Cleaning List and Schedule

Cleaning List and Schedule

Daily:

- Pick up toys, this is not my detail clean but basically enough that they are off the floor.

Boy's job, I still supervise them some-what to make sure everyone is helping, and there isn't too much playing going on.

- Vacuum living room rug.  

Either one of my two older boys or I will do this.

- Dishes, I hate food left on dishes overnight. If there is not enough dishes to start the dishwasher, then the dishes should be rinsed off ready to go in when there is enough.
*Doing the dishes also includes putting food up and wiping down the table and counters.

I usually cook dinner, so it has been agreed that my husband does the dishes. The boys (except baby) are expected to throw away any food on plate after meal and put plate and silverware on counter to be washed. We also are starting to ask older two boys to help unload the dishwasher, or after we have washed them off to help load them in the dishwasher. 

- Sweep kitchen and dinning room floors, of course after dishes are done. 

I usually do this. 

Weekly:

Monday- is laundry day. I try to wash, dry, fold and put up all the clothes. 

I am the main one that does this, but boys do help fold and put up some of their own clothes.

Tuesday- I will wash the towels, bedsheets, and blankets. I usually do bedsheets and blankets every other week.

Again this is mainly my task, boys help some.

Wednesday- Beside the daily cleaning I try to take this day off of any other house chores.

Thursday- Now we start the detail cleaning. We begin with picking up toys downstairs or other misplaced items. Then we go upstairs, empty out the toy tubs in toy room and organize them. For instance the legos have their own tub, costumes in another, hot wheel cars have their own case.

This is primarily the boys responsibility, but I do help and check on their progress.

Friday- Starts off by picking up any toys or miscellaneous things that need to be put up. Then we start vacuuming downstairs; couches and rugs, then vacuum upstairs (there is carpet floors upstairs, downstairs has wooden floors and some tile).

Boys do upstairs (game room and their rooms) and I pick up down stairs. They do the vacuuming downstairs and I usually vacuum upstairs.

Bathrooms- I clean mirrors, counters, toilet, and bathtub. Top to bottom, I wait to sweep and mop the floors when I do the rest of the floors downstairs.

Kitchen- Wipe counters, table, and fridge. Again I wait to do floors last.

Dust- any wooden furniture downstairs. 

Sweeping and mopping- I start by sweeping the tile in the front entrance. Then I roll up the rugs downstairs and move them on tile in front entrance. I also move anything else I can of the floor downstairs into entrance, like: office chairs, tub of blankets, few of baby's toys, dog kennels etc... I sweep out the closets and bathrooms first, then the rest of the wooden floor. I use a cloth sweeper and Bona for the floor cleaner to mop the wooden floors. Next  I sweep the kitchen and dinning room floor. Then I use a swiffer wet jet to clean the tile floors; kitchen, dinning room, and bathroom floors. After all mopping is done I start putting the rugs and all the other things from the front entrance back to their place. 

By the time I get to the sweeping and mopping phase the youngest is laying down for a nap, while the older three either play quietly upstairs or sit on couch and watch a movie. 

This is my ideal cleaning list and schedule. Although if I am expecting guest during the week, I move the cleaning schedule up accordingly. Sometimes I will do the necessary laundry on Monday, hold off on the other laundry and do the rest of cleaning on the day of or before expecting guest.

Monthly Cleaning

Well I really don't have one. I try to pick one extra detail cleaning thing and add it to my weekly cleaning, when I have time. So some things get done once a month and some more frequently as needed. 

Extra Detail Cleaning List:

- Clean ceiling fans

- Wipe doors, light switches, dashboards, etc.

- Clean kitchen cabnits

- Clean out microwave (not used that much)

- Wipe inside and outside of washer and dryer

- Take apart the vacuum parts (the ones I can) and rinse them off and let them dry

- Sweep garage, throw away any trash laying around in there, put away misplaced things that don't belong in garage

- Clean air vents

- Dust picture frames and bookshelves

Seasonal Cleaning 

Its not just Spring Cleaning, I believe every season deserves a good cleaning! Some things might not happen every season of  the year, but at least one season in the year.

Seasonal List:

- Going through all the boys clothes. What fits stays, what doesn't either moves down to the next brother or goes in a box to be pulled down when someone else can wear it.

- Going through all the toys. This will include a keep, throw away, and a give away pile.

- Go through holiday stuff. Is a holiday coming up or did one just pass that I need to put stuff up.

