Homeschooling

(Our little "schoolroom." In this tiny apartment, our little "dining room" will have to do. It works, for now, but hopefully someday, I can have a schoolroom!!)

This year, we have decided to start Maddy doing preschool at home. I was not homeschooled, so I had a lot of studying up to do on how to get started. In talking to some other homeschool moms, I learned that I didn't need to be so structured and rigid for this first year of preschool. In other words, I didn't need to run out and buy a huge curriculum and make a huge deal out of doing "school."
I have started talking to moms, reading up on Christian homeschooling, and trying to figure out why I want to homeschool Maddy, what I feel is important in a homeschool education, and how I am going to carry out doing school at home. I want to reference a blog I have cited before, passionatehomemaking.com, because she is a mom about my age with 2 young kids, and she has a whole section of her blog dedicated to learning at home. I actually ordered a small curriculum for learning letters after reading about it on her website. This year we are using "Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve" which is a great, Christian based curriculum for learning to write letters, the sounds of letters, and learning to serve people with names that start with each letter. For example, for the letter "A", there is a corresponding verse, recipes and crafts that start with "A." You come up with people you know whose names start with the letter "A", pray for them, and bring them something (craft or recipe in section) at the end of the week, pray for missionaries who are serving in "A" country or state, etc. It's a great way to not only teach your little ones about their letters, but get them thinking about other people and what they can do for them!! It gets you and your family outside of your box!!


If you would like to check out the website for this curriculum, you can do so here. I just want to let you know that it is in downloadable form, which I didn't know ahead of time. So you just have to print it all out. But it isn't very pricey, and it is well worth the money. It is a wonderful curriculum.

This is Maddy working on making Apple Bread for the letter "A." We have had so much fun doing activities together with this curriculum. It is our special time together, and with me not being a very crafty person, it has given me so many fun ideas to do with Maddy. It is all layed out for us and I just have to pick which ones we will do, and make sure we have the supplies. And by the way, they are all very easy too!


Making Brownie Bites for the letter "B." Let's just say that we had to make more because they were so good. We made some for Boopa (Grandpa Crandall) and Bill and Briana. Delicious!!

Another curriculum book I am using is called "Mom's Big Activity Book For Building Little Characters." My mother-in-law gave me this one, and it is simple and fun. There are 5 little activities for each week, focusing on different areas of growth and learning. I love that it includes Bible stories and things to build character and to teach it simply to a preschooler. For example, one activity has you put a vegetable in some water and watch and wait for sprouts to form, and to teach James 5:7 as you watch together patiently day by day. It's hard to teach abstract concepts like that to a child, but this has concrete objects to help get the idea across. Love it!


It also includes activities like this one where she colored 3 different pictures and when folded they make different pictures, teaching the words short and long.

Homeschooling has been good for us. I will be honest, it does take up a significant amount of time in the morning where I could get things done, but I love the structure, and I have found that Maddy does too. She asks when we are going to do school (she will ask after a nap because she thinks it is the next day already!), and what we are going to make. We enjoy picking our people each week for the letter we are learning, and anticipating what we will be making for them. Before, our day didn't have much structure in the morning, especially since Judah was born and has his long morning nap. But now, as soon as he goes down for his nap, Maddy has to get dressed, make sure her bed is made, and we usually do a little 5 minute room cleanup. We start school around 9 and usually have it for about an hour. That sounds like a long time, but each little "segment" is only around 5 minutes or shorter.

I have charts up where we review the season, what day it is, we go outside and check the weather and put that up, review her chore chart, and review the month, day of the week, and day on the calendar. Then we pray, go over our verse that goes along with our letter, and sometimes her verse for Awana. I usually have several little activities that we do, a craft or recipe, writing the letter for the week, practicing writing her name, and sometimes a coloring activity.

We have had to work through some attitude issues, obedience issues, and respect for mom/teacher. It's not always easy, but I feel like she is getting better and knows that we have so much fun doing school, and it's better to have a good attitude. I remind her that if she has a bad attitude, then we won't get to do the fun things I have planned, because we will have to deal with discipline. Sometimes if she does something with a great attitude, or does really good the first time I ask her, she will get a sticker on her page or her chart, and she LOVES that. I don't know what it is about stickers and kids, but it works every time.

