Just for you I am finger pecking away at my keyboard to get this post out to you..your welcome:) ha...While I feed this starving baby. Is this all I do is nurse? haha
Ok, lets try and answer these questions:
1.What do you do to look so great after having 5 children? And also, was it hard to get your kids to respect you as their "teacher"? I am thinking about homeschooling my 5 next year! Thanks! I love your stories! :)
First of all thank you! I try hard to look good for my husband but the lack of sleep and time to get ready doesn't always help. I've learned that bronzer and lip gloss go along way. I do try to watch what I eat and I am very active. I also think breastfeeding has help me shed ALL the baby weight. I get HUGE when I'm pregnant but thank God the babies suck it all out of me:)
As far as my children respecting me as their teacher was pretty easy. You see my older two are like poster children for homeschooling. I teach they learn. They are easy learners. Now my middle two ( I am praying hard for) are not so easy. They are partners in crime and I know I will have to get more creative as I teach them. They do not like to sit still and learn. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of outdoor learning with them. It also helps to have a strict principal (dad) and of course I do bribe....good grades= fun times!
2.Hi There,My name is Marie and I am an in-law of your friend Kadi P. She speaks highly of you and as well my sister-in-law (and Kadi's sister-in-law) Kathleen. I feel I know you, and your family is just beautiful!What prayer do you say/pray when you feel your losing it? I am overwhelmed being a single mom.....God Bless you and your family!Marie
Hi Marie, I love Kadi and Kathleen. Actually Kathleen's daughter Claire was Austin's first crush in preschool. So cute! All he talked about was Claire..small world. I say all kinds of prayers when I'm losing it. I lock myself in the bathroom many times and just cry out to him...I don't have a specific prayer I just pray what is on my heart at the time. Nothing fancy I just talk to him:)
3.Thank you for sharing your stories with us. :) (btw I am not one of the ones that thought you were a dumb blonde cheerleader lol)
Thank you Loni, thanks for reading even though we don't always agree you always have my back haha... oh and btw I'm not a natural blonde:)
3.Oh come on like you don't track your followers on a daily basis. haha jk
Now, I do...um seems weird to me that men in Iraq care about cloth diapering..hmmmm
4.Just wondering what you do with the "little" ones while you school the older ones.My oldest will begin Kindergarten & last year (my attempts at PreK) were stressful b/c of the younger ones and their needs.I love getting strategies from wherever I can!
I wrote a post on that 2 years ago here.
We also do lots of play dough and our new water/sand table keeps them busy. My 3 little ones still all take naps (I make them take them at the same time) so that gives me 2 hours a day to spend teaching the older ones. I do tend to the little ones a lot because the older ones have a lot of independent work. Like silent reading,Journals, daily grams, music practice etc....It's not always easy but they get use to it just like you get use to it.
5.I like the other questions, so I look forward to your answers. Hmmm... so, do you have a regular schedule that guides you daily? Also, in the past I have noticed mention of Pre-K. Do your kids go to a Pre-K program?
Yes, my kids go to preschool. Actually Austin went to a private school up to 2nd grade (while I was busy arguing with the Lord about homeschooling) finally I listened to him and pulled Faith out before 1st grade and Austin out before 3rd. Landen goes to preschool 2 days a week for 3 hrs each time. It's good for him to have "his" own thing and "his" own friends. These days we use for our geography and other lessons that require more teaching time (while the babies sleep)
We do follow a daily schedule but I've learned to be flexible...very flexible! If we don't get through math then that's ok, dad will do it with them when he gets home. That's why I love homeschooling because you can be flexible and I think with little ones that's what we need.
My day usually goes like this:
6:00 prayer...lots of prayer and study
7:00 check email and of course blog (my hobby) stalk other blogs:) nurse baby....
8:00 pick up house laundry etc... write out chore list for the day and correct papers.
9:00 start breakfast (if I feel like being a good mom) otherwise they can make their own. Actually Austin makes breakfast (french toast) once a wk and Faith makes (eggs) once a wk. From start to finish includes clean up. (Home ec)
Yes, my kids sleep late!
9:30 We have bible and Calendar 365 days of praise while eating breakfast.
