tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6489637378230733822024-03-15T20:09:27.657-05:00Stay At Home Wife and MomA blog about me... Stay at home wife, mom, homeschool mom, learning cook, learning to sew and just trying to keep up with life.
Disclosure: This blog now contains ads that helps me support my family, please let me know if you see anything offensive. Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-90266112331159991222024-02-20T11:13:00.006-06:002024-02-20T11:13:58.860-06:00Making Progress on Summer Projects Already!<p> Well know, it's not even March and I'm making progress on my summer list. </p><p><br /></p><p>I've been working under the sink today. My arthritis says I'm done.. My time says I'll probably be done til the weekend... But I got it cleaned up under the sink, the first step to replacing the faucet. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZO6q8XPjoVLQNL84ygNvJQxKf1SLUhKKHlyOwarzOe4VY4BQV0x7jaqrpFXsa4lTkda7UPmIa1Lz0cYtG3SPt4q-MdL2MPa8iuiYH2ezdnG10mVA6MkLQZWnSzAcYMlz_tCkeZfii9_R__N_7UmDF0x4A5yPqXAIz8nD_YCTeS4PjvK64WkPpbpqu6Gs/s2048/IMG_0937.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZO6q8XPjoVLQNL84ygNvJQxKf1SLUhKKHlyOwarzOe4VY4BQV0x7jaqrpFXsa4lTkda7UPmIa1Lz0cYtG3SPt4q-MdL2MPa8iuiYH2ezdnG10mVA6MkLQZWnSzAcYMlz_tCkeZfii9_R__N_7UmDF0x4A5yPqXAIz8nD_YCTeS4PjvK64WkPpbpqu6Gs/s320/IMG_0937.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This side of the underboard has some water damage- doing this properly and replacing the cabinet bottom are above my pay grade.. So exploring options on patching and working with what we have to prevent further damage. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ0ldUiH7KDwkqIB28NgC7U3IAc__NaIYg0y5TNd-kQk3GctC2VrL3KHxT2Ty9Khl30uWeAiYLHDHEiQDbFKZ1Qy8g_qDGwbO7T8WlszBfOp79vSmLKjIzi8zG8dB8lr5hudg3Xm-Efp3RZk7FRSG35GmrVE9F4UcHWTOGmfs7GauQVcGoOfOUY4nOfQ/s2048/IMG_0938.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQ0ldUiH7KDwkqIB28NgC7U3IAc__NaIYg0y5TNd-kQk3GctC2VrL3KHxT2Ty9Khl30uWeAiYLHDHEiQDbFKZ1Qy8g_qDGwbO7T8WlszBfOp79vSmLKjIzi8zG8dB8lr5hudg3Xm-Efp3RZk7FRSG35GmrVE9F4UcHWTOGmfs7GauQVcGoOfOUY4nOfQ/s320/IMG_0938.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh let me count the pipes..... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One capped off, one hot water, one cold water. Tap into the old dishwasher (the silver), drain for the dishwasher, main drain, Culligan tap... and the broken sprayer (cause of aforementioned water problems. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP_9xmtKyvG0kddNRBrjjbL1I87p1galsnYiTLxhQXyFaofxN_MnA12d5QTZrJHT8sEvRoEzLIo9pYx07wgcqlyaJj58x8gc3PSr526uhww1m-knlIz833QjRSf58jnFDnXg67WIb4o82nLhlSJkXo3JfaESyWfhCd2jQqjeJcW_vKomvgzqOl01PEEA/s2048/IMG_0939.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP_9xmtKyvG0kddNRBrjjbL1I87p1galsnYiTLxhQXyFaofxN_MnA12d5QTZrJHT8sEvRoEzLIo9pYx07wgcqlyaJj58x8gc3PSr526uhww1m-knlIz833QjRSf58jnFDnXg67WIb4o82nLhlSJkXo3JfaESyWfhCd2jQqjeJcW_vKomvgzqOl01PEEA/s320/IMG_0939.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My curious cold water line...... Any ideas of the aluminum duct taped on? My dad says the white is a air tap. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know nothing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But I do know process is being made-and that's encouraging. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Tabitha </div><br /><p><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-61743929137326287632024-01-30T08:29:00.005-06:002024-01-30T08:29:35.100-06:00Making Summer Plans<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Well, here I go feeling over enthusiastic again. Making plans to fix things, attempting to plan a garden-at least I don't have a tree in the way again! </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So I'm keeping it small. My two oldest love to help with the garden, so I can pretty much put them in charge of that and we'll be set. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I want to redo one of the rock gardens in the front... So pulling out as much vegetation as possible, probably replacing (that's a BIG probably) and making the faucet able to be winterized<i>. </i>Grading the dirt away from the house.<i> </i>Taking the tiller to it, laying down something to help block the weeds and putting the rocks back over that. There are some lilies and tulips I would love to save and replant, but I'm also not against just tearing everything out and rebuying the bulbs for those two plants.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Now, as much as I would LOVE to do more than one garden, I'm not planning on it. There's still general yard maintenance that takes a lot of time so I'm taking things slow. The vegetable garden is a must to help with the grocery bill and the kids will love to be in charge of that. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My other big project I'm enlisted my parent's help, which will probably be more of a "sit and tell us how to do it" kind of help. Which is just fine with me. I learn better if I have to physically do, and so does hubby. This project doesn't have to wait for summer, but it does have to wait for funds.. Most of the rock garden redo just take the ground the thaw and time, we have almost all of the supplies needed.</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdUgCRj5kE0RfmL2dcvKnw9J4pU22lnj9EKF0QfsATp0vbX4mcMgLpmrGeE6JJuJiLAQ6Q6FCmC5XEBKTQ8u1fdXVUeaEgHKlVbwBmIbEhcGSAM001ji-gSmsmMu2nwV9GAr2TjK4A-KqQxd9m0AE8qeuZzsg-iMyy48OWyF5IpVB-lncOF89wyaAD0s/s2048/IMG_0867.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdUgCRj5kE0RfmL2dcvKnw9J4pU22lnj9EKF0QfsATp0vbX4mcMgLpmrGeE6JJuJiLAQ6Q6FCmC5XEBKTQ8u1fdXVUeaEgHKlVbwBmIbEhcGSAM001ji-gSmsmMu2nwV9GAr2TjK4A-KqQxd9m0AE8qeuZzsg-iMyy48OWyF5IpVB-lncOF89wyaAD0s/s320/IMG_0867.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">My poor kitchen needs help. The whole kitchen really does need help, but we can only focus on a bit at a time, so focusing on the worst first-the faucet is leaking and the dishwasher needs to go for storage. We're saving up for a new faucet. Under the cabinet needs replaced, the bottom of the cabinet is not fit to use. The dishwasher is finally coming out, it's been broken for 9 years. As much as I would love to replace the dishwasher, we simply do not have the money so shelving of some sort is going in for storage. I'll try to work on getting the green stick on tile up without ruining the linoleum underneath, that's a project I started 6 years ago and am still working on, though every time the floor is mopped (so....daily) a little bit comes up by itself. Everything from the corner on the left to the set of drawers on the right needs worked on. I would love to do more, but we cannot right now. So I will be satisfied with what we can do. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">As far as the healthy changes we've been making. Dennis is losing weight and feeling better. I'm not losing, but I am starting to feel better until I eat excess sugar.... Then I feel horrible-go figure. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm also saving up for a bucket or two of paint to start painting walls so they are white again. It's a plan anyway. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">~Tabitha </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-79943914618211854932023-12-20T07:29:00.004-06:002023-12-20T07:29:39.567-06:00Attempting to Be Healthier With a Carnivorish Diet<p> My husband started carnivore in September. He is trying to lose weight. He is doing incredibly well. The cost and learning to cook things a new way is daunting. I suppose you could say he is also doing it with intermittent fasting, he skips a meal a day, although we do keep cheese, cooked bacon and boiled eggs around just in case he feels like he needs a snack, then he has something healthy. </p><p>I tried full carnivore for a week.... I know it was sugar withdrawal, but I couldn't stand myself, so I started eating sugar and carbs again... End of November, I had two teeth pulled... well, mostly just the roots-my teeth are in horrible shape... One of the roots was clear down in jaw bone still..... It's still healing, but almost there. I was put on a full liquid diet for a week (no straws, mind you)... I automatically started fruit smoothie bowls with protein powder, only to send my blood sugar for a loop... Because I had been cutting back sugars for a few months, so to go from less sugar to nothing but sugar, even though it was healthy sugar (fruit) my system didn't know what to do with me. </p><p>So as soon as I could stand chewing again, I started cooking steaks and eating that.. I've slowly been working back in crumby and more foods as the hole in my mouth heals. We're getting there. But being put on a diet to avoid crumby foods for an entire month has helped me cut way back on the sugar and carbs. </p><p>It's hard to go on a way of eating where the two rules are eat meat and only eat when you're hungry when, by all accounts, I probably would have been diagnosed with an eating at least one point in my life... Honestly, I can go a day without eating some days... So I force myself to eat at least two meals some days. </p><p>Some days it's as simple as sausage patties with cheese on top... other days I actually eat better meals, steak, hamburgers, cheeseburgers... Stuff like that. I hate eggs.... Not a huge fan of yogurt... Previously my breakfasts have been toast with cream cheese and jelly, or cream cheese and chocolate chips. but I couldn't eat bread for 2 weeks nor could I eat yogurt for those two weeks because I was on two antibiotics. </p><p>When I'm home, I can go make a hamburger or cheeseburger real quick.. Sometimes I put sauce on top (A1 or Arby's is a favorite right now). </p><p>Your probably wondering how we afford that much steak.... I buy roasts, prime rib, chuck... A 8 pound roast is around $10 a pound and gives 8-9 steaks (there's tutorials on YouTube). When I buy ground, I make a lot of patties all at once so it's easy to just grab a patty or two. Costco prices are some of the best per pound around here. </p><p>Personally, one of my biggest trials since the baby was born last year was my weight... it never went down. My wedding ring stopped fitting... I finally got it off a few months ago and am now trying to heal my finger-it was pretty tight and the pattern of the underside of my ring in on my finger even after 4 months of not wearing it. I would absolutely LOVE to be able to put that ring back on... but in all reality, I'm HEALTHIER now. I feel better now. I don't have near the amount of low blood sugar, low blood pressure episodes I used to have. I have energy. I'm just fine with being at this weight. For now, I'll wear a cheap silicone band that I had previously bought to wear during pregnancy (NOT PREGNANT). </p><p>The BMI charts put me at obese....But I'm not listening to them... Because if I feel healthier. I would absolutely LOVE to heal, or even approve my arthritis and carpal tunnel... There's so many reports of people on carnivore being able to heal those. But I don't know if that will ever happen... it's certainly not improving, but then, I'm not full on carnivore either. </p><p>I know I'm a emotional eater.... And there's still some part of me that wants to splurge "on the kids" and get them those sweet treats... But the amount of sweets and treats I'm keeping in the house are getting a little less... I'm working on balancing for more salty. I don't feel right giving up fruit.. Vegetables, I could honestly take them or leave them... A salad is nice here and there-but my salads are more toppings than actual salad-always have been. I'm not giving up cinnamon rolls-not gonna happen. But I make a batch every few weeks, when they are gone, they are gone.. And with 7 kids, believe me, one batch MIGHT make it a full two days. For the most part, I don't crave chocolate or bready foods much anymore. </p><p>I'm also working out three-four times a week-past what I get with housework. I want to keep my heart and lungs healthy. </p><p><br /></p><p>Even with all of these changes, I'm still hovering around 140 lbs. I'm 5 ft. But I feel good... and quite frankly, our bodies are supposed to change. I don't want to be back to the 100 lbs I was in high school. Honestly, my only thing I want to change in my weight is to be able to get my wedding ring back on... but I'm not entirely sure it's my weight causing the issue, I think it's arthritis swelling my knuckles-and that's probably not ever going away. </p><p>I want to be able to go outside and work on the yard with the kids for more than a few hours because I have to stop from exhaustion. I want to be able to go on a mile or two walk and not be winded at the end. I could care less about my weight, I don't care about "the baby weight" or the "mom belly", I just want to be healthy-for my husband and my kids. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha </p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-25948190575249505372023-10-10T13:32:00.010-05:002023-10-10T13:32:54.925-05:00Starting Again<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm sitting here attempting to meal plan and write a grocery shopping list. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Failing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I know I need to do this, not just for my sanity, but for the budget. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But I can't. I can't even eke out 3 days of meals. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's so overwhelming trying to figure all of this out. This is the 5th time I've attempted since school started and I can't get it done. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What is going on in my mind? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm also binging Jordan Page YouTube shows. Reminding myself how to do things....</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the best way to help and to save us money but I can't make myself do it and I don't understand why. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a feeling this is all related to the post-partum anxiety I was dealing with last year... But that doesn't mean I know how to combat it. I mean, I can't exactly go to the doctor and say "hey, I think I'm dealing with anxiety"..... They threatened to take my kids away over a slight risk of my baby having markers for possible jaundice (she didn't have any high amounts, nowhere near it even the lab techs couldn't figure out why we were there), but they threatened because I wanted to take her home and get her in sunshine. If I tell the doctor I'm having anxiety attacks, what would they actually do? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I know my only hope is The Great Physician (God). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I need to stop trying and give it up to God. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I learned something this morning while reading in Joshua 1. The original meaning of 'courage'. Today, we think of it as having bravery and valor... it's original meaning was more the state of the mind. God kept telling Joshua to "be strong and of good courage". He was reminding and reinforcing to Joshua that not only did he need the physical strength to lead the people into the land now known as Israel, but to keep a good attitude, demeanor and treat people in a way to show them he was God's man. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I keep finding things in the Bible I would love to put on the wall and make posters or something out of... the problem is, I only have so much wall space. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sorry, this was a little scattergoried this week.... I don't know if my brain being everywhere is a result of unseen anxiety, or a result of trying to cut back sugar and carbs (as I stare down a homemade chocolate chip cookie)...... but it's getting on my nerves. :/ </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">~Tabitha </span></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-81014809754681860522023-09-19T10:00:00.000-05:002023-09-19T10:00:48.489-05:00Change of Diet<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> My husband has been on a weight loss journey for about 6 years.. He's trying to lose the weight through lifestyle change, not something fast.. He did slip up in the middle of it and give up. But he's trying again and doing awesome. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">He has stalled for the past 8 months, but hasn't gone over 440. Which is awesome (he started at 520). Now, he is ready to try hard again. So here we go. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">He has decided to try the carnivore diet-it is what it sounds from everything I can gather. Just meat, very little to no anything else. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Quite frankly, I'm a little intimidated. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We're trying to keep grocery costs down as much as we can, and now to add in more high cost items such as meat, I'm a little intimated. However, from everything we've been reading and hearing about it, Once his body gets used to eating the meat, he won't need to eat as often. One to two times a day instead of 3 and feeling like he needs snacks in the middle. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, I'm going to take what I know about grocery sales and do my best. We're told the first few weeks the "worst" because he's used to eating so often, so he'll go through more the first weeks while his body adjusts. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This week so to start him off for lunches while he's at work, I've made chislic, boiled eggs, bacon and drumsticks with garlic and onion. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We have no idea how much he's going to eat, so we'll see if I'll have to make more midweek or not. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">~Tabitha </span></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-32602330100309707762023-08-23T14:49:00.002-05:002023-08-23T14:49:34.785-05:00Feeling Accomplished<p> Well I did it. After living here for 13 years I FINALLY have 99% of my books on shelves. The rest are teacher manuals and answer keys that keep put away until needed. </p><p><br /></p><p>I mean, I'm feeling pretty accomplished. I even have extra shelf space-that will remain as extra shelf space... Because who has money for more books? Not us. But that's ok, we literally have 100s. And i'm thankful for every single one. </p><p><br /></p><p>You see, I'm careful with the books we allow and keep. I want to be intentional. I want my kids to have shelves full of books they can peruse and read without question as to whether or not they are appropriate. While we do have 2 shelves of books (mostly computer tech books, but there a few biographies and science fiction books that we do censor to protect young minds).</p><p><br /></p><p>While I still have lists of books we want, we are going to be more careful and intentional about what is added to our "little" library. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQbBJwXkY3T7nPBLrMG__TBYIjr3VNa1mFZKs9b_rOUyFsrBikL_e3MbsZoOqdF_f4BOuGbtOj-hz4mLdN3cmU-Fs0Q4J-HKgi04gx9wvgQMPfTRaCb3jT8oSPT6P4GOFMOfuPK79tz65Jk9y8axYAhv7_uQEcB2JsKJOeQTOZmrcrzWpp_abYz8eoqM/s2048/IMG_0359.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQbBJwXkY3T7nPBLrMG__TBYIjr3VNa1mFZKs9b_rOUyFsrBikL_e3MbsZoOqdF_f4BOuGbtOj-hz4mLdN3cmU-Fs0Q4J-HKgi04gx9wvgQMPfTRaCb3jT8oSPT6P4GOFMOfuPK79tz65Jk9y8axYAhv7_uQEcB2JsKJOeQTOZmrcrzWpp_abYz8eoqM/s320/IMG_0359.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are still some shelves that need sorted and I would love to create our own Dewey Decimal system, but for right now, most things are sorted out and at least in like genres. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Obviously the top of the shelves need some TLC-but we'll get that taken care of eventually-most of the mess is various flash cards that just need a stackable home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometime down the road we'll paint them all to be the same color... But at least until that white shelf breaks (the only "cheap Walmart shelf", the rest are homemade), we're good. That one will definitely get replaced when it does break though. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My husband half-jokingly calls me Belle, for my mini library... But I am thankful for these books we have received from friends, from grandparents who are willing to buy books for presents for the kids and for the ability to print classics off and bind them ourselves that helped to make up our dream library. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also able to get back into reading more... Which is good because I have a stack of books waiting to be approved for young mind consumption.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~Tabitha</div><br /> <p></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-55007116054364286462023-08-16T12:20:00.002-05:002023-08-16T12:20:12.353-05:00Catching Up On The Crazy of Life<p> We've spent all summer cleaning up the yard from last year's storm damage and the general maintenance that comes with having a ton of trees. I'm thankful for trees, I'm thankful for the shade they provide. But right now, I'm sick and tired of trees. </p><p><br /></p><p>Now we're actually getting onto cleaning out the garage. </p><p><br /></p><p>I had great plans this summer.. Building shelves, building things to be able to USE my kitchen cupboards. Well. None of that happened. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just now getting to a corner bookshelf. Every time I think I have it done, something else needs adjusted to make it sturdy. :/ I did finally get up the courage to use the circle saw. Now I feel a little sheepish for not using it earlier. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rRgtqv7hbdQIOcVrnGlHioWPIUO4MNTFkqVwQY0zGcpUuAPhMt9-b5La6rsSnBcdaDtqwfXwVHmYnOLblB-q4Q8HB1sD3W6A6XXLvRhSIs0WjrXxWEgn96WFQVvaAX-gAK_XCQfFLeQ0Pu1lzoIFaoY37F31g76_BjBlXoZSKtP5Ly6sRd1REstE2f0/s2048/IMG_0342.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rRgtqv7hbdQIOcVrnGlHioWPIUO4MNTFkqVwQY0zGcpUuAPhMt9-b5La6rsSnBcdaDtqwfXwVHmYnOLblB-q4Q8HB1sD3W6A6XXLvRhSIs0WjrXxWEgn96WFQVvaAX-gAK_XCQfFLeQ0Pu1lzoIFaoY37F31g76_BjBlXoZSKtP5Ly6sRd1REstE2f0/s320/IMG_0342.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My shelves definitely need some reinforcement...But I personally think it doesn't look TOOOO bad. I'm debating if I need to budget money for paint... Because I used my boards to write measurements so I wouldn't loose them lol. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've also been re-binding books. Our poor books are so loved they are literally falling apart. So I went on YouTube and learned. Here's a hymnal I've done recently-needed resewn and rebound. that was quite the experience. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUUpuDZ-zp_7jOPm1w1qhYw-LVBs8IV4X7MsPj04oEYKubCQM_Uj2OxVgQCzqHG4InZdb0JNX-GcECgdtiPcwsFnNjZ_0Srs49B6w35CcWIfW2pb37W0qWZKRn14E7FBzeK0KV_ic0rTSDCnPpWHAK7JOE9GZRioY6XR_-ZhosWPeHW-IwNNWDNqVZ40/s2048/IMG_0332.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUUpuDZ-zp_7jOPm1w1qhYw-LVBs8IV4X7MsPj04oEYKubCQM_Uj2OxVgQCzqHG4InZdb0JNX-GcECgdtiPcwsFnNjZ_0Srs49B6w35CcWIfW2pb37W0qWZKRn14E7FBzeK0KV_ic0rTSDCnPpWHAK7JOE9GZRioY6XR_-ZhosWPeHW-IwNNWDNqVZ40/s320/IMG_0332.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8w6Fc2RCyDY0dRRN3cPDcKFheYs1n5WQTyydO97_6KoJ7BK1blsHsJ9B8qqkdDxaerBtqJ8WczVtbHGQrN7_ITTkil9O2we8I4DpbQdLw1LclQUgwdLNbZAGbKrc1TOpfC_Gs1xv4K2oQTmHk5bfUFXedb9mOgO9uIDD_glBa3w3PobPYQ9BS9w55ms/s2048/IMG_0333.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8w6Fc2RCyDY0dRRN3cPDcKFheYs1n5WQTyydO97_6KoJ7BK1blsHsJ9B8qqkdDxaerBtqJ8WczVtbHGQrN7_ITTkil9O2we8I4DpbQdLw1LclQUgwdLNbZAGbKrc1TOpfC_Gs1xv4K2oQTmHk5bfUFXedb9mOgO9uIDD_glBa3w3PobPYQ9BS9w55ms/s320/IMG_0333.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>We'll see how far I get. </p><p>My parents made some other shelves for me. One of the ones they made was for Barbie supplies for hte girls-it needs some sturdy that can withstand everyone from the one year old to the 11 year old. The plastic ones from Dollar Tree have lasted about a year now, but I was hoping to find a better solution. </p><p><br /></p><p>I also need some sort of storage solution for beside my chair... Which could get interesting as I now have a very comfy-almost too comfy-overstuffed chair. My husband laughs every time I sit down because I almost disappear in the chair. </p><p><br /></p><p>I still want to fix my lack of storage in the kitchen.. and the floor still needs redone.... But, one thing at a time-none of that is counting everything else on my list... </p><p><br /></p><p>Anxiety now on high. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-10413326105456669912023-08-08T10:42:00.000-05:002023-08-08T10:42:08.599-05:00Sometimes.....<p> Sometimes being a parent means you have to put on a happy face. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes being a parent means you have to tell your kids everything will be ok-even if you have no idea if everything will be ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes being a parent means you get the kids in bed and you collapse into yours, crying, and then crying out to God because you are so scared you have no idea what to do next. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes.... </p><p><br /></p><p>Sometimes you might have to break your kids' hearts because you have to think long term... Or you have to take them away from something that they love. Even though you know it's good for them, but the money isn't there or the time..... or simply, the ability. </p><p>The looming thought of the impending heart break.... </p><p>The scrambling, trying to find a way around it. Trying to find a way to not have to break their hearts... Crying because you know that no matter what-it's not going to work. </p><p>Without a miracle. </p><p>Praying, hoping for a miracle. </p><p>But planning, knowing full well that God's answer may be "no". God's answer may be "not here", "not now". "BE PATIENT, my child." </p><p>Going forward with a plan, knowing it will take away one of the few constants they have ever known. Without knowing where you'll go next. </p><p>I'm utterly terrified. </p><p>I know God has a plan-I just wish I knew what his plan was. </p><p>In the meantime, crying when they are not in the room. Planning for what I can plan for-and knowing that there is probably going to be so many more tears to come and not just from me. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Psalm 89:1 </p><p style="text-align: center;">I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever:</p><p style="text-align: center;">With my mouth will I make known</p><p style="text-align: center;">thy faithfulness to all</p><p style="text-align: center;">generations. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">1 Peter 5:6-7</p><p style="text-align: center;">Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty</p><p style="text-align: center;">hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:</p><p style="text-align: center;">Casting all your care upon him; </p><p style="text-align: center;">for he careth for you. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I just read this through and realized the so many different ways it can be taken, so let me assure you (especially since I think it's mostly family that reads this...) Dennis (my handsome hubby) and I are just fine. No marriage troubles, I promise. It's everything else. :) </p><p style="text-align: left;">~Tabitha</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-78008513575811825852023-07-28T08:56:00.002-05:002023-07-28T08:56:21.284-05:00Somebody Explain...Because It Doesn't Make Sense<p> I don't get it. </p><p><br /></p><p>When you leave something because you are unhappy with it, you are looking for something that makes sense, something that works for you, something that makes you happy-whatever the reason you left, you are clearly looking for a change. You find that change, you like this new way....then you start to make subtle changes that is going to make the new thing like the thing you just left. </p><p><br /></p><p>I don't get it. </p><p>If you liked the old that well, then stay there. </p><p><br /></p><p>You leave your home country because the new government system has turned it to a mud hole (to say it nicely)... You go to a new country and expect to get handouts, expect a free ride. Guess what? Nothing is free. Not even freedom. </p><p><br /></p><p>You leave a church because you don't like the direction the church going-whichever direction, if not all, that may be... Then you find a new church and either complain because it's not like the old one, or try to change everything to make it like the old one. </p><p><br /></p><p>My current personal favorite....</p><p>You leave the public school system... </p><p>Look, we get it. The public school system is broken. It's flailing and failing. It's going so far into left field you've lost the ball. </p><p>But do everyone who values homeschooling a favor. We homeschool for the flexibility it gives us for our kids and we don't want to make it look like a public school. Actual schooling takes 3-4 hours TOPS.. And that depends on the level and how focused the kids are. </p><p>You know you know how a child learns? How much they TALK about it. Take a kid to the zoo and they find a favorite animal then talk about it for months on end. </p><p>You don't need somebody else's translation of what happened. Find an autobiography. Gutenberg press has many of them-for free, Kindle versions, Nook versions, PDF versions you can print. </p><p>Yes, I understand there are state requirements for tests because they are worried more about homeschoolers falling through the cracks than public schooled kids. But you don't need tests to know they learned. </p><p>I passed most of my tests in public school (except chemistry.... seriously.. why did I even need chemistry? So I knew how to set the school lab on fire?....).. You know what I remember? Spanish... well, watching The Fast and Furious movies in Spanish Class... American History and Science Fiction Literature Class.. Because those were the only teachers who cared about their students to make sure they understood the lessons. 3 classes-out of 4 years. 3 classes. Do I remember all the intricate details about how to speak the Spanish language? Nope... But I do remember the inappropriate words in the Fast and Furious Movies (here's a life tip-be careful of the music work crews you hire are listening to... especially if you are living in a parsonage). </p><p>You don't need endless worksheets to drill it into your child. Most textbooks have the repetition worked in. </p><p><b>YOU DON'T NEED A TEST TO KNOW YOUR CHILD LEARNED! </b></p><p>Simple can be-and is-quite effective. </p><p>It's even better than complicated. </p><p>I don't need endless hours of worksheets for busy work. </p><p>I certainly don't need "oh I was a public school teacher so my way is best". </p><p>But it's so easy to get an email-"Homeschool Summit!!! Are you doing enough?!?!" and think-oh I'm not doing enough, I need to join-after all it's FREE-and learn what I'm not doing so I can put more on my plate and be more overwhelmed with all the extras that aren't needed. </p><p>It's so easy to justify.. Well, the public school system has entire days of movie days, entire days of checking in and checking out books... Field Trips.. Shoot, in Kindergarten to fifth grade they take a walk around town, spend half the day and call it a school day.. It's so easy to set the bar so low to equate yourself to public school...... </p><p>Teaching cursive, phonics and memorizing the math facts will already put you fields ahead of many in the public school system. Throw in the Bible, apologetics and REAL history. </p><p>Tell me, WHAT was the Civil War about? WHY did we actually fight for freedom in the Revolutionary War? WHY did the founders come so willingly to a country they probably thought they would die in very quickly? Why were we once known as the Promised Land to so many immigrants? </p><p><br /></p><p>Kids used to learn to read with McGuffey's. Have you ever looked at the first few pages of McGuffey's primer? It's got the upper case letters and the lower case letters. That's it. The end. That was reading and copy work all in one. </p><p>Kids used to learn maths by copying fact tables until they could say them without looking. That's it. Once they knew fact tables, all four functions up to 20, they sometimes moved on, more often than not they were done... Because that's ALL THEY NEEDED TO KNOW for most of the jobs. </p><p>Anyone who needed more went on to university. </p><p>Kids read the Bible once they could read. History, math, science, character training all in one text. </p><p>You want more complicated math-convert a recipe, then make it. </p><p>If your child can read and understand Shakespeare, they can read and understand the Bible. </p><p><br /></p><p>Do you want to know my theory on why nobody reads blogs anymore? Everyone wants Vlogs? Because from my generation down, reading comprehension has gone out the window. </p><p>I can't tell you how many times I was told IN HIGH SCHOOL "oh you can't understand that, then you get put in the SPED class for English." </p><p>I was told once to pick a book to read to write a report on. Preferably a classic-but she wasn't picky as long as it wasn't romance. I picked a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne off our shelves.. Now I'd already read and understood this book at least twice. I took it in to be approved and quickly laughed at and told I was too stupid to understand the Old English in it. Do you know what happens when you tell a child or a teenager they are stupid? They start to believe it. You know what happens when they hear it enough? They DO believe it. Do you know the ONE THING I remember from my AP English courses in high school? That I was told repeatedly I was too stupid. </p><p>The biggest takeaway I had from public school? I was too stupid. The teachers didn't care because my family didn't have money. The teachers didn't care because I wasn't a cheerleader or an athlete. I didn't have the best voice-because there was kids who were being trained in opera so of course they had to get the solos, no one else need not try because no one else was good enough. </p><p>PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN</p><p>At all costs, know what is going into their heads. No human loves your children as you, their parent. No matter how much they care, you are the parent. </p><p>Now, off my soap box...