Mary, Martha, & Me

Here It Is!

2011-01-27T08:14:00.003-05:00

Wow, I received so many responses and comments about the anxiety entry, that I had to share the link featuring Pastor Erwin Lutzer's sermon on Living With Anxiety. Click on the link and then scroll down the page to find the sermons. There are 2 of them and they are about 20 minutes each. Great stuff!

Here's the link: http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_programarchive.aspx?id=46499

I pray it will bless you!

Blessings,

Camy

Lifestyle Changes

2011-01-26T07:52:00.002-05:00

The entry-before-the-last-entry made mention of lifestyle changes that I've found helpful during our roller coaster ride of transitions. Didn't want to leave you all hanging!

My "normal" night consisted of waking with the racing heart, as I wrote about in that entry. During one of my waking sessions, my radio was still playing on sleep mode. At 11:30, my Moody radio channel featured Pastor Erwin Lutzer (Moody Church) talking about anxiety (I love Erwin Lutzer!!!) As Pastor Lutzer spoke, my ears (and spirit) perked up at what he had to say.

He described how anxiety can really be a tool of the enemy of God. How it destroys people both physically and mentally. Pastor Lutzer further discussed about his counseling of those experiencing debilitating anxiety.

This counseling involved identifying the areas both physically and mentally that were the root of anxiety. Obviously, one can make changes in those regards, but then what he said next made a light bulb go on for me.

He told this individual that when the anxiety would strike, this person should speak out against it and it's author (Satan). Just as Jesus spoke out against Satan tempting Him in the desert (He used Scripture), should one go about resisting the enemies attempt to defeat us with anxiety. So, I began to speak out.

I immediately felt peace inside, though my heart was still racing. Yet something different happened, I fell right back to sleep and slept the rest of the night. This was a huge breakthrough for me! Huge! After a few months of this, I am sleeping much better, though still waking with the racing heart. It is much better, and I go back to sleep immediately. (fyi, I have learned that waking with a racing heart indicates an adrenal issue involving adrenaline).

That's one of my lifestyle changes..more later!

Blessings,

Camy

Homemade GREEK Yogurt...AT LAST!

2011-01-13T12:59:00.003-05:00

So, many of you are familiar with the homemade yogurt thing, and some of you are reading this and thinking "WHU? You can actually make yogurt at home?" Well, yes, my friend, you can, and it's very cheap.

The biggest challenge for me all of these years, when it comes to making yogurt, is the thickness. If you don't culture it long enough, it can be too thin, and if the incubation period is too long, the yogurt can become very tart. And then to add insult to injury, I discover this Greek, thick, delectable, yogurt in the store dairy section.

I immediately think "Humph. They must use some sort of pectin or starch to to thicken this stuff." My Sherlock Holmes self turns to the package nutritional and ingredient info. in order to catch these Greek yogurt makers in the act.

I read cursorily through the ingredients and see no thickeners. None. Nada. No how. This persuades me to look off in the distance with a furrowed brow and wonder how the heck they do it. How does one make such thick, wonderful ambrosia without adding additional thickening measures?

Rest would not find me until this great mystery was solved. (obsessive compulsive).

My computer must have the answer. As Google appears, my fingers move fast and type the words "thick" "Greek" "yogurt" "homemade" "recipe." Alas, the answer appears! Simply strain your yogurt to achieve the Greekness! BWAAAHHAAAAA, off to my mad scientist lab to try it out.

Many of you have made the yogurt recipe posted here at the blog, but you may want to try "this recipe using powdered milk (which I prefer now). It is very economical.

Also, some of you may want to try using the crock pot to make yogurt, which I like to do as well.
After incubating your yogurt, you must now strain it to achieve the Greekness. I use a large strainer, lined with coffee filters. It helps to dampen the filters first and then stick them in the strainer.

Now, put your strainer over a large pan or bowl in order to catch the whey (which can be used to make cultured veggies...very healthy and easy..more on those later).

Spoon or dump yogurt into strainer. Drape a muslin cloth or dish towel over the top and the let sit all night either in the fridge or on the counter. I let it sit on the kitchen counter.

You will wake up with excitement, knowing you have Greek yogurt sitting in your kitchen, just waiting for you to dive in to it.

Actually, you may find that the strained yogurt is too thick. This is what happened to moi. I had to stir some of the whey back into the yogurt to make it more yogurty.

Now add fruit, vanilla, and some sweetener (if you wish) and ENJOY!

Blessings,

Camy

Why They Are In School

2011-01-11T13:18:00.002-05:00

I want to change the look of the blog, but it occurred to me that I should inform ya'll about our big changes this year.

Numero uno change, was the fact that we decided to put 4 of our children in the local Catholic schools (no, we are not Catholic). This came as a big surprise to some, especially that fact that we chose the Catholic schools.

The past 5 years have been filled with personal health challenges. All these years of being superwoman, and suddenly my body said "no more!" It was necessary for me to whittle away at the daily doings in our home, in order to maintain the must-do's, and focus on getting our days under control.

Homeschooling began to be more of a chore for me everyday, rather than a joy. It could be my age, I'm not sure, but it seemed that something clicked inside, and I decided that it was time to pass the education torch on to the school. Our kids have done well in school (some have had to work a bit harder than others), and have become more self-motivated. This has been a good change for us.

Another change, is the fact that my husband began new employment. We are happy with the job, with the exception of the long travel time necessary. It is our hope that this temporary inconvenience will remain just that: "temporary." I miss our morning coffee time, which we had to give up so my husband can be on the road early. Dislike!

Speaking of "on the road", our twins are now licensed drivers! I seriously don't know how I survived without an extra chauffeur in the house. Now we have 2 new ones! What a blessing it is to have their help. They willingly pay us almost $50 a month each to help with insurance and gas costs. Thank God they have great jobs.

Now we are all reeling from these changes, which can have a big impact on a large family. They have not come without certain difficulty, but God has been faithful to get us through, day-by-day.

I found myself becoming so stressed both from these transitions as well as lack of sleep (toddler who has a crazy schedule is learning how to have healthy sleep habits again). My nights would go like this: go to bed, have trouble sleeping, wake up with racing heart... night after night. Not fun.

A visit to the doctor revealed a healthy heart, but a stressed-out momma. "I am not superwoman" could likely have been the diagnosis. This meant a lot of soul-searching and prayer...

I'd like to share some of my lifestyle changes in the next entry..

Blessings,

Camy

Life Transitions

2010-09-30T08:31:00.006-04:00

Change.....it's not a word that sits well with some of us. Would it not be easier if we could just have consistency every day and not have to worry about doing anything differently?

I don't think so.

Now, I used to think change was bad. Au contraire!

God is teaching me that "Change" is all for Him and His glory. Seriously. Change is HARD. But God can see us through.

All these years (12 of them), I have been homeschooling and having babies. The babies are growing up, and I am not homeschooling (with the exception of my preschooler, to whom I read and teach to write...but that's not school, that's fun!). Now, I am sitting in a coffee shop, sipping cafe au lait, and having leisure time on the laptop. This is new for me!

What's amazing is how I used to do this years ago in college, yet it seems so far in the past.

I sit here and smell the aromas of warm chai, coffee, and pastries. Nearby, two ladies are having an enchanting and upbeat conversation as their cellphones go off every now and then (they just push the silent button so as to not interrupt their lovely chat). Traffic flows by intermittently on the two-lane, old-town street outside. A ceramic lamp sits glowing nearby with its slightly crooked lampshade.

I like this change...Snnniiiifffff (big inhale)...I love the smell of chai.

Where to next, God?

Enjoy the "Change" that God has given you.

Now I shall do what I was supposed to do; make my grocery list (smile).

Blessings,

Camy

Tears in a Bottle = Encouragement Overflowing

2010-09-02T13:39:00.005-04:00

"Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?" Psalm 56:8 (Kings James Version..how I love the poetry of the King James!).

Though God is certainly omniscient and omnipresent...etc. he may even be frustrated with trying to keep up with me lately. Between the already overwhelming daily upkeep and care of our busy household, we have football practices, driver's training, readying 4 children for school (that's another post...we are putting 4 of our children into the area Catholic schools..no, we are not Catholic), and to top it all off, the disaster which presented itself today upon my arrival home from errands.

Sorry about spewing that all out at once! Let's put this in reverse and explain the precursors to the above paragraph.

This is not quite an unusual late-summer/pre-fall for us. The anticipation of football and all that it entails keeps us very busy. However, there is a new matter, Roger working far away and not in town. This puts more responsibility on my shoulders and means I need to get people where they need to go without calling my husband and asking for his help.

Well, after 3 weeks of this, I am starting to feel it. Anger, frustration, helplessness, fatigue, ALLERGIES (ragweed season..blah), unexpected occurrences (lots of those in a big family). Well, you can only go so long with that laundry list of items before some thing's gotta give.

This morning while driving around (chauffeuring, of course), I was allowed some time to pray and ask God to give me grace while at the same time asking His forgiveness for my angry, hard heart and selfishness (self-preservation kicks in when we're busy!). I just couldn't give it up...I didn't want to! I wanted to be mad and furious (inside..ha ha...the only one who really can see that I feel this way besides God, is my husband).

After a few hours, I felt the Lord softening my heart (He really does do that!) and telling me that I need to have a good cry. Lord, I can't do that right now! I don't want to appear red and puffy-faced in public! The crying spell could wait. I arrived home and phoned my husband meaning to apologize to him for my stubborn, cold behavior of the morning. But I had to eat first, so I thought stir-fried broccoli and rice would be great. I'd get this started in no time after getting the broccoli out of the downstairs chest freezer.

Before opening our family's freezer, one needs to remove the piles of stuff off of the top, which takes a few minutes. Alas, it was clear and time to open the lid. What I found inside brought me almost to my knees and certainly into guttural tears.

A completely defrosted freezer with the remnants of the frost remaining in 4 inch pool at the bottom revealed itself to me. Much of the food was defrosted (hours of hard work preparing strawberries and blueberries..AAGGHHH). Someone had unplugged our basement chest freezer.

"Well, God", I thought, "perhaps this is a good time to have that crying spell. Thanks for providing the opportunity." (an then what followed was sobbing, crying, frustrated sighs here and there..you may be familiar with it).

So, after mopping up all of the water (my tears mixed in with the pool in the freezer bottom), I took a deep breath and began to count my blessings (with God's grace and help). I wanted to scream and yell at my children about how frustrated I was. Wow. Talk about intense feelings.

God reminded me that most of the meat in the bottom was partially frozen and could be saved. I could refreeze the fruit and just use it for smoothies. And best of all, the freezer got cleaned out! ha ha. One of those dreaded seasonal jobs that is last on my to-do list.

It's amazing how children react to a sad momma. Mine began to feel sympathy toward me and tried to help the best they could. Phew. I know I need their help.

My dear husband phoned, and I told him the whole story (breaking down once again in tears!). He, as always, listened patiently and commiserated with me. There is no one who can make me feel better.

Dear sister calls. I tell her the story, again in tears! Geesh. I was really beginning to sound pathetic.

I am doing much better now, an hour later. You're hearing the news fresh off the presses.

What a blessing that God collects all of our tears in a bottle. When that bottle runs over, encouragement eventually comes in a flood. His encouragement.

I praise Him today!

Blessings,

Camy (who wonders how many of you dear readers are holding in loads of tears, thus preventing God's flood of encouragement meant for you. Let it out!)

Blessings From Heaven

2010-08-19T07:25:00.002-04:00

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where a need arises, yet the prospect of fulfilling that need seems either difficult or close to impossible? I would like to share with you my own experience related to that.

Our family is always busy. Certainly not a strange phenomena for a family of 10. Teenagers are going one way, adolescent children are itching to go and learning that their time has not yet arrived, preschoolers/7 year olds are busybodies and wonderful noisemakers (hankering for a philosophical conversation about simple things), and toddlers keep you on your toes and remind you of all the non-childproof areas in your home! Suffice it to say, all of this activity consumes much of my time and allows for little extra minutes. (and those minutes were happily spent with my 25 year old sister who was visiting! Great fun!)

While mulling over the week's plans, it seemed to me that Friday would come quickly, and that my energy level would likely be near its exhaustive state. Wednesday presented a dilemma. It was a birthday eve for our Sammy and a cake would need to be made. Also, it was grocery week, and in our house of 7 ravenous boys (and a hungry, growing girl), it occurred to me that dinner would be very challenging since the refrigerator contents was beginning to wane and would require great innovation to create a satisfying meal (I used to be innovative..sigh). It's always feast of famine in our house!

This is when I prayed "Lord, you know my needs for the week, and you will certainly provide." He has been so faithful in times past, and this has allowed me to take my needs to Him often. I asked Him how in the world I would find the energy to plan the needed meals for the week as well as make a cake. My prayer was interrupted by fighting boys (surprise), so my day went on as usual.

Well, God began to put His plan into action. I love how there are so many threads used to weave together a beautiful tapestry of God's goodness (to borrow an Edith Schaeffer idea). So many intricate details and people are part of the things He does for us! Let's get back to the story.

My 3 older boys went to a gathering at a friend's house nearby. A summer cookout with lots of food and boys both. My husband took 3 of our younger boys out for ice cream and a visit to grandma's house. My daugher (who was a bit under the weather), our baby and I remained at home...a quiet home without all of the guys. We had a nice evening.

Around 9:30, our older boys arrived home with two items that were specific answers to my prayer mentioned earlier. One of these items was a HUGE chocolate brownie cake (I could easily adapt this into a "shark" themed birthday cake for my little boy), and the other was a bag containing 2 ziploc bags of grilled hot dogs and buns enough to cover the dogs. These were the leftovers from the cookout. I was astonished.

God had provided a birthday cake and dinner! Not only that, my time was freed up to tackle other things that have been waiting in the wings for weeks.

So, the moral of the story is "Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you." Not only that, but "He supplies all our needs through Christ Jesus our Lord."

I love that.

Have a blessed day! I'd love to hear your "blessings provided" story as well.

Happy birthday, Samuel Oliver (5 years old today). You are my child prodigy and sweetheart. Thanks for keeping your older brothers straight.

Blessings to you, dear reader!

Camy

Yummy Recipe Idea

2010-07-17T07:18:00.012-04:00

Pizza Rolls

So, my grand idea of cleaning the kitchen for one hour per day (see previous entry), crashed royally. That story is a whole new blog entry in itself, so stay tuned (LOL). However, I had to jump in really quickly and share a great recipe idea, as well as one of my favorite websites:

http://feeds2.feedburner.com/realfoodlivingblog

Vickilynn Haycraft at Real Food Living blog, posted a delicious recipe (pictured at the beginning of the blog entry). It features the cinnamon roll idea, yet converts its sweetness to savory. It sure looked great to me! I also thought it would be a great make-ahead meal for those of you looking for options there.

