Instant Gratification

I like instant gratification. I am hungry, I want to eat right now. I tell my children to do something, I want instant obedience with a smile. I don't like waiting, but I am learning. God is teaching me and I am so happy.

Today I had an A-ha! moment. It went like this....

DD8 is asking me for her $6.00 that she earned from doing jobs around the house that I haven't paid her yet. She is complaining and whining that she doesn't have any money now because I "took" all her money. The money she had squirreled away (her own words) for so long.

Praying and asking the Lord to help me keep my cool (yes, it takes very little to tick me off!) and to give me wisdom on how to talk to her calmly and gently,  I ask her why did I "take" her money away. So she mumbles "because I damaged my bed." My artistic spirited child decided to use her bunk bed for wood carving. We were in there one day (she sleeps on the top bunk) and I was getting her things off her bed when I saw it. The interior of the rails of her bed were all carved. Like she had a pocket knife or something really sharp, she produced artistic cuts after artistic gaps. I was appalled to say the least. I had a fit!! yeah, I had a fit! And no, she didn't use a pocket knife. She used a plastic ruler.

I told her that I would not allow her to damage her bed. That it cost money and we are supposed to be good stewards of what we have and use. So after deciding NOT to spank her and give her another more appropriate lesson, one that she would remember, I asked her how much money did she have and asked her for all of it to pay for the damage. (It wasn't enough to pay for the bed, but it was enough to make a point.)

It's not the first time that she damages furniture or other things just for the fun of it. And yes, I understand curiosity and experimenting but she is 8 years old, I expect that she works those things out in her head first before attempting something that can surely be destructive.

So anyway... back to the kitchen. I told her I would give her her $6.00 and then she asked if she could do more jobs and get paid. I said "Certainly." But instead of having her follow me around the house asking for the money and adding the cents and dimes, I suggested she make a list of all the things she did and then at the end of the day we could look over the list and I would pay her some money for it.

She had a fit (yes, just like her Momma!! that is why her Momma is trying to do things differently, because I don't want my child having a fit. It's pretty ugly!). She saw a spelling lesson in the suggestion and began complaining about me not helping her, and she couldn't spell, that I would make her sound it out and blah blah blah. Instead of losing it, I asked her politely if we could continue this later. I was busy cooking and doing some food preparations in the kitchen and I have come to realize that in order to not lose my temper with my child I need 100% focus on our exchanges.

Of course, she was upset and insisted. But I remained calm and she complied. So she sat down on the floor and after 5 minutes, apologized and asked if we could try it now. I said "no", that I would call her when I was ready that right that minute I was busy and I couldn't proceed with her request. And then the A-ha moment came!

I saw myself as an adult using something my parents taught me when I was a child. That wisdom or information my parents had imparted to me as a child was precious and in full bloom in my life as an adult. It was like a balm of revelation. The Lord saying: "What you are teaching her is not for right now, it is for later. You plant now and the harvest comes later. You are planting the seeds of Godly character and wisdom so that she can become a Godly woman."

I understood that many times I get angry and upset with my children because I want to see the harvest right now. I saw a farmer in my mind screaming at a seed he had just shoved in the ground. Hollering at the seed because there was no fruit. Oh, my!!! I finally understood.

I am so amazed at the things the Lord Jesus will show me when I talk to Him and ask Him for wisdom. I am gaining victory. I know all things are possible. The Lord has given me a word of lately: PERSEVERANCE. And that verse that talks about what He has begun He will complete is making me REST in Him. So when I persevere is NOT DOING something, but BELIEVING and TRUSTING Him.

Praised be the Lord Jesus!! Merry Christmas!!

Oh, and the picture at the beginning of the post?? is of an amazing cranberry walnut cake. You can find the recipe HERE.

And my DD8 is a sweet child!! She is always quick to forgive and always ready to embrace and love on me. I am so blessed and undeserving of her or the Lord's love. Thank you Jesus!!

