The Home Schooling Husband-Sharing the Load

 

   Up until 5 days ago I didn't have a homeschooling husband. I had a husband who supported homeschooling. I have always dreamed of my husband sharing some of the duties schooling our children, but really never saw that actually happening... That is until I had a small voice speak to me one evening while lost in thought about how I was doing teaching my daughter math... Not my strongest subject by any means. Lets just say I know how to use a calculator well. ;) However, my husband is a living calculator.... Able to give answers to equations before you give him all the variables. I truly admire his mathematical abilities. :)

     Now... giving that I am not fluent in the mathematics and he is gave me the perfect opportunity to ask him if he would share the joys of homeschooling our children and teach them the math concepts they will need in life. His reaction surprised me... He was thrilled! He was happy that I asked him. The next day he told our homeschooler he would be teaching her math. She was very happy as she loves her daddy and she also loves math... Win-win for her! Any way, he has been busy looking at all sorts of curricula and I think he has picked Singapore.

      I have found this to be very humbling... I cant teach every, but God has given me the perfect help mate in everything, including schooling our children. Too many homeschooling mamas are at their limit and could use some help in just one subject or two. Dad's volunteer to help out! If your schooler has to wait until dad gets home from work... That is fine... Homeschool... remember? There is no M-F, 8AM-3PM... School happens all day, every day.

     So, homeschooling moms and dads... remember you are each others perfect helper... given to each other by God... And if you've been called to homeschool then God will see you and your helper through every tiny bit of it.

Have a homeschooling tip or question? Let us know!

Have a blessed day
-Tamra

Home Management on an Empty Tank

It has happened again... Another night has gone by and I have had enough sleep to question why I was even trying to sleep. Ever been there mamas? I am sure if 'Mama' has become your official title than you know what I am talking about. Well, I want to encourage you Mamas out there to give yourself permission to coast through the day on fumes and let some things go; to snuggle with your little ones a little longer today. Here are some tips that can help.

1. Get the crock pot out and dust if off. Use that person free cooking to your tired advantage. Pick recipes with just a few ingredients and little prep work.

2. Just do one small load of laundry and put it completely away... I'm telling you, it will make you feel accomplished!

3. As the day goes on sweep the kids' messes into one pile per room and only clean them up about an hour before dad gets home. We do this tired or not. It is a very efficient way to clean up the floor... When it is clean up time I get three baskets; one for laundry, one for toys, and one for trash. We go through each pile, collect the tings in each basket, and then put them away. It only takes me about 20 mins to clean up 2000spft. We do try to be a little neater when we may have guest over, but that is rare.

4. Limit school work to the easiest 2 or 3 subjects... Maybe the ones that are student lead workbooks and do not require any teacher prep.

5. If you have any phone calls to make do so after you've had a little nap or quiet time. That way you will be a little refreshed and hopefully able to communicate like someone who had more than a wink of sleep.

6. After the mess piles, phone calls, and laundry is put away go take a quick shower and get dressed. Yes I know you will spend most of the day in PJs... That is ok, really... Just try to be "dressed" when hubby gets home.

Mamas I hope you can see that despite being absolutely exhausted you were able to get a full days worth of stuff done on very little effort. Your home will be tidy and dinner will be done.

Commit yourself to going to bed a little bit earlier tonight. Well, maybe after you watch Star Trek with your hubby. ;)

Praying for rest today weary mamas.
-Tamra

Elderberry Illness prevention and Recipe

     An important part of home management is working to keep germs from spreading and illnesses down to a minimum. I'm not talking about general cleanliness, but instead being very intentional about good nutrition and supplements. 

     Today I want to talk to you about elderberry. It has been used for ages to treat colds, flu and other like illnesses. It is high is vitamins A, B, and C and other immune busting goodies like antioxidants, potassium, beta carotene, calcium, and phosphorus. 

    
     Made into a syrup and blended with honey, ginger, clove, and cinnamon you have one powerful illness fighting supplement! Honey and cinnamon are known for their antibacterial properties while clove and ginger for their anti-inflammatory properties making them great partners in this syrup. This syrup taste delicious and I have had no problems getting my kids to take it. 

      It is very easy to purchase elderberries from Amazon, vitacost, and other online bulk herb stores like, Mountain Rose Herbs. It is just as easy to make elderberry syrup yourself and I am going to tell you how! 

Things you will need:
2/3 cup elderberries
3.5 cups of water
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cloves; whole or powder
1 Tbsp ginger ( I tried 2 T with my last batch and it was too spicy for my kids); fresh or powder
1 cup raw honey

a medium sauce pan with lid
a fine strainer
a jar with lid to store syrup in

The steps:

1. Mix the berries, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and water in the pot. DO NOT ADD THE HONEY. That comes later.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until the liquid have reduced by half. 

