Simple Woman's Daybook End of March

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...well the sun is currently shining.  I wish it would stay out to shine!  This Spring has been all rain and so far only 3 days of sun.  That is not Spring!  I want my sun!!  Pleeeeeeeease!
I am thinking...That I really don't want to go into the chiropractor today.  I have to go in for a 2nd re-take of an x-ray.  I guess they say that a third time is a charm, so this should be the last time I have to go in for this!  I can not wait for this stupid trial to be over so I can move on with my life.
I am thankful for...being a child of God.  I love how He is here for me and how He gently leads me the direction that He wants me to go.  I am trying to patiently follow Him.
From the learning rooms...I am so excited about our new homeschool curriculum.  My friend from high school gave me the whole set of Hooked on Phonics program.  This is going to be so much nicer than using A Beka.  I will be so glad to be done with them.  Actually, I think that I am done with A Beka.  All I am using A Beka with now is math.  Next year I will be switching to a different curriculum.  Stinky and I are reading Barbie as The Island Princess together right now.  It's a chapter book and it's one that she can read for the most part.  Bubba and I are reading War of the Worlds, it's a condensed version for young readers.  We are still learning about birds and have until next week before we are done.
From the kitchen...hopefully there won't be much coming from the kitchen today.  I am not a kitchen woman unless I am eating!  lol  So today, all I will be doing in the kitchen is feeding people and washing dishes.
I am wearing...my pajamas....I know, that is my answer just about every week isn't it?!  But in fairness to myself this morning, it's only 7:41am and I have only been up for about 30 minutes.
I am creating...not too much right now.  I want to create some new tags, but I can't get my PSP to work for some reason.  It's irritating me!
I am going...Crazy!  It's a really short trip...just around the corner.   lol  Today is cash check and run errands day.  So I will be all over.
I am reading...Emma by Jane Austen.  It's an ok book.  It seems I read a lot of words that really don't go anywhere.  It is kinda hard to follow, but I am getting through it.  I think I remember the same things when I read Pride and Prejudice.  I want to hurry up and finish it though.
I am hoping...that people in my house will be in good moods this morning and not grumpy. 
I am hearing...just the buzz of the computer right now.  The kids actually stayed in their own bed all night.  It is kinda strange that both of them did the same night, usually only one at a time does.  So I really only hear my typing and the computer. 
Around the house...everything is still and quiet, just how I like it.  My favorite time of the day is the mornings.  I love to get up by myself, in the quiet, and drink my coffee while I spend the morning doing nothing.
One of my favorite things...my camera.  I have been taking it with me every time I leave the house.  I am waiting for a nice day to take the kids bird watching and get some pictures of some birds.
A few plans for the rest of the week: to keep my house picked up, to clean my bathroom and bedroom, and to make it through the week financially.  That is going to be extremely difficult in the next couple of weeks.  Please pray for me to make it financially the next couple weeks.  I am going to have VERY little money for food.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...This is Feisty riding on Greg's shoulder.  She really loves him.  It's funny.

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Bedtime Prayers With My Children

At night I say a prayer over my kids after they are done saying their prayers...

Dear Jesus,

Please send your angels to watch over Stinky and Bubba and keep them safe tonight.  Keep everything evil out of their hearts, the souls, their minds, their dreams and their bedroom.  In Jesus name we pray, amen.

This picture here of them sleeping together is early in the morning.  When they go to bed at night they are in their own beds.  But they end up in bed with me just about every night.  And that is something that I am willing to endure and actually enjoy, as weird as that is to some parents, because some day my children will be too big and grown up to lay down with Mom.  I am taking every advantage to spend time with them now in ways that I won't be able to do in the future.  That is also another reason why I homeschool, to spend more time with my kids!

Mop it Up! Monday

I have found a new meme to follow that I think I will like!  It's called Mop it Up! Monday

 

My plans for this week is to keep all of the rooms that I already have cleaned, CLEANED!  I also have plans to clean my bedroom and my bathroom so they will be like the rest of my house.  I will work on them each for one hour this week.  

Mondays plans are basically to teach school, get dishes washed, clean the litterbox and maybe read some of my book.  I do not have high aspirations for today.  That is fine with me though! 

I am hoping that next week will bring me an even cleaner house with low maintenance to keep it up.  I need to keep everything picked up this week.  The kids have kept their bedroom picked up for over a week now which is a miracle in itself!!  I don't know that it has ever lasted that long staying cleaned before, but they have picked it up every night before bed.  Stinky has the incentive that if she kept it cleaned for a week, she could invite her best friend C over.  She did that!  Yay for her!  Now she has to keep it up, or C won't be able to play.  Bubba is a little upset that he doesn't have any friends at church really to invite over to play with and I told him that is ok.  He is still young, and most of the boys at church are younger or older than him.  He will get more friends as he grows older and our church grows.  

