A New Plan

After everything that has happened in our lives since the summer of 2013 I have decided I need to re-instate my blog. By on the look out for a new theme. I plan to write about all that has happened and what I have learned. I want to share some of my favorite recipes that y'all keep asking me about. I also want to share some reviews, good and bad, about the products that have most effected us in hopes of helping y'all either find a great product or not make the same mistake I made! I want to keep it fresh and real. Also be on the look out for a name change! Of course this means my twitter name will also have to change and that is always messy, but it will be totally worth it! I hope that y'all are as excited as I am! Peace and love, Andrea

WriteShop Curriculum

As you should all know by now, I homeschool. Not only do I homeschool, but I teach 2 boys who couldn't learn anymore differently from each other. One is brilliant and reads ALL.THE.TIME He thrives on reading, worksheets, assignments and writing. The other is also brilliant, but in a very different way. He struggles with reading (dyslexic and has VPD), he hates to write but loves to tell me stories that I write for him, and he prefers hands on learning and experiments. Worksheets and assignments make him frustrated and cry. I much prefer and can relate to Elder-Son's more traditional way of learning and so surrendering to C-Dog's learning style has been a challenge for me. I want him to love to read and write because he has an incredible imagination and his stories can entertain just about anyone! He has a natural story-telling ability. Elder-Son has to work at it and I thank God he was given the gift of perseverance! One day, and I can't for the life of me remember HOW, I discovered WriteShop. It is this amazing writing program and I was positive I found the writing curriculum that would challenge and encourage Elder-Son and help cultivate and create positivity (yes, I know this isn't a word, but it should be) for C-Dog. I tried it out and I am hooked. Once I get hooked I become incredibly loyal to the company so I have been telling many friends about WriteShop every chance I get. One friend that I know of has decided to also use the program with her son! Yay! I know she will love the program as much as I do ;) I also had the opportunity to listen to the founder of WriteShop at the local homeschooling convention this past spring. She is really an amazing woman and I have learned so much from her! She even spoke about special needs writing! I now have a solid game plan for C-Dog and I have her to thank for it. So who wants to know more about WriteShop?? Well, you need to go to their Facebook page and "like" them because I know you won't regret it. Also, you need to go to the following link from Homeschool Giveaways. They wrote up an fantastic review about WriteShop and just like their name suggests there is a giveaway at the bottom of the post for you to enter for a chance to win one of WriteShop's curriculum! Of course I am hoping to win since I have yet to come up with the money for Elder-Son's writing curriculum for his 5th grade year, but if I can't win I want one of my friend's to win! Trust me, you will not regret giving WriteShop a chance! Here is the promised link to the must-read review and giveaway! http://homeschoolgiveaways.com/2012/06/giveaway-writeshop-set-99-value/comment-page-4/#comment-56038 Good luck my friends and as always, peace to you!

Giveaway Alert

A blog I follow is giving away Learning Resource Alphabet Letter Box. I will post the link at the bottom. First, I want to tell you about my kids. They *LOVE* to play postal worker. #2 is especially fond of writing letters, decorating envelops and surprising us with lovely letters and pictures. I keep telling myself I will make a Postal Carrier bag for their dress up area and I have yet to do this.... procrastination is my enemy. Anyway, they have a flimsy Valentine mailbox they use right now and it is being destroyed with love. Perhaps I do need another option. How fun would it be to be able to take a favorite game and sneak learning into it?!?! The Alphabet Letter Box fascinates me and I would love to see it in action! Here is the promised giveaway link:http://twoboysonegirlandacrazymom.com/learning-resources-letter-box-activity-set-review-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-50842. Good luck to all my friends who enter! Peace & Love, Andrea

Homeschooling Giveaways

I am always finding new and interesting Homeschooling Curriculum and many times people are offering giveaways. Well, I thought I would share these as they come up. Today I am going to share the post for We Choose Virtues giveaway hosted by Homeschool Giveaways. I know very little about this curriculum, but I am always game for new and interesting curriculum. Once I find ones I (and my kids)like I become loyal to the companies. I recommend them to anyone who will listen and force those who don't care to listen anyway (kinda just kidding). I guess I am similar to a dog in that manner. Yes, I just compared myself to a dog, but we all know they are fiercely loyal to the ones who care for them and feed them. I am the same way with curriculum. If a company cares and is just downright fantastic, feeding my kids with copious amounts of knowledge, then they have my undying loyalty. Well, unless they screw up, but that hasn't happened yet :) Good luck to all my friends who read this and enter although secretly I hope *I* am the one who wins ;) http://homeschoolgiveaways.com/2012/06/giveaway-choose-virtues-homeschool-kit-99-value/comment-page-7/#comment-53424 ~Peace and Love, Andrea

Summer vacation

I took the summer off from blogging. Probably not one of my better ideas since I was just starting this blog ;) Oh well. I needed the time. I am back now and I have a plan! A focus! Stay tuned and I will be sure to fill you in, but today I want to tell you what I have been up to.

