw on anyone (including myself) HA HA!

Living Planet Aquarium

Our first field trip of the year was spent at The Living Planet Aquarium , we've been here a couple times before, but just can't seem to get enough.  The ocean life for one, is something very different to our remote little farm town and to our state for that matter.  The fact that this aquarium let's you TOUCH things is such a cool bonus that we try to visit at least once a year.  We went with some friends this time and our Uncle (my youngest Bro. who was home schooled as well).  It was so fun to see, hear, touch and explore and be with people we think are pretty cool!  

Sea Turtles are our FAVE!

Jo scoping out some creepy crawlies

Buckwheat can't TOUCH enough, it's how he LEARNS :)

Yep He's Cool Like that!

Did those shades just retract? (Gasp) 

JAWS

Peanut

REACHING to feel the Manta Ray 

 

Under the tree, out back

      My kids have a super boring Mom!  I like things done a certain way, I like to teach inside at the table with my supplies, and I like them to all listen, and answer questions, and to........... BE STILL!  Yes it's that visual learner in me and the commotion my kinesthetic learners want to display can make me have to take very         slow         deep            breaths        alll            day                 long.  :) But with a new year comes new habits and this mom is trying to become FUN and step outside of the box. So the other day we were sitting in the kitchen working on our school stuff,  and all the sudden I said (ME!  It was my OWN idea!) "Do you guys want to do this outside?"  They all stopped and starred at me and then began jumping for joy, whooping and hollering!  We grabbed our white board, marker, books, binders, a blanket and ...........an  umbrella.  Yep it was looking a little overcast and getting wet really wasn't in my "outside of the box" mentality (baby steps, baby steps).  So out we went to learn about God and trees, and how knowledge is all tied together.  Right there under our own tree in our own backyard with a little sprinkle and the kids being so excited I thought they would burst!  That was our experience the other day and it was one I don't think I will ever forget!  The memories we are building, the light bulbs going off in their little brains, their laughter and excitement.........it all makes me love this journey more than I ever thought I would or could!

      The next day ~ no we didn't do school outside, but we did eat lunch under that same tree with the same umbrella because it was indeed sprinkling again.  And the kids played and I took a little nap and listened to them giggle in the rain and we just enjoyed being together.  No phone, no distractions, just me and these three little monkeys who are becoming my very best friends and very best friends to each other.

Homeschooling Schedule

All of our homeschool curriculum finally made it's way to our abode this week.  We have been so blessed to find amazing resources and be able to associate with some pretty awesome people as well.  As mentioned before we are using "The Family School" for History, Science, Literature, Music, Art and Geography.  These lessons we teach as a group.  And for the rest: Math, Language Arts and Spanish we are working with Hormony Educational Services. I am AMAZED at what we have been given and the things we will be able to do with it.  Along with the Math and Language Arts (which we are using a program called Odyssey, and we are loving it!) the kids got to choose some electives, Jo chose American Indian's, Sketching and Drawing, and Typing.  Buckwheat chose Rosetta Stone Spanish (Ok, Mom may have chose this for him so we all can use it :)), Dinosaurs, and Chemistry kit.  Peanut chose a Cooking kit (which came today and it has AWESOME contents) and a phonics kit.  The boxes arrived via Amazon and we have been on a "Christmas" High this week!  Rolling pins and cook books, cool color matching bowls with measuring spoons and cups, american Indian books and figures, colored pencils and chemistry kits......maybe we could skip Christmas......? Ha!  We started the week off with a bang!  Here is a breakdown of how our days typically go. We've been waking up around 7, but I need to adjust this a little......we are all NIGHT OWLS!

Yoga
Breakfast
Morning Routine
Copy Work
Reading
Chores
Educational Games
Free Play
Lunch
Family School ~ We focus on one subject a week and rotate.  For example this week we are doing History                             M-TH then next week we will do Literature, then Science then Geography.  We do Music                           and Art on rotating Fridays.
Recess ~ Basically they just need to get their wiggles out
Math/Language Arts
Spanish
Practice Times
Afternoon duties

We usually do actual School work for about 2-3 hours a day which is more than sufficient for our needs.  We can get so much done in that amount of time.  Our school day runs from about Noon til 2 or 3.  Mornings are more dedicated to independent learning and Mom does the things she needs to accomplish.

