The Osborne's: homeschooling, running, photography, religion, LIFE!

Why I homeschool

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago I did a multi-part post about what our homeschooling day looks like. I also have some information about why I homeschool and favorite resources under my Homeschool link, however I have had several questions from readers, so I figured I'd start at the beginning and tell you why I homeschool.

While in law school, my husband discussed his interest in signing on with the JAG corps. I knew that if this happened we would likely be moving a lot and I would have a hard time using my recently acquired MBA. I enrolled in an elementary teacher certification program because I figured I could at least find a teaching job no matter where we lived, and I had always been interested in elementary education. Little did I know that I would end up teaching my own children a few years later!

My oldest son started reading a few weeks before this third birthday. At age two he knew four articles of faith and by age three knew all thirteen. He could locate all fifty states, perform addition and subtraction and a multitude of other things by age four. On top of all that he is a very hyper active little boy (borderline ADHD) and extremely mischevious. He has a mid-October birthday which means he cannot attend kindergarten until age 6 (one year from now). We decided to homeschool him because we knew that if we were to wait until age six, he would be the class delinquent, completely bored out of his mind and fidgeting to no end. Sure, they have "gifted" programs, I was in one when I was that age too, it consisted of spending all my time in the library or reading to the 4th graders. Not helping me advance at my own pace, simply trying to keep me out of trouble...

So, we made the decision. I started looking for free preschool activities to do with him which worked well for a while, however he was way beyond preschool at this point and wanted something more. I started to get serious about curriculum hunting and decided if I was going to do this I needed to figure out what the heck I was doing. I also thought I'd get a head start and "practice" homeschooling to make sure I'd be able to do it when it started to count legally. I still wasn't 100% committed yet- I wanted to feel it out first.

I literally spent every spare moment researching and reading about homeschool curriculum, philosophies, methods, etc...and trying to figure out how on earth I was going to help him meet his full potential while taking care of a demanding three year old and one year old. There were several times where I thought there is no way I can handle this. The fear of being responsible for preparing this little guy for college at times seemed too great.

Then I discovered the LDS Homeschooling Conference at Southern Virginia University (btw this year's conference in May features Susan Wise Bauer!) I wanted desperately to go. Unfortunately my husband had a scheduled business trip that week. I emailed the association and they were kind enough to let me purchase some transcripts from the year before. It helped immensly to hear other people's stories about how they got started. I noticed a common thread in each session. Each presenter talked about the spiritual confirmation they received to know that homeschooling was right for their family. I thought about that for quite a while. I had made an intellectual decision but I hadn't really, seriously prayed about it. I wanted to try it out, yet have the option to give up if it became too difficult. However after listening to these sessions, I came to the conclusion that if I was going to do this I had to do it all the way. I finally agreed to do whatever God wanted me to for my child, whether it was public, private or homeschool.

It was then (once I was finally ready and willing to accept whatever He wanted) that I finally received the confirmation that those other mothers/presenters had talked about. I knew beyond a doubt that this is what our family was supposed to do.

Perhaps it will change in the future, but for now, this is what is right for us. And the more I learn and teach the more I grow to love this decision.

Do you homeschool? Are you thinking about it? If you do, what were the deciding factors for you?

Changes...

2012-01-25T14:29:00.006-07:00

I have to apologize for all the blog changes lately! I've been trying to figure out the best way to provide access to my temple pictures and subway art. I have FINALLY figured it out! SO...no more changes!

From now on, simply go to my new website at http://cariosbornephotography.zenfolio.com/ to order temple pictures or to download them. If you want to download them, simply choose the image you want and select 'Downloads'. Then click on the 'Download Digital Images' link and when you checkout it will provide you with a link to download the images. Now you can download images and purchase prints on the same site. No more clicking here and there and everywhere to get what you want!

I also want to say a BIG thank you to those who have already purchased prints and made donations- I've almost covered the cost of purchasing this new site!!! I've photographed the Albuquerque, Dallas and Houston temples and hope to have several more before my trip is through! I will update my site with these new temple pictures as soon as I can.

You may have also noticed a new link for Subway Art. I've got a few new fun images I've created and am putting them on the new site also, so you can purchase them as prints or download .jpg for free. There are still a few older subway art prints hanging out on my old temple artwork page- don't worry, I'll move them to the new site as soon as I get home and have access to my computer. Hope you enjoy the new site and hope it makes it easier to download or purchase prints!

Homeschool Education {for parents}

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but as a homeschooling parent, I often feel inadequate or unprepared about my ability to teach my children all the things they will need to know to be successful in college and in a professional career. I want to provide the best possible education for them, but in order to do this, I need to be well educated.

I hold a master’s degree in business and completed half of a graduate level program towards becoming a certified elementary teacher, before I ever thought about homeschooling. After having three boys in three years it became difficult for me to continue taking university courses, yet, I still have a desire to further my education.

As I researched graduate-level education degrees I realized that almost every single one was geared towards administrative work rather than teaching skills. I realized that although I could earn a “masters” degree in education, it certainly wouldn’t qualify me to be a better teacher, only a better administrator. In fact, I could gain a much better (and less expensive) education by simply purchasing or renting textbooks and studying them on my own. Thus, I began compiling a list of books that could help me educate myself to not only become a better teacher, but to better understand these concepts for myself.

Many parents have not had the opportunity to finish college, yet that does not mean that they aren’t capable or qualified to teach their children. By being proactive and continuing to learn we can all become better educated and in turn provide a better education for our children.

I've organized a few references in this guide a Homeschool Education {for parents} to give you some resources you can use to further your education and learn how to educate your children better. It is certainly not a comprehensive guide and I have not personally reviewed every book listed, but hopefully it will get you thinking of ways you can educate yourself at home.

If you have any resources you have found helpful in your self-education, please share!

On the road again...

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

We are heading out on our road trip this morning! So excited to see my husband after 4 months and the boys can't wait to see their daddy. We are planning to go to Houston for a few weeks, then on up to Kentucky and will be traveling for about 6 weeks. I will try to have at least one scheduled post a week while I'm gone (including a fabulous Valentine's Day giveaway) and will post updates as often as I can.

I am also planning my route so that I can photograph several temples. I hope to be able to add 6 or 7 more to my site! And as much as I would love to be independently wealthy, I'm not. As you can imagine, traveling gets quite expensive. I really want to continue to offer these temple images for free to those who cannot afford to purchase them. In order to do this, I need some help! You can help keep these free by contributing a small amount (a few dollars) when you download one of my temple images (click on the new donate link on the right toolbar) or by purchasing your prints through my new fulfillment site. I am offering these temple prints at half the price of what I normally charge for professional prints so that everyone can afford them. Thanks for your support!

Road Trip USA

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

We love to travel. I think it's probably my most favorite thing to do. If I don't have a vacation scheduled for the near future I start to feel trapped. By the time my oldest was three he'd been to five countries and 24 states. Most of my friends think I'm crazy, but we really enjoy sharing traveling adventures with our kids. In fact they're starting to get the travel bug too. If we go more than a few months without a trip they start saying "I want to go somewhere! I want to stay at a hotel!"

When the boys are older (and can actually remember things), my dream would be to spend a year in an RV traveling from state to state giving them a hands-on education about the country we live in.

So, when my husband called to say they were flying him from Afghanistan to Houston for training (yipee!!!), I immediately started planning a road trip! Getting car seats through the airport is a nightmare for me, I'd much rather drive. And since we've traveled nonstop since they were babies, my boys are great travelers. Of course, this is my first roadtrip with them alone, so I'm sure things will be different, but I think we'll manage just fine.

Since we just started school again from our holiday break, I thought it would be fun to study up on the states we will be passing through. I purchased a digital copy of Road Trip USA and am making booklets for the two oldest boys to work on as we drive. We will be collecting postcards from each state (if only we'd thought about doing that on our drive from KY to UT) and marking our route on a map. I have a map I've kept for each of the boys since they were babies and every time we travel I color in the states so they can keep track. I've also created these Road Trip Journal Pages to add to our road trip booklet, which includes a map to highlight the route taken and record favorite memories. It will be fun to keep one for each year and see all the places we've gone.

Here are a few Road Trip Survival Tips to make the journey easier:

1. Seating Arrangements: This is important for a tear-free road trip. We have learned that our oldest has to be in the back row all alone. If he is in arms reach of any one else, there will be crying. I also clean the car and vacuum it all out before a trip. Kind of pointless I know, since it looks like a tornado hit after day one, but it still makes me feel better to start out clean.

2. Busy Activities: For weeks before a trip I gather things together I know will keep them occupied. New coloring books, printable travel games, magnetic games (or wooden Doug & Melissa games where pieces are attached), toy computer, mini train track, drawing books, and we always take a trip to the library for a few new books to bring along. Ethan's only got three books left in the A to Z Mystery series, so we'll pick them up before we hit the road. I also let them play games on my iPhone if they start to have a meltdown, but I save that as an absolute last resort.

3. Music & DVDs: I try to find some fun music for them to listen to as we begin the trip. They love Steve Songs and Kindermusik. I play cd's as long as they'll let me. I try to hold off on a movie as long as possible, because I don't want them to have mental junk food the entire trip, and once you start movies you can't turn them off without a fight, or until they fall asleep. I get a few netflix movies they haven't seen before and that will keep their attention. I also check the bargain bin for DVDs, the key is to finding something they're not already bored of. I also download a few audio books on my iPhone for me to listen to while I drive. I'm currently reading anything Amish- (Beverly Lewis & Cindy Woodsmall)...

4. Food: If possible, I like to begin our trip early in the morning while they boys are still sleeping. We load them into the car with their jammies on and they usually will sleep for several hours. I pack them each a sack breakfast- banana, raisins, yogurt, and juice. So when they wake up they already have their food ready and I don't have to climb in the back to help anyone.

We get real tired of fast food so the first day I always try to pack our own lunch, pb&j or chicken salad sandwiches. For snacks, a veggie tray, assorted fruit, goldfish, pretzels, animal crackers, and a special snack they don't normally get like chips, fruit snacks or licorice. I used to travel with lots of juice boxes but they usually end up spilled all over and dumped on the floor, so I try to limit to one juice a day and water for the rest.

If it's a multi-day trip we'll often stop at a grocery store along the way to purchase fruit and veggie trays to replenish our supplies. If we're stopping for dinner we'll often try to find a grocery store with a deli and get a rotisserie chicken, french bread and tater babies. So much tastier than fast food.

5. Packing: I get the car completely packed the night before. If it's a multi-day trip, I pack separate backpacks for each boy of clothes and things they will need at the hotel. So when we arrive we simply grab our backpacks and head in. The other clothes and things are packed in a suitcase or tote bag. I have an insulated picnic sized lunch box that sits behind my seat with all the snacks. I always keep food in arms reach because traveling makes you hungry.

I have some boxes I use to put books and things in for each boy and place it by their seat (or in the seat pocket) so they can easily access it while we're driving. Their breakfast bag/snack bag is also placed by their seat. They each have a fabric trash bag attached to the seat in front (if only they could learn to use them!)

Fire up the GPS and get it programmed to your route (also have printed mapquest directions handy because you never know when it's going to say "updating firmware" and be completely unusable). Fill up water bottles, have a stack of diapers and wipes handy, and don't forget special blankets or stuffed animals.

The last thing we put in the car is the kids. Never make them wait in the car for you more than a few minutes or the trip will start off on a bad note.

6. Have Fun: Make the road trip fun! Don't be in such a hurry to get to your destination that you can't stop to enjoy the things you're passing by. If you happen to see on the map that the world's largest ketchup bottle (yup, I have a picture of it) is just a few miles away, take a detour and have some fun.

McDonald's is your friend! Every few hours the kids are going to need to stop, pee and stretch their legs. The best place to go is McDonald's. They get a ton of energy out running around the play place and it gives them something fun to look forward to. It really only takes 15 minutes and it is so worth it. We usually get out and stretch for lunch too. If it's warmer weather we'll have a picnic on any grassy spot we can find and let them run around. Again, it doesn't have to be long, 15 to 20 minutes, but it will make a huge difference in the level of fun the kids are having.

If they're old enough to read, give them an atlas or a copy of the state maps and have them trace the route. Have them look for cities on the map as you pass them. Let them know when you cross a state border, my kids get so excited and scream and yell whenever we enter a new state.

Do you travel with your kids? What do you do to make traveling fun?

Hoarders: toddler edition

2012-01-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Joshua, our middle child has always had hoarding tendencies. He would (and still does) cram all sorts of random junk into bags or boxes and carry them around the house and stack them in "secret" places. Now he has a backpack that he packs all sorts of things into including a full change of apparel, snacks and money.

Now, my sweet little baby is turning into a hoarder too! Or pack rat, not sure which. He picks up as many toys as he can find at once and MUST carry them all at the same time. As you can see from his big crocodile tear, he has trouble carrying it all and has a complete and total meltdown every morning because things keep dropping. I've tried to get him to carry a bag like his brother, but he still doesn't get it. And yes, that is a mini-colander on his head. It's his "hat".

At what point should I be concerned???

The Gentleness Challenge

2012-01-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

As a mother of three boys born in three years, I have truly experienced the highs and lows of motherhood. There have been times when I couldn't imagine that life could ever get any better.

There have also been times I've felt a level of anger and frustration I have never before felt. Like the time I thought my 2 year old was quietly playing in his room, only to discover he had removed his soiled diaper and spread the contents all over his face, the crib and the walls. My first instict was to scream. Then cry. Then yell for my husband to come clean up the mess.