3. Strain the liquid and discard the elderberries. 

4. Allow to syrup to cool to about room temp. It cannot be hot when doing the next step.

5. Add the honey to the cooled syrup... Too hot and all the goodies in the honey will be destroyed. 

6. Put your syrup into your storage container and place in the fridge. Keeps about 2 months.

Dosing instructions:

Adults take 1 Tbsp daily
Children take 1 tsp daily
Since this syrup is made with raw honey it is NOT for infants under the age of 1. 
If cold or flu does happen take the full dose every 2-3 hours until symptoms disappear. 

After trying it out myself last year and seeing how well it worked I didn't want to hog all the wonders it has to offer. I hope you benefit from it as well. :)

Prayers of health and wellness this cold and flu season
-Tamra

Delaying Solids and the Breastfed Baby: Pt 2

   
   In my last series post, Delaying Solids and the Breastfed Baby: Pt 1,  I gave you four reasons to delay solid foods.      Today I am going to give you 5 more reasons to delay solids.

 5: Delaying solids to reduce future childhood obesity?
It has been noted that early introductions of solid foods is associated with increased body fat and weight in childhood.

6: Delaying solids helps mom's milk supply.
Studies show that the introduction of solids completely replaces the nutrient complete milk in a baby's diet... Not adding to it. The more solids baby takes in means less milk baby gets from mom which means less milk mom has for baby which means disaster for her supply.

7: Delaying solids to space out babies?
Breastfeeding can be an effective birth control method as long as baby is EBF and getting all their nutrients and suckling needs from mom and only mom.

8: Delaying solids makes introductions easier?
I find this to be very true. Delaying means baby has lost the thrust reflex. Baby is much less likely to have allergic reactions. Babies have learned some abilities to feed themselves(pincher grasp). It also seems like baby has more interest in food, wanting to explore the sensations of taste and texture.

9: Delaying solids because I'm lazy.
...No... not really, but starting solids means more work...bleh... With just EBFing there isnt any prep involved, no equipment to need and etc. I sit, hold baby, and plop a nipple in her mouth :). Easy, Peasy, and Lazy ;P

Even though I fully support delaying solids, the introduction of solids can be very fun, not only for the infant, but for the care givers involved. Join me Saturday as we look into the introduction of solids starting with baby cereals... Perfect first food or toxic concoction?

Have a very blessed week.
-Tamra

Disney 2013 and Milestone

     The Griggers' family just took a trip to Disney! It was a blast... the first two days.... The third day everyone was tired and grumpy, but we made the most of it and had fun. We would do things differently next time. Maybe a post is in order on how to survive Disney with littles. ;). Speaking of littles, Baby Avalynn has hit so many milestones this month I am about to cry... She has mastered sitting, crawling, pulling up to knees( I know she can get to her feet), and a new tooth... All in a month... Well, Anyways here are some pictures and a video of our trip.

On our way in!

Aaron and Hayden in the Iron Man Armory 

Me and Avalynn-She was screaming here

It was way colder than we were expecting

Huntington Beach

Mater knew it was my birthday!

Best part of the trip!

Hayden was the last kid to fight Vader and he defeated him!

Ariel's Grotto

Ariel's Grotto

Ariel's Grotto

Ariel's Grotto

Ariel's Grotto

Over all it was a fun trip full of memories and laughter and that is all that matters!

The Garden

     I decided to take up container gardening this year in an attempt to provide my family with whole nutritious foods. And to teach my children where our foods come from... Something I think today's youths are missing... a sense of where things begin. I started several weeks ago outside, but the weather here in AZ(phoenix) is still very hot and they were not doing so well. Then we had monsoons that were drowning them, so I brought them inside and they were doing well until we went on a 5 day vacation.

     I had them covered with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in and it did it job, but in a couple cases they had too much water and I thought I lost those plants. Surprisingly though they are still alive... So far I have growing broccoli, tomatoes, basil, carrots, and a couple of my potatoes have started to grow roots.

     All of my plants are organic in an attempt to get rid of the harmful pesticides and GMOs, so that means pests to deal with...  I thought I had aphids in my garden, so I tried to kill them with the method of soap and water... but it killed most of the plants... Sigh... So I have started over and did some more research and discovered that I didnt have aphids at all, but a microscopic bug called Springtails. I also learned that a few drops of peppermint essential oil diluted in 4oz of water will kill aphids if I get them. That would be great if it works.

     Anyways, I think I will move my plants back outside this weekend because fall is finally setting in here in the desert and while it is still hot the sun isnt as brutal. Well, there you have it... This baby gardener will update you next Thursday as to what the garden is doing. If you are a gardener and have some tips for me or fellow readers please feel free to comment. I am always eager to learn all I can.

Until next time... God bless
-Tamra

Play/School Room

I have mostly finished it. I am so pleased. There are still bugs to work out in the school area, but we are getting there one day at a time. Right now the room smells strongly of essential oils (OnGuard)... Its such a lovely smell... Here are some photos! 

I am going to enjoy its current clean state... because it is rarely this tidy :)

It feels so nice in here!