Sunday, September 26, 2010

Before Five in A Row


I'm working on my preschool lessons for the Ethan and Chase. We are doing Before Five In A Row with them and reading Jesse Bear,What Will You Wear? Ethan will be working on his B lapbook, tracing his Bb, coloring black, brown, and finding words that start with B. We are doing a matching game with wooden bears and dressing those bears in different outfits. He loves the books we read though this program.Cody is FIAR and this week we are doing Lentil. He will be doing a lapbook and many games to go with this. It fits right in with My Fathers World so I'm happy with this weeks set up.With the moving going on and everything else that comes with homeschooling we are going to really pray and try to stay home and get work done. The downstairs in the new house is down( while not the bedrooms but my school room) so I'm going to try to set that up next weekend and get it really exciting and fun for our change soon. I'm going to set up a computer area and craft area and up stairs in the living room Ill have a corner with bean bag chairs for reading time. Ill have 2 desks set up for test time or for those days when we have "hiccups" during class. looking forward to our new change and I cant wait.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Prairie days

Ethan riding the horse
Hannah and Cody doing crafts

Cody is the one closest and Ethan is in back


Doesnt he look cute



Cody throwing the tomahawk




What a wonderful day we had. First thing this morning we had another home visit for our Stars training for foster parenting. It was amazing. I love our assessment worker and our caseworker. The classes will break your heart and prepare you for all the crap that these wonderful blessings have been through. It will be really hard to go through this but think of that child, the one who was abused and no one to help. well that's why God call on us to do this. We will help in anyway we can. We have our faith, we have our God. we will help.After that was over I took the kids out to Prairie Days and had a blast!The kids rode horse which by the way Ethan hopped one a horse and smiled the whole way. He doesn't like changes, he doesn't like adults he doesn't know but man today he was going for that horse with Cody and wasn't looking back :) They were able to pet snakes and turtles and furs and the list goes on. we saw the Blacksmith and that was really neat. Amazes me every year. Cody got to throw a tomahawk like an Indian.Loved it! Hannah went around collecting her wooden coins to trade at the Trading Post. She got 2 bracelets and stickers.Cody traded in his coins for an arrowhead. The little boys got a fake snake.All was good in out little world today.After that I dropped Hannah and Cody off at their friends house. It pays off when they are friends with siblings because then they are always together and we dont have to worry so much. Cody came home around 7:30 tonight and Hannah is sleeping over. We have a rule and its you have to be 10 years old and ready before you stay at someones house. So he has another year to go :( But we will see I love the family they play with and I'm pretty sure he would do great. we have had his friend over for sleep overs many times so its something we may bend the rules on :) Awhile ago we got out all our info we got today from Missouri Conservation and looked at all the frogs and turtles and snakes. The boys love looking at snakes and frog. Cody and Nick found a ring snake today by the chicken coop and thought that was the best thing ever. Only problem is we watch all the Man vs wild and Man woman wilds and so Cody thinks he is am expert on all. We watches Billy the Exterminator all the time.Child has no fear. Then poor Chase thought he would give old mom here a heart attack and decided to fall down the stairs. Yes he is fine but I'm sure you know the feeling.I think every fall like that is the worst thing ever and he was fine but I was scared *&*^less.Tomorrow I'm working on my reading with the kids and relaxing. I have spent more than enough in gas this week and I'm done for awhile. Well I have to go pick Hannah up but then that's it.....





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Sunday, September 19, 2010

12 the lucky #

Cody after skating for while
For Hannahs b-day she wanted streaks of color in her hair, So I took her to a salon and it took 3 hours to do her hair! They had to bleach out the color we had put in months ago and then wash and dry. Then they had to put her real color back in with the black and blue she was wanting. then she got it cut really cute. Its looks AWESOME.




Hannah and sis Caitlin at skaterz for her birthday




Jolene wearing a Dora wig!!!



