Thank YOU!!!!

Thank you for your prayers and support through this time of bed rest. I am officially off bed rest and am able to return to my normal duties.

We are still waiting for our wiggly little one to enter this world. I am grateful for the extra time that I have been granted (by my LORD and Saviour), and continue to be thankful that I am still waiting.WOW! Bed rest really changes the heart of the impatient pregnant woman! Of course, I know what it is like to have a baby early and once you experience that, you find that you are more patient to wait for the due date!

I have much to accomplish in the next few weeks and I also feel as I have accomplished much in my time of bed rest...

I was able to complete my nursing nightgown (although I would like to make a few changes yet) and I also made each one of my daughters a new dress.... all of this done in 2 days!!! I will post pictures when time allows, but for now I must get busy so that I can fold all of the laundry and wash up the dishes so that I am ready for this new little baby that may enter this world at any time!

Blessings!
Heather

Bedrest....

Well, so much for posting my monthly menu plan. I do have mine in tact, but I will probably not be posting the rest of it... at least not for this month.

Last Sunday (a week & 2 days ago) I showed signs of going into labor early. So after checking with my midwife and a trip to the hospital, I have been on bedrest since.

If you remember correctly, my last baby came just a few days after hitting the 36 week point.

It seems to have all started with a hectic week and 3 stings from a hornet or something while directing my boys in the garden on Saturday. They tilled my garden then planted my tomatoes & peppers.

So here I am today, trying to make it until 36 weeks so I can have my midwife deliver me...

Just 1 more week to go, and then I will resume light housework & cooking, but gardening will have to be for my boys as I still have beans to plant & a few other things. Thankfully my husband is putting in raised beds for my beans in my "secret garden"... I am also thrilled that I have volunteer pumpkins already growing in my main garden, but I need to have canteloupe, watermelon, cucumbers and a few other things planted yet...

So, prayers are greatly appreciated as I wait and stay planted on my behind.

However, I have taken delight in crocheting and some sewing that I haven't been able to do until now. My newest project is a nursing nightgown for myself as I have already crocheted baby booties, an infant hat, and 3 pot holder hot pads...

Blessings friends!
Heather

Monthly Menu Plan

I have my monthly menu plan planned. However, I am not currently able to post the entire thing as it is written out on my menu calendar because I still need to enter the rest into my computer and I don't have the time RIGHT NOW to do it. But I WILL DO IT and then will update this post with the rest of my menu plan.

But since I know that some of you ARE following my monthly menu plan, I will post what I have FOR THIS WEEK (so far) and update at a later time, probably this evening.

Thank you for your patience!


Menu Plan: May, Week 1

SUNDAY (May 3):
B: Crunchy Oat bars, popcorn
L: baked bean, deviled eggs, brownies (church meal)
D: Leftovers or Sandwiches

MONDAY (May 4):
B: Old-fashioned Oatmeal
L: LO Enchiladas, sandwiches, chips
D: Baked Chicken, garlic potatoes, green beans or veggie, rolls

TUESDAY (May 5):
B: Scones w/milk & eggs
L: Sandwiches, chips & dip
D: Spaghetti w/smokies & broccoli, breadsticks

WEDNESDAY (May 6):
B: Crunchy Oat bars w/milk
L: LO Spaghetti w/smokies & breadsticks
D: Chicken Fried Rice w/broccoli or Italian veggies

THURSDAY (May 7):
B: Rice w/cinnamon sugar & milk, eggs
L: LO Chicken fried Rice
D: Breakfast

FRIDAY (May 8):
B: LO Breakfast
L: Sandwiches
D: Pizza or Stromboli, salad

SATURDAY (May 9):
B: Coffee Cake, eggs
L: Leftover pizza/Stromboli
D: Buffalo wings, potato salad, veggie, homemade rolls

SUNDAY (May 10):
B: Crunchy Oat bars, popcorn
L: Dinner w/friends (side w/dessert?)
D: LO Buffalo wings & potato salad

Abbreviation... I know there are some of you who may look at my abbreviation with a question mark, so LO stands for leftover... it is just much quicker to type LO than leftover!

