Homeschooling Discernment Series: Words of encouragement

It's been a while since I posted about homeschooling here (though I have some GREAT new ideas and thoughts thanks to visiting with a local homeschool family recently), but I wanted to post some encouraging words I received from one of my dearest friends. She and I worked together at a Girl Scout camp for a few years after high school and she was one of my bridesmaids-- and I was her Confirmation sponsor when she became Catholic!

She sent me an e-mail (confessing her lack of commenting-- for shame!) that gave me a lot of encouragement about thinking of homeschooling just one day and year at a time.

Okay, so I read your blog all the time and LOVE it, but am way to shy to comment it on it (I know, what kind of friend am I?).  So, I just had to give you my two cents from a working mom on homeschooling.  Hands down I think you should do it.  If for no other reason then because if you don't you will always wonder.  While you're working, you'll wish you were home with your kids (partly grass is greener syndrome).  Anytime something "bad" happened in school you will think to yourself "If only I homeschooled..."  and you will always wonder if you made the right decision. HOWEVER, if you homeschool and you love it and it's wonderful then great!  You made the right decision.  If you homeschool and it doesn't work out, no harm done, at least you know.  But take it from me, the thought will always be in the back of your mind and you'll always wonder "what if..."

Also, you are spot on.  The decision is not permanent.  I know a parent who homeschooled her kids until one son was in third grade and then enrolled him in public school when he was having trouble with his reading.  I also know another family (who has 8 kids) and the mom switches back and forth between homeschooling and public school and all of the kids are very well adjusted! They're all great kids!

So, not that you asked for it, but I just had to tell you I think you should go for it!

Thanks, friend! Such great advice and thoughts... I love you!

Petunia Pickle Bottom Outlet Sale TODAY (diaper bags)

I've mentioned it several times on this blog, but I LOVE my Petunia Pickle Bottom clutch. And shoulder bag. And backpack (but not as much as the other two).

 My clutch-- it's gorgeous! Literally, not a week goes by that someone doesn't compliment me on my "purse." I call it my Mary Poppins bag, because you wouldn't believe what I can fit in here... a disposable diaper or two, extra pair of panties for C, wipes, wallet, iPhone, small camera, sunglasses case, snack for the kids, pacifier, spoon and fork for the kids, baby elephant... ok, not that. But maybe a toy baby elephant would fit. The clutch is surprisingly roomy.

But I digress.

Petunia Pickle Bottom's Outlet store is having a sale starting TODAY. And these bags sell like hotcakes--they're 30-60% off! The sale starts at 9 am, PST. These bags, especially the clutches, make WONDERFUL shower gifts/Christmas gifts/birthday gifts! I've given two of them to friends and they have both said that they love them. I'm totally pushing the clutches because you can use them as a purse when there's no baby in sight, and you don't look weird carrying a diaper bag as a purse.

Not that I was above that before I got my PPB clutch.

Montreal summer 2009, pregnant and sleepy, with the clutch

Get a GLAZED bag, no matter what kind, as your first buy. They wipe off easily and you can feel safe if your child tries to eat your bag (not that my kids ever did/do this...), because it's so easy to keep sanitary.

I love my shoulder bag second only to the clutch. It's nice and roomy and has great organization-potential inside. I like the backpack's use as a backpack, but don't think it's nearly as mommy-friendly as the shoulder bag-- it doesn't have as much room or as many outer storage options and is more difficult to access when it's used as a shoulder bag. It does attach nicely to strollers, though. The shoulder bag works best when slung across your chest, in my opinion. It also can hang on strollers pretty well, if you loop it around both handles.

 Montreal summer 2009, pregnant and not sleepy, with the shoulder bag

Good luck shopping! Let me know if you buy something, or which one(s) you like!

PS: For the record, the #1 reason I know that these bags make great gifts is because ALL THREE of mine were gifts from my amazing parents. I had been feeling super-frumpy and depressed after carrying around the black hospital bag for a year, with its torn-out bottom and random holes in the liner. I just couldn't find a bag I liked or thought was organized enough to hold the baby things, and refused to spend any money on a diaper bag unless I loved it.

Handy Tip Tuesday, 2nd Edition- How to hydrate

I've gotten terribly lax in the hydration-department lately. This is especially bad since I'm still nursing my son (almost 1 year now!). I've noticed a general feeling of lethargy in my day-to-day activities; likewise, I'm finding that allergies are affecting me more and a bad allergy spell has turned into a sinus infection a few times in the past couple of months. With two children, I have to be able to keep up. I don't like dragging through the day, and I don't like the toll it take on my appearance. Shallow, perhaps, but true. I'm in my early 30's, not early 60's (but you look great, Mom!).

