Not the typical classroom nor student

All I knew about school was desks line up in a row, kids sitting down and teacher standing in front of a black board giving instructions. Naturally, when I started home educating, that is what I tried to model. Out of the 3 little girls, only one can sit still at the kitchen table for a long period of time.

I have seen my little goose hanging upside down from the couch to watch a show on TV, why was I surprised when the same little one was trying to do the same at the table while practicing her phonics?

I am slowly feeling more comfortable letting the school being done outside the table and chair setting. Doing math on the floor works just fine, and they are enjoying the freedom of being able to learn without the limitation of a designated space.

There is a time and place for kids to be still, and they do need to learn that skill, and other time it's ok to let them wiggles it out.

How about you, do you have a formal classroom setting or more relaxed setting for your homeschool?

Creative play, a great learning tool

With young one, learning during playtime is the easiest way to incorporate a lesson. While they are having so much fun playing,  they are barely noticing that they are learning some new skills.

I like a certain structure to our playtime, like when we are playing board games or hide and go seek and other games or the sorts. At the same time I do let  the girls have some time to play freely, without "rules" or structure.

I think that it is important to have a balance between both freedom and structure. That goes beyond just play, but that is a whole new post.

I have to admit I often use that time of free play to do some catching up on chores like dishes or laundry, but I catch myself from time to time, just listening or watching them play. There I stand, smiling, being in awe of how much they have grown, how creative they have become and how much they have learned.

If I could stop time, capturing those little moments, I would.

I was reading Mama smiles blog and came across her post on The importance of creative play, there she mentioned a few skills that comes with letting children creatively playing.

1. The ability to self-entertain
2. The development of language art
3. Emotional self-regulation
4. Social skill practice

I have to say all those are true for our family. I  have seen all the points being practice during the girls free play. Of course I do sometime have to intervene and break a fight or two, Ok, there are days that I feel more like a referee then anything else. We all have days like that right? For most part, I seen them growing more and more and I love what they are becoming. 

These pictures are just a glimpse of some creative free play, I should have took a video, it was pretty funny seeing her act out the book we had been reading earlier that day.

How about you, what skills are your kids learning from their free play?

Before you ask, the outfit was found at a local thrift store, in the Halloween costumes section. She notice it from far away and was begging me to get it for her. 

Can you tell what book we are reading aloud from this post???

Favorite Fall Flavor Friday ~ Tuna Melt

Have you ever look at your watch and think "oh my where did the time go, it's dinner time already" You might have had a really busy day, or are just plumb tired and want somethings fast and easy.

Drive true are fast and easy, but don't come that cheap. If you do a bit of planning on your day to day meal preparation, this could be a very good alternative.

What you will need:

• A can of tuna (if you are not a tuna fan, chicken, turkey or ham would be good substitute)
• Mayo
• Grated cheese
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (completely optional) ~ for this recipe I use my homemade Curried BBQ sauce.
• Bread (sliced)

Since I don't really measure can't really tell you quantities but it's pretty easy mix the tuna, mayo and BBQ sauce in a bowl, spread the mixture on slices on bread and topped with grated cheese. Put in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted (you can turn the oven on broiled for a minute or two after the cheese is melted but totally optional) 

Now you are wondering what sides can we served with these. Salads, fries, *rice and vegetable are all very delicious with those. 

Do you have a go to meal when you are in a rush and don't know what to prepare for dinner?

*If you are the type of person that hate waiting for the rice to cook, you can make large pot rice (rice cooker or stove top) in advance and freeze in portion that you would normally serve. Can be heated up in microwave in minutes.

Learning on nature walks

I love that I live in a city where nature is so easily accessible.

 A few minutes drive, and you can but enjoying some glorious walking/hiking trails, the ocean, the rivers, waterfalls and many more exiting spots. 

We are even lucky enough to have lots of walking/hiking trails that provides information boards  that can be use for teachable moments.

If your kids are curious like mine, the questions will keep coming. Curiosity makes homeschooling so much more fun, and exiting.

I love  Educating is life outlook on nature walks. Here is a few wise words:

"I don't need to know everything, or even very much. Nature study can be a joint exploration with my children as we search after truth and beauty in the outdoors."

