Just Be Present

 

Christmas is upon us. This year has been one of chaos at every turn it seems. Moms have had to learn to school at home, deal with a virus that strikes fear into even the bravest, wonder what next year will look like, and NOW it’s time for the holidays. 

Many of us have ideas in our minds of what the holidays should look like. If you’re like me there is a list. A list of all the items that you just HAVE to get taken care of for it to be THE picture perfect holiday. Mama, please hear me. There’s no such thing. Food is going to get burned. Children are going to have their tired tantrums that come.  Gifts aren’t going to get there on time due to no fault of your own. Things are not going to go as you always want them to. That. Is. Okay!

Hear me, your family needs you to be present. As moms, we tend to hold all of these ideals of what we think it should look like and become buried under the weight of our own expectations. These expectations of ours can make us feel as if we are smothering and cause us to completely miss the one thing our family truly needs, us. 

Before the hustle and bustle gets to you, let’s stop and pray. Stop and remind yourself to give grace to someone it can be hard to give it to, yourself. Remember to breathe. Yes, a list and expectations are great. However, don’t let them take over. It’s okay if it looks different this year. You be present in the moment. Stop, drink your coffee, tea, or cocoa and be present. 

1 Peter 5:7 says, “ Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

I want to encourage you, start off the day with some time for prayer, reflection, and getting yourself focused. It will make a huge difference. Ask Him for strength for the must do’s and the wisdom to know what you can let go of. Help your children experience this holiday season with a mom that is in the moment, breathing, and soaking it up. 

You are loved. You are enough. You are a precious lady and amazing mother. Do not ever forget that. 

If you’d like prayer, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Talk with someone close to you or you can always message me. I’m praying for you. You got this Mama!

Weekly Wrapup - The One With Mommy Down and Out...

In our life this week... Mommy was hit with a nasty bug Thursday. I woke up with a fever and tummy virus and I haven't felt that bad in a while. Thankfully it only lasted 24 hours but for those 24 hours I was out. I do not run a normal temperature any way so when I have a fever, it doesn't have to be  high to make me feel awful. I have such a sweet kiddo that took care of me this week :-). He picked me blackberries that morning even though I couldn't eat them. I'm thankful this is over and that so far no one else has had to deal with it. We are also waiting on our washer to be fixed. I called last Thursday... Needless to say a part has been ordered and I'm thankful for friends that let me borrow their washer!!!

In our homeschool this week... We are still trying to finish up first grade. LOL It seems like each week we get a little farther and then bam! Something gets in the way. Thankfully we are not too far from the end and next week should be it! Which is good because then my guy is spending a week with his Mimi and Papa. We worked on our math and science. We watched a Liberty's Kids video and also a science video too. We got in a new Bible study curriculum that we will start when he gets back and we can't wait!!

Places we're going and people we're seeing... We went to the PJ party at the library. Those are fun. I do realize that they are a little younger than him but he still likes to hear the stories. I am thinking the library programs during the afternoon will be more his style now. ;-) It's kind of sad realizing he is growing up so fast!

I'm praying for... Our church, families around us, friends and guidance.

I'm cooking... Before I got sick we had a great dinner of lemon pepper chicken, fresh corn, fresh red potatoes , fresh cantaloupe and tomatoes.

I'm grateful for... A sweet girl that has helped our hearts heal over the loss of our basset hound. She has been such a blessing to us. And she likes to hold hands.

I treated my child this week by... Taking him to see Monsters University yesterday. The sweet kiddo took care of me on Thursday and was very patient and loving. :)

A picture of the week... Here Boo Bear is in the play he was in last week. It was absolutely adorable and a lot of running around but awesome! He had a blast and is ready for his next one! Mommy needs to rest from all the driving though ;)

Weekly Wrap-up: Wow What A Week!!

In our life this week... Boy how a week can change things. This morning I sit here with a great loss this week and a great gain. All within a few days. First, the loss. If you read my post here  you will learn that our Basset Hound of 8 1/2 years passed away. He was a sweet houndie that we miss a whole lot. My son was having an incredibly hard time dealing with this loss. I knew it would be hard but I was not prepared for the days we had Monday and Tuesday. My mom created this lovely collage of him for me.

