Simply at Home

It’s Been A While…

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Since my last post…

Ds9 became ds10

Dd7 became dd8

{But ds5 is still ds5 }

Christmas cookies have been all gobbled up

spring has sprung…

We’ve celebrated Easter

spent many hours using our new swingset

and we’ve even visited some newborn foals at a nearby horse farm.

I’ve missed updating my blog with pictures of the goings on around here. Hopefully I’ll be able to add blogging to my list of things to do…at least once every couple of days ….we’ll have to see.

A Special Day Calls for a Special Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:58:00 +0000

An American Girl Store opened near us last year {well, it’s about 1.5 hours away}…so for dd’s 8th birthday we took a trip to the store.

Her plan was to get Emily’s {her American Girl doll} ears pierced. Our dd won’t have the privilege of getting pierced ears ‘til she’s at least 10, but we did allow Emily to get them pierced .

Dd also spent a large part of her savings at the store. And she left a very happy shopper.

There was a Lego store at the same mall, so the boys got to check that store out. It made a trip to the American Girl store just a bit more enjoyable for them, too .

Christmastime ~ Operation Christmas Child

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

We checked the first thing off of my “make-sure-to-do-this-Christmas” list a couple weeks ago…

It’s been on my “want-to-do” list for the past couple years…

but it’s never been crossed off…

‘til this year…Operation Christmas Child boxes filled and dropped off .

All About Reading Level 1

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:13:00 +0000

It’s here! And all of the All About Reading Level 1 products are 10% off through December 6th. Every AAR Level 1 order that contains a Teacher’s Manual will also receive a free gift .

I am most excited by the fact that this new kit includes my most favorite readers: Cobweb the Cat, The Runt Pig, and Run, Bug, Run. Last year I used these readers in combination with All About Spelling Level 1 to teach my struggling reader to read .

No you didn’t read that incorrectly…All About Reading wasn’t out yet, so I used All About Learning’s spelling program to teach my dd to read…I am so glad they published a reading program to go along with these readers and I can’t wait to use it with my ds5!

You can read more about All About Reading Level 1 here.

All About Learning products have worked so well for my family that I became an affiliate with the company. The product links in this post are affiliate links.

Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ November 18, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:46:00 +0000

In my life this week…not much going on: we shopped for and delivered our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes {yay!}, completed five days of school, spent most of our time at home {doing school and playing outside}.

In our homeschool this week…we finished up another week of our HOD curriculum ~ we read about King Philip’s War {1675-1678} and the courage of Captain Church. I am learning just as much about American history as my my kiddos .

My favorite thing this week was…shopping for our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with the kiddos and delivering them to our local drop off site . I’ve been wanting to do this for that past few years but we always missed it!

Things I’m working on…Thanksgiving fun for next week. I told the kiddos that if we finished all of the schoolwork that I planned for this week {which we did}, we will spend next week doing Thanksgiving fun stuff: crafts, reading our pile of Thanksgiving books, baking, and whatever else I’ve pinned on my Pinterest Thanksgiving board .

I’m reading…The Grace Effect {a review} by Larry Alex Taunton…a very thought-provoking book! So glad I was asked to review this one.

I’m cooking…dairy & egg free {or at least trying to} for the sake of ds5…he was diagnosed with a very slight allergy to dairy and eggs last year. Our doctor recommended that we cut back on dairy & egg but we didn’t have to remove it altogether.

This worked for a while, but I have been noticing that he has been having some issues with reflux lately so I decided to have him go dairy and egg free for at least a month to see if it makes a difference.

I’m grateful for…a boring week at home, no new sickness to deal with {just getting rid of old lingering ones}, very few outside activities, lots of things checked off the “to-do” list .

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

I found this picture on my camera’s memory card this morning. Dh took the kiddos to a park when I was sick, he took my camera along too .

The Grace Effect ~ A Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I recently received a copy of The Grace Effect, a thought-provoking new book written by Larry Alex Taunton, the Founder and Executive Director of Fixed Point Foundation.

The Grace Effect is a book about adoption…but it is not just about adoption. It’s also about what Taunton learned through his family’s experience of adopting a young girl from the Ukraine. It’s about what he learned about the grace effect, which Taunton defines as: “…an observable phenomenon –that life is demonstrably better where authentic Christianity flourishes” {p.22}

My Thoughts

This book has made me think more than any other book that I have read recently…really think.

It made me think about adoption {something my husband and I have been considering for the past couple of years}, the current plight of orphans around the world and how my family and I can help them.

It made me think about what the world would be like without Christianity…how my life {and my children’s} would be different if we did not live in a nation influenced by Christianity.

It made me think about how people are trying to change our nation from one based on Christian principles to one that does not acknowledge God.

The Grace Effect made me laugh, it made me feel angry and frustrated, it made me wipe tears from my eyes a number of times…it made me think.