"My job is not to tell them all the facts. Rather, it is to gently lead them to observe things carefully for themselves."

 Learning together is such a great experience, and being an observant little student is a skill that we need to encourage.

 Exploring, manipulating, smelling, observing getting all senses involved in the process it far better then just learning from a book. Book learning is great, but when you can have the opportunity of doing some real hands-on learning, better take advantage of it.

Last week we went on nature walk every single day for about 2 hours each trip. Some days were easier then others, the little girls had their moments.

 Here are a few tips that can make your nature walks a bit easier

1. Wear comfortable shoes
2. Bring snacks (walking can create a big appetite)
3. Bottles of water
4. If available, bring a  map of the park or trails you are visiting. Some kids get insecure when exploring new places and being able to show them where we have been and where we are going. It also can prevent many "Mama we are LOOOOOOSSSSSTTTTTTT"
5. A bag to collect stuff, rocks, pine-cones etc... whatever you child wants to bring along
6. A few bandages and cleaning wipes (for those scrapes and small cuts that can happen if you are on the clumsy side!) 
7. For those little people that can get discourage about the length of the walk, giving them something to look forward too like "we will walk until the next bit maple tree and take a rest and sit down for a snack" Treasure hunt is also a great way to keep them happy and busy. Playing a few round of "I spy" is always interesting.
8. Camera to take pictures (for things you can collect but still want to use as a learning tool)
9. And bringing a warm cup of coffee in a travel mug for yourself never hurt!

How about you, what are your tips to make nature walks easier on you and your children?

Favorite Fall Flavor Friday ~ Chicken&Dumpling soup

Summer is lots of fun, plenty of beach time and playing in the parks, but as soon as school starts and the weather changes I feel the business of everyday life sometime a bit challenging. Cooler weather makes me want to go on long walk in the woods, or spend a whole day cleaning and organizing, but that means that I have less time to be in the kitchen.

I found the best way to get a warm delicious meal, after a day exploring outdoor, is to set the crockpot before leaving. Nothing like coming home to the yummy smell of a cooked food.

This weeks favorite fall flavor: Chicken and dumpling

This soup always brings childhood memories. With every bowl full, whatever day you had, always brings a smile to my face. This soups qualifies as comfort food.

The soup itself does not take long to prepare but for the best flavor roasting a whole chicken (or in a pinch using the crockpot) does make a difference. Roasting a chicken and having it it with potatoes, gravy and veggies one day and using the left over chicken for the soup is how I choose to do this, but to each their own.

Soup

• Chicken 
• carrots
• celery
• onion
• potatoes
• Spices (oregano, summer savory, thyme, salt pepper)
• Chicken broth (I use my homemade one)

Dumplings

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tps salt
• 2 tps dill 
• pinch baking powder
• 3/4 cup of water (more or less)

Cut the vegetable (except the potatoes) and sautee them lightly with the pot with olive oil and butter. Add broth, potatoes, chicken and herbs to a boiled. Meanwhile in a bowl mix all the dry ingredients for the dumpling and add enough water to for a dough ball that should be formed but not wet. Drop small spoonful at the time in the boiling water, lower to med heat until vegetable tender.

Enjoy

DIY Serving Tray Makeover

When you think serving trays, you might think breakfast in bed or dinner on the couch. To me, serving trays, always bring tea time in mind.

I own a set of 3 wooden trays that I had for a while and they were starting to look a bit dull, it was time to give them a makeover.

All you will need

• used serving trays
• Mod Pudge & brush
• paper (scrapbooking paper, magazines, newspaper, old pictures, whatever you like etc...)
• ribbons (optional)

Step 1

Clean the surface of your tray where you'll be doing the collage.

  Step 2

Cut all the paper and  get all other embellishments ready. Set aside.

Step 3

Coat the surface that you are going to be using for the collage with Mod Pudge

Step 4

Layer all the pieces of paper and such and add a layer of Mod Pudge over it all to seal your project. Let it dry.

Step 5 (optional)

Add an extra coating of Mod Pudge over it all, let it fully dry before setting any object on it (overnight should be enough)

If you had any item in your home that would need a makeover, what would it be?

Math you see

This year, we are using a new math curriculum Math-U-See.

