Farm Day

Caleb was dipping crackers into the fresh butter he just made for a snack

On October 3rd, I was very lucky to be able to go on a field trip with just my son.  The two of us left early that morning to head to Yuba City.  Our homeschooling charter school was able to have students who signed up go for free.  As soon as we got there we were greeted by others from the school and Caleb was handed a Farm Day t-shirt which  he immediately put on, along with the other students.

All of the kids could not wait to go inside.  The ES in charge of helping with the field trip was given a list of the 35 stations that each school was able to choose from.  There was no way that any school could get to all of the 35 stations in a two hour window, so it was nice to see what was offered ahead of time.  We were able to complete 13 stations, which was more than we thought we could have completed.  Each station that we went to, all of our children were actively engaged and asking many questions.  I thought it was fantastic and the speakers were very knowledgeable regarding their topics.

Our children were able to make a little container of butter, feel wool, touch animals, learn about different types of soil, dairy goats, walnuts, and so much more.  I know that my son really enjoyed this field trip and I did as well.

Wool

Petting a dairy goat

Ropes!

It was a happy day on the Farm!

What A Blessing To Have This Special Lady As Our ES (Educational Specialist)

It is October 2nd and I wanted to make sure that I finished this post tonight!

Well, where do I begin?  I made a decision that I was going to homeschool my children in October of 2012.  My son had just started Kindergarten over a month before.  It was not something that I had decided before I had children or anything like that, but something that had just fell into place.  I had prayed about it and much consideration had taken place to get to this point.  After having multiple conversations with a few of my friends, I decided that I was going to not only enroll my son with South Sutter Charter School, but I wanted to use the TJED philosophy.  Was I crazy?  Not at all!

Honestly, I was very excited for my family's new journey.  But, at the same time, I was nervous knowing that I would be working with an ES who would be assigned to my family through the school with not ever meeting them beforehand.  Seems so silly, right?  At first, that is how it seemed to me.  I actually had signed my son up for the school year that summer and had left after just talking to our previous assigned ES a couple of times.  Something was just not right and the spirit was telling me that it was not my time.  It was disappointing, but something greater was in store.  Every ES is different and it is not to say that they are not a great fit for other families, but it was just not going to work for my family.  I guess you can say that was the very beginning before I gave it one more shot!  This next shot was the real deal, so to speak.

Anyhow, I was guided to try again and everything felt so right!  From day one Barbara had shown a light that has only shined brighter and brighter with the time she has spent with my family.  She has an essence about her that is absolutely wonderful.  Truly.

My son gets excited to see his Mrs, Barbara every month.  He talks to her about many things and she listens.  Children really enjoy having conversations with adults and knowing that we are truly listening and are being engaged.  She knows his strengths and what interests him and even made a work folder for my son.  He has enjoyed Mrs. Barbara bringing lots of stuff  that our family can use for our learning every month and wanted to have other options of things he could do during certain times of the day.  Last month she had put in some fun worksheets on trucks, art, math, French, practicing writing, and sheets that go with the DRAW WRITE NOW books.  No, these things are not required for my son to do.  But, he likes to do these because they always pertain to what he is excited about.  This has been a great addition that she puts together herself.

It is great to have Barbara in my life.  She is more than an ES for my family.  It is nice to have meetings at my house where we even have a chance to eat lunch together sometimes and have meaningful conversations that even leave me more inspired after she has left.  I am very grateful and thankful for her making this an amazing experience for me and my son.  My twins love her as well and next year they will have her as an ES too!

Before she left my house yesterday, my son was talking to her about a few things and he had mentioned to her that he was going to practice skating outside for the first time.  Immediately she had told him that he was learning by practicing his skating.  That it could count for physical education too.  But, not only that, he was learning a new skill.  Of course, Caleb smiled.

The more I have implemented and created a Leadership Education (TJED) within my home, I am happy to say that this lady only adds to it!  It is great to talk about classics with her too!

Thank you for all that you do seen and unseen!  We truly appreciate it!

Simplifying Does Not Give Us Less...It Gives Us More

There are many great speakers if you have been following the 2014 Not Back To School Summit geared towards homeschooling families.  I personally feel that every parent, no matter what form of schooling they choose for their children, will greatly benefit listening to these wonderful speakers who have so much knowledge from personal experiences that they want to share with everyone.  Two speakers spoke to my heart on current needs that were important for me to hear on that first day, as I have just begun with another homeschooling year and I have been wanting to implement a few changes that could greatly benefit my family.

