Friday Funny--Political motherhood

When you have sons sitting on either side of the aisle, you are still their mother!

Christmas on the Cheap

Last week, my latest article was posted on HEDUA. Want some help celebrating Christmas on the Cheap?

Friday Funny--ChemisTREE

Loved this photo my alma mater posted on FB this morning.

University of Saint Mary, Leavenworth, KS

I'm Heartbroken

This weekend was heartbreaking.

Saturday morning I spent a short time with a friend at church. Mija played with her three daughters while she and I attended to our task at hand and chatted with other moms and dads present.

Little did she know that by the time she got home she would be a widow. 

The how and whys are not my story to tell. In fact, we are only assuming the why until the medical examiner says for sure.

We only know that it was sudden and unexpected.

Another friend who went up to the hospital to be with her said she was amazed at my friend's grace and composure in the situation. The grace and faith in which she explained to her three daughters (10, 8, and 5) that their father was now with the Lord he loved was amazing to say the least.

But her walk of faith only started there. Th witness of her faith continued as she and her daughters walked, weeping, into church this morning. 

Yes, they came to church because she said that is where they were supposed to be. It was heart-wrenching to here the crying in the back of the church during singing, but a blessing to here the quiet while they were ministered to through the preaching of the Word and see the love and hugs of her church family. 

They were one of the many unique homeschool families. My friend works outside the home while her husband stayed home to school the girls. He was a great father and always willing to help in our homeschool group. It was a blessing to see another homeschool dad there in addition to my hubby.

My friend owns her own business which is closely affiliated to a major motor manufacturer here in town. If she does not work, she does not get paid and there is no one else to do it. She thinks she is only going to able to take a week off.

She has already expressed her concern with the girls' schooling. I and several others have assured her that her girls are going to continue to be homeschooled. It would not be the first time I loaded up mija and our schoolwork and take them to another's house that needed help schooling during a family crisis. We do not know what it is going to look like right now, but we have a week to figure it out.

As much as I grieve and pray for my friend, what her husband is experiencing. I cannot imagine what how great the presence of Jesus is that it can wipe away any regret he might have about not being with his "four gorgeous women." 

Please pray for my friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday Funday---Another talking dog

Love it when the dogs and cats talk!

Thanksgiving Coupons--Butterball Turkey & Pillsbury Pie Crust

Here are some coupons that might be helpful as you're shopping for Thanksgiving festivities.

She's now Double-Digit and Zebra Print cake

This weekend we had a birthday party for mija. She turned TEN!!

I couldn't help be remember back to the evening we got the call to rush to the hospital. By the time we arrived, she was already snug and wrapped in the hospital bassinet. 

It hardly seems possible that this:

One Month Old

Has become this:

The zebra cake earned many positive comments. I simply frosted the cake with pink frosting. I had purchased a small box of black fondant and rolled it out a little at a time. I cut out pieces initially using a zebra pattern print I printed from the web. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to freehand it. 

It was my first time working with fondant. One thing I will remember for next time is rolling it out thinly and evenly. Some of my stripes were thicker than others.

Regardless, I thought I did a pretty swell job. I woke mija up with my personal adulation such as "Who's the mommy? I'm the mommy! That's right. I'm the mommy!"

Friday Funny---I just can't clean this place

Friday Funny--Geography Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22

Depression: Sorrow without Hope

I'm keeping it real over at Home Educating Family Blog.

As I write this, Robin Williams has been dead for over a month. His suicide brought depression out in the open for a short time. It demonstrated that you can not always spot a depressed person by looking at them from the outside.

But depression and suicide has touched our family more directly. Just last year my husband and I attended the funeral of a young husband and father who committed suicide.

A few years before that, a family member had to deal with the suicide of her husband.

In both, not only did the suicide catch others by surprise, the depression did as well.

To be honest, depression has affected us even more intimately. You see, I have dealt with depression throughout my life and have considered suicide.

There. I am out. How about you? Are you willing to bring your depression to light?

Read the rest HERE.

Friday Funny--Pumpkin Pie and Pie Pumpkin

First on a serious note, how do you prepare a pie pumpkin? 
We purchased one and now need to figure out what to do with it. Please put all your pie pumpkin advice as a comment!

Now, on to pumpkin pie...

Meet the (Homeschool) Mother of Thanksgiving

As we head into the month of Thanksgiving, take a look at this great article about Sarah Hale.

