A New Blog

I have started a new blog as I am in the process of moving my email over to a new account. I am still working on the design of the blog and adding everyone's blog to my blog list. Here is the  new blog.

Farewell

We went back to our home town this weekend to visit with family before our move. I was flooded by memories during our drive and our time there. When it was time to say our goodbye's I was saddened to see everyones tears. I also had tears realizing that it may be sometime before we see our family again. But as we pulled onto the interstate I had a sense of calm knowing that we are doing the right thing. We are uncertain of many things that lay ahead of us but one thing holds true if we put our trust in God he will provide. We may not know how but everything will work out as long as we place God first and have each other. Lord have mercy!

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Less Than Two Weeks

Outside my window... the calmness of a new morning.

Moving progress ... we have gone through and condensed some of our belongings. We had two garage sales and donated any remaining items. My brother will be up today to pick up some furniture that he will be using.  He will be taking the washer and dryer so I am trying to do as much laundry as I can. I have two loads I would like to get done before he arrives.

Monthly Goal Progress...
1. Packing - This is still an ongoing project. I am working on finishing the girls closet.
2. Yard Sale
3. Homeschool Plans - I have plans written out for the next six weeks. I used this form from Donna Young. I tend to gravitate to lists so this worked out nicely. Now I am working on printing any additional items we will be using. We plan on using a folder for our weekly assignments. Pic Pic will then choose which assignments she wants to work on as long as she finishes them by the end of the week.
4. Finish school registration - I am just about done with this. I am waiting for the school to update my account before I can complete the check in.

I am reading ... The Royal Way of the Cross of our Lord Leading to Eternal Light. I finished Organized Simplicity last week. I also picked up Pride and Prejudice. I have had it for a while now and have always been intimated by the language but I thought I would give it a try.

I am grateful for ... date night. Hubby and I had our last date here in Arizona. We hadn't had a date for some time. It was nice to be able to enjoy dinner and have a conversation without interruptions.

Learning Plans ... I finished up six weeks worth of lesson plans. I am working on printing any additional work. We purchased a couple of work books for the girls for our drive cross country and I am working on lapbooks for them as well. Dan Dan will be getting a Thomas the Tank Engine lapbook and Pic Pic's will be The Wizard of Oz.

I am working on ... lapbooks and lesson plans.

I am pondering ... not much now. Just trying to focus on accomplishing as many tasks as possible during the day.


I am looking forward to ... the long drive ahead. It will be nice to stop and get some pictures of the family along the way.

Plans for the rest of the week...I have been trying to get all my dental work done before we leave. I have an appointment to get some cavities filled this week. My brother will be down today to pick up some furniture. We will be going to our hometown to say good bye to our family there this weekend.

Items to share ...

Arizona Dust Storm

What we saw after the storm.

Weekly Moving Journal

I thought I would create a weekly moving journal to share the happenings in our household as I won't have much time to blog in the next couple months.

Outside my window... sunny and humid (for Arizona standards).

Moving progress ... after Mat. Anna's suggestion we made reservations with Movex to help with our move. The load date is August 30th. We will be heading out on August 31st after Liturgy. Hubby is off this week so we are working on packing and gathering items for a garage sale. We have started to map out our driving plans and are working on finding hotels to accommodate our two dogs. I hope to share our driving plans with you for any suggestions on pit stops we might make along the way.

Monthly mission progress ... We are making way on our packing but our house is in total chaos. I anticipate this is how it will be for the next couple months. We plan on having a garage sale this weekend to help condense some of items. As far as homeschool plans I have been contemplating this area and will share below.

I'm reading ... I am still working on the English Assassin. I realized my earlier plans of going through 13 books was a little ambitious. We will just take one book at a time and see what I can get read.

I'm grateful for ... a husband who has the week off.

Learning plans ... hubby and I had discussed various options regarding the schooling of our children ranging from private school, online school, a boxed curriculum, and full blown homeschooling. I have read about all the various homeschool methods and as much as I admire Charlotte Mason, the classical method, and all those mothers out there who are able to homeschool children in various stages I am not sure I am capable of all this. We have a full plate for the next couple years, in addition to the care of our children, hubby, my masters degree, hubby being in seminary, the care of our home, and I will also be seeking a part time work from home job to help with finances. We have looked and are actually registered for an online school here in AZ. With this school there would be no financial burdens and we can actually transfer to an online school in PA. I am wavering now between a virtual school and a piece by piece curriculum. I already have all the items I need for this year's curriculum but I am unsure which direction to take. I have been having many ah-ha moments and I have come to the realization that as much as I admire different families homeschool, homemaking, etc. styles I have to do what works best for our family. If any one has experience with this virtual or online schools I would greatly appreciate your advice.

