It's been a while! Instead of trying to play catch-up, I just want to post some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

We had a great Thanksgiving! It was low-key, just the way we like it! Well...as low-key as it can be with my wild family! We spent the morning hanging out at home and being lazy. Our afternoon was spent enjoying lunch and laughs with the Dunlaps, and Thursday evening we hung out with Jeremy's parents, munching on leftovers for dinner. *wonderful!*

Check out some fun pictures from our fun Thanksgiving:

 I am still amazed that we got a good shot of EVERYONE! *high five*

 I mean really...how cute are they?!

We had such a great time celebrating such a fun holiday with our family! I'm hoping to post my 30 Days of Thanksgiving soon!

  

The Week in Review

Let's just be honest. I've been a terrible blogger lately. Please forgive me! I think instead of trying to play catch up first, I'm just going to keep it recent. Hopefully, as time allows, I'll be able to add in a few things from the past few weeks.

This week, I stumbled upon a pretty cool website (via Pinterest, of course!) that has several printable packets dedicated to a specific letter of the alphabet. I stayed up til 1:00 Tuesday morning printing "H is for Halloween." Insane, I know! But they are very impressive! I only wish she had made them for all of the letters. 

Tuesday morning, we hit the ground running. We sang our ABeka song, did a few "chores", and introduced the letter Hh! I'm still adjusting to teaching my 2 year old. After teaching 4-5 year olds for the last 2+ years, and receiving no formal training, I've got a lot of learning to do myself! Trek loves saying the H sound, and he even walks around talking about "Homah Howas!" (Homer Horse, courtesy of ABeka.) Since Halloween was Wednesday, we decided to finally make our monster! The original plan was to make a ghost with the puff paint last week, but I dropped the ball on that one, so we went with a monster instead. He was much cuter, if I do say so myself!

(I'm an idiot and can't figure out how to rotate pictures from my phone...)

Be prepared for a mess if you tackle this one at home or at school.

I mixed Barbasol shaving cream, Elmer's glue, and blue food coloring, as per Lorelai's request. Next time we make this puff paint, I will use more glue. I was a little too conservative, and he lost a lot of his puffiness as he dried. But I still think he looks great! I cut out a simple monster shape from our roll of craft paper and let Lorelai go to town! Once she was done, we added lots of eyeballs and a super-cool mouth! Trek played in plain ole shaving cream while we created our Monster Man.

We took another shot at a sensory bin Tuesday afternoon, and it went surprisingly well! Trek kept the area relatively clean, and they stayed busy for quite a while. I just mixed black and white beans, buried a few spiders and skeletons and such, provided a few small bowls for pouring and scooping, and they had a great time!

Thursday morning, we spent some fun time with Grandma Eva at her house. I know I say this all the time, but I am so very thankful for all of our family here! They are always learning, wherever they are. See how much fun they're having learning about their colors and shapes? 

After lunch and a nice long nap, Lorelai and I sat down and tried to do some math and counting. She wasn't in much of a mood for learning, so we only worked for a few minutes before we moved on to making gummies! I found a great recipe here, and it was so ridiculously easy! Lorelai helped me stir...for about 10 seconds. She tried one tonight, and claims they are pretty yummy! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the process. 

This week has been fun! We're getting better and better at this school thing. All of the blunders are on me so far. Stay tuned...maybe I'll actually keep things updated around here! 

Betsy Bee, Fall & Leaves

I haven't done well in posting consistently about school, so let's do a brief catch up from the last several days.

A couple of weeks ago, I rearranged my living room ever-so-slightly in order to create a very small "learning zone." I still don't have a work table, which is a huge bummer. Hopefully we can find a reasonable one soon. We are working more on a morning routine, but I have found myself consistently dropping the ball on this. *see previous post* I know that I have to be better about establishing a routine! Moving on... 