Happy birthday Hannah.12 years ago today I had barely turned 16 and was in the hospital in labor. After hours of labor I gave birth to the sweetest thing.Hannah is kind,thoughtful,loud,crazy,extremely smart and always ready to talk. I'm so proud of her. She has blossomed into this amazing young lady and I get complements every time we go out on her.She is the one I lean on, she is the one always there to play a game, she is always the one who jumps up when a little needs something. She is always the one who leaves her room like a tornado ran through. She is always the one who has on mix matched socks( she gets that from me).Hannah I love you and thank you for being my daughter.





For her birthday we have been busy so we through in some fun time. Friday I dropped all 5 children off at my Moms so I could go out to the the new house and paint. And I mean I painted like crazy. I love the colors and cant wait to put pictures up and decorate.Her friend Kinzey came over for a sleep over and then Sat Caitlin made her way over here.Those 3 girls are the best est of friends. I also brought the kids over to the new house leaving the 3 girls at home. I had to finish up my painting and my Mom was bringing back Cody we slept over there for the night. Having the 3 littles there while painting, well you just don't get much done. So I did what I could only leaving one all left for Jeff to do. Then we headed home and I took the kids skating. It was alot of fun and really exhausting for me. The 3 littles are crazy!! They were everywhere! Cody fell a few good times but nothing bad. the girls all had a blast. We came home and I was pooped! Today I have been cleaning and sorting clothes. Thursday when Aunt Paula came to babysit so Jeff and me could go to our second training class, she brought out 8 bags of clothes and shoes for Jolene. Yes 8. I mean huge black trash bags FULL of clothes from Easter dresses to Halloween costumes. So much stuff and so many days to sort it all. Lets just say I hope we foster a little girl so we can use some of these clothes!Our training classes are going good. They are really long! like 3 hours long. You hear some heartbreaking stuff that people do to these wonderful children and you just cry for them.How any one can do these things is beyond me. I don't understand it but we are going to give these children were they never have to worry about that again. Its so horrible what you hear. In January we are taking our 12 hour class to become adoption ready. Meaning if a child came into our home and they were up for adoption and they fit with us we could adopt. That also means we can start looking for a child that is in the USA needing a home.You would not believe how close Jeff and me have got since deciding to do this. God is wonderful.





Tomorrow I will be waking my olders up at 6:30 am to start our routine. I have been letting Hannah sleep until after 9 and we just don't get anything done. Not that we will get alot done with the moving and all but I'm hoping to at least do math and reading. I'm good if we get that done. We do bible every morning regardless if we are busy or not.That always gets done. I have been boxing everything up and I only left out the books we are using now for school. Which is only 2 boxes. SO I'm doing good.I know I had more to write but I have a list going in my mind right now I cant think what to write?????

Sunday, September 12, 2010

MFW week15

The boys had a cat in the boxand she wanted to see so bad
Ethan made the pivk one and Hannah made the orange

Hannah making crafts for me


She looks just like Ethan. I love those ears!!



The husband :) Its from April




This week in MFW we are finishing up France and doing a review of week 3 and 4 for our co op. the are making the Eiffel Tower out of popsticks and making a really yummy dinner one day this week.Which day ot sure as I plan to stay home every day with them until co op on Friday. Well I take that back we have a little running to do. DANGG never works does it. Anyways as we get deeper and deeper into the animal behaviors in science I'm planning our trip to the zoo.now that the weather is cooler and the kids can make that long walk with out killing mom half way through its a great time to do so. we really need to be focusing on Cody's reading and writing. So I'm writing scripture out on the board and he is coping them down so many times everyday. I must stick with this because I can not read he handwriting and keep marking things wrong when they aren't. I'm also breaking back out the pathway readers for him and doing the workbooks for him. I need to make sure he is getting what he is reading. we are also working on Ethan's handwriting. He is doing really good on tracing. He can now can recognize alot of letter and we are going to start Starfall.com with tomorrow. He is going to love it. Hannah is loving her new Math. Saxon. She is getting and I love the solutions for the parents. I do like math at all. I'm so luckily my husband knows everything about it so he can teach because half the time I through my hands in the air and say I'm done. Yes I know great attitude MOM but really I just don't get it until the husband comes home and explains every detail to us over and over again! Jolene is doing her school.Yes even Jolene does school. She plays. She now goes everywhere in the house and loves exploring her bedroom and under the table in the kitchen. what she finds a mystery to us. So here's our week for ya. Monday: School,Tuesday:School, Hannah is getting her hair cut and highlights put in, Wed: school, Thursday: school, Aunt Paula is coming over to babysit all the kids so Jeff and me can go to our 2nd training class,Friday:MFW Co op and SHESHH theres a secret r this day for someone in our house!! hehehehehe.

