Free 2 Grow

Green Recipes

2009-04-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

I have been holding back so much info from you all, I'm sorry!! Here are some great recipes that we are using at our house to be green and save green!

I have seen many recipes for homemade laundry soap floating around the Internet, and I finally tried it out. I wish I had known about this years ago!! It is easy to make, works great, and is so incredibly inexpensive it seems too good to be true, but it's not! Here is the recipe that I used laundry soap

Try it out and tell me what you think.

Also, I made our own toothpaste. I had heard a long time ago that Fluoride wasn't good for you, but hadn't taken the time to do much research. Thankfully I have a friend that loves to investigate these things and share all her knowledge :-)) You can check out Aprils blog here. She doesn't have the fluoride info on her blog yet, so I'll just forward on the video she found. Go here to watch a video on how fluoride got into our drinking water and what you need to know about it.

After watching the video my husband threw out the toothpaste, and so I was forced to finally make toothpaste like I have been intending for years. Here is the recipe I used. I suggest using a bit less salt. We all like it, well dd is having a little fit, but I think she'll come around. It is very similar to arm and hammer toothpaste. We used freecycled baby food jars that each person got to decorate. I think the kids like having their own "special" toothpaste, so that helped in the transition.

Again I'd love to hear what you think if you make it.

A Very Good Read

2009-02-23T11:08:00.002-06:00

Do you dream of homesteading? Or just like reading about crazy people who do? Well, if either of these apply to you, or you just do everything people tell you then you should read this book!

Jenna Woginrich wrote the book "Made from Scratch, Discovering the Pleasures of a Homemade Life." It is a quick read that really got me excited again about having our own place. Not that that took a lot of doing. She quickly goes over gardening, bee keeping, chickens, packing with dogs, and more. Jenna was just 26 when she wrote this and was living in Sandpoint Idaho, which happens to just be 80 miles north of where my hubby and I met!!

She also has a blog that is fun to read www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com . She is young and sarcastic, which tends to be my favorite to read!

Check your library, they probably have it, that's where I found my copy!!

If you read it be sure to let me know what you think!

blah, blah, blogging

2009-01-21T23:18:00.002-06:00

I admit, I have been slacking. It's not that I don't have anything to write about. It's that I have too much. I think I should just do a little each day. I'll work on it, just for D's sake at least!!

So tonight I will tell of ten things I have been thinking of blogging about lately.

1. A new website I found that is very cool www.poissonrouge.com it is a great kids game. Seriously let your kids mess around on that!

2. Where does God want us to move?? He knows the desires of our hearts, but what if our desires are selfish????

3. I so love homeschooling! It is AWESOME to watch your kids learn, and they think it's fun at the same time, bonus!

4. I love the library. Wherever we move, they must have a library. Ok, maybe not, as long as I have DSL. But a fantastic library would be a huge bonus!!

5.Friends; aren't they great, hard, frustrating, inspiring, tiring, loving, funny, bad company, good company, etc.

6. Facebook. I am so loving Facebook!! I feel like I start my day with all my buddies!!

7. It's almost my birthday and I am at the age where I am starting to forget my age. I never thought that would happen, but it does, TO EVERYONE!

8. I'm really glad Elijah got Legos for his birthday, because I really like playing with them!

9. We are learning to play chess at our house. I have always wanted to learn but just didn't for some reason and now Ryan has taught me and I in turn taught the kids and we are having a blast! I'm sure we have a lot to learn in the way of strategy, but for now we are all enjoying playing with each other.

10. Obama is now our President. I see the good and the scary. My heart is heavy for the nation. I pray that there will be many positive surprise this year and that history will prove that G.W. Bush was a good president, he just wasn't our most eloquent. I am glad for him that he gets a break now.

I will post more as I think of it. I'd hate for my readers to become bored!

What is your child being taught?

2009-01-09T08:20:00.003-06:00

If you have children please watch this video. It is not meant to condemn anyone, but rather to just get you thinking. It is easy for us to just blindly do what we have always done.

