New DoTerra Products! Available October 3rd!

I didn't make it to convention this year - that is my goal - to make it one of these years!  However, I did get to see and hear all about the new products DoTerra has coming out in October!  I am very excited and can't wait to try them all out!

Spikenard essential oil

Petitgrain essential oil

doTERRA® SPA Line: Moisturizing Bath Bar, Refreshing Body Wash, Detoxifying Mud Mask, Exfoliating Body Scrub, Replenishing Body Butter, 3 Moisturizing Lip Balms, fragrance-free Hand & Body Lotion, Citrus Bliss® Hand Lotion, and Rose Lotion.

PB Assist® Jr

doTERRA a2z Chewable™ now available in watermelon flavor.

doTERRA Serenity Restful Complex™ Softgels

Updated: doTERRA Serenity® Restful Blend.

Emotional Aromatherapy™ Touch Kit

- See more at: https://doterra.com/US/en/blog/events/doterra-one-convention-recap#sthash.2banAqIU.dpuf


And Shipping Price changes!  If that's what's been holding you back - now is the time to jump in!

What product are you excited about?!

Rita

Homeschooling 2016-17

  

Back to Home-School!

We had a great summer, but now it's "Back to School" time here for our family.  Well, actually, we've been "back to school" since the end of August.  This year, we have one son who recently graduated and will be heading out to the Marine Corp. this fall, Drummer Boy is in 10th grade this year at our local public high school, MMBoy - 6th/7th grade, and Baby Girl -1st grade will continue their education at home with me!

As there is a somewhat large age/grade gap with my homeschooling children, there are only a few things we do together and then they have their individual studies.  That is one of the pluses of homeschooling - to be able to include siblings in certains subjects and simply adjust the depth, workload and expectations to the appropriate grade level.

Last year, one of our favorite additions was Morning Time which I discussed here.  We are continuing our Morning Time with only a few minor alterations to the schedule.

Monday:
Prayer, Bible - reading through Proverbs &  God's Promise/God's Names/God's Providence by Sally Michael, Memory Work, Poetry - A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson & Now We are Six, When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne, Parts of speech, Shakespeare (see Literature below), Copywork

Tuesday:
Prayer, Bible - Old Testament & Proverbs, Memory Work, Math Songs/Drill, Life of Fred math series, Copywork

Thursday:
Prayer, Bible - reading through Proverbs &  God's Promise/God's Names/God's Providence, Memory Work, Poetry, Prepositions, Life of Fred language arts series, Copywork

Friday:
Prayer, Bible - Old Testament & Proverbs, Memory Work, Art Study, Read aloud fiction, Copywork

Other than our morning time, the only other joint learning is Apologia Science.  We are using the Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures.  This is a great series for multi-age schooling.  There are even journaling notebooks available to enhance the curriculum. Some days we use them and some days we don't!

So, what does 1st and 7th Grade look like for us this year:

Baby Girl - 1st Grade

Math
Math-U-See Alpha

Reading, Writing & Phonics
McRuffy Press 1st Grade Phonics & Reading
Copywork - Handwriting Without Tears My Printing Book

Science
Apologia Flying Creatures
Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

History
50 Famous Stories by James Baldwin
Viking Tales by Jennie Hall
These 3 Biographies by Ingri D'Auliare:  Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Buffalo Bill

Literature
Aesops Fables by Milo Winter
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
The Blue Fairy Book
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb

I mainly use the Ambleside Online curriculum, Year 1 list.  As this is my 3rd child using this, I do tweak it here and there based on what we did or did not like in the past, what each child is interested in and what is working for us this year.  They have a great week by week schedule that I plug into a planner and edit based on our school year.

The only complaint so far from Baby Girl is that she wants to do everything, every day!!

MMBoy - 6th/7th Grade

As you can see, I think grade placement is of great importance - ha!  I am starting with Ambleside Onlice curriculum, Year 6 - but, again, I have adjusted the curriculum to fit MMBoy's needs this year. However, for church and co-op activities, he is placed among 7th graders.  I did let him know that if he'd like to be considered a 7th grader, he needed to step up and take on more of the work independently and I am happy to say that, so far, he has been doing a great job!

Math
Math-U-See - Delta & Epsilon (we didn't quite finish Delta last year, so are beginning with that and plan on getting through Epsilon too!)

Writing & Grammar
Handwriting Without Tears - Cursive Handwriting
Easy Grammar
Wordsmith Series - Apprentice (we had started this last year and are continuing to make our way through the book)
Spelling Plus by Susan C. Anthony

Science
Apologia Flying Creatures
Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Robert Cwiklik
Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick
Galileo and the Magic Numbers by Sidney Rosen

History
Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster
Story of the Greeks by H.A. Guerber
Story of the Romans by H.A. Guerber

Literature
Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch (found a great illustrated copy at B&N!)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (This book study was offered at our co-op this year! What a fun way to get a required reading in)
The Iliad

Language
English From the Roots Up by Joegi Lundquist

Both of my students have additional "free reading" - books I pick up for them, books they pick out from our local library or a book we are all reading together.  I try and keep track of these intentional and accidental reads.