My husband and I have three amazing children and they sure keep us on our toes.  A seven year old boy and a set of four year old twin girls.  Let's just say that there is never a dull moment in our home and I am glad.  As a parent I have been trying to create the best environment for them to help them be nourished and to grow.  Rachel DeMille and Donna Goff's talks both gave me that comfort  I needed with new things to pray about and to be guided on at a whole new level.

Rachel DeMille and Donna Goff both talked about simplifying our home and removing the distractions.  I have been wanting to do less and I am making sure that our family calendar has less things filled in.  The reasoning is that we need to be able to have that time that is not tied down.  We all need that down time.  Parents and children included.  Having less things on the calendar also helps me to be able to fill it in with things that can greatly benefit my family, such as special programs at the library that my children would love to go to.

I already knew how important reading to my children is and we have been doing more and more as we have started TJED.  This just confirmed how important it is and how I am doing so much more than I think by doing this. Discussing with my children what we are reading has also been a precious time for us.  A lot of our schooling is done through reading and children soak up so much information by this alone.  We add other tools of course, but so much has been taught through the reading.

Having less in my house helps us to enjoy what we do have more and in return we have less distractions.  It is a great feeling.  Our homeschooling environment has improved already by incorporating so much from both of these wonderful speakers.  I have seen a difference in myself and how I look at things now, then from when I first started this journey over two years ago.  Family work is another one of those things.  My children and I work together as a team to get things done around the house and it has been a great bonding experience.  We like to compliment each other on how we have completed a job.  This can be a special time for every family and turned into having fun, not be a downer.  After all, everyone enjoys a clean home.

Simplifying truly does give us more of what matters!

Our New Year of Homeschooling Adventures Has Begun

Wow!  We have started another school year this week and it is more amazing than the last!  I feel that each year my family gets in a better groove.  There is always room for improvement with anything, but we are finding what really works for us.  It sure brings a smile to my face.  My children are thriving in the learning environment that my husband and I have provided and that is what brings me great joy.

TJED has definitely  been a wonderful experience and it does not just magically all come together right away.  We did not get here over night, but the blessings are amazing and well worth it.  Just keep at it, reading, soaking up all you can learn and be an example.  Model what you would like to see happen.

My girls enjoy doing chores.  That's right!

We were able to score this Children's Britannica Encyclopedia set for FREE!  Everyone knows I love a great deal and saving money!

My son will frequently let his sisters join him during computer time that he has earned for learning games during the week.  Very sweet, as I know being a brother to twin sisters can be very rough sometimes.

This is what an Evening looks like in our home!  Yes!  Isn't this great?!  TJED Ingredient #12 Evenings!  This is a beautiful sight and just melts my heart!

Precious Birthday Blessings

Wow!

My children are growing way too fast.  I cannot believe my Kylie and Caylee will be celebrating another birthday tomorrow.  It still brings me back to when I was not sure that they both would be home with my husband, son and I.  What a tough few weeks for us it was.

Where do I begin?  After heading to the hospital a few times  because of bad contractions, the third time I stayed.  The staff did all they could to stop the contractions and make sure our babies would stay in my womb as long as they could.

I was very grateful to receive a blessing from my Father-in-law and brother Roberts.  I felt after tests and finding nothing regarding what was wrong, it was one of my only hopes into making sure things might turn out for the better.  Literally hours after, I was transferred to another hospital and they ran another test.

The doctor came in and told me we could not wait for our doctor and that he needed to deliver the babies right away.  It turned out I had severe preeclampsia and I immediately began to panic.  At the time I had no idea what he was talking about, my husband was at work and I missed our little Caleb.

Praying was all I had left in me for the moment in time and I was scared.  I wanted an epidural shot and did not get one and was very tired.  My husband was able to make it and our families as well.

One thing I still wish could have been different was seeing my baby girls after they were born.  My husband was able to see them, but they took them away to NICU as soon as they came into this world.  I still am sad about this today, but I cannot change this.

The girls were not able to come home right away, but the staff at Mercy San Juan were the best and I would not have changed that at all.  My girls were treated like the princesses they were and I am so very grateful for that.

One week later we brought home our daughter Caylee on my Mother's birthday!  We had given her my Mom's name as her middle name when she was born.

Two weeks later, we brought home our daughter Kylie on my Mother-in -laws birthday!  We had given her my Mom's (husband's mom) name as her middle name when she was born.