While I could have waited for another dog, my son was having an incredibly hard time. I knew I wanted to find a dog that was good with children, easy to work with, loveable... We found her last night. I have always wanted a Golden Retriever because they are amazing dogs. I've always wanted to work with a therapy dog as well. One I love dogs, two I love helping people...;) So here's our new addition to the family: Meet Molly :)

In our homeschool this week... Needless to say we did not get near as much book work accomplished as I wanted. Let's face it. When your grieving it's tough to focus on division. So we took it slow and got a few sections in our math book completed. We also continued working on our cursive book we are reviewing and did some other items. It was basically a slow week that we just took our time.

People we're seeing and places we're going... We took advantage of our summer bowling pass and went bowling with friends. We also hit the library program this week and saw some creatures that make you squirm. We had friends over yesterday to play as well. It was a keep busy kind of week. :)

I'm working on... Trying to get finished up with 1st grade so we can take a break and get ready for 2nd. I want to get a table for the homeschool room and get some other things organized as well.

I'm cooking... Nachos, sloppy joes... and that's all I think. I'm telling ya. It's been an off week here... Oh and I will cook a cheesecake for daddy this weekend ;)

I'm grateful for... Friends and family listening to our ravings this week.

A photo of the week.... They are getting to know each other and hanging out...

Weekly Wrap-up

In our life this week....  We had a pretty good week. Things are returning to normal with the exception of Daddy having meetings this week. We finished up our Super Hero class this week and also got word that Boo Bear will be in the children' theater production of Pinnocchio this summer ;) He's super excited! It's his first real play. It should be a fun adventure.

In our homeschool this week... We worked steadily on our math and Science. We started a new review this week and it is already a fun and exciting program. We also met up with our homeschool group so we could plan our adventures. We have a lot planned between now and December so it' exciting. We are trying to finish up 1st grade so we can take a break and move on. Hopefully we will finish by the end of June. At least that's the goal ;)

Places we're going and people we're seeing.... We had a trip to the library, the theater class and we met some friends to play.

Things I'm working on... I am already trying to get the homeschool room cleaned up and out for setting up for the next year. I am trying to get things changed up. We have a school desk that he has been using this year but I want to get a table for us to both sit at together. Something a little more comfortable for us both.

I'm We are reading... The 39 Clues series. We are on book seven. We are loving this series! This one is a great one and I'm glad we found it. Boo Bear is loving it!

I'm cooking... We have recently gone to two different restaurants that serve an appetizer that is amazing. When you first read it you might think what is so great about chips. But really... This is amazing. They are similar to kettle chips and they are warmed in the oven then topped with Blue cheese crumbles. One of the places had a cheese sauce over top that was great. the other one had a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce which was out of this world! So I tried to recreate that one and the balsamic reduction didn't get thick like it was supposed to but they were still wonderful! I will keep working on it as this is the first time I have tried a reduction.

A photo (or two) of our week...
First off the pup has built in blinders. ;) He was snoozing away one night and I caught him like this...

Here's my super hero! Criminals watch out! You don't stand a chance!!

Weekly Wrap Up

 In our life this week... We have had a pretty calm week. I got to go to a Mom's night out last night at the local mall and that was a nice relaxing time. We had a park day with our homeschool group this week and we also had some down time at home. :). It has been nice since we have been running for what seems like forever. LOL

In our homeschool this week... We have continued on with math, science and other items. We are still working on some review items and getting those ready to post. We are moving right along in our Singapore math and Apologia Science as well. I know a lot of others are finishing up about now but we are still moving along in this year. With Boo Bear's surgery we aren't where I had hoped to be but that's okay. That's part of it!! :) Freedom to move as we need... So hopefully we will finish up in the next month or so and can move onto 2nd grade. I have math and science for next year already. Still gotta figure out what else to add though... hmm....

People we're seeing and places we're going... We had a homeschool park day yesterday to celebrate some of those graduating this year. We also had superhero class this week as well. We will be heading to Nana's tomorrow for my kiddo's birthday party. He has a birthday this weekend and he's all excited!

