Sharing Rambling, Resources and Recipes for Learning in Life

Sharing Rambling, Resources and Recipes for Learning in Life

Category: Parenting

EducationFaithParentingRamblings

School This Fall

By AudreaLeave a comment
First Day of School!

This is my absolute favorite first day of school picture!! Whitley was headed to First Grade, Brinley to Pre-K, and Adam to his second year in our hometown district. We were all at school (at least the same district) together! It was one of those perfect moments that you cherish and want to freeze in time. In a lot of ways I still wish it would have frozen. If it had frozen I wouldn’t be faced with all the churning emotions I am facing now! This day was the beginning of a dream come true for our family. Adam was finally a full time coach, I was working in Title I which was more aligned with my strengths in data analysis, remediation and coaching and both girls were blissfully headed to a new beginnings at the elementary school I went to and in the district both Adam and I graduated from!

However, nothing about that moment did freeze. The girls are older and facing new dimensions in their education that have me constantly working to stay ahead of them in knowing how best to teach them and help them grow. I am also constantly wondering and evaluating what kind of an education would best meet their needs and help magnify their strengths while strengthening their weaknesses. Adam has stepped away from coaching due to some differences in his faith and feelings and the direction some parts of the athletic department were going. I am now back in the classroom in the Middle School teaching remedial reading. All of these things, topped off with home and virtual schooling through the Corona Virus last spring and the uncertainties of what school will be like in the fall, have made our upcoming return a source of continued angst for me.

I loved the chance to be at home and be the girls’ teacher. There were certainly difficult days as they adjusted to my expectations and I adjusted to their needs. All that while working with my own students online. No matter how difficult the day was, I still loved the chance to be there with them. And they benefited from the chance to have that small group or individual instruction tailored to their needs. As always I want to take EVERY opportunity to recognize the AMAZING teachers my daughters have had and the TREMENDOUS heart and impact they have given and had on the girls. I will never be able to thank them for all that they have and continue to do for the girls. However, my momma’s heart tugs at me every time I think of another year of spending so little time with them and giving up the chance to help them individually and give them such specialized and strategic teaching as can only be afforded in such a low teacher/student ratio.

On top of those concerns, we have the uncertainty of what school will even look like in the fall. Will we all have to wear masks? Will the girls have school every day? Will I be teaching students in the classroom or on the computer or both. Our district is getting a new superintendent for the 2020-2021 school year. And, although, I am ecstatic about this addition to our district, she doesn’t start until July 1st and that means planning for the fall is going much slower than I would like it to. As of today I only have 6 weeks until I return to school for in-service, but I have no idea what school will look like for myself or my daughters when they return in 7 weeks.

In addition to this Adam is contemplating a return to coaching and has made some soft steps in that direction, while still pursuing some other out-of-education options. However, as with our plan for school in the fall, none of that is nailed down for him either. He was on the brink of a job offer the week our state closed down for Covid-19. That job offer still stands tentatively depending on the continued upswing of the company as we start to emerge from shut down.

All of this uncertainty and a longing to be a greater part of my daughters’ lives, education and faith have left me anxious and, quite honestly, full of dread for the upcoming start of school. BUT, God is sovereign, good and LOVE. He loves my daughters more than I do and He has a plan for our family even if we don’t know what it is or if it doesn’t seem to be one we want. So, day after day, I choose to praise Him and leave my cares at His feet. I have to do it day by day and honestly sometimes minute by minute. He is faithful, but my faith is wavering. Yet, I press on towards the upward call of Christ Jesus. I strive to remember all of this is fleeting and temporary and He will give me enough time in those fleeting moments with my babies. He will establish us in Him and that is an establishment that cannot be shaken or overcome.

These are the struggles I am facing today. What are you trusting God to be working out on your behalf? Please share so I can pray for you and your journey of faith!

EducationHealthParentingRamblings

Essential Minerals are Changing our Lives!

By AudreaLeave a comment

I have heard and read a lot about natural remedies and health options. I was raised taking “sugar pill” homeopathic medicine. They weren’t really sugar pills, they were natural medicine from God’s creation and they really worked. My husband was raised in a family of nurses who are fully trained in western and synthetic medications. I believe both of these things have an important place in our lives and health. I believe that we should always seek natural first, but be willing to consider manmade or synthetic when we need them!

