Secrets and Stomach Aches

Today Rachel came up to me, nuzzled my arm and said, "last night I felt sick, but I felt better in the morning." I inquired more into this because she has been known to puke in her bed at night and hide it with a blanket. Since she got dressed first thing in the morning and I had not been into her room yet, this definitely was possible. She assured me there was no hidden mess in her room-- just that her stomach felt sick, but was better by morning. Then she said, "I keep a lot of secrets from you mom. Isn't that funny?" Huh? Really at 5.

Help, Help

I really am asking for help. My eighth month old baby, Joshua is not nursing well, and he won't take formula. He is only 14 pounds, so he is not even on the chart for his weight. I have tried to get him to eat solid food (baby cereal, mushed fruit, and vegetables), but the only things he will eat consistently are yogurt and chocolate. I do give him a lot of yogurt, but I doubt he can get everything he needs from yogurt. I've put swiss miss cocoa into his cereal to get him to eat it, but I really don't like giving him chocolate and sugar. I know a lot of people out there in blog world  know a lot and do a lot with nutrition, so I am asking WHAT SHOULD I DO? What should I give him to eat so that he can get the nutrients he needs to grow? I've been thinking about trying avocados. I am not sure if he would even be willing to eat it. How do you get such a fussy baby to eat? I have had one other very fussy eater, but he breast fed very well until he was 17months old. So if any of you know about what foods I should give him or have had such an extremely fussy eater, please let me know what you think I should do.

Johnny turns 10

 

My little boy is ten years old now! I guess he is not a little kid anymore. Johnny has always been a good and easy kid to care for and he still is! 

So about my boy: Johnny is in soccer and he is loving that. He loves to read and he stays up past midnight reading most nights. (like hid dad) I guess it is surprising that he is still good natured the next day. He likes games a lot, both computer games and board games. (like his dad too) He has always been and is still a walking, talking encyclopedia. The kid astounds and annoys me with how much he knows. He also astounds and annoys me by telling me every detail in every book he reads. I am lucky to have such a good boy! I look forward to seeing who this kid grows up to be. Johnny has a lot of potential!

Blah, Blah Blah, Another HomeSchool Post

Did I say homeschool is hard? I met another homeschool mom in the library yesterday as we were both getting books to prepare school for the upcoming week. I chatted for a few minutes. I didn't have much time. But she said something that rang true. "Homeschool is a full time job." That's it. That is why I am so tired and feel like I am extremely over the top busy. I felt like just having eight kids was a full time job. That was no big deal because having 8 kids was my full time job. Compared to John's full time job, with taking care of the home and our 8 children, I put in as much time into family and work as he did. I didn't have another job. Now I have two full time jobs. I am a teacher and a full time mother. It is very tiring. There have been times, when I have felt like giving it all up. BUT... I am finding so many good things about homeschool!


The first but, I am astounded at how much better the education is. Now, I am not an unschooler. My personality is very structured. I like to be organized. So our school is very organized. Each child has thier assignments and lessons that we do every day. On Friday's and Saturdays I spend about 4 hours preparing lessons and assignments for the entire week. The older kids are handed a syllabus and they have to check each thing off with me or John everyday before they are allowed to end school. The little kids have their worksheets labelled for each day in their folders. I have each younger child scheduled in for lessons with me. Our school is very structured and my kids are making leaps and bounds. The education, without a doubt, is far superior to what they were getting in public schools. For example, Johnny is studying ancient civilizations this school year. After two weeks he has completed reading around 300 pages about Ancient Egypt. He has been required to write about everything he reads. Look at any history textbook through the 12th grade and you will not find anything so in depth. (Have you read your kids textbooks? You ought to take a look, but that is another blog all by itself.) It is just not there. Now, Johnny is in fifth grade. No fifth grader in the public schools gets anything so thorough and in such a short time during school hours. Another example is Ruth's Shakespeare class. She is required to read 7 Shakespeare plays and she will be preforming one with about 15 other homeschooled teenagers. And she is loving it! You cannot find such an in depth study in any eighth grade class in the public schools. One more example is I am doing Spanish with my younger children. Rachel knows the days of the week in Spanish better than English. They are learning to write in Spanish along side English. I am pleased to beable to give my kids foreign language experience so young.

The second but is time. Not my time, that is, but my children's time. All of their studies are finished during the school day! There is no homework as such. There is no wasted time. Most of the kids even eat lunch while working because then they will have more free time later.

The third but is well my kids. I know my kids better. I know their strengths and weaknesses better. I know what things they have picked up from being in school and who they just are. Ruth changed at the end of 7th grade last year. Instead of being the nice girl who enjoyed helping out and spending time with her parents and siblings, she became the teenager who was yelling at her parents and being mean to her younger siblings and well just acting like the textbook teenager. By the end of the summer she was back to just Ruth. She is still back to herself. She spends near to 12 hours a week with friends at church, her Shakespeare class, and select friends hanging out and swimming. But she is still just Ruth, not Ruth's friends.

The fourth but is Johnny. We have noticed that about all he learned in his four years in public school was how to waste time really, really well. He was never given enough work to keep him busy, and he learned how to waste a lot time without causing trouble or being noticed. We cringe to think what this bad habit could have done to him as an adult. Johnny has enough work to keep him busy and I am taking notice and making sure he is occupied in a good way.

I could go on with other buts, like Adam needing extra help with reading and not having to do that after school time. Suffice it to say. There are enough good buts to continue the exhausting hard work of two full time jobs.

What's Scary

Kate carried Joseph up the stairs on her shoulders to bring him to bed. The whole time, Joseph was screaming saying, "This is scary." Once upstairs, I brushed his teeth, whisked him into bed and asked, "Did Kate scare you?" Joseph replied, "Yes scary, and monsters with hot cocoa and bananas!"

Ssshhhhh Don't Tell

Adam who never sings at church or with the family always sings whenever he uses the bathroom. And he actually sounds pretty good. But he better not find out I can hear him.

My Family Proclamation in Pictures

Our Family: The  Proclamation

We, The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God 

And that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. 

Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. 

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.