- I also occasionally go through my closet. I either throw or give away what does not fit or I do not want anymore. 

- Go through homeschool room. Organize any papers, books, curriculum etc... Clean, sort, and put away any craft stuff.

Okay there it is. I am sure there is more but that is what came to mind. I don't have this printed out or on a color coded spread sheet. It is so routine, I don't have to have it written down. As boys get older I am sure I will add to what I expect them to do. And this doesn't include our outside chores. But that's another post ...

2014-2015 Curriculum List

Wow, what a busy summer! This summer we have had two deaths in the family, vacation, time with nieces and nephews, camp and VBS. Not to mention for us homeschooling moms, I've had to shop and plan lessons for this year. Formally we have followed public school calendar, as far as what days we took off and when we started and ended. This year I am looking for more breaks in-between, shorter weeks and a new homeschool co-op.  So for now, and until the co-op starts in September, we only have school four days a week. When co-op picks up, it will add our fifth day and once a week we will have art in the afternoon. And focused more on what days my husband has off verses some of the teacher work day public school has off on their school calendar. We have actually already started on August 5, 2014 and will end May 28, 2015. Here is a look into our curriculum choices this year.

Group Studies (this is for all kids)
Bible: We all sit together either in the school room, at table or on the couch after breakfast and start our day with a short reading from the Bible. I really enjoy all the valuable lessons in the parables. So for most of the first trimester we are going through the parables chronologically in the gospels starting in the book of Matthew. When we finish those, I want to go over the miracles in the gospel as well. Either way, I really enjoy reading directly from the Bible and having a small discussion about what we read, and seeing where it will lead us.
Art: First we will read "Katie and the Mona Lisa" and later "Anna's Art Adventure"(haven't got this book yet) then follow this site I found that has a list of several projects for kids to do from different artists.
http://www.redtedart.com/2012/04/13/exploring-the-great-artists-30-art-projects-for-kids/

3rd Grade
Language Arts: Spelling and Vocabulary by Horizons
Phonics: Explode The Code, Books 4 1/2 and 5
Math: Horizons Math, Books 1 and 2
History: The Complete Book of Presidents and States (found at Half Price Books for $6)
- It has flashcards of presidents, stickers from each state to add to a big U.S. map, fun facts and activities for each president and state.
Science: Exploring Creation with Astronomy and Astronomy Junior Notebooking Journal by Apologia
- This is our first year using Apologia. The Junior book is for students that are not strong readers, which is great for us because our oldest is still struggling with reading. It has color pages, mini-books, vocabulary exercises and more. Our previous science curriculum covered more on plants last year and my son really loves astronomy so that's why I picked this one to start with. But there are several options.

I've also added a few short books from Half Price Books store that I know my child has interest in but is not necessary part of the curriculum. He has a free time to work on those at least twice a week, more if desired.

I have bought all my curriculum from here, they always seem to have the best deals (besides the few things I bought at Half Price Books).
http://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool?navcat=Homeschool

Kindergarten
Scholastic Success Workbook for Kindergarten (bought at Half Price Books)
Includes: Numbers and Counting
                Handwriting
                Alphabet
                Phonics

Math: Horizons Math, Books 1 and 2
Phonics: Explode The Code, Books 1 and 1 1/2

3 year old Preschool
Phonics: Get Ready for The Code A, Get Set for The Code B, and Go for the Code C
Flashcards: Numbers, Alphabet, Alphabet with sounds, and Shapes (forgot to add this in picture)
Readiness Unit Studies: This goes over tracing, letter recognition, colors and more! It is also absolutely free! Love this site, just choice what you want to do and print (also some kinder. printouts).
http://ateachingmommy.com/

We also do lots of puzzles with the preschooler and baby. And all boys enjoy doing learning games on the tablet! Hope your new school year is a blast, and share a ton of memories with your loves.

Confession: I'm a Control Freak Part 2

    
     This post has to do with how my control issues spilled into homeschooling and what I've learned from them, so far.

