Time flies when...

Time flies when...You're having fun!  You knew that already didn't you?
Well it's been just over a month since I've blogged, and I can tell you it's because I have been having A BLAST!
We learned a few months back that my daughter is dyslexic. Praise God!  I sound crazy, right?  Well it feels like a giant blessing to now understand (sort of) what is going on and why her work wasn't progressing at grade level.

By the way, I'm the one who had to tell the school I thought she was struggling and have her evaluated.  They didn't pick up the dyslexia even with the evaluation (they suggested she was ADD, her pediatrician agreed that with the information from the school that was probably it and to have her further evaluated & medicated.  I stopped there.  I mean, their primary treatment for that is drugs, and if you can't tell by my previous posts, I'm far to "crunchy" to medicate my children for something that they can learn how to deal with (my opinion here, don't hold it against me).  I thank the school for trying, they really did do their best.  But in this case, their best, wasn't good enough for my little girl. 

Thankfully, my husband and I trusted our hearts and kept looking for more answers!  The neighbor/eye doctor suggested having her tested for dyslexia in his office. 

Can I be honest here and tell you I only had it done hoping to rule it out.  I was pretty sure we wouldn't figure out what was going on this easily.  And in my head, clearly it couldn't be dyslexia because she could read words like "cat" and "dog".  She COULD figure out small words, but man was it slow and emotionally hard on her and me both!

She was tested, and the letter from the optometrist came in the mail...Yes, we were dealing with dyslexia.
Initially after the diagnosis I was crushed.  I felt very defeated.  I first felt like she would never learn to read, and certainly not at her level.  I think I cried for almost 2 days before I came to terms with it and did what I knew I should do "Let go and let God".
 That's when I started to do research on Dyslexia and how her brain may be processing things.  Yes, this diagnosis makes perfect sense!  If you're having trouble following along with what everyone else is reading you might as well be looking outside at the birds or twirling your hair, right?  At least if you're 8 that's what you'd do.
 It was that nasty attitude of mine that kept us from success.  I should've known better, but I was caught up in the moment of feeling sorry for myself.
I felt like a terrible mother for not being able to teach my daughter.  I was disappointed in myself for leaving her education up to the school. 
Then I grew up and got over it.
Flash forward a few months.  We've been doing vision therapy with the eye doctor, which my daughter thinks is supper fun (at least most of it).  We set up a bedroom in our house as a "homeschool room" and bought lots and lots of curriculum when it was on sale. 
All of this is seriously fascinating to me.  The transformation has been remarkable.
Once I took on an attitude of gratitude we saw big changes. 
On her first try my princess read Barbie: Story Collection in 53  minutes, this week it was in 24 minutes!  She shaved 29 minutes off of her time!!  And best of all, she did it without crying or giving up!  Oh and she actually read it herself, no help! 
I love teaching my children!  My 3 year old is sort of liking learning, but it's been a big adjustment for him.  Right now he's doing lots of fun things and learning his letters.  We're working on ways to keep him busy while his sister is studying.  I am happy to say we have only a couple of times had to do this with using TV as a distraction, otherwise he is learning right along side of her! 
We're going to keep trying out homeschool through the summer and possibly into the school year.  It has been such a rewarding experience for all of us and brought our family so much closer together. 
My husband has been a great support and even enjoys teaching too! 
This has been a wonderful summer! 

Here is a peek into our school room. 

Quick & Easy Money Savers

I get asked this and sometimes even ask myself:

Family of 4 living on one income and you still stay home, how do you do it?

First I want to give a big huge thank you to God, for placing the 4 of us together.  Without Him we just couldn’t do it.  He is a mighty, wonderful God who blesses us in so many ways.  Second a big huge thank you to my husband.  I appreciate him waking up each morning and going to work for us.  I know he enjoys his job, and that helps all of us live happier.  He is a godly man who is very involved with his family.  And a third thank you to everyone who has shared their tips with me.

Okay here it is, Money Saving tips, by room:

Starting with the Laundry Room:

Wash clothing using the appropriate water level, on cold.  I’ve been doing this for years now and have found the clothes get just as clean on cold as they do on hot.  No special soaps needed.

