January was a great month and thought I would share some highlights!

January brought a few days of winter . . . the kids enjoyed building igloos of blankets, and E enjoyed an excuse to do schoolwork in bed.





We took a field trip to the MOTE Aquarium in Sarasota. The kids loved it, and it coincided perfectly with the end of the first 20 weeks of Elemental Science Biology which is an animal unit. The dolphin was a highlight for all (especially after our marathon viewings of Dolphin Tale lately!)



Manatees!


Pretending to be sea turtles crawling to shore.



We also participated in our homeschool group's Art Show and silent Auction. Since art is certainly an area we slack on in our homeschool, we all really enjoy the art show and spending extra time developing these skills and talents. This year, we decided to dabble in canvas paintings. To choose a topic, C was asked to tell about something that was special to him. He chose a cross, because Jesus died on the cross for his sins.
E painted a spring scene, flowers and butterflies.
First, they painted the canvas:



Then E practiced drawing in her sketchbook all day. It was a great lesson on perseverance



Finished products!
C:


E:


And not to miss out on any fun!
J:


E has been working hard on reading, and has discovered she actually likes to read when she can read silently. We are working to find our balance with that in encouraging it and a love of reading, while still having her read aloud to develop those skills. One afternoon I sent her downstairs ahead of me to start reading, and this is what I found. A treasured moment!



We also went on a field trip to a local farm and went strawberry picking. Our trip to the farm was very informative, maybe we can plant a garden soon! 




January has been a lot of fun, and while it was a challenge to transition back from the holidays and our time off, I have learned a lot about being flexible with our ever changing needs as a family. Life with littles is never static! 

January in Review

by on 4:11 PM
January was a great month and thought I would share some highlights! January brought a few days of winter . . . the kids enjoyed building ...
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Our crock pot remains on overdrive, and this is a new recipe I found this week. Everyone loved it! This was slightly more complicated than I usually attempt, but Ron assures me it was worth it! :)


Slow Cooker Pepper Steak and rice



INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
Garlic powder to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid (I subbed crushed tomatoes because we are not tomato fans) ;)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt



DIRECTIONS

1.   Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2.  Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3.  Cover, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice.

Recipe of the week-- week 2!

by on 9:41 AM
Our crock pot remains on overdrive, and this is a new recipe I found this week. Everyone loved it! This was slightly more complicated than I...
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I thought it would be fun to share a recipe of the week. If you have a blog and do something similar, share it in the comments. I know my family often gets stuck in a rut with the same ideas, so thought this might be fun.

My crock pot has been in overdrive lately. With homeschooling, kids activities, and just life, I have found slow cooking to be a fantastic secret weapon.

Chicken Stroganoff


Ingredients:
Frozen Chicken breasts (we use 2 for our family)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup*
32 oz sour cream*
1 cup of chicken broth (I just use a bullion cube in water)*
1 packet of Lipton onion soup


Directions:
Place the frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker (yes, must be frozen)
Top with the rest of the ingredients
Mix
Cook on low 7-8 hours


Remove Chicken and shred (super easy!)
I make egg noodles and then mix it all together. 
*If you are not serving with noodles, you can use half the cream of mushroom, sour cream, and broth


Super yummy! 

Recipe of the week!

by on 9:48 AM
I thought it would be fun to share a recipe of the week. If you have a blog and do something similar, share it in the comments. I know my fa...
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Life with littles is challenging. Not gonna lie. We wake up to chaos and most days it pretty much stays that way until bed time. In the last few weeks several people have told me "just wait until they are teenagers!" I have to admit, the thought scares me. Really? Can teenage years be worse than having 3 littles? I shudder at the thought. Worse? Harder? Surely not . . . I dream of sitting around the kitchen table with my teens chatting about their days, lying in bed at night talking about their struggles and triumphs, family game nights and movie nights. Is this a dream world? Surely not, because I have friends and family with teenagers they actually enjoy. Then I began to think. In order to have all that then, you have to have it now. You cannot wake up one day and decide to have a relationship with your twelve year old. If you didn't listen at 3 or 5, they are not going to listen at 13 or 15. Your fourteen year old probably won't be easily convinced a family game night is really fun if its the first time ever. In order to develop this kind of relationship with our teens, we have to have this kind of relationship with our toddlers and preschoolers. It won't be perfect then . . . or now. You just get out of it what you put into it. (And then pray for a whole lot of God's grace, then and now!) :)

Too many nights I am exhausted and rush the bedtime routine just to be done. Too many days I rush through homeschooling or dinner just to move on. How much am I missing? How many walks, park days, smiles and giggles have I already missed out on?  Long ago I promised myself I wouldn't wish a stage of childhood away, it is gone too quickly, however, am I actually cherishing my children? My dh often encourages his clients (and me!) to remember that a child needs 13 positives for every negative they receive. How I miss that mark every day. My prayer is to see my children as God sees them, to have a fraction of the patience and grace He has with me. Not often enough have I prayed for God to help me to be the parent to these precious children He has called me to be. I don't want to raise them doing "my best." My best is not good enough. My best fails at its best attempt. May the Holy Spirit enable me with HIS best. His best is perfect.