    When it came time to prepare for our first year of homeschooling I approached it with a public school mentality. From when we started and ended, what days we had off, subjects we studied and even the lesson plans. Our day was jam packed and we had little room for adjustments. I wanted to finish all the curriculum, finish all the lesson plans for each day, and I had a huge list of things I expected my child to learn that year. Since this was my first year staying home I know we bound more than ever, but I could tell he was not liking school work. And that is how he looked at it, work. Not like a learning adventure as I imagined. Which was just as equally frustrating to me. Now if you are thinking well my kids love vigorously working all school year, then that is fine if it works for your family. I knew I needed some routine, outline of lesson plans, and discipline in school structure but I wanted to stay true to some of the reasons why we started homeschooling. Through staying at home and homeschooling I was looking forward to building a strong relationship with them (so it needs to be enjoyable to them and me), giving them an education tailored to their needs and desires (my oldest struggles to read and my second child is really hyper and has a short attention span), and having more time with family each day verses what time is left before and after a regular public school day. So here is what I have learned to adjust in our homeschool.  

1.) Each week block out time for any work that needs to be caught up on. I estimate more time than needed to finish the subject and curriculum. Allowing time for unexpected things in our life not to throw us off schedule. I also only make lesson plans for 6 weeks at a time. Which gives me a chance to edit anything before making the next 6 weeks of lesson plans. That block once a week really helps out when he is just ready to throw in the towel on something. I can tell him its okay lets take a break from this and come back tomorrow with a fresh approach.

2.) Make lessons plans more of a point-of-reference than a set of must-complete list. For instance; in the Readiness Preschool Book I figured out to finish in a school year we would need to do about 10 pages a week. On my lesson plans I have a set block for that subject daily. Outside of that block for the week I'll put, 'do pages 1-10'. Now some days he might do 2 pages and some days he might do 5 pages. As long as he does the 10 pages a week I know we will stay on track. Therefore, in each block I just have to write what pages he did that day.

3.) Homeschool year-round. This school year I made plans to basically follow the public school days. But somewhere in the middle of this school year we have pretty much adapted to a year-round schedule.  Something with being stuck inside long hours during the winter and kids begging to go outside more in spring. This summer my oldest will finish up his math and penmanship book, my  second child will lightly work on math, and with all the kids we really focus on reading just for fun! So next school year we will start first of August, take more breaks through-out year, longer school days in winter, shorter days in fall and spring, and end in May.

4.) Find curriculum that works for your kids. Again, first year of homeschooling I did an all-in-one curriculum set. Which there were some things I liked, but definitely felt it wasn't the best. Especially looking at the over-all cost. I really could have done without all the teachers manuals for kindergarten. I wanted my science and history to be more faith based and more interesting for my child. Best thing I did was to go to a homeschool book fair. There I could really look through curriculum without having to purchase it first. I also asked everyone whom I encountered that homeschooled what curriculum they used and what were the pros and cons. In another post I'll give you my full list of curriculum for next year.

5.) Socialization. I often say, "Homeschoolers are socialized, we just choose where and who our children socialize with." We do sports through out the year, and participate in a lot of functions for the children in our church. Where my control issue became a set back was when I did not allow unplanned socialization just happen. I was so set on finishing all the lessons for the day that I often turned down invites from friends wanting to set up a play date. Lets face it sometimes our kids need play time outside of the home and with other kids. And even more honestly, I need them to get out of "our home setting" and just play. I have found that those play dates makes my kids and my day a little better. Which leads me to the next thing.

6.) Flexibility. Once again, I was wanting to contain the hours in-which we homeschooled to the hours in the traditional public school 8am-3pm time frame. Yes I can set my alarm clock to wake up before the kids, get their breakfast ready and school work laid out so we can start school on time. Then again, I have found kids function better when they wake up on their own (typically 7:30-8:30), and I can get a cup of coffee down and start on some house chores while they finish breakfast. Yes most adults have a 8-4 or 9-5 job, but I just think most of their lives they will have to set their alarm clock why do it now if they don't have to. While my oldest works independently on some subjects, I manage to spend more one-on-one time with the middle two in school during the day. Then at night when the other children are off to bed I have uninterrupted time to work on reading with my oldest. My husband and I both struggled early on in our childhood with reading, as well as our oldest. So we know it takes patience and practice (for both us and our son) when it comes to working on reading. Letting go of that public school schedule allowed us to get out of that reading slump, and we are now heading up the hill.

Proverbs 29:11(NIV) 'A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.'
Now instead of anger in that verse you can replace it with any emotion that drives your actions when you feel out of control. When life is thrown at you or when a child is just being particularity disobedient that day, ask God to help you keep your emotions under control.