It's been really fun having our special time together, having planned fun things to do everyday, and to see Maddy learning new things all the time. At this age they are such sponges, wanting to learn, asking questions about everything, and picking things up everyday. So homeschooling is a fun way for me, as a mom, to teach her about all kinds of different things and to see her growing and learning, and really enjoying it. It's so fun to see her learn something or understand something new and getting excited about it. The other day someone asked her if she was in preschool and she responded "we are doing the super fun homeschool..." which made my day.

So, I'm still learning and figuring out what will work, and what won't. Some moms told me not to be super structured this year but I am pretty structured and Maddy seems to really enjoy it. We do homeschool Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Every other Thursday we have a Moms group at church and the off Thursday will just be catchup day or playdate day. I thought of doing 3 times a week, but I thought that might be kind of confusing for Maddy, and we are enjoying our time. Plus, I like to work on one letter a week so she can really get the idea of the letter, the sound, and words that start with that letter.

So if you are still reading this long post, bless you. This is probably too many details but it's good for me to outline what we are doing, and to let people know what it's like, whether you already homeschool, are thinking about homeschooling, or wonder what the heck people do when they homeschool (I'm still kind of in that boat.)

I may do another blog post sometime about why we homeschool, but that is a whole other story altogether. Let's just say that Tad was homeschooled all the way through, I went to public school for half and private Christian school for half, and Tad was all for homeschooling. It has been a struggle for me, and I'm not against sending the kids to school, but for now, it is working for us. So we will see what the future holds!! And if there are any changes, you know you can read about them here!!

Thanks for reading!!

Left Out Summer Photos

We had a fun, eventful summer, and I had so many pictures and things I hadn't blogged about! So this blog post is just a big jumbling of our random summer!! We didn't do that much stuff with people this summer, like cookouts, having people over for dinner, or playdates. With Judah's schedule of naps and bottles, we stayed at home more in the mornings, and tried to get out in the afternoons. So sorry to the people we used to hang out with more, you know who you are!! We were out of town a lot, more than usual for the summer, and felt like we were barely at our church either between travel and being sick. But alas, we are back in Fall mode with a full calendar and our move coming up fast. So, in no particular order is part of our random summer:

We were out at a playground one afternoon, and we heard some cool music. As we wandered over to a park, we saw an Art Festival going on in Lincoln Park and Maddy was quick to find this little free art studio where they would provide you with paint, an easel, and paper. Maddy loves to paint, so she was excited to get to do this, and I was excited it was free!!




Twice a year I shop at a resale for all my kids clothes. It takes the temptation out of buying them clothes all year long at expensive stores, and it gets it all done in one fell swoop. Of course, Maddy is not shy to tell everyone that, "Mom got this from the resale!!" Thanks, Maddy. Here is Maddy in our laundry room with her $2 lifesize doll from the resale and her new Princess dress from Costco (not resale!!) that she will wear for Halloween to "Slime Time" at church!!
It's hard to see here, but Judah is actually holding onto the swing and Tad isn't even holding him!! It's hard to withhold your motherly fears!!

Dairy Queen after jogging to Oz Park!!

Having fun on the tire swing at Oz Park.

Tad's cousin, Trevor and him have been long time best friends. Him and his wife and 2 kids came to visit us in Chicago!! They stayed in our apartment and we had lots of drama with our 4 young kids! We stayed at the Four Seasons with them for 1 night, and then just hung out the rest of the time. Here are the boys with their double strollers and kids!!
Daddy's with their girls. Precious!! They both have girls first, and then boys!! They live in Edmond, OK so we are excited to be seeing more of them!! And his wife, Julie, is awesome! I have treasured the short times we have shared together and look forward to more playdates with them!
At the Four Seasons (actually the Ritz Carlton, it's owned by the Four Seasons) I have gotten this breakfast every time I go. I can't find it anywhere else, or a recipe for it. It is divine!! It's called Swiss Birchermuesli, and if you know how to make this sweet, cold oatmeal-like breakfast, you better share!!