So, I turned over a new leaf last week!

Every night I fill a 2-quart pitcher with water and put it in the refrigerator. The next day, I drink all of my water from that pitcher and try not only to finish it, but to have at least two more glasses of water. Nursing moms are advised to drink 13 cups a day, so this helps me to hit that goal. And for the record-- pregnant women should be drinking 10 cups a day. So, drink up, Diana, Joanna, Diem, and Christy! And all of my pregnant blogger friends, of course!

Pregnant women: Do NOT read this

If you are pregnant, there are several things you should not do.

1) Compete in barrel racing events

2) Try-out for the Olympic Volleyball team (or most events outside of curling)

3) Read this post

If you're pregnant and still reading... well, I tried to warn you.

This is possibly the easiest, most delicious, most addictive snack EVER.

I know, because when I was pregnant with H and C was napping, I made it. More than once. As in, sometimes more than once a day.

Or more than once an hour. But let's not go there now. My hips are getting embarrassed. 

If your pregnancy cravings include sweet things, WATCH OUT. And if they also include McDonalds, quit carrying extra cash in your purse. It's the only thing that will save you.

Lisa's Easy S'mores

- 2 Graham Crackers
- about 10 mini marshmallows
- about 10 chocolate chips (Ghiradelli is delightful here-- nice and oozy)


Lay the graham crackers flat-side up. Put marshmallows on one cracker and chocolate chips on the other. Microwave on High 20-25 seconds. 

You do NOT want to burn the chocolate... big rookie mistake. Not that I would know this from experience. Naturally.

Flip the crackers together and squish them. Break in half and share if you're being nice, or eat the whole thing if you're being me.

This is likely the easiest snack you can make for a man who's hunting around the kitchen looking for something sweet, after he's been sweating outside all day building you a fence. And a gate. And another fence for the porch. And rock-lined granite paths.

Hmm... maybe he should have gotten something sweeter in the kitchen than a s'more for all that work...

I seriously hope my mom is no longer reading this blog.

Homeschooling discernment series: Guest post numero dos

Side note: For some insane/inane reason, my blog is still not updating in anyone's feed in a timely fashion. My kitchen blog does fine in this area, as does my private blog when I take it public to test it.
 

The best solution I have found for this problem is: If you have me listed in your blog roll, or if you follow some other way and have to enter my blog address, add this one-- http://cheerfullychaotic.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
 

For some reason this makes my new posts appear instantly. I don't understand the problem but know that this is at least a temporary solution.Thank you to all of the technie nerds geniuses who have e-mailed and tried to help me with this.

Now... on to the real reason you're reading this post...

Yesterday I wrote an introduction to Lisa, from The Little House that Grew, and explained what drew me to her blog and led me to shamelessly beg nicely ask her to write a guest post here. 

And now, without further ado... here is the first part of Lisa's guest post (including her preface from yesterday)! 

I happen to be a freshman when it comes to home schooling. In other words, I am still wet behind the ears working my way through this choice. In some ways that is an advantage when talking with young moms who are discerning home schooling. I was just there. I was them, and in some ways I still am them. Even after 5 years of home schooling I have doubts, worries and regret.

Let me just state, before we go any further, I am a homeschooler….not an ANTI-SCHOOLER. And there is a difference in my opinion. I don’t think my children will become corrupt if they associate with or enter a “school.” I don‘t hate school. I wish it were that simple. But just like with all families…there is more to the story than that.

Mine started when I was in Alaska, a young mom to 2 little girls, and I met 2 Catholic home schooling moms. Upon meeting their families I was impressed. I just liked what I saw. The kids were kind. They were respectful. They spoke while looking at you. They prayed with their parents at supper. They read…for FUN!!

But this is not what you want to hear. If you are considering home schooling than you too have met families like this. You too are intrigued by what you see in these families.

I started asking them questions. A lot of questions. How do you do this? How do you do that? And more importantly …WHY?…that was my biggest question. And from there I began to develop my own how’s and why’s. But as time has gone on, I have found that my why’s have changed, and so have I. And the biggest problem I have in explaining my reasons for home schooling is there are so many different connected, yet unrelated reasons why I started, why I still do it, and why I plan to continue. 