The possibilities are endless for this food roll. You could add convenience by using prepackaged frozen bread dough. Canned pizza dough would also be ideal.

It is my desire to make wonderful meals to nourish my family. However, I have not always been in the season to do so. Health issues, schedules, other obligations and such can at times put things on the backburner, so to speak.

I pray you are in a good season of life at this time, and if not, that you are seeing God's hand in your circumstances. Have hope! He will see you through it all.

Is there just one, simple thing you can do today to make your home a nicer place to live? How about:

1) Decluttering a hotspot or doing the Flylady Home Blessing (see Flylady).

2) Wash your windows, either on the inside or outside, or both! Or, just wash that one window that has dust, fingerprints, and smears on it.

3) Make your bed.

4) Help your children tidy their rooms.

5) Freshly cut flowers or even weeds! I usually send my daughter outside to search for selected flowers and weeds to make a nice arrangement. We use various size mason jars to display our bouquets.

6) Make a nice meal or batch of cookies to nourish your family (and to distribute a pleasant aroma throughout your home!)

Just do one thing today that is different from what you do everyday.

Keep in mind that there are other homemakers doing the very same thing. You are the unsung heroes who make home a refuge and haven.

Blessings!

Blessings to you all!

Order in the Kitchen

2010-07-06T22:05:00.002-04:00

Summer has presented a quandry to me. My kitchen is a mess!!!!! Why is it that my house becomes absolutely and totally "high maintenance" when summer arrives. Besides the humidity and dirt that comes in the house, our activity level changes, and I am usually not in a cleaning routine.

Well, I'm hoping to tackle the kitchen this week, in the spirit of Flylady. I urge you to take a peak at her website if you haven't already.

It is my aim to spend at least 1 hour per day cleaning and organizing. I liked this link for organizing: http://http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-a-Kitchen. It's very simple and to the point.

So, I must now depart and go to the kitchen to clean up the mess from supper.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer! We sure are.

Blessings,

Camy

Long, Overdue Update

2010-02-28T14:49:00.002-05:00

Wow....it has been such a long time!

Just a few, short bits of news: our baby is now 10 months old, my twins are now 16, and I have celiac disease. Exciting, huh? LOL!

My access to a computer is still limited, yet the desire to write still festers. I will try hard to make a new entry soon...with photos :o).

Blessings,

Camy

Hi Everyone!

2009-08-23T12:43:00.002-04:00

I'm so sorry about the delay in posting. I wanted to share the details of our new baby's arrival with you all.

He arrived on April 27 at around 6 am. This was a very different birth for me (and my husband..LOL). This was different from all of the other births in many ways.

First of all, it may be worth mentioning that I am 41 years old. No spring chicken. And this can certainly affect pregnancy and childbirth in "interesting ways." My blood pressure wanted to creep up towards the end of the pregnancy, and this interfered with my ability to relax. Sleep was limited factor, and anxiety became a prominent and annoying friend. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time praying when my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest and I literally broke into cold sweats from anxiety.

As labor commenced, I could not relax through the pain, and announced to the nurse at the hospital that I wanted the epidural. My first ever epidural. My husband paused and looked at me. Always wanted to accommodate my wishes, he said "Whatever you need."

The epidural immediatly took the edge off the pain, yet I could still feel contractions and had a "hotspot" where the anesthesia didn't take. I like this because I knew when to push. However, my labor slowed down immensely. I normally get to the hospital and give birth within an hour. This time, it took 6 hours. I know many of you have much longer labors!

Little Silas James, 8 lbs. 9 ounces & 21 1/2 inches long, arrived as I was standing in the bathroom. I caught his head and announced to the doctor (who was waiting outside the bathroom) that he had crowned. The absence of pain (from the epidural) made this a very pleasant experience. I even offered to cut the cord and give the baby his bath, since I felt so wonderful. LOL!

It's funny how natural childbirth was so important to me with all of the other children. Actually, I had wonderful births, for the most part, with a tolerable (most of the time) level of pain. This time was entirely different!

Silas is now 4 months old and weighing in at a hefty 17 1/2 lbs. He is a big boy! I still have no photos to share...Sorry! He is a joy to us all.

Had to share!

Blessings,

Camy

Quick Update

2009-03-18T10:36:00.002-04:00

Please accept my apologies for the lack of entries.....many of you know that we have gotten rid of our home Internet service. For our family, the Internet is quite the temptation, and it will often occupy our thoughts and thus leading us into certain temptation. It is hard to say "no" to it, and we then use much of our precious time viewing Mortimer Snerd and Davey & Goliath on Youtube (not to mention an old clip of The Six Million Dollar Man battling Bigfoot...it's a 70's thing). The Internet is now accessible to us at the library, where it is well-controlled and contained (grin).

But alas, my blogging days are a challenge due to this relocation of Worldwide Web. I appreciate your patience as I attempt to drag myself to the library to keep in touch with you all. At this very moment, my little John (5) is sitting next to me in a chair and reading a large, oversized comic book. He's my buddy today.

Just wanted to tell everyone that my pregnancy is going blessedly well. We have about 4 or 5 weeks to go! Our whole family is very anxious and excited to welcome our little baby boy into the "outside of the womb" world. God has blessed me with a heavenly pregnancy...and for that I am so grateful.

Winter is trying to hold on, but the 3 foot snowbanks in our front yard are meeting their demise (the sun). We are all renewed and energized by the prospect of spring.

So, that's about it for now. My time is short today. May you all be blessed and encouraged!

Love,

Camy

Don't Have a Phone Conversation in the Bathroom

2008-12-23T10:42:00.002-05:00

If you were a random passerby walking near our home, you might hear quite a variety of sounds. Those audible noises can range from utter chaos, mother-gone-mad (embarrassing, but true..LOL), rough housing boys, complete silence (rare), and hysterical laughter (often mixed w/ crying). Yesterday we experienced an "hysterical laughter day (w/ crying mixed in) scenario on the range of possibilities.

S0, dear daughter Rachel (7 1/2 years old) decides she would like to phone her grandmother to have a conversation (usually a one-way conversation ;o) about her own Christmas gift desires. This after she had already given her an extensive list the day before (laugh). Anyway, out of the corner of my eye I noticed Rachel chit-chatting away and walking into the bathroom as she did so. This was one of those "Momma has a red flag moments, but doesn't call it out" type deals.

I lazily chose not to reprimand her, and ignored my own uneasiness regarding her having the phone in the bathroom. In my experience as a mother of many, the bathroom is one of "those" rooms. It has water, waste receptacles, bathroom tissue, cosmetic/personal care products, and important household plumbing. These items are not ideal for children....LOL...and they often need supervision near them, especially when the children are under age 10. You can tell this story is headed to a big finale, can't you?

Suddenly, the bathroom door literally flies open and hits the wall adjunct to it. Rachel is standing there, horrified. "I dropped the phone in the toilet!!!" she exclaims with utter horror. We all stop what we are doing and stare at her. This is when the hysterical laughter breaks out...by the way, I am not the one laughing!

The boys are almost rolling on the floor in stitches of belly-rolling guffaws. They begin imitating Rachel's conversation with her grandmother: "Hey, grandma...this is what I want for Christmas..FLUSH!" They can hardly contain themselves and repeat this over and over. Rachel is not humored in the slightest, and only more troubled by what she has done.

My first reaction was obvious irritation. I gave her a 1 minute lecture about how it is not smart to have a phone conversation in the bathroom. Obviously, I left out the part about me not calling her about it in the first place! This is one of those "duh" lectures where nothing really needs to be said, and that the event itself taught her the lesson. (But it did make me feel a little better...grin). Rachel dramatically flees upstairs to her bedroom to throw herself down on her pillow and weep, Scarlett O'Hara style. (the boys continue to bust their guts with laughter...yelling upstairs and taunting Rachel even further).

We realize the phone is not operational, due to its fall into the toilet. Thankfully, we have a spare phone available.

Elijah (9 1/2 years old) immediately calls grandma to explain what cut her and Rachel's conversation short. She did say she heard a rather loud screech and then dead air.

As Elijah is walking around the house and chatting with grandma, I notice a crude sign taped to the bathroom door, in Elijah's 9 1/2 year old boy handwriting. This brings the beginnings of hysterical laughter to my mouth:

"No phones in bathroom!"

The whole drama died down after awhile...until my husband arrived home. The boys had to explain and re-enact it all over again. At this point, Rachel had gotten herself together, and was able to listen without crying. She even cracked a little smile as the boys mercilessly teased her.

When all was said and done, Roger (my husband) told Rachel a funny story about the time her brother Greyson actually "fell" into the toilet (head first) when he was potty training. This made her smile and gave her a little ammunition to strike back with.

And so goes another sound on the wide range of possibilities featuring noises emanating from our home....

Merry Christmas to all! May your home be filled with laughter and joy!

--Camy

Update

2008-12-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

I apologize for the lack of blog entries, but our computer is down at home. It may be awhile.

Just wanted to let ya'll know that we are having another boy! We are all very happy (yes, even our dear Rachel).

See you soon!

Camy

Color With Your Child

2008-11-17T10:14:00.002-05:00

My children love to draw and color. I keep a ready supply of paper, pencils, and crayons in a box under our bench in the dining room along with paper nearby. This way, when the inclination hits, they can grab a piece of paper as well as a drawing medium, and go at it.

Rachel drew this photo of a fairy in fairyland, and I helped her color it! We had so much fun. If you want to spend some good, quality time with your child, try coloring or drawing with him/her. It doesn't have to be Picasso-like, just some stick figures if it pleases you. They just enjoy having you close by and doing something with them. And to tell you the truth, it is a lot of fun!

The kids have been telling me that my tummy is getting HUGE, so here is the obligatory pregnant momma photo:

It doesn't do the size of my tummy justice, because trust me, it *is* getting HUGE! I think after having so many children, things just "fall out" a bit sooner (grin). Oh, well, I shall just choose to enjoy the blessing of carrying this little one. Oh, and by the way, we shall have our ultrasound on December 4th! This way, we will get to know this precious one even better. Any dibs on whether we will have a boy or a girl?

Blessings,

Camy

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Big Waters!

2008-11-07T21:42:00.003-05:00

My husband's grandfather turned 96 the other day, and we were blessed to be able to spend it with him, his wife, Aunt Cathy, Cousin Kelly, and Cousin Riley.

Our children refer to Grandpa as "Grandpa 'Big Waters" due to the fact that Grandpa and Grandma used to reside along the shores of the "big waters" of Lake Michigan. Grandma is known as "Grandma 'Big Waters."

The funniest moment occurred when Aunt Cathy took a photo of Grandma and Grandpa together. She asked Grandpa to smile. It took him a little work, but suddenly his face burst out with the most delightful smile. We all broke out into joyous laughter at the sight of Grandpa displaying a smile that took him a bit of work.

It is comforting to know that Grandpa and Grandma Big Waters are able to be together in a nice, assisted-living environment. We are also amazed to observe Cousin Kelly help attend to their needs. She always seems to know just what they want...sometimes even before they ask. Kelly is an example of a dear heart who cares deeply and with much love. We can visibly see Grandma's delight at having Kelly there.

If we could all do this for one another, especially for those who really need the help, not only would those being served be blessed, but those who do the serving as well. There is something about caring and serving others. Jesus said if we held onto our lives, we would lose them; yet if we let go of our lives (an example would be service to others) for His sake, we would keep them.

I like that so much. I pray for a servant's heart and that my children would also desire to serve others as well.

When we visit Grandma and Grandpa Big Waters, it is evident that they and the other residents at the assisted-living home, depend on others for daily care, comfort, and survival. It is very humbling for me to be there, witnessing personnel feeding, wiping mouths, and aiding the old and infirmed human beings who live there. I never leave without having something to pray or think about.

Caught On Camera

In the above photos, I am scolding someone...but whom? As you can see, Sam is around the corner looking like he wants to do something shocking. It is likely that I am saying, "Sam, you better watch your back, mister."

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We'd love to hear your comments. Click HERE to do so.

Blessings,

Camy

The Fall Round-Up

2008-10-28T22:02:00.004-04:00

Here the hungry boys pose patiently, waiting to eat these freshly, baked oatmeal muffins. As you can see, Sam (in hat) is rarely without his "gun", which is actually part of one of our dining room chairs (?????)...LOL!

R.I.P, dear aloe vera plant. You once flourished in our home and added comfort and relief to burned and irritated skin. You brightened the living room with your greenliness. Now, you are but a victim of a heinous plant-beating crime.

Greyson holds the weapon used in the plant-beating crime. It is confiscated as evidence "exhibit A."

The guilty perpetrator confesses after a bit of questionning (wink).
This is what you do A LOT when you live and strive to survive with 6 brothers. And as you can see by Rachel's smile, it's kind of fun sometimes (grin).

John, with his weapon at-the-ready.

Frolicking in the leaves.

Noah, #6, ready to lay a hit on somebody.

Malcom getting into position.

The victorious Pop Warner Peewees Greyson and Elijah.

We had to take this picture to show Sam trying to fit his enormous head into a too-small-for-him football helmet.

Things are slowing down a bit here. We are all catching our breaths before it gets busy again.

Take care and say "hi" by leaving us a comment HERE.

Thanks!

Camy

2008-10-21T22:05:00.004-04:00

We're now in the homestretch of football season. One more game!

At this point, our whole family is exhausted....even the football players themselves. We are thankful for an upcoming, short break. We are contemplating winter sports at this time with the boys.

For your listening pleasure, I have added a playlist of some of my favorite music (see sidebar). Perhaps you can take a listen as you read the blog entries!

I love these chorus lyrics by Mark Schultz in "He Will Carry Me"

Even though I'm walking through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone and I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me....

You will see that my playlist is full of songs that encourage during the struggles of life. These songs really lift my spirit, and I hope you will find them a blessing as well.

This week we are trying to clean and organize (after all the chaotic activity during football season). Shoes are our biggest project right now. We have 3 large laundry baskets full of shoes! LOL! They are a blessing, but we need to weed out some of them. We only have 18 feet in our house to put shoes on (grin).

Have a blessed and wonderful day!

(p.s. We got to hear our baby's heartbeat! Rachel and Sam accompanied me and got to hear it as well. At the same appointment, my blood was taken, which Greyson and Elijah were thrilled observers of the process...quite a homeschooling fieldtrip, eh?)

