20 reasons why I homeschool~

Click on the picture to get a bigger view of it!

~A week in the life of ME~

This sounds like alot of fun and I am excited to do this. If anyone else is interested, look at Candy's blog at http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2007/05/reality-internet.html to get the information. Hope you join us and can't wait to see what your week is like and see pictures.

Reality Internet

Tanya

Pictures~

These are pictures of a school day for Matthew. He
went through the head start program for two years.
One of the fathers of a child in the class volunteered
to break open a coconut and show the children how it is
done and what is inside the coconut. This is very interesting
to young children who have never experienced this. You
could tie this into the story Chica Chica Boom Boom about
the letters/numbers climbing up the coconut tree.

This Mrs. Sharon, Matthew's teacher. She is so sweet

and as you can see, pretty. We are going to miss her

if we decide to not do the Head Start program with her

for Mikayla.

The boys just love playing with farm animals and

action figures.

Abbie sharing her play food with Mikayla. How

nice of her. Isn't she a doll? She is going to grow up

and make some man happy.

Maybe he is practicing to be a doctor. Dr. Reuter.

That has a nice ring to it.

Mikayla absolutely loves puzzle Moooooooo! Mooooooooo!

Dylan trying to figure out how to video tape.

Good thing it really didn't work and was just

for play.

Rain, rain go away!

It has been raining a lot lately here. The sun managed to come out for a little while today but then left and rain poured again. I understand the wild life and plants need it so I try not to have such a bad attitude about it but it can sometimes put a damper on my moods.

I pretty much cleaned all day except for the two hours I was away from the house today. I rearranged my living room, went through two more boxes sitting around and mopped my entire down staires. I went to Wal Mart and then to my dads house to visit for about an hour or so. I had to go to Wal Mart to get some kitty replacement milk for a bunny that was rejected from his mommy. Austin brought him in the house today. he was all wet and shaking. He fit right in the palm of my hand. He or she didn't make it though. It went to bunny heaven. I feel so bad for it. I hate to see animals suffer. Every time we go to Paul's parents, I want to bring the farm cats home with me because they look so starved and sick. I'm just afraid that it would get my two cats sick as well and Mia doesn't have her shots yet. That is on my Tanya's to do list to get done in the next few weeks.

Not much happened this weekend. We took ANOTHER trip to Paul's parents house for the day on Saturday. He has to clean out his closets at his parents with stuff that he has stored there. His mom is organizing the house and de-cluttering. She is also having a rummage sale in two or three weeks and wants Paul to go through everything and see if he wants to get rid of some stuff. Hopefully he gets rid of some stuff because there was a lot and I don't know what he would do with most of it. It is so peaceful at his parents house. They live in the country and it is so quiet and calm. I can't wait for us to be able to move out in the country. We are talking about buying a house soon closer to Paul's work out in the country. We want to polish off some bills first before we even start looking into it. I took some pictures of the kids at grandma's and grandpa's and will post them when I have a little more time. It is late again now so I better to get to bed so I am not crabby tomorrow. I have to go to my moms house and help her and my sister Jennifer clean the house for my sister Robins graduation party. I am excited to go to ceremony on Thursday. It will be a special moment. I am so proud of her. Her and I are the only ones that graduated but she is the only one who had a graduation ceremony out of us so it really means something. I am looking forward to that day. Hopefully I get good seats so I can take some pictures.

I will post tomorrow.

Tanya

Do you think you are a christian?

I listened to this sermon and have been thinking about it ever since. He makes a lot of sense and of course tells me things No one wants to hear and admit. We never here sermons like these. Why? Is it because the pastors want to keep people coming every Sunday? We need to start being honest with ourselves before it is to LATE! Pastors need to start speaking up like this man. If you get a chance to listen to this, send me a comment back and let me know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with him? I'm curious to get some more insights on this topic. The sermon is called Modern American Christianity by Paul Washer.

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/User/My%20Documents/sermon%20of%20salvation.htm

Blabbing~

Pictures are from last year....

Today was a some what of a good day. All except for the few fits my son Matthew had because he wanted me to wipe his butt. I refused because he knows how to do it himself and was just acting out for attention. He will be five years old next month. Is this normal?