Blessings,
Tereza

Selling my WACOM CINTIQ 12WX

Hey everybody!!

Are you ready for Christmas? shopping like crazy?

I am selling my Wacom Cintiq 12wx tablet right HERE. My husband bought it for me a while back and unfortunately homeschooling 4 children under 8 years old I have not been able to use it like I wanted. I used a couple of times to experiment with it and it is a fascinating tool for drawing, coloring and more. If you are familiar with Photoshop you can do a lot of it on your Cintiq with a Pen instead of a mouse. It is a fun and very useful tool. It comes with a version of Photoshop so if you ever wanted to try Photoshop you can without having to purchase it.

I have been hoarding it for a while in hopes my DD8 could use it in the future but I NEED the money. So we are selling it to pay for some of our renovations at our new home.

There are hundreds of  reviews and demonstrations of it on YouTube if you would like to see it up and closer.

My Cintiq is still in the box with all the software that came with it, cables, the pen and a bonus Brand new SmudgeGuard glove. Everything looks like NEW and it's still in the plastic and boxes. Check out the photos below.

It can be used on PC or Mac. It retails anywhere from $900 and up for a Brand New One. I am selling mine at starting bid of $600 on Ebay. FREE Shipping with delivery confirmation and insurance. The Auction ends in 2 days so there is enough time for you to get this in time for Christmas!!!

So if you were wanting one, or thinking of getting one, this is your chance!!! email me if you have questions or leave a comment!!!

Blessings,
Tereza

Look what I found!

 I am always looking for books that will have a story with depth and a Biblical worldview. I get tired of the superficial and humanistic books available to children nowadays. So Lamplighter books are a breath of fresh air. They are beautifully bound and have wonderful captivating stories.

My children love their Audio Dramas and from time to time they have entire dramas FREE on their homepage. We have been able to listen to Teddy's Button for Free that way. You can go HERE and hear the first 2 episodes for FREE. You will be hooked!!

Right now they are having an amazing Promotion on 8 items, including 5 audio dramas for just $99.00. Of course, I am jumping on board and purchasing that for my children.

But I found some of the books they sell on Lamplighter website for FREE on Google books. Here are a few with their links. Once you click on the links, scroll down the page until you find the sections or chapters and click on the first one. Then click Download on the right top corner and download either PDF or EPUB to your computer and save it in a folder. That is what I do and then peruse later for read out louds for my children. Enjoy!!!

Helen; or Temper and its Consequences by Mrs George Gladstone

The Boy who Wandered; or Jack and the Minnchen by Mrs George Gladstone

The Hedge of Thorns by Mrs. Sherwood

Little threads: or, Tangle thread, Silver thread, and Golden thread by Elizabeth Prentiss

Now I am off to enjoy my children... what are you up to this morning??

Blessings,
 Tereza


**** If you are here and read the entire post here is another tip for finding FREE books online READCENTRAL.com and a link for a another great read The Gold Thread - A story for the Young by Norman MAcleod.

Reading List of October 2011

 
My DD8 has read all the Boxcar Children books available in our Library, probably about 30 or so. I purchased her a couple that she really wanted to read and were not available for borrowing. So, we had to find another series for her to read. She reads a bit of everything from poetry to textbooks, science and non-fiction books, to fun easy superficial juvenile books.
 I found Hank the Cowdog series and she is enjoying them so (here is the list to proof):

Hank the Cowdog #1
The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog #2
It's a Dog's Life #3

Hank the Cowdog - Murder in the Middle Pasture #4
Faded Love #5
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie #6

The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob #7
The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse #8
The Case of the Halloween Ghost #9
Every Dog Has His Day #10
Lost In The Dark Unchanted Forest #11
The Case of the Fiddle-Playing Fox #12
all the books up to number 33.