There's also the time my son wrote his name with orange crayon on our carpet. Or the time last week when all three hooligans dumped a Costco-sized bag of Craisins all over the house (and filled their socks with them), crushed a bunch of glass ornaments into millions of tiny pieces into the carpet and broke the leg of the desk I was putting together, in half.

It is very difficult to be patient during those times when you really want to wring someone's little neck. But I've learned that yelling does nothing but anger and frustrate them, sending them over the edge into even more misbehavior. They definitely respond better when I react calmly, so it is something I have really been trying hard to work on, however it is a real challenge at times. That's why I was so excited when I saw The Gentleness Challenge hosted by Women Living Well Ministries. I can't wait to learn new ways to discipline my children with love.

I love this quote "It’s interesting to note that all of the fruit of the Spirit address this very issue – the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Gal. 5:22). When we walk in the Spirit – we will be gentle mothers. But when we walk in the flesh – we lack all of these attributes." That is so true. If we are followers of Christ, we should begin by seeking to emulate the attributes he has. What better mothers we would be if those attributes could be said of us. So if you're interested in joining the challenge please visit their website for ideas and support!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to look back and remember the fun things that happened during the year. We like to include a highlights page in the front of each scrapbook, sort of a year-in-review so we can remember what was so special about it (and no I didn't make my scrapbooking deadline, but I did make as far as September!)

Some memories I won't forget from 2011 are:

*Taking our annual trip to Disney World, running the 1/2 marathon and goofy for my husband (he ran the 1/2 marathon with me and the full marathon the next day).

*Spending the weekend in Cincinnati with great friends, taking the riverboat ride and touring the museums.

*Spending our last months enjoying the great things in Kentucky, the Louisville Slugger Museum, Science Center, Zoo, Churchill Downs, Lincoln's Birthplace, etc...

*Training for and completing my first full marathon!

*Packing up our things *sniff, sniff* and moving west. Saying goodbye to my best friend as he headed to Afghanistan.

*Having fun exploring Utah and doing everything fun that we can find around here.

I have also enjoyed keeping up this blog. It has been a private blog for family and friends for several years, but this summer I decided to make it public. It has been a fun experience to make so many new friends (it's so nice to know that I'm not the only one blessed ~~cursed~~ with three boys!) And, like I say, it's cheaper than therapy ;)

The most popular posts so far have been:

Free Daily Homeschool Planner

Photography posts, here are a few of my personal favorites:

A Day in the Life multi-part post on homeschooling.

But by far, the most popular has been my temple artwork coming in at over 28,000 views (not bad for only being public for 5 months)!

Looking forward to the new year, I hope to share more homeschool resources, more fabulous food recipes, more crazy, silly, everyday happenings and more temple pictures.

So I have two questions for you (yes you). First, is there anything you'd like to see from me this next year? Photography tips? Questions about homeschooling? Digital scrapbooking? If you have questions you'd like answered or ideas you'd like shared, please leave a comment or send me an email [cariandanthony] @ [gmail.com]

Second, I do not want to make a profit off my images, I really enjoy offering them for free. However...I would love to be able to offer many more temple images, but to do so would cost a lot of money to travel around. So my question is, should I keep offering images for free and just take them as we happen to travel near them, or should I start charging a small fee to pay for travel expenses and specifically travel to photograph temples (I would keep the images I've already published free)? Please take the poll below and give me your opinion.

Happy New Year!!! No, I'm not staying up to celebrate. We have 9am church tomorrow and I have a lesson to finish preparing...but I am gorging on chocolate and sparkling cider...

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve the boys were so excited to open their presents I thought for sure they would wake up early on Christmas morning. Joshua and Grant both fell asleep during our Christmas Eve stories and by 8am everyone was still fast asleep. I think it's the first time since we moved that Grant has slept past 6am. We had trouble communicating with Anthony, skype and the phone were intermittent, but we did get to chat for a few minutes.
The primary gift this year were lego tables. I made one for each of the boys so they could work alone or push them together for one long table. I searched out all kinds of lego tables and this style from Meet the Dubiens, was the best I found. It was so easy to make and I think they turned out really well. Ethan was the first upstairs, and in dramatic fashion he yelled "LEGO TABLES!" then fell to the ground. Needless to say, they were a big hit. They played all day and all night, I could barely get them off to bed.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy your family time, I'll be back after the new year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

From our family to yours!

Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple

2011-12-22T23:39:00.002-07:00

We took a quick trip to Arizona for the weekend. I got to spend time with my good friend from New Hampshire. She's like a sister to me and the last time we saw each other I was expecting Joshua. The boys loved seeing her and playing with her cute little dog. They loved crawling through the doggy door and hanging out in the dog house! She made the most amazing sweet pork burritos (I'm def. going to get the recipe!) and made cookies with the boys. They had so much fun.

We had fun at the Arizona Science Center seeing real brains and lying on a bed of nails. We also went to the family Christmas party I haven't attended since I was a kid. There were over 130 people there! It was so fun to see people I haven't seen in years, but wish we could have had more time to visit.

We also got to see the beautiful Christmas lights at the Mesa temple. I've added some images of the Mesa, Arizona temple, which are free for personal use. If you use an image, feel free to donate a small amount (right toolbar) so that I can continue offering these for free. You may also purchase prints here.

Focusing on CHRISTmas

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm off on a quick trip to sunny Arizona for an extended family party. Only a few days left 'til Christmas! In case you missed my guest post over at The Things I Love, here are some of the traditions our family does to try and remember Christ at this season. Hope your holiday hasn't been too stressful and that you've been able to take a few moments and remember the reason we celebrate. God bless and Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning in my home growing up was pretty much like the running of the bulls. We would wake up around 5am, and wait for hours for our parents to FINALLY wake up. Once they gave the o.k. we all charged full speed ahead (mind you I grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, you would not want to get in the way of that) and burst into the front room to find our individual mountain of presents. And mountains they were. We never had a lot of money growing up, but you sure wouldn't know that by the number of presents we each had. Anything and everything that could be wrapped and considered a gift, was. I mean ANYTHING. It was not uncommon to open a package of socks on Christmas morning. Or underwear. You remember the kind that had the days of the week on them? So if you wore them two days in a row and were sitting real ladylike on the couch your brother would yell "Hey! it's not Monday, it's Tuesday!" Ya. those kind. Got 'em for Christmas. I even remember wrapping deodorant for my dad. And shaving cream. I'm sure he was super excited to open those presents. And the time my sister wrapped up two rocks? That was awesome.

Anyway. When I had my first child I was sooo excited to have our "first Christmas" together. I envisioned the mountains of gifts and the glow on his little cheeks. Then I realized, wait a sec, he's only two months old. He will eat the paper, choke and ruin everything. Christmas morning came and went and he didn't even know it was Christmas! So rude. It finally dawned on me that maybe Christmas wasn't really about the presents... I mean, he seemed to be ok without getting anything. Or at least without REALIZING he got anything.

As the years passed (he's a whopping five years old now) I started to have a different vision of Christmas in my mind. It started with a trip that my husband and I took to China. He had a three-week legal training in Beijing and I tagged along. We'd been to Mexico and the Bahamas before and thought we kind of knew what to expect as far as poverty. Not even close. I'll never forget the day we rode in the car of this INSANE driver weaving in and out of traffic, slamming on the brakes every few minutes, and multiple heart failures later, dropping us off in this remote village in the middle of who knows where, pointing to some trees at the top of a hill and saying "wall". "I pick you up later". And walking away. We were looking at each other praying that the Great Wall was really on the other side of those trees. And I had to pee! A nice little lady who was living inside some pieces of stacked up wood let me use her toilet. She pulled aside a curtain and pointed to a hole in the dirt. Yup. THAT is poverty. No tv. No plumbing. No refrigerator. No washing machine. So...I started picturing the holiday's volunteering at soup kitchen's, taking cookies to the widows and building a well for children in Africa. I envisioned teenagers who would rather give Christmas to children in need than to want the latest electronic device for themselves. So maybe that will never be reality, but it's something to shoot for. I started to realize that MY attitude and beliefs about Christmas would essentially determine what their attitudes and beliefs would be.

My husband and I discussed ways we could encourage them to appreciate all the things they've been blessed with and not just be spoiled rotten kids. We figured we'd start by donating to charities ourselves. Once our son was old enough to write we started having him write the checks to UNICEF and LDS Charities. When natural disasters strike such as Japan last year, we donate a little to help. We don't have a lot of money, but we choose to reserve a certain percentage of our income to help others. We hope that this will teach our children that helping others is important and that everything we have is a gift from God and not really ours.

So, I started to think about ways I could teach my children that Christmas is really about Jesus and the miracle he gave us rather than gifts and presents and me me me. Don't get me wrong, I love presents as much as the next person, but let's face it, at the end of the day I am the one who has to put away all that junk day after day, so really more is less. That was our first decision. Limiting gifts. I think one or two well chosen gifts is enough for a child to enjoy the excitement of Christmas without becoming a spoiled *you know what* and building an ever-increasing list of Christmas demands.

The next step was thinking of ways we could make each day leading up to Christmas feel special. I came across this article that shared the meaning of Christmas traditions and thought it would be fun to link all of these traditions back to Jesus. I also found a great downloadable book from Discovering the Scriptures that shares a Christmas tradition, story and/or activity for the 25 days of Christmas and a scripture countdown chain. We are going to go through this book together this year.

Next we let our extended families know that rather than adult gift exchanges as we've done in years past we would prefer to either work together to provide service for someone or we would like to use the money we would have spent on a uselessthoughtful gift for them and buy something to help others in need. Last year we purchased some vaccinations from Unicef in lieu of a family member's gift. It felt good. Another great organization for holiday gift giving is Heifer where you can purchase a farm animal (among other things) to provide food for a village. There are dozens of good causes, just pick one and support it!

We also want to perform some kind of service for others. My children are not soup kitchen age yet, but they CAN go to a nursing home and sing Christmas carols. We can choose a family in need to give money or gifts to. They can drop a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket. They can write a letter to or visit someone who is lonely. There are many small ways that even small children can show others they care. One thing I want to do this year is to create little kits to hand out to the homeless people we see downtown. Rather than ignore their pleas for help as we pass by pretending we don't notice, we can provide them with a small backpack of food and essential supplies.

Lastly, I tried to think of ways we could remember Jesus on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve we do the traditional nativity and reading from the bible but Christmas day has always been about Santa Claus. This year we decided that the gifts under the tree were family gifts. The gifts in the stocking would be from Santa. And we saved all the "thankful" notes that we wrote in the month of November, are going to wrap them up in a box with a note "from Jesus". On Christmas morning we will open the gift and read all the things that Jesus has blessed us with.

These are just a few ways our family is trying to come closer to Christ this Christmas season. What things do you do to make Him part of your Christmas celebrations?

What are the things you do with your family to remember Jesus this season?

Our new favorite place...

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I LOVE IKEA?!? I have never lived so close to one before and it is one of our most favorite places.

In Kentucky our "hang out" place was Barnes & Noble. The kids would play with the trains while I read or checked up on emails, and we'd always take home a book or two. The BN here (in baby central, go figure) has NO chairs by the train table. Apparently they don't want you "hanging out" in their store. So...we had to find a new place to chill. And find one we did.

Only ten minutes away, IKEA offers FREE childcare for one hour (at least for two of my three boys)! After our first visit Ethan said "this is better than Thanksgiving Point!" It is seriously genius. I can shop with only one little rugrat and it is impossible to leave the store without buying something (even if only their dark chocolate bar, YUM).

So, not only is there free childcare while you shop, but on Tuesdays kids eat free. That's right FREE. Monday they serve FREE breakfast until 11. And when we're out doing other errands and lunchtime approaches, we can swing by for a 50 cent hot dog and they all fall asleep on the way home.

They also have a huge train table with couches for me to sit. We could seriously hang out all day long with all the fun things for kids to do. We go at least once a week, although last week we went three times! I've got a long list of things to buy between now and when we leave here (might have to upgrade from a trailer to a full size uhaul!) and although I try to spread it out over my visits, it's impossible to get out with just one or two things!

Buh-by bookstore, hello IKEA!

Birthday lovelies...

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I used to dread turning another year older, but the thirties have been the best years of my life (so far!) and I wouldn't go back to the twenties for anything. Plus, I have a reason to spoil myself!

I got these beautiful flowers from my handsome hubby. I feel so spoiled, he sent me two dozen
roses last month also! They smell heavenly and brighten my day every time I see them.

iPhone protective cover. Isn't it gorgeous? My phone will love me.

And this fabulous camera bag! No more hanging my camera off the end of the stroller and having it knocked to the ground when child jumps unexpectedly out of it. No more shoving it in the diaper bag and praying no sippy cups spill on it. No more forgetting my camera bag at photoshoots...Love it!

Homesick

2011-12-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

The other night Ethan wanted to sleep in my room. (I've made a deal with him that he can sleep in my room once a week.) It was getting late and he was still wide awake staring at the ceiling. I asked him what he was thinking about and he said he was missing daddy. So we talked about all the things we missed.

In the morning he drew this picture for me. I asked "are we sad?" he said, "yes, we're missing daddy and our house in Kentucky".

Notice the thought bubbles to a stick figure of daddy and a little house. So cute!

We're all just a little homesick for our daddy, our friends and our old home!

Then this morning, he handed me this little note. I love my little five year old artist.

Let it snow...

2011-12-13T23:07:00.001-07:00

We woke up to a little white stuff this morning! The boys were so excited. And it was perfect snow for building a snowman!

Capturing life...

2011-12-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Christmas came early for me this year. My handsome little three-year old knocked my camera off the desk and the lens guts popped out and my other lens was acting up...I was wanting a new camera anyway, so I went camera shopping...

