Homeschooling High School : oh the choices

It’s that time of the year! All the shiny curriculum catalogs are showing up in your mailbox daily. They entice you to shop and buy the “latest and greatest” of products for your homeschoool. Unfortunately, if your like me and entering the upper grades, you have no clue what to buy!

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I’m right there with you! Dexter is in the 9th grade. We have used Abeka this year but it’s been really hard for both of us to finish. It’s extremely dry with a ton of reading. Now, Dexter is a great reader. She reads books like it’s going out of style. 500+ page books mind you, so the reading isn’t so bad for her, it’s the content of the reading that she struggles with. I’ve determined that next year Abeka will not work.

There’s my dilemma folks. WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?!?!?!?!?! I’ve spent countless hours researching curricula, styles of learning, and everything in between. Online school, workbooks, reading/ literature study. I’m at a loss. How on earth, without seeing and trying it, can you be sure the curricula you chose will work for you? I’m not sure. That’s the problem! And I’m just not willing to pay that amount of money for a curriculum I may not use! Oh, the frustration! Oh, the choices!

It’s now time to pray and seek God for his will and his leading. I jumped into this homeshooling thing because HE called me to it. Thus, I must sit and wait and listen for further guidance to make sure I’m doing what He wants me to do. It’s a hard process, sitting and being still, but I must for the success of our school and this here journey we’re on!

If your a homeschooling family and you have some opinions or comments, PLEASE leave them in the comment section. I’m lost but not without hope! I need all the help I can get!

Blessings,
Tiffany

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Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
ginger snap crafts
my daily walk in his grace
day to day joys
lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
slightly indulgent tuesday
tackle it tuesday
hearts 4 home thursday
a pinch of joy
organizing junkie
muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
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It’s time to say Hi again

Well, HELLO all of you! I’m back! It’s been a really crazy few months. Actually, it’s been a down and out few months. I’ve been sick with pregnancy and my struggles took a hold of me for longer than I’d care to admit. All is good, God is faithful, my husband is wonderful and my children have all survived!

I lost hope somewhere in January. My life seemed to spiral out of control and somehow my faith let it. I have spent the past few months watching from the outside as my life just seemed to go on. No real interest, or joy in anything I’ve done. I cried out to The Lord on many occasions and HE finally said enough and pulled me from my pit! His loving hand reached down and swooped me up like a mother does her child. I love him so much for his faithfulness, even when mine is almost extinct. He’s reminded me through this journey that HE is LORD of all and HE holds me in his hand. It’s so good to feel alive again. Thank you to all who prayed for me for God heard your prayers! Keep praying the road is narrow and I need all the help I can get.

On another note, the kids are still happy and healthy. Wild Bills diabetes are getting the best of her right now as she’s going through a growth spurt and puberty! AHH, the joys of puberty;) Dexter is excelling and singing regularly in church. She participated in our church’s rendition of Americas Got Talent and won! So proud of her. Magic Bean and Princess are both well and thriving in there school work. And, the DUDE, well, he’s the Dude. Happy and always willing to make someone laugh. I just love that boy!

The pregnancy is progressing well. I had a little scare last week when I went in for a routine checkup. They couldn’t find a heartbeat! Talk about the scariest day of my life! The ultrasound tech was not in so I was sent home with instructions to come back the next morning. THE LONGEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!!!!! I cried, and begged, and pleaded, and prayed for God to save my child! He answered and in the morning when it was time for the ultrasound all is well. Little baby was just hiding! I will leave you with a picture of the ultrasound and this……..

IT’S A GIRL!!!!!

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Blessings,
Tiffany

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This is Me

As I sit here with tears streaming down my face, the only comfort I have is writing. Getting it out. Letting it go. This is me. I struggle. I hurt. I’m alone.

If you look from the outside, I’m the happy mother of 5 children. I homeschool. I homemake. I take my kids with me everywhere. I’m what you imagine a Super Mom to look like. But image is nothing. Take a deeper look. You’ll see my struggles. My fears. My failures.