Can't wait to hear your comments...click HERE to say "hey."

Never A Dull Moment

2008-10-14T22:12:00.009-04:00

We sure stayed heavily occupied last week, as you can tell by the absence of blog entries.

Our family has a new addition. Meet "Kit", Rachel's new American Girl doll, courtesy of her Grandpa and Granna.

The addition of this doll to our household has created quite a stir. The boys are somewhat stupefied by this feminine creature. It would be their delight to kidnap Kit and rearrange her anatomy. However, their mother has strongly cautioned them against such a feat....as well as listed the possible consequences of such an event.

Needless to say, Ms. Rachel is so delighted with her new "sister", her reference to Kit. So sweet! Can you believe that we put away her dolls a few months ago after Rachel announced her new, profound interest in science? She still loves science, but she's not ready to put Kit into that stored-away doll box.

Here are a few other happenings at our house this October:

This is one of the myriad of Lego creations by Greyson and Elijah featuring the Indiana Jones theme. They've been hard at work building and taking photos of their masterpieces.

Did you ever make leaf paths when you were a kid? I remember making leaf houses on the playground in elementary school as a child. Here is a "leaf labrynth" (as Greyson has labeled it) in our front yard. Greyson worked hard raking and organizing this pathway, much to the delight of the younger children! They played for a few hours, running and finding their way around the winding maze. Greyson timed them as they navigated, which caused competition, which in-turn caused dissention, which led to arguing, tears, blah, blah, blah (grin).

Rachel is holding a plate of her bread creations, fit with sprinkles!

Still more bread....if we're lucky, this will last us 2 days.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment in our home, and we thank God for that.

Hope you and yours are enjoying October!

Send us your comments HERE...we sure love hearing from you!

Blessings,

Camy

My Haven and Place of Rest

2008-10-01T21:21:00.007-04:00

This is my kitchen sink, my haven from the world. My place of prayer, solace, tears, laughter, rejoicing, sadness, brainstorming, ....you name it. It is clean right now, for the first time in weeks. I have been tired and pregnant-nauseous, which often inhibits my ability to tidy and keep the sink area clean and clutter free.

I love my 70's vintage orange formica countertop! Not only does it hide a lot of warts, but the yellow tones in the orange tend to brighten my mood a bit.

I love to put a few drops of lemon essential oil in my dishwater. The scent both relaxes and rejuvenates me at the same time, not to mention that it cuts grease. There are also two, small oil-burners for simmering various essential oils. These help to tone down cooking odors and cheer the air.

I like to put up reminders in this place of habit. To my right, I have an afternoon list, a verse, and a postcard from a dear friend with a suffering sister. Since I spend long hours at this spot, it is helpful for me post items that I want to keep in mind.
On the left side of the sink, I have poster that reminds me to be thankful for freedom of religion in this country. These are dear souls who have either been jailed or killed for their Christian faith in Sharia law countries. When I feel downhearted, a glimpse of this poster tells me that many of my worries are so minor....

I have learned to love the times spent at my kitchen sink, my haven and place of "rest." Getting lost in my thoughts, as well in piles and piles of dishes each day is what I do here.

Blessings to you this day.

Thanks so much for your comments. You can leave them HERE

~Camy

Pancake Sunday

2008-09-28T22:14:00.006-04:00

On Sunday it is always my aim to cook up a pancake breakfast. Well, it does not always happen for various reasons, yet today it did. We wanted to share our breakfast with you all. (Oh, and by the way, the recipes will follow this entry)

Noah is not entering an "all-you-can-eat" pancake breakfast. This is meant for our family (grin). Thankfully, Noah has extremely strong biceps....despite that fact, however, he still struggles to hold the immense towers of pancakes steadily on the tray. (not to mention that he is a bit clumsy sometimes as well :o).

Here are Dad's special order banana pancakes (the ones I cook lastly because they really mess up the grill). We must keep the Dad happy and banana pancakes will do the trick (smile).

Elijah holds up his gluten-free special order. (Elijah, your shirt is on backwards)

Some of the children are literally fainting from hunger (ahem!) as Mom annoys them with another photo. (John, get a shirt on, would ya please??)

After all the hard work of carrying and transporting literal piles of pancakes from the kitchen to the table, Noah is rewarded with a giant stack of peanut butter & syrup covered hotcakes. Yes, he ate every last drop.

Everyone went away from the table satisfied...at least for a few minutes anyway.

Here are the recipes:

Basic Wholegrain Pancakes (adapted from the La Leche League cookbook) We quadruple this recipe to suit our family's desire for massive amounts of food.

2 cups milk (or other nondairy liquid)

1-3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour (we use freshly-ground whole wheat)

1/4 cup honey or other sweetener, optional

1/4 cup oil, optional

Combine liquid ingredients, sweetener, & oil. Combine well. Mix separately the dry ingredients, stir well to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until lumps are almost gone. Cook on a hot skillet or griddle.

Elijah's Custom Gluten-Free Pancakes

Stir the following together:

3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon guar gum or xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

Stir the following together in a separate bowl:

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine the wet and dry ingredients above together. Stir well until batter reaches thick consistency. Batter is a bit thick. Drop onto greased hot griddle or skillet, cooking about 3 minutes per side, turning twice. Each side should cook 2 times. Serve!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Camy

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Bad Mom

2008-09-24T10:06:00.005-04:00

It's been a rough few days...I have been very sick and in bed most of the day (fun). This is not pretty when you have an 11 year old boy in charge of 4 younger siblings (of whom 3 are boys).

Yesterday, 11 year old and 9 year old played videogames all day...seriously. I did not have the gumption to redirect or instruct them to do something else. While the two of them indulged their videogame fancies, the other little ones ruled the roost (yikes). 3 year old boy drew on the walls with dry-erase marker as well as in some of our good books (frown). We won't even discuss how the kitchen looked....(shudder).

So, I am thankful that today is a better day, and I was able to get up and eat breakfast (very carefully so as not to upset my fragile constitution at this juncture).

I aim to get supper started this morning so I don't have to worry about it this evening. It seems that I feel worse later in the day, and the kitchen is the last place on this earth (w/ the exception of our heavily-used boy bathroom) that I want to be.

Our supper today:

Hamburger Gravy w/ Mashed Potatoes

I use ground turkey for this recipe, 3 pounds.
Saute ground turkey w/ chopped onions. Stir in about 3-4 tablespoons flour until browned. Add either chicken or beef broth and stir well over medium-high heat. Add other spices (or salt and pepper) according to taste. I like to add a splash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos for a rich flavor.

This makes a delightful gravy to put over top mashed potatoes. Comfort food at its best! (Let's hope it comforts me at the end of the day when I am feeling yucky).

I am sorry if I sound like my posts are full of complaining. If I am physically compromised, my attitude becomes negative. However, last night as I was doing the dishes (at 10:00 pm..frown), I listened to the radio program called "Nightsounds" by Bill Pierce. He has one of those deep, hypnotic voices. The program features older, Christian music with an encouraging theme.

Mr. Pierce mentioned how God will never leave us nor forsake us, even (and especially) during the tough times. I have found this to be true! It really blessed me.

Hope you have a great day!

Blessings,
Camy

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Sharing Struggles Leads To Catharsis

2008-09-19T14:02:00.005-04:00

I was chatting with my friend Elise today about the common struggles we face as mothers of large families. Elise has 8 children that are very similar in age to my children.

We were discussing the frustration that occurs when momma is down (sickness, pregnancy, overtired, blah, blah, blah, etc..) and how when momma is down and out, the children have inefficient oversight and management. This eventually (in a very short time!!!) takes us to the "point of what-seems-like no return."

Meals go down the tubes, the house goes by the wayside, you can't find anyones shoes or socks, and everyone becomes very cranky. Many of you can relate to this very same phenomena. If you have many children, it is like a monster that gets bigger and bigger! (actually, I think the monster is the toddler, who isn't being as well-trained as they could be...LOL!).

As we spoke, I could feel the relief of being able to share this similar struggle with a dear, dear friend. What a blessing that God provides friendships that allow for deep sharing. So cathartic!

I was telling my friend that I could observe from my vantage point, debris on the floor, books and toys strewn about the room, etc. etc. It takes less than an hour for it all to unravel and happen.

Phew!

After we complained awhile, we began to realize the blessings God has given us through our large families. Powerful blessings that are almost beyond words. The struggle, the pain, the frustrations are always replaced with laughter, joy, companionship. I don't think either of us would change of thing....

When I hung up the phone, the song "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns came to my mind. This song puts me in tears at the revelation that God is ALWAYS there in the midst of tough times. We just have to listen a bit harder for his voice.

If you have time, take a listen to "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns (lyrics included): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiRDpkoCKi8

...and I realize that some of you face serious struggles everyday that make mine look minimal. May God encourage you today.

Blessings,
Camy

**Leave your comments HERE...Thanks!

(Oh, just wanted you all to know I am working on a daily check-off chart for our homeschool and school duties. It is my aim to post it soon!)

May We Never Forget

2008-09-11T08:18:00.004-04:00

September 11, 2001

May we never forget the events of that day, and the people so intimately affected.

Blessings,

Camy

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Sick and Tired

2008-09-10T14:35:00.003-04:00

What should one do when one is sick and tired, in the midst of early pregnancy? Rest. Rest. Rest.

I'm getting better at dealing with early pregnancy (it just took me a few times to practice..grin). It has been my experience that pushing myself to do more, despite the awful sensations of nausea and fatigue, is not helpful. It can actually worsen those undesirable symptoms.

So, I just sleep and rest in bed.

"What, pray, do the other children do while I am reclining" you ask? Yes, and keep in mind that my 14 year old twin boys are absent from the picture here and in school. Well, this is when the oldest child steps up to receive his promotion in the family.

Today, I announced to the younger 5 children, that they would be put in slightly different circumstances for awhile. Greyson, their 11 year old brother, would now be in charge of their safety and well-being. They are to listen and obey him, or it will mean terrible consequences for them. If he asks them to stand on their heads, then they must do so, and quickly.

Picture 5 children standing before me, all in a row like stairsteps. One of those children in particular, has the biggest smile on his face after hearing this news. He has just grown a few inches taller and become even more helpful and responsible. Can you guess which one? Laugh!

The others are slouching slightly, scuffing their feet on the ground. Realizing the announcement, they must make a decision: listen to their older brother, whom they have enjoyed many years of good sibling rivalry or deny his leadership and authority.

I tell them the choice is obvious.

As I lay in agony on my bed, my dear 11 year old comes in to check on me. He states rather confidently that I look very pale and white. He then offers to make me a few fried eggs. It is his opinion that I should eat some protein. I decide that this is a good suggestion.

He arrives a few minutes later with a plate of steaming eggs, the salt shaker, and a stool to use as a bedside table. "Should I get you some water, Mom?" he asks. I tell him "no thanks", since the thought of drinking water sends me into convulsions.

After eating the eggs, I did indeed feel a bit stronger and was able to sit up in bed. The blood then slowly redistributed itself properly throughout my body and enabled me to rise and make lunch. I used our leftover supper to make a nice, beef soup.

Here is our crockpot recipe for dinner:

1 beef roast (I used chuck)
1 large onion, sliced into rings
15 medium-sized white potatoes, scrubbed
10 carrots, peeled, halved and cut into long strips
1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (the best stuff in the world...a soy sauce substitute that has an awesome flavor)
1 cup of water

Place the beef and carrots in the bottom of the crockpot. Layer onions next, and then add potatoes. Pour the Bragg's and water over the top of it all. Turn crockpot on high and cook for 3-4 hours (depending on the temperament of your crockpot). Serve w/ potato toppings (we like cottage cheese, butter, chives, etc.)

The next day, I reheated the contents of the leftovers the next morning and at lunchtime, I cut the potatoes and carrots into cubes (right in the pot) and removed the leftover meat and chopped it into soup-sized pieces. I added some water to make it into a soup. A little salt and pepper and voila! A delicious soup for lunch.

I then retired back to bed for a nap with my 3 year old. I'm praying the soup will settle well in my disagreeable stomach!

And...thanks to all of our dear friends who are transporting boys to football practice so I don't have to. Thanks to my dear husband for arranging this.

Blessings,

Camy

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2008-09-04T12:33:00.004-04:00

I must say that the acceptance speech given at the Republican convention by Governor Sarah Palin was impressive. She delivered it with grace, confidence, and authority.

Though many women have held political office on both sides of the aisle through my lifetime, I have not seen even one of them who looks as comfortable in her skin as Sarah Palin, with one exception, Margaret Thatcher.

It is refreshing for me to see a Conservative woman hold her own and do it with style.

Overall, I was very pleased with the convention speakers last night. I especially appreciated Rudi Giuliani's words. Ever since 9/11, I have had a high regard for him.

The best part of the night was when I viewed Governor Palin's younger daughter holding her infant brother. She just stared at him affectionately as she cradled him. I loved it when she licked her hand and smoothed down the infant's hair! This is so reminiscent of my own children and what they would do! I thought that added such reality to the situation. Yah, this is a speech given by a powerful woman at an important moment in history....but when an infant's hair is standing on end, you can't help but lick your hand and smooth it down! Spit is the only thing that seems to work on that type of hair (grin).

So, I am encouraged. As a card-carrying, Conservative Republican woman, I am pleased.

Blessings,

Camy

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VEEP T-I-M-E

2008-08-29T22:47:00.005-04:00

Wow! What a surprise to see that John McCain chose Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his veep running mate. As a political junkie, and a Conservative one at that, this is important news to me.

When I heard Governor Palin speak, I was uplifted, energized, encouraged. Her words and remarks were well-said.

However, there is one gnawing thought in the back of my head. "Governor, I pray that this whole experience will not adversely effect your family."

Now, I'm not against women working or, for that matter, women in political life. As a matter of a fact, it is a blessing to know that the United States offers equal opportunity for all of its citizens. Women are not forced into the background, forbidden from expressing themselves.

I do not know much about political life. But I do know about what it means to be a mother.

I know that it requires T-I-M-E. This is not to say that a working mom is unable to provide that for her children. I have seen a few fabulous working moms who put forth such an effort to make sure their children did not suffer the absence of their mother for many hours of the day. It amazed me to witness their dedication.

It dumbfounds me to imagine how a woman who is the next potential veep will make time for her children. VEEP! We all are aware of the unthinkable amount of commitment required from that job. But like I said, I don't know much about political life, and perhaps it can be done somehow.

