Friday, March 26, 2010

Classical Conversations and New things on the Horizon

We did classical conversations again this year. We love, love, love it!!! It's every Wednesday from 9-12. Piper is in pre-k this year and has Mrs. Lucas for her teacher. Gracie is an abecedarian again this year.

This is Gracie's class.... Mrs. Simpson is her teacher
This is what Reese does during class...
This is the work they cover each week....
Gracie is giving her presentation....
Art...
Mrs. Lucas' class
Sweet baby hard at work


So we have loved our time with these wonderful families over the past two years. We have made great friends!

But I have to be honest about the other four days of the week:) It's been pretty hard. I'm pretty sure I am not cut out for full time homeschooling. There are many reasons that go into it. If you would have asked me what would be the perfect school situation for my kids, I would have said, I want a school where they go two to three days a week to school and then they are home the other days. A school where I am working alongside a certified teacher to educate my kids. A place where the curriculum is chosen for me! A Christian school. But this didn't exist for this year. So we homeschooled. We weren't willing to compromise our convictions, so we kept Gracie home. A few months ago I was at a friends house and she was helping me with my curriculum. She asked me if I'd heard about the new school. When she told me what it was I about fell in the floor!!!! It's precisely what I just described above! Yahoo!!! It's called
Liberty Prep!!! And we are so very excited!! (With the exception of missing our co-op friends) It's a university model school. The kids go to class on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and they are home on Wednesdays and Fridays working. You can choose to go for just core classes or you can do just electives, or all of the above. It is Christian and the teachers feel that they are co-educators with the parents. Sounds awesome huh?!! And there is a strong emphasis on family. And it's half the price of a private school!!!

Can you tell I'm just a little thrilled?:)
Come join us!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Ahem!

It wasn't MY birthday, but my auntie gave me cake batter anyway....


Ummmm, it was delicious!
Pictures of my sister's birthday party coming soon:)

Friday, March 19, 2010

Lookie...

Lookie who's SEVEN months old!!!

Check out those baby blues:)
As you can see, we have started feeding this chunky monkey some rice cereal. Most of it ends up on here bib or on me, but hey, it's a start. She gets super excited when she sees me making her cereal and one day she attacked me for it!

My guess is she weighs at least 18.5 pounds by now. We'll know more when I take her on Monday for her six month check-up. ahem.
Still a total delight and full of smiles. This little girl has four teeth now! See?

She still resides in our arms most of the time:) I know, we just can't put her down! But I have tried to do that more this past week. She has enjoyed rolling around on the floor and slobbering all over her toys:) Still no sitting, etc...

I promise in my next post about her, I will prove to you she is indeed a chunk! I know it doesn't look like it cause she has a little head, but just wait till you get a load of those thighs!!

Another Update

Okay, I cannot believe it's been a MONTH since I've updated this thing! I have lots of posts to write, just haven't had the time to do it. So sorry to my faithful readers. They are coming!

First, I should update you on several things going on around here.
It seems like it's been an unusually busy season of life this winter.

Jeremy is doing well. Working a ton! He is super busy at work and has some side projects going on too. One of them is Lauren and Chris' addition:)

Financial Peace: Have you taken this class??? If you haven't, you need to! Jeremy and I are taking it at church. I have learned a ton! Jeremy has always been pretty wise with money, I am the one who needs the learnin around here. And to be honest, I am pretty motivated these days, the economy hasn't done us any favors. We go to class every Tuesday night and then we have homework to do throughout the week. We have a pretty tight budget and some major debt to pay down! So I am learning how to help Jeremy with the finances in the midst of all this. Just when I want to throw up my hands and say "FORGET IT!!!," God humbles me. He even provided a little extra money this month we weren't expecting....to help pay some BIG medical bills we weren't expecting. He is faithful, even when I am not. Our favorite new saying is, "Dave Ramsey says..." before we do something:)

My health: I started seeing an accupuncturist back in December. For my migraines. I think this is the ticket! This office has it together! The program is pretty comprehensive. It includes treatments and a major nutrition overhaul. sigh. I went in for a four week evaluation period and then they laid out a plan for me. They think it will take a year for me to be in the maintenance phase of treatment. That means, at least 80% of my initial complaints will be better. Read: HUGE time commitment and a LOT of money. We prayed about it, talked it over together and with friends, and decided to go for it. Jeremy is so gracious with me. I am super expensive. I go in twice a week. (See why it's unusually busy around here:))

Now for the nutrition part: This is the hardest part for me. I don't like to have self control when eating. I want to eat.whatever.I.want. That just doesn't jive with my head apparently. We are seeing that I have some major food sensitivities. Bummer. So here is the list of no-no's. I tell you this so you can keep me accountable and pray for me. If you see me eating something I shouldn't, take it from me! I am serious! Okay, NO dairy, ice cream included; no refined sugar; no white bread, potatoes, pasta, etc...; no tomatoes, no coffee, no hotdogs or anything like that cause they are loaded with msg and other preservatives; no caffeine; nothing raw, all food needs to be cooked (for digestion reasons); pretty much nothing prepackaged; no fried foods; no enriched wheat products; very little eggs; eliminate excessive meats. SEE why I need your prayers and accountability:)

What I can have: whole grains, cabbage, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, papaya, cranberries, pears, pineapple, citrus fruits, onions, garlic, LOTS of water, vegetables galore. For breakfast I am supposed to have warm, cooked grains, or juice something. For lunch- soups, but not the creamy ones, I have to have the brothy ones. And I am supposed to eat an apple a day.

By God's grace, I have done pretty well. I can't believe how much I have eliminated! I still cheat, but it's waaayyyy better than it used to be. I am a junk food junkie at heart.

The big question....Have I been able to tell a difference? The answer to this is a big YES! I can tell that my body is detoxing, I am a little less moody:), and I've lost a teeny bit of weight. As far as the migraines go, I have weeks where I don't have any and I have weeks where I've had as many as three. It's a rollercoaster, but it's usually my fault for eating something I shouldn't. Lots of times I don't even realize I shouldn't have eaten it until it's too late. So it can get quite discouraging at times.

With all that has been going on, I want to take a minute to tell you how grateful I am for an amazing husband, friend, and sister, and mom. Without them, seriously, I could not do these things. Jeremy serves our family selflessly day in and day out. He is such a great dad to the girls and he helps me as much as he can around the house. He is really busy but he never complains when I need extra help. I am so grateful. Kim, oh my, Kim watches my kids several times a week for all the appointments I have going on. I keep telling her Reese is going to start calling her Momma! Thank you so much friend! And Lauren, she watches my girls a ton too. Thank you a million for all you do for my family. Mom, Mimi- they watch our girls every Tuesday night for financial peace. The girls cherish their time with you both. And Jeremy and I love getting to see you too. Thank you SO much. Mom also fills in when I need her for my accupuncture appointments. It is truly humbling to watch you all serve our family so much. Big jewels for your crowns in heaven! No lie.

I have lots more updates to write to you, and pictures to share. Stay tuned!