Burnt hand sos

Had a little mishap yesterday with my magic elixir!

After simmering my chicken broth, with a whole chicken, (as I planned to use the meat in sandwiches) I went to sieve the broth, as you do.

Only, the chicken seemed to want revenge for boiling him whole, and decided to jump from pan to sieve, making a huge splash as he went!!

I managed to stop it burning my front, as it splashed all down me, but my poor hand took the brunt!!!

I Slathered it in butter, as it was all that was filtering through my mind in the way of natural treatments, but it was still very painful. 

Once that had melted, I tried coconut oil. This was good. It took the sting right out, and it smelled lovely, (so that made me smile. A little. It really hurt!)

It was this point where I praised God for home schooled children, because Haribo was on hand to help me change into my pjs out of my soaked skirt. I told him this is the circle of life. I dressed you for years, now it's time to help your mama when she can't do it herself!!

I still love my stock, but I have a feeling a full hazmat suit may be required next time!!!

Weekend Links

As I mentioned yesterday, I love looking at and talking about food, so most of my recommendations are along these lines, but I found a few other gems along the way...

10 Reasons Homemade Bone Broth Should Be Part Of Your Diet by The Nourishing Gourmet

100 free printables from Red and Honey

Frozen smoothie pops for a child's fever over at the Mommypotomus. (Definitely trying these next time Little Bud is sick...or just because they are yummy...)

Strawberry Coconut Almond Smoothie Via Eat Drink Paleo (Although we are not following a Paleo diet, there are still some lovely nourishing recipes!!)

homemade protein packed peanut butter cups from The Humbled Homemaker - Being English, these are not a part of our cultural awareness, but my boy is practically BEGGING me to try them!!!

There are lots of things that I have flitted through, but these are some of the best.

Enjoy!

Patience is a Virtue

I have been struggling lately.

Struggling to slow down and release my expectations and standards.

Our Little Bud is the one I'm struggling with.

Of our 4 children, he is the one I am most challenged by. He doesn't see the world as we do. He is showing a lot of signs of being on the Autistic spectrum, erring more toward the Asperger's side.

As he was our foster child first, we have notice a lot of changes since he first came to live with us, and were always told that Looked After Children display signs of Autism as part of their attachment issues.

As any mam knows though, a mama knows her child, and with the last psychological assessment telling us he had a secure attachment, this just doesn't ring true. Little Bud has been with us almost 4 years now, and home educated for 4 months, and it is this close-up, 24 hr living that has brought it to the forefront.

It's hard to remember all this when trying to patiently think of an alternative way to explain a feeling that is obvious to everyone else, but he misses completely. Or trying to coax an ending out of a boy who does not know how to create, only copy. 

Part of me wants a diagnosis, but I fear it would just be for my own justification. There is nothing they can do for him, and I have support at church, and he doesn't need another label on him. 

He's perfect just the way he is, even if he does try my last nerve.....

School's in.

School is back in at the Gee house.

We have already been at the negotiating table, as Haribo catches up in his maths book.

After we had a month off the books doing Christmas stuff in December, it is actually very nice to be back in some kind of schedule, and we have been spending the last week settling down back into writing and maths!!

We have had a trip to the library and re instituted our quiet reading time, and planned the term ahead. 

Here in lay the negotiations.  

Haribo has always struggled with his maths. At mainstream school, he was receiving extra help, but in all honesty, after so long struggling with something, I really feel he lost his confidence in his ability. 

As a consequence, when we began homeschooling, he started at a lower level in his Maths than in his other subjects.

He has really moved forward in his confidence, but he is still behind. 

So, we found a great incentive to motivate a 12 year old boy: Lego!! 

We made the deal that if he could catch up to where he is on all the other subjects in 7 months, he can have a full Lego set. 

For a boy who was born playing Lego, this was just what he needed to give him a new perspective on Maths!!!

What sort of things do you use to motivate your children?

Christmas time, Mistletoe and wine.....

It's Almost CHRISTMAS!!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that Christmas is my MOST favorite time of the year!!

I just love the cozy nights, the twinkling lights, and the fact that we take the whole of December to do Christmas crafts and watch Christmas films (a hundred times each, much to DH's disapproval!)