I will still likely cast my vote for Senator McCain and Governor Palin, but I will be praying for her and her children and her husband. Praying that God will provide that time needed to wash little feet, wipe little noses, muss up little ones hair, sit and read a book, etc.

I admire this courageous and motivated woman. I like her views. Her spirit shines through vividly. Her love of this country reflects my own.

It shall be an interesting election this year!

Blessings,

Camy

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Our News

2008-08-25T11:12:00.004-04:00

Four boys in football. One husband coaching. 3 unhappy little ones who are being led around by the nose to every venue requiring our attendance.

You would have enjoyed watching us register our oldest boys (twin 14 yo) at school orientation. The boys wanted us all to come! They will be taking 4 classes in order to be eligible to play sports. Funny thing is, they can't take any core classes!

Anyway, the funniest thing about orientation was seeing my boys proudly carrying and showing off their little siblings. After getting their locker assignments, the boys threw the little ones in their lockers one-by-one to see if they would fit inside! LOL! That was a funny sight. I just begged them to please not lock the locks...you just never know, kwim??

Needless to say, we were quite a sight to everyone there.

Also, we have been running the football player boys here and there to practice. The little ones become so cranky and tired from being out of their usual schedule. Poor dears..

I am doing well w/ thyroid and iron supplementation to correct those problematic issues. If anyone needs a good iron supplement, I HIGHLY recommend Floradix (I use the tablets) and Enzymatic Therapies Liquid Liver Extract gelcaps along w/ chlorophyll capsules. That combo brought my hemoglobin count up 3.7 points in just 6 weeks! Which is a great blessing BECAUSE.....

I am pregnant!

We just found out yesterday. Everyone is so delighted. Our youngest is 3 years old, so this is the longest we have not had a baby in the house. My boys are hoping for twins, a boy and girl, so my daughter can have a sister and they can have another boy to join their ranks. Needless to say, our daughter is praying like crazy for a girl!

I had to share our exciting news.

Blessings,

Camy
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I really had to go!

2008-08-17T22:59:00.004-04:00

Recently, I shared a funny moment from my school days with some online friends. This particular occasion occurred when I was in 1st grade.

When I was a scholarly first grader (grin), tetherball was my passion. However, the rest of the children on the entire playground used to love it as well, thus the waiting line to play was at least a mile long. Anyway, I was alllllmost to the front of the line. The clock was ticking. Recess was about to end. My heart was beating...thump-thump and I had to "use the facilities", as they say, really badly!

I was *not* going to lose my place in the line. So, I had an "accident" in my denim, big-bell bottomed jeans rather than lose my spot in the line for a trip to the bathroom! LOL! I vividly remember going into the nurses office to get a dry pair of pants (they had a reserve! LOL).
To avoid embarrassment, I told her that I fell into a mud puddle.

That excuse didn't work for two reasons: 1) It was as dry as the Sahara that day on the playground and 2) The odor emanating from the jeans did not smell like that of a mud puddle. LOL! I remember the nurse's expression as she took my pants from me. Too funny.

I just crack up when I think about that. What was I thinking?!!!

Kids do the funniest things ).

Someone shared an easy, no-knead artisan bread recipe on the Well-Trained Mind Board. This technique came from a book: http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919

There is also a demonstration by the authors on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxJgIpe38Q

I have not tried the recipe and method yet. I am still a bread snob! Just today (even though it was humid and hot), our home smelled of "freshly-baked bread" aroma. I made 5 whole wheat sourdough loaves, with the help of my 11 year old boy.

Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice book is still my favorite. He gives the lowdown on making many sorts of bread. I like his explanations regarding using pre-ferments to produce delicious sourdoughs and artisan breads.

My favorite, hands-down, is the recipe for his Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread. Following the baking of the loaf, you rub it with butter and then roll it in cinnamon/sugar. MMMM...it produced a sweet crunch before breaking into the tender, cinnamon/sugar swirled slice. Don't forget the butter!

Have a great day! We begin our brutal stretch of football season tomorrow. My husband coaches our 8 and 11 year old. Our 14 year old twins are playing on the local high school freshman team.

Thank Heaven the littlers are very portable. I tell them to jump into the van, and off we go...:o)

Blessings,

Camy

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2008-08-09T21:53:00.003-04:00

And we're baaack!......sorry about the delay in posting! It is, after all, "summer."

It seemed sensible to me that this entry should reveal updates of our family's summer so far.

It has been a cool summer here in Michigan! We have not been able to enjoy the beach that often. Only one day has worked out for us to spend time at our favorite, family-friendly beach.

We have picked raspberries (from Grandma's berry patch), picked strawberries, worked on school (summer "lite" schedule), cleaned and organized the house a little more, and transported the boys to summer football workouts w/ the high school freshman team.

I am in dire need to take a block of time to work on our fall school schedule. I will be teaching 6 children. One is a preschooler, so that won't be so tough, but the others will require me to prepare a plan of some sort. We keep things very simple and uncluttered (when it comes to school anyway :o), so it isn't hard to organize once I get started.

The biggest transition into fall school mode will be the oldest boys', the twins, course schedule. I am outsourcing Spanish, Biology, and "maybe" history (I am quite possessive of history, however. I'm still thinking about that one). It was my intention to begin a "Greats Books" study with them this fall. We would start the classical education format 3-year cycle with studying Ancient times. I love ancient literature (yes...I am a geek...and proud of it!). Even my boys love the gore and violence of ancient literature, namely The Aeneid.

My 11 year old boy's schedule is well-determined from this vantage point. Yet I am struggling over whether we should continue Latin or not. Our main hindrance is "t-i-m-e." I do believe Latin is wonderful for teaching an understanding of grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary. Did you know that students who study Latin have higher (on average) SAT scores?

Much of the younger children already are doing their studies for the fall schedule. I need to determine further their memorization work. We have learned many poems in the past (mainly Robert Frost), and I'd like to work on more of that. They have learned excellent public-speaking and verbal skills from memory work.

But...the hammer will fall soon.....football begins NEXT WEEK. (yikes...panic). It will be rush, rush, work, work, run, run, etc...

As Ricky Ricardo used to say on the "I Love Lucy" show, "LUUUUCY!"

So, that's where we are.

It has been a blessing to be sprinkled with the company of friends this summer. We are expecting some visitors this week.

Hope your summer is progressing well!

Hey, one more thing... Don't forget about the Perseid meteor shower next week! Here is a link for more information about it: Perseid Meteor Shower. How about waking your kids at 2:00 am (during the meteor shower) and taking them outside for an awesome display of God's handiwork! This would be a great memory for all.

Oh, one more thing (laugh). I just wanted to tell you all about my 3 year old boy who is as stubborn as a mule. He threw a literal blow-out tantrum at Sam's Club the other day. After having 7 children, this doesn't phase me a bit. I just looked at him and said "This does not embarrass me, and is that *all* you got?!!!!" I lost my pride when it comes to these things (children's unpredictable behavior at times) a long time ago! LOL! No, really, he was tired...I'll give him that much. He settled down after his brother took him to the van, kicking and screaming. That was my fun this week!

Blessings,

Camy

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One Step At A Time

2008-07-31T22:18:00.004-04:00

At times I am urged to consider those who are experiencing troubles and trials in their lives. It is even more difficult when those individuals are loved ones. My mind will often focus on their suffering and pain that results from occurrences or circumstances.

It is at times like this that God's Word becomes priority reading for the day. Knowing that He is in control of all things, makes me rest (for the most part) and learn to trust Him(by His grace and strength) for what the future may hold.

This beautiful passage, made me think of the transforming power of God as He walks with us "through the valley of the shadow."

From Amy Carmichael's "His Thoughts Said, His Father Said":

"His thoughts said, The sting of grief abideth.
His Father said, My word to thee is, 'Pray for them which despitefully use thee.' The word is not, 'Wait till the stinger be sorry for stinging.' Art thou stung? Thou wilt find as thou prayest that the sting will lose its power. Thy thinking will be kindly. Thou wilt remember Him who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously. Thy Savior hath left thee an example that thou shouldest follow His steps."

May we have the strength to follow His steps along a difficult and rugged path, especially when that path becomes more treacherous at times. That journey begins with just one step. One step at a time..

Blessings,

Camy

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Pictures!

2008-07-21T11:20:00.004-04:00

Ashley & Rachel
Ashley, Mom, I, & Rachel
Ashley & I

Clockwise from left: Rachel, John, Greyson, Noah, Elijah, & Malcom (Sam is missing from the photo..:o()

Rachel's custom-made "Taiwan Shoes!"

I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Blessings,

Camy

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Family!

2008-07-18T14:49:00.004-04:00

Here is a photo of a few family members at our local festival. My mom, nephews, grandmother, sister, I, and 5 of my children pose outside a local sandwich joint. We were quite a troup!

Sis, I miss you already, and it was so nice to have you visit us! Now I shall recover the sleep lost to our late-night/early morning chats (grin).

I apologize to all of you readers for neglecting the blog the past few weeks. There are a few works in progress at this point that may be of interest to you, so keep checking back!

Blessings,

Camy

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I Thought I Was Perfect

2008-07-08T07:25:00.003-04:00

At 40 years old, it seemed to me that my person was the perfect anatomical specimen. Talk about delusional thinking!

Since my miscarriage in June 2007, I have felt tired and worn. It seemed to me that my age and numerous daily duties would be a likely explanation for this state of physical condition. After all, don't we get tired as we get older, and those of us homeschoolers with many children of different ages push it even further?

Well, last week it made sense to me to get my hemoglobin checked in order to evaluate the thought that I could still be anemic from the miscarriage. The doctor also decided that I needed the range of "Congratulations your 40 and now we need to check other things, too" gamut of tests.

It surprised the doctor (and me) when the tests showed that I was very anemic (groan) and hypothyroid! All I could think was "What???!!" No, not me, the super achiever (wannabe..grin)! Sigh.

However, these tests did reassure me somewhat. I have been tired and other physical system issues were put into perspective. So, I am in the midst of figuring these things out and seeking out my family physician's expertise. Those of you w/ either hypothyroid or anemia, please don't hesitate to give comment on your experiences.

I also had my first mammogram (warning: those of you who hate to hear about these things, exit now. Do not read the rest of the story :o). It occurred to me that I should be very thankful for this technology...*and* for the beautiful facility which did the examination (very "spa" like).

I sat in the gorgeous waiting room w/ my pretty gown on, while watching the news on a large, flat-screen television. As I sipped on ice-cold mineral water, the technician called my name. My number was up.

After having numerous children, my modesty and sense of privacy has been given a new definition. Many things that compromise those areas pale in comparison to childbirth (grin). The mammogram seemed like a walk in the park, but it was a bit humorous to me.

I realized a few things during the examination:

Mammogram technicians are great at giving instructions on what to do during the process (i.e. "You may stick to the plate, so be careful as you step back after the x-ray is taken" LOL).
The particular part of the female anatomy that is being x-rayed, cannot move itself like a limb, and it must be moved and put into proper position (thank you, attendant..grin).
The exclusive part of the female anatomy being referred to is very flexible and subject to various contortionist positions...LOL).
I need to get my rear in gear and keep up w/ different diagnostic testing as I get older.

I can now say that I have graduated from "now you're a real woman" school of physcial experiences and diagnostic tests. Oh, I take that back...can you say "colonoscopy?" That may be next.....

Blessings,

Camy

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Specifically Summer Part 2

2008-07-02T12:13:00.004-04:00

Hello, everyone! Hope the summer is going well so far for you.
I have been having a blast! My younger sister (17 years younger than I!!) is visiting from Taiwan. It has been so wonderful to have her home. She and I get along very well and laugh a lot. Each evening we are up until past midnight, talking and giggling. She'll be here for a few more weeks. Here is a photo of her and her boyfriend (who also lives in Taiwan).

That is why entries have been limited (grin).

Now that summer is in full-swing, we are in the throes of different activities and oddly-scheduled days. The calendar and planner are important items for me at this time especially. You can print free planners from all over the Internet (try Google). Also, Donna Young has some great planners (see sidebar for link).

To keep our house in decent (or semi-decent) order, we continue to use a morning and evening routine. Morning is for making beds, collecting dirty laundry, straightening rooms, putting clean clothes away, and reading our Bibles. Our children have morning & afternoon jobs in addition to the morning routine as follows:

Malcom (14) puts away clean dishes in kitchen. Sets table and assists breakfast prep. Makes coffee. Cleans upstairs bathroom after breakfast.

Noah (14) and Greyson (11) collect trash from all receptacles in the house and then get it to the outside dumpster. Dump dehumidifier water. Feed and water chickens. Noah cleans downstairs bathroom after breakfast. Greyson washes dishes.

Elijah (9) puts away clean silverware. Helps set table. Wipes table after breakfast.

Rachel (7) Helps set table for breakfast. Takes care of Sam and makes sure he stays out of trouble. Sweeps after breakfast.

John (5) helps momma make her bed and tidy living and dining rooms. Helps clear table after breakfast.

Sam (2) does the same as John.

Afternoon Jobs

Malcom cleans and tidies the entryway (he uses a list that splits up jobs for the week: Mon: wash door fingerprints Tues: Dust wainscot trim and baseboards Wed: Tidies closet. Thurs: Mops the floor.
Noah cleans and straightens the downstairs family room. Jobs are spread through the week just as Malcom's are.
Greyson maintains the living room w/ the same concept as the jobs above.
Elijah and Rachel set the dinner table and make sure the condiments are put on.
John helps a big brother with his jobs.
Sam helps a big brother as well.

That much will help things stay sane in the house. It is even better to have an evening routine, which we do, yet at times the long summer days will prevent us from adhering to our plans. We do our best.

A few summer raw foods and other staples in our house are the following:

plenty of fresh fruit and veggies
fresh salsa, not canned (homemade or Sam's Club fresh salsa). Dice up a tomato and 1/4 of an onion. Chop 1/2 of a jalapeno (or use canned for convenience). Add a dash of salt, some freshly chopped cilantro, and stir. This is delicious! I use salsa to top rice, burritos, salads, etc. This will last a few days in the refrigerator. If you add a tablespoon of lemon juice, it will last a week.
frozen fruit. We have picked and frozen almost 10 gallons of local strawberries so far. These are great for homemade smoothies and sorbets! We try to get in-season fruits into the freezer as much as possible.
Hot dogs & browned, ground beef. (for meal-prep ease). Browned ground beef can be turned into sloppy joes, tacos, burritos, spaghetti sauce, potpies, stews, etc.
Tortilla chips and tortillas (for quick wraps or burritos).
Yogurt by the gallon ( see homemade recipe blog entry. Quadruple it to get one gallon). Use the fruit recipe from previous posts to create flavor for the yogurt.
Styrofoam cooler (kept in our van at all times). I use this and a freezer pack for keeping a gallon jug of water or other perishable items when we are out and about. This is also used for take-along snacks. The cooler will stay in the van all summer.
Paper cups and paper plates. These are great for summer convenience. I like to keep some of these in the van as well along w/ plastic eating utensils. Don't forget the paper towels.
Cooked brown and white rice. Great for wraps. You can also blend cooked rice w/ a bit of water to make rice porridge for breakfast (our favorite!). After blending the rice, put in a pan and add more water until porridge is your preferred consistency.
Carrot sticks
Baby wipes for easy clean up.

