change, summer and other things.

It's late, late July and I am yearning for fall. It's not far off, as summer has already lost it's feel. Read, feel, not heat. Summer's heat is still alive and well. But there is a difference in how it the days feel, the breeze blows, how the evenings end and the mornings begin.  Ever so slowly changing.

A new school year is coming up, just like that. We have a little over two weeks so these days are spent buried with coffee, my planner and stacks of books. I do so love the planning aspect of homeschooling. Crisp new books and pencils, new boxes of chalk and crayons. I have three books to order, and a list of books to put on hold at our library which we will be using often this year.  If you missed it, I blogged about my curriculum choices for this year here.

Nine days until my parents make their big move and well, I'm just planning on keeping myself really busy to distract myself from the reality of it all. It's hard, but I have to remind myself over and over again that it's not about me. And that The Lord will make this work together for good.  He will. He will fill in the gaps and fill up my heart and provide in ways that I can't even imagine right now because he is faithful and he is only good.  Last week they took my big girls and headed to house hunt for a few days in NY, it was a sweet way for my girls to feel included in the big change and for them to get excited about all of the fun they will have when they visit. We will find our new normal and it will be good.

While they went to NY, I took my little girls and headed to Florida to see my best friend for a super short trip. The drive was long but oh so relaxing. My girls slept and I listened to David Platt for hours and spent time with the Lord that I have not been able to spend in...well, ever. We shopped, dipped our feet in the gulf, ate from food trucks, indulged in more chic fil a then I thought possible, and talked and talked and talked. Just what my soul needed. Props to my husband who held down the fort at home with the boys while I stole away- he is irreplaceable.

Tomorrow is Sams Day. Yep, Sams Club, it has its own day here among my crew because what child doesn't love passing aisle by aisle being fed samples? We load up and make a day of it, shakes at Steak 'n Shake are among one of the favorites for Sams Day, and tomorrow my mom will be joining us for the last time and we are all super excited about that!

Here is to the last few weeks left of summer- praying they bring peace, rest and new beginnings! 

Weekend Mashup

My parents are moving to New York in a few weeks, so we are trying to soak up all the time we can with them before they go! This weekend we all trekked to the "big city" for the water park. We are a water park loving family, and we try to go once in the summer every year. We'd probably go more if we lived closer.

This year was a blast! The park was the perfect size for us, small enough that we felt comfortable letting our big kids go to the some of the big water slides alone, but big enough that we didn't get bored with what was there. I will say...I wish the slides were bigger, but the kids had a blast on them as they were!

They had a big play structure for little kids, which was wonderful when you have lots of little ones- but my littles mostly loved the lazy river! There was a portion of it that brings you under a waterfall and through a little rapid water and each of my little ones squeezed in delight! Except Piper- she would lay her head on me as soon as she heard the rushing waterfall sound, smart girl.

Morris and Ava both surprised me by loving the big slides! They are usually my reserved, safe kids. But one time down the big slide and we could barely keep them off. I loved hearing Morris laugh at the top of his lungs as he neared the bottom of the slide, and I'm grateful they had an uncle and papa that took them down the slides over and over, and over and over. My big girls too, took a step and went down the slides in single tubes alone! Having bigger kids is a lot of fun, and as I think about the times that we are having now I pray that we will be able to enjoy these things together with them as they are teens.

It would not be a complete trip without  our sweet Adam shutting down the entire children's area by deciding it was a great place to use the bathroom. Yes, it definitely happened, because well, Adam. Lucky for us, my husband already snatched him up and had him in the bathroom by the time it was discovered and shut down, so it saved us from a lot of embarrassment and supplied us with some great conversation topics for later!

We ate a dinner of ice cream sandwiches and cereal, we almost slept in and were of course, in Potter family fashion, late for church the next morning. My kids are already asking to go back, and I'm already daydreaming of next years trip to a different water park. Also I might add, perk to having a large family: we qualified for the group rate which was a decent savings!

We are heart broken that my parents are leaving- but we are truly thankful for these weeks we get to spend with each other and the adventure of road trips, snow and mountains that are in our future!

Oreo Summer Delight!

We are a big Oreo loving family here- don't bring Oreos over and expect to leave with a thing. 