The Pilgrims Didn’t Invent Thanksgiving

If you can squeeze in another guest at your Thanksgiving dinner, I know a 

vivacious little lady who deserves an invitation. She’s been left out of our all-

American feast for decades, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. Allow 

me to introduce her in hopes that you’ll make her part of your celebration this 

year.

Read the rest HERE

Martin Luther's Rib

This article was written for previous Eternal Encouragement magazine produced by Mrs. Lori Flem of Eternal Encouragement.  For the life of her, however, Lori Flem can't remember who wrote it! But it was me!!

Martin Luther's Rib

Author Unknown 

Betsy Price

Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.

-Martin Luther

We are all familiar with Mrs. Flem's being Randy's Rib, but long before Lorrie, there was another wife that was well known for being her husband's rib. That was Katherine Von Bora, Mrs. Martin Luther. One of Luther's many pet names for his wife was "Katie, my rib".

When Katie, born with the name, Katherine, was 10 her widower father remarried and sent her to live in a convent where her aunt served. At 16, she took her vows to become a nun.

What is amazing is how God used this time to prepare her for her future ministry. She learned . . .

• to feed large groups of people
• to manage to a large facility
• gardening
• taking care of livestock
• medicine and healing
• and everything else involved with running an abbey smoothly

A skill unknown to most women at that time was reading. Living in the convent gave her the opportunity to learn. She read in both German and Latin.

It was reading that would change her future.

The nuns read the Bible, but also books from many theologians. Some of the booklets Martin Luther had written had found their way into the hands of nuns. What Luther taught made Katherine and others reconsider what they had been taught and their role as nuns.

One of the things Luther taught was that only grace that would get you into heaven, not good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). This was a challenge to those nuns who had spent their whole lives depending on their good works to get them to heaven. 

He also taught about the "priesthood of all believers" (I Peter 2:9) which meant that all believers, regardless of their vocation, had equal access to God. Being a priest, monk, or nun did not mean you could serve God better than being a banker, teacher, or mother.

After much prayer and study, a dozen nuns including young Katherine decided they wanted to leave the convent. This was no easy matter. Running away from a convent could be punished by death!

This little group of nuns sent a secret message to Luther asking for help escaping.

Escape came on the eve of Easter 1523 in the form of herring barrels. A merchant friend of Luther's hid the nuns inside empty (and stinky) herring barrels and transported them to freedom.

Luther encouraged the nuns to return home if their families would accept them. For a few others, he found husbands.

Katherine had some suitors, but none that satisfied her. In fact, she told Luther's friend the only man she would marry would be Luther!

Luther was hesitant for awhile to marry. For awhile, both the pope and a prince wanted him dead. He did not want to leave a widow. Eventually, he began to reconsider and with encouragement asked Katherine to marry him. He was 41 and she was 26 when they married two weeks later.

Life did not slow down for Luther after he married Katherine, and God had more than prepared Katherine to jump right into life and ministry with her husband. She ran the 40-room monastery in which they lived with their children, her aunt, and up to 16 students who studied with Luther.

She purchased a farm, raised livestock, tended a garden and orchard, fished, and more in order to feed all those whom God brought under their roof. Many if not all of these skills she learned while she was in the convent.

Her skills in medicine also came in handy. Luther dealt with kidney stones, gout, and "digestive disorders" in addition to other illness that Katherine was able to help. She saved his life several times with her healing skills.

Luther also suffered with bouts of depression that occasionally left him bedridden. Katherine was able to pray and nurse him through these tough times as well.

One time was so severe; she took things to the extreme to make her point. She dressed all in black as if mourning. When Luther saw her, he asked if someone had died. She acted surprised and said,

"Haven't you heard? God is dead!"

"Nonsense,"

replied Luther.

"Then why are you acting as if He were dead?"

Katherine asked. Luther got the point.

Through 21 years of marriage, she ministered to her husband and with her husband.

What are some of the things I have learned from Mrs. Luther?

• How you start out does not matter; whom you follow along the way does.
• Learn whatever skills and knowledge God gives you to learn because more than likely, He will use it later.
• A reader is a leader. Read quality and quantity.
• God's way out of a situation may be stinky and cramped, but it works.
• Ministry to your husband can take many forms in addition to homemaking.

God has given us women throughout history as an example of the influence a godly wife and mother can have not only to her family but also to the world.

Let us all strive to become a "rib" to remember!

Layers of the Earth--lesson and activities

Today for coop, our lesson was about the layers of the Earth.

