Sharing a Little Blog Love

Homeschooling has been a bit busy this last week, so not much time to blog. But I wanted to keep myself in the habit, so I thought I'd just introduce you to one of my regular blog reads - Telling Stories. I stumbled upon Courtney's blog a while ago and just love it.

Courtney is a professional scrapbooker-turned novelist. Her first novel, A Sweethaven Summer, is being released today.

So if you love scrapbooking and reading, then this novel is for you. It looks like the perfect book to get you through these last few weeks of winter. Check out Courtney's blog today so you can enter to win some great giveaways that she is doing to celebrate her book launch.

Heathcliff and Homeschooling

"My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath - a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff - he's always, always in my mind - not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself - but, as my own being..."

- Catherine Earnshaw

"You loved me - then what right had you to leave me? What right - answer me - for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery, and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or satan could inflict would have parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart - you have broken it - and in breaking it, you have broken mine. So much the worse for me, that I am strong. Do I want to live? What kind of living will it be when you - oh God! would you like to live with your soul in the grave?"

- Heathcliff

Wuthering Heights - one of my favorite classic novels! I loved it when I read it in English class 20+ years ago, and I'm loving it even more reading it now as one of our homeschooling assignments.

Little did I know when I first started homeschooling my middle-school boys last August how much fun I would have revisiting certain subjects (although there are a few that aren't so thrilling for me just as they weren't so thrilling 20+ years ago). But every time we crack open a new novel for literature class, I'm giddy with anticipation of the story that lies within its covers. My kids think I am an absolute freak - and maybe you do too, but that's ok.

Perhaps I get so excited because it seems that over the years I have gotten 'too busy' to read or become 'too lazy' in my book selection - resorting to quick reads that generally tell a good story but not with the eloquence or details of such writers as Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens and others. That's not to say there aren't great writers out there now, it's just that many readers, including myself, overlook the wonderful charm, complex characters and thought-provoking prose of these classics for the latest and greatest New York Times bestsellers.

Homeschooling has given me the opportunity to make time for these classics again (I promised my kids when we started homeschooling that I would read everything they have to read - little did I know how much reading their teacher would assign!). And even though I enjoyed reading many of these books when I was in school, I appreciate them even more now.

So treat yourself to a classic once in a while - who knows what great characters you'll meet. (And no, I won't assign you a character sketch or a paper comparing and contrasting the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine to Heathcliff and Isabella.)

New Year's Tweaks

(Is it too late in January to do this kind of post? We're still in the first half of the month - so I think I'm OK.)

I strongly dislike the word RESOLUTION along with the whole idea of New Year's Resolutions. To me, it's asking for failure. I also equate it with the idea that there are major things wrong with me or my life and that flipping the calendar to January 1 is somehow going to magically fix all that needs to be fixed. (Big disclaimer here - This is just how I feel about how resolutions relate to me. If you are a resolution-maker and it works for you, then more power to you!) That in no way implies that I don't have areas I need to work on or that my life is perfect - far from it. It just means that I don't let those areas define who I am as a person.

But if I'm so content, then why even write a New Year's post? Sometimes my contentment, as nice as it is, can lead to laziness or idleness. Not the "sit-on-the-couch-in-my-pajamas-all-day" kind of laziness, but the "I'm-OK-with-everything-so-let's-just-keep-the-status-quo" kind of laziness. I know God wants me to be content in - and despite - my circumstances, but He also wants me to continue to grow. And that growth encompasses a lot of areas - spiritual (in my relationship with Him), emotional (in my relationships with others), personal (in discovering, exploring and nurturing gifts and talents that He has given me).

That being said, there are a few changes I'd like to make in 2012. Instead of referring to them as New Year's resolutions, I will call them New Year's "tweaks". By definition a tweak is a minor alteration. Now don't you think a minor alteration sounds much more doable than a drastic resolution? (Maybe it's just semantics, but it works for me.) Without further ado, here is my list:

1) Spend more QUALITY time with my kids. If you know me, you know that I am a stay-at-home mom who homeschools my two older kids (while my youngest runs amok and single-handedly destroys the house). Why would I need to spend more time with them considering they are basically with me 24/7? One word - QUALITY. They may be with me all the time, but how often do they have my undivided attention.

