Homeschool Musings

 A friend of mine recently shared this simple quote on her Facebook page.  It resonated with but so did the rest of her  own words: 

When Darryl and I decided that homeschooling was the direction we wanted to go with our boys, my heart was in a similar place - I just wanted to be able to have the biggest impact on my boys.  Not only did I want to catch all of the lightbulb moments, I wanted to be the one to shape their lives and hearts to love Jesus.  I wanted their hearts to be kind and their lives full of joy.  No, every moment has not be easy but it has been worth it!  I'm trying to enjoy these last few years of school at home - watching them learn, grow, and mature is such a blessing and I don't ever want to take that for granted! 

Joy and Gratitude

 If you have followed this blog for any length of time then you are probably aware that I teach a class at our co-op every semester called Joyful.  It is a class designed to have fun, build relationships, and, well, find Joy in every day things.  Just before this semester started I came across the following post and shared it with the class on the first week.  I thought I would share it here as well. It's a great reminder of the simple fact that Joy comes from Jesus and we can have joy even on the hard days. 

I saw this meme this past week and laughed because it was true.  HA!  

January has been a long year ;-) LOL   Anyway, with things this past month like sickness, weather, cancelling of lots of things, it would be easy to get down in the dumps for sure!  I decided to take some time this past weekend and remind myself of the good - to find gratitude -- to be thankful for the things this month.  Maybe you've struggled too so I thought I'd share some of mine. 

1. I'm thankful that we are all feeling better.  (Nate got sick January 6th with a head cold and then it just went from there - colds, coughs, stomach flu!  As of 1.25.26 I do believe we are all feeling nearly 100%) 

2. I am thankful that Darryl has been kept safe on the roads throughout some very treacherous driving this month.  (And it is still treacherous!) 

3. I am thankful that Nate had an amazing time at winter retreat!  He just plain loves camp. 

4. I am thankful for a very warm house. 

5. I am thankful that our furnace runs faithfully. 

6. I am thankful Josh decided to move his xbox to the living room - we've enjoyed lots of family time together in the evenings just all being in the same room. (Why? After being sick and stuck in his room he said he just needed to be in the living room where it was brighter) 

7. I'm thankful Josh was able to go to my mom's when Darryl and Nate when down with the stomach flu.  It's nice she lives so close. 

8. I'm thankful for Zoom calls with my mom and brothers - we always laugh about something. 

9. I am thankful Nate was able to earn his 2nd black belt!  

10. I am thankful that Darryl, Nate and I "happened" to clean the church on a Saturday and discovered frozen pipes; they were repaired before any damage was done! (I normally clean on Thursday - but due to the bad roads, went in on a Saturday and my guys helped out!)  

11.  I am thankful we did not have frozen pipes at home. 

It helps - it really does!  When I first started writing things done it was slow going but the more I wrote, the more I thought of.  So, if you are struggling take time to think of even small things you can be thankful for and remember to say thank you to God for those things!  (A lot of times I say, "Thank you God for . .. ." and then list that item.)

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

 

A Few Updates

 As we close in on mid- December I just wanted to give a few updates on things from November! 

First up is my November goals.  You can see the updated list HERE if you are really interested. A quick overview is that I accomplished most of the November items :-)  Including round 1 in the basement!  My first goal was to do a quick clean out, clean up, and making space for everything that stayed.  I did not dig deep into things that either take more mental space to decide what to do with them or figuring out how to store certain things.  I did clean out a lot of trash and some donations.  I also made sure I could get to everything now.  Next year, on my 2026 goals, is round 2 of the basement.  :-)  

Second up is a quick recap of my "No!vember"   A couple of key things.  It was successful!  It helped me break some "habits" like using a busy day as an excuse to grab a pizza or something out.  Instead I struck to the menu and/or cooked at home with what was here (meaning - no extra runs to the store!).  It helped reset my mental standpoint on spending money.  I also tracked everything - for real.  I made it a challenge to myself to have some days of zero spending!  This meant planning ahead to ensure that I was ready for things coming up. Now, there were some things I had not planned for including extra spending money for camp, paying for an overnighter, etc. but for the most part I felt it was successful.  I'm now trying to carry over some of my "lessons re-learned" in November into December.  

And, since this all kind of boring (LOL!) I thought I'd add a couple of Christmas poems to enjoy this season. 

