Super Simple Homemade Gift

I learned how to make this hand scrub a few weeks ago with a small group of moms from our homeschool group. I'm not sure where our leader got it from (the internet, I'm sure and quite possibly Pinterest. Ha!), but it is so easy even my 6 year old can make it! 

It only requires 2 ingredients. That's right, TWO! 

1. White granulated sugar  

2. Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap - Now I will say here that you certainly could add essential oils or scents, but this dish soap already smells and feels so wonderful that you really can just leave the scents and oils out. 

Other items you'll need are:

1. Mixing bowl and spoon

2. Glass jar - any type, any size.

3. Fabric, ribbon, lace, or anything you'd like to use to decorate the jar - completely optional. 

So we begin by measure out how much sugar you'll need to fill your jar. The larger the jar, the larger the amount, of course! 

I just poured the sugar into the jar almost to the top and then dumped it into the mixing bowl. 

Next, add a little bit of the dish soap and begin mixing. You'll want to add only a little bit at a time as not to get the sugar too runny.  

     

 

Mix until it's the consistency of wet snow that sticks together for snowballs......that's the best way I know how to describe it! (I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, ya know). 

If it's too wet, add more sugar. If it's too dry, add more soap. 

I'm not sure my pictures do it any justice. Sorry! 

Then just spoon it back into your jar and pat it all down until it's as full as you desire. 

And voila! You have homemade hand scrub! 

This is a perfect gift for teachers, neighbors, family members, party hostess, etc....  

This is the easiest and most economical gift I've ever made!

5 Random Things ~ December 9, 2013

This little "Random" series is supposed to be posted on Fridays... says who?  LOL  We've had a very busy last few days. 

1. We started subtraction end of last week. This curriculum has a fun way of teaching it too! I am planning on posting all about our playing "restaurant" and "store" to practice addition and subtraction math skills. Even Jonathan is in on the math learning and he loves it as much as Adelle does. 

     

2. This is the third scripture verse this school year we are memorizing that talks about lying. Is this a sign that we seriously need to work on being honest? I guess so. 

Jonathan used to always tell the truth no matter what, even if he did something he shouldn't.  He has recently begun to realize his right and wrong actions and is trying to cover up his unacceptable behavior by lying. Now he is learning that you get correction for choosing to do the wrong thing, whatever that may be AND you get correction for lying about it. 

3. Who knew that mixing these 2 ingredients and putting them into a mason jar would make such a great gift?  This is so simple, even Adelle, who is 6 yrs old, made a gift of her own to give to her piano teacher last Friday.  I'll let you wonder for a bit (unless you've already seen this idea online). Detailed blog post to come soon! 

4. It finally started to feel like Christmas over the weekend. We braved the 30-degree temps for the annual Christmas parade. So much fun!

     

 

     

 


5. I tried to get a good, seriously good, picture of the kids for my Christmas cards this year.  They acted so silly and I just kept snapping. I finally got a good one!

     

 

     

 

     

5 Random Things ~ November 29, 2013

I will not take credit for coming up with this post idea. Brittney over at Mom's Heart started to do this and it inspired me too. So here are 5 random things I wanted to share from last week. 

1. Adelle is really picking up on math and loves to play restaurant, being the waitress adding up my ticket for the food I ordered or grocery store, being the cashier adding up each "transaction". I love this curriculum that makes learning so much fun!

 2. Jonathan has gotten into playing learning games on the computer. He would sit at the computer all day long if i let him. He's gotten away from wanting to do his "paper school work". Not that I mind him wanting to learn differently, but the computer is beginning to take over. 

3. Oh, and I need to mention that we've been doing the McGuffey Primers over at Easy Peasy. Jonathan now recognizes the words "the" and "and". He is so proud of himself!

4. Seriously, how much food can one person consume? Why do we stuff ourselves so much during the holidays?

5. Oh Christmas tree, I think it will be a miracle if we get you put up this year. 

Holiday Week

A lot, if not all, of the public schools are out all week for Thanksgiving. I know several homeschool families who take this whole week off as well. 

I feel like we've done nothing but play catch-up this school year since we started our formal lessons. We've had several set backs from the big move (trying to get this house organized) to sickness. Therefore, we are getting a full week of school work done in this shortened holiday week.  Adelle is getting up on time and we are hitting the books. 

Oh, we have lots of motivation to get the school work done, even if our curriculum is somewhat laid back. The kids get to visit with their good friend, whom they haven't seen in a while, all day on Wednesday. They don't know who our visitor is yet, but the excitement of the surprise is more than enough to work diligently. Baking special treats and making Thanksgiving crafts (saved for the afternoons when lessons are completed) are sure motivators as well. 

Yes, we are working hard this week, but getting a 5 day weekend is worth it!