God has recently showed me that we are like frogs in a pot of water and the temp is slowly being brought up so that we don't even notice it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGZLSVph3A

2008-11-25T15:46:00.003-06:00

Sophie has a new hobby, jumping rope! She has been asking for one for a while now and the other day I found a good deal on a good quality one so we HAD to get it.

This girl so impress' me. She is a natural athlete. In the past week she has jumped during most of her free time. She can now jump forwards, in a couple different fashions, backwards, with her eyes closed, while turning in a circle and is working on new tricks all the time.

I wanted to show her some new tricks so we checked out youtube. Check out this video for some awesome jump roping!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtIPH7lUPBk&feature=related

It reminds me of my cheerleading days! I'll have to upload some video of her soon.

Joy is 3 months old today!!

2008-11-11T08:48:00.002-06:00

Isn't she cute!! My Joy! I can't believe she is three months old already!

She is about the easiest baby you can imagine. She loves to smile at her brother and sister all the time and now is working hard on talking to us! It is sad to see her grow up so fast, but I know good times will come.

Thanking Jesus for my babies today!! What a blessing!

FIREPROOF

2008-11-06T22:20:00.002-06:00

Ryan and I just got home from watching Fireproof. It was such a great movie! My eyes are still incredibly swollen and hurting. Sitting here starring at the computer isn't helping all that much!

I highly suggest this movie to everyone!! Even if you aren't married yet, it gives you a lot to think about. You can tell that the actors aren't all that experienced, save Kirk Cameron of course. But all together it really is a great movie!

If you follow the link above you can watch the trailer and find out much more about it. Take a look, see what you think.

My New Toy!!

2008-11-03T07:33:00.002-06:00

Do you like?? I have visions of the beach, or maybe just a small town, groceries in the back, a big sun hat....

Ryan says I look really "special" on my bike! It does need a little tlc, but for the most part it is in really nice shape! It was a freecycle find, it was the first post that I actually begged for!

She needs a name, any thoughts??????

New Blog Up and Running!!

2008-10-30T08:48:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's up, it's running, it's taking off!! www.grandfamilyfun.com

I had a thought about doing this website a couple of months ago, did some research and now here it is!

I am very excited about all of the positive feedback I have been getting, although I find myself a bit behind in all I need to do now! I figured I would get the word out and really get the site some traffic,and then find the advertisers. Well, they have come a knockin!! In just my first few days of really being up I had someone contact me from one of the largest business' in town! Her mom had emailed her the site and she thought it was great, WOW!

There is so much to learn now. I am trying to figure out how much to charge for advertising. I didn't think I'd have to have this all figured out yet, but I have a meeting on Monday to present my site to this BIG company!! What am I going to wear???

I have also been asked to be a part of Safe Kids, a program here in town that like the name says teaches kids about safety. I have been invited to give a presentation to their group of about 100 different agencies. WOW, what am I going to wear? (can you tell this is a recurring thought here?)

It is awesome to see God move in such a way. I feel like his blessings are just pouring down over my new project.

Thanks for listening to all of my excitement!! My poor mom, I keep calling her in my excitement. You know you want someone to celebrate with and who gets more excited about a person's accomplishments than there mommy??

Please take a moment to check out my site, email it to all your friends, subscribe, thank you for your support!! The readers of this blog really gave me the confidence to start the other, thank you!!

Self Analysis

2008-10-25T07:34:00.004-05:00

I really enjoy looking deeply into the why of almost everything I do. Too many years working at a self help group I suppose. (oops, there I go again.)

Anywho, I have recently realized something about myself. I'm sure that if you know me you have already realized this about me, but it just finally clicked over here.

I love a challenge, I love puzzles and learning new things. Only thing is as soon as it becomes easy I don't find it all that interesting anymore.

This habit helps to explain my gigantic craft collection, various jobs, tons of hobbies, (and I'm thinking maybe this explains all the boyfriends, hmmm).

I remember in grade school we had to write about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I had a list of about 50 things, my goal was to have a new job each week so that i could try it all. Later in High School I took a skills test to see what I would be good at to help with career planning. It was such a mess, basically it said that I would be good at everything but medicine. (See tweets about sickness)

Like all traits that God has gifted us with this can either be a hindrance or a blessing. When I look at mothering and especially homeschooling I see this as a huge blessing!! It doesn't' bother me in the slightest to dive into a new project each week, learn a ton about it and then move on.

