Baby Food Sensory Tray

We did a simple, no-mess water sensory tray for Zoey's first sensory tray last week. This week I decided to go ahead and set up a messy tray for her - baby food!

I stripped her down to a diaper and dumped some pureed bananas, carrots, and green beans on her tray. She went to town with it! 

She had no hesitations at all to get her hands messy. 

She rubbed the food all over the tray.

She squeezed the food. 

She sucked it off of her fingers.

She slapped and splattered the food everywhere.

Clean-up wasn't so bad. I just took her diaper off and stuck her straight in the sink for a sink bath. Then I washed the tray! Doing these messy activities on the porch instead of inside takes a lot of the anxiety off and makes me much more likely to do them.

Have you done a baby food sensory tray before?

Week in Review: All Things Graduation

We have had a really busy and exciting week this week! Eli is now a high school graduate, heading to Louisiana Tech in the fall to major in agribusiness. Here a few highlights from the week:

Baccalaureate 

Sunday night we had the Baccalaureate service at the church near the school. My dad preached the sermon! We had finger foods afterward. It was a lovely service!

Eli's Graduation Party

Wednesday night our church gave Eli a graduation party. We grilled hamburgers and had lots of desserts. He got tons of cards with money to help out with college expenses. 

Graduation

Friday night was the graduation ceremony. Eli graduated with honors and received $28,000 in scholarships along with a nice award. He has kept above a 3.5 GPA and scored a 29 on his ACT. He gave the benediction and did an excellent job. This school is shutting down this year, so this was the last graduating class. My grandmother came in for the graduation and we had several rows of family attending.

The rest of the week was spent getting ready for the party and graduation services. I'm so proud of Eli. He is such a smart young man!

Four generations

Zoey's First Sensory Bin

Zoey will be 8 months old next week. She is a really sweet baby and I've been looking forward to starting her Baby Boxes with her - sensory and fine motor activity trays geared to her age and skill level. Her skill level right now is grabbing, throwing, and mouthing things! 

Today was one of those days that seemed to drag on. First, my washing machine broke and I had to run to town and buy a brand-new washer. The delivery man was out of town, so Eli and a few of his friends went and picked it up for me and brought it home and hooked it up. In the middle of all of this, my husband got a call that the dryer at our rent house was not working, so we had to buy a new dryer for that house, too. Eli and his friends also delivered that dryer and hooked it up. Not the way I wanted to spend money today. 

While we were waiting for the boys to bring the washing machine, I decided to clean out the laundry room. I drug everything into the kid's living room and then thought, what have I done? I threw away two bags of stuff and reorganized our craft supplies and toddler and preschool resources. That took a few hours and I was exhasted. Zoey also decided she was going to fight her nap all morning and afternoon. Fun.

My new printer came in (yay!) but I had a heck of a time trying to get it set up and tend to Zoey's needs. I was getting a little frustrated. I was trying to cook spaghetti and decided to teach Titus how to cook it. He is ten years old so it's time for him to start cooking. He was browning the meat and boiling the noodles. I asked him to dump the spaghetti sauce in the meat, but he misunderstood and dumped it into the boiling noodles. I had to bite my tongue and I'm glad I did because I almost said something I shouldn't have to him. We went ahead and cooked the noodles, and they turned out fine. 

The house was a disaster. Food everywhere, sticky floors, dirty countertops, toys scattered...I stood by the sink and wanted to cry. Then I decided to reset the evening. I grabbed one of our deep, plastic tot trays and filled it with water. Then I added two plastic ducks and three plastic frogs. I set it outside on the porch and Zoey went to town with it! We had to refill the tray several times because she was splashing that water everywhere!

Big brother loves playing with Zoey.

She loves taking a bath and I knew she would love a simple water sensory tray. 

She was running her hands along the bottom of the tray.

She was mouthing the plastic toys.

She was sucking the water off of her fingers.

