More on Trim and Healthy Mama

I’ve been having fun with some of the different foods that are encouraged to eat on the Trim and Healthy Mama plan.  Each time something turns out yummy I want to share it because I’m such a visual person and there are no pictures of food in the book!

This is Slim Belly Jelly which sounds disgusting to me.  The belly jelly part, I have plenty of belly jelly excuse me, the point is to get RID of the belly jelly.  Ha! It’s not pretty like this jelly either and what I made is more like jam anyway.  lol  It’s basically fruit, water, stevia extract and glucomanan.  Simmered up and thickened and then stuck in a jar and put in the fridge.  EASY!  We like it on our Trim and Healthy Pancakes, stirred in our yogurt and on my new favorite love:  Chia Pudding!

I honestly didn’t know how I was going to feel about this.  It’s rather ugly and kind of lumpy, like tapioca (gag).  But I was willing to try since Chia is so nutritious and I just want to be healthy and keep up with all these little people!  I bought this particular Chia seed at Trader Joe’s and the recipe is:  1 cup milk (almond, coconut, whatever you like, I used almond) and 1/4 cup chia seeds.  Then you are supposed to add 1/4 cup honey but there’s NO way I’m going to do that so I added vanilla and stevia extra, like 8 drops and stirred it up.  You just stir it up and stick it in the fridge.  And a few hours later you have a yummy, creamy, slightly crunchy bed time snack!  This is how I served it:

Just added a plop of my blackberry sugar-free jam (aka slim belly jelly).  My husband says it has a little tapioca like texture, almost. The seeds are little crunchy, not so slimy.  He loved the flavor though!  I also bought some Chia seeds from Costco and the pudding I made from that looks even thicker.  The kids all want their own, how can I refuse them?

Strawberry and I hosted a luncheon for her blog writers and we made it an S luncheon (S for Satisfying or Fat).

Here’s what we had:

Cornbread Salad with Dill dressing

Maca-foni and Cheese

Lemon Coconut Cake

               

The cake was so much tastier than we expected, especially when it was chilled.  There was a lot of left over so Strawberry has been eating it for breakfast!  Amazing that eating cake for breakfast is approved for THM!

The is the “corn” bread.  I didn’t actually like it by itself, but mixed in the salad it was delicious.  I think whole wheat bread is so much prettier.  I only used half the loaf in the salad so I sliced up the leftovers and put them in the freezer, maybe it would make a good grilled turkey and cheese sandwich?!

And finally, I wanted to show you these weird low-carb “rolls.”  They are mostly made of eggs but are perfect for hamburger buns!!  Mr. Taffy really likes them!  I didn’t add cheese to these ones but the original recipe has cheese in them.  They go together VERY quickly.  I still think whole wheat rolls are more beautiful, but these will do for now. 

I gave him 2, with chicken burgers on them, a side of corn bread salad and watermelon.  Watermelon isn’t plan approved but it makes my husband happy and I’m not going to complicate his eating anymore than I already have!  lol  He’s lost almost 30 pounds in less than 6 weeks!

I’ve also got some pretty lofty fitness goals.  We cleared out our family room and sold all the furniture in it and turned it into a workout room.  The only thing that is in there is the TV and an X-box Kinect machine.  Mr. Taffy bought us a workout program for it and I’ve been working on getting stronger by punching blocks and kicking walls and jumping rope.  Jumping rope is so hard for me!  There are three levels and I’m determined to master each level.  Well, yesterday I met one of my personal goals and actually made it through the entire first level without 1) stopping.  2) peeing my pants!  I was so happy!  I’m going to keep at it, I’m think if I can make it all the way through the hardest level I’ll be ready for whatever Israel throws at me! 

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

P.S.  I linked up the recipes in the pictures and text if you want to look at them!

Having a little one in the School Room

You would think after all these years that I’ve been homeschooling I would know all the tricks to getting little ones to behave  during school time.  Well I don’t.  (smile)

My last little one, Laffy Taffy, was an easy going child, he was happy to play by himself, close to us, but happily occupied with this toys.  I really enjoyed doing Tot School with him because for about 30 minutes everyday he would attentively and happily learn what ever I was teaching him and then be content to play until the rest of us were done.

Enter Marshmallow Taffy.  She is loud.  She is MOODY.  She is NOT content to play by herself and 30 minutes of my individualized time is NOT enough.  I’m not really sure how our next year will go with her in the school room.  She doesn’t understand that if Mama is talking (reading out loud) that she should be quiet, instead, hearing my voice makes her want to say, “mom. MOM! Mommy! Mom!!!! MOOOOOOOOMMY!”  Louder and louder, with more and more drama and energy.  You would think the poor thing is completely neglected.  That’s so far from the truth…but still, it does pose a problem.