Have a blessed week in the LORD! I have much to do, and not much time to post. I plan to post my latest two dresses for my daughters soon, maybe even tonight. We will see as my youngest daughter has been fighting me every night for the last few days to go to sleep (I rock her because otherwise she wakes the other children up in our bedroom upstairs.)

Blessings!
Heather

Things to get done before baby's arrival...

I am sooo overwhelmed right now with the things that I must do before this baby arrives that I thought that maybe sharing what I am experiencing right now would possibly ease a little of my tension. I would also ask that as you read through my list that you would remember me (and my family) in your prayers as we try to tackle this list (by God's grace) and prepare for a new addition in our home...

1) Spend time each day in the Bible and prayer... I really need to work on this!!!

2) Clean my home from top to bottom (yes, really!). I am expecting company shortly after our baby's arrival and I will not be doing much after the delivery. I really desire to have a clean, comfortable, and inviting home for them to stay in (and this is what my husband wants). Unfortunately, as I have browsed other's cleaning plans, they just don't work for me. I can't clean my home in a day's time, and not even in a week's time (I don't think).

We have a very large home to clean (we don't own it), not including the basement which is a project in itself. If you were to do a walk through my home, you would start at the mudroom, then kitchen (off the kitchen is the office and screened in porch), leaving the kitchen you enter the hallway, living room, and bathroom. Then, to go upstairs you leave the living room and enter the hallway(again) which houses the stairs, and come to another hallway. On the right is the bathroom, linen closet, guest room, turn corner and you have boy's room, then girl's room. You turn around and walk back down the girls hallway to our room (walking toward the stairs) on the right (just opposite of the guest room).

I have posted a few cleaning lists and they work, for a short time, but I am still struggling to get it all done. At this point and time, I am just looking for a way to get my body to obey the command to "get up and work" while chasing a very busy toddler, and guiding my older children as they do a few jobs themselves, all the while reminding them that our new puppy does not need to go out every 5 minutes....

3) Plan a menu for the next 2 months, this is an easy one for me as I have no problem figuring out what to fix. We buy in bulk, cases of food (literally) so my freezer is stocked. We also have deer meat that we can grind for tacos and such.

4) Plant my garden. I have planted my onions, I have tomatoes & peppers growing slowly in my mudroom, and I have planted a few potatoes but I have several more yet to plant. My "main" garden is ready for the tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs (I also have another herb garden, but will plant herbs in my main garden in hopes to keep the deer out), but I have not yet gotten the other garden plots ready for the tender crops like beans, lettuce, peas, radishes, carrots, and other things... I know that many of these things need to be planted now, but with the rain that we have had it is literally impossible. Thankfully, we got a Mantis rototiller this year that I can use, as well as my boys... we got a really good deal because the place we got it from couldn't get it started!!! All it was was a lose spark plug!!!

5) Finish up homeschooling... We have another portfolio review coming up in May, so I must get the portfolios done and ready for that time.

6) Make my girls some more dresses (play dresses) as they have most certainly worn out about everything they have except church dresses, and a couple others. You see, I refuse to buy something that I already have the fabric for and my dresses take very little "time" considering the time I would take to look for more. I will also try to take pictures as I go, and post them eventually.

So I guess what I am looking for is a way to get up before everyone else does to spend time with God, clean my home totally and completely while chasing a toddler and getting my children to finish the tasks they have been given, homeschool, prepare meals & make all the bread we eat, get my menu planned, till and plant my gardens, and sew all at the same time!!!! Any suggestions? Remember, I also need my sleep or I am not good for the next day. And I can't be stressed too much or I end up with a migraine and another day lost.