I have always been a Canon fan and would really love to have the 5D Mark II, however I've decided to devote my time to my family rather than pursue my photography business right now, so I can't really justify that expense.

So...after much research it appears that Nikon makes better semi-professional cameras (although I still believe Canon makes better professional level cameras). So I felt like a complete traitor, but I made the switch! I sold all my Canon equipment (including my beautiful 70-200 lens) and purchased this Nikon D7000.

I was surprised at how easy it was for me to learn the buttons on the Nikon (kind of like switching from pc to mac) and now I LOVE my camera. I don't regret switching at all. It takes great pictures and I have been able to get some great shots even in low light. It also has video mode, which I honestly don't use much, but it's a nice feature to have. Here are a few shots I've taken lately...

Linking up at:

Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-09T19:25:00.001-07:00

Did you know that Santa was a mormon? He totally is. He came to our ward Christmas party last night. The boys have gone to Disney World so many times that they love anyone in costume, especially one bearing sweet treats.

Grant ran ahead before anyone could catch him and jumped up on his lap (even though a little girl was already there) he saw candy and wasn't going to let anything stand in his way.

Joshua's little face lit up the first time he saw Santa. He loves anyone in costume. You should have seen him following the Easter Bunny around last year when we visited the nursing home. It was hilarious.

My kids don't really know about asking Santa for things yet, but Ethan was trying really hard to come up with something to ask for. I'll keep their sweet innocence as long as I can!

Christmas wish list

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't finished up the rest of your Christmas shopping, here are a few ideas for the ladies and little ones on your list:

These stylish aprons from Sarah Sews with Love- and for a good cause! Purchase one for yourself or for a friend and know that you are helping a little boy receive his much needed diabetes medication!

Fabulous earrings- from HooplaHoopla.

This adorable hat- from Jade Expressions

Lovely cloth napkins- from Little Birds Boutique

Adorable Christmas diaper cover- from Priceless Keepsakes

Sweet hats for little girls and boys- from Yarning2BMe

Adorable vest & tie onesie- from Elles Blossom Boutique

Beautiful blankets- from Kiki Kiddos

AND a few DIY's from

I am making this for my boys (don't tell!) They will each get their own and can push together for one long table. Idea from Meet the Dubiens blog. It's the best I've seen and IKEA tables were on sale for $7/each!

Perfect for curious little minds, from Lilla A

Beautiful and easy wreath from Deck the Halls

Super cute tote, from Strawberry Owl Designs. Be sure to check out her other tutorials too!

Hope that gives you a few ideas. What are some things on your gift or "wish" list?

Focusing on CHRISTmas

2011-12-06T06:56:00.001-07:00

I'm guest posting over at The Things I Love today! Kendra has some fabulous ideas for getting in the Christmas spirit from acts of service to Christmas books and movies and scripture countdown chains. Head on over to see what our family is doing to try and focus on Christ this Christmas!

P.S. the winner of The 5,000 Year Leap was chosen by Random.org and was comment #3 Annmarie (who just happens to be one of my best friends)! Congratulations! I will get you your prize ;)

Festival of Trees

2011-12-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

I went to Festival of Trees this last week. There is such an amazing display of Christmas trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, and more! All the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital, such a great cause and a fun way to start the holiday season!

The Lego tree was a big hit with the boys, and fortunately there were lots of trains too!

I love this frame idea- I'm so doing this when I get my own house again!

And don't forget- last chance to win a free copy of Skousen's book, The 5,000 Year Leap.

Click here to enter.

Linking up at:

Tae Kwon Do

2011-12-02T19:48:00.001-07:00

My super active five year old has started taking Tae Kwon Do. It's so cute to see him all dressed up in his uniform learning Korean words and being complimented for yelling like the wild boy he is!

25 Days of Christmas!

2011-11-30T20:46:00.001-07:00

Have you started your Christmas traditions yet? What are you waiting for? December is HERE! Need some ideas? Kendra over at The Things I Love has some fabulous ideas for making Christmas special and especially for remembering what Christmas is really about. And I will be guest posting for her sometime this month! Be sure to check out all her great ideas, starting with the scripture countdown chain.

Parental rights?

2011-11-30T16:47:00.001-07:00

Do you have a say in what your children will or will not be taught in schools? Do you have a right to your child's medical information? Do you have the right to teach your child religious values? Should CPS be allowed to remove children from homes where there is no clear evidence of abuse?

There are some who assume that since the constitution doesn't specifically include rights for parents that means they don't have any rights. If you think you have the right to make decisions for your child, watch this video. Your parental rights are being infringed upon and this is just the beginning. Take a stand now before the generation of entitled children has so many "rights" that they start making decisions for you.

I am not a conspiracy theorist and I don't think the government is out to get me. I think that in this world there are a few evil people and a lot of dumb people. Unfortunately both types tend to gravitate toward positions of authority. Personally I don't want either evil or dumb people making decisions for me and my family.

Politics has never been something that interested me. I have been pretty content to live my nice little life and let the politicians worry about that boring stuff. It wasn't until I read Skousen's book The 5,000 Year Leap that my eyes were opened to the ideas and principles this nation was founded on and the deterioration of those fundamental principles. They didn't want the career politicians that we have today- they wanted people who loved this country and were willing to offer their services for the sake of it. I realized that if I do not get involved not only am I subject to the laws that those people make but I can't even complain about it because I sat back and watched it happen (or buried my head in the sand so I couldn't see it happening).

Unfortunately the majority of young voters have no idea about the principles this country was founded on. Many simply want a free handout and don't take the time to realize that someone (you and I) has to pay for it. If only they could see the future implications of a government that "takes care" of you. And the majority of voters that do care and that do have strong values and principles are often silent.

I have commited myself to pulling my head out of the sand, start paying attention and do something. You might think that as a busy mom you can't make a difference. But it is mothers who can and should be making these decisions. We care about the future generation because we are raising them. We have a right to decide the kind of world our children will grow up in. Politics is not something for professionals and academics, it's for us, the people.

It really doesn't take much effort. Simply educating onesself on the issues, researching and choosing a political candidate for president who supports values and ideas the founding fathers would approve of, and writing your congressmen on important issues. Don't leave the job of educating your children on political issues and the founding of America to the schools, you are their best teacher (clearly they didn't do a good job educating us about government and politics).There are also organizations you can join such as American Family Association who will email you about family related issues as well as provide information on what you can do to help.

Still not convinced this is important? Need a little motivation?

One reader will receive a free copy of Skousen's 5,000 Year Leap!

Half done!

2011-11-28T20:25:00.001-07:00

My goal since I started digital scrapbooking a few years ago was to have the current year finished and ordered on New Year's eve. I have met this goal so far each year (even if only by a few minutes). I don't think I'm going to make it this year...I just finished the first half of the year- January through June. I have 6 months to go in less than a month! Take a peek at this year so far...

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Create your own Photobooks with Inkubook.com!

Simple things...beauty of the earth

2011-11-27T22:56:00.001-07:00

I was going through my pictures today and found an entire folder that was still in raw. When I opened them in Lightroom I was pleasantly surprised to see they were the autumn pictures I'd taken at Thanksgiving Point! I completely forgot about them. We brought our schoolwork and climbed to the top of one of the pavillions and camped out all day. The boys jumped in the leaves and rolled down the hills and just had a fabulous day.

They also have an amazing new exhibit on Jesus Christ and I was excited to see it was finally open. Simple pleasures that make my heart smile : )

link up your simple pleasures...

Thankful

2011-11-24T09:59:00.001-07:00

for two dozen roses from my husband

that I just have a cold and not the flu

for three handsome little boys

a warm home to live in
this beautiful earth

for yummy food

good friends

family

GOD

Updates from Afghanistan

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

My handsome hubby has been in Afghanistan for almost two months now. I'm posting his journal entries at http://jagdeployment.blogspot.com/ for those who want to keep up with him.

He just ran his first ultramarathon over there. Running 35 miles alone, I can't even imagine. It was challenging enough for me to run 26 miles and I couldn't have done it without the bathroom and drink support!

The boys are doing pretty well considering. They miss their daddy but we get to skype with him almost every day, so that really helps us feel close to him. We love and miss you!

Time Out- SLC

2011-11-20T16:36:00.001-07:00

I attended my fourth Time Out for Women this weekend in Salt Lake City. As with the others, it was incredible! It was slightly larger than the ones I attended in Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville...there were 5,000 women there! I went with my awesome sister in law (the marathoner). It was fun to hear several presenters I hadn't heard before. I loved Brad Wilcox- he is hilarious...Hilary Weeks and Jericho Road were amazing, Sherry Dew and Emily Watts were inspiring and Laurel Christensen put a major stitch in my side...But the best part was Saturday morning we got to hear from Stephanie Nielson who was not even on the schedule! I had contemplated driving to Phoenix to hear her speak and was so happy I didn't have to! If you haven't yet had the opportunity to go to one of these events you seriously need to. It will change your life. And you'll never be around a group of funnier people. Ever.

And in other news...My sister Sara had her baby Lily, she's doing really well in the St. George NICU and they just featured her photo on the front page of the newspaper today. Check it out here.

Faith and Politics

2011-11-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

I recently watched this adress by Senator Joe Lieberman at BYU. He spoke about how our nation was founded on faith and values and the belief in God. It's not very often you see politicians publicly promoting the good religion offers society. One of my favorite quotes was "America has been from the beginning a faith-based initiative and anybody who tries to separate faith from the public square is doing something unnatural and ultimately bad for our country."

He has published a book called The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath. In this day the Sabbath (for Christian's this day is Sunday) has become a holiday, a day of entertainment rather than a day to worship God and renew our soul. I think it is wonderful that a man in public office is taking a religious stand and setting the example for others to stick to their faith.

He also says "Faith in God, love of country, sense of unity, confidence in the power of every individual—these are the things that are going to carry the American people through crises greater than the ones we face today, and will, I’m sure, propel us forward to a better place if only we will return to those values and recognize them as a source of national strength...The greatest source of American strength and hope for the future is not in current devices and rigid politics of Washington, it is in the broadly shared faith and values of the American people.”

The full speech (skip past first parts) is located at http://byutv.org/watch/event/c4640ed7-2175-445a-9e63-b0e1a1d2c9f2 or on the BYU tv app you don't have to skip past anything...

The winner of Hilary Weeks Every Step is...

2011-11-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

Penny who said "My wonderful family and the gospel. Without either of them, I would not be in the place I am today!!" Please contact me to claim your prize! Thanks to all who entered!

Now, if you're hungry, check out this fabulous Pumpkin Bar recipe! The picture doesn't do it justice at all- it is absolutely amazing (and you can use whole wheat!)

*winner chosen by random.org

Sister retreat

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had the best weekend! We got together for the annual Osborne sister's retreat. A weekend full of food, shopping, pedicures and NO children! It was awesome. It was so rejuvenating to just take a break and enjoy being me again (minus my camera which got dropped and the lens guts popped out). We stayed in a condo right across from temple square and it was so beautiful in the morning with all the snow that fell.

There were some fabulous sales going on and I found the perfect pair of skinny jeans to wear with my boots! I have tried on at least two dozen jeans in the last month trying to find a pair that would look cute, but everything seems to be made for little twigs with no hips. These jeans fit like regular jeans until the knee and then are perfectly tapered to fit inside boots. Awesome. In case you were wondering, they're Vigoss from Nordstrom. They go perfect with the two new pairs of boots I got and the trendy mustard jacket I picked up at Boheme, my new favorite store. If you have not shopped there yet, you've got to- they have such adorable clothes and since it's a boutique, each store is different and they get new styles in every two weeks! I love shopping in Utah!

Last chance to register to win Hilary Weeks new CD...

Free pictures of the St. George, Utah Temple

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures I took of the Saint George, Utah LDS temple. You may download these and additional images free for personal use by clicking on the Free Artwork link. If you use them in a fun project be sure to post a link in the comments, I love seeing how these images are being used! You may also order discounted prints online or feel free to donate a dollar or two so that I can continue to offer these free! P.S. Don't forget to enter to win Hilary Week's new CD!

A day in the life, Part 4: Organizing it all...

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Now for the fun part! How do I organize all this stuff??? The last two years have really been kind of a "trial run" with homeschooling. The thought of being responsible for everything my children learn is very intimidating. So while my children aren't yet old enough for public school I've been homeschooling them to build my confidence up so that when it's really going to count I know I can do it successfully (which has been good since I've changed curriculums half a dozen times!).

And though I don't have to adhere to any state requirements yet...I still like to keep records. It helps me get in the routine so that if/when we live in a state that has strict requirements I will be prepared to meet them and so that I can gague how much we really have learned during the year. Here are a few things that I am currently using to *try* to stay organized:

This free Homeschool Daily Planner helps plan out my day and week as well as organize daily studies. I have laminated the schedule so I can use a dry erase marker and easily make changes.

I use this free Homeschool Attendance Report to keep track of the days we do school.
All our finshed schoolwork and artwork are kept in this accordian file folder with the date stamped on each page (the kids' favorite part).

At the end of each school year I use my comb binder to create a book of all the schoolwork we did for that year, organized by subject. I use a photo of the child for the front page and include a sample copy of our schedule, a list of books we read that year (free reading list template here), artwork and written work. I also include photos of any field trips we took, along with a summary of the things we learned. This portfolio is a great way to showcase the things they learned that year as well as preserve their artwork in a way that doesn't take a whole lot of space.

How do you stay organized?

Tissues please...Hilary Weeks giveaway!