Misc. Musings

 Years ago, when I started my blog, I would post "Misc. Musings" periodically.  It's not anything specific - just some miscellaneous things. 

-- I realize I've posted recipe posts over the past few months with photos but no recipes.  Oops!  I was trying to do a recipe post a few times a month so I would take a photo and put it in the blog post and then forgot to come back and add the recipe.  I'll try to do better.  HA! 

-- I realize that I haven't done updated posts on my Joyful class this year.  No reason outside of taking time to add photos and links for our activities.  I hope to do one post soon with all of the info from our semester. 

--After a very hot and humid summer . .. and spring . .. and fall . . .I am enjoying a much cooler forecast and, yes, I have also enjoyed the rain and thunder storms we have had this past week. The "grumpy" skies with the breakthrough of sun are just amazing this time of year.  There is not any haze in the air from humidity so the blues are super crisps and the grays are low hanging and deep.  I AM thankful that all of the precipitation we received was in the form of rain; I am not really for a snow storm yet :-) 

--Last week my computer got "hi jacked" by some website; it was screaming at me; I was not happy at all.  Josh ran some security check and took care of it for me but it still took me 3 days to even try to log back in or go online.  Thankfully everything seems to be fine and working like it should. 

--I'm pretty happy with what I've been accomplishing with my goals.  Granted the last two weeks have been super busy so I had to put my "schedule" aside and instead just take care of the day to day things.  I'm looking forward to things really slowing down with the next week.  Weekends seem to be busy (or my kids are busy HA!) but the weekdays are not.  School, School, and more School needs to happen during the day! 

-- Saying that I have a 17 year old now is weird.  It seems so different than 16.  He's an awesome 17 year old, though, and I'm thankful he is ours. 

-- Nate will be testing for his 2nd Don (Black Belt) in December.  I've really enjoyed seeing him improve by leaps and bounds this past year.  The Grand Master (the highest TKD instructor in his type of TKD) has taken in interest in him which is great.  He would like to train Nate which is quite the compliment.  

-- I have started a prayer journal recently.  I haven't done that since it was required in a class for college.  I wanted to challenge myself to write down the things I say I will pray for as well as my own requests and then also write down the answers so I can look back after a year and really see what God has done.  Is it perfect? No.  Do I always remember to write things down? No.  So I'm also working on not being a perfectionist with it too. 

--For now, I think that's all of my misc. musings.  :-)  

I'm Back

 

We've been gone :-)  We took a much anticipated, much enjoyed family vacation to Pensacola Beach, Florida and discovered that we love it there and hope to go back sooner rather than later.  But, between pushing hard to get a lot of school done before we left, packing, cleaning, and getting ready to go, being gone for 10 days and trying to unpack and get back into a groove . . .. .blogging has taken a back seat to everything else!! 

So, hopefully I can get back on track in the coming weeks with recipes, photos, songs, and even come new Co-op class ideas.  

I also want to share our adventures!  I searched a lot of ideas on Pinterest when we were planning and was thankful for so many blogs that shared great ideas! 

The tale of the Rubik's Cube

 There once was a cube called Rubik's

It's meant to be solved in a moment.

There are two kids that each got one

They tried to match sides just for fun. 

They heard the tale of an Uncle

Who had rapid fast hands, yes he did

He could solve that crazy cube

He was one super fast dude!

A trip to a wedding took place

Of course Mr. Rubik's came along

Why? Because Uncle Jeff would there

And all those boys could do was stare.

He took that cube in his hands

Announced, "Get that timer ready"

 And It was with great resolve

That splendid cube he did solve.

Now, several years later

One boy in particular kept trying

To reach the same level as his Uncle

And solve that cube which is a struggle

The day has arrived and the cube has been solved

Not once or twice - but now over and over!

But have no fear, that first cube solved by Jeff

Now has a special pace on the shelf. 

The words have been uttered

Words of clear adoration

"Don't touch that cube over there!"

It was solved by my Uncle with care! 

(I am so not a poet - but this was fun!) 

Just Life

 I'm still here, if you are still reading.  "This" usually happens as we start to dig deep into school.  What is "this" . .. I disappear a little.  

We are having a beautiful fall.  Every year I wish we could take off on a color tour but it doesn't happen.  We did take the long way to get our pumpkins so we could enjoy some color.  I figure that is better then nothing! 