He started with a cool idea we got from HERE. You make a model of the Earth out of clay. He and mija made a model at home, and he sliced it open in the class to show the layers of the earth.

The continents were a little "abstract."

Here's the Earth cut in half.

We used this little chant I came up with previously but is now 2.0. 

Inner Core, Outer Core, Mantle, Crust,

Four layers on the Earth is a must.

Inner Core, Outer Core, Mantle, Crust,

You live here with rest of us!

Then we made some layers of the earth collector cards of the Earth layers using this site. For time's sake, we cut out the picture and label side as one piece and pieces of construction paper as the backing prior to class. It was only a matter of gluing one piece to the other to make them.

One proud little fella's set of cards!

Lastly, we did the coolest thing to learn the layers of the Earth! I came up with it all by myself! That's right. I get the credit for this one! ;-)

You'll need: 

Chocolate kiss or other solid piece of chocolate candy

Chocolate Syrup

Whipped Topping

Graham Crackers

Clear Cups

Plastic Spoons

First you put the piece of solid chocolate in the bottom of the cup to represent the solid, inner core.

The next layer is the outer core. We used chocolate syrup since the out core is made of the same material as the inner core except it is fluid.

Of course, the mantle is up next. The mantle is not solid but not as liquid as the outer core. We used whipped topping for this layer.

We used a piece of graham cracker as the crust!

Yummy lesson!

You might even get a little mantle on your face or outer core on your face.





Here are a few other cool resources I found you could add to your lesson.

• Layers of the Earth out of paper
• Layers of the Earth using Oreo cookies
• Presentations in PowerPoint format
• Online lesson and quiz.
• Earth Layers Test Maker
• Earth Layers Worksheets
• Diggin' to the Earth game
• Inside the Earth worksheet
• Ins and Outs of the Earth Worksheet

Now excuse me as I review the layers
of the earth again...pass the whipped
topping please!!

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Celebrate Italian Heritage Month

Check out my latest at HEDUA!

America has been called the melting pot because so many different cultures have contributed to its development and continued success. As a result, we have many different “heritage” and “history” months like February being African-American History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month in September.

Not to be forgotten,

October is Italian Heritage Month!

Freezing Green Peppers

I know the garden season has past, lately however, I've been blessed with a lot of green, red, orange, and yellow peppers. I love to use them when cooking, but with just the three of us, I don't always use them quickly enough.

I fixed that problem.

I Googled how to freeze!

Here are the directions for you so you don't have to Google for yourself.

First
Wash and thoroughly dry your peppers. (You want them dry so there are not ice crystals when you freeze them.)

Second
Take out the core and seeds. and get ready to chop, slice or dice...your preference. I made pepper strips.

Third
Place them as a single layer on a cookie sheet. They can touch each other a little but preferably not stack on top of each other. Freezing this way keeps the peppers as individual pieces instead of a clump of peppers.
Forth
Freeze flat on the cookie sheet in your freezer for a minimum of one hour. One hour gets them hard enough to keep their individual shapes. I left another batch in over night and it was still just fine.

Putting them in a freezer bag after freezing for an hour.

Fifth
Put them in freezer bag and back in the freezer.

There is my finished product. That is about five peppers worth of colorful peppers!


I know I posted it as FIVE steps, but as you can see, it is only five EASY steps with at least an hour break in between!

Now I should never need to throw away peppers and I should always have peppers when I need them.

WIN-WIN!!

Friday Funny---KC ROYALS

Not really a funny since we're going to win the World Series next week, but a great chance to share the song Christian singer Matthew West wrote for us!

Money Math Review Games

We have been teaching a lot of cool classes in our co-op which I've been meaning to share but haven't.

But today, I am listing all the things I am using for my money math class as I plan it! 

In the elementary group, we've been running a little over a dozen kids who are Kindergarten through third grade. A wide range to cover, but I try to use things that would be appropriate for different abilities and arrange for the older ones (and parents) to assist the youngers when needed.

The first activity I'll do is skip counting 1s, 5s, 10s, and 25s which of course are the amounts for our coins. I'm going to make it fun by having us do tiny steps for 1s all the way to leaps for 25s. It will get squirms out, give practice counting coins, and provide some cloaked multiplication review, too. 

I'm then going to have the group divided into three to five smaller groups depending on how many are there. I think a group of 3-4 kiddos with an adult would make a perfect size for the money games I'm planning. I will rotate groups to the different games.