So our Christmas craft list looks a little like this:

1. 3D Christmas trees
2. Christmas cards for our church
3. Night time chalk pictures, winter scenes
4. Silhouette Christmas theme pictures
5. baking ginger cake
6. baking Christmas shaped cookies, and of course the good old favorite,
7. paper plate snowmen!!!

Our 3D trees are beautiful, but the refuse to stand up for more than 30 seconds at a time, but our church Christmas cards were a HIT!!! Simple, (just some colored card with a stencil drawn on the front with our Christmas cookie cutters!!) but very effective when colored in with metallic pens and each of the kids' personal touches on!!

I love homemade cards and gifts, I just think it shows you are thinking of people in a personal way. It's extra special when it's your children who make them!!!

So we are having great fun with this Advent, how about you???

Oh My, Oh My!!

Wow!! It's been a while since I have blogged!!!

Life has gotten in the way, and the first thing to go was the diary entries, I'm afraid.

So what have we been up to?

Well, we've had a week in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, we have been training with our Murphy, who is now 9 months old and bigger than his mama (!!) and we have been considering our diet, as DH has been diagnosed with Diabetes!

This has prompted us to take that last step to eliminate all the processed food left in our diet, apart from the odd treat on a Saturday night!!

• We are investigating the benefits of Raw Milk, and providers we can have access to where we are, ready for the new year.
• We have cut out the sweet treats, after looking at damaging effects of refined sugar , A staple in my diet, and realizing I am HIGHLY addicted to it.
• We have begun eating a lot more butter, live yogurt and animal fat.
• I have made my first batch of lacto-fermented-sauerkraut and it tastes delicious!!! (DH is getting used to the taste...)

So all that on top of Homeschooling all 4 children now, with the challenges that Little Bud presents, and getting ready for....um, what was it,....oh yeah CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (my favourite time of year!!) 

Phew!!!

I will try to be more forthcoming!!

Here is the beautiful view from our holiday cottage just to be going on with...

Who said the Christian life was boring???!

Life gets so busy sometimes.

Now that we have officially adopted Little Bud, he has begun his homeschooling adventure with the big kids at The School in the Back Room!!

He has taken to it so well. He loves it and asks to start if I take "too long" in my quiet time in a morning!!!

We have had his celebration hearing at the courthouse, where he shook the hands of all the attendees like he was an grown man!! (He's 7 next week!) 

We also baptized our eldest son, our second born, Haribo this past weekend!! He was radiant as he came out of the water and was richly blessed with cards and words of encouragement.

It made both Hubby and I think back on our own journey with Jesus. we would never have pictured then, 6 and 5 years ago respectively, when we were baptized, just how far the Lord would take us, and the adventure it would be. 

I am so thankful that I have Jesus in my life, making the difference. 

May I always ask "what can I do for You today Abba?"

My week got better

So I have been home schooling all 4 children for 1 full week and they are still alive and breathing!!!!! (you laugh, it was a close one!)

Actually, despite the stresses and strains of settling back into the school routine, the loss of our local weekly Home Ed group, and teaching a very particular boy the ropes, we have had a good week.

Learning how to teach a new child is hard. All my babies learn differently, and obviously have different needs, and Little bud in particular has very specific strengths and weaknesses, so it has been an eye-opening week. 

I know we can do this, despite my near atomic breakdown yesterday, sobbing to Jesus that I can't do it, that I'm not patient enough, and  all the 'not enough's' I could come up with. The scripture that got me off my sopping wet pillow was "i can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" Phil. 4:13 

When Abba asked me to home school our children, He gave me the scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" 

It is this that I cling to now, when I feel overwhelmed. My Father told me to do this, and he would strengthen me. I trust in Him and Him alone. I have to, or every day would be spent sobbing on my pillow!!

I am a new creation, and my Abba loves me, and believes in me. 

That's all I need. 

And some coffee......

Balance: the whys and wherefores

It never takes much for me to get out of balance.

I am an extremely faddy person. I get fixated on things and they become all i think about. then I want to try things myself, and praise God I have an accommodating husband!

I go mad and then..... 3 weeks later I'm done. 

This happened with simple, green, clean living. 

I saw some blogs, read some research and that was it, I was away. 

I wanted to change everything at once, because when you know this stuff, you cant un-know it, can you!?

Well, you guessed it, a lot of my "simple living" ideas went out the window very quickly. 

Then I felt guilt for not doing it! 

