12 whole days of homemade freebies from Joyous Home! This was perfect timing for my old fashioned Christmas that I want to have. It was everything from homemade bread, cranberry sauce, cookies and candy to homemade candles and handmade Christmas cards. It also included a recipe for homemade graham crackers for a homemade gingerbread house (good thing I don't have girls or we would be sewing matching aprons and oven mitts).
I told Jason about having an old fashioned Christmas with strung popcorn and candycanes and slingshots and yo-yo's for stocking stuffers and he told me to call Direct TV and tell them we wouldn't need their service any longer that we were pulling out the rabbit ears. I love his humor.
I really do not want to cut the wire and pipes out of our house- if I don't have anything else, I have to have heat and air and indoor plumbing. But I do wish times were a little simpler and we could have more time to enjoy the things that matter most- time and each other.

I've really enjoyed getting these homemade recipes, crafts and projects and will be using a lot of them during the this holiday season and will post the tried and trues.

Only 29 more days till Christmas!!!

Meet my little cute, sneaky, mischievous Elvis

I should have named him Dennis the Menace. Yesterday he somehow got a pack of diapers and completely shredded them. It was small pack of only 10, but it looked like a cotton field outside! While I was trying to clean it up, he kept grabbing pieces and taking off with them, so I scolded him and put him inside! Oh, that's not all while he was inside he tore into the trash and had left over burrito everywhere. I could have killed him. So I threw him out in the rain. Next thing I know, Maximus is saying 'Mama Elvis has your scarecrow'... I looked outside and he had more than just the scarecrow, he had a few more stuffed animals and had already started working hard to get the cotton out of all of them. I was so mad at him! He followed me around all night with those sad puppy eyes. His normal pointy ears weren't so pointy. When it came time for bed, he just went and got in his bed... he knew! But this morning we made up and he is sitting in my lap helping me blog :)!

The other day we were getting ready to go to town and I had to put him up- or so I thought. When we started down the road guess who popped up? Elvis! Me and the kids just died laughing and kept going.

There just something about a furry friend that makes you love unconditional. Elvis makes me smile even when I'm sad. He does the funniest things and at the most needed times. When I'm doing dreaded chores such as cooking, washing dishes or folding clothes, he sits on my feet. When I take a shower, he sits at the door. When I sit down, he sits in my lap. When I get ready to go, he is at the door. When I go to bed, he kisses me goodnight.

Elvis, what in the world did I do before I got you?

Fall is just the best time of the year... to me.

The mornings are perfect for staying in pajamas with a cup of joe, the afternoons are cool, but with a peek of sunshine for that yummy warm feeling and the evenings are perfect for nestling by a fire (without it being a necessity). I start celebrating as soon as it turns. We have made many cups of hot chocolate, overtaken with marshmallows. We've had baked apple pie and of course, my favorite pumpkin cheesecake. We've made pumpkin bread and caramel apples. We've went leaf hunting to see who could find the prettiest Fall leaves. I enjoy so much the anticipation of the holiday's that begin in the Fall; planning, dreaming, wishing, decorating and reminiscing. We don't have any true traditions for Fall, except the smell of apple cinnamon- I buy a lot of glade plug ins and candles this time of the year! If my family doesn't know anything else about me, they know 'mama loves Fall'!

Speaking of books and reading... did you know?

1/3 of children go to school unprepared to learn.
Approximately 61% of low-income families do not have a single piece of reading material suitable for a child.
41% of Georgia's 4th graders do not read at grade level.
Several States plan how many jail cells they will build in the future by how many children are not reading on grade level by 3rd & 4th grade.
Georgia scored 46th on SATs in 2006.
Nearly 40% of Georgia's students do not graduate from high school (we rank 49th or 50th nationally in drop outs)
1 in 4 adults in Georgia operates at a low literacy level.
Georgia spends $170 million a year on remedial education.

As I've mentioned, I've always read books to my kids and am very committed to this. We read every single day, during school, for past time and on the weekends. We love to curl up on the couch with a good book(s). I've come to have a special love for books and believe that you can learn a lot just from reading. I want my kids to have the same appreciation and not fall into any of the above categories.
Since we do not live near a library it is not convenient for us to read many books without purchasing them- which can be expensive. But I am very happy to share that we are participators in The Ferst Foundation. Up to the age of 5, River will receive one book every month, free. Unfortunately I did not know about TFF when Maximus was of age, but trust me we all get excited when the new book comes.
These books are free and are ours (River's) to read over and over and hopefully one day pass down.

This is an awesome opportunity and I hope that I can help spread the word.