Good Morning, Four Seasons comp night style!!

The girls with their gourmet kid food.

The gourmet adult food!!

Maddy turned 4 this summer! We usually have a birthday party in the city, but this year we happened to be in Ohio for her birthday, so we decided to have a family birthday party at my grandparents house in Thompson!! It was a Hello Kitty themed party, and Tad made the cake all by himself!! I was so impressed!!!
My cousin, Charlotte, stayed at my grandparents this summer. This is her trying to get at the candy in the pinata!!

Hit it, Maddy!

Good job, Daddy!!

We went to Ohio for my cousin's wedding. This is a shot of our little family at the wedding!!
These are the cutest little carts at Target!! They both sit behind the cart, and since Judah just started sitting in the cart without the carseat, I thought this was the cutest thing!!
Forgive me if I already blogged about this, because I can't remember. Mommy brain. Maddy did a summer reading program at our local library, which is right across the street! She had 25 books read to her and did 25 book reports where she drew pictures about the story. She hadn't really started drawing yet, so this was definitely out of the box for her. I didn't know if she would make it, but she did all 25 book reports and was quite the little artist when all was said and done. It not only was good to read all those books, but she really got into drawing and learning to draw new things. Way to go, Maddy! I was so proud of her!

Attending the final party at the library! They had the kids make different crafts having to do with art, and some thank you notes for some of the donors. And they got to pick out a new book at the end!

They all got a shirt that says Reading is Art-rageous! She was so excited to get hers like all the other kids!! The shirts were kind of big, so we made hers into a little dress with a belt and leggings. We went to a weekly story time, and she had a blast!!
We also did VBS at Moody Church this year, which hosts around 300 kids for their VBS. This is the "set" for the worship time in their sanctuary. Maddy loved going everyday!!
One night we were invited to go out with the new conductor of Women's Concert Choir and some of the previous/current girls of WCC. I was in WCC for all 4 years at Moody, and we traveled around and did concerts. It was so nice to meet some of the new girls, and to eat in Chinatown in Chicago. Maddy kept telling people we were going to China!! You can see behind the "L" tracks that Chinatown is in the background.

We got yummy bubble tea smoothies!! Thanks Dr. Hong (ordering her smoothie)!!

Such a fun part of Chicago!

Much of our time in Chicago in the summer is spent at the beach. We will miss the beach when we move to Oklahoma!! We will have to find something else to do in the summer!
This pic belongs up there with the library ones. This is Maddy and the children's librarian who led the reading program and the weekly storytimes. They became good friends. Thanks Annie!!

So goodbye, Chicago summer. We sure will miss you!! You have been good to us!! Hopefully, we can visit you soon.

I could be a baby for a day

When you are a kid, you have no idea how much your mother invested into you when you were young. When you are a mom, you realize to a small degree, and really start appreciating your own mother. It is so tiring at times!! And a non-stop, all day long, all night long job!! The house always needs cleaned and picked up, the kitchen always needs work, the laundry always needs done, or folded, or put away, there is always something I could be cooking, or prepping, and I could always take a nap. I guess I'm not hiding the fact that I'm kinda burned out lately. So, I got to thinking. I could totally be a baby for a day. Or a week. Or, well, you get the picture.
When my baby boy gets up at 5am, I always know that he will go back down for a nap around 2 hours later. Well, I could go down for a nap 2 hours later too! But I have other things I need to do, and my daughter to take care of.
I could wake up when my tummy started rumblin'. Get put down to play until I'm hungry or tired. Be put down the second I feel tired and sick of playing. Not pick up anything or any mess I made. Cry for the pacifier and have it delivered to me. Cry when I wake up and be instantly picked up and cuddled until I'm fully awake.
I could be spoon fed, pushed around in the stroller to the park, put into the baby swing to laugh and relax and possibly fall asleep (which Judah did at one park recently!). I could take 3 naps a day, go to bed at 7 pm, and not pick up one toy, or my mess from dinner. Oh yeah, and a little de-stressing bath before bed might be nice, too. Just sayin.
So, as much as I love takin' care of my kids, I am worn out, and I'm not afraid to admit it. And I can't say I'm never jealous of the little baby I'm takin' care of, cuz really, he has it made!!
And I totally understand why every time my doorman sees Judah in the stroller, he says, "he has got the life!!"
No bills to pay, no chores, not a care in the world. Mission for the day: play. Accomplishment for the day: ate baby food. Favorite things in the world: sister, sleeping, toys. The End.
Ahhhhhh. The life of a baby!!