I am working on ..... travel packs. I am trying to come up with some games and lapbooks to do on our trip. If any one has any suggestions on what to do with young kids in the car that would be great.

I am pondering ... as of this moment. Homeschooling and which direction we should take.

I am looking forward to ... being settled in our new home.

Plans for the rest of the week ... continue packing, having a garage sale and enjoying this extra time with hubby.

Items to share... hubby's new blog.

Hubby's new blog

I thought I would share hubby's new blog.

http://stots-journal.blogspot.com/

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Recycling Homeschool Resources

I have noticed on some homeschool blogs I read that tear out worksheets and place them and page protectors so they can be reused. Does anyone have any experience with this? How well does it work?

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July Monthly Missions

I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted in June. Our upcoming move altered my plans. On my June list were:

1. Potty Training Dan Dan (I have not made any progress. She asking more to sit on the toilet but has not actually gone. I don't plan on pushing this too much until after we have made our move.)

2. Wean Ice Man from breastfeeding (He has not nursed see the wee hours on Monday morning. He seems to be doing well and surprisingly has not been very fussy about it. My body is still trying to adjust. Its been more than three years since my body hasn't been pregnant or nursing.)

3. Read Bob Books each day with Pic Pic (We started off the month well until my cousin was here for two weeks visiting.)

4. Go through and condense the family's clothes. (I have started this and will continue throughout this month.)

For July my concentration is on our move and homeschool plans. I purchased and received the remaining homeschool items I needed to start the year off. Now I am able to finish planning. I will also be going back to school to work on my masters. I hope to be able to teach in an online capacity once I have completed my schooling.

1. Pack, Pack, Pack
2. Yard Sale
3. Create homeschool plans for the first six weeks
4. Finish school registration

 

July 2011 Bookshelf

I started making some head way on the June Bookshelf until I went to the library and checked out a ton of books. I was then thrown for a loop when we were notified that hubby was accepted into St. Tikhon's seminary. I have since returned most of the books. My main goals this month are to get through the fiction books I had sitting on our bookshelf that I have not read. I have an addiction to books I can't go into the store and not go to the book section whether it be a grocery store, drug store, etc. Anytime I see a book that sounds interesting I have a hard time putting it down. I end up with books in my shopping cart when I have plenty of books at home to read including books from the library. I have about 10 books that I want to try and get through so that we don't have to take them on the move with us. Here is what I accomplished on the June bookshelf:

The Law of God
The Royal Way of the Cross of our Lord Leading to Eternal Light
The Purple Mantle
So You're Thinking About Homeschooling
The Read Aloud Handbook (Not completed; returned to library)
Organized Simplicity
The Kill Artist
The Brothers Karamazov

The book I am focusing on right now is from the library The English Assassin. If you haven't noticed my favorite books to read are mystery. Daniel Silva is an author I recently discovered and have been trying to make my way through his books. My main goal for this month is to see how many of my fiction books I can read. There are currently 13 books I want to make my way through.

Moving Update

We have found the house we will be renting. It all still seems a bit surreal that this is actually happening. Hubby and I have discussed going to seminary for over three years, and now its actually happening. It's amazing and nerve wrecking at the same time. It's mainly nerve wrecking for the financial concerns but we are placing our trust in God that he will help see us through. Back to the house, we were able to see pictures online and showed them to the girls. They are very excited about it. Pic Pic understands the move and had been sad about leaving our house but between telling her she will see snow (the only time was around snow was when she was a couple months old) and seeing the new house she has perked up about the move. When she spots me going through closets she is very willing to help pack for the move.

We mapped out a tentative driving plan. Our plan is to make it in five days. We aren't going the most direct route as we plan to stop in Colorado to visit some family. We would like to drive about 500 miles a day. As of now it will only be hubby and I driving. Hubby will be driving the moving truck and I will be driving the van. We will have a full load in the van with three kids, two dogs, and my mother.

We looked at hiring a moving company mainly to drive our stuff. We were so suprized to see how expensive it is. The cheapest we found would be able double of what we anticipate spending on the truck rental and gas. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced moving company?

My Mom's plan is to help us move and get settled. She plans on spending about 6 months with us and 6 months in AZ with my brother. She does not look forward to the snow so she will be a winter visitor to AZ.

We have lots to do in the next month to prepare for our move. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this new journey.

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A Better Day

Today was a much better day. The pain is starting to subside from weaning. I am still engorged and mostly tender. Glory to God it seems like the worst of it may be over.

It's amazing how untidy a house can get when you let one day go by. I picked up the house this morning and was able to lay down for a while when the kids were resting. I haven't had much time to start packing yet.