I have often thought that it would be great to start up business' (i have a ton of ideas rolling around my noggin) get them going and then have someone else run them. The more I analyze my giftings and the way God has wired me I think that this might not be such a bad idea. Now, just to build the capital to get the ball rolling. hmmm

One way that this habit does hinder me is with past college attempts. I am all gung ho at first, reading everything, get straight A's and then it gets boring, I slack off, lose interest and voila C's. I did attend three different colleges and changed majors five times. Thankfully God has finally given me peace about this as well. I plan to just homeschool myself along with my kids. I love to learn, but a class just doesn't go fast enough for me. Not that I am sooo brilliant, they just don't keep my attention.

Thanks for reading my observations!! I'm off to learn something new today, html I think.

The Election..............

2008-10-21T19:07:00.002-05:00

10 Predictions, Regardless of Who Wins the Election

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost who come to Him.

I recieved this in an email today. I had to share it as it is sooo true!
Don't forget to vote!

Simple Fun

2008-10-16T09:55:00.002-05:00

We had a great night of simple fun the other evening. We all rode our bikes (Joy in the front pack) around campus until we found a great grassy spot under a huge tree. I threw down a blanket and we had a sweet time of reading. Currently we are reading about David Livingstone and his missionary work in Africa during the mid 1800's. It is amazing where he went and how long it took him!!

It was a great evening even though the mosquitos were after us and Ryan had to make a mad dash with Elijah to a bathroom at one point.

I don't think we'll be able to do it again until spring. I'll be working on planning some more simple fun while we wait for warmer weather once again.

Here is a great link to inspire some simple thoughts for your day.

Enjoy!!

Goals, continued

2008-10-11T19:17:00.004-05:00

If you haven't read my previous goal post, go here first.

Sorry for taking so long to post these. We decided to rearrange our house at the last minute. It has made for two days of straight work, and still a big mess to clean up! I'm taking a break though and enjoying my old journal.

First page in journal

Goals, there are 53 written here, but I won't bore you with them all, here are the first 20 I wrote:

1. Adopt at least one child

2. Be a foster parent

3. Own a horse farm

4. Graduate from college

5. Own a matching pickup and trailer

6. Ride in a rodeo or two ( I really love roping!!)

7. Learn to rope/run barrels

8. Ride both hunter/Jump and Show Jumping classes

9. Do volunteer work with kids

10. Design and build my own arena and pens

11. Get married - only once

12. Ride horses in Ireland

13. Swim in all four of the oceans

14. Learn how to drive a tractor

15. Teach a class

16. Wear a size 7

17. Learn to sew

18. Learn to cook well

19. Live in Texas

20. Work on a ranch

Oh, these bring back many memories and quite a few smiles! Can you tell I love horses??? That is one part of my life that has been put on hold and I can't wait to have it back!

The other 33 are pretty funny as well. I added to the list over a few years and some entries are definitely a bit more dreamy than the rest like #37 End Racism.

I am glad to say that I have completed several of the goals on my list. And many of the goals are still dear to my heart, like #1 (although I'm thinking more than one now!!).

My goal list has inspired me to have the family make a goal sheet over the next week. I'll let you know what we come up with!

Grass Clippings

2008-10-07T13:45:00.004-05:00

Here in NE North Dakota we don't have too many beautiful wild flowers. We do have many wonderful native grasses though! We went out collecting some the other day. I have them drying downstairs now waiting for their perfect use. This is our new Caravan!! Thanks to the Grammies who both pitched in to buy this indispensable piece of traveling equipment for our family!!

Goals

2008-10-07T13:33:00.003-05:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking about a journal that I started keeping in high school. I haven't looked through it lately, but I know some of the things that are in it and I dearly love the cover!

One thing that I did after reading an article about writing your life goals, was to do just that. I wrote my life goals. I am anxious to go back and reread what I wrote at that time, but before I do that I thought it would be fun to write my goals now and compare the two.

Sooo, here are some of my present goals, and tomorrow I will write what I found in my journal!!