2011-11-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard this song from Hilary's new album- grab a tissue and hit the play button.

We all face heartache and pain in this life. Much of who we become is determined by how we handle the trials that are given us. We were on a family hike a few weeks ago and came across a tree root. We discussed with my boys how all the twists and turns in the roots came when it encountered a rock or other tree and rather than stop growing, it bent and curved around it, and those twists and turns help it remain in the ground.This is a lot like life, when trials come we can choose to stop growing and become bitter and unhappy, or we can embrace those rocks and use them to dig our roots deeper and develop character and attributes to bring us closer to Christ.

In this season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for the life God has blessed me with, for my wonderful husband and three beautiful boys. I am thankful for extended family and friends who help life's journey be a little sweeter. I am thankful that in this world that is often full of fear, confusion, anger and pain, I can have faith in Jesus Christ, that he will guide my life and give me hope for the future. That is my thankful part, now for the giving part, I am giving one lucky reader a free copy of

Hilary Week's new CD album, Every Step!

To Enter, leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. What are you thankful for this season?

2. You are a public follower (click Join this Site in the sidebar on the right)
3. You have my button on your blog
4. You blogged or facebooked about this giveaway

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 8th. (Be sure to include your email address in one comment or have it linked to your profile so I can contact you if you win.)

U.S. Addresses only.
If the prize is not claimed within 3 days a new winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!

Giving back

2011-10-31T10:11:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite scriptures is Jacob 2:18-19 "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."

I can't help but think how God has blessed my life in so many ways. At times I feel like I could not possibly be happier. Yet I know there are those struggling in this world just to survive from day to day. I wish everyone could have the essentials of life so that they could enjoy this journey to it's fullest. While we make contributions to LDS humanitarian aid, fast offerings, and other worthy charities, it is wonderful to find new ways to help immediate needs and know exactly how and where your money is being put to use. What better way to thank God for our blessings than to help His children who are struggling?

The Chocolate on My Cranium blog is promoting a great cause to help single mothers attend college so they can provide for their children. 100% of donations go to these single mothers. When people join together much can be accomplished, even if each person only gave $5 or $10 it adds up to a significant contribution. I know most of us are barely able to cover the bills as they come in, but I'm sure we can all find a way to donate $5 and I can guarantee you will receive untold blessings for every charitable act, just remember the widow's mite, she was blessed above those who had much and gave much!

Oh deer!

2011-10-30T09:33:00.001-06:00

Meet our new "pets". We have six deer that come to visit us every morning and evening. They are brave little guys and come right up next to the house. They love to eat all the apples that fall from the trees and one even gets up on his hind legs to pick his favorites right off the tree. The boys just love deer watching!

I had to sneak these pictures through the window...

P.S. Here are a couple more pictures of Grant on his birthday!

Are Mormon's Christians?

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Amidst all the chaos in the world I keep hearing public statements questioning whether Mormon's are Christians (or rather claiming that they're not). I just want to add my conviction that YES! We ARE!

Jesus Christ- not Joseph Smith (as some claim)- is the founder of our religion. Jesus Christ is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he has called prophets and apostles to direct his church just as in ancient times. Joseph Smith was the prophet called by God who helped establish the re-institution of His church in modern times.

You don't have to believe it, but I do, and more than 14 million other people on the earth do. We teach of Christ, we testify of His love for us, we live by the teachings of the Bible. The Book of Mormon is ANOTHER witness that Jesus is the Christ. It does not replace the Bible- it confirms the truth of the Bible.

We believe in serving and loving and having charity towards all people. We believe in following all of the Ten Commandments (including the forgotten commandments like not taking God's name in vain and keeping the Sabbath day holy), we believe in being people of virtue (clean thoughts, speech and actions, avoiding the vulgar and profane), we live by a health code that prohibits addictive substances which rob us of our ability to have control of our life (drugs, alcohol), we donate of our own free will money to help build our churches and temples and care for the poor...Our Articles of Faith clearly state some of our beliefs and particularly the thirteenth article "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men...We believe all things, we hope all things...If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." We endeavor to follow Christ in all that we do and say. I think that makes us Christians.

Much has been said, much has been criticized. As a fairly intelligent person, I try to do my homework before forming an opinion about something, so I would ask before you judge, have you read the Book of Mormon? Have you read the Bible? Have you prayed to receive an answer from God? The Bible says:

James 1:5-6 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

One of the ancient prophets wrote a challenge to those who would read the words of his record found in the Book of Mormon: Moroni 10:4 "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

That is all mormon's ask. We don't want you to take our word for it- we want you to find out what's right for you. This is why thousands of young missionaries go into the world. To teach people about Jesus Christ and to challenge people everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, see if it testifies of Jesus Christ and to pray about whether it is true or if it is a work of fiction. We have nothing to gain other than joy in seeing someone turn to Christ and receive all that He has for them (eternal famililes!) Our clergy is not paid, they are regular people with full time jobs and provide service to the church out of love of God and duty to fellow men.

All the intellectual minds in the world may get together and decide what is true or what is not true, but the only one's opinion who ultimately matter's is God's. I testify that God does answer prayers and that he does guide and influence ALL who earnestly seek Him in faith and strive to obey His commandments. If you are interested in learning more about what we believe please visit http://mormon.org/ You can also request a free copy of the Book of Mormon or the Bible. If you have additional questions please feel free to email me, cariandanthony at gmail dot com.

Thinking about homeschooling?

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I came across this video clip on the Teach Beside Me blog... It's a piece on homeschooling by Glenn Beck and it is very well done. It discusses parents who are considering or are currently taking charge of their children's education. The part about homeschooling doesn't start until about 30 minutes in- so just skip forward if you want.

I loved what the parents said about how once you get out of the mindset of public schools, learning becomes a way of life. Learning becomes the culture of your family. I love that! Everything we do in our home fosters learning. Even if you have chosen a single homeschool philosphy you really will cover all methods if you include your children. You teach Montessori methods when your children help around the house cooking, cleaning, working in the yard; Charlotte Mason when you read living books; Classical when you study the classics; Waldorf when you garden, sew or play make believe... Homeschooling really combines all educational methods over a lifetime and the real learning doesn't occur around a table or desk, it occurs in small moments throughout the day. I love the opportunities to share a wide variety things with my children that I would not be able to if I only had a few hours with them each day.

I also loved the advice from this video- if you are thinking about homeschooling- start by reading. Get the classics and read, read, read. This is what we spend a majority of our time doing and I think it is the thing that will make the biggest difference in the end. I don't want my children to just memorize and spew out facts, I want them to learn to think and be creative. Reading good literature expands the mind in a way few other things do. If you're looking for a great reading list to get started- check out these lists on Ambleside Online. For longer books- check out the audio books from the library and listen in the car or when you're doing housework (we did this with Little House on the Prarie series and my kids almost had them memorized because we listened to each at least three times).

Also, this Glen Beck clip talks about Richard Paul Evans new Michael Vey book. I have not read it yet, but it is in my Amazon cart and I can't wait to read it. They have created this homeschool guide to go along with the book. Awesome! It's available at http://www.michaelvey.com/pdfs/MichaelVey-HomeSchoolGuide.pdf

Two years old!

2011-10-26T08:57:00.000-06:00

My little baby turns two today! I just love his chubby little legs and his little fat fingers. He has the biggest smile and most adorable baby chuckle. He loves to cuddle and give butterfly kisses and loves being the center of attention. He brings such joy to my life. We love you Grant!

Fabulous dresses!

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

Gondola

If you haven't heard of Shabby Apple yet, you have GOT to check them out! They have beautiful dresses for every personality type and occasion. It really is impossible to choose just one favorite, but these are the three I've currently got my eye on...

Aintree

Bookworm

P.S. their swimsuits are fabulous too! I just got this one last summer and it is perfect for hiding that post-baby belly!

Pietra

Halloween Costume Ideas

2011-10-23T13:52:00.002-06:00

Two years ago I made the boys' Halloween costumes for the first time, Thing 1 & Thing 2 and The Cat in the Hat. I have to say they turned out better than I expected and I whipped them up just before Grant was born. I thought they were cute, but I was surprised at how much attention they got wearing them!

I'm being lazy this year, they're going to be marathon runners. I'm not feeling up to the challenge of costume creating this year with everything going on, but here are a few ideas I'd love make costumes on in the future...

The Three Stooges

The Wizard of Oz

Peter Pan

I'm not much of a dresser-upper, but this site has two ideas I think would be fun for me:

Rosie the Riveter via Miss Drea on Deviant Art

Mary Poppins via Keiko Lynn

Here are a few other cute ideas on What are your favorite Halloween costumes?

*Link up your ideas at Babblin' Brooke!

A day in the life, Part 3: Teaching small children...

2011-10-20T10:58:00.000-06:00

The thing I struggle with most as a homeschooling mom is balancing my time between three demanding children (all born in three years) who all are at different levels and have very different needs.
For the ages of my children (2, 3, 4) it is impossible and impractical to do more than two hours of structured learning a day (math, history, writing, etc...) I have scheduled our structured school time from 9 to 11, and in the afternoon we try and do something educational that's more fun and creative like nature study, science or art.

If you've checked out the curriculum we are using for this year you'll notice quite a few books on our list. Most of these are books that will be repeated in older years so I'm not concerned about them remembering every detail, I just want to expose them to the stories so they will be familiar later and more importantly get them in a routine of learning so that it will be something they always remember doing.

I prefer doing math and history first because I think they are the most difficult subjects and if I wait until they are tired it won't be pleasant. I also find that it's nice to take a break after one hour and do something fun, music time, drawing, foreign language, something that they enjoy doing, then finish off with whatever else I can fit in until they reach their limit. In the afternoon we come back to do the fun things like art and science.

Schoolwork breakdown:

Here is an example of how much time we spend on each subject during our 9 to 11 timeframe (on a good day of course!):

Math U See (15 minutes)
History of the World, while the boys play with pattern blocks (15 minutes)
Burgess Bird Book, pattern blocks (10 minutes)
50 Stories retold, pattern blocks (10 minutes)
Alphabet floor puzzle while listening to Book of Mormon scripture mastery songs (10 minutes)
Kindermusik (15 minutes)
Now we are Six (5 minutes)
Book of Virtues and copywork (15 minutes) while my 3yr old works on SmartPad ABCs
Workbox System

I have seen this sytem on several sites, I just happened to run across the idea on this site and thought it sounded like a fabulous idea. I planned on waiting though until my boys were older and could do it on their own. However, after moving I was really struggling to get my boys motivated to do school again and thought this might help them to visually see what they had to do before going out to play. I picked it up from Overstock.com for around $50.

My three year old helped me put it together, he put all the knobs on himself. I gave him the bottom three drawers (ideally they'd each have their own set, but anything I buy now will have move with us in a small uhaul trailer next fall!) He was so excited to open his drawers the next morning.

At night I put the things they will work on for the next day in their drawers and put them in order of when they should be done (for us math is always first and history second). Put things they will need like pencils or crayons in there too. They open each drawer and when they are finished they can move onto the next drawer. Both boys have really enjoyed this system and it is not such a struggle to get them to cooperate!

What to do with babies?

A few questions have been asked about what to do with younger children while you're teaching older ones. This is a struggle I'm sure all moms face and I haven't figured out the perfect solution yet (not sure there is one!) I have heard that moms of lots of children teach to the older child and let the younger ones listen in. Unfortunately my boys are not the sit-quiet-at-your-feet kind of kids... SO...I have been trying some new solutions and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Here are some of the other things I try:
#1, send the youngest to his room to play (or let him roam the house and deal with the messes later)
#2, let all the boys play in the sand box, with blocks, or some other hands-on activity while I read to them
#3, go out on the grass and let the little one run while I work with the older ones
#4, wait until the little one is sleeping (which works great except when he's boycotting naptime!)

#5, call it a day and go to a museum or park where they can at least learn something!

How to keep young ones motivated:

Since we've moved in with Grandma & Grandpa, the boys would love to wake up and go ride their bikes or play in the sand box first thing in the morning. After their daddy left and we finally stopped traveling every few days, I knew we needed to get back into our routine. It was a fight to get them to come sit for school rather than run around and play all morning long so I tried several things. What seems to work the best for us is to get the boys started on an activity at the table such as pattern blocks, puzzles, drawing, building blocks, etc... so their hands are busy but their minds are relatively free. Then I read to them from our books. I find my boys do SO much better when they're able to multitask and things are much more interesting this way.

And you may think they aren't listening- but they are. Today my son asked me "what's cuneiform?" We've been studying Egyptians in SOTW and last week we talked about the different ways they kept records. He might not remember what it was, but he remembered the word several days later!

The workbox system (above) which has worked wonders. And kids love stamps and stickers. I have a date stamp and when they finish any written work (the only written work at this age is math, copywork and any worksheets) I let them stamp the date on their paper and put a sticker on it. This is their favorite part about finishing and they get so excited about it.

I also try to do something fun in the afternoon if they get all their schoolwork done. Usually a trip to a museum, park, a special craft or game, computer time on Starfall More or Learning.com, and occasionally PBS Kids cartoons.

I think the most important thing to remember with small children is that it needs to be FUN. If they are bored or unhappy it's time to try something else. I do not want school to be a chore, I want it to be a way of life.

What do you do to with your little ones to prevent them from destroying the house while you're doing school?

Fall!

2011-10-17T14:50:00.004-06:00

I absolutely love this time of year! I really gained a great appreciation for the seasons when we lived in Concord, New Hampshire for almost 5 years. I never knew what green and red looked like before moving there. And the smells! You can literally smell the fresh air when you step off the airplane. Then we moved to Kentucky for the next almost 5 years. The fall colors are absolutely amazing.

