This week after we took spring break I decided to really work at making school more fun and relaxed. We took it easy the first day and the last two Christian has really injoyed and said they were fun and easy. Lol! That from a boy who has been saying he doesn't like school is a wonderful thing to hear! I haven't really changed all we do that much either LOL! I am glad and pray I can continue to be able to make it fun for them all.
I think  the biggest thing I did was to let him write about things he loves and not push any other righting except some in Language. So each morning he gets his Ken Ham dinasour book and picks out a dinasour,writes out its name,what it means, and information we have underlined about it. Like how long his frills are,how much it weighed, etc. The first time he did it I said look you just did writing, reading and spelling! His head came up with shock he said,"I did"? Then he was very pleased!
Josh has supprised me and gets pleased when I tell him it is time to do his phonics LOL! He is reading even though he has as of yet showed an interest in reading on his own yet but that is fine. He does seem to like reading with me so far.
With Kiah I have been  taking it slow and not pushing it. He already knows his alphabet and what each letter says and can add  and subtract with objects. Today I gave him some work to just work on his hand cordination and he thanked me so happyily lol! He is so funny!
Homeschooling four boys isn't easy many many days but when I sit back and see my boys I am so happy that even with all the struggles it is so worth it!
We then had lunch and took naps,then walked over to the neighbors who have a playground in their yard and have let us know even if they aren't home to come over and play. They are like having grandparents living next to you. Wonderful christian people! I am just so thankful for where God has us right now!

I am excited about this Easter! The boys are excited about celebrating Christs Resurection!They let me know it was ok if they didn't get any Easter eggs couse that isn't what Easter is about any way. And got so excited to think of the plants coming back to life lol in spring time and at the same time we celebrate Christs coming back to life. And loved looking for things that would remind them of Christs resurection. Josh said horses and grass lol,Kiah got excited and called the telephone poles cross's.Christian said we should have a hunt for Bibles instead of eggs and get  a marshellow each time we find a Bible. Sometimes I wonder what exactly have we done to make the boys love God so much!Ha Ha it wasn't us lol!It is all Gods doing! I pray their love for God  just gets stronger and stronger! They are teaching us many times in the things they say! I love it!

Salvation happens with three year olds too!

Yesterday we had worship and Bible time. The boys and I. Kiah my three year old came and stood in front of me as I read and I stopped when salvation was talked about and looked at him and asked him if he new what that was. He said no. So I explained and he still had a hard time saying," God wouldn't fit he was too big," lol! So I explained some more and he said he understood. I was unsure if he did. I asked him if he had Jesus in his heart and he said,"No". So I asked if he wanted to ask Jesus to come into his heart. He said,"Yes". So I took him on my lap and held his hand as he laid his cheek on my cheek and we prayed together. I was still unsure if he had any idea what we had done.
But that night as I was trying to read the Bible to the boys Christian said Kiah was praying. And sure enough he was. He asked God if he could ask Him a question and said,"Please forgive us for not obeying mom and for love Amen!" I was quite surprised because he had never done that before. Christian was beaming and said,"He's never done that"! LOL!
Then today he started praying over the food at lunch with out being asked and thanked God for friends coming and for being in our hearts and the food Amen! I am still surprised! I have always known that God had plans for  the little rambunctious boy! I love it!!!

Simplify the Curriculum

by Ruth Beechick

 http://www.homeschooltoday.com/news/168/30/Simplify-the-Curriculum.htm

Public schools have multiplied subjects over the years. They continually move subjects to lower and lower grades. They break apart a subject into bits and name each bit as a separate subject. Language is the worst victim of this treatment. They spread writing, for instance, through classes on penmanship, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, creative writing, and more. Reading, likewise.

Public schools have multiplied subjects over the years. They continually move subjects to lower and lower grades. They break apart a subject into bits and name each bit as a separate subject. Language is the worst victim of this treatment. They spread writing, for instance, through classes on penmanship, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, creative writing, and more. Reading, likewise.
A smart homeschooler wrote on her blog, “For reading we read and for writing we write.” How commonsensical! Homeschoolers don’t need to follow the artificial school pattern. They can be more realistic.