Am I crazy for having so much to do? How did I get so behind? Where is Mary Poppins when I need her? (O;

I am going to put these things before God in prayer and aim to redeem the time. You will probably not see too much from me for the next couple of months as I will be busy. Please, when you think of me, say a prayer for strength, productivity and patience for the unexpected.

And all of this has to be done before my 9 weeks or whatever the time the baby comes is up.

Prayerfully,
Heather

FREEBIES From Homeschool Freebie of the DAY!!!

Here are some great resources that are available through the weekend! Here is the email I received requesting that I not only get the word out, but tell you of the wonderful resources available for the next several days...


Just a quick note to let you know that TOMORROW'S homeschoolfreebieoftheday resource on Paul Revere's Ride (the 234th anniversary of which is this Saturday) turned out to be MUCH bigger than we originally announced in this week's "Heads Up" email.
We sorta got carried away with this, and actually ended up with FOUR wonderful resources all related to Revere and the history surrounding his midnight ride. Here's the complete rundown:

Listen My Children (MP3 audio) -
FIRST UP up this a great half hour audio story about
Revere's long life and influence, including the events of
that fateful night, as originally dramatized on the radio
program "Cavalcade of America", in December, 1952.

"Listen My Children" Listening Guide (PDF ebooklet) -
Next, you'll want to use this PDF discussion guide with
background info and questions to accompany the above audio program.

Paul Revere's Ride (MP3 audio) - Next, we have a SECOND
classic audio for you: A wonderful dramatic performance of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic poem,
"Paul Revere's Ride" as performed by Frederic March.
If your kids have never heard it, they are missing
out on one of the quintessential American poems. Give it a listen!

And FINALLY, we also have a neat PDF art study lesson focusing
on paintings & sculptures depicting Paul Revere (as well as
the Minutemen), courtesy of Yes You Can! Publications.
This is lots of fun and a great way to combine history
with art appreciation & hands-on activities to boot.

Again, ALL of these resources will be featured on our site
tomorrow (Friday) and through the entire weekend.

So, we're sitting here thinking "Wow. This is a really nice
package"... and "This would be a great resource to introduce some
first-time visitors to our site -- IF we can round some up."
So... we thought we'd just ask YOU, our faithful
readers & supporters, for a little favor on Friday morning.

Could you please take a moment tomorrow to get the word out
to other homeschoolers about this package of resources that we
have available through this weekend?
Just an email note to your homeschooling friends or local
support group... a post on your blog... a "tweet"
or a "digg"... or WHATEVER networking thing you you can do
to help spread the word would be greatly appreciated.
Just send 'em to http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com
-- They will thank you, and we will too.
As always, we truly appreciate your being with us, and hope
you are enjoying and will continue to enjoy the resources we
make available here.
Thanks, and have a super weekend!
Your Friends,
The Erskine Family
HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com

Quick Clean-Up List (for floors)

Okay, so here is ANOTHER LIST... Did I tell you that I am a list maker? I make list after list, usually to help my children get things done.

This list is supposed to be used throughout the house. It is a FLOORS ONLY list. I created it specifically with my children in mind.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let you know that I gave this list to my almost 12-year-old son and he went to town! What I like about this list is that all he has to do is the next thing on the list, usually when he is finished there are only a few oddball items that he has to deal with. He also doesn't always use it for EVERY room, if he is helping me clean the upstairs, then he just uses it for the upstairs rooms. I was pleasantly surprised last evening when I walked upstairs and saw the difference he had made up there.

