DATE NIGHT!

I am SO excited to FINALLY have a DATE with my husband!  The Boombah is 1…I have not left him to do anything “fun”…YET! I am so looking forward to a grown-up movie(although the FROZEN sing-along version WOULD be the ultimate…I do love my husband though), in the comfy –chair- theatre, with a popcorn all to myself and raisinettes and, and, and…

BUT…this “date” is not the one I want to share with you. I had THE BEST DATE last night…with my 4 year old.

At dinner, we told the boys that they were going to have a fun night with Grandma. When they asked “why?”, we BOTH exclaimed, “ Date Night!”  (Ya think we need one?) The Dude then asked, “what’s a date?”  So we explained that it was when 2 people who loved each other, went to spend time together just the 2 of them.  That sometimes they went out to dinner, sometimes they would go to movies and that mommy and daddy really like going to the book store together. WELL…what happened next is something that just may melt my heart every time I think about it…forever.

Bubby, in his 4 year old bentoutofshapebecauseheisn’tthebabyanymorevoice, “Mama, can you go on a date with me? Cuz I love you and you love me so we can have a date night” OH MY STARS, be still my heart!

He asked to be excused and went to get our “date” ready.

20 minutes later, I was sitting in the playroom, with popcorn watching Planes. {you KNOW I must love my kid to sit through that…HUGE mistake Pixar….HUGE} The Farmer and the other boys were in the Living Room, so I had my sensitive, sweet, blue-eyed boy ALL TO MYSELF!  We snuggled, he told me all about how he thinks we need to get a crop duster, he held my hand and he drifted off to slumber with his Mama ALL to himself.

After I brought him upstairs and tucked him snuggly into his bed, I got thinking. I am the oldest of 2 girls.  I got to do things because I was the oldest,  Sissy got to do things because she was the youngest. I had no prior knowledge of how the middle-child felt.  THEN…I started to cry.

WE all have moments of Mommy guilt, when we feel like we just aren’t doing these little hearts justice.  That God gave us these precious souls to nurture and grow and we just weren’t footin’ the bill! I was having one of those moments.

My Bubby, my middle baby, WAS my baby…my youngest…my preemie… myneedmemorethanmostbabies would for THREE YEARS boy, and then BOOM…The Boombah  is born and his little world was ROCKED.

My Bubby was born about 7 weeks early, he was immediately admitted to the NICU and intubated  and I. was. HELPLESS.  It was at that moment, when this lifelong Christian became a REAL Christian. [that is a completely different story] The ONLY thing I COULD do, was pray. That goes against every motherly instinct the good Lord gives us. I wanted to HOLD him [which didn’t happen right away] I wanted to nurse him [which didn’t happen for a LONG time] I just wanted to be his Mommy, I wanted him to ONLY need me. That took awhile.

 SO….fast forward to NICU graduation, and I became the DOEVERYTHINGIPOSSIBLYCANTOMAKETHISBABYHAPPYHEALTHYANDPERFECT  Mommy.  I developed panic disorder…{YES. Clinically and medicated…but, again, a completely different story} I never slept, I tried to become a super-hero in the name of love for my children.

 I had my 2 babies. I had resigned from my job so that I could be home to raise them and I became MOMMY…only Mommy.  My almost 2 year old Dude, was just as loved and cherished as my Bubby-Baby...BUT he was strong, he was sturdy, he was HEALTHY, so my “babying” definitely went to Bubby.

Fast forward to 2013:

The Boombah is born.

 The Dude comes to rehearsals with me…he has even performed in a couple of shows already.  He gets special time with me…ALL the time.

The Boombah has had my every waking moment that I wasn’t working.  Nursing takes up A LOT of time.  ALL of that time that USED to be spent…with Bubby.

My Bubby-Baby. Was told to leave his brother alone, to stop acting crazy, to go back to bed over and over and over at 1 am at 2 am at 3 am. To go take a nap, go play with your tractors, to go to go to go!

WOW. He has been lost in the shuffle.

Not anymore. I am going to schedule dates with my middle child- even if they are just in the other room. HE needs to have special time with me, just like my husband needs to have special time with me.

Being a Mommy is seriously, the hardest friggin job in the world.  However, as hard as it is, I wouldn't trade it for the world.               

“She is clothed in strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her BLESSED, her husband also, and he praises her.”

~Proverbs 31: 25-28

I foresee a plethora of tractor movies in my future.

{beBlessed} and have a GREAT day!