Spelling

Let’s say you are writing a letter to the editor in which you want no mistakes. You come to the word restaurant and you’re not sure about the spelling, especially the middle syllable, so you check a dictionary and get it right. Checking a dictionary is a real-life spelling skill or habit your child needs to learn. Memorizing twenty words on a list is not real life. It is school busywork. Homeschoolers who understand this pass up the books with weekly spelling lists. In middle grades, they may study a book that teaches some advanced phonics or complexities of English spelling. They may use short five- or six-word lists of words the child uses and misspells. Most of all they teach the habit of checking on a word in their writing they are unsure of. That helps them for life, as twenty-word lists do not.

Penmanship

Focus on handwriting when children are first learning manuscript (printing) and again when they learn cursive. Switching to cursive takes about three weeks if you wait until a child is good at manuscript—usually sometime in third grade. Keep a model alphabet in sight on a wall or desk for as long as children refer to it. You could emphasize good penmanship in combination with some other writing goal, but forget six or more years of daily penmanship “class.” Hold a crash course when needed to improve sloppy writing. Working on uniform slant and uniform height will usually help.

Grammar

By school age, children speak mostly correct grammar if the people around them do. Therefore, the best way to fix a sentence that needs fixing is to read it aloud to the child. He can hear what’s wrong and fix it.
Plenty of research shows there is no correlation between knowledge of grammar and ability to write. Grammar in the lower grades is one of those subjects that schools push down to lower grades. It clutters the curriculum. It repeats every year. It’s boring, and it does not help writing at all. The best place for grammar is somewhere in the teen years after a student writes quite well. That educates him more about our language, and it may help now and then with an editing problem.

Vocabulary

If your violin-playing daughter joins an orchestra, she may quickly learn that a viola and cello are different from her violin. She will learn many instrument names new to her and group names such as woodwinds, brasses, and percussion. If she reads about horses, her vocabulary stretches in another direction.
Reading and life activities are natural ways to build vocabulary. Children add thousands of words per year to their usable vocabulary. You couldn’t match that with vocabulary lessons if you tried. Mostly you would waste time. A lesson might ask the child to look up a word in a dictionary, to copy the definition, and to use the word in a sentence. The words are isolated from the child’s life, she is bored with the assignments, and she does not end up using the words in her speech or writing.

Creative Writing

I am never sure what people mean by creative writing. Some may mean that a child makes up a story rather than writing a report on a science topic. But fiction writers read lots of fiction and build their stories out of ideas already fed into their minds. C. S. Lewis furnished his mind with the writings of George MacDonald and others, and he said his stories came out of the “furniture” of his mind. The science report must do the same, and it is creative writing as the student tries to summarize or clarify for his readers what happened in the experiment or the book.
Insofar as creative writing means to set a child down with an empty mind and empty sheet of paper, forget it.

Writing

You can, in general, omit a writing class much of the time. If a child writes a report for science, answers some questions in history, or maybe pens or e-mails a letter to Grandpa, he has done writing; you do not need to add a writing class to clutter his schedule. If you own some writing curriculum, the best way to use most of it is to choose lessons that look interesting and useful to you and use them on days when you have time for more writing. Certain lessons on how an essay is organized or tips for plotting a story can prove useful.
Writing is not learned step-by-step, day-by-day. It grows gradually with use, in the same way children learned to speak in their early years. You don’t need to grade writing each day or each week. Just provide opportunities to write and be an appreciative audience. Then watch improvement happen across the months. Think of writing as a skill to use in all subjects and not as a daily “class” of its own.
“For writing we write” is a great motto for simplifying and strengthening language teaching.
©2009 Homeschooling Today magazine, Nehemiah Four, LLC

Are You a Good Mom?