William Kidd and the Pirates of the Indian Ocean by John Malam
Dragoon Trouble by Penelope Lively
No Excuses by Kyle Maynard

Eyewitness Books – Insects

Children's Guide to Insects and Spiders by Jinny Johnson

Nature Close Up – Seeds and Seelings by Elaine Pascoe/ Photographs by Dwight Kuhn

Eyewitness Books - Plant

Nature Club – Trees and Leaves – Althea

Fun with Science – Trees and Leaves

The Plant-and-Grow Project Book by Ulla Dietl

there were more but I can't remember them now and didn't keep up a record this time. Too tired.

We probably re-read a few for the sake of the little ones.

We are reading our American History HERE and we stopped at Chapter 13 so we could study and celebrate Thanksgiving during  the month of November. We will be reading lots of books on Thanksgiving and different versions of how it began and how it became a National Holiday.

What have you been reading to your children? I am always amazed at the wonderful FREE resources there are on the internet or at our public library. Although I would love to have a huge library at home, I rather live simply than have shelves full of books. :)

ooooh, my cranberry apple walnut cake is smelling so good... can't wait to eat it!! Ten more minutes and it's out of the oven. :)

Tereza

We got....

L E A V E S !!! All over our property!!!

                                                                             and

Buckwheat pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup!

How about you? :)

Happy Sunday!

Tereza

FREE!!! FREE!! FREE!!!

I had seen Khan on TV a while back and filed him in my brain to look him up on a later date. He is a genius who began doing video tutorials on YouTube and it has escalated in an amazing way. So now, it's available for FREE for anyone... there's Math, Algebra, Calculus, Chemistry, History and everything in between. Watch the video below to know more and then go check out his website.

If you have gifted children or you are just tired of teaching the same thing over and over to your homeschooled child, or you are just busy and want a break, his website could be the solution. :) I know for my children that enjoy computer work and like different flavors in their learning, they will love this.




Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Blessings,
Tereza

Beautiful Fall episode 2

I am amazed at the things I see around me. At our new house we have plenty of trees that change colors in the Fall. I took so many pictures and the above is one of them. My favorite color is yellow and mix it with browns, reds and green. Oh, what a picture!!!

Remember where I shared about the acorns that have covered our drive way and how we picked and were going to use them? Well, they didn't turn out that good. I am a nut fanatic. I am from Brazil and there we eat Brazil nuts, cashews and gigantic pine nuts. I have picked these, cracked them and used them in breads and cookies and more. We roast our nuts too and eat them like Americans eat potato chips.

But, back to the acorns... I processed them but the tannin flavor was just too strong. I didn't find it palatable at all. So, yeah, didn't make anything with them, threw that batch away and left the rest on the ground for the deers and squirrels. :)

I have been making cookies though... using Chia Seeds and coconut oil... I will share more of those later with recipes...

I just did a search on YouTube about the Acorns (I feel like a failure that my acorn project didn't work out specially since I have so many of them in my own front yard.) and you know what I think I will try this again. I will keep you posted with pictures this time.

HERE is an amazing post about being THANKFUL!!

Blessings,
tereza

Look what I found!

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

:) Tereza

Beautiful Fall!!

I love that my children are not in school. Days like today come to confirm our decision to homeschool. It was a perfect day outside and the children and I spent about 2 hours picking acorns, riding bikes, taking pictures, riding our skateboard down our drive away and just laughing and enjoying each other. This day made me think of my school days locked up inside a classroom wishing to be outside enjoying the sunshine that I could see stream in through the very high windows. Have you ever noticed that they are put way up high? Light can still come in but you can't look out because they are out of reach. It's sad to be stuck between 4 walls.

Here are some snapshots of our fun day. Now that we own almost 4 acres of land we are having so much fun enjoying nature around us.

Leaves are beginning to change.

One of my favorites shots is to capture all my children TOGETHER.

Never ate acorn. Have you? Will let you know how they taste. :)

Enjoy life!

What have you been up this beautiful October??

Blessings,

Tereza

Be still, my fluttering heart!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my 2 oldest children. It was taken on a Fall day as we watched a parade of horses and mules. I was playing on a free photo editing program the other day and I cropped and used some fun effects and this is the result.

