Workboxes!

Hello! So here at the house I have been organizing Molly's school. And I found a system that I think will work great for where we are right now. It's a small tiny version of Sue Patricks workbox system. You can google that and find sooo much info on it and seems like alot of homeschooling moms use it. My friend Erica introduced me to it and I love it!
Anyhow we have a very simple version right now and I figure as she grows it will adapt. We have six workboxes (Sue Patrick suggests 12). And every evening I fill her boxes with what she will do for "school" the next day. And as she finishes a box she takes the label and places it in her completion chart. Once all her boxes are empty she knows she is done with school and her chart is full! She has been loving it! And quite frankly so am I!! Here are a couple of pictures.
Workboxes full with activities for the day






Completion chart empty beginning of day






Workboxes empty all school done






Happy girl






Completion chart complete!






There ya have it!! Hope your enjoying this Spring feeling weather!!

I found the labels for my workboxes at this site.  Enjoy!

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Travel tips with Small Children

Hey everyone!!  We had a wonderful Spring retreat and we are also glad to be back home.  I will update with more specific praises on the Spring Retreat on a later post.  Today I wanted to recap on some of the things that helps me travel with my 3 1/2 yr old girl and 18 month boy.
For the Car Drive:

• books - especially books with tabs, as both LOVE to lift the tabs and look.  And then just lots of variety.  My 18 month LOVES books with pictures, especially the ones that just have pics of animals.  He still needs mostly the cardboard type as he likes to destroy books.


• Felt board (for 3 1/2 yr old)  Molly loves these. And can pretend and play with these.


• Snacks, snack, and more snacks :)  I have 2 snack cups like these and I fill them with cereal or a hit from this weekend goldfish and that also helps them handle the long car rides. Oh and to go along with this they both have a sippy cup with water.


• Music - my kids love fun music to listen to or stories 


• 18 month old will play with toys but they are switched out often. So the more intricate to work with the better.


• Quiet time.  When it's nap time we have quiet time.  Molly isn't allowed to talk which allows Micah to sleep, because he needs a nap but tries to stay awake if she is engaging him.  Sometimes Molly naps other times she is just quiet.  Which is also nice so mommy and daddy can have some quiet chat time.

For mom (ME) to note:

• Traveling means change and young children like routine.  So be ready to use extra patience.  And when speaking to them get good eye contact and speak gently and make sure you have their full attention.  They get extra stimulated with the travel so you have to work harder to make sure they focus and understand you so they can obey you.


• Have FUN!!  It's an adventure for them and use this adventure to grow their character and their view of the world!  Lots of education can be learned when traveling! Plan ahead and think of ways you can maximize this opportunity!


• Get them excited about traveling by having them help you pack!  Both our kids have their own backpack and so they bring items they want and pack them.  They love having this!


• Pack early!  Like at least be done the day before I leave, so that I am not stressing.  If I stress I have poor character which flows into my family.  This means I am less patient, kind, loving, ect.  So I need to be ahead and not behind!

Well that's all for today.  Here is a pic when we came back from our Spring Retreat with the kiddos proudly helping me unload our car by carrying their backpacks.

Spring Retreat Pics

Here is some pics of the retreat so far...
The beginning... Excited to be here



After the talks they split up and have time to discuss







Took kiddos to the Zoo in our free time. They especially loved these Orangatangs!



Elephants!



And my sweet girl stepping in an elephant footprint





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Spring Retreat 2012

All loaded up in the minivan and on our way to our Spring Retreat. The theme for this years retreat is YES. God is the God of Yes. A lot of the world just looks at Christianity as God with rules, telling you No you can't do this or that. But yet God is a God of Yes, because He desires to say Yes, Yes be forgiven, Yes be satisfied, Yes be content. He wants you to be satisfied and content in Christ. Pray the students say Yes to Christ and His purposes.










Evan, Brad, and Joel (Bradley students) managed to squeeze in the back seat! Fun ride for our kiddos :)
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Well said...

Just thought I would drop a note and share something my Molly moo said today that made me laugh :)  I was reading a good friends blog today and her taking the time to write out things her daughter said (which you should read because you will laugh!) so she could remember encouraged me to write it here so I can remember this funny thought :)

Molly said, "Mom did you know that we tell computers what to do?"
Me "yes?"
Molly "Just like you tell me what to do!"

I guess she knows whose boss...haha :)

What Kinda MOM?