So this is what I’m praying through.  Praying for wisdom in how to deal with her.  How to actually teach her to be quiet, or at least quieter during school time.  I can’t do all of school during nap time.  I would love to hear how you deal with difficult children during school time.  There might be nothing I can do…I might just have to  grin and bear it until she’s older and understands more.  I’m not sure.  It does teach all the other children patience.  It teaches us all how to be gracious and it also allows more of my ugly impatientness  to be dealt with.  Many little eyes watching Mama, what will she do?  How will she respond?

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

Trim and Healthy Mama & Daddy

You can easily search my weight loss label and read the story of my struggle with weight.  Yuck.  Truth be told.   I quit.  I quit trying.  I plateaued at 170 and I got discouraged.  So I quit.  And you know what quitting does, it makes you gain back weight.  Not all the weight thankfully but enough to make my clothes feel bad and to start getting more depressed about it.

Enter Trim and Healthy Mama.

This was my most favorite Christmas gift!  I really wanted it, it was so “expensive” in my mind and I was so worried about wasting money and never “doing” the book.  I was worried that these were vegetarians and that I could possibly do this with my big family at the same time.  It’s taken me a long time to get through this book, I’m not even completely done with it yet, but I’m getting there. 

I tried doing the plan for a while in February and was seeing results, but I needed my husband to be on board, it’s so much easier to do things when there is oneness in the house.

So three week ago, basically the day after we got back from our anniversary getaway we started living “to the Plan.”  Mr. Taffy is totally on board because he does not want to go to Israel as a 300 pound man.  Oh his aching feet!

Here’s my personal weight details in numbers:

213-Highest weight EVER.

170-Lowest weight that I could get to by counting calories.

189-The weight I went back up to because I quit.

178-The weight I’m at now since starting the plan three weeks ago.

That’s 11 pounds in 3 weeks!  And here’s the really cool thing, I’m not hungry all the time like I was when I was counting calories.  AND, I’m not shaky all the time like I was when I was counting calories.  AND, since I’ve given up all forms of sugar I don’t crave sweets anymore. That one still surprises me! 

This was my breakfast the other morning, along with a cup of coffee, sweetened with Stevia and half & half.

The plan has a learning curve that is pretty intense if you ask me, only because it goes against what you hear all the time and what you think you know.  As I approach my plateau number I’m honestly a little nervous, but at the same time I’m not because eating this way is a joy and it’s not complicated (once you get the hang of it) and it’s satisfying and I’ve noticed my body healing in other ways because of eating this way and that alone is worth the changes!

Wanna know more?  Either order your own book from Amazon or Above Rubies or you can read a little more about it here…next time.  (smile)

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

Signs of spring

Now these didn’t come from my own yard, because my yard still looks like this: that pavement is my driveway!

But that splash of sunshine on my dining room table is a sign of spring, it IS coming.

I mainly wanted to give you a little update on more intimate things in my life.  The parts I don’t like to talk about, but that need to be talked about.  I have some good news really.  God is showing Himself faithful to all our prayers, yours and mine.  I knew He would, I was just hoping I wouldn’t have to wait forever!  (sheepish grin) 

Mr. Taffy and I are getting to a better spot in our relationship.  Granted we aren’t where we want to be but we are getting there.  Our issues got put on hold as we were dealing with issues created by one of our children.  We’ve decided that this distraction isn’t going to get the best of us and we have repurposed to spend time on reigniting the love and passion between us. I’m so thankful for our daughter Strawberry who gives of her time freely so Mr. Taffy and I can spend time together, alone.  I’ve been reading a certain book by Gary Chapman, the one about Seasons of Marriage. I’ve just determined that our marriage has been in a season of winter for far too long and I am purposed to get us back into the spring.  I confess it everywhere.  Even when the snow is still coming down.  Even when the temperature falls below zero.  God has promised that we will have seasons (all of them), until His Son’s return so I KNOW that spring will come.  It has to come.  God spoke it.

Things aren’t where we want them with our hurting son but we are seeing some improvement.  As much as it hurts to talk about we have had to let go of some of our expectations and dreams for him.  Our hearts grieve continually but God is full of mercy and grace and I’m constantly praying that my son gets ahold of that mercy and grace and doesn’t let go.  Most of this battle is spiritual.  So in some aspects I am very confident in the outcome.  That doesn’t mean that I’m enjoying the war though.  Yuck.  We had to make some hard decisions recently and enforce some heart-breaking consequences.  But there has also been much mercy exhibited. I hope my son can grab ahold of the mercy part and dwell there.  We are still so proud of him, love him so deeply and truly want the best for him. 

I realize I’m being rather vague but it’s out of respect for both my husband and my son.  I always admire people who can be completely honest about their situations but wonder how they keep from hurting people in the process.  Someday, when all hearts are healed, then I will reveal all the details that make a testimony interesting and powerful.