I still have yet to finalize our Read-aloud list, but will post that when I get it done.

Happy "Back to School"!

Rita

5 Products I Love Using Right Now (Face & Hair Care!)

I'm always on the look-out for products that make my life easier, enhance my routines or are just new to me.  Whether I'm reading a blog post, flipping through a magazine or talking to my hairdresser, I love coming across something new, especially if it works great! 

5 products I'm loving right now

For My Face

Get it on Amazon here

I first read about this in Martha Stewart's Living magazine and while I've used it for a while, I've recently been adding it to my Essential Oil blends.  I use Melaleuca and Frankincense with it for my toner and with the Protective Blend for hand sanitizer.

Oh my goodness!  Do I love this soap. And yes, it is black. The first time I used it, I couldn't believe how wonderful my face felt!  It didn't dry it out, but left it feeling super smooth.  I read about this one in InStyle magazine, I believe, but they were out of stock the first time I tried to order it - so glad I tried again!  Mule Hell Trading Company (when this was originally posted it was on sale!)

Here is another Martha Stewart Living find:

Eucerin Face Lotion is one I have been using for quite a few years, but every summer I am reminded why I am so grateful for it . With its SPF 30, I use it once in the morning and then I don't have to worry about putting on more sunscreen throughout the day.  It is lightweight,  has no odor and goes on smoothly.

For My Hair

 After washing my hair, I add one squirt of the Coconut Milk Serum - that all I need for my longer hair (side note- for my daughter I use less or else her hair looks a little greasy as she has short hair).  I start at the ends and then work it up.  It has a great smell, give my hair a healthy sheen and also works as a great detangler.  

Dry shampoo . . .  well, since my hair is long right now, and it takes a generous amount of effort on my part to actually "do" it, I've been trying to wash it less.  Not Your Mother's was recommended by my hairdresser after another one I had tried was an absolute flop.   It comes in an easy aerosol spray and absorbs quickly when brushed through my hair.  I've been very happy with it every time I use it and I feel like I don't need to use a whole lot - mainly on the roots of my hair.  (side note - I know a LOT of people feel like their hair is too greasy after not washing it for a day, but I found this helps with that and the more my hair got used to not being washed, the less of the dry shampoo I needed to use).

That's it!  Do you use any of these? Are there any great  face or hair products you love right now?  I'd love to hear about them!

Rita

Our Kindergarten Year

I've officially finished homeschooling my last kindergartener . . . while it's exciting to move forward, part of me is also sad.  I've taught all my kids how to read, all of them even used the same book!  Kindergarten seems to mark the beginning of the learning journey, and while it never really ends, this year was the last beginning.

Baby Girl all done with her reading book!

That said, I've mentioned in a couple of other posts that I would be looking back at our Kindergarten year and sharing how we do Kindergarten here at The Gorbics Academy.

We have basically followed the Charlotte Mason method with all the kids- you can read about what that is here.  There are many good sites out there for implementing this method.  My favorite and most used is Ambleside Online.  It is a great resource for understanding the Charlotte Mason method and for free schedules, book lists and many links to curriculum. Kindergarten or Year 0 on Ambleside Online isn't really a structured school year.  I do use their great book list which I shared here.  We worked through this book list during the Kindergarten year, reading one book each day of the week for an entire week.  

In addition to our book list, Baby Girl participated in our Morning Time.  I have loosely done Morning Time in the past, but after reading this post about using a Morning Time Binder, I made my own binder, filled it with good things and made it a priority each school day.  Well, almost every day - we participate in a Co-op on Wednesdays, so to be realistic, I did not include anything for Wednesday!  

I have LOVED this addition to our day.  It proved to be a great time for all of us to start the day together, because we were focusing on what was really important - Him and each other.  And on days that this is all we were able to accomplish - and there were many of those - I could still call it a win!

Here is a quick breakdown of what our Morning Time looked like:

Monday
Prayer (We always start with what we are thankful for and then use Prayer Calendars from Cheri Gamble)
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse (we are working through these verses from Ann Voskamp) and Co-op Verse
Poetry - A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Kujifawa
Read Aloud - Fiction
Copywork

Tuesday
Prayer
Bible New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Math Songs
Read Aloud - Life of Fred, Math series
Copywork

Thursday
Prayer
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Parts of Speech (printables found here)
Read Aloud - Life of Fred, Language Arts series
Copywork

Friday
Prayer
Bible - New Testament and Psalm
Memory Work - Verse and Co-op Verse
Art Study
Read Aloud - Fiction
Copywork

After our Morning Time, our Kindergarten schedule was pretty simple and we usually finished fairly quickly. We included Math (Math U See Primer), Reading (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), the Handwriting without Tears curriculum, Character Training and our read-alouds. Most of these we did once a day, with the exception of our Character Training which we focused on once a week.  

That didn't mean that our learning was done for the day!  Baby Girl still participated in many of the other learning experiences going on in our home.  Plus we had co-op, field trips, cooking days, educational shows, playdates and most importantly, lots of PLAY!  