Here is a recipe for the mashed beans that we put in our tortillas:

4 cups cooked pinto or black beans
3 tablespoons oil of your choice
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

I throw all of this into a food processor and whiz until a paste forms. We then place about 1/2 of paste in tortillas and wrap them up. If you don't have a food processor, just use your potato masher. You may have to add a bit of water to ease the mashing. It is nice to do a bunch of these and keep them in the refrigerator for quick or portable meals. Try warming them in a covered casserole w/ the oven set at 375 for about 1/2 hour. Serve w/ cheese, salsa, and other toppings. Rice makes a great side dish for the burritos. Yummy.

We have a busy weekend ahead, including our local festival's airshow. The Blue Angels are here this year! They are our favorite. More berry picking may be in store as well.

Enjoy the days!

Blessings,

Camy

Specifically Summer Part 1

2008-06-26T13:29:00.006-04:00

Summer appears to have officially arrived in Michigan...I'm fairly positive. It has been consistently warm here for one week. That is my criteria for judging Michigan summers.

So, I'd like to greet this great season with a series of "Specifically Summer" articles.

I'm thankful for Michigan's four seasons. It gives one an appreciation for spring, fall, winter, & summer, respectively. Things always seem to be changing as the seasons trade places. I like that.

One thing I know that is particular to summer, is food preparation. In our household, we consume less food. Our meals are also lighter and more convenient.

Heating up the house by baking and cooking can be a pain in the summer, but is part of my life at least once per week. My children eat lots of homemade bread and yogurt, so we have to keep that stocked. I also bake gluten-free items for one of my children. Nevertheless, I try to keep the baking heat to one day per week in summer. I try to be positive and think of it as the "sauna" effect. I love saunas.

A brilliant idea came to me a few years ago on an online forum of moms of many children. One participant mentioned that she uses her crock pot often in the summer, but puts it either outside or in her garage, plugged into an exterior outlet. An extension cord can also be used if an outside power source is not available. This helps to cut down on the heat inside!

It is also important to have those seasonal fresh fruits and veggies available. We will be picking many pounds of strawberries very soon so we can freeze them. I still have lots of peaches in the freezer from last summer. I cut and peeled peaches for hours while viewing Rick Steves' travel videos (smile). The children and I went to the Alps as well as Croatia via Rick Steves. These videos are both educational and transporting!

Frozen fruit is one of our favorite treats. Just the other night I made a delectable strawberry sorbet in my food processor. Strawberries, lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and water to ease blending. I then put the processor bowl in the freezer. After a time, the bowl can be put back on the base to blend the mixture again. The children loved it! My husband added it to his glass of red wine, a sort of wine smoothy. This idea would work with any frozen fruit, or a combination of the different fruits.

If you are trying to get a bit more fiber in your diet, you could add ground flax seed or ground psyllium seed to your fruit sorbet. This is great for children or adults who need it. If an irritated digestive tract is a culprit, you could add aloe vera gel or juice to the sorbet instead of water. If you cut an aloe leaf lengthwise, and then scrape out the gel inside, you get a wonderful, soothing pure aloe vera. Be careful not to use to much or it will cause diarrhea. For convenience sake, capsules or packaged juices and gels can be purchased in a healthfood stores.

Hope you are all staying comfortable in the summer heat. I'll try to get to some raw food stuff in the next entry (my summer favorite!).

Blessings,

Camy

2008-06-21T09:29:00.003-04:00

Transitioning into summer has its challenges for me. My husband was wonderful enough to head up the seasonal clothing duty as well as organizing and reducing the storehouse of those items. It takes a focused and organized mind to do that task.

As we were working, I was listening for the smaller children, and making sure they were staying out of trouble. Hubby was sorting and piling, and I was helping, yet many times I had to leave and check on the little ones. This coming and going made me realize why I don't get many planned tasks accomplished (grin).

My newest undertaking is to use up the stored foods we have and organize the kitchen and pantry. If this sounds like something you would like to do, here is an inexpensive e-book that would be a helpful guide: Organize Your Kitchen and Pantry in a Weekend. It costs less than $10 for the e-book.

Personally, I will be making myown pantry list. I would love to print out the e-book, but printer ink is a rare commodity in our house. My pantry categories are:

Fruits and juice
Grains and starches
Baking supplies
Condiments
Herbs and spices
Meats
Dairy
Legumes
Vegetables
Beverages

I and a helper (the youngest child capable of writing) will go through the freezer, refrigerator/freezer, and cupboards to take inventory of our food stores. Each food (and the amount) will be written under the appropriate heading listed above.

I will then develop a menu plan to use up those foods on the list. If my brain is working efficiently, a trip to the grocery store will not be required for at least a week. This is a great way to save some pennies while making use of those stored foods before they are past their prime.

Today is baking day as well. I have to bake our regular whole wheat bread, gluten-free bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, and gluten-free buns. I want to have this all done so I won't have to bake too much this-coming week.

It will be a busy and, hopefully, fruitful day.

Have a great day,

Camy

Thank you for your kind comments and encouragments. I love to hear them! Click here to add a comment or suggestion. If you have any questions or blog ideas, don't hesitate to send them my way.

Information Junkie

2008-06-18T15:00:00.003-04:00

I am a total junkie when it comes to finding new ideas for making life easier and richer. That's why nonfiction reading is my preference and many of my favorite blogs and websites feature practical information for daily life.

I love an idea recently posted at Homeliving Helper. The author speaks of how to start your day off thinking, with pen and paper in hand. She mentions that when you sit down to have your morning beverage, begin writing down a list of things to accomplish that day. It sounds so simple, and it is, yet it is brilliant! I have been doing this and it puts me in a more logical frame of mind, planning out the daily activities (and who will be doing them).

When our days begin, I do poorly when weariness and fatigue set in. It is always nicer to have a sheet of paper with a list on it. I delegate jobs first to the youngest child that is able to do them, and then gradually hand out additional jobs sequentially to the older children.

I find it helpful to split the page into two sections: contacts (persons needed to be telephoned, emailed, or written to) and to-do's. You can carry this idea further by breaking up your list into morning, afternoon, and evening. I like to use a simple, yellow legal pad.

Another great idea I got from somewhere else (that slips my memory!), is to organize your daily web reading. To do this, you create folders in your favorites (in Internet Explorer which is my search engine). There are many possible labels for these folders. You can name each folder a day of the week and then put websites under each heading according to when you'd like to read them. You could read news sites one day, blogs another, and informational sites on another, etc.

I hope these ideas are helpful!

Another thing, I did want to give instructions on how to germinate lentils (re: the Black Bean Salad recipe posted in the previous entry). Just soak 1 cup of lentils in about 1 quart of water for about 4-6 hours. They are ready when they crunch like a bean sprout. Drain the water from them and either put them in a jar for further sprouting. Don't forget to put the jar in a dark place and rinse & drain the lentils a few times per day. I put my soaked and drained lentils in a glass quart jar topped with a square of nylon net secured w/ the jar band. This makes rinsing and draining very easy, you just run water into the jar (without removing the lid) and then pour the water out through the netting. Sprouted or germinated lentils can be served t on a salad or as a salad main course. Yummy and so simple! You could top them with salsa, serve them over rice w/ plenty of veggies, mix them with a dressing and vegetables and wrap them in a flatbread, etc. Germinated lentils are a great raw food, full of enzymes!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Camy

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Thanks for Listening

2008-06-13T09:44:00.006-04:00

Through the years of raising a large family in the homeschooling lifestyle, the lessons of life have come one by one without ceasing. Sometimes they are painful, humbling and weary months (usually when I'm pregnant or caring for a small baby). I call those times the "barely keeping my nose above the waterline" times). Other times those learning moments are satifying and welcoming as the blessings that come from suffering and difficulty manifest themselves before my eyes..

God has really called me to task in my life. Many of you are familiar with the story of how God prunes the vine in order to make it more fruitful. I'm one of those vines who has tried to fight the pruner, attempting to grow out of control in my own direction. It is such a blessing to know that my God is a determined gardener with infinite power to do as He chooses...for my own good. It is like the child who is taught his/her boundaries for their own safety.

He has not left me on this journey alone, but provided strength, peace, joy, and wonderful friends and family. I would not call my life stagnant at all....it is full of surprises and changes that keep me hopping.

Currently my husband and I are in the stage of having many children of different ages. One moment a toddler needs his bathroom mess cleaned up. Another instance a 7 year old needs training, correction, and hugs (all at the same time). Pre-adolescents need chore training for quality control and teenagers may need my our time for chatting and talking about the things of life. Needless to say, they all need meals and clean clothes...and plenty of both!!! (I always think if they didn't nees these things that my life would be a lot simpler!)

Though the work never stops (and I mean *never*), though I rarely get time by myself for things I want to do(*rarely* is an understatement), I can say that happiness is beyond measure for me. My heart just overflows with joy when I step back and look at my life so far. So far! I just know God has more blessings to come.

Blessings do not come without hardship, this I have seen. I am thankful that God says He "will never leave me or forsake me" and that He is a "pleasant help in time of trouble" and that "the joy of the Lord is my strength." The Bible, His Word, is living and breathing. The mere reading of it will produce an effect and it will not return void. It cuts through bones and marrow, right to the heart of the matter.

This may all sound so sentimental and mushy, but it is my desire to communicate God's message and love to you, dear reader. Perhaps it doesn't make sense to you and has not in the past. Maybe your life seems like daily drudgery and you just "suck it up" to make it through every day. Perhaps the joy has left your marriage and relationship with your child (or others) and it leaves you in despair or feeling cheated by what you thought would be something different.

So, I have a challenge for you today. Put your life in His hands and be prepared for "extreme living." Talk to Him & read His Word daily (see the online read though the Bible plans). Don't stop being who you are, because He takes us just as we are and uses it for His satisfaction and glory. "You" were born for a purpose!

This doesn't mean that you won't mistakes. You won't be perfect. But you will see your purpose for living and experience the joy God intended for our lives.

I'd like to close with 5 questions for you. I got this idea from my dear friend Donna at Quiet Life (a daily read of mine). Her "Friday Five" is one of my favorite things to do each week. I guess I just like questionnaires about various topics. Here is my own version of the Friday Five...

1) Have you ever thought about if everything was taken from you (material possessions, loved ones, health)?
2) What has been the most significant loss in your life?
3) What has been the most joyous time or occasion (I guess this could be singular or plural!)?
4) Do you know Jesus as a personal friend and not a religion (see "not religion" for more explanation).
5) If you were to define your life so far, what statement would you use?

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

Blessings,

Camy

One more thing...HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY JOHN ELDON!!! My dear little son who hates to wear clothes and is never without a gun tucked into his underwear. He wants to marry me and loves to give me kisses to make Daddy jealous. He has the most heart-warming "belly laugh" that you could ever hear. I love you, dear son.

Leave your comments and answers to the Friday Five questions by clicking here.

Here's a salad recipe I'm making for our yearly homeschool support network picnic:

Black Bean Salad

1 cup of black beans (I will used lentils soaked for 6 hours...they do not have to be cooked if you soak them a long time)
1 tomato, diced
the juice of one lime
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I will use 1 tsp. of garlic powder)
1 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil of your choice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine and mix all of the ingredients and let sit for a few hours to let the flavors combine. Yummy!

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Homeschooling Semantics

2008-06-09T14:11:00.007-04:00

I love this humorous cartoon by Bruce Tinsley that was in the recent edition of our area homeschool newsletter. The main thought of the cartoon was about the homeschooled kid's vocabulary and whether or not he/she would assimilate in their mainstream peer group.

We had an example of one particular homeschooled kid's semantics that very day.

Malcom (14) announced that he would like to inquire and follow up on some of his submitted job applications. He mentioned a few of the establishments he had applied to, among them a small restaurant in town called "Morsels."

Malcom went on to describe that he liked to work at this eatery and that it was a small, quaint place.

Greyson (11) commented with this statement: "Uh, duh! Morsels, meaning *very small*, *tiny*..... hence, the name "Morsels." (He used his fingers to represent quotation marks to emphasize the word "Morsels", similar to how Austin Powers did in his movies)

I just burst out laughing upon hearing that interchange between an older brother and his younger nemesis.

I don't think I have heard anyone use the word "hence" in a long while.

Blessings,

Camy

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Family Popcorn Night!

2008-06-06T09:34:00.006-04:00

"It's popcorn night! It's popcorn night!" exclaims little Sam (2 1/2).

He gets very excited when he discovers it's Friday night, our family movie/popcorn night.

This tradition began when I was a little girl. Every Sunday evening we would watch the Disney Sunday night movie, and my mother would make a large bowl of popcorn. It was the highlight of my week, and thus began my love affair with popcorn.

I decided to add popcorn night as one of our family traditions when my twins were little guys. Now they are 14 years old!

Tonight we are going to watch "Rocky." The very first of the series of Rocky movies. I figure it will motivate and encourage my boys to step up their workout programs (grin).

10 reasons to have a family popcorn night

Family togetherness

The benefit of viewing great & inspirational movies. We enjoy popular movies as well as great documentaries.
You get to drink pop (this is about the only night our children get to splurge on pop :O)

No need for supper preparation (yahoo!). Just have a light, informal and early supper of sandwiches or another simple meal. We begin popcorn night at 6:30 or 7 pm.
Encourages serving one another. Have a few children help with serving pop, getting bowls and napkins, and passing out the popcorn. This is great for the littler children.

Provides a restful evening for busy parents. It's nice to just unwind and sit with the family.

Allows the family to re-focus. While everyone is in one place, you could have a short family meeting/conference/devotional time, etc. before you view the movie.

Facilitates discussion over movie content. Sometimes the content is objectionable and the movie is turned off. Other times, we are inspired and encouraged by motion picture themes.

