February Daybook, 2013

February - yippee! A short month, then spring is just around the corner.  :)

For today, February 19, 2013.....

Outside my window...it's 52 degrees, sunny, with a beautiful blue sky. And cumulus clouds are floating on the wind.

I am thinking... about preparing supper. It's only 2:00 pm, but the children are reminding me that their hunger pains aren't far away.  ;)

I am thankful...for antibiotics. I stubbornly fought a sinus/ear infection for quite some time, before finally giving in and going to our family doctor. Help is on the way!

In the kitchen...we are growing rock candy.

I am wearing...a white top under a red top (love the layering thing) and a multi-colored peasant skirt - all treasures from my thrift store.

I am creating...bloomers for Natty for this summer. She has already grown out of the ones I made her last year.  :(

I am going...nowhere today. I LOVE stay-at-home-days!   :)

I am wondering... if Mimi will be ready for yr1 of Ambleside this September. Hmmm...still praying about that one.

I am reading..."Trusting God When Life Hurts" by Jerry Bridges.  Awesome book, and just what I need to be reading right now.

I am hoping...for a bountiful harvest from the veggie garden this year, with plenty of rain throughout the growing season. Last year it was too hot and dry to harvest much of anything.

I am looking forward to...planting peas at the end of the month.

I am learning...that using encouraging words with my children is a wonderful motivator.

Around the house...musical instruments are all over the couch. The children just finished practice and the house was filled with music. Love that.  :)

I am pondering...how our country has gone downhill so fast over the past four years. I used to wonder why the older generation (namely, my parents) worried so about our country. Now I realize that what they remember, is so far from what it is now. America is no longer in her glory days. How sad...especially for my children and grandchildren.

A favorite quote for the day..."The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety." ~ George Mueller

One of my favorite things...is hearing the laughter of my children as they play together.

A few plans for the rest of the week...school lessons, maybe a trip to the library, and, after my battle with this infection, getting some much-needed rest!

A peek into my day...

This is Asher having his morning devotions. Sometimes, when it's not cold enough to use the wood stove, we use the heat pump, which happens to be the case on this particular morning. Asher's response to not having  the warmth of the wood stove is to completely cover up with this blanket to keep warm. I guess you could call it his prayer tent.  :)

I hope your week is going wonderfully, friends!

linking up at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Daily Resolutions

 Dear friends,

As 2013 approached, I heard some of my friends talking about their New Year's resolutions.

Well, I am not a make-a-New-Year's-resolution kind of person.

I am a take-one-day-at-a-time kind of person.

Not that I don't have goals, and like to plan ahead, because I do.

But my experience with New Year's resolutions can be summed up in one word: failure.

However, if I could make a list of what my daily goals are, it would look something like this....

Just for today...

...I resolve to have a merry heart. (Proverbs 15:13 & 17:22)

...I resolve to have a wholesome tongue. (Proverbs 15:4)

...I resolve to have the law of kindness on my tongue. (Proverbs 31: 26)

...I resolve to have soft answers.  (Proverbs 15:1)

...I resolve to have a gentle and quiet spirit. (1 Peter3:4)

...I resolve to speak with wisdom. (Proverbs 31:26)

...I resolve to have a humble spirit. (1 Peter 3:4)

...I resolve to model the examples of godly women in Scripture. (1 Peter 3:5)

..I resolve to do my husband good and not evil. (Proverbs 31:12)

I resolve to be a joyful mother. (Psalm 113:9) 

...I resolve to be clothed with strength and honor. (Proverbs 31:25)

...I resolve to delight in and meditate on the Word throughout the day. (Psalm 1:2)

...I resolve to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

...I resolve to meditate on only things that are praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

...I resolve to live in light of the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)

...I resolve to speak evil of no one. (Titus 3:2)

...I resolve to remain unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

...I resolve to set no evil thing before my eyes. (Psalm 101:3)

...I resolve to keep my heart with all diligence. (Proverbs 4:23)

...I resolve to trust in the sovereignty of God.  (Daniel 4:35)

Sounds like a tall order, doesn't it?

But remember, I can "do all things through Christ, who gives me strength." :)

Have a wonderful day, everyone! 

linking up at The Modest Mom
Deep Roots at Home 

Kindle Freebies

Hi friends,

If you're like me, you're always trying to find ways to lower the dreaded grocery bill. Well, here are 2 free Kindle books that might help us all be more frugal with our grocery money.

These are free for a limited from the Amazon Kindle Store, so hurry and get yours before the offer ends!

The first one is called the 2012 Family Guide to Groceries Under $250 a Month by Melissa Burnell.

The other one is called  How to Feed A Family of Four or More for Less Than $200 a Month, also Melissa Burnell.

Sorry I couldn't include the links for these, but the link gadget is apparently taking the day off. ;)

Have a blessed day!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Hi friends,

Have you ever heard of the Great Backyard Bird Count? If you haven't, you and your children should give it a try. It's a great way to encourage nature observation skills in your children, not to mention enjoying God's creation.

The next count is just around the corner (February 15-18th) and participation is free. Here's the link.

Another bird watch is called Project Feederwatch and runs through the month of April. This one has specific educator and home school  resources, however, it's not free.

Happy bird watching!

"So God created...every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." ~ Genesis 1:21

Chores For Children {part 2}

Hi friends,

Last week, I posted about chores for children. You can read that post here.

Today is part 2  - which chores for children?

I realize that each family is different...different ages, different home environment, and each child is different. It's up to you to decide which chores are to be done and which chores are age-appropriate for your children.

 I'd like to give you a look at how my children help out around the house, and maybe it will be a help to any of my readers who have a similar family situation and might need some ideas about which chores to assign to their children.

