Homeschooling

I'm so blessed to homeschool my children.  We have so much fun!  Today we watched the play, "Our Town."  We get to read the classics together, including the scriptures, and discuss them.  Perhaps we read a bit too much.  If that is possible...  Sometimes we don't focus enough on spelling, grammar, or geography.  But we are cultivating a love of learning, a love of great literature, a love of freedom, a love of family, and a love of God.  If at the end of their time with me they come away with a passion for those five things we will have been successful, even if somethings have slipped through the cracks.  They will be able to make up those things themselves when they need them.  They will keep learning the rest of their lives and know how to obtain knowledge for themselves.  I pray Heavenly Father will bless my efforts to educate my dear children.  I know He does.  I pray I can become better myself so that knowledge and excitement spread to my kids.  I love them so much!

Sick Kids

Most of the kids have had some kind of flu. Fever and painful breathing have been the symptoms. Heavenly Father has blessed us with herbs and essential oils. I've enjoyed giving the kids massages and footzoning them.

Jaremy has been so blessed at work. He its learning a lot and developing his leadership skills. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father had blessed him in this way.

Husband's Counsel

This morning I was excited and ready to start a big day of school with my children. However, Jaremy asked that I postpone school for a week our two and get caught up on things around the house. I was worried and disappointed. However, I am following his counsel. I pray I can teach my children ask they need to know and help them develop into the adults the Lord needs them to be. My time its so limited and I have so many things screaming for my attention. So I am tending to the house cleaning and organizing today. I have faith the Lord will help me as I try to have peace in our home and listen to my husband.

Dust Bowl

We watched a documentary about the dust bowl over the weekend. It was amazing! Although it did not explore religion in the movie I was very comforted to know that we have the Gospel. If we keep the commandments we can turn to the Lord and He will support us in our trials. He guides or lives and provides ways for us to keep His commandments if we are meek and lowly and follow Him.

Reading Together

Happy moments reading together! It's wonderful: the kids are taking turns reading the grader books to each other.  Heavenly Father has blessed us with many such happy moments.

We have also been blessed to be challenged financially. A family of ten is extremely hard to provide for. We will have to work hard and smart, keep the commandments, and rely on the Lord for His blessings. I'm grateful for the lean times. They help us get creative. They help us become more selfless. They help us realize what real needs are versus wants. They help us simplify. I love to simplify! When we are comfortable we don't stretch and grow as much. So I am very grateful Heavenly Father has given us this opportunity to improve ourselves and become closer to Him and to each other.

Goals and Family Home Evening

Last night we worked on our new year's resolutions.  We helped the kids prioritize their goals and write out plans for accomplishing them.  It was great!!!  We are accomplishing things it just seems so slow.  It seems we could be doing so much more and better.  So that's why we regrouped during family home evening last night.

I'm grateful Heavenly Father has sent people, books, ideas, etc. to help us become who he needs us to be and accomplish what he needs us to do.  I'm grateful the prophets have encouraged us to set goals and work diligently in bringing about much righteousness.

Now I must end this entry to turn on Chinese while we do the morning dishes and chores.  Learning Chinese is one of our goals.

Cottage Life

I'm so thankful to Heavenly Father for letting us have this little cottage, Ivy 'n Pine.  We live in a world that is busy and pursuing vain and selfish things.  Our home is extremely simple and quiet.  Not in volume, but lifestyle.

This morning while we did dishes, watched little ones, and ironed shirts we listened to Charles Dickens', Nicholas Nickleby.  It was wonderful.  We finished it after about 40 hours of listening over the last few weeks.

Moroni (12), Hyrum (8), and Ella (7) just finished finding treasures in the garden: peas, beans, zucchini, crooked-necked squash, sunburst squash, cuccumbers, edamame, peppers, and tomatoes.  We sliced up a few huge Armenian cuccumbers for lunch outside as a gentle thunderstorm rolled in.  Benjamin (14) has been teaching Natalie (10) her knots outdoor skills.  Jessica (16) is cleaning the van for trek.  Adelynn (1 1/2) has a scrub brush and is "helping."  Tank (4) just woke up and is explaining to everyone that bad guys pray to statues.  I (35) have been reading my scriptures surrounded by my children on the porch.  Adelynn is now requesting me to return there, so I shall.  What a lovely afternoon!  I love my little Cottage life!

Great Health Reminders

I get sidetracked by unhealthy food.  I don't know why, I know what is rawmazing food, but I still fall into bad habits sometimes.  I'm 15 pounds overweight, but worse yet I have caused unhealthy habits in Jaremy and Jessica to lead them to be unhealthy.  So I have watched some great YouTube videos about raw, whole foods.  I'm inspired to live as I should.  I will eat a totally raw food diet until my 36 birthday!  Do you know how hard that is!?  Mostly emotionally, but I can and will do it!  My family's health depends on it!  My future service in the kingdom depends on it!  My love life depends on it!  So there we go!  I'm grateful Heavenly Father has and will help me on this journey!

Hormones

Man! Rarely are my hormones out of whack, but sometimes I really have to fight myself and focus on others and Christ. I'm grateful Heavenly Father had shown
us the way of happiness no master what our bodies are doing.