 I remember doing "good" in math when I was in school, mostly because I could memorized very well. But teaching this curriculum to the little girls made me realized the logic behind what I have memorized, and that in my opinion is a good thing!

A friend give me the Alpha curriculum, dvd, teacher's manual and student work and test books. We have been using it  for a little while and so far are liking it. I like that the kids have a chance to manipulate blocks and making connections in their brain at the same time. The instructions are clear and you can work with your child own pace, not need to hurry things up.

Here is a short clip explaining the Alpha curriculum, for those who are interested in learning more.




Btw the guy talks about letting the kids play with the blocks at home, I do have leggos and duplos for playing, those little block will  only be used during math class. I really don't want to loose them, they will be use over and over again.

 Hopefully at the end of our school year, will be able to give you a fuller review about it.

How about you all, have you tried Math-U-See?

Favorite Fall Flavor Friday ~ Homemade Curried BBQ Sauce & meatballs

Autumn, the season of warm delicious food has arrived. I am planning to post here on Friday's sharing our fall favorite flavors and recipes. 

Easy Homemade Curried BBQ Sauce

What you will need:

• 3/4  to 1 cup of brown sugar (to taste)
• 3/4 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 TBS Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 1/4 tps ground mustard 
• 1 tps smoke paprika
• 1  to 2 glove(s) of garlic minced 
• 2 TBS Curry powder
• 1/4 Chipotle Chile powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring all the ingredients to a boiled (on med heat) add meatballs (I use some ground pork meatballs that I had previously cooked and frozen) let simmer on med/low until desired consistency. Serve on a bed of quinoa with fresh raw veggies sticks.  

Easy Monogram Letter Craft

Cooler weather makes me in the mood for organizing, baking and crafting. I don't know about you, but with gray days and spending more indoor time, creating some pretty things to look at does bring a smile to my face.

 For today's super easy craft all you will need

• Designer paper (Micheal's store always have tuns of paper on clearance)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Buttons (random one will do)
• Picture frame (mine was a old one that I just took the picture out of)

How to

1. Open your frame and cut the paper to fit inside 
2. using the buttons, shape the letter of your choice (child's name, first letter of your last name etc)
3. Start gluing 
4. put back the frame together voila!

Have you done any monogram letter craft? If so, leave a link into the comment of blog post or picture of it.

Happy crafting. 

Avoiding distractions during school time

We live in a world of constant distractions.

Our call phone beeps to inform us that someone left us a text, a like on facebook or an tweet to let us know what is happening right at the moment. Our kids are getting use to see us glance at different screens during the day.

If you are doing home educations, all these distractions can be easily fixed. We can turn the ringer of the phone off, set a no computer or social media time and other little things.

 But what happens when the distractions come in a form of a sibling? When the option of sending the trouble maker to the principle office is not an option, what else can you do?

I wrote about certain ways that will keep little persons busy, at least for a while, but sometime you really need that "one on one no distractions" time.

I tried many techniques, some worked and others failed

• Taking advantage of "nap/quiet time" works only if your student is not tired
• Play a show on TV for the wee one in another room. Not a great solution if your toddler used that time to get into trouble (some kids needs to be constantly supervised) 
• Play time with educational toys, stickers, puzzles are only good for those kids who like to be left alone for a certain period of time (some kids can play great together, others no so much)
• Including the little ones in, works sometime and not others.

This is one of those things that you need to be consistent and flexible at the same time. They need to learn what is expected of them, while you keep reminding yourself that they are a "work in progress". And that what works today might not tomorrow, be willing to change things around.

How about you who are homeschooling with busy little one. What is your family favorite ways to make sure you can have that one-on-one time?

Are you in the mood to get yourself organized?

Photo credit here and from I heat organizing website

School has started, fall weather has arrived and I'm in the mood for cleaning, de-cluttering and organizing. Are you feeling it too? I do the spring and fall cleaning. With busy little kids, this task needs to be done twice a year. or maybe it is just in my house. 

I have many plans and ideas, and pinterest is a great source of inspiration for new ways to keep thing organized. 

I will come here once a week, on Tuesday and share what I am doing, or planning to do etc.So lets start this journey on getting this home, blog, homeschool and life a bit more organized.

