Countertop Yogurt Winner

I confess.  I bought yet another 1/2 gallon of heavy whipping cream this week. 

It makes such amazing yogurt.  Like pudding.

Add some cocoa . . . and spoonful of raw honey.  Succulent.

Had some tonight in fact. 

If you aren’t the winner of the Countertop Yogurt Giveaway from Cultures for Health, have no fear . . . you can order your own culture and begin making this AMAZING yogurt that is effortless.

And the winner is Mariam comment #71 out of 71. 

Isn't’ that crazy?

I took a screen shot of it.  So easy to count. 

I like easy. 

Congrats,  Mariam!  Please send me an email with your snail mail address!  You have 48 hours.  The clock is ticking.

Thank you, Cultures for Health!  Such a great place for your belly to hang out. 

My next endeavor (maybe – hoping – dreaming) from the happy bacteria place . . . . making sauerkraut in a crock again.  Remember my experience?

Ugh.

Doesn’t this look cool?

Or I might find myself trying this cultured fruit leather.  Intriguing.

P.S. Did you know that you can become an affiliate for Cultures for Health?  Thought you might like to know.

Virus Fighting Horchata

Horchata.

Yum drink.  But I’ve never had it homemade. 

Always processed. 

No longer.

I found a recipe.  Not only does it use brown rice, but it has Thieves essential oil in it.  I needed something to drink using an TGEO (therapeutic grade essential oil) because I was teaching an essential oil class. 

Kind of had to use what I was teaching about. 

Cloudy. Cool.  Well, cool when it is over ice.

Thieves Horchata

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 quarts filtered water
• 1-2 drops Thieves essential oil*
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup raw honey

Directions

• In a large pot, combine rice, water, and Thieves.  Set aside for 3 hours. (Remember soaking a grain makes for a happy grain.  I am curious to see how this would do if I soaked the grain for ohhhhhhhh 3 days?  At least long enough to sprout.  But the question would be . . . do I soak the rice WITH the Thieves oil in it?)
• After three hours (not before or after or during – just kidding – lighten up!) bring the water and rice to a boil.  Reduce heat.  I left the lid off . . . I didn’t care about having sticky or fluffy rice. 
• Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool.
• When a sufficient time has elapsed, get out the old blender.  I prefer the Vitamix.  I like some horsepower.  Blend until smooth.
• Strain through a cheesecloth or a fine sieve.  Great activity for a 7 year old. 
• Flavor with vanilla and honey.
• Chill and serve over ice.  You might want a straw.  It’s a bit . . . thick.

*What is Thieves oil?  A very cool essential oil.  It’s a blend of oils that offers defense against the icky sickies.  Snotty noses.  Puking.  Using Thieves oil is a daily habit for our family, especially in the winter.  A little bit of Thieves will kill a lot of bacteria.

For more Granola Mom 4 God recipes, check out my recipe page! Or head on over to Real Food Wednesday.

Courageous: A Review

Most of the time a story is better as a book than a movie.  However, I am wondering if there is an exception.

This was a movie turned book. 

I can understand why.  The movie has the potential to impact father’s (in particular) all over America.  For this reason, you will find the bookstores flooded with a Bible study based off of the fiction story, a leader’s kit, plaques, devotions, and wall-hangings. 

It’s big. 

But it is a busy book with a lot of characters.  And an action camera can capture all the commotion . . . drama . . . and characters better than the book in my hands. 

I struggled to keep the various police officers straight, not to mention their wives, girlfriends, children, and friends. 

The book has a great idea.  Fathers returning to their families.  Leading.  Investing in people.  Putting God and the Word of God first . . . and finding that by doing so all other priorities and blessings fall into line. 

To adequately do this in a book format that would create depth in the characters and allow for the turning of the rudders of stubborn hearts . . . the book would need to be in small print with as many pages as The Counte of Monte Cristo or Gone With the Wind (can you tell what I have read recently?)

Courageous, by Randy Alcorn and Alex and Stephen Kendrix, wasn’t intended to be a classic.  It was based off of a movie that provides meaning entertainment. 

This it does.  I just think the movie might be better than the book.

Thanks Tyndale.  As always, I enjoy reading your books and blogging about them for free. 

I Am a Llama in Red Pajamas

Moaning.  Moaning. Moaning.    I forever sound like the little llama in red pajamas, weeping wailing for his mama. 