1. To live for the Lord each day
2. To be a blessing to my family each day, which would take care of # as well I suppose
3. get my new blog up and running and generating an income
4. get rid of the 20lbs I found in North Dakota!!
5. be a better friend, looking more to give than to receive
6. speak boldly about Christ
7. craft more!!!!
8. organize my office, and then keep it like that on a daily basis
9. be more patient, esp with hubby and kids
10. do a triathlon
11. exercise daily!!
12. have a daily time with the Lord, consistently!!
13. write at least 4x a week, fiction at least once a month
14. pay off student loans ASAP! be debt free- until we buy a home of course!!

I'll stop here. I do have many long term goals, like travel the world, etc. I think most of those goals are in my journal already!! They haven't changed too much.

Now that I've written my list I am even more excited to go find my other one!! See you tomorrow!!

Bye, bye college life!

2008-10-06T15:00:00.002-05:00

Ryan graduates on December 19th!! I can't believe how close that really is, just a little over two months from now! Already he has finished his really hard class up and is just doing Photography until the end of the semester. He is instructing though, so he is still busy, but the lack of homework has already made such a difference at our house.

I'm sure you all will be hearing about this quite a bit in the next several months, but our life has been so out of balance these past 5 1/2 yrs. We have missed Ryan. The kids are use to it because it is all they have known, but it is still hard to have him gone so much.

This weekend we were able to take a family drive and just chill out without the pressure of homework looming over Ryan. What a breath of fresh air that was!

Not only are we getting much more time together as a family, Ryan and I have been able to spend our late nights together. This is a huge change from before when I would just watch tv waiting for him to get done studying at midnight!

I am a happy women!! Like I said, I'm sure you will be hearing much more about my new exciting life!!

Poem for the Day

2008-10-02T07:40:00.003-05:00

SONG FOR A FIFTH CHILD

(although I think it should say third)

Mother, O mother, come shake out your cloth!

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blisfully rocking!

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat-a-cake, darling and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But i'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.)

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

My Favorite Website

2008-09-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

If you've talked to me for longer than ten minutes in the past 5 months you've probably already heard the news, but if you haven't listen up!!

Go, right now, ok, right after you read this to www.moneysavingmom.com . Crystal who writes this blog is awesome!! And her website is full of soooo much great info you simply must visit. Due to this website my family has saved over $200 on diapers/shampoo/toothpaste/etc over the past six months, we receive several magazines for FREE, and today I just signed up for two free razors one for Ryan and one for myself. She also has so much information to help you make money from home. I'm telling you, if you have five extra minutes a day visit this website, you won't be sorry!!

I'm off to sleep now, but I just had to share!!

Another Baby????

2008-09-27T15:11:00.002-05:00

Just when I think I'm starting to look good again a seven year old dashes my dreams! The neighbor girl just asked me if I am going to have another baby. I said, "no, do I look like it (said in my nicest tone I swear)" "ya, kinda she said, just a little."

Well bummer, now the decision do I go eat ice cream and try to drowned my sorrow, or pump out 50 crunches. I think I'll go for the crunches since I just finished off the Kashi cookie that came in the mail!

Ice Cream

2008-09-27T14:30:00.001-05:00

If you like ice cream you had better check this out, just click here and you'll be in for a big surprise!! I'd love to hear what you think!

Kid's say the funniest things!

2008-09-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

s=sophie, m=me

S "I want God to give me a present."
M "What kind of present?"
S "I want a present to make people blind."
M, a bit scared at this moment, "make people blind?"
S "yeah, I want to make bad people blind, like if they say Jesus is Lord, but don't really believe it, I want to make them blind."
M, not sure what to say at this point, "oh"

The story went on for a bit, sadly we got interrupted before I was able to ask her what she hoped would come of them becoming blind. It is interesting to see the passion such small children can have for the Lord. What a cool thing really. Not that I approve in making all "bad" people blind, but who knows maybe she's onto something. Obviously it worked for Saul.

I'm Tired!!

2008-09-21T20:44:00.003-05:00

I keep wanting to write to ya'll, but by the time I get here my brain is so tired and fuzzy I'm afraid I will just bore ya'll (do you like my y'all's?? I had to copy a dear friend who writes like Paula Dean. Go here to read more)to death with my sidetracked ramblings. I am hoping to start scoring some writing time from my sweet hubby, we'll see how that goes!