School is taking up most of my day - basically from 8:45-3:30 I am doing something related to school with my kids.  Some weeks it starts to lighten up on Thursday and Fridays can be more free but the reality is that the work load is heavier this year with middle school and I'm having to spend more time studying lessons ahead of time to make sure that I know what is coming.  I often spend time in the evening reading through lessons so that our days go smoother.  Because of that, I don't have much time to be creative and write posts!  

It's also true that as we buckle down deep into lessons and projects that life is a little, well, boring, around here so that doesn't leave a whole lot to blog about on a daily basis.  I'm working on a few ideas for the second half of the month but it just might be more quiet around here for a bit!  The holidays are coming, though, so it usually picks up!  

That's life for now!  School, School, and more school! 

Tonsil Surgery!

 

Nate had his tonsils and adenoids removed on Wednesday.  This is the only photo he let me take and he probably wouldn't be thrilled that I was sharing it but it's the moment.

His surgery went great.  The nurses said he was their star patient and they adored him.  

He's super tough. 

He also gets car sick REALLY bad and couldn't take his medicine today so he was hurling on the way in the morning and hurling on the way home.  He stayed so calm through it all. 

His parents were starving when we left the surgery center and drove to our favorite Mexican place to get tacos for lunch (We didn't stop, we ate the messiest taco's ever while driving down the expressway!) Which might put us on the "worst parents ever" list. 

His pain level is a 10 as I'm writing this despite taking some strong meds but this kid never gripes or complains.  He has some tears but is so tough! 

He gets at least a week off of school even with homeschool - the doctor's actual orders.  

He's doing binge watching of his favorite shows. 

He's allowed to eat anything he wants - but doesn't feel much like eating yet. 

We are praying for no complications and quick healing.  

He actually has two full weeks with no activity to ensure proper healing and then he can finally get back to Tae Kwon Do.  

We are thankful for this time where we having nothing to do so he doesn't have to really "miss" anything. 

I'm thankful for super healthy kids which means this surgery was a first for this guy and, again, he is such a trooper!

My New Fridge (Finally!)

We finally got our new fridge on Saturday!  You don't realize what a blessing a fridge is until you don't have one for like 5 weeks.  Living out of coolers got old but we were very thankful that we had them to get us threw! 

 My old fridge.  We've had this fridge for over 10 years.  My dad helped us buy it so it was kind of sad to see it go.  It has served us well through the years.  I was sad to see the "Every Child is an Artist" sign go on the side of it (that Josh and Nate altered to read "Every Child Farts" HA!)

 Two of the 4 coolers.  I did look forward to getting my kitchen back - it's so much bigger without coolers sitting every where! 

 The truck!  To get the old fridge out, they had to take it apart to get it out the door . . .the new fridge is even bigger HA!  They had to disassemble it in the driveway and carry it in in pieces.  Good thing they know what they are doing! 

 My new fridge!  It's actually the same fridge as the old one, just a newer model AND I finally got the french doors I wanted!  I just love it! 

The inside is huge - just what we need with growing kids! 

I worked for hours on Saturday emptying and cleaning out coolers, stocking the fridge, cleaning up the kitchen from having extra stuff on the counters and making a run to the store to pick some groceries we needed.  It is such a blessing to be able to walk into the kitchen and open the fridge instead of dig through a cooler!!! 

(Ironically, we are going camping in a week and will live out of coolers again HA!) 

Flowers

I am not a gardener.  As a matter of fact,  we have slowly pulled out all the bushes around our house and are working at making most areas mowable grass (even though we don't like mowing either!).  I don't like weeding or working in the yard - it's just not fun.  What I do love are beautiful flowers.  I decided to do a search and post some of my favorites that I would plant if I loved to garden.

 Tulips are my favorite.  If I could have rows and rows of them, I would.  

 I just love the look of this flower.  

 I buy sunflower seed packets every single year and I don't get them planted.  I would also love a wall of sunflowers along my house. 

 This is one of the flowers I actually do have planted and I love them.  They are effortless and come back year after year. 

 Poppies are high on my list.  Such a pretty flower. 

 Purple Alum.  I've always loved these - especially the giant ones.  There is something about HUGE flowers that just make me smile. 