Mine is just one story, my story, and nobody but me and God will ever know the whole thing. But let me tell you the first part.

All Things Start From Faith:

But first, some background…

I am what you would call a revert. I was born and raised Catholic, but never developed a faith of my own. After getting married and having children I still was pretty “faithless.” I had a desire to know God but I never really knew how or where to meet Him. I knew how to go through the motions of being Catholic, but never was one at heart. And that story began changing after I met the above-mentioned moms. These two women were strong practicing Catholic wives and home schooling mothers. They wove their love for the Lord into their every moment, seamlessly. I was touched. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to love God with my daily actions. During this time I could not learn enough. I was inhaling books on the faith and praying like crazy. I was feeling God’s love in every area of my life. I started buying all sorts of kids Catholic stuff. Reading to the girls, teaching them the basics of our faith. All the while I was learning right alone side them. I loved it.

My girls were very young so home schooling was just a twinkle in the future. But I felt my heart being pulled that way. I could not help but think, “I could learn along side them.” And the idea of that was intriguing. Sure I had all the same thoughts you have, is this OK for them? Are they going to hate me for missing Prom? What will everyone think of me? Will my kids be weird? Do I have to start wearing jean jumpers ? You know, all those very rational things that rush through your head when you realize that God may be asking you to do something He wants of you.

Meanwhile, my 4 year old daughter was (is) a high maintenance kid (her fault or mine???). She is not the affectionate type. I was having a hard time relating with her. I loved her and wanted to show my love to her but we were just “at” each other. I was reading all sorts of parenting books and trying some of the techniques but I was also very pregnant again right after delivering a baby at 20 weeks, and keeping up with my other 2 year old little girl. So needless to say things were a bit rocky between us.

During this time my friend happen to give me the book Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She told me that was how she taught all 4 of her kids to read and she loved it. I gladly accepted the book and immediately liked the Direct Instruction approach. I had worked with Direct Instruction in a private school I worked at in California. Direct Instruction is a script format that the teacher and the student follow. I saw the success this type of instruction had on those students and thought I would give it a shot. And why not, 20 minutes a day was doable. I was not officially home schooling, just preparing my oldest for kindergarten.

Over the next few weeks I informally began using the book. I would pull Emily’s chair really close to mine. I would tickle her back, play with her hair and just be close to her. We would spend about 15 minutes a day doing this. I would always encourage her progress and celebrate her successes. After a while I noticed she wanted to do more and more. Not that she loved doing the lessons, but she loved being with me. She did not want our time to end. I was noticing a difference in her altogether. She was more lovable, more affectionate. Could this all be because of that 15 minutes a day I was spending with her doing “school”? It was! She and I became different people from that moment forward. I saw the power I had in this relationship and how it could be used for the good of both of us. I became a more aware, present mom once I realized the impact all my interactions with her had.

My heart was really feeling pulled to home schooling. And I thought that was what God wanted. But I began to wonder after I had my 3rd baby and 3 months later got pregnant again with #4. How in the world could I do this? And were my reasons for wanting to home school strong enough? Was it enough to just want to learn and live your Faith with your kids? Couldn’t I do that while they were home after a day at school? I prayed and prayed…and wound up enrolling Emily in Catholic School in Alabama which is where we were moving 3 weeks before school started and 6 weeks after my 4th child was born. I was convinced that was what God wanted…or was it?

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen-- the first post from Lisa at The Little House that Grew!

Homeschooling guest post TOMORROW!

I am very excited to have a homeschooling guest post tomorrow from a wonderful Catholic blogger whom I recently found, Lisa, from The Little House that Grew. I e-mailed and asked her if she'd be interested in doing a guest post here... and if she would like to move to Texas and live next-door so we could drink coffee together every morning and talk about our school plans.

I'm not kidding-- I figured it was worth a shot. She hasn't said no to that thus far, so I'm not writing it off just yet.

I knew that I would love Lisa when I came across THIS post. It's the same pie I made last Thanksgiving at the ranch! Granted, I modified it into a gluten-free recipe for my MIL, but it was amazing either way. I even had to call my mom for the exact recipe, since I'd left my Southern Living at home. My theory about Lisa was that anyone who 1) makes Pioneer Woman recipes as much as I do, 2) loves reading Clover Lane, 3) bakes Southern Living pies with blogging friends, 4) and uses a D-90 Nikon to takes photos is my kind of gal. Plus, it makes me laugh when people have the same name as me. I think it looks funny to type, "Dear Lisa" and then sign it with "Lisa."