Tommorrow I am going to try and finish out the weekly chores. We plan on having a garage sale this weekend. I am going to try and go through the kids clothes and toys. I am not sure if I can get through it in one day but I sure will try.

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An unproductive day

It's been a rough day. Weaning Ice Man is much more painful than I anticipated. He is doing well with the adjustment. The pain of weaning along with the combination of the heat has been pretty exhausting. I also woke up with a stye on my lower eye lid.

Hopefully tommorrow will be more productive.

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A Hot Day

Today wasn't as progressive as I would have liked it to be. I couldn't fall back asleep after Ice Man woke up this morning at 3:15. I decided to get some reading done while the house was quite. Once hubby woke I started my morning routine.

I wanted to get an early start on my errands as the high was supposed to get up to 114. And boy did it get hot. I was able to get all my errands done and two loads of laundry. I ran out of steam before I could get to the weekly routine.

Ice Man and I are making progress on weaning him. The last time he nursed was at 3:15 am. I am rather uncomfortable and am praying to be able to be productive the next couple days.

Tommorrow's plan is to work on our weekly routine, wash our sheets, and possibly start packing (simplifying our stuff as well). I started making a moving to do list. I would like to mark off a couple things from this list.

But before I head of to bed I must get my evening routine done.

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Hacked Email

About three weeks ago my email account was hacked. I have since created a new email account but haven't moved anything over. I am hesitant to do this since I have so much linked to it. Has any one had this happen? What are your recommendations?

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Progress

I was able to accomplish quite a bit today. Two loads of laundry are completely done, including folding and put away. The third load is in the dryer. The house is somewhat tidy. A defiant big improvement from this morning. I should have taken pictures but it would have been too embarrassing.

Tommorrows plan is to continue getting caught up with laundry. I usually try and wash sheets on Monday. I also have a load of Ice Man's clothes and towels. I have a long list of errands to do as well. My goal is to get about half the errands done before it gets to hot.

1. Return library books.
2. Refill ink cartridge at office supply store
3. Pick up candles at drug store.
4. Shopping at 99 cent store
5. Regular Grocery Shopping

I try and shop at the 99 cent store before going grocery shopping. They have quite a few things we eat on a regular basis.

And if I still have energy left I will start on the weekly routine.

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Moving Routines

While in the process of moving I plan on keeping easy routines. I am going to try an stick with the Flylady routines.

Morning:
1. Prayers
2. Get Dressed
3. Make Beds
4. Swish & Swipe
5. Load of Laundry
6. Empty Dishwasher

Evening:
1. Tidy Kitchen
2. Layout Clothes
3. Launch pad
4. Check Calendar/To do list
5. Bath/Showers

Weekly:
1. Vacuum
2. Dust
3. Mop
4. Wipe Down Glass & Mirrors
5. Change Sheets
6. Empty all trash
7. Clean Fridge
8. Menu planning
9. Balance Checkbook
10. Pay Bills

As it stands, our house is a mess. Today my plan is to pick it up as much as possible and to come up with a moving to do list.

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Struggling

Being the only Orthodox in our family, they do not understand our decision to attend seminary. At times like this I miss my sister tremendously. She was always supportive of any decision we made. She would have been so proud of hubby.

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Changes

It looks like we will be moving within the next couple months. We are headed to seminary in Pa. We are excited and nervous about the change. Neither one of has lived in the snow and we are moving blindly. Not having been to the area we are moving to. We are in major condense move as we are more than likely going to live in a smaller space. I will try to keep posting on our progress.

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Teacher

Whenever we are doing school work Pic Pic refers to me as teacher. Now Dan Dan refers to me as teacher all the time. She sees me in pictures and she states that its teacher. If we ask who her mommy is she says teacher. She is just too cute.

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Update and Weekly Summary!

My mom is doing much better. The prognosis is normal wear and tear due to age. She left this week to visit my brother for a week then will be back for a week then will leave for another week to visit her siblings in Colorado.

We have had a round of illness in our house. It first started with Dan Dan having a stomach bug then it moved on to Pic Pic. Now Ice Man has a cold. Sometimes I don't know which I prefer having the kids all sick at once or one at a time.

I have been trying to stick to simple routines. I get very discouraged and distracted when the house is a mess. Instead of doing what I normally do, try to go on a mass cleaning spree leading to the master bathroom looking somewhat clean and the rest of the house a mess, I am trying to stick with Flylady's morning and evening routine. I have also been trying to take the kids to the subdivision park in the mornings before it gets to hot. Another thing I have been doing is trying to get the two little ones to nap at the same time and having Pic Pic rest at that time as well. It's so refreshing to have that time to myself. I try and spend 15 minutes cleaning and then 15 minutes resting.