A few weeks ago at the pool a friend was telling me all about this Oreo dessert she makes in the summer and my mouth was watering. It is so easy and quick to make- I made it for Fathers Day and it was devoured! Perfect for hot days!

Ingredients: 

-A large package of Oreos. We used double stuffed :-)

-cool Whip, the big tub

-a cup of milk

-foil 

In a baking dish, dip Oreos in milk (not soaking them, just wetting them) and later on the bottom of the pan. 

Cover with cool whip.

Start a 2nd layer of Oreos and then cook whip until you run out of both. Cool whip should be the last layer. If you have leftover cookies (ha!) crumble them on top. 

Cover in foil and freeze, for at least an hour. Then enjoy!! So good. You are welcome :-) 

Piano + Chalk Paint

Every once in a while I get into a DIY mood and take on projects. This week was one of those weeks: I bought a piano and painted it coral! The brightest thing in my house, I'm definitly not a bright furniture person but I have to say I'm feeling love for the piano. 

I made my own chalk paint. Our lowes and Home Depot did not have the color I wanted in their chalk paint, and the store that sells Annie Sloan is an hour away. I chose "fan coral" by Benjamin Moore and I used this recipe: 

2 cups paint+ 2.5tbs plaster paris + 1.5tbs water 

Mix the water and plaster of Paris until smooth, mix in the paint and paint! 

This piano was dark and required three coats of paint before it was fully covered. I was not going for the distressed look, if I was, two coats may have been good. 

                    (After first coat)

Mine came out a little grainy, which I have read is very common. When it dries take a light sand paper and lightly go over the grainy areas and it will come out smooth. 

Next is wax. Any furniture wax will do! I used this: 

It came with a sponge, some don't. Any cloth or dry sponge will do! Give your furniture a nice coat and let dry! 

Once the wax is dry, you are done! Praise the Lord- because this took some time! 

A few tips:

-use painters tape to tape up around the keys 

-make sure your paint is 100% dry before lifting the cover to the keys. 

-stir your paint and plaster of paris very well. It is common for it to come out gritty. If this happens, a light sanding will smooth it out without removing paint. 

Enjoy! 

 

What Works for Us: Homeschooling Our Large Family Part 2

Our Daily Schedule

Because I have a lot of little kids (4 that are 5 and under) we don't follow a strict schedule as far a time goes, more of a plan of the day. The way I'd love for the day to go...but its OK if it doesn't. This is what I'd love for our days to look like, and our general guideline and to-do! :

*note- when we start school in August it is still very hot, in the 100's. We don't go outside to play until late afternoon after it has cooled, we are heat wimps! Later in the fall/winter/spring we are outside much more and typically in the morning as well*

-Breakfast

-Everyone: Dressed/Teeth Brushed

-Morning chores

-Family bible time

-Snack and Read-aloud time (around 10am)

-Math: R&A do their lessons & I help M&A with theirs

-Reading/English: I do reading and handwriting lessons with the little ones, the big girls read a selected book, usually alone, and journal about it. 

-Lunch: (around 12pm)

-Lunch clean up (dishes, counters, floors, table, switch laundry)

-English-  Little kids color, play blocks, read books while I do English lessons with the older kids. 

-Science OR History (we rotate daily): Read living science books, do nature/science journaling, OR do the MOH activity for the day & read related living books. 

-Snack: (around 2pm)

-Free time: NO tv. Can choose activity to do or book to read. Legos, Perler beads, Art, Nature Journals, Water the garden, bake something, dollhouse, dress up, etc. 

-Evening Chores

-Outside time, I get dinner prepped/started then join the kids outside. 

-Bathtime 

-Dinner (around 6pm)

-Nightly chores

-Earned electronic time! Computer & movies are allowed.

-Bedtime (around 8:30)

This is just what works for us. This school year will be interesting because we will have a newly walking one year old and well, do I even need to elaborate on all of the fun that brings? :) We will tweak this as needed and our days won't look like this when we have places to go!

You can read about our curriculum choices in Part 1 here!