Lisa e-mailed me back almost immediately and was sweet enough to say that, YES, she could do a post for me! I sent her a zillion questions, and she got to work writing about how she and her husband decided that homeschooling is for them now.

Here's the intro to Lisa's homeschooling story:

I happen to be a freshman when it comes to home schooling. In other words, I am still wet behind the ears working my way through this choice. In some ways that is an advantage when talking with young moms who are discerning home schooling. I was just there. I was them, .and in some ways I still am them. Even after 5 years of home schooling I have doubts, worries and regret.

Let me just state, before we go any further, I am a homeschooler….not an ANTI-SCHOOLER. And there is a difference in my opinion. I don’t think my children will become corrupt if they associate with or enter a “school.” I don‘t hate school. I wish it were that simple. But just like with all families… there is more to the story than that.

Mine started when I was in Alaska, a young mom to 2 little girls, and I met 2 Catholic home schooling moms. Upon meeting their families I was impressed. I just liked what I saw. The kids were kind. They were respectful. They spoke while looking at you. They prayed with their parents at supper. They read… for FUN!!

But this is not what you want to hear. If you are considering home schooling than you too have met families like this. You too are intrigued by what you see in these families. 

I started asking them questions. A lot of questions. How do you do this? How do you do that? And more importantly …WHY?…that was my biggest question. And from there I began to develop my own how’s and why’s. But as time has gone on, I have found that my why’s have changed, and so have I. And the biggest problem I have in explaining my reasons for home schooling is there are so many different connected, yet unrelated reasons why I started, why I still do it, and why I plan to continue. Mine is just one story, my story, and nobody but me and God will ever know the whole thing.  But let me tell you the first part...

You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the first part! (Or you can check it out on her blog... but come back tomorrow, anyway)  

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to "follow" Lisa's blog... and my own. :-)

You'll (hopefully!) be hearing more from Lisa in future guest posts about the homeschooling curriculum she uses, and how she manages to do this with little ones around!

Thanks, Lisa!

Handy Tip Tuesday, 1st Edition- Gift bags

This may or may not become a weekly/series, but I needed a title for this handy little tip, and this sounded like a good idea!

Help! I have WAY too many gift bags after bridal showers/my wedding/babies/holidays. What can I do to get it under control, short of throwing them all out or stuffing them into my closet?

Handy tip that worked for me:

I separated all of my gift bags into themes (Christmas, baby shower, wedding, bridal shower, children's gifts, bags for males, bags for females, wine bags, etc) and had a separate pile for each. I only had a few bags that were perfect for guys, so I put those back in the closet. I added a few absolute favorites from the other themes to the closet pile, then got to work with the remaining bags...

I went through each stack and made 3 piles: one for my mother-in-law, one for my mom, and one for me.

One Christmas bag for my MIL, one for Mom, one for me.
One Christmas bag for my MIL, one for Mom, one for me. 
One Christmas bag...

One baby shower bag for my MIL, one for Mom, one for me.
One baby shower bag...

You get the picture.

I had already called them up in advance to find out if they needed any specific types, or if there were any types they did not need. For instance, my MIL often gives wine as a gift, so she and I split the wine gift bags, whereas Mom had a few wedding showers coming up, so I gave her extras.

It worked out great! We all have plenty of bags for future gifts (and I know that we'll be getting some of them back for kids' birthdays and the holidays), and my closet is no longer bursting at the seams.

If you just had a baby, find someone who just got married and swap out bags. Or, with the holidays coming up, swap partially-used wrapping paper rolls so that every fifth gift doesn't look exactly the same.

There you go-- the first edition of Handy Tips Tuesday!

Sacred mysteries, toddler-style

 Fra Angelico, The Annunciation

Discussing with a two-year-old how an angel appeared to Mary, to announce that she would bear a child:

Me: An angel came to the Virgin Mary and told her that she would be the Mother of Jesus and that...

C, interrupting: No, no, Mommy. She's going to be the Mother of God, not Jesus. (someone's been paying attention during the Hail Mary!)

Me: Well, honey, God and Jesus are the same. You're right-- she's the Mother of God and the Mother of Jesus.

C: And the Holy Spirit, Mommy.

Me, getting confused theologically: Well... I guess then she is also the Mother of the Holy Spirit. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all part of the Trinity.

C: Ooh. Trinity. Trinity. Trin-i-teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I like the Trinity, Mommy.

Me: Me, too, C, me too.