The 3 P's = super awesome PRAYER!

We’ve been talking about prayer a lot lately.  I am preparing myself for Lent, as well as members of our congregation for a Lenten WRITTEN prayer challenge. So, it’s only natural for my children to be extremely aware of the practice, purpose and POWER of prayer. The 3 P’s.

The concept of the 3 P’s came to me a few weeks ago, as I was doing some meditation in preparation of a women’s retreat that I was leading.  As a teacher, I was always looking for easy ways to help my students remember things, and now as a Mommy-Teacher, I look to do the same thing. I guess it just happens in my brain. SO…the 3 P’s concept was born.

 Practice…Purpose…Power.

The practice of prayer is as old as documented time. The Bible is full of prayer. Both the Old and New testaments.

David, in Psalm 51: 1-2 prays:

“Have Mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

David, pure of heart and honest with God, was always able to express his wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness through prayer.

Jonah, the coward (as I call him J) shouted out in prayer from within the belly of the whale:

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.  From the depths of the grave, I called for help and you listened to my cry.  You hurled me into the deep, Into the very heart of the seas and the currents swirled about me.  All your waves and breakers swept over me.  I said, I have been vanished from your sight, yet I will look again toward your holy temple.”  …

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.  But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.  What I have vowed I will make good.  Salvation comes from the Lord.”

~Jonah 2:2-4, 8-9

When in dire need of God’s grace, Jonah found himself offering thanks for that grace and asking for the Lord’s help in getting him out of the belly of that great fish.

When Paul writes to the faithful saints in Ephesus, he  says:

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength.”

Paul offers thanks and then tells the Ephesians that he is praying for them, and tells them specifically what he is praying over them, as a people. Paul’s prayers are full of intention; of purpose.

Purpose. In my opinion, prayer means nothing unless it is intentional and full of purpose. The rote repetition of popular, well known, historically written “prayers”  provide structure and stability to many individuals. BUT, there is no dialogue with God when simply reciting a prayer. Yes.  I said dialogue.

Did you just raise your eyebrow and say, “Dialogue, Danielle?”

Bet you did.

YES…I said dialogue.  God DOES speak back. You just have to be STILL enough to LISTEN.

It took me well into my 30’s to develop a REAL relationship with God. A relationship that is now the MOST important relationship in my life.  I put it before my relationship with my husband, my children, my parents and everyone else! I credit this relationship to my intentional, real act of praying.

I pray all the time. Sometimes it is silent. Sometimes it is audible, but most times it is in writing.  Yes, again, you read that correctly.  God DOES know how to read!

I have been journaling my prayers for 2 years now. I started out with a simple salt and pepper notebook… that turned into 3 notebooks…and then I did a notebook decorating project with some of the young adults that I work with at church, and now I currently have 4 working prayer journals at one time. They are scattered all over; one next to my bed, one in my bag and 2 more that float around the house.

My prayers, when written, are pure honesty. I have always felt that I am most raw and truthful when I write, which, allows me to be raw and truthful when I speak to God. Sometimes I draw, sometimes my thoughts and scripture turn into poems. Whatever I am feeling, whatever I need help with but most of all, whatever I am grateful for, shows up in my prayer journals.

I guess my favorite part of writing my prayers is the ability to go back and READ them.  I have a record of my feelings, my struggles, my needs but most of all, I can look back and SEE just how God has answered my prayers, how He has shown me guidance,  how He has worked through me. He has written back to me. He is the greatest pen pal I have ever had.  He will always writes back.

This brings me now to the POWER of Prayer.  I have seen, first hand, how the POWER of prayer acts no less than as a shield made of iron. Prayer protects. Prayers guides. Prayer comforts. Prayer  heals the heart. What more could you ask for?  Not to mention prayer is WAY lighter than an iron shield.

SO…who wants to pray with me?  Seriously!

I am facilitating a Lenten prayer challenge.  We will be using Rachel Hackenberg’s Writing to God; 40 Days of Praying With My Pen.  I purchased my copy from Amazon, if you are local, we have a few copies at NRUMC , but if you are not local, but want to join us, PLEASE DO!  [check out Rachel’s web-site and read some of her work.  I love her style and love her gentle motivation.  Her blog is great too! www.rachelhackenberg.com]

One of my favorite things to do is gather with like-minded individuals and read and share what each other has written.  I LOVE to learn about other people.  I love to see how different minds work.  We will be meeting on 2 Saturday mornings, during Lent, to share, guide and encourage each other: March 8 and April 5 at 9:30 AM in the fellowship hall of NRUMC. You are always welcome here.