We try and begin our mornings with our pledges (we have no flags :) ), prayer, a Bible story, and our ABeka ABC Song. We're also working on learning to recognize the written names of several family members! After our short routine one Monday, I introduced Lorelai to the Letter B. I'm still working on her excitement for the alphabet! (She's a little like her Mom when it comes to school.) We played a super easy and super cute game. We called it "The Bb Hunt." The night before, I made small cards with random letters of the alphabet written on each, sticking with A, B, L, and T, while still throwing in a few "unknowns." All I did was cut a piece of cardstock into fourths, write the letters on both sides (I did uppercase on one, lowercase on the other), and you're ready to play!

I started by letting Lorelai throw the stack of letters in the air. They didn't really fly as well as I had hoped, so I ended up scattering them around a bit. She absolutely LOVED this game! We had a B hanging up on the wall for reference, but she never needed to look at it. Each time she picked up a letter, we talked about its phonic sound and investigated both the upper and lowercase sides of the card. 

We've played this game several times in the last couple of weeks. Since it's such a big hit, I think I'll keep adding letters as we learn them!

Later in the week (I think...it's been a while) we went on an all-things-fall hunt in the front yard. I'm teaching Lorelai and Trek about the changing seasons, and doing my best to point them to the Creator as we admire His creation. We just wandered around in the front yard, enjoying the weather and trying to find pretty leaves and pine cones. Admittedly, I did this way too early in the season. NOW would be a perfect time for this kind of activity, so we'll probably do this again in the next few weeks. My goal is to have them find things that we can use for craft projects and display in the house. Even though it was a bit of a fall failure, it was a lot of fun to get out of the house and enjoy the cool weather we had that week. 

We also attempted a fall sensory bin. I filled a bowl with popcorn kernels and things to fill and pour and such. Honestly, it was a pretty big failure. I don't know what it is with  my kids and sensory bins, but they don't really do too well. I'm still trying to figure out what we're going to do about that...

So since that didn't go well, we opted for a fun and simple science experiment. I filled a couple of disposable pie pans with baking soda. Just enough to cover the bottom with a shallow layer. Then, I put vinegar in some plastic cups, added a little food coloring, and let the kids go to town with 2 turkey basters from the Dollar Tree.

I was a little surprised that the colors didn't actually mix in this little experiment. I loved how this worked on Lorelai's fine motor skills, as well as sparking her imagination and critical thinking. And it was no surprise to me that she quickly took my little experiment and made it her own. It wasn't long before she figured out that she could pick up the baking soda from the pan and put it into the cups. She REALLY thought that was cool!

She absolutely loved this experiment. We will definitely be doing this one again. Maybe next time we will practice mixing the food coloring and exploring how colors change.

We were obviously really busy this day (judging by the clothing in every picture). While Trek was napping, Lorelai decorated Besty Bee with glitter glue. She really enjoys this stuff, and I don't mind the mess. Lo does great, and this kept her very busy for a very long time, which freed me up to clean...probably :) 

She also helped me cook lunch. I know, you're totally impressed with my cooking skills. Please hold your applause. We practiced counting and measuring, and of course stirring.

We're doing our best around here to mix learning with playing and socializing. Some weeks I really drop the ball in more than one of those areas. But, for the most part, I feel like we're quite successful. My kids are learning, both academic and practical things. They're learning how to love each other and solve problems. They're learning their ABC's and 123's. They're learning about the love of Jesus and His heart for the nations. I'm always prayerful that I'm doing them justice. And when I begin to feel inadequate, I am reminded that of course I am inadequate! But my God is not. And He will equip me to complete the work to which He has called me. 

 


 

 

Embracing the Chaos

Do you ever have one of those weeks? You know, where you just feel downright useless and absolutely unproductive? Yeah, well, that was me last week! Honestly, I was getting pretty discouraged. My house was falling apart, the laundry was so backed up it was ridiculous, and my children were behaving horribly! I felt like I was beginning to fail, and I almost began to question my position at home. Almost. 