The things we put ourselves through, eh! 

So I've been praying, and I feel we have come to a place where I need to start taking a more relaxed approach. 
A great tip I saw on another blog was work out what matters to YOU, not what you have seen others do. 

It is important to us to homeschool our children. It is important to us to eat nourishing real food, but sometimes we like to eat takeout, and once in a while, that's fine too. It's important to us to limit the amount of chemicals in our house, and I want to reduce my sugar intake. but most of all, it's important to us to model a life with Jesus to our children, by living a life with Jesus in front of our children, mistakes and all. 

So, I share with my kids what God is doing in my life, they see the changes that are taking place in me and DH, and we encourage them in their own walks.

THAT'S important to me.

NOT all the other stuff. Praise You God, for showing this stubborn woman a different way.

School time approaches...

School thoughts are now creeping in to summer.....

Ordering supplies, organizing curriculum, cleaning the room/chairs/table down.

Boo is asking me every day why on earth we are starting to think about school with 3 weeks left before we start back! I keep telling her, this is what mamas have to do! They have to think ahead and get organized. Otherwise the curriculum wouldn't be here on time. There would be no pencils when you reach for one. 

The other thing she doesn't realize is that I am the sort of mama who, if I don't do it now, as I think about it, I will forget and it won't get done at all!

I am a list mama. I need to write it down and have a plan. I absolutely don't always get everything done, but at least it's on the list. 

We have a family calendar with 6 columns on and I always, ALWAYS tell the children and my dear husband that if it's not on the calendar, we are not doing it. If you make an appointment, it goes on the calendar, even if it's just a coffee. DH's work shifts are all on there for the year, all birthdays, all kids activities, everything. 

I need it writing down, to make sure it doesn't get forgotten. That way, I don't get double booked and have to let people down, (which I hate) and I am not late (which I hate more!) 

That's how I have figured I work best (after years of frustration and trial and error) and like I said, that doesn't mean mistakes don't happen, or everything gets done (my kitchen floor is being ignored at the moment) but those are few and far between now. 

How do you manage your house? Are you a list-er, or are you a little more carefree?
Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Summer is here!!!

Summer is here!! School is out!!

It's always hard having 1 child at school, with the others homeschooled, but I love it now, when summer comes, as I have all my babies in one place!!!

Little Bud is currently at school, because he has been staying with us and couldn't be home schooled for legal reasons, but now, as it is the summer holidays, the fun begins!!!!

So no more early mornings, dragging him out of bed, no more cutting a day short to go pick him up, and best of all, NO MORE PACKED LUNCHES!!!! Well, not unless its for all of us.....

I have been lacking motivation lately, as I mentioned in the last post, so as we have a full house and no more school to worry about, I feel a summer clean coming on. DH goes back to work tomorrow :( but it means I'm probably a bit more inclined to get stuff done, so we shall see....

The summer days stretch ahead, so what are your plans for these lazy days? Learning? Beach? Road trip? Holiday? 

Sunshine and flowers

I love it when the sun shines!!

Woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day! Decided that I was going to take my big dog for a long walk today, as she has been teaching the pup lately and he can only go for 20 mins at a time. 

We took a lovely walk through a large cornfield not far from our house, and I don't know why, but being out in the sunshine, with my boys and my Poppy, looking at God's glorious creation, really lifted my spirits today! 




Poppy was pleased to get out for a proper run, and Haribo picked me the most beautiful little bunch of wild flowers, so I feel very spoilt today



I am a very lucky mama!! 

My baby puppy Murphy went out for a walk too, and he really seemed to enjoy it....!


And that reminds me, I may need to vacuum....... :-o (Oh My!!)

Getting to that point.....

It is getting a little crowded in here. 

No, i'm not cracking with all the animals, it's that cabin fever feeling that we mamas get when we have been with our children without a break for going on 4 weeks!!!

I had a lovely coffee with a dear friend about 4 weeks ago, and besides sleeping, that was the last time I was without a child. I know my children are getting to the age where they don't need the constant supervision of a toddler, but even when my daughter is in her bedroom, I know she is there and may need me at any moment! 

I love my babies, I am very glad that they are homeschooled, and I wouldn't change that. 

I JUST NEED SOME TIME!!!

Do you hear me, mamas? 