There is one week until the beginning of Lent. Though there is no reason to “wait” to become more faithful, I find this season to be one of deep reflection, mucho prayer-o, and tres grande amounts of love!

I would love to hear how the 3P’s can trickle into your life.  If you choose to take the writing challenge, please leave a comment here.  I will try to encourage you the best I can.  I plan to share some of my written prayer and poems as well.

I will leave you with a kiddo story.

‘The Dude’ says our dinner blessing every night.  After he finishes praying last night, he says I bet that all the other 5 years olds are saying their blessing right now too, huh mom? WOW. This kid has no idea of the level of his thinking. ‘The Farmer’ answered him, quite well I might add. He said, “you know, not all kids pray as well as you do, buddy. Some of them don’t sit down and have dinner as a family.”

‘The Dude’ says, “that makes me want to cry [OVERLY DRAMATIC…obviously, he belongs to me]

‘The Farmer’ says, “it is kind of sad, but Mommy and I will always try to make sure we eat together every night, and that we pray together every day. Don’t you EVER stop your praying”

LOVE that man.

{beBlessed} and have a super day.

I work hard for the money...doot oot doot oot...so hard for it honey...

NOT!
Well, not me in particular, but seriously, how many people do YOU know, that work a PHYSICALLY DEMANDING JOB?

The above question came to mind last night.  I was watching the national news and a segment about common core malarkey and "ensuring our children receive the skills necessary to obtain a higher level of education and a job in the growing field of technology" Really?  Because EVERY kid in this country wants to spend his or her ENTIRE life behind a desk and subsequent computer screen?
...says the Masters level educated woman typing at a desk...computer ....touche!

But, in all seriousness, does the current administration REALLY believe that ALL of the children... somewhere out there, beneath the pale moon light...want to be computer engineers? Web designers? Media moguls?  What about over paid, under educated politicians???  Where does that job title fall?

There are other careers, that support the infrastructure of this country, that don't require a masters degree, that don't rely on technology, but DO require some real work. THAT, my friends, is the common denominator here. REAL WORK.

Politicians can balk all they want that the unemployment rate is so high, that we are handing our jobs over to illegal aliens, that we are destroying out country's economic stability. The reality is, in my opinion, that THEY...these wise old owls, are destroying our economic stability.

Here is how.
1.National Education Standards are written and implemented
2. Students are forced to learn the exact same way as their neighbor...and THEIR neighbor...etc.
3.Frustration ensues, students experience failure after failure. They become disheartened with education [Some students forge ahead and succeed, earning advanced degrees and jobs in this BOOMING technical job market.]
4. Disheartened students fail repeatedly and drop out of school, refuse any other type of training because of lack of confidence.
5. Drop-outs spend their days playing video games (YAY! support of that BOOMING technical job market)
6.  Drop-outs receive food stamps, health care, cell phone(some have 2...3...4!), apartment...
7. They are offered a job, BUT...quit after and hour because, "Damn, this is HARD work"
8. The government allows above individuals to continue to live for free, so why work anyway?
9. If said politicians want food to eat each day, the work MUST be done, so the farmers and ranchers hire anyone who WILL work! Unfortunately, the employees are NOT those disgruntled dropouts contributing to the unemployment rate disgruntled drop outs who are obsessed with their PS3 (4...5...6...   I don't even know what number we are on anymore)

We, as a nation, society, better yet...as HUMAN BEINGS, need to take a step back and look at what we are creating.  It isn't pretty.  We are forcing our children to fail. But, we don't have to.

I fear the day when BOCES and other vocational programs cease to exist. [because this WILL happen if things continue on the path that we are on]

Why isn't it OK for a kid to "Just want to be a farmer, like my dad". The key word being "just". My child shouldn't have to qualify his aspiration because it doesn't live up to the standard set forth by his state and national politicians!

Carpenters, Plumbers, Electricians...these jobs are NECESSARY for us to live. But these jobs require a different type of intelligence.  One must train and learn from someone with experience. Spend time learning by application. Spend a lifetime learning from a father or a mother.