I wanted to thank YOU though, dear Reader.  You have been so kind to me, leaving me encouraging comments, sending me emails telling me of your own trails and hurts.  Thank for you praying.  Thank you for caring.  Thank you for hanging with me during this time of “great stretching.”

³ I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,⁵ for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ⁷ just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. ⁸ For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  Philippians 1:3-11

With love and gratitude,

Mrs. Taffy

Homeschool stuff (LONG!!)

It’s been a while since I’ve done a homeschool post.  I did post the used-curriculum stuff, but I thought it might be encouraging to know that we are still plugging along here.

We started school in August and have about 10 weeks left.  Unbelievable!  It’s going by so fast!  We’ll be done the first week of May.  I just got my 4th and 2nd grader planned out through March.  Blue-Raspberry will be finishing Teaching Textbooks 4. That’s pretty exciting!  Strawberry is finishing Algebra 2 this week!  I love it when stuff starts dropping off the agenda.

I’ve mentioned a couple times how a friend of mine blessed me with an incredible amount of Sonlight material.  I’m still absorbing the magnitude of her gift to me.  I think it may be more than a gift from God, I think it may also be the “thing” that keeps me moving forward.  I’ve been homeschooling for 14 years!  That’s a long time.  I have at least 18 more years to go too.  Wow, I’m almost at the halfway point.  Interesting.  Anyway, sometimes it can get kind of dull using the same thing over and over again.  But this Sonlight stuff seems to be so interesting, if I can keep from expecting too much from myself and my children, I think this may get me through the rest of my homeschool journey!

I had to find a place to put all those books.  So, we went to Menard’s (which I personally detest) and found these black book shelves for under $15.00 each.  Oh what fun I had putting these together and organizing them!  Most of these books are for Sonlight, but I did move our science stuff out there as well.  I was able to put our graphic novels and other special books in a place that the kids could get to them without asking for help.

It’s fun to be able to display some stuff on top too.  Now these book shelves have overflown into the playroom.  Which isn’t ideal, but the kids are all in love with them so it worked out well.  Besides I’m still on this “get rid of stuff” kick so it keeps us from lining the wall with plastic toys.  I’ve gotten rid of some really special thing lately.

I put a few things on the shelves for Marshmallow.  She’s pretty good about not making a mess of my shelves.  Mostly she likes to push the books toward the back of the shelf.

I’ve got each shelf labeled by core level.  My friend was VERY organized and has each book labeled on the inside  for what level and what subject.  She made it so easy to organize them!  I think I am getting one more core, she loaned it out to another friend, if that’s the case I’ll have to  do a little rearranging but that will be a fun challenge. 

Since I was able to move my All About Reading posters, I had room to put a few things up to interest Marshmallow, these color cards and another of shape cards. 

This is our “All About” center.  I got rid of the easel and bunch of other little stuff that was hiding behind it.  This is much better place for that huge metal board.  I just flip it over when we aren’t using it so Marshmallow doesn’t try to start spelling words, which she enjoys VERY much.

The white board is often covered with Spelling too.  They are cruising through level 3.

My window to the world…our current Read-Alouds and the kid’s assigned Readers.  I’ve also got all our supplies hanging there  See all that white outside?  At least it reflects the sun and makes the basement even brighter!

These are my book baskets that hold the teacher books.  I’m thinking of getting another one of those black shelves to put there instead, some of those soft cover books are getting kind of mangled in the basket.

With all the other things going on, the hard emotional things of a healing marriage and a rebellious teen, I’ve been trying to simplify and streamline our day better. I’m so happy with how our school time is going right now.  We start about 8 and are usually done by 10:30.  I’m just working with Blue-Raspberry, Bubble Gum and Laffy Taffy, Strawberry is completely independent though she does spend most of her mornings down in the school room with us.

Here’s what we do.

I start Latin with Bubble Gum and Laffy Taffy while Blue-Raspberry does his math on the Lap Top.  Then I teach reading and math to Laffy Taffy while Bubble Gum does her independent work of: handwriting, math and reading.  While she is doing that Blue-Raspberry is working on his Latin, sometimes on the laptop, sometimes not, reading, and Word Roots.  When Bubble Gum and Blue-Raspberry are done, I read to everybody from our current Read-alouds.  After that we do grammar and spelling together and call it a morning.  Come March I’ll be including History in that schedule so it might take a little longer.  But I’m trying to cut myself a little slack and we only do AAS 3 days a week and Grammar 4.  Some of the younger kid’s things only last 4 days anyway, so if we get behind we can always make up stuff on Friday’s.  We’ve been doing our school time this way for weeks and it’s working very nicely.  Not too much for anybody.  They watch an episode of the Magic Schoolbus and the Kratt Brothers everyday for science.  It’s not ideal, but I figure it’s better than nothing and they ARE learning, so I’m satisfied.

