Confessions of a home school flop

There were very few fights over who was going to be the teacher when my friends and I played school back in the day. I always knew exactly what I wanted HAD to be and no it wasn't the teacher. My main role as a young'un was the naughty kid sitting in the desk in the back of the classroom. Seriously, I never wanted to be the teacher. I never made up worksheets for my little brother to work or gave mock spelling bees.

When I got married and soon children started arriving I had to start thinking out this whole education thing. I mean how were my kids going to learn to read or add for that matter. We had already decided that they wouldn't be going to public school and with hubby being a preacher private school was financially out of the picture. So while he worked a full time job, went to college full time and was heavily involved in our local church surely he could make a little time for his own offspring. Right? Wrong! Apparently most of that job falls on the wife I soon found out. I think someone should have warned my and my kids ahead of time.


When it was finally time to start our oldest son Cody things weren't as hard as I had expected. I was nailing this whole home school thing. I was an excellent teacher and he was reading at 3! Okay now's the time to fess-up, Cody's first couple years of home school were done using Abeka video. I know what you're thinking...what did I do if he was doing video? Hey, someone had to put that VHS in the player and make sure he stayed seated and paid attention.

Then Josh came along and we were off to Croatia and we defiantly didn't have the cash flow as new missionaries to pull off Abeka video again. So guess who became solely responsible for Josh's schooling? Yep, you guessed it...the naughty kid from the desk at the back of the classroom. Poor Josh! The fact that that kid can read probably should be recorded by Ripley's Believe It or Not. To top off all the fun of Josh's first couple years he was extremely dyslexic. The kid turned everything backwards including his pants, no kidding! Teaching that kid his blends was impossible, I thought for sure he would never learn to read. Alas the Lord has mercy on us both and things eventually clicked. Truth is that Josh is unbelievably bright, that kid forgets nothing which is good and sometimes a real pain.

Hannah, oh poor Hannah she is our last child and you know what happens to the last child. Okay don't play stupid with me. How many photos do you have of your first child compared to the last? Point understood proven! Anyhoo, Hannah was even more of a challenge, she was so much more dyslexic than Josh. She would write whole paragraphs completely backwards so that if the paper was held up to a mirror it read perfectly. She was a trial but she's doing awesome. The girl is very bright and she writes like a seasoned author.

Look, the truth is that I stink as a home school teacher. I've never been good at planning out the week or even following up on assignments no matter how hard I try. I know that some of you are super teachers and your kids are blessed to have you but I'm not one of you. I wish I were and I've tried to the best of my ability but I'm not. We do have very bright and witty kids but did they get the best academic education? Sadly I would have to answer no but my kids know their Bibles, they know what is right and wrong and they have character that they wouldn't have learned if they had been in a public school and they're smart.

So you're worried terrified about home schooling your children. Maybe you were my cohort at the back of the classroom. You feel inadequate and you may be but the fact of the matter is that if it's right then God is going to help make up for your inabilities and weaknesses. You children may not be the next Harvard graduate but your children will know that you thought they were important enough to spend time daily trying your hardest to make then better Christians and students.

So here I am 17 years of home schooling, struggles and tears along the way but it's worked out just fine. My kids are smart and they know academically what they need to know to go on to the next step in life and their hearts are rooted in the Word of God and that is the most valuable education ever.

WTG! Monday (week 8)

Okay so I've officially been on my diet for 8 weeks. I can't believe that it's been 8 weeks but it has. I have done really well this time around on my diet. Surprisingly shockingly enough, I haven't cheated which is a huge feat for me. So as you read my 1 month stats please keep in mind that I DIDN"T CHEAT! 

Okay, I've lost 20.4 lbs for the last 2 months. I know that's good and actually above average but it's not good enough. This month was killer for me. I stuck to my diet and didn't cheat, exercised a few times and still I only lost 6.4 lbs. this month. Are you kidding me, I didn't even make the average. Bummer! Oh yea and this week I lost 1.3 lbs. 

Along with my 8 week progress report comes measurements too. I lost only 4 inches this month. Wow, talk about a puny month of weight loss! Oh well, 4 inches is still 4 inches right? For the last 2 months I've lost 16 inches altogether. 

So it's bitter-sweet. I'm happy I lost but I'm bummed I'm not managing 2 lbs. a week. Dunno why but it's a fact. Gonna have to shake it up a bit this week and see if I get a different result. 