My prayer is that this closeness and tenderness will always be in their hearts for one another. :)

Anyway, fall is here!! What have you been up to??

We visited Gulf shores a few days ago. You can certainly check out THIS VIDEO to see the playful mammals that we saw. The children were thrilled to experience this fun cruise.

I would like to tell you that if you ever need a place in Gulf Shores you need to check out Dana Flynn's condos. They are very modern, clean and beautifully decorated. The link is for one of her condos, but she has 4 for you to choose from.   HERE is her WEBSITE.

We are also busy with so many things... too many to tell them all. I have photos to share of some projects and leaves changing but they will have to wait for another post. The children are calling my name... it's snack time!! I just wanted to check in because it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post! :)

Blessings,
Tereza

Reading list of September 2011

School year has started for everybody else. We don't actually stop learning so for me we "do school" all year long. If you have followed our reading lists so far, you can see we don't stop reading. Here are the books we read this past month of September:

Leif Ericsson Explorer of Vinland (circa 1000) - We the People by Dan Zadra

Many Nations - An Alphabet of Native America by Joseph Bruchac
Amazon Diary - the Jungle Adventures of Alex Winters 
The Mystery at the Alamo - a BoxCard children's mystery
The Nice Book by David Ezra Stein
Elmer and the Lost Teddy by David McKee
Gumbrella by Barry Root
Me with You by Kristy Dempsey and Christopher Denise









































The planet's most extreme gluttons by Animal Planet
The planet's most extreme speed (the 10 fastest creatures on the planet) by Animal Planet
The planet's most extreme survivors (the 10 most extreme survivors on the planet) by Animal Planet

What would you do?

last night, my DH and I watched the video below. It was very thought provoking and very timely important. Would you take 30 minutes of your day and watch this? It will change the way you think if not your life.



When you are done, share your thoughts or share the video in your blog. Don't just stand by and do nothing.

Be blessed,

Tereza

What are you reading?

A while back I shared how as a homeschooling Mom of 4 I still manage to read and how I do it.

Today I want to share with you the books that are currently part of my reading pile.

- The Bible. I read it everyday when I do devotions with the children. Then I try to read it later by myself or meditate on a few verses during the day.

From my library I snatched a few very interesting books:

- It's my Turn. by Ruth Bell Graham
While Billy Graham carried on his work throughout the world, Ruth Graham carried on her work of bringing up five children. In this book, she provides a charming behind-the-scenes look at the Graham's life. Mrs. Graham is a wise woman and this book is really encouraging me and helping me see the vision and purpose of keeping home.

- No Excuses by Kyle Maynard
the true story of a congenital amputee who became a champion in wrestling and in life.

- Half the Sky - Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D.Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn  - Stories of women around the world and how liberal organizations are helping them turn their lives around. I thought this book was very bias. In many instances they criticized Christians efforts and organizations because of their Pro-Life position. It was eye opening and helped me have a Biblical point of view of issues.

Books I have recently purchased and been reading through:

The Mission of Motherhood and The Ministry of Motherhood both books by Sally Clarkson.

Future Men by Douglas Wilson

Visionary Womanhood Gatherings E-Book   by Natalie Klejwa

No Ordinary Child: Unlocking the Leader Within Your Child by Denise mira

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.

As I shared in the post I linked at the beginning of this post I really believe the Lord speaks to me through books I read. I feel He is strenghtening me and showing me my purpose as a Mother and the vision He has for my family and children.

What are you reading? What is the Lord showing you at this time?

Be blessed,

Tereza

Super Mom is back!

The other day I wrote a post sharing how I had a good day at our house - got schooling done, cleaned house and we had a peaceful ambiance. Ha! Well, if you are a doer like me, you probably have felt like Super Mom before when you got your list accomplished. I did. I felt good.

