Our Weekend

After the boys napped on Friday, we headed to the library.

   

Counted payloaders before bed

 

Early Saturday morning, Abishai's sweater of many colors sparked a conversation about Joseph's coat of many colors.

 

  

Later some friends of ours came over to teach us how to make soap and spend the day with us.

  

 

Chalk fun

 

 After church, lunch and afternoon naps on Sunday, we read and made homemade sweet potato fries.

   

Played outside

 

  

  

  

 Watched the Olympics.  We're proud of you Canada!

  

 And read this weeks Lent reading.

 

Ice Wreath

The other day while Micaiah was down for his morning nap, Abishai and I made an ice wreath.  I got the idea from The Forest Room and wanted to try it out.  Altogether it took us 3 days.  On the first day the whole family drove to Fort Whyte Alive to explore their winter forest.  We collected some pine cones, pine needles, and different kinds of grass.  On the second day I gave Abishai a bowl of water with a ladle and let him go at it.  He filled my jello ring half full before we put in the nature items we had collected.  We threw in some cranberries too, and Abishai finished filling the ring to the top with water.  After waiting a day for it to freeze we hung the wreath on our mailbox.

  

After is was all done, Abishai turned the jello ring into a crown and pretended he was a King for the rest of the morning.

 

What you put on your hands does matter.

I love being healthy, not just eating healthy, but soaping healthy! In the last 4 or 5 months, I've tossed almost all the soap we own: bar soap, liquid soap, hair soap (shampoo), laundry soap, even tooth soap (toothpaste).

Have I lost it? Maybe. But most soaps on the market have harmful ingredients that cause hormone disruptions (infertility & thyroid problems), skin problems (eczema) and the big C, cancer.  Ingredients to avoid like the plague:  Phthalates, (also known as parfum/fragrance on ingredient lists), Sodium laureth sulfates (or Sodium Lauryl sulfates), paraben of any kind, phenoxyethanol and anything antibacterial.  Those are a few of the more serious offenders.  If you check out ingredient listings, you'll probably find some, if not all of these in your everyday products, even supposedly green products.

One of the changes I've made is with our liquid hand soap.  My boys and I spent the morning with a girlfriend of mine who knows a lot more than I do about health.  She showed me how to be healthy and economical at the same time.  So, I took her advice and went out and bought myself a glass foaming soap dispenser (not plastic, which has phthalates) at Home Outfitters ($20).  Then I went to Eat It and bought Dr. Bronner's organic liquid soap (about $11).  It seemed expensive for our budget, but with the foaming dispenser, it has lasted my girlfriend about a year.  Not so expensive after all!  And so, I have peace of mind that when I wash my sons hands for the millionth time in the day that I'm doing well by them.

 

Foaming dispenser: 20% soap, 60% water, 20% air

Nuts and bolts

My husband Daren brought our wooden wagon into the house to take the wheels off and turn it into a sleigh.  Abishai loves working with tools and will not miss an opportunity to use them, so he was right by Daren's side as soon as the tool box came out.  Taking off and putting on the nuts and bolts was a great motor-skill exercise for Abishai. The nuts and bolts were large enough for his little, uncoordinated hands and he continued to take off and put on long after the project was completed.

 

 Putting on the washer

 

now the nut.

Lent

Lent has begun, so I've put up some pictures on our bulletin board for the boys (and Daren and I) to look at, and ready our hearts for Easter.  I've also put out 7 candles representing the 7 weeks leading up to Christ's death and resurrection.  Last night at dinner we started out with all 7 candles aflame.  We will blow one out each week until they're all extinguished. Then we'll relight them on Easter Sunday to celebrate Christ rising again.

One day Abishai wanted to know the names of the men that Jesus was having supper with.  Since there are only 7 disciples in the picture, we named 7 out of the 12.  He almost has them memorized.

 

 Abishai set up his bathroom stool to get a closer look.

A Winnner!

We have a winner!  And the loaf of spelt bread goes to Tami Jo!  Congratulations! 

"In the home and by the way" is found in Deuteronomy 6:7, but to get the whole context I've written out verses 4-9.  (can also be found in Deut. 11:19, which was Tami Jo's guess)
I like the idea of using the everyday moments that happen in your life to talk to your kids about God, like in the house or on a walk to the park.  This is what I will strive to do as a mom and home educator.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.

 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house 

 and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Introduction & Giveaway

Welcome here, 
This blog is a journal of my adventure as a stay-at-home mom and our home-education experience.  My husband and I have two beautiful, fun-loving boys: Abishai (2 1/2 years old), and Micaiah (1 year old).  We live in Winnipeg, love Jesus, and being with each other.  Thanks for reading!

Giveaway:  My husband came up with my blog-title and I liked it right away.  But what is "In the home and by the way" alluding to? Hint: it's from an ancient book. I'll bake a fresh loaf of spelt bread, made with organic flour that I milled myself for the first Winnipegger with the right answer.  Good luck!