Truly gifts from Heavenly Father!

It was a difficult time dealing with Kylie's heart monitor, having twins and making sure I did my best with our son as well for the next few months.  It was not easy, but we managed.  

My heart grew bigger and I went from loving one child to three in an instant and it is a wonderful feeling.

Four years later tomorrow, we have been on this road and we are not stopping!

Sunday Always Sets The Tone For The Week To Come

When you read Leadership Education: The Phases Of Learning, you will come upon what is known as "Ingredients" and there are a total of 55.  That number can seem like quite a lot.  But, as parents we are the experts in our own home and know what is of importance, can work, will not work and so forth.  Since I have started my journey on TJED, I have fine tuned and found what works better for my family and what simply we can do without.  As the seasons change, obviously what works and is best for my family will change.  But, with the guidance from my Heavenly Father, I am not worried at all.

One thing for sure is Sundays are a must!

This day had already been of importance to me.  But, as I incorporated Ingredient #1: Sundays, it has become even more crucial to keep things the way they are now for my family.  With our FEC (Family Executive Committee) meeting in place on this day, it truly has set the tone for our week.  My husband and I are a team and we discuss what is going on during the week, how our time will be spent, discuss our children and with my seven year old son he let's me know what things he would like to work on and helps me in planning field trips.  My son and I also talk about his feelings, what is of importance to him in his learning and we talk about how his Core Phase is coming along and how he is growing.  He knows that before he will move on to LOL he must have the Core Phase Curriculum down. 

That's right on page 40 in the book, we know there is a simple curriculum which consists of:

right and wrong
good and bad
true and false
relationships
family values, especially spiritual culture
family identity, including family history and mission
family routines and responsibilities
accountability
the value and love of work and play

In this simple curriculum of Core Phase, a lot is covered and they are of great importance.  As an adult, I know we can always add to what we have learned and gained during this phase, but it is crucial to lay the foundation.

Yes, my children and I learn a lot each day and work on topics in many subjects, but my main focus is that my children understand that Core Phase is the basis for a great life.

Taking care of pets is an important job.  It is not just about playing with them.  Who says hard work cannot be fun?!

I have said it before and will say it again.  When we work hard, we can play hard and even enjoy it more!

Frugality Wins...Even on Mother's Day Weekend

A beautiful weekend it was!  Every single moment I treasured and it has been locked away in my memory jail, as my son puts it!  Memory jail is for those memories that you want to keep and do not want to let them go.  One thing for sure, was that even during this past Mother's Day weekend, my frugal thinking had to be turned on.  That's right.  No break and spending regular price.  That would be outrageous.  At least for me.  Everytime I need to buy something, there is a plan.  I know that when I make it to that finish line and leave the store, I will be glowing all over because of my savings!

I have embraced my frugal ways and have been refining them all of the time to master my skills more on a weekly basis.  This is one of my TALENTS!  Yes, you read that correctly.  I am mastering a talent of mine and am very proud.  I even read books on this subject matter that I pick up from my local library.

I have a post on the 99 Cent Only Stores on my blog, but I covered food.  There is another reason I stop into these stores.  I am able to get other items that would cost a lot more money at other stores, but these items will end up here.  I am talking about brand name items from stores like WalMart, Target, KMart, and many more.  I have been in need of new sunglasses, since my girls had messed mine up last summer.  But, I would not buy any because I wanted the best possible price.  I know that it can seem a little out of the ordinary, but I can't bring myself to pay full price.  It's not happening. 

Have you heard of Foster Grants?  Me too.  Well, I snagged two pairs of their sunglasses marked at $15 each.  That means I would have paid $30 regular price and I snagged them for $2.  A great deal in my book.  I must stress again that it is important you do not shop at these stores to fill up a cart with items just because they are $1.  I go to these stores with a plan.  I am only looking for amazing deals that I know I cannot get for a better price and are worth my $1.

This is the one store that I do not take my coupon bag inside.  But, with always having a plan, I am saving so much and spending very little.  Get to know your wokers at these stores.  I have enjoyed getting to know the workers at my local 99 Cent Only Store.  I talk to them all of the time and they enjoy my children giving them hugs and saying hello.  They have also gained some valuable tips.  I know when to scope out the store and I always feel comfortable asking them what other items have not been brought out from the back yet.  Very friendly staff and I truly appreciate all that they do.

Check out a store near you!