I love the smells of fall- the crisp air, the pumpkin and nutmeg, I love the crunch of leaves under my boots and a scarf around my neck. I wish it could be fall all year long. Here are just a few of the yummy fall dishes I've been baking to celebrate fall:

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

These are better than cookies at my house, they are gone as fast as I can bake them! They can be baked into a bread loaf or into muffins (which are more fun for the kids). They are super delicious and pretty healthy too!

New World Chili

This fall stew is so yummy- and it's one that actually tastes better the next day when the spices have all melded together. It's a great way to use pumpkin and it also freezes really well.

Soft Sugar Cookies

One of our fall traditions is to make Halloween sugar cookies. The kids (and I) just love it. This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. I've tried quite a few and have heard people swear by the sour cream kind, but I always come back to this one because it never fails and the texture is perfect, soft but not too crumbly. They taste similar to the store bought kind except sooo much better.

The winner of The Entitlement Trap is Emily!

Congratulations! Please contact me to claim your prize.

Link up!

A day in the life, Part 2: Our homeschool schedule...

2011-10-16T11:40:00.000-06:00

As anyone with small children knows, a daily schedule is a continual work in progress (whether you're home schooling or not)! I am constantly revising our schedule and rearranging or eliminating things that just aren't working for us. Our schedule has changed a lot more now that we are living in a new place and the boys are still trying to get used to all the changes.

The most important thing I try to do is get up before the boys so that I have time to exercise and read scriptures before the chaos begins. I find that if I don't do this I feel like I am playing "catch up" the whole day. I have also tried to limit my computer time (I don't watch tv but I do love my computer) to times when the boys are sleeping or having quiet time. This helps me to focus on them during the day rather than being sucked in editing photos or blog surfing all day long...(although I do sneak in some on my iphone from time to time!)

So...this is the schedule we *try* to go by. Some days we actually follow it and other days we just do whatever the boys feel like (which is usually riding bikes or digging in the dirt). I try to stick to the schedule for a week or two and then make changes if it's not working for us. We follow this schedule four days a week and reserve one day each week for learning at a museum (we have passes that let us get into four different museums and I love supplementing their education this way). And if you haven't seen my free homeschool daily planner yet-check it out here!

6:00 am mom read scriptures
6:30 am mom exercise or attend temple
8:00 mom and kids shower & get ready for day
8:30 breakfast
9:00 to 11:00 structured school (more details below)
11:00 snack, outside time or errands
12:30 lunch
1:00 quiet time, read stories (CM literature) until they fall asleep, then mommy computer time
2:00 school time (something fun like nature study, science, music or art)
3:00 structured playtime (computer, blocks, art, reading, puzzles, etc...)
4:00 outside time, mom dinner prep
5:30 dinner
6:00 free time or reading
7:30 clean room, jammies, brush teeth, stories (library books) and prayers
8:30 lights out (I wish it were that easy!)

Daily Devotional:

We used to do our devotional around the breakfast table, but have just changed to doing it at our child-sized school table as a way to start our day. Here is the outline we follow:

*Song (we try to sing songs they are learning in primary)
*Prayer
*Scripture memory and family study
*Article of Faith (my boys have learned them by listening to the songs from lds.org)
*Poem (we are working on Robert Louis Stevenson right now)
*Foreign Language (word a day or play language cd)
*Pledge of Allegiance (the boys love to take turns waving a little flag)

I have a devotional chart laminated and I use photos of the boys to show who is in charge of which part of our devotional. I've created these in Word so you can modify them to fit your own family, click on the image to download. Just print out a picture of each of your kids and use either magnets or velcro to attach the photos to the appropriate space. Thread ribbon through the top and hang!

Structured Schooltime:

If you look at our curriculum for this year you will see an awful lot of things on it and I've actually purchased several more nature books to supplement. We do not do everything every day and sometimes not even every week. I rotate the things I feel are most important each week and if we have time for the others, I add them. These are the things we try to rotate in each week during our 9 to 11 time we read our literature books and biographies during afternoon storytime and fit the others in where we can:

Monday: Math, History of the World, Nature, Burgess Bird, Character Building + copywork, Kindermusik
Tuesday: Math, History of the World, Nature, James Herriot, Artistic Pursuits
Wednesday: Math, History of the World, Stories of Great Americans, Great Composers, Library
Thursday: Math, History of the World, Nature, Paddle to the Sea, Drawing

While my older son is doing written work (math or copywork) I work with my three year old on reading (starfall and bob books). He also has a few preschool books he works in on his own. I also try to give them each time on the new Starfall More (absolutely the best site to help kids read early!) when they get their schoolwork done and if we have time they can choose to watch a baby can read dvd (although they usually just run outside to play). More on teaching small children in the next post...

Of course, all this is on a *perfect* day which doesn't happen very often. If we can make it through math and history I consider it a success! I do struggle with my overly ambitious side wanting to teach them everything now versus letting them be kids and just play. So on those days when they just have too much energy, I just have to let go and play. Even if it's not formal or structured, they do learn a lot by playing.

Structured Playtime:

To me, structured playtime means the kids are doing something that engages creativity. I think preschools call them "centers". Some of our favorite things for our structured playtime are pattern blocks, architectural building blocks, Build it!, puzzles, learning cards and games, drawing, finger paint, playdough, reading books, Wikki Stix, More Starfall, Learning.com, and, and much more...

During structured playtime I usually play a cd that will engage their mind, either spanish, poetry, scripture mastery songs, articles of faith songs, or classical music. I also play these things when we are in the car. I am amazed at how well they are able to remember things when they hear them over and over. My three year old can recite the entire Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken and when my oldest son was three he could recite all 13 articles of faith. It really is the easiest way for them to learn things that you want them to remember.

During this time I let them play on their own and am usually in the kitchen baking something- it gives me time to think my own thoughts (plus I can't live without fresh baked bread!) And, you may have noticed I haven't scheduled much cleaning time...I try to clean up the kitchen as soon as I finish baking, and have hired a wonderful cleaning fairy to take care of the vacuuming, bathroom cleaning and such. It saves me a lot of stress (and back pain) and gives me more time to spend with my children (I don't plan to do this forever- when my kids are older I will have them help out more- but right now I feel like my time is better spent elsewhere!).

Well, we're never perfect at getting everything done, and I'll probably overhaul my entire philosophy in a year or two...but I figure as long as we are doing the most important things like developing spirituality, giving them love and attention, the other things will come one day at a time...

What does your day look like?

And don't forget! One more day to enter to win The Entitlement Trap! The winner will be announced Monday.

I heart Bountiful Baskets!

2011-10-15T16:36:00.001-06:00

Wouldn't it be awesome to eat healthy for half the cost? I heard a few things about Bountiful Baskets before moving back out west and was super excited to try it since they didn't have it where I lived in Kentucky. This week was my second pickup, and I have to say I couldn't be more ecstatic!

My first pickup I arrived with a small box, not expecting much for $15. I walked in to the school gym where they are distributed and saw the huge round laundry baskets brimming with produce and looked back down at my small box...the lady directing people said "um...I think you're going to need a bigger box..." I didn't realize that for $15. I got TWO baskets of produce! One full of vegetables and one full of fruit. I typically pay $5 for grapes or apples alone...I just love that I can get an entire week's supply of fruits & vegetables for $15 (or $25 for organic).

The fun part is the produce is different every time, the week before included corn, limes and pomegranates. I was also pleasantly surprised at what high quality produce it is, there were no fruit flies or bad spots and the grapes are the sweetest grapes I think I've ever eaten. I also got the tortilla pack which is about 15 pounds of tortillas- plate size, small size, corn...they are fabulous. The only commitment is to help distribute the food once every six pickups. Two hours of my time every six weeks is sooo worth the savings!

They recommend that you wait to go shopping until after you've picked up your basket and then plan your meal around the vegetables provided and with the savings you can afford higher quality meats. I am making a large veggie tray and a large bowl of fruit salad (stir in a little vanilla yogurt to prevent browning & some pecans because they're delicious) to keep in the fridge for the kids to snack on during the week. So not only will my family have healthier options, but we're saving a bundle of money at the same time!

So, if you're like me and don't have access to fresh home grown produce, check out Bountiful Baskets!

And...I just have to mention that I have THE best mother in law in the world! She is amazing. I know you're going to hate me because it's very rare to have such an awesome MIL, but mine is. Just one example of how amazing she is... Thursday when I was preparing for Ethan's birthday, I tried making a cake. I've made hundreds of cakes, but for some reason I thought I could use this yummy confetti cupcake recipe and make it into- not two layer cakes, but one round cake. Well, as you can probably guess it overflowed. Making a huge mess in the oven and ruining the cake. But optimistic little me I thought I'd just scoop half into another round pan and that would fix it. Nope. Two flat multi-colored pancakes came out of there. I should have taken a picture but it was just too pathetic. So I decided he didn't need a birthday cake. We'd have another one at the end of the month for Grant's birthday and that would just have to do.

The next morning after breakfast I saw the pans sitting upside down on the cooling rack and thought I'd better take care of my mess. I lifted it up the pans and underneath were two perfectly baked yellow cakes! I have no idea how she found the time to bake them since she had to leave around 7:30 that morning, but there they sat. I found this adorable monster cake on and set to work. I will certainly never win a contest for my decorating skills, but it made one five year old quite happy!

He had a fun birthday- we went to Thanksgiving Point's corn maze during the day and managed to only lose one of them (temporarily), and Chuck e Cheese in the evening. He saw a commercial once and kept saying he wanted to go because "it's where a kid can be a kid" so I figured I'd take him once and he'd see that it really wasn't all that fun. Wrong. He loved every minute of it, and so did the other boys.

When we got home he opened his presents... Grandma & Grandpa got him some footie pajamas and I've never seen a kid get so excited! He was literally jumping up and down saying he always wished he could have some like that (he's outgrown all his and gets jealous when his little brothers are wearing them). He then announced that he thought it was time to get ready for bed.

We had to convince him to stay and see what other presents he had ;) His aunt and uncle got him a fun game- Zingo- and we spent the rest of the evening playing it. It was a pretty fun (and exhausting) day.

Five!

2011-10-14T09:45:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my oldest son is five today! I was showing him some of the videos we made of him when he was little...I forgot how hilarious they were!

Check out the classic wall smash (you may have seen this on America's Funniest Videos) http://carianthony.blogspot.com/2008/10/ethans-2nd-birthday-television-debut.html

And him saying articles of faith at two and a half- I completely forgot how adorable his little voice was! http://carianthony.blogspot.com/2009/07/articles-of-faith.html

So I got this fabulous idea from to interview your child each year and scrapbook a page about it. What better time to interview than on a birthday? Here's Ethan's five year old interview:

Tell me three words that describe you:

I have two eyes, and I have a body, and I walk.

What are your favorite foods?

Like…umm…I like cake. I like to eat Life cereal…I love cheese…

What are you afraid of?

Bats…and pirates…

What makes you happy?

Daddy does.

What are your favorite things to do?

Color, fingerpaint, ride my bike, take a bath, have my birthday.

What is your favorite thing to learn about?

Math, about telling time, caterpillars, bugs and butterflies.

What college are you going to attend someday?

BYU

What are you going to study in college?

Computers

What are some things you’re going to do when you grow up?

Get married and go to work.

What’s your favorite scripture?

Helaman 5:12

What’s your favorite poem?

Robert Frost, The road not taken

What are your favorite books?

Magic Tree House, A to Z Mysteries, Danny and the Dinosaur

Who are your hero’s?

Abraham Lincoln and Nephi

Tell me a joke:

Knock. knock. Who’s there? Police. Police who? Police turn off the lights when you leave the room.

What are your favorite animals?

Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Elephants, Parrots

What places do you want to travel to someday?

China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and London

The Entitlement Trap Giveaway

2011-10-13T03:00:00.000-06:00

I absolutely LOVE this book! If I could choose my favorite parenting book it would probably be this one. The Eyre's have such great ideas about raising responsible people and emphasize the importance of starting early. I love the overall concept of this book- to allow your children to learn from their mistakes while they are young and the stakes are low, rather than when they are adults and the stakes are high.

This applies not only to financial decisions but moral, ethical and other important decisions that must be made in life. I purchased the book to learn how to teach my children good financial responsibility, but found that it offered so much more.

My children are a little young to implement the full household economy, but I have gotten so many great ideas that I can start implementing- such as being paid for doing certain tasks around the house and rewarding them for good behavior rather than just handing out an allowance.

I also love their ideas for establishing and writing down traditions in a prominent place where they become an important part of family life and the idea of keeping family stories to read to the children at bedtime. Their ideas for teaching children how to make responsible choices about drugs, sex, and life goals is invaluable. Helping children make these decisions before they are ever faced with them prevents those spontaneous bad decisions. The whole idea is to prepare your children for the things they will face in life and to do it while they are young so that they can learn how to make intelligent decisions and avoid the confusion and frustration most teens and young adults face.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes:

"It is parents, by not saying no and by giving kids what they demand, who become the ultimate enablers. We pour unearned praise over them, protect them from criticism of teachers and coaches, give them everything from toys to automobiles, and make no connections between their freedoms and their responsibilities. We seem to be working for our kids' approval rather than their working for ours."
"As our lives get busier...we give our kids things instead of time.
"Entitlement really is a kid trap...it stifles children's initiative, encourages self-centeredness, and mutes their natural and healthy fear of consequences. It makes them feel like the world owes them a living and destroys the connection between effort and reward."
"...Indulgence...[and] anti-responsibility...holds them back from their potential, from adventure, from their independence, from their creativity, from their fulfillment, and from their happiness.