"Read just one more chapter, please"

These are the precious words that I have waited to hear...

Rafael with all his organs removed- except his heart. Its believed in Ancient Egypt that the heart was the only organ left in the body and it was weighed to see what kind of life the person lived. Maximus said Rafael had a heavy heart because he was always fighting to protect his brothers

...these words come when we are reading one of Maximus's 'Magic Tree House' books by Mary Pope Osborne. MTH books are great cliffhangers, leaving you wondering what will happen in the next chapter (yes, even for mama). Maximus LOVES for me to read these books to him and they keep his attention very well. I've read books to him since he was born, but now that he is getting older- the MTH books are a great transition from picture books to read- alouds.

So far we have read 'Dinosaurs Before Dark', 'The Knight at Dawn' and 'Mummies in the Morning'. MTH also has great research guides that go along with some of their books and we chose dig more into mummies so we read 'Mummies and Pyramids' and we also mummified Rafael, Maximus's ninja turtle. We followed the same instructions that they used in Ancient Egypt. We removed all of his organs, except his heart. We washed the turtle in wine, rubbed him down in oil and spices (olive oil and pumpkin pie spice), sprinkled him with sea salt and wrapped his body in linen (with a flour/water paste). The only thing we didn't do is wait 40 days for his mummy to dry.

For a fun moment we completely wasted a roll of tp and wrapped Maximus up as a mummy. I bet this is one school day he'll never forget.

Another cool thing is at the end of the book, you can go online and answer a few questions and if you get them all right, you can print off a stamp and paste it in your 'Official MTH Passport'- its a great keepsake to show all the books you've read and 'places you have been'.

I cannot say enough good things about these wonderful books.

"I HAVE to make an appointment"

Yesterday I had to take Maximus to the doctor and when I say had I meant had to. He got into some poison ivy and is obviously allergic. I tried to home remedy it for several days, but it was getting worse, so I broke down and made the appointment. Dr. Cole and his nurse knew something was wrong for me to bring in one of my children. It has been 2 years, and 23 pounds since Maximus has been to the doctor! I am very adamant on not just running to the doctor for every cough and sniffle and that's why, along with not going to school, I believe my children are not sickly. This is only the 4th antibiotic Maximus has had in his entire 5 1/2 years- 2 were in a span of the 6 months that he went to daycare- just one more reason to homeschool!

My Top 10 Reasons To Homeschool...

10. If you can't find matching socks, who cares???
9. You never have to face the dilemma of taking your child's side or the teacher's side in a dispute at school.
8. Your kids have a good reason to think they might get punished, but no reason to think they might get shot.
7. If your child says the dog ate his homework, you can check the dog.
6. If your child is offered drugs at school, its probably Tylenol or Benedryl
5. The teacher can hug your child and you do not have to worry about them being sexually abused.
4. Your kids are allowed to think 'outside the box'
3. You can post the Ten Commandments on the wall without being sued.
2. Your kids can easily recognize that this list is numerically in reverse order.
1. Some day your children will consider you to be a miracle- working expert and will turn to you for advice

Yes I homeschool my kids, no we are not "un-schoolers" and yes we do school everyday.

Besides the overly asked question "aren't you worried about your kid's [Maximus] being able to socialize?"... "NO, NO, NO I am not; those are the answers to my next most frequent asked questions. I am often mistaken for an unschooler, because I do have a lot of unschooling tendencies. However, I do use a curriculum (but I don't let the curriculum use me). I have also learned that with homeschool, you have to have discipline and flexibility at the same time. There are things that come up from time to time, but I have enough discipline to not let those things take over. The discipline is the same discipline that it takes to get up and go to work everyday.

But I want to share my "yes I homeschool my kids" story- and this comes from a person who never dreamed of having children, never played with dolls, and never cooked a meal until years after she got married! I decided to homeschool because of the community I live in. Looking back, I am very thankful for where we are because if I would've had my choice and moved before Maximus went to school- our door for homeschool would've never opened. Since I have the opportunity to hs them, I have learned so much and realize exactly what an education is and what it means. I am not saying they couldn't get a good education in public school, but not the one that I think they deserve. I went to public school my entire school years, I always made good grades, even had perfect attendance many years and I graduated with Honors BUT I didn't go to college. When I graduated, I felt like I was released from jail. I never read a book from cover to cover until after I graduated high school. School for me was not learning, but sitting in a classroom with 4 brick walls, waiting for the bell to ring. And lastly, I hold this journey close to my heart because I don't think I'll ever look back and wish I would have spent more time with my kids.

So you may not agree and that's okay, but you are welcome to send us money for more books by clicking here... just kidding :)!!

