Here a pretty, there a pretty, everywhere a hair pretty

Our prettier 'Hair Pretty' display.

As I looked over at my daughter's American Girl doll I was surprised how much she really does look like my daughter. Right down to the very messy brown hair.

I picked up the doll and started brushing her hair. Time for an intervention, for the doll and for the girls.

This is one of the styles in the book,
a french braid with beads tucked in with bobby pins.

One of our issues is inspiration. I would love to fix the girl's hair in all sorts of cute ways, but my five-year-old either wants a big pony tail or just a head band.

So, I went on Amazon and found a great book all about fixing little girl's hair. It has lots of great pictures and easy to read instructions. This proved to be inspiration for both of us. She can look through the pictures and get ideas, and pick a hair style for the day.

Fortunately, they have styles for all hair lengths as well as varying time constraints.

Next I made a basket that contains all the tools and products I need to fix their hair. It includes a wide tooth comb, fine tooth comb, spray bottle, detangler spray, hair spray, & gell.   I also have a brush and bobby pins that match their hair color. The book gives suggestions about other tools that are handy. It has worked great to have everything in the basket. The basket saves time so I am not looking every where for items I need. It is also great for fixing hair on the go!

Our new guide to hair, and hair fixing basket.
A winning combination!

I decided to take a prettier approach to our hair pretty collection. I gathered several glass jars from around the house. The girls helped to sort and classify the hair pretties and then we lined them up on a shelf in the bathroom. It is now easy to grab just the right hair pretty and we are enjoying he decorative display!

This is my attempt at "Belle Hair"-- Not in the book.
Twisted sides, a bun and hair left down in the back.

Holiday Recipes

March is a big month in our house. One holiday after the other! We find that celebrating all the minor holidays is a great way to chase away those winter blahs!

We have Pi day on March 14th, (my husband the Math Major's particular favorite). Then a few days later is St. Patrick's Day followed by the First Day of Spring. We had a lot of fun celebrating as a family over the past couple of weeks.

As I planned for each of these holidays, I realized that I pretty much follow a recipe to keep them simple but sweet.

Here is my Holiday Recipe:

2 cups of ---prayer, dedicating the plans to God.

1 heaping cup full of--- reality

2 teaspoons of--- atmosphere

1/2 cup of--- crafts or baking

A bushel of--- theme related library books

1 cup--- free community event

A Dash of--- yearly traditions as needed

3/4 cup of--- digital camera

Sprinkled with--- light-hearted spontaneity 

Stir it together and every outcome is a surprise that is hopefully filled with joyful memories.
* Measurements are approximations

1. No matter what our plans, be it holiday or everyday, I find it is always a good policy to dedicate whatever we do to the Lord. It is good to invite Him to be part of the holiday from beginning to end.

2. A Dose of Reality. When making plans take into account all the factors that surround the holiday. Consider your children's ages, your schedule surrounding the day and how much time you will have to prepare during the week. Factor in financial cost, your energy level and the current state of your home.

One sure way to make a holiday not fun is to ignore any number of these factors and try to over do it. Children are easily thrilled and entertained. Enjoy that magic! Don't ruin it by pushing everyone in your house to the limit by trying to recreate Disney Land in the form of Valentine's Day.


3. Atmosphere is a wonderful element to include in your holiday. However, there is no need to try to decorate from floor to ceiling for every holiday. That takes a lot of money and work. Decorations can be as simple as a new center piece on the table.

Sometimes we decorate more than others. This year I decided to decorate just a little, and just for Easter. This was for multiple reasons. (1. I am pregnant and tired. 2. I didn't want to bother my husband to get them out of our shed because he is working full time and in school. 3. My house has been pretty messy lately and I didn't feel like decorating the mess.)

You know, I don't feel bad about not decorating and the girls could not care less. Every year I feel free to reassess what would work for that particular year.

I include our outfits in the category of holiday atmosphere. They had the best time wearing all green on St. Patrick's day, and switching to lighter spring colors on the first day of spring.

4. I try to plan either a craft or baking project that goes with the holiday theme. I rarely accomplish both, and having only one special mess to clean up is plenty.