I love this book so much that I am going to be sending one lucky reader a free copy of The Entitlement Trap!

To Enter:

Leave a separate comment for each entry:

You promise to read the book if you win!
If you blogged or facebooked about this giveaway
If you are a public follower and/or have my button on your blog

The winner will be announced on October 17th. (Be sure to include your email address or have it linked to your profile if you want me to email you- otherwise you will have to check back to see if you are the winner!)

U.S. and Canada Addresses only.
If the prize is not claimed within 3 days a new winner will be chosen.
GOOD LUCK!

A Day in the Life...Part 1: Thoughts on Homeschooling

2011-10-10T12:18:00.000-06:00

A few people have asked me to share a peek into a typical homeschool day with three wild boys. Rather than have a single 10-page post, I've decided to break it up into several posts.

I thought I'd start off with a little bit of my thoughts on homeschooling which have completely evolved from when I first started and which continue to change the more I learn.

I originally started out doing regular preschool activities with my oldest son. However, when he started reading at age three I felt I owed it to him to help him learn more. He quickly improved his reading and just a few months later had all thirteen articles of faith memorized, could locate almost all of the 50 states, knew all the planets, many facts about dinosaurs and lots of other things.

There are many stereotypes about homeschoolers and I admit I did tend to pre-judge or label homeschooling families prior to becoming one myself. I have seen it done the wrong way where parents do a disservice to their children by failing to prepare them for college and a future career, however I have also seen it done the right way with incredible and amazing results. My goal of course, is to get those incredible and amazing results. So I've been something of a homeschool scholar over the past few years, researching different methods, trying different ideas and learning all I can about the best ways to prepare my boys for college. Mind you, they're only 1, 3 and 4, but I like to plan ahead!

Just to make my position clear, I have nothing against public schools! Do I think the system is perfect? No. Do I think they work well for most people? Yes! If I could choose my perfect public school would I send my kids there? Probably... BUT we are in the military and have very little control over where we live and what kind of schools we can choose from. Not only that, but my oldest is not quite five and is reading at a 4th grade (or higher) level, doing second grade math. He is not eligible for public school until he is 6 because his birthday is mid-October and if I sent him to kindergarten in another year he would not only be bored out of his mind but would be a major troublemaker. So this was the logic I originally used when deciding to homeschool, but have since learned that there really is a spiritual aspect to homeschooling and without receiving that confirmation that this is best for my family, I would have called it quits a hundred times.

Anyway, decision made (at least for this period in time) I had to figure out how to go about schooling. At first I tried to make up my own curriculum but this took WAY too much time and planning. Next I got the "What Your ____ Grader needs to Know" books by E.D. Hirsch. They are awesome at providing an overview and even short lessons, but I still felt like I was missing something. I looked at several curriculum packaged sets but couldn't find one that offered everything I was looking for and some didn't provide the same views I have about science (I believe in evolution, meaning things evolve over time, and that the earth is much older than 6,000 years)...

I finally came across Charlotte Mason (Ambleside Online) and The Well Trained Mind. These are the two resources that provided the best foundation for me. The Well Trained Mind has so many resources that I refer to it as my homeschool "bible". I can choose the individual curiccula I want for each subject and then supplement with great literature using some of the CM recommendations.

Because my children are so young, my primary focus right now is literature and art. We read a lot. I want my boys to be familiar with the words and language used in these books so that they will always have a love and appreciation for good literature and fine arts.

I love the freedom that homeschooling provides, to help my children learn through their own experiences and not solely through books. Right now our focus is on developing a love for nature. To be able to take them places where they can learn from firsthand experiences is priceless. I look forward them studying the ancient Romans where we go on a family field trip to Rome, or study about American history by taking them on a cross-country tour to visit each site.

My primary goals in schooling my children are of course to prepare them for college and a future career (my oldest son already talks about studying computers and my three year old says he's going to be an engineer) but also to provide them with opportunities to experience a wide variety of things in life from intellectual pursuits to high adventure activities to international aid missions, and teach them to give back by helping others.

So...those are my thoughts about homeschooling...Next post will be about our daily schedule...

BTW...if you're hungry after being a trooper and reading this way-too-long post, check out this fabulous cinnamon roll recipe! It will be well worth your time...

Thanksgiving Point fun

2011-10-06T21:24:00.000-06:00

We live really close to Thanksgiving Point so I decided to get a pass for the boys. It was well worth it. We are loving it so much! The gardens are incredibly beautiful and peaceful and the perfect place to have school on a sunny day. It's also a great reward for finishing up their school work early.

The boys love walking around the gardens and learning the different types of trees and plants.

The Noah's Ark splash park is the perfect way to cool off on a hot Utah day. Near the tower there is also this interesting contraption and the boys get such a kick out of pulling the levers and hearing the silly noises it makes and getting soaking wet as it sprays and shoots water on them.

The farm is amazing, they can ride horses, feed goats and milk a cow (how cool is that?!?) The dinosaur museum also has a fun sand/water table and a huge sand box area where they can uncover dinosaur bones. We love this place!

P.S. we can get friends in for half price, if you ever want to join us!

I also get to run on this awesome trail which is right near T.P., it's so beautiful in the morning when the sun is just starting to rise...love it!

Latter-Day Homeschooling

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share this great resource: Latter-Day Homeschooling I subscribe to the email newsletters and they always have uplifting stories that give me confirmation that I made the right decision for my family. Unlike some sites that leave you feeling guilt ridden for all the things you're not doing right, this site has articles written by real moms just like me who are in the middle of it all and understand the realities of trying to juggle the demands of life. The emphasis is on teaching values, simplifying life and finding meaning in the small everyday things.

It is the highlight of my week to read these powerful messages and be reminded of why I do what I do and helps me recommit myself to taking one day at a time and remembering what the focus should really be about.

It's impossible to choose my favorite, but these two articles I found quite profound:

http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/2011/08/little-bird-told-me.html

http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/2011/08/standing-in-holy-places.html

Also, a few quick thoughts about yesterday's General Conference:

President Boyd K. Packer stated two different times that our youth today are "being raised in enemy territory." That is pretty strong language, but I couldn't help but think how true it is. We send our young children (some as young as three) out into the world. It made me feel grateful for this time I have with my young children and recommit to teach them values and properly prepare them so that they don't enter "enemy territory" unarmed.

Ian S. Ardern cautioned us that being busy does not mean we are productive and that we will give a strict accounting to God as to the use of our time. How often do I turn away my children because I am "busy" on the computer? How often do I reach the end of the day and realize I have failed to make time for the important things? I find that in my life I must put the essentials first (for me essentials are prayer, scripture study and exercise) and then I magically have time for the other things of the day, sometimes even accomplish more than I set out to. However if I do the things I want to do first (blog, email, scrapbook) I find that I never have enough time in my day and I am grouchy when my kids want my attention. His talk was a great reminder to prioritize and re-evaluate.

Robert D. Hales spoke about trials and adversity being for our good, waiting on the Lord and accepting His will. I was thinking about how our reaction to trials determine much of who we become. There are those that have major adversity in life and are able to overcome their trials and go on to not only be amazingly successful for themselves but to help others better their lives as well. Then, there are those who suffer and become bitter and miserable and essentially waste away their lives. Both trials are similar in nature, the difference in the outcome is whether we turn to Christ for help or whether we turn our backs on Him.

I'm also super excited about the new temple assistance fun where we can donate money to help those living in remote areas travel to the temple to be sealed as a family. What an awesome opportunity to help others have the blessings of the temple!

My newest niece...

2011-10-01T13:25:00.000-06:00

When I was in Southern Utah last week I was able to meet my newest niece- Parley. She is 8 weeks old and is so quiet and full of smiles. I also took a few pictures of their sisters- so sweet! Take a good look at the middle sister- she looks a lot like me when I was a kid, it's almost like looking in a mirror when I look in her eyes (except hers are brown and mine are green). I'm pretty sure if we could make girls they would look like her... More adorable pics on my photo site.

Logan, Utah Temple Pictures

2011-09-30T11:04:00.000-06:00

When I was in Logan for the Top of Utah Marathon I stopped to take a few pictures of the Logan temple (as requested by Stacie!) It is such an amazingly beautiful temple sitting high on the hill. Absolutely breathtaking. Images are available for free download on my Free Artwork link. Enjoy!

Also, super excited for General Conference this weekend! It's so awesome to be able to hear from our dear prophet and apostles. If you're looking for some yummies to much on while you're watching (a favorite tradition of mine) check out this post by the Red Headed Hostess! And check out some printable conference activities for your little monkeys too.

Climb every mountain...

2011-09-29T10:19:00.000-06:00

I think that must be my husband's motto... He hiked and camped almost nonstop from the moment we arrived in Utah. One of the more memorable trips was our week at Spirit Lake near the Wyoming-Utah border. We camped right next to this beautiful lake. It was freezing cold and rained almost every day, but it sure was beautiful.

The boys got to go fishing for the first time and caught a bunch of fish. Ethan caught three fish and Joshua caught one, they caught a total of 15 during our week there.

Daddy gave a fish anatomy lesson and the boys thoroughly enjoyed dissecting them. What better way to do nature study then to spend a week in nature?

We had an Osborne family reunion at Cecret Lake, a family favorite hike. I just have to say Joshua is the best little hiker I've ever seen. He is only three but he outlasts Ethan by far and keeps up with my walking pace the entire time. He never complains and is usually in the lead the entire time. I am amazed by his stamina, he is definitely his daddy's boy when it comes to hiking.

Anthony took Ethan and Joshua on their first backpacking trip. I had met my three day camping limit, so I stayed home with Grant.

He did manage to drag me out on an overnight backpacking trip to Upper Silver Lake though. The boys did great on the 2 mile hike and we identified lots of wildflowers as part of school that day. It was pretty cold once we got up to the lake and there were still a few snow patches but the little bear cubs wrestled around to keep warm.

This last weekend we went to see my family in Cedar City and went for a little hike in Zion's (no angel's landing for me!)

Anthony summited a few other mountains too- he actually spent 16 hours hiking one day and made is own trail across several mountain peaks, hiked Mount Bora in Idaho in record time, and his childhood favorite hike- Lone Peak.

26.2, Top of Utah!

2011-09-19T16:14:00.001-06:00

On Saturday I ran the Top of Utah marathon in beautiful Logan, Utah with my husband, his sister Laura and niece Ashlynn. It was definitely not what I expected for my first marathon, but I am still alive and walking (sort of)!

I often get asked about my motivation to run a marathon, and the honest answer is I didn't really have a lot of motivation. It was never something I aspired to or had a desire to do. It may have been on my mental list of things to do before I die, but it wasn't something I ever thought I would do or could do. Even after I registered for this marathon I had to really convince myself that I was going to do it, and if my husband hadn't been the driving force in getting me out to run the mileage (and pushing our three boys in the double jogger for 16+ miles) I couldn't have done it.

The reason I decided to run was inspiration from this conversations episode by Sister Elaine Dalton. As Sister Dalton was talking about the lessons she has learned from running marathons and the experience of running with her husband, I had the strongest feeling that I needed to do this with my husband before he left for Afghanistan. If I could survive a marathon I figured I could survive the next year without him and anything else life decided to throw my way.

I trained in Kentucky during the hot humid summer and hoped that would prepare me for running at the high Utah elevation, but boy was I wrong! Not only did it feel like someone was sitting on my chest, but it was cold. The morning we did a 14 mile training run my arms and hands were so cold I thought I would get frostbite and my hands swelled up afterwards (I never even swelled up when pregnant!) This really discouraged me and I felt as if all my training had been wasted because I felt like I hadn't run a day in my life.

The morning of the marathon came and thankfully I got a good night's sleep (the boys stayed in Idaho with Anthony's sister), but it was drizzling. The weather forecast said 20% chance of rain so we weren't too worried, but grabbed some trash bags from the front desk anyway. By the time we rode our bus an hour to the top (and managed to fight off carsickness) it had begun to really rain. We put on our lovely trash bags and stayed pretty dry.

That is until mile 2 or 3 when it cleared up and we ditched them. Then of course the real rain came. Not light drizzling rain- buckets and buckets of cold rain. Then hail! I had purchased my lovely hooded jacket at D.I. the night before just in case it was cold and it's a good thing I did. That and my arm sleeves saved my life. My legs were really cold but my arms stayed pretty warm. The course took us from the top of the canyon down to the bottom of the canyon, so it was virtually downhill for 16 or 17 miles. I ran the first 13 miles in 2:30 which is my fastest 1/2 marathon time so far.

Once we came out of the canyon the storm came back with a vengance, more rain and more hail. The street was flooded and I could feel the water sloshing from the top of my shoe to the back of my shoe with every step. Lightning struck really close a few times too. It was really pretty miserable. I was cold, wet and tired and I gave up caring about what time I finished, I planned on hobbling to the end.

But unfortunately (or maybe fortunately- I still haven't decided which) my husband pushed me to continue running 5 miles per hour like we had trained. I was pretty grouchy at this point and silently vowed never to run with him again, but he was a good sport and ran in slow motion so I could keep up. The last 6 miles were definitely the hardest. On one hand I was thinking wow, only 6 more to go! But on the other hand that is six whole miles, over an hour more! I finally put in my ipod and blocked out my negative thoughts with music those last few miles. The last mile was such a relief I only stopped to walk once and was so ecstatic to see the finish line I almost broke down and cried. And I was happy that I beat the 6 hour mark- only by 15 minutes, but still- I wasn't dead last!

