Mother4Jesus

I have tipped my toes into the world of digital planning. Ok, so maybe I did MORE than just my toes.  Ok, Ok, I dove in head first!!  Why Digital planning??  *It’s fun *It’s Portable *It’s colorful *It saves on Printer Ink *It’s a creative outlet *My children LOVE all the cute stickers The list goes on.... I had started with Artful Agenda, which is a digital planning App. It syncs up with all your devices. It’s a great option, especially for those who really don’t want to or have the time to set up a digital PDF Planner. Click on the Link for my Review of The Artful Agenda App.  While the app is great and amazing, I couldn’t really use or decorate the planner the way I wanted to.  after much research, trial and error, I have found a combination that works for me. Actually, I’ve found MANY combinations that work for me. 🤷‍♀️😜 First you need to decide what you’re looking for.  I wanted a cute weekly planner that I ...

Expectations.  What do you think when you hear that word?  Dictionary.com   has a few different meanings for that word.  The underlying meaning is, "To expect something.".  This one word has been the killer of many relationships. Uncommunicated expectations are the silent killer of friendships, relationships, marriages, work environments, and many more. Too many to list. I'm sure many of you could add to that list.  Some expectations are reasonable and cause growth. Proper expectations help us to grow, and our children to mature. Even our relationship with the Lord has expectations. Some expectations are also needed for our education, to work, and marriage.  What makes for healthy expectations??  That is the million-dollar question.  For me, expressing, explaining, and thoroughly laying out one's expectations is essential.  I'm not always good at this, and it's something that I continue to work on.  ...

Happy Memorial Day! For some,  this day is a sad one. They're missing loved ones who gave up their lives for our freedom. Thank you to those who have sacrificed everything!! Thank you to the spouses who are at home, keeping the home front going!!  In celebration of this weekend, I was hoping to get this done earlier in the week and that wasn't happening.  I created a youtube Video/Vlog to show you how I use these. How I made them reusable and how I clean them off again and again. **Youtube Video** Please excuse the messy hair... the messy kitchen...and not-so-great video... life happens and I did this quickly. This is one of the largest free downloads I've ever done. I'm very excited. I love this beautiful print from Chantahlia Designs !! (If you click on her website name, it'll take you right to her site.)  If you're looking to create your own calendars, visit her website. Everything is FREE!! FREE!! Thank you Janelle!!!  I created this ...

What a great and busy weekend we had!! I can't believe that my 4th child, my baby, my gentle giant turned 8 years old!! It seems like just yesterday I held him in my arms trying to decide a name for him. It took my husband and me a few hours to name him.  We had purchased tickets to see the Kratt brothers months back. We knew Sarah had a gymnastics meet that weekend but never thought it would be on the same day as the tickets!! Turns out it was!! She had her meet, the Brittany Coppedge Invitational in Raleigh at 1pm. The show started at 4:30.  We made it!! David had no idea that we had gotten him tickets. We had also gotten him a new video game for his Ninetendo Switch!! He found out at the meet about seeing the Kratt Brothers.  He is such a sweet young man. I was so happy to surprise him with this.  Sarah had a great time with her event. She didn't do as well on the floor as she had in the past. I saw her face when her team mate KILLED it o...

I haven't blogged in a long time. For those that don't know, we moved from NY to NC last February. I love NC. Homeschooling here is so much easier and the numbers are so high, we're actually in the majority !!  That brings me to my topic for this blog: Whether you homeschool or send your child to conventional/private schools, each choice has it's benefits and....problems. That includes homeschooling. There, I said it!! Out loud!! Homeschooling, while a great choice and I LOVE IT, has it's problems, or potential problems.  It's time that moms and fellow homeschoolers discuss these issues OPENLY. I certainly don't feel judged but i'm sure there are many that do. We can't help each other with these issues if we don't discuss them.  My issue that I'm going to tackle today is "Screen Time". So many moms confide that they let their children play video games and watch tv but do so secretly. Why?? Why all the secrecy??  ...

Yay!!! You're pregnant!! Now the choices come and along with that , the mommy guilt.  Here's what I have to say to that...... Natural birth? Medication?? Home birth??? Wine ??  **Go with your gut!! Formula?? Breast feeding?? Chocolate?? **Go with  your gut!!! To vaccinate, or NOT to vaccinate??  **Go with your gut!! Cloth diapers?? Disposables?? Naked??  **Go with your gut!! When to start solids?? Extended nursing???  **Go with your gut!!!! (See where I'm going with this?? )  Oh the list goes on... it gets better.  Co-Sleeping?? Crib?? Floor??  **Go with your gut!!! Gentle parenting?? Positive Parenting?? Figure it out as you go??  **Go with your gut!!! When to Potty train?? 2? 3? 24??   **Go with your gut!!! Binki?? No Binki??  **Go with  your gut!! Organic?? Non-Organic?? Dirt??   **Go with your gut!!  Preschool?? No Preschool?? Co...

There are so many "Chore Cleaning" Systems out there...how does one choose?? While I love everything that has to do with organizing, chore charts and systems have really eluded me. My children clean with me. We homeschool, they're with me all the time. We usually are working side-by-side. So chore charts aren't really needed. I only have 2 of my 4 at home with me, so those elaborate systems aren't necessary. Chore charts where you check off the work doesn't fit for us. Simply telling my 5 y/o , "Go clean your bedroom" doesn't work. Many times they don't know where to start or they're not really capable of listing in their own minds what to do first, next, etc. The Zone cleaning looked good but a bit too complicated. While I love the idea of itemizing what they had to do in each room/zone, the flip chart was annoying and the the days of the week on each card wasn't necessary. Again, we work side-by-side. What was I looking f...

