Winter Break equals Re-organize My Homeschool Mess
| February 28, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Helpful Tips, Homeschool, Ideas for small spaces, Tapestry of Grace |
Most of the schools around here are off for Winter break. We don’t usually take this break, but this year we are taking a short breather to re-sort, de-clutter and get our stuff back on track!
With 4 in basketball this year, our lives have been extremely busy! I feel like I’m on the road more than home sometimes. Anyway, our school area had become a chaotic mess. The 3 girls work at the dining room table. What ends up happening is they all just stack their books in the center in tall piles and heaps. Very cluttered and messy. A real eye sore!
Since I know this is what is going to eventually happen, I have decided to quit fighting an uphill battle and help those heaps become manageable.
Yesterday, the kids and I headed off to Target and found the cutest fabric crates to hold their books. And boy do we have a ton of books! Classical education is all about books! Each girl has her own crate and when company comes and we need to use the dining room table, we just grab the crate and stick it in the cabinet.
We have 2 built in book shelves that hold all the books we will read for the year, and then we keep out the ones we are reading currently in the green crates. I even got a cute green basket for my books I use while teaching. Now I can easily grab all my read-aloud books, teacher notes, lesson plans, etc.
The kids all love it! 
Ready for a Tapestry of Grace update? Yes, still absolutely loving it! Here is a project Olivia has been working on over the past few weeks. It’s called the 4 Alls. We are studying the Feudal system and she built a scene from each of the 4 classes that she studied. She really put her heart into it and created everything herself and loved every minute of it.
Church scene
Royal world
Knights world
Peasant scene: A hovel and cart with hay
Now that we are all organized and clutter free, we can enjoy the rest of the break! So what are some of your organization tips? I’d love to hear them!
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Children Won’t Wait
| February 23, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Helpful Tips, inspiration |
After yesterday’s post on being being a stay-at-home mom, I wanted to share a poem with you that my mother-in-law gave me when I was in the throws of babyville and sleep deprivation. I hope you love it as much as I do. I read it often when I felt in despair and it truly lifted my spirits and gave me encouragement.
There is a time to anticipate the baby’s coming, a time to consult a doctor; A time to plan a diet and exercise, a time to gather a layette. There is a time to wonder at the ways of God, knowing this is the destiny for which I was crafted; A time to dream of what this child may become, A time to pray that God will teach me how to train this child which I bear. A time to to prepare myself that I might nurture his soul. But soon there comes the time for birth–
For babies don’t wait.
There is a time for night feedings, and colic and formulas. There is a time for rocking and a time for walking the floor, A time for patience and self-sacrifice. A time to show him that his new world is a world of love and goodness and dependability. There is a time to ponder what he is–not a pet or a toy but a person, and individual, a soul made in God’s image. There is a time to consider my stewardship–I cannot possess him. He is not mine. I have been chosen to care for him,to love him, to enjoy him, to nurture him and to answer to God. I resolve to do my best for him–
For babies don’t wait.
There is a time to hold him close, and tell him the sweetest story ever told; A time to show him God in earth and sky and flower. To teach him to wonder and reverence. There is a time to leave the dishes, to swing him in the park; To run a race, to draw a picture, to catch a butterfly, to give him happy comradeship. There is a time to point the way, to teach his infant lips to pray. To teach his heart to love God’s Word, to love God’s day–
For children don’t wait.
There is a time to watch him bravely go to school, to miss him underfoot, and to know that other minds have his attention, but that I will be there to answer his call when he comes home, and listen eagerly to the story of his day. There is a time to teach him independence, responsibility, self-reliance, to be firm but friendly, to discipline with love. For soon, so soon, there will be a time to let him go, the apron strings untied—
For children don’t wait.
There is a time to treasure every fleeting minute of childhood. Just eighteen precious years to inspire and train him. I will not exchange this birthright for a mess of pottage called social position, or business, or professional reputation, or a pay check. An hour of concern today may save years of heartache tomorrow. The house will wait, the dishes will wait, the new room will wait–
But children don’t wait.
There will be a time when there will be no slamming of doors, no toys on the stairs, no childhood quarrels, no fingerprints on the wall paper. Then may I look back with joy and not regret. There will be a time to concentrated on service outside my home, on visiting the sick, the bereaved, the discouraged, the untaught: To give my self to “the least of these.” There will be a time to look back and know that these years of motherhood were not wasted. I pray there will be a time to see him an upright and honest man, loving God and serving all.
God give me wisdom to see that TODAY is my day with my children. That there is no unimportant moment in their lives. No other work so rewarding. May I know that no other career is so precious. No other task so urgent. May I not defer it nor neglect it. But by Thy Spirit accept it gladly, joyously and by Thy grace realize That the time is short and my time is now—
For children don’t wait.