Friday, September 10, 2010

World Changers

Cody Nike Ethan and Chase eating pizza
Hannah thought Jolene wanted to be Batman.She did

Tonight Chase is showing Jolene all about trains. We found out Jolene will not touch the track if you put her in the middle of it, she is afraid the train will get her.


This is our group of World Changers. Amy there in pink is the teacher for the Sign language class. She is awesome



These are the World Changers




We had our World Changers DTS co op today. It was the best thing ever. We got there at 9 this morning and we had a Jewish missionary speaker there and he was so neat. He even brought a rams horn to blow which is what they blow for their New Year which was 2 days ago. I met some amazing women who have the same drive as me and thats to teach our children Christ not Man. They were truly there for there kids not themselves.Yes I need mom time with other moms but I want that mom time talking about my kids not others. After the speaker we met all the families and had lunch together. Then we had a Sing Language class and they did Jesus Loves Me which my children were taught back when they attend Wed night church. So they were really excited and very proud to know that. Sign language is a beautiful art and I think all people should learn it and use it.After that we watch these Dramas that the children will perform. Its no words but the one I show brought me to tears. It was so moving. I cant wait for them to pick which one the kids will do. We watch 4 and we have 45 kids doing the drama so they might pick 2.Usually after that we would head over to a nursing home were we are going to each adopt a family and go see them every other week with our co op. Im excited for that. I felt so good about today when I got home. The kids were beaming and I was beaming.God closed one chapter in my life and opened the most beautiful one I have been in yet. Amazing.





As for this weekend Hannah is over at her friends and Cody has a buddy over for awhile. The littles have been trains and playing like crazy. I have been blogging and laundry. Tomorrow Ill go get Hannah and her friend and we will do a bible study here on Sunday. Im hoping this weekend I can get my lesson plans down and ready for the new month and start thinking about packing. As I have been packing but I really hate it so Ill think about it and then I might actually do it :) Maybe. As far as MFW we are still in week 14 only because they love France and well we have about 20 books on it and they want to finish each book. So I hope we will.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Changes are so good