I decided to take a break because I added kids for the summer. A friend needed help during school vacation so I stepped up to the plate. 6 kids 3 days a week. Whew. I am tired! I love these extra kiddos, but taking care of someone else's kid is always more tiring. I have no idea why, but that is just how it is.

Summers are great because hubby has more time off. His 12-16 hr work days suddenly become 8 hour work days and his one day off a week morphs into a normal 2 day weekend! It is bliss! It seems I can't get enough of this treasured family time. We hike, picnic, and laze about. We enjoy eachother and relish the brief moment in time that we have. Summers are for savoring.

We took a trip to Florida this year. We blew off the obligatory trip to visit the grandparents in MA and NY. I figure that we are always going to them so for once we can take a normal vacation and they can come to us if they so wish. We stayed with my cousin and her family for part of the trip and with my brother-in-law and his partner for the other half. Why on earth had we not taken advantage of having family in FL before???? It was a dream vacation. The only solid plan was a trip to Sea World (I will blog about that trip at a later date). We enjoyed the ocean and my kids learned to fish. It was perfection. In fact, it was so perfect we plan on going back winter 2011!

Well, summer is over. The 2 extra kiddos are starting school and I can now concentate on moving!

We are moving into a townhouse-style apartment 15 minutes down the road. We will be closer to everything (except hubby's job), which means less car time and more walking! We will also have outdoor space! We haven't had that in the 2 years we have lived in Missouri! Granted it isn't a house, but I am thrilled with the move.

Peace

Another Organic Giveaway!

Awesome! I just found a new blog to follow and it is right up my organic alley! I have only read one post and I already learned I am not as organic as I thought. Damn it! ;) I definetely do good, but I can do better, especially since my goal is to prevent getting breast cancer and/or melanoma (well any cancer really, but I am most likely going to get one of these if I get cancer). I will discuss my cancer fears later.

Right now I am here to tell you about this blog www.greenandcrunchy.org and the awesome giveaway they are hosting with Organicology! Ever wonder about switching to organic soaps, make-up etc? Think you already are switched (this is my category)? Go on over to Green & Crunchy. Read her post and then enter to win one of 50 (that's right 50!) sample packs or organic skincare. I am all over this!

http://organicology.mionegroup.com/en/home and http://www.greenandcrunchy.org/2010/05/guest-post-and-giveaway-from-organicology-50-winners-yes-50/

Serious amounts of updates!

So about a week ago my son spilled water all over my laptop. I was helpless as I struggled with internet withdrawal. My phone helped me through (It is fairly smart). It took about 4 days for my beloved laptop to dry out and I needed to feed my addiction. I caught up on facebook and email (I have 2 email accts, so I had several hundred messages).

Knowing my blog desperately needed updating I had so many other things to get accomplished first. I am now kind of-sort of caught up so my blog can get the loving attention it deserves.

Over the last 2 weeks I have learned of several pregnancies within my inner circle, including 2 cousins! Babies are another addction of mine. So many happy congrats are going out to all of you (you know who you are). I have 2 dear friends who found jobs. I don't think there is anyone in the world more deserving than these two women. I am so proud of them.

Silver Dollar City (the amusement park in Branson, MO) hosts Scout Days every year. My oldest is a Cub Scout so this is our second year going. It is also the second year it rained :P Not cool. My son says it is cursed. I may have to agree with this. While heading toward the flying butterflies my 3 yr old daughter fell. She immediately developed a lump on her head. I went tearing through the park toward the concession area in order to get ice. I was wearing the baby and she didn't appreciate the bouncing, but she is zen so she dealt with it like a champ. After pushing people out of my way (I got lots of nasty looks, but my daughter was hurt) I got the ice and first aid was called. One of the park's EMTs checked to make sure she was ok, gave her an ice pack and free ice cream, and declared her ok enough to ride the butterflies. She can't eat ice cream because she has a dairy allergy so the boys shared that treat and we bought her cotten candy instead. She will heal, but the drama of it all nearly sent me over the edge. My boys have had plenty of falls and bruises, but they are boys. They are rough and tumbly. My daughter is tiny and pink. I know pink is a color, but I swear it describes her personaliy perfectly. She can be rough, but she is also dainty and now her poor head has a lump :( Heal fst babycakes.

I think that is a good summery of the most important things that have happened since my last blog.