I am not a scheduled time slot person.  Okay, that's a lie!  I am such a scheduled time slot person, but unfortunately my KIDS ARE NOT!  And if this Mom is going to be HAPPY and HOMESCHOOLING she can't be scheduled to the minute.  I had to let some things go in order to be sane and let the kids be kids!  It has actually turned out well and I am enjoying the "relaxed" feel that we have when we school this way. No more stress about "It's 12:30 and why haven't we started MATH yet?!!?"  those days are over.  In fact the more homeschooling I do the more I envy those who Unschool.  I NEVER thought I could do that, but it may be in our future.......(enter evil laughter here)!

That's our day in a nutshell.  It's working! It's glorious! And the kids are enjoying this year even more than they did the last.

How's school settling in for you?  Are you a scheduled person?

My BIG Surprise!

So my birthday was a few months ago.  Generally we usually play it very low key, we might go out to dinner or something (I'm kind of an introvert and do not like to draw attention to myself especially in public places).  My Hot Hubby usually tells me happy birthday and we might have a few family members over.  Nothing too fancy right!? In all of our almost 11 years of marriage I don't recall ever being surprised by a birthday gift.  Partly because I don't really do the surprise thing, if I want stuff for Christmas or my birthday I usually purchase it myself and wrap it up... yeah I'm a lot of fun eh!? HAHAHA!  This year I was REALLY SURPRISED!  You see Hank bought me something really cool!!! And I had no idea!!!

THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Okay you might be thinking.......you wanted a piece of crap truck?  NO NO NO, it's so much more than that! I've ALWAYS wanted a FORD HIGH BOY!!!! This truck is awesome because I've driven it before! My Best Friend in High School and I would drive this truck, sitting side by side (because it has no power steering) so we could maneuver the truck to go where we needed to go!  THIS was the 2nd best birthday EVER! (Did I mention we got engaged on my 20th birthday? yeah that one takes the cake!!)  Funny story: My brothers were in on this little surprise and so was our oldest son.  So my brother mentioned the surprise to my mom, and my mom.....well let's just say she's not really into vehicles ha!  She asked with a little concern in her voice "Is She going to be HAPPY about this surprise?"  LOL!  My bro's and My hubby knew just how STOKED I would be to have this truck be mine!!!!  YES, we have a lot of work to do, we need new fenders and a tailgate............and an engine.  I want to drive it!!!!!!!!  I know it'd look awesome as a flat bed, I've been told that a hundred times.  But the problem I foresee is that when you go grocery shopping in your pimped out Ford Highboy flatbed you have to tie the groceries down, "Ain't nobody got time for that!" :)  I just want to keep the contents I place in the back, IN the back.  So it will remain a truck bed.  I haven't yet decided on a color, leaning towards a pearl white at this point but the painting is not going to happen anytime soon so we'll save that decision for another day. The best part is, we've had so many people ask about the truck, want the truck and one guy was even willing to give cash right then for the truck!  Hank just smiles and says "That trucks not for sale, it's my wife's"!  AHH!  I love that guy more than he'll ever know!  So this is my Big Surprise and this is my new Truck!

Do you have a favorite surprise story?  Maybe a surprise that was kind of a shocker?

:)

Learning Styles

In my current college class, we are learning about different types of learning styles.  How student's learn and how to address each learning style so that a larger group of student's can benefit from each lesson.  I have often been intrigued with learning styles, as well as love languages(but that's for another post sometime).  Learning styles are so important, especially being a homeschooling mother I find myself drawn to what I would think is the easier and more exciting way to learn, yet it isn't that way for most of my kiddos.  You see Buckwheat has more energy than TIGGER!  