Helps get the house clean! No popcorn night until the house it tidy and laundry is put away.

It's cheap!!!!! Along w/ homemade popcorn and pop in 2 liter bottles (we get 3 or 4), we get our movies from the public or church libraries. Once in awhile we will get videos or DVDs from the video store. Still, it's a thrifty way to have family entertainment!

We use a Stir Crazy popcorn popper to make our popcorn. Here's our recipe:

3 Tablespoons coconut or other oil
3/4 cup popcorn
1 stick of butter + 2 tablespoons of oil to stretch the butter
salt

You could also use a heavy pan instead of the Stir Crazy. Just pour the oil into the pan along with the popcorn kernels, cover with pan lid. Heat on medium-high and shake pan occasionally. When it pops, shake pan over heat until you hear just a few pops and most of the corn is popped. Remove pan from heat and pour popcorn into a large bowl.

Melt the butter over medium heat and add the 2 tablespoons of of oil. Pour over popcorn. Stir w/ a large spoon. Salt to taste.

You can also add other spices to flavor the popcorn. The possibilities are endless! We will add Parmesan cheese once in awhile.

Our family quadruples the batch listed above in the recipe. If we want leftovers for the weekend, we double the quadruple batch.

Yummy!

Hope this inspires you to have a family movie & popcorn night.

(*if the evening is simply too hot for making popcorn, we eat ice cream sundaes!)

Enjoy :o).

Blessings,

Camy

If you'd like to give comments or suggestions, please email me by clicking here

Next Time, Do That In The Woods

2008-06-02T21:37:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday evening we were with a gathering of friends. Our children accompanied us and looked forward to hanging out with the other children who would be at this get-together.

It was a lovely, late afternoon and the host family decided that we should all move to their deck and have an outside meeting.

The children played on the lawn below as the adults had fellowship together. It was going very well, the bigger boys were playing a game of football while the smaller children shoveled and plowed in the sandbox. No one seemed inclined to wander out of the yard, and the situation was content . Until....

During a quiet, reflective moment with our friends, the host family's oldest son said rather clearly and plainly, "John, next time go pee in the woods!" (John is our 5 year old, by the way)

We all just looked at each other...My husband & I specifically exchanged a "we know perfectly what is going on" kind of glance. Then came the laughter.

At this point and time in our family life, my husband and I have learned to have quite a sense of humor over moments such as these, and we seldom experience embarrassment anymore! I think we are getting used to it! (However, stay tuned...this could change at any time)

For such a time as this we all had a laugh!

Blessings,

Camy

Quality Time Is Everyday Life!

2008-05-28T22:49:00.004-04:00

A friend inspired me to post about children and quality time.

As a mother of many, I am often asked how my time is divided between our children. How can one mother give seven children quality time? I think this is a worthy question.

The more this issue swam in my head, it occurred to me that many opportunities abound each day for special one-on-one moments with my sons and daughter and husband as well. Perhaps a few may consider my answer to be unconventional....

I believe that every minute has the potential to be special one.

Almost every morning (like clockwork), my oldest sons (14 year old twins) arrive in the kitchen to give me their individual sports updates. Seriously, they come as individuals, but tell me almost the same story verbatim! That's identical twins for ya. "Mom, the Pistons won. The Tigers lost. The Redwings play tomorrow night." Just today they shared that the Green Bay Packers had not yet cleared out Brett Favre's locker and that he had not signed his retirement papers. Could this be ESPN Radio rumor? Who knows? Who cares! It is just my boys coming up to tell me something they want to share with "me", their mom. I smile and listen with great interest (because I really am interested in sports :o). You ought to see us during football season!

My son Greyson is a scientist. He is either doing an experiment, building some contraption, or dreaming of doing both. We will sit for the longest time discussing different scientific theories or doing scientific experiments. Our latest experiment was using a peppermint essential oil solution to kill bugs. We are also observing the seeds we planted in the garden to chart their progress. I just love these talks!

Elijah, my 9 year old, loves to talk about his passions...reading The Adventures of Tintin by Herge (his absolute favorite), Indiana Jones films, or his Lego movies on our computer. He asks often for my input on why Tintin did this-or-that or why did Indiana Jones have to get so old or "can I please make another Lego movie on the computer?" (No!)

Rachel, the dear 7 year old princess of our children, loves to help me in the kitchen. She also enjoys it when the two of us clean her room together. We have the longest talks while doing this. It is a special blessing when mother and daughter (who are SURROUNDED by testosterone) can spend some time together just being feminine and girly. We talk about babies, flowers, pretty things, birds, cats, etc.

John, the almost 5 year old genuine boy, says he is going to marry me. He wants to kiss me all the time. He then flaunts this in front of his daddy who in turn goes after him and jokingly tells him that I am already married. John also loves it when I read to him. He also loves to help in the kitchen and laundry room.

Samuel, our baby boy of 2 1/2, is so loving and huggy to me. If John kisses me, he is right there to counter it with a kiss of his own. He loves it when I sit with him, read to him, or lie down with him at nap time. Like John, Sam enjoys cooking and folding laundry, too. ("folding" has its own definition for a toddler boy :o).

My husband Roger, enjoys it when we can spend just about any time together. It is our daily routine to have morning coffee, before the children arise. We both value this time so much and hate it when it doesn't happen. It is rare that we miss our morning coffee time. Sometimes we are very tired and look forward to a nice cup of coffee. Our conversation may not be enthusiastic on the tired days, but we are there together. Just a touch of a hand or foot rub, and we both feel better. (the children are encouraged to leave us alone as we talk)

So, this is getting much longer than I anticipated. To sum it up, our culture emphasizes quality time with our loved ones. What a blessing that I get plenty of it everyday...just living in this household...walking, talking, working, struggling, smiling, laughing, eating, sleeping, bathing children, cleaning house, brushing little ones teeth....the list goes on-and-on!

Not everyday is perfect all the time...but I seem to remember many more happy moments than sad.

Quality time is perspective. It is everyday life!

Now I am inspired to smile and spend some quality time with my seven, wonderful children and fantastic, handsome husband. Perhaps you are inspired to do the same with your loved ones, too!

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!

Camy

A Serious Homeschooler Issue: "What's For Lunch?"

2008-05-25T10:01:00.003-04:00

As a homeschooler, I am concerned about many things for my children. What will they study? What math curriculum (or not) is best? When should we work on essay writing? etc...

But, there is an even more crucial subject that we cover everyday and can put the house in an uproar if it is not completed, and that is "lunch."

After a busy morning of homeschooling, we all get very hungry. The "What's for lunch, mom" question begins to fly around the room. It would often be met with a response like "Make some sandwiches" or "Have some yogurt and fruit." As my children have grown and are still growing, they are not thrilled w/ the aforementioned answers to the "What's for lunch" conundrum.

I came across a brilliant idea to help answer the question with a satisfying response. This answer was easy on the wallet and acceptable to the palate. Beans and Tortillas!

Directions on how to have a great lunch that is healthy, delicious, fairly simple, and inexpensive:

Place pinto beans in a crock pot w/ enough water to cover by 3 inches. I normally use about 5 cups of beans. Soak overnight.
When you get up in the morning, turn the crock pot on high (check to see if you need to add more water. Sometimes the beans absorb much of the water). Cook for about 3 hours. Check for doneness w/ a knife by breaking a bean in half. If tender, they're done.
Warm your tortillas. We do this by either wrapping a stack of tortillas in foil and placing in the oven on 375 degrees until warm (about 15 minutes), warming them one at a time on a hot cast iron skillet, or popping them in the toaster one by one for a more crisp tortilla. Make sure to watch them carefully in the toaster. They can burn quickly if you are not careful.
While tortillas are warming, drain cooked beans in a large strainer. Put beans in a bowl or back in the crock pot (turn on low). Mash the beans and add a shake of onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, & a dash of salt. You could also add a small can of chopped green chillies for more flavor. Take note to add more of the spices if you use more beans. Keep taste-testing to get flavorful results.
Prepare any desired toppings (i.e. lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, peppers, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, etc.) . We stay very simple.
Serve mashed beans in tortillas and top w/ your choice of the above.

That's it! This is our favorite lunch. You could also serve freshly prepared raw vegetables on the side. If you have a capable child to prepare this lunch, that is very helpful, too!

Prepare a large amount of beans so you will have enough for more than one day of lunches. Just heat them in the crockpot that morning.

I purchase our tortillas at a Save-A-Lot store for 99 cents a package (10 tortillas). I buy the tortillas with the least amount of ingredients listed as possible to avoid all of the preservatives and chemicals. These are normally refrigerated due to their perishable nature.

For those of you skittish to any prepping, feel free to use canned beans!

Blessings!

Camy

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Homemade Handwriting Lessons

2008-05-21T10:16:00.003-04:00

If you didn't notice, there is a new icon posted in the sidebar for your reference. It is Donna Young's website for homeschoolers.

Yesterday I was there investigating a few things when I came across a recent idea added to Donna's site. It was regarding penmanship.

I hate to spend money on penmanship books, though using these books is convenient for daily practice and perfecting of handwriting skills. Though the books are usually under $20 each, they add up when considering the number of books needed.

I have 3 students who will be practicing penmanship this coming fall. That would add another $50 to our homeschooling order. Ouch. In comes Donna Young's idea.

It's called Homemade Handwriting Lessons Using A Composition Notebook.

As homeschoolers we know that you can either buy, borrow, or make your own materials when necessary. This is one of those instances where you can make your own penmanship book.

Donna recommends purchasing an inexpensive composition notebook, a frequent member of many homeschooling households, and use it as a base book for cutting and pasting in computer-made handwriting fonts.

The more I thought about it (this was spurred by the fact that our printer ink is running low :o), I could take old, used penmanship books that I have filed away, and cut out the instructional parts and paste them into the composition notebook!

I will leave space for the student to practice these new lessons on the page.

This could be done w/ any old workbook, even those that do not feature penmanship. Talk about a great way to recycle! My relatives who lived during the Depression would be very impressed with this!

If you view the link for the Homemade Handwriting Lessons Using a Composition Notebook, you will understand what I am trying to explain.

It takes a little work, but what a great idea!

Donna Young's site is a veritable goldmine for homeschoolers in need of a variety of forms, ideas, and wisdom. Check it out!

Blessings,

Camy

Ambidextrous Chainsaw Filing

2008-05-20T10:26:00.002-04:00

I have receive my first complaint email. It was from my dad :o). Technically, it was not a complaint, but a helpful inquiry.

After nagging him to subscribe to the blog (I thought it was his responsibility as my father :O), he kindly did so. Many of the articles here are not going to be helpful to him (grin), so he requested some informational material for those blog readers like himself.

So, Dad, here ya go.....

This is an article entitled "Ambidextrous Chainsaw Filing". I just know it will be right up your alley. You may also want to check out the list of articles at the site featuring this article, Backwoods Home. From building a fence out of free wood pallets to building stone walls...they've got all kinds of helpful and educational articles!

Dad, I will also work on blog entries that feature physical fitness and nutrition info. All my education and work experience as a personal trainer/aerobics instructor/nutrition consultant have not gone to waste!

Speaking of work, my oldest twin sons are out pounding the pavement in their pursuit of employment. They have already been offered one job (a place willing to hire the both of them!), but it was not going to fit what they were looking for. Last week they walked miles around our city filling out applications and speaking with business managers. I think this is a great learning experience for them.

In the meantime, I and the littler ones are working hard at keeping our chickens in the yard, doing school, keeping the house tidy, and planting flowers.

Enjoy the day!

Blessings,

Camy

The Most Perfect Place To Be

2008-05-18T06:51:00.004-04:00

During the German/Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie had one evening of fright.

As the planes of the Germans and British fought overhead, Betsie arose from bed to make tea. Corrie could not sleep and decided to join Betsie for a cup of tea.

They chat and comforted one another throughout the night and when things quieted down, returned to bed.

As Corrie felt in the darkness, she found her pillow. Blood trickled from her finger as she touched something there made of sharp metal. Here is what happened (from The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom):

"I raced down the stairs with the shrapnel shard in my hand. We went back to the dining room and stared at it in the light while Betsie bandaged my hand. 'On your pillow', she kept saying.

'Betsie, if I hadn't heard you in the kitchen---'

"But Betsie put a finger on my mouth. 'Don't say it, Corrie! There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety--O, Corrie, let us pray that we may always know it!"

What an amazing thing to say.

May we always know that the center of His will is the perfect place to be and is not dependent upon our surroundings.

Blessings,

Camy

All In A Day's Work

2008-05-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

So, today is the day we decide to plant our garden.

The soil is tilled up and prepared. The seeds are sorted.

I head out the door with Greyson (11), Elijah (9), Rachel (7), John (almost 5), & Samuel (2 1/2).

The littler ones go on their merry way to play while Greyson, Rachel, & I get the seeds planted. Rachel is thrilled to have her own raised bed for flowers and one pumpkin plant. Greyson asked permission to use 1/2 of one of the raised beds for his own.

The next thing you know, Rachel and Greyson are arguing over the pumpkin seeds.

As this commences, I survey the area for John and Sam.

"Where are John and Sam?" I ask Elijah.
"They're headed up to the fort," Elijah responds.
"Get them down here! They can't go up there alone!" I exclaim.

All seems to be fine. Greyson and Rachel have worked things out with the pumpkin seeds, and we manage to haul Sam and John down our very large hill (kicking and protesting!) back to the yard for better supervision rather than losing them to the woods.

After a messy and complex job of untangling 3 long hoses (that were left out all winter), I decide to see if they are still operable (after wiping the slime off my hands). Greyson takes one and hooks it to the faucet. It works. We then attach another hose to reach the garden and discover it is clogged and not working. As I attempt to disconnect the hoses, the blockage had put the water under a lot of pressure. When the hoses were unhooked a massive spray erupted and dampened Sam. Greyson and I look at each other, both of us thinking "GREAT!"

Sam, in turn, discovers how well the water that covers him mixes with the dirt (already on him) as well as the dirt on the ground. He begins to decorate his face with it. What a mess!

It occurs to me that Elijah is now missing. He decided it was more fun to play with his Legos than work outside.

"Elijah, get outside or you will be grounded from your Legos for one week!" I demand. This threat speaks plainly and clearly to Elijah, who loves his Legos with all of his heart. He comes running outside.

In the meantime, I realize that John and Sam are out of sight...AGAIN.

And so it goes.....

We did eventually get the seeds planted and watered, the children washed and cleaned up, and my nerves under control (grin).

This is, for us, all in a day's work.

Blessings,

Camy

A Little Fruit For That Yogurt?