Jolene at a baby shower for my friend
Cody working


Isn't he cute

Baby squirrel we found tonight



God moves like an over flowing river.He just keeps pouring His word into me. To be back to my hold self again is so amazing I have been trying so hard to find words to describe to you but I cant. I feel 100 pounds lighter and just so much more relaxed. To wake up every morning and put a skirt on and that fake little wimpy house wife with the kids all following down the same path can get really exhausting.I use to be this laid back talk like a sailor because you looked at me wrong, do things as soon as I thought of them person. Guess what? Im back! My marriage is better, my kids are happier, my friends ( the ones that love me) are happier. I like myself. Im real. Im not pretending to be prefect.I like my kids to joke with, I like to have "fun" with my husband anywhere and any time. I like to listen to Arrowsmith,Eminem, I like to watch Frosty the snowman.I like it all. God wants us to follow His word and do the best we can in a world after the fall. With all I like and am back at doing, guess what Im not sinning. Im not hurting my relationship with Jesus, not at all. ITs so much better. Because Im not agreeing with everybody on everything that was so washed up and man made that I could barf. Barf I was doing on my own words. I listened to people who told me my family was a "bad" influence for my kids and a stumbling block. What the hell was I thinking listening to this pile of shit! Thankfully my family was PRAYING for me and hoping id come back to reality and come back to them. My sister is so happy to have me and my children back. She never said anything bad about me or questioned my life. She truly was happy to have me back. My Mom was So very excited to have the Jen back she knew the whole time was there. Thats how awesome my family is.After taking Hannah shopping and buying us all new blue jeans and work out pants that we rock by the way, I bagged up all my skirts and donated them. I look at them and my stomach turns.I thought oh maybe I should keep a few for weddings or things like that, then I said to myself" OHHH NO, who says I cant wear pants to a wedding"? So out they went!! You should have seen Hannahs face when I said throw your skirts in a bag and toss!! She was pulling them out like a kid in a candy store. HUGE bag of dresses and skirts and she was the happiest I had seen her. She is excited she gets blue and pink highlights in her hair for her birthday next week. SHE is excited to be rocking those jeans and wearing want she wants.( as long as we dont see crack we are good). She had fun and I had a blast. Little Jolene got fall/winter pant outfits and it felt so good to buy stuff that was making my happy.Honestly for the last 8 weeks waking up and getting dressed was horrible. I hated it because I knew it wasn't me. I like wearing work out pants and tennis shoes and running my treadmill and kickboxing. Im so going to lose weight now because I feel like I can. I feel like its ok to kickbox and act like im smacking people around. Its ok, Im human. I like sweating, I like being rough.I like my farm girl play in dirt and yell and just being crazy. Does that make me a sinner? Does that make me any less of a wife? Does that make me a bad person? NO!! It makes me real. Im a good person. Id bend over backwards to help anybody regardless of your opinions on things. I love all people. God has showed me that.You want to get personal... Heres a few things you may or may not no about me... I could listen to Eminem all day, I like guys in tattoos head to toe,I like playing my music so loud I cant hear anything else, I like black,I like backtalking, I like my daughters sassy talk,I like mud trucks, I want a boob job, I like that my children are real and real with God. They wake up and we do bible study and they ask question and questions and love to get deeper in the word.I like that I'm raising God fearing children.I like that my kids are so well behaved I get complements every time I go out with them.I love they have bigger hearts than any one I know. I love the fact my son will drop what ever it is he is doing to help our neighbor mow her lawn because he doesn't want her to work any more than she needs to. I love the fact my daughter will pray for someone she doesn't even know. I love the fact my daughter loves animals. AMEN!




AS far as school we managed to get bible and math done and then we had running to and didn't get back until around 4. Tomorrow I'm showing the house so I should be cleaning but I have no idea where to start. I got Before FIAR for the littles and we will start that tomorrow as well as finish up France in MFW. We move on to Germany.I cant wait. Hannah is liking her new math( Saxton).I love it as well because I don't hear "mom" every two seconds when she is doing it.Well I better go and clean.... I might just go to bed?????

Saturday, September 4, 2010

True Friends

Cody and me were tossing an egg to see how long we could keep ot going...he missed this one :)
Got the walker out for Jolene but Ethan uses it as a car

The children having some summer fun with Jet



Jolene showing off her teeth


As I sit here writing this I feel like im in highschool as thats how mature these people are.True friends true people just seem to be slim pickens anymore.The people I thought were near and dear to my heart and my family have to faces and thats sad ( for them). I have seen the light and God is putting me down a different path than the one I have been on since my homeschool journey began.They stand out like a light in the woods on a dark summer night. For the last couple of months I have sat by to see if what I was feeling was right and it was. IF you are a true friend you show support,love and back them 100%. A true friend calls to see how you are doing. A friend calls just to chat because she has a moment of silence.A friend wants to listen to you when you have something to say. Im sure who ever is reading this knows a true friend and gets what im saying. I have maybe one true friend and is dealing with the same issue with the same people. I have learned SO much this last week that I feel like a new woman and a TRUE woman at that. Im tired of being like them, Im tired of doing what they do, being in the same place as them etc. Im done. I found myself and that was Gods plan the whole time. I found my walk with God to be the best thing ever. From all this over the last almost 4 years I have grown into this woman that I have tried so hard to FIT in with, woman who are so fake.Woman who put up this act in front of people and woman who Id hate to be standing by on judgement day. REALLY.When I got home around 4 today I was new. God is amazing and lead me to someone that just made it even clearer to me.Im longer "fake". Im me. That loud funny,pant wearing, music blasting,kid loven,passionate wife I was before the CRAP came in my life. Im not sorry for the "friends" I made because that was Gods plans.I made a really good friend.I will pray for the ones Im talking about and up they wake up before they suck in to many more.Boy they can judge and judge away they will. Wagging that finger when they need to turn that finger around.Im glad Im moving on and moving on smiling. God is wonderful and I feel awesome that I have that bubble around me POPPED. I live in the real world.Im also sure I will ge alot of e-mails from these people wondering what in the world am I saying etc... save it for someone who cares!!!You havent called to check on us in months, you dont e-mail to see how we are doing. You judge people and thats sad. The only reason who stayed friends is because I CALLED you, I wrote you!! You did nothing but fake smile and sit back like you guys are Holy.