That is basically my cleaning plans for today and this week.  They are not really ambitious, but they serve my family and myself well.  If you liked this post, and would like to join and read others, please click on the graphic at the top of this blog entry and it will take you to Andrea's page for her Mop it Up! Monday blog.  Stay tuned next week for another episode of.....Mop it Up! Monday!!!!!

Show and Tell in May 2010

LADIES INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

Last Friday evening, for Ladies Night at church, we had a missionary visitor from Bangladesh.  She brought with her clothes that are worn there for all of us ladies to see.  For this Ladies Night, daughters were included no matter the age, so Stinky got to attend one with me.  She was even asked to be a model for the small fashion show to share the clothes that were brought.

Stinky, my princess, my little drama queen, the actress of all, is to say the least, excited.  She puts her outfit on....and of course....is disappointed.  :-(

She was upset that the pants were too long and they wouldn't stop going under her shoes.  We tried folding them under, but they just kept falling out.  It took some talking into and also a little of, that is just what you are going to wear and that's it! to make her happy.  I thought that she looked beautiful in it and the pants were something that Princess Jasmine from the Disney movie Aladdin would wear.  So after everyone else was dressed, and a few of the girls that were supposed to be there didn't show up, I was asked to wear an outfit.  I said, sure, I was up to wearing an outfit.  I was given the outfit for a Muslim woman who had a fair amount of money.  The dress that I wore over my clothes was very beautiful.  I loved the way that it flowed and twirled.  It was comfortable also, which is always an added plus!  Because I was portraying a Muslim woman though, I needed to have all of my hair covered.  That was a difficult thing to do when I didn't have any clips to use to clip the covering into place.  So I did the best that I could to stay covered.  And of course, Jackie asked if I would wear my outfit the whole evening, as I was doing part of a little reading skit later in the evening.  So I agree to that also.  Well after the fashion show was done and food was going to be served, everyone else changed!  Well, Kimmy stayed dressed, but hers wasn't as obvious as mine, lol.  I took the hair covering off to eat.

I wish that I would have taken a better picture of my dress.  It was really pretty.  Here we are on the stage along with some of the other Muslim ladies.

As she explained their lives and clothing to us, it was difficult to understand.  She shared stories with us of ladies that she knew and had been converted to Christianity.  Stories to let us know about some of the ladies that are real people, dealing with real lives and problems I can't imagine, in Bangladesh.

TOM

Stinky's new cat is the best to photograph!  I found him on my computer chair yesterday and took some pics.  I just love cat feet, I think they are the cutest things ever!  Take a look.....

CHILDREN'S ART

Stinky got a movie at the library that shows art projects to do on rainy days.  The kids watched it and made an alphabet book for a little girl at church.  Then they made me a picture frame.  Look at how cute they are!  This first one is made by Stinky and they include pictures of my niece, Graclyn, who I've only seen once in person because they live all the way across the country.  We're in Washington, they are in Massachusetts.  The next one is by Bubba and the top picture is one that he got from his dad.  Lol.  It's one of Greg's work sites.  I don't even think Greg is in the picture, he's taking it.  I think it's funny that Bubba got that one for me.  And the bottom is Graclyn.

I'VE GOT THEIR ATTENTION

I was reading to the kids for school and when I looked up, even Tom was watching me and listening.  

These are the joys of my life.  The things that I am thankful for.  The people that I love and am comfortable with.  The animals that color my world.  

Some of My Favorite Products

I found out the neatest thing this morning!  All of the wonderful uses for Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castille Hemp Soap.  I use the bars to make my laundry detergent, but you can also use the liquid.  I am definitely going to buy a larger bottle next time because there are so many uses for it.  I think that I am going to try it for a face cleanser once I run out of what I have.  You can make home made baby wipes with it, and that would work really well to make and wash my face with.  I will probably do it that way.  Then I could do that for the kids also and it would make face washing a lot easier.  It's also the perfect thing to take camping because you can use it for body soap, hand soap, shampoo, washing dishes, brush teeth and probably a few other uses.  I get so excited when I find out neat stuff like that.  I have found this at GNC, Fred Meyer's and Super Supplements.  Super Supplements was the cheapest and had more variety.


Currently my favorite beverage, besides coffee of course, to drink is water with ACV in it.  For you people who aren't familiar with ACV yet, it is Apple Cider Vinegar.  My friend has turned me on to Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.  It is the best!  I put a little bit in each glass of water that I drink.  I won't get bitten by too many mosquitoes this year!  I am going to put some into the cat's waters to help fight fleas also.  Now if I could just get the kids to take some each day, Kyle won't get bit by so many mosquitoes this summer.  I wonder if my cats will notice the taste?  Well if they don't like it they will drink it eventually when they get thirsty I suppose.  I gotta do more natural things and help save money.  This will do both.  I have found this at GNC, Fred Meyer's and Super Supplements.  Fred Meyer's had it for the cheapest price around here. 