God is Drawing Me

As I was waiting to be baptized in water on June 9, 2013, I fell on my face before God and begged Him to let this be the beginning of my life IN Christ. IN Christ. No more empty promises to Him, no more faking anything, no more going through the motions, no more counterfeit worship. No. I crave so much to live IN Him, to move and have my being IN Him. As I surrendered to Him and made a public confession of my faith and devotion on that night in June, I believe that God has begun to make changes in me that has never taken place before. On this beautiful Saturday morning, I learned what walking in Christ should look like and where my walk is exactly. 

Colossians 2:6 -  "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." 

     "If we have received Christ Himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will display its intimate acquaintance with Him by a walk of faith in Him. Walking implies action. Our Christian life is not to be confined to our closet; our belief must be revealed in our practice. If a man walks in Christ, then he must act as Christ would act; since Christ is in him - his hope, his love, his joy, his life - he is the reflection of the image of Jesus; and men will say of that man, "He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ.

     Walking signifies progress. "So walk in Him." Proceed from grace to grace; run forward until you reach the ultimate degree of knowledge that a man can attain concerning Christ. Walking implies continuance. There must be a continual abiding in Christ."

Stop. Is my life displaying an intimate acquaintance with Christ? No. I know that when I look at myself, I am still seeing me instead of Him. I have not been abiding in Christ on a continual basis. *SIGH* Lord, I am sorry. Please help me. 

     "Many Christians think that in the morning and evening they ought to come into the company of Jesus, but regard the rest of the day as their own: But this is poor living; we should always be with Him, treading in His steps and doing His will."

WOW! I've never thought of it like that before, but it's so true! I have been mindful of God, of Jesus, only in those times that I have set apart to spend with Him. The rest of my day is just that... mine. Oh Lord, please help me!

     "Walking also implies habit. When we speak of a man's walk and conversation, we mean his habits, the constant theme of his life.

     Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ and then forget Him, sometimes call Him ours and then lose our hold, that is not a habit; we do not walk in Him. We must keep to Him, cling to Him, never let Him go, but live and have our being in Him."

My heart is further saddened as I am more convicted here. I have not been walking in Christ, at least not continually. This section describes me exactly - sometimes enjoying Christ and then forgetting Him, sometimes calling Him mine and then losing my hold to His hand - and the Holy Spirit is gently showing this to me. Christ is not yet the constant theme of my life. My spirit cries out to God to make me His beyond a shadow of a doubt.   

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that because I'm not perfect, I'm not being saved. No. I am saying that I am so fickle, inconsistent, and even distant. If I desire to walk in Him, then I need to not lose heart in doing good. I need to pray without ceasing. I need to turn my mind towards Him ALL the time... not just in the mornings or evenings when I am praying. I don't want to make excuses. Jesus willingly gave his life unto death - a painful beyond understanding death - on a cross for my sins. I owe Him much more than I am giving Him.  

     "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him"; persevere in the same way in which you began and just as at the beginnig Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source of your life, the principle of your action, and the joy of your spirit, so let Him be the same until life's end, the same when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death and enter into the joy and the rest that remain for the people of God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly precept."

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness even when I am lazy and selfish. You are good and your love endures forever. Thank You for being so gentle in showing me that I have wavered. You are with me, leading me in the everlasting way, and giving me strength when I need it. Yes, Lord, enable me to cling to You fervently and continually.  In Jesus' great and mighty name I pray!

(Devotional material is taken from "Morning and Evening", written by C.H. Surgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. TruthforLife.org)

Homeschool Mother's Journal ~ October 18, 2013

IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK...

We got back to formal school lessons after being off for 2 weeks. In my last post, I mentioned that I really needed to get a schedule for us. We were supposed to implement that this week, but my hubby surprised me by not going to work Monday morning b/c he took the week off. Of course, this threw everything off for me schedule-wise, but we still got our school work done and I was able to get a few more things unpacked. :-) 

We played a couple of math games that my kids thought were fun. The first game was called Guess My Number. One child wrote down a number 1-15 and the other one had to guess what the number was. The first child says higher or lower until the second child guessed the right number. Then they switch so the second child writes down a new number and the first one guesses. This game kept them occupied for about half and hour. 

The second game was called Block Grab. We have a set of unifix cubes that we are using in our curriculum this year. We took them all apart and put them in a pile. One person grabs a handful and tries to guess how many he has in his hand. After you guess, you count them to see how many you actually have. This was in introductory game to estimation and volume. Pretty clever, I thought. 

Adelle and Jonathan had lots of fun with both games. They are both really enjoying this curriculum this year. That makes this mama happy.  :-) 

MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS...

Seeing my children excited to learn. Jonathan not only asked for his worksheets, but he also asked to practice letter blends. 

MY CHILDREN'S FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS...