I just want to take a moment to say how awesome my friends are! I got an email from a dear friend from my days in WA state. She sent me the cutest song, click here to shed a little tear!! I have made friends here and there along my travels, and it is always interesting who you stay in touch with and who you don't. Usually it's those that track me down and stock me that I stay in touch with. I tend to be an all in the moment kind of person. I love you tons when we are together, even if we haven't seen each other in years, but I super suck at staying in touch with people who live any kind of distance away!

So, to all my distant friends whom I never call, email, or Heaven forbid WRITE to, please listen to the above song and know that I love you!!

And, to my new friends that I am enjoying very much, let's play until one of us moves, and then we'll have to talk at least once a year!!

Soaking in the Love tonight!!

2008-09-18T23:32:00.001-05:00

The birth story is coming........soon, I promise!

Crazy Hair Day!!

2008-09-18T08:23:00.005-05:00

It was crazy hair night at AWANA .
Sophie's hair almost made me want to go totally grey, I said almost! Elijah's made him look like one of the founding fathers!

FYI

2008-09-16T18:30:00.001-05:00

I am working on another blog that will be launching in October. My new blog is a hopeful money maker that is taking a lot of research to get off the ground. In order to figure out a lot of the little "tricks" with blogging I will first be playing with them here. Sooo, it may look strange around here as things will be changing, new buttons attached, formats modified, and the such. I look forward to hearing from you about what you like/dislike about the looks and content of this blog.

Thanks!!

2008-09-16T13:34:00.003-05:00

I finally took the plunge and tried something new!

My good friend Karen told me a few years ago how she has made money on Amazon by selling books. She sold her old text books and books that she would bid on at auctions. I have been compiling a box of books, but I just thought it would take too much time and so I hadn't done it. I hate all the little details that come with most Internet stuff!! Well, finally I decided to try it. I guess the growing list of "I want to buy...." plus the very empty wallet gave me the incentive I have been needing.

As of today I have sold 4 books in just over a week and have made over $60!! Of course I already have plans via my amazon wish list for the $60, but it's all for homeschooling supplies, so that's ok--- right???

I'm telling ya, if you have books taking up space at your house and you'd like a little cash, this is easy!! It only took me a few minutes to set everything up and then another 3-5 minutes to post each book. You can go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller/sell-your-stuff.html?ie=UTF8&ref=ya%5Fhp%5Faz%5F2 and get started right now!

Let me know if you have done this or if you start!!

Joy's one month old now!

2008-09-16T07:28:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month already! I have a feeling that this little ones babyhood is going to fly by! The busier I am the faster time goes, and the Lord knows I am busy now!!

Now that Joy is getting a bit older we are working out a schedule for us all. She is a very good sleeper, for that I am extremely thankful! Last night she slept from about 6:30 until 6:30 this morning!! She woke up to nurse quickly a couple of times, but other than that this girl sleeps!!

Late Night Fussies!!

2008-09-11T23:33:00.002-05:00

I am sitting at the computer too tired to hardly keep my eyes open, but I must do something to distract me from the cries! My baby has gotten a little too use to falling asleep while being bounced. And tonight, she is the crabbiest ever! I finally laid her in her crib thinking she must sleep soon. But no, she's not sleeping. She keeps settling down and then revving her engines right up again!

Finally my husband has picked her up. I tried to earlier but he thought we should give her another minute. Oh well, life with a baby. I might need a teensy bit of caffeine tomorrow!

I'm back!!

2008-09-09T22:05:00.003-05:00

Our little Joy has come to stay with us and now I feel the need to blog once again. I was hoping that family would use this to see what was going on with us. They didn't use it like I hoped, but maybe now with the little one they will. So here I am, back in blogger land!!

2008-01-26T09:30:00.000-06:00

Here is my little dancing princess doing what she loves most! She brings such joy to all of us when she dances. Yesterday she put on a show for the ladies at a local eatery. We were the only customers and she found a spot that resembled a stage. In the background of the video you can hear Ryan getting after Elijah for climbing on everything, pretty regular sound at our house.

