Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving today.  It is not the food that makes it special; it is the people, both family and friends, that make this day special each year.

Years ago when I wasn’t disabled we would invite someone, who didn’t have family near, to celebrate today with.  One year we took thanksgiving food to a man we knew that was a shut in.  Everyone deserves to have people to celebrate the holidays with.  If you know someone who doesn’t have anyone in which to celebrate with, and you are willing and capable, please invite them to your home to enjoy spending time with others.  Not only will it benefit them, but you may be surprised at the benefits to you and your family too.

We always wanted to serve in a soup kitchen, especially around the holidays, but something always prevented us from doing so.  At this time in our lives we can’t serve in that way; maybe sometime in the future we will be able to.  If you are serving the homeless this year I want tothank you.  Making a difference in the world starts with the little things we do for others.

Sites that Caught My Eye this Week

June so hit the nail on the head with this timely post.

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

What is Your Opinion?

There is a couple out there in cyberspace leaving it up to public opinion as to wether or not to abort their baby.  I ask my readers to please go and make your voice heared on this matter.  Your vote will only count once.  If this is important to you please let others know about it.  I have posted on facebook, wrote about it here, and I am telling all my friends.  I am not asking you to tell me how you vote, that is a private matter, but I am asking you to please go vote.

Birth or Not

Monday’s Musings from the Porch Swing

My oldest daughter had very little interest in sewing when she was younger.  I taught her how to use the sewing machine, to do some simple stitches, and she helped with some very simple sewing.  She wasn’t interested in much more though.  Last night she sat across the table from me and asked me how to cut out a pattern for a dress she wants me to make.  I am hoping as I get more into the process she will want to participate further. My younger daughter on the other hand is begging to learn to read and play the piano.

The subject matter I wanted to talk about today is children, their learning and your timing.  I’ve graduated my oldest daughter from homeschooling after teaching her since three-quarters of the way through first grade and am now homeschooling my younger daughter.  Over the years I’ve learned something very important:  sometimes when a child is struggling with something that is necessary for them to learn it is helpful to put it aside for a few days or more.  When you pick it back up they may still not get it and it may need to be set aside for a little more time.  Eventually they will surprise you and get it and go sailing along better than you thought possible.  If we continue trying day in and day out when their minds are not ready to grasp the lesson at hand all that will happen is frustration on the part of both parent and child.  On the other hand if it something they don’t have to learn put it aside and only mention it occasionally; if it is something they need in their lives they will ask for help learning it sooner or later.   The other situation you may run into is that of a child asking, sometimes begging, to learn something that you thought would be waiting till a year or so down the road; like my daughter wanting to learn to read and play piano.  I didn’t think she would be reading for another year and I thought the piano playing would be several more years away.  When a child ask to do something, I think they are at least ready to begin with some simple lessons if not more, so I begin the lessons. Children know more than we give them credit for.  I will know from how well she handles the first couple of lessons as to how fast or slow I will need to go.

I did not come to my philosophy of home education on my on  I have prayed, talked with my husband and  read several homeschool books.  If you are homeschooling or just beginning to homeschool don’t take my word for how you should teach your children.  God blessed us with our children and will guide us on how we should teach them if we only ask Him.

 

Sites That Caught My Eye This Week

My daughter has been wanting to learn to sew, but Buzzard and I don’t feel she is ready to work with the sewing machine.  I recently came across some websites to teach me and her how to sew with our hands.  This is one skill I must admit I have not yet learnt.  Children seem to like it when you are learning right along with them any way, so this should be fun.

Raising Homemakers

If your child is ready to start using the sewing machine you might be interested in this website.

One Hour Craft

As I was looking for some crafts I could do with Coqui, she loves crafts, I stumbled across something wonderful, two websites for making dolls.  I have been telling Buzzard that I wanted to make a home-made doll for her for Christmas.  This way I can personalize it and make clothes just like the ones I make for Coqui.

Skip to My Lou several free patterns here

Doll Net Market you can buy some inexpensive doll patterns here.  Most are for intermediate and experienced doll makers, which I hope to someday achieve.

Doll Maker This one has a life-size doll with a free pattern.

The Purl Bee In case you are interested in making a felt doll.   These can be very pretty.

With so many families being on strict budgets this Christmas maybe some of you will find these websites inspiring.

Since I wear dresses all the time my little girl prefers to wear them too.  I am teaching her to be lady like when she wears one, but she is just a young girl.  Tonight I found a blog post that will help me to help her.