More Information

The Grace Effect is available for purchase from Amazon. You can read more about this inspiring book on the Fixed Point website.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ November 11, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

In my life this week…Sickness and Sunshine…Sickness ~ I didn’t get a post up for last week’s journal because I was hit with an awful “bug” of some sort on Friday afternoon. It started out with me being just plain wiped out…then progressed to 3 days of off and on fever {Saturday’s fever was 103 degrees!}. I am left with just a cough that I think is on the way out {thank goodness}.

Thankfully the fever finally left for good on Tuesday…just in time for me to enjoy some of the sunshine that our area was blessed with . 70s and sunny in November…I’ll take it!

In our homeschool this week…We got five days of school in…in spite of the teacher {me} being a bit under the weather.

Dd7 finished up another math book…three more light units ‘til she’s completed CLE Math 1. Then I need to decide if I want to switch to Singapore 2A {the curriculum HOD recommends} or stick with CLE.

I also added God’s World News back into our school day. Last year I had ds9 read two pages each day…such a simple way to add current events to our curriculum. But for some reason I failed to start this up again at the beginning of this school year. Well, it’s in his assignment book now . I also added two pages/day of God’s World News to dd7’s assignment book, her and I read it together.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…I decided to not share my lovely germs with anyone other than my family…so we stayed put.

My favorite thing this week was…feeling better .

I’m cooking…Last night we had pot roast from the crockpot and homemade bread for dinner, our house smelled so good!

I’m grateful for… my husband, he did a wonderful job holding down the fort and keeping the kiddos fed and entertained while I spent the entire weekend on the couch.

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale ~ A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The Three Trees:A Traditional Folktale is a delightful book written by Elena Pasquali and Illustrated by Sophie Windham.

This folktale is about three trees and their dreams for their future: one wanted to be a beautiful treasure chest, the second wanted to be a king’s ship, and the third wanted to remain a tree “…here on the hillside, pointing to heaven.” While the trees’ hopes for their futures do not come true exactly as planned…their dreams do come true even better than they planned.

My Thoughts

The inside front cover of this beautifully illustrated hardcover book describes The Three Trees as “[a] tale of hope and faith for Christmas, Easter, and always.” I found that to be a very apt description for this lovely book.

I loved the vibrant folksy illustrations and the wonderful message behind this folktale.

More Information

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale is available for purchase on the Kregel Publications website for $14.99.

Disclosure: I received this product for free for review purposes. I did not receive any further compensation for my review and I do not have to return the product.

Sweet Hour of Prayer CD ~ A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:06:00 +0000

This unique 40 minute CD features devotional readings from Oswald Chambers’ Prayer: A Holy Occupation that are interspersed with instrumental hymns. Some of the hymns included on this CD are: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and “Take My Life and Let It Be”.

My Thoughts

I found Sweet Hour of Prayer to be very uplifting and quite soothing.

Before receiving this CD I thought of it as a music CD with readings interspersed…but after listening to it I found it to be more of an audio CD of devotional readings with instrumental hymns interspersed. I absolutely loved this unique mix of devotional readings and instrumental hymns.

More Information

Sweet Hour of Prayer: Classical Ensemble with Devotional Readings from Oswald Chambers is currently available for purchase from the Discovery House Publishers website for $9.89.

I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Field Trip ~ The Pumpkin Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:50:00 +0000

One of our favorite fall traditions is visiting a nearby pumpkin patch.

Between vacation and uncooperative weather, I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to make it to the patch before it closed for the season this year.

But we found a way to squeeze a trip in. Dh couldn’t make it {we went during the day}, but some of our favorite friends did .

The weather in our area this summer and fall made for slim pickings at the patch…

However, we were able to find three pumpkins worthy of carving to bring home with us.

Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ October 28, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:04:00 +0000

In my life this week…Vacation was over, the kiddos were on the mend…it was time to get back into our regularly scheduled routine. We are not back to a regular routine yet, but we are much closer than we were on Monday .

But I have to admit…it was hard to go from warm, sunny and {mostly} relaxing days at the beach to chilly, rainy and {mostly} busy days back at home. .

In our homeschool this week…reading, writing, math, William Penn, viruses, t-cells, b-cells, k-cells and antibodies…

I am inspired by… the crisp air and brilliant blue skies of fall…this kind of weather inspires me to bake and clean and prepare for winter .

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…lots of errands: consignment drop off, apple orchard for more cooking apples, bank, post office, the final baseball games of the season and hopefully a trip to the pumpkin patch before it closes up .

My favorite thing this week was…being home…we had a lovely vacation, but there’s truly no place like home .

I’m cooking…more applesauce and apple crisp, chicken in the crockpot {which was yummy and made the house smell wonderful!}, homemade rolls in the bread machine to go with the chicken, and chicken broth using the chicken carcass...yep, it’s fall.