10:00 Kids start chore lists (they know their daily chores like clean room etc...but I give them daily chores depending on what I need done that day) This includes getting dressed and brushing teeth etc. (I still do everyone's hair) I get babies ready while older 3 get ready. (Landen's chore list is written with pictures) I will draw a bed for "make your bed" haha...
We usually start school around 10:30
Kids start with daily grams and journal. (They have their list posted on independent work) on what we call their "lockers" they have their own cabinets.
Every day is different from 11 and on. Mondays are violin, Tuesdays are guitar, voice, piano,knitting and dance. Tues are busy!Thurs. are math tutoring and Fridays are field trips and make-up work I usually do tests on Fridays....I know most h.s. mom's don't do test but I do heee heee!
After 2:00 3 younger kids take nap and this is when we get down to business...
We do math, geography, science, spelling etc.... We are done before the babies wake up and then it's either swim or off to the many sports my children play.
We do not have a traditional "school" day we learn on the go... We have school at the park, at Starbucks, the library etc...we are always making our days fun and no they are never the same. This helps me from suffering from "homeschool burnout!"
I find with homeschooling everyone is different each family is different you need to find what fits your family the best. Like I said sometimes we don't get to math or spelling until 7 at night. Most days we are done with all our school by 11. We get LOTS of learning in sometimes the kids don't even know they are learning:)
Homeschooling is a lifestyle not just a "normal school day"
5.Well, I don't know you personally, and I don't even remember how I found your blog, but, I love it. I'm a fellow homeschooler and I love your ideas. What made you decide to HS?
I wrote a post back in March about Why I choose to homeschool. I'm glad I decided to listen to God and just trust him because it was the best decision our family has ever made.
6.Hey Bridget!! I would love to know much sleep you get, on average, a night? As you know I only have two..and if I don't get enough sleep I am a total wreck! So taking care of all 5 kids, housework, husband, homeschool, blog, and dog..and I'm sure much more..How is there enough hours in the day to do it all? Maybe my question should be, "Do you sleep?":) Love your blog! Especially the down to earth ones like Farrah falling over in her car seat or running around with a saggy diaper:) It makes me feel normal...I call Jack..My trial and error baby:)
Sleep...what's that? haha...Thank God all my kids are good sleepers. They all sleep through the night and they all sleep in late:) This allows me for "me" time. I do stay up late sometimes but I get 8 hours on most nights. I have to or I will throw chairs and kick animal cages haha....
7.I love your blog! Do your kids ever fight? And does your husband work a lot of hours?Does the rest of yours and his family think you guys are crazy having 5 (or maybe more someday) kids? And homeschooling them?I think that's it.:)
I am so glad that so many of you love my little attempt at a blog. I still don't quite know what I'm doing but hey I write you read, you comment, I smile...(sometimes) Do my kids ever fight? NO, never they are all angels.....haha..are you kidding me??? My fav is when they fight during bible or when I'm praying they are hitting each other. Nice! They are like normal siblings, the fact that they are always all together makes for more fighting but it also makes them the best of friends. They are all so close and when one of them is gone they miss the other terribly. Austin and Faith still will lay their heads on each other while reading etc... I love it! Another reason I love homeschooling is that all my kids will be close even though there are age differences. Landen spends so much time with his big brother and if Austin was in school he wouldn't. And does our family think we are crazy? Yes, from the beginning. Crazy when we wanted to get married at 19 and 21 Crazy when we got pregnant with our 2nd when Austin just turned a year. Crazy when we sold our house and everything we owned to move away and start a "pool" business we knew nothing about. Crazy when we planned to support a big family working with one income and that one income being a "pool man" Crazy when we got preg with #3 and #4 then preg with #5 when #4 was only 5 months old. Crazy when we kept moving every year. Crazy when I pulled my kids out of school because I was going to homeschool them with no college degree. Yes, they think we are crazy but they love us and support us in every decision we make. I don't think they are shocked anymore they are use to us and all of our craziness. I also think because we don't ask for help in watching the kids. I can count on my hand how many times we have asked for sitters (mostly just when I have another baby)
8.With homeschoolong, outings, and five kids. . .do you have "date" time/night with your husband? I only have 2 kids with one on the way and sneaking away to a movie or dinner alone is near impossible sometimes.