</p><p><br /></p><p>I was always worried about teaching English, because I know (or think....) I am not strong in English. </p><p>English, they will learn by reading language-rich books. Don't know a word? GREAT! Here's a dictionary. </p><p>I am now more scared that they are not learning true history. </p><p>Because now, even the best homeschool curriculums have changed history...</p><p>and that-should terrify anyone who knows the real reason why wars were fought. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p><p><b><br /></b></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-89811101066794357482023-07-18T09:49:00.000-05:002023-07-28T07:49:55.860-05:00Sometimes..Simple IS Better<p> Why do we have to make things so complicated? </p><p><br /></p><p>Books can open up a whole world to the reader. </p><p><i>The Three Musketeers</i>, while fictional, does open the reader up to a little bit of life as a king's guard in the Middle Ages. </p><p><i>Little Women</i> (and the rest of the series-did you know it's a 4 book series? I didn't...) can show you what life was like for the family left behind during the Civil War and Reconstruction period in the Northeast United States. </p><p><i>Little House on the Prairie</i> series shows you what life was like for those brave souls who ventured into Indian territory and unsettled lands to find a new life on the Plains. </p><p>Shakespeare. Just any Shakespeare. You can use it to help pronounce, to be goofy and act out some scenes. There's even history, geography and myths thrown in by the Bard of Avon.</p><p>The Bible. A timeless book. Read it for the literature, for the history, for the poetry at the very least, but as God-given scripture, it is truly an amazing work of God to teach you how to live, and how not live, of the coming days, the days of Christ, and the hope we have if we are God's child. </p><p>I could go on. So many books. Classic literature was so rich not only in the words used, but also in morals, stories, history, grammar, language... </p><p>Modern-post 1960-"literature" changed that. No longer are the books rich in grammar or morals or much else. In fact, it could be argued they are the opposite. And then we wonder why it's so hard to teach our children basic grammar and sentence structure. Science fiction authors thought they were coming up with crazy stories, 40 years later how many of our inventions have come about from science fictions (AI, robots, cell phones, video calling to name a few). Spoiler alert-it never ended well in the books, it won't end well in the real world.</p><p>And a question-why in the world do we need to learn to deconstruct sentences and identify every part of the sentence. Ah yes, the "books" we now read. </p><p><br /></p><p>Maths. </p><p>First off-yes, that's how you say it-Maths. or Arithmetic.</p><p>Math shouldn't change. </p><p>1+1 should always equal 2.</p><p>55-20 will always be a simple 35. Not the whole Base 10 math where you tick off the 10s until you manipulate it enough to find the answer. </p><p>Math used to be basic accounting principles. How many bushes of apples at $0.05 a bushel do you need to sell if you need $10 to pay the bills? Because that's the kind of math kids needed to be able to survive as adults. </p><p>When was the last time you used Calculus? And the high school class doesn't count. For the most part-calculus isn't used after high school. Now if you can prove me wrong, please do.. But take your average Jo Schmo, working a blue collar job. Geometry, yeah I can see that. I could even see some Trigonometry being used. But it's mostly filler classes. Because Heaven forbid you let those perfectly capable teenagers get out of a building with their brain being crammed full of things to pass tests and encourage them to work at a job to gain them true life skills. </p><p>Do I personally see the point of higher maths? No I don't. Will I end up teaching my kids the higher maths? Probably, because it's expected to go so high in math to succeed. It's expected to fill your head with useless knowledge... Especially after I know they understand and know-without my help-how to budget, how to balance a checkbook, how to make something and then figure out how much to charge to make a profit, how to convert a recipe to bigger or smaller. How to plan a quilt based on how big you want it versus the size of squares you want to want. How to take a patch of land and plan out a garden for optimal growth for the plants (tomatoes don't like onion, potatoes don't like peppers but corn and squash are best friends). </p><p><br /></p><p>History.</p><p>History shouldn't change. It gets added to, yes. But you shouldn't look up the same thing in four different resources and get four different answers. </p><p>HISTORY SHOULDN'T CHANGE. </p><p>But it does. I have spent 7 years trying to find a good history that didn't change *much*. Just when we thought we had it, we found we were wrong. </p><p>So back to the basics. The best possible way to teach true history is to find autobiographies of the people who lived it. Project Gutenberg is an awesome resource for that. I say that as I'm also editing a history course for my kids from 1776-1900. Why? Right now, I have no idea why. Right now, I just want to find the important people presidents, generals, inventors, the founding fathers, the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist papers and read the books with my kids. Teach them why we came to this new land in the first place and learn how we got so far from the ideals we set out to have. </p><p><br /></p><p>We had started using the Robinson Curriculum with our kids. How I understand it, Dr. Robinson's entire theology behind homeschool was to teach the kids the basics-how to read, math facts-then let them go. Give them a guideline until they learn enough self-discipline you are comfortable with. Once they learn to teach themselves, the sky is the limit. They can teach themselves whatever science they want. </p><p><br /></p><p>What in the world is the problem with teaching kids to THINK?!! </p><p>Yes, we need life skills. Yes, we need maths, yes we need to learn to read... When was the last time I broke a sentence down into parts? (I didn't because my public school "teachers" told me I was too dumb to learn.) But I was blessed with an awesome history teacher who made sure we learned the truth. Who let us ask questions. Who guided us through civil discussion-even when 9/11 happened.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's natural when you teach, to teach your ideals. What ideals do you want your kids learning? </p><p><br /></p><p>God instructs us to teach our children his ways in Deuteronomy 11:19 and Proverbs 22:6-and many others. </p><p><br /></p><p>As you're planning your school year-no matter what your school year looks like. Think about it. Not just the spiritual, not just the morals, not just the academics. Every bit of it. What do you WANT your children to learn? What ARE your children learning. How can you change it if it doesn't match? </p><p>As you can tell, I'm struggling right now. I'm having a hard time reconciling teaching my kids useless dribble that they need to get a GED to show "they can study to pass a test". While knowing Galileo invented the first flying machine is an awesome little factoid.. Unless you're a mechanic-why? What purpose has that served me other than being able to answer random trivia questions? No purpose. At All. None. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-59518712667934951482023-07-05T07:29:00.000-05:002023-07-05T07:29:22.239-05:00Trying To Be Intentional<p> My goodness, it's been a hot minute. </p><p><br /></p><p>Things got a little crazy...... and then a little more crazy. </p><p>When we started our homeschool journey I always said I would love to have a chance to send the kids to Christian school. </p><p>We started school with Abeka, moved to ACE... Couldn't really afford either because consumable products are EXPENSIVE... so I started writing what curriculum we were missing to make sure our kids were learning the truth, because Creation science at any level is either hard to find or extremely expensive... or all video lessons that aren't reusable. The history... Don't even get me started on the history.. And Base 10 in math?? How in the world does that even work? No longer can you just add say 33+23... You have to take away the ones places round up, round down. Add subtract, whozits and whatitz galore.</p><p>Then while cleaning up my home library I found a gem in the Robinson Curriculum. Robinson very much uses a "Charlotte Mason" approach with Saxon as math. Affordable for big families especially-the hardest part is finding first or second edition Saxon books. </p><p>Then we had the opportunity to send our 4 oldest to our church's Christian School. It's been a challenging year. I miss my kids at home. I miss not having to worry about blizzards-and last winter was a doozy. </p><p>Last summer was a doozy in itself. Derecho and tornado in May... We lost two whole trees (40 year old evergreens). Thankfully we were aided by a group who came to town to help clean up after the storm, though we still have a stump..</p><p> Another set of tornadoes in July, we lost one whole tree-made a mess of itself we are still trying to clean up, and a few others are still sitting perilously because we don't have the money for cleanup ($10K for a tree?!!?). Three days after that storm the newest baby joined us. :) I was stuck in the hospital.. </p><p>It's been a whirlwind, but I know God is taking care of us. </p><p>This summer is going crazy already... Trying to cut and burn the tree, I've learned how to use a chain saw (STAND BACK lol). Trying to fix up what needs fixed for functionality INSIDE the house-that hasn't happened... maybe I'm dreaming too much? Trying to teach kids life skills, take care of toddlers and a baby, learning life skills myself.... and just....surviving. </p><p>Post-partum anxiety hit me hard this time... it's a huge struggle and I suspect it will be for awhile. </p><p><br /></p><p>So... Being intentional. </p><p>We are counting pennies and cutting corners wherever we can. </p><p>I hate meal planning... Oh with a passion do I hate it. But here we are. It's a necessity.</p><p> I've been hearing about a method of meal planning and I finally dove in. </p><p>You create your meal plan-breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. Then you go through this meal plan and write out your shopping list for the whole week. </p><p>Then you put it all together and you have a shopping list, meal plan and recipes all in one place. </p><p>Shop your pantry first, then go to the store and use sales whenever possible.</p><p>I started off with a 4 week rotation, with a pantry staple list (let's face it, Basic Sam's Club list) and a non-grocery list. Now I'm sure I missed things, but we can tweak it here and there. I laminated what I knew wouldn't change-mostly certain recipes I cook all the time. The rest I put in page protectors so I can alter as needed. Now all I have to do is get to town to be able to find affordable groceries. That's the trick. </p><p>I'll add on more weeks as we go, but it's a start. </p><p>Our basic rotation is tacos, salad, soup, Chinese-ish, something easy, Italian, pizza. </p><p>We'll get through it. We can do this-with God.</p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-52173022867810462402021-08-10T07:14:00.001-05:002021-08-10T07:14:40.770-05:00All The Updates<p> Well.... There's good news, and bad news. </p><p><br /></p><p>So let's start with the bad news. We killed our tomatoes our 5 year old named Bob. We forgot to water them. </p><p>And our elderberries are apparently infested with some sort of worm.... So we'll be trimming those back once winter hits and watch them carefully next spring. </p><p>That's all the bad news. </p><p><br /></p><p>So now for the fun part-the good news. </p><p>We had some awesome help from people at church getting a lot of the yard cleaned up. It was a huge blessing and I am grateful for all the help we received. </p><p>The kids and I started taking the fence apart to make shelves.. Then the heat hit and we haven't been able to do much outside. I just don't do well in the heat. Thankfully it's been fairly easy to take apart the fence as the screws aren't stripped-just rusted. So we can just use the drill to take most of the screws out. </p><p>We've been doing a lot of cleaning and sorting inside. I need to go back to Dollar Tree and get more containers. I was able to get about halfway through the kitchen cupboards before I ran out-but that part of the kitchen is much more functional now. I'm also putting fresh shelf liner down as I go through cupboards, that's a nice addition to appeal to the "pretty part"... especially since I'm missing a lot of doors. š</p><p>We are 3 weeks into our school year.. We've tweaked a few things, but are loving our modified Robinson Curriculum method. I took out the Grammar and Writing-and just put the older two kids into older Grammar books so we can learn the basics... Then as they read more they will learn the writing, a long with practicing writing. The Write Bonnie Rose history is a little more involved that I thought it would be-but then I looked on her website and realized she wrote it for teenagers-not elementary. Oops. But the kids are *mostly* having fun with it.. It requires me to stay close by and monitor computer usage as our encyclopedias are too old to answer the questions. We also have to use Google Earth for the geography as we don't have paper maps or a globe that is detailed enough. I took Eva out of the homemade math books and put her in Everyday Number Stories.. It's an old math book that was used in conjunction with the McGuffey readers. She is excelling at that and when she gets through the book we'll start her on Saxon. We'll just use my homemade books for extra review or practice as needed. </p><p><br /></p><p>I was extremely excited to find the Robinson Phonics Flashcards on the CDs. I'm horrible at phonics, these cards (to me, at least) are worth their weight in gold. They have the letter or blend on one side, then all the sounds that makes on the other. They are now printed and laminated. Andrew told me we need a bookshelf just for flashcards. š</p><p><br /></p><p>On the shopping front.. Things are getting interesting again.. Our local stores are having problems getting shipments in.. The city stores are starting to enact mask policies again... Now, I can do many things.... But I CANNOT breath in a mask, I CANNOT get my grocery list taken care of and make sure the kids are not only behaving by staying near me, but are also keeping masks on "correctly". I just can't do it all. Not to mention-where are all the tortillas going?!?!?! </p><p>Dennis ordered me a tortilla press. I learned to make tortillas last year, and am getting back into it. We love homemade tortillas but I struggle to keep them round when using just a rolling pin. </p><p>I'm also making homemade noodles again.. Homemade are so much better than store bought. We started making bread again-I pulled down my bread maker and put it back in action yesterday. The kids loved the homemade bread with almond butter and strawberry jelly. </p><p><br /></p><p>We go shopping again Thursday, so I guess we'll see how things go. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-5519302627684768512021-07-02T18:55:00.000-05:002021-07-02T18:55:39.747-05:00Simplifying Homeschool... Step... 3? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So this is the first true step we have in our simplifying (and making sustainable) our homeschool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, if you haven't been reading my blog, you should go back and read at least the <a href="https://tabhidalgo.blogspot.com/2021/05/simplifying-homeschool-even-more.html" target="_blank">past one</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do I have you back now? Ok. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So honestly, this journey started when I realized what price we would have to pay for 3 kids in the ACE PACE Program.. I love the PACEs, they are so simple for me as mom and the kid LOVE them.. but it's simply not sustainable for a big family on a very limited income. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we sort of looked into making our homeschool more sustainable last year, but really hadn't found great solutions. When I did the figuring for how much things would cost for the coming school year, it just wasn't going to happen. So we looked for different solutions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, I knew it was possible to homeschool for free-and not use the public school books and curricula to do so. But I didn't want every class online, I didn't want my kids sitting in front of a screen for hours on end to do their school. I know they will have to learn the computer, but I do think it's a skill they can master once they are older. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My original plans had me caving on that for more classes than I wanted.. Now, I'm still caving on that a bit, but not as much.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I mentioned in my last post, I'm learning how to do the Robinson Curriculum correctly. It's not just reading and Saxon math, there's a method and it's a very sustainable and affordable way to homeschool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But, since I spent 4 months searching, printing and binding, then we're going to use most of what I did. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So let's start with the oldest...and work our way down. Settle in with some coffee, this is going to be a long post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My biggest worry with piecing together was grammar.. I can write well, but don't ask me to identify parts of speech. I've also come to the realization... WHEN have I EVER used parts of speech in real life? Now, honestly. Somebody tell me when, because I haven't. The next obstacle was math.. We were just going to put the oldest in Khan Academy, but since learning about Robinson, we're going back to Saxon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok.. So onto Andrew's school. Andrew is going into 5th grade and like any boy his age is extremely interested in how things work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Math-Saxon 5/4 and flashcards.. Part of the Robinson Curriculum is having ALL math facts memorized before they started Saxon 5/4... Now, I have been a horrible teacher and haven't required them to memorize math facts-so we're fixing that. Andrew is going to do both simultaneously because for some reason he's great at division and subtraction (somebody explain that to me). You don't see Saxon 5/4 because as of right now, I cannot afford the physical textbook, but I was able to get a PDF file for free, I do plan on buying the physical edition as soon as I'm financially able. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grammar-this will come from a Scott Foresman Grammar book and reading. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spelling-again, reading. Whatever words he doesn't know along with whatever words are the in the vocabulary list for the book he is currently on.. He will not only learn spelling, but how to use it and what it means.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Modern History (1900 to 2020)- This is coming from <a href="https://writebonnierose.com/shop/" target="_blank">Write Bonnie Rose</a>. She put some awesome work into her workbooks and I am grateful she puts the entire thing on freebies for her subscribers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Geography- Again, coming from Write Bonnie Rose... It looks like fun. lol</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Science- I made a workbook from the Institute For Creation Research books we purchased last year. These are great books, full of great information-but I would not recommend them for elementary science. But.... it's information Andrew needs and since we couldn't replace them as I wanted, he is using them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reading- Tuttle Twins, Rifles for Watie and Robinson Curriculum. My husband found the <a href="https://tuttletwins.com/?ap_id=bdreadin" target="_blank">Tuttle Twins </a>Books and purchased them. They came with a study guide.. I have yet to look through them, though I need to. They teach government through fun stories for children. Rifles for Watie is a book I read many times throughout my youth, it's about the Civil War so I thought Andrew would enjoy it. After he's done with these, he will start on the Robinson book list. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Writing- copy work, vocabulary, and essay writing. The essay writing we'll start with a paragraph, teach him sentence structure, then move onto paragraph structure and we'll move on from there... The topic? It's going to depend on the day.. Anything from what we learned during service at church....to something they see out the window or something from their imagination. The purpose is to get them writing to teach them HOW to write correctly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One day out of the week he will do typing, one day he will do Spanish. Both of these are done online. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's my plans, then I'm starting to incorporate Robinson Curriculum. 2 hours of math, then move on to everything else.. The end goal is going to be 2 hours of reading per day of school books. We'll work up to that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJtf3nh9Tyw_kA-QveFWzC_gjwa_SrAskKWRaoSIL_T0ysXkUlBePCcsl5Kjs3z6Dx9OqdgfkyiURUOpWyZfT47zIf3Y7ktAReHsmd7qek7RIcWLAmZ3iY5_Ssh-j7Ge1Lgcj462igFQ/s2048/IMG_0084.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJtf3nh9Tyw_kA-QveFWzC_gjwa_SrAskKWRaoSIL_T0ysXkUlBePCcsl5Kjs3z6Dx9OqdgfkyiURUOpWyZfT47zIf3Y7ktAReHsmd7qek7RIcWLAmZ3iY5_Ssh-j7Ge1Lgcj462igFQ/s320/IMG_0084.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Second oldest, Eva, is going into 4th. She struggles a bit with the English language, but we'll work on it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Math-work pages and flashcards.. I had already printed off at least a semester worth of math for Eva, so we might as well use it. Other than that, it's flashcards. Once she's done with the worksheets, she goes into Saxon 5/4. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grammar- another Scott Foreman book</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">World Geography-the same one Andrew has from Write Bonnie Rose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Modern History-again, the same one Andrew has from Write Bonnie Rose. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">History-state history... This is the one I wrote last year for Andrew, I tweaked a few things so it should be a bit better this year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anatomy-Eva REALLY wants to learn how the human body works, so I found I had a coloring book on my shelf-but it was partly colored... So then I found it online (sorry I went to find the link for you and it's gone). But it's close to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Coloring-Book-Wynn-Kapit/dp/0321832019/ref=asc_df_0321832019?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80607997996060&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207577407043&psc=1" target="_blank">this one</a>. There's a simple explanation of what a few certain parts do, then you color the part. I took out the sections she's not old enough for. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Writing-copy work, essay and spelling words. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spelling-just like Andrew, vocabulary words from books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reading- Eva is actually going to start with the Robinson list and then move on to the Tuttle Books once Andrew is done. </div>Eva also gets typing and Spanish on the computer<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3ylPDaDweC43WaGrZZ4bnNaG6dm8CZaedqh3e6G4bcg8JkOxFclrQgdVHJjqcC1cMRgmDiV6uLzDRnIC1l90IbhdP1L6YyfySf-CY0ag3mrkq52nvmWic15PhLCs-2xLi53EQ0TokWo/s2048/IMG_0086.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3ylPDaDweC43WaGrZZ4bnNaG6dm8CZaedqh3e6G4bcg8JkOxFclrQgdVHJjqcC1cMRgmDiV6uLzDRnIC1l90IbhdP1L6YyfySf-CY0ag3mrkq52nvmWic15PhLCs-2xLi53EQ0TokWo/s320/IMG_0086.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grace-the third oldest, she is going into 2nd. Grace is still trying to find her place. I am starting Grace more in the Robinson than anyone else, simply because I didn't gather so much for her yet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Math-I did print off a full year of math worksheets-though I wasn't too happy with what I did have. But she will do worksheets and flashcards. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grammar-again, a Scott Foresman book</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">History-I believe my husband found the website called <a href="http://miniaturemasterminds.com/" target="_blank">Miniature Masterminds</a>, it has A LOT of great things on there. One of my friends has been using it to keep her 5 year old's mind busy while he anxiously awaits school this fall. But they had a history on there that was already planned out (day 1, day 2 etc). So I printed that off and that's what Grace is getting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Geography-This is from Write Bonnie Rose, it's more of a copy work kind of book, but I think she'll have some fun with it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Science-honestly, Grace's science is what I'm excited for (I'm a geek). Through a giveaway at one point, I received the workbook for <a href="https://scienceshepherd.com/" target="_blank">Science Shepherd's Introductory Science</a>. After looking through it, I realized it was not only young earth creation based, but I also needed the DVDs to be able to do it. This is the one thing we spent money on this year. So this is Grace's one class on the computer, she needs to get a bit older for typing and Spanish. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reading-Grace is starting at the beginning of the Robinson list, will she blow through some of the books? I'm sure. But that's ok. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spelling-again, anything she has to look up the meaning to and words from the Robinson books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Writing-she's going to improve her cursive with copy work from books and from the Bible. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJne4NZluLeGmiWPgTLuTNytnJa0q6_a6mif5Lo9n-B6bXLCR64DyCUh1U5koahQMVSdwl26rfDYz2iA5Lex-kFS0YychztpxKGG25xKQQtCrLFX-jIKtuqNgDXPqpElCfVvNc8CfiINk/s2048/IMG_0089.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJne4NZluLeGmiWPgTLuTNytnJa0q6_a6mif5Lo9n-B6bXLCR64DyCUh1U5koahQMVSdwl26rfDYz2iA5Lex-kFS0YychztpxKGG25xKQQtCrLFX-jIKtuqNgDXPqpElCfVvNc8CfiINk/s320/IMG_0089.JPEG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Hannah. Hannah is in Kindergarten. The original plan was Abeka-because we have Abeka... Then I realized how abysmal the Abeka phonics was... They teach the spelling....and that's it. So we're using the Abeka math, the Abeka phonics ladders. She's going to read using McGuffeys then take off on the Robinson list. Hannah is also learning cursive this year. Once Hannah gets going on her math, we'll start the flashcards with her. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgP3R5vrJoeRpHRt-kM7ZUgTt0Mwk-R9mv1fOZ21ZHqn6O1cofllSHYOrWGwRrb1mnk1vmll1iC1b_V8yNNTMMh302zA-k1-qUwxS6REmS85SCGyb_Hdcc-BwbJW7gAw-vpv4CDneZ2M/s2048/IMG_0091.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgP3R5vrJoeRpHRt-kM7ZUgTt0Mwk-R9mv1fOZ21ZHqn6O1cofllSHYOrWGwRrb1mnk1vmll1iC1b_V8yNNTMMh302zA-k1-qUwxS6REmS85SCGyb_Hdcc-BwbJW7gAw-vpv4CDneZ2M/s320/IMG_0091.JPEG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Elijah has some "coloring books" to keep him busy, along with a box of fun toys that he only gets during school. His coloring books are the collection of misprinted papers I gathered. Somebody might as well use them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The baby, Dinah.. She's the wild card. We'll see what happens with Dinah. lol </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, are you still awake? Told ya it was long!! Thanks for sticking with me, let me know if you have any questions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~Tabitha</div><br /> <p></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-1500387431580907162021-05-15T08:04:00.001-05:002021-05-15T08:04:43.983-05:00Simplifying HomeSchool Even More<p> I realized this week that I have been very foolish with my curriculum choices for next year. </p><p>You see, I have spent the last 4 months planning and scouring looking for what I think we need.... when I have an entire curriculum-I just have no idea how to use it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Let me rewind. </p><p><br /></p><p>When I was homeschooled (back in the dayšš), my mom tried the <a href="https://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/rc/homeschool-curriculum-excellence/" target="_blank">Robinson Curriculum. </a></p><p>This is very much a self teaching curriculum.. In the ideal setting, you teach your child to read, the math facts.... and then pretty much let them loose within given boundaries. When you buy the CDs (or, apparently now, they have an online version), you get the how tos, and this HUGE book list. The idea is that the child learns by simply reading. Instead of reading the very much flawed, rewritten history books, they are reading about the life of the person or the event by people who lived through it-or told their story to somebody else. You are also encouraged to use Saxon Math (not newer than 2nd edition ideally).. The website explains it all-I'm still learning. The child does math first, a set number of problems a day and then moves on to reading. Once they get past the basics of learning math facts and learning to read, they are essentially on their own. </p><p>I've been watching videos on YouTube from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXpiIBCv4kTUxMp9xm38VOw" target="_blank">Our House</a>. She does an awesome job at explaining exactly what to do with the curriculum. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now, since I've spent SO MUCH time getting curriculum together for next year-and I'm mostly done with it... we're are going to go ahead with my plans-next time I get a chance, I'll give you a run down and the plans. A few things I'm going to implement is the reading list from Robinson and the method of doing math... We do not have the Saxon but we can use basically the same way... Give them the tools to learn it and let them figure it out.. As long they have the basic tools, they are good to go-let their minds figure it out.. They can do this!!! And, quite frankly, I'm going a bit insane with the messy house and having to repeat a math word problem 10 times until it "clicks". I love my kids, I love homeschooling, but there's only so many different ways you can explain something, sometimes they just have to work through it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Now, Robinson is very much a reading-heavy curriculum. All of the books on the list are open source, meaning their copyright is expired so they are public domain... Meaning you can print them (explained on RC website and Our House linked above), or if you are lucky you can find them at a thrift store in good condition. Or if you are ok with your kids using Kindles, Amazon has a lot of classics as free Kindle books. I pulled out my Robinson set when I realized I didn't have reading comprehension for Grace... Now, they do have some books with reading comprehension and end of book test questions, but really the easiest way to know they learned is to have them write a book report.. So we're learning that next year as well. </p><p>I can easily say right now we can't do everything as Dr. Robinson created his curriculum (no TV, no sugar, school 6 days a week)... BUT I can say we'll do most of it. Winter might be different...but we'll see... Next year will be sort of our transition year... Getting the older kids especially used to doing everything on their own. I grade papers for grammar, spelling and grade math. They learn grammar and spelling through reading because they will be reading the classics, which have correct grammar and spelling. RC does have spelling list and vocab words-I'm still learning... </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Well... That's everything for now.. </p><p>~Tabitha</p><p><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-87748951249090669902021-04-03T15:27:00.000-05:002021-04-03T15:28:03.155-05:00Summer Project Number 2<p> I have a few summer projects on the list for this summer, I just have to wait for summer.