We're reading...We are on the fifth book of the 39 clues series. This is a great series and I'm loving it just as much as he is. :)

I'm cooking... Low carb chicken scampi, Burgers and diet coke sloppy joes.

I'm grateful for... My kiddo. You can read my birthday post to him here.

Questions/thoughts I have... Do you school through summer or take it off? If you take time off how much? I think we will be schooling on through with a lighter load but keeping up the routine. I think it will work better for us that way. :)

A photo of the week... I shared this earlier but it's a favorite shot of mine ;)

Have a great week!!! 

Weekly Wrap-up : A busy wild week...

In our life this week... Well currently my little guy is taking a breathing treatment. He has been fighting asthma and allergies this week and it is rearing it's ugly head again this morning. I see a doctor's office trip here in our very near future. Like hopefully today... I don't like going through the weekend with a sick kiddo and no one to ask for help ya know? Other than that we have actually been hugely busy. We have had lots of fun and the week is winding down. 

In our homeschool this week... We had some great homeschool days and fun at the park. We also were getting back into our routine. (which was kind of hard because we were running ;)) We started a few new curriculum's this week for review and so far they are awesome! I can't wait to share what we are using. :-) We finally finished our first half of first grade math this week too. Next week we will start on our second book. We also started listening to the first of the 39 clues series this week. After some recommendations we have picked this series up. I am loving it ;) . Boo Bear seems to be too. Our homeschool group is also reading it so it will be nice for the kids to all chit chat about ;)

Places we're going and people we're seeing... We got to hang out with two of our homeschool groups this week. We also made some great new friends ;). We had a blast cooking breakfast in nature one day and playing at the park the next. I love homeschool meet ups. It is so refreshing for both of us. We also had a field trip with the cub scouts to bakery. Lots of fun!

I'm cooking... This week I made stir fry veggies, orange chicken, egg drop soup... And not sure what we are doing tonight. 

I'm grateful for...My wonderful family and friends. This week has been full of tragedy all around and I am so grateful for the life God has given me, my family and all those around. 

I'm praying for... All those whose lives were forever changed this week. My kiddo to get better and my hubby to feel back to 100%. Also that I don't catch anything because I gotta take care of those two ;)

A photo of the week...

working on our new phonics curriculum we are reviewing...

How was your week this week? 

Wrapping Up The Week

In our life this week.... We have been busy. It's been a great week building up to Easter Sunday. Last night we went to church for the presentation of the Last Supper.  My kiddo was super excited last night because he got to shake "Jesus" hand. You know it reminded me of so many bible stories. This child wanted to chase after Jesus to find him. That's who he was after. It made me think.. How hard am I chasing after Jesus?

In our homeschool this week... We are finishing up the first half of our first grade math. With all the events that has gone on this year we have not gotten to where I wanted to be at this point. But that's the beauty of homeschool right? :) We are working steadily on regular curriculum while working on some fabulous reviews we will be bringing to you :). Super excited!!!

Thing's I'm cooking... I made a grain free bread this week that was awesome! I finally got one that my family will eat too ;) LOL. Today I'm making a cake for our Easter get together and I'm making me some cupcakes that are Paleo friendly. I'll let you know how they turn out. Oh and I made a pizza crust this week that turned out great. My hubby said fantastic!!! It was made out of ingredients you never would imagine. You can find that recipe by clicking here.

Places we're going ... We are headed to a cub scout field trip to the local newspaper today. We are also heading to Great Grandma's tomorrow for a fun Easter get together.

My favorite thing of the week... Had to be my kiddo's prayer last night. Sweet and from the heart straight to our Lord's ears.

A photo of the week... 

We made slime!!!

 Oh and this is one happy "Easter bunny"...

Wrapping Up A Busy Week

In our life this week...  Whoa!!! This has been a wild week!! Whew! Okay, now that I have my breath and can catch up ;). We had two museum trips, a surgeon follow up, school stuff, park day, and we have friends coming over tomorrow for an Easter party.I think that's it. We really have had a great week. Oh and Boo Bear was released this week! He can now do anything he wants. NO more restrictions from surgery!!!