Only problem is, hubby is at work for the next 6 days and so it's another week until I can get   an hour to myself! Noooooooooo!!!

Lots of Prayer and lots of deep breaths, I think!!

And Relaaaaax.....

Phew!!! 

Sometimes, you need an outside perspective on things.

We had our annual Home schooling visit from the Local Authority today. 
I sometimes worry (me, really???!!) about whether the kids are doing ok, whether I need to do more, or less with them and just generally am I doing a good job. (I don't think it is just me)

Well, our reviewing officer was very pleased with what we are doing, and how much the children are learning, and the variety, so I was worrying for nothing at midnight last night!

I know my children, and I am so glad that we decided to homeschool them, but, as with most aspects of parenting, I am sometime struck down with doubt. I worry. I shouldn't, I know, if God is truly my Father, He will take care of us, and prompt me. I can't help it sometimes though, and in His gracious mercy, He sends me encouragement when I need it. 

My children are happy, healthy and bright. They are unique, special and confident. They are polite, talented and a gift from God. 

Lord help me to guide and cherish these beautiful presents and help them and I to live every day in Your Glorious Presence 
Amen

My Grace is Enough...

So I was talking yesterday about how I was re-thinking school in the Gee house, and I thought I would tell you how we came to take our children out of main stream school and educate them at home.

It was 2 years ago this August, when my eldest girl, Boo, was about to go up to secondary school. We had been watching a US program (I am an American who happened to be trapped in an English born body!!) about a very LARGE family and it mesmerized me. How this Christian family managed to be nice to one another, to help one another AND to be home-schooled had me floored, especially as, at the time, I hated the summer hols as the kids drove me CRAZY! (My Abba Father has done such a work in me!!)

As Boo was headed up to "big" school, I was really concerned at just what they would teach my daughter, as Evolution is taught as fact in UK schools. It was when watching the Big family program that I felt I heard the Lord clearly tell me "that's what I want of you". So began a Moses type dialogue that went something like this...
" Are you kidding, Abba??" 
"Not at all, my darling, I want you to teach your children about me"
"Abba, I go crazy being with them for a half term, let alone full time!!"
"I know, but I can change that"
"I can't do it, Abba!!"
"Then take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:9"

As I looked at that scripture, I found that God wasn't asking me to do it alone, and that he would use my weaknesses to show his Glory through me!

Well, I was learning all about submission, so I approached my sweetheart about it and, as I am a bit of an ideas girl, with little fruition, he was not overly keen at first. As I showed him the curriculum I had found, he warmed up, seeing I really was serious about it, but would only agree to the boys being schooled, as Boo wants to be a doctor, and the curriculum at this point didn't go that far, so I left it with the Lord, if He had said it, then He would have to work on my sweetie's heart to do it. 

So, January 2012, our 2 boys began our home-ed adventure!!!!

It was only a few months later, due to some horrid incidences at school, Boo joined her brothers at Easter. Our youngest has stayed on at school for a while longer.

We have been at this homeschooling lark for 18 months now, and I can categorically say that God has shown himself strong in my weaknesses, that I LOVE being with my kids and that it is the best decision we made as a family, for our family, and although there are bad days, crazy days, days when I want to go lay on my bed, read a good book and ignore the "MUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMM" shouts coming from the table, I love homeschooling my precious gifts from the Lord!!!!

How about you? Is homeschooling something you have considered or have you known all along??? Leave a comment below.

Time to pull my socks up...

I've been having a bit of a thinking session this weekend. 

As a homeschooling mum, (or any mum really) I wonder if I'm doing all I can for my children. 

I wonder if I'm a good mama, I wonder if they are going to do well, even though I absolutely know it is the right thing for our family, as the Lord expressly told me to do it (more on that tomorrow).

So I have been using a Christian curriculum, and having only been homeschooling for 18 months, we are still very schooled, used to tests, and traditional school practices. 

I have been looking at a few websites, including my fave at the mo, Keeper of the Home and looking at various ideas and curriculum, and I really feel that I have been putting too much pressure on the children to race through the booklets that they work on, and have not given them enough "fun stuff" to do! 

Like drawing a poster, designing a game, or making a bag with the sewing machine (all things my kids have come up with ON THE SPOT when I asked what they would like to do!)

I think Mama has been a little too school Ma'am and not enough relaxed mama!!

Time to have some fun with my babies!!