There are so many "Chore Cleaning" Systems out there...how does one choose?? While I love everything that has to do with organizing, chore charts and systems have really eluded me. My children clean with me. We homeschool, they're with me all the time. We usually are working side-by-side. So chore charts aren't really needed. I only have 2 of my 4 at home with me, so those elaborate systems aren't necessary. Chore charts where you check off the work doesn't fit for us. Simply telling my 5 y/o , "Go clean your bedroom" doesn't work. Many times they don't know where to start or they're not really capable of listing in their own minds what to do first, next, etc. The Zone cleaning looked good but a bit too complicated. While I love the idea of itemizing what they had to do in each room/zone, the flip chart was annoying and the the days of the week on each card wasn't necessary. Again, we work side-by-side. What was I looking f...

Here we are again, another school year. Every year I feel more and more blessed to be able to homeschool my children. I don't have an over abundance of patience, I'm not "Super mom", I'm not even close to perfect. Some how the Lord uses all of my imperfections and theirs to make up our imperfect , but lovable home.  I look forward to our mornings together. I look forward to when David pretends not to know something but really does. He loves to see the look of shock on my face when I realize that he knew it. I love when Sarah reads something and says, "Hey ma! Did you know that..."  All of it brings joy to me. Watching them learn something new, watching them play about what they're learning. Watching them becoming more and more independent, asking more questions. It all fits together so perfectly. Even with the spilled milk, markers all over, beads I slip on and toy cars in every crevice , I love it.  This year we're using ACE ,...

This post is either going to get a lot of "likes" or a lot of nasty comments. Please know that this is to inform people, not to bash people. I'm blunt, so what I say (Or type) can be taken wrong. I've been making dresses , clothing and cloth diapers for years. One question I get asked  is, "Why don't you sell the dresses you make?" Here's why...... I would have to charge upwards of $60.00 for each dress and most are not willing to spend that. Here are few reasons why our prices are higher than Walmart: 1. We don't get our fabric in bulk from companies in China. Instead many of us are paying close to full price for our fabrics. Some of us get them from Co-ops but still, those prices are slightly lower... SLIGHTLY. This applies to our supplies and other notions. We get them with coupons, and with sales. We're not getting our supplies for pennies like factories do. ** The benefit to these fabrics that we use is the quality. I have mad...

This post is either going to get a lot of "likes" or a lot of nasty comments. Please know that this is to inform people, not to bash people. I'm blunt, so what I say (Or type) can be taken wrong. I've been making dresses , clothing and cloth diapers for years. One question I get asked  is, "Why don't you sell the dresses you make?" Here's why...... I would have to charge upwards of $60.00 for each dress and most are not willing to spend that. Here are few reasons why our prices are higher than Walmart: 1. We don't get our fabric in bulk from companies in China. Instead many of us are paying close to full price for our fabrics. Some of us get them from Co-ops but still, those prices are slightly lower... SLIGHTLY. This applies to our supplies and other notions. We get them with coupons, and with sales. We're not getting our supplies for pennies like factories do. ** The benefit to these fabrics that we use is the quality. I have mad...

I know my title may upset many but there are times where homeschooling isn't a good choice. There...I said it. When I had my younger two children, there was no doubt that i'd be homeschooling. I had already homeschooled my older two through high school and I simply love doing it. My reasons for homeschooling my younger two is that I simply love being with them and teaching them. This however, is VERY different than the reasons I homeschooled my older two. With my older two, I was going to give the a better education, more God-centered. I was going instill in them the biblical and moral values I felt were important and more importantly , I was keeping the government from instilling their political and social morals to my children. This is what I would tell people....Now, here are some of the reasons in my heart. *I was going to be a perfect parent. *I was going to keep them from making the same mistakes I made *I was going to have perfect teens who never rebelled. I...

I know that many homeschoolers are told, "It's not school at home...it's homeschooling". For my children that doesn't work. They LOVE school at home and was made aware of that when my daughter fell in love with A.C.E, Accelerated Christian Education. I can't complain because she loves school, her reading has improved and her math is great. Not to mention it's one of the easiest curriculums to implement at home. When it's right...it's right!! The other day my daughter ( 2nd grade, 7 y/o) said to me, "Mom, You know those offices that Ace gets to use at his school? Can I have one?" I looked at my child and said, "uuummmmmm Yes!!!!"  "Hold on a minute".. My mind was racing with crafty goodness!!! I had a trifold science board down in the basement and my brain was whirling with ideas. *I know where my daughter gets her annoying love of crafting from. *  I cut the board in half. One for her and one for her brother. The...

Extreme Makeover: School Room Edition What a dramatic title eh??  I've been homeschooling since 1998 and i've NEVER had an official school room. I've never really felt the need for one. I feel that learning is something we do all over the house and so i've never allocated a space for it. I have had shelving for our books but never a whole room!!  With my youngest two children, we're using a different type of curriculum, so many days I would find myself with books, teachers manuals and my teacher binder sprawled all over the kitchen table. If the kids wanted a drink or a snack , I would shove all those over to one side and hope that no one spilled anything.  I had decided that when we paint, I would take the toy room and convert it to school room.  With our "Before" video, you can see that in our "After" video that the room is like what I had planned, as the room was forming, it was amazing to see my vision come to life. This i...