The garden is started and underway. My dad is helping a lot this year which is great! Last year it was just to much for Paul and I to do alone. I became overwhelmed and didn't help out as much as I should have. It is huge! Paul and I and the kids went to Fleet Farm tonight and bought some more plants to put in there. We got more tomatoes, zucchini, squash, Jack be littles and big pumpkins, melons and Brussel sprouts. I cant wait for them to start growing and producing the food. I love weeding and watering the garden. I will post some pictures when I get some. I have some from last year I can post now.....

I have still been doing some unpacking and organizing of the home since moving. Today I cleaned up the basement a bit. The kids have a play area down there on one side and dad's things on the other side. Some organization is still needed down there. Paul is going to put up a shelf one of these days when he has time. We spent Memorial Day at Paul's parents house. His dad shoots off a rifle (duds) every year because he was in the service and the kids just love to go and watch. I would have rather stayed home and cleaned and relaxed, but Paul wanted us to go as a family. He might go up next weekend as well and said he might take the kids and give me a weekend to do some things I need to get done. I have to do lesson plans and want to do alittle scrapbooking but that is so hard to do with kids around. I also need some quiet time with God. I feel like life is so hectic and on the go that I sometimes feel I am forgetting about the most important thing. God!

Well, it is getting late and I have a few more things to do before bed. Sweet dreams. zzzzzzz

Tanya

Peroxide

I received this in an email and thought it was interesting so I will share it with you....


Peroxide


This is what OxiClean is... did you know that????

3% peroxide I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars.1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle) 2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs. 3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.
4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria. 5. I had fungus on my feet for years - until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry. 6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide. 7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will. 8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue. 9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly. 10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde.. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change. 11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections. 12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary. 13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors with, and there is no smearing which is why I love it so much for this. I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner.

Whispers

Whispers

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang. But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me" and the thunder rolled across the sky.But, the man did not listen. The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.But the man did not see.And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle." And, a life was born.But, the man did not notice.So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here." Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man. But, the man brushed the butterfly away . and walked on.I found this to be a great reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted ... even in our electronic age. So I would like to add one more: The man cried, "God, I need your help!" And an e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and encouragement.But, the man deleted it and continued crying Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.

Have A Happy Day!

A letter from Hell!

I have never seen anything like this. All I can say is WOW!
You have to watch this you tube. Turn your volume up so you can here it good.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9_kjW0UHg

Recipes for natural household cleaners

Over the past few months, I have been gearing more towards a more natural way to live. I would love to get rid of almost all toxins from the food I eat to the cleaners I use. I found this cool web site at www.doityourself.com I am posting some recipes for some natural cleaners that you can use to clean instead of using those cleaners with harsh chemicals in them. Not only is it bad for your skin and gets into your body, you are breathing them as well. I went to an Arbonne party that sells all natural makeup, skin care etc and the lady that put it on said that it only takes 30 seconds from the time something touches your skin to penetrate and enter into the blood stream. Yikes!
I have come to the conclusion that just as nothing material on this earth belongs to me the same goes for my body. God created me and and didn't design us to put these things in our body, so I should be respectful to myself and take care of me. If you really sit and think about it, by putting these harmful things in our bodies, we are playing Russian roulette. We are taking the chance that we will not be affected by it physically and even mentally. Look at all the diseases and cancer and ADHD and Depression and the list goes on that is out there now days. And Doctors have no explanation as to why people get these things. Could it be all the toxins that is in just about everything you touch and eat.

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price; Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which is God's.

Natural Cleansers

All-purpose Cleanser: Mix 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons of Borax) with 1/2 cup white vinegar. The baking soda deodorizes, cleans and scours. It also softens hard water. The white vinegar cuts grease, stains and wax buildup and cleans mildew (see below). Note: this solution works great for water deposit stains.You can also use straight Borax instead of the baking soda and white vinegar. In addition to cleaning, scouring and deodorizing, Borax disinfects.