2008-05-14T21:16:00.000-04:00

A spring cold has been slowing me down this week. It has caused me to be very tired! However, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter each day. Soon, the reminder of better health will present itself.

Here is a recipe for a delicious fruit mixture to put into the creamy yogurt posted yesterday:

2 cups of fruit (I like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches...or combo of them!)
2 tsp. corn starch
1/4 cup of honey

Combine the above and bring to a boil in saucepan. Stir until thick. Pour in a canning jar and use as needed for jam, ice cream & pancake topping, or yogurt flavoring. Refrigerate what you don't use.

note: You can use frozen fruit in the recipe, too! Also, you could skip the honey and use an alternative sweetener like sugar, agave nectar, or stevia (you would only use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of stevia.....test the flavor to make sure you don't add too much stevia). Xylitol would be another option, yet I do not have the experience with it yet. I'm hoping to get some from my co-op soon.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Camy

Thick, Creamy Yogurt....HOMEMADE!

2008-05-12T13:55:00.000-04:00

I've been making yogurt for many years. At first it seemed cool to be able to do it. The chemistry of turning milk and bacteria into a thicker substance by using heat.

At first it seemed to me that the yogurt would match the American store bought yogurt. Wrong. It was thinner and not as sweet. Thus began my long journey to duplicate American yogurt, which resembles more of a parfait.

This past weekend proved success, and it was a lot easier than the experiments I had been conducting for years w/ gelatin, pectin, and agar (seaweed) powder. Here are the instructions:

1) Mix the following in a 3 quart pan:

1 quart of whole milk (which produces the thickest yogurt. You could use a lower fat version but may not get the same results)

1/4 to 1/2 cup dry milk powder (increases thickening, but not necessary)

1 Tablespoon of corn starch

2) Scald this mixture on medium high heat for a few minutes. Make sure to stir constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan (so milk won't scorch!). Keep it nice and hot for about 3 minutes so cornstarch can activate). If it is getting too hot and threatening to burn, reduce heat to medium. Just make sure to keep stirring.

3) Remove milk mixture from heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder or 1/4 cup of sugar and whisk well to combine.

4) Let milk cool to between 100 and 115 degrees. This may take a few hours, depending on the air temperature. I like to use my instant-read thermometer to judge the temp. Add 1-2 Tablespoons fresh yogurt as a culture. Whisk well.

5) Put milk and culture into appropriate container (I use glass quart jars) and cover. Incubate at a warm temp that doesn't exceed 115 degrees for 4 or more hours until yogurt is thick and a spoon can tap the top w/o penetrating the surface of the finished yogurt. For incubation, I use my Excalibur dehydrator at the 115 degree setting. You could also use a cooler w/ a heating pad inside it. Set the heating pad on low, put the jar of milk inside, cover w/ a towel, and put lid on the cooler. (note: the longer the incubation period, the more sour the yogurt will get.)

6) When yogurt has finished, put in refrigerator until cold.

7) For a "fruit on the bottom" product, take 1/2 pint canning jars, put 1-2 Tablespoons of jam in the bottom, and then spoon plain yogurt on top until jar is almost filled. Cover w/ screw top lid. I make a few of these for my husband's lunch.

I make 3 to 4 quarts of this yogurt at a time. All of our children enjoy it.

Blessings!

Camy

Toddlers and Their Compulsions

2008-05-09T23:08:00.000-04:00

Today was "one of those days." It featured a toddler, a spray bottle of wood cleaner, & a napping mother. This is a bad trio.

All of us have been more tired than usual this week. It could be due to the slight cold we have running through the house.

As the afternoon was in session, it suddenly hit me that a nap was necessary. My eyes closed without a struggle, and the catnap commenced.

I was awakened by the sound of our 14 year old son's voice scolding his little toddler brother Sam.

Half-awake, my sloppy form stumbled on a diagonal path toward the dining room. My countenance became like that of a deflated balloon as I witnessed half of the dining room covered in wood cleaner spray. GRRRRRR. Sam's compulsion for spray bottles had seized him once again.

The disappointing fact is that I had already cleaned this room earlier in the day.

After muttering my disapproval in a slightly louder than normal tone, Sam just stared at me with those big brown eyes (now edged w/ crocodile tears). The dialogue went something like this:

"Sam! You are NOT to touch the spray bottles!" (gee..I wish I had a dollar for every time I have said this to him!)

"Yes, momma." (his usual reply to the above statement)

I then hugged him and told him I was sorry for getting angry. Sigh.

Toddlers and their compulsions!

Blessings :o)

The Grocery Shopping Game

2008-05-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Many are frustrated by the latest economic forecast. The news media is full of hype about current food and gas prices.

It does seem that our economy is going through one of its occasional troublesome phases, yet I believe that in time, it will bounce back to fairer weather.

In the meantime, we clever homemakers need to put on our thinking caps and be a bit more deliberate in how we plan and manage grocery shopping.

Instead of becoming depressed and frazzled, let's be positive and make it a challenge. A challenge is good for the mind! How can we provide meals and sundries for our homes with the dollar amount we have budgeted (I hope you have a fixed amount predetermined for your shopping!)?

Sometimes I'll use my grocery money for homeschooling materials or clothing purchases. I then have to get creative with the reduced amount of money left for that budget. Here are a few things I do:

Have a menu system for the week. I do not like to be too strictly regimented, so my menu is extremely flexible: (Mon: Spag/salad/garlic bread Tues: Mexican Night Wed: Casserole or crockpot night Thurs: Beans & rice or baked potatoes/soup Fri (our family popcorn & movie night): pizza, hot dogs, or burritos Sat: Hamburger in some form (sloppy joes, taco salad, meatloaf, etc.) Sun: Large family dinner night (we eat early) pot roast, mashed potatoes, vegetable, & dessert.)
Use a lot of ground beef & sale meats. I try not pay under $2 per pound for meat. You have to pay attention to sales in order to do this. Perhaps your area's prices vary, so pay attention to a minimum price and stick to it. There have been times when I have used o ly ground beef all week to fulfill our menu requirements...it's quite easy actually!
Institute one vegetarian meal per week (ours is usually Thursday or Friday)
Serve the same breakfasts and lunches each day, with a little variation. We have hot cereal for breakfast (cereal or homemade granola is a special weekend treat if budgeted), sandwiches or leftovers for lunch w/ homemade yogurt and carrotsticks or fruit, and fresh fruit, yogurt, popcorn, cinnamon toast, or homemade cookies for an afternoon snack.
Put a limit on how much milk, cheese, butter, and eggs you buy each week. I buy 4 gallons of milk per week, that's it. My children know that if they drink it up, they will have to wait until the next grocery day for more.
Plan how much you will spend at each store you visit. It's easy if you shop at one place. However, if you shop at multiple stores, determine a set amount of money for that store. For me, this varies from week to week. Some weeks I spend more at the warehouse club store. Other times, I may just buy more at the healthfood or grocery store. I like to purchase bulk items once per month.
Buy store brand items. In our experience, they have not differed much in quality.
Reduce the amount of paper towels you buy. Use rags for cleaning and wiping.
Try to eliminate buying processed foods. Substitute healthier choices of fresh fruit or veggies.
Split bulk items w/ a friend. Determine how much you pay per unit, and divide the cost. For our large family, we do not need to do this. Our purchases are often in bulk.
Do not buy commercial cleaners! Research the Internet or get a good book from the library that features recipes for homemade cleaners.
Make your own stuff. Examples: bread, babywipes, cleaners (as mentioned above), yogurt, cakes, cookies, granola, pudding, etc. See Hillbilly Housewife for some great ideas on menu planning and frugal recipes!
Think to yourself when you are shopping in the grocery store "Do we need this item?"

That's all I can think of for now.

I hope this encourages you :o)

Blessings.

Laundry Soap Wannabe

2008-05-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

I love doing laundry. That's right. It's my dirty little secret. Well, I love most of the laundry routine...except putting all of the clothes where they need to go after they are washed, dried, and folded.

Our routine involves collecting the dirty laundry from all of the cracks and crevices of the house (it's amazing where I find dirty socks!!), sorting it by light or dark, and then transporting it to the laundromat. Our septic system is not re"septive" (get it? LOL) to the loads and loads of laundry that our large family produces, so we wash it at the laundromat and then dry at home.

There's something about the laundromat atmosphere that entrances me. Perhaps it's the white noise of dryers and washers tumbling away, the smells of clean clothes, the faces of different individuals saying "hi" as we share a common task, the kind attendant whom I am getting to know so well. I use the same 2 triple loaders each time. It is a pleasure for me to gaze through the front loading washer window as the dry clothes begin to slowly spin, get wet, and then slish and slosh.

I have discovered an effective laundry detergent, which really isn't a laundry detergent, but an automatic dishwasher powder. It is by Seventh Generation and I purchased it at Target for around 5$ for a good-sized box.

It is my goal to use the least amount of synthetic chemicals as possible in cleaning and laundry products, so I purchased the dishwasher soap originally for the dishwasher. Due to the extreme hardness of our water at home, the Seventh Generation powder did poorly in the dishwasher. I hated to see that big box go to waste, so I thought surely it would be usable as laundry soap. It has water softeners in it as well as other substances that would be practical for washing clothing. It is free of perfumes and dyes, a bonus for the sensitive skin people in our family.

My usual laundry soap, Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (great stuff for washing anything in the laundry and home & is highly concentrated), was running low, so I grabbed the Seventh Generation Dishwasher powder. I used 1/4 cup of dishwasher powder, 1/4 cup washing soda, and 10 drops of tea tree oil per triple load.

What a joy when I realized it worked so well! I'm not sure how it would work in a top-loader washing machine. It is necessary for me to pre-treat stains (I do have 6 boys!).

So, there ya go! Perhaps you may want give the Seventh Generation dishwasher powder "laundry soap wannabe" a try!

Back to the dishwasher soap. I did find a great dishwasher powder and dishwashing detergent that is free of synthetic ingredients: Citra Dish. Both the automatic dishwasher powder and the liquid dish detergent work well, in my opinion. They work in spite of our hard water! I also like the mild citrus aroma of these products.

Happy laundry and dishwashing!

Blessings :o)

A Sacred Art

2008-04-29T13:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's entry discussed home management. Today, I'd like to elaborate more on this subject.

During my childhood, it would not be unheard of to witness what was once termed "spring cleaning" in our household. A thorough cleaning would freshen and make the house almost new again. This was a ritual every year for my mother.

If you have read Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you would get quite a clear picture of spring cleaning from Almanzo Wilder's boyhood description. They would literally empty the contents of their home, including the wall-to-wall carpet (Almanzo and his brother would remove the tacks, if I remember correctly), and scrub the surfaces to a gleam. According to Almanzo, this was one of his least favorite activities! Here is an account from Farmer Boy:

"Almanzo hated house-cleaning. He had to pull up carpet tacks, all around the edges of miles of carpet. Then the carpets were hung on clotheslines outdoors, and he had to beat them with a long stick. When he was little he had run under the carpets, playing they were tents. But now he was nine years old, he had to beat those carpets without stopping, till no more dust would come out of them."

Flylady attempt to make spring cleaning obsolete with her "zone cleaning" method. This entails breaking up the home into zones and choosing one zone per week as the cleaning center. Decluttering that area is the first priority. After this is done, housekeeping is in order.

I struggle with the Flylady method, however, it seems the most doable for our household. There is something I love about traditional spring cleaning, yet this is less realistic for our busy and bustling household. Our modern lifestyle frustrates the amount of time needed for spring cleaning. If my memory serves correctly, my mother would spend approximately 2 weeks scrubbing and scouring (windows, drapes, screens, carpets, walls, ceilings, cupboard/drawer interiors, etc!!!). It is more practical for me to break the day up into smaller bites of time in order to organize and fit everything in.

If you would like to read more about spring cleaning, you may want to read the book Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelsen (a judge!). What is humorous about this book is that the author even describes her own relatives' methods of spring cleaning and how they would consider their own ways superior to the others' (the Northern European and the Italian ways). I got a chuckle at her vivid childhood recollections. I love how she holds home keeping as a sacred art.

Perhaps we should all consider this sacred art of home keeping. The routine of using our own sweat, hands, and strength to wipe, scrub, and make our surroundings new. The satisfaction of walking into an immaculately kept room and smelling the fragrant air it exudes.

It sure creates a sense of workmanship and satisfaction for moi!

To me, home keeping will always remain a sacred art.

Blessings.

The Humble Homefront

2008-04-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

The top of my blog layout features our home management report. This is just an overview of how we maintain our home during the week.

It seems to me that many homemakers and home managers do not consider themselves to be a supervisor of a system that requires an amount of organization to run smoothly.

I have realized that it is very important to have a haven for the family, no matter how busy we all are. It is nice to come home if it is fairly clean and in order. This can only add to family harmony and a peaceful life in general! Believe me, this is a big challenge for me....

Some of us are blessed with the ability to manage our homes without a second thought. My mom says her brain is like a computer when she walks into any room. She immediately scans the area in an orderly fashion to access disorderliness. I envy that! It is not uncommon for me to enter a room and miss the mess altogether.

I suppose it could have something to do with how our brains are wired, yet I do not want to use this as an excuse to allow disharmony and mess. In comes Flylady....

Flylady has helped me, a SHE (sidetracked home executive :o), to get things under control. I do not follow her system to a "t", but many of her ideas have really made house managment a lot simpler!

I'm certainly a work in progress :o).

How about you? Do you have a system for maintaining your household? Any ideas that you can share w/ us "homemaking challenged?"

In the meantime, ours shall remain a "Humble Homefront."

Blessings.

Time For a Little "R" & "R"

2008-04-21T17:50:00.000-04:00

The children and I will be taking a short vacation, so the blog won't be updated for a few days.

Keep checking back!

BTW, for those of you wondering how the twins did at school, they did fine. :o). ...I did fine as well (grin).

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings.

New Opportunities

2008-04-21T13:33:00.000-04:00

Today my oldest boys (the 14 year old twins) and I are meeting with the high school to get registered for the fall session. Wow! Our boys have been homeschooled from day one, and are not on to new challenges. This is all new to us, yet it is very exciting.

The boys will be observing a few hours of classes with their cousin, who is a sophomore at the high school. The twins were a bit anxious and nervous this morning (and so were their parents!!).The guidance counselor just happens to be the varsity football coach, so they were quite thrilled about that since football is one of their passions in life.