Anyways on to other stuff..... The drywall in the house is done. well they have tape and mud but its up and Im in love with my house!! we also have this house we are in now up for sale. Want to buy it?? Maybe by the end of Sept we will be in it. Our foster parenting is moving right along and we start our classes this Thursday and we are BOTH excited and ready. Its been LOT of paper work and writing.If we can help one child out of this we have been blessed in what we set out to do.These children deserve a chance like all the others out there. why would you say other wise? These children need a hug, need an ear , need advice and love that is unconditional.Thats that. This is Gods walk for us and we are taking it with joy. Our schooling is slowly but surely coming along this year. we are loven MFW and FIAR.Loven it all. I bought Hannah a new curriculum for Math today. Its Saxon 5/4 I think...Id better make sure before I write that down huhhhh. But anyways it looks like to will work and Ill let you know when we try out first week. Jolene has 6 teeth now and loves to show them off. Chase loves Handy Manny, Ethan loves cowboy boots,Cody loves to work with Dad, Hannah is all about reading 39 Clues,Dad would love to get the house done and I am loving this new free feeling!!!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Baby wearing,cloth diapering and homeschooling

HOmemade monkey bread
NIce arrowheads

The lovely Jolene and Mom


sleeping soundly



Yes I do all of that.As I sit here and type this I have Jolene strapped to my back sound asleep.The Moby has been my best friend for months. When Jolene was a newborn I would snuggle her in and lift my shirt so she could nurse at will and have a skin to skin with mom all day.It worked because I have 4 other children to tend to. 2 of which are toddlers and still need me 24/7 when it comes to anything. With homeschooling my hands are free to use the board or hold a book while reading and pointing things out and she is content.I also cloth diaper my babies. I have started cloth diapering when I had Ethan almost 4 years ago. With him it was new to me and he was a heavy wetter and we went back and forth on it. When Chase came 13 months later I had the hang of it and was really addicted to it.Then Little Jolene came along and now I have days were Id like to throw every diaper out my window and scream.Well not really.Just on days when she leaks on me and totally soaks me :( But that just means that they are ready for a meeting with Dawn in the washer.I have used every diaper out there it seems except the Flip system. Not so sure ho I feel about them.But my favs right now are BummGenuis and thirsties covers with prefolds.I use a wool cover at night that works wonders.I do give myself a break about twice a year with huggies naturals. I buy a box and that works for about a week for Jolene and I'm good.Then I realize why I cloth.I do not cloth diaper because I don't want the earth to pail up with diapers( although thats nice too) I don't do it to save money( although that's why hubby lets me do it) I do it because I don't want the plastic or chemicals next to my baby. All my kids have very sensitive skin and they get rashes like you would believe. everybody has different reasons for cloth and I'm sure we all can butt heads about it but I love it and also have my days were I don't. I also love seeing Jolene in a cute pink diaper crawling around my floor.Way to cute!!! Anyways tomorrow we have a home visit with our caseworker for foster parenting. We also have a realtor coming to get pic of the house 2 hours later. My mom has been here getting the house house ready for the realtor. Hubby says maybe 4to 6 more weeks before the new house is ready :( They are drywalling this week and then next week taping and mudding it. Then on to painting.Which we thought we could do with some friends but Im thinking we need to hire someone to do it fast.I have great ideas for every room in the house!! Not a good thing either. The next few days are really busy and lots of fun!!

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