</p><p>Number 1 is the garden. Well out of the 20 something tomatoes we planted-9 have survived so far... We'll see if they make it another month.</p><p>Number 2 is the girl's room. </p><p>This is the biggest project I think-even with the mess in the backyard.</p><p>When Dinah was born last year, we knew we would have some major rearranging done within the next 12 or so months. </p><p>Honestly the first project is getting the toys out of the room. Hubby is working on that-cleaning out an unused office room. </p><p>I'm working on organizing the girl's room. We've gone through toys a few times. Now it's time for clothes... I've been reading blogs, watching vlogs, working my way through Pinterest. Trying to get ideas. I finally decided to buy cube shelves-4 for each girl-that would hold everything but their dresses. I bought some for the boys and they are working great.</p><p>Well.</p><p>Plans are great-those plans did not work out. </p><p>I should have bought the shelves before the lockdowns. Because apparently being stuck in your house makes you organize... The price has not only shot up, but they are actually hard to find.</p><p>So now we have moved to plan number two... I bought two wire utility shelves. They are coming. So here's my plan. I'm going to make cardboard cube boxes from our excess boxes and make them pretty with excess fabric. They will all be labeled and be able to be used as drawers to help keep them organized.</p><p>The shelves will be here next week, the second bunk bed will be down the road this summer. But hubby and I sat down with a room plan to figure out where the new bunk bed will go-because I don't want to move the shelves if I don't have to. š</p><p>Now that I've gotten my plan laid out... that's all for now.</p><p>Have a great Easter!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-56095797741896964142021-03-20T08:15:00.000-05:002021-03-20T08:15:00.900-05:00Learning To Garden<p> Well. </p><p>We're at it again. We are learning to garden. </p><p>I've been researching on the best way to start seeds.. Two years ago when I planted a garden we almost lost half our tomatoes because of frost (I was able to salvage and finish ripening in the house. So seedlings it is... I also figure if I kill these-then I can sew straight in the ground. Back up plans ya know. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoyK3Sgpu-Puviyi4FqtuL1c8TJWjy4vgoXKaODMmbtUS9v8j0sgyfh41f5VouUos1UrmwmSkVKIQq_RpJHN9sJhdZjNgv1V7FkYoy9jmKQzLOAFgWNswBXMxtSxDdVQRoxgQTyt7_4Q/s2576/20210320_073130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoyK3Sgpu-Puviyi4FqtuL1c8TJWjy4vgoXKaODMmbtUS9v8j0sgyfh41f5VouUos1UrmwmSkVKIQq_RpJHN9sJhdZjNgv1V7FkYoy9jmKQzLOAFgWNswBXMxtSxDdVQRoxgQTyt7_4Q/s320/20210320_073130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I have no idea what I'm doing. So the kids are experimenting with me. </p><p>We have 18 Eva Bell Tomatoes (like beefsteak, I get my seeds from Seed Saver), 18 cherry tomatoes and hopefully 18 bell peppers. </p><p>Now.. I think I may have thinned out too soon-but I did it for two reasons.. From watching YouTube videos, it seemed that using toilet paper tubes were a great option. Ummm no.. ours found mold... so I took them out, thinned and just replanted.. So hopefully I didn't shock the young seedlings-or seeds.. </p><p>I also found the past few days that once they sprout, I need to take the greenhouse part off.... So I took it off. The plastic wrap is over the bell peppers that haven't sprouted-not sure why, but they haven't (this is week 3). </p><p>So my little greenhouse thingy... I wasn't thinking when I thinned out the tomatoes... and completely mixed up my Eva Bells and my cherries. *face palm*. </p><p>I also realized this morning that we are going to have issues if all of these survive because this year I have very little space in my one little raised garden bed.... If they all survive, I have to give some away... I can't tell anybody what they are getting lol. Oops. But we overplanted because my seeds are old.. like I don't remember when I bought them old.. </p><p>On top of this experiment, we will be working with the yard to build up the soil into something useful this summer. </p><p>I found this really awesome book on my shelf by Better Homes and Gardens. All about gardening... ok, more so about "pretty gardening" than "useful gardening" (veggies and the like). But it had some useful tips-like how to revive your soil.. While my arthritis and back much agree with the raised gardening idea.... my budget is laughing at me-so we are going to work all year to revive our back yard soil. Our back yard used to be a driveway... so from the top down we have crabgrass, top soil, rocks, more top soil and clay under that. But I am determined and that's the best way to be when trying something new, right? Plus, when I planted elderberry bushed last year 22 out of 25 survived and we were able to harvest. So there's good there!</p><p>So here's the plan (I'd take a picture and show you...but it's all snow out there....) Till up soil a foot down, let the kids have fun and get out as many rocks as they can, till it up again-probably two or three more times with the same process. After we get out at least the majority of the rocks we are going to start fertilizing. While we don't have fresh cow/chicken poop (and I've no desire to go find nor spread...), we do have a ton of kitchen compost, leaves and sticks to wood chip..and a dog. So that's how we're are going to build up our soil... Apparently you make your garden patch your dumping ground for compost for a year-till it up every month or so and just let God do his job in fertilizing. </p><p><br /></p><p>So that's the plan... Guess we'll see how it works. Because I have no idea what I'm doing. </p><p>This year, we'll be using my raised garden bed and probably a few food grade five gallon buckets-mostly for potatoes. I'll keep you updated. </p><p><br /></p><p>Have a great week! (month? lol)</p><p>~Tabitha </p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-89468729208239497242021-02-11T19:58:00.000-06:002021-02-11T19:58:20.475-06:00Simplifying Homeschool<p> Our homeschool journey the last 5 years has been an interesting one. </p><p>I started off thinking I could completely school our children through high school for free. </p><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> I still mostly agree with that, but you have to accept whatever curriculum is out there for <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>free. There are some things I'm not willing to compromise on (like science). </span><br /></p><p><span>Then we heard a sermon that convinced us we needed to invest what we could in our kid's school. Pick a curriculum and make it work for us. </span></p><p><span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> Again, yes-partially, The more we invest in their education the better it will be. But not <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>just monetarily-we (more me, because I'm mom and teacher, but hubby has been a <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>HUGE help this year with fractions and science). We stopped Abeka after 1st grade <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>because the math drove our older son crazy with the spiral method. We stopped Abeka <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>with our oldest daughter in the middle of first grade because she wasn't understanding<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>phonics and English. They have both thrived in A.C.E. PACES for the past years. </span><br /></span></p><p><span><span>Last year I let our two oldest pick their sciences.. both of which subjects got us away from PACES a little bit. Our son chose anatomy.. I went through Answers in Genesis and found an awesome study published by Master Books he is absolutely enjoying. Our daughter chose animals.... Now, we wanted her to get a good foundation in animals, as Christians that means she needs to learn what evolution is and says and why God says it's wrong. We went through Institute for Creation Research. Now, these are awesome books, with great information-but they are definitely not written for any kind of textbook style-more like a parent read to children, or for teenagers or adults. But that's ok, because we are making she understands it. </span></span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>Throughout the year, I have been blessed with mommas (and other homeschool parents) who take their hard work making workbooks for their kids and giving them away whether through their websites or as part of massive giveaways that happen a few times throughout the year. </span></span></p><p><span><span>I have been realizing this year with the financial hardships that have come with the rest of the craziness, that we need to have school TEXTBOOKS that are more sustainable that the common workbooks. Yes, workbooks are SO MUCH EASIER. They can just write in them and be done. I'm going to miss that. But, we have 6 children. Only 4 of which are in school... There are still two more that will need school. We need something sustainable. So, we are getting more sustainable school resources. Whether it's through a digital file we can then reprint, through a textbook we can reuse, or through a workbook used as a textbook (yes, I understand it's frowned upon in the publisher world, I'm doing the best I can). </span></span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>So how are we simplifying? </span></span></p><p><span><b>English.</b> McGuffey's Readers for English/Literature/Spelling/Cursive/Phonics-everything under the English label can be found in those wonderful old books. We also have other novels and books we can use for literature and if we need help with reading comprehension, then I can read the book and make a study guide if there isn't one available. I'm also saving ALL of the rules from the English PACES my son is doing so I have them-English rules are not my strong point. </span></p><p><span><b>Math.</b> We already have a ton of math books (what can I say? my husband and I are a bit on the nerdy side). We just have to bridge a few gaps with awesome worksheets from <a href="https://www.math-drills.com/" target="_blank">Math Drills</a>. It's also great if somebody is having problems grasping a concept, then we can stop, print off some extra work until it's mastered. </span></p><p><span><b>Science.</b> Honestly, this was one of the hardest. We have a ton of books-but they are all evolution based.. And while these books will be awesome once they get established in why God says evolution is wrong... For now, we can't use them. But, we have an awesome basic anatomy study I have pieced together through so many different giveaways, I also have a coloring book I can print off to teach them the different organs and bones and such. We now have a bit more advanced anatomy book that teaches in depth in the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems. I have discovered <a href="https://scienceshepherd.com/" target="_blank">Science Shepherd</a> this past year thanks to their generosity through a giveaway. This can replace the books I purchased from ICR. Also, if we like them (which I think we will), they have courses all the way through high school for a very affordable price. </span></p><p><span><b>Bible Reading.</b>.. For the kids (and me), I have been enjoying the PACE Bible workbooks. My husband reminded me we have the ability to teach them the same thing-we just have to trust God to give us the words.... I don't know if I can do this-BUT GOD CAN!!!! </span></p><p><span><b>Social Studies.</b>... Alright... so Social Studies/history.. WHAT is it called now? Well, for the older kids, we were, again, blessed with an entire 120 year span of modern history curriculum through a giveaway and the hard work of Bonnie Rose at <a href="https://writebonnierose.com/" target="_blank">Write Bonnie Rose</a>. Our 2nd grader will get state history and geography through worksheets and a book we have the shelf (garage sales are awesome). I'm still debating a world geography study for the bigger kids. Again-we have a book-and a globe for that! And workbooks I can piece together through different giveaways.</span></p><p><span><b>Cursive.</b>. This is one of those subjects we were adamant our kids would learn. We've been using Abeka.. but this year, I'm making my own worksheets and teaching our will be 5 year old. (Pray for me). I know there are a ton of cursive generators on the web and I might just end up doing that. I haven't really decided. But she is adamant she will learn to read and to write cursive next year. šš </span></p><p><span><span><br /></span></span></p><p>I would ABSOLUTELY love to get fun books to go along with some of these from <a href="https://store.doverpublications.com/" target="_blank">Dover Pulications</a> or <a href="https://www.criticalthinking.com/" target="_blank">Critical Thinking Co.</a>. But that honestly depends on the funds available. (Critical Thinking does actually have their own curriculum sets if you are interested.) </p><p><br /></p><p>While that doesn't sound like much simplifying-especially since the majority of it means I get to print, laminate covers, and then bind... Not to mention come up with a way to keep track of grades and so on and so forth... It will be simplifying for our budget. And from what I've seen from what I bound today (some math, the history from Write Bonnie Rose and Introductory Science from Science Shepherd), the kids should be able to do the majority on their own... The McGuffeys readers, to move on the next lesson, they need to master spelling and the reading of the lesson... in older grades part of the mastery is correct inflection and voice so all of that work is read aloud. They will all learn and be reinforced in taking turns. </p><p><br /></p><p>Again, I don't know if I can do this-but God can!!! </p><p><br /></p><p>So.. here's looking to next school year (2021-2022) with a 5th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, K5er, 3 year old and 1 year old along for ride!!! </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-33353011301775391272020-09-17T14:06:00.000-05:002020-09-17T14:06:38.479-05:00HomeSchool Organization<p> With all the remote learning happening this year, there are a lot of seasoned homeschoolers posting what they do, to help the newbies and the parents thrown into remote learning figure it out. </p><p><br /></p><p>So I figured I'd throw in my two cents. </p><p>First off, we don't have a homeschool room... We don't have a homeschool corner. We have a homeschool shelf. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasp_5zdxtPzZYKvILkQeEMl-EuDpp40hEOezpwsePFO9d1LbNvcZKv98ij9aBkohCPGySzFc52AyePTMg6-0bk6e03LgyDIl-SAvhRNnZvymUU9npBpCpz62Io7hrhMl3ugWPOY7cpmA/s2048/20200905_084430.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasp_5zdxtPzZYKvILkQeEMl-EuDpp40hEOezpwsePFO9d1LbNvcZKv98ij9aBkohCPGySzFc52AyePTMg6-0bk6e03LgyDIl-SAvhRNnZvymUU9npBpCpz62Io7hrhMl3ugWPOY7cpmA/s320/20200905_084430.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yep. That's it. That's our home school stuff. 4 Kids learning, my teacher books and a few office things for my hubby and I. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids have fold-able chairs that have desks on them (Think college chairs with the tiny desk... but the desks are a tiny bit bigger). Or they can grab a clipboard and go sit on their beds or on the couch as long as I can read their writing-though they usually don't because the 2 year old thinks that's an invitation for help. šš</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWy4n6yWO4aJVoXYwvjg_OwPFawaovVXE86rKmwn-53zwrYSfYAqbCzaGEx1_rR7cKXAw6no-oGkL3_qPltDxezrCl0MV7LhkGnMhawd0tQVH3-zsqodWAzCJnzl1kaF_fEl4TNu1dw5o/s2048/20200905_084451.