On a side note, having a toddler in the schoolroom is VERY stressful.  If she’s not making  mess she’s unhappy about something, she wants somebody’s pencil, she wants a snack, whatever.  When I read out loud I have to be REALLY LOUD because she interprets my talking as, “it’s time to talk with Momma!”  Phew!  It’s exhausting.  Her presence is building character in each of us and for the most part she is delight, but I don’t want you to think it’s all perfect and wonderful.  The reality is, it’s difficult when she’s with us during school.  Thankfully I know this difficult time will pass, I’m just looking forward to that day with GREAT anticipation!

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

What does love look like?

Love has a lot of faces and Valentine’s Day always gets me in the mood to share my love and show my love to the people around me.  In our house, the kids have come to accept that Valentine’s Day is a holiday for married people, after all, the history of St. Valentine’s has to do with keeping marriage lawful.  Still, it’s hard not to succumb to all the pink and heart and chocolate and diamond advertising everywhere.  And I do enjoy making them a delicious treat and flooding their ears with terms of endearment.

I’ve given up having expectation about Valentine’s Day.  There just isn’t really any point or the point is to express my love to others, not expect to receive love from others.  That being said, my husband has pretty much astounded me this year.  I’m mean, really astounded.  He read my blog post of about my longings and set to do something about it. What?  I’m still so surprised at his thoughtfulness and generosity.  I didn’t get a diamond or a trip to Hawaii, I didn’t get an elaborate date night with loads of pampering  and culinary indulgences.  I got a freezer full of meat.  Yup, you read that correctly.  Meat.

             

I took these pictures before he was actually done.

And while on the surface that might seem really bizarre, it’s so amazing that I fear I can’t express my gratitude enough. 

Not only did he plan out what to buy, he bought it, then repackaged it (with my input) in portions that would be helpful for our family.  He cooked, cut, washed, labeled, stacked, counted and prepared all this meat for me.  He saved me so much time, so much money from my normal weekly food budget.  He wrote a blog post about it here.  You can read it from his perspective, complete with charts and prices and what we packed up, specifically.  Amazing!

So now our family joke is that I don’t get diamonds for Valentine’s Day, I get a freezer full of meat.  Well, I already have all the diamonds I’ll ever need and a freezer full of meat satisfies my longing for simplicity.

I’ll be forever grateful. 

So for me, this Valentine’s Day, Love is Meat.

I shall eat of it daily.

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

Longings

• simplicity
• worship
• a thankful heart-always
• peace regardless of what’s going on around me
• encouragement

These are my longings.  Of course there may be others, but some are too private to blog about and others are too silly share.  I find myself thinking about these particular longings quite often.

Simplicity.

Specifically this applies to my home life and my homemaking.  I desire to streamline things in such a way that they don’t require much thought in order to carry them out, like meal planning and cleaning, like clothing and homeschool.  Each thing can be so time consuming, so all consuming.  I long to simplify.  This is why I am constantly purging.  Purging closets, purging cupboards, always purging.  I can’t fight with clutter and the chaos so instead I give it to somebody else to deal with. 

Worship.

I long to have a life that is the aroma of worship.  In everything thing I do, do it to the glory of God.  As far as I can tell my stuff doesn’t glorify God in any way.  It’s just stuff.  But my words, my actions, the grace I give and the love I share, those things speak to worship, speak to God’s goodness and fullness in my life.  That’s the worship I long for.  I long to have a song on my lips, one that doesn’t glorify me or my life, but one that glorifies Him, the giver of all life.

A Thankful Heart.

I’ve always had a thankful heart, always understood the importance of thankfulness as far as God’s kingdom is concerned but what else?  Is it enough?  My dear friend gave me a book recently, a book that I’ve had in my Amazon wishlist since before Christmas and it is a book that is changing my life.  Please, if you long for the fullness of God, read this book.  Grasp onto this thankfulness, change and be filled.

Peace.

It’s not a secret and I don’t think I’m alone in this longing.  What mom doesn’t long for peace in her home, but more than in my home I long for it in my person.  I’m tired of the turmoil, tired of the roller coaster, tired of worry.  To be  able to transport myself to peace, no matter what is going on around me, that is my longing.  To rest in the fullness of God, to cling to His peace that passes my understanding, that’s where I want to be.  Always. 

Encouragement.

As carnal as it may seem, I do long for it.  For a little word of thanks, a little good job honey, a little thanks for being my friend.  God’s word is the greatest encouragement though isn’t it? And so even when I’m feeling needy and wishing for a little earthy encouragement God’s word never fails and I think the reason I love Matthew 28:20 so much is because of that promise that Jesus will never leave me, that to me is the ultimate encouragement.