 Glads.  I planted bulbs a few years ago and really enjoyed them.  I should plant more - again, such an easy flower to grow. 

I really dislike bushes but I love decorative grass.  Maybe it's because it reminds me of being by Lake Michigan near the dunes and that is my happy place.  

Five Months Later

Five months ago our state went into lockdown due to Covid-19.  It seems a little surreal thinking back to March.

This was our last photo before things changed.  It's weird thinking back to that Thursday.  There were already a couple of cases in Michigan but they were in Detroit.  We had a family day - both Nate and Darryl had a doctor's appointment with the same ENT so we all went together, all went into the waiting room, and all went into the same exam room.  We joked about the nurse who was sick with a cold (the same symptoms we were checked for and told we couldn't come if we had them!).  From there, we went to lunch at Wolfgang''s - which was full of people.  (Including one guy who was coughing up a lung at the table next to us).  We also drove all around downtown Grand Rapids enjoying all the sights around us.  We got home in time for Darryl and the boys to all take Dash to the vet for his annual check up.  They all went, all went inside, and all went into the exam room.  We had our plans ready for Friday school the next day - the last day of the semester.  It was a very, very, normal day. 

By midnight, everything had changed.  Schools were closed, our Co-op was cancelled, store hours changed, it was just surreal.  If you would have asked me then if I thought we'd still be facing this battle 5 months later, I probably would have told you no.  Like most of us, I thought that by summer the virus would be gone and we'd be good to go but instead, things are just as tough as they were 5 months ago.  I've learned to move through it easier but it is still there. 

* We wear masks into any building and when space is crowded

* We avoid indoor activities or outdoor activities with crowds

* We do not eat at sit down restaurants

* We haven't been back to in person church since March 
* Our Co-Op is cancelled for the fall

There have been TP shortages, Lysol shortages and lack of hand sanitizer.  Shelves at the grocery store have come up empty and gas prices dropped super low at one point.

Sometimes it starts to feel like things won't go back to normal but in studying past pandemics guess what?  Eventually things return to normal.  So for now, we just do the best we can to stay healthy and, well, stay sane :-) 

Happy Anniversary to Us!

It was 19 years ago today that I married my best friend.  We met on-line through a Christian Matchmaker website and the rest was history! 

 Great memories of a great day!  It was everything I every dreamed of. 

 We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and it was just amazing

We added two kids to our family a few years later (This is one of my all time favorite photos!) 

Another favorite from about 6 years ago at a family gathering.  This was just a few days before Darryl's major back surgery

This is us now  . . .well almost a year ago :-)  Another favorite! 

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband.  He brings joy, fun, and wisdom to our home.  I appreciate the way he thinks through things and solves problems and how he makes us ALL laugh . . .a lot!  

How we "cut the cord" on Cable . . .well, not really

For several years we have talked about "cutting the cord" on Cable to save money.  Well, when they recently raised our price . . .again. . . we started doing some serious looking.  A friend of mine shared that they had just done the same thing so she shared their info with us to make it easier.

The first thing we did was go to Suppose.tv.  At this site you can put in your location and your favorite channels.  It will give recommendations on the best streaming services as the best cost.

After finding what we thought we would work, we order a Roku.

We do not have a smart TV which would have eliminated the need for this but, thanks to a great deal on Amazon we were able to pick this up for half price. 

Next, we signed up for a one week free trial of YouTube TV.

We picked YouTube TV because it had almost every channel we wanted with the exception of Hallmark.  We had another steaming service picked that would had Hallmark but were waiting to do that piece.  The Roku and YouTube TV were easy to use and we were very happy with the picture. 

The final piece was contacting our cable company.  Well, they wanted to keep a customer so they increased our internet speed and cut our bill significantly.  The bill is lower then what it would be with the streaming!  Which is where the "well, not really" comes in - we did not switch.  Our price with cable is supposed to be locked in for a few years so for now, we will stick with what we have!  Ironically, we got a notification that YouTube TV was increasing their price by $15.00 a month which would have made it more expensive after the cable company lowered our bill!! 

The only reason I share this is in case you were considering switching you would have a little information to start digging with to find what works for you.  I highly recommend starting with Suppose.TV.