Since the older two are very close in age, they've kind of always been a package deal - you take one, you take the other - even by me. For the most part, they are fine with that. But now that they are getting older, I want to make sure they know I view them and love them for the unique individuals they are. As for Mia, she is slowly requiring less "care" but she does love some good crafty or snuggle time. That's not always easy with homeschooling and her older borthers' busy sports schedules. But I'm going to do better even if that means sometimes overlooking the dust bunnies, hand prints and dirty toilets.

2) Date my husband again. He will agree that we are both guilty of sacrificing our time with each other for our kids (those pesky little - or big - creatures, JUST KIDDING). But when we do manage to step out for a late-night romantic stroll through Target, we realize what we're missing out on. So this year we have promised ourselves one "real" date a month. What constitutes a real date? I don't exactly know but it's something other than a stroll through Target at 9 o'clock at night. Don't get me wrong - we love Target but it's not exactly the most romantic locale.

3) Actually complete a creative project or two (or three or four). Boy do I have some grandiose ideas for household projects, crafts, blogging, etc. And that's the problem - they never become more than just grandiose ideas floating aimlessly in my brain. This year I intend to do things differently and hopefully I'll have something to show for it when December 31st rolls around.

I've never been a planner - face it, plans seem so restricting. But alas, I have realized that to accomplish any of these projects, I need to start with a plan. May sound logical to you, but it is so against every fiber of my being. (Although homeschooling has forced me to lesson plan - so maybe that's a start). Perhaps to make myself accountable, I'll post my project ideas and plans for completion here. (Whether anyone is reading this or not, it makes it seem more official if it's on the Internet.)

4) Blog again. - This kind of goes along with number 3. I like to write... I want to write... I just never plan to write, so it always gets shoved to the bottom of the list. Maybe it's a subconscious thing - maybe I'm no good at it, maybe nobody will read it so why bother. But in the end, I'm not doing it for anyone else but me. So that's why bother.


This is by no means an exhaustive list - just some of the things I'm starting to tweak now. (The typical things you might think of like weight loss and being healthier are things I've been working on for a while now - so not new to me.) I'm sure I'll identify more areas for tweaking as 2012 progresses. So even if resolutions aren't for you, then perhaps you'll decide to make a few tweaks of your own.

Facebook: From Feasting to Fasting

I've given up Facebook for Lent - me and apparently lots of other people according to a news blurb I recently heard. (If you're reading this from my Facebook page, I haven't cheated. It automatically posts to my profile :-). )

To be honest, I'm a bit of a Facebook junkie. OK, maybe junkie is a bit strong but you get the idea. My family still gets fed, clothes still get washed, crumbs vacuumed, etc. Theoretically, no one suffers from my addiction but myself. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

But over the last several months, if not longer, I've experienced lots of frustration over never having enough time to do things beyond my normal day-to-day activities, i.e., things I enjoy or find more meaningful like blogging, crafting, in-depth Bible study, reading, just to name a few. This has started making me more cranky than I like to be (and we all know the saying, "When momma isn't happy, nobody's happy").

I've found plenty of ways to rationalize my elevated levels of crankiness. Number one being the mental and physical demands of keeping up with the Princess day in and day out. She is an absolute joy but she has got to be the busiest and chattiest two-year old I have ever encountered. (I am not exaggerating!) Number two being the mental and physical demands of keeping up with two middle school boys and the whirlwind of homework, sports schedules and the like that surround them. By the end of the day my brain is mush which makes it very easy to veg with mindless entertainment, like Facebook, after the kids are in bed (or even during moments of downtime, no matter how brief, during the day). But the reality is, I am the cause of my own frustration by wasting too much time on meaningless activities.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Facebook is completely useless. It does have some merit. I've simply come to realize that for the most part I don't really use it for anything worthwhile. So for the next 40 days (at least), I'm going to take those Facebook moments and commit to using them for things that I really want to do - things that have a purpose, for me anyway. Who knows what exciting things might get done around our house over the next month and half!