The Battle is the Lord’s,

Mrs. Taffy

When the Taffy Pull Breaks Down

You know I love the image of the Taffy Pull and how I liken it to my walk with God. In the spirit of that image and in the desire to keep things honest around here I have to tell you…The Taffy Pull Broke Down.  You may have noticed I shut my blog down a little while ago.  Well, I started getting all kinds of comments and emails and realized that maybe that was kind of rude of me to just close things off without any kind of explanation.  I also realized that some of you may have come to rely on certain links or recipes that are on my blog.  But I couldn’t just go on with out some kind of explanation.  You deserve an explanation.  You also deserve to know that sometimes machines break, they need time to be repaired and rebuilt.  My gracious husband has taken the time to write this out in his own words:

There comes a time when the taffy pull machine breaks down… What happens to the taffy when it ceases to be stretched and heated properly? My wife and I have been married for almost 20 years. This is a significant number to us because many around us seem to have fallen away from each other over the years. It has been hard to watch couples separate, divorce, have affairs, or even leave the Lord. I always wonder why when I see these things happen…

Why does someone with children young and old turn away from them and the woman he made them with and enjoy himself in the arms of another woman? Why does a woman try to control every aspect of the man who provides everything for her? Why do both people treat their children like cattle and pawn them off to others for care so that they can live for themselves? Why does someone trade their belief in the living God because the person closest to them decides to profane themselves before Him in some addictive behavior they keep secret?

I have watched these things in others and wondered about them. I have watched people and listened to people lose their minds, their hearts, and their souls to the point of no return… it is scary.

My wife and I were attacked this week.

Attacked? Yes. Our marriage, our home, our children, our very purpose for breathing another breath. What does this mean? It means the taffy pull machine broke. Does this happen from time to time in any long marriage? Yep. Sure… but what do you do? I don’t know. You can’t just go buy new parts for your marriage… or can you? Not always… it depends on what broke.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.

We experienced this type of break this week. It is hard. We feel alone at times and there seems to be few people that have the fruit of commitment that we aspire to have. Sure, there are many who have remained married for 30+ years and that did not happen by accident. But there are few who demonstrate a truly affectionate love towards each other on daily grind level after those same years. I desire this type of relationship with my wife and she desires it with me. We want to grow old together and know the comfort of each other through all the years in the middle. So… what do you do when each person just simply lacks the ability to provide what the other person needs? Over a long time… repeatedly for both people? Get a book? Go on a retreat? Talk to people? Be patient? Pray? All of the above? What do you do when a problem remains after all these things are tried and re-sequenced without satisfaction for either person… it is hard. Quit? No… no one wants to be a quitter… not really.  But what about when the weary, tired soul is just sort of out energy and the light of hope at the end of the tunnel turned dark a long time ago?

Throw in some problems with the children, mix in several money issues at the same time, and why not the job too? Yeah… sure… just mix up and nice bunch of problems. And not fake problems… real ones… they always make the situation worse. The devil knows our vulnerabilities.

I repeat… we were attacked this week. A well laid trap. But why?

Were our defenses down? Maybe. Were we slack handed at dealing with some stuff? Maybe. Could we have been better with our money? Sure. Could we have raised our children better? Sure. Could we have been better about supporting each other through the years? Sure. But really… at some point… the answer is ‘no’ also. We are who we are and we are not Jesus. We aren’t perfect and we lack things that would make it all better. The devil knows the time to strike us too; he knows when our surroundings suck and we are at our most pathetic status.

So we break down. The Machine broke. It sits. The Taffy in idle status becomes brittle and hard and worth-less… The machine in disrepair is likened to garbage in value. Only in movement are both preserved. Only in dependence on each other. Only with replacement parts from time to time and maybe new ingredients for the taffy.

In our relationship, I try to make the environment and Mrs. Taffy gives the environment structure and definition. God made everything from nothing (environment), but He made all things with Wisdom (structure and definition). They must go together.

I am of the belief that any good marriage must go through this type of trial that we experienced this week… this type of breakdown. It is hard. Did I mention that? It is. It sucks. I can be an absolute jerk and am selfish and sometimes my lovely wife is not so lovely. We lack for each other what God intended. We do not possess the ability to fix this problem. God does. So what. Really? Did I say that? What does that mean? What I mean is that Mrs. Taffy and I have each prayed, waited, and pursued God to ‘fix’ these problems we have and He just doesn’t do it. In the meantime… more pain… more weariness… more anger…a “forget it” type mentality sets in… not good. But where is the good? Why doesn’t God just give us a miracle?