I’m grateful for…cozy slippers and our space heater, they’re calling for SNOW in our area tomorrow!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

This pic is in the running for our Christmas card .

At the Beach ~ Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

It was our last full day of vacation before the long drive back home. The weather wasn’t quite as warm as it was at the beginning of the week…but it was warm enough for just a little more beach time…

And now that everyone was feeling better and our vacation was about to end I wanted to at least attempt to get some family pictures .

I do believe at least one of these will be appearing on our annual Christmas card .

At the Beach ~ Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Thankfully, ds5 woke up on day six feeling much better so we made plans to have some fun.

A cool front had come in overnight, the wind made for a brisk day…but the sun was shining. Not so much a beach/pool day, but a great day to head out to explore some local sights with the kiddos.

Ever wonder how much fun three kiddos and a dad can have with three quarters?

A ton of fun if you spend your three quarters on fish food…

Ds9 was drawn to this store by the humungous boxes of Nerds in the window display.

Inside we found the biggest candy we have ever seen…Reese’s Cup anyone?

How about a giant Tootsie Pop?

A Sick Day at the Beach ~ Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Ds4 was anticipating day five at the beach…it was his 5th birthday. Unfortunately it was also a sick day for the poor little guy .

Soon after these pictures were taken the poor little guy took a long nap and woke up with a fever {this will be known as the never-ending cold of 2011}.

While he was sleeping his older brother and sister were working hard to protect their sand castle from the incoming tide.

The water made it to the castle and ended up creating a water-filled moat .

Even though he was tired…ds{now}5 felt well enough that night to open a couple of presents.

It’s no fun to spend your birthday in bed…especially when you’re on vacation.

It was so nice to see a smile on the little guy’s face .

At the Beach ~ Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

On our fourth day at the beach I made it out before the sunrise…I was drawn by the dolphins playing in the water {if you look closely you can see two fins in the picture above}.

While I was out I got to see the sun rise…beautiful!

Ds9 soon joined me for an early morning shell walk.

Later in the morning every one headed out for more playtime in the ocean.

At the Beach ~ Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Another beautiful day at the beach…

The kiddos’ sand castle survived the night.

Ds9 is on his daily {or almost hourly} round of shell hunting.

In the afternoon we headed over to a cove area to look for more treasures from the ocean.

The kiddos tried out every pool they found.

We found two sea stars

and a bunch of hermit crabs.

Happy 5th Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Ds4 is now ds5…he celebrated his fifth birthday at the beach this year. Four years ago we celebrated his first birthday while vacationing in Nags Head, NC.

We discovered pretty quickly how he felt about the sand…

He did not want his daddy to put him in that stuff.

He did not like sand on his little feet!

Four years later his tastes have changed .

Happy birthday little guy!

At the Beach ~ Day 2 Pool Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

In the afternoon on day two the kiddos spent some time splashing around in the pool at our beach house.

Dd7 preferred the pool water to the salty ocean water.

Ds9 loved them both .

At the Beach ~ Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Our first official morning at the beach dawned bright and beautiful.

The kiddos couldn’t wait to walk the beach in search of shells.

Later in the morning they headed out for some fun in the ocean with dh...

boogie boarding,

sand castle building,

and just plain water fun .

Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ October 21, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 02:18:00 +0000

In my life this week…We were at the beach! We had a wonderful, relaxing, sun-filled week at the beach. The weather was downright beautiful…70’s and sunny for most of the week!

We did have two more sick days, ds4 actually spent most of his birthday day in bed with a fever {from the never-ending cold of 2011} . But he felt much better the next day and we celebrated his 5th birthday then .

In our homeschool this week…I took a pile of seashore books so we could identify all of the shells we found and all of the shore birds we spotted…otherwise it was full-on vacation time from the school books .

I am inspired by…the awesome beauty of God’s creation…how can you doubt His power after witnessing a sunrise over the ocean?

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…We shared the beach house with an assortment of grandparents, great grandparents, aunts and friends. Most of our days were spent by the pool {our beach house featured a private one } or on the beach.

My favorite thing this week was…watching ds9 take like a fish to the swimming pool. He has taken swimming lessons every summer for the past three or four years. This summer he finally got the hang of it and actually began enjoying the water.

During our vacation he swam almost every day. He became a pro at swimming underwater, dh also taught him how to do somersaults and handstands in the water. He was so proud of himself, and I was too .

I’m grateful for…vacations and downtime with my family, off-season beach vacations {cheaper and less crowded}, healthy kiddos…

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

At the Beach ~ Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:40:00 +0000

We just returned from vacation and I can’t help wanting to reminisce just a little bit…

We headed out bright and early {actually it was dark and early } to drive down to the beach.

It was a beautiful day for a drive…even a long one. Thank goodness for plentiful rest areas that are perfect for stretching little legs {and big ones!}.

