First Day Fun!

Don't you just love the first day back to school?!

It's filled with so much anticipation.

It's a fresh start.

New lesson plans. New ideas. New hopes. New.

We had our first day back to school this past Tuesday.

I love to greet my students (my kiddos) with a few fun treats.

Here's a peak inside their 'back to school' bags.

And before you may think that I am so creative,

I give all credit to Pinterest. ;)

The boys can always use socks,

So when I found a cute tag, I printed it off and bam! a treat goes in their bags.

I always love having the boys fill out a 'back to school' worksheet.

I look forward to looking back over the years at what they filled out.

And fresh pencils, and erasers are always a good idea.

Gum, and tic tacs, a little extra fun.

So, that's how we added a little fun to our first day back to school.

How was your first day?

Eunora

It's OK To Let Them Play

I've had a few conversations recently about curriculum for the littles.

Although there are so many options available, 

I'd like to encourage those with littles to consider a slightly different approach.

Let the littles play. :)

Their time for being little is so short.

Their time to be in books and study will be here before you know it.

And with curriculum and schedules comes less time to simply play.

And much can be learned through play.

Sharing. 

Caring. 

Thinking of others.

Thankfulness (for toys, games, activities).

Enjoyment of God's creation (at parks, in the yard, on a walk).

But these lessons take time, patience, and consistency.

In hindsight, I wish I wouldn't have jumped so quickly into math and science

And used the time instead to slow down 

And focus on character training.

By character training, I don't mean finding the best curriculum, 

(Although there are some great books to use along with good training).

But rather, I mean, slow down and 

Teach, show, and model good character skills.

Take the time now, while your littles are still young,

To watch them play and guide their interactions.

Do your children obey quickly and cheerfully?

Do they treat you and their siblings with care and concern?

Are they respectful?

Are they diligent and hard-workers?

And most importantly, do they know the love of Jesus?

Teaching your children how to obey you, 

And to respect each other as an act of love and devotion to God

Is of utmost importance, especially in the early years.

Teaching them to resolve conflict 

And be peaceable with one another

Will benefit them for a lifetime

And make a world of difference when you need to run a tighter schedule.

All these important areas become much more difficult to address

When your day's schedule is filled with math, science, and history.

As the balls you juggle increase,

So too the difficulty in keeping them in the air well.

So, for now, teach them to love God, and love others.

Because of Jesus,

Eunora

I Don't Have It All Together!

I'm gonna say it again,
I don't have it all together.

Some of you have seen what I have done over the years.
You've seen my IG pictures and FB posts.

Yes, I've run a marathon.
I've even gutted out an ultra-marathon.
I've used cloth diapers.
And made my own laundry detergent.

I thought baking my own bread was no big deal,
And so for awhile I did that, too.
I cooked my own baby food,
And mixed up our cleaning products.

I loved DIY projects, 
And filled my days creating, all while homeschooling.

Back then, others put me on a pedestal.
I knew how others viewed me.
And so I tried to balance up there,
Doing all I could to maintain that image
And be the perfect little housewife.

And then I crashed.
It's hard to teeter up there on that pedestal. 
I even believe the health issues I later discovered
Came because of these unrealistic expectations I put upon myself.

And so I come to you now in what I hope is a much more humble position.
I stand among you,
Not above you.
I will continue to share my experiences with you.
But I am still learning SO. Much. Myself.

I don't have every room completely organized.
I don't have everything labeled and color-coordinated.
My schedule doesn't always work.
I now buy my laundry detergent
And our bread, too.

My kids don't always obey cheerfully on the first time.
I (more often than I like to admit) loose my patience.
I get frustrated.
I am frail.
And, at times, I cry.

But through all of this I am learning.
This, my friends, is what the Cross is for.
I won't be able to do it all.
I will fail.
But because of His grace, 
I will pick myself up.
Over. And over. And over again.
I will cling tightly to my Savior's hand.

And I will remember,
I don't have to have every closet organized,
Or teach the perfect school year. 
I just need to be obedient to what He calls me to do.
And rely on His strength to do it.

Eunora

Praying For the School Year

Every year at the beginning of a new school year,
I love to gather with my friends and pray.
Pray for the upcoming school year.
I need prayer.
Our school needs prayer.
And so we pray,
Over everything we can think of concerning school.

I love walking away from that time
Knowing we are covered in prayer!

Although this year it came a week after school started,
In the midst of very full schedules,
We prayed.
And it was good.

Many expressed the desire to join us
And yet were unable to for one reason or another.
And so I am posting my outline for you.
I hope that it blesses you as you bring these topics
Before our gracious and capable God.

Prayer Night-

September 9, 2013

Psalm 116:1-2

Matthew 7:7-8

Thanksgiving: for our families, marriages, children, children’s school environment, for God’s care and provision, His direction and strength.

Our Personal Walks with Jesus: that we would always remember from whom our strength comes from and constantly be connected to the One who leads, guides and sustains. That we would carve time out with Him and be in constant communication with Him.

Our Marriages: That the Lord would be in the center (leading, guiding, strengthening, and unifying). Protection over. Respect and support for one another. Thankfulness for the other’s roll. Enjoyment in.

Our Children: That our children would love God passionately, that they would be driven by their desire to glorify God to have good characters, be self-motivated to study and work hard. That they would understand the material being taught to them.

Teachers: Wisdom to teach students according to the students’ needs and to deal with daily situations that arise. Patience. Creativity. Passion. Joy!!

Daily Logistics: Wisdom on how to manage our homes the Lord has given us (laundry, cooking, cleaning, appointments). Creativity in meal planning.