I do not want to end up like some I see where they stayed together tolerating each other to the grave… yuck. I do not want to end up slowly separating to the point of feeling better about the calloused heart and finally convincing myself that God somehow is accepting of our divide… what a crock! What a foolish conclusion!

I do not know all the answers. I can’t fix this. She can’t fix this. We don’t always know what to do. I love Mrs. Taffy with all that is in me and she loves me the same. Each in our own style, our own person… We have had many, many moments of complete happiness and blissful love too. If most of the machine is working but a significant enough part is broken, the whole machine is still broken.

Why am I writing this brutally honest post? Because it seems like so many around me go through this or have gone through it and left each other. I do not want to continue to see this occur if I can help it. Here is the only answer I have right now. I think God understands that this break down is only a matter of time before it occurs and is a result of the fallen man. We cannot achieve success here without both of us exhaustingly, maybe painfully, maybe awkwardly, maybe hopelessly trying together at the same time in faith with the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 4:10

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.

So, this is where we are at. One day at a time. One situation at a time. One look, one glance, one smile, one ear to listen, one word to speak life. One at a time… like it was almost 20 years ago when we were excited to build everything one day at a time.

I do not know what is on the other side, only that nothing is on the non-try side. Nothing. Are you in this place I speak of? If so, I am sorry. Do you have means to repent and try with your wife or husband again? If you do, you should. You should…

I liken it to a pit that we both have found ourselves in and there is nothing to grab hold of and no one around to lend a hand. It is the test. The only way out is up because there is no more down left. The only method up is together at the same time. For how long is not known but only coordination together will work. It always seems “fair-er” if the extra step is taken after noticing the other person taking an equal step.  However, the only way for this type is trying together at the same time will save us both from what we cannot do by ourselves. At the end, I believe we will recover and know what God intended for us to experience when we trust Him in everything.

This is a painfully honest look at our life.  I can only hope that being this honest with you will somehow encourage you to hang in there if you are going through problems in your own marriages or other relationships.  I know that “nothing’s new under the sun” but it feels new to us and it feels like failure.  But we have not quit.  Since the writing of this original note from my husband healing has begun.  I’m always telling my children to keep their issues in the light, sin can’t grow in the light, healing grows in the light. 

My sincere hope is that once our Taffy Pull is fixed, when it’s starts to stretch and pull with consistency and order, I can continue to contribute regularly to this blog.  And who knows, I may even share something from time to time just because.  I will leave the link live.  You are welcome here, always.  Pray for us.  We want to give God the glory.  We don’t want to end up a statistic.  Nothing is too big for God and we believe this with our whole heart. 

Thank you for your encouraging emails and notes on Facebook, you have brought me joy unexplainable!

Humbly,

Mrs. Taffy

rest…NOT!

Every once in a while I get a doozy of a headache, probably a migraine, but maybe not.  I usually wake up with it, it hangs out with me until evening.  I have my ways of coping to be able to continue on with my responsibilities.  A few being…

• Extra caffeine
• Ibuprofen (at least takes the throb away)
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips (more caffeine)
• An afternoon nap

So I tried…I tried to rest.  Close my eyes for just 15 minutes, to regroup before dinner.  HA!

[If Mom sits down, it’s time to sit on Mom!]

[“Mom, Mommy, Mom!??”]

[Add your own caption…]

Honestly it was kind of therapeutic, though slightly annoying.  It’s the way my days are.  I hold fast to the knowledge that my life is for them, to nurture them, to love them to pour myself out for them.  In this laying down of my life, my needs, I worship my Savior.  My heart is so pitiful and while I would rather cry and yell at everybody to leave me alone, I choose to embrace the moment and let it be part of me, part of us, part of my song to the King.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise HIM!" Psalm 28:7

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Seasons

It’s fall.  I love fall.  For me fall is the time of year to reflect on the spring and summer and to prepare for the winter time.  Fall rejuvenates me.  I love the cool nights.  I love watching the leaves change colors and while I don’t like all the leaves all over my yard, I do like observing how nature gets ready for it’s long winter’s sleep.

Recently I’ve been reflecting on my blog and what it means to me and what I want to do with it, where I want it to go, if anywhere.  I’ve been praying about whether I should write a farewell post and delete the whole thing.  Today I decided, through a series of frustrations, that I’m not quite ready to let it go.

 

I rounded up the children for a photo shoot this morning, I’ve been planning it all week.  I should have done it in May.  Don’t know why I didn’t.  Today was the day.  It was GLORIOUS in every definition of the word.  Like a perfectly orchestrated song, it fulfilled a need in me that I had been neglecting and didn’t realize was so important.  A need to be creative and spontaneous, to be outside in the cold breeze surrounded by the brilliance of fall and my children.  It was such a blessing.  I didn’t know I needed it so bad until it was over with, almost better than a vacation.  Something about taking pictures of my children does that for me.  You’ll see the photos throughout my blog and on facebook and if I have your address you’ll see one at Christmastime too. (smile)

This is from today…Banana took it of me (candid- keeping it real) when I was directing children for a photo.  I look a little tired, I am a little tired.  But truly, when we finished  the photo shoot I was on cloud 9! So much fun!