What Works for Us: Homeschooling our Large Family Part 1

Summer is in full bloom here in the south- already hitting a wonderful, scorching 100 degrees in the middle of the day! My crew is loving the endless trips to the pool, beach, $1 movies, and I am not counting how much sugar they have consumed in ice cream and popsicles!

One of my favorite things to do in the summer (and I know I am not alone here!) is plan out our up and coming school year.  Books, curriculum, supplies, changes to our school room, cute storage solutions, I readily look forward to Target's dollar section being stocked with all things school. Then comes the actual opening of books, calendars, schedules, planning of days...weeks...months..and coffee. Lots of coffee.

I'm going to share what works for me through out all of this- this is our fourth year schooling at home and this year we will have four children in grade levels, and three tag-a-longs ( two preschoolers and a baby).  It wasn't until this past year that I have really felt good about what our days looked like and had a plan in place that really fit our family, it was wonderful to end the school year with confidence and no questions about starting the next.

Curriculum. 

The first thing I do is decide on what we will be using for each child the next year. Some things we change, some things we keep the same. I make a list (I'm a huge list advocate) with each child, each subject that child will be learning, what we need for that subject and the cost (if applicable). We order bits and pieces of what is needed throughout the summer. I love buying books brand new (so they last through out 7+ children who will be using them eventually) but there have been many things I buy used in great condition including readers and supplements. Some people buy all used, and that is ok! Remember this is just what works for our family. My picks for this year include:

Bible
We focus on our Awanas verses and studies as our "main program" and will be doing Kids of Integrity lessons, which we have started off using this summer already. We do our Bible and prayer time all together.

English/LA
Rodd and Staff English and Pathway Reading for my children who read fluently and All About Reading for the children who are still learning to read as a supplement to Five in a Row.

Math
Teaching Textbooks for my older children and Saxon Math for my younger ones as a supplement to Five in a Row

We are taking a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling this year with our History & Science. Most of it will be done by reading books and journaling, we are using Five in a row which also includes some History and Science in it. I will not buy history or science curriculum.

History
We have Mystery of History from this previous year and will do bits and pieces of it here and there along with reading a lot of great books.

Science
Splurging and purchasing the year long science journaling books from Simply Charlotte Mason, as well as many of the recommended living books for Science and History.

Five in a Row 
This will be our first year using FIAR with our children, cannot wait! I'll be using before FIAR with my toddlers, and Volume 1 with the rest of my children. We will be supplementing with our Math and English programs for my older children as I feel they need a bit more than if offered/recommended in FIAR as is.

Readers
I have two fluent readers this year, so I have made a list of literature for them to read and journal about through out the year. Because our curriculum load this year is heavy on reading anyway, I am only adding on one book a month. Right now, we are reading aloud "The Borrowers" as a family.

Phew!
I plan on having a more laid back, classical approach to our school days this year so we may not get through everything. Some days we may not use our math textbooks, some days we may spend in the garden journaling and inside reading and making things. I'm leaving space and flexibility in our days for this to happen.
  

Do not let curriculum choices overwhelm you, there is so much out there, it is so easy to get bogged down and feel defeated with all of the options. My best advice is find a few friends who homeschool, and ask them if you can come over and look, touch, and feel through their curriculum choices. Hit up used curriculum sales and buy a few cheap things, take them home and go through them. See what you love, what you don't.  Don't stress, have fun with it, your kids will learn this year even if you didn't buy "the right" books!

"all good things are wild and free"

Am I the only one who thinks that Summer arrive much too fast this year? I clearly remember June of last year like it was last month. The weather is beautiful (not too hot, yet) and the calendar is full of beach days, pool days, parties, bbq's and a whole bunch of busyness. This summer my goal is to be intentional with my children but also, if you follow me on Instagram you'll recognize me hash tagging letting them be wild and free. Being intentional in letting them "experience the adventure, freedom and wonder of childhood".

What does this look like? Outdoors. Gardens. Dirt. Tag. Nature walks. Bugs. Nature journaling. Fort building. Indoor tent making. Lego building. Baking. Imagination wondering. Learning through experiences. Outside more. Question asking. Relaxed. Simple. Screen free. Just move us to a prairie in a camper. Kidding. Kind of.  If you are looking for a different way to not just do school (because it is largely a homeschool community) but also to do life- check it out.