Well, Super Mom, was back this week again. She baked cookies. No, not cookies from a tub or a frozen package. From scratch!!! Yes, she found all the ingredients in her pantry and baked cookies with her children. Five dozen of them!!! Isn't that amazing??!! I thought so, specially since she has done that probably 3 times in 8 years since her first child was born.

Super Mom at my house cooks homemade meals from scratch almost everyday. But she doesn't bake! She thinks it's superfluous!! Not necessary. Ha!

Well, I will tell you that Super Mom enjoyed her time with her children as she baked the cookies. They reviewed math concepts as they mixed in the ingredients; we had some cozy warm feelings; wonderful memories were made in the new remodeled kitchen and the recipe turned out so good that Super Mom will be baking more cookies. :)

So, if you would like to be Super Mom too, try this recipe. Now instead of M&Ms, I used the chocolate chips I found in my pantry, plus a bar of dark chocolate. Instead of 1 1/2 cup of M&Ms, I had 1 cup of chocolate chunks. We did find a few lost M&Ms in the back of the pantry so we used them to decorate some of the cookies.

If you are not a Super Mom who bakes I would definitely advice you to try it! Your children's smiles will be worth it!!!

Next week, I will share how Super Mom is becoming an Art Major and teaching her children art at the same time! Ha!

What have you been up to with your children?

Blessings,
Tereza

A musical day in my homeschooling household.

Today was a good day, you know, the kind where there was no screaming or fighting. We did devotions and I felt the children actually learned something because they were interested and asking questions. We did some school without grumbling or complaining. I managed to clean a bathroom and vacuum the whole house. Laundry was also folded and put away and I even managed to wash a load too.

I think I could definitely have some happy tune playing in the background. :)


So after lunch, my two oldest practiced their typing on the computer on the BBC website. As I was browsing the site with my DD4 to find her something, we found this quick lesson on instruments and orchestra disguised as a mystery game. DD8 and DD4 worked through the lessons together and had a great time. I learned some new things and felt like a "super homeschooling Mom".

Ha!! Today was definitely a good day and to make it even better, it's Friday. :) Thank you Lord for blessing us!!

PS Have you checked out my Etsy store lately? I got some pretty cards for sale. :) What are you up to this weekend?

Blessings,

Tereza

Reading list of August 2011

Also reading:

Stories of Gorilla Country by Paul du Chailu
Parables from Nature by Margaret S. Gatty
The Mystery at the Fair (Boxcar Children Special (Pb))
The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery (Boxcar Children (Pb))

God rewards Patience.

I have been meditating on the Word of God a lot lately. I got this sudden hunger to know and live more of it in my life and to see it prosper in my children and husband's lives as well.

I found this article on PATIENCE. I had never heard that God rewarded patience. I didn't realize how blunt and straightforward the Word of God was when talking about perseverance and patience.

I mean, I knew patience was an important tool to the Christian life but as I read this article it was like a light bulb went on.

How are you feeding your heart lately? Eat and chew on the Word of God everyday. Have faith. :)

Blessings,
Tereza

Drawing up cats!!

Today I would like to share my chidlren's drawings with you. I bought a card game from Rich Davis called Pick and Draw. The game is a tool to teach children how to use simple shapes to draw cartoon like faces. So after 30 minutes of our first game session, I went on to Rich Davis website and we watched his videos together. I figured it out that the game card can also be used to draw other cartoon like creatures. The kids got excited and they decided to try drawing cats from one of his videos. Here is the result:

DD4

DS6

DD8

Aren't these fun??

How do you encourage your children's creativity?? Even if you are not artistic, there is so much FREE stuff on the web that you should try your hand at it. Please share in the comments. :)

Blessings,
Tereza

Music and Dance Appreciation - Slavonic Dance no. 7

I am trying a different approach for our home education this semester. We are doing Math, Copywork, dictation and English, which depending on the age is Phonics, Grammar or Spelling, on Monday to Wednesday. We do Devotions and Bible everyday. On Thursday we are doing Music Appreciation and Friday we will be doing Games.