I’m sorry I’ve been such a slacker.  I’ve been feeling a little bogged down with all my responsibilities, not in a bad, just in a way that hasn’t left much time for anything else.  Believe or not, I spend a lot of time talking and listening to my children about the various things they have going on in their lives!  That brings me GREAT joy but I never imagined it would be so time consuming!  lol

On an even more personal level, we are trusting the Lord for a miracle.  I’m not at liberty to share more at this point, but you know I will when I can!  If God sees fit to grant this miracle it could be such an amazing blessing to our family, possibly for generations!  I’m just trying to remain peaceful and wait on the Lord!  Expectantly!

I hope you all are enjoying this season!  May the cool winds of fall wash over your soul and rejuvenate your spirit to stay faithful to the tasks the Lord has given you to do!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

A Candid Tour of the Taffy Academy School Room

This is the video I made for the August Edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  Even if you don’t have a subscription, I still want to be able to share a little bit more of me with you.  Hopefully you all see that I am very normal…well maybe not, you might think I’m slightly bizarre after watching this, but I don’t mind.  lol I hope it at least makes you smile!  Thanks to Chocolate Taffy for the superb filming job!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

P.S.  Here’s the full article.

My Crunchy Little Secret

I may not look very crunchy (maybe you think I do!  lol)  But I’m pretty crunchy at heart, so crunchy in fact that I have a little secret that I am going to share with you!  As long as you promise not to laugh.  Well, okay, I don’t care if you laugh, just don’t laugh so loud that I can hear you through the computer!  Are you ready?

I use cloth pads. 

There I said it.  I’m not really ashamed or anything and if we were talking in real life I would be happy to wax on about all the benefits and awesomeness of cloth pads, it just feels weird to write about.

I started using them about 5 years ago after reading a post by another blogger out there. She’s not blogging anymore so I can’t share that post with you.  There is a lot of information out there in internet-land about cloth pads, free patterns too! I just made up my own pattern after using a few that I found on-line.

Over the weekend I made some new pads.  Mine were losing their softness and I didn’t have quite enough to last through a whole cycle.

Personally, I’ll never go back to using disposables and here’s why:

• Soft and comfy.
• The chemicals in disposable pads actually pull blood  out of your body, cloth pads make your period lighter.
• CHEAP!  If you make them yourself.  I think they are expensive if you buy them, but if you can’t sew it’s  still worth it to make the switch.  Besides, I’ve been watching the price of disposables go up anyway.
• Very “green.”  If you care about that sort of thing.  I just hate throwing stuff away.

I’m sure there are more reasons and you’ll find them if you do a little search on the subject.

So that’s my  crunchy little secret.  I wonder, are there any other cloth pad wearers out there?  Don’t be shy, share your secret with us!!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

My reality.

Reality is that being a mom of a big family is an incredible amount of work.  It’s a position of great pull.  Meaning, I am being pulled on constantly, pulled, stretched, extended.  Like the title of my blog, picture a piece of taffy, being stretched, over and over and over again.

Like in this picture some parts of me can be stretched pretty thin, other parts of me are pretty thick and still need a lot of rearranging and mixing up.  Lately though I’ve been feeling more like the thinly stretched portion of this taffy.

So many needs, so many questions,

so much to do. 

The great thing about Taffy though is that the more it’s stretched, the better it becomes.  It becomes softer, more pliable, less likely to break. 

Stretching.  Pulling.  Growing.  Becoming.

I willingly put my life into the Candy Maker’s hands.  I willingly lay down my own desires to serve all these little people created in His imagine.  I wholeheartedly believe that He knows my breaking point.  That He knows just how much stretch I need to be pliable, to be sweet.  And that’s what I truly want, to be a pleasing aroma to and for the Lord.  The only way to get there as far as I can tell is to surrender my will, my way and lay my life down at His feet for Him to create in me what He sees me as, not as what I feel like I am.

Not a blob of stretched out taffy, but a beautiful swirl of grace, joy and peace, desirable and worthy to be called His.

Hanging on for the ride,

Mrs. Taffy

Yearly Wrap-up! {Mega Post}

I’m happy to report that we have completed our 2011/2012 school year. It’s been a great year.  I’ve pretty much felt passionate about the whole year until these last couple weeks, those were tough.  Spring came early to Minnesota so my attention span ended earlier than usual too.  My goal for the day (Friday) was to get our school room really clean.  Well, one thing led to another and not only did I clean but I also did a major organizing/resorting project.