It's funny to watch the younger children imagine their brothers "going to school." They can't quite figure out why this is happening. After all, since they were born, the twins have been around on a daily basis! I think my wee ones are already missing their older brothers. It is certain that this feeling will be mutual, even for the twins.

So, that's the new horizon in our family life. It's interesting how new opportunities arrive because we are encouraged to look back on the former way of doing things. What a process, full of different feelings and emotions. I think it is healthy to do such things.

We are thankful for new opportunities.

Blessings!

Frugal Tips

2008-04-19T06:02:00.000-04:00

As a lifelong conservationist, it has been my habit to be both frugal and thrifty. Perhaps it comes from observing older relatives, who were brought up during the Depression. As a young girl their habits of saving and reusing items seemed odd, yet interesting.

There are many things that can be used more than once: aluminum foil, plastic bags, glass jars, various plastic bottles and other containers....

Here are a few things that I do to achieve that purpose:

I use canning jars of all sizes for food storage and bagged lunch containers. There are plastic screw top lids for these jars in the canning section of your grocery store). They can hold homemade yogurt, buttermilk, half-and-half, homemade salad dressings, bulk items, leftovers, etc. I use a gallon jar for our water pitcher during meals. These jars work so well, and are very durable. Canning jars are widely available. Thrift stores, garage sales, etc...usually someone is trying to get rid of their canning jars!

Plastic zip-type bags and other plastic food containers can be easily washed and used again. I turn them inside out and wash well (note: I do not save bags that contained meats). After washing, hang the bags upside down over a tall bottle so they can dry.

Aluminum foil can be salvaged if used carefully. Sometimes it is worth washing it (lay it flat in the sink and wash with dish towel). Normally, I use only enough aluminum foil for its intended purpose by tearing off the exact sized pieces that I need. Extra foil can be folded and saved in a flat drawer.

Yogurt cups from the store bought type can be washed and used as small to-go drinking or snack cups. I like these cups because little ones don't spill as much when they use them. You can even use a permanent marker to write individual children's names on the cups. I serve peeled orange segments, apples slices, popcorn, nuts, raisins, pudding, and homemade yogurt in these great little cups.

Plastic squirt bottles from dish detergent or various food items are used to hold homemade cleaners, vinegar, oil, etc. in our home. I save only the durable type bottles.

Otherwise, we do recycle what we cannot use, and this has diminished our trash content to one bag per day. Not bad for a family of 9 with a few children still requirng diapers.

Note: Keep an eye on how many of these bottles or other items that you save. The quantity can multiply rapidly! I have begun to keep a small area of a shelf available for this purpose. If it gets too full, then I recycle the bottles.

Have a great day!

Blessings :O)

Family Recipe

2008-04-18T06:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

When you have a lot of people to feed, it is always a challenge to find quick and "stick to your ribs" meals that are economical. Here is one of our favorites that is both easy on the wallet and satisfying:

Sausage Rice/Lentil Casserole (a family original recipe!)

Brown the following in a heavy pan:

1 pound breakfast sausage
1 medium onion or 2 tablespoons onion powder

In a separate pan, combine:

1 cup of brown rice
1 cup of green lentils
4 cups of water

Bring lentils and rice to a boil, reduce heat to low or medium low (depending on your stove), and cover. Cook for about 40-45 minutes or until done. Try not to take off the lid for the first 40 minutes of cooking.

To sausage add:

1/4 cup good quality Worcestershire sauce or more, depending on your taste (I have used cheap brands and they don't work as well)
salt & pepper to taste

Combine browned sausage and cooked rice/lentil mixture. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and stir over medium heat until heated through. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella or cheddar cheese and cover to melt cheese. Serve!

You can also add vegetables to this dish and serve as a casserole. We like it just the way it is. I serve it with tortillas, a green salad, and carrot sticks. It is one of our favorites! Even the toddlers enjoy it.

I triple the recipe so everyone can have seconds and thirds. If I'm extremely lucky, we'll have leftovers :o) Not a common phenomena in our house!

Blessings!

Ten-Hut!!!!

2008-04-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

One of the unforeseen obstacles in homeschooling was the fact that my children would not always be excited to sit and do lessons. The discipline required to learn and complete academic concepts requires attention, willingness, and cooperation.

This can be a challenge for the teacher (especially the "mom sort"). Sometimes the dynamics of the parent/child relationship come into play. If you tend to butt heads with one of your children, your time with him/her while doing school could get very interesting (and frustrating!).

Here are a few suggestions to ease those issues:

1) Develop a good relationship with your child. This is so paramount! Smile at him/her, laugh with them, play with them. Take the time necessary to facilitate this mother/child bond.

2) Establish good habits (see post below) and make them a daily routine. If your child knows what will be expected, it will become more habitual. Don't let them get lazy! This is not to say that you can never be flexible. I'm sure you get the idea.

3) Make school a daily habit. Try to order your subjects and tablework if possible. Example: we do our morning school this way: journals, spelling, English/writing, math. In the afternoon we do free-reading, Latin, and history/science. My children know what to do automatically without me nagging them (too much :o). Usually they begin their work independently.

4) Encourage leadership and independence by allowing your older children to instruct and teach the younger ones. If your older children are still somewhat young and unable to teach, have them read books aloud.

5) Establish the fact that bad attitudes and disrespect are not acceptable. Recently, I noticed that we were getting out of the habit of regular schoolwork, and I wasn't reinforcing our attitude standard. What a mess. This can dismantle a whole day and create certain chaos. Simply go back to square one and work on attitudes. *My definition of a good attitude involves eye contact, decent posture, and replies to directives ("yes, mom" if they are asked to do something).

All of this takes such work. Real life will often get in the way, and we are constantly training and re-training. It feels like Marine Corps boot camp, over and over (at least as much as I know about Marine Corps boot camp!).

I'm right here in the trenches, serving with ya! Hang in there :o).

Ten-hut!!!

Blessings.

Outing & Errand Day

2008-04-16T09:55:00.000-04:00

It's a great, spring day, and we are headed out to take care of some business.

So I am making some gluten-free flatbread for my gluten-sensitive boy. I have run out of his bread as well as our regular wheat bread. My boys are eating more than 16 loaves of bread per week! We like to take food with us when we go out. It saves money and we haven't been satisfied by our eating out experiences lately.

I normally pack bread, peanut butter, and a big jug of water. This is when I haven't planned well for the occasion. Yogurt, applesauce, or pudding are great to take along, too. Don't forget to pack a knife, spoons, paper cups, and paper towel. I also use either small paper cups or yogurt cups for serving the pudding, yogurt, and applesauce. If you have fruit on hand, this is another great portable food for picnic-style eating.

If you take your lunch with you, it sure saves a lot of money! You can also stop by the grocery store and grab a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, yogurt, and some apples for an inexpensive lunch. Much cheaper than eating out.

Enjoy the day. Blessings!

Camy

Yahoo! Spring Has Arrived!

2008-04-15T11:04:00.000-04:00

I say this with much caution and trepidation. In Michigan, the weather can turn on you in seconds. The winter stuff remains in the closet, at the ready. However, we shall enjoy it all the same :o).

After yesterday's entry, I realized at that writing pace, I may exhaust the limit of words known to man, so here is a simple list of 3 homeschooling tips for the day):

1) House expectations should be understood and reinforced. Perhaps you have your own list or another reference (ex: The 21 Rules of This House). These expectations should reinforce independence and be self-motivating. Take the pressure off yourself and put it on the child to do what is necessary. This is where behavioral consequences are of much importance!

2) Have daily habits mastered before any schooling occurs: personal grooming, spiritual habits, chores/work (very important!!), and early to bed/early to rise (according to your own family's schedule).

3) It is important to remain "Spock-like with a smile" (remember Star Trek?) It is an ugly thing to see a mom freaking out and nagging her child (just ask my boys about their experiences :O).

It is my opinion that these 3 things are of crucial to help streamline the school environment as well as the keep the home somewhat orderly. Obviously, I am not perfect and don't often measure up to my own standards. We get tired, bored (the "Groundhog Day" sort of bored), and sick, which can change the home dynamics. When this happens, we just pick ourselves up by our bootstraps, roll with the punches, and keep running the race.

Have a great, blessed day! I know we will :o)

Homeschooling Boys

2008-04-13T21:35:00.000-04:00

First, I'd like to officially say that I have joined the words "home" and "school" to form one word: "homeschool." Additionally, it doesn't seem improper to me to convert the noun "homeschool" into the verb "homeschooling." Just a picky detail in case any of you were wondering (LOL). This is not the dictionary way of using these terms :o).

I am frequently asked how I homeschool my boys. It is not because they are Rhodes scholars on their way to Oxford or members of Mensa. Perhaps it is because we have 6 boys, and many consider me to be an expert by default (grin...shrug). It is my theory that through my own learning in the "School of Hard Knocks for Those With Boys", I have earned a few Purple Hearts and various bits of wisdom (and a few gray hairs! LOL!)

My first bit of wisdom involves the "Less Is More" approach. The old adage "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" applies to all of my children, yet it firmly earns meaning when applied to my boys.

By "less", I mean both time and materials. Before homeschooling my twins (they were 4 when we began), it was my determination that we would be spending hours on many classical subjects: great books (read-alouds), Latin, math, various language arts, memory work, etc. This vision was immediately quashed by my sons as we commenced our studies. (I also imagined they would love Shakespeare, yet "A Midsummer Night's Dream" puts them into convulsions and "Romeo & Juliet" turns them into z0mbies! However, they do enjoy all of the bloody Shakespeare plays..."Macbeth"..."Henry V"...grin)

As I began to drone on and on, they transformed from little, energetic boys into deer in the headlights (LOL!). I figured that firmness and discipline would be required to gain their attention. WRONG. Well, perhaps it was a reward system that could motivate them to learn. WRONG. These two methods bombed royally. If I wanted to ruin my relationship with my little boys, this was a great way to do it! Tears, runny noses, and frustration were the results (and you should've seen what my boys went through...LOL!).

So, after experiencing "Homeschool Boot Camp", it became apparent to me that we needed to pare things down and keep them to a reasonable amount of time. By "reasonable", I mean about 15 minutes per subject. In the beginning, we kept our subjects narrowed down to phonics, Bible history (as our ancient history text), real-life practical math, and Charlotte Mason science (nature walks and outdoor activities).

Through the years subjects are added and expanded, yet the "Less Is More" approach has not changed all that much. We have kept things short and to the point. My boys love to learn and are very self-motivated. It is my opinion that they are bright young men.

It is late, so I must retire for the evening. This is just a start to a few more things I'd like to add.

Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome! The more the merrier. It is certain that other readers will want more information and wisdom. Though I think I know it all, I prove myself wrong every time and do learn along the way from individuals who have their own unique circumstances. Please feel welcome to share!

Blessings!

Phew! Shopping Day Today

2008-04-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Shopping Day for our family is very interesting. Today was that particular day. Logistics must be considered, lists made, laundry gathered (we do our washing at the laundromat, drying at home), food planned for those staying at home, school lessons determined, etc...

It is always ideal when those details are hashed out. WHY IS IT THAT 9 TIMES OUT OF 10, THEY ARE NOT????

This makes shopping day what mom calls "creative."

First, we decide who will be attending mom, and who will be staying at home. It came to pass after much confused and erratic discussion between the children, that Greyson, Elijah, and Sam would go. Greyson (11) and Elijah (8), tend to frustrate the authority of their older brothers in charge, therefore they are the usual suspects to accompany mom (grin). Sam (2) is at the age where all he does is look for trouble: i.e. getting into hair products, make up, food, and decorating the walls with permanent markers (grrrrrr). Mom likes to keep him right by her side most of the time.

After breakfast devotions (Starr Meade's "Training Hearts, Teaching Minds), we gathered up the laundry (8 loads) and the toddler. The van was loaded, last minute instructions given to the authority figures in the house, admonitions revealed to the wee ones left behind with said authority figures, and we 4 were off.

Elijah decides he would like to play a game on the cellphone. This was fine until he found it quite exciting filming Sam running around the laundromat. Mom confiscated phone and had the two rascals sit down. Laundromat visitation: 30 minutes (2 triple loaders, 1 double loader machine).

Next stop, "The Monster." We call our local "one-stop" grocery store by this surname. Most people are miserable to be there, but still seem to go anyway. It is a sporting event for us to find a parking space as near as the store as possible (preferably near the cart corral). Alas, we do fairly well. Just a short walk to the entrance.

We find one of those extra-long shopping carts with a bench seat. Yeah, it's alignment is perfect with no swaying to the left or right! It also has a working seatbelt to keep Sam strapped in. Many of the old men in the store say "Do ya need a license to drive that thing?" Mom pushes the cart and gives orders to Greyson and Elijah on what items to throw (or place gently!) into the cart. Oh, and one last stop to view the live lobster tank to see which lobster is the toughest. Grocery store time: 1 hour 15 minutes (not bad!).

Last stop, "large warehouse store." We gather up a few things, avoid the video game aisle (smile), check out, and sit down for a slurpee (a treat for well-behaved children.....especially little boys who behaved well all morning!). Warehouse visit: 30 minutes.

We arrive home. The biggest shock of mom's life is in store....THE HOUSE IS CLEAN...INCLUDING THE KITCHEN! Another bonus, Rachel (7) and John (4 1/2) are perfectly content and even well-fed! Thanks Malcom and Noah (14 year old twins).

This is what I call an almost perfect Shopping Day. Nobody hurt, relatively little fighting, food in the house again (until a few days anyway), and mom is not exhausted.

What a blessing!

Hi, Everyone!

2008-04-10T12:01:00.000-04:00

This is the first entry for the new blog here at Blogger. Perhaps this is a better way for friends and family to keep up with our busy family.

Speaking of busy, today is what I would term "partially busy." Everyday in a homeschooling household is busy, almost frenetic at times! However, this day will allow for some flexibility.

My sons are having a buddy over. They will play every imaginable sport under the sun while trying to elude the smaller children (laugh!). I may even be generous and allow them 1 hour on the X-Box 360.

The X-Box 360 can be a blessing and a bane! My boys become completely unaware of their surroundings while engaged in gameplaying. We keep their time on that contraption very limited. It also makes a great DVD player!

Our DVD player is on the fritz, so I use the X-Box 360. I'm currently viewing Michael Palin's "Himalaya" series by the BBC. He is one of my favorite personalities! British humor and great scenery, those are a few of my favorite things. Seeing so many cultures and traditions is also something of great interest to me.

Well, it is time for lunch. I must round up the hungry troops and get them fed. We are having leftovers from last night's dinner, a hamburger stew. I think I am the queen of ground beef meals!