Bathroom Mold Cleanser: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, mold can literally destroy the very thing these spores are growing on once they connect with a wet or damp spot. Mold spores cause allergy-like symptoms, and may exacerbate asthma.To eradicate mold, mix one part hydrogen peroxide with two parts water in a spray bottle. Use the 3 percent hydrogen peroxide that is available for a few dollars at any drug store or supermarket. Spray the bathroom areas and leave to dry for an hour. Rinse the areas off.

Soap: Avoid using a soap containing phthalates, parabens, synthetics or petroleum distillates. Check the label. If you prefer a solid bar soap, go for a clear soap without perfumes.If you prefer liquid soap, most health food stores carry liquid Castille soaps made with organic oils and mentha arvensis (the plant from which mint oil is extracted). Adding two squirts of this soap to two gallons of hot water will provide ample cleansing power. Here are some other relatively common household problems and the accompanying cleaning regime.

Carpet shampoo - When it's time to give your carpet an overall "fluffing up" that only comes from fibers that are thoroughly shampooed, use cornstarch. Sprinkle liberally. Wait 20 minutes and vacuum your carpet.Carpet stain removal - Mix equal parts white vinegar with water in a spray bottle. Spray directly onto stain for a minute or so. Let dry for about an hour. Wipe with a sudsy sponge. (Use the natural soaps mentioned above.)

Clearing away lime deposits - White vinegar will also wipe away lime deposits in your teakettle. (Lime deposits are scales and encrustations of calcium or magnesium compounds ground into powder.) To remove lime deposits, add 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 cups of water to the kettle. Gently boil for a few minutes. Wait until the kettle cools down a bit. While it's still warm, rinse the kettle with fresh water.

Furniture polish - Add a few drops of natural lemon oil to a few cups of warm water and pour the solution into a spray bottle. Mix well and spray onto a soft cotton cloth that you've dampened slightly. Note: Do not leave the cloth sopping wet. It must be merely damp. Wipe your furniture with the dampened cloth. Wait a few minutes and wipe again with a completely dry cotton cloth.

Mildew remover - Mildew is a mold-like micro-organism that can grow on leather, clothing, the ceiling … even paper. And like mold, it often grows on bathroom stalls. You can safely remove mildew by using undiluted white vinegar. Use a sponge and don't wipe after applying.Polishing vinyl and linoleum floors - To polish these floors safely and with noticeable results, pour a capful of baby oil to the cleaning water. (Most floor surfaces can be cleaned with a part white vinegar, part water solution.)

Rust remover - Sprinkle some salt directly onto the rust. Squeeze a lime over the rust until it is well soaked. Leave the mixture on for about three minutes and scrub off the residue with a piece of lime rind.

Toilet bowl cleanser - Pour 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar into the bowl. Let mixture set for a few minutes. Scrub with toilet brush and rinse. You can also use two parts Borax and one part lemon juice.If you have a basin that really needs scrubbing, you may use straight bleach, although bleach should never be mixed with any other solution, except water.Water rings - If your lovely wood furniture is sporting spots, these rings have seeped into the layer underneath the topcoat, but not the finish. Use either mayonnaise or toothpaste applied to a damp cloth. Any brand will do. Once you've removed the water rings, buff the entire surface.

With Gods help, I pray that I can change my lifestyle and the lifestyle of my families to make our temples cleaner and healthier.