Using the "Nifty Fifty"

For my birthday in April, I was able to get a lens for my camera that is nicknamed "The Nifty Fifty" .  It is a 50 mm lens which is supposed to be one of those "little gems" that is affordable.  It's been on my goal list for two months now to learn how to use it better.  Just before the 4th of July, I did a little reading to try and figure out how to take better photos of fireworks.

One of the tricks of the Nifty Fifty lens is that there is no zoom.  Since the fireworks were going off literally above our heads, it was really hard to get a full shot. 

I was hoping to take a couple of "portraits" of the boys to try a few other things with the lens but, it is hotter than the surface of the sun outside and no one wants to take photos in that kind of grossness HA! 

I hope you have enjoyed one of the most boring posts I've ever written :-) LOL

Are you thinking about Christmas yet?

I know, I know - it's JULY, not Christmas!!  This wasn't even on my mind until my neighbor, who sells jewelry, decided to plan a "Christmas in July" week for her business HA!  The past 4 years, we always enjoyed Christmas in July at the campground.  Santa always came to visit and brought treats, there were crafts to make and a parade.  Granted, if it wasn't for the pool I think we would have all melted HA!  (I just realized, I should have made this weeks school "Christmas in July" . . oh well!)

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year.  I love the lights, decorations, and planning.  We have such great traditions that I work hard on to make sure they all happen.

What are some of your favorite traditions?  Here are some of ours ---

1) I love the programs and concerts -- On normal years, I always have a choir concert (this year our choir season was cancelled) and the kids have the Christmas Program.  I've always wanted to add something else - a play, a concert -- but it has never quite fit into the plans.

2) Our "Grinch" calendar - This is our Christmas Countdown calendar that starts on December 1st.  Each day we read the card with part of the story on it.  It has gotten better through the years because the boys now read the story.  It does get harder though because the boys are quite as thrilled with little trinkets so I have to get creative with their daily gift.  (Money is always a favorite HA!)

3) The Christmas Tree -  We have a great place we go to cut down out tree which is still a fun tradition.  Plus decorating it is always fun as we watch "Home Alone" at the same time.

4) Christmas Lights - Driving around and looking at lights is fun too.  There are some really great decorations out there!

5) Christmas Eve Service - I feel like this service kind of grounds us into what the true meaning of this Holiday is so I make this a priority.

Of course, the culmination of it all is Christmas Day.

Yes, I have already started to plan for this Christmas.  I have Christmas wish lists started on Amazon for each of the boys.  They are already giving me some ideas as well.

So, to all of you --- MERRY Christmas (in July!)

How we ZOOOOOM!

Did anyone even know about zoom before the lock down?  I had never heard of it that's for sure!

For a few years my oldest brother has tried to get my other brothers and I to connect in various ways - phone calls, video chats, face time, etc.  I know that I would always say, "Sure!" and then never make the time.  Well, guess what, when we are all locked in our houses with nothing to do, it's easy to all make time!

Zoom is great because you can see the people you are talking too and everyone can interact.  We can also do it from anywhere.  One week my little family took off to the lake shore so I zoomed from the car and shared the beach with my brothers and mom.

Guess what else it did?  It helped us discover that we enjoy meeting together once a week and now, always make time to do it.  I think (and hope) we are planning to continue to do these meetings even as things open up. One of the advantages to zoom for us is that we use the "free" version which means it cuts us off after 40 minutes so we know going in that it won't linger on for hours!

That was just one way we took advantage of Zoom.   Josh and Nate had Sunday School via Zoom and it was great.  Their teacher went above and beyond with games, quizzes, and fun activities all through Zoom.  It was such a neat way for the boys to connect with a few friends from church.

I've said it before, even though there were things we were sad to miss over the last few months, the slower pace and even the "stay home/stay safe" concept has been really nice.

Haircuts! (Finally!)

Just like everyone else in the country, we were desperate for the hair salons to open!  Well, 2 of the 4 of us were - the boys!  Thankfully our hair stylist stayed in contact with us all the way along so we didn't have to wait to get a trim!

Here are the before photos:

 Josh's hair was very long HA! 

 Because of the style, Nate's wasn't quite as noticeable . . . .

 Until you look at the shaved side and see how long it is! 

 and the back which touched his collar! 

And the after!!

 Nate - so much cleaner!  :-) 

 Josh can see again and doesn't need a head band :-) 

No, I didn't take pictures of me - I just needed a slight trim; nothing big.  :-)