C: The Trinity is Dog and Pig and Ant and...

Me: Hold on, turn off Word World and come over here again...

Time to meet your Maker

For the past two weeks, a horrific creature has been stalking my son at night, leaving behind itchy red evidence of his presence, but hiding when I would go hunting for him.

Today, however, I cracked the case and found that dang bloodsucker.

I trapped him in the closet and smashed him into the wall, laughing maniacally. Should the police happen to come investigate my home anytime soon, I will need all of you kind readers to vouch for me that it was a mosquito, not mass murder. Given the amount of my poor son's blood that he'd been devouring, I'm pretty sure the mosquito could have been used to transfuse at least one unit of blood.

I may be pro-life, but that mosquito deserved to die. :-)

10 things about me... late as usual

1. I procrastinate. Proof: this post. Lauren tagged me weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to doing this. Oops.

2. I technically think this is "10 Surprising Things about Me," but here's the thing: given that only about 5-10 people that I know in real life read this blog, anything else I mention will be surprising to everyone else. So... surprise! And I like surprises, so long as I have on mascara.

3. I was surprised when my now-husband proposed to me. I knew he had a ring and was planning to do it at some point in the not-so-distant future, but it totally caught me off-guard. As in, I was upset with him at first when he got down on one knee. We were in a prayer garden after Mass, praying (so I thought) for Mary's intercession for a very sick friend of a friend (who was with us at that moment, about 5 feet away). I was using my prayers to storm the gates of Heaven when M got down on one knee and started talking. With my eyes still closed, I kept shushing him and telling him to pray! Finally I opened my eyes, saw him in front of me, and told him that it was mean to joke like that, especially when a sick person so desperately needed our prayers. :-)

4. I can never decide whether or not my smiley emoticons should have noses or not. Sometimes they just look so incomplete without them.  :)  So then I go back and add them.  :-)  And then I think their faces look too long on my screen. So I scrap them all together and add ellipses... or an exclamation mark!

5. I write blog posts and poems and songs and stories and movies in my head ALL. THE. TIME. 99.9% of them never see the light of day... or the glow of the monitor. Since I censor what I write about my family, and my husband would freak out if I wrote about a multitude of subjects (use your imagination and then add things that you don't think are personal at all... he would think they are), I sometimes wish that I had a completely anonymous blog. So, if someday there is an unknown blogger out there who really likes ellipses and writes about all sorts of things that I don't, it's likely me. Or even more likely someone else. But still... it might be me.

6. I have ridiculously complicated pregnancy issues. Here is what my perinatalogist told me: to have one of the complications I have is something "regular Ob's" see once a year. To have two of the complications is something they see once every 5 years. To have the three complications is something they see once in a career. This means that I have "made" the careers of 2 Ob's. And you know what? They didn't even send me a thank-you card.

7. I think this may need its own post, but I don't agree with the idea that "you should never regret anything, because each decision shaped you and made you who you are today." I have a few major regrets that would have made my life better, no doubt, and only helped others in my life. Taking two extra summer courses in grad school in order NOT to have to write a thesis while raising children and living hours away from my University? That should have been a no-brainer. Why didn't anyone, particularly me, think of that solution??? And seriously... no procrastinator needs to do a thesis when completely removed from an academic setting. It's just wrong. Morally wrong, probably.

8. Stories about children getting sick or dying keep me up at night. When we first brought C home from the hospital, I read the pamphlet on SIDS and didn't sleep (literally) for 3 days or nights. I had her on a Tuesday, so from 6 or 7 am when I woke up on Tuesday until late Saturday night, I slept a grand TOTAL of 6 hours. I couldn't get comfortable in the hospital bed and then when she was sleeping in my room at night I was afraid something would happen, so I laid there and stared at her. When she was home with us, I jumped up every 5 minutes if she made a sound, and every 5 minutes if she didn't make a sound.

9. I think my husband is ridiculously hot. So do other women. I like that.  :)  (see... that smile looks like it's missing something). Nothing in my life on earth is as certain as my husband's love and affection. I am totally aware how lucky I am, too.

10. I need to lose at least 20 pounds. I'm putting that out there so that SOMEONE will keep me honest on this. It starts NOW... 10 am on October 4, 2010. Anyone else want to do the C25K plan with me, albeit long distance??? I'm already thinking babies again, so I need to get my body in shape to house another one, once it's even possible. And, I'll post once I lose 5... 10... 15... and finally 20 prednisone/pregnancy/dessert-induced pounds.