Hello!
How are you doing in your job as a Mom? I think it is easy to get busy with the books, schedules and lesson plans of homeschooling and forget to take a clear look at our "big goal". I want to raise good people who love God, family and country. That's why I homeschool. I want to be close to them, to love them fully, to be a good mom to them. That's why I homeschool.
What a blessing it is to have children under our influence! I am trying to make that influence a very good influence—it makes such a difference in the long run! We all raise clones, for better or for worse. So much responsibility lies on our shoulders, Mothers. A friend once suggested to me that homeschooling is really "celestial mothering". I like that term!
"The happy people are the ones who are good, who were loved and cared for and played with as children, and who therefore have an enormous capacity now to love and care and play. Other people, including their own children, enjoy their company. Everyone is happier because of them. Civilization works better because of them."—Orson Scott Card
It takes effort to be a "Jump Up" Mother. But responding to those "Look-it, Mom" calls goes a long way in cementing a life long relationship. Let's focus on, take the time, and really put in the effort to be a good mom. With the world in increasing chaos, we may feel powerless. It is so true that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. There is nothing that will have such a lasting impact on the world than our good mothering. We are far, far more powerful than we realize!
Remember, love is spelled "T-I-M-E" to a child.http://www.lovetolearn.net/email_special/

I need to look at things differently

I realize I have lost the joy of homeschooling and have become overwhelmed with all that I have to do each day. I was looking up things to maybe help me see things differently and I found this site. I love it and I definitely was a help!