For this weeks project:

•  I plan to go through the girls clothes, switch from summer ( and store them away) to fall/winter (and donate/throw away what we can't use). 

How about you, what are you planning to organize this week?

All fun and play

Learning from home is fun and even better when it includes lots of games, right?

Educational games are very useful teaching too, and are toys that help kids use their creativity.

I know this is a short post, but the girls wants to learn this new trick

Off I go, and will be back here next Monday for another homeschooling post.

What are your favorite educational toys and games?

Yes, ladies can wear pants too

I wasn't going to be posting about fashion today, but the topic of modesty and the trend of "gender bender" been on my minds, so here we go.

I came across "Are "feminine" looks the Future on Men's Fashion" article, at first I thought it was a joke, men dressed in "lady like" clothing walking down the runway.  The pictures in this article might be shocking, but we don't need to go to that extreme to see the trend of "gender bender".

Dressing in an androgynous clothing is very "in" right now. I know you know what I'm talking about, you see them in pack walking down the street and yet you know the both girls and boys are present, but you can't tell who is who. I might just be old fashion, but I do think that you should be able to tell if you are talking to someone if you should greet them as Miss or Sir.

To you men, I would say be manly, and to you women, dress like a lady.

I know what you are thinking "But I want to be comfortable" or "I don't have money for new clothes" or maybe "I don't have time to be put together". Other of you are shaking their head think "She is one of those skirts only". Yes if you look around my fashion posts, you may notice dresses, and skirt, I wear them not because I have too, but because I like them.

Before you ask, this look was done in 5 min. 

I do wear pants, jeans, shorts but I try to wear them in a way that strangers would know that I am a lady.

 Some will say that pants are for men only, they are immodest, showing off too much. Those are not my convictions.

 You can be modest and lady-like wearing a pair of jeans(or pants). Here's how?

• Make sure they fit : It's not because they you able to zip the zipper that it means that they fit. You can make yourself squeeze in something 2 sizes too small and think that it is "your size" but no, please don't.
• A few accessories goes a long way: bring along a purse, a scarf , put on some earnings, a cute pair of shoes or even just a bit of lip gloss. This does not need to cost you a fortune nor take time, you can do this on the go.
• Act like lady: Ok  this tip is free, won't take any of your precious time. Just do it!

Excuse the blurriness 

Is it really that important what we wear? My short answer would be yes. I know you won't just let me get away with a "yes", here is what I am thinking about.

What you choose to put on your body does affect many aspects of your life and I am not talking about a vain look at me I'm pretty kind of way.

1. It affects your mood: Like when you wear an apron, and you feel more motivated to clean, same thing goes with the outfit you've choose to put on.
2. It affect how people interacts with you:  I am speaking from my own experience, you can be less or more approachable depending on what you are wearing. Don't get me wrong here, not saying you have to have a "look" that comes with strings attach, we should all dress for His glory. What we wear is part of our testimony.
3. It affect how you look: Wearing clothes that are to big, might make you look, well bigger then you really are. I know that wearing the right size, sometime makes people say "did you loose weight?" isn't a nice complement to have, when the only thing you did is wear something that "fit".

Now I want to know you opinion on the topic. Is it important what we wear? Should stranger know off the bat if you are a she or he?

 link here 

Keeping them busy and out of trouble

"If they are not busy being productive, they are busy being destructive"

If you know me personally, you might have heard me quoting this a few time.

 I bet you have had days when you are trying to get something done around the house and your attention was on that particular task and all the sudden you realized that the house is too quiet and that only means trouble. You go and check what your little ones are doing to find out how "creative" they have been. 

From the time their little eyes are open, most kids will need something to do, something or someone to love and something to think about.

Something or someone to love
We are all created to long to love, and be loved. All precious little ones need a loving environment to grow and flourish. A sterile cold unloving home that, provides shelter and food, isn't enough to the well being of kids. They need love.

 Children need to be able to love. From loving family members, a pet, and  a special toy, we need to be able to let them being able to love.

Something to do
Kids do have a way to keep you on your toes. I am always amazed on how creative my little girls can get if I leave them with nothing really specific to do, and by creative I mean finding new ways to make a huge mess.