I am constantly reminded that God is faithful. He is my strength and my help. He will never leave me. Even when I am very clearly in a position that is deserving of being left! My Heavenly Father consistently and patiently guides me every single second of every single day. Sometimes He is leading me through a desert, and sometimes He is leading me onto a mountain top. Whatever the case, my sweet Savior is faithful. I am so encouraged when I think of His love and unending grace! Even when my house is complete chaos. Even when my kids seem to forget that they are supposed to be perfect angels. Even when I am just about as mean as I can be to my husband, through no fault of his own. God is still here. God is still moving. God is still working.

I am part of a page on Facebook called Proverbs 31 Women. I am constantly blessed and challenged by these women, most of whom I have never met. I will probably never meet most of them this side of heaven. But what a joyous day it will be when we encounter one another in eternity! Someone posted this article on the page last week, and I just had to share it here. Wives and moms, be encouraged by this. Be lifted up. You are not failing. We are not failing. 

This week, I am embracing the chaos. I am enjoying the mess and the clutter. (In moderation...) I am choosing to be so very thankful for this season of my life. One day, I'll  have a house free of random toys. One day, I'll have time to actually finish the loads of laundry that I started with such zeal at the beginning of the day. One day, my house will always be decorated with super cute accessories for every season and every holiday. One day, I might even be so organized that I don't even have any more junk piles! 

But today is not that day. Today, I will relish the tiny hand prints on the side of my bed. I will smile at the absurd mound of toys in the corner of my living room. I will embrace the plastic dishes that are constantly overflowing in my sink. I will laugh when I find ANOTHER sippy cup in ANOTHER room! 

Because tomorrow, these things will be gone. 

Tomorrow, they'll be too tall to put their hand prints on my bed. Tomorrow, they won't care to play with their toys in the living room anymore, choosing instead to play alone in their rooms. Tomorrow, there won't be bright-colored plastic dishes and sippy cups, only Fiestaware and red tumblers.

Moms, embrace the chaos. Love the mess. Enjoy the smudges. Let the laundry go so you can go outside with your kids. Just this once, live in the moment. Relish their childhood. Because tomorrow, it will be over.

Pioneer Woman in the Making

As I've noted in previous blog posts, a lot of things started changing in my heart and home this summer. In my reaching out to others about the ins and outs of being a SAHM, I began to learn a few money-saving tips that I've started to apply to our lives in the Mitchell Household. 

I decided to begin learning about couponing, and have found a few websites that have really helped cut our grocery budget down some. If you're interested in having someone do most of the work for you, check out Fabulessly Frugal. These gals will shop for you, and then share all of their amazing deals! We don't take it to the extreme that a lot of people do, but saving $10-$20 per grocery trip certainly helps a lot! I've also gotten really good at MENU PLANNING! My poor husband...for 6 years he has lovingly and patiently dealt with my utter HATE for cooking. But I'm telling you, since I've found Pinterest, our lives have certainly changed in the kitchen! Every other Sunday, I sit down and search my trusty Pinterest Food & Drink board for the next 2 weeks of meals. (I even have a board dedicated specifically to my menus.) It is SO simple, and it helps me (a very forgetful person) remember to actually thaw that meat out that I have in the freezer! The menu gets posted on the refrigerator every week, so there's no excuse for not getting a home-cooked meal every night. This has helped cut down spending, too, because we're not running down the road to Dairy Queen for dinner every few nights. 

Another big part of my money-saving venture has been creating homemade cleaning products. (I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to this! Find me on Pinterst!) Here's a list of the recipes that I use around my house:

• For a bathroom cleaner, I use 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of Blue Dawn Soap. I heat the vinegar in the microwave for about 2 minutes, add the Dawn, and pour both into a spray bottle. Sometimes I have enough left over to use for 2 weeks of cleaning, but usually I add another new batch to the spray bottle each week. This solution works WONDERS on a grimy bathtub and dirty counter tops. You can sprinkle baking soda before spraying to add some extra scrubbing power!
• I use a simple baking soda and vinegar combination to clean our toilets. 
• To clean my kitchen sink, I sprinkle baking soda, add a little water to make a paste, and work it around with my hands. The first time I did this, I was amazed (and disgusted!) at the dirt that came off of my sink! Now I do this every week or so in my cleaning routine. About once a month, I put vinegar ice cubes down my disposal and run cold water through the drain. You can also add citrus slices to your disposal for freshness and cleaning.
• For my granite counter tops in my kitchen, I use a simple solution that lasts a LONG time! I mix about 1/2 cup of Blue Dawn Soap with about 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol. Add water until the mixture is diluted to your satisfaction, and scrub away! The alcohol helps the cleaner dry quickly, eliminated streaks on your counter tops. Again, you can add Baking Soda to your counters before spraying if they need a little extra scrubbing. Even with using this daily, a bottle lasted me all summer before I had to make another batch.

