Moving Forward- Update 1

So we are 9 days into the new year… and thought I'd give a quick update on how I've started working on my goals for this year.

If you missed it, here is the post with my goals and plans for 2016. 

Of course, I know it will take a bit to get into a routine. We started back to school, homeschool co-op and therapy this week. We had multiple showings (or almost showings) on our house sprinkled among these activities.

Somehow, I managed to keep up with my YL business, follow the daily bible reading, and make some plans for some projects I'll share here.

I am giving myself some grace as I work up to incorporating all my goals into my daily and weekly routines. Honestly, it has been challenging!
I feel like my life is being consumed with cleaning and making sure the house is perfect. I want to be ready the second someone wants to see the house. Having three small children is like having 3 tornadoes in the house! They have done surprisingly well with helping for their ages.
Eli and Brooklyn understand that a clean house equals a better chance of selling the house. They both are looking forward to moving so that helps.
Toddlers are a different story! Haha! It takes Jude one second to draw all over the bathroom sink and counter!
I have to remind myself daily, "He is only two, he is only two"!
Here he was sitting on his poor kitty! Oh boy…

We did get to the Zoo yesterday with some friends! It's nice to take advantage of the 50 and 60 degree January Days!




I have been really excited to get more into the scripture! I love using the YouVersion Bible app on my phone. It has The One Year Bible plan. All I have to do is select the day and start reading through the passages for that day. If you get behind…cough...like me…it is easy to catch up. Since Scott and I are both doing the plan, we are enjoying bouncing thoughts off each other. Scott has a bible degree and has more knowledge on the context and history of each book. It's nice to have him around to ask historical and cultural related questions! ;)





Looking forward to next week, I want to add my yoga workouts, do more YL class planning and work on my vision board.


How has this first full week of the new year treated you? Are you working on some new personal goals?

Fishing for Flashcards

Fishing For Flashcards! 

So last week I posted here about how we were trying a more hands on approach for reading.

He was getting really frustrated and not focusing. So we decided to slow it down and work in a lot of flashcard review and hands on reading games. 

I put together this little fishing game with his flashcards. 

It was super easy!

I put metal paper clips right on the flashcards. Grabbed a stick from the backyard and tied some yarn to one end. I had a small package of magnets and glued two together at the end of the yarn.  

Wha La!

A fishing pole and flashcard fish!  

Reading Round Up!

We are finishing up unit 2 in LHFHG this week. As I mentioned we decided try something different with Eli and his reading. 

Last week when it came time to sit down and do his reading lesson it was like a war had just broke out.  My school loving 4 year old would turn into a tantrum throwing toddler and nothing...NOTHING would get him to focus. 

I was dreading reading time and I knew he was as well. Obviously, we needed to change something.

I kept questioning whether we had the right reading program for his learning style or if it was just laziness on his part. 

As I have quickly learned my little boy learns best with hands on material. I have to sandwich in the sit down subjects in between active hands on activities. 

Mostly this just means more creative thinking on my part! ;)

So to start off we decided to take a little break from his reading book. Although we have been working on reading on and off through the summer we had yet to dive into it everyday. 

So after a week of book lessons and lots of tears and frustration this momma decided to take another route.

First, I want him to still do the program we started. So we are just stepping away from it for a time to get a good foundation down.

This week we have hit the flash cards for review on the words he has already been introduced to. I have tried to get him reading them more by making it into a fun game.

Trust me, "Eli we have a reading game to do next!" goes over much better then "grab your reading book.". 

Next week we will do a couple lessons in his reading book and continue his hands on reading the other days.

I can't tell you how much easier this week has been without the struggle over getting him to read! And really I feel like he has made great progress and built more confidence in himself.

Here are a few pictures from this week's reading progress!

Hop Scotch Reading!