Investing...

by on 9:51 PM
Life with littles is challenging. Not gonna lie. We wake up to chaos and most days it pretty much stays that way until bed time. In the last...
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My dad and I were scheduled for a trip to Ecuador this month for some meetings about the children's home of which we are a part. At the last minute he decided he would not be able to travel and somehow managed to convince Ron to rearrange his schedule to go with me. As thrilled as I was to have Ron go with me it meant some scrambling since the kids would stay behind. It was a short yet packed trip. We enjoyed the little time we were able to spend with the kids in the home, but as planned, spent most of our time in meetings. The last night we were there, I was talking to Ron and really struggling to speak in English. I was glad I hadn't lost my Spanish as I had feared. ;) I have been traveling to Manta, Ecuador since 2003, and God has graciously allowed us to work with many of the same people. Last year while down there with our Christmas mission team, I spoke with a friend of ours that I had the privilege of praying with to receive Christ in 2004. She had yet to be baptized and while she expressed her desire to do so to me, she wanted to wait until her husband was ready. On this trip, she took me aside and told me she had a surprise for me. She told me she was ready to make that step of obedience and asked if I would baptize her while we were there. What an amazing experience! God is so faithful! In the midst of the crazy chaos of our trip we gathered with some friends and family and went down to the beach like in the time of Acts, and celebrated a life surrendered to Christ, declaring publicly what Christ had already done within her heart.  To see her baptized would have been enough, but to have the blessing for Ron and I together to have our first baptism with someone so dear to us, was a tremendous gift from God.







We were also blessed to get to spend some time with the precious children of the Montanita Verde Children's home, and some special friends. Very joyful this Christmas season to have had this gift, many thanks to those who help made this trip possible!
School supplies, arts and crafts

 Presents!





Cookie decorating is an annual tradition



During a time of year that is all too often full of greed and self-centeredness, as far from the true celebration it should be, I am so thankful to be able to celebrate each year with these children, giving them memories to take with them no matter where life takes them, and most importantly to share with them the love of Jesus Christ that transforms lives! Happy Birthday Jesus! 

Surprise Blessings in Ecuador

by on 9:09 PM
My dad and I were scheduled for a trip to Ecuador this month for some meetings about the children's home of which we are a part. At the ...
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Declaring it officially Christmas break today! We have had a full, wonderful, sometimes trying ;) semester. I love how homeschooling allows me to be very aware of the character flaws in our family... my children and most especially in me. No way to ignore anything when it stares you in the face 24/7. I often find I am most certainly the one that has the most to work on! God is graciously chiseling away, refining my heart and mind to His. I plan to do a few blog posts summing up the end of this year. Here are a few highlights from our semester:

Story of the World Projects
Making Cuneiform tablets

                                                                   
Painting Papyrus




Starburst Egyptian Pyramids
 

African legends: Anansi the Spider

Science Experiments



Friends, Cousins, and Sleepovers!

Disney World


Thanksgiving Trip to Alabama


Cooking





 Operation Christmas Child

 Horseback Riding for the first time on their own!

 

Field Trips
Dakin Dairy Farm


Fresh Milk:

Fresh Ice Cream






Spanish Coop



E's First Gymnastics Meet:


Bars:

Beam:

Floor:

Vault:

We have had a wonderful semester, are looking forward to an amazing finish to December celebrating the birth of Jesus, and a fresh start in January on our homeschooling journey! Homeschooling with littles is not easy, and there are many days that I wish we could have a do-over, but I feel so blessed to see our little treasures growing into the persons God has called them to be. We are so blessed! Our days are full, our house is loud and often chaotic, but I have learned that at the end of the long days-- when tired little ones are getting ready for bed and the remnants of the day result in dirty bath water, those are the days that were enjoyed the most. I am trying to seize those days: playing outside, the park, farms, camping, painting, playdough . . . the stuff moms hate ;) . . . those are the days I want to fill our lives with. I am looking forward to the many dirty bath water days to come.

First Semester Highlights . . .

by on 8:23 PM
Declaring it officially Christmas break today! We have had a full, wonderful, sometimes trying ;) semester. I love how homeschooling allows ...
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