The Big Move To...

OKLAHOMA where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!!!

(Downtown Enid, OK)

So, for those of you who haven't already heard, we are moving to Oklahoma on or around December 26.

Why???

1. We are ready to leave Chicago.
2. Tad is ready to be done working for the Four Seasons. There are many reasons.
3. Most of our friends have moved away.
4. We have no family to be close to and to help with our kids.
5. Tad's family lives in Oklahoma!!
6. It's hard to raise kids in an expensive city where you can only afford a small apartment.
7. With Maddy's high energy, she needs some land to run around on! And a dog to take care of!!
8. We are hoping for a change, opportunities to get involved in ministry, and more opportunity to grow spiritually.
9. We are hoping to eliminate some debt with a lower standard of living, fewer expenses, and cheaper everything!!
10. More stability in a job where Tad doesn't work overnights, and can have more opportunities to get involved in ministry, a small group, and have a regular work schedule.
11. Warmer weather!!
12. City living is hard for raising a family. There are great opportunities for kids, and we have loved our time here, but there are many things that kids miss out on that we want our kids to have (a yard, pets, a bigger place that we can afford for them to run around in, a quieter street to ride bikes and play with other kids, etc.)

While there are more reasons, or more details regarding these reasons, this is the list in a nutshell! Our plan is to have Tad work through Christmas day, which is the last busy day of the season at the hotel. We have a moving truck rented and will probably have 4 of Tad's siblings come help us drive down with all of our stuff. We will live with Tad's family for a little while as we get settled, find a place of our own, and while Tad starts his new job.

(Tad's family's house)

I know that a lot of you knew about this opportunity for us, and others may just be hearing about it now! We are excited, nervous, and in the process of working out all the details. This plan has been in the works now for over a year, and we are finally in the last leg of our planning! We have sought counsel, prayed about this, thought about this, and feel like this move is best for our family. Tad has a job lined up, so this takes care of some concern for right when we get down there. It will be so nice for us to have family around, people to help with the kids, and for Tad to be around as his siblings grow up (there are 6 kids still at home with Charity (7) being the youngest.)
Maddy has so much energy that she just loves our time in Oklahoma. A big backyard to run around in. Lots of aunts and uncles to play with. Grandma and Pops to spoil her!!
I am really looking forward to meeting new people, getting involved in a church where we can grow as a family, serve, and be in small group, being in an area that is more supportive of homeschooling, hopefully having a house with more space for my kids to run around in, and a yard to get some energy out, planting a garden, being near family and family get-togethers, and seeing my husband and kids thrive to be near family! And of course, living closer to Pioneer Woman!!
We would love your prayer for these things:
1. Ease of nerves (especially for me) for a big move. I have only had a big move once, to Chicago, for school.
2. Wrapping up all the odds and ends here in Chicago, and lining up everything in Oklahoma.
3. Wisdom in finding a place of our own, timing, and getting a place that will adequately fit our family.
4. Smooth transition to living with Tad's family, our time there to be pleasant and productive.
5. That the kids would transition well, sleeping arrangements, different environment, realizing this is permanent and not vacation.
6. Wisdom for Tad and I as we make decisions regarding which church to go to, activities to be involved in, meeting new friends.
7. Tad's new job, that he would enjoy it, that it would provide for us, that he would finally have a regular schedule.
8. For our family unit, that we would remain close, and make decisions that are best for our family.
9. That God would direct us into what ministries he would have us be a part of, start, or if we need to not be involved in ministry right away and focus on our relationship with Him.
10. Safety as we travel/move with our car, a moving truck, and possibly Tad's sister's truck.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this, be a part of this with us, and to hopefully keep us in prayer as we continue to get ready for this move. I pray that this is what the Lord would have for us, and that He would be guiding us, even though scary and unknown, into His will and plan for our family. May we be faithful in what He is calling us to.