Today it rained. And I loved it because it gives me a reason to not go anywhere and not do anything but hang out with my kids. And I'm secretly hoping it will be raining again tomorrow, too. Not having to water the garden is also really, really lovely. 

This weekend we are expecting our first overnight guests (yep- first. Cons (or pros) Of having the majority of your family in your area) for my sisters high school graduation. Addy asked me today: "whyy would they be coming here from Florida??". Really mom? Florida is where all the beaches and theme parks are, Disney world and Nick resort, why would anyone want to leave?! I love the way kids think. 

Adam started a new job last week, again. God has shown himself faithful to my husband and our family over and over and over again. We have been so blessed, and I love that my husband is in a position where he feels secure and loves what he's doing. The only downside to all of this, he can't take time off for a little while. Which means we had to cancel our camping vacation this month, and will be doing a "staycation" this summer. Luckily, we live in the perfect area for summer vacation. 

We are done with school, ok, Friday is the last official day.  It's whatever. Everyone knows the last week of school holds no purpose but to mark attendance. The sun came out today for about two hours, so we had a spur of the moment picnic in the yard. As I was washing the grapes and cutting the sandwiches and filling water bottles I was thinking to myself how crazy grateful I am to be able to homeschool my kids. I'm not a huge homeschool pusher, do what is best for your family...this just happens to be what is best for us, but I am thankful that the Lord allowed us to have such a great year this year and that I was able to see the real beauty and blessings in it. Not every mom can have picnics with their littles any time of day, or load everyone up during the week and head to the beach, or even things as simple as being able to skip the homework completely and just read books together. This is the first year that I am absolutely confident in our decision and cherishing this time. (summary- this is the first year in the past four that I have not registered my kids in school knowing I wasn't actually going to put them in). Ps- I'm a weird old lady now who finds great fun and joy in picking out and ordering curriculum. One of my favorite things about summer is decorating and adding to our school room and all of the new books.

With all of the good that comes with being home, I will be honest and say that being home with your children does not mean that you are present. You can be home with them all day and never spend any real time with them. Adam and I had been finding it harder and harder to give each child the individual attention that they need, which is common not only in big families, I've had moms of two kids tell me that they struggle to give their children "enough" one on one attention. So we came up with a simple little plan to help us get time with each kid alone. 

About two times a week we will choose a child to stay up with us 45 minutes later than when all of the other children go to sleep. It's completely random. We don't make a calendar or chart. We don't tell the child beforehand. We don't plan it. Typically we will notice when a certain child is not getting enough one on one or is having a hard day, and I will say to Adam "I think -insert name here- needs a night" as we see the need. At bedtime we will just whisper for them to stay down stairs when everyone else goes up for bed and we choose random things to do together. 

We have done this a few times already, and so far the things that have been chosen are: watering the garden together, reading books, playing dollhouse, baking something, drawing and they always get a snack of some sort. Something special that is not a common everyday snack, I try to keep things on hand for these nights. Last time we did this we made smores in the microwave. 

So this is what our last night looked like: 

I read four books together with the child. No baby in my lap. No distractions. We looked at photos and pointed and laughed and talked. We headed to the kitchen and made microwave smores (microwave marshmallow and chocolate until soft/partially melted, transfer to graham cracker, delish!). Washed it down with milk and then the child played dollhouse with Adam on the floor in the school room for the remainder of their time.

We have two rules for this time:

1-no electronic usage by anyone. No phones, tvs, tablets, nothing. 

2- what you do during your time is a special secret between you, mom and dad. This way, there is no comparison. Now of course some secrets are leaked every now and then, we don't enforce this- just remind them that it's a top secret. This also makes them feel good, having a big secret with mom and dad that nobody else can know. 

If you are struggling to get good, intentional time in with a child, try it out! Just do it when you can! Some weeks we are really busy and only do this once with a child, some weeks we do it 2-3 times! I love that it is random and unplanned, led by the needs of the child. 

And...tomorrow is clean-before-company day. And my intentional wild and free activity is finger painting...I'm not sure how one is going to go with the other, but I am looking forward to hanging 30954095893860395809485 freshly painted papers on my walls. So it really would be the perfect day for another set of storms.