I am still working on our homeschool plans. I have some written out plans that just need to be typed. I have been trying to earn swagbucks to trade in for amazon gift cards to purchase the remaining curriculum items we need. After looking at samples of handwriting without tears and a reason for handwriting I decided to go with a reason for handwriting. I think Pic
Pic will do better with it.

My email was hacked this week. I apologize if any of you got spam emails from me. I am in the process of moving everything over to a new email account.

Our plans for next week are to keep working on our routines and switching email accounts. My fifteen year old cousin will be here spending a few weeks with us. She loves spending time with the kids. I plan on using the time to go through clothes, toys etc. And lastly getting a year older.

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The Pantry

Pic Pic says to me this morning I know why they call it a pantree. There is a tree on top of the pantry.

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June Orthodox Learning Plans

Each month I gather resources for our Orthodox learning plans. I try to pull as many free resources as possible. Here are our plans for this month:

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Busy

This week has been rather chaotic. My mom who lives with us had a minor knee injury that set us back some with running her to the doctors and errands. Dan Dan has also been battling a small stomach bug. And our netbook is currently out of commission. It was such a luxury to be able to take it to whatever room I was in, mainly the kitchen and family room. We also celebrated Ascension and my mom's birthday this week. Despite everything going on we managed to spend some time outside and enjoy the weather before it gets to hot.

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MJ 5/29/10

It was such a nice day in church. The girls were so well behaved. Ice Man is starting to get irritable in church but I think its partially due to it being nap time.

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June Monthly Missions

I easily get distracted especially when it comes to organization and goals. I often set all sorts of goals and have plans to be organized but start with one task and move onto the next, much like my reading has been. I have become quite a scatter brain since having kids and even,more so since I have been staying home.

I thought I would start having monthly missions or goals to help me stay more accountable. I do not want to have more than five items to concentrate on as I think that might just set me up for failure. So here goes:

1. Potty Training Dan Dan
2. Wean Ice Man from breastfeeding
3. Read Bob Books each day with Pic Pic
4. Go through and condense the family's clothes.

I realize the first two may take a couple months. As far as breastfeeding is concerned I would like to limit it to a sleep routine for naps and at night.

On a side note for those of you that have weaned a nursing baby, when do you know the timing is right and how do you go about it? We have already introduced whole milk and he will drink it. I just feel bad not nursing him when he wants it. I try to give him milk first before nursing. And sometimes it is so much easier to nurse.

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June 2011 Bookshelf

I used to be the type of person who would only read one book at a time; finish one book before moving onto the next one. Now I have an endless amount of books to read, some halfway through and many with only the first chapter read.

My goal for June is to work through the following books:
The Law of God
The Royal Way of the Cross of our Lord Leading to Eternal Light
The Purple Mantle
So You're Thinking About Homeschooling
The Read Aloud Handbook
Organized Simplicity
The Kill Artist
The Brothers Karamazov

Now its time to hit the books.

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MJ 5/28/11

It was such a nice day having hubby home and knowing he has a three day weekend. I was able to fold and put away the piles of clean clothes we had building. Other than that we hung out at home until it was time for Vigil.

Ice Man seems to be moving towards one nap a day. His first nap is getting longer as his second nap is getting shorter.

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Curriculum 2011/2012

After much reading I finally decided on resources to use for our curriculum this year.

Orthodox: 
Let Us Attend
God With Us Publications
OCA Focus Units
Orthodox Online

Reading/Phonics:
Bob Books
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Explode the Code
Language Lessons for Little Ones

Writing:
Handwriting with out Tears
Dry Erase Writing Practice
Paidea Classics

Math:
Learning Horizons Workbook
ABeka

Literature:
Before Five in a Row
Five in a Row Vol I

Science:
Seton

Additional:
Letter of The Week
Preschool Pack
Tot Packs
Read Alouds
Seaseme Street First Crafts

My goal is to slowly incorporate the following: poetry, music, keepers of the home, additional saints, and podcasts from ancient faith radio.

We will have daily lessons on our Orthodox studies. Monday through Thursday we will include reading/phonics, writing, math, and literature. Friday will be for science and the additional activities I have listed above. We will also use Friday as a catch up day for any work we didn't complete during the week.

My goal is to have some written out lesson plans to help guide me. But I will still be fairly flexible along the way.