Comments fixed

2008-01-25T15:27:00.001-06:00

If you have tried to leave a comment in the past and it didn't work, it will now!! Sorry, I guess there was a check I needed to mark. It is now marked and I'm ready for your comments! Bring it!!

Unschooling

2008-01-25T09:56:00.001-06:00

Here is Sophie doing her "school" work! One of my favorite tools right now is www.starfall.com. She learns how to read while having fun, she'd play for hours a day if I'd let her.

The other day we had a great unschooling moment. I told Sophie that we would need to be going in 5 minutes. She thought for a while and then asked if I would teach her all about time. That is how unschooling works, you wait for their interest to peak and then you give them what they are asking for!!

2008-01-22T09:39:00.000-06:00

Elijah shared his birthday party with another Elijah, they are both three now! We played at an indoor playground and then came back to the other Elijah's house for pizza and more pizza! I love making the cakes, it's my favorite part of birthdays!

I took these on Elijah's birthday. My babies are getting sooo big!

The audition

2008-01-19T06:47:00.000-06:00

Sophie went to her audition nervous but very ready to be on stage. When we showed up I was thankful that it was a very small group, maybe only seven kids actually tried out while we were there. Sophia was by far the youngest with the next oldest being seven and the rest middle or high schoolers. Because she can't read yet they asked her to get up on stage and sing happy birthday to one of the directors. She was the very first person to do anything and she had never been put on the spot like that before. When she got on stage she put her hands to her cheeks as if doing the "fat johnny, skinny johnny" joke I grew up with. She was definitely stuck in the "fat johnny" pose as she sang happy birthday. As soon as she was done she ran to me and buried her face in my lap. I thought she was done, I was waiting for the tears to come. But, you know what that kid is tough. She snuggled for a bit and watched the other kids get up on stage and read and then she went up and sang another song. This time Sophie left her hands at her side!! She was adorable. I am so proud of her for going back up! I must also say that by the very end of auditions she was up on the stage dancing and singing all by herself. She loves the stage!!

During auditions they asked me if I would read the part of Kanga. This stage loving mom wasn't going to turn down the opportunity! I read it and had fun, but they were really hoping to have an all child cast. I talked with the directors about doing adult (vs child, not anything naughty) theater and they said they would pass my info on to another director that was doing a play.

Well, a few days later we got the casting info and Sophia is an animal (not one of the main pooh characters, but an extra that has several lines, a really cute part for her) and I am the Narrator, aka Christopher Robins Grandmother. We have already had a couple of practices and it is going well, except for the fact that I am supposed to speak like a Grandma and I am doing terrible at it!

The first showing will be on February 13th, I will let you all know how it goes!!

The Stage

2008-01-10T15:54:00.000-06:00

Thanks to a faithful friend that said " you need to put something on your blog, at least some pictures." I am back. I have been very tired with this pregnancy and can't even begin to tell you how much I have just laid in bed. I'm not even reading or anything, maybe my hormones are canceling out my ADD.

I would like to share the funny changes going on at my home. My dear daughter who will be five (I can hardly believe it!!!) in two short months is becoming quite the star. From her first dance recital at two when she ran off the stage saying "mommy, I want to go back up there" I knew she was meant for the stage. As a baby she would get up and stand on anything over a foot tall and then start dancing. Now, you can often find her on her stool in front of the bathroom mirror pretending to be on TV. She keeps saying you can see her at www.sophia.com, I am hoping this is from watching the Disney channel and repeatedly hearing to visit their websites and not something much more scary to a mommy's mind. The funny thing about her new mirror obsession is that I had one at her age as well. My mother loves to tell of catching me practicing crying in front of a full length mirror I had in my room when I was four.

I have decided not to fight the stage loving, attention seeking child, but find her an outlet. So, tomorrow she is off to audition for a children's production of Winnie the Pooh. I figure it's free, she loves being on stage, and she is very good at memorizing her bible verses, so this should be a good fit. I am excited to see how she does. With me she is very outgoing, but it will be a different story when she is in front of strangers and I am excited to see her grow a little!! Yeah, I get to be a crazy stage mom! I need to go and work on my outfit for tomorrow!

2007-12-27T08:38:00.000-06:00

We had our Ultrasound and it says that my due date is July 27th. The funny thing about that is that is a day before the EAA fly in in Oshkosh. This is the second largest airplane rally in the world, and a huge highlight of Ryan's job this summer. I don't know how our insurance is going to work and if we will even be able to have the baby in WI. Who knows, well God does, and I rest in the knowledge that He has it all planned out and at the right time will reveal to us what needs to happen.

We had a very quiet Christmas this year. Last year we Ryan's mom came to visit and that made it less lonely here, but this year it was just us. It has been nice to spend so much time with Ryan, but he is back to work as a flight instructor already. Good for our paycheck though!!

Some very good news in our circle of friends is that Jennifer and Zach ( from the "Bringing Home our Ethiopian Princess'" blog are home from Ethiopia with their two beautiful daughters. Please check out their website. Also on the Jesus Babies site is a beautiful telling of one family's trip to Uganda. Some very good reading if you have the time!!

I found out what I was sick with!!

2007-12-17T10:48:00.001-06:00

So, after being sick for several days and most of the symptoms leaving except a stubborn case of nausea and extreme tiredness I decided it was time to take another pregnancy test. I had sworn these off a few months earlier as they kept saying "no" when I thought they should be saying "yes"! I picked up my test at the local dollar store and went home to try out my luck. I walked away from my test thinking it might say yes, but it will probably say no so don't get your hopes up. Thankfully, it was Positive!! I have been to the Dr, he confirmed and today I am off for an ultrasound to see how far along I am.

My kids are more excited than I am and I do believe this is going to be the longest nine months of their lives! Sophie is busy drawing pictures of me with the baby in my tummy and she is working on a journal of words so that when the baby turns 2 she can teach him/her to read. Elijah just wants to snuggle the baby and has asked that I take it out so that he may kiss it.

I am feeling a bit better, but still really tired. I will let you all know tomorrow what the ultrasound says.

I'm still here!!

2007-12-06T15:53:00.000-06:00

I have been very sick the past few days and so have not written. It has been nice to hear from several people that they are reading the blog. It is much more fun to write when you think others are reading!! I am going to put a list of inspirational blogs on my blog today, be sure to check them out!! One family is in Uganda right now meeting the two children they are in the process of adopting. Reading their blog brought back so many memories of our trip to Africa. We are so excited to get back!! We'll see how the Lord works that out.

It has been snowing like crazy here and we have over a foot and a half of snow. The fun thing about snow here in ND is that none of it melts until spring. Our only mountains here are the large piles of snow in all of the department store parking lots. The kids have only been out in it a couple of times and only want to stay out for a few minutes as it is always below zero here.

Have a wonderful day and I will post more pics soon, sorry I do not have a very nice camera to use right now and so all of the pictures are dark. They give you an idea of what we see though!

Just Gotta Brag!!

2007-12-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

The big news at our house is that we are moving to Wisconsin for the summer!! Ryan has been awarded the Clay Lacey Scholarship and a position as a Flight Instructor at the EAA's kids summer camp in Oshkosh, WI.

We are so proud of Ryan!! I know this is going to be a great fit for him. He loves teaching and does really well with highschool aged kids! This is another large scholarship for Ryan, so far he has won $23,000 in scholarship money!!! Isn't that amazing!! Sadly, becoming a pilot is so stinkin expensive we will still have quite a bit of debt upon graduation, but this sure helps out a whole bunch!!

The kids places

2007-12-03T11:03:00.001-06:00

What is unschooling?

2007-12-03T10:51:00.001-06:00

A reader posed this question to me the other day and I would like to respond to you all. In my profile I wrote that I am an unschooler. In the homeschooling community there are so many different theories and groups. I don't think I fit into any of them 100%, and so I chose this title as I think it is the closest fit.