Hopefully this is helpful to you if you are beginning your homeschool journey or just trying to reevaluate your homeschool year.  As always, please do not let my suggestions add to your list of "things I should be doing" or "yet another thing I need to do".  Use these resources as ideas to lighten your load, not add to it!!

Rita

How we use A Child's Book of Character Building in our Homeschool

I recently posted our Year End Review: Our Read Alouds and enjoyed looking back so much that I've decided to look back on Baby Girl's Kindergarten year.  We've used many different resources over the past years, but one I've used with all my kids is A Child's Book of Character Building. So, how did I use this book?

I decided to not only go through this book with Baby Girl, but add some picture books and copywork to go along with it.  The majority of the copywork was done the last half of the year as we were still working through our letters during the first half. But it ended up being a great review of each trait for her and I!

A Child's Book of Character Building is broken up into 12 character traits.  Each character trait is first defined in simple,but clear terms and has a Bible verse to go with it.  Then, each character trait has four simple, single page stories that relates that trait to the Bible, home, school and play.  At the end of each trait are a few simple questions/discussion prompts, called Character Development Challenges, to talk about.

Since our school year has 36 weeks in it, I chose to focus on one character trait for 3 weeks each.  The first week we read the definition and verse of the character trait and the Bible story included an example of the trait.  The following week, we would reread the definition and then read some or all of the 2-3 stories relating to home, school and/or play. When we finished the last story, we would discuss the character trait using the Character Development Challenges. Once we finished up the stories in each section, I would have a library book picked out for us to read that, again, related to the character trait we were discussing.  This was a great opportunity to ask Baby Girl how she saw the trait in the story and discuss it further.

I did some research to find books that would be applicable for each character trait.  Just a little note - I love the definitions this book uses for each trait, so I am including them!

Attentive - "Listening with the ears, eyes, and heart" 

The Morning Sam went to Mars by Nancy Carlson

Faith - "Believing God will do what He says"

Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tomie DePaola

Creative - "Doing something in a new way"

  

Ish and or The Dot by Marcia Brown

Diligence - "Working hard to accomplish a task"

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell

Patience - "Waiting with a Happy Spirit" 

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael P Kaplan 

Contentment - "Happy with what I have"

The Whingdingdilly by Bill Peet

Obedience - "Doing what you are told with a happy, submissive spirit"

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

Wisdom - "Thinking God's way"

The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

Tenderhearted - "Strong enough to feel the joys and hurts of others"

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

Thankfulness - "Being grateful and saying so"

I'm Thankful Each Day by PK Hallinan

Honesty - "Truthful words and ways"

The Boy Who Cried Wolf  (there are many good versions of this one!)

Joyfulness - "Being happy inside and out"

Have you Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud 

What a fun list and a whole lot of sweet moments to look back on!  Some of these books, I probably wouldn't have picked out on my own, but are now some of our favorites. 

Once we finished all the character traits and the copywork - I had Baby Girl write the trait and the definition provided - we punched some holes in them all, added a cover page and back page and we made our own book of character traits that Baby Girl can read through.

I hope this list inspires you to sit down and do a little bit of fun, and meaningful, reading with your child!

Rita

And the Winner Is . . . dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick GiveAway

Thanks to you all for reading my review of dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick!  This was only my second review and give away, but I am enjoying sharing dōTERRA this way.  You can read my 1st one here.  

Once again, I used:  http://www.miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/

And the winner is . . . Kris!  Congratulations -  I will be in touch to get your dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick to you!

 

Rita

Year End Review: Our Read-Alouds this Year 2016

As a homeschooling momma, read-alouds are a big part of every school day.  At the beginning of this year, I made a couple of lists and scheduled out our read-alouds.  I made a Kindergarten list for Baby Girl and a combined read aloud list for Baby Girl and MMBoy. That proved the most difficult . . . I needed to read to a 6 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. Hmmmm . . .

At the end of last year, we had really fallen for Roald Dahl books.  They were great to read to both of the kids, the chapters were of a reasonable length so momma didn't get tired of reading or of hearing her own voice and many his books have been made into movies.  Now, we all know that the movie is never as good as the book, but it was a fun way to end Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.  This year, I decided to start out with another Roald Dahl book, The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

From there, I perused reading lists I had printed from amblesideonline.org and Higher Up and Further In (How sad I was when I went to find this link and I found this blog is not longer kept up.  She was one of my favorite blogs to read when I began homeschooling and provided me with many great lists, ideas, schedules, printables, etc.)

Without further ado, here are our lists!