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWy4n6yWO4aJVoXYwvjg_OwPFawaovVXE86rKmwn-53zwrYSfYAqbCzaGEx1_rR7cKXAw6no-oGkL3_qPltDxezrCl0MV7LhkGnMhawd0tQVH3-zsqodWAzCJnzl1kaF_fEl4TNu1dw5o/s320/20200905_084451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>So let's start at the bottom-a good place to start since that's the picture that loaded. LOL Please keep your eyes focused on the shelf-not mess all around it. </p><p>Years ago when we started with Abeka, I took to Pinterest and found this really awesome organizing idea for Abeka. Now, Abeka writes their curriculum for their school in Florida-it's the same curriculum that homeschoolers utilize. It has 170 lessons.. Figuring you do one lesson a day-that's 170 days of school. Pretty typical for at school study..Not so typical for homeschool unless you are in a state that requires a certain number of days or hours-thank the good Lord, we are not. You see those two black crates? The one on the left holds 1st grade Abeka for Grace, our 6 year old. The one on the right holds preschool papers for our 4 year old who is insistent on learning to read just like everybody else. (and I just realized I didn't proofread my last post. Oy vey.) So Abeka organization. Each girl has their own milk crate (that's what we called them in the olden days lol). Each crate has a bunch of hanging folders, no I don't know how many somewhere around 40. With Grace's, each hanging folder holds enough for one week of work. In Grace's case, we are starting the year off with two lessons a day of phonics and math. She reads 3-4 stories in the readers a day (we'll get to that shelf in a minute), along with a page of cursive and reading with mom about community helpers, basic history and basic health. Sometimes Hannah joins us for the reading, sometimes she doesn't-she doesn't have to at this point. So when we start the morning all I have to do is grab two folders, take the papers out and get her started. Hannah's preschool papers are in the other milk crate. Like Grace's, each hanging folder has one week of work, in each folder, I already have days presorted so all I have to do is grab a paperclip full and I get Hannah started. At the end of the day, I record any grades needed for Grace then the papers go in the back of one of the milk crates-we'll clean those out when we are done next year. We keep tests, or any fun pictures they drew, the rest either go to the burn barrel, recycle bin.. or if the pages are blank on the back, they go to the color box and get colored on the back side. Grandparents love seeing the pictures and the school work.</p><p>The second shelf up. Starting on the left we have Elijah's coloring books-he knows which box is his and can get out his own coloring books. He's getting used to losing his playmates almost all day right now-it's a rough adjustment for a two year old. The rest of our boxes are extra PACEs for Andrew and Eva. We have the whole year worth of school at home and ready to go. The test and next PACE are easy to grab and Andrew and Eva know where to go if they have to get something without me available. My sorters are cereal boxes.. I asked some friends to gather cereal boxes all summer for me to be able to organize everything and I'm short just a few, but we have a few cereal boxes we are working through.. I'm finding the family size boxes are a must, they fit the PACEs just perfect without needing to bend them at all. That idea came from <a href="https://www.andreamills.tv/home/tag/ACE%20Curriculum" target="_blank">Andrea Mills</a>-she uses plastic bins from Dollar Tree, but cereal boxes work great. We've gotten fancy with boxes that have survived 4 or 5 years and covered them with shelf paper... But honestly, that's a luxury right now and needed-but it is fun. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UdMEbG2kBALai0FAeMpYL-lfC0rsM3TkZJp_lZ5Yuvabe6_Fh8nRMIu8byP6e-soZgdejMvW6Z873ls6ht4RWVEApXVMpk3EbkHPZTkGYgZRq5sixNd8HfZKi9RXNyPRasrJf7TQiHY/s2048/20200905_084444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UdMEbG2kBALai0FAeMpYL-lfC0rsM3TkZJp_lZ5Yuvabe6_Fh8nRMIu8byP6e-soZgdejMvW6Z873ls6ht4RWVEApXVMpk3EbkHPZTkGYgZRq5sixNd8HfZKi9RXNyPRasrJf7TQiHY/s320/20200905_084444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, so we're going to focus on the top shelf in this picture-only halfway up the bookshelf right now. On the left we have Grace's books. If we are missing something in her box down below, we figure out what it is from these books. This box also has her cursive book and the readers she does with me. The next box is the readers she reads to me. The next two "spots" are Eva's. It has her PACEs, readers for literature, cursive, planner and her science workbook. She knows where everything is and can get to everything herself. The rest of the shelf is Andrew's. His readers, PACEs, textbooks (science and math) and binders with worksheets (state study, math and science). He also managed to stuff his planner in there somewhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I'm sitting here looking at this arrangement I'm wondering how in the world I'm going to fit more PACEs on this shelf along with Elijah's preschool next year... But, let's do one year at a time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kSqBSDABAF_y7as34lmsO88Csf9jStBWvj1zt3zi2zyrifaWgYYhnQ3z0dk33nEVTb6pttRX53oVGZQ9wCghhCywycKuhLC16hfcMl_OJth_RbZXNcxfti3GkJwa1j09JVaJOrqi1F8/s2048/20200905_084440.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kSqBSDABAF_y7as34lmsO88Csf9jStBWvj1zt3zi2zyrifaWgYYhnQ3z0dk33nEVTb6pttRX53oVGZQ9wCghhCywycKuhLC16hfcMl_OJth_RbZXNcxfti3GkJwa1j09JVaJOrqi1F8/s320/20200905_084440.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, Here's the last of the organization. The top two shelves...that I'm going to show you anyway, we'll discuss the very top of the bookshelf...but I can't reach up there without a ladder.. because I'm short lol. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All right, let's start on the bottom shelf in this picture. On the left is a box that holds electronics... This is up a little higher because Andrew and Eva aren't allowed on their Kindles without permission... So that box keeps them hidden from sight, and in plain view of mom and dad so we can make sure everyone is behaving. We have a little writing board that we keep track of memory verses on. Flash card sets we use every day (more on that in a bit), the oatmeal box holds pencils (mechanical and normal), extra un-sharpened pencils, erasers, handheld pencil sharpeners (we have an electric one hidden from the two year old on a back part of the desk-he keeps trying to sharpen the super hero legs....). On the right is an Osmo Kindle system... The kids got it last year for Christmas... I can't figure the fool thing out so there it sits. In the gray case is a Robinson Curriculum set. Back when I was homeschooled (late '90s), Robinson Curriculum came on CDs. Well-that's the WHOLE set. So if we ever need a 1828 dictionary or literature books to print off instead of buying, there it is. Robinson is a very reading heavy curriculum, the CDs hold McGuffey Readers, cursive and hundreds of out of copyright books you can read on your computer or print off. We didn't have that when we first started or we probably would have started with that stuff honestly. Robinson also recommends using Saxon math from the beginning-so the CDs don't hold math. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. We have printed some books off the CDs before, but not many. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The top shelf hold my stuff. My teacher book-with Answer Key for Andrew's science. The next binder over holds all of the first grade Abeka teacher things.. Honestly, I don't touch the teacher books unless I can't explain something using the papers... But when I bought the first grade readers second hand the lady had all the teacher's books there too. So we have them. The box (again, a cereal box) holds the teacher version of the first grade readers-they mostly have extra reading comprehension questions in them. Then we have more answer keys. The next binder is mom's planner.... Ummm more first grade teacher keys (seriously..how many teachers books do they need why can't they just put it ALL IN ONE PLACE?!!?). Now, you see those juice containers? Well, those are what you buy frozen juice concentrate in-they make GREAT pencil holders. The rest of that shelf is office things for hubby and I. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now the very top of our bookshelf is a little messy. It's holding a broken laptop (loooooong story), extra spiral bound notebooks, a big box holding a ton of flashcards we may or may not need, and a microscope. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We pull down two things every school morning, the oatmeal box with pencils and the milk container with colored pencils-it's home is somewhere else. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Honestly, this is working awesome. All the kids know where to go for what they need. Andrew and Eva had to get out tests and the next PACEs today and could find them easily. It's easy for them to get to my books I need if I need them to get it for me.. I am loving this setup. We might have to add another shelf next year-but we are definitely going to stick with this set up. I can completely understand why Andrea Mills used this set up. The only thing I'm missing is a certain box to put in that day's papers until I can sort them. But we'll get that when I can clean some more-which depends on what needs baked/cooked and how Dinah is doing. She is still having many grumpy days at 2 months old-but doing awesome. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading!! I hope this helped if you needed the help.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any questions? Go ahead and ask. I'll answer as soon as I'm able! Thanks for reading! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~Tabitha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-37906535252582952662020-09-05T12:50:00.003-05:002020-09-05T12:52:04.301-05:00It's School Time Again! <p> So much has been happening around here this year. But hey, that's just sums up 2020 right? A whole lot of nothing it seems.. Everybody is busy just trying to keep some sort of sanity about them. </p><p><br /></p><p>We ended up starting school later than I would have liked-but that's ok, plans change. Honestly, the best way for me keep my sanity with homeschooling is to remember to be a little flexible... If I'm too flexible, then things fall apart and we don't get anything done. So we still have to have our plan.</p><p>So what are we doing for school this year? </p><p>Andrew is in 4th grade.. He's doing a variety of Ace PACES, Answers in Genesis for science, Saxon for math and a homemade state study. </p><p>He loves the PACES. I love the PACES. I LOVE how there's pretty much no planning involved and it's mostly independent... But we needed some subjects that are a little more reusable for the rest of the kids-making it a little more affordable.. So we dropped ACE PACEs for science. He really wanted to learn about the human body, so we shopped around online looking at reviews and found one that's Bible based and not teaching him about certain anatomy features he's not quite ready for. The one we chose was <a href="https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/gods-wondrous-machine-complete-set/?sku=90-7-903" target="_blank">Answers in Genesis</a>. God's Wondrous Machine. It teaches about the mind, respiratory and circulatory. I am LOVING this. Everything was all planned out and pretty much ready for us to start when we got it. It's written for ages 8-12, and has different levels planned in-you just have look and decide which level is right for your child.. It also makes it easy to use a family study, or as a study more than one child can use the books for at a time. The Saxon math.... Well, we're getting used to it. Andrew is getting used to having more word problems and learning how to write and solve equations along with using a text book instead of a workbook. The state study.. When I was in school, 4th graders learned about the state.. Apparently it's more traditional to wait a few more years around here. Oh well... I also found out that when it comes to homeschoolers and state studies, you are on your own. So I grabbed a couple of our tourist books, found a few great websites and delved in.. We have a section on governors, a section on the history of the state and a section of each region. I wrote it as an independent study and so far he's having some fun with it.. It will only last about 12 weeks, but that's ok. I think Andrew's biggest problem this year will be the transition from workbooks to textbooks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eva is in 3rd grade. She is mostly in PACEs, but her science is through Institute for Creation Research. Eva is also finishing up Abeka cursive. Ok, the science I am regretting a bit... I did as soon as I saw the books.. But we are making the best of it and although it's a little difficult for her, she's doing her best and even enjoying it. We bought the pack of<a href="https://store.icr.org/pack-guide-to-books-5.html" target="_blank"> Guide To Books</a> but left out the Universe and the Human Body. I had to go through and write a workbook and the tests to these books. While I love the information given, these were NOT written as curriculum kind of book-at least not for independent study. But I had spent my budget so we went with what we had. Next year I'll probably buy something from AiG for an animsl study better fitted to how we do school. </p><p><br /></p><p>Grace is in 1st grade. She is all Abeka and doing great in it. Grace is learning independent study this year... and keeps having to redo something when she forgets to read instructions. </p><p><br /></p><p>Hannah is working her way through the alphabet. She's insistent she needs to learn to read soon... So she has great motivation to learn her letters and their sounds. Hannah is 4.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two year old Elijah is along for the ride. He has special coloring books just for school along with reusable stickers. </p><p>Baby Dinah makes things interesting. LOL</p><p><br /></p><p>My biggest fear with homeschooling is that we'll miss something. That's mostly why we're using a curriculum for hte base subjects.. But even with that, we missed something. Andrew and Eva do not have a good foundation with addition and subtraction. Completely my fault as mom/teacher. So, we are working on flashcards. I'm fixing the issue with Grace as she starts in addition this year. I think as an adult I have so much engrained in me (such as basic math) that I forget that it had to be taught to me. Unfortunately for our older kids, they seem to be the "guinea pigs". <br /></p><p>But I'm just being truthful with them.... Yesterday went something like... Ok guys, we didn't do this right, we need to stop, take a step back and do it right. I put our flashcards in order (we have Abeka sets for addition and subtraction... honestly debating ordering for multiplication-we have division flashcards) and paid attention to what problems we were on when they started have to pause for longer than a few seconds or started counting on their fingers. We got pretty far in addition, subtraction wasn't so easy. But we'll get it. One day at a time. I had a friend explain to me the importance of the speed drills-I didn't fully understand then, I understand now... They need to know those addition and subtraction problems without batting an eye to make it once they get to the harder stuff. </p><p>As for me.. I'm learning some Anatomy right along with Andrew. I am still searching for a planner I like that will fit all the kids-plus more. I have yet to find it. This year my planner is basically notebook papers with the days labeled, what week of school we are in. Everybody is color coded. Which is helping a lot as I can just glance real quick and see who has to do what. I have a ton of blank notebook papers in my binder as well, for notes, grades or other miscellaneous things that pop into my head. Once we're through this calendar year, I'll add my meal and life planner to the same notebook-though this is more monthly than daily. That way it's all in the same notebook. Merissa over at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfMW9H22PbA" target="_blank">Little House Living</a> just shared her planner and I think I need to go play on excel and see what I can make, I loved the layout of hers, but I much prefer a regular notebook size as my eyes aren't so great. </p><p>Andrew and Eva also have planners this year instead of the goal cards like ACE uses. I loved those goal cards the past few years, but I wanted something I didn't have to remember to print out every few weeks when I did school planning. So we printed off a calendar. Next year I will probably just do a full year calendar so they can dates they want to remember even for our days we don't have school-such as birthdays or events at church or whatever. I'll do a post on our planners, too. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm working on another post about how we are organizing things this year, this one seems to be a bit long as it is. </p><p><br /></p><p>I don't get much of a chance to sit down and type anymore... For instance, this post took me 6 hours, I'm sitting rocking Dinah in the bouncy chair as I finish typing this.. Supervising home ec (Eva's learning to bake cookies), and grading PACEs as Andrew gets them done... He didn't get done with his school this week so he gets to finish on Saturday... </p><p>Anyway.. I don't get much of a chance anymore, but I'll be here when I can. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-90530139224505518802020-08-11T10:17:00.001-05:002020-08-11T10:18:21.559-05:00Starting Life At a "New Normal"<p> It seems like everybody is using that phrase lately "new normal".... </p><p>My brother picked up a phrase somewhere when we were growing up "normal is just a setting on a dryer". Well, it's true. Your normal is going to be vastly different from my normal. My husband's normal is different from my normal-simply because his work and school is on the computer and out delivering mail, while my normal is very much attempting to keep up life around the house. </p><p>We are still working on figuring out grocery shopping with the whole mask thing... The kids can't really go in a grocery store with me, so we're doing what we can through grocery pickup, Schwans and local stores where I can shop more often, then getting big ticket items like baking and meat at Sam's or specialty stores in Sioux Falls so we can buy as much as we can in bulk... Aldi is very much a novelty right now.. I miss it so much, it's so hard to swallow the prices I have to pay at other stores when I know Aldi is cheaper-but I have to do what I can and priority is feeding us all.</p><p>We had the baby June 20th.. She came fast and early. Little girl Dinah is already defying daddy lol.. He kept saying "you can't come on a Saturday, I have to work on Saturdays" (he's a rural mail carrier in the area, is normal days are Saturdays). Well.. She came at 2:25 AM on a Saturday morning. Poor daddy was tired for work that day. But she did wait until I had cinnamon rolls in the freezer! LOL I didn't get many dinner freezer meals, but our church family is awesome and helped out with dinners. We were able to get back TO church right before Dinah came, so that was a blessing also. </p><p>Dinah is our first colicky baby, it's been a long 8 weeks, but I think we're finally getting the colic and tummy problems under control. I'm still usually fixing something different for meals for me from everybody else, apparently dairy is a huge a trigger for colic. Dinah usually lasts about half an hour sitting in the swing or the bouncy seat -or until somebody comes and starts messing with her. lol She doesn't like too much touching and isn't a fan of the baby carrier. </p><p>We have been rearranging the house to try and give me a better pantry along with a shelf that just for school stuff... It's slow going, but we're getting there. We're also gearing up to start school in a few weeks, just waiting on the rest of our books. </p><p>Our biggest adjustment to this "new normal" is grocery shopping. It's no longer a straight 4 weeks I can shop for anymore, I can't take the kids in stores anymore as most of our area stores have a policy of one person per cart or/and masks... Have you tried to keep a mask on 4 kids for 45 minutes? Yeah...not happening... Without the help of my big kids or my husband shopping for a month at a time isn't happening. It's also pretty much impossible to soothe a newborn with a mask on. So I go to Sam's every 8ish weeks, get as much as my freezer or shelves can accommodate,and stop there. A week or so later I go to the butcher and get 40 pounds of beef, 20 or so pounds of chicken, bacon out the wazoo-I think around 40 pounds.. and anything else we need. I fill in with Walmart, Amazon pantry, Aldi and the local store as I'm able or need to. Thankfully we have Dollar General in town so I can get MOST of my cleaning supplies there. </p><p>My meal planning, baking and cooking has changed... Before Dinah came I was making most everything from scratch, it was really fun learning new techniques and the food was amazing.. But let's face it, there's only so much time with a newborn... So I have to start slow again. Cinnamon rolls are my first thing to get back into... Noodles will be the next, homemade spaghetti noodles are the best. I had been frying our own tostadas and chips, but that's been difficult with the baby so I'll try baking them I saw instructions on Pinterest, I just have to find them again. </p><p>This go round is really the first time since April I've been able to plan meals ahead of time.. Most of the summer was spent blindly shopping, then planning from what I bought. Because of the sporadic shopping I'm able to do, I'm planning for 7 weeks... When I get low on flour, we'll go back to Sam's... and fill in everywhere else as needed. </p><p>Right now, it's super important I keep up with exactly what is in my pantry and freezers.. So making those detailed lists will come this week sometime. </p><p>One thing at a time, one day at a time. God will help us through. </p><p>Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven. </p><p><br /></p><p>~Tabitha</p>Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-2602038017560469582020-04-22T08:08:00.002-05:002020-04-22T08:08:45.887-05:00Homemade Corn Tortilla ChipsNachos are yummy. <br />
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Homemade tortilla chips are yummy.<br />
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Nachos with homemade tortillas chips? Perfection. <br />
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I don't know about y'all, but food is getting hard to find at our little grocery store and the stores in the city have a lot of social distancing rules going on making it near impossible for me at 29 weeks pregnant to get the food we need. <br />
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So I'm getting inventive. <br />
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I've tried homemade tostadas before and they just haven't turned out right. But when I couldn't find tortilla chips but I could find corn tortillas, I decided to give it another try. <br />
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I initially bought a package of 80 corn tortillas for $3. Every time I made chips, I used 2 cups of coconut oil (we buy it in bulk from Bulk Apothecary), 20 tortillas and a bit of salt. 20 tortillas gave me about 160 chips. <br />
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So how do you do it? Pull out a skillet and put your oil in, heat your oil until it's sizzling... While it's heating, get your tortillas cut-I cut the stack in 6-8 pieces depending on how big you like your chips, I do 8. Lay out a sheet pan with paper towels for draining the oil off. Once your oil is hot enough, start adding your chips. I put a few in at a time until I know the oil is hot enough, then I do enough at a time to fill up the pan. <br />
Now, I don't have a thermometer to keep the oil at the perfect temperature, so I just pay close attention, remember the longer your oil is on the hot burner, the hotter it's going to get, so you may need to adjust the burner temperature. It takes me about 20 minutes to get through the batch.<br />
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Don't mind the dirty stove... It needs a good scrubbing again. <br />
I let the tortillas stay on one side until I can either see a bit of brown around the edges or until it stops sizzling as much-you'll hear the difference.. then flip them and do it over again. How long you leave them in also depends on how done you like your chips. I usually end up burning the last few pan fulls in the batch, but they still taste scrumptious. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauqzGztyrss9o8QiQJlzxlwrx3H3O0V8M0erP7wjWKHsQk_r5twq62E6KmacBbfWs78Bjv_RFW4L04-yQH-aB8524_FouCN2wU7Q6a_fSWSK2sqAHswQfx_ph7tFIjYLJSw9PPAdn124/s1600/20200414_161134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauqzGztyrss9o8QiQJlzxlwrx3H3O0V8M0erP7wjWKHsQk_r5twq62E6KmacBbfWs78Bjv_RFW4L04-yQH-aB8524_FouCN2wU7Q6a_fSWSK2sqAHswQfx_ph7tFIjYLJSw9PPAdn124/s320/20200414_161134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After I get a few batches on the sheet pan I'll put some salt on and just toss after they cool off enough to handle. I was putting salt on each batch as they were fresh from the pan, but they were too salty for us. <br />
<br />
To make tostada shells, just do the same thing, except don't cut your tortillas, put them in the pan whole. <br />
<br />
That's it, you're done. Easy peasy. <br />
<br />
Sit down and enjoy the chips of your labor... Unless of course your kids eat them all.. In which case, gobble them up while you can.<br />
<br />
~Tabitha<br />
<br />
<br />Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-53419944043730661982020-04-03T06:24:00.001-05:002020-04-03T06:24:22.980-05:00What To Do When We're StuckI think most everybody in the States is mostly stuck at home right now.. Whether it's self quarantine or government quarantine.. We're pretty much stuck..<br />
<br />
Now, staying home the majority of the time is not new to us.. But there's something psychological when you choose to stay home versus being told "you HAVE to stay home"... Honestly for us, this stuff hit at the end of the month and got bad RIGHT before grocery shopping... I had planned on going a little earlier so we had a month of groceries, no problem... then the city issued a plan to keep the kids at home, germs at bay and only essential outings needed.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you something about our monthly shopping trips. I NEED help. It's not negotiable. Typically my help is my kids as we go when hubby is working... I cannot do a month of shopping by myself because two of the three stores I NEED two carts. I'm also 25 weeks pregnant.. so pushing one cart is hard on me and baby by the end of the store, but two.. Nope I can't do it. I can't the pull and pick up options because everybody is booked out a month at least in advance... SO... we are shopping the sales ads from our local store weekly.. The problem with that? The supplier has put a limit on how many pounds of food they can order. WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA. So, they are only getting essentials that are needed and those are now limited. Our fresh veggies are getting low. EEEK. I'm hoping we can make it to a bigger store and to get honey before the governor issues a shelter in place order... Then I'm relying on the local store only. And when I say we, I mean Dennis and the kids in the van with me going into the store to get what's needed for the week-with extra peppers and onions, because those are freezable.<br />
<br />
So what are we doing? Impatiently waiting for the weather to warm enough to work outside and in the garage... I have many projects waiting and going on.<br />
<br />
We've also decided we need to be serious about eating healthier... and that means looking at all the labels and figuring out what all of those scientific names are-because some of those names are vitamins. So.... we're starting with breakfast, pasta and breads. Now, I wasn't planning on going into ALL the breads...then I went grocery shopping. Guess I'm making tortillas.<br />
<br />
So what's changing with breakfast? Mostly the cereal.. Everything else we eat for breakfast is already real food. Which is pretty awesome. So I'll be making granola so we have some easy breakfast around.. But my PLAN is to just start making the kids' breakfast-whether it's hot oatmeal, baked oatmeal, coffee cake.. You get the idea? I can't just do eggs and bacon and toast because one of our girls can't eat eggs... SO it has to be other things. <br />
<br />
Pasta. The pasta sauce we buy is actually pretty basic as it is. (Prego, Bertolli and sometimes Rinaldi.) Dennis bought me a pasta roller and cutter when he bought me the kitchen aid mixer. That thing is awesome. I finally found a YouTube video on how to make pasta successfully. Flour it until you think it's too much, then you're good. This last batch of pasta turned out great. My next experimental pasta is going to be farfalle and ravioli. The kids eat macaroni and cheese a lot, so that's a meal that needs changed. I don't have the fancy farfalle and ravioli cutters-but I have read a knife or pizza wheel works just fine, just seal your ravioli.<br />
<br />
Bread.. Hoagie rolls, garlic bread, bagels... We're using the hoagie rolls for the garlic bread. Bagels were actually pretty easy, though they didn't come out very uniform in size, but I'll figure it out. Apparently I'm making tortillas..because the store was wiped out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMApGOFg3gWyxdtDwMvr7bp2vMNZm2BjIQq3GwGVUmUmeOoe6-0SSIdBlKAfqEc9fUQOBl-4zQlB41MKGDwA3xLO0kFaCzE8_DPyp1C-AP7s6QAQkUKQ49p7_3BcpTviVafPg53CzjIE/s1600/20200328_120614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMApGOFg3gWyxdtDwMvr7bp2vMNZm2BjIQq3GwGVUmUmeOoe6-0SSIdBlKAfqEc9fUQOBl-4zQlB41MKGDwA3xLO0kFaCzE8_DPyp1C-AP7s6QAQkUKQ49p7_3BcpTviVafPg53CzjIE/s320/20200328_120614.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoagie Rolls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgA_brnxdLyoTS9FimUHfTO40UdA8VtvjC6hhjWzTUjDIzwjG4VAuVu1PCkZd2AFDYq82KCi9MoTKExY0ZCDlASECX5Y0x3eiNsCPNBxmBBw1py4jX1kAaNt42-JZmOthYVxE27vBDWQ/s1600/20200328_151935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgA_brnxdLyoTS9FimUHfTO40UdA8VtvjC6hhjWzTUjDIzwjG4VAuVu1PCkZd2AFDYq82KCi9MoTKExY0ZCDlASECX5Y0x3eiNsCPNBxmBBw1py4jX1kAaNt42-JZmOthYVxE27vBDWQ/s320/20200328_151935.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyD3azPQxmlhLve-bQMBdXuJpg3sjIbczeNPyAkjsiEygFU8uXl4d1SOx-7pWPh7TJKoPTav2rOREhqR-qEDrWzwalE7V_kdjZ_lvAA_GAxjlRxnkO9IkWSOjQ6HFpDY50B4026WQgDw/s1600/20200331_163743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyD3azPQxmlhLve-bQMBdXuJpg3sjIbczeNPyAkjsiEygFU8uXl4d1SOx-7pWPh7TJKoPTav2rOREhqR-qEDrWzwalE7V_kdjZ_lvAA_GAxjlRxnkO9IkWSOjQ6HFpDY50B4026WQgDw/s320/20200331_163743.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn chips! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Gl_k1jqxM_PfRGpX9VBvFTaWCfoNlCTX9KerMimVjbWmNa754wDdHWHYiYUO333o5671ukmlIk_gDkYYVHT8SXx-04Kfh2OpULi_yat03siSwpIO08fiCLq2iD7acLQp1aMMr2IZASI/s1600/20200401_120813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Gl_k1jqxM_PfRGpX9VBvFTaWCfoNlCTX9KerMimVjbWmNa754wDdHWHYiYUO333o5671ukmlIk_gDkYYVHT8SXx-04Kfh2OpULi_yat03siSwpIO08fiCLq2iD7acLQp1aMMr2IZASI/s320/20200401_120813.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinnamon Sugar Donuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This week I made granola and German pancakes... The German pancakes didn't go over that well.. But it's a great protein for this mama so I'll make a single batch at a time after this. They are eating the granola this morning.. Elijah isn't sure about it, but I've seen him eat the crunchy granola bars no problem, so he'll eat it. It smelled pretty awesome-too much sugar for this momma. <br />
<br />
This weekend is my pasta experiment weekend. We'll see how it turns out. I'm also going to try French bread instead of hoagie rolls for the garlic bread... <br />
I also attempted homemade corn dogs.. that didn't turn out well... Apparently the hot dogs (or in our case, brats) have to be room temperature if not warmed up a little to get the batter to stick.... So.. we'll try again.. At least the batter could be used as corn bread muffins. <br />
<br />
Now, if you need help with preserving any excess groceries you might be able to pick up and are worried about spoiling, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaYkgqUPmEA&t=2051s" target="_blank">Jammerill's vlog. </a> She's freezing things I haven't heard of freezing before and I'll definitely keep them in mind. Yes, I realize the length might be a little intimidating, but the awesome thing about Jammerill and her vlogging, she explains EVERYTHING so you don't have to watch, I usually turn it on while I'm lesson planning, folding laundry, sewing... Might as well learn something while I'm doing housework, right? <br />
<br />
Be safe. Don't forget to give time to God. His peace passes all understanding, it's unexplainable.<br />
<br />
~TabithaTabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-40758391560850486782020-03-22T07:41:00.000-05:002020-03-22T07:41:07.313-05:00Getting Ready For Baby 2020Yep, you read that right. We're expecting again.<br />
<br />
Things are a little different this time. Dennis is home more and I am extra thankful for it as this pregnancy has had it's difficulties. He's my clear head when my hormones are going wacky and I can't think straight. He also helps keep me doing the day to day things when I just don't feel good. It's so easy to say "ok, no school, no chores" when you are sick and don't feel like moving, but we have to keep looking at the end result (in this particular case, summer break) because the sooner we get done, the sooner we get summer break.<br />
<br />
I've been having blood sugar issues this time around. It's been high.. Which is a little concerning for me because my numbers are usually really LOW. We decided we couldn't do this pregnancy on our own like we have Hannah and Elijah... That in itself has us both reeling a bit but knowing I have a midwife has taken a bit of the stress off of me. A bit, not much... I was told to eat a high protein diet, try to stay away from simple sugars.. Which has actually been surprisingly easy since sugar of any sort has been making me sick since I got pregnant.<br />