A typical day in my house for me starts at 2 a.m. YES, I said 2! I get up because I can’t sleep. I sit and message with my mom for an hour our so. She has a crazy sleep schedule too and leaves for work at 4 am so she’s up anyways. Then by 4:15-4:30 ish I start making my husband his lunch and his breakfast. Somewhere between 5 and 6 I head back to bed for a few hours. The two smallest kids, Princess and the Dude, usually wake around 8ish or so. They come in, ask to play on the kindles and in my sleepy state I always agree. I get up for the day around 9:30-10. Usually my oldest, Dexter, comes in starting at 9 to try to wake me. I fight it until 10 am…..

By the time I get up the kids have been alone on kindles or watching sprout for an hour to two! They’ve fed themselves breakfast and made momma some coffee. I get up and head to the kitchen for my coffee and a cigarette. Yep, I’m a smoker. Have been for a LONG time. Too long actually. I usually direct them to get there breakfast mess cleaned up and have them get dressed. We/I try to get school work going by 11 or so. All the while sitting at the kitchen table. It’s my home, the table. I’m there most of the day. It’s here I write. I email. I look at pinterest for WAY to long. Here is where I momma at for most of the day.

Our school day usually wraps up within a couple of hours. Then it’s lunch. Does momma fix lunch? NOPE! Kids do that too. Then it’s chores! YEP! Kids do those too. I’m headed for the couch by 1p.m. for a nap. The broken sleep gives me about 4 hours of energy before I crash again. Depending on the schedule I take a 1-3 hour nap. Yes, again, I said 1-3 hours! They kids are free to play kindles or watch an approved movie in that time frame, finish work that needs done, or just play.

I get up and go back to the table! It’s my home remember. I have so more coffee, all decaf of course, I’m pregnant remember. I’m worried about the coffee I drink but I poison my body, and my baby with cigarette smoke! What is wrong with me! My addiction is my life. It’s a struggle every single day. It’s where so much of my pain stems from, yet, I can’t let it go! It’s my comfort. It’s the thing I can control. It’s who I am. I have defined myself as that for so many years! Sad, I know but it is. Remember, this is me.

I sit and around 3:30 my brothers girls start showing up. One at 3:30 and the other 2 at 4. I watch them after school most days but they usually get picked up right after 4. Unless mom has a late appointment which I don’t mind.. I love those girls like my own! After they leave for the night, I have the kids do a quick tidy up and try to help around the house a bit. Dad usually texts somewhere between 5-6 “on way”. We do a mad scramble to make sure the house is tidy and I try to figure out dinner. I do a menu every week but some days I forget to pull stuff out or I just don’t feel like cooking. Cooking has been a real struggle as of late.

We somehow get everyone fed and dinner chores started around 7. Dad and I go to the couch or to the room to do our devotional. After, it’s shower, pj time and we sit and watch tv. I’m completely exhausted from doing nothing really by 9 pm. The kids go to bed and dad tucks them in and prays with them. I head to bed some time around 10. Then it’s time to start all over again at 2a.m.

That’s my day. A day where looking from the outside you’d think I have it all together! WRONG! I’m not even close to having it together. I sit, and ponder,cry and pray…… God make it better. Take the chains of bondage. Help me to surrender it all to you. Make me clean. I’m waiting still. And still praying. I know that I know that my God can and will deliver me from the pit I’ve gotten myself in to. It’s just a waiting game. Waiting for His timing. Waiting on Him. The ALMIGHTY to say ok my child, you’ve suffered enough.

I’ve done what I can do. My earthly flesh is no where near strong enough to break the chains. It’s Him and only him that can do it. So I sit and pray and write and release. It’s all I can do.

I’m not the super mom you’d expect. I’m a real woman with real issues. A woman with pain and hurt. A woman trying to do what’s best but failing dramatically. A woman who struggles day to day. A woman who tries to be real here and with everyone around me. A woman who gets a whole lot of nothing accomplished on most days. If it wasn’t for the kids, the house would be a train wreck. A woman who is alone and calling for help. A woman who struggles.

I’m going to end this post by saying please, don’t leave negative feedback or comments. I know how bad and how easy it is to judge. We all do it. But at this time, prayer is what I need. Pray for me would you?

