Pregnancy #3 Update: Beginning of Second Trimester

by Meghan // March 29, 2014 // Comments off

Well, with my first two pregnancies I updated pretty regularly. This time, we didn’t announce the pregnancy until almost 12 weeks, so I haven’t really been writing updates thus far.

We are almost 16 weeks along now; I had a doctor appointment last week and everything was great. The heartbeat was 157 (I think…) and the doctor okayed me to stop the progesterone supplements. My next appointment is in April and we will have the anatomy scan. Here, they only do one ultrasound (what’s up with that?!) at 20 weeks. We had an ultrasound at 6 weeks, to date and confirm the pregnancy.

We will not, however, be finding out the gender. We have a girl and a boy, all babies are September babies and the nursery can be gender neutral. I am good with that. (ok, so if you know me well, you are probably as surprised as I am that I am okay with not “planning” for a girl or boy…) The urge I have to perform a home baby gender test is a little too strong at the moment!

The surprise of finding out in the delivery room with only my husband far surpasses my innate need to plan, design, and decorate. I can’t wait to spend that moment with him. We are also not talking names. To anyone. Or to each other, for that matter. =)

J.Tom and I haven’t even discussed names, because we can’t seem to agree on anything. So, I figure if we wait until we have him or her in our arms, we can whip out the handy dandy name list and we can go from there. I just don’t feel like arguing over names, or listening to other people’s opinions of names when we don’t even have a name semi narrowed down yet. *and I’m not saying that all snotty* If we happen to come up with names before the baby arrives, I will be happy to discuss. But we said this time we want to wait until we have our baby in our arms, and that’s what I am sticking with.

It will be fun.

Lexie is very excited about “baby #3.” We don’t call the baby “the new baby” because that just seems mean to the siblings. So it is baby #3. Max is pretty clueless, of course. He is too obsessed with eating, throwing things, and chasing the dog.

Oh yes, we got a new dog. She’s furry, and sweet, and smart, and precious.

We will room Lexie and Max together. For now we are planning on J.Tom building bunk beds- the top bunk will be above the crib, and then when Max is ready to move to a big bed we will build a bed frame for a bottom bunk. I really like snuggling in the bed with Lexie, so maybe I will just put the crib in her room and take out a dresser…. It is up in the air for now.

It is hard watching my babies all grow up on me! It is exciting, of course. This pregnancy wasn’t originally planned. After experiencing a loss in early December, we decided at the very last minute (literally) to try for baby #3. The timing worked out to being another September baby, which I had hoped would happen, but hadn’t actually thought would happen. Just before our loss and all we decided to wait another year. Funny how God works.

No nausea since about week 12-13. I have 3-4 days of TONS of energy, and then a day or two where I am exhausted and can’t keep my eyes open. I workout a few times a week with T25, or we go for walks on warmer days. No weight gain so far ~~(well, technically I gained back the weight I lost in the fall, but that happened before this pregnancy, so I don’t count it)~~ but I am pretty sure my hips are bigger! How does that happen? … And I haven’t lost the weight from Max, so it doesn’t seem likely that I need to gain much. The doctor is good with that.

Still praying for a healthy 5 more months. I hope to go full term, as usual. Big healthy babies seem more durable when you have a Max Payne running around the house. Poor Mister, he has no idea what is coming! Then again, neither do I.

Pray for me, friends! =)

Preparing for Next Year’s Homeschool: PreK 4/5 Curriculum Choices {2014/2015}

by Meghan // March 17, 2014 // Comments off

Well, for ~~years~~ months and months I have gone back and forth over what we will use for our curriculum next fall. What curriculum, what style suites us best, what will keep Lexie’s fire going, her passion for learning; what will also work for Max so we can reuse some materials, etc.

I have also had to consider what will be easiest to fit into our life, with baby #3 due in September of this year. =)

As you know I have mostly decided on a classical/Charlotte Mason education style for our family because it just fits us (and our love of the outdoors, learning, and books); but I have also been contemplating joining Classical Conversations. There is a community not too far from us that a dear friend is also a part of. I really enjoyed the open house I attended and Lexie did AMAZING sitting in the room with me for the 2 hours we were there. However, I just don’t know if we are ready for it yet.