Toodles

Our trip to the dentist~

Today was not one of my fondest days. No one wishes to take there 4 year old to the dentist to get a tooth pulled. I felt bad for him all the while thinking to myself this could have been prevented. I have to admit and am embarrassed to say, I am horrible at making sure the kids teeth are brushed correctly. I do tell them to brush their teeth and they do it but they are still young yet. I should be helping them to make sure they don't miss places. I should be teaching them about flossing and I should be keeping the candy and soda out of the house or at least limiting it. Yes it is my fault and I think I am learning my lesson and paying the consequences. When Paul lost his job a few years back, we lost dental insurance so everything has to come out of pocket. So that meant no more dental cleanings and cavities fixed unless necessary. Today we had to pay $463.00 out of pocket just to extract one tooth and cap another. There is more work to be done but thank God, with Paul's new job, dental will be starting again in July. Hopefully all will be well until then when insurance can pick up some of the cost. He is doing very good though. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. I'm sure the little discomfort from being pulled is nothing compaired to the agonizing pain from the tooth pain. I know, I have experienced it before a root canal I had and I don't wish that pain on anyone. He is back to humming to himself and brought me some hot tea up to my bed earlier(without being asked) when I was reading. How sweet. It is great to have my Matt back.
I have been reading some books on toxins in the body and natural products etc. A few things I have come across that I wish to do more research on is flouride being bad for you. If it is bad for you, why do they give it at the dentists, in toothpaste and even in our city water? Also I guess mercury fillings are not good for you at all. A dentist I have gone to here in my hometown, won't use mercury fillings. I think when insurance for dental starts back up again, i will continue to go to him. If anyone has any more information on these subjects, please let me know because I am curious. If there is something that could be harming me or my family members, I want to know about it. Well, I have to do a few things before bed so I should go and I will blog tomorrow.

Sweet dreams

Reading to the kids~

We finished Bunnicula. The kids really enjoyed that book. I have to say, I even enjoyed it. There were a few parts where I found myself cracking up laughing. The story in the book is told by the dog Harold whom happens to have a outgoing personality. I would recommend this read. My three little ones are not old enough to read this book by themselves and it is to easy a read for Austin. I'm guessing it's maybe a 3rd or 4th grade level but I read it to the kids. This was our first book reading together like this. A chapter book with no pictures in it I mean. They were kind of confused at first because they couldn't look at the pictures but I explained to them that they had to use their mind and think about the story. It's not like television where the character is shown to you and already made up. You have to actually make one up yourself which is more fun. He or she or it can be and look any way you like. After awhile they got the hang of it. I made sure to pause many times and talk about certain things in the story and asked lots of questions. I didn't want to bore them since sitting for long periods of times for little ones can be hard. Our next book we started awhile ago is Little house in the big woods. So far they love this book as well. Matthew has been wanting me to read this book for a long time, since I rented the Little house on the prairie series redone by Disney. Excellent series. There are a lot of opportunities in this book for learning. To ask questions and make the children understand and realize how life was like back in these days. If I could go back in time for just one day, even one hour to live like they had to, I would love it. It would especially be a great field trip for kids now days who think that a weekly chore of taking the garbage out is to much work. Kids now days, don't know what work is. I'd like to say that maybe even some adults don't realize how good they have it. In the book Little house in the big woods pa has to go out every day and hunt for food. In the freezing cold all day long sometimes coming home with nothing or very little. Now days we can take an hour out of our time, go the store and stock up on enough food for weeks. I couldn't imagine having to spend an entire day out looking for food to feed my family. Ma sews all the clothes, prepares the food all by hand. We just read today how her and the girls were making butter. It sounds like a hard and long project. Their whole day is about work and trying to live and survive. There was little time for play. In fact Mary's doll consisted of an ear of corn with a little piece of fabric wrapped around it. Pa killed a pig and saved the bladder for the girls to play with. yah! play with it! He blew it up like a balloon and they had loads of fun with it. Whatever it takes I guess. Ha Ha So this is just a little of what we have been reading. Next time

I will post on a book I am reading just to switch it around a bit. Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day.

The day they took God out of schools

http://www.afr.net/newafr/wekickedgodout.asp

Spring Reading List

Ok, I have decided to do this Spring reading thing from Callapidder days blog. Here is the link if you want to check it out for yourself. http://callapidderdays.blogspot.com/2007/03/spring-reading-thing-lets-get-reading.html

I love to read. As a kid, I can remember reading but not as much as I do now. I use to read The Babysitters Club books. V.C. Andrews and Mary Higgins Clark were my favorites as well. Now I love a good fiction book on occasion but for the most part, I like non-fiction. I love to read self help books on marriage, parenting, health, and anything pertaining to learning about Christ and the bible. Anyway, I am so up for this Spring reading thing because I have so many books in my midst that I need to read. Sometimes I am trying to tackle reading two to three books at once but that doesn't work to well. I am convinced that is my ADD. Ha Ha One book at a time Tanya! I hope they do a summer reading list as well.....