Kindergarten read alouds (Read one book every day for each week):

• The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
• The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese
• The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
• Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
• The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston
• Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
• Winter in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Foolish Tortoise by Eric Carle
• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
• The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
• The Little Red Hen
• The Gingerbread Man 
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears
• The 3 Billy Goats Gruff
• Chanticleer and the Fox by Geoffrey Chaucer, Barbara Cooney
• I Can't Said the Ant by Polly Cameron
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
• I'm a Little Teapot (I like this one)
• Country Mouse, City Mouse
• The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright
• Poems and Prayers for the Very Young by Martha G. Alexander

Combined read alouds (Read during our Morning Time on Monday & Friday):

• The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• Little Women (Book 1) by Louisa May Alcott
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo
• Animal Farm by George Orwell*
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz*

*these books were included because I read them aloud to my senior son and I'm pretty sure the others were listening just as he listened in on many of their stories - It does my momma heart good to know that he still likes to hear me read :)

Failed to read aloud:

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Treasure Island

Seriously?!  I am not sure how we never read How the Grinch Stole Christmas?!  I think maybe it was because we were reading Little Women and it was taking waaaaay longer than I expected.  Ha!  We were going to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn after MMBoy had read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . . . and that, too, took longer than anticipated. I'll forgive him as he's made up for with some mad reading skills and has completely finished reading the entire Harry Potter series this spring.

As we wrap up this homeschool year, what a great list to look back on!  Not only did we read some great books together, we learned the importance of family, our world and each person on it. We created some fun memories along the way; memories of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, memories of momma crying through the end of Because of Winn-Dixie (someday they will understand) and memories of snuggling up by the fire and opening up a good book into an adventure.

Rita

dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick Review and Give Away!

  This past year dōTERRA came out with some great new products. I have previously reviewed the dōTERRA Natural Deodorant, - here. Not only did I review it, I also gave one away!  I have decided this month of May to do another review and give away!  Why you ask?  Well, this month dōTERRA has another great promotion for its Wellness Advocates!

Earn a FREE 5 mL of Cardamom, 15 mL of dōTERRA Breathe®, dōTERRA Breathe Vapor Stick, dōTERRA Breathe Respiratory Drops (Retail Value $91.99) by placing any 200 PV order from May 1st thru May 31st 2016.

These are basically FREE oils!!! And I want to share with you!

I am a big fan of the dōTERRA Breathe™ Essential Oil Blend and dōTERRA Breathe™ Throat Drops, so I was thrilled when dōTERRA came out with the dōTERRA Breathe™ Vapor Stick. What's not to love - all the great benefits of dōTERRA Breathe™ in an easy to apply stick?!

dōTERRA Breathe™ has some specific benefits:

• Maintains feelings of clear airways and easy breathing
• Promotes a restful night’s sleep
• Helps minimize the effects of seasonal threats
• Provides a cooling, soothing effect both topically and aromatically

I have used dōTERRA Breathe™ in the past in our diffusers (both night and day-time), topically diluted on our chests or applied a drop on my hands and inhaled. (There should be some joke there about not inhaling . . . but I've got nothing right now :/ )

While roller balls are a great way to apply diluted EO's, especially on younger children, and I frequently make my own roller balls for easier application, to extend the life of my oils and to create my own EO blends, the Vapor Stick has made application so much easier!  I can let my Baby Girl (she's almost 7) use it herself and her older brothers too.  There is no need to dilute and make a mess of one's hands.  Just open up the stick, give it a little twist up and apply to your back or chest.  I've even applied to my throat and just dabbed under my nose.

Now that you've heard all about dōTERRA  Breathe™ Vapor Stick, it's time to enter - Just leave a comment on this post and I will be picking a random commenter at the end of the month.  Good luck and Happy Oiling!

Rita

Big Picture Story Bible Review- One of the best Bibles for Littles!

  

A couple of Christmas's ago . . . we purchased The Big Picture Story Bible for Baby Girl.  I was looking for a "spiritual" gift for her and wanted something appropriate for a 4 year old - something she would actually be able to use.  I had looked at The Big Picture Story Bible and at The Jesus Storybook Bible.  I liked both of these from browsing through them on Amazon. They both have amazing and colorful pictures - not freaky pictures like some kids bibles. What's up with that?! Seriously, all my kids have received some sort of Bible in their PreK years and they ALL have disturbing pictures, lol.

I liked both of these options because the share the overriding Gospel message and show how God has had a plan since the beginning of time. They don't moralize the Bible stories. Yes, there are stories in the Bible that one can get a moral lesson from.  I want the Gospel message and God's love to capture my child's heart.  My goal was a Bible that shared the goodness and love of God and that we are a part of HIS story, this is not our story.  The Big Picture Story Bible comes highly recommended:

• This article does a great job of explaining how and why we should be teaching God's Word to our children and recommends The Big Picture Story Bible.

• At the homeschool convention I went to in April, John Stonestreet, from Breakpoint, did a talk titled: How We (Mis)handle the Bible. In his talk, he recommended The Big Picture Story Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible.  

After reading reviews, looking through both of my options on amazon.com, I ended up getting The Big Picture Story Book Bible. Mainly because it also came with a CD!  As a homeschooling mom who frequently does read-a-louds, one thing I appreciate is a CD that does the reading for me. Sometimes I get tired of hearing the sound of my own voice . . .  but back to this Bible.  I love it! And Baby Girl does too!  It is divided into Old and New Testament and each Testament is divided into parts, 11 in the Old, 15 in the New.  There are questions peppered throughout each part that encourage the child to think about the story being told.  There are not only questions, but also reminders of God's love and that He has a plan throughout! And don't we all need that reminder?