I love the Charlotte Mason approach to learning. It encompasses everything I believe about education and family uniting. It is Biblically based, and literature rich (so is classical education). It is truly where my passion for learning and educating my children comes full circle.

Charlotte Mason is also what I see in my children. I see Lexie loving books- asking questions about everything we read; wanting to know more and making connections from her books to her world. Max is beginning the same process- he didn’t love reading books at first, but at about 13 months old, he became obsessed with them, just like big sister. When I sit on the floor, he will bring me a book and say, “boo-k,” turn around and plop into my lap. He then proceeds to open the book and I will read. He really likes for me to take his finger and point to everything in the picture and say its name. He loves reading. And that tells me he will also love learning.

I want to keep their fires burning, but I need to do that in a way that will fit our young family’s lifestyle. As a busy mom of soon-to-be 3, there won’t be much time for the intense planning that a combined classical/Charlotte Mason style education can require. So in the fall, (well, really in January probably) I think we will begin with Sonlight’s P4/5 curriculum.

Sonlight P 4/5 includes: read alouds and language arts, science, Bible, rediness skills, beautiful art books and studies, and introduces world cultures. One thing I love about classical education is it begins history at the beginning. So children not only learn there is much, much more to their world than just their immediate surroundings, but they also learn where it all began. Sonlight does an amazing job of choosing wonderful children’s literature and living books to teach every subject, which is where the Charlotte Mason style comes in. Another point I love is that Sonlight is fairly adaptable. You can supplement with as many books as you’d like, whatever math you prefer (although they sell a few great curricula), and you can make it work with just about any style of education, if you really want to. Their book list is what has driven their popularity for years, but as more and more families have used it, the more it has become known for being a wonderful core curriculum. (no, this is not a review and I am not being paid to say any of this!).

We already have a phonics/reading program we will use, which we haven’t started yet. I chose All About Reading because it is so child friendly and hands on, which I think will be fine for Lexie (as I am mostly sure she has a photographic memory) but I know will be great for Mister, because he is my 100% tactile learner. We will use this with our Sonlight, along with Saxon or Horizon’s math, and a few supplemental activities in science.

I have many friends ask me about two things :1) homeschool curricula and options and 2) converting to a healthier, real food lifestyle. #1 is mostly why I am writing this post.

I tell you, I cannot wait to get started next year. We might begin in August, to get a head start, then take off in September-Christmas with the baby coming, holidays, etc., then start back in January. Or we may just begin in january and go through part of the summer… I know me, and I know Lexie, and chances are we will not want to take that much time off. We both crave structure and our learning time together, so I imagine we will get back to it pretty quickly.

One thing I am really looking forward to is not having to plan and print every thing we do in this season of life. Right now, I am using a printable curriculum (that we both love) and we are doing Five in A Row which is Charlotte Mason style, but requires all the planning be done by the parent. So it requires a lot of time on my part. Sonlight has done most of the work for me, meaning I can enjoy my time teaching, learning, and snuggling, all three of my babies this fall.

So, I have to get busy filling orders in my etsy shop, since that is how I plan to pay for this curriculum! haha If you haven’t noticed I haven’t been writing much lately. There is a two fold reason for this. 1) The first trimester of this pregnancy has kicked my butt! Between the extreme nausea and exhaustion, I am just now catching up on household duties! and 2) I have been very busy making baby blankets in my etsy shop. I keep saying I am going to slow down, finish my drapes for the kitchen, and make a few dresses for Lexie, but so far that hasn’t happened. Hopefully soon!

{healthy} Whole Wheat, Dairy & refined-sugar-free, chocolate cake

by Meghan // February 24, 2014 // Comments off

Say that 5xs fast!

Yesterday, we made this ah-mazing cake. Oh my goodness, really. It is so good. And much healthier than your average homemade of boxed cake.

It doesn’t take long, and makes either two round cakes, or one 9×13 cake.