The ugly truth hurts.  Stings.  Is disgusting to ponder.

For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

Matthew 12: 34

I think my heart must look like the dredges of my mocha.  Seriously. 

I was challenged, rather convicted, when my buddy Kay asked me,

Friend, our speech is simply an expression of what is in our heart.  How is your heart?  To answer the question, listen to what you say.  The cure is a heart change, not more caution about the words you use.  How is your heart?

My first response is to say, “Shu-ut up.”

It’s not my words I need to change.  It’s my heart.

This heart of mine, it pumps. 

It has moments of pinkness and even redness.  At times it swells with unconditional love . . . it isn’t always black . . . but it does resemble my coffee grounds more often than not.

Dark.  Brownish.  Specks of sin.  OK . . . clumps of sin.

Doesn’t Jesus tell us to come unto Him like a child?

I’m struggling. 

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.  (Luke 6:45)

This treasure . . . this jackpot of life . . . this pot of gold . . . it ain’t in my heart the majority of the time.  But I want it be. 

I long to dispense gold freely from my treasure chest.  I want pirates to come searching for my treasure.  Bring it on.

The solution?

Hello.  Wake up before the kids, Jodi.  Do your Bible reading everyday – not because you have to, because you want to.  Because you want to be a “workman approved by God.”

Because my hearts desire is to, 

open my mouth in wisdom,
And the have the teaching of kindness on my tongue.
Looking well to the ways of my household,
Not eating the bread of idleness.
May my children rise up and bless me;
My husband also, praising me, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”  (Proverbs 31: 26-29)

Besides meditating and memorizing scripture, the other thing I know that I desperately need to do is put up some wall art.

Does anyone have a recommendation for scripture wall art . . . something I can customize?  I don’t want to search online.  I want to search my Bible. 

I got to . . . I have to . . . 

“diligently teach my sons and talk of scripture when we sit in our house and when we walk by the way and when we lie down and when we rise up.  I {want to} shall bind them as a sign on my hand and scripture shall be as frontals on our forehead. I shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on our gates. 

(Deuteronomy 6: 7,8)

The Unofficial Stink Test

As a lactating mom . . . I have a tendency to stink.

Always have. 

When I am nursing, that is.

(OK . . . I admit it.  Most of my life.)

It’s tolerable.  Like the smell of large breed dog breath.

It is something I like to control.  Mask. 

Actually eradicate. 

Or manage ever 24 hours.

I once thought I found the solution.  But it didn’t work.  (I was given it for free . . . so not surprising.)

But I pay for what I am swiping on my underarms these days.

After three months of daily usage we have a winner.  I am so relieved.

As is Naomi.

24 hours folks.  . . from application to application.

Or shower (whichever comes first). 

My secret (not to be confused with the deodorant) is Young Living AromaGuard (ohhhh) Meadow Mist. 

I am pretty sure Mountain Mint will work equally well.  I will say, though, that I like the smell of Meadow Mist better.  I think Mountain Mint smells like Thieves.  And even though I use Thieves almost daily, I don’t like the smell of Thieves. 

Unlike some of my friends.

Anyway, I just opened Mountain Mint yesterday.  I still don’t stink.

My windows are open, though. 

Let me know if you want some.  Just visit my store.

(Yes, this is an advertisement.  But I’m not lying.  I use these deodorants.  I just happened to blog about it to save you the embarrassment.   I don’t know . . . this is probably something I would go have my mom buy for me in the store . . .  buying deodorant in public is like buying underwear in public.  I don’t do it.)

If I Were to Give You A Baby Gift: How to Cook Real Food Giveaway

Nourishing food is important. 

It is so important that it is one (of many) reasons Granola Mom 4 God exists. 

Nourishing food  has made a radical impact on our family’s life. 

 

I used to be very SAD when I ate. 

Meaning, I used to eat the Standard American Diet. 

• white flour
• white sugar
• white rice
• diet coke
• microwave dinners
• foods with a shelf life exceeding what seems reasonable
• fast food
• synthetic vitamins
• tap water
• foods laced with hormones and antibiotics
• corn syrup

SAD is cheap.  But what I saved in the grocery story, I ended up spending at the doctor’s office. 

I realized that my SAD diet was seriously affecting me when my doctor considered ordering a prescription for me to manage my PCOS.