If you're looking for a great Bible to get your preschooler started on, I highly recommend this one! Baby Girl is approaching 7 and will still put the CD on, sit down on the couch and listen to the entire book. Love that!

Rita

Forgiveness

Pinterest Image

Every Sunday evening, my family gets together with a few other families for a focused time of fellowship and food - for our bodies and souls.  One could call this a small group, missional community, bible study or even, church.

The past few weeks we've been going over the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) and it was these specific lines that lead me to do a post on forgiveness:

"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

This could also read - sins, trespasses - but what does it really mean?  And what is FORGIVENESS really?  I have been wrestling with these 2 questions this week and the concept of forgiveness even longer.

In the Lord's Prayer, we are asking God to forgive us as we have forgiven those who have sinned/wronged us.  Wow . . . in as much as I forgive, I will be forgiven?!  That is a hard thought to process.  Read Matthew 6:14 - " For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."  And this is not the only time it is mentioned.  In Matthew 18:21,22, "Peter asks 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven'".  And then he proceeds to tell the parable of the king who forgave his servant a vast amount of debt, but then the servant proceeds to throw a fellow servant into prison for a much, much smaller amount of debt.  When the king hears of this, he becomes angry and has the first servant delivered to the torturers (!) until he can repay all of his debt.  (Matt. 18:23-34).  Then there is this in verse 35 - "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses".  

How can we, as mere humans forgive on this level?  


What sticks out to me about these verses?  They are not talking about forgiving our enemies - though there are plenty of those in God's Word - but forgiving our brothers and fellow servants .  I, personally, find it easy to forgive those I am not super close to.  It seems easier to me to forgive someone and offer them grace, see the situation through their eyes if they are not in close relationship to me.  It is so much more difficult to not let bitterness and unforgiveness build up when I have to interact with that person every day, when I see them not changing, when it hurts so much more because of our close relationship.  But not only does Christ call us to forgive our enemies, but our brothers (family), fellow servants (other Christ followers) . . . those we are close to.  Does this seem impossible to you?  If I'm being honest, it does to me!  But God has also given us His Spirit and tells us in Matthew 19:26 - "but with God all things are possible," and Jeremiah 32:17 - "There is nothing too hard for You."

First, what is forgiveness NOT?

Forgiveness is not the absence of angers at sin, forgiveness is not forgetting the wrong, forgiveness is not forgoing justice, forgiveness is not enabling and forgiveness is not necessarily reconciliation, as that requires both sides participating.

So then, what IS forgiveness?

I found this series of articles - specifically 1,2,& 5 by Focus on the Family, extremely helpful and have pulled a few quotes out that really seemed to speak to me. (Note: these were written for those dealing with divorce/infidelity - this is NOT something my husband and I are working through and I pray for protection in our marriage regarding this - but the articles are very applicable to forgiveness and the process it is).

Most importantly, forgiveness is a PROCESS - it may happen overnight, it may not.  It may take days, weeks, months and even years to truly embrace forgiveness.

"Forgiveness is a gift of God's grace . . .  and we must give ourselves the grace our healing requires as we move forward to full forgiveness."

 Many times, a situation requires time, perspective, more information and rebuilding the relationship. I think that saying "I forgive" and trying to act as if everything is the same doesn't allows us to take the time to really be open to complete forgiveness.

"When we've been deeply wronged something inside yearns for justice. If we don't forgive, our desire for justice becomes revenge, subjecting us to the bondage of bitterness and self-righteousness. When we choose to forgive, the justice we seek is for the other person to feel our pain."

Wow, I don't know about you, but that hits the nail on the head.  Isn't that usually what I want - an acknowledgement and validation for what I am feeling and going through?!  But even if I don't get that "justice", I am still freed. When I forgive others I am released from the bondage unforgiveness can cause in my own life - bitterness, resentment,etc.

True forgiveness takes place when we release our hurt and let go of it, acknowledging that our spouse  is a fallen human being, who is perhaps doing the best he or she can with the limited resources in their emotional, relational, and spiritual arsenal. When we anchor our hearts on the rock of God's love, the forgiveness of our spouse enables us to release our pain into God's healing hands. As grace shatters the threat of growing bitterness, it plants the seeds of a more intimate relationship. 

Where does this lead me?  To this:

Forgiveness is releasing the person who wronged me - whether a spouse, friend, child, co-worker, etc. - and myself from the wages and bondage of sin (death) as God has released me! Forgiving someone doesn't place them in right standing with God, it places me in right standing with God! I think I need to hear that again :

Forgiving someone doesn't place them in right standing with God, it places me in right standing with God!

When Christ died for me and I accepted His free gift, I no longer had to pay the punishment for my sins - they are completely forgiven. I praise Him for that and pray that He will enable me to pass on that forgiveness to those around me.

Rita

Book Review: The Eagle Tree by Ned Hayes

I am a proud Amazon Prime member.  And what, you ask, does that have to do with a book review?  As an Amazon Prime member, I get first and free reads of The Kindle First Pick books!  (Read one of next month's new releases now for FREE as a benefit of your Amazon Prime membership.)!! 