Confession: I'm a Control Freak Part 1

    
Okay so I might have been called anal before. Often people have said I have a knack for organizing. I have been told I have an "A" type personality. It has even been said I am OCD, about certain things. Or just obsessed with having certain things done MY way. So yes I admit I am a control freak. I can see where some things I do might come off as 'over the top' for some people. My main control freak issue is about house cleaning. Yes, there are more areas where I might be a control freak but probably not as noticeable. And you could either share this same control freak issue or have a completely different one (we will talk about that more later).

How do you know if you might have a control problem, you might ask? Lets look at this humorous questionnaire I made up, to see if you might be a control freak too.

How to tell if You Might be a Control Freak ...

- Is spring cleaning for every season of the year (not just spring) and maybe every month?
- Do you get anxious or worry about things being done (ex.: cleaning house has to be done up to your par) especially before visitors are coming over?
- Do you break out in hives, or start to itch (or any other physical symptoms) when things seem out of control? Aka not done correctly or not to your level of acceptance?
- Is your last thought at night your to-do list for tomorrow?
- Do you make a detail list for someone else if they have to do a task you normally do yourself?
- Is it hard to let someone else (even a spouse, child, or close friend) do something for you, like a chore, because you worry if it will be done correctly?
- Do you find yourself often saying. "that's good but next time you should try it this way?"
- Do you volunteer to direct or lead something so you can make decisions on how things are done?
- Do you have a daily, weekly, and monthly chore/to-do list (written or not)?

If you read that and are thinking doesn't everyone do those things (or most), you might be a control freak.

Have you heard, 'you know we are close friends when I don't clean before you come over'? I say let's revamp that into something like, 'because we are such good friends I always clean before you come over'.

Don't get me wrong with 4 kids my house can go from clean to dirty in minutes! All it takes is for them each to have a potty break, share a meal, and 5 minutes of play time and I start to wonder, "Why do I bother?" But I know underneath that cluttered surface the house is clean. And when we are expecting people over it is an all day cleaning event.

There are some positive things to say about a house that is kept clean. When people come over I know appearances make an impression. And I want one of those impressions to be something like, 'man she has a lot of kids but still manages to keep her house clean,' or 'wow I wish my house was this clean.' Keeping a clean house for our children as well as any visiting children, helps prevent any illness from spreading. Because, what parent wants to go to a house that their kids keep getting sick after visiting? We are also teaching them that whatever the Lord blesses us with (toys, clothes, the house we live in etc.) we should take good care of them.

I might be a control freak about my house, but I have come to realize many people who have made a comment about my control issue has some of their own. Let's see if any of these areas might strike accord with you.

- How clean and well kept your vehicle is. I know people who have to frequently have their vehicle cleaned from the inside out on a regular basis. And even have to have a new vehicle every 2 years or so, because any older they might start having problems.
- Homeschool routine/schedule. Don't get me wrong I think routine/schedule is needed for every homeschool, but there are some who you might think carry it a little too far. Like if they have to fit all the curriculum they bought into the school year. Or if they just have to do school so many hours and/or days a week.
- Squeaky clean computer, but their house is a total mess. Especially those who might work on a computer for a living. They have everything broken down into folders all neatly labeled and separated. Gotta have the latest computer gadget.
- Your kids. From what they wear, to what they do, where they go, who they are friends with etc.

I am sure there are more but those are the ones I often see. No judgement here, I know I have my own issues to worry about. I just want to bring to your attention we all might have a hint of control issues.

Over the years I have come up with some ways to maintain my control issue over the house while still having four rambunctious kids. One main thing is I believe in a set controlled free-time. So I schedule or allow certain times of complete free play or for special crafty/mess during the day. I love crafts, but when I think of doing them with my kids I quickly start to feel overwhelmed. I now have learned preparation can prevent most of my anxiety. First, I plan on what we want to do, all materials needed, and a convenient time (like when the youngest is down for a nap). Then I think of precautions like settings. If we are going to paint, I make sure they are in clothes I do not care if they get dirty in. Or a location that will be easy to clean up if the craft ends up all over the floor. After craft time is over, we clean everything up and put away all materials, and it all goes neatly back onto the craft bookshelf.

We will usually double up on school work one day so I can have one full day a week to clean the house. That goes beyond just sweeping, vacuum, and dishes. Because my kids are young, they are still limited on what they can really help with. That allows me not to work so hard to day a whole day worth of school and cleaning in one day. It also helps me not to do everything and make sure I enlist the kids into pulling their own load of chores.