The best thing about all of these cleaners is that they are SUPER inexpensive! When you break down the cost of these cleaners, it is quite literally pennies per use. My next venture is to make my own floor cleaner, invest in some microfiber cloths, and hopefully stop throwing my money away on my Swifer refills. (And I DO love my Swifer!)

Another big thing that we have started to do around here is make our own laundry detergent. It is RIDICULOUSLY easy! There's no reason NOT to make your own detergent! I made my first batch in early summer, and just had to make my second batch 2 weeks ago. Here's my easy-to-follow recipe. Just set aside approximately 20 minutes for cooking. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 bar Fels Naptha soap (found in the detergent aisle)
• 8 cups of water
• 1 cup of Borax
• 1 cup of Washing Soda
• 2 empty containers

Start by grating the bar of soap into a large pot. Add 8 cups of water, bring to a boil, and continue to cook until all of the soap is dissolved. Add the Borax and Washing Soda. Bring to a boil one more time. Use a funnel (or any cup with a spout) and divide the soap evenly into the 2 containers. It doesn't have to be perfect measurements, just guess! Let the soap sit in the containers overnight, and then add water until the containers are almost full. Shake well, and enjoy the mere pennies that you're spending every time you wash clothes! Don't fret about chunks and such, it's perfectly normal. Every few washes, I add a little more water to make the soap last longer. Most recipes call for storing the mixture in a 5-gallon bucket, but if you're like me and have your washer and dryer in a small closet, there's just no room for that! This is the same concept, and the soap lasts just as long because you are constantly adding water. I haven't added up the costs, but I estimate that my detergent probably costs $5-$6 per large-sized detergent container. Try it! I dare you!

Trek washed dishes while Mommy cooked the soap. Sometimes my plans to do these projects during nap time don't pan out. Especially when my busy boy only sleeps for an hour. Thank goodness for simple entertainment!

Also, (side note) I'm learning to sew! I've literally learned one step, but hey...it's better than where I was! Here's hoping I can get fairly good at this new endeavor!

 

Alexander Alligator

We have been having a ridiculous amount of fun around here lately! Lorelai and I are still focusing on the letter A. While I absolutely believe that children have incredible capability to learn at a very early age, I also firmly believe that some of the best learning experiences come simply from living and exploring the world around us. This is the simple philosophy that I'm following when teaching Lorelai. She's only 2, so she does get burnt out quite quickly when she feels like I'm "teaching" too much. But she really has enjoyed singing our ABeka alphabet song, flipping through my simple, homemade construction paper flashcards, learning how to recognize all of our family's names, and coloring and painting A LOT! Check out this super cute Alexander Alligator that we made to help reenforce the letter A!

Lorelai had so much fun making this little project! Alexander Alligator is part of her ABeka song, and every alligator that we see has the name Alexander! She was incredibly proud of herself, and we had to send everyone a picture of her art work.

Let me just take this opportunity to share a few of the blogs that I am L-O-V-I-N-G right now! These moms are absolute GENIUS in teaching playing with their children! These 3 sites have shortcuts on my iPad. I look at them nearly every day!

Hands on As We Grow

This site is excellent for anything you can imagine. She has lots of sensory ideas that I really like. This mom LOVES to make a mess, a total philosophy that we live by in our house! And her blog is super organized and easy to use!

Growing a Jeweled Rose

I haven't perused this site as much as the others, but I really like her bath ideas!