We wanted kids.  Not drugs.

And the swiss cheese that my female insides looked like . . . simply didn’t want to work towards the goal of adding people to our dining room table.

So . . . I ditched the SAD diet. 

Enter whole foods (prayer, exercise, and an herbalist).

Meet my family.

“They” say that you should start eating for a baby about a year before you want to conceive.  Take your prenatal vitamins.  Even dad should be consuming healthy foods . . . avoiding chemicals. 

And hot tubs {ahem}.

So let me give you a gift . . .

a gift of well being . . . of healing . . . of nourishment . . .

whether you are thinking about getting pregnant, are pregnant, nursing, or feeding an infant --

You.  Need.  My.  Gift. 

(Thanks to Jenny over at The Nourished Kitchen.)

Probably the most important gift I could give you out of my virtual baby gift basket. 

Amber necklaces are good. 

Bacteria is great. 

Slings – oh so snuggly.

How to cook real food.   

Food that causes families to linger at the table.  Meals that cause the fork to recline in the hand and words to sprinkle like salt into the air over the dining room table.  . . .

Real food is a gift.  I enjoy giving this gift.  It is ever so much fun to delight our guests with a visually appealing and hearty meal (usually from Simple Dinners).

A meal full of flavor.  Spices that cause our guest to reminisce about a sight or smell it evokes as it slides over their tongue. 

 

What is my gift (rather Jenny’s gift for the online baby shower)?

a tuition-free enrollment to the online cooking class,

 How to Cook Real Food (hello . . . a $199 value!)

Can you say, WOW!

Totally generous.  Thanks, Jenny.

Who?  Anyone.  But I’m going say primarily the cook of the family.  Because we need to be laying a firm foundation and providing our children with the necessary building blocks to grow healthy bodies and a sound minds.

What is it?  It’s an online cooking class with 45 videos, worksheets and everything you need to know about preparing traditional foods from scratch and in season.  Check out the lesson details and get a glimpse with this sneak preview.

When?  Classes begin September 1st.  But if you are starting school, like us come September . . . you can watch, download, print, and prepare . . . whenever you want. 

Even 60 years from now. 

Where? Well, Jenny lives in Colorado.  But you can take this course anywhere there is a computer and internet.  Even in your pajamas.  On your roof.  In a car. 

Why?  You and your family will feel so much better.

How?  The fact is that you can make time if it is something that you want to do.  So stop making excuses.  Take the course . . . 

WIN IT!!! 

(a $149 value before September 15th . . . and a $199 value thereafter!)

Does any of this appeal to you . . . tug on your heart a bit?  Enter the giveaway, then! 

• 12 Comprehensive, Multimedia Online Classes
• Exclusive Recorded Conference Calls to chat with other real food lovers and get your questions answered
• 45 Instructional Videos Teaching You How to Cook Real Food
• Over 100 Tried-and-true Real Food Recipes
• Digital Workbook for each lesson to Take Notes & Develop Your Own Recipes
• Charts Outlining Seasonally Available Foods
• Charts outlining methods for soaking beans, legumes, nuts and seeds
• Spreadsheets that’ll help you take a kitchen inventory,develop a grocery budget and plan meals
• Fact Sheets and Handy Tips Analyzing the Value of Real Food
• Whole-grain and Grain-free baking tips.
• Simple Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
• Menu Planning Bonus Pack

Enter NOW to win the Nourished Kitchen Real Food course . . .

 

Mandatory:  Sign up to receive Nourished Kitchen newsletters here.  (Don’t worry, you won’t be spammed.  The newsletters might make you hungry though . . . and you’ll get great coupon codes.)

Extra Entries: (make sure to list each entry as a separate comment):

• Tweet daily about this giveaway.  You can use the following pre-written tweet:

 Want to be a GREAT cook? Giveaway from Nourished Kitchen, How  to cook real food over @GranolaMom4God http://j.mp/qXflL9

• Subscribe to my blog, so that you can learn about my other baby must-haves and the great coupon code for this course plus free 3-month subscription to Simple Dinners after the giveaway winner is announced.
• Like Granola Mom 4 God on Facebook .. . and share about the giveaway while you are at it.
• Become a Fan!
• Follow Jenny on Twitter.
• Like Nourished Kitchen on Facebook.
• Give yourself an extra entry if you subscribe to Simple Dinners or you took the Get Cultured course.