I have to say date nights are not as often as we would like. We do try to get one in a month. We know it is important to spend time together "just us" but this is a season in our life were we are busy with kids. We do set aside time together either in the mornings or after work. We do everything together but just have a bunch of tag-alongs.
9.ok..so do you put something in your water to make you so fertile? If so..can I have some??!!?!? Totally kidding! I love your blog..so inspirational and no I didn't think you are were a dumb blond in high school!! You have actually inspired me to possibly homeschool Alison. Very inspirational keep up the good work!
haha. Steph you are so funny! Fertile runs in my family my mom was a fertile mertile (got preg with #4 after my dad had vest.) I get pregnant by just looking at my husband which is both good and bad.
10.Hi Bridget! I follow your blog too...I am Brenda's friend Amanda. I love reading your blog and keeping up with how you all are doing. I can't believe your kids are so big..I remember when you used to do my hair in your kitchen sink when Austin was just a baby. Time flies!!
Hi Amanda! Thanks for reading...didn't know you read this haha. Yes, I too remember sticking your head in my kitchen sink. And look at you graduate from USC...Gosh, I feel old. ha
11.How many c-sections have you had?Are you thinking of having another baby soon?And not sure if this is a question or not, but thinking of getting that awesome stroller you have for my 18 month old twins (the front and back is NOT working out for us at all bc whoever is in the back is abusing the one in the front). Is it worth it though to get something like this this late in the game (we might have one more child after this, but only one more bc of number of c-sections...)? Anyways, thanks!! :)
My last 2 (Farrah and Finley) were C-sections. Farrah was an emergency after being in labor for 10+ hours they rushed me in...then Finley I tried to do a VBAC but because of a lazy uterus I had to have another C-sec. bummer! But doc says my uterus is good and healthy and they can work around scar tissue if I want more. Do I want another baby soon? Well..what's soon? haha... Let's just say my husband and I know that we are not done at 5 either we want more through adoption or birth??? We are praying about this....I love my stroller. I love that you can turn the seats facing each other or not. It is just a pain to take apart and put together every time you get in and out of the car. (but that's why you have older kids to do this for you...ha!) poor slave children! jk .........as far as for you 18mo old twins. It is a reasonable stroller about $200 and I still push around my 3 yr old if he's tired and carry my baby. So they aren't too big for it. Also if you want more kids it is perfect because it works with a baby carrier and or single stroller with just extra storage.
12.Ok...I changed my mind..I do have two questions... #1..What preschool does Landon go to? Will he start homeschool in kinder....and #2..What will you do for junior high and high school? Will they go to public school then?? Thanks!!
I can't say exactly where Landen goes to preschool on this blog but email me and I will tell you:) He does go to a private school (same one Faith went to) I've checked out a lot of preschools in the past and this one stands out and is fairly priced. As for jr. high and high school..again trusting in God if it's his will I plan to homeschool them thru highschool......yep! We have already been looking into co-op classes and sports teams. It's amazing what is out there for homeschoolers now. They even have proms etc. For our own personal reasons we will never send our kids to public school.
13.Hi, Bridget!Most of the questions I thought of have already been asked (such as how you look so great after 5 kids and what your typical daily schedule is like).So here's a different one: what denomination are you, or what church do you go to? I know you know the Lord and have always been curious about that.
I go to a non-denomination church. No membership required! ha... It is a Calvary Chapel bible teaching church. I am not religious but yet have a personal relationship with the Lord:)
14.I'm brand new to your blog, but I really like it! I don't have any questions for you, but you are the cutest thing, and I love that you love your kiddos and the Lord so well!! Good job sister! :)
ahhh...thanks Sasha!
15.Don't worry I was a dumb blonde cheerleader too. Cj still says jokes to me to this day. lol My questions to you are..- where is your favorite place you have traveled?- What is your favorite date type thing to do with Justin?- How are you and your sisters alike/different?