OH WAIT! Maybe this is a plateau! Could it be? Maybe this too shall pass and I'll have an awesome week, maybe!

How'd you do this week?

Oven "Fried" Pickles from skinnytaste

Okay so this isn't a recipe but it is a link to a recipe. Fried pickles? Where have they been all my life. Swing on over and check out Gina's site, it's packed full of good, low-cal eats!

Graduation Prep

I can't even believe it's that time again, but our second child is getting ready to graduate. How can I possibly be only 27 and have two graduated kids?? HA! Anyhow, when Cody graduated 2 years ago it was difficult finding graduation rings for home school students. Well things have gotten much better.

Fist off Homeschool Diploma is a great site for all things home school graduation.

They have to most options for home schools and the new site is great. Homeschool Diploma has class rings and they have 5 home school options for the text around the stone and you can add your own text for and extra $75. 

I also found another great source for class rings. Limoges Jewelry allows total customization of the ring and the price is very good, the best I've found. We Josh just finished designing his ring and I love the fact that there is total customization. I will say that there aren't as many symbols for the sides as I've seen at some other places but it was exactly what he wanted. 

Obviously the finished ring will look different but I love the choice he made for around the stone. Proverbs 16:16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

There are others who accommodate home schools also but they are few.

Jostens also do rings for home schools but the options are very basic when it comes to the text around the stone. 

There are so many options when it comes to class rings and you're not going to find one place that offers everything but maybe you will find something that works for you and your graduate.

When our first son graduated the only place we could find that would allow the customization that we wanted was a smaller company and we were very unhappy with the ring.  Beware to shop at larger and more well known companies. 

Here are a few others that I found:

the ring company

artcarved

dunham ***this is the place we ordered our oldest son's ring from so beware***

Oh yea and if you have any other great links, leave me a comment.

My Blog's Lost Purpose

The big move from Texas to Croatia was a huge adjustment. I had never been to another country or for that matter I had never even left the great state of Texas. Everything was new. Houses looked different, the food was drastically different, personal everyday life was different and not to mention the huge language shock. In those early years here EVERYTHING was new. We were constantly playing "I spy", everyday was new. It was like looking through a brand new picture book and every day was a new page. Back then our 3 kids were really kids, they were 2,4 and 7 when we arrived in Croatia. Not only was life a huge adventure for Johnny and I but the kids were finding new things to be amazed with daily.

So I started blogging to record the wonders of this new life. I blogged about making a home on the mission field and about learning to adjust. Well here I am years later, actually 13 years later and there's nothing new. It's all ol' hat and there isn't any new discoveries now. We may not be Croatian but we belong here for the most part. We know how to do everything, we know what not to do and it's a part of us now. The adventure is over, or at least is seems that way.

I could defiantly see a turning point in my blogging. I could tell when things slowly stopped amazing me. I was no long thrilled by the 2,000 year old architecture, the strange eats here didn't seem so strange any more, I could actually order sliced turkey at the meat counter and I learned to love their Turkish coffee.  So I slowly stopped blogging. I knew I needed new material but when everything seems ho-hum and you're not a big "sharer" then it becomes hard to find stuff to write about.

It's a bummer now that I think about it. I wish things were a little fresher for me, like it used to be but things change. The fact that life here is normal and I'm not dealing with daily culture shock should be a good thing. I should be happy with life as usual but somewhere inside I sure miss all the adventure. Life is turning for us, things are drastically changing and  guess I'm gonna have to get busy and create so new adventure. Hmm, maybe I'll end up with some blogging material, who knows.

WTG! Monday & a Recipe

Okay, today I had my 7th weigh-in and it wasn't too shabby. After last weeks flop I was hoping for three pounds but I'll be happy with the 2.0 lbs. I lost this week. I have officially been doing this for 7 weeks and I'm down 19.1 lbs. I have 6 more weigh-ins before we fly out to the States so I can potentially lose more than 12 lbs by then and I need to to make it to my goal by then.
Oh yea and I've up-ed the ante this week, I putting that treadmill to work. I'm not a lover of excercize but since I have only 6 weeks left I need to boost my chances and the "experts" say moving will do it so I'm moving! my goal is to burn 500 calories a day this week and I'm interested to see what a difference it makes on my weigh-in this week.