5. For our home school we always have our weekly book basket that reflects the theme we are studying. Books are a big part of celebrating any holiday in our house. This is a great way to learn about the history of the holiday or discover new things about different cultures. Reading books leading up to the holiday really give the girls more ownership and enthusiasm when the day comes.

6. Why reinvent the wheel? There are so many free community events going on! Especially at your local library. Join in the fun!

7. Yearly traditions are great, but as I mentioned above, don't force them when it becomes unrealistic. Use them as guidelines for planning but be willing to let go of them, or pack them back up for the next year if it just isn't going to work.

8. Document with pictures. It makes the memory brighter for you and your kids. However, don't forget to enjoy the moment.

9. Be flexible, kind and joyful! Holidays big and small, religious and not so religious should always turn us back to God and bring us closer together as a family. If the 'fun' you are trying to force on your family is a nightmare...then what is the point? Use the holiday for the excuse that it is, an opportunity to do something fun with your family!

First Day of Spring!

Rather than lumping the Resurrection Celebration in with the bunny, chicks and eggs-- we separate them. This helps us to focus during Holy Week and really take time to learn all the important things about Easter. It also gives us an outlet for doing all those fun Spring Time festivities!

We had a great time Celebrating Spring this year!

 Our First Day Of Spring craft was decorating planters. We will be planting flowers and some veggies to watch grow.

 The community event we joined in with was "Read with a Daffodil Princess" at our local library. We went to this last year and it was such a fun event! The Daffodils are just popping up in our yard so they like to pick one for the princesses.

 We hunted for Spring Eggs, and invited my parents to join us in the fun. 

Since the girls have Gluten, Dairy and Egg allergies....our usual candy and cookie decorating needed to be reassessed. Since I am still working on a good sugar cookie recipe that they can enjoy cutting out and decorating, we just rolled (Gluten, Dairy & Egg free...) sugar cookies into balls and turned them into snicker doodles.

Also, finding things to go in the eggs were a challenge. Every kind of chocolate on the shelf had milk. There were a few bars of dark chocolate that were dairy free but they were not exactly ideal for putting into eggs. So we put some gummy candies, hair pretties and coins in the eggs this year.

We filled their Spring Baskets with non candy treats. They loved their play dough, pencils, socks, bubbles and notebooks! However, we did give them some peeps... this would explain the blue lips.

Other ways we celebrate spring is by packing up all their dark colored and winter clothes and getting out their brighter colored spring attire. This is also known as Fashion Week at our house, because Rose has to try everything on!

We also have been doing some Spring Cleaning!

St. Patrick's Day Celebration!

 One thing we like to do for any holiday, big or small is to wear holiday outfits. These shirts were brought back from Ireland by their Grandma and Grandpa. Perfect St. Pat's outfits!

 For each holiday I try to either do a craft or bake or cook something. This year we checked out this book from the library. It was full of great crafts. The majority of the items needed to complete the crafts were things we had around the house. This was a great exercise in following directions. My five-year-old had fun choosing the craft to make. I think we will get this book again next year.

I always try to have a special book basket to highlight each holiday. This was our favorite story from the book basket for St. Patrick's Day. It was a super cute story!

Lastly, we always like to look for a free event in the community to join in the celebration. This year the church I grew up going to was having a Celtic Music concert. The band that was playing is called 'The Irish Band.' They were so wonderful! The girls had the best time singing and dancing along!

Pi Day!

My Aunt Susan always told me that "Nerds make the best husbands." I took her advice and married a high quality nerd (takes one to know one). My Prince-Nerd-Charming is a certified Math Major and lover of all things Pi. I love this about him and as a devoted wife I want to find ways to show him that I love and appreciate him. Because Aunt Susan was right, he really is the best husband!

While up at Western Washington University I was made aware of the math holiday revered by Math Majors everywhere.... Pi Day... March 14th....as in 3.14.


The past several years Rory celebrated Pi day with the youth group. They had Pi games, a Pi art contest and of course lots of Pie to eat. They also talked about God's infinite love that extends far beyond what we can calculate or imagine. It's irrational.

Getting our picture taken with Albert, he too was a big fan of Pi.