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Schedule & Attendance Log

I created a schedule based off The Well Trained Mind. My plan is to homeschool year round and go no longer than 6 weeks of school before we take a break. I printed this calendar from Donna Young to help me jot down a schedule. First I thought about what breaks we would defianetly need, Nativity and Pascha. I then decided on a start date of September 6th to correlate with the start of the Church year and went on from there. Here is the schedule I came up with:

School: Sept 6 - Oct 14 (6 wks)
Break: Oct 17 - Oct 21 (1 wk)
School: Oct 24 - Nov 18 (4 wks)
Break: Nov 21 - Nov 25 (1 wk)
School: Nov 28 - Dec 16 (3 wks)
Break: Dec 19 - Jan 6 (3 wks)
School: Jan 9 - Feb 17 (6 wks)
Break: Feb 20 - Mar 2 (2 wks)
School: Mar 5 - Apr 6 (5 wks)
Break: Apr 9 - Apr 20 (2 wks)
School: Apr 23 - May 25 (5wks)

During the summer months we will school for a week and then take a week off. I plan on completing most of our lessons Monday through Thursday and using Friday as a catch up day. This will also give us a chance to take a day of during Feast Days.

I also printed 180 Days Attendence Form from Donna Young to include in my planner.
 

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The Angel Cried

I could listen to this all day.

MJ 5/27/11

Today Dan Dan and I were able to spend some one and one time with each other. She went out with me while I ran errands. I usually try and alternate which child gets to go with me. We had a great time only one small melt down. I always now that this is worth it when she tells me in her small voice how much she loves me.

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Cover Page

I made the cover page of our homeschool binder. Next I will be working on a schedule.

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MJ 5/27/11

The girls be-dazzled one of their stuffed unicorns. Note to self, be slight suspicious if the girls are quiet in another room.

Ice Man is gaining some coordination. He finally started crawling on all fours. He will still do his army crawl when he wants to get some where fast.

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Be-dazzled

This is what happens when a four year old and a two year old are quite in another room. They be-dazzled the unicorn.

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My Sister

As the anniversary of my sisters death is quickly approaching I thought I would write about her. Towards the end of her life she had let herself go as she was in a depressed state. I tend to remember her that way but I want to remember her when she was happy and full of life. I want to share these memories with my children when they are old enough to understand.

I have so much to learn from my sister she was a loving and giving person. She loved everyone regardless of their flaws. She would give the shirt off her back to anyone in need. She didn't have much but she shared more than anyone I know.

A couple of months ago our priest told the following story in his homily:


A certain monk wasted his whole life in heedlessness and idleness. Then he fell gravely ill and his end drew near, but he showed no fear of death. Instead, he was merry, and prepared for his departure from the body joyfully praising and thanking God. Gathering at his bedside, the abbot and the other monks said to him, “Brother, we are witness to your inattentive life. How is it that you are so calm and happy now, when the dread hour is at hand? May our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you, so that you can rise and explain this mystery, and we may glorify God’s greatness.” “Lifting himself up a little, the monk replied, “Reverend fathers, what you say is true. I have thoughtlessly squandered the days of my life, and a moment ago God’s angels appeared to me and read a list of all my evil deeds. “Do you admit to this?” they asked. “Everything is true,” I conceded, “but you must take into account that since I renounced the world and was tonsured, I have judged no one and held no grudges. Christ said, Judge not, that ye be not judged, and If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. I pray that these passages be applied in my case.” No sooner had I spoken these words than the angels tore to pieces the scroll on which my transgressions were recorded. Now you know why I am please be leaving this temporal realm.” With this, the brother peacefully surrendered his soul into the Lord’s hands” (The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, by St. Dimitri of Rostov, March, P. 435f).

Afterwards Hubby mentioned to me how this story reminded him of my sister.

Mommy Journal 5/24/11 & 5/25/11

The past two days have been a blur. The kids have been waking up around 5:39 with Ice Man waking up twice during the night. It's been exhausting. I am starting to get used to this sleep schedule especially since Ice Man only woke up once last night.

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Mommy Journal 5/23/11

Pic Pic: We had fun grocery shopping together today. I love that she loves fresh flowers. We have that in common and can't help but pick up a bouquet to bring home.

Dan Dan: She is so thoughtful. When she realized that I brought home some bananas she thanked me for them. Bananas are her favorite.

Ice Man: His personality is really starting to come out. When he starts to let out a fake cry and whine he will open his mouth and nothing will come out its the cutest thing. He is also started to dance today ever time he heard music he would bounce up and down.

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Homeschool and Homemaking Planner

I have been doing quite a bit of research and reading about homeschooling and home management. Next year will be our first official year of homeschooling. There is so much information out there to help but it ends up confusing me as to what will work. I prefer to have everything in one place, one calendar, one notebook etc. From what I have seen most of the time there is a separate calendar for each of the following menu planning, appointments and important dates, lesson plans, etc. Some track on the computer others have forms. I would like to have everything on one calendar and use a combination of a binder and notebook for everything else. Does anyone have any insight on how it might work or not work having everything on one calendar?