Having Papa Man home. That means getting to have an extra movie night. We usually reserve movie viewing for the weekends, but when we're on vacation, we watch an extra movie or two. This week was no exception to that. Having Papa home also meant extra hugs and kisses. 

THINGS I'M WORKING ON...

I'm working on making wreaths for my front door. 

I made a simple fall wreath last weekend. I am no crafter, but this one was easy enough. It's just wire bent into a circle, scrap material cut into strips and then tied onto the wire. Can't get more simple than that! I am looking for supplies (inexpensively) to make more for future seasons and maybe even to give away as gifts. If you're looking to get rid of scrap material, I'll take it! :-)

A PHOTO, VIDEO OR QUOTE TO SHARE...

Mandy, over at Biblical Homemaking, really encouraged me this week with her post about overcoming your heavy burdens. I want to share a quote from her post. 

"When I had been feeling down or overwhelmed or sad, or had a desire to dwell on something that I shouldn't over the past few months, He taught me something that helped me leave those feelings behind and that has, without fail, restored my joy. Every time I think about a situation or want to dwell on something that makes me sad, angry, or upset, I ask Him to help me, and here's what He tells my heart:

'Set your mind of things above, not on thing on the earth.'

'Fix your eyes on me', He says to my spirit. Set your mind on what is good - and the only thing that is truly good is Jesus Himself."

Renewed Strength for a New Strategy

The Dilemma: 

We've been in our new house for just over 2 months now. Would you expect my house to be unpacked and perfectly organized by now? Maybe you don't expect that at all and maybe I shouldn't, but the truth is that I feel like the chaos is eating devouring me alive! 

We moved in and we started school right away. Was that such a good idea?

We usually do school in the mornings and chores in the afternoons. By the time we're done with all of that, it's time to get dinner going and spend time with Papa Man (as the kids call him). So where does the unpacking and organizing come in? I have no clue. We've taken a week off from formal school lessons so I can get some of that done. I did not get very far... or so it seems. So we've taken a couple of more days off (and that's partly to do with visiting the state fair).  

With all that being said, I have been seriously struggling these past 2 weeks. I feel hopeless a lot, my appetite has decreased (not so bad for the weight I'm trying to loose) and if I have a chance to sleep, I'm taking it. Self-pity is taking over and I've given in to the thoughts of "I shouldn't be homeschooling, I'm not creative or active enough. I'm not good enough. My kids need a better Mama (and teacher)."   

All of this has dragged me down, indeed. 

The Plan:

God is so good and gracious to gently call me back to Him and to show me a few adjustments that need to be made. First, He has reminded me that I am His and He loves me no matter what. He also reminded me to stop depending on myself (once again), and to rely on Him. He reminded me to trust, to be confident in Him with ALL my heart, not relying on my own understanding and to acknowledge Him in ALL my ways and He will direct and make my paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6) I CAN do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength! (Phil 4:13)

Next, He has dropped a new plan of action into my mind. A different approach to manage the task of homeschooling and homemaking. I must make it a matter high importance to get up early in the mornings to spend time communing with God Almighty. I cannot pour out His love to my children unless I am filled up with it myself. That comes by spending quality time with Him. This is not only for my children's sake, but it is vital to my very soul. 

How do I undertake homeschooling, cleaning the house and unpacking/organizing? The solution the Lord gave me is so simple, I am astonished that I didn't think of it earlier and on my own! 

The curriculum we are using this year has us doing lessons Monday - Thursday. Friday is set aside for exploring nature and being outside most of the time. Handwriting and reading is the only school lessons we do on Fridays and that takes very little time. Therefore, I can spend majority of Fridays (and Saturdays) working on unpacking and organizing. So we will do school work and chores Mon.-Thurs. and unpack/organize Fri.-Sat. giving it all a rest on Sundays.  Brilliant.  Thank You, Lord!

The next task is to come up with a schedule, a little more rigid than just a routine. We've always had a routine, just not one that sticks to the clock.  My husband has been telling me that I really need to get a clock schedule for us and to stick with it. He means for us to go to bed at a specific time each night, get up at a set time each morning, eat meals at the same time every day, etc....  We've been pretty good about getting the kids to bed somewhere between 8pm and 9pm every night. Sometimes they get to bed earlier, sometimes later, depending on how our day has gone, but rarely later than 9pm. 

I have this "thing" about making the kids get out of bed in the mornings. I have felt that if they need a little more rest, then let them rest. However, I am running into a problem with that. Adelle is more than willing to just sleep to her heart's content... kinda like me. So it's becoming a downward spiral to super laziness. Not ideal. Not my goal. I am seeing that maybe my husband is correct here. So these next few days I will be in prayer about what time we should do what and just how specific this clock schedule will be. My goal is to implement this new strategy come Monday. 

What I am about to say is said a lot, but one can't help it when it's true: 

God is good ALL the time! 

All the time God IS good!