I will put my reading list on here and a reading list for the kids. I have started reading the kids chapter books. Dylan is almost 7, Matthew almost 5 and Mikayla almost 4 so they of course can't read chapter books yet. It is alot of fun and makes them use their imaginations. At first they thought it was weird and boring because there were no pictures to look at but I try to make it fun. The way I read for one makes it interesting. Using different voices and making expressions helps. Right now we are reading Bunnicula and we just love it. There are some parts that are funny and I laugh at them. This gets them laughing to because they see mommy enjoying the book with them. Some books in the past I have created props for them to have the kids use while I am reading to them. We just read the book The Mitten the other night by Jan Brett. Great book with awsome illustrations in it. Here is a link to make your own mittens for the story.

http://www.janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm

If you scroll down to the bottem, there are other things you can print and make with the children to.

I am going to try to get as many books as I can but I might need to update this later. We are in the process of moving and I have all my books packed in boxes. I'm not sure that I will remembe them all but here goes.

Mom's Reading List:

• Child Wise (Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.) (Finished)
• Raising respectful children in a disrespectful world (Jill Rigby)
• What you don't know, may be killing you (Don Colbert)
• What matter's most (Tony Evans)
• Carbohydrate Addicted kids (Dr. Richard Heller, Dr. Rachel Heller)
• My Hearts at home (Jill Savage)
• Parenting Principles from the heart of a pediatrician (William Slonecker)(Finished)
• Becoming a contagious christian (Bill Hybels)
• Drowning Ruth (Christina Schwarz)
• We were the Mulvaney's
• Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
• To kill a Mockingbird (John Steinbeck)
• East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
• Left Behind series (#8)

Childrens Reading list:

• Bunnicula (Deborah and James Howe) (Finished)
• The Pilgrims Progress (John Bunyan)
• Little House in the big woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
• Little House in the prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
• Trumpet of the Swan (E.B. White)
• Jesus Freaks (DC Talk)
• The boxcar children (#1)

Well, here is the list but some might be missing. I will add them later when we unpack boxes. They are not in any order. There are alot of them so fininshing all of them by the end of Spring is unlikely but I will just add the rest to my summer reading list. I will update on here on a regular basis to let you know how the book is going and what it is about etc. Hope everyone has fun reading your books.

Happy Reading:)

A peek into my binder:)

I have a ton of pages of web sites that I like to use when I need to look
something up. My first page of web sites is toxic and non-toxic plants.
Then Internet links for health and safety. And last, helpful home school
websites. These are the ones I love:) Here are a couple of my favorites:
http://www.free.ed.gov/index.cfm
http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/
http://www.freemathworksheets.net/
http://www.softschools.com/

Check them out! And enjoy........

My school charts section includes a multiplication/division facts table,

basic use of capital letters, basic punctuation marks, Branches of

Government, Levels of Government, common misused words, suffixes

and prefixes, charts on Presidents, tables of common measurement,

lists of sight words and some math tables.

Auhh, the meat of the binder! The part that I don't have quite down

yet. This part is for scheduling your cleaning, kids chores and I have

home made cleaning recipes that I have been experimenting with. This
is my cleaning section.

I only have two recipes in this section so far. This section is meant to

include recipes you have just encountered and want to try out. If after

trying them, you like them, then remove from the binder and place in a

special recipe box etc. You don't want your binder to get to

overcrowded. If you have any good recipes, please share them. I love

to try new things.

I like to keep track of what the kids are reading as well as myself. I think it is a great way to look at the end of the year and see our progress. It is a great motivator for the kids also.


Side view of my binder. I have almost everything inserted into plastic

sheet protectors to of course protect the pages. With the kids, things

are always prone to spill:)

The first half of my binder is all about my homeschooling and the last

half is my home management.

I have to have the pens. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a penaholic. These pouches are nice for some storage especially if you take your binder elsewhere to work on it.