Mommy Journal 5/22/11

Pic Pic: We had fun today playing with Daddy and Grandma. We tried to suprise them by doing silly things with them.

Dan Dan: She was such a good girl in church today. I didn't have to remind her we were in Church.

Ice Man: He figured out how to get his head through the doggie door. I guess my safe zone is no longer a safe zone.

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Mommy Journal 5/21/11

Pic Pic: She wants to be so grown up and just like her mommy. Today she snuggled with me and helped proof read Daddy's paper.

Dan Dan: She is such a little helper. As a was cleaning my room she asked me ever so "Mommy can help you".

Ice Man: Daddy lowered his crib today. He finally figured how to stand it.

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The Sitcom

Dan Dan woke up pretty cranky from her nap. So Pic Pic decides she is going to act out scenes for her sister to make her happy. First we had a fishing scene, then wedding scene and finally the Hula scene. It was so cute seeing her put these scenes together.

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Mommy Journal 5/20/11

Pic Pic: I couldn't help but look at her today and marvel at how she is becoming such a little lady. She is losing all of the baby features and truly looks like a young lady.

Dan Dan: She amazes me with her words. I love to hear her say library. It sounds something like ybryee!

Ice Man: He wants so much to keep up with his sisters. He tries so much to communicate with everyone. I love to see his wide eyes when we converse with him.

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Mommy Journal

I saw a gift idea for this journal and thought it was a great idea. Its a journal that is designed to have you write a couple of lines each day for five years about your children. I haven't purchased the journal yet but thought I would start the idea here. I am going to try each day to write atleast one line about each one of my children. So here goes:

Pic Pic: She went to the dentist today for her first cavity fillings. Turns out that she need caps on both teeth. I felt so guilty that she was having to endure this. I couldn't help but ask myself if I could have prevented this. But atlas I remember that I have poor teeth as well and have had numerous cavities and even a cap.

Dan Dan: Poor baby was stung by a bee yesterday. She was playing outside with her sister when we heard her cry. I  go out and check on her and she has a bee stuck in her figure. Not ever having experienced this I am not quite sure what to do. I yell for her Dad to come out while I try to wave her hand to get the bee out. Luckily she only had some slight swelling and redness yesterday and this morning woke up with only a little red dot at the sight of the sting.

Ice Man: He is very much a boy! Getting into everything, walking along furniture, and falling.

I didn't know that!

I read this idea on Mat Anna's blog and thought it was a great idea to share a little about myself.

1. The furthest east I had been was Texas (if you can even consider that east) until 3 years ago when hubby and I made a trip to New York City. At the time were in communion with the Eastern Catholic Church and were able to see the Pope at Yankee Stadium.

2. I was a dancer for 12 years in my youth. I danced from the time I was six until right before my eighteenth birthday. I was mainly a classically trained ballet dancer. Interestingly enough I am quite clumsy and have two left feet (that are what I describe square Barney Rubble feet from all those years in point shoes.)

3. I prefer not to drive on the interstate. I am living in a big city and prefer not to drive on bridges changing from one interstate to another. They intimate me.

4. I have not lived outside of Arizona and have not lived where it snowed in the city. With that being said I have only seen snow less than a dozen times. However there is a possibility that we may be moving back east at the end of the summer. It should lead to rather interesting stories.

5. I saw Groundhog Day for the first time last year. Since then I have purchased the movie. Hubby makes fun of me for my lack of not having seen some of these classic 90's movies.

6. I have not been camping. Hubby does not know if I would be able to last in the wilderness with sounds of bugs nearby. Anytime I spot any sort of bug I run the other way. I use to run wildley but since having children I try and run calmly.
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7. I am a history and geography dud. Hubby always stumps me when it comes to geography and history. I am looking forward to learning and perhaps sparking a new interest in these subjects as I teach the children.

8. I am not a very creative person. Which does not make sense since I majored in Marketing. I am much more an analytical thinker. Give me a math problem or when I worked some kind of manual recalculation and I will have a spark of excitement and adrenaline.

9. The girls birth names and both dogs names begin with a D. More often than not I can be found calling the dogs by one of the girls names or the girls by one of the dogs names. We were going to continue this trend with Ice Man but couldn't find a name we agreed upon.

10. I haven't broken a bone. Glory to God I have been a healthy person. The only times I have been hospitalized were when I had my three children. The closest major thing I had done to that was having a wisdom tooth pulled. It is rather surprising that I have not broken bones as I am always running into things. I do end up with some nice bruises though.

My First Orthodox Pascha in the Church

Last year was our first Orthodox Pascha, however I was unable to attend any services as we were blessed with Ice Man being born during Holy week. Hubby attended the Pascha services on his own and was given the honor of serving for the first time in this Parish.