When I'm saying something to do, I am not talking about having them in tuns of organized sports, classes and activities and you look more like a chauffeur then a parent. I do not see anything wrong with any of these, the kids are taking part of some sports, classes and structured activities but it does not take over our life.

What would be some worthwhile things to do:

• Doing some craft. 
• Building a house with blocks
• Taking care of a garden or flowers
• Working on making your home beautiful
• Playing games like hide-and-go seek, hopscotch or pretend play (pretend house, school, coffee shop, spaceship travel ...)
• Organizing a show, puppet, drama dance for the rest of the family to sit down and enjoy.
• Doing chores
•  Helping others in need
• Building a blanket fort or transforming the bedroom into a camping site (what kids does not love to sleep on the floor under a tent)
• Reenacting a stories from a book

All these things can be done at home, with little effort, and will help keeping them busy in a good way.

Something to think about

Engage your children in conversation, do be afraid to ask them questions and encourage critical thinking. Whether it is after you have read a book or watch a show, take time to have a discussion about it. I think this is the fun part of homeschooling, being able to have a little peek into how your kids brain and how the little wheels are turning in there. 

How about you, what is the best way to keep your little one busy in a productive way?

How to fail your children

Parenting is a huge responsibility and does come with it’s share of ups and downs. We can think that if we read the “right” books or follow a certain list of rules that our children will become strong and healthy well adjusted adults.

Parenting does not come with a magic formula that will guarantee us  success. But using common sense we can do a few things that could be beneficial or detrimental in raising young well adjusted adults.

Disclaimer I do not claim to have all the answers nor that I fully understand the complexity that comes with raising children, these are just things that are reasonable and can be done by anybody.

You can fail your children if you

• Don’t practice what you preach: Little children do see beyond your words, and actions have a huge impacts on how they absorb information.  Don’t try to make them eat their vegetables if you are not eating yours. Don’t force them to clean their room if you neglect doing your own. etc...
• Don’t love them: Of course all parents love their children, very few will not have that feeling, but for most of us we LOVE our children. The kinds of love that I am talking about is not a kind love that comes and goes, that is depending of one feeling toward the other. I’m talking about a love that is patient, kind, that always protect, and always persevere. This kinds of love will not let children go on undisciplined, but will rebuke follies.
• Don’t teach them: Because if YOU don’t do that part, someone else will.
• Neglect to discipline them: I am not talking about punishment, but real discipline. Little ones need to learn right from wrong, and there's many different ways to do that, but neglecting to do so will not encourage them to make the right decisions.
• Don’t let them make their own mistakes: They have to understand that there's consequences for all actions, good and bad. This should not give us the permission to turn a blind eye to sin, but we have to let them fail sometime.
• Don’t repent of your wrongdoing: All of us are not perfect, we are all sinners and we sin against each other. There is something about a parent being able to humble his or herself in front of their children and repent. Trust me this is not as easy as it seems, but we need to remember that it is very important.
• Neglect praying for them: We shouldn't only pray when time are hard, or we need something, but we need to remember to pray for them when things are good.

But if you want to help them along. Here are a few  “You should's”

• Be present in your child’s life: Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Your child needs to know that he/she can count on you to be there if they have problems, questions or just need a hug.
• Be in the Word: Lots of wisdom comes from reading it.
• Learn to love their hobbies: If your kids is into train, dinosaur or shoes shopping, do please indulge with them in something that will make them feel special. The quality time spend together will have more of an impact then you can imagine!
• Set some rules: Children and adults all the same, needs to know what is expected of them, and rules are a great way to set boundaries and to know what is expected.
• Take time to create traditions: Why is it that every time I write the word “Tradition” I HAVE to sing the song from fiddler on the roof, anyone else with me? “Tradition, tradition!” But in all seriousness, making memories, sharing that special time together help the lines of communications to stay open, and that is a very good thing.
• Give them what they need: And not what they want. Those are 2 different things and mama knows best!!!
• Be consistent: I know this is a hard one, but must be done.

What would you add to this list????

The beginning of a new school year

The weather is slowly changing. With every morning a reminder that fall  is quickly approaching. All these changes makes my young pupils more and more eager to start their school year.