No Time For Flashcards

This blog has got to be the most extensive resource that I've found so far. I LOVE THIS BLOG! This mom used to teach, and her list of credentials is really impressive. 

Lo is really getting good about recognizing the letter A in the world around her. She likes to point it out in everything! She will say "Hey, that's an A! It says a, a, a!" Of course it makes Mommy super proud! Our next stop will be the letter B. Hopefully we can keep this excitement going all the way through Z!

Oops!

I feel like I closed my eyes, and when I woke up, I found that I'd missed an entire two weeks of blogging! We have been super busy on the days that I've missed, so I'll do my best to be brief in our update.

I work every Wednesday and Friday, so on those days, the babes go and stay with our family. I am so excited to be able to "use" my family to keep my kiddos! And I am so very excited that my kids will have so very many memories of the grandparents! Last night, as Nanny & Pappy were leaving our house after dinner, I said a little prayer of thanks for the simple fact that we are still in town with our parents. I am so thankful that we don't have to wait weeks and months to have those precious visits with them! I'm prayerful that I do not begin to take such a blessing for granted!

Several days ago, I decided to begin to try and introduce the alphabet to Lorelai. I talked with her teacher from school about ways that they approach learning in their classroom, and I even got some left over curriculum workbooks to bring home! Lo is still having trouble understanding that I am her "teacher" now, but we're working on it! To get things started, we explored Apples! We talked about how God made all of the plants, including Apple Trees, and then we decided to try Apple Painting.

 

Later, we had fun exploring sensory bottles, playing with fine motor manipulatives, cooking a yummy supper, and taking a GREEN bath.

Morning Walk, Rice Play, and Pizza Cupcakes

What a beautiful Tuesday we were given today! It's just another reason why I'm so thankful for the blessing of staying home. I get to enjoy days like this with my babies.

I decided last night that I would set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier than I had been on my days at home. Initially, I was letting myself sleep til 7. I based that decision on the fact that my kids usually slept til 8 or later during the summer. So I figured I had at least an hour to have some coffee, read my Bible, and prep for the day. Naturally, as soon as I made a plan, they changed it! Instead of sleeping until 8, both Mitchell Munchkins were bright-eyed by 7:30, at the very latest. So, this morning I was fully intent on beating them at their own game, and I was awake by 6:30. And then my sweet Trek-man began babbling at 6:45. How do they do that?! Since we were up so early, we hit the farm road for a walk before breakfast. I try to make this part of our routine, but we usually don't go until closer to 9:00. This morning, we were out the door before 8:00! The kids even needed light jackets! And it was lovely!

They really do like it...you'll just have to take my word for it

After our nice, brisk walk, we kind of took it easy. I worked on laundry and straightened up the house while the kids "watched a movie." They're always requesting movies, but they never actually watch them. I don't mind, though. I like Disney movies from my childhood playing throughout my home!

About mid-morning, the natives got a bit restless, so I decided to break out the rice that I dyed last night. Check it out! I found the recipe here, via Pinterest. Mine didn't turn out as bold as I would have liked, but I was a bit too conservative with my food coloring. Lesson learned.

Ignore the cookies. Or don't...they're simply slice-and-bake for my chocolate-obsessed husband. So while I was busy making these,

(Totally forgot an after picture)

the kids were VERY occupied playing with their rice. Initially, I buried puzzle pieces in the bigger bowl, intending for Lorelai to hunt for them and put the puzzle together. Yeah...that didn't even last 5 minutes. Instead, all of the rice was mixed together, and my floor was covered! I believe my last words to Lo before she started playing were, "Try and keep as much in the bowls as you can." Oh well! Fun was had, and my broom got a workout!

 

 

 

I think Trek would have played here all day if I would have let him. He was thoroughly engrossed in the movement and texture of the rice. And I know for a fact that Lorelai Roxane would have covered the house in it had I let her. She is fascinated with pouring things and watching how they change depending on the container that is holding them. 

The babes slept most of the afternoon, and then we made a quick trip to visit the Walkers. Meatloaf for supper, and an evening walk on the farm road with Daddy. Ahh, what a perfect Tuesday!