The Jesse Tree ornament exchange

My sweet husband (who wouldn't show his face) helping me make Christmas ornaments

My sweet BFF helping me make Christmas ornaments

And here is my precious little lamb ornament


I signed our family up for the Jesse Tree ornament exchange with our homeschool group.
Each family that signed up had to make 25 alike ornaments and we'll do the swap on Friday (11/14). I will bring home 25 different ornaments that go along with the Jesse Tree daily devotional advent. The Jesse Tree is an advent using ornaments as symbols and daily devotions to help remind us that Jesus is the reason for the season. Our devotion will begin on December 1st and end on Christmas Day. I'm very excited about having a new Christmas tradition and teaching our family the true meaning of Christmas.

My sweet hubby and my sweet bff came to my rescue and helped me get all 25 lamb ornaments made [its an inside joke because I am forever 'biting off more that I can chew']. Tara (and her daughter) came over after work and we watched the 2008 CMT Country Music Awards while we worked on ornaments. It was a fun night, with lots laughing and 'remember whens...'

Thank you Jason and Tara for helping me, once again! Whenever I see my little lamb ornament I will always smile and remember you!

"Mmmmm... something smells good"

Now you know if I make my own butter, I have to make my own bread. This is my first homemade bread ever and it was gooooood. Sad to say, this whole loaf was gone by the end of the night.

I'm gradually moving more and more towards making my own food at home. There are several reasons- it tastes better, it’s more nutritious, and it’s often cheaper than what you find in the store. The bread that you buy in the grocery store has added preservatives so that it doesn't grow old on the shelf- not very healthy or appealing.

Stay tuned... next I may be milking my own cow!

Click here for the recipe that I used.

2008 Powwow Festival- Stone Mountain, GA

I wish I were an Indian

We had a great time at Stone Mountain's Annual Powwow Festival.
We talked to many Indians and learned about their lives.
We learned how tee-pees were made and was able to go inside some real ones (I want a real tee-pee in my back yard, of course).
We watched them make arrowheads, skin hide to make leather, play beautiful music and cook in the ground. I love the remedies that they use(d) to make their own medicines- much better than today's anitboitics and the simpleness that Indians live(d) compared to today's busy world.
We spent most of the afternoon watching the Indians dance as they would in a real powwow ceremony.
Later in the day we rode the tram up Stone Mountain and yes- hiked back down. This is one of those crazy "Brew Crew moments". Maximus loved it and ran and jumped the whole way down. I'll have to admit, my knees could have made music from all the trembling when we finally reached the bottom. We ended the night with the Christmas lazer show and Christmas lights. The lights were beautiful at Stone Mnt. and put me in the Christmas spirit.

"Hey Maximus, what time is it?"

Yep, my little Maximus can tell time! We've been working on time in his Abeka workbook, but I thought lets do something a little more fun and I found this "watch" online. I found this really cool website with an e-book called 'adorable wearables' that you can download (so I'm sure you'll see us make many more wearables). He said he colored it Fall colors in case I wanted to wear it [laughter].

He loves telling time and says he wants his own watch like the one Josh wears on Drake and Josh- I've got to start keeping up with the latest fads for 5 year olds I tell ya'!!

The only negative thing about him learning to tell time is, now I have a walking and talking clock following me around all day long!

My neighbor, Ms. Carol, also found a clock at a yard sale and got it for Maximus since she knew he was learning to tell time. Its a really cool clock. You push the [?] and it gives you a time- including AM and PM, you move the hands to the correct time and push [enter], then it tells you if you are correct or not. Not only was this very thoughtful of her, its a perfect addition to our homeschool.

"Oh, you have all boys"

I have heard the above phrase so many times, since my second son, River, was born. It seems like whenever I meet anyone, naturally, one of the questions that comes up, is if we have kids "yes", and then, their ages "5 and 18 months" and then what gender they are "both boys" Then comes the, “Oh, you have all boys.”
The "Oh," is sometimes said with as if I am telling a white lie and I couldn’t possibly have two boys. But more often than not, the “Oh,” is usually said in a low disappointing tone. Somewhere along they way, people have decided that having all boys is a gloomy situation to be in.
Of course I am partial, but I adore my two boys and love the fact that they have each other. I have witnessed a special bond that only brothers can share.
My brother wished his entire life that he had a brother. I think he still does, and he is 25.
We are so lucky that we have two healthy, happy, smart, funny, and loving children that happen to be boys and secretly, its fun being the only princess in the house.