Who would of thought when we were standing on the sidelines cheering on our boyfriends playing football that we would someday marry them and then have a bunch of kids with them...love it! I haven't really traveled..been busy having babies for the last 10 yrs. :) We have been a couple places but it's dangerous I always come back pregnant. I would have to say our favorite trip "just us" was when we went to Hawaii for our 5 yr ann. We did everything from Scuba diving to wind surfing. We had massages on the beach and a private picnic. We also did a 32 mile bike ride (down hill) very fast...haha...and rented a jeep and went offroading . Where ever we go we always make it adventurous and are very active and love to do things together. (that's one reason why I married him) As a family our favorite so far was our recent trip to Yosemite. My favorite date with Justin is anything sometimes just a walk with NO KIDS. We like to throw the kids in daycare and attempt to play a game of tennis at the gym. We do all kinds of stuff....We like to go to "old date" spots where we use to date when we were just 16 .. it's fun to look back. And about my sisters we are so different but so much alike at the same time. I could write a whole post on this. Let's see they are both witty and funny, they joke all the time. I am more serious and my jokes stink. I tend to be more honest and can't keep my mouth shut when they just keep the peace.
My youngest sister is very artsy and I am more of the athletic one. My middle sister is very creative and takes her time on everything she does. I tend to throw things together just to get them done with and move on. Get us together though and we know exactly what the other one is thinking we can almost read each others minds. We laugh at the same things we just "get" each other.
16.I am happy to say that I knew you in high school - and Jr. High! - but sad to say that I am not yet a follower. I don't know why I haven't clicked the button yet, but I digress. I promise to click it after I post this.Blonde, yes, dumb, no. Rather, very sweet and friendly and actually approachable. And a pretty good swimmer, too :O) Not to mention the girl just about every guy in school had a crush on!!! My question for you is this:What is your "go-to" meal/recipe? The one you can make without having to really think about it. The one you know you and your family of seven will love sitting around the table together eating? Also, are you an Etsy shopper? What are your favorite shops there? And if so, who are you so that I can see your favorites :O) (if you don't reveal them, just forget about this question!) Blessings, SusanI'm starting a new blog outside of my family blog. It's got a cheesy name by I am excited about it. And once it's up and running I'll be dishing out all sorts of neat giveaways. http://www.dreamshoppe.blogspot.com/
I still remember our relay team.haha...I didn't have the smoothest stroke but put me in the water and I could go haha! My fav was the 50 free:) in and out! My "go-to" meal/recipe that I know is easy, cheap and everyone loves is Lora's taco salad. I've been making this since we were married. The kids love it because I give them bags of chips and they get to stomp on them or throw them at the walls etc to smash the chips inside.
Off the top of my head...lets see..ground beef (taco seasoning) lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, kidney beans, garbanzo beans,olives, and crushed chips from the kids:) I mix it all together and serve with ranch dressing. Husband likes it with salsa. I sometimes add some home grown avocados sliced on top:)
17.How many sisters do you have?
I have 2 sisters. I am the oldest but look the youngest...haha I wish! We are all close in age.
18.Hi! I found your blog thru Kadi's blog... Just a little tidbit... I went to CHS for a couple of years and your husband was a TA in one of my classes. (Mr. Mac's) Ha! What a small world! Anyway, just wanted to let you know, I never even thought of homeschooling until I read your blog.. Thanks for opening my eyes, I'm seriously considering it! (Although I am a little scared, ok a lot scared about it! heheh!)=] I have an almost 3 year old boy, named Marcos, and an almost 3 Month old girl, Ruby. I really like your blog.. you crack me up! And you also have great ideas of activities to do with the kiddos! =] Good questions have already been asked.. so I'll just wait for you to answer them! haha! Oooh, wait, I just thought of one! Is there a chance that you'll perhaps "hook us up" again on the great deals for the cute dresses your girls wear?? I don't know whyyyy I didn't buy any dresses when you posted it, I mean I KNEW I was going to have a girl!! =\ grrrr! If not, it's cool! =]Thanks!Damaris
It is a small world isn't it? Thanks for reading:) What year did you graduate? I have a bad memory, I blame it on kids haha... I graduated 98 had a baby got married in 99 and then life was just a big blurr from then on:) I was very scared to homeschool too. Like I have said before I argued with God and he kept placing it on my heart. I tried to analyze everything. I kept questioning him like, God but I'm not smart enough and I don't have the patience...etc. etc. He has showed me to just trust in him and if he is calling you to homeschool he will equipped you. It's amazing the energy I have to do what I do and the creativness I sometimes have when teaching the kids, I know I can't take credit for it, I know for a fact that it comes from him! Trust in him and he will take care of the rest. Because we all know that if Bridget can homeschool just about anyone can! About the dresses..how about a giveaway? And I think we could arange some hook ups for some cute summer dresses..I'll get on that:)
19.I would also love to know who makes the stroller you have. I only have one kiddo so far, but I'm sure we will need a double stroller in the next year or two.Also, I would LOVE it if you would do a "house tour". I love the "cottage atmosphere" of your yard and would love to see more pics for some inspiration in my own decorating!