She was splashing and watching the water as it got all over everyone!

She was soaking wet, but she was happy. I was relaxed and happy. I let go of the stress of the day and the waiting messy house and just enjoyed watching her.

This is why I have activities like this. It relaxes the kids and me. It helps to reset our days. It passes time in a joyful way. It adjusted all of our attitudes.

This was the perfect first sensory bin for Zoey. 

Week in Review: Senior Banquet and 4H Party

 Monday

We had our last 4H meeting for this school year today. We met in the park and had cake and snacks while the kids played. It was nice to visit with everyone! We only take two months off for summer, so we will meet again in August.

Titus had his second piano lesson this afternoon. One of our friends who happens to be our retired pastor's wife is giving him lessons now. I'm really excited to see how well he does. He loves to sing and is always singing something! Zoey and I played in the nursery during his lesson. 

I worked on my Bucilla stocking kit for a while before going to sleep. It's slow going, but I love seeing the progress!

Tuesday

Titus woke up with a sore throat again. When I checked it with a flashlight, it was really red with more pus pockets. Back to the doctor! His strep test was negative, but the doctor said it looks like strep again to her. She prescribed him some different antibiotics to hopefully take care of it this time. I'm a little worried because this is how Mercie started before her tonsillectomy - she had strep eight times in seven months. 

My mom came and visited and played with Zoey while I worked on the stocking again. 

Titus had a baseball game tonight! They won 5-3.

Wednesday

Silas and Titus both finished their math today, so they're officially done with homeschool for this school year! You know me though - I'll have their Summer Learning Binders ready and waiting in June.

We had our last Team Kid of the year. I made two pans of lasagna, corn on the cob, and garlic bread and I had ice cream for dessert. The kids played outside and then played a game where they put the books of the Bible in order. It will be nice for a few weeks off until the Wednesday night summer program Code Breakers begins!

Thursday

We ran to town early to grab a few things from the store and check the mail. It rained most of the day. I worked on the stocking and played with the kids. 

Eli had his Senior Banquet tonight, and Rod and I went with him. It is such a bittersweet feeling to have him graduate. Seeing him with all of his friends and watching the slideshow which showed their childhood pictures and senior pictures - definitely a tearjerker event.

Eli finished his first shadow box with arrowheads he has found! It looks amazing. He has been arrowhead hunting for a few years now and has found some real gems. We live near Poverty Point which is a world heritage site so there were Native Americans living where we live now. 

Friday

I have been working on Eli's graduation party decorations, and I'll probably head up to the church in a bit to start setting things up. His party is next Wednesday, but I like to be ahead of things.

Zeke and I made a bird feeder for his Sunday school teacher for Mother’s Day. It was super easy! We are going to pair it with a bag of birdseed. 

Baseball games were cancelled due to rain, and the kids are just hanging out outside doing chores today. This next week is going to be busy, so I'm going to try to rest today.

How was your week?

Four Co-Op Class Ideas

We will be joining a Homeschool Co-Op for the 2023/2024 school year! This is part of the NELCHA co-op organization. In the past, they've offered co-op classes in three locations near us with the closest being about an hour and a half away from my house. I thought about joining several times but I just didn't think I could swing it once a week.

A few weeks ago, a lady in a town closer to use - about fifty minutes away - posted that she was trying to get a new branch started up in her town! We had an informational meeting and we just found out that we are going to be able to have this co-op starting this fall! We will have ten weeks in fall and ten weeks in the spring, with three class periods each week. 

Each parent has to teach a class, co-teach a class, or volunteer in some other way. I love teaching, so my teacher-heart got really excited and I started brainstorming classes! I had so many different ideas that it was hard to pinpoint just a few.