~Home Managment Binder~

Creating your binder can be a life saver if you are like me and scatter brained. I guess having ADD doesn't always help that either. That is why creating this binder has helped me in many ways. I needed help with organization and just keeping on task with certain areas during the day such as tackling the cleaning. I saw that I was one of those that cleaned all day long and it didn't look like it. I was scattered all over the house and doing the same things over and over like picking up things off the floor, washing dishes when there were some in the sink and sweeping etc. With a home managment binder you can tackle the visible things and also those areas that seem almost impossible to get to like cleaning out your fridge! One thing I hate to do and by looking at it, you can tell. And organizing closets, scrubbing things that you may scrub once a year because you just don't have time.

I have my home and homeschool binder all in one. This works for me but you may choose to have two seperate ones. For each section I just typed the title and added some of my clip art. The same for the binder cover although this will eventually change. I love to scrapbook so when things are settled down and moving is done, I want to make a nice scrapbook page for the front of the binder.

For more information on home managment binders visit these websites,

http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100?review=0

http://www.flylady.com/pages/cjmain.asp

http://myblessedhome.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-home-management-binder.html#article

These are a few that I know of. The very first link (Keeping the home), scroll down Candy's blog and click on some of her friends blogs to look at some other binders ladies have made. It's neat to gain and share ideas between each other. Make this binder your life and your love. Spend some time making it and be creative. It is alot of fun! I will post some pictures of mine but I am always tweaking it some.

What does your binder look like?

What a tragedy this is. My heart goes out for the students, staff and the families of the lost ones. I pray that God will be with them and console them with his empathy and love. Bring their grieving hearts peace and stay beside them through all of this.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb_lY_E4lOw

All Natural

Hubby and I have been contemplating for a long time now whether or not to do all organic and natural things. We didn't have to convince each other to long since this is the best for our bodies and for the children and their lives. We have slowly added things like changing our deodorant since there is a chemical in it called aluminum that can be very bad for you. We are switching our tooth paste as well. On the label on the back it warns of calling poison control if swallowed. I know it suggests if in a big amount but every time you brush your teeth you are going to swallow some of those chemicals in the tooth paste. Yes it may be a very little amount and you wont die from it then and there but what are the long term damages being done on your inside that you cant see? Any thing you put onto your skin only takes a matter of 30 seconds to penetrate the skin and wallow into your blood stream. That means everything you touch, taste and even smell gets into your body. When you put lotion on your hands, where do you think it goes. It doesn't just magically disappear. It soaks up in your skin and goes into your blood stream and then I don't want to even think about where it is going on from there. Read this article about that yummy tasting stuff your kids eat for breakfast. http://www.healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=8350 and they say that Pantene hair care products have a floor wax in it. That is what gives you all that shine you see on the commercials. I often wonder why there is such a rise on all those cancers and other health related problems now days. I suspect it is this very issue of having toxins? There are toxins in everything from cleaners, health and beauty products, and even food. When I told a relative about our life style change, the comment was "well you are going to die sooner or later?" I responded back with "I would rather die more later than sooner." Two great books to read are http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Relief-Don-Colbert/dp/0884197603 and book from Kevin Trudaeu called Natural Cures they don't want you to know about. I have learned a lot of information from these books and there are many more books and information out there. Just shopping in the grocery stores the last months, I have noticed the shelves adding more natural and organic products. People are realizing all those chemicals are not good for you. We have switched our peanut butter to all natural, trying to buy some organic fruits and vegetables and have even bought Stevia instead of using the Splenda or Nutrasweet. There is so much to be learned. Just check your labels and if you cant read the ingredients then don't eat it. I will do some more posts in the future on things that I find or products that I change and start using. This is a slow process for us and alot of research is going into it. Here is a web site for making your own home made cleaners. www.doityourself.com

Tanya

The kids are still all snug in there beds with visions of candy bars dancing in their heads. Just kidding. I thought I would take a few minutes and do my blog before I start to get to busy and the kids get up. The weekend did seem to go fast. Maybe that is because we were really busy. We got alot of packing and cleaning done. My dad came up yesterday and shampooed my living room floor and Paul and I took the kids to my moms for awhile so they would stay out of his way. I have alot of boxes packed but still more to do and for sure some cleaning to do. This is our last week here and crazy as it sounds, I'm going to miss it. We have been here for almost three years and I really like this apartment. It fit us just right and we had the convenience of having the park, YMCA and the Library very close. Oh well, this is for the best.