Mexican Lasagna

Or Mexican La-ba-sagna as the princess calls it. Anyway, if you happen to love Mexican food and Italian food then this dish is just for you. And I have to give a shout out to my Aunt Kathleen for this one.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 can refried beans

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

24 oz. jar of salsa

2 1/2 c. water

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz. sour cream

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef and drain. Then add in refried beans, oregano, cumin and garlic powder. Mix well.

Line bottom of 9x13" pan with four uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with half of the meat mixture. Add four more noodles and top with the rest of the meat mixture. Top that with four more noodles.

Mix 2 1/2 c. water with jar of salsa. Pour over top of noodles.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until noodles are tender. Remove from oven and spread sour cream over top. Sprinkle with cheddar chees and return to oven until cheese is melted - about 5 minutes.

I usually let mine rest a few minutes before serving. Then slice and enjoy!

YUM!

Duke Children's Hospital Radiothon

Nothing tugs at my mommy heartstrings more than hearing about a child who is suffering from cancer or some other tragic illness. Every year I would listen to bits and pieces of the Mix 101.5 Radiothon for Duke Children's Hospital and was always brought to tears by the stories - some with happy endings and some not - of the parents and caregivers of many precious children who are battling diseases that they should never have to face. And then I would thank God that I haven't needed the services that Duke Children's Hospital provides. Then I would make my donation and move on.

This year was different. This year I have a slightly better understanding of what those parents are facing and feeling. Last October, my oldest son had a lump form on the right side of his face in the cheekbone area. At first we didn't think much about it but it rapidly grew so we couldn't ignore it any longer. We still didn't pay it much mind until after a casual visit to the pediatrician we were immediately sent for a CT scan. That same afternoon I vividly remember sitting alone in the consult room at our pediatrician's office and hearing him say that they had no idea what it was but it did not look good and then asking if it was OK for him to refer us to a pediatric neurosurgeon at Duke Children's Hospital. All I could think of was that Duke is where all the really sick kids go. We couldn't possibly need to go there, could we?

But we did - the very next week. And then the very next day he had surgery. Fortunately, unlike many of the stories on the Radiothon, our story has a happy ending. We went for something that appeared extremely grave but ended up being something completely fixable. And for that we are so grateful.

I write all this because even my brief experience of not knowing what was wrong with my child and not knowing if it could be fixed gave me a little perspective on what many of those parents and children go through for much longer periods of time. And the staff at Duke Children's Hospital does everything they can to support those precious families. They make every effort to ease fears and anxieties and to help families maintain some semblance of normalcy while traveling an often unexpected but sometimes long and painful journey.

So as a mother, I would ask you to consider making a small donation to help Duke Children's Hospital continue to provide help for these precious families during such difficult situations.

My Funny Valentine(s)

Happy Valentine's Day!



My Valentines
Not Pictured - My Original Valentine (he had to go to work before the pancakes were done)

 As a mom to only boys for the majority of my parenting life, Valentine's Day has always been somewhat of a challenge. I want to make the day special but without unnecessary additions of 'stuff' (i.e., cute stuffed animals that eventually migrate to the attic - especially since I went through nine gigantic garbage bags of them last night dividing by keep and donate). And now that the princess is aware that Valentine's Day is a 'holiday', I didn't want to fall into that habit with her.

Well, it seems I hit the jackpot - FOOD! We started the day with homemade heart-shaped pancakes...

and then finished it with heart-shaped sugar cookie pops.



And just in case you thought I was creative enough to think of this on my own, I wasn't. I got the idea here.

 Ymmmmmmm! (And yes, with two adolescent boys, I should know that food is always the answer.)

That was about all we had time for today - considering I think today should have been call Spring Sports Opening Day instead of Valentine's Day. The race is on between now and Memorial Day - baseball, lacrosse, soccer, repeat. But we wouldn't have it any other way. (And the princess is excited because now it means hours of guaranteed playground time.)

And in case you think I've forgotten about my Original Funny Valentine, don't worry! He's still my one and only and I wouldn't want to do life - with all its crazies - without him by my side.