Speaking of laundry soap, use only about half of what the package tells you to use.  It will be easier on your clothing, and save you a bundle on the soap.

Easy Step:  Shorten your drying time (stop the dryer before it gets to the cool down).

Next Step: Hang clothes on hangers and hook them on the shower curtain bar to dry in the bathroom.

Advanced Step: Line dry your clothes outside.  I’ve found this to actually be quite therapeutic. 

Also- Quit buying dryer sheets.  They’re dangerous in terms of build up on your lint screen and causing house fires, but also loaded with chemicals your precious family would be better off without.  If you do need something to make your clothes a little softer use vinegar in your washing machine.  It works, promise.

Kitchen:

This is a money and time saver; cook a double batch of whatever you’re making.  Save the leftovers for another day. 

Buy in bulk; especially beef if you like it.

Eat less… I’m not really joking here.  How often do you go for the second burger that you really don’t “need”.  If you could have that one for lunch the next day and still be satisfied you’ll be saving.

I save left overs, even when it’s literally only 3 bites.  Because that 3 bites will satisfy my toddler just fine.  Or I chop whatever it is up small and add it to our Friday night pizza. 

Yes... We do Pizza almost every Friday.  I clean out the fridge… Sometimes it’s carrots and parmesan because we don’t have mozzarella on hand (which we’ve found is actually a combination we love) other times we can add more to it. 

Soap dispenser:  I use a foaming soap dispenser.  1 part soap 5 parts water. I just refill it when needed.  This has cut our soap use by SO much!  I’m also pretty sensitive to soaps, so my hands look like I’m 70 after washing in straight soap; the foaming soap has helped this.

The next step took me awhile, but I eventually threw out pretty much all household cleaners and sprays.  We now use just a spray bottle of vinegar/water mix.  For tough things that need to be scrubbed I use baking soda.  Vinegar is a natural disinfector, and come on people, the smell does NOT stay around, so get over buying your expensive products that are attacking your body and pick up a gallon of vinegar & a cute $1 spray bottle.  Everything is getting just as clean if not cleaner than it was using the toxic sprays.  And yes… I wipe up raw meat using this spray, or soap and water.  No problemO’.

Paper towels/napkins:  We were a little crazy with our paper towels, going through about 2 rolls a week… I do not know anyone else who has ever used that much, but we did.  And at about $1 a roll, we cut just over $100 out of our yearly spending by using dish towels instead.  For napkins we bought wash clothes from Ikea that have a cute colored loop on them.  This way I know they don’t belong with the bathroom wash clothes.  I store them in a basket in the cupboard.  They’re much more absorbent and can be used more than once. 

Turn off your oven about 5-10 minutes before the timer goes off.  You’re using less energy and the oven is still hot inside.  In the winter, (if you don’t have little ones that might get hurt) leave the oven door open for a bit to let the heat into your home.

You can use this same concept on the stove top for most things.  I turn the burner off before it’s done (unless it’s rice.. that stuff is pretty picky!), my husband sometimes leaves it on even after the food is on the table…So,  I think we balance each other out here? ;)

Okay enough of the kitchen... On to THE LIVING ROOM:

Watch less TV!  Spend more time playing board games, cards, and reading.  Our TV is on a power strip that I sometimes will turn off for a week or better.  Most commonly though, it’s only off for a couple of days at a time. It’s not hard, no one misses the TV and to be honest, it’s pretty fun to go without it. 

We have a big TV and when I say big I’m not talking about the screen.  Our TV is almost 10 years old.  Sure we could go buy a new big screen, but then we’d need a new entertainment center too, and frankly I like the one I have, it serves its purpose well.  I do enjoy watching TV at friends and relatives houses though, as corny as it sounds, I feel like it’s a real treat. 

Over all tips:

Thanks to my daddy, this has been drilled into my head:  If you leave a room, TURN OFF THE LIGHT!!!

Along with that don’t use a light unless you need it.

Don’t turn on the water full blast when doing anything (showering, brushing teeth, washing hands, etc).

Take quicker showers using warm water instead of hot. 

I think you will find these things are easier to implement than you think.  Oh & I’m not a professional, so use your own discretion when trying these.  But they do work for us.

What other easy money savers can you share?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

My Love.

