What's it like around here lately? I was reading through my older blogs and it seemed I did a better job of describing life. I am a lot busier now than I was when Ellie was born, than when Gracia was born, than when Jon moved in and now am pregnant again. But I don't want to let it pass to record just an average day in the life of {ME}!!

Homeschooling has really hit me by surprise. I'm not a laid back homeschooler. I wish I were in some ways but the teacher in me won't allow it. The artist in me adds hands on activities to EVERYTHING we do. which I think the kids appreciate. But now with this new Sonlight curriculum as well as using the workbox system, things are really starting to come together. We get throught everything a lot faster than previously and the kids enjoy it a lot more. Finally my house and laundry are getting the attention they deserve as well. Seriously though, who gets to teach about Adam and Eve, talk about the first people in terms of housing and hunter/food gathering, and then set their kids loose outside to build their own replicas of early homes? It's pretty cool! Can't do that in traditional school!!!

We are as busy as ever though! Dave still has 3 jobs, and doesn't get home till 5:30 usually. Jonah being in MBTA has more responsibilities, classes and fieldtrips taking us away from home, for a good reason. Ellie has her Ballet and preschool at home. Jon has school for me to keep up with, Guitar lessons, Play practice (for Christmas) as well as Youth Group and Awana for all the kids and Dave and I. Dave and I are still actively teaching Sunday school and Children's Church and working in the Nursery on occasion in the evenings. It's a busy life......a little crazy at times....but it is our life and we'll take it!

All my munchinds are growing like Crazy! They are hard to keep up with sometimes but a joy as well as a stress! I have a hard time even sitting here typing! Gracia is coming out of a pretty vicious hairpulling, pinching hitting phase....don't really know how she got into that but it's been a lot of work to teach her to be "gentle" especially with poor Ellie (who only weighs 5 pounds more than her!!!!) She is starting to say more and more words as she approaches 18 months and she is only nursing in the morning....more for comfort than anything. Both Ellie and Jonah amaze me in so many ways. Ellie just loves doing school. It's hard for me to pull her away from the table most days and after rest times she goes right back to it, so I keep it stocked with plenty to work on! I think she's gonna be a little teacher when she grows up! Jonah has Dave's memory and THAT is amazing to me. Within the first 7 weeks of Awana he finished his book AND reviewed it. It was suppossed to take him at least half the year! We are working on the review book now and I am trying desperatly to slow the boy down! Maybe we should start memorizing whole books of the Bible! I dunno! Both Ellie and Jonah just love science. Of course it IS very interesting and fun but had you any doubt? Having a Daddy who is a science teacher must make an impression I am sure. Hearing Jonah teach Ellie about the continents and the fossils and the planets is quite amuesing at times.  I caught a little bit on video today before I was shut out of the room!

We are leaving for Florida next week Thursday which means I really need to start getting the suitcases down and ready to go! We are excited to sped 10 days with Dave's family....but praying there will be NO hospital visits or crazy illnesses this time!!!!

All things considered, we are hanging in there pretty well. Some days are really rough, some are grande and trying to keep everything in perspective is not always easy. Thankfully another day comes and gives us another chance at it all!

Bringing back the old antiquated parenting ideals. I've been contemplating parenting styles a lot lately. Maybe because perhaps I am surrounded daily by my own decisions and issues, but also am affected by the choices and parenting styles of others.Sometimes I am baffled and offended by the choices of others and I am sure others feel the same about my own parenting at times. This post isn't meant to offend others though I know when it comes to parenting styles it is a VERY sensitive issue. But I've really wondered "why" on a lot of parenting issues.

Such as ....why do parents feel they need to teach their children a lesson at the expense of others discomfort and disruption? If your child is throwing a tantrum, running up and down isles in the middle of service, screaming and crying in the middle of ballet class......do you remove the child so as not to disturb the other people/ students in the room? Or do you "stand firm" and make your child sit/participate/or be themselves? For Dave and I, we always remove our children. And it's happened. We are in the sanctuary and someone starts crying....do I try and continue to "teach" them to sit still while in service, or do we remover them until they are calm enough to rejoin what is going on? We choose to remove. The lessons I want to teach my children ARE important but are they more important than being kind and considerate to the others who are around my child?

Why do parents try and force their children into doing things they are not developmentally, socially, emotionally or physically ready for? Toys come with age suggestions, you've seen the 3+ logo in the corner, would you by it for a 6 month old. Trust me, I have, it's was pointless! I didn't get Jonah on a bike at 1 hoping he'd take to riding a Two-wheeler, he wasn't developmentally nor physically ready! Nor would I expect Gracia to sit quietly and contently through a church service, or start trying to teach her at this age to do so, nor would I sit Ellie in the service and expect her to grasp the deep meaning of the message. They are NOT ready! A baby needs room to run and play and giggle! That is what they are ready for developmentally! Jonah still needs training wheels! Ellie needs age appropriate Bible lessons that can spark and interest and love for God on HER level! I feel like as a society we are in such a rush to make our child fit some mold and impress others when our child and meeting them at their level needs to come first! I am not talking about discipline here, that needs to be done also at developmentally appropriate stages! I am talking about having clear expectations for what our child is able to do and then expecting them to do so, at their correct level! I don't expect Jonah to start Algebra by the end of the year, but I want to meet him where he is and encourage his growth and maturity at his level!

