The Bathroom Library

I used to tease a friend of mine about her "bathroom library", the stack of books on the back of her toilet.  She would speak of all the wonderful things she was reading in the multiple books on her current reading list. As a reluctant reader, I have trouble finishing books.  I read slowly, but don't miss a detail.  Great for academics, not so great for reading for pleasure!   Also, I used to get hung up on completing a whole book before moving onto the next.  This method left me with many an unfinished book.

As I was making my witty comments about her reading methods  (because I am hilarious), I found myself wishing I could glean the gems of wisdom that she was from her bathroom full of books.  She could speak of varied things from parenting to gardening to spiritual inspiration.  Um, I read a magazine article the other day at the dentist's office...

So, I decided to try it her way.  For the last couple of months I have been keeping several books in my bathroom in a container next to the, well, quietest seat in my house.  I have 7 children who are learning to let mama have her privacy in the bathroom.  Another friend admitted to me that sometimes she just goes in there to read in peace!  I haven't resorted to that...yet.

Currently, I am reading 4 different books during my brief moments of solitude.  I read whichever one seems interesting in the moment, except when I need to get a chapter read in the book we are discussing for the ladies class at church.  I have to say, I was very skeptical, but it is really working!  I am reading more text and more consistently than I have in years.  Better than that, I am actually enjoying reading!  I look forward to my literary oasis.

Moral of the story?  Don't laugh at your friends until you try their crazy ideas!

Below are photos of the books I am currently reading.

Feeding the 5000...well the 9 of us at least

Of all the questions and comments we get about raising a large family, people are often very curious about how we do meal time.  We don't run it like a cafeteria.  We don't have a commercial grade kitchen like the Duggers either.  There are 3 simple aspects to our meals. 

The first aspect of the meal is staffing.  By this I mean, which of our 2 oldest is in charge of helping or cooking the meal.  Once I know who is assigned to "meal" for the day, I can let them know what is on the meal plan.  When I am organized enough, they can read the meal plan...otherwise it's all in my head.  If it's a meal they know how to make, they can jump right into preparing the meal while I either help or complete another task.  There are always diapers to change, school papers to copy or something to be cleaned.  Having the big kids help with meals has really been helpful.  I am much more productive.  Even the littler kids help with setting the table or putting out plates and drinks.

The second aspect of the meal is quantity.  Many of our brood are still very young.  Thus, the quantity of food needed at this point is nothing compared to what it will be when we have multiple teens and pre-teens living under our roof!  Even now, we are doubling most recipes.  We choose to set up each plate then put it on the table.  I have found that serving family style allows my children to take less of the things I want them to eat.  They are always welcome to seconds, but are also expected to eat the reasonable portions on their plate.  But how much should each child be expected to eat?  I have read in several places that a child under 5 years should eat 1 tablespoon of each food per year of life (http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition/nutrition/36616.html).  I also tend to not to put things like pretzels and chips on their plates.  Those foods are a reward for eating the "good stuff" and can fill up a little belly pretty quickly.  Also, we don't give our children milk at every meal or a even full cup of milk.  Milk also fills the belly and two of my girls would prefer to only drink milk.  This article from Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/article/got-milk ) states the U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy, milk and other dairy products, consumption.  I tend to limit milk intake due to the fact that we are not currently able to buy organic or raw milk.  The generic milk is expensive enough!



The third aspect of the meal is atmosphere.  All you Martha Stewart types just got excited because you are expecting me to tell about how to make beautiful centerpieces out of things you have lying around the house or how to sew a tablecloth from scraps of cloth or old baby clothes.  Well, you should probably try a different blog if that's what you're looking for!  When I talk about atmosphere, I mean setting the tone for family time.  There are times when we all watch a movie during dinner, but we limit those.  Meals are a time to catch up with mom or dad on their day, to talk about what we learned in school, to schedule our day or week, and to make each other laugh.  These are precious moments to me.  Right now our children are dependent on us for transportation, do not have jobs, and enjoy being with their family.  I hope the family meal lasts for the entire time they are in our home, but if it doesn't, we hope to have set the foundation for the relationships we have with our children.  You've heard the commercials and the experts sing the praises of  "The Family Meal".  It really has been a bonding time for our family.

Our food is not fancy.  Our table cloth is made of vinyl.  Our chairs don't match.

But the time together is priceless.

Organizing Art Supplies

As a Homeschool mom, I am constantly frustrated that my children can never put their supplies away in the right boxes.  We have ample storage containers that are often empty.  No one seems to be able to find a pencil.  Crayons are always disappearing...probably in the same place as baby socks and earrings!  I am also a Speech-Language Pathologist who works primarily with Autistic and non-verbal children.  I tell you that so you will understand my preoccupation with pictures.  Autistic children can understand things so much better with pictures and children who cannot communicate with words or signs do very well with picture symbols.  I will post more on this later.  My hope is to have this blog much more organized very soon so that you can search by topic (I am still a newbie at blogging!).

So why haven't I put my mad visual support skills to use at home?  Maybe because I use it so much at work, that I am burnt out (not likely).  Or maybe I separate my home from work because we are blessed to have children who are all developing normally.  Whatever the reason, I have overcome it and have implemented visuals to help my children remember where to put their supplies.  Our children range in age from 21 months to nearly 13 years old.  All of our children are equally bad at putting things away!  Also, I have noticed that labeling with words doesn't work well, even for the ones who can read.  Maybe it doesn't catch their attention as well as the color photos.

My idea is this...put a picture of each category of supplies on each container.  Markers.  Pens and pencils. Crayons.  Glue, tape, and scissors.  Simple, right?  Then why did it take me so long to do it?  The million dollar question!

Here's how I did it:
1. Find images on Google Images.  When you find one you like, click on the largest image available.  The resolution is best when you copy the largest image.  You can quickly copy the photo by left-clicking and choosing "copy" from the menu (I would be happy to provide a more detailed explanation for the less computer-savvy among us).  Don't worry too much about the picture.  I get a little finicky sometimes and end up wasting time when the perfect picture is not that important.  It will not inhibit my children's ability to put away their crayons if it's not exactly like our crayons or if it has a very light watermark on it.

2. Paste the picture onto a document of some kind.  I was able to put multiple pictures on a page because I didn't need very large pictures to fit on the supply boxes.  Save a tree...one piece of printer paper at a time!  I prefer to print in color because younger children are better able to make the connection between the 2D picture and the equivalent 3D school supply.  This is especially true of the visual learner, especially individuals with Autism.

3. Cut out the pictures and adhere them to the boxes.  My boxes are plastic, so glue or decoupage would not work.  I happened to have some clear packaging tape on hand since we were preparing to move.  This has worked really well.

4. Organize the supplies according to the picture labels.  This is my favorite part!  I love the feeling that I get when I look in the school supplies area and see it so organized.  I just don't like doing it every week or so!

It has been over a month and one move later and it is still working!  I almost can't believe it.  They are not perfect, but when they forget, it is so much easier for them to put the supplies away in the correct place.  Success!

*To parents of, friends to, or professionals who work with individuals with disabilities:  I plan on posting ideas for using visual supports, social stories, and other communication helps.  If you have a specific need, please let me know.  I would love use the knowledge I have in this venue.