I submitted four different class ideas. The leaders are going to choose the classes that they think are the best and then make a schedule. Here are the classes I submitted:

LITERATURE POCKETS: AESOP'S FABLES

This class is for grades 1st through 3rd. We will take two to three weeks on each of the fables in this book. We will read the fable, talk about it, make the literature pockets, and do extra activities for each one. I'm thinking STEM related projects or games, like this one for the Tortoise and Hare:

My kids love Aesop's Fables, and I think this class would be really fun to teach!

HISTORY POCKETS: ANCIENT GREECE

This class is for 4th grade through 6th grade. There are 9 different "pockets" with topics on Ancient Greece. I'm planning to take two weeks on each pockets, with two weeks as a cushion in case we take longer on a few. I'm going to add in library books and maybe some YouTube videos for more information. 

GLOBAL ART

Using this book, we are going to focus on the six inhabited continents for three weeks each. That leaves us two weeks to learn about Antarctica or do an overview of the world. We will spend about 10 minutes each class period learning about the country and continent, doing a mapping worksheet, and maybe reading a book. Then the remaining 35 minutes will be spend on our art projects. I have some really neat projects picked out, like hand-painted tiles for Spain, yarn art for Mexico, and colorful baskets for Zambia. 

BEFORE FIVE IN A ROW

Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row are some of my favorite curriculum for young kids! I would love to do Before Five in a Row with the preschoolers. I'll read the story, do a few activities from the book, and add in some sensory play or fine motor activities to go along with the book. Here are some of the books we have "rowed" from BFIAR (although I didn't post about all of them!).

I'm really excited to see which classes are chosen and which are available for my kids. I feel like this co-op is going to be a really great fit for our family. Having the chance to take a class taught by someone else in a classroom setting without having to go to public school is a good opportunity for my boys. They'll also be around other homeschooled kids and have that socialization that everyone is always so worried about! 

Have you taught a co-op class? 

The Morning Routine of a Homeschool Mom

Everyone that knows me well, knows that I thrive on routine. I have had basically the same routine for twenty years, with some adjustments and changes here and there due to babies or toddlers. Having a set routine really helps me to be more productive with my days - in homeschooling, cooking, and keeping the house clean. Here's a look at my morning routine.

5:00 am

This is normally my wake up time each day, but it can vary fifteen or twenty minutes either way. I don't have an alarm clock, and I haven't ever used one, but my body naturally wakes up around five each morning. I never feel sleepy because I try to go to sleep before 9:30 each night, giving me eight hourse of sleep. Granted, right now that sleep is interrupted by the cutest little blessing, but I still feel well-rested.

I step right into my bathroom to take my bath and get my hair washed. I do this every single morning. I take my time because this is the only time all day that I have totally to myself. 

5:45 am

This is usually when I'm finished getting dressed and ready for the day. I let my hair air-dry and then I curl it (either with a curling iron for a nicer look or with mousse for a quick look) later in the morning. 

I walk into the living room and usually have to fold a few blankets and pick up the throw pillows that the kids left on the floor the night before. 

I grab a Strawberry Water and sit down with my Bible and my 5 Minute Bible Study Journal. I spend a few minutes reading the Word and praying before I start the day. I really like this journal. It has at least a chapter to read and few questions to get you thinking about what you read. There is also a short devotion and room for journalling a prayer or your thoughts. If I skip this time, I may not get a chance later in the day. 

6:00 am

I get the house in order before I do anything else. I have started making the kids sweep and mop at night before going to bed, and that saves me a lot of time in the morning. Usually there are a few dishes to wash - cups or bowls from after I went to sleep the night before. 

I swap laundry and sometimes divvy it out into individual baskets. (I do all the washing and drying. Everyone has a basket, and I throw clean clothes into everyone's basket for them. They are responsible for hanging up, folding, and putting away their clothes. It is another thing that saves me time!)

Once I get the little things done for the morning, I will sit down at my computer and work on lesson planning, curriculum research, blogging, or creating materials for my Etsy shop. I don't spend as much time on here as I did before Zoey was born! I will also start getting out any supplies we will need for the day or books we're going to be reading.