One of my other favorite products is more vinegar.  White vinegar and apple cider vinegar.  I have been buying Heinz or generic brand for both of these.  I use the white vinegar for cleaning and laundry.  The apple cider vinegar I use to rinse out my hair after washing with baking soda.  I don't want to buy the Bragg's vinegar for this use because I don't want to spend the extra money on pouring the Bragg's into my hair and down the drain.  It is a bit spendier than Heinz.

I have found Baking Soda to be another new best friend.  Oh the uses of this.  Currently I use it to wash my hair, wash my laundry and brush my teeth.  There will be more uses coming soon....

Starbucks Breakfast Blend is my favorite coffee.  When I can't afford to splurge on Starbucks, I buy Folgers Breakfast Blend.  It is almost as good.  Even though I like strong coffee, and the breakfast blends are mild, I just love the flavor of them.

Since I have been doing things more natural lately, when I ran out of face moisturizer the last time, I went to Super Supplements to find a new one.  I found a rather inexpensive one and it is perfect for my skin and face!  It doesn't go on too think and make me oily, yet I don't feel the need to re-appy any more lotion after I use it.  That is the main test for me with face lotions and hand lotions.  If I fell like I have to re-apply lotion, it doesn't work to my satisfaction.  So my new awesome brand of face lotion that I like is Almond-Aloe Moisturizer made by Earth Science.  I am searching currently for a new hand lotion.  Maybe I need to go check out Super Supplements again for some hand lotion.  Oh I also need new chapstick. 

That is my current favorite products.  I guess it's my Have To Have list for the house right now.

Lost in my Books

Even though I think that I post mostly for myself, I am sorry for my absence lately!  I have been busy busy reading!  Right now I am reading Emma by Jane Austen.  I just started it and it's a 437 page book with small print.  I want to hurry up and finish it because I got a free book in the mail and they want me to write a review for it.  So I want to hurry up and write the review and get a new free book!  lol

The new book is called A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller.  It is a new series of Christian books written for teens.  This is the first of The Mysteries of Middlefield.

I have also checked out a few books from the library that I really want to start reading.  One book that I got is called Thinking Organized For Parents and Children by Rhona M. Gordon, M. S. CCC/SLP.  I doubt that I will fully read this book, I am mostly going to just flip through and peruse and see what will work for me.  And for the kids.  That is the toughest.  But I'm getting there....

One of my new projects that I want to start while I am renovating my backyard is making a compost pile.  So I found this book called Van Patten's Organic Gardener's Composting and I want to read that too!  I only have the library books for 3 weeks, so I need to get myself busy!  I have read 90 of the 437 pages of Emma so far, lol.

So really....why am I sitting here telling you all about this when I could be reading?  lol  Who knows.  I suppose I should go and read.  I am enjoying this book for the most part also.

Simple Woman's Daybook May 17

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...The sun is shining again!  It's so nice.  Now if it would just stay and get warm.  There are bugs swirling around outside as it is evening here.
I am thinking...how sweet it is to listen to Bubba read a book to himself.  He's not actually reading words, but telling the story by looking at the pictures.  But for Kindergarten, in my opinion, that is reading.
I am thankful for...my children, my life and the SUN!
From the learning rooms...Today we learned about how Noah obeyed for our obedience Bible lessons.  For Science they learned about birds eggs and how the babies grow.  We read chapter 7 of Runaway Ralph so we only have 2 more chapters left.  Bubba is reviewing his letters that he's learned because I'm not satisfied at how much he has learned using A Beka.  This week is the letter "I".
From the kitchen...There really isn't anything in our kitchen currently.  This week was a bad week somehow.  We ran out of money fast and food fast.  So it was a choice between fried potatoes or Velveeta Mac & Cheese for dinner.  Really exciting...Thank goodness tomorrow is pay day.
I am wearing...maroon sweats and a dark purple T-shirt that has a guitar on it and says "Rock".  It's one of my stay-at-home-and-hide-shirts.
I am creating...Plans for a Science fair this summer for homeschoolers.  Plans on how to get more kids to come to my Sunday school class.  Plans on how Vacation Bible school is going to be done.
I am going...absolutely no where.
I am reading...Emma by Jane Austen
I am hoping...that I can keep the progress up this week that I had today.
I am hearing...Bubba read to himself the story of Jonah.
Around the house...Things are getting picked up again.
One of my favorite things...Starbucks Breakfast Blend coffee.  I am just about to grind myself up some and make a pot.
A few plans for the rest of the week: More housework, schoolwork and reading.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is Stinky trying to make her footprint in the mud.  Lol.  What a character she is!

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