In the month of April, this book, The Eagle Tree by Ned Hayes was on the list.  Honestly, what drew me to it was the cover.  I know, I know, never judge a book by it's cover . . . but I did and I am glad I did.  

                                              

I was not prepared for such a touching and engaging read.  The author must have had some very insightful experiences that enables him to so convincingly offer the first-person perspective of a 14 year old autistic boy.   As we meet and follow Peter March Wong, we seem him processing all that is going on around him as his home life is changing.   While he doesn't seem to quite grasp a lot of the reasons and effects of the transition, we can surmise a lot from what he does tell us.  The one thing that remains of steadfast importance are the trees. And it is from the trees, or should I say the tree-tops, that the plot of the story begins to take shape.  This journey that March is on, regarding the Eagle Tree, leads him on a personal journey to make sense of and interact with the world around him and those in it in a new and different way from how he has interacted in the past.

There are many other characters introduced in this story that surround March and play very important roles.  From his mother & uncle, to fellow students and other tree lovers, these characters are as important to March as the vast varieties of trees are to a forest.  March frequently discusses the roles each tree, regardless of variety, age or, even if it is dead or alive, play in the ecosystem and that is reflected by the importance and variety of the characters that surround March as he grows.

That said, there is a LOT of tree information.  Due to the character trait that March has - focusing obsessively on one topic - trees, I learned about tree growth, decay, death, the importance of trees on the world and much, much more.  I did like that about this book.  While I was following this engaging story, I was also learning something.  I enjoyed the way the author used a common trait of autistic children to convey a vast quantity of fairly specialized information.  

But what I learned most about, and has given me a fresh perspective on those with autism, those who have an autistic child and those who relate (especially those who relate well) to an autistic child, is the difficult beauty of autism.  True to many of the characteristics and traits of those with autism, March's perspective gave me insight into the mind of an autistic child and the conviction that someone with autism sees the world in a way that is different from those without, but that is wonderful on it's own.  

I would highly recommend this book.  It was an enjoyable read, with an insightful and compelling story, from a perspective I had never read from before. And it's coming out in May!  You can reserve your copy today ;)

Rita

Changing How We Do Chores - In 4 Easy Steps!

Last month, I wrote a post here about how we are in the process of changing how we do chores and technology at our home.  This is a follow-up post-most likely one of many-as this is a process that we are working through, not just a quick, easy fix.  A quick, easy fix would be: 1) Hire someone to clean my home, 2) Get rid of all the technology in our home.  Granted, I like quick, easy fixes, but I don't think either of those are realistic for us right now :)  I guess I could start a Go-Fund Me site for my cleaning bill?


Step One:

Since this is not a quick, easy fix . . . I did some research (aka browsing Pinterest) and printed off LOTS of printable,Thankfully, I also have a super-organized friend who has made her own printable!! (and she's letting me share it with you!) She uses it for her Spring Cleaning and breaks down what needs to be cleaned in each room.  Since her form is for Spring Cleaning, there were a few things on it that I could take off for our weekly cleaning - they don't need to be done every week or even, every month.  I do not use all the printables, but when processing all this, I need something in my hands to look at.

Step Two:

Next, I looked at what our week looks like - this is important because every family their own rhythm, their own routine.  For example, we have co-op on Wednesdays for 12 weeks in the Spring and 12 in the Fall.  This means, that on Wednesdays, there will be no cleaning!!  After a busy day at co-op, I'm lucky to get dinner on, let alone tackle anything else.  Our trash gets picked up on early Tuesday.  Also, I like to keep Sundays as a day of rest (no chores, no technology-unless it's a family movie).  Take a look at your family rhythms and routines and decide what would work best for you!

Step Three:

After looking at what needs to be done and what days we have to do it, I then began placing specific rooms to be cleaned and chores to be done on a specific day. I ended up using the blank chore chart from this site.  I've opted to print her blank page with the days out and laminate it . . . I like the flexibility of that option :)

Step Four:

And here it is . . . I started to s-l-o-w-l-y implement these.  So far, these have all been a whole family effort.  Really, it's "ok guys, it's time to all clean the kitchen.  Here is what needs to be done, what would you like to do?"  It was helpful that half a week into it we had Spring Break.  That meant all the kids were at home and we had a little bit more time.  It wasn't helpful that I went out of town for 3 days . . . I guess that is where adjusting one's expectations come into play.  I did leave a list of things to be done each day - not the complete list - and they did get done!  For me, that's a win.

We are now officially on week 2 - and I am making some adjustments as we go along.  For example, do I really need to wash our sheets every week?  After reading this . . . yes, yes I do!  But our extra blankets - I'm OK washing every other week, less in the summer if we aren't using them.  And cleaning those windows . . . in my dining room (where the dog slobbers all over the back door) every week or twice a week! Bedroom windows . . . I am good with once a month.  Again,this is where there is no set rule, but it is best to look at your family and your schedule and do what fits best for you!

And I've had one unexpected blessing come from this.  I can look around my house and not feel ANY guilt for the things I see that need to be done. I know they are on the schedule and will get done by the end of week.  And that is WONDERFUL! Oh, yeah . . . any my house is clean! Win, Win!