The Baby IS The Lesson

One morning on my daily walk, I was fretting and stewing over what I could possibly do with my one-year-old during school time. I was feeling some despair with a new baby on its way. I couldn't see any end to the disruption of babies in my home school for many years to come. I was praying and scheming at the same time: I could wait until the baby's nap to teach school, I could rotate the children with baby-sitting chore away from our schoolroom, I could get a playpen . . . all solutions that didn't feel right--babies needs their moms!
As I walked and pondered, suddenly the Lord introduced one sentence to my mind and revolutionized my mindset entirely! "The baby IS the lesson!" I thought I was trying to teach Math, but in reality I had been teaching, day by day, how an adult values the precious gift of children. My children, by watching how I deal with the frustration of a crying baby or keep a toddler happy and busy with some of his "own" pieces while we play a math game, are soaking up "the lesson". Unfortunately, I had occasionally been teaching that the baby interrupts our learning.
How to be a Christlike person is the most valuable lesson a child could ever learn! The lesson is learned moment by moment; watching a parent being patient, handling frustration with kindness, pressing on for the goal in spite of numerous interruptions, valuing each child's needs regardless of inconvenience. That valuable insight--how Mother handles the baby is the real lesson--has dramatically changed how I view my home school. I am teaching foremost my values: godly character, kindness, respect for others, individuality, sacrifice and a host of other Christlike attributes. Teaching them reading, writing, math, etc. is very important to me but my perspective has been altered. "Mimic me, follow me and I will show you the way a Christlike person acts and what he values". That is the message every parent relays to their children whether they are aware of it or not. Children try to copy everything anyway (our mannerisms, our daily activities, etc.). We must be certain that we are providing a correct pattern for them to copy, not only in our daily activities but in our attitude, our tone of voice, and our facial expression. We need to conduct our lives so that we can say "follow me". If our children are to "buy" our values, what a tremendous responsibility we have to make sure we are living our best so the lesson is clear and well learned! What more could you ask for from your homeschool than to produce Christlike people?!
Teaching your children basically means getting your own personal life in order and striving daily to be the leader for them to follow. Of course, we fall short and they must look to Christ for the perfect being but they need to see daily how one acts, speaks, lives, solves problems. We are acting as a proxy, in a sense, for Christ. Since they can't have his daily role model, then he has given his children parents to be an example, to point the way. Along with lesson preparations, we need to prepare ourselves by asking: is the pattern I live the way Christ would act? Can I say today that I have marked the path for my children to follow? Children learn from seeing their parent's role model. Watching an adult make a simple mistake (such as being too punitive with a child) and go through the process of repenting is 100 times more effective than your devotional lesson on repentance. This means children must be intimately involved with you in your daily life. A few hours a day after school won't do it.
Children should be involved in the adult's life rather than daily life rotating around the children. Research has shown that children who have grown up to be productive well-adjusted adults are those who have been drawn into the parent's world; their daily activities, work, and interests; rather than having parents who centered their world on the child. When I began home schooling, I never could find the time to do the things I felt were important for my life; such as writing in my journal, corresponding with relatives, studying my scriptures, and more. Somehow, in my busy-ness of trying to teach the kids how to write in their journals, I was neglecting my own journal writing. Thankfully, we now have journal writing time in school daily, and we write letters to relatives together as a family on Sunday. Homeschool life should help parents do the daily necessities, rather than usurp the time needed for them. Home maintenance, chores, food preparation, gardening, food preservation, budgeting, clothing care (mending and sewing), planning family social relationships, caring for small children, record keeping, quilting, wallpapering, etc. are all wonderful life skills that can be done together that enhance a child's education!
The parent's joyful task is to lead and guide the child into the real world--not set up a contrived pseudo-world to teach skills that the children would easily learn if they spent their time around adults who were striving to live good lives. What constitutes an adult trying to live a "good life"? Being a productive adult would constitute a full-time curriculum! Plant a garden, read good literature, serve the needy, be politically aware, keep a journal, vote for honest men, develop your talents, etc. The exciting part about leading a child into the real world is that they are self-motivated. The moment I sit down to play the piano, all my children want to play and want me to teach them to play something. No sooner than I begin typing on the computer, I have the whole family "needing" to type. My efforts at writing have, humorous to me, stimulated the production of "books" from my youngest children. Modeling is so much more effective than lecturing.
Studies show that the biggest determining factor for a child's success in reading in school is if they have seen a parent reading in the home on a regular basis. This is especially true for boys if the parent who reads is their father, rather than their mother. Somehow, the example says far more about the value of reading than endless hours in school reading groups.
In every area, it takes instruction to teach skills to little people. Children need to master the basic academic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic), social manners, music competence, and a host of other abilities and that does take focused concentration and time from mother/teacher to accomplish. It isn't realized just by living in a family. But shared family life practices and contributes to those skills. Having taught my little girl the numbers and the plus, minus and equal signs and how they worked, she jumped right into figuring out how many plates she needed to set the table using her new skills: ("We have 9 and the boys are gone to college so that is minus 3, so we need six").
When we think of homeschool, sometimes we get tunnel vision, and think "academics", "keeping up to speed" and other worrisome concerns that don't really tell the whole story. Homeschool is the growing and nurturing of fine, upright people. So, how we treat and value the baby really is the lesson.
Class never dismissed.
—Diane Hopkins http://www.lovetolearn.net/homeschool_articles/baby.lasso?-session=store:3FF5BB9F078be1BF0BirS2D72D9C

Boys and Guns: Okay to Play?

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_Boys_Guns_Okay_Play/

by Lucy Rector Filppu
Topics: Identity, more...

Television Exposure, Video Game Disadvantages, Temperament and Personality

“Bang, bang, you’re dead!” For most of us, hearing such threats from a preschool boy is unsettling to say the least. But for Marjan Wilkes, a veteran California preschool teacher, such pretend play among her 4-year-old students is par for the course. "I might say ‘Aaargg’ and announce ‘I'm dead’," says Wilkes. She clarifies: “They know that I am pretending, and by joining in, I send the message that I know they are pretending, too.”

In the world of hot parenting topics, boys and imaginary gunplay ranks at the top. In a culture already filled with violent video games, TV programs and images of a real war, it can be unnerving to see an innocent child pretending to kill someone. Yet no study has yet linked pretend gunplay to future violent behavior, and most child experts agree that by forbidding gunplay entirely, parents give it far more power and will probably drive it underground.