These careers are not to be looked upon as "fall back" careers. They are important.  They are necessary. They don't require a common core driven masters level advanced education. We need to band together as parents [those of us who want our children to LIVE and ENJOY their childhood]We need to make it known that it is OK if you learn differently.  It is OK if you arrive at an answer differently than your next door neighbor.  It is OK to be skilled with your hands, as well as your mind.  But most importantly, that it is OK to say, "Hey, I really don't want to go to college" {Lord, I never thought I would say those words}

My rambling can be done now. Up since 4:30 and I have to get our super cool pig heart dissection ready for tomorrow. Rambling happens when I'm tired. ;-)
 Please don't crucify me for how I feel. I just want my boys to feel OK about WHO they are. Their Daddy is right back here...where he has always wanted to be....with a big, silly, college degree that he doesn't need.  All he needed was what he got from his Daddy...and his Grandfather...and his before him.

there is NOTHING wrong with that.

Relationships are more important than books?

“Relationships are more important than books” – as a middle school English teacher, those words would have NEVER been said in that order! Oh my stars! Can you imagine what those moody, pubescent, stinky critters would have done if I HAD said this?

Fast forward 4 years…This morning, as the smiling eyes of my class of three stared at me waiting for the first activity of the day, I said, “Relationships are MORE important than books.”  You see, as a mother, I have a responsibility to not only teach my children how to build their minds, but I also have the task of teaching them how to build a LIFE.

I, myself, attended public school.  I grew up in a small town, where you knew everyone.

My kindergarten teacher was late for school every morning.  The mommy’s would take turns staying with us, as we played, until she got there. Or, sometimes, Sam, our beloved custodian would stay with us. The lunch ladies would make her breakfast, which she would lovingly share with us each morning. [cinnamon raison toast!]. We would play house, sing songs at the piano, and we even had multiple weddings! She visited me at home when I had the chicken pox and made me a pot of soup.  The school year ended with her entire kindergarten class by her side at her wedding.

My 1^st grade teacher sat with me in church on Sundays.  She made me cookies. I visited her at her home, after school, to do some extra reading  and we remained close, until she moved south to escape the cold.

My 4^th grade teacher was the mother of one of my closest friends, my 5^th grade teacher and I wrote letters to each other well into my college years, and my 6^th grade teacher helped me get published for the 1^st time. All three of these ladies were present at the calling hours and funerals of family members, attended all of my activities throughout high school and, since moving back in to the area 10 years ago, I socialize with all three, and one very special lady attends all of my shows and concerts.

What I am trying to exemplify here, is that REAL teaching is BASED on RELATIONSHIPS!

In a day and age where curriculum changes, test scores, competition with other countries, a diminishing job market, outsourcing and the like have commandeered our education system, the biggest loss that our children our experiencing is the loss of building relationships.

Can you imagine what would happen if a 1^st grade teacher invited one of her students over after school to read magazines and bake cookies? It’s horrible, how, over the course of 30 years, our country has lost faith in education, lost faith in each other…pretty much lost faith in humanity. The increased sexualization of America has created the immediate knee jerk reaction in response to a teacher showing fondness for a child. That if a keen interest is taken with a student, the teacher must have a “sexual attraction” to him or her-  so there would be no other reason for that fondness.  What about the child that has great skill? A spark of talent? It is possible that a child that builds a HUMAN RELATIONSHIP with a teacher could become the next Maya Angelou!  Michael Jordan!  Renee Fleming!

Teachers are no longer allowed to build relationships. Not only are they forbidden to make connections and encourage outside of the classroom parameters…they simply don’t have the TIME to. Standardizing education is going to grow nothing more than robots. Like the hundreds of child-bots in Spy Kids that help Floop capture Antonio Bandaras! What we are creating within those 45 states that have adopted the Common Core, are kindergarten aged children who can rattle off every single thing known to mankind about Christopher Columbus, how to use an array or “tens box” to show how they acquired an answer to a formerly memorized addition fact, or how they can memorize words, without truly knowing their meaning.

Our children aren’t learning how to be friends.  They aren’t playing house, school, or restaurant.  They are playing engineer, web designer or zombie killer.  These children aren’t playing hunters, pirates or cowboys, because GOD FORBID they pretend to use a gun.  But they are launching birds through bricks, demolishing the building then killing the bird. They are fighting with light sabers instead of swords. They are playing with apps instead of a piece of cardboard with little plastic pawns. Their play time has become solitary, when in order to build friendships they NEED to spend time with playing with others.  REALLY playing…not virtually.