1. Go to each room and pick up laundry to take to basement (or laundry room).
2. Take the lego bucket to each room and pick up legos.
3. Take the crayon bucket to each room and pick up crayons.
4. Collect books in each room and put on bookshelf.
5. Gather all shoes and take to mudroom shelf (or shoe closet).
6. Take the pencil bucket to each room and pick up pencils.
7. Gather all dishes in each room and put in kitchen sink (or empty dishwasher).
8. Gather all coloring sheets in each room and put in crayon bucket with crayons.
9. Gather all girls’ toys in each room and take to girls’ bedroom.
10. Gather all boys’ toys in each room and take to boys’ bedroom.
11. Take linking cubes/counting bears bucket to each room and collect linking cubes & counting bears, then take to homeschool area.
12. Gather all coats in each room & hang in coat closet.
13. Gather all blankets, fold and put in living room.
14. Gather all game pieces, puzzle pieces, marbles, and any other small pieces and put in bucket for miscellaneous items (to be put away).
15. Gather all hangers in each room and hang in coat closet.
16. Gather all old newspapers in each room and put in paper basket.
17. Go to each room with trash bag and gather trash in trash bag.
18. Gather school papers in each room and give to Mom to file away.
19. Gather up any other items that you don’t know what to do with and ask Mom about those items.
20. Finally, sweep/vacuum all floors.

There you have it, another cleaning list. I'm sure that in the next several weeks I may come up with more!!!

Blessings!
Heather

Bedroom, Bathroom, Closet & Hallway Organization

Here are some lists I just created for my own use that I thought you might find helpful. We have been working on our Spring Cleaning this week, so that I have an orderly home in time for the baby's arrival.

I am not sure I will make it to my deadline to get it all done this week as I am not moving as fast these days and the cooler weather doesn't help. But I am aiming for success, and plan to achieve it ASAP!!!

10 Steps to Bedroom Organization
1. Remove Clutter
2. Remove Misplaced Items
3. Remove Trash (including broken items that cannot be fixed)
4. Remove Dirty Laundry
5. Remove Boxes of Stored Items from Closets
6. Straighten Hanging Items in Closet
7. Make Beds
8. Place other Items that belong in the room in such a way that they will not be IN the way.
9. If needed, provide baskets for storage.
10. Sweep & Mop Floors, Wash Windows, Apply Window Treatments.

8 Steps to Bedroom Closet Organization
1. Remove all items from floor and shelves & place on a flat surface like a bed or table (or floor for shoes).
2. Wipe shelves.
3. Sort through items on flat surface only keeping the items that you WILL use.
4. Put seasonal items (for opposite season) on shelves above hanging items.
5. Sort through hanging items, keeping only things that you wear.
6. Hang like items together (dresses, shirts, slacks, coats, etc.).
7. Sweep & Mop Floor of Closet.
8. Replace shoes or other floor items back in their places.

5 Steps to Linen Closet Organization
1. Remove all Items from Closet and place neatly on a flat surface like a bed or table.
2. Sort Items by Category (sheets, towels, blankets, toiletries) & remove all other items that don’t belong.
3. Assign Shelves for each Category
4. Match up like items and replace on shelves
5. Sweep & Mop Closet Floor.

10 Steps to Bathroom Organization
1. Remove all dirty laundry from bathroom, sort in baskets, & take to laundry room.
2. Set all Shelves, Hampers, Trash Cans, Scales and other floor items outside of bathroom.
3. Clear all Flat surfaces of Clutter removing misplaced items.
4. Scrub shower wall, toilet, sink, bathtub, & baseboard.
5. Wipe Walls, Window Sills & Mirror.
6. Straighten Medicine Cabinet.
7. Wash Shower Curtain, bleaching if necessary.
8. Sweep & Mop Floor esp. around toilet.
9. Replace Items that belong in Bathroom (including shower curtain).
10. Wash Windows & Apply window treatments (curtains).

5 Steps to Hallway Organization
1. Remove all items that don’t belong in hallway and return to their homes.
2. Clear and Straighten any tables or shelves of Clutter & dust.
3. Sweep & Mop floor.
4. Wash windows & window sills & apply window treatment.
5. Hallways are a thoroughfare through your home, don’t allow the hallway to become disorganized again by taking 5 minutes a day to pick it up.

I plan to make up list for the living room, kitchen and any other room I can think of soon!

Blessings!
Heather