Below is what I've come up with:

• Daily - Fill/Empty Dishwasher, Wipe down Kitchen, Make Bed

• Monday - Kitchen & Dining Room; wipe table & counters, sweep/mop floor, vacuum rugs, dust, clean windows, wipe down stove, micro, fridge, dishwasher & oven. Take out Trash. Laundry; Boy 3, kids sheets.

• Tuesday - Bedrooms; Pick-up, dust & vacuum, clean windows (1/month). Laundry; Baby Girl, kids blankets.

• Wednesday - Laundry; Husband, Master bedroom sheets & blankets.

• Thursday - Living Room & Back Room; Pick-up, dust & vacuum, clean windows (1/month). Laundry; Boy 1, Bathroom rugs, towels & kitchen towels.

• Friday - Bathrooms; floors, counters, sinks, tub, mirrors & toilets.  Take out Trash. Laundry; Me, all Norwex.  

• Saturday - Breezeway & Entry; floors, pick-up, dust, clean windows (1/month). 

• Sunday - Rest! Laundry; Boy 2.

Next up . . . adding extra chores for pay/tech time, putting parameters on technology use . . . oh, the fun to come . . .

Rita

And again - my disclaimer: "And, with anything, please do not let these add to your list of 'things I should be doing' or 'yet another thing I need to do', but use these resources as ideas, motivation to lighten your load, not add to it!"

On Guard Essential Oil Party Make & Take - Easy How To!

I'm getting ready to host my 2nd Essential Oil Make and Take!

My goal has been to hold a Make & Take every other month.  You can read about my first Essential Oil 101 Class here.  The 101 Class is a great intro to Doterra Essential Oils and the rollerball Make & Take's were easy to do and a big hit!

This month I am focusing on Doterra's Protective Blend (aka On Guard).  With all the sickies going around this year, I thought this one would be a great one - and we get to make some fun stuff!

So what do I love about the Protective Blend??  It's main ingredients are Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary.  It supports the immune system*, is a natural way to clean around the home and diffuse to clean the air, supports the respiratory system*, supports the body's natural antioxidant defenses*, protects against environmental threats and it smells amazing!

So, what are we making?

On Guard Foaming Hand Soap - $6.50
On Guard Hand Sanitizer Spray - $4.50
On Guard Cleaning Spray - $4.00
Flu Bomb Rollerball - $5.00

Once I had set the day, time and location (Thanks again for hosting, Mom!), I set up a FB event.  FB events are an easy way to get the word out, invite friends and have a central location to post information and updates.  I also sent out the class information in a monthly email to all those on my Doterra email list.

Next on the list - put together a supplies list.  For any EO product, storing in glass containers is the best option.  Aromatools.com or Amazon.com are both great places.  I have an Amazon Prime account, so I get free shipping too! Just be forewarned - some of the bottles I ordered were NOT glass - I should have read the fine print better :(  I use glass containters for the sanitizing spray, rollerballs and cleaning spray as these will last longer.  Because of the shorter usage life of the foaming hand soap, I purchased some plastic bottles from DoTerra.  They work well and are a great price.

Once I had my containers, I browsed through some EO books and Pinterest for some great recipes.  I did tweak the hand soap and sanitizer recipes a little.  But that is what I love about making my own products at home - I can add any of my favorite oils, try a few different options out and see what works best for me!

Foaming Hand Soap

Hand Sanitizer

This past weekend, I spent some time making copies of the recipes, posting the costs for each Make & Take product and a reminder on the event page.

And I think I am ready to go!  Happy Oiling!

Here are my recipes for you to use:

On Guard EO Recipes

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

5 Tips for Surviving and Thriving at a Homeschool Convention

It's that time of year for a homeschooling mom.  The time of year when we are already planning the next year, even before we've finished this year.  Maybe it's because we've started spring cleaning and are downsizing our book shelves or maybe it's because we are ready to be done with this year and move on.  And part of moving on is looking forward to what is to come, right?

It may also be because we are beginning to run on empty.  In Northern Indiana, a long winter and slow to get going Spring only adds to that feeling.  We are trying to finish strong . . . or just finish!  Enter  - the homeschool convention.

Each state usually hosts their own homeschool convention. In Indiana, the IAHE (Indiana Assoc. of Home Educators) hosts their convention in Indianapolis.  This convention funds most of it's work here in our state.  Besides the state homeschool convention, there are secular and religious conventions, unschooling and any other sort of educational theory conventions.

This year I chose to attend the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati.  I had heard about this convention from other homeschool moms, all with positive reviews, and made my plans to go.

Why go?  This is a great opportunity to get some encouragement, look at all sorts of curriculum, hear a variety of speakers on subjects such as parenting, homeschool laws, worldview, specific homeschool needs, homeschool methods, etc.  And there is something to be said for being surrounded by people who are like-minded and have made the decision to educate their children at home and share many of the same joys and struggles.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of it:

1.  Go with someone!  This can be a sister, a homeschooling friend or two, or, even better, your spouse.  You will be presented with a LOT of information.  It is not only great to have someone to hang out with, but someone with whom you can discuss and process all the information you hear.  You can also split up some of the topics/speakers you want to hear and compare notes.  This is also a great time to just be YOU (not mom or teacher) - whether with a friend or spouse, getting out of your normal routine is always rejuvenating.