Blessings,
TIffany

Daughter Moms

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I have a daughter mom! In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s a daughter that acts like mom, can be mom, takes on to much responsibility like mom. I’ve got one of those and it’s my own fault. Before you go jumping to conclusions, like I just let her run the house while I sit around and eat bon-bons, let me clarify what I’m speaking of.

Dexter is our oldest at home. She’s 14 1/2 years old, and in the 9th grade. Since she was 3 she has always been more mature, and more responsible than anyone her age. I don’t know if I expected to much from her as a wee one because I was young or what but that’s how she was and still is. By the time she was 6 she had three younger siblings at home, all just 14 months apart. She learned very quickly how to fetch diapers for mom, get a washcloth if needed, and so forth. That has morphed into something I never imagined.

By 8 she had learned to change diapers and was happy to do so, so I let her. Never making her, but allowing her to be part of the babies everyday care. She’d hold babies, play with the babies, and sing them to sleep. She was so great! It was awesome to have such a young one so interested in her younger siblings…….. or was it?

At 10 I had yet another baby and this time a boy! She was thrilled and wanted to be at his birth. We agreed that she could come. Maybe that was my mistake, I’m not sure. She developed a bond with her brother like no other! This is where things started to get hard on her. I started allowing her to “take care” of the girls while I took care of the baby. She’d make breakfast, help with getting them dressed and such, and anything else they needed. It wasn’t till recently I actually sat down to wonder why my little girl is such a momma that I realized…… I DID THIS!

At 11 she took the safe sitter course at the YMCA and started babysitting. Not for more than an hour usually. Just long enough for Dad and I to get a cup of coffee, or run an errand without packing up 5 kids. It was nice to have that, but it was too much on my little girl. I realize that now:(

Now, she’s 14 and 1/2, can do every job in the house. She can cook, clean, launder like nobodies business, all while keeping the kids safe and under control. She wears so much responsibility on her shoulders that it’s truly sad. I have depended on her for so long to be my mommy helper that she has no concept of how to shut it off. She will often times correct the children before I do. She often times makes decisions for them before I do. She often times sets the tone of the house, not I.

That is the problem. I have allowed this to happen, to go on for so long. HOW do I change it now? I sit back sometimes and watch her playing with the kiddos or snuggling with them and think, how did I let her become my daughter mom? I’m really struggling to find a way to let her relax, and just be 14. I’ve got to find a way to communicate to her that it’s ok not to be the other mother. It’s so engrained in her at this point though that it doesn’t’ help.

As for me, I pray I haven’t ruined her for her own kids. I pray that I can just let her be a kid herself. I pray God gives her all that she needs to be a sister and not a mother. I pray one day she forgives me for leaning on her at such a young tender age. Until then, I pick up the slack, ask less of her, and hope I somehow didn’t ruin her.

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Blessings,
Tiffany

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Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
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its so very cheri
mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
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made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdays

Simple Yet Yummy P.B. Fudge

So I found this SUPER EASY peanut butter fudge recipe and since Dexter has been asking me to make fudge I decided to give it a try. I got the recipe on Pinterest of course! but I chose to use just the peanut butter portion. The original recipe calls for making a chocolate layer on the bottom but it was 10:30 at night and I was looking for easy peasy.
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I started by getting out all the ingredients which surprisingly is just 5 things! Butter, Peanut Butter, Vanilla, Powdered Sugar, and Mini Choc Chips. Then I sat the Ipad on a stand and got to work with
this recipe from culinary concoctions

Peanut Butter Layer
8 ounces unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar
chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to sprinkle on top about a 1/2 cup each
Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave for 2 minutes on high.
Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.)
Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.
The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen.
Pour the peanut butter layer on top of the chocolate layer. Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter chips and press down to help them stick to fudge.
Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.
Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Peanut butter fudge from Alton Brown Food Network.com

It was not only a hit with Dexter but also with my nieces I watch after school everyday:) It turned out delicious!