Lots of piles.  A pile to sell.  A pile to chuck.  A pile to file.  A pile of stuff to do over the summer x 5.  A pile of stuff to do next school year x 4.  I did all this when Marshmallow was sleeping, she would have been so terribly distracting.  Yeah.

Ahhh…much better.  Spider webs and dust gone the way of the Dyson.  There are still a few piles laying around, but they pretty much have to stay there until I get into the attic and get some little storage boxes.  Would you like to see the kid’s books for next year?

This is Laffy’s pile.  He’s about halfway through All About Reading PreReading and then he’ll start Level 1.  I have tons of other stuff for him to do too, but he’ll be doing kindergarten and I don’t buy a whole lot of “curriculum” for this age.  Oh, I almost forgot about Song School Latin.  Planning on going through the first book again unless Classical Academic Press releases SSL2 before August.

Bubble Gum will be doing 2nd grade work.  She has All About Spelling Level 2, Mathematical Reasoning Level C and A Reason for Writing Book B.  She also will be doing tons of reading through the various books I have on our library shelves and Song School Latin with Laffy Taffy.  She and Blue-Raspberry will be doing these together…

The CD is that annoying Geography Songs CD, you know, the kind that once you hear the songs, they continue to play over and over and over and over again in your head.  Possibly even waking you up at night…but, it gets the job done so I’ll sacrifice the quiet in my head for their education!  lol  All the stuff in the basket is stuff I’ve been collecting to use with their Apologia Science book.  I also bought the lapbooks that go with the book, but those are on my hard drive so I can’t show you.

Blue-Raspberry will be doing 4th grade work.  Here’s his pile of books.  God’s Great Covenant, Bible Nurture, Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Latin for Children A, Teaching Textbooks 4, Thinking Skills and Draw & Write Through History.  He’s a boy and he LOVES school.  He’s convinced he’s going to be a dentist when he grows up, it’s a good thing he likes school!

Strawberry will be doing 10th grade work next year. My last year being completely in control of her education.  After 10th grade she’ll move on to PSEO (college) just like her brothers.  Sniff…Sniff… Apologia Biology, Algebra 2, Excellence in Literature (most of her books we found free on Amazon for her Kindle, except the one you see there, The Count of Monte Cristo), Art of Argument and Argument Builder (Logic), Latin Alive 2, Various History Books.  I have to keep from piling her up with too many classes, she’s such an eager student but I don’t want to drown her either!

Now, if you can stand a few more pictures of books I’ll tell you what our plans are over the summer.

This is what Chocolate wants to cover over the summer.  He’s completed his first year of college and his Junior year of high school.  We are pretty sure he’s going to have a 4.0 this semester too!  Woohoo!  Because he wants to be an engineer, he wants to continue learning all summer as well as get a job.  So he’ll be completing his Geometry book, which he is slowing getting through, he’ll be studying for the SAT and he’ll be doing Apologia Physics.  All his idea (except Geometry) lest you think I’m totally brutal.  lol

Banana Taffy doesn’t want to do anything but work and play all summer.  He’s saving for a car.  I’m insisting he finish his Geometry book.  I told him if he doesn’t finish it I won’t graduate him.  See.  Tough.  But not brutal.  I’m not making HIM do Physics!!  He does have a 4.0 this semester!  We know for sure!  My child who didn’t think he could do it, he did it and he excelled at it!  I am VERY proud of him!

Strawberry wants to keeping working on learning HTML code this summer, she wants to start Algebra 2 right away so she doesn’t forget anything and she wants to work on her writing.  I’m all for that but I told her she has to wait at least a couple weeks before she resumes her studies.  I don’t want her to get burned-out.

             

As I was going through books I threw some things in the kid’s baskets for them to work on throughout our summer break.  I’m sure they will have moments of needing some focused seat work, like when they start complaining about being bored.  Just fun stuff.  I’ll probably move those baskets up to the dining room after we’ve all had some time to unwind.  If we don’t sit in the school room it won’t be school.  haha!

This turned into a MEGA-POST.  If you made it this far, thank you! 

I want to share the #1 thing that I think contributes to a successful homeschool experience.  There’s are many many more, but for us the #1 thing that we have going for us is enthusiasm.  Don’t underestimate enthusiasm.  Just like complaining is contagious, so is enthusiasm.  I want my children to know that their education is important to me and that I am FOR them.  I’m happy to be helping them meet their goals and to push them onward.  This is not a burden, this is a privilege!  If you are having trouble motivating your children to get their work done check your own enthusiasm meter.  If you are running low, take a break and recharge, then joyfully gush on your children and let them know they can do nothing but succeed and you’ll be their applauding their efforts and cheering them on the whole way!!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy