Field Trip FAIL ... kind of

Our first field trip with homeschoolers was a bit of a bust.  Not because of the location or event.  That was great!  I don't know if the girls paid attention, but I learned quite a few things about Tower, MN and the railroad that trucked iron ore to Duluth in the late 1800s through the 1960s.

Our friend from church, Krista, invited us and a few other families to the Tower Train Museum.  It's a great little museum with big trains and a depot full of historic relics.  And I thought that since Isaac loves trains, it would be a hit.

Nope.

He was great the first few minutes of the depot tour, but when it came time to see the trains ... well, things went downhill fast.  You see, trains have stairs.  And Isaac loves stairs.  Therein lies the problem.

When the little guy wasn't allowed to climb all the sets of stairs, he transformed into a squirmy, screamy gremlin.  Fifteen minutes of trying to restrain the monster had my arms in knots and my ears in pain.  I know it wasn't pleasant for anyone else on the tour either.  


I gave up, called it quits, said goodbye to friends and loaded the truck.  Bag lunches prepared for a fun feast on a box car became fare for the ride home.

I think next time we will just get a babysitter for The Boy, if possible.  

Here is a picture before he transformed into Jack-Jack with baby powers.

I tried taking one while he was having his wee little tantrum, and this was the result.  Kind of an interesting picture.

And here are a few other pics from the trip.  

Sew Much More Time!

Now that I've switched to my new school day, I find that I have time to do things again.  Things that I love, like home improvement and crafty schmafty stuff. 

Most of you know that I love cloth diapers on the kiddos.  Lately, things were so hectic that I had Isaac in disposable diapers just to save time.  We have more time on our hands now, so back into the cloth he went.

And the search for the best diaper pattern continues.  This is my latest AIO pocket diaper.

The outer is 1 mm PUL, with 16-gauge snaps.  Next time I make it, I will add hip snaps.  The shell pattern was based on a SmartiPants diaper that I stretched out and traced.  The inner is flannel, which wicks moisture away pretty well.  In this case, it's made out of a receiving blanket Isaac had as an infant.  Not a bad way to upcycle.  :)  The soaker loads (haha) through the back of the diaper.

Things to do next try:  hip snaps and sewing a "channel" that the soaker would feed into, rather than stuffing in between the layers.  In other words, a casing of sorts sewn to the flannel inner lining to hold the soaker.  I'll point it out on the next go-round.

More Changes for a Stress-Free Life

In previous posts, I mentioned that we were using K12 curriculum through Minnesota Virtual Academy.

No more!!

While it is a good option and a great program, at this time in our lives it is not the best fit for the family.  What do I mean?

You could say that trying to work 10 hours of scheduled class time into a home with children who like to climb into aquariums, scale bookcases, experiment with household cleaners and smuggle restricted objects was just a teensy, weensy bit much for me to handle.  If you did, indeed, say that you would be correct.

Trying to juggle the unexpected joys of parenting toddlers while attempting to teach two school age children was just too difficult a task under the K12 program.  Therefore, I switched to my own program.  It combines the strategy of the Sonlight Christian curriculum with a few other resources found online and some Bob Jones University, Apologia, and other curriculum loaned to me by a friend.  

My friends have been wonderfully supportive in loaning me materials.  I even found a great bargain bin sale day at BetterWorldBooks.com.

Even though we've gone through yet another change, this time it is for the best.  This mama is not nearly as stressed, and we finish school in about three hours versus eight or nine.  I even have time to sew again.  And paint cabinets.  And clean the house and do laundry.  And pee and brush my teeth.  

Ah, glorious life!

Cool Yer Jets, Man!

We woke up the last two mornings to Jack Frost's wintery gifts.  Lows got down in the 20s already, and it snowed very briefly the other day.  So hard to believe that autumn is here with winter nipping at its heels.

Time to start slowing down, I suppose.  If it's possible.  Which I really don't think it is.  How can I possibly slow down with all the demands on my time?  And yet, over the last month I've slowed my pace in the mornings and evenings, so that I can have a special time reading God's word.  

I confess ... I do not read my Bible nearly enough.  The last few weeks have been very challenging, and when enough was enough, I began leaning on the "everlasting arms" of God.  Morning and night He has shown me in His word how much He loves me, and what He expects of me in this life.  It has been a wonderful and humbling experience.  

So if impending winter is reminding me that the earth slows, then I suppose it is only fitting that I slow with it.  And maybe if I'm not moving so fast, God won't have to raise His voice to get my attention.  :)

God bless!

The Still, Small Voice in my Head

Do I even need to say that the cabinets didn't get done last week?  I don't think so.

I did manage to pull down three doors, spray hinges and fill holes.  Just didn't get any further than that.

Minnesota Virtual Academy is kicking my butt.  Hard.  I had a breakdown yesterday, and I feel bad for my poor sister who had to listen to a blubbering, wailing me describe my day.

It wasn't until I put my head on my pillow at 8 o'clock in the evening, exhausted and weary, that I heard God's gentle voice reminding me that I prayed for the patience to get through another school day the night before.  What the heck was I thinking?!  The only way to learn patience is to go through the fire of adversity.  I'll just say that God answered the prayer, much to my dismay.

Every day is a lesson, I've learned.  Yesterday I learned that teaching my children at home and still having enough "me" left over to tend to little ones and run a household is too big a job for me to handle ... alone.  That still, small voice of God reminded me to lean on Him and let Him work.  There is absolutely no way to do this on my own.  I'm right about that.  It is, very literally, Mission Impossible.

So thankful that I can just show up for work and let God do the rest.  Because He's the only one that can get me gracefully through the day, that can guide me through the chaos and have me standing up on the other side of it.

My sister posted this verse to my Facebook wall:  ‎"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." ~Isaiah 41:13

I needed the reminder.  Thanks, sissy.

Mission Impossible

As if I don't try to conquer the world, one onesie and pullup at a time, I have begun a quest that seems virtually impossible today.  Day Three of schooling the kids at home.

Today's mantra:  I will survive.  

In fact, that isn't the only goal, but it is the main objective.  Three kids, three grade levels, and a Tazmanian Devil running around the house.  

But to complicate matters, I've also sworn to complete sanding and painting the kitchen cabinets before the end of the week.

So I will attempt to survive.  And I will attempt to instill education, discipline and respect in my children.  And I will attempt to paint some cabinets.  Hopefully, pictures will follow.

If I live.

Allergies Abound!

A few months back, Savvy developed an oral allergy to eating raw carrots.  I thought it was kind of ridiculous, to be honest.  But the hives and the swelling were hard to discount, and the incident repeated itself on a subsequent occasion.  Then, the same thing happened with raw apples.


We decided it was in her best interest to screen her for allergies with a qualified professional.  And boy, am I glad we did.  

Beginning of the allergy test

Our poor Savvy girl is allergic to a LOT of stuff, with birch and oak pollen topping the list.  Pretty much all the tree pollens, grass pollens and weed pollens are in there too.  Including a very common mold, cats and dust mites.

End of the 15 minutes of allergy testing

Translation:  a few changes to our lifestyle.  No more open windows in the early morning or late afternoon.  No more hanging her linens on the clothesline.  Absolutely no chance of getting another cat.  Mattress and pillow covers to keep dust mites at bay.  And two EpiPens standing by in case of a severe food allergic reaction.


Moral of the story:  if you think your child may have allergies, it's best to follow your instincts and have them screened.  Better safe than sorry.

Project Fence: Completed!

Here are a couple quick pictures of the completed back yard fence!  Woo hoo!

And now ... onto finishing the kitchen cabinets!