Contest ends:  September 5, 2011.  Winner will be notified by email and given 48 hours to respond. Open to the world.  If you already purchased the course, you will be refunded!

Five Minute Friday: Older

Older. 

I have come to realize this year that we are becoming the “older” people at church.

The ones with kids that run all over the church, while  younger parents clutch their children close.

The parents who are in activities.  Rather, their kids are in activities.

I’m older.

When someone in their twenties sees me at worship, they don’t think of me as a spring chicken.  Instead, they think of me as someone to ask a parenting question of because I have been there and done that.

I am not of the geriatric generation.

But the busy-with-one-gray-hair-generation.

The minivan mom.

The generation who grew up watching Oprah for their afterschool special.  The one who had a drawer-full of Wonder-Roo’s. 

I am the soccer mom. 

The mom with smiles creases at the edge of her eyes that fans out, adding character to my haggard look. 

But though I am older, my mind still thinks like I am still in high school. 

My thoughts still frisky with love for my husband.  Mischievous enough to still desire to pull pranks. 

STOP.

I love doing this.  Writing under pressure.

Read more posts regarding the subject of “older” over at The Gypsy Mama.

If I Gave You a Baby Gift: A Ring Sling

If you were going to have a baby . . . and I was going to give you another gift – it would be a ring sling. 

(That is, in addition to an amber necklace.)

Nine months in and nine months out. 

Like a stubborn mule,  I have had to keep relearning a simple lesson --  motherhood requires a dying to self. 

Successful and purposeful motherhood requires an almost continual abandonment towards discipleship and the dispensing of unconditional love towards the maturing littles before you. 

Giving.  Giving some more.  Teaching.  Re-teaching what you just taught.  Holding.  Letting go.  Holding one second later.  Up – down – up – down.  Wiping.  Lots of wiping. 

I clearly remember saying, “I just want to get something done.”

Embarrassed that when the Engineer came home . . . there were dishes everywhere.  I was still in my pajamas from two nights ago . . . and dinner was still at the grocery store. 

And laundry?  Still hanging up from when one of the grandma’s placed it there while I was in labor. 

After that first baby was born it seemed like NOTHING got done.  (Which I laugh at now . . . four children later.  I had so much time on my hands back then.)

It’s not surprising that nothing got done. 

I was a lactating mess who was trying to create unnecessary structure for an infant that just wanted to be held . . . because he had been held the past nine months.

I thought I might damage my newborn if I held him a lot. 

Crazy. 

And then I purchased a sling. 

My mothering career took a new turn.  I learned how to nurture.  For some people this comes naturally. 

For me . . . I had to learn. 

I’m still learning.

I can be a very gruff mother bear.

But the sling, or rather baby wearing, opened my eyes and calmed my baby . . . Baby Asher. 

My grandma gave me a sewing machine.  I wanted other moms to know about baby slings and be able to afford them.  Fruit of Her Hands, later renamed to The Cocoon Wrap Mama, was birthed.

A WAHM business.  (Work-at-home-mom.)

I haven’t turned back . . . some 500+ slings later. 

But there comes a time when a mom is called to something else.  I’m not leaving my baby wearing behind . . . but I am passing the business on to someone else. 

Someone who excels at baby wearing . . . delights in sling making . . . is passionate about providing a safe, not to mention beautiful, carrier for parents and caregivers to nurture their little’s in. 

I wanted to be able to recommend someone to you who . . .

• homeschooled
• had an etsy site
• blogged
• tweeted
• was on Facebook
• was passionate
• used the same rings as myself
• homebirthed
• lived in Indiana
• and cared about safety or rather common sense

Basically . . . kind of like me.  But not.  Better. 

And I found someone. 

Not only that, but I told Beth, owner of BabyEtte, that I was seeking to find someone to recommend . . . as I was closing up my etsy shop, at least the sling making portion of it. 

I wanted to recommend her. 

She sent me a sling.

I adore it. 

And in honor of my retirement, you can benefit.  Beth has graciously offered to give one away in honor of my retirement. 

So . . . enter to win ONE of the following: 

• superwide batik sling,
• BabySoft newborn (stretch) sling,
• or a WaterBaby mesh sling

Mandantory:  Which of the above slings would you like to win?  Go to the BabyEtte website first to browse and let me know!