There are so many life lessons to be learned in training for and completing a marathon. I'm sure I'll share more than anyone will care to read, but the one that really stuck with me was how discouraged I became toward the end. I was so close yet I had these negative thoughts telling me I was so far away. I couldn't help but think how often in life we overcome challenges and trials and just when we're near the end we hit another bump in the road and it becomes a breaking point tempting us to throw away everything we've worked so hard for. Yet if we can push past those negative feelings and keep trudging along slowly but surely we will make it to the end and it will be worth it, even if it takes longer and is harder than we planned for.

So...any of my Salt Lake friends who want to train for a half or full marathon- let me know! I could use a running buddy who is slow like me ;) Oh, and yes, I did take pictures of the Logan temple, but give me a week or two to get them edited and posted...

Our trip out West...

2011-09-10T16:14:00.000-06:00

Well we made it to Utah safe and sound! We made a vacation out of it and stopped at a few places along the way. Here's a glimpse of how the little monkey's passed the time (yes, that's an empty applesauce container on Joshua's head)...

Anthony had to climb Oklahoma's high point, so we camped out the night before. There was an incredible lightning storm, the entire sky lit up with each strike. You've never seen lightning until you've seen it in Oklahoma. The winds were so strong it just about bent the poles of our trusty Kelty tent. The boys were so happy in the morning to discover dirt all around them. Ethan said "I want to live in Oklahoma." When I asked why he said "because they have lots of dirt!"

It was beautiful crossing from Oklahoma into Colorado- all these images were shot with my iphone and weren't edited, the sky really is that blue. I almost forgot what blue sky looked like! And we passed a train then got out and waited for it to pass us- the boys still have a slight train obsession...

We also went over to visit Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. It's pretty impressive- these photos don't do it justice, but walking on sand is hard enough without packing around a heavy camera... The boys were in heaven...

And our last stop was Colorado's high point in Leadville. It was freezing cold but really beautiful.

We have been spending some great family time while Anthony's with us, so more to come...

Free LDS Temple pictures & more!

2011-08-19T04:04:00.000-06:00

I should have known I couldn't go a full month without posting anything! We haven't even headed out west yet (Saturday's the big day!)

I've added a new tab to my site where I am sharing some FREE pictures of LDS temples (more Utah temple pics to come soon!) And quotes/sayings I have created to inspire my life (more to come there as well). These are available 100% free for personal use!

If you can, please contribute a small donation (right toolbar) or purchase deeply discounted prints online here.
Enjoy!

Goodbye Kentucky...Hello Utah!

2011-08-14T11:51:00.000-06:00

Today was bittersweet. It was our last Sunday in the ward we have attended for the last 4 1/2 years. Anthony was released as bishop and we said goodbye to all our dear friends. It was bitter for the sadness that it may be a long time before we see them again, it is hard to even think about. But sweet that we were able to meet such wonderful people and make so many lifelong friends. I often think how sad it would have been if we had never ventured away from our home and enlarged our circle, we would have missed the opportunity to share our lives with such good and kind people.

It's hard to believe that exactly 9 years ago we loaded up our cars and moving truck and headed East. We thought we would be gone 3 years for graduate school. Nine years and three kids later we are heading back "home" for an extended visit. We spent half our time in New Hampshire and half in Kentucky with a small stint in Virginia. I dearly love the Eastern U.S. and know I'm going to have a hard time heading back to the desert, but we are also looking forward to seeing family again.

We are also very excited to spend a full month together as a family (with no interruptions!) before Anthony heads to Afghanistan for a year. We are running the Top of Utah marathon together next month and have been training all summer for it. Yesterday we ran 21 miles, something I never thought I could do or would ever want to do. I have decided if I can survive a marathon I can survive a year with him gone (or really anything else life throws my way)! So I'll be going dark for a month or two while we move and get settled...but I'll be back with updates for our extended family on the other side of the country. We love and will miss you all!

Our 2011-2012 Curriculum

2011-08-08T17:37:00.000-06:00

My goal for this next year is to be relaxed about schooling since we will be living in a new place and I don't know how the boys will handle having their daddy gone (plus Ethan still has another year before official "school" age)... But as I type out the list of books we will be reading this next year it seems like a lot! Fortunately we love to read and many of the literature books we can download on audio from our library, and of course they aren't all going to be finished this year, many of the books will take several years to complete and will be repeated.

I have also recorded many of the poems I want the boys to learn and burned them on a cd so we can listen to them in the car as we drive around town. Both Ethan and Joshua can recite at least 10 poems from memory now. (This is also how we learn scripture mastery and Articles of Faith. Ethan knows all thirteen articles of faith and Joshua knows the first four and both have several scripture mastery's down).

We will also supplement Joshua's education (three years old) with the new http://more.starfall.com/ site which has pretty good preschool activities (especially for only $35!) and Bob Books iphone app.

History:
The Story of the World
50 Famous Stories Retold
Our Island Story
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
The Story of Benjamin Franklin
Who Was George Washington?

Science:
Handbook of Nature Study
The Burgess Bird Book
All the Birds of North America
*Additional reference books based on interest

Math:
Math U See

Scriptures:
Discover the New Testament
Book of Mormon Scripture Mastery
Scripture Memory System

Literature: (Just to name a few!)
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
A Treasury of Children's Literature
Little House on the Prarie Series
Just So Stories
Charlotte's Web
Five Little Peppers and how they Grew

Geography:
Paddle to the Sea

Poetry:
A Children's Garden of Verses
A Child's Book of Poems

Character:
Wisdom & the Millers: Proverbs for Children
Child's Book of Character Building: Growing up in God's World

Art/Music:
Artistic Pursuits Book 1
Kindermusik
Folksongs & Hymns
Stories of the Great Composers

Foreign Language:
Speak Spanish with Dora & Diego

Extra Curricular:
Swimming
Tae Kwon Do
Skiing

And on Mom's list for next year:

*Parenting with Love and Logic: just ordered this book and am LOVING it. Need to memorize it and apply it this year!
*The Entitlement Trap: read a few articles on this book here http://ldsmag.com/family/parenting/article/8416?ac=1 and am really interested in learning how to apply these ideas to our family.
*Finishing up the Little Women series, some Georgette Heyer books, a few other classics and a some LDS doctrine books
*Use the Institute Manuals during personal scripture study
*Run at least 3 half marathons (and a full marathon this fall!)
*Keep up on our digital scrapbooks
*Attend the temple at least 3 times a month
*Be more diligent in journal writing and begin my personal history

FREE Homeschool Daily Planner

2011-07-29T22:24:00.000-06:00

I've just added this free homeschool planner to my homeschool page. I'm an organizing freak and am constantly changing our schedule because I find I just can't commit to everything when it comes right down to it. So I've slipped mine into page protectors and use a wet/dry erase marker so the pages are re-usable and the schedule is easy to change on a whim.

It includes a section for goals, keeping track of all the curriculum, a daily schedule for mom and kids, a weekly schedule where work can be organized by subject (blank as well as filled in calendar for July 2011- June 2012) and an easy to use grocery shopping list. Each page includes quotes about learning and education. Here is a quick preview:

You can download my Free Homeschool Daily Planner PDF file for personal use here.

*Artwork created with PS Swirls & Flower Brushes by Coby17 on Deviantart.com. THANK YOU!

Pioneer day fun

2011-07-23T17:03:00.000-06:00

We had our Pioneer Day celebration at Saunders Springs this morning. The boys got to feed the fish and see a bunch of turtles but the best part was this super friendly butterfly wanted to be held by all the kids. I forgot my camera but got a few pics with my iphone... The boys' favorite thing was of course rolling in the dirt- gotta love those brown little faces. Then they had a good wash down in the creek before heading home. So sad to think this is our last ward activity here!

Count your blessings...

2011-07-18T15:53:00.001-06:00

I was going through my blog posts adding labels that I've neglected for so long...and I found this draft post from last year! Although my "baby" is almost two now and I can only dream of 70 degree weather the other sentiments are still true so I thought I'd publish it anyway. Better late than never...

The other day I was sitting on my back porch holding the baby, the boys were playing on the swings, it was about 70 degrees, I could feel the warm sun soaking in my skin, and it felt like I was on vacation. I thought back to when I was working full time and going to school full time and would daydream about how much fun it would be to not have to work, to just stay home and play with my kids all day. Of course it hasn't been much of the vacation I planned- I didn't expect to have three kids in three years, live far away from my family and friends, have my husband be a bishop and be gone almost every night, but this moment I realized I am living my perfect dream life.

I've always been a whiner, but when I stop and count my blessings I realize how lucky I am. I've had opportunities to travel the world and have fun adventures, I have three beautiful healthy boys, we have a fabulous back yard they can play in, I have a wonderful husband who loves me, I've been able to get a graduate degree, learn hobbies like photography, scrapbooking and cooking that keep me sane and make me feel alive, have great people here that love my kids like they're their own grandchildren, I have goals and dreams for the future that I know I can accomplish. There have been times in our life when we have been so happy we look at each other and wonder if it could really get any better?

Summer fun

2011-07-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

Here's how we've been spending our summer:

Lots and lots of building. Whenever I try to get Joshua to do ANYTHING day or night (including eating and sleeping) he says "I can't mommy, I'm building!"

I asked Grant a question the other day and he answered me so clearly I was suprised. Ethan said "WOW! He talked like a HUMAN!" Here's some pictures of the "human". He loves to snuggle with his stuffed animals (this is boomer our dog- probably the only dog he will ever have) and he has a serious obsession with cars. Needless to say his favorite words are "doggy" and "car" which he repeats about a million times a day.

Reading...We participated in the Fort Knox summer reading program and logged over 50 hours.

The library had a petting zoo come this weekend to celebrate the end of the reading program. The boys had such a great time petting all the animals. Grant loves all animals and wants to hug them all. He followed this little donkey all around chasing it wherever it went.

And of course their favorite past time...driving mommy crazy! They love to pull ALL the cushions off my couch and either use it as a trampoline or build little forts. It makes me absolutely crazy to see my pillows strewn all over the place. Next couch will have permanent cushions...this one has got to go.

Oh...and let's not forget packing and running. Packing is a never ending nightmare consisting of packing a box, coming in a few hours later to find that it has been unpacked. Repeated several times a day. Running is a different kind of nightmare. I used to love, even adore my treadmill. However, I loathe it when I have to run more than 5 miles on it. Running outside long distance is so much more enjoyable however when you have to run 10 miles on the morning of an extreme heat advisory it's not quite as pleasant. Nevertheless I managed to log 20 miles last week and am hoping to continue to meet my marathon training goals. As long as I don't get heat stroke...

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-07T05:37:00.001-06:00

It was a fun weekend of camping out, splashing in the creek and watching fireworks. The fireworks in Kentucky are amazing. No matter where you live in our town you can see 15-20 different light displays and they aren't firecrackers like we're used to out west, they are full blown fireworks displays like you'd see in the park- only they are being lit off at people's homes. It's pretty incredible. Ethan wasn't scared this year but he did still plug his ears the entire time.

And no fourth of July would be complete without some fresh sweet corn. This Amish corn is the best, the boys just gobble it up.

Gotta have a little wrestling...(grant pulled ethan's hair and made him scream- I couldn't stop laughing)

And of course some bike riding...

New favorite classics

2011-06-30T20:12:00.001-06:00

I have been doing a lot of reading and listening to a bunch of audio books the last few months and have been introduced to some new books that for some reason I have never heard of before- but are simply amazing. I love classic literature especially works similar to Jane Austen, well I think I have found her literary sister: Elizabeth Gaskell.

I first watched the Masterpiece Theatre production of Wives & Daughters based on her book and absolutely loved it. Next I saw the BBC version of North & South also based on her novel. Both movies were comparable to Pride & Prejudice and in fact I think I might even like them a bit more if that's possible. I had to read (or rather listen to) Wives & Daughters to see how well the story was followed- and true to Masterpiece/BBC form they followed the book almost word for word. So if you don't have time to read or listen to all 720 pages, at least rent the movie from netflix- it is well worth your time.

A few others that I have come to love are The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Princess & The Goblin by George MacDonald and I am just being introduced to Georgette Heyer who has a whole army of novels. If you know of any other works similar in style to these please let me know, I hate not knowing these wonderful things exist (although it is fun to discover them!)

Baby blues

2011-06-24T11:34:00.000-06:00

Grant is truly a joy in my life. While he has an attitude (loves to slap faces right now...) he such a happy boy and is so affectionate with his slobbery kisses and messy hugs. I adore this little one and his beautiful blue eyes...

Anniversary, Father's Day, and fun with little boys...

2011-06-20T10:09:00.001-06:00

Anthony and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on the 16th, but I feel like a bad wife because I completely forgot about it! He was at scout camp all week and surprised me by coming home early that morning with flowers in hand. I guess it's not enough to have a calendar if you never look at it! It was nice to spend the day together as a family though. We took the boys up to the science center and waterfront in Lousiville then went out to dinner. I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband and it always amazes me to think back on all the adventures we have gone on together in the past 11 years. From exploring Europe and China, climbing mountains in Russia, traveling all over the United States, relaxing on the beaches in the Bahamas & Puerto Rico, completing our graduate degrees, and of course the biggest adventure of all- raising three wild little boys.

We went up to visit him at scout camp and the boys had fun getting dirty (and eating dirt). He rigged up a rope swing in a tree and the boys had so much fun swinging on it. And I DID remember father's day! Hope that redeems myself a little bit... Ethan wrote his own card and drew a picture of our family on the gift packaging. He is the best father these boys could ask for and they all adore him.

Keeping cool...

