tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18333464653816816462024-03-05T02:13:45.345-05:00cheaper by the baker's dozenA baker's dozen is getting more than you expected, it's delightful, sometimes more than you can handle - and never, ever dull!Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-26361617291283112412012-03-31T18:32:00.001-04:002012-03-31T18:33:17.725-04:00Time Management and Tomatoes, Connected?When we left off, I was just getting ready to tell you about my newly discovered time management system - the Pomodoro Technique (PT). (Don't you like the way I worded that to make it sound like I was blogging just a few hours ago instead of ..... longer? "Am I getting good at excuse-making, or what?"...she asked rhetorically.)
As one of my astute commenters recognized (Hi, Laura!)Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-13570284724106689642012-03-02T13:39:00.001-05:002012-03-02T15:48:04.946-05:00Welcome Back, Me! (or is it, Welcome Me Back!?)Here's something that sounds like a joke, but definitely is not. Q. How do you know when you've been away from your blog too long? A. You can't remember your password. AND the donuts in your header have been eaten. Seriously, did you notice they're gone?! What kind of a world do we live in when people can steal donuts from a blog header?!
(Update: Donuts are back; looking no worse forCheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-66382378520702520512011-10-23T19:28:00.002-04:002011-10-23T20:53:33.516-04:00The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculously (time-consuming, expensive... yet) UglyWell, let's get right to what you want to hear about, OK? Because there's no use pretending that you're all that interested in the good. You'd rather hear about the bad and the ugly, admit it. Well you're getting 2 for 1 with the following pictures of my latest (perhaps last?) DIY project. They are indeed both BAD and most definitely UGLY. So ugly they are now in the trash. (No green Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-52032175950727461312011-08-30T00:50:00.001-04:002011-08-30T14:09:23.257-04:00Time Out from Organizing to Get Rid of a Little (or a lot of) Sin
The last two weeks have been crazy-full of preparing for the new homeschooling year, plus getting my older two (oldest 2 of the youngest 7? whatever..) ready to launch on their post-high school endeavors.
Then last week was even worse - I was forced to actually start teaching. Everything was going so great until the students showed up :)
I've confessed before that the planning and Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-47859558429718289632011-08-16T10:58:00.000-04:002011-08-16T10:58:32.139-04:00Go read my guest post...Or don't, I'll be fine..
Today I am guest posting at Jonesville. I was supposed to share some homeschooling wisdom. Go on over and see if you think it's wise. If not, keep it to yourself please. I'm the mother of 7 teens right now and my ego is fragile as I'm daily informed (sometimes, by them...) of how much I have to learn. I would tell you to leave a glowing comment to help my self-worth, but I don't want to Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-29977033791373536982011-08-15T15:03:00.000-04:002011-08-15T15:03:17.430-04:00Go with me to the homeschooling conference!My friend Christina, from Jonesville (which I believe is the made-up name of a town, sort of like if I said I was from Pittmansburg...), is hosting her 3rd annual Homeschooling Blogging Conference. I "met" Christina through my oldest daughter, Brite, and even though I'm most likely old enough to be the grand matriarch of her pretend blog city, she lets me hang out over there. &Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-56501991837011796012011-08-02T09:14:00.001-04:002011-08-03T10:33:59.524-04:00Two Minute Tasks - Just Do It, Baby!(This post is linked to Kristin at Works for Me Wednesday but I'm too techno-dumb to figure out how to put her cool logo here, but you can go there and see it. It's a very nice logo.)
Yep, it's me again. Posting, pretty much on the heels of my last post. No biggie. I'm just super consistent like that.
Oh, and a big shout out to my new followers. I'm on my way to getting that blog re-do thanks Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-85083704837732522342011-07-21T21:56:00.009-04:002011-07-22T22:41:02.164-04:00Here's what's working for me right now
(Once again, I refuse to lower myself and demean my three remaining readers by offering inane excuses for not posting in... awhile. So how 'bout if we all just assume that I've been very productive, doing tons of blog-worthy things, improving myself, serving others, and honoring God. OK?)