Yes TIGGER the "bouncy trouncy....full of fun fun fun!" Tigger! And I was pretty certain I was more of a visual learner.  Therefore the constant need for movement from my son, (oh and my husband and my oldest daughter) was about enough to make me  NUTSO question my sanity!  I like still, quiet and calm, and they like bouncy,wiggly, and LOUD!  (Well most of the time anyway) So in my class we took a little quiz to see what our learning styles really are, I was right visual was up there at 75% tied with linguistic, but a step above that was intrapersonal at 88%.  Here is what it says about an intrapersonal learning style:

You Are an Intrapersonal Learner

Your mantra: To thy own self be true.

Intrapersonal intelligence has been said to be the road to achievement, learning, and personal satisfaction. You are connected to who you are and how you feel, and you know your own limits and abilities. You often set goals for yourself, self-manage, and reflect on results.

Those with intrapersonal intelligence do well in careers where self-management is important, such as being a writer, a teacher, a counselor, a police officer, or a pilot.

Tips for the way you learn:

• Study alone in a comfortable yet quiet environment. Yes I STUDY ALONE! :)
• Set goals for yourself, and monitor your progress regularly. Yep always monitoring progress and I have oodles of goals everywhere lol!
• Reflect on what you have learned, and think through new material. I think I should stop reflecting it takes up so much time. 
• Create a connection between new material and subjects you already know, and gain understanding by finding their similarities. I think this explains why I take information and put it in a rhyme or to a familiar song.  I am constantly connecting stuff (but I didn't know it). 

Yeah that's like me in a nutshell :)!  I was pretty impressed with the results. And guess what? I was not even 1% a kinesthetic learner. The visual-spacial said:

You Are a Visual-Spatial Learner

Your mantra: What you see is what you get. Very much me!  I don't sugar coat....stuff! 

Visual-spatial intelligence allows you to see and modify things in your mind. With an understanding of the visual world and its relation to physical items, you are good at solving spatial problems, designing, and doing crafts. Interior designers have remarkable spatial abilities, as do painters.

Tips for the way you learn:

• Use art projects to create representations of the content you are learning.
• Draw related images next to your notes (along with arrows between ideas) to create connection and reference points.
• Organize with color. Use different-colored highlighters, paper, index cards, folders, or tabs to create a visual system for finding things and grouping topics. Love this! I do this a lot!
• Visualize your topic. When you are learning something new, imagine what it looks like. And this would explain why I pass out when people talk about surgery or anything medically related! I VISUALIZE EVERYTHING! 

And the linguistics is why I write a blog, or write to my kids, or my husband LOL! It explains why I read directions, why I like to express myself through words and why I have notebooks filled with lists, ideas, and things I just have to get out in writing.  If I write it down I generally remember it longer (not even having to look at it ever again I just remember it).  Some part of my brain works better if I take the time to write it down, it just clarifies it for me, I can see it and then Waaalaaa it's stuck in my brain.  

You Are a Verbal-Linguistic Learner

Your mantra: Tell me in words -- written or spoken -- and I will understand. I prefer written because sometimes spoken (from my own mouth) get's all jumbled, I can re-write what's been written, but I can't re-speak what's been spoken. 

Verbal-linguistic intelligence (along with logical-mathematical intelligence) is often associated with doing well in school. You have the ability to use words effectively for reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The poet has been described as the epitome of verbal-linguistic intelligence.

Tips for the way you learn:

• Use words to explain complicated subjects.
• Ask questions. Sometimes too many!
• Engage in the Socratic method, digesting information through a question-and-answer exchange.
• Hone your native ability to tell a story.

I plan on doing this with my little ones just to get a better idea of what will work when I plan my lessons or help them with their studying practices and such.  I think this is vital information to have as a parent!!! Our kids need our help to know how they learn best!  Not only will this help them, it can help us as parent's.  We can learn to recognize what our kids need from us, and what we need for ourselves to be better people, learn the most we can and develop talents and Strengthen our selves to be better! 

The test is really cool!  You should check it out! What are your learning styles?  Were you surprised?  

Happy Learning!

all descriptions of learning styles came directly from edutopia.org learning styles test