Assuming you’re willing to take their word for it, what should you do? How can you allow your kids to “experiment” and use their imagination, guns blazing, without losing your cool? Here are a few tips:

Shaming Is Never Helpful
Despite our potential discomfort, we must be careful in how we deal with boys who want to play with pretend guns. “The last thing you want to do is shame your child – because that leads boys to mask their feelings and act with false bravado,” warns William Pollack, Ph.D., author of Real Boys. Instead, ask open-ended questions about the gunplay, and even play along to better understand your child’s perspective.

Make Decisions Together
If your child’s gunplay is making you or another child uncomfortable, reflect on your feelings calmly. Try saying, “I know you’re having fun with your pretend play, but I feel a little scared by guns. Real guns can kill and I feel afraid when you point your finger at me like that.” If you choose to limit gunplay, invite your boy to participate in the process.

Use Props That Have Multiple Uses
If possible, avoid realistic commercial toy guns. If your child wants to experiment with gunplay, try using popsicle sticks, rolled up newspaper, or any prop that might just as easily transform into a sword, thermometer, microphone, or baton. Gunplay should be just one part of a broad repertoire of play possibilities.

Clarify Your Values
A child participating in gunplay is usually yearning to understand power in relationships. By killing the “bad guys,” he can, in his mind, exert some control over his world. “Model ways of problem solving that are respectful of all the parties concerned, and that are not hurtful either physically or emotionally,” says Wilkes. “Talk about what you can do to promote a more peaceful culture.”

Most of all, take a deep breath and realize this is a stage, like any other. It doesn’t mean your child is destined for a life of crime. Curiosity and vulnerability often lie underneath our sons’ “Bang, Bang” bravado. This may be helpful to remember next time there’s a finger pointed in your direction.

I have many friends! And lost one this year. It hurts but I know we do have good memories and I wish her only the best! I will always treasure our memories D.L! Like the time I had to squash the flying roach cause you wouldn't and screamed as I did it so I wouldn't hear the crunch lol! Miss you and our conversations but I  believe one day we will have them again!
God uses this kind of thing to teach each of us something new. At least I feel it has for me. God is good and loves me when I don't deserve it! I am glad he is over my life and no one else!!!!!!!!
This speaks to me of many many things and relationships in my life!I am sure it does to many who read it from the web site.  It is always good to be reminded by others of ways to deal with things. I love looking at these kinds of articles and seeing how I can take some or all of it and measure my life and actions by them and with prayer of course.  This is a good reminder!

Broken Friendships

Dr. Todd Linaman

Cindy and Lisa met at church, and soon became close friends. They spent time talking, hiking, taking their children on outings, and playing tennis. They encouraged, advised and comforted each other and shared their greatest hopes, dreams, and fears. After five years, Cindy sensed that Lisa was pulling away. The calls decreased, dinner invitations stopped and the usual warm greetings at church began to feel awkward and forced.


At first, Cindy shrugged it off, thinking Lisa was just busy with her family and other commitments. When several weeks passed without any contact, Cindy asked Lisa to lunch. Instead
of hearing that Lisa was incredibly busy and overcommitted, Cindy was met with an unexpected barrage of anger and harsh accusations. Lunch was a disaster and Cindy left feeling shocked and confused. Despite several attempts at reconciliation, the friendship couldn’t be restored and Cindy was left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

When a relationship ends, it can leave you feeling rejected, unloved, inadequate and angry. When you’ve exhausted all attempts to reconcile without success, it’s important to direct
your attention toward healing the hurt, letting go, and moving forward.

Healing the hurt of a broken relationship

I’ve identified and included the following seven suggestions to help you cope with a damaged or hurt friendship. Study them, and then apply them to your broken friendships.

Exercise your faith

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God knows what you’re going through – loss, pain, disappointment, and anger are no strangers to Him. He longs to encourage and strengthen you. Healing begins when you exercise your faith and believe that He will keep His promises.

Take ownership

Moving forward in the aftermath of a broken relationship involves taking personal ownership of the role you may have played in its demise. Romans 3:23 says we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and that sin can include destructive attitudes and actions that play out in our interaction with others. We can all be neglectful, insensitive, selfish, or inconsiderate at times. To deny the possibility that you contributed to the problem, to some degree, can almost guarantee resentment and anger.