Blessings,
Tiffany
Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
ginger snap crafts
my daily walk in his grace
day to day joys
lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
slightly indulgent tuesday
tackle it tuesday
hearts 4 home thursday
a pinch of joy
organizing junkie
muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
motivate me monday
its so very cheri
mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
lil’ luna
made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdays

<a

The Joys Of Pregnancy

So I really didn’t fall of the face of the earth! I promise! I’ve been right here at home dealing with this pregnancy. I say it like that because that’s how I feel right now, that I’m just dealing with it. It has been a rough couple of weeks. Actually, that is a dramatic understatement! I’ve been horribly ill, thinking I’m dying, balled up on the couch kinda ill. Morning sickness is a joke! It’s all day sickness non stop for the past 14 days! AHHHH, but I’m feeling much better today so I write to you!

It started off with just the little bit of nausea that’s to be expected with pregnancy. Then, I go to a “confirmation” appointment and the nurse tells me it’s better to stop taking my Celexa meds. Ok, she’s a nurse, I’ve never had to take them with the other pregnancies so I stopped. BIG NO NO!!!!!!
What I thought was just a bit of morning sickness turned into violently throwing up, chills, sweats, no energy, completely feeling exhausted all the time, sleeping 18 hours a day. After praying and crying and screaming for help a friend suggested some ginger tea. I took myself to the store, which was a huge deal, and got some. It did help with the nausea a bit but the trade off was my acid reflux was horrible with drinking it. Then a girlfriend brought me some ginger essential oil. God love her. It too helped a bit. Then another girlfriend brought me some peppermint and lavender oil because at that point everything smelled funny to me and it was driving me crazy.

I stayed in my pathetic state for almost 2 weeks before my husband, God love him he just wanted to make me better, researched my symptoms and VIOLA! I had every symptom of withdrawals from the Celexa! I started taking it again immediately and it took about 3-4 days but I’m much better! I took it upon myself to research whether it was safe to take during pregnancy and it is one of the ones listed to take. Until I see my OBGYN, the real thing, not a nurse, I’m going to continue to take it. I’m not sure how many others have stopped taking meds like that before but it was my first time and definitely my last. If I choose or no longer feel the need for Celexa I will definitely ween myself off of it. Quitting cold turkey was brutal and I wouldn’t wish feeling like that on my worst enemy.

I think I can officially say I can relate to someone coming off a drug addiction. That’s exactly how my body, spirit, soul felt. It was just like the movies. Mom laying on the couch bundled up with that nothingness look in her eyes! That was me for 2 weeks!!!!!! My whole family suffered. I cried more than I ever have in that time frame. Even my mom asked me if I was ok. She said honey your eyes are so empty. I just told her the truth, I feel completely empty!

I want to thank my friends and family for praying for me. And God especially for giving my husband the discernment to look up my symptoms. Who knows how long I would’ve laid and suffered…… probably until my next check up which is 3 weeks away!!!!! The thought of that sends a chill down my spine.

I just wanted to let you all know that I was still alive and hope to get back to writing, sharing, and encouraging you all! Thank you for sticking around!

Blessings,
Tiffany
Linking to some if not all of these wonderful bloggers:
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
ginger snap crafts
my daily walk in his grace
day to day joys
lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
slightly indulgent tuesday
tackle it tuesday
hearts 4 home thursday
a pinch of joy
organizing junkie
muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
motivate me monday
its so very cheri
mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
lil’ luna
made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdays

20130118-065243.jpg<a href="http:// “>domestic randomness

New Years Resolution: You are Here

Jeremiah 29 :11 tells is for I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

You’ve made your New Years Resolutions by now I’m sure, or at least you been thinking about them for a while now. What you’d like to change, what you’d like to accomplish, what you’d like to do with your new year. I haven’t made any resolutions. I’m resolved not to. It’s not that I don’t think they are good to have, I just have never once in all my life completed one so what’s the point.

I want to live in the HERE! Right HERE! Right where I am. Right where God has placed me. I’m all for change, but sometimes, change isn’t in the plan. Sometimes God wants us to stay put right where we are. Whether it’s in our job, our home, in our finances, in our relationships, in our church. Sometimes HERE is where we are supposed to be.