Extra Entries (make sure to list each entry as a separate comment):

• Tweet daily, making sure to include to include @GranolaMom4God in your verbage (is that a word?).
• Subscribe to my blog, so that you can learn about my other baby must-haves.
• Like Granola Mom 4 God on Facebook .. . and share about the giveaway on Facebook.
• Become a Fan!
• Like BabyEtteBoutique on Facebook and leave Beth a kind comment!  Link to her even!
• Follow @BabyEtteEtsy on Twitter

Contest ends:  Midnight, September 9, 2011.  Winner will be notified by email and given 48 hours to respond.  Open to US only (sorry).

Feel and Find World Icons: A Guidecraft Review

 

We are still recovering from the loss of my birthday laptop computer (of five years). . . then using my Notebook (Neo) in the interim,  and finally switching over to our new computer (yet to be named) recently. 

I have had pictures everywhere and some are now nowhere. 

I had taken some exciting pictures of Guidecraft’s sensory toy bag called Feel and Find World Icons.  The boys had helped me stack, sort . . . you name it.

But alas . . . these action sequence pictures met their demise with the loss of our trusty and mightily used laptop.

The fun we had with our sensory toy bag is present in my memory banks, though. 

It boasts of 20 different shapes with matching tiles. 

We played with the Feel and Find World Icons many different ways:

• sorting by color
• placing the icons upright
• stacking the tiles
• tracing the shapes
• finding farm animals, shapes, and things on our earth, etc.

I would imagine that as we study other languages in our little schoolhouse . . . we will use the Feel and find World Icons to practice our basic vocabulary. 

Notice, the word “world” is included in this wood toy.  Why?  Because Guidcraft is pretty excited that the shapes included in this toy encompass many cultures.

It’s a diverse toy.  A diverse wood toy.  A diverse, non-toxic, wood, eco-friendly toy.

I like that!

Wanna win it?

Head on over to Thanks Mail Carrier!  Or Guidecraft ($30).  Or Amazon (where you will find this sensory toy for a wee bit less . . . . try $22.99 with free shipping!) 

As a Guidecraft Mom blogger, I was provided this product to review. I was not paid for this post and all opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Granola Mom is Going on an Airplane . . .

In minus 65 days and counting (depending on when you read this blog post) I will be getting on an airplane with two precious friends.

 

I will be leaving my nursing daughter for the first time overnight.  I will be bringing my milk with me.  Sigh.  And taking my milk home with me.  Hmmmm . . .

 

I am going to Relevant . . . in large part . . . because I have experienced the Lord's blessing and the Engineer's encouragement.

 

The reason I want to go . . . not because it will make me a better blogger.  That would be nice.

 

Not because it will be a lot of fun . . . a good Fall Break . . . though a certain perk.

 

I'm going because of all the writings that spilled forth like a cup overflowing last year . . . women drew closer to their Lord.

 

And I want that.  I want to draw closer to my Savior.

 

So . . . with His help . . . He has allowed me to raise enough money to go. 

 

The Lord is my provider. 

 

Jehova Jireh.

 

So . . . Hi.

 

I'm Jodi and you have landed at the blog the Lord has made me a steward of.  What is this blog?  A bit of everything.  Lately, I have been endorsing it as a mom blog with an organic twist. 

 

Throw in a few giveaways and reviews too.

 

You can read more about me here.

 

But if you do that you won't find out that . . .

• I want a hammock in my backyard. 
• Sometimes . . . I find myself saying "aught" to my children when it is really a command for my dog.
• And occasionally instead of calling my daughter her given name, Naomi, I call her my dog's name, Ruth.
• I use LiveWriter to craft my blog posts . . . but today I am using Blogger.  I'm at my MIL's house.  For this reason, you don't have any pictures.  They are on my computer at home.
• Here is a fact no one knows, my dog is on my MIL's couch.  Shh!  Don't tell.  (Sorry MIL --  gotta love me!)
• I typically have 6+ books that I am reading at a time.
• I sometimes go more than 36 hours without a shower.  But I don't stink because I use Young Living deodorant.  (Let me know if you want some.)  I am convicted of my laziness though.  Thanks Steph!
• Though I am sold out for organic and raw milk . . . I am hopelessly a fan of Starbucks drive thru, though I would prefer a local establishment with a barista.
• I'd like to say that I will catch up on sleep while at Relevant . . . but I doubt that will happen.
• I'd love to lose 20 pounds.  Lord give me strength. 
• We start school in less than a week . . . I am totally unorganized. 
• My husband IS the funniest man alive.  Really.  :)
• I have a gigantic list of blog post ideas floating around in my head and on random scraps of paper around the house. 
• I keep saying I won't do another review and giveaway (beyond my favorite companies) . . . but then I find myself doing one. 
• I would like to bring my espresso machine to Relevant.  The Engineer told me no.  He is right.
• I make up stories about people in my spare time . . . mostly on date nights. 
• I detest chain restaurants.
• I actually miss living in India.
• I long for my children to be passionate about the Word . . . and doing what Jesus has impressed upon their hearts.