In our homeschool... We got several things completed this week and I was glad. We learned a lot about hands on stuff this week. One of the museums we went to was like a giant hands-on playground. My kiddo really enjoyed that one. The other museum we went was a natural museum of history. We had a great time enjoying the day! We completed a lot of lessons in the doctors office this week plus the museums. PS around here is on spring break next week so we will have some play dates with friends but we will keep on keeping on. One of the museums we attended an extra special exhibit that I will be writing about next week. Keep an eye out. It was "titan" sized!!

I'm cooking... Cauli-rice for the first time. That was really yummy! Also I made pancakes out of green bananas  That was an interesting one too.

My favorite thing this week... I really enjoyed the park day we had yesterday. The weather was absolutely beautiful and amazing. Wish it could stay that way all the time...

I'm grateful for... Lots of work this week. While we were busy and running I was still getting  a lot of writing work and that's always appreciated!

A photo of the week... This was the climbing tower at one of the museums we went to. Boo Bear was learning the path of a rain drop. He's awfully brave because you wouldn't catch me that high ;)

Weekly Wrap-up : Going Primal!

In our life this week... Mommy went Primal! :) LOL I have some health issues that I have struggled with for the past ten years. I have wanted to take steps to get rid of them or reduce medications I am on but I never truly have succeeded. I think that's because I never truly had the determination and motivation to do it. I was looking at several sites, blogs and even a movie this past weekend and decided to make the change. This is not only for myself but for my family. Most of my issues are hereditary and I do not want to pass them on to my son. I want to give him a great start. I have made it five days eating this way. I have seen my sugars drop to normal ranges and have reduced my insulin some. I'm on the right path! This is what lunch looks like here!

In our homeschool this week... honestly not much sit down work has taken place at all... Monday I had a killer headache and Tuesday we had a homeschool play date. The rest of the week has been spent going to farmers markets, learning outside and enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having. Yesterday we talked about earning and saving money instead of spending every dollar he gets as soon as he gets it. Yes. Mommy is a spender and she is taking this challenge with him ;) .

Places we're going and people we're seeing...I'm headed to a women's refresh retreat at my church tonight. It's a much needed retreat and it's about nutrition! Go figure. The week I turn primal they are having a women's conference about that ;). God's timing is awesome right?!

I'm cooking... Pretty much the same ole' same ole' with some tweaks for me. :) For example, we had spaghetti this week and instead of noodles I had spaghetti squash. :) I'm going to try my hand out at Kale Chips this weekend too!

A photo of the week...We had a nice time this week and here's a shot of this beautiful weather....

Don't forget to check out the links below too!

Weekly Wrap-up

 In our life this week... We are dealing with a fear of the dark, tummy issues and crazy weather. How about you? ;) We are trying some new dietary guides this week to see if things change for my little guy. Otherwise we will be heading to do the doctor. Things are just not settling like they should and I'm hoping the plan we have for the weekend works ;) Otherwise it was normal stuff around here. We did have to have a LEGO Day this week but otherwise normal...

In our homeschool this week... We are progressing nicely in our math curriculum. We have been doing some harder concepts so when we made it to the chapter on shapes he was super excited. It helps us move along when we are doing easy stuff that we know ;). Mommy likes it too because we don't seem to get so bogged down.

We got a new reading curriculum to review this week and I'm super excited. I was reading the information for me and I had to stop and read it to my hubby. I asked him who does that sound like? It makes me feel better that this is normal for children and that this will hopefully help me fill in any gaps he might have.

I started introducing cursive writing this week too. He loves an app I added on my Kindle for writing practice because it shows him cursive. Since then he has been all about wanting to write that way. So this week we started in with it.

We finished up our lesson 6 in our science book and are gearing up for a new chapter. I found some fun science experiments on Pinterest this week so we will work on those too. Just nice to add and shake things up a bit.