This year will have 3 little goose doing some form of schooling. 

This post will be a short overview of our plan for this school year. 

These are the books that I will read-out-loud to them this year (this is not a complete list but you get the picture)

• Sarah, Plain and Tall ~ Patrica MacLachlan
• More Perfect then the Moon ~ Patricia MacLachlan
• The House At Pooh Corner ~ A.A Milne
• The First Four Years  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Little House in the Big Woods ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
• By the Shores of Silver Lake ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pionner Girl. ~Megan Stine
• Charlotte's Web ~ E.B White
• Anne of the Green Gables ~ L.M Montgomery
• Anne of Avonlea ~L/M Montgomery
• Anne of the Island ~ L.M Montgomery
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tailor of Gloucester ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin ~ Beatrix Potter
• The tale of Benjamin Bunny ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of two Bad Mice ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy - Winkle ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Tom Kitten ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies~ Beatrix Potter 
• The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse ~ Beatrix Potter
• The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes ~ Beatrix Potter
• Franklin Has a sleepover ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin and the Babysitter ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin Plants a Tree ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin's Canoe Trip ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin Makes a Deal ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin Helps Out ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin's Secret Club ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin's is Bossy ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin Wants a Pet ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin's New Friend ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin is Messy ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin plays the Game ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin is Lost ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack
• Franklin in the Dark ~ P. Bourgeois and B. Clack

I haven't written down my "Reading scheduled" for all those books, will hopefully have it down on paper before the end of the week.

On my reading books list for homeschool. I'll be reading these:

• Charlotte Mason Companion. Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning. ~ Karen Andreola
• Educating the WholeHarted Child ~ Clay Clarkson with Sally Clarkson

And these following are some books that I will be using to help with lesson plans:

• Come Sit By Me (Vol 1) ~ Cyndy Regeling
• Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons ~ Siegfried Engelman, Phillis Haddox, Helaine Bruner

And will be using tools like this one for math

And books like this to keep little hands busy

How about you:

- What are your plan for the school year?

- Will your children go to public or private school? 

- Or will they be homeschool?

- What grade will they be doing?

- What part will you be playing in your child education?

This post is linked here

When mothers come together

Those few simple words

"Could you give me a hand please? I need help"

Why are they so difficult to blurt them out.

We think about them often, but yet say them so rarely. Is it the fear of being judged, rejected, or our own pride that stops us from seeking what we need?

 Let's face it, we all need a little help. I know I do, and am sure you do also.

If we were met to be self-sufficient we would all be living on a private island with no other contact then our self. As tempting as it may sounds, it wasn't the way we were created.

We are part of a community, a family, and we all need each other. You need them and they need you. You have something to offer, in the mist of motherhood and all the beautiful craziness that it bring.  You are needed. Even when you are feeling low and in desperate need for some breathing space,or just need a break. You do not become a lesser, weaker person because you need a extra help, you are just  a normal human being.

I'm sure you had the opportunity to help someone in need before. Do you remember how good it felt to be able to help? Now, remember that same feeling when you are asking for some help, remember that you are going to make someone experience the same feeling.

You might be wondering why I am writing about this topic. I read a article about what it means when we mothers are saying that we need a break. You are reading these words and you might think "Oh, another post about moms needing a spa day"  or "those SAHM they are just a bunch of complainers that hate being home"

If you are a mother, you know that it's not the truth.

You know full well how much of a blessing motherhood is, you have truly embraced your calling, but you are fully and sometimes painfully aware of how hard it is. 

You might be feeling alone, in need of a break, and don't how to ask for help.

You might be a mother who has little adult conversations on a day to day basis. You might have a husband that travels or is not present. You might had move to a new city and yet met a real friend. You might be feeling a bit depress and finding it hard just to step outside our home.

Maybe you are not one of those mothers, but know one who is in need.

Wherever you are at the moment, the mother in need or the one able to help, I hope reading this post will help close the gap between you two.

For the mothers who need help:

- Take a deep breath, it's ok
- You are not alone
- You are not crazy
- Your feeling are real and no there is no shame in sharing them.
- you are doing a good job, and it's ok to ask for help
- Step out of your comfort zone, seek friendship
- Find a way to communicate your needs to others
- Help someone in need, it's hard to be lonely when you are helping others.