God Bless the USA

Do I really believe God chooses our world's kings and presidents? ...Or do I go against what I believe, by being gloom and doom, and teach my precious children that God is really a bunch of crap?
All I can say is, baby boys' God has not stepped down from His throne and "He's got the whole world in His hands". He has a plan and He has put President Obama in for a reason.
However, the absolute truth is that what happens in our home is way more important than what happens in the White House.

Now on the bright side of things. We were talking at the dinner table one night about if Obama wins the election, it will make things harder for homeschoolers because he doesn't agree and thinks that the only reason citizens homeschool is for religious reason- which is not true!
Well last night before Maximus was getting ready for bed, we were watching CNN and telling him that Obama was winning, he said [all teary eyed] "I wonder if Obama will find me because we live a long way from the White House and I don't want to go to public school"!
That kid just cracks me up!

I'm not a real political girl, but I am an American girl!

Don't forget to vote for our country!

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween we went camping. We decided on doing something different because of the economy. It just didn't seem as cheerful to go house to house taking candy. I'm not into politics, but I am in to our economy and I hate to see it in the shape that its in. Well back on the subject of Halloween, we went camping to our usual destination, Shaefer Heard campgrounds in West Point. Camping is the ultimate family getaway for us. We had so much fun. We popped popcorn, watched scary movies, went on natural trail hikes, rode bikes, played on the playground, ate chili dogs, played UNO, threw the football, did a little fishing, watched the sun go down on the lake and the best part was sitting by the fire. Each morning we would have coffee by the fire and it was sooo relaxing. We would just talk and laugh about nothing. We stayed on a great site that was up on a hill with a huge deck that over-looked the lake, there were colorful trees surrounding the site the made it very private. Down below was a small cozy pad where we built our fires. We had such a good time, we all pouted the whole way home. I really missed trick or treating as it is one of my favorite times of the year, but nothing could make up for it better than our camping trip. I made both Maximus and River's costumes, both were black widow spiders and they had a good time playing in them.

Since we did all the talking of times changing and things costing so much, Maximus said something very clever. He said "Mama, I'm glad we came camping. If everyone wouldn't buy candy and costumes and do something different like we did, the stores would think 'Hmmm, maybe if we lowered our prices, everyone would start shopping again' and everyone would be able to have fun at Halloween again". I laughed because that is SO true, but at the same time I thought its sad that 5 year olds could run a better government than the one we have. If our government would think like the minds of the innocent instead of with greed our world would be a such a better place.

Oh well- Happy Halloween from the Brew Crew!

Uncle Bob's Pumkin Patch

Maximus with all his "class mates"

My favorite animal. This cute sheep never moved. I just loved his puffy body and lanky legs!

Maximus loved the baby goats

River loved and wanted to pet and kiss every animal

Maximus enjoyed story time, sitting on the log!

You almost can't complete the fall without visiting a pumpkin patch. We went to Uncle Bob's Pumpkin patch on a fieldtrip with our homeschool group. We watched and learned how to spin wool out of lots of different fibers. We went on a hayride (our favorite part), listened to a story-teller read a Halloween classic, learned about bats and honey bees and life in the 1800's. We got to pet a lot of different farm animals and got lost in the corn maze! When we got in the car to go home I told Jason I wanted my own spinner and wanted to make my own honey- he said he was waiting on me to say so.

This was a fun fieldtrip!!

Fall Festival at Kroger

Black Widow Maximus!

Black Widow River doesn't know what to think!

We went to a Fall Festival at Kroger that Maximus and River's Mimi put together. She did a very good job. There were tons of kids and something going on in each department. All the employees were dressed up and seemed to be having good time. Maximus and River were both black widow spiders and got lots of attention! River had learned to say 'trick-or-treat', but he didn't know what to think about everyone being dressed up and refused to 'trick or treat'. He was too cute!

Maximus, on the other hand, isn't shy when it comes to trick or treating for candy!!

Popcorn Balls

Popcorn Balls

River LOVED the popcorn balls

Look what Pawpaw and Cathi sent... Popcorn Balls!
These were the cutest things ever. It was a package of popcorn balls with candy decorations so that you could decorate your own popcorn ball. Maximus made one with a candy corn mohawk and his favorite had 3 eyeballs. River wanted to eat everything so we gave him a popcorn ball and sent him on his way. He carried his popcorn ball around for 3 hours!!

Cathi's grandparents owned a small country store and they’d make popcorn balls to pass out at Halloween. She remembers their house as one of the ‘they give out the GOOD candy’ kind of houses. So when she saw popcorn balls available from
The Popcorn Factory she wanted to pass on a piece of her childhood.