Extend grace

When you’re seriously wronged by someone claiming to love you, you must choose whether or not to hold onto the offense and allow bitterness to take up residence. If you do, remember that you’re the one who is likely to be seriously harmed by it. To be truly liberated from your pain you must choose to extend grace to the offender, no matter what they’ve done. Forgiveness not only frees you emotionally, but Matthew 6:14 also teaches that forgiving others is directly tied to God forgiving you.

Express the pain

There are many ways to process the pain of a significant loss, but few are as destructive as silencing its voice. Unacknowledged and unexpressed pain can become a source of stress, as well as a barrier to future relational intimacy. Honestly and constructively talk about your experience with a trusted friend or family member, or perhaps your pastor or a professional counselor.

Take the high road

Benjamin Franklin once said, “I will speak ill of no man, and speak all the good I know of everybody.” To speak poorly of someone who hurt you only proves that you’re holding a
grudge and that your goal is revenge. To combat this temptation, pray as David did in Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Be willing to follow the directive given in 1 Peter 3:8 as well: “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Focus on the blessings

When a relationship breaks, it’s normal and natural to think about what you’ve lost. However, it’s always better to try focusing on what you gained or how you benefited from the relationship. Memories of fun, laughter, companionship, support, and intimacy don’t have to be lost along with the friendship. Acknowledge the blessings and do your best to maintain a grateful heart as in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Embrace those who love you

When suffering the loss of a relationship, it’s important to turn toward and embrace the people in your life who love you. Allow God to use these relationships to comfort you and give you hope to move forward (2 Corinthians 1:3).

A friend forever

Even when you’ve done your best to choose good friendships, you may still experience times of rejection. If someone has wounded you, it’s natural to want to construct a protective shield, insulate your emotions, and vow never to be vulnerable again. This may remove the threat of rejection, but at the high cost of loneliness and the loss of satisfaction in another relationship.

You may hurt so intensely you feel nobody could understand the extent of your wounds. But Jesus can. No one has ever experienced the rejection He did. The hatred against Him was so profound that it ultimately led to His execution on the cross. Not only was He rejected by the religious leadership, He was abandoned by His closest friends at the time of His greatest need.

Jesus’ love for His friends – and for you – took Him to Calvary. When you accept Christ’s incredible gift of salvation, you’ve made a Friend who will never fail you. When you’re lonely, He is present; when you’re maligned, He knows the truth; when you’re ill, He offers hope; when you’re lost, He shows the way. He promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Never. What an awesome Friend!


I have many friends! And lost one this year. It hurts but I know we do have good memories and I wish her only the best! God uses this kind of thing to teach each of us something new. At least I feel it has for me. God is good and loves me when I don't deserve it! I am glad he is over my life and no one else!!!!!!!!

The Most Valuable Moments in Your Child's Day By Rod Robison

With the demands of daily life and parenthood comes the challenge of setting priorities. By zeroing in on the essentials and not being overly concerned with the non-essentials we not only avoid unnecessary conflict with our kids, we avoid needless stress in our lives as well. And, as a result, we make it easier for everyone in the family to concentrate their efforts on the issues that really count for eternity.
Sometimes the most important things we do are the simplest. One of the most effective times of day for parent-child relationships is bedtime. During "tuck in time" there are fewer distractions, especially if lights are out. And your time with them in those moments will be the last thing they experience before they drift off to sleep. Some child development specialists tell us that whatever a child is thinking about just before sleep will tend to stay with him subconsciously during the night.
Why not make those special moments a time of bonding with your child? And, better yet, why not make it a three-way bonding between you, your child, and God?
First, if there are any unresolved conflicts between you and you child they should be resolved before bedtime. God tells us in His word that we should not let the "sun go down on [our] anger." Try to avoid resurrecting an old argument. Be loving in your attempt to bring whatever issue it is to a point of resolution. And, most importantly, don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" (and mean it) if you are at fault.
Finally, take a few moments to pray for your child. Try to avoid using your prayer as an opportunity to "preach" to your child, but don't hesitate to mention issues you and your child are working on to your Heavenly Father. He wants your relationship to be the best it can be, so bring Him in on the issue.
Pray specifically for your child rather than try to "pray around the world." Here are a few ideas of what you can pray for:

• Thank God for giving her to you.
• Ask Him for guidance for you as you try to be an example to her.
• Pray for her future husband that he will grow to be a godly man.
• Pray that your relationship with each other will be loving and kind.
• Pray that she will "hate the things that God hates and love the things that He loves."
• Pray that she will grow each day to be more and more like Jesus.

I personally believe that no child (even into the teen years) is too old for prayer before bedtime.
It's easy to miss these very precious opportunities God gives us parents each night. But they slip away all too soon, never to return. So grasp those moments while they're here. And, more than likely, when your child is an adult he or she will look back at bedtime with Mom and Dad with longing nostalgia.

ER

So I went to the ER last night with AAron! I hadn't been to the ER for me unless because of pregnancy in 6 and a half years. I was so nervous I wouldn't stop talking lol! It turns out I have surface Thrombphlebitis. Which is a blood clot but not life threatening. I am to rest my leg often and take Aspirin for blood thinning,pain and swelling.
I am ever so grateful for my church family. I called a friend to get a nurse from churchs number and she prayed and loved on me! She then came and watched the kids while Aaron took me to the Er and we then eat out together. That was soo nice a way to end a nerve racking evening.
The boys loved being watched by Julie! Ethan wouldn't even kiss me goodbye lol! I was glad they were happy.
God is so good!

Here are some home made products I want to try soon.
Sunshine Shampoo for Blonde Hair
Ingredients
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions
Mix together all the ingredients and heat in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes until it is hot but not boiling. Cool the mixture completely and strain to remove the lemon zest. Store in a bottle. Shampoo as you normally would. Rinse well with cool water.



Quick Pre-Shampoo Oil Treatment for Dry Ends
Ingredients
olive oil
-Or-
jojoba oil

Directions
Pour a small amount of oil into the palm of your hand. Rub palms together and gently apply to ends of hair. Shampoo as usual



Baking Soda Clarifier for Heavy Product Build-Up
Ingredients
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons creamy honey
1/4 teaspoon water
Cider Vinegar Clarifying Rinse [see above]

Directions
Mix ingredients together to form a paste. Add additional water, a few drops at a time, if the mixture is too thick. Shampoo hair as usual. Apply mixture to hair and leave on for up to five minutes. Rinse hair as usual. Poor Cider Vinegar Clarifying Rinse through hair, do not rinse again [the cider vinegar scent will very quickly dissipate]. If your hair is "squeaky clean" apply a light, silicone-free conditioner or silicone-free leave-in conditioner. This is best used for first-time clarifying, by those who use a full line of hair products that include silicone that have left behind a heavy build-up, or those who clarify rarely.


Clarifying Cider Vinegar Rinse
Ingredients
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups cool water [the cooler the better]

Directions
Mix ingredients in an unbreakable bottle. Shampoo and rinse hair as usual. Poor vinegar rinse through hair, do not rinse again [the cider vinegar scent will very quickly dissipate]. Conditioner should not be needed but you can apply a leave-in conditioner to ends if necessary. Ratio of vinegar to water may be adjusted according to the amount of clarifying needed or frequency of use. This rinse is probably the most popular homemade hair product, it will effectively remove product build-up from hair [including silicone] and leave it very soft and shiny.


Avocado Deep Conditioner
Ingredients
1 small jar of mayonnaise
1/2 avocado

Directions
Peel avocado and remove pit. Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with your hands until it's a consistent green color. Smooth into hair being careful to work it to the ends. Use shower cap or plastic wrap to seal body heat in. Leave on hair for 20 minutes. For deeper conditioning wrap a hot, damp towel around your head over the plastic, or use a hair dryer set to a low to medium heat setting.