One of my favorite topics is the baby leash. I've heard so many people, especially those who aren't parents, discuss this issue. It is amusing how heated this debate can get. We have one, it's a monkey, the kids play with it a lot. And have I used it? Yes yes I have. The few times I remember using it was at a carnival with Ellie and also after Gracia was born trips to the Library with all three kids were hectic. Jonah was 3, Ellie was 2 and Gracia was a newborn (obviously SHE wasn't going anywhere!) Jonah had learned to obey and stay by me, Ellie was just getting into learning to obey (personally I think at the age of 2 and above you can really start to make a difference in obedience with a child~not that younger children can't obey simple commands, but I think they are developmentally ready to learn the concept of obedience after 2~just my opinion). Anyway Ellie wore a leash. She thought it was so fun to run through the open areas of the Library away from her dear mother....I didn't. So she wore a leash. Why? I felt she could have a little freedom and still learn to be close to me. Isn't it the same concept to put them in a stroller? You are strapping them down so they can't move. Or even holding their hands, arms or shirts? Are they learning to obey any differently? I don't believe so. But we all have our comfort levels and styles and limits! To some their limit is their child's feet hitting the ground, they would rather keep them in a stroller! For me letting Ellie have a little freedom while still not allowing her to run around was a good medium.

What's that saying? Don't try and teach a pig to sing.....something about it being frustrating for the pig!!!!!

It wasn't just a first for the kids....it was a first for me too! And for the most part it was fun BUT.......it was really really hot. I got totally fried in the 90 degree weather and left there LONGING for some cold, chilly fall, leave-changing weather. But hey, this is where we are, at least we get a little of the fall activities even if we miss out on the weather.

It was dusty, and scorching but we still managed to find some great pumpkins to carve later in the week, took a dusty bumpy hot hay ride....and ate shave ice!!! Yup we did. I have some photos somewhere....but I can't find my camera at the moment....really need to do that.

Well I finally got all of Jonah's MBT Academy figured out.....I think. I think I mentioned before I really think enrolling in this Charter school is going to be the best of both worlds for us! I have always loved school and Jonah has always shown an interest in going to an actual school, and this way we get a little of both. For the most part I get to implement our curriculum, including "Faith Based". We ordered a new curriculum from Sonlight (though we started with Lifepac from Alpha-Omega) and it seems to have a classical feel to it, which I am excited about. The online teacher then assigns one thing a week ( don't even think they are all required but we'll do them anyway) and along with the assignment comes a webclass and a Face to Face class. So twice a month (at least) Jonah will be able to go down to the Academy and take part in a traditinal classroom setting! The Academy also schedules 2 Fieldtrips a month for the kids to be included in and I can bring along ALL the kids with me! I'm pretty excited. It took me all of last week to get everything squared away and understand what was going on...but I think we are really going to love this. And if not.....we'll go back to doing in ourselves next year!

Friday was the first of 17 Furlough Days here in Hawaii. Although it'll be hard to make up for the lost wages, I really enjoyed having Dave home an extra day. This Friday and next are also Furlough Fridays....can't wait! It gives us an extra day for family time and just to get things done that we normally wouldn't have the time to! And I think it helped me relax a little more this weekend and face a new week with a better attitude!

It's taken me all the way until now to really feel like I have a handle on both the homeschooling and the house as well as the rest of what I am responsible for. I am still behind on sewing but I am working up to that slowly!

Can I just throw in here I totally don't feel pregnant? Other than crying at silly things here and there. I still have had no morning sickness, no cravings (except a little OJ), nothing....I didn't even bloat out like I normally do. In the back of my mind I get a little worried about this, only because the girls made me sick and tired....no pun intended......but Jonah's pregnancy was a breeze so maybe that's a sign........I'm 12 weeks along so Friday we should be able to pick up the baby's heartbeat on a dopler. Praying for healthy baby beats!

I recieved a Once-A-Month-Cooking Cookbook from a friend at church yesterday. I had heard of it, and wanted to give it a try when Gracia was born but never got around to it. But after spending some time today looking at this book I am so excited to start trying this out! Talk about simplifying one more thing in my life!!!!! I am going to get things prepped to try some cooking this Friday. I may not do an entire month, depending on how much freezer room we actually have!! But I am going try it!

Tonites trial recipe:

Nan's Indonesian Pork

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 t chopped garlic
1/2 t crushed red pepper
pork loin
12 oz can of pineapple ice cream topping (gonna used crushed pineapple instead)

Mix soy sauce, PB, garlic and red pepper

bake the pork loin, 350 for 1 hour 20 minutes

Stir sauce, pineapple and 3/4 c of juices from roasting pan, heat to boiling, reduce heat simmer for 5 minutes pour over pork loin and serve.

I dunno....sound pretty yummy!!!