This year we attended all the Holy Week services. I relate Holy Week to giving birth to a child as hard work but exciting and definitely worth it. Hubby and I made the decision to have the girls stay home for the Paschal service. With it being my first Paschal service, we thought it was best for me to get an idea of how the service was before we brought all the children. We did take Ice Man as he still wakes throughout the night to nurse. He was startled a couple of times but I was able to rock him easily back to sleep.  He then woke right before communion. Hubby served and I sang in the choir.

I was blessed by being asked to make the red eggs for our Parish. I realized that I didn't get very many pictures as I was in awe the whole week. Here is a picture of a couple of eggs we brought home.

Hubby and I only got about four hours of sleep but it was well worth it. Sunday morning we had family over for an early brunch and then headed to Vespers with the children. Here are a few pictures and a video I captured of them on the way home.

There are a couple of things I want to try and remember for next year. Have all the cooking/baking and laundry done by Holy Wednesday. This year I made Pascha Cheese and Kulich but I made it at the end of the week which added to the exhaustion.

The Annunciation & Some Lenten Lesson Plans

Today we celebrated the Annunciation. After Liturgy we read the short story of the Annunciation from Orthodox Online and colored our icons.

I couldn't get them to stay still long enough not to have their colorings come out blurry. 

Pic Pic and I have also been working on a Lenten Journey Poster.

For each day of lent a footstep is added leading to the icons of Palm Sunday and the Resurrection.

We are having fun working on "crafts" as Pic Pic calls them for Lent. It is such an amazing thing to see her comprehending our faith. We have a few more "crafts" we will try and work on, time permitting.

Although this is our second year of Lent in the Orthodox church, we are still having many firsts. Last year we were living in another town and were only able to make services every other Sunday and the kids and I missed Pascha services since I had just had Ice Man.

"Let My Prayer Arise" Bortniansky duet

Daybook - Intentions

Outside my window... dark and cool. Looks like one last cool down before the summer heat is upon us.


I am thinking... I had all these intentions of how I want to spend this Lenten season. We have had a bout of viruses and visitors. I am going to try and dedicate this last weeks of lent to attend all church services and focus on prayer and spiritual reading.
I am thankful for ... a visiting family and an understanding husband.

From the learning room ... we are working on transitioning Pic Pic to kindergarten. She is doing well at preschool and seems to get bored with it. So far she is doing well. We are still doing some preschool activities for fun.
From the kitchen ... I am trying to keep an easy menu for the rest of this fasting period. I want to start thinking about what we will be making on Pascha.

I am wearing ... yoga pants and a t-shirt.

I am creating ...I am not a very creative person but I have been working on lesson plans and workbooks for Pic Pic. I also am still working on a home management binder that's going to work. I think the simpler the better.

I am going ... to bed early (hopefully). I have been having a sore throat the last couple of days and am praying that sleep and vitamins will cure it.
I am reading ... The Royal Way of the Cross.
I am hoping ...to be able to attend all the rest of our church services for this Lenten season.

I am hearing ...a baby boy trying to talk. Lots of baby chatter and trying to sing. Its so cute to really see them finding their vocal cords.
Around the house ... a mess. With all the viruses and visitors the house is in desperate need of good cleaning.

One of my favorite things ... hot tea to soothe a sore throat.

A few plans for the rest of the week ... church services everyday this week. I want to keep our plans simple until after Pascha.
Picture thoughts to share ...

Ice Man on his 1st
Birthday!

Lenten Reading

With Great Lent just around the corner, I have started to gather reading material for this fasting season. For the past couple years I have read Ascending the Heights A Layman's Guide to The Ladder of the Divine Ascent by Father John Mack. I look forwarding to reading this each Lenten season as a constant reminder of the "rungs" I need to work on. I will also be reading The Royal Way of the Cross of Our Lord Leading to Eternal Life. This will be my first time reading it. I look forward to the gems it will hold.

I would like to get back in the habit of reading more and being less distracted and concerned with worldly matters. I have a night stand full of books to read and have either started them and not finished or haven't even started them. Many of them are books that I have read in the past that I would like to read again and others are new. I will try and post any other books I have time to read during this season.

What books are you reading this Lenten season?

Our Orthdox Journey

I often find myself at a loss for words when it comes to blogging. I am not sure what to post about. With three young ones my day changes from hour to hour. The one thing that remains and does not change is our Orthodox Faith. It is the one thing constant throughout our day.

To help with finding words to post about, this blog is going to have a purpose. My purpose with this blog is to share our Orthodox journey so that one day I will be able to reflect back on all our special moments and to utilize it for plan making for the following years liturgical cycle. 