2011-06-12T17:48:00.000-06:00

The boys had a blast swimming in our kiddie pool the other day. We also went up to the boy scout camp and swam in their lake- it has a nice sandy beach, the swimming area is really shallow and warm. They had a blast. Grant has no fear in the water, he wanted to walk all the way out and didn't seem to mind when he'd get a mouthful of the nasty brown water. Hope you're keeping cool!

The Osborne's

Louisville Zoo...

2011-06-09T22:17:00.000-06:00

We went up to the zoo this week with our friends. It was miserably hot and humid but fortunately the splash park cooled things off. The boys had a blast, we will probably be spending most of our summer at the zoo and science center just trying to stay cool.

The Osborne's

Free American History Resource...

2011-06-07T11:52:00.003-06:00

I came across this website the other day and saw they were offering free lesson plans. I requested the CD then forgot all about it...until it arrived in the mail today! This is a really great resource for teaching American history to your kids or even brushing up on it yourself- we are all citizens of this nation and as Thomas Jefferson so eloquently wrote:

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

The cd includes elementary, middle school and high school lessons. And it quotes a lot from Skousen who wrote the 5,000 year leap which I think is one of the best books ever witten about the founding fathers and the foundation of our government, and the Making of America which is next in my long list of books to read. So check it out, it's completely FREE! http://www.americanheritage.org/

The Osborne's

Defending the Family

2011-06-03T16:46:00.002-06:00

Wow, what an amazing article! I love the Ensign. I can't pick it up without browsing through and reading at least half the articles in one sitting. It is impossible to read these words and not feel the spirit and desire to do better. I really enjoyed this article from June's edition, Defending the Family in a Troubled World. I'll just share a few of my favorite quotes from it:

"We live in a day when the love of many, even toward their own children, is waxing cold; a day when so many people love pleasures more than God; a day when good is called evil and evil good. Those who defend the traditional family, who stand for fidelity and chastity and all that once was considered wholesome and praiseworthy are mocked and ridiculed. On the other hand, those who see no problem with fatherless homes, who advocate abortion, who fight all attempts to limit pornography, and who seek to redefine the very essence of what a family is, are praised and upheld as champions of tolerance."

"...the messages we constantly hear in media, entertainment, and advertising sound like this:

“You’re number one.”
“Do your own thing.”
“You’re special.”
“Find yourself.”

Such messages are so pervasive that we unconsciously absorb them and sometimes repeat them. Yet they are diametrically opposite from the message of the Savior, as recorded in similar language in every one of the four gospels: “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).

We gain happiness and salvation not by blindly pursuing our own self and our own will. We gain salvation by submitting our will, indeed our very selves, to the will of God. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves."

"Those who honor the calling of righteous parenthood will find their souls refined, their hearts purified, and their minds enlightened by the most important lessons of life. They will rise to far greater heights of happiness than those who engage in the narrow and ultimately unsatisfying pursuit of self."

"Curiously enough, this new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality...Believers of all faiths have every right to participate in and share their convictions in the public arena."

I could share more...but really every paragraph is powerful...and while you're at it check out the The Family: A Proclamation to the World which is referenced several times in this article.

Cincinnati

2011-05-31T09:47:00.007-06:00

We went up to Cincinnati for the weekend and met our good friends the Toronto's there.

On the way up we stopped to let the boys run around and there was this old firetruck there. It was unlocked so the climbed around in it and on it and pulled all the knobs and pushed all the buttons. The perfect thing to entertain little boys.

Our friends have four boys so it's a lot of fun when we all get together. They are moving this summer and we are moving in the fall, so this is our last get together for a while.

We ran around the purple people bridge, played at the park, took a riverboat ride, and hit up the gap distribution center. The boys had lots of fun running around like wild things.

The museums in Cincinnati are really awesome. Even the building is amazing. It used to be the train station, built in 1931 and still has all the old signs inside, very cool. And such a great view of the city.

The museums were amazing. We spent most of our time in the children's museum. Everything a little kid could ever want to play with. They had a really fun tree house/obstacle course that was their favorite (including the big boys). Joshua was in heaven with all the building stations they had. We also did a quick run through of the science museum and that was pretty impresive too. They had a life size man-made cave and it was pretty realistic. They also had a recreation of the ice age including full-size animals and dinosaurs. Perfect for boys. I only wish we lived a bit closer so we could go again...and again...

The Osborne's

Daddy's boys

2011-05-22T11:50:00.000-06:00

We did a little photo session with the boys the other day. They love to wear daddy's boots and hats and things around the house...

The Osborne's

Friends

2011-05-18T13:50:00.000-06:00

Ethan has really been interested in making cards and letters for his friends lately. He came up with this all on his own and I thought it was really sweet.

The Osborne's

Fun in Kentucky

2011-05-14T11:14:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it takes a visit from someone outside your state to help you really appreciate all the fun things you have just around the corner. My sister Sara, her husband Bryce and new little chihuahua/poodle came to visit us on their move out East. It was so wonderful to see them again (she was my partner in crime on our backpacking trip across Europe a few years ago). We really had quite a busy week traveling around seeing some of the sights and helped me remember what fun things there really are to do around here. Grant loved playing with the little dog but other boys are definitely NOT ready for a pet!

Her husband is a big baseball fan so our first stop was the slugger museum. It was fun even though we had just gone on Saturday. The factory tour was actually better this time because there were people working so we got to see them hand turn a bat and see the workers in action. I batted again and discovered that fast pitch softball is much easier than fast pitch baseball (you can see the ball when it's bigger!) Grant loved swinging his little bat around.

Then we went to the Louisville Science Center right across the street. And we all got in free! Our science center has a family pass but it's over $100. However, just 100 miles away in Owensboro there is a museum with a family pass for only $40 and they belong to the ASTC Passport Program. The catch is you can only get in free to museums that are 90 miles away (as the crow flies) from your home museum. So I bought mine online (didn't actually have to drive the 90 miles to Owensboro) and now I can take my family to the science center here for free (and when we go back to Utah we'll be able to get into the planetarium and gateway for free). The boys had so much fun playing with everything and the best part was I didn't have to clean up the mess!

We went to Abraham Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville. It is so green and lush this time of year and such a beautiful place to walk around. We played in the rain, went up to Churchill Downs and watched a few horse races, Grant passed out at the restaurant and slept the entire time... We sat by the Ohio River to watch the sun set then hiked the brutally steep hill at Fort Duffield for an even more beautiful view. Bryce caught a frog and Grant laughed hysterically every time it hopped. It was so funny.

The Osborne's

Artist

2011-05-08T15:09:00.000-06:00

Monday is art day and Ethan loves to paint. Here are some of his latest creations...his family, fireworks and dots "like Vashti" (from The Dot).

The Osborne's

a Wonderful Weekend...

2011-05-08T13:57:00.001-06:00

Happy Mother's day to all you hardworking moms and to all you who want so much to be a mom! There is no greater purpose in life than to help mold and shape the character of little people who are the future of our world.

We had a great weekend (warning: this is a really long post!). Anthony got off work early Friday so we went for a hike through the woods near our home. We saw lots of butterflies and little frogs. The boys love being outdoors and hiking is one of their favorite things. The last picture (bottom right) makes me laugh. Joshua is potty trained now but refuses to #2 on the toilet. I gave him some prunes so that he would have no choice, but then we spontaneously decided to go hiking. So...on the way back he had an accident...Anthony got a stick and strung his clothes on them so he could carry them back to the car. He looked like a little hobo, we couldn't stop laughing.

Saturday was our stake temple day so we took turns doing ordinances. It was awesome. I love the temple! I took this picture of the Louisville temple last year. You are welcome to download it for personal use.

After the temple we drove downtown. Joshua really wanted to go over the bridge and was so excited so we drove across to humor him. They have these beautiful murals on the Jeffersontown side. Our next destination was the Louisville Science Center, but apparently they have a box at the derby because it was closed. But fortunately right across the street was the Louisville Slugger Museum which we've been wanting to go to ever since we moved here. So we headed on over and had such a fun time! We really lucked out too- they let Anthony in free because he's military, the boys were all free and I was only $6! We went on the factory tour which was actually quite fascinating and we each received a little bat at the end. The boys had fun in the museum and especially in the little kids area where they could hit a ball off the tee. Anthony and I had fun in the real batting cages too (my arms were sore this morning- my first time hitting fast pitch!). We really had a great time and the boys enjoyed every minute of it. The lady in the batting cages brought us another three bats for the boys which had the emblem of the Lousiville Bats on it. So 8 bats in all, four rounds of batting cages, a museum, movie, factory tour, fun for the kids and all for only $10. I highly recommend it, especially for military families. You can see in the picture below just how tall the bat outside the museum is, pretty impressive. And yes, I forgot my camera again, all these pics are with my iPhone...

I've been wanting to take the boys on the mile skywalk system that goes through downtown for a while so we decided to do it after the museum. I have never been in a downtown area so deserted on a Saturday before (I guess the infield for Derby must have been pretty packed). The boys love running through the skywalk tunnels though and looking down on the street below. We went to the end by the Galt House Hotel and saw the handprints of the Derby winners. Then walked down to the river. It's kind of hard to see but I took a picture of what was part of the waterfront a few weeks ago but is now covered with mud and tree limbs. We walked down to Joe's Crab Shack where we had a yummy dinner. I ate ribs while the boys enjoyed their lobster bucket (I even tried some and didn't hate it). Came home, put the boys to bed and read a good book with my husband. It was a great day. We're going to miss Louisville, it was kind of sad to think these are our last few months here!

Then my sweet boys and husband gave me this cute little card, a lovely dress from one of my favorite modest clothing companies Mikarose (my other favorite is Shabby Apple) and lots of hugs and kisses. I love my family!

The Osborne's

I eat, therefore I run

2011-05-05T08:07:00.002-06:00

Saturday my husband and I ran in the Derby marathon. I ran the 1/2 marathon and he ran the full. He was kind enough to run slow with me for the first eight miles and (then managed to complete the last 18 miles in about the same time as it took me to run the first eight).

I did manage to beat my time from January by 10 minutes to 2:45. I was happy because the longest training run I did was 6 miles (it gets a little boring running that long on the treadmill).

The first 4 miles are the hardest for me. Once I get past that I feel like I could pretty much go forever but that first stretch is sheer torture. I was asking myself why on earth am I doing this for a third time? Then I remembered... oh yes, it's because I love to eat things like this and this and especially this. Running when you're thirty is no longer just a fun thing to do, it's a necessity.

I even managed to sign myself up for a full marathon this fall. They said it's all downhill. I hope so. I didn't realize at the time though that I would have to be training in the summer. In Kentucky. Where it's HOT and HUMID. This is going to be so much fun...

The Osborne's

Baby Mia

2011-04-27T21:04:00.001-06:00

Isn't she precious? I love photographing newborns! And yay, they finally cancelled the tornado watch so I can sleep in my own bed tonight!

The Osborne's

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:29:00.001-06:00

It was a very rainy Easter weekend here. We decorated eggs and had our hunt indoors but the boys still had lots of fun. Grant wasn't interested at all in collecting eggs once he figured out there were goodies inside...

I made this delicious roasted chicken (my first one ever!)

But of course the most important thing was celebrating Jesus's resurrection.

The Osborne's

100

2011-04-19T11:39:00.004-06:00

Ethan enjoys working on his math every day, we are using the Math U See books which we absolutely love. His exercises this week was to skip count by tens and write from 1 to 100. He was so proud of himself when he finished writing each number from 1 to 100 (and I was too). Not bad for a 4 1/2 year old!

The Osborne's

Easter Countdown

2011-04-16T14:38:00.001-06:00

I found this adorable Easter countdown idea and just love it! The cards are available as a printable .pdf from Chocolate on my Cranium. They include scriptures and questions to discuss for each day which are great to include in your daily devotional/scripture study or could also be a great Family Home Evening lesson. If you follow her blog you'll also get a fun object lesson to go along with each one. A great way to feel the spirit of Easter!

And speaking of chocolate... I just posted these yummy double chocolate cookies on my food blog. They are soooo yummy!

The Osborne's

Schmutz Family

2011-04-11T12:57:00.002-06:00

I got to take this family's pictures over the weekend. They have two gorgeous little girls!

The Osborne's

Conference weekend cont...

2011-04-05T12:38:00.001-06:00

Just realized I hadn't posted these pictures from Sunday. We went to the church for the morning session of conference and Joshua and Grant started holding hands in the car, and now do so every time they're in the car, it's so cute.

They painted some birdhouses that we got earlier in the week and were excited to hang them up.

And this is how we kept them occupied most of the time. The only way to watch in peace and quiet...(we traded our lush grass for lumpy dirt, but the boys don't seem to mind a bit)

Conference weekend

2011-04-02T18:47:00.006-06:00

I love conference weekend! It's so nice spend an entire weekend together without any meetings or other obligations (including Sunday)! We started some herb seeds in the morning, shot off the boys' new rocket and of course listened to conference. I particularly enjoyed the talks by Elder Cook and Elder Maynes. Loved the poem quoted in Elder Maynes talk about the importance of parents leading and teaching children. Can't wait for tomorrow's talks!

Twas a sheep not a lamb that strayed away

In the parable Jesus told,

A grown-up sheep that strayed away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And why for the sheep should we seek

And earnestly hope and pray?

Because there is danger when sheep go wrong;

They lead the lambs astray.

Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong, it won’t take long

Til the lambs are as wrong as they.

And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

For the sake of the lambs today,

For when sheep are lost, what a terrible cost

The lambs will have to pay!

-C. C. Miller

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The Osborne's: homeschooling, running, photography, religion, LIFE!

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I eat, therefore I run

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