Places we're going and people we're seeing... We had a park day, shopping trip and library trip this week. We also went last Saturday to a Knapping festival. We learned about Native Americans and their tools and way of life. We also got to throw a tomahawk! Oh and I shared this Monday but we lost our second tooth this past weekend ;)

I'm cooking... Cake ball pops, diet coke sloppy joe sliders, chicken alfredo and last night was pizza night. I started a menu planning linky on Mondays but this was the first week so we will see how it goes ;) Do you menu plan?

I'm reading... Lots of things for homeschool. We are reading a Geronimo Stilton book together and he listened to some of Junie B's audio books.

My favorite thing this week... Cuddles with my kiddo, a few nights of solid sleep, having a plan in place to hopefully help him settle down.

 A photo of the week... We were working on our Apologia sea scene here....

Weekly Wrap-up : End of February

In our life this week... It is up and down with the temperatures so we never know what we are going to do. Some days this week were rainy and stormy and then we had a couple of nice pretty days and today it's cold again. Of course not as cold as our Northern friends but in Central Florida the 30's and 60's are considered cold. LOL


In our homeschool this week... We tried getting back to our regularly scheduled programs this week. To say it was a difficult process would be putting it somewhat mildly. My hubby and son are both fighting a cold or allergies. So while I was trying to help with that we were also trying to get our school work in. He feels fine just didn't want to do any math, or anything else for that matter. There were a couple of great days like this one where school went outside:

We also have been having a great time working on a review for you. This one is a great lapbook that is coming for review in a few weeks!!!

This is really awesome and a wonderful topic for boys ;) 

We tried getting into the Dr. Seuss's birthday spirit but alas... Boo Bear doesn't like reading his books. Sigh... Not sure why but he doesn't. Oh he will watch Cat In The Hat or The Lorax or even Horton Hears A Who but he's not fond of reading them.So ... 

We tried ;)

I also learned a very valuable lesson myself this week. You can check that out here. 

Places we're going and people we're seeing... Not much this week. We stayed home for most of the week. We did run a few errands but other than that we stayed home. Maybe we can get a library trip in soon. 

My favorite thing this week... Hanging out and learning to let go. :) Also we had a nice walk and some outside time in our yard without it being so hot or nasty. Also NO MORE BELLY BUTTON PAIN!!! WAHOO!!! ;) 

Things I'm cooking... Stir fry, General Tso's chicken, pork chops with mushroom gravy and my kiddo and I have been cooking breakfast together. 

I'm praying for... Friends who need prayers, my hubby to feel better and that whatever ninja snuck into my bedroom last night and karate chopped me doesn't do it again.. Boy I'm stiff and sore this morning...

Don't forget to link up with other Mama's to find out what's going on in their world!!! 

Weekly Wrap-up

In our life this week... Boo Bear had surgery on Monday and we were back to school on Wednesday :). No I wasn't a hard nose. It was that he was feeling so much better that we went ahead. I am finally seeing my kiddo back to normal ! :) Wahoo!!! My parents were here helping out and we had a good time considering the reason they were here. We checked out a very awesome restaurant supply store here in town. I have fallen in love with it! All these awesome baking things I would love to have, they have them!! EEKK!! It was fun walking through there and seeing any kind of backing or cooking contraption you could think of. I even found some really cool kids baking kits. Since he loves to cook with me we may be investing in some of those soon.

In our homeschool this week... We did a lot of "talking" learning and some actual book work too. I have to say... with the Singapore math that I am getting myself confused so it was great my Dad was here. The way they are teaching addition and subtraction is very different to me so I'm learning right along with him. But he does seem to love this math so we are sticking with it. We started the chapter in Science on swimming creatures of the past, mainly dinosaurs :) So Boo Bear is all excited. We also worked on our Spanish and other items this week too.

Questions I have... I know I have seen a lot about the Common Core. I know some people are tired of hearing about it. I was wondering how many of you use it for a guideline? Do you have to have an evaluation each year? Here we do unless we are under an umbrella school. My thoughts were to keep the cores in my portfolio and examples of him doing it so they know we are on track... sort of. Now if we go above and beyond, which I plan on, that's fine too.