Where is your HERE? At a job you seem to hate but it brings home a paycheck so you stay? Maybe, just maybe God put you there to show others the love of Jesus. Maybe that’s exactly where He wants you. Maybe for the now, that’s your HERE. Maybe it’s without a job. Relying on unemployment or some other means to sustain you financially. Maybe God is teaching you to trust Him in all things in your HERE. Maybe your in relationship ruin with friends and family. Maybe God is teaching you how He can restore your relationships. Your HERE is leaning on Jesus to comfort your hurt and the hurt you’ve caused.

I’ve been in your HERE. I’m struggling with some of the HEREs right now. I’m not dwelling on them though. I’m merely living through them with you. I’m relying on Gods word to strengthen me and teach me. Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1. I can do all the resoluting I want but if God wants me in my HERE that’s where I’m going to stay. I’m not suggesting NOT planning for the future, or not trying to make changes in your life. I’m simply stating that if it’s in Gods will for you to be in your HERE, embrace it. Look at it as a blessing. Look at it as a way for God to help you prosper. For God to give you your hope and future.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

I’m looking into 2013 with a different view from most. I’m looking at it as if this is where I’m supposed to be. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. This is where my HERE was meant to be.

So, where is your HERE? Comment and share where God has placed you. Where God has blessed you. And what God is doing in your HERE!

Blessings,
Tiffany

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart
Jeremiah 29:13

Seek Him today!!!!!!!!

Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
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lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
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a pinch of joy
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muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
motivate me monday
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mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
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made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdays

Expecting Baby Number 6!!!!

So the time has flown by and I haven’t had a post in almost three weeks! I miss writing. I miss sharing. I miss being here, with all of you guys.

I found out on the 13th (the Dudes 5th birthday) that Baby #6 will be here sometime in August! The news is exciting and scary all at the same time. I LOVE babies! That I can’t deny but adding another member to the family is a bit scary. Things are going so well right now and I’d hate to throw that off but God will somehow make it all work. He always does.

While all the girls are pretty excited, The Dude is not. He’s been the baby for 5 years now and he knows it and somehow I think he knows what will come when baby arrives for his mommy and me time. I’m sure he’ll adjust just fine. Plus, we have about 34+ weeks to prepare him for his new role as BIG brother!

Another concern is the room. We are literally BUSTING out of this house. 1200 sq. feet an 7 occupants makes room tight. The market in our area is not good and there will be a few things needed to be done to sell the house if we choose to go that route. Then the other part of my brain says, we can stay cramped a few more years and then kids will start moving away for college and such and there will be more room then we know what to do with. OH, the decisions!

I really couldn’t of asked for a better Christmas gift this year than the gift of being a mother again! I love how God has in trusted me to keep all these little ones. What a blessings!

Well, that’s the news for now! Sorry this post is a bit random and not well written. I really haven’t been myself lately:)
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Blessings,
Tiffany
Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
ginger snap crafts
my daily walk in his grace
day to day joys
lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
slightly indulgent tuesday
tackle it tuesday
hearts 4 home thursday
a pinch of joy
organizing junkie
muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
motivate me monday
its so very cheri
mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
lil’ luna
made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdays

<a

Children and Chores

DISCLAIMER:I am by no means a parenting expert. My views and opinions are just that, my own. What works for us, very well may or may not work for you….

You know you’re treading on thin water when you feel led to put up a disclaimer before writing:) I did that because I don’t want any of my readers to think they are not raising responsible children after reading this by thinking I have it all figured out. I SURELY do not! I just know for us, as a family, this is what God has led us to. Now that we got that out of the way….. Let me share my heart!

A few years ago when my kids were oh so little and cute, mom did ALL the work. Minus the few, pick up your toys speech, I did the brunt of the work. Now that my kids are getting older, we have instilled a few good things to help the house run smoother.

Everybody does chores. Yes, even the Dude, who is just about to turn 5, does chores. He vacuums when he wants to, we don’t push that. He empties trash cans, and brings up the trash cans to the house weekly. He also knows to clean his room.
We do our chores twice a day. I’ve never understood how families have a weekly or monthly cleaning routine. My house needs “CLEANED” every single day.
Each week mom redoes our chore chart which hangs on the fridge. I divide it up so that each girl gets two chores a day. One big and one not so big. Along with that they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves and keeping bedrooms tidy by the end of the night when dad comes to pray and tuck them in.
Our chore chart looks like this:

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The lighting stinks today:( sorry for the not so great picture. You get the point though.