6:45 am

I start waking up Mercie for school. Eli wakes himself up around 7 or so. Mercie cannot wake herself up, but it's something we have got to work on. She is a sound sleeper! She starts getting ready for school, and I almost always braid her hair in two braids. She has long, thick hair, and she likes keeping it braided.

Sometimes I make breakfast (eggs, bacon or sausage, biscuits or toast or cinnamon rolls or muffins), but sometimes the kids are left to fix their own (cereal or egg sandwiches or waffles). 

7:00 am

I wake up Silas and Titus. They get dressed, brush their teeth, make their beds, pick up their dirty clothes, and tidy up their room. They eat breakfast and do a few chores before we get started on school. Usually that is washing breakfast dishes, putting up clothes, vacuuming the rugs, wiping down countertops, taking out the garbage, or cleaning up their bathroom. 

I'm usually setting out meat for lunch or dinner or putting something in the crockpot. If Zoey is awake, I get her dressed and changed for the day, nurse her, and play with her a little bit. When Zeke wakes up, he wants a few minutes of snuggles before he is ready to get dressed and eat breakfast. 

I normally have Silas hold or watch Zoey for me while I get my hair fixed and makeup on for the day. I am also grabbing dirty clothes and taking them to the laundry room (we have tons of laundry), making up my bed, and tidying up as we go. 

8:00 am

We start homeschooling at 8:00 each morning. I like having a start time. It really helps us with consistency and with getting finished before lunchtime most days. We start with me reading a chapter from the Bible. Right now we are in Acts. Then Silas reads a missionary story, Titus reads a history or science story, and I read one of Aesop's Fables. The boys try to guess the moral of each story.

I spend the rest of the morning helping the boys with their schoolwork, juggling Zoey and Zeke, and trying to fit in time to work on my projects. Right now, I'm working on a cross-stitch and a Bucilla stocking. 

I like my morning routine, and I don't like it getting messed up! Are you routine-oriented?

Linking up:

Pet Peeves

I noticed my blog friend Joanne was participating in a monthly Not Just a Mom link-up. It seems like fun, and I'm always happy for new blogging topics! I don't think I have too many pet peeves, but once I list them I may be surprised!

Clutter

I don't know if this qualifies as a pet peeve or not, but clutter drives me crazy. Having seven kids, six still at home, and a husband who has a lot of stuff really makes it difficult to keep the clutter to a minimum. I really try to keep the clutter down and it's a full-time job. Having a large family means we have lots of things - shoes, clothes, toys, books, personal items. I do my best to organize things well, purge often, and only bring things into our home that we need. 

Sticky Floors

Again, not sure if this is a pet peeve, but I cannot stand sticky floors. I mop at least once a day, but usually two or three times. Between cooking and kids and homeschool projects and a preschooler who insists on fixing his own drinks and snacks, it seems there is always a sticky place on my floor. There is nothing worse to be walking barefoot and feel something sticky on the floor or walking in shoes and hearing the sticky stuff stick to your soles. 

Autocorrect 

Autocorrect on my phone does help me some when I am texting fast. But it always seems to autocorrect random words to even more random words. My nephew's name is Bryton, and it always tries to "correct" it to Neuron! Sometimes I spend more time correcting the autocorrect than typing the message. 

Running Out of Stuff

I hate running out of things we use on a regular basis - ketchup, toilet paper, coffee creamer, bread. I do my best to keep a few extra of those items, but I have overlooked the times I pulled the last ketchup bottle from the cabinet or when the kids open the last package of bread we have. 

Wasting Food

I cannot stand food waste. I try to make sure we eat all of our leftovers and that we consume food before it spoils. Seeing food get thrown out really upsets me, especially as we have so many underfed children in our area. I try to be a good steward of everything we are blessed to have, including an abundance of food. 

I really can't think of any other pet peeves I have! What is your worst pet peeve? Do you share any of mine?