Whole Wheat, Dairy-and-refined-sugar-free chocolate cake {with Marriage and Menu Monday linky}

20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Ingredients

This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Garden chocolate cake recipe
3/4 c coconut oil (not melted)
3 eggs
2 cups of whole wheat flour
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking sode
3/4 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp real salt
2 c sucanat
2 tsp real, organic vanilla (or homemade)
1 1/2 c rice milk (or you choice of non dairy milk)

Instructions

Grease your 2 round, or 1 9x13 pan(s)
In a medium bowl stir together: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt- set aside
Preheat oven to 350*
In a large mixing bowl beat coconut oil on med-high speed for 30 seconds
Gradually add sucanat 1/4c at a time, beating at med speed until well combined
Scrape side of bowl; beat 2 minutes
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition (trust me, it makes a difference)
Beat in vanilla
Now, Alternately add flour mixture and rice milk to coconut oil mixture, beating on low speed until combined
Beat on medium to high speed 20 seconds more
Spread into pans
Bake 30-40 minutes, check doneness with a toothpick in center.

Notes

**If you want the healthy recipe but don't mind the dairy, replace the coconut oil with butter and the rice milk with cow's milk. 1:1

Common Core Broken Down {the truth about common core}

by Meghan // February 19, 2014 // Comments off

As a parent, and adult with an education degree, Common Core absolutely fascinates me.

And not in a good way.

There is so much information surrounding common core, it can become overwhelming and difficult to weed through fact and fiction.

I ask you to watch this video. It is slow, calm, broken down, and VERY informative. Pay close attention to a few things:

The CC set up isn’t exactly legal
The information the federal government is collecting on teachers, parents, and students
It is unaccountable to voters, and yet we are paying for it
Standards are copyrighted, and therefore can not be edited by schools, school boards, or PTAs
It developmentally INappropriate for children

It doesn’t matter if you are a public school parent, private school parent, homeschooling parent, a parent with preschool aged children, or not even a parent yet. If you are a parent or if there is a chance you may become a parent, you should be informed FULLY on Common Core, so you can make you OWN informed decision, and then use that information to protect education- your child’s education.

You may become informed and LOVE CC, and that is fine. But you may also become informed and realize just what it is that is happening in education and that you need to get busy writing someone at your board and state levels.

This is also a great video about Common Core from a college professor-wonderfully said!

Okay, here is one more that puts CC into perspective from a high school student’s learning experience:

Juicing {with Marriage and Menu Monday Linkup}

by Meghan // February 17, 2014 // Comments off

Since we filled out our wedding registry in the fall of 2006, I have wanted a juicer. I actually registered for the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer then, which I think was relatively new to the juicing scene.

We didn’t get it as a gift, and my husband was determined it was something I would never use. So we didn’t purchased one with gift cards.

For the last 7 years I have been asking him if I could get a juicer- his answer was always no. =)

But, last week I found a brand new one on craigslist for half the retail price, and he said YES!

And let me tell you, I love it!

The juicer itself has quite a few parts, and they need to be rinsed out immediately after juicing, or the pulp gets stuck on pretty good. But, it is EASY to clean- I just rinse each piece under hot water, wipe with a rag is needed, and then lay on a drying mat. I don’t do the whole dishwasher thing because it would take up the whole top rack.

So, for this week’s Menu Monday, I wanted to share a little juicing recipe.

Juicing isn’t something that is necessarily cheap, you have to be mindful of what you are juicing to make it less expensive. I will never juice a million oranges to keep orange juice in the fridge; it just isn’t practical. But what I will do is juice veggies with a few fruits, so we can have a glass of healthy green vegetables each day, or every few days. Right now, I have given up coffee for the most part, and am replacing that with a morning juice. The kids LOVE the green juice recipe I am sharing; it makes enough for me to have a full glass, the kids to have a small glass each, and some left overs for later.

Here is what my 3 year old coined “Mommy’s green juice”

Mommy's Green Juice {for littles too}

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Ingredients

Everything is washed, and only peeled if stated:
2 stalks kale
handful of broccoli
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks celery
4 carrots
2 small apples
1 lemon, peeled

Instructions

place in juicer, alternating "juicy" produce with less juicy produce. That helps extract more juice and push the produce through.

Do you juice? If you have been thinking about it, it is definitely worth a try. Maybe borrow a friend’s to see how you will like it.

Please link up your family friendly posts below.

The Best Natural Peanut Butter {with Marriage and Menu Monday linky}

by Meghan // February 10, 2014 // Comments off

Today, I am not bringing you a recipe. Mostly, because I forgot to take pictures of all the things I cooked this week. Haha But, I do want to mention an easy way to add healthier options into your family’s diet, without breaking the bank.

I don’t buy all organic, all the time. Right now, it just doesn’t fit into out budget, but I do buy what I can. When I can. And that is all any of us can ask for, right? To do our best.

So, I am going to start with my very favorite, never gets old and I could eat it at every meal, food- PEANUT BUTTER! haha

Note: My kids probably have peanut butter once a day, in some shape or form. Lexie doesn’t eat eggs (not matter how I disguise them… it’s a texture thing. no squishy foods allowed). So often times I smear peanut butter on her toast, sourdough pancakes, or whole wheat waffles. This adds protein and good fats to what would otherwise be just complex carbs.

My favorite peanut butter is Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter.

Why, you ask? The ingredients: peanuts, less than 1% salt. That is why.

It is absolutely the best peanut butter I have ever tried. I can’t eat regular Jiff or Peter Pan anymore- all I can taste is overly sweetened chemicals and unhealthy oils with no real flavor or texture. *blah*

Smucker’s Natural has no unhealthy vegetable oils, no refined sugar, and no chemical additives. It is just peanuts and a little salt. And man, is it good.

The best part is, you don’t have to go to a specialty grocery store to get it! I find mine at our local Walmart, it is usually on the very top shelf of the peanut butter section. You do however, need to stir the peanut butter, and then keep it in the fridge.

This is something, that although it isn’t organic, I can feel good feeding it to my family, especially my young children who don’t need any more refined sugars in their little systems than necessary.

If you aren’t quite as ready to make the leap to just peanuts and salt for your favorite spread, you can try Skippy’s Naturals. This peanut butter contains: peanuts, palm oil, and salt. Again, no sugar, and no bad vegetable oils. Palm oil is a relatively healthy oil, and many people use it in place of coconut and olive oil in recipes. This is the brand my husband prefers, so I buy it just for him, and sometimes the kids have it.

Buying a natural peanut butter is a small, healthy change that isn’t going to break the bank! I didn’t link to these products on amazon because right now they are outrageously expensive. But at you local grocery store they should run between $4-$5 for a big jar.

Try it, and let me know what you think. I bet your family will like it!

Reading Eggs: Learn to Read {A Review}

by Meghan // February 4, 2014 // Comments off

Reading Eggs is a fun, online reading program. My daughter is three (and a quarter); she reads sight words and phonetically. Reading Eggs has been a great addition to our homeschool days. Lexie has really enjoyed moving from one activity to the next.

Reading Eggs is leveled, and makes it easy for you to decide where to start your child. Lexie started with the first steps. This helped her to practice her phonics skills and letter recognition.

Why Try Reading Eggs?

91% of parents have noticed an improvement in their child’s reading ability since using Reading Eggs
Includes over 1500 ebooks
Compatible on PC, Mac, iPad and Android
Money-back guaranteed

Why Reading Eggs works

Developed by expert educators with 20+ years’ experience
Based on solid scientific research
The program makes learning phonics and basic reading skills fun for 3–13 year olds
Your child can progress through the one-on-one lessons at their own pace
Regular progress reports and assessments track your child’s learning

What I love about Reading Eggs

They have an iPad compatible app, since Lexie isn’t using a computer yet, this works for us.
It reinforces the lessons through repetition, but keeps it fun by offering multiple activities.
There is an entire “Playhouse” area, where your child can just play and learn. No worrying about matching answers and getting sounds correct. It is just for fun, and there is lots to explore.
Reading Eggs has great customer service- I emailed about changing the accent in the app, and they got right back with me.

There are also reward incentives; students earn golden eggs as they complete lessons and can use these eggs to buy clothes for the avatars, etc. This is probably enticing to older children, Lexie doesn’t really care either way. She just likes to learn, and do the lessons. But I can see how that would be enticing for older kids.