Like a Warm Cup of Coffee

Nagging

Buzzard is working and going to college and taking care of his family.  Due to my disability he carries a bigger responsibility than he did before.  I try to find other ways to do things or wait till he is off to ask him to do something like move a table for me.  Sometimes I will interrupt him while he is studying and ask him if he can do such and such when he takes a break.  With him having so many things on his mind right now I know he sometimes gets lost in what he is doing and forgets that I have asked him to do something.  The quandary I come upon is: if I remind him am I nagging?  If I don’t remind him he may not remember that I need such and such done.  I have to admit there have been times when I have reminded him then felt like I was being a nag afterwards.  Other times I have not said anything about it again, but have stewed over the fact that he didn’t remember.  This stewing has shown up in my behavior too, I’m sorry to say, which in turn affects the whole family.  As I was writing this it dawned upon me that the best way for me to handle these types of situations is to sit down with him when he isn’t busy and ask him what he would like me to do when it slips his mind that I needed something done.  I would start this conversation by letting him know how much I appreciate everything he does and that I know he is usually very busy right now.  I want him to know that I respect him and want to honor his role as leader of our home.

Maybe there have been times recently when you have been a nag.  It is not very becoming or respectful for a wife to be this way.  If you find yourself nagging your loved one you should find a way to change this behavior.  If you don’t know how to do this start with prayer.  God may show you how to change or He may want you to go to your husband to discuss it.  Your husband is there to guide you, God made him to be a leader of your home.

Please don’t misunderstand me; if your husband isn’t doing anything you ask of him and he isn’t overly busy, asking him more than once to do something isn’t being a nag. I don’t mean that our husband shouldn’t have time to himself.  What I am say is that not spend all his time just pursuing his own interest, he should be willing to help you too.  Websters dictionary defines nag as: to be a persistent source of annoyance or distraction.  I would think that being annoying would be if you are interrupting him over and over while he is busy working, doing important things, or spending some relaxing time by himself .

Blogs that Caught My Eye this Week

I know the week is almost over and a little late for this part of my blog, but I will try to add some more before the week is out.  I’ve been busy with my family this week and that takes precedence in my life.

I would like everyone to go check out this wonderful post My Body, My Mind, Ect..  I believe it applies to us all.

Are you an E-gal?

 

Monday’s Musings from the Porch Swing

As a family who homeschools we are already going against the grain of the majority of american families, but just how do we stand strong when the wind blows hard against us, which it often does.  This wind seems to come the strongest from those close to us.  For us it has often seemed like an uphill battle.  We have older parents who are very set in their ways and tend to have a tough time understanding that we parent differently than our brothers and sisters.  We have tried more times than I care to count to explain to them why/how we do things the way we do, but it seems like we always end up at square one again next time.  What is one to do when this happens?  persevere by praying and asking for guidance.

You and your spouse need to be in agreement as to how you are raising the children.  If you are not it will be harder to stand up against those who don’t support you.  It may mean that the two of you need to sit uninterrupted and discuss your choices.  If you don’t agree on some things, the two of you will need to listen to each other and calmly discuss these aspects.  You may find that you have to go back to the discussion at another time; this is okay, progress will not be made if you get angry with each other.  In the end it is important to remember it is our job to build strong families who do what the Lord ask of us.  God will help us to follow Him.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Making Our Christmas Extra Specail

Today I began looking for crafts I can do for Christmas.  Last year I started a new tradition with our children; we made our first annual Christmas tree ornament.  There are many other families out there in blog land doing the same thing.  I like to use up things I have left over from other projects, so my children and I made felted wreaths.  The only difference was we used left over fleece from ponchos I had made for the fall weather.  Over the course of this past summer I found two whole boxes of yarn at yard sales.  On top of this I was given quiet a bit when a friends mom passed away.  In holding true to the Depression motto I mentioned in a prior post, we will be using some of that yarn for this year’s ornament.  We will be making Sparkly Yarn Ornaments and possibly Felt Gingerbread Man Cookies.  The gingerbread cookie idea would give my daughter a chance to practice some beginning sewing by hand skills.

If you would like to find other Christmas ornaments you can make with your own family you might want to start looking at ideas at The Crafty Crow or The Magic Onions.  I know there are a whole store of sites out there to help you get started with your own frugal Christmas crafting with the children, but I just wanted to give you a jump start and help get the creative juices flowing.

I would like to thank the people whose websites I linked to here on this post for their wonderful ideas to make Christmas a memorial time with my family.  To me it’s more about the quality time spent with them than it is the expensive gifts I could buy.  Since each child makes their own we will be giving their ornaments to them to add to their trees when they leave home; hopefully this will help the memories of the time we spent making them as a family live on.

Blogs That Caught My Eye this Week

I have found these blogs either helpful or thought provoking in my life and would like to share them with you.  I hope you find them helpful to.  Check back, I will be adding more here as the week goes on.  If you like this I will try to do it weekly as I see post that would fit the bill.  Enjoy the new sites if you’ve not been to them before.  If you know of a site that we all shouldn’t miss please let me know and I will check it out and let others know about it too, if it would be beneficial to many that might be reading my blog.

Good Morning Girls Growth in the Lord

One Hour Craft Teaching your child to sew

My Virtual Sanity Recycling Sweaters for Yarn

Do Stuff Blog Crock Pot Yarn Dyeing (you can dye that yarn you get from recycling sweaters)

Pink Slipper Project Make slippers for charity

Quiltville Use up material scraps