I NEVER intended to homeschool my children.  I NEVER thought that I would want my children to be “without friends”, or the “norm” of a daily school structure. But, the further we travel on this homeschool journey, the more THANKFUL I am for making this decision.

MY children know that relationships are more important than books {books being the metaphor for mandated curriculum} They play house…they are going to be great husbands and father’s some day. They play school…they love to share their knowledge. They LOVE to play restaurant where they can cook and serve…it’s great that they will be able to follow a recipe and make a meal and that they have the desire to serve others. They love to “hunt” in the orchard and play pirate while their swing set plays the role of the Jolly Roger.

My boys are definitely not without friends! Not only are they playing together, but they have a great group of friends! We frequent the Strong Museum of Play, both the Syracuse and Rochester zoos, indoor playgrounds(during the winter), outdoor parks, trails and playgrounds when the weather is nice. We visit the Memorial Art Gallery and the boys have been attending shows with the Rochester Broadway Theatre league since they were in utero! (literally)  We run our stand as a family.  We travel to farmers markets together. We go on road trips and enjoy all that our church offers. We have taught them manners and the art of polite conversation. We are living our lives by treating EVERYTHING as an educational experience.

Though this educational path is not considered “normal”, it is THEIR normal. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with learning along side of your siblings. Who ever came up with that?  Who came up with the stereotype that “homeschooled kids” are shy, introverted and social awkward?  My boys are the complete OPPOSITE of that stereotype.  And you know what, I have yet to meet a child schooled at home that is ANY of those aforementioned things. The truth is, kids that are homeschooled are LOVED so much, that they thrive on and could survive on nothing but LOVE. There are no bullies, there are no cliques, there are no mandated pre-tests that create the feeling of failure.

 And for those of you who like to be snarky out of earshot of the “homeschooling mom”…we are NOT creating a bubble for our children to live in, away from the “real” world.  That too, is a stereotype that I find amusing. If you think that my children don’t know what is going on around them…ask them?  Ask The Dude what a state test is?  Ask Bubby what a bully is?  I, as a homeschooling mom, am simply creating a learning environment and childhood for my boys that I can be proud of- One that they will look back on with fondness. One that will give them the foundation to live successfully  and to do whatever they choose to. {However, becoming the 5^th generation of this beautiful farm would be wonderful. J} Most importantly, I take pride in showing them how to live within a loving family, that their siblings are their 1^st friends and should be their forever friends, and that relationships are better than books- any day.

 “ Sometimes it’s necessary to put aside the books and work on relationships.  Homeschooling is a family lifestyle, not just another form of school.” ~  Jen at the blog  Forever, For Always, No Matter What:

Have a BLESSED day.

Triple Dipple Cheerios!

So, the cherubs emerged from quiet time STARVING!  My usual offering of an apple. tangerine or banana wasn't gonna cut it today. SO...I had to get creative.  THIS is my creation:
2 C cheerios
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp of cinnamon
chocolate sauce
sprinkles

Seriously, that's it.

I melted the PB, dumped in the cheerios, honey and cinnamon, mixed it up and dumped into a bowl. swirled on some chocolate sauce, shot on a few sprinkles and VOILA! TRIPLE DIPPLE CHEERIOS! {Jackson named it. The cheerios are TRIPLE dipped- peanut butter, honey and chocolate}

After I served this up to the boys,  they raved:

"Mom,  will you make this every day?"- Philip
"Mom, I need to have this for dessert too"- Jackson
"mamamamamamama! aaaaaayyyyyeeeeee!"- Levi

I made a little bowly for myself.  Un Flipping REAL this is.  It's like Butterfinger meets Reeses Cup! Seriously, DREAMY.
Best part...and I'm horrible at these calculations due to serving size measurements etc...but, I'm pretty sure that a whole bowl of this awesomeness is like 95 calories. [I calculated 381 calories for the WHOLE batch and divided it by 4]

THIS snack is WORTH making again.  Now...go make some!

Pinterest...the CRACK for MOMMIES!