For the mothers who can help :

- Don't be afraid to be a real friend
- Do not assume that all is ok, it might not. 
- Don't be afraid to ask difficult questions
- Be ready to just to listen, do not always try to "fix" the problem.
- If you can help with a certain need, please do it now, do not wait
- Don't think you have to "all it all together" or "figure it all out" before offering your help, perfection is not a requirement.
- Be present in the other person life, even a few minutes can be a huge blessing.

Speaking from my own experience, it is far easier for me to help someone in need then to ask for it. I have to remind myself that it takes courage to be able to tell someone that "I do not have it all together", it is never easy to admit our weakness and failures.

We are all a work in progress and together we can make life a little easier.

Crafting when you are not-so-crafty

In my last post I mention that living where you are at the moment does include making you home your own. I love being surrounded by pretty things, and crafting was a logical and practical way of creating beautiful artwork and displaying it in your home. The nice thing is that you can change the look or feel of any room at anytime for almost nothing!

Now you may think that you need to be an artist, or a master craft super mother to do all those pretty crafts on pinterest, right. But no, you can find some really easy crafts that would look like you tried real hard but in reality you didn't. 

 Will keep this a little secret between me and you, ok.

These crafts are printerest inspired, so I will post the link to the pin and the original tutoral (since their post is so well written I will let you visit them and same my fingers some typing) for each and my picture of the final product. 

Pin found here, and here is the blog post

 

Now I have no pins for the next craft but I remember seeing it on pinterest, but for some reason can't find it again. The idea is having a line to display kids artwork, I combine it with homemade fabric cover clothes pins (clothespins, ribbons and a hot glue gun, I don't think you really need some instruction, you are all smart enough to figure how to make those :-) )

This is my next in line project

Origami dress pin found here, tutorial here 

Aren't they just adorable!!!!

Now if you have any craft link that you would share in the comment box, I will gladly try them and show the final creation here and link back to you (of course). 

Have yourself a great weekend.

Renee

Decorate a Mantel on a budget

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce." ~ Jeremiah 29:5

     I the past 15 years or so I moved 7 time, never lived in the same place for more then just a few years at the time. Each time I try to settle into a new home, I always get that feeling that it will not be a permanent stay, so why put the effort into making it my own. 

Isn't true in many area of our life, we put "living" on standby until <insert something you have been waiting for like baby sleep trough the night, kids in school, have lots of money to spare etc.> to happen.

But why wait.

A couple months ago I started to pin things on my Home Decor Ideas board on pinterest. I think this is a great way to understand what you like and what is your style. I really like being able to see room that look somewhat like the one I have in my home, all made pretty and see what would work or not. 

Another thing that I have notice is that I have expensive taste, sometime I see something that I think is really pretty and would look amazing here, look up on the web to find out that 1 little item comes with a price tag with more then 1 zero Yikes!!!!

This can be discouraging, but if you know what you like, and are willing to search around. There is always stores where you can purchase items second hand in good shape, or that you can paint or redo into your liking. If you are not the crafty type, stores like dollarama, walmart or other of the type, can be great place to find look alike but way cheaper. 

Here is the step to make my mantel look, for less then 40$

Step 1

Do some research on what you want to do. I use this as a guideline for what I wanted.

Find out more about this picture by visiting this website

Step 2

Make a list of items you would like to get, bring pictures or cut magazine etc. If possible bring a camera along (the one on your phone would do) and take picture of your finds with the price and try to get the best buy you can get.

Step 3

Fix a budget and try to only get items that will fit within the set amount. If you are like me, finding a good deal makes this little mama, very very happy.

Step 4

Bring your wonderful finds home, if some crafting needs to be done do it now. If items are all set to go, just go and place them where you think they would fit. You might have to arrange and re-arrange them a few time until you find that "perfect" spot.

I will add a picture of the book shelf that I re-organized, just because a few item that I got, went into styling it.

Step 5

Sit back, relax and enjoy

Total for this project 35$ 

Most item bought at the dollarstore, not including plants (between 1.99 to 8 $ each) other plants were given to me so they were free, also the mirror was given to me by a friend, free of charge.