But who am I?  Someone the Lord has changed.  And is still changing.  I'm honest and sometimes a bit too blunt.  I practice sarcasm, but I am thankful at heart. 

 

I love to hold my husband's hand . . . as it reminds me how he ushered me into the Lord's throne room when I was a teenager. 

 

I'm a mom of 5, one being with the Lord.  A dog owner.  A homeschooler who socializes her children.  A homebirther . . . babywearing . . . slightly extended nursing mom. 

 

We eat weird things that are called living foods. 

 

I like being different.  But I also like blending in.

 

And I am looking forward to meeting you. . . . and moving you to my IRL category. 

 

Find me

• here @ http://www.granolamom4god.com/
• or on Twitter:  GranolaMom4God
• or linking to my Facebook account:  Granola Mom 4 God
• and thankfully smelling like a rose at Young Living Essential Oils.

 

Linking up with Denise in Bloom.

 

Multitudes on Mondays: Bellies

I think pregnant women are beautiful. 

Especially their bellies. 

I got to rub this one . . . and take pictures. 

Amateur photos, that is.

Honored.  Thankful.  Amazed. 

Being with a laboring woman . . . to feel the power of life.  The miracle of life. 

God is a creative One.  Of that I am sure.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:  13-18

So . . . not a list of multitudes.  Just one.

Life.  Powerful. 

OK . . . I can’t resist.  Here are a few more.  My journal is beside me.

250.  Mountain biking with my sons and experiencing “danger” with them prayerfully.

251.  Bagels roasted over an open fire.

252.  A computer box in the hands of a UPS man, just before we left for vacation.

253.  Grimy bathrooms that house gentle showers and refreshment at a campground.

257.  A meal filled with ingredients from our garden.

258.  A night of delivering essential oils like St. Nicholas.

262.  My mother-in-law and her Kerug . . . while camping.  Thank you electric campsites.

263.  Electric dog training collars.

264.  A 7 year old boy who wanted to make sure his brothers received presents on HIS birthday.

265.  Fellowship and feasts . . . miles from home.

My Students

We celebrated.  I’m sure we will continue to celebrate.

We went to the fair.

It serves as the white flag of surrender to the beginning of our school year. 

And the end of a small part of childhood.  Two have graduated from . . . the tractors.

They may not be able to ride tractors . . . but they can dream big.

Tonight it was ice cream and Little House on the Prairie.

I’m sure I’ll find some other excuse to do something fun this week. 

Before I have to be diligent.  Disciplined.  Mature. 

Next Monday.

The students are ready.  The school room is almost clean and organized.  Welcoming.  Beckoning us to visit and stay awhile. 

I want to be in there this year. 

So do they.

Let me announce our roll call!

• God.  Because of who He is and what He has called us to do . . . to be . . . to teach our children.  God is who I call upon first for our future school days.
• Asher . . . who will be finishing first grade and entering second grade some time this fall . . .

• Ezra . . . my kindergartener.

• Gabe . . . my Tot School and preschool scholar.

• Naomi . . . Tot School launch-ee (is that a word?) and professional observer.

• Ruth . . . guard dog.  She’s sleeping right now.  However, we will work on correctly using a remote training collar. 

Overseeing this dance of learning . . . the Engineer . . . our principal. 

He and I are tight.  In love you might say.

Quite possibly the best principal I have ever worked for. 

Linking up with the 2011 Not Back-to-School Blog Hop for Student Photo Week over at Heart of the Matter.

Click here to see what we are studying . . . but it kind of has radically changed since I posted about it!