Each of the children has 1 house-cleaning chore per day. I have a list of these chores on the fridge so the children know exactly what's expected of them. However, they all have it memorized now, and the list is mainly for this forgetful Mama, who sometimes can't remember who's doing what.  ;)

Here's what the daily chore list looks like:

                                               

                        Mimi (age 5)  -  Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: Windex upstairs bathrooms mirrors, sinks
 Tuesdays and Thursdays: mop upstairs hall

Natty (age 9) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: mop upstairs and downstairs halls

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Windex upstairs bathrooms mirrors and sinks

Asher (age 10) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: sweep den and shake den rugs

Tuesdays and Thursdays: mop family room

Aaron (age 12) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: vacuum kitchen and dining room

Tuesdays, Thursdays: shake den rugs

Ian (age 14) - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: vacuum and dust family room

Tuesdays, Thursdays: sweep den

(Notice there is a lot of cleaning going on in the den. That's where the wood stove is located, and it's really hard to keep that room clean. But I wouldn't give up wood heat for anything. Love it!)

The children are also responsible for making their beds, and they do what I call a "5-minute pick-up" of their bedrooms every morning before school starts.

Also, the children take turns unloading the dishwasher every morning. 

They clear the dinner table, rinse their plates, and load them into the dishwasher.

They take out the trash and give table scraps to the hens.

The boys are responsible for the daily care of our flock of turkeys and laying hens, and it's Natty and Mimi's responsibility to gather the eggs. Ian feeds the birds; Aaron and Asher take care of the watering. And they work together when the time comes to clean out the hen house or turkey coop, which is usually about once a year.

On Saturdays, the children vacuum and dust their bedrooms and help me clean the rest of the house.

They have seasonal chores, too.

In the winter, they all carry wood into the den.

And the boys go with hubby to cut/chop wood.

Sometimes, the girls and I go too, and help load the wood on the truck.

During the growing season, they help me in the garden: planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting.

(They love to hull peas.)

The boys help their dad with mowing, string trimming, etc.

Sounds like a ton of work, doesn't it? It's exhausting just reading it! But most of the time, they do it all without complaining or grumbling. Occasionally there's "speed bump", and they have to be  reminded that they're helping me and their dad, and ultimately, honoring the Lord.  :)

And there are many other things that my children help with...cooking meals, laundry, etc. Sometimes hubby gets the boys to help with some carpentry projects around the house, and girls are getting old enough to help me with simple sewing projects.

All of the children are such a big help in keeping our household running smoothly and I so enjoy having them work alongside me. It's a great time of fellowship, and having responsibility helps them realize how important they are to our family. And Lord willing, doing chores is instilling a good work ethic in them.

So there you have  it - a look at chore time at our house.

I hope it wasn't too exhausting for you.  ;)

Hope your week is blessing-filled!

"...If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."  ~  2 Thessalonians 3:10

sharing on Wednesday this week with
 Deep Roots at Home

Friday Funnies {4}

Have a wonderful week-end, my friends!

Chores for Children {part 1}

 

People often ask me how I "do it all". I assume that the person is referring to homeschooling and homemaking.

Well, I will be honest: there is a lot of work to do in our home. And with a family of seven (5 children still at home), I do not do it all  myself, because I should not do all of the work.

So instead of doing it all, I delegate some of the work to my children. But with all the chores that need to be done around here, my children could easily become overwhelmed...if I didn't delegate in the right way. And I could easily become exasperated by their not wanting to do their part.

When I was a little girl, I hated doing chores; I griped and complained to my Mom about every little thing she asked me to do. I don't know how should stood it!  But I don't want my children to hate helping out around the house.  I want to instill in them a good work ethic.

 And I want my children to have a servant's heart...to love helping others. And to do it without grumbling and complaining. 

 I  also believe that it is a priceless lesson in responsibility and life skills for a child  to be required to do daily chores. If handled properly, chores can be an excellent opportunity to teach the joy of serving.

One mom said that she exchanged the word "chore" for "service", because "chore" had too many negative connotations associated with it. That wouldn't work at our house. Our children know that chores are just that - chores. And some of those chores are exactly what the word implies - work. 

However, how I ask my children to do their chores can be done in such a way as to make them realize they are doing it for someone else. For example, if the hen house needs to cleaned out, instead of, "Clean out the hen house", I tell the boys, "It would be a great help to Dad if you would clean out the hen house for him. That way, he won't have to do it when he gets home from work." The mere mention of helping Dad motivates the boys to do their very best, and not only do they clean out the manure, they are eager to do some little extras:  sweep down cobwebs, clean out the drinkers and feeders, etc. And with that attitude, they are actually joyful about cleaning out the hen house...all because they know are helping out their Dad.

As for the girls, if I say, "Dry and put away the dishes", they won't want to do it. But if I say, "It would be a huge help to me if you would dry and put away the dishes while I fold laundry."  They jump right on it and most importantly, do it with joy, knowing they're helping me out.

Also, if I ask my children work with me, they are very eager to help out. I love having them work alongside me. It's a great opportunity to fellowship with them.

And I always remind them that whatever they do, whether it's a chore, or school lesson, or whatever it is, they should do it as unto the Lord. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

When children have an attitude of serving others, the task takes on less meaning, and the giving of themselves in service becomes more important. This is so critical in the way we all should respond to what the Lord would have us do. How beneficial  for our children to learn to serve the Lord (by serving others) through working in the home.

What a blessing it is to have the opportunity to involve children throughout the day in ways that serve others in the context of daily work in the home!

How about you, friends? How do you handle chore time at your house?

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might..." ~ Ecclesiastes 9:10

(Stay tuned for part 2, when I will discuss exactly which chores my children are responsible for.)

Have a blessed week, everyone!

sharing with  Deep Roots At Home