I pray that I will be able to find the time to post more frequently and share our Orthodox life with others. One thing I would like to disclose is that we follow the old calendar, our dates on the secular calendar may differ from others.

Thoughts

I have quite a build up of posts to read in my reader and just read this post from Mat. Anna. It would be sad to see her stop blogging but I could definitely understand why she would need a break (fortunate for us, she is not stopping). I find such comfort in reading her posts and relating to being an Orthodox mom and having a husband who is going through pastoral school. I have been feeling a bit lonely as of lately, with living in a new city and being a stay at home mom. I've forgotten that there are so many wonderful women out their blogging that I can relate to.  I have been reluctant to blogging because I tend to be an introvert. But once you get to know me, as my husband likes to call me, I turn into a "jabber jaw". I am updating the side bar to show some of my favorite Orthodox Mom blogs to read. To all you mothers thank you for all the comfort you provide and wisdom you give this mom of little ones. I will try to share more about my family and comment on all your wonderful blogs.

Anticipation & 10 months

I have found myself thinking about the approaching lent and getting quite excited about the beginning of this fast period. It's sad to admit but I have been much to consumed in worldly pleasures and find that I must stop this consumption as it has been affecting my spiritual well being. In preparing for this great fast I am going to begin some small changes that I think will make a big difference.

Ice Man is now 10 months. I still can't get over how fast babies grow. He is still my small one which I am very happy about. The girls were always in the 75th to 90th percentile and sometimes 95th for their growth process. They just didn't stay little small babies very long. Ice Man on the other hand is small. He hasn't crossed the 25th percentile yet, for me it makes it seem as though he is more baby. He has four teeth and is starting to use them. His favorite is to bite your shoulder as you are holding him upright. He is still doing his army crawl but is starting to get on all fours. He hasn't quite figured out what to do form there other than rock back and forth. I am so very grateful to be able to stay home and see all his developments as I wasn't able to with the girls.

As for the rest of the family, they are all doing well. The girls are enjoying the weather and being outside and playing. They are outside for hours and just love it. The summer months make it rather difficult to be out as it is so hot. Hubby has a few exciting opportunities that  may be coming his way. I am praying for him and that we will be guided on the right path.

Why of course....

I am fortunate to have my Mom living with us to help out with the kids. So when its time to run errands it goes so much quicker being able to leave the younger kids with her while their napping and Pic Pic and I go out. Yesterday we had to run a few errands including a stop to Office Max about a mile away from our home. We ran in and got our supplies and then settled into the van, I went to start it and what do you know it would not start. Nothing happened no lights nothing. I called hubby at work and he ran me through a couple of things to try and nothing. After some discussion I we agreed that I would walk home and he could come look at it when he got a chance. It's about a 40 minute commute from his work, I would probably make it home before he got to us. I checked in with my Mom and Ice Man was awake and starting to get hunger. We decided she would feed him some baby food and I would nurse him when I got home.  Luckily, I had a stroller in the car. Pic Pic informed me she was tired and I thought it would go much quicker to push her. I realized that the jogging I had been doing really paid off. It was actually a pleasant walk.

Hubby came home early to pick me up and we ventured back to the Office Max parking lot. He popped the hood and took a look at the battery connection then asked me to try and start it. And what do you know, it started right up with no hesitation. I felt rather silly and profusely told hubby that it really would not start. Needless to say he had a rather fun time teasing me that if I wanted him to come home early I could of done a better job than that. Thanks be to God that nothing was wrong with it.

Kiddie Update

I thought I would share the latest and greatest news on our home front. The kids are growing and thriving faster than I can keep up. Pic Pic has learned how to ride her bike. I can't believe how fast time goes. It seems like just yesterday she was the age of Ice Man. Dan Dan is talking up a storm. It is so cute to see some of the phrases she puts together. One of my favorites is "Mom I am talking too you!" Just image that in two year old sassy talk. Ice Man has figured out how to pull himself forward with his arms when he is laying on the floor. He still prefers rolling as his mode of transportation, he hasn't quite figured out how to crawl yet. He has such a goofy grin right now with his four teeth.  I am still trying to figure this stay at home mom thing, routines and such. Just when I think I have things figured out something gets through in the loop, usually fevers are the culprit. On the home schooling front I have decided not try and stress on it as much, I know that if I am this concerned about it, what ever choices we make will be fine.  Right know I have been using the Let Us Attend for our orthodox studies and just adapt it to meet our calendar as well as any coloring pages and stories I find regarding the feast days. I am hoping to share what we will be doing for Theophany which we will be celebrating this week. As far as preschool we have been using Letter of the Week and some of the books from Sonlight. Hubby is busy with his pastoral classes. He will be finishing up his first semester this week. I am very happy to support him on this adventure and try and do what I can to help out.