So, if crack addicts are called "crack-heads", does that mean that Pinterest addicts are called "Pin-Heads"?
JUST kidding.
But, in all seriousness, I have a MAJOR addiction to Pinterest. I'm not sure why either.  It's not like I can afford the beautiful clothing, that my hair will miraculously grow to the perfectly coiffed, curled and sun-kissed locks that are spattered throughout my "feed", my nails will NEVER look as if I have 2 DOMINANT hands painting them, or that my kitchen will EVER have a brick oven, chefs stove and a butcher block island underneath the sunlit glow of a giant skylight. Pinterest is like a playground bully taunting the fat kid with a giant cherry topped cheesecake!  BUT...the "fat kid" {me} keeps sliding down that slide day in and day out!!!
Wanna know why?
The HOME-SCHOOL pins ARE attainable. The super-hero Moms (and occasional Dad) that share their YEARS and YEARS of home-school successes [and failures] are PINNING their words of wisdom. Their organization ideas.  Their classroom designs and...wait for it....THEIR CURRICULUM! I have not spent a hot- red- penny on any curriculum related products since purchasing my initial supplies in August. Worksheets, drills, flashcards, games, art projects, PE, book lists, labs etc. You name it....I have found it! I have used other family's class room photos as models for ours.  I have used organizational tips from Mom's with similar aged children.  I have even used pins from other "former teachers" on how to plan for your own kids versus planning for a classroom of 28!  Ladies and gentleman...Pinterest, has saved this Mommy from pure insanity this year.  It has actually been a BLESSING.
So, among the giant diamond rings, the wash board stomachs, the recycleyourdog'spoopintofertilizer and recipes for pumpkin-chai  soup...there are everyday, usable 'Pins' for the average home-schooling family.
Check out my home-school board, my boards: for the kids, diy, crafties and growing things. Hey...while you're there, you might as well stare at Pretty, Pretty Hair, My Style and Jewels too!  It's like playing virtual dress-up!
{make sure that actually find ME, if you do choose to look for me and follow me on Pinterest.  There IS another DANIELLE TEEPLE. How creep0 is THAT?}
Have a BLESSED day and...Hey, don't take too many hits of that Pinterest. ;-)

A day in the life... of organizing a day in the CRAZY life of us.

So, like I have said before.  I'm not one to follow a rigid structure, I AM one who LOVES to plan. Seriously, at any given time, I may have 3 or 4 day-planners in the works, my phone calendar, lesson planners and other ridiculous do-hickies that are supposed to "give me a well-planned serene life"  HAHAHAHA. (nothing will fit that bill...but a bit of Jesus, will soften the hardships)
Anyway, throughout my DAY PLANNER JOURNEY...I do believe that I have found the mecca of both the personal/family planner as well as the homeschool/lesson planner.
I came across this lady named Erin Condren a couple of years ago. Super cool, busy mom and took organzing the life of "hands on parenting" with her design of the LIFE PLANNER. I ADORE this planner.  It has it all!  (I have used this brand of planner for the last 2.5 years.  THIS is a huge accomplishment for one who has a small addiction to planners) It has a month view followed by the weekly plan.

It has a very large section in the back with pretty lined pages, as well as blank pages.

sections for contacts (I won't share those photos for the privacy of others), the stickers you see are all included, but the BEST part of this planner is that you can FULLY PERSONALIZE the cover!  It is made of hard, durable plastic.  Spiral bound with the GOOD heavy duty spiral and for $2 more you can purchase the "pen loop" so that you have a pen with you at all times.
I chose to have my cover printed with Proverbs 31:25-31.  This is my "life verse" [future blog about this later] Every time I look to my calendar (which is a gazillion times each day) I see my verse, read my verse and pray my verse. But last year, I had a simple cover with just my name.

SO...in addition to the awesomeness that is the Erin Condren Life planner (www.erincondren.com) I use "The Well Planned Day" homeschool planner, available at www.hedua.com:


When I last taught public school, I was used to planning for 6 sections of the same subject.  I posted my plans to my website so that parents were able to view them and that was it.  When I began homeschooling, I had to revert back to my days of teaching Elementary Special Ed., and had to plan an entire day, of different subjects, activities, "specials" and field trips. I needed a lesson planner that would help me make that transition. THIS was the planner for me.  ( I have 4 different ones. This is the one that stuck and made most sense to my brain)

complete with attendance charts and grade grids as well!

Pretty awesome. It has kept us on track, and I simply cross off a task when it is completed!
How do I merge the 2?  Well...I just do. That is one part of my brain that I can't narrate.

There is no magic equation to surviving a day of a stay at home mom, farmers wife,  homeschool teacher, bible study leader, children's minister, drama ministry director, all around super cool chick. ;-)  All I can do is plan the best that I can and offer the rest up to the Ultimate Planner. He has it all worked out anyway. Right?

Check out both planners on line.  I do believe that there are some deals right now for both. Have a BLESSED DAY.