I picked up this board at Target a couple of years ago and I LOVE IT! It has 4 different colored star magnets which is perfect for the 4 girls. There are also 8 lines to write in chores which is also perfect! I used some sticky velcro to adhere it to the fridge so I could easily take it down and put it back up when needed. I work on it on Saturday night for the next week. The kids know where it is and they just have to follow there stars to know what they need to do that day. Mom then just fills in the blanks and does the extra stuff each day:) Which, when raising a houseful, is plenty enough work. Plus I do all the cooking…….

I have worked along side each one of the kids when it was time to learn a new chore. Not, I showed them once and expect it to be perfect. I still have to check chores and remind them of how we clean a certain area. Usually the bathroom is the most forgotten chore. Who likes to wipe up pee anyways;) I don’t blame them there but it has to be done.

I’m a teaching momma. Not just that we homeschool, but when they were all knee high to a grasshopper and asked questions I would not just tell them the answer. I would show them the process and let them practice doing it. Say, coffee for instance. They would ask how to make a pot of coffee. How much stuff goes in, how the water comes out and so forth. I would then take that opportunity, while they were interested, to show them and explain to them the ins and outs of making coffee. Now I can ask anyone of my kids to make coffee and they know how. Same with sweeping, dusting, moping, cleaning windows, you name it they eventually asked about it and I took the time to show them how. I can’t see how else they were supposed to know how to do it. I feel like I can’t expect my children to sweep the floor properly if I’ve never worked side by side with them teaching them.

I expect my kids to have a happy good attitude towards chore. No they don’t skip around yelling “hooray it’s time for chores” but I do expect them to work willingly and effectively at them. We should want to serve others with a happy heart and making sure our home is clean for ourselves as well as guests.
“whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for The Lord, and not human masters”
Colossians 3:23

Here’s another shocker……. you ready? We don’t pay our kids to do their chores! NOPE, not one cent! Now, we do sometimes give them a monetary incentive to go above and beyond their normal chores. Like a quarter for making mom and dads bed. Or $10 for mowing the lawn, but as far as the normal day to day stuff we don’t pay. Who is going to pay them to keep their OWN houses clean when they are grown? No one! And I’d be doing them harm in my book by rewarding them for helping run the house THEY live in. Now, don’t take me for a slave driver that sits around eating bon bons while my kids clean like Cinderella . We all work together to make our house a home and haven for us. Twice a day and it take maybe 30 minutes each time to get the house in tip top shape.
If not, our house would look like a train went through it and there would be no clean dishes or laundry to speak of in a matter of days.

I could lay out what each chore is and how it is to be done but that is not necessary. I think if you look at the chart you can see what we do each day. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and please leave a comment and tell us how you deal with chores and your own kids. I’d love to hear from you all!

Blessings,
Tiffany
Linking to :
we are that family
Wordless Wednesday
pinching pennies
raising homemakers
Deep roots at home
our simple farm
frugally sustainable
wednesday in the word
ginger snap crafts
my daily walk in his grace
day to day joys
lindas lunacy
heavenly homemakers
slightly indulgent tuesday
tackle it tuesday
hearts 4 home thursday
a pinch of joy
organizing junkie
muffin tin monday
raising arrows
mop it up monday
motivate me monday
its so very cheri
mad skill link party
top ten tuesday @ many little blessings
simply better
lil’ luna
made by me wednesday
strut your stuff saturdaysHoly Spirit-Led Homeschooling

A new design and header

So I thought I’d introduce you to the new Raising the Gang our Way look! Tell me what you think! No seriously, leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the new colors, background and AMAZING header, thanks to my newest friendKatherine at Katherines CornerMuch love my newest friend!

I love the new look! Not sure what else I’m going to add but I’m sure it will be something fun! Thanks to all of you who read my blog and listen to my ramblings. I’m so appreciative of everyone of you. Even if you only visit once!

Blessings,
Tiffany
If you’d like some extra help with your blog or web images I think you’ll love Katherines work! It’s amazing and she’s super patient when you add things a ton of times;) Check her out and let her help you too. I really couldn’t be more pleased!