This year we took Pi Day to the next level, and declared it a family holiday. Since Rory's Birthday is so close to Christmas this is a replacement celebration... And truthfully he would much rather celebrate Pi Day.

So here is what we did:
We made Shepherd's Pie for dinner.
We helped Daddy memorize to the 130th digit of Pi.
We got Daddy a Pewter Pi Lapel Pin. (A special present for daddy)
We also got a Math Adventure book- Sir Cumferance and the First Round Table (A book to share as a family. So Daddy could introduced the concept of Pi)
We traveled to Silverdale Library to participate in their Pi Day Celebration. Where we got to throw pies at a Picture of Albert Einstein, make a house of cards and have lots of fun!

 Next year we plan to make a pie and Pi digit Cookies with number cookie cutters.

Who's the Turkey Now?

The image behind the intimidation, supporting conspiracy.

Okay, so I am not really sure where this 'fear' of cooking birds has come from. I think it mostly stems from lack of experience and partially from the look of a raw bird waiting to be cooked. For whatever reason this intimidates me.
Apparently, I am not alone, because the 'How To' article I read stared out by dispelling the myth that cooking the Turkey takes culinary skill and talent. This myth buster was further confirmed during a group discussion at Bible Study around Thanksgiving time. The experienced Turkey cookers let out a little secret. They all cooked the Turkey and made the pies. The Turkey is the easy part, and they let their daughter's and daughter-in-laws toil with all the potato peeling and labor intensive side dishes.
So, it is a conspiracy...good to know!
Growing up my mom would cook a Turkey about twice a year, for the usual Christmas or special occasion. And truthfully, I can't really remember ever seeing the bird being put in the oven. We didn't really cook birds regularly, we just got those frozen Chicken Breasts from Costco and called that Chicken.
Now that I am on my own and our food budget staring me in the face, the only reasonable thing to do is to conquer my fear and cook the bird.
I started out small with a Orange Glazed Cornish Game Hens, they turned out delicious.
Then I worked my way up to chicken. Some in soup and a few roasted in the oven. (My first attempt was rather dry, but I improved on the second attempt).
Somehow I thought I was ready to move up to cooking a Turkey. Now, reason would dictate that with a small family and limited experience, that I would start with a small Turkey. But, no, that would make too much sense. We opted for a 20 pounder.

I love to cook and enjoy new recipes and challenges. But when a large frozen bird is staring me in the face it produces one reaction...procrastination.
Without fail, I always put off cooking the bird waiting in my freezer.

This particular Turkey had sat in my freezer longer than I could remember. So, I finally decided that it was time to cook the beast.
I let it thaw in the fridge while we went to my parents for the weekend. Then on Monday, came the day of reckoning.
I stared down that bird, read and re-read the directions on the package. Watched a 'How To' video and then read and reread the directions I found on line. Then I stared at the bird some more. In the midst of this procrastination I talked to my friend Leslie, her last words were..."Foil is your friend." Guess who was pretty much all out of foil? Not much foil to befriend my Turkey...would this be 20 pounds of foiled meat?

All the foil I had to cover my poor Turkey.

Well, time passed and kids distracted me and I still tried to get my game plan and muster up my gumption. I soon realized that I passed my window and had to make dinner for the evening, because there was no way this bird would be done in time for dinner.
It wasn't until after dinner was done and the kids were in bed that I started wrestling with the Turkey. Having just tucked in my 30 pound preschooler, my battle with washing the Turkey felt oddly reminiscent. I finally un-tucked the legs, figured out which end contained the secret compartment with the hidden pouch and the spot to stick the veggies. All the while questioning if I was doing it right.
When my 20 pound friend was finally tucked in, slathered with butter and herbs and deemed oven ready the clock read 9 pm. Hmmm....
At this point I had to dig through the trash to find out exactly how big this really heavy thing I could hardly lift was. Then I started counting the hours it would take to cook on my fingers. And the realization came to me. No matter what I did I was going to have to get up at 4am. Either to take it out of the oven or put it in so it would be done before the girl's ballet class. (Rory later pointed out that I could have just put it in at midnight and taken it out at 6. Where was that voice of reason when I was deliriously tired and trying to get this Turkey in the oven despite my big baby belly?)
Oddly enough I woke up at around 4 am on my own. Unfortunately for my husband I could not lift it out of the oven...again with the baby belly. So Rory got to get up at 4 am and help me... sorry honey!

Note the time in the back ground...The Turkey was finally cooked!

It wasn't until the next morning after we had rested and the Turkey had rested that we sliced in to discover exactly how dry this turkey was.
I am glad to report that it was not that dry. In fact it was pretty good. Not the moist masterpieces my mom and Aunt usually prepare...but good enough! It will be put to good use in Turkey Pot Pies, Enchiladas and all sorts of dinners to come.

Rose was excited to eat her Turkey on a Handle!

She thought it tasted great! One satisfied customer!

Re-Vamp...Sprucing up the place!

Well, you may notice a few changes around the blog this week. Thanks to my Brother-in-law, Phil, who graciously took some pictures of me this weekend. I have started the remodel project on the blog. Hope you like it so far. I still have to tweak a few things and work out a few kinks.

Here is one of the candid shots from our little photo shoot... Yes, this is Rose about to either bite or lick my hand. Oh, the precious moments in parenthood!

Through their eyes....

I remember vividly being introduced to Self Esteem in 2nd Grade. I had never heard of it before, but our elementary school was going on a full-force campaign. We were all thoroughly indoctrinated with the concept of self value and meeting goals.

Then came the process of growing up. The tug-of-war between the media sending daggers into a young girl's self-concept and the opposite encouragement to be good with who you are. During this time, a great deal of effort went into being someone who looks in the mirror and accepts you for you.

Then you have kids. You get a new body. You have tiny humans hanging off of your every limb and using your body for sustenance. Your body is not your own. You, despite best efforts, take on that wild haven't slept, I don't know what that stain is, sometimes surly look of motherhood. And you wonder, what do I look like to my child and husband?

At first the little babes see your smile, and they smile back. They love you for your milk and the comfort of your arms. Then they start walking and run circles around your legs, and hug your knee caps.

Then, they start talking and lovingly expostulate every thought and observation. It is a kind of poetry only toddlers and preschoolers can really create. You get to see the world through their eyes. And scarier... hear their observations of you.

"Wow Mom your feet are as big as a Step Sister's!"
Too many comments ending in "Your big giant bottom"
"Are those red things chicken pox?!" (No, just a bunch of zits.)
"You look like the beast." (I was getting dressed to go out and actually fixed my hair, was wearing makeup, ear rings and a nice scarf)

A smart mom knows that these little tidbits of truth should make you laugh, not cry. (I know hormones can produce irrational results, but please Mammas, this is a great time to learn to laugh... even if it is at how your child views you.) Although, laughing until you cry may just happen.

Then you savor all those sweet remarks all the more. Like, "Mommy you so pretty." This is twice as sweet when it is the echo of your husband. Who even after all those babies and even with all that really scary, curly hair...still sees you as beautiful. Then it is your job, Mamma, to believe him.

Homeschool Journal

This year I have had the privilege of homeschooling my daughters. One is in preschool and the other is in pre-kindergarten. It has been a lot of fun, and a learning experience for me as well as them!

Discovering their 5 senses.

We started the year by by buying curriculum through Sonlight. We purchased the Kindergarten Multi-Subject Package.  This package is designed for kids age 5 through 7. It came with an enormous amount of books and teaching curriculum. Truth be told I was completely overwhelmed!

Even though we had a 3 and 4 year-old we decided to get the Kindergarten curriculum so that we could use it for more than one year. We also felt that our oldest was ready for the reading, math and handwriting at the Kindergarten level.

It took me a really long time to sort through all the curriculum, and to get a feel for how the teacher's manual was organized. Then I had to pair down the subjects... a lot! This involved a lot of prayer and a lot of chocolate!

And like most journeys, the path we ended up taking was very different from what I thought it would be. But, we are happy, and it is going great!

Here is what we ended up with:
The Kindergarten Package came with:
Horizon's Math- K
Handwriting Without Tears 
The Sonlight Reading Curriculum with the Grade K Readers

We have been using only these three elements for our Pre-Kindergartner. As we suspected, they were just right for her. However, the rest of the curriculum was too advanced and had to be set aside for next year. We will definitely get more than one year out of our purchase.

Then came the surprise. We ended up borrowing the My Father's World Kindergarten Curriculum. We have loved this. We have used that curriculum for our Science, Bible, Letter and weekly theme. This has flowed nicely into our weekly themed book basket we started last year. This was also very easy to use with both girls and they can fully participate at each of their levels.

Rose, our Preschooler has her own set of age appropriate workbooks... more on that later.

Surviving Survival Mode-- Part Four-- Ask for help!

This post is part of a series. I have been talking about a cycle that my family and I have experienced when dealing with the ups and downs of chronic health conditions. We tend to rotate through times of 1. Prevention 2. Survival Mode and 3. Recovery. 

The past several posts have been all about Survival Mode. Survival Mode is the time when health is at it's worst and your family is trying to weather the storm.  

 Lastly, Survival Mode is the time to enlist help. You bring in friends, you bring in the grandparents, you call the Aunties. Call your friends from church, or neighbors. Anyone who is understanding of your situation, who is compassionate (as opposed to judging) and willing to give your family a few hours of their time. 

It is not easy to lay in bed and let someone take over your home for a bit. Things will be done differently than you would do them. You may not be able to find a single cooking utensil when you are ready to cook again. But, bottom line, you need help. Admit it, welcome it, have the humility to accept it.

It can be hard to let people in. I mean after all, your house looks like it has NEVER been cleaned. People understand the flu, but not necessarily chronic pain or asthma that leaves you barely able to move. It can feel humiliating to let others see just how messy your struggle to survive has become. But you have to do it any ways. 

If you can, hire people to clean your house. I know that for me a huge burden would be lifted off my shoulders if I could hire someone to come in and clean each week. Even in the better times pushing around a vacuum and cleaning the tub are jobs that zap energy. 

And never turn away free help and the loving compassion of friends. Friends who have eyes to see your struggle and the compassion to come alongside you and help. These friends are priceless. Be sure to appreciate them in whatever ways you can. You may never have the strength to return the favor in the same way, but pray that the Lord opens your eyes to bless them in ways that you can, and ways that they need.

Maybe you can't go over to their house and clean, but you can offer them a cup of tea and a listening ear. You can offer lots of prayer up for others while you are laying in bed. 

I know that for me, the times that have been the hardest for me to ask for help have had the most surprising endings. Friendships have been formed, long important talks have been had, laughter was shared and everyone involved was blessed. 


Here is a video that tells the story of my recovery from a spinal fusion. (Many of you may have seen it before, but given the topic, I thought I would share it again.)

Music for Lent- A perfect combination

I love pairing things. It is almost a hobby for me. I enjoy finding the perfect combination of sight, sound, and taste. Combining ingredients to make a recipe for a moment that just lets your senses experience a deep sigh.

A cup of tea with just the right pastry. Delightful! Then if I can combine that with a spot next to a window, a blanket on my lap and the perfect music to match my mood....Heavenly.

Each season produces new inspiration and just like we have Christmas music, I have fall, Lent and summer too. For me music is such a key ingredient. On one hand it sets a tone, on the other it reflects what I am feeling or trying to express.

This year I set out on a quest to find some music that reflected my feelings and mood in this season of Lent. I wanted music that was soul-full, focused on amazing grace and sacrifice that would draw my thoughts back to the Lord. I found Linsey Wallace.

Linsey Wallace has a smooth alto voice with rich character and artful twists. Musical artistry and worship blend smoothly together. She has a way of getting to the heart of the matter with Jesus. Her beautiful voice pulls you in and you can easily get lost in the music, yet the words bring you into meditation on Jesus and all that He has done. It is a wonderful listening experience that produces a response...worship.

And what do I have? A perfect combination for my senses. Music that captures the flavor of Lent, the beauty of the Cross, and the cries of my heart. All experienced by a sunlit window seat, a devotional in hand and cup of good tea.

Check out Linsey's two EP Albums (Swayed by Grace and One) on itunes and see what I mean.

Surviving Survival Mode-- Part Three

During Survival Mode it is time to 1. Keep things Simple 2. Keep Perspective and Stay Positive 3. Ask for help!!!