There are several thoughts on the idea of unschooling, I will only indulge you with mine. This is our theory involving hs, especially concerning the ages of our children currently. Our home is a place filled with games, books, maps, information, music, make believe, and fun!! Instead of having a regular school time, following someonelse's plan for my children, and forcing them to learn, I have chosen to present the ideas and let them take the lead. We keep "educational" items and toys out and ready to be used whenever the feeling strikes. We go over phonics and numbers and the alphabet regularly while driving, lying in bed, or playing. I want to make learning fun for them and I want them to be able to really learn about the things that interest them. Right now Sophie is very into sign language so we learn our Bible verses in sign language and Elijah is all about his ABC's. It is fabulous to be able to watch them grown and learn and figure all of this out.

I suppose I am an unschooler because we do not use a curriculum or live by a "learning schedule". My motto for our "home school" is "Free to Learn". I have many thoughts on the joys of homeschooling, but I think I will end now before you all get bored!!

For a Good Laugh!

2007-11-29T07:38:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for a good laugh this winter check out this website http://www.weather.com/weather/local/58201?lswe=58201&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared

it shows Grand Forks weather!! This morning it says -4, feels like -20. Yep, I agree!!

Yummy~!

2007-11-28T18:53:00.000-06:00

Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans and Zucchini

1 spaghetti squash, about 2 lbs

2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices

2 cups chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tbl dried

15 ounces black beans rinsed and drained

2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes

2 tbl olive oil

2 tbl red wine vinegar

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1. cook squash , many ways to do it, I cut in half, scooped out seeds, placed face down on baking stone, baked at 375 for 35 min, when done shred with forks to look like spaghetti

2. grill or saute zucchini

3. mix tomatoes, beans, cooked zucchini, and basil in one bowl. In another bowl combine remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly. Mix all together and serve over squash.

Taken from "Good Carb, Better Carb Cookbook"

This meal is soooo good. The kids even really liked it and you know that is always a plus!

My North Dakota Garden

2007-11-28T09:04:00.001-06:00

Elijah refers to this as our garden. I guess it will do for now. I love my David bust, I found it at a garage sale for just a quarter while in MT this past summer. My jade plant is from my wonderfully gifted soapmaking neighbor Heather. She has a jade tree at her house, I can't wait for mine to look like hers. I am sure this plant will be an issue for us when we finally move!

Wonderful Toys!!

2007-11-27T09:42:00.000-06:00

These are some of our favorite toys. I have to say that these blocks have been some of our best investments. The kids love the pattern blocks and like to make up all sorts of games with them. The unpainted wooden ones that Sophia is playing with are from a set called "Handwriting Without Tears". You can use these forms to make all of the letters, as you can see we have found many other uses for them as well.

We have gotten rid of so many of their toys. I refuse to keep a bunch of plastic crap around that doesn't even get played with. The other day I just went through their room and scooped up a bag of junk, they haven't even noticed! We so appreciate open ended toys!! The things that truly get the most use in our house are; books, art supplies, dress up, trucks, animals, blocks, and Sophia's favorite 2nd hand store find, a little Barbie journal. She has played with it for days!! It has been her notepad to take orders when she is a waitress, she has been writing her "cursive" in it, and numbering all the pages. Every friend that has seen it wants to use it as much as she does! It cost 25 cents and after I see how much use it gets I think I would have been willing to pay $10 for such an item!!

Snowy Tuesday!

2007-11-27T09:29:00.000-06:00

Here are a few of my favorite places around the house. My favorite blogger, http://soulemama.typepad.com/soulemama/ does a thing called corners of my home. This is my version. I will be adding more pictures in the next few days.

It is -11 right now before wind chill. The snow has finally come to ND. If it is going to be cold, I am glad for the snow, I just wish it would be a bit more gentle. When it snows here it snows hard and sideways! You can't open your eyes and you run from the car to the house trying to avoid the snow drifts! It is extremely hard to get an accurate reading of how much snow we have because of the blowing. Some places will have no snow, and then there will be a 6inch drift. I miss being able to play in the snow, not just avoiding it! Maybe I've just gotten too old!

Blessings to you all!! I have some good pictures of the kids for tomorrow!

Welcome

2007-11-26T14:07:00.000-06:00

I had started a blog earlier, but it is a very specific blog. I am wanting to use this one for our family and more about my interests so here it is!!