What Could Be Better

Lexie had a complaint about one of the activities-the student has to match a word from the bottom of the page to one of 6 pictures at the top. This is doable, but then they mix up the pictures and ask you to do it again… this to her is frustrating. If she already did it once, and did it correctly, why is she having to do it again instead of moving on to the next activity? I understand why they do it, I also understand why it frustrates her. =)

The program asks you to click on the letter sound in words- basically the child is identifying the letter. Which is great. But in some words, the letter doesn’t make the same sound the narrator is making for the letter- for instance he says, “click on the /g/ in these words” but the word is giraffe, and in that word G makes the /j/ sound … so that can be confusing because he doesn’t say “click on the G in this word” so the child will naturally look for the letter J because at this stage in reading, they only know the /g/ sound that G makes …

They also asked “which picture starts with the /m/ sound. The picture is of moss on a rock, but naturally Lexie thought it was rock not moss the picture was representing. However, the students can click (or tap) on a speaker that read the picture to them-which would clarify the rock/moss confusion. But your child needs to know to press the speaker to be sure they understand what the picture is representing. This is not a huge deal, and would not keep me from subscribing to the program. It is just something to be noted.

Free Trial

Reading Eggs is offering you a 5 week free trial! That is long enough to try the program with your children and see results for yourself. For every new free trial sign up Reading Eggs will donate $1 to The National Children’s Cancer Society up to a total of $25,000!

Connect with Reading Eggs:

Read to Cure

From February 3 to March 7 your child can join children across the US taking part in the Reading Eggs Read-To-Cure Challenge – a nationwide effort to inspire children to read while raising funds for The National Children’s Cancer Society.

*NCCS will earn a minimum of $25,000 from Reading Eggs plus 100% of the donations collected by RTCC participants.

Essential Oils: Thieves Oil {52 weeks of favorites}

by Meghan // January 26, 2014 // Comments off

I finally figured out what my “52 weeks of favorites” will be! ESSENTIAL OILS! Woo hoo! If you’re looking for essential oils to buy try Jojoba by rouh.

Before we hit up the doctor or try prescriptions, I always try something from home first.

Our #1 go to is pure, therapeutic grade essential oils.

Real quick, I want to let you know that any brand can put the words “pure, therapeutic grade” on their products. These terms are not mandated by the FDA. However, I can tell you, Young Living brand is the only one that sets itself to the highest of standards in all areas of essential oils with its Seed to Seal guarantee. Here is a great explanation from a seasoned EO user:

“Call the customer service dept of any other company, and ask where their Peppermint was grown, distilled, what the chemical properties are, how long it is distilled, how many lbs of material they use to get 8 oz of oil, etc. You can actually find all these things out from Young Living but NO other company offers the same ability because no other company actually has their hands in the entire process. Because essential oils are not regulated by the FDA, absolutely every company can say, 100% pure therapeutic grade, that term doesn’t mean anything. It’s self defined. Because the other companies do not grow their own plants, they purchase from a third party broker and so they have no way of knowing for SURE if the oil was virgin soil, if the plant was sprayed with pesticides, and the list goes on. YL defines what they mean and they give a Seed to Seal guarantee.”

That gives me the peace of mind and satisfaction that what I am putting on and in my family’s bodies are safe.

I can’t even begin to tell you what a blessing Young Living essential oils have been to our family.

I guess I can start with Thieves oil, that is where my EO experience began. My uncle gave me a bottle when I was working in child care, and was constantly sick almost 10 year ago. I placed a few cotton balls in a small bottle, and put a few drops of thieves in. I would take the lid off and breathe in the oil throughout the day.

In 2012 during flu season, Max was a brand new baby and Lexie was in Mother’s Day Out twice a week. She had about 10 other kids in her class. One day I picked her up from school with the dreaded news- 3 kids in her class and their siblings had been confirmed to have the flu. Before the week was over several other children had the flu as well. Lexie, praise the Lord, escaped the flu. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the essential oils for colds I was using helped my family. Thieves was one of those oils.