Before, I say anything else. I want be clear about a few things. My husband is very good about wrangling my experimental nature in with the wisdom of the necessity of researching FIRST. I am not a medical expert of ANY kind. I am not recommending ANYTHING for you, I am just sharing what has made such a big difference for myself and my daughter. This information would hopefully empower you to have a conversation with your doctor or to do your own research for things that might help you improve your and your children’s well being!

Since, I love all things natural based, I have experimented a couple of times with making my own toothpaste. One of the ingredients in the recipe I use is Trace Mineral Drops. I ordered the brand recommended on the Weed ’em and Reap website that I got my toothpaste recipe from. So, we use Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops.

Since, I love learning and I love my daughters, they have been one of the things that have propelled me further and further into research on natural remedies for everything from cavities to sleep to focus to reading. Both our girls have had WAY more tooth decay (a.k.a. cavities) than I ever expected. I haven’t had a cavity yet and my husband has only had about 4. So, when our oldest had 7 at the age of 5 I started looking for natural ways to help and that led me to the toothpaste.

This same daughter also struggles with attention and focus and sleep. As, I have done more researching and reading I have read a lot about the importance of magnesium for a huge range of things in our bodies. Some of those are sleep and calm. As I read more and more about this mineral, I remembered the drops we had in the pantry for making toothpaste and I looked to see which minerals they included.

They include magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium and sulfate, lithium and boron. The highest percentage of all of these? You guessed right! Magnesium. Since, our oldest struggles with sleep she would/will often struggle with getting tired. Tiredness for her would be manifested in extra or hyper energy, crankiness and low to absolutely no emotional control. So, after a lot of discussion AND consulting with their pediatrician, we tried giving some of these drops to the girls. We just wanted to see if they would help with any of the attention or emotional control issues our oldest was having. We gave the drops to both girls just to keep things even, and they are essential minerals so it seemed like they’d benefit anyone.

This particular brand of drops tell you on the bottle that they have a strong flavor and they’re telling the truth! So, we started with mixing a pediatric dose into a lunch box sized cup of apple sauce. It worked perfectly as long as all of the applesauce got eaten. This usually wasn’t an issue unless we forgot about it until a full breakfast had been eaten. Also, occasionally the girls got tired of eating applesauce. What we have currently settled on after trying many things from mixing with honey to diluting in water is to fill a 2 ounce cup with juice (apple juice does not work, grape and a mango mix work the best for us) and adding the drops. We have also increased the amount of drops our oldest takes from the pediatric (ages 1-3) dose to just under 1/2 a dose (she takes between 12-15 drops a day). Everyone seems to be pleased with this method and they are still able to get it down if we forget until after breakfast.

These drops have had a BIG impact on our daughter’s well being. She is better able to regulate her emotions when she has them. These and lavender oil rubbed on her feet or behind her ears also help her sleep better at night. We also use epsom salts in her baths if she seems over tired or extra keyed up. We have tried other magnesium options like gummies, but they do not have the same effect for her. When we were doing the gummies instead of the drops she had a pretty major emotional episode with no real apparent reason. But, when she has the drops those episodes become decidedly less frequent. So, for our family these drops are the only way for us to give her the magnesium she seems to need to balance her emotions, will, and abilities.

Even though the drops were working well for our daughter, I still kept learning and reading as much as I possibly could on more things that would help her or just natural things we might need in order to support our bodies to do the things God calls us to do. One thing that kept coming up when I would read about magnesium was it’s ability to help mom’s with their energy levels, quality of sleep and emotional control (it is said to help alleviate anxiety and possibly depression). So, since it had helped our daughter so much and since I was struggling a LOT with anxiety this past school year (even before Covid-19 hit!!) I decided to try taking the drops myself. We are always trying to stay on a budget and I especially have trouble using extra things that I might not “need” that will end up costing us extra money. That is why I was hesitant to try the drops at first, I wanted them to last as long as possible for the girls. For that reason, the first time I started to take them I would only take half of a dose. And, honestly it seemed to intensify my emotions, so I stopped. Then I was struggling again and reading more and more about how this specific mineral was supposed to help. I also think it was during this time also that I read a post about something Adrienne at Whole New Mom had tried once that didn’t work, but she tried again because it was supposed to and it did. Those things combined together to push me to try the drops again and commit to taking them for a month. I took a full dose every morning and they REALLY started to make a difference. The best way that I can describe it was that it felt like I was lifting my head up out of a heavy fog that I had been living under. It started to feel like there was possibility in life again and I wasn’t sad and overwhelmed all the time.

Recently, we were running low on drops and I hadn’t ordered more yet. So, I stopped taking them to make sure we didn’t run out for the girls. Since our schedules have been rather scattered since March, it took longer than usual to order, and I went awhile without them. I also managed to hurt my shoulder somehow during this time. The pain from my shoulder was going through my back and growing despite my efforts to stretch it out. The essential oils I was putting on my shoulder would help at night, but by the end of the day I was in more and more pain. The new drops came in and I had a day where I just felt awful all day. I skipped my workout in the morning and just dragged, had no energy and more and more pain in my shoulder throughout the day. That night I took a double dose of the drops and went to bed early. My pain was greatly relieved the next day and I felt like my energy was really starting to come back. I have not missed a dose since then. I even got up out of bed one night when I realized I had forgotten to take any that day.

These drops and more specifically, in my OPINION, magnesium have really made a world of difference for our family. In helping both my daughter and I regulate our emotions much better and giving us better rest. I sleep so much heavier and feel like I get much higher quality sleep when I take these drops, especially if I take them at bedtime. I have not switched to taking them at night yet, but I am certainly contemplating it. I wanted to share this with you to give you something to discuss with your doctor or for you to research for yourself if you are struggling with sleep, calm, energy or anxiety. Please do not take my word in deciding to take these drops or anything like them, use wisdom and the professionals in your life to guide your journey! Also, I want to be completely transparent. I still get tired, today in particular has been pretty rough! In addition, our daughter is still her super energetic-anti-sleep-try anything and always has a better and different way of doing things-self. BUT, this mineral must really be as important as I’ve read and these drops have really helped both of us be able to regulate life better. What minerals have you found to be essential to your well being or that of your children? Where do you find reliable information on natural options to optimize health? Please share in the comments below to help us continue learning together!

FaithParentingRamblings

Mary, Martha and two baby girls

By Audrea2 Comments

If you are like me you have heard of the two sisters in the Bible named Mary and Martha. Martha is the hardworking, behind the scenes one who gets all flustered when a bunch of people come to dinner and she feels like she can’t keep up. Mary is the one whose focus remains on Jesus no matter what is going on around her. I’ve heard multiple sermons and lessons on these two ladies and the virtues of both. The trouble I have is that I relate mostly to Martha and wish mostly to be Mary. I’ve always aspired to be a Mary while most of the time remaining a Martha. I have family and friends that are more Maryish than I am and I look up to them.

Now, let me be very clear. I know that Mary minded people are hard workers and get a lot of things done. They are people I lookup to and aspire to become more like. This is because they keep their eyes and focus on Jesus and therefore become more like Him and reflect Him all the more brightly. I tend to be more of a Martha, though. Getting distracted by the things that need to be done and trying desperately to keep up, more often describes me, than someone able to block all that out find and maintain a quiet and attentive relationship with Jesus.

The thing I am starting to realize though, is that although I do have more Martha tendencies, I am able to have attributes of both of them at different times. I may aspire to be a Mary, but Jesus loved Martha just as much as He loved Mary. That means that there are valuable things to be learned from both of them. They were both cherished friends of Christ. They both had a special and deep friendship with Him. It is reassuring to me to know that even though I may get distracted and activity focused instead of Jesus and people focused, I can have a deep and growing friendship with Christ.

As I recognize that even if I am a Martha, I can have Mary moments, I recognize that the things that make us unique are what make us valued. We should not seek to become like someone else (except Jesus), we should seek to be the very best version of ourselves. God made no mistakes when he made us. Each of us is a cherished treasure to him and have things unique to ourselves, temperaments and personalities. We must work to keep our eyes on Him and aspire to become more like Him. In doing that, we will bring the best version of ourselves and the gifts He has given us to help the world and love Him more.

This recognition also helps me treasure and value my daughters. They are just about as opposite as possible. Even to the point that until very recently, when we would have Chili Dogs on Wednesdays at church, one would eat just chili and the other would eat just a hotdog. The girls are very different and have their own unique gifts and treasures to add to our family and all of their relationships. I must make time each day to recognize their gifts and strengths. I must help them to recognize their strengths and teach them how to use them to enrich and bless the lives of those around them. As I treasure them and their uniqueness, I pray that they will recognize their own talents and fall more deeply in love with the God who gave those gifts to them. I pray that if I treasure their gifts and uniqueness it will also teach them to treasure the unique gifts of all those they encounter.

As we recognize the gifted uniqueness God has put into ourselves, we can see that gift in others. If we struggle to see it in ourselves we will likely struggle to see it in others. But, if it is easier for you to recognize the unique giftedness of others than yourself, take heart! Because whether you start with the foundation of your own unique gifts or those of other people, you have to even out the equation so to speak. Just as a math equation has to be balanced on both sides, if God has placed blessed uniqueness in others it must be in you AND visa versa. This has to be true because God created all of us! The only thing that can distort this giftedness is lacking Christ. Once He enters our hearts He lights up the mosaic of the gifts He’s placed within us.

Have you trusted Him with your life and the gifts He’s given you? What unique gifts have you seen Him use either from yourself to others or from others to yourself?

ParentingRecipes

Smothered Pork Chops

By AudreaLeave a comment
Delicious, SUPER simple Smothered Pork Chops

This recipe is another of the surprises I concocted for NannaLee and the girls when we were over for our weekly visit. For those who may have missed the post about the Beef Alfredo Casserole from the week before, Nanna and I have started playing a “game” when the girls and I come to visit. Our “game’ is that Nanna chooses and thaws her choice of meat for our lunch and then I am left to find something to go with it in her fabulously stocked pantry. It has become one of the highlights of our week to go see her and I know it blesses her. When Papa passed away and she moved into her “retirement” house, it was the first time to live all by herself. The isolation of self quarantining after her recent missions trip to Peru really took a toll on her VERY social soul! In addition to this it is such a blessing for the girls to learn form her and to be treasured by her. Grand and Great Grand Parents are SUCH a gift for children and families.

The meat of her choice this week was pork chops. Her pork chops were VERY thick, close to two inches. So, since she had two of them and there were four of us and they were so thick I sliced each one in half. I decided to try a version of smothered pork chops, then added a box of quinoa and wild rice mix as a side and we rounded out the meal with a bagged Caesar Salad. This week Brinley helped with the quinoa and mixed up the salad for lunch. She really loves cooking and I was so impressed about three weeks ago when she basically made dinner herself at home and made an easy version of Parmesan Chicken. Everyone including myself gave these pork chops an A+ rating. I was concerned that it might be a little bland, but it was very flavorful in my opinion. So without further ado, here is the recipe.

Smothered Pork Chops:

4 Pork Chops

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can of mushrooms or mushroom pieces

Salt and Pepper (optional)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Smothered Pork Chops Directions:

  1. Put the oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat
  2. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops (optional to taste preference)
  3. Place the pork chops in the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, just long enough to sear the meat
  4. Turn off the burner and remove the skillet from heat
  5. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
  6. Spoon the can of mushroom soup onto the top of the chops (dividing it equally between all four chops)
  7. Pour the juice/water from the mushrooms over the whole skillet
  8. Pile mushrooms on top of the soup on top of each pork chop
  9. Salt and Pepper the whole skillet (optional to taste preference)
  10. Place the whole skillet into the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes based on the thickness of the pork chops
  11. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees and cook an additional 5-7 minutes until everything is bubbling around the edges
  12. I slice one of my chops through the middle to ensure doneness
  13. Serve immediately

I hope this recipe is useful and delicious for your family. I was pleasantly shocked at how yummy it was since it was SO simple and had so few ingredients! If you try it please like this post or leave a comment sharing how it goes for you! What are some of your favorite simple recipes?

ParentingRecipes

Beef Alfredo Casserole Recipe

By Audrea3 Comments

During this slower time, first from the pandemic and now from summer break, my girls and I have the wonderful chance to go over to our NannaLee’s once a week. My youngest daughter got to go to Nanna’s for “coffee” each morning when Grammie was watching her before she started school. We have all missed her having this opportunity. As a teacher I encounter students who do not have the luxury and blessing of close grandparents. I have also seen repeatedly through the use of volunteers (including my own grandmother), how much children benefit from time spent with grand and great-grandparents. They provide unconditional love, wisdom, a slower pace and a chance for children to be the center of attention and learn new boundaries, respect and wisdom! So, we are excited to be able to take advantage of this time together. Starting our second week, Nanna and I started playing a new “game”. It is that she picks and thaws the meat for lunch and then it is my job to complete the meal for our lunch using whatever I find and want to use out of her well stocked pantry. She has said that it is a real treat for her to have us over because she gets a “real” meal. Although it has been some years since Papa went to Heaven, Nanna still has not mastered cooking for one.

This is the recipe I came up with the first day we did this. She thawed about a pound and a half of ground beef and my youngest said she loves trying new noodles. So, I wanted to include noodles in my creation. I love this recipe because it is easy and because it received rave reviews from my daughters. It is even apparently world famous now, at least in the girls’ world! We were over at my brother’s house later in the week I made this recipe and he was visiting with my oldest about her day. She told him that she had Momma’s Famous Noodles for lunch (the girls had finished the leftovers that day). I’m always happy when a recipe is so well received and is full of good food for my family! Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Beef Alfredo Casserole Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef

1 can Sliced Mushrooms or Mushroom Pieces

1 jar Alfredo Sauce ( I used this brand)

1/2 box (about 2 1/2-3 cups dry) Radiatori Noodles (or any other similar pasta)

1/2 cup Raw Spinach

1/2 cup Raw Kale

Beef Alfredo Casserole Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. While that is cooking, start cooking the noodles in salted water according to package directions. Once the ground beef is close to being done, add drained mushrooms and sauté with the meat until the meat is completely cooked. This helps give some extra flavor to the mushrooms. Once the meat is done, drain the meat and mushrooms IF there is a lot of fat. Otherwise, just reduce heat to medium low, add salt and pepper to taste and stir in the jar of Alfredo sauce. Once the meat and sauce are combined turn off heat and stir in the roughly chopped spinach and kale. Adding the veggies after turning off the heat allows them enough heat to wilt and mix in without losing all of their integrity and flavor. After the noodles have finished cooking, use a slotted spoon to drain off the water as you scoop out the noodles into a casserole dish. If your skillet is large enough, you can just add the pasta to the meat sauce and stir to combine in the skillet to save on dishes. Once you have all of the noodles in the casserole dish add the meat sauce. Stir to combine and serve immediately with your choice of sides like garlic bread and salad, or artisan bread and green beans.

I hope you enjoy this hearty and flavorful meal as much as my family did. If you make it please share and tell me how it went. If you make any alterations you would recommend, please share them for myself and other readers to expand our recipe options!

EducationParentingRamblings

Advocacy, one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their children…

By Audrea7 Comments

I have been a teacher for the last 13 years. Before I became a teacher, I worked in child care at a preschool for 5 years. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in junior high school. I wanted to teach for the same reason that most teachers go into teaching, because I loved children. I have wanted to be a mother since I was 17 years old and teaching seemed the best fit for that dream since teaching is just about the closest a career can come to mothering. I became a mother almost 8 years ago and since then am learning how to navigate this special journey as a teacher/momma. One of the things that my first principal came to know me for was the advocacy that I would do for my students. If one of them needed something, I would go to whatever lengths I could to get that for them. I really thought that when I was teaching before I became a mother that I was sympathetic and understanding with parents. I would try to see their perspective and put myself in their shoes. But, it wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I even came close to understanding a parent’s perspective. As a teacher/momma, I probably still don’t fully understand or appreciate the perspective, needs and situation of parents who are not educators. But, I am certainly more empathetic as I traverse this education journey with my own daughters.

As I am writing some of my blog posts on the Science of Reading and the Pillars of Reading and as I focus more on growing my blog and the purpose behind it, I am finding a growing passion for helping parents understand that they are their child’s greatest advocate. I know as a mom that I often struggle when the girls are sick with knowing what to do or even how worried to be. That is one of the reason’s I appreciate the group and blog Med School for Moms. As you may be able to imagine, if you’ve read many of my posts, I have not purchased any of their classes or courses. But, I have downloaded several of their freebies and just really appreciate the no nonsense, natural based remedies they talk about. AND I love the fact that it is a doctor/mom who is giving the advice and recommendations. Their mission is to equip moms with the knowledge they need to give them the knowledge and strength to blend with their mother’s intuition to advocate for their child’s health. Reading their articles and downloads, living this life as a teacher/mom, having a child who struggles in and with school, helping my sister with some of her questions as she homeschools and my mom as she foster parents various boys has helped me clarify my passion. I want to give parents more knowledge and resources so that they feel capable, prepared and equipped to advocate for their child’s education.

Parenting is hard! You have this amazing, tiny person you are responsible for. They are an incredible gift and you want everything to be as close to perfect for them as possible! But, even from the very beginning you are struggling to understand what exactly their needs are. You wonder, what does that cry mean, should they still be sleeping, why won’t they sleep, are they too hot or too cold, are you holding them too much or not enough? Are they developing correctly, fast enough. When should I worry if they are not doing the same things as their peers. Are they delayed, slow, growing, independent, dependent? All of these thoughts and concerns swirl around in your head because you absolutely love and are wholly devoted to this little miracle that you are somehow supposed to know how to take care of. Then, as they grow, they develop their own ideas of what your care should look like and that brings a whole new set of concerns and difficulties. When my oldest daughter was a baby I heard someone say that parenting was like having your heart outside of your body walking around. I don’t know if I was just too busy trying to survive her infanthood, she was high maintenance and I went back to teaching when she was 4 months old, but I just didn’t feel that way. My mom watched both of my daughters when they were too small for school, but as soon as they were old enough to go to pre-k, they went to school. When my oldest went to school that saying resonated so deeply within me that it caused some pretty major pain. Then once she started to struggle with school, behaviorally from the moment she walked through the doors and academically from the middle to end of kindergarten, I was beside myself to make things better for her. Through this struggle to help her do well and fit the mold of school, I became acutely aware of how I had missed the mark as a teacher to understand and empathize with parents. This daughter fit the mold of “she gets away with it somewhere” perfectly to explain her behavior struggles. But the thing was, she didn’t. I mean, my husband and I are not perfect parents and I am sure that she gets away with things she shouldn’t. But, we are pretty conservative and some would say strict parents and there is no free-for-all in our house. She was just born very determined, very stubborn and very ingenuitive. She is VERY intelligent, but reading is a HUGE struggle for her. She has always gotten good grades, but her standardized and overall tests are always low. I became passionate about understanding reading because of her, I am compassionate to students and parents of those students who struggle with behavior because of her. At the same time, I am EXTREMELY protective of her. If her heart hurts, mine breaks. If she struggles, I am undone. My heart is literally walking around this world very determined that she knows exactly what to do and can handle it all on her own. And I am following behind, going before and trying to be around to make sure that she can. On the other hand, my second daughter is doing very well in school. Behavior expectations are easier for her to meet and she is EXTREMELY intelligent. But, she does not reach her full potential because it is very hard for teachers to find the time to extend learning for their top students. She also loves to please, so she will sit very sweetly and learn the second or the 10th or the 100th time what she already knows in order to please and help her teacher. So, it may not be evident to them that she needs something more.

These struggles have made me want to help other parents whose children need more or different things in their education. If the fact that I am a teacher can help them answer an academic question, give them the correct questions to ask when they know there is a problem, but don’t know how to ask for help, I want to do that. Parents do know their children the best, if they are involved, loving and focused on their children. I don’t know exactly why this is true since sadly, parents generally get to spend the least amount of time with their children. This happens because of things like school and sports and even things like children’s church and Sunday School. These are good and even great things, but they are equal SO MUCH time spent apart for families. I guess it’s still true that parents know their children best because they are never just one of anything to a parent. We see them at their worst and love them anyway. When we see them at their best we know that is what they’re meant to be! We talk to them and they trust us with their dreams and hurts; their triumphs and failures. Whatever this magic is, you as a parent know your child best. So, if you think something isn’t quite right at school, I want you to have all the tools you need to figure out what isn’t right and the resources you need to make it right (or as right as it can be).

It has been a hard thing for me, who is known in education as a strong, unwavering advocate, to figure out how to advocate for my own children as a teacher/momma. I know the teacher side of things, I know their limitations and the FACT that my child is just one of their students even though they love them SO MUCH! I know about the mandates from the district and the state that limit even the teacher’s ability to do what they think is best. And, because I know all of that, I am reluctant to add to their burden at all, even for my most cherished treasures. But, as my daughters need more than they are getting in school, I am learning to advocate for them. Because they have to be my first priority. I am working to choose to allow all that I know about the teacher’s point of view to cause me to advocate for my daughters with kindness and respect, but NOT to allow it to limit my advocacy for them. So, again, as with SO MANY things in this parenting journey, I am working for balance again. This time balancing what my daughters need with the help I can give them at home and the help they HAVE to get at school. And, I want to do all that I can to help you have the ability, knowledge and resources to do the same for your child. If you have any specific questions or topics that I could answer or cover to help you please share them with me!

HealthParentingRecipes

Homemade Larabars or Bites

By Audrea1 Comment

I have done a couple of Whole30’s. In doing those I have only tried a few Whole30 approved snacks. This is because, in case you haven’t noticed in some of my other posts, I don’t like to spend extra money on things. This is partly to be responsible with the money God has given us to steward and partly because my husband is most assuredly NOT a fan of Whole30 or many of the other “healthy” things I try. He was raised on white bread, Little Debbie snacks and margarine and he loves them! He is also a healthy weight and gets better numbers at his check ups than I do! He is also super frugal and doesn’t want to “waste” money that we don’t have or have to!!

Larabars were one of the Whole30 snacks that I did indulge in. On busy mornings, with getting all of us to school for the day, they were a lifesaver. They are a fairly expensive lifesaver when you are used to buying Little Debbie snacks or Sunbelt granola bars from the discount store in their hometown of Gentry, AR. One other drawback to Larabars for me was that most of them are made with walnuts and at the time I was reacting to walnuts. My mouth would get sore and then it progressed to the back of my throat itching and sometimes swelling a little. Because I had heard from my husband’s aunt who is a nurse that nut allergies can progress, I thought it would be in my best interest to steer clear of walnuts for a while.

So, I looked up homemade Larabar recipes to save myself money and the possibility of anaphylactic shock. The one I keep going back to is by Chocolate Covered Katie. I use this recipe as the base for all the versions of my homemade larabars, which I normally make into bites now. I started doing this because it is just easier to scoop them with my small cookie scoop instead of trying to press them into something and cut them up. I am hopeful that since one of my husband’s other aunts sells Pampered Chef that I may be able to score their Snack Bar Maker Set for Christmas! Then I might make them into bars again. You can click here for that original recipe. Below you can see how I use the main ingredients from her recipe as the base for my recipe(s).

Here is my base recipe:

1 cup nuts

1 1/3 cups dates

That’s it. From there the options are rather endless. I’ll include two versions that I have made below to give you some ideas.

Chocolate:

Add 3-4 tsp. cocoa powder

Yesterday, since I had dates left over after my chocolate one ones I also made Cinnamon Raisin.

Cinnamon Raisin:

Reduce dates to 1 cup and add 1/3 cup raisins (or use all 1 1/3 cup raisins, these are sweeter)

Add 1-3 tsp ground cinnamon

Add a generous sprinkle of ground cloves

Add about 1/4 tsp nutmeg

I also added 3 tsp of peanut butter to make them richer

Directions for all variations:

Place all ingredients in a food processor, various recipes I’ve looked at say you can use a high powered blender, but I’ve only used a food processor. Mix until it is a smooth and slightly clumpy mixture. Scoop the mixture out with a cookie scoop (round more with hands if you prefer) into a ziplock bag or airtight container. Store in the refrigerator. I have also pressed these into cupcake papers in cupcake tins to make a slightly larger serving size and cuter presentation. You could also stir in additional chocolate chips or chunks to the chocolate version and raisins to the cinnamon raisin version if you want to. This last time with the chocolate version, I added a few pieces of my paleo chocolate before I ran the food processor just to make them richer.

I really enjoy these as a healthy fruit based indulgence for myself. I also REALLY love that my girls feel like they’re getting candy and they’re eating fruits and nuts. I was SO thrilled that since I have not been reacting to walnuts lately and my mom has given us several bags of them lately that I was able to make these with walnuts instead of almonds this yesterday. They are so smooth and decadent!! Also, we are all getting a boost in Omega 3 fatty acids which are supposed to be helpful for children with ADHD symptoms. My oldest has no diagnosis, but focus and controlling impulses can be difficult tasks for her. Therefore we value any diet additions we can make that will help her strengthen her focusing and impulse control. We are currently focusing on adding magnesium through Concentrace Essential Mineral Drops and Omega 3’s through diet.

If you try either of these or your own variation, I’d love to hear about it!

EducationParentingRamblings

God’s Sovereignty IS Good!!

By Audrea2 Comments

This is TRUE! But it is also hard! Right now I want God to orchestrate our lives to allow my girls and I to be home next year. I’ve reminded God of all the altruistic reasons why this is such a good idea. I can help my sister who currently homeschools her daughter, my daughters will receive a more tailored education, my oldest who struggles with attention, focus, sleep and listening would have a more flexible schedule that would make things easier for her, my daughters would not be constantly exposed to all manner of evil, another teacher in our district is contemplating homeschooling her two boys who are the same age as my girls and we could work together. That’s a pretty impressive list isn’t it! Unfortunately, this impressive list doesn’t seem to be activating the hand of God.

So, I have to remind myself of the hard truth that I heard on a recent Family Life broadcast that God sometimes brings us hard things to give us good things. This has to be true! Look at the martyrs mentioned in Hebrews, Joseph, Job, Paul and so many others. So, I am left with these truths. God will either WOW me with the way He sets up my plan, He will AMAZE me with His better plan or He will be with me through His hard plan. No matter what, He is good and that means that I am too. Unfortunately our emotions and “hearts are deceitful above all things”. That means that I am struggling today. My heart is aching because I feel, based on the last eight years of experience, that God will go with Plan C and that is hard. But His hardships always bring good. I am pressing on in faith and working to embrace with gratitude alone THIS DAY! This day where I get to homeschool my daughters and still be paid since schools are closed. I still have to teach my students, but I am able to be home with my girls and work on tailoring their education and flexing their schedules.

God is good all the time and all the time He is good!

ParentingRamblings

So Many Thoughts….

By AudreaLeave a comment

This virus is the cause of blessings and curses. Well the virus itself probably isn’t. Mostly it is just a vehicle and our relationship with Jesus or lack thereof determines whether we experience blessings or curses. That is what God has always promised. If we serve Him He will bless us, if we disregard Him He will disregard us. We exist for His Glory and when we stray from the true purpose of existence we experience pain, confusion and even panic. I know all this and yet, though I love Him SO MUCH, I am seeing that I don’t really know him well enough because I don’t trust Him well enough!

My husband was days away from the seemingly perfect job offer that would at the very least offer the future chance to realize our dream of my being able to stay at home with my girls. Then the country shut down to “flatten the curve”! My sales in my Teacher’s Pay Teachers store, Basics Rethought, continue to increase, but not nearly so exponentially as I would need them to in order to replace my income as a teacher. And now I’m running a sale that I should be so excited about because it’s to help teachers as they struggle to plan for additional AMI days. But, I’m torn worrying about the loss of revenue as I offer a discount on all of my products. And I am so angry with myself for being so selfish! So, I find my faith lacking as I face a future that holds no apparent path to MY dreams. But that’s just the thing! My life’s not supposed to be about my dreams, but His GLORY! Therefore, I am in turmoil. I am doing my best to trust Him. I mean, is it really that hard!?! God will either provide “a way where there seems none” and I’ll be home with my girls or He’ll walk through one more year of teaching and parenting with me and “equip” me “as he calls” me! It’s not that hard, BUT it is!! My flesh and spirit are struggling! I am SO thankful for this chance to be paid to be home with my girls and teach them! I am struggling that I still have to teach others at the same time. And the stress of that combination is SO REAL for teachers throughout our country right now!! I am SO grateful that both my husband and my pay remains unchanged! We are truly blessed!! I still worry and stress over the apparent lack for next year’s plan! It is a war waged in heavenly spaces. I choose Jesus and I pray for the strength of faith to “prove” it!

EducationHealthParentingRamblings

Finding Peace in the Chaos

By Audrea2 Comments

This virus that is sweeping the world is certainly creating a LOT of chaos. The chaos is permeating every aspect of life from the news to Facebook news feeds, from the grocery store to the drug store, from home to church to work. However, within the chaos this virus is causing is an invitation to peace.

While schools, job sites and even stores are closing their doors, homes are too. The difference is the doors to our homes are closing us in. We are being invited to unplug from our busy lives and jobs and activities and spend “real” time with the ones we love the most. God gives us children to invest ourselves and our relationships with Him into. Sometimes that investment seems too much, especially when we are pulled to work, home, activities, homework, and SO MUCH more. Right now we have one of the rarest opportunities to draw closer to Him and them at the same time.

He is our only protection and guarantee in “these uncertain and unprecedented times”! We have been caught off guard, but He has NOT! He has shut down the world to reintroduce us to what family means and should be like. We are being forced to take the time to spend with one another, to invest in our children’s education to a level many never even thought about attempting. Your children are getting the best chance to learn in the next couple of weeks as they get to work with the “teacher” who knows them best in a one-on-one or small group setting! You may feel unequipped for this, but don’t worry, the curriculum has been provided for you and the love necessary is already in your heart.

So, instead of choosing the panic that is gripping so many, I am choosing ( and I pray you can too) to hold and breathe in and bask in the peace being given instead. I am choosing to relish these days with my daughters. I am breathing in their scent as I rock them, I am trying to step back when emotions run high and realize this is a gift, a rare jewel of “forced” family time. Peace is ours for the taking as we are being commanded by the world to follow God’s command to take a Sabbath. We have ignored His command so often that He has shut down the world just to give us the rest and relationships we need. I choose His plan and His peace!