Survival Mode is a time when one or more person in your family is sick, or struggling with their health. This series of articles is from my experience as a mom who has been frequently sick. At least in my family, when the Mamma is sick everyone struggles. 


We noticed that our family seemed to be constantly moving through the cycle of:  1. Prevention 2. Survival Mode and 3. Recovery. 


Whenever I was struggling with my health either due to Benign Hypermobility Syndrome or recovering from frequent illnesses, injuries and surgeries...we named that time "Survival Mode."    


 Survival Mode is a prime time for people to feel frustrated or despairing. It isn't hard to start feeling isolated and hopeless, especially if you are stuck in bed or confined to the house. It can be hard for the care givers to keep shouldering the burden of caring for a sick person and taking on all those other mom duties. You may start question if you will ever get through this time. You wonder how long your family will be going through this and if you will enjoy a non-survival moment. 

When my family and I start to feel that way, we try to keep perspective and stay positive.

First of all, my husband and I found it extremely comforting when we remembered that God sees us. He not only sees us, He is with us and preserving us. He is ready with all the strength we need to get through any and all trials. He is a God who understands great pain and has compassion. Reading through the Psalms is such a healing balm.

We also benefited from an infusion. When you are home bound and in Survival Mode sometimes you need to bring in a little sunshine. A friend or family member that can come in a bring news of the outside world (preferably good news). Someone to brighten and encourage and induce some smiles. If you don't know anyone like this, may I suggest hiring a clown.

One vital but very difficult thing to do during Survival Mode is to open your eyes to blessings. Trials can blind you to the blessings all around you. Appreciate everything. The sun shinning through your window into your bedroom. The sweet voices your children have. The funny things they say. Laugh at how pathetic your dinner is, and thank the Lord for it anyways. Pull out photos of brighter times, and remember with fondness not bitterness the brighter days, and pray for those brighter days to come again. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness. It is easy to say, but very hard to do. However, if you can teach your children to do this with you, then you will equip then to weather trials they will face in life. 

I am not talking about mere positive thinking, or faking happiness. I am talking about a peaceful fountain that flows from your soul and springs from the Holy Spirit who works this miracle in your life. It is what happens when you allow the Holy Spirit to move and flow through you during times of trial.

Keep the Kids in the Loop!

Around our house there are a few visual reminders of our schedule that the girls can interact with.

The first is a good ol' fashioned chore chart. I found ours in the dollar section of Target. It is a great magnetic, dry erase chart. On it I have written a few chores AKA daily habits that the girls should be completing every day.

Our lists go something like this:
Brush your hair
Brush your teeth
Get dressed
Make your bed
Pick up your room
Put away your clothes.
Make sure there are no toys in the living room.
Help set the table.

*Other chores we could have put on are: Help sort the laundry. Help make the salad or veggies for dinner. 

The other visual reminder is our interactive schedule AKA Day Planner that I made.

This is a kid version of our daily schedule. It is broken down by hours of the day. For each hour there are three Velcro squares. I have laminated picture squares that represent activities we do during the day and the week. Either the night before or that morning we fill in the day with the activities we have planned. We stick the activity pictures into the time slots. It is essentially a photo day planner for kids.

How I did this Project.
1. A list of your families daily, weekly and monthly activities. You will also need a list of people you may visit or see.
2. Find a picture to coordinate with each activity or person. I used photos that I took as well as lots and lots of Microsoft Clipart.
3. Print out your activity squares. You also need to print out the hours of the day in a large font as well as your day planner title.

4. Glue the hours and the title to poster board.
5. Take the poster board and your pages of activity squares to be laminated. (I usually go to Office Depot)

6. Once everything has been laminated, apply the Velcro squares to the poster and the activity squares. (I made our school calendar and our Daily Planner at the same time. So, I made sure that all the squares that went on the poster and the calendar were the fuzzy side of the Velcro. This way the activity squares could be used on both the calendar and the day planner.)

 If there is an even coming up, I will put it on our home school calendar and then move it to our Day Planner the day of. 

7. Apply magnet strips or Command Strips to prepare to mount it to the wall or door.
8. Stick on the Activity Squares for the day and start using it!

A game plan for the day!

There is that age old question every Mamma likes to hear... "What do you do all day?"

Any woman, working outside the home, or staying home, needs to have a plan to get things done. For me, I know that there are basic things that need to happen each day. I find that the best way to ensure that things get done is to plan a time to accomplish them. I created this schedule to act as a guideline for me and my family. The more we stick to it each day, the better things seem to flow.

The trick to a family schedule is to make it structured enough to get things done. But open and flexible enough for it to work! 


For instance... the girls were playing so well this morning I didn't want to interrupt them. We didn't do home school until 1pm!

Here is a day in the life for us....

6:30 - Lights on for Mom and Dad! Wake up, drink a smoothie. Complete chores and Exercise. (This is the early morning ideal that rarely happens)--(See Good Morning Mamma)

7:30 - Start making breakfast. (This is closer to when we actually get up).

8:00 - Family Breakfast at the Table. ~ Do morning devotions, get dressed, make all beds.

8:40 - Dad leaves for work.

9:00 - Chores (for me), Girls get ready for the day and Independent play. (Or help Mamma with the chores)

10:00 - Home School Time!

10:30 - Snack and Craft Time (Or extended Home School)

11:30 - Clean up and independent play until lunch

Noon - Lunch

12:30- Clean up (Load and run the dishwasher)

1:00- Outside play time. (Or hands on Home school Activities or Egg-citing Activity)

2:00- Nap or quiet time. (Usually listening to books on tape in their bed, or doing their leap pad)

3:00- Snack Time & Computer Time (Independent play in the play room)

4:00- 10 minute Tidy- Then movie for the kids while I make dinner. (The girls help set the table and sometimes help with the salad and veggie portion of the meal.)

5:00- Daddy comes home (Although he tends to work evenings) - Welcome daddy, the girls are supposed to bring him slippers and a glass of water. They usually just attack him and freak out.

5:15- Family dinner at the table.

6:00- Clean up after dinner and then 10 minute Tidy

7:00- Start the girl's night time routine.

8:00- Girls in bed.

10:00- Lights out for Mom and Dad. (Mostly)

Surviving Survival Mode- Part Two!

This is another installment in the series-- Mamma Shouldn't Get Sick!


During Survival Mode it is time to 1. Keep things Simple 2. Keep Perspective and Stay Positive 4. Ask for help!!!

1. Keep Things Simple

When you are in Survival Mode your focus is on surviving the current crisis. You are not doing anything extra. This is not the time to keep up appearances. It is kind of like being grounded. Depending on the nature of the sickness or trial, you most likely will be spending most of your time at home or at a hospital. 

If any extra-curricular activities can be cut, do it. If home projects can be put off, put them off. Stick to the basics-- Food, Shelter, Clothing and Affection.

This can be especially hard when Survival Mode lasts months and even years. People with long term illnesses and their families may feel that they have moved to Survival-Ville. 

One of the dangers of living in Survival-Ville is that after the initial shock wears off you forget to keep things simple. You get tired of keeping things simple and let more responsibility and activities creep in... more than just a few! When you are in Survival Mode it doesn't take much to send you and your family over board. 


Survival Mode isn't where any of us what to live our lives. But, it is good to recognize when you are there. When Survival Mode becomes a lifestyle, keeping things simple has to go with it. Otherwise, you will add a roller coaster effect to an already not ideal setting.

What do I mean by roller coaster? I mean that if you don't keep things simple and do too many activities that take energy outside meeting your family's needs...you will experience a high of business that will make you feel a rush of adrenaline that will make you feel better for a short time. Then you will experience a crash. You take a nose dive back into Survival Mode. This wild ride isn't good for anyone.

Plan diversions. Get out and see people when you can. But--- Keep it simple! Once you have built up some strength and are starting to recover, don't squander it and send yourself backwards.

Keeping things simple may seem like a contradiction in terms, especially if just doing day to day things seems very over whelming. (More on this later)

But the point is, look at your life. What is most important. What NEEDS to happen to keep your family healthy (physically & spiritually) and feeling loved? Then do the hard task of cutting out the rest. Ask the Lord for help and discernment in this task.