I Love...Fall!!!

(Caramel Apple Muffins)

Can I just say that I love when Fall finally comes around?? I remember my mom just raving over Fall when I was a kid. At the time, I didn't really get her great enthusiasm over it. I would just see her raking leaves for like 3 hours a day and think she was crazy!! But now I have really come to love it. Probably because Fall doesn't mean school, but for me it means Fall baking, cool, Chicago days, Fall festivals, a more solid schedule after the carefree days of summer, getting closer to all the holidays, Fall baking, and well, Fall baking. Did I mention Fall baking?
Every year since I was a kid, I have fond memories of going apple picking right after school started. When we were in Christian school in Highschool, I remember going right from school in our skirts to the apple orchard with my grandma, and trying to climb trees and pick apples in a skirt. I have carried on this tradition (not picking apples in skirts, of just picking apples!!) with my own family, and we have really enjoyed going out to Royal Oak Farm and picking apples. Of course now, picking apples means that I have a lot of baking to do!! And that's fine with me!!
This year, Tad didn't want our apples to run out too quickly, so we picked 2 bushels. If you don't know how much that is, it's a stinking lot!!!!! I still have apples to go through, and I have already made applesauce, apple butter, caramel apple muffins, apple-braised chicken, apple-pear crisp, apple dip, apple bread and cinnamon-apple couscous!! Phew!! That was tiring just typing all that!!

(Pear-Apple Crisp)

Another recipe that I will post in the future is for Pumpkin Gingerbread. It is divine!!! I found this recipe a few years back and make it several times each season!! It is probably the best bread recipe I have ever made!! Pumpkin is a whole other story as well!! By the end of the season Tad is about done with pumpkin until the next year!! I love making pumpkin everything!!! I hope to post some of my yummy pumpkin recipes from this year!! And don't even get me started on Pumpkin Spice coffee from Gloria Jeans, or the Pumpkin Spice latte at Starbucks!!
Also coming up is the Fall Festival at Moody church, a Fall Festival with our friend, Jess, when she comes to visit, our Chicago Park District programs for Maddy (soccer, art, and music), AWANA Cubbies, small groups at church, Mom to Mom at Moody church, and we just started preschool at home!! We have a really fun curriculum and are having a lot of fun!!
This year, Chicago got a blast of cool weather pretty early. It made me eager for Fall pretty fast, and got me cooking with my favorite fall flavors!! Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, here I come!!
So, for all you Fall fans out there (Mom!!), cheers!! (with our warm apple cider, of course!!)
FYI: My love of Fall does not come from a dying, crazy, all-out, obsessive passion for football. Hm Hmm. You know who you are.