Not that it's been such a ridiculously-long time since I last posted, but I did find it necessary to Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-16479836388612983492011-03-14T07:37:00.000-04:002011-03-14T07:37:54.863-04:00Success!I wasn't going to blog today (shocker!), but I knew some of you might be having some serious laundry-post withdrawal so I put my selfish writer's block (aka laziness) aside to come over here and link to this. jewel.
Of course, my motivation was higher since she said such nice things about me. (Please note the title she gives me. And use it when you speak of me in the future, please.)
I love Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-67384897466060411712011-02-23T21:19:00.002-05:002011-02-24T09:28:25.226-05:00Mega Laundry Solutions
Some Moms Who Should Definitely Know are sharing about laundry systems, and I couldn't help but jump right into this 'agitating' discussion. This is one (and about the only) area of homemaking I have down to a sweet smelling, neatly folded science.
And I'm sure now that I've proudly stated that fact, I'm bound to wake up tomorrow morning to a house full of wet bunkbeds (andCheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-31967166236085834532011-02-16T22:34:00.002-05:002011-02-24T09:29:47.656-05:00My 8th Sixteen Year Old
(I have no idea why my pictures are grainy. Use your imagination to make them clearer. And if you're my older son, and you're reading this...Help! I just noticed I also have some kind of weird borders around a few pictures. What, I'm supposed to write, then do my own tech support, too?! Ridiculous.)
Sixteen is definitely an age that causes rejoicing. Although it makes me a little sad.
When Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-13551481931713750432011-02-12T23:30:00.003-05:002011-02-24T09:30:46.169-05:00Don't Follow Me, I'm LostI've always loved that bumper sticker. But it doesn't really fit here because I want you to follow me.
Even though I rarely blog.
I mean...Should a blogger really have to blog in order to have followers? Obviously not.
And I have four new followers since I last checked. In fact, they've been here more recently than I have. Which is pitiful, I know. But why would I keep coming Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-17937973063319244592011-01-11T15:48:00.001-05:002011-02-24T09:31:31.348-05:00Coaxing habitsHabit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. ~Mark Twain
I think Mr. Twain was referring to bad habits needing to be coaxed down the stairs, but if he had kids like mine, he might have been commiserating over the basic process of trying to help them decide on one cotton-pickin' habit to put down on their 100 Day form.
Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-28021141020708749692011-01-08T14:18:00.001-05:002011-02-24T09:32:03.047-05:00I think I can....I think I can....I don't often write posts where my sole purpose is to send you to someone else's blog - but some days you wake to the shocking revelation that another blogger has written something better than you did. So, rather than keeping it to yourself (or sulking...), you must share.
Today my dear friend Anne at Holy Experience .... OK...we're not actually friends. But I bet we would be. She'd Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-32398748951963094662010-12-31T12:31:00.001-05:002010-12-31T22:47:59.559-05:00This Post Sponsored by...My ConscienceI'm not blog savvy enough to know whether the average reader can tell, but I happen to have a state-of-the-art, big-brother-ish site meter on my blog sidebar. Sitemeter tells me how many visitors I get, where they come from (Brazil and New Zealand...no kidding!) and even how long they stay. (Amazingly, some of my visitors are speed-readers!)
I love site meter.
I hate site Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-58887832622800108192010-10-03T17:28:00.001-04:002011-02-24T09:32:42.082-05:00Finding Sabbath Rest
Sundays are for worship with fellow believers, delighting in God's care and provision, sweet tea with Sunday lunch (one way we set the day apart), and resting.
With five boys sharing one room, they like to scope out a quieter Sunday spot, grab their pillows (and other snuggly paraphernalia) and head for a tranquil spot. The hammock and the trampoline are two coveted havens.
And Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-39572761278613089292010-09-19T22:23:00.000-04:002010-09-19T22:23:42.285-04:00Homeschooling Tips Finale(Did you notice I changed my background color from Pepto Bismal to mocha dots? Both go with the donut theme :) , but I like to change things up around here so you don't get bored during the long wait between posts.)