My sister and fellow homeschooling mom - can you tell she's happy to be here?!

2.  Make a list! Do you already know what writing program you want? Are you trying to decide if you want to use Math-U-See or Saxon?  Are you in need of a planner?  Writing down a specific list will help you keep focused when you walk in the vendor hall.  There are a lot of resources out there . . . some are for you and some are not.  When you have a list of needs, curriculum to look at (nothing like actually holding it in your hand and looking through it) and items you could use, it will help you stay focused.

3.  Pick a variety of speakers and topics!  These conventions offer a vast array of topics and speakers for about every viewpoint, need or want as a parent and homeschooler.  The best advice I got was to choose some encouraging speakers (So You Want to Quit Homeschooling?) along with ones that may meet a direct need (The Struggling Reader).  Looking through the speakers and topics ahead of time will help you weed out what you don't need and focus on what you do.  And don't be afraid to slip out (tip 3b . . always sit on the end of the aisle in case you want/need to leave) if the talk is not what you thought it was going to be.

Just a few of the speakers - Jason Beardsley, Steve Demme, Ann Voskamp

4.  If you like a speaker - show it! Go to more of their talks, go talk the them afterwards, buy their book, sign-up for their email lists.  I found out I was enthralled by how the brains of boys and girls work differently (Michael Gurian), so I looked up his next talk and went to that.  Most of the speakers are there at a vendor booths also and love to interact, answer questions and talk about the information they've given you.  This is a great chance for you, yourself, to learn more - take it!  Take notes, photos of their slides, etc.

I'll be checking these books out soon!

5.  Purchase the curriculum you know you need!  I went in knowing I needed some consumables (workbooks for math, writing books).  I could pick these up and save some money by not paying shipping.  Even if the vendor didn't have a copy on hand, some offer free shipping if the order is placed at the conventions (Math-U-See and Rainbow Resources were two suppliers I ordered from and could choose this option).  You can always look for wants later, but get the stuff you need now. (tip 5b . . . bring a rolling cart or suitcase. This saves your back and arms when lugging that curriculum around!)

That's it!  Not only is a homeschool convention a great place to go to expand your own learning and help you as an at-home teacher, but it is a great place to browse and purchase curriculum and get some much need encouragement on this journey of educating your children.

Happy Homeschooling!

Rita

Changing How We Do Chores & Technology!

Oh how I dislike chores . . . hence the reason they are called chores - "An unpleasant, but necessary task" . . . yes, yes, they are!  And what a love/hate relationship I have with technology!  So, why do a post about both of them?

I am trying to rethink the way we here at the Gorbics house do chores and use technology and am going to try and process that here on my blog.  It was much easier when the kids were younger - they loved helping out and technology didn't surround them nearly as much as it does now.

As much as I dislike chores, I do like a clean, orderly home.  And as much as I dislike some aspects of technology, I do use it quite frequently for learning, communicating, finances and to find out all sorts of information.  And yes, I wouldn't be able to blog without the wonderful world of technology.
BUT, how many times have I chosen to ignore the accumulating dust on my entertainment center to check in with Facebook, real quick?  And how quickly that "real quick" turns into much longer.  And not just for myself, but it appears my kids have this tendency also.  Shocking isn't it?!  There are times I see them with spare time and they quickly turn to an app, the computer, Netflix or a video game.  I have no idea where they get that from - - - > (ME!).

So, I've been perusing the technology world, aka Pinterest, for some ideas to help out in both of these areas.  Here is what I've found:

I am not the only parent with this problem!  Aaaah, there is comfort in knowing you are not alone :)

There are a LOT of great ideas out there! And . . . I am going to try and implement some of them and then update you on how it goes.

While we use the Gorbics family as guinea pigs, there are a few things I need to keep in mind.

• We do expect some chores to be done with no reward, monetary or otherwise.  I feel it is important that we all contribute to the running of our household.  
• My kids are more than capable and do not need a reward for being part of the family.  
• That said, I also think that using some sort of reward system can be a great learning tool (how to budget time and money, thinking long-term, etc) and we can all use some external motivation at times. 
• I will be adapting some of the sites below to implement my own system that will get our chores done, allow my kids to earn money and/or tech time and hopefully, make our home run smoother overall!

I liked these sites in regards to managing technology:

Near Normalcy

Sports Mom

Mudpies and Make-up

They all have great ideas and PRINTABLES!  I just love printables.  I like having something tangible to look at and to implement.

For some age appropriate chores, charts and how/when to do them:

My 3 Monsters

Money Saving Mom

Happily Unprocessed

Again, it is so helpful to read through their ideas and glean what may work for us.  And more PRINTABLES! :)

And, with anything, please do not let these add to your list of "things I should be doing" or "yet another thing I need to do", but use these resources as ideas, motivation to lighten your load, not add to it!

Hopefully I'll be updating soon with how we've been implementing these!

Rita