Everyone is just getting over being sick. Everyone but Paul. It is so weird because usually he is the first one to get sick and I never do but I was hit with it hard this time. I was literally on the couch for three days. Now Mikayla and Matthew are fighting it off. Poor babies.

Paul and I are getting excited about starting our garden. Last year, I didnt do to much with it. I think I was to overwhelmed at how big it is. And the fact that Paul and I are the only ones that do work in it. My dad said he was going to join us this year. I think I might do some planting in my moms yard as well. I told her I would plant some pretty plants for her. We are of course going all organic which is a bonus for our bodies but it is so much more work to do the garden to keep it up then. Last year the bugs were really bad. We just need to continue to learn about new ways to do things and get educated. This is a learning process for me and it is fun. I am going to get the kids more involved with it this year because this is good stuff for them to learn as far as science stuff. It is also a great life skill to teach them and hopefully they will carry it on into adulthood. Oh, and did I mention it helps Paul and I out when we can have the kids slaving away for us? Just kidding. I do want my kids to learn what hard work is and team work. The kids back in the old days worked their butts off all day doing this and kids now days do nothing but sit in front of a television and play video games. What is that teaching them? I used to be one of those kids and my older son is like that because of the mistakes I have made in the past. Let me tell you that is not fun sitting back watching your child be a certain way or do a certain thing because you didnt teach him any different. And now that he is almost 13, it is so hard to change. And I get the back comments from him "well you used to let me do this and that". Trying to explain to him that I am not the same person I was then and that I want to teach him the right things is not always easy because he is not set in his ways. All I can do it pray for Gods guidance. Well anyway, I could go on and write forever because there is always so much to say. I of course have lots of fun walls to wash and should get started. The kids will be up soon wanting to eat.

Tanya

It's been a busy week

Trying to juggle home school with packing to move, having to run my own errands and trying to keep everything else in order has been a challenge the last few weeks. I'm so used to having Paul here to help me with those things and now that he has found a job, I am being forced to learn the ropes all over again. I think I became spoiled with those 2 years off with him just having to go to school. If I needed something at the store or my prescriptions picked up, I could just send him. When the kids had doctors appointments or swimming, he would always help with that. Although I miss the extra help, this is the way the Lord meant it to be and I am glad things are looking up from here on. God has been blessing us and taking care of us and our every need and I am so grateful for that.

We haven't been doing as much school as I would like with having to pack and clean but the kids are learning life lessons as well. I have to consider that part of our school. I started this new chore thing recommended by my best friend and sister Jodi. I have these things that look like work badges. They are just the plastic inserts with the clip so that you can attach them to your clothes. I write their name and their chores on a piece of paper and insert it into the plastic and they wear them. They have to wear their work badge until their work is complete. If I find it laying around or lost and their work is not complete, they get more work added. So far this has worked well and it is fun (See above picture of badge).

I'm so glad today is Friday. I am looking forward to the weekend. My dad is going to come over and shampoo our rugs with his huge shampooer from his work. What a blessing that will be. Less work for me because he wants to do it himself:) I hope to get more packing and cleaning done. Maybe even do some more work to this blog. They should have manuals for these things. I will be blogging soon.

This is my first blog here. First I wanted to introduce my family. This is my husband Paul, Sons Dylan (6), Matthew (4), and daughter Mikayla (3). My oldest son Austin (12) is not in the picture because he was not present. You will get to see lots of pictures of him as well. I hope to post lots of pictures of our family happenings as well as our homeschooling happenings. Yes, I home school. I have been doing this for two years so it is very new to me yet. I love it a lot along with being a stay at home mom. My first priority is to please God and then I try to be the best mom and wife that God wants me to be. I am always looking for ways to better my life and make things more simple. Hmmmm, is there such a thing? I think so but it is taking some time to learn and then you have to apply it to your life. I enjoy reading other women's blogs and getting ideas from them. Anyway, I just wanted to post my first blog to see how this would turn out. You will be hearing more from me. Right now I am still trying to set up the blog with its graphics and layout. I'm no computer genius so it is taking a bit.