Last time, I promised to tell you about Table Time. And I made some pretty hefty claims about what it would produce. Family unity....enrichment learning....higher IQ's.....Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-88433434076588922472010-08-24T22:33:00.000-04:002010-08-24T22:33:50.286-04:00Homeschooling Tips, Part Three(Should I apologize for the sorry title to this post? Nah. My creativity dissipated about noon, and refuses to make a comeback, even for a good cause like you!)
Maybe it's my advanced age, added to the number of loads of laundry I do per day - then multiplied by the pairs of shoes in my mudroom, divided by the maturity level of household inhabitants - but most of my homeschooling tips don't haveCheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-83599616005189748092010-08-19T00:01:00.002-04:002011-02-24T09:33:20.888-05:00Even More of "My" Best Homeschooling TipsAlrighty then, are you done implementing all the tips I gave you in the last post?
Of course you're not - and that leads right in to my next tip. By the way, I'd like some bonus points for this one because it's mine-all-mine (as far as I can remember.....)
(6) As avant-garde home educators, with internet access, library cards, magazine subscriptions, cable (I wish!), amazon Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-19712930157036919362010-08-16T22:49:00.000-04:002010-08-16T22:50:42.410-04:00(My) Best Homeschooling TipsIn the spirit of full disclosure, those parentheses are in my title because some of these tips aren't "exactly" mine. But some of them are. And even with the ones that didn't "originate" with me, I should still get some credit for recognizing their value.I've been a home educator for 25 (long...very long) years so my school files are sagging with articles I've clipped, emails I've printed, and Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-60517018843099869262010-07-03T19:34:00.007-04:002011-02-24T09:36:26.413-05:00Boys, Foolishness, and Forgivenessdear mother,
i am sorry for holding daniel under water. i did not realize it because i was in the middle of fighting justin when it happened. (and i did not actually have him in a leg lock, and I think he could have gotten out of it if he tried harder.) i will go apologize to lil' danny.
will you forgive me?
love, Alex
Dear Alex,
I most definitely forgive you for "trying to kill your brotherCheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-20366114732038522192010-06-28T14:22:00.010-04:002010-06-28T20:32:48.723-04:00Schedule for Summer SuccessI'm not one to complain (cough:cough), so I haven't mentioned much on my blog about the various special needs of my children. Most of them have ADD (trust me, it's real), one has cerebral palsy, one guy has major OCD/Tourettes; mix in a little Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and add a mother with her own "issues" (mostly depravity) and you get a family that thrives on routine - and prayer.Actually, most Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-12125645827396420602010-06-24T23:36:00.009-04:002011-02-24T09:35:49.162-05:00Missed Photo OppsDear Camera,
I miss you. You know that saying about what absence does to the heart? It's totally true in our case. I think about you all the time. Fortunately, the time has gone quickly because life has been unbelievably full during our time apart - full of things that should have been photographed and chronicled. I could kick myself for being so negligent and leaving you on that table in NC in Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-37165238966520581972010-06-22T09:19:00.005-04:002010-06-22T10:31:14.073-04:00Nobody cares what you had for lunchThat subject line is the title of a book I read recently on blogging.And she's probably right, not many people would care what I had for lunch (orzo salad from Costco on a bed of spring lettuce - and it was delicious, and I have had it 3 days in a row.....So, maybe someone WOULD care what I had for lunch! But those are the people who have no life, and do I want a bunch of readers like that? ....Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1833346465381681646.post-23990757471205362732010-06-04T10:14:00.008-04:002010-06-13T21:29:08.157-04:00Tooting My Horn - Summer Edition"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." ~Russel Baker(I need to look into whether any of my kids are writing summer quotes under pseudonyms.)Just a slight warning. You might want to cover your ears. I'll be tooting my own horn (loudly) in the next few paragraphs. I've been away from my blog for way too long so I lured myself back with the thought of bragging about how Cheaper by the Baker's Dozenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03961259527193294736noreply@blogger.com6