How did you do???

Homemade Microwave Popcorn



Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

1/4 Cup popcorn kernels

Vegetable Oil Spray

Salt

Directions

Serves 2

Step 1: Place 1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels into a bowl

Step 2: Generously coat the kernels with vegetable oil spray

Step 3: Place the kernels into a LARGE paper bag and fold over 4 or 5 times

Step 4: Microwave on high between 2 - 3 minutes (or till you hear 2 second intervals between pops)

Step 5: (optional) Re coat lightly with oil spray and add salt to taste

VARIATION: You can add any seasoning you like providing it's in powder form however some may change the calorie and fat count. Sugar and cinnamon for the sweet toothed among us. ENJOY!!

Number of Servings: 2

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user INFINITY-8.

My Valentine...365 Days a Year

So Valentines Day comes around once a year but for me it's every day. Almost 22 years ago I married my best friend. Our story is not a typical fairy tale but it's our fairy tale. I love Johnny more and more every year. He's more than my husband, my friend, my lover, he's my protector. I'm amazed that God has been so good to put me with someone who shares my heart. 

I love you baby, happy Valentines Day!!

WTG! Monday (a day late) and a recipe

Okay so I knew it was going to happen, it was going to slow down. So here I am, a little bummed but alright with this weeks results. I am down a whopping 0.6 of a pound. So to date I've lost...17.1 lbs. 

SparkRecipes.com has some awesome recipes. Check it out!

Greek yogurt ranch dip

Number of Servings: 16

Ingredients

Greek yogurt
Hidden valley dry mix (dill preferred)

Directions

Serving Size: 16 1 oz servings

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JAMXW6.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 16
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 18.3

• Total Fat: 0.0 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 140.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 1.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 2.5 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Greek yogurt ranch dip caloriesby ingredient

WTG! Monday & 6 Veggie Barley Soup

Whoohoo, it's WTG! Monday again!!! Man I have to tell you how worried distraught I was about losing this week. The first 4 weeks the weight was falling off but this week it didn't seem like that sinkin' (in a bad way) scale moved at all. I had resigned myself to defeat this week and my mind was busily planning my failure day foods. (btw, that's not a good thing) 

Anyhoo, you probably already figured out that I lost but you don't know how much! So, here goes....for my 5th weigh-in I lost.... (man I wish I could add a drum roll here)...2.5 lbs!!!! That makes my loss for the last 5 weeks 17 lbs! I'm so excited about losing this little ol' 2.5 lbs. It kinda messed up my plans for today though, guess I'll have to postpone but depression eating till next week. *Ü*

BTW, I included a link tool at the bottom of this post for you to link up. I'm so interested in all your success and how you deal with your set backs. Please add your link below even if you don't weigh-in on Mondays. 

Okay so I'm always looking for something that's really filling but low in calorie. So I started adding a ton of veggies to a pot with some seasonings and whala, 6 Veggie Barley Soup!

I started by sauteing a large onion, clove of garlic chopped fine and 4 carrots in a pot. I use butter flavored non-stick spray on a low flame.  oh yea and a teaspoon of mixed Italian seasoning. 

After your onions are almost transparent add a can or Rotel tomatoes. After this I let it cook for about 8 minutes to incorporate all the flavors.

Then I added 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 2 cups of frozen green beans and 100 grams of barley. I let this cook 20 minutes then I added 2 zucchinis sliced down the middle and then chopped pretty chunky and half a small head of cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage is almost translucent and it's done. Oh yea salt and pepper to taste. 

It's a great meal for when you just feel like eating everything in the house and maybe the house. The calorie count comes out to about 140 for about 2 cups of soup. Weight watchers had something similar years ago but without the barley and on the WW plan it was free, so you know this has to be good. 

So how did you do today? Did you learn anything that would help the rest of us? I'd love to hear about it. PLEEEEEZ link up below. Oh yea and would you please consider following my blog. *Ü*

Okay for my little link-up there are a few rules guidelines:

* Please only link posts about weight loss or Non-scale victories. 

* Please link to your actual post not just to your blog. 

* Visit a few of the other links, comment and make someone smile. *Ü*

* And last but not least, please take my little link button and link back to me. 

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Can't wait to read about you guys and about your successes!