By Helen M. Young
I encourage all the new moms out there to remember the “why” of what you’re doing. Don’t lose heart. Anything worthwhile is worth a little work.
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Life of a Stay at Home Mom
| February 22, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Helpful Tips, inspiration |
Today I’m going to jump off my normal blog path. It’s a hard thing for me to do. I tend to play it safe, so to speak. But I just feel led to write about this topic from my point of view. This post is about deciding to stay home with your little kids or send them to day care. It’s not about homeschooling vs school.
I recently read a blog post on Living Devotionally that really made me sad. First off, I have nothing against Katie. In fact, I enjoy reading her blog. And I completely understand and “get” what she is saying. I think that’s why I felt so burdened to write this post. I just couldn’t shake it out of my head! I mean the amount of moms that agreed with her on enjoying out of the home work more than being home with their kids really saddened me.
As a mom of 3 teens and 1 tween, I guess I’m writing this from the other end. I’ve gone through the storm and weathered it. I’m now on the other side of babyville and can look back with perspective.
So let’s rewind and go back several years. At one point I had a newborn, a 2 year old and a 3 year old. And then 2 years later another newborn. Trust me, I know and understand sleep deprivation. My newborn at the time nursed every 1 1/2 hours day and NIGHT and my 3 year old was a destructive tornado who loved to eat all things toxic. I remember being giddy and excited when I got 3 hours of sleep in a row one night!! I never had one of those babies that slept through the night. They were maniac nursers.
Like Katie, I relished nap time and bedtime. Although, I never felt guilty about that. My house was usually a mess. Dinner, umm let’s just say it was edible. I think all of this is very normal. I’m not sure any sane mom gets excited when her toddler wakes up from nap time.
What made me sad was that she felt she “bought into the lie that to be a good Christian mom I need to stay home, keep my house clean, plan out my meals and bake my own bread. I must homeschool my kids, with a well-thought out plan for each day, and I should enjoy it every step of the way.”
Honestly, I think most of us have felt that way to some degree or another. I used to feel that way. I actually went through a time where I sucked the joy right out of my home with my need to have everything perfect. My sweet husband came to me one night after I had gone on a tirade of vacuuming, and said he would rather have a messy house than an angry wife. He reminded me that they won’t be little forever and that the time is fleeting. He reminded me to take time to enjoy my babies. Play with them. Laugh with them. Cuddle with them. I mean are they really going to remember how clean the carpet was, or that you played with play-doh and had fun?
It makes me sad to see young moms get so wrapped in the “now” and loose sight of “tomorrow.” So focused on their desire for freedom and how going off to work will make it all better. Really?
To me that’s the lie. The house will still be dirty. The laundry will still pile up. The kids will still cry. The meals will still have to be cooked. It doesn’t go away just because you send them off and you get away from them. You have only a few short years with your babies before they head off to school. And believe me it may seem long now, but in a few years babyhood will be gone. You can’t get back all those moments the daycare worker shared with your child. You can’t get back all the “firsts” you missed. And I’m sorry, but no one, I mean no one, will ever love your child like you. But that’s our generation. The kids raised by daycare workers. Sad. Very sad.
Now before anyone gets mad and says, “I have to work!” I realize there are situations where it is a must. But let me tell you how we live so I can stay home. We decided early on that big houses, fancy phones, new cars etc. etc. weren’t as important as our kids. We have a “cozy” 3 bedroom house, ONE bathroom and 6, yes SIX people. My “new” van has 230,000 miles on it. And I don’t have an iPhone. You can now pick your jaws off the floor.
Does it get tight? Yup. But I always know what they’re up to! I can see and hear them!! lol
Do the kids fight? Yup. Good life lessons on forgiveness and grace.
Do I get tired? Yup. Helps me remember my need and dependence on Christ.
Would I trade it for all those fancy things and peace, quiet and a full nights sleep? No way.
My kids are now 17, 15 (almost 16), 13 (almost 14) and 11. I miss those mornings when my toddler crawled into bed with me. I miss snuggling with my newborn in the middle of the night. I miss it. I actually miss juggling an infant in one arm and a toddler on the other hip, both crying. Crazy huh?
And mom in the middle of it, you will someday miss it too believe it or not. You will.
So here are a few tips from a “seasoned” (that’s my way of saying older) mom:
- Daily bible devotions! Get your heart right first thing. Read verses to encourage your spirit. A few favorites: Is. 40:31, Phil. 4:4, Phil: 4:13, Phil. 4:19
- Surround yourself with good friends who will help you out. And not just other moms with little kids. Mistake! Find a good older friend. Someone who can encourage you and help you see the light at the end of the tunnel!
- Date night with the hubby. Spending time with just your man is sooo nice.