As for ALL THE TOYS that seem never ending, we usually do a one to two time a day pick up. Our morning routine starts with breakfast, while kids watch one to two episodes of cartoons. I take care of baby and get my coffee, then try to start a load of laundry. Then we start with school work. The middle two get more frequent breaks for play time. Which means by the end of the day toys are everywhere. At this point I am not stressed. Now when our school day is done they pick up. Toys and other miscellaneous things are to be put up. We have a game/toy room, a tub and place for everything (except one baby tub down stairs). I do not request that they put everything in its proper place at that particular time. But just put in a tub is fine, on our weekly clean we will go through everything and separate them if needed. This allows them to have adventurous play time and fairly easily pick up on a day-to-day basis. It's not my detailed idea of clean, but allows me not to be so anxious or on the brink of a melt down everyday.

Verse for today is Matthew 6:34(NIV) 'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'

Next post will be Confession: I'm a Control Freak Part 2, I'll discuss how that played into our homeschool life.
 

Identity Part 6: Religious Belief

My faith is so intertwined with my life. It sheds light into the dark corners. Hope when I'm hopeless. Strength when I'm jaded. Leads me onto the path of righteousness when I stray. The standards in which I strive to live by, and what make up my morals. A big part of  why we homeschool, and how we raise our kids.

This is the simplest way I love to share my faith.

ABC's of Faith

A-ADMIT, you are a sinner. We need to admit our sins to God and repent, turn away from them. No human is perfect, and even after we become Christians we will still sin.
Romans 3:23(NIV) 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'

B-BELIEVE, Jesus is God's son sent to earth to die on the cross for our sins. It takes more faith to be an Atheist (to believe in no God, and no purpose of life) than to believe in God.
John 3:16(NIV) 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.'

C-CONFESS, your belief in God (often in prayer). When you trust in God, he will give you a new life.
Romans 10:9-10(NIV) 'That is you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.'
2 Corinthians 5:17(NIV) 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.'

Now if you have done that you are saved, you are essentially a Christian! I compare becoming a new believer to being in a life boat, saved. But now what, what else is there here on earth until we await our divine appointment?!?

Spiritual Growth! I know your next question, how do we do that? You talk to him, in prayer. Listen to him; could be in a prayer, through scripture, in a vision or a dream, or the Holy Spirit (which is inside of you once you are saved) can tug on your heart to make a decision or take an action. Study his word, and follow through when he tells you to do something; like serving. You grow through trials and test. You learn from your consequences from sin, and make better decisions. Think about is like this, how well would your relationship be with your spouse if you only communicated once a week? Or if you are in college and have to take an exam, and you only open your book the day of the exam.

Spiritual growth takes self-discipline. You have to choose to daily spend time in scripture and prayer. Eventually you find yourself making more of the right choices, instead of the wrong. It takes time. God slowly reviles the sin in your life so you can become pure. Holy, set apart from this world. That is why you can read the same passage of scripture and get a different meaning or understanding each time. Through God's revision and trails we become spiritually mature.

1 Peter 2:1-3(NIV) 'Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.'

Colossians 1:10(NIV) 'And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.'

Name: Jamie
Occupation: Mom
Marital Status: Married
Gender: Female
Residence: Small Town
Hobbies: Scrapbooking, Reading, Sewing, and Blogging
Religious Belief: Christian (Christ-Follower)

In going over all of these I hope you claim your identity and find confidence in yourself, where ever you are in your personal life. 

Identity Part 5: Hobbies

     One might think, "when does a mom of 4 (or of any number of young children) have time for hobbies?" My choice of time is at night when kids are in bed, when Dad is home entertaining them, or sometimes they can join in!

Scrapbooking: I love pictures! To me a picture is truly worth a thousand words. I as well as many other moms will make their first born a baby book. In my baby books I captured some family genealogy, history of their name origin, fun facts about siblings and of course pictures from birth to about one year old. I think most of you would agree it was fairly easy to make a scrapbook for the first child, but much more daunting to make one for baby #2, #3, or even in my case baby #4. I strongly encourage you to keep at it, even if your youngest is a teenager and you can only manage one page a month. What an amazing gift to pass on to your child when they begin their own family. Eventually I want to make a keep-sake scrapbook for each one, of all those beautiful art work and hand made cards throughout the years. But as for now my youngest recently turned one and I am about half way done with his baby book.

The cover page of each of my 4 boy's baby book!