the Playground

You know, it's funny all the drama that pops up on the playground at such a young age. It reminds me of highschool and the little cliques who won't include other people. I just can't believe my 4 year old daughter is so big. It seems like yesterday that we were going to the park just so she could go in the baby swings. Now, I tell her to go "play with the kids." But it always amazes me that she can't always just "go play with the kids." She will sometimes come back and say, "they said I can't play with them." Or I will watch her from a distance and watch her try to play with some girls her age, and watch them snubbing her, whispering in each other's ears, and purposely leaving her out. And poor Maddy doesn't realize what they are doing. She is just trying so hard just to play and have fun with them. I think to myself, "are we 14 or 4?" Immediately my motherly defenses kick in and I want to go tell off these little 4 year old snobs, but then I realize that my reactions are teaching my daughter how to react to situations like these. I haven't always handled them the best way possible, but I hope to teach Maddy how to deal with these small situations, as they are just the beginning of dealing with difficult people, hard situations, and the world. It's hard to see her have to face rejection and bullies at the playground, but then again, it's a good lesson. I've seen her treat other kids harshly, be the one who won't share, and get mad at others who are playing on something she wants to play on. It's a good time to teach "the golden rule" and to remind her how it feels to be treated wrongly.
But still, I can't emphasize enough how shocked I am especially of the drama between little girls. It seems to start early, and I would almost rather that Maddy play with boys because of the lack of drama. They just seem to play. But of course Maddy would rather play with the girls at the playground who are in a little group, playing with their expensive dolls and expensive strollers, and running around together. But all too often, they are content to just play with each other and not let another little girl "in."
So a lesson to Maddy and myself. Check the emotions. Learn to positively deal with difficult people. Remove yourself from mean people who can't play nice, and always be ready and willing to include others in your group of friends. Don't harbor anger or bitterness towards people, let it slide right off and find other people to be around. Watch your tongue. Be a light.
It's a tough world out there, but I am finding that every situation is a teaching/learning situation for my daughter. If I respond negatively, she will respond negatively, and will continue to do so in the future. She is watching me and learning how to deal with her own little emotions. O Lord, give me wisdom, and help me to bite my tongue!!

"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin."
Proverbs 13:3

Crazy Love

I just got finished reading the book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I was truly moved and inspired by this book and I hope it moves beyond an emotional response. It took me awhile to get through this book, I put it down for awhile because, honestly, it was pretty intense!! Not to mention the fact that getting time to read on my own was a rarity!! But I decided to make the most of my time pumping and read every time I sit down to pump, which is 4 times a day for about 10 minutes at a time (Long story short, Judah hates nursing but likes the bottle). By the time I would start reading, I would be interested enough to keep reading if I had the time.
A lot of my friends had read this book, and their church did a bible study on it in their small groups. I was advised to read it slow (what choice did I have with kids?? LOL!) and to seek accountability while reading it so that I would follow through with where the Holy Spirit was leading. I have to admit I haven't sought accountability, but it really got me thinking and stirring and asking what I can do to get outside myself and live for God while serving other people.
Basically, the book is about our true love relationship with God. Who God is. What He has done. What that means for us as believers. Are we believers? Do we look like believers? Do we act like believers? If God called us to give everything for Him, could we?
It's hard to really explain the heart of this book in a few short words and fully get the point across. Trust me. You just have to read it for yourself!! It will change you. It will get you asking questions. Evaluating your heart. Questioning your lukewarm living. It will make you uncomfortable. You might want to put it down. I did for awhile. But I'm so glad I picked it back up and finished it.
I am now challenged in my own life to serve people. To stop living for myself and my own happiness with my spare time, money, thoughts, material things. I want this world to be about more than myself. I want to help people. Love people. Serve people. Feed people. Show God's love pouring out to my children. Teach them to serve from a young age. I want them to be thinking of how they can serve. I want this to affect my life and evoke new thoughts about what I do in my spare time, how my family can be a serving family, what things I need to give up so that others can have more, and to start evaluating my heart and seeing what God wants to change in me.
Here are a few excerpts from the book:

"Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.' But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth it in eternity."
In reference to 1 John 3:16-20:

"God didn't give a little for us; He gave His best. He game Himself. John is saying that it is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives. 'Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.'"

"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through."

And a prayer from the book that gets to the heart of the matter:

O God, I have tasted They goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.' Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. From A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God.

These words "misty lowland" have rung in my ears since reading this prayer. Why do I think I'm satisfied in this misty lowland? Why do I strive for it? Think about it? Long for it? Why do I push God out and refuse this amazing, better life He offers and continue to drive the ship on my own? I pray that I would come back to Him, want Him more, and have more of Him, less of me. I need to be invisible; He gets the glory; serve people, serve people as if it were Christ.
Read the book.

And if you have read the book, I would love to hear your comments, how God worked in your life while reading the book, and what kind of change God has called you to. Let's encourage each other as we pursue Christ!!