- Get out of the house! I loved going out with my best friend. Our kids were the same ages and it didn’t seem as daunting with a friend in tow. A trip to the park, a walk around the block, a small shopping trip to the mall…
- Don’t beat yourself up about the house. I found if I did a little bit each day, and had a system written down it helped me stay focused. Mopping on Fridays, Groceries on Tuesdays….etc. But it doesn’t have to be “Leave it to Beaver house” perfect!
- Nap time! A mom’s best friend. Don’t tell me they won’t nap. Make ‘em. Naps were my “mental salvation” during those baby years.
Wowzers this post has turned out long! My hope was to encourage all those moms like Katie that it is normal to feel that way. And hopefully encourage you to think on tomorrow not just focus on the turmoils of today.
‘Cause guess what? Those tiny, sweet, chubby faces grow up fast!
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Sewing Fun! A Sea Horse
| February 17, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Free patterns, Frugal Friday |
Don’t ask me why, ’cause I don’t know, but I have always been fascinated with the sea horse. They are so cute! When I was in college, I used to go to this pet store and my favorite thing to do was watch the sweet little sea horses.
Anyway, I stitched up a fun little sea horse yesterday with a free pattern I found at Lia’s blog and I LOVE him. I made a few changes, but the pattern is a fun take on the majestic sea horse. Thought I’d share some of my sewing fun with you. Happy Friday!
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Adding a Bit of Tangerine: A fun new wristlet purse
| February 2, 2012 | Posted by Karen under sewing projects |
Pantone announced that the new color for spring this year was to be tangerine, a.k.a orange. This is not my favorite color, but it does have some cheery appeal. My youngest truly loves the color orange and is now drooling over my new little purse.
I opted to mix soft gray tones with a bit of orange and then have a pop of color inside the wristlet zipper purse. I really love it! Perfect size to zip around town and go shopping. I think I just might make a few for the shop in yellow and gray, pink and gray, green and gray and of course orange and gray. I like how the neutal color softens the brighter color giving a sophisticated, yet fun look.
So what do ya think? A keeper?
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Retro Betsy McCall Paper Dolls: Free Printables
| February 2, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Beautifully Vintage, child crafts, crafts, Thrifty Savings |
One of my favorite memories of first grade was when we had inside recess and I got to play with the paper dolls! They were old fashioned 1950′s style dolls that had been mounted onto card stock and I absolutely loved them. I adored all the pretty dresses and pretended I was the little paper doll. See I loved retro even as a child.
You can imagine my delight when I came across these free Betsy McCall paper dolls!! Once on the page, you can click on the date or on the doll and then click on the “high quality print” link and then print them for free!
I personally would glue the paper dolls onto cardboard to make them more durable to handle. There are several pages to choose from so make sure you look through all 10 years worth! What a find! Have fun. The link: Betsy McCall printable paper dolls
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Way Back When Wednesday
| February 1, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Family fun |
Way back when they were littles….
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Ideas for Small Spaces: Instant Entry Hall Sitting Nook
| January 31, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Ideas for small spaces, Pinterest |
Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Karen (Sew Determined) on Pinterest
I absolutely love this idea! Take the doors off the closet and turn it into a nook. Now of course in my house with 6 people it would probably never look like this, except if company was coming! But I love the idea. Pinterest gives such scope for the imagination….
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You Sew It! Easy Dress Pattern for the Cider Shabby Apple Dress
| January 30, 2012 | Posted by Karen under Easy patterns, Fashion, Super Cute Patterns, You Sew It |
The Cider dress from Shabby Apple was a tough one for me to find a matching pattern. I think the Vogue V8665 matches the dress style fairly close. I unfortunately couldn’t find one with a similar neck ruffle.
I found the fabric at Fashion Fabrics Club for $4.55 a yard! Now that’s cheap.
Want to know how to make a ruffle? I made one similar on my Coffee Date Dress. Instead of placing the ruffle down the front, you place it along the scoop neckline. You cut out Two strips of fabric 6″ wide and double the length of your neck line, making the bottom ruffle shorter. Serge or zig zag the long raw edges and fold over to make it thinner. Sew a basting stitch along the long length and pull to ruffle. Place it on the neck how you like
I hope you’ve been enjoying the You Sew It series. Happy Sewing! Got a dress you love? Let me know and I’ll try to find a pattern for it!
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Fabric Paper Doll Pattern
| January 29, 2012 | Posted by Karen under child crafts, Crafts, Free patterns, free patterns, Thrifty Savings |
While searching for dress patterns, I found this free fabric paper doll pattern with great instructions at Butterick! Super cute. And what little girl doesn’t love paper dolls?
To get the pattern, I had to enter my email and that was it. There were several other free patterns at Butterick as well.