Reading: For me, this hobby is a passion with a bumpy start. When I was in kindergarten through first grade (the time when most kids learn and start to read) I had only memorized enough words to get by. I vividly remember the teacher quickly going through the alphabet and their sounds, all the other kids seemed to flawlessly chime in with her as I blankly stared. I was overwhelmed trying to remember all the sounds, rules, and exceptions. Sounding out words were hopeless. I would often mix up 'b' with 'd' and 'P' with '9'. Combining words when I was writing like, 'forth e' instead of 'for the' or 'the nd' instead of 'the end'. In the middle of first grade, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Luckily I did not have to fail a grade, but had to take extra classes that would help with dyslexia and work over summer to catch up. Finally by third grade my reading level was the same as my peers. As many of you know you don't just stop having dyslexia, you learn different ways or tricks to help you. One of the greatest tricks, for me, was to read more! The more I read, the more I saw how words were suppose to be written. My vocabulary increased as well as my passion for books. I agree it is not easy to make time to read with little ones, but it is always worth it. I catch a few minutes of reading outside while watching the kids play. I definitely get in some reading with homeschooling, reading endless children books to them and all the teachers manuals. My favorite time is when kids are in bed until my eyes can no longer stay open.

My personal collection of books I've read so far this year.

Sewing: My newest interest. I have since a young child known (as I think every boy and girl should learn) how to sew up holes in my socks or shirt. About two years ago I got my first sewing machine. I've only made a handful of things; t-shirt skirt, boppy cover, fitted crib sheet, baby blanket, and a kitchen certain. As well as re-sew blanket hems or other small hem jobs. Each one was very rewarding, but without having a personal teacher it has not been as easy as I imagined. I am still determined to make each child a quilt from old baby clothes and other precious projects to treasure forever!

Baby's crib sheet and blanket. I tried it on toddler bed, at time I didn't have the crib set up.

     Hobbies can change over time, or fade out. But it definitely speaks to who you are and what you enjoy. In the past I've enjoyed sketching and writing poems. But as time is fleeting my hobbies have changed. In the future I wish to add painting and gardening to my hobby list. Of course, one of my hobbies now is blogging. I enjoy writing out my thoughts as I hope they reach others in need of encouragement, a laugh, or inspiration.

     Philippians 4:13 (NIV) "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Don't know about you, but I needed to recite this verse and keep it close to me today!

Name: Jamie
Occupation: Mom
Marital Status: Married
Gender: Female
Residence: Small Town
Hobbies: Scapbooking, Reading, Sewing, and Blogging.

Next post will be the last of this series of Identity, I hope you have enjoyed it!

Identity Part 4: Residence

     I know you are thinking, "what does residence have to do with identity?" I believe you will find yourself falling into one of these four categories: small town girl, small town girl living in a big city, city girl or a city girl living in a small town. You follow?!?
     When I got married, and until recently, I was a small town girl living in a big city. For years I often pleaded with my husband to consider moving outside of the city. Maybe not exactly the same small town he grew up in (which is also where we meet), but somewhere between city and small town. He insisted all the jobs would be in a big city, so it only made sense we lived close by.
     Almost 8 years of marriage and 4 kids later, we were making plans for the purchase of our first home. Obviously living in a 2 bedroom and 2 bath apartment just was not going to cut it much longer. Next logical step was to rent or to buy a home. And reasonably one of the first questions we started asking ourselves was what location.  Before I even said a word he said, "I'm ready to get back to my southern comfort zone." Needless-to-say he still works in the big city, but with a 45 minute commute he is back to small town living! 
     Now mind you, we don't have any cattle or farm, but we have plenty of space for kids to run around. We love the bright stars at night. Being able to have our own fire going, and hearing the howling of the coyotes in the distance is just one of the luxuries. Boys have their own digging hole in backyard. Lightening bugs in spring. We often spend nice days outside as much as possible doing things around the house, or like recently clearing out our creek. When I wake up and look out my kitchen window I see cardinals and blue jays playing in the yard. For us it is like a little piece of heaven. Eventually I would love to have a few chickens and a small garden (don't worry I'll be sure to capture those adventures in a post!).
     As expected in a small town it has its down sides, like how fast news travels. We are still new and it takes awhile to get to know people. For parts around here there are about three important things; family, church and sports. Home is where the heart is.

Joshua 24:15b (NIV) "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Name: Jamie
Occupation: Mom
Marital Status: Married
Gender: Female
Residence: Small Town

                                                                        Our first fire!

                                                          Sam playing in the little creek.

                                            Josh got to be the first on our new tire swing!