Places we're going and people we're seeing... I think we will take a trip to the library today to stock back up on books. He's going a little stir crazy since we are not able to hit the park for 2 weeks. We have our Pinewood Derby race tomorrow too. I'm sure he's excited about that!

What we're reading... Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

What I'm Reading... A lot of different stuff. :) The information on the common core, homeschool blogs for inspiration and advice, websites on getting organized. LOL Lots of different items ;)

My favorite thing this week...  Seeing my son more normal than he has been in over a month!

A couple of photos...  First my kiddo gave me these this week for " taking care of him" ;)

 This is what some of our down time looked like this week ;)

Hope you have a great week and don't forget to check out the homeschool journals!!!

Wrapping Up An Easy Week

In our life this week... Lots of cleaning up, working and prepping for next week. My parents are coming into town tomorrow to help us out when Boo Bear has surgery Monday. So we are getting ready for that. We had a few trips out to the grocery store and a trip to the park :) Other than that it's been lots of watching movies, playing games, hanging out and creating a candle lit dinner ;).

In our homeschool this week... We have had a lot of stuff going on since this has been a slow and easy going week. We did work on some of our math, reading and some writing. I guess those are the basics anyway ;) We did start playing around with our new math curriculum we have for a review coming up. So that will be extra fun when things get back to normal :)

Place's we're going and people we're seeing... We haven't done a lot other than trips to the store and to our pirate class. We had our last pirate class and hope he is doing well enough next Thursday to do the next round of theater classes he wants. We also had Cub Scouts. Oh and we also had dinner out on Tuesday night so we could avoid the Valentine's Day rush :) LOL

I'm cooking... For Valentines Day I made stir fry veggies, sweet n sour chicken and fried rice. IT was super yummy and I was super pleased! :) It was my first time really stir frying veggies and it turned out well enough I will try again :)

My favorite thing this week... Getting my house back in order after last weekend's update and move around. :) It was nice to be able to get the boxes out and things put back in place.

I'm thankful for... My kiddo getting better nights sleep. Course I'm not real sure what next week will hold but I do know who holds next week :)  I am thankful for some great friends and family and new bloggy friends I have made in the past months :)

I'm praying for... My nerves, my son's surgeon and surgery, my families safe travels, friends who are sick and some other unspoken things on my heart.

A photo of the week... Here's my candle lit dinner with my two special Valentines ;)

Weekly Wrap up - Surgeons and Beautiful Skies

In our life this week...  Well we finally made it to the surgeon consultation. Boo Bear has surgery on the 18th of this month to repair his umbilical hernia. It's a mixture of relief to know that help is on the way for him and concern and worry because of the general anesthesia. He has had asthma issues before and he snores so according to the doctor that takes a little longer for him in recovery. So prayers are much appreciated in the weeks to come!

In our homeschool...It was honestly a light week. We did a few days of "work" and the others have been school in a different way. I think until the surgery is over and the dust settles it is the easiest route to take. We are working on some great reviews for the coming months and I'm super excited about those! I also ordered the second half to our first grade math books so I have lots of packages coming in the next few days! Love when packages come!

Helpful homeschool advice... Learn quickly that it's okay if school doesn't happen like you planned or think it should. You will get finished. It will happen. Just relax and let go and let God help you. These are all things I am working on myself ;)

Places we're going and people we're seeing...  We went to cub scouts Monday night and Boo Bear has his Blue and Gold Banquet tomorrow night. We are going to try to fit in a trip to the park but we also had a trip to the mall, the surgeon, and pirate class.

I'm cooking...  These wonderful bratwurst patties I found at the store. They are delish!!! And everyone loves them. I'm going to cook the Asian Lime Meatballs tonight ;)

I'm praying for... My kiddo, friends that are dealing with tough times and guidance on learning how to let go of some things.

I'm grateful for... All the bloggy friends I have made who are sending up prayers for our family. My friends and family that are surrounding us with prayers as well. They are much appreciated!

A photo of the week... 
This is without a filter.. We were driving to Cub Scouts and it was just breathtaking!!! God is a wonderful artist don't ya think?