Hey friends!  I finally know how to make a nice blog banner!!  Woohoo!!  I think I will be changing them out now often!!  I am super excited about this :)  I found this post on this site on how to make your own banner for free using Picasa.  I love Picasa and use it for everything when it comes to my pictures, so this was so simple and easy!
A book I have recently been reading is Holiness by Grace by Bryan Chapell.  I have been enjoying this book and I am now on the last 2 chapters.  An older woman from church encouraged me to write out a few main points to remember from this book, so come back next week to read my summary from this encouraging book on holiness.
So my random little allergic reaction ended up stressing me out a bit!  The doctor (a random doc at a quick care after hours place) had me take Prednisone (a steroid) and well I am pretty sensitive and this drug got me all jazzed up!  I couldn't sleep for days!  Thankfully my doctor said I could come off of it early since my hives and facial swelling all went away.  So I am hoping to feel back to normal shortly.
  Please keep praying for our upcoming Spring Retreat this weekend in St. Louis, MO.  God is bringing lots of spiritually interested college students, pray God would move in their hearts to live passionate lives for His glory!
 Ok and lastly JUST for FUN!  My MOM friends out there.  I was reading this blog Hip Homeschool Moms today and I thought this recent article was fun!  And I would love to hear from you which of these types of mom's you think you are?

Banners...and such...

Ok really quick could someone out there tell me how to make a decent looking banner.  Nothing super fancy, just something simple but that can fit my blog??  I never like the ones I try and make so that's why you see them switched so often! ha!

Anything new around here...hmm well I did have a weird UNKNOWN allergic reaction to something and first broke into hives 2 nights in a row, but nothing benadryl couldn't handle. But then the third day my upper lip began to swell and benadryl wasn't doing the trick.  So now I am on a steroid for a few days to get this hopefully outta my system.  But I am not liking taking this steroid...it's making me nervous and too energized.  But hopefully it will help this reaction go away.  Wish I knew what caused it... I can't think of anything new I ate or new environmentally.  Anybody else out there had weird allergic reactions?

Kiddos are doing great.  Micah is picking up words left and right.  Pretty much you tell him say "this" and he will attempt pretty much anything.  Molly is fun as usual :)  We have been having some great time together.  She has been working hard to learn all her letters and their sounds since I told her she had to know all that so she can read.  She is a motivated learner.

CO ministry is going well.  They have their Spring Retreat coming up next weekend in St. Louis.  So you can be praying for God to use that in the students lives in big ways.

Ok..so this is a short little tiny update.  But when I get back to feeling normal I will hopefully get back to organizing my pics and such and come and update you on other fun facts.  Miss all my family and friends!!

Much Love,
        Laura

Happy Monday

Ok everyone time really flies by! Micah is 18 months!!!  Micah started walking around 16 months.  And now he is walking all around!!  And so I feel like he grew up so much in just these last 2 months!  He understand soo much!  A couple of weeks ago I asked him to put something in the trash for me and he took my trash and proudly took it to the trash can and threw it in!  I was like wow he can follow directions.
Some of his new words in his own language:  "shesh" = shoes, "broosh" = brush, "caca" = cracker, and trash. He discovered PLAYDOUGH and LOVES it!  Here is pictures of his first time using it.  And also some pictures of our first snow here in IL and so far we haven't had anymore snow...kinda crazy but mommy isn't complaining!

He is becoming VERY interactive!  I love seeing his little personality come out!

Playing in attic with sissy and she dressed me up

Love this guy!

starting to ask to wear hats!

Molly is  also growing all up!  And she is VERY hilarious!  And she loves to make others laugh :)  When she speaks she talks ALOT with her hands and is very expressive in her expressions!  I love the age she is at.  She absolutely LOVES being a big sister and wants to help out in anyway with Micah.
One thing we have been discussing a lot lately is who Jesus is.  This is the first year that she was understanding more indepth what Christmas was all about.  And she knows it's all about Jesus but she wasn't sure she "knew" Jesus.  She told me she wanted me to tell her all about Jesus.  So we have been talking all about who Jesus is and why He is so important to me and her daddy.  She is beginning to understand that she is a sinner, for example we talk about how when she disobeys me she has an "ugly heart" and that is sin.  And how God desires us to have "pretty hearts" ALL the time.  And how she can't have a "pretty heart" ALL the time.  And that's why God sent Jesus to die for our sins and take our "spankings" on Himself and give us His "pretty heart".  This discussion is ongoing here at the Hayes household because I am continually falling short and sinning and so is everyone in my household.  So we are continually discussing this truth.  And this truth brings me such GREAT Joy!  I am sooo thankful to have Christ in my life!  I cannot Praise God enough for the riches He has given me in Christ!  I am free from all my sins!  I am completely forgiven, because I have a gracious Father who allowed His Son to suffer so that I could be given life in Christ!
"For OUR sake He made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21

I am really enjoying these ages of the children.  Hopefully I can do a better job updating you all on our lives!  Happy Monday!