We began with this week's show found on Classics for Kids website.  I downloaded the Activity Sheet that covered Slavonic Dance no. 7 .  While the children (ages 8 to 18 months old) did some of the activities on the sheets, we heard the show. Then we discussed nationalism, Revolutionary War, Europe's old map, countries of Europe, freedom and dominion of one country over another. Once we heard Slavonic Dance no.7 I did I search on YouTube and we found different versions for the children's entertainment, like this one:


Guitar Quartet


Then we talked about Russian Dance and the children danced while we heard the music again. This time, my DD8 recorded the ups and down of the piece and we decided to watch Russian dancers dancing to it. We watched these videos:

Russian soldiers 1
Russian soldiers 2 - a more complete video.

Then we played the second video again MUTED and opened another tab and played the video with the Slavonic Dance no.7. The children were amazed how the dancers actually danced to the rhythm of the song.

The children enjoyed this time very much. Then because my DS6 is obsessed with computers at the moment, he talked about a game he is playing on PBS kids about Asthma and I explained to him what it really is and how one gets it. He was concerned that he might get it. So we watched this video about it and what happens to your lungs. Then I explained about allergies and the reason why we don't have cats: I am allergic to cats.

This is not the first time that we begin with one theme and end up with a completely different one. Home education is really an adventure. :)

Are you doing anything different this semester for your homeschooling journey? Please share.

Blessings,
Tereza

Webster's Pages journaling cards

So what do you do with the journaling cards or tags from Webster's pages?? This is what I made this past week before we began our new schedule for our home education.

Take Joy in Today is from a stamp set from PaperTrey Ink. I also used their buttons set stamp.

Take Joy in Today...

enjoy every moment....

BABY... Love grows in happy homes...


enjoy every moment.

This is a BABY card... have you noticed that it is the same journaling tag as the one used in the above card? But I used it for a different theme. How fun is that??



What have you been up to??

Blessings,
Tereza

More Beatriz Jennings

Hi everybody,


I hope you are enjoying this last part of Summer.

Today I have some cards to share. As I shared HERE I bought some Digital collages created by Beatriz Jennings. She is a designer and has been published many times on various magazines. Recently she began creating her own digital sheets that you can use on cards and even scrapbook layouts. You can find a link to her Etsy shop on her blog.

  

Here is a close up of that darling label she made. I created the card with a birthday or encouragement in mind, but once I was done I realized that it could be a Christmas card too!!

 

This is a baby card that I made using her scrabble letter digital sheet. They are adorable. I am completely addicted to them!!

As a background Daisy D's baby scrapbook papers. They are old but I loooove them. I save every little piece of scrap to use them in my cards or even in mini albums.

This rose bud is made of cotton t-shirts. In my house, I use our old, torn clothes as rags. Sometimes they are kitchen rags, wash rags and sometimes I tear up some strips and transform them into roses.

Even the leaves are cut from the fabric and then I dye them with distressed ink pads. So easy!

Let me know if you would like to see a demonstration. I might make a video of them.


I hope you enjoyed my cards today. I have more coming soon. What have you been up to??

Blessings,
Tereza

Reading list for July 2011 - The Boxcar children, Whole Heart ministries and more!!

Oh, WOW!! what a summer!! My parents were here and we moved into a new house and had so many projects going at the same time. I thought the children might slow down their reading time, but no! They are reading more than never!!

My DD8 discovered Magic Tree House, but after witches and what nots we decided that they weren't the best books for her. So we have tried The Boxcar children series instead and she loved it!!






























































































































































I also found Whole Heart Ministries and have ordered many of their books to read. I also read Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches on my Kindle. It's a wonderful book with so much wisdom. If you find yourself overwhelmed with your little ones and discouraged this book is a must. It will give you new insight and lift your spirits as you look at your children with new eyes.

Happy Summer!!

Blessings,
Tereza