I love being in the kitchen.  I love caring for the home, even if I'm not fantastic at it.  I enjoy trying my best at it.  So this morning I was in the kitchen rearranging food in the cupboards (I have some issues with consistency.. I prefer things to change often, I don't understand it, but that's just who I am).  So this song comes on the radio, which by the way, a radio is a lovely addition to any kitchen. 

The song was "Falling In" by Lifehouse. 

"Everytime I see your face
My heart takes off on a high speed chase
Now don't be scared, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in"

This really spoke to me.  It took me back about 7 years, when my sweetheart and I started dating.  I can vividly remember the feeling of my heart feeling like it was on a high speed chase.  Oh, such a great memory.

This weekend we took a trip to Home Depot.  The princess and I were browsing the clearance isle while the boys did some serious shopping.

 I spotted my handsome husband pushing our son in the cart from all the way across the store.  Our eyes locked and I remembered what it felt like to be in love.  While I've been on a selfish hiatus I have sure missed this feeling.  I am so glad it's back :-)

Thought of the day: The Wise Woman

"The wise woman builds her house,

But the foolish pulls it down with her

 hands."

Proverbs 14:1

long, gossipy, blogpost- forgiveness, love.

There are 2 things my husband does that drive me insane.. Well to be honest, the first drives me insane, the second is just annoying.  And while I'm being honest, there are surely more than two things he does that I find reason to nag... But these are the two I'll focus on today:

First:  I watch sales for weeks, clip coupons and finally select the finest ingredients to make whatever dish I'm making. I do not settle for HFCS and white sugar/flour.  I bust my butt to serve this family healthy food and stay within our budget.  When it comes to actually cooking the meal I slave away for what seems like FOREVER, chopping veggies, measuring, watching for a boil, then simmering... and cooling for the kids... etc.  And the result is a delicious mostly organic, amazing soup that I feel I could take to the fair and win a prize. 
Here's where I get mad... He leaves the plastic (PLASTIC!.... Remember, toxins FREAK ME OUT) ladle in the soup after he dishes his up.  Leaves it IN the hot pan! 
So after numerous arguments I bought a stainless steel ladle and said I didn't want to argue about it any more. 
But now...  My sweetheart has decided to remember to remove the ladle, and place it on the STOVE (the nice clean stove) after he dishes up his soup.
 
I know it's silly, & I remember this:
1.God loves Chad just as much as he loves me. 
2.God is pretty disappointed in me when I'm screaming (yes... it makes me that angry) over a plastic ladle. 
Then I move on, and don't look back. 

Secondly- My husband prefers his shirts hung up facing the left.  I just hang the shirts, and it doesn't bother me a bit which way they go (I hang over 30 shirts a week, I just want it done, I don't care if it's done "right", really).  So for years I would put them on the hanger however I grabbed them.  Then I find him changing them around to face the "right way" (um... well, left).  I have (in the distant past, before I cared about being a better wife) purposely hung shirts up the "wrong" way.. just to catch him switching the shirts and start a fight where I knew I was right.  How pathetic, huh?

This long, gossipy, blog post is to tell you two things:
1- There is usually more than one way to do things, but that doesn't make one of the ways wrong.
2-  Pick your battles, chose wisely, and know that above all, Jesus is your defender.  You don't have to make known everything you think is right.  Sometimes ( a lot of times) silence is your best defense.


So now that I know these things about my husband, I chose to LOVE them.  I love that he cares enough to remove the ladle now, and I LOVE that he cares how his clothes look in his closet.  I love him.  And when we love someone we shouldn't be so hard on them. 
My husband makes me feel safe, he provides for our family, he is an honest person, and he loves me (and I KNOW that cannot be an easy thing to do, as I even struggle with this).

For everything I dislike, I can think of several more that I DO like.

This week, I challenge you to do the same.  Love your spouses flaws, Because they probably aren't really flaws, they're just different from how you do things.  Make list of what you LOVE about your spouse, forget about the things that you don't like.

Psalm 62:6 (King James Version)
 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

Exodus 14:14 (New King James Version)
 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

HOLD YOUR PEACE

PS- I do hang his shirts facing the left now, because it makes him happy, and I sure love it when he's happy :-)