Extra Curricular Activities and Friends:  What to involve yourselves and your children in and when to say no. That our children would link up with friends that would be encouraging and positive influences to them.

Preschoolers/Toddlers/Babies: Wisdom on how to give them our time, energy, and love. Patience with them and patience from them. Creativity for keeping them happy and busy.

Families That Couldn’t Make It: Blessing on their families. All that we desire for our families, that the Lord would do so for them as well.

Because of Jesus,

Eunora

Fillin' Them With Somethin' Better-

I don't know about you,
But we are completely wrapped up in sports around here.
Football, to be specific.
Three out of four boys.
On three different teams.
In two different cities.
This causes my head to spin with scheduling issues.
Good times... I think.
No, really, we are loving it! =)
(That's my mantra!)

Anyway, enough about our crazy schedule
And onto what that means nutritionally.
Sports season always brings about sports drinks.
I'm not going to pretend that I'm ultra healthy
When it comes to eating,
But I do try.
Seeing those bright colored sports drinks
Makes me cringe a little.
Reading the labels makes me cringe a little more.

So, to the internet I went.
You know, I can find just about everything
With my friend, Google.
Google: DIY sports drink
Result plus a little tweaking and taste-testing
By my faithful four and BAM!
We, I, made our own without ingredients I can't pronounce.

So here, my friends, is our Sports Drink recipe:
Grape flavor-
4 cups water
3/4 cups grape juice (flavor)
2 Tablespoons raw honey (carbohydrates)
1/8 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt (electrolytes)

Citrus flavor-
4 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup lime juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons raw honey
1/8 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

Drink up, fellow athletes!

Eunora

PS- I wasn't sure if my boys would think it nerdy not to be drinking from the cool name-brand sports drink bottles, so I asked them if we could rinse out an old bottle and refill with ours. To my delight, they couldn't care less and was happy to drink my concoction without trickery. ;)

Curriculum, It's Where I've Been =)

Wow! Where is the Summer going?
Forget the days, the weeks are flying by!
I purposed this Spring to diligently plan ahead for next school year.
I did this so that I could relax this Summer.
Well, I'm glad I planned, but...
I'm busier than ever. =)
I have come across new school materials that I just couldn't pass up.
This in turn has taken more of my time.
Organizing, lesson planning, learning new material,
It's how my days go by.

Now, don't get me wrong,
I really enjoy preparing for school.
I've just been surprised how much more
Prep is needed the higher grades we enter into.
Or maybe it's because I keep adding students. =)
Probably a combination of both.

And so for those who get as excited as I do
About planning for another year,
Here is what I am looking to do:

Math- We will continue with Singapore Math

Language Arts- this year we are changing our curriculum:
     Grammar- Easy Grammar with Daily Grams

     Writing- Institute for Excellence in Writing

Spelling- Phonetic Zoo

My Father's World- Rome to the Reformation for numbers one and two

My Father's World- First Grade for number three
     which includes a bi-monthly science class with friends












Institute for Excellence in Writing PAL for number three

Typing- Typing Instructor

Spanish- Rosetta Stone

Science- still thinking/praying about
Bible- still thinking/praying about
Art- bi-montly classes with Gramma

This is a TON of stuff!
How will I do it all?
I'm not totally sure, but I'm coming up with a plan. =)
I worked on a schedule today,
Scheduling out what everyone will be working on
When and where.
Of course, only time and practice will tell if it really works.
More than likely, there will be some necessary adjustments,
But I always love to have a game plan to work off of.

Although I've been busy with all this planning,
I am thankful I have had the extra time to work on it.
The warm, sunny days are always a bonus too!
One of these days So. Oregon will warm up enough to
Do my planning by the pool. =)

Hope you're all having a GREAT Summer!

Because of Jesus,

Eunora

Popsicle Time!

Have you heard of Zoku?!

It's the latest, greatest, popsicle-making gadget!

I love to find new ideas for healthy snacks,

so thought I'd share this one with you.

My husband received one of these for Christmas

and boy, have we been having fun with it!

As the weather warms,

a cool, healthy snack is just 10 minutes away!

Yup, it's that fast!

 This is a self-freezing unit so

once the unit has been frozen overnight,

simply pour desired juice into the mold,

and ten minutes later, you have three popsicles!

This can be repeated three times 

before the unit needs to be refrozen.

For those to whom math is not a strong point,

that's NINE popsicles in 30 minutes! Yeah!

At the next holiday I gifted my husband with these

storage containers.

This way we can grab our popsicles when we head to the pool. =)

This is not the cheapest gadget;

you can find them at William Sonoma for $49.95,

so maybe for a gift sometime?? =)

But the reason I write this little post is to 

throw out the idea for a fun,

and healthy snack.

We love to use Odwalla juices and smoothies.

Healthy and delicious.

So just an idea as the Summer months approach. =)

Eunora

Memory Books-

I can't believe we are in our last week of school.

This has been a great year,

Challenges, sure, but lots of fun experiences.

One of the things I love to do at the end of the school year 

Is record some of the kids' memories.

We have done this in a variety of ways over the years,

But this year we are using a little memory book.

I found here.

Each day this week we are working on a few pages.

I'm hoping to capture a little of who they are this year:

Height, weight, favorites...

On the first day of our school year,

We weighed and measured them.

It's always neat to see how much they have grown

In the past nine months.

Kind of a fun way for us to wrap up our year.

Do you have any fun end of school traditions?

Because of Jesus,

Eunora