This oil blend is beyond amazing. I use it on my children’s feet during cold and flu season to support their immune systems. I have also applied a tiny bit (diluted) to my son’s teething gums. Thieves is considered a “hot” oil, and should typically be diluted with a carrier oil (like coconut or olive oil) before placing on skin, especially on children. I make up a small bottle of diluted thieves and olive oil, 4:1 and keep it in both the kids’ rooms to have on hand.

When we flew during the holidays to see family, I applied thieves to the kids’ feet before our flights, and also on the base of their spines.

I also diffuse it in our home- diffusing allows the tiny particles to spread through the air.

If I could put a bottle of thieves oil in all my friends and family members homes, I would!

I can’t wait to share some of my other favorite oils with you all!

If you are interested in how you can purchase Young Living oils at wholesale price, with NO strings attached, let me know. I am a wholesale buyer for my family, and you can get your oils at 24% off the retail cost. Email me at: QuietInTheChaos at gmail dot com (no spaces) if you would like more info! You can also sign up on their website, using my member number: 1555405

See this article: essential oils kill super bug (MRSA) from BBC.

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. It is for informational purposes only.

DIY Homemade Taco Seasoning {with Marriage and Menu Monday Link Up}

by Meghan // January 6, 2014 // Comments off

Welcome to my first linkup for Marriage and Menu Mondays! This week I want to share a great recipe with you all.

We love tacos, mexican crockpot chicken, and chicken quesadillas at our house. A few years ago, I started making our taco seasoning. Store bought seasoning contain lots of additives and some nasty preservatives. Not to mention, the funky after taste? What’s up with that?

Here is a super easy alternative that you can make up in bulk, or just as you are cooking dinner. {Though I recommend making a large batch and storing in a pretty mason jar}

Homemade Taco Seasoning {DIY}

1Tbsp of chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp smoky ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sweet paprika {or regular paprika will be fine}
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp minced dried onion or onion powder {I use minced}
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp real Himalayan salt
black pepper to taste

This recipe doesn’t make much. I started out making it each time I needed it, but now I make it in bulk & keep it in a wide mouth mason jar in my spice cabinet. {looks like it is time to make some more!}

Homemade taco seasoning is healthier, cheaper, and just as easy as store bought.

Enjoy the Marriage and Menu Monday link up this week- Be blessed friends!

Preserving {freezing} Tomatoes for the Winter

by Meghan // October 10, 2013 // Comments off

We had hundreds of tomatoes come off our plants this year. So with the ones we didn’t eat right away, I did one of two things. I either 1) fermented them for sauces and put them up in cold storage, or 2) I blanched and froze them.

Here is how I blanched them. It is SO easy. Before I knew about fermenting, this is how JTom and I always put up our tomatoes.

You will need:

Clean tomatoes with a small X cut into the skin
a pot of boiling water
a large slotted spoon
a large bowl for an ice bath
a bowl for skins
a bowl for skinned tomatoes (or you can put directly into the freezer bags if you have some help)
freezer bags

Here are my clean tomatoes and my pot of boiling water:

Here’s what you do (I set up an assembly line):

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. While it is coming up, cut small Xes in tomato skins (this allows the hot water to get under the skin and it will literally pop right off)

3. Place some of the tomatoes into the boiling water for 45 seconds. This is called blanching. If you are doing rather small tomatoes, I would only do 30 seconds. 45 seconds was perfect for me.

4. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and place directly into ice bath. This stops the blanching process.

5. Using your hands, peel the tomato skins off (they should just slide right off).
Discard the skins in a bowl (I was using a pot) and place the tomatoes in freezer bags. I did about 5 bowls full, so instead of placing them directly into freezer bags, I just put them all in a bowl so I could go back to blanching. Then I bagged them all up when I was completely done blanching.

Make sense? =/

**Here is also where you can add seasonings- for chilli, spaghetti, salsa, etc., directly into the freezer bag. Just be sure to label your bags! You can also dice the tomatoes, cut in half, before freezing. I just left mine whole, because I just use a spoon and cut them in half while I am cooking … and I didn’t want to make a bigger mess at the time.

6. Place bags in freezer!

How easy is that? I did this while the kids ate breakfast and we talked about of character trait for this week (love) and recited memory work. It took me all of 10 minutes?

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