<br />
The past two weeks of what seems like constant doctor visits has us all a bit crazy and the kids a bit behind in school. But that's ok. We'll still get done before June. š<br />
<br />
Once I started testing my blood sugars, I realized the numbers were near the cutoff of gestational diabetes.. So I changed my diet the best I could- but honestly, with morning sickness it's that much harder. The numbers weren't getting better so we went to a midwife.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I passed the sugar tests! I have been put on a high protein, low to no sugar diet... I'm having sugar withdrawals. But I'm finding fruit and whipped cream on top of waffles and cinnamon rolls is actually pretty good. <br />
<br />
This coronavirus crud is messing with my midwife appointments. The nurse was kind enough to explain to me what to look for in case I need to reschedule... which I did.. And now grocery shopping is a bit in the air... Has me a bit nervous to go, but that's a whole different story. I was told to watch for cold symptoms with a fever... The problem? Every time Elijah teeths, he has cold symptoms with a low grade fever... Guess what 20 month olds do? TEETH. UUUGGGHHHH. <br />
<br />
Ok, ok.. Back to the baby. What am I sewing this time? A quilt, of course.. I'm trying my first hexagon quilt. It's turning out super cute. I sewed a lot of nursing pads (I'm collecting pictures or you can check out my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/twoodyhidalgo/" target="_blank">Pinterest Sewing boards</a>.) I'm hoping to be able to not buy nursing pads this time, so I spent the money on water proofing material. I need nursing covers, yes more than one.. That way I can keep one in the diaper bag at all times.. and have a few extra for when baby spits up on them-because it's gonna happen. I'm really liking the full coverage ones.. so I'm going to attempt with some recycled fabric before I try with my brand new fabric I picked up. I would love to make some baby in a bags that are summer weather friendly-we'll see how much time we have.. And our diaper bag is in major need of going away... But again, we'll see how much time we have. <br />
<br />
Right now I'm in the middle of the quilt.. I have to pause to make Hannah's birthday present (she outgrew her Miami Dolphin clothes) and Elijah is in major need of pants... Thankfully I found a ton of material when I digging out the batting for the quilt so I don't need to buy pants and pants are really easy to make. <br />
<br />
Add all of this to the normal craziness and trying to remember to keep the diffuser going with an immune boosting blend... Yep. Life is crazy. <br />
<br />
<br />
~TabithaTabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-8161741222838915522019-12-06T05:39:00.004-06:002019-12-06T05:39:47.318-06:00Having God in My Heart.... What Does It Mean To Me? <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can remember when I was younger my mom always finding new
Bible studies. Always searching for somebody to explain the Bible to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Something about that always made me wonder why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I canāt say some of those studies
werenāt interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember a study
on the book of Daniel that was very intriguing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But any questions were always answered with ābecauseā.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>explanation, no showing me in scripture, no pointing me to
scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Iām not saying that kids need to question when they are
given instruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I firmly believe we
need to teach our kids to follow instructions without question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to learn, they need to know they can ask
questions and get an answer, or they will look in places we donāt want them
looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our pastor pointed something out in a sermon.. We need to
yearn for the word of God as we yearn for food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Reading the Bible is our spiritual food, if we arenāt being fed
spiritually, our relationship with God will starve and whither away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
wouldnāt eat food thatās already been chewed, why would we read Bible passages
that have already been chewed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would
we go find a book that somebody else has written about the Bible when we have
the Bible?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The only way to get to know God is to study the Bible.
Really STUDY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just read through, not
try to beat somebody else to read through a book or the entire Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sit down and chew on the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take your time, UNDERSTAND it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God will show me what he wants me to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had thoughts for a bit to have a blog about my Bible
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To write out what Iāve been
reading and then what I think on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
see now that that is not my place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
one, Iām a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While God says thatās
perfectly ok for me to teach my children, younger children and younger women..
I cannot guarantee thatās itās just women that read my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Itās not my place to be a pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām a woman, women are not meant to be a head
in the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So if you disagree with that, you might as well stop reading
this blog here and now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My job, as a Christian, a wife, a momā¦ is to fear God. To
Love God. To Obey God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Follow God. To
obey my husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To Love my husband. To
SUBMIT to my husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To follow my
husband wherever and in whatever he does-as long as he doesnāt go against
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To take care of my children. To
love my children. To<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teach them that
to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be a Christian is a wonderful, though
hard, thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But itās got the
greatest reward we could ever have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that I cannot be a teacher on my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also know that I cannot write another blog
without intertwining God with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
cannot-and I will not-separate God from any part of my life again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being a Christian is a lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Itās not just a culture and itās not just a
religion. Itās my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My WHOLE
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything I do needs to be
centered around God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That doesnāt mean Iām perfect. That doesnāt mean I wonāt
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That simply means I am striving to
do my best to follow God in what I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">~Tabitha</span></div>
<br />Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648963737823073382.post-79688020788098642952019-11-26T14:39:00.001-06:002019-11-26T14:39:08.972-06:00Restarting A Blog... <br />
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To start a blog, you need a plan. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We planā¦Iām still convinced that sometimes when we plan, God
laughs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So whatās my plan?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Great question.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend once told me I needed to have a set day to publish
a blog every time, that way my readers know when new content is available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
thatās a first plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I donāt have a
plan, because my first job is mom and sometimes āmomingā interrupts plansā¦ So I
am not going to promise when Iāll get blogs out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next plan is make a list of blog
topics-that oneās hard for me, because first I need to establish what it is I
will be writing about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could do many different topics, in fact, this <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>blog started off as a money saving blogā¦.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that severely limited the content I
felt like I could put on my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soā¦ I
think this time Iāll just do a blog about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently Iām a really interesting person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Huh. Who knew? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So.. About me, Tabitha. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Iām a Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
many people donāt know what that even means anymore..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what does it mean? That means that I am a
born again, baptized, accepted Christ into my heart to live a new life to the
best of my human ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does that mean
Iām perfect?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ha. No (excuse me while I pick
myself up off the floor laughing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām
so thankful that God is patient with me and gives me His word to learn to live
like him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām also thankful that we
found a Bible-believing church whose other members are also patient and
understand that we all mess up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Iām a wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
husbandās pretty awesome, if I do say so myself-though I might be a little prejudice
in that opinion. Lol <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves God, he
loves me, he loves our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes
care of us, he does his best to treat me like a princess like I donāt
deserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who could ask for anything
more (now, if you sang that, you get bonus points.. no the points arenāt good
for anything)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible tells me that
God comes first, then my husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thatās
often a struggle for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be anything
to anybody,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I HAVE to put God first,
otherwise everything else crumbles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
be the wife my husband needs, I have to learn what kind of wife God wants me to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dennis (my hubby), knows that and
reminds me when Iām not honoring God first.. From my attitude to my sewing
creations lol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To some of you, that may
sound weird, condescendingā¦ patriarchal even..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But you know what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dennis isnāt condescending, he honors God in
what he does and what he says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Iām a stay at home mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So many people think thatās a detriment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Itās not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the great honor
and privilege of being blessed with our kids and being blessed to able to stay
home with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, itās not all fun and
games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, most days are crazy.. and a
little aggravating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldnāt trade it
for the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Iām sarcastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
you picked up on that?... lol<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cook from
scratch to the best of my ability, I am learning to sew and crochet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things get interesting around here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām also learning to garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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We homeschool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do
mean WE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hubby helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now granted, sometimes that help is the kids
see daddy doing his school and know itās not just them getting tortured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lol Seriously though, our kids love
school-they go a little crazy when we get more than a week off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5 or 6 years ago I was bound and determined
that I could everything for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
know exactly what the kids should be learning and you can get every. Single.
Subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iām sure you can, but I
cannot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After listening to a sermon on
the benefits of homeschooling, the pastor made a comment about needing to pick
a curriculum and stick to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
talking to an experienced (and now āRetiredā-all her kids have graduated)
homeschool mom,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned that itās best
to give a curriculum at least 2 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only would we be getting used to a routine that was new to us, but I
would be fitting something made somebody else into a way that I do
something-probably completely different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A 2 year trial is a good thing.. We started off with Abeka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I love Abeka, but itās just not for us
past kindergarten-maybe first gradeā¦<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
love their cursive programs, the kids love their books, I also like their
phonics programā¦ And thatās about where it ends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now we have a mix, Abeka and ACE PACE and
still working with some freebies (thank you homeschool mom bloggers who put out
free resources, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your hard work!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids are LOVING ACE PACEs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Now for the monkeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean the kids. Monkeys? They do climb a lotā¦. I digress<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a 14 year old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You wonāt hear about her, thoughā¦ She has chosen not to be part of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we pray for herā¦ and I cry
thinking about her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thatās all I can do.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dennis and I have (for now) 5 kidsā¦ Under 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep. 5. In a 1800 square foot house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 bedrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Donāt mind me, itās still a little unbelievable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Andrew is 9, Eva is 7, Grace is 5, Hannah is 3, Elijah is 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Our hands and our hearts are full. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We live in South Dakota where the summers are unbelievably hot and the winters are unbelievably cold. </div>
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~Tabitha</div>
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<br />Tabitha Hidalgohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08775861369057522151noreply@blogger.com0