Take a look at my selections:

One is going to be Money Kaboom. You select sticks with different coin amounts. If you count correctly, you keep the stick. If you grab a Kaboom stick, you have to put all your sticks back. 

The second game is Money Dice. You roll large dice with various coin amounts on each side. There is a variety ways to play the actual game. I think we are going to play it to see which person in the group can total up the amount first. Here's the pin for it.

Now I am going to be honest. I am not going to get wooden blocks and paint them. I am just going to make a cube using a printable cube cutout on cardstock. I'm going to use coin clip art for the money.
A third game I am going to use is Coin Grab Graph. I really like that it includes graphing skills. 



The last game I am bringing is a free, printable one from Teachers Pay Teachers. I am printing the cards up on cardstock. It is the "I Have Who Has" Money Game.




Do you have any money games you can share?

The Vetiver Essential Oil ADD Experiment---The Hows and Outcomes

In other words, part 2!

Yesterday I posted about the hows and whys of using Vetiver essential oil for ADD/ADHD. I got so carried away with all the information that I decided our personal story needed to wait until today. If you missed yesterday's post, I suggest your read it first to lay the foundation.

Mija has never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I think there are some definite short attention spans that just arise from being having a sanguine personality! (After all, somewhere else there has to be something more interesting and fun than the schoolwork I'm doing.)

Personally, I suffer with ADCD:

See, I just went "squirrel"!! Now, back on topic.

If you read the original post, you know that we started with just Vetiver and applied it to her big toes.

We noticed a difference immediately in attitude, attention and work quality. BUT there one caveat...

No essential oil can change a heart's 

willful, sinful desire.

Using Vetiver oil allowed us to see that some physical or personal elements were affected by the oil, but it did not have any affect on those times when willfulness was demonstrated in attitude and effort (or lack there of). To us this became a secondary benefit of Vetiver because it provided assistance in better seeing the character changes that continue to need to be addressed. It showed that it was not all outright disobedience nor was it all a physical or mental nature. 

We did change how we used it. While sometimes mija still requests some for her toes, we now usually diffuse it.

Here is the mixture I've been using

6 drops of Vetiver

6 drops of Lemon

4 drops of Ylang ylang or Bergamot

The Vetiver is a given. 

Lemon is amazing. It promotes clarity of thought and purpose. There was a research study (which I haven't eyeballed yet) which showed a dramatic improvement in mental accuracy and concentration and test scores increasing as much as 50%. I have not even mentioned all the physical/health benefits! Besides, it just smells "purdy". 

The Ylang ylang or Bergamot are current choices we are making for hubby and me. Might as well oil up the whole family!

I am ordering some Cedarwood oil to use in addition to the Vetiver to see if it makes a further difference. 

Never too many oils!

The Vetiver Essential Oil ADD Experiment---The whys and wherefores

Back in September, I shared about our first day of

school and my use of Vetiver essential oil to help with attention during school.

I promised to get back with my results and insights, so here I am!

First, let me tell you a little bit about the Vetiver/ADHD connection.

Dr. Terry Friedmann did a study on the benefits of using Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Lavender essential oils with ADD/ADHD children. Now I'm going to be honest with you. The study was very small, but many essential oil people treat it like the Holy Grail AND misuse it. Let me explain how.

If you look at the actual study Dr. Friendmann admits that when it came to ADHD/ADD, Vetiver had good results, Cedarwood worked pretty well, but Lavender made little difference. Some essential oil people I have seen, however, give all three equal billing in being useful for attention deficit. They are not.

Here are the words of the good doctor himself,

In summary, based on this study, I would not hesitate to recommend the use of the essential oil 

Vetiver in the treatment of children diagnosed as having ADHD. I would even consider using the 

essential oil Cedarwood in situations where Vetiver was not available or other cases in which Vetiver 

was not appropriate. 

 Certainly, the essential oil Vetiver proved to be the treatment of choice between the three 

different oils used in this study. 

From my reading, I agree that to be an accurate finding from his study.

As far as the size of the study, that part does not bother me because there have been a lot of anecdotal evidence which I have found interesting and supportive.

The results of the study and others experience are not surprising when you consider the qualities of Vetiver and Cedarwood.

Cedarwood stimulates the limbic region of the brain and stimulates the pineal gland. It has calming and purifying properties.
Vetiver:

Okay, I've dished the dirt about Dr. Friedmann's study and what Vetiver does, tomorrow I'll tell you about what has been going on with us personally.

Make sure to check out PART 2--The Hows and the Outcomes by clicking HERE!

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