We arrived in record time and the beach beckoned…

The kiddos could not resist trying out the water...

which was awfully warm for October!

We’re ready to start our week at the beach .

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars ~ A recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:18:00 +0000

On my last post I mentioned making some oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookie bars and every commenter so far has asked for the recipe…so I thought I’d share it .

It’s basically the recipe found on the Quaker Oats oatmeal container and on this page with a few of my own substitutions. Here’s my own version of the recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick), softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar {I use turbinado or raw sugar}
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour {I use a mix of white and fresh-ground wheat flour}
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups old fashioned, uncooked oats
1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Add oats, cranberries and chocolate chips and mix well.

Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

I’d show you a picture of the finished product…but they didn’t last long around here…maybe I’ll remember to take a picture the next time I make these yummy cookie bars .

Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ October 14, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:13:00 +0000

In my life this week…The cold that wreaked havoc with my school schedule last week descended upon dh and I over the weekend. And poor little ds4 developed a hacking cough that this mama did not like. Thankfully he’s feeling much better, the cough was nothing serious…it just sounded bad to his mama’s ears .

In our homeschool this week…Despite the fact that the teacher was under the weather {me}…school continued. It was just a small cold, nothing to really complain about…but I still did . We completed four days of school {just like I planned} and we are now caught up and ready to go on to the next week in our curriculum.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…baseball practice, the apple orchard for more apples to cook up, and the bank to deposit our yard sale proceeds .

My favorite thing this week was…an unplanned drawing session that was inspired by the poem we studied this week. In our Bigger Hearts curriculum we study a different poem each week, taking time to learn about couplets and stanzas and different poetic devices. This week we studied the following poem:

Each in His Own Tongue

by William Herbert Carruth

A haze on the far horizon,

The infinite tender sky,

The rich, ripe tint of the cornfields,

And the wild geese flying high-

And all over upland and lowland

The charm of the goldenrod-

Some of us call it autumn,

And others call it God.

I have never heard/read this particular poem, and I am so glad that HOD introduced me and my kiddos to it…we all loved it!

Day 4 of our poetry study had the kiddos learning about imagery and they were supposed to draw the images that came to mind as I read the poem aloud to them. What was probably supposed to be a brief 10-minute lesson turned into a 30-minute drawing session with a bit of classical music thrown in .

All three kiddos really got into their illustrations…even ds4. After I read the poem aloud a few times so they could develop the imagery, I put our Best of Vivaldi: The Four Seasons CD into the CD player and played “Autumn”. It made perfect background music for their drawing session.

What’s working/not working for us…Our Heart of Dakota curriculum…I am still in love with it!

I’m reading…a bunch of freebies on my Kindle .

I’m cooking…Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies {yummy!} and more apple goodness {mostly applesauce for the freezer}.

I’m grateful for…the overall good health of my family.

Giveaway Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:55:00 +0000

The winners of my two recent giveaways are:

Carlito C. Caterpillar Game Card set ~ commenter #1, Karyn

Cooper and Me ~ commenter #3, Amanda

Both winners have been notified .

Cooper and Me {children’s book} ~ A Review & Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Wendi) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:10:00 +0000

Cooper and Me is a sweet picture book about a little girl’s fears about her first day of school. Cooper and Me was illustrated by 11-year old Alexa Peters and co-written by Alexa & her mother Monique Peters.
The character of Cooper is based on Alexa’s real life dog, Cooper, a labrador retriever. And the book Cooper and Me was based on Alexa’s own personal experience with her first day of school.

Alexa’s illustrations are vibrant and colorful and the I love the rhyming text. Even though I am an adult…I have to admit, I love books that have rhyming text. Rhyming words are just plain fun to read, in my opinion .

In this story, the little girl is having first day of school jitters. Since my kiddos have always been homeschooled they have never been fearful about this particular experience. However, they have dealt with fears associated with embarking on a new experience, such as the first day in a new Sunday School class.

So even though they can’t exactly identify with what the main character in Cooper and Me is experiencing, they can sympathize because they have had “first time” jitters too.
I think Cooper and Me would be a fun read for any kiddo, whether they are looking forward to {or not looking forward to } the first day of school, or getting ready to experience a “first time” that they’re not too sure about.

More Information
Cooper and Me is the first book in the Cooper and Me series. This sweet picture book and the others in the series are available for purchase on the Cooper and Me website for $12.99/each.
The website also features a number of other fun and useful resources for kiddos and parents, including coloring pages that match each book in the Cooper and Me series and helpful reading guides for parents to use with each book.

Giveaway Information

I have been given one copy of this delightful hardcover picture book to give away to my readers. If you are interested in receiving your own copy of Cooper and Me simply leave a comment on this post.
I will randomly choose one comment {using random.org} on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 10am EST. Please be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."