Kolcraft is the maker of "big red" my stroller. I think a house tour like Kelly's Korner does on her blog. That would be fun.
20.Hi Chicky, thought I would join in on the questions. This is a problem I have with only 1 baby.....What do you do when your little one is having a fussy moment and you need to do things like cook dinner or clean up??? I always feel bad just letting her fuss so I can get done what I need to.....
Some might call me a mean mom but I like to say if they are fed and changed then let them fuss. Don't get me wrong, I snuggle up on my babies and rock them but when mommy needs to do something they need to learn to play by themselves or sooth themselves to sleep. It's worked so far. All my kids are good sleepers take naps at the same time, I think because I started them like this at an early age they know mom's not gonna come in and get them so they might as well find a toy to play with (if in play pen) or go to sleep if it's night time or nap time.
As for newborns I did a lot of strapping the baby to me and getting stuff done that way.
21.How did you come up with each of your kids names? Especially Farrah and Finley, they are so cute and unique!
Well Austin was kind of like my husband Justin and at the time I was a Days of Our Lives fan (not an Austin' Powers fan) and I just liked the name. Didn't realize it would become so popular. Faith's name came when we couldn't agree on a name for her and I went to go get the mail as we were talking about it. As I was opening up the mail and all the Christmas cards a card with a bunch of glitter and sparkles with the word Faith on it caught my eye and I said that's it her name is going to be Faith!...and my husband agreed:) As far as Landen goes, I grew up liking Little House on the Praire and remember seeing the name Landon as Micheal Landon's last name and just changing the spelling. I loved the way Landon Troy(my dad's name) sounded so cute togther. Farrah was a name I just loved! It sounded so girly to me. I guess I like the 70's names Bridget Bardot and Farrah Fawcett. haha Then it came to Finley. I couldn't leave her out and have her two sisters with F names and we did not have a name for her until she was about 5 hours old. I was drugged on morphine after my c-section and kept saying Finley is so cute and we can call her Finn...my husband just again agreed:) NO ONE liked Finley but I have to say it's my favorite name now...shhh don't tell the others:)
22.I also want to know what you do to look so good. It is so hard to find time when there are lots of little kids and homeschooling and etc.and where do you order your hair bows and headbands from?By the way, your kids are the cutest, after mine of course :)I found you from link to link, you know how it is.
Thank you, but I find that accesories like hats and big sunglasses hide a lot:) As for the bows I have TONS of bows some I make, some my friends have made me but I like Pretty Bitty Bowtique. And how do I get them to leave them on? I train them from day 1 in the hospital (with toothpaste I stick a bow to their head)so now if I don't put a bow in Farrah's hair she is bringing me one saying mommy bow..haha
23.Yep I'm a friend from HS but don't read because I'm shocked. I read because I love what you're doing. Your Faith in the Lord, love for your husband and unconditional love for your children. You go girlfriend!
Thanks Corinne:)
24.I'm wondering what you think of our current President and if you try to teach your children about the government/current issues by teaching both sides and then telling them your views. I think I'm going to have a hard time being a Republican school teacher when most teachers are very liberal these days (at least where I live).
Good question. I don't stand for a lot of what the current President stands for. I pray for him and I teach my kids to pray for him and his family and the decisions he makes. I teach my kids about current events and the government (both sides) but then we talk about what is right (going back to the bible as our guideline) I don't just teach them believe this because this is what mommy or daddy believe. I want them to know what is right because of their own convictions in their hearts for what they know is true and what is right or wrong in the Lord's eyes. It's with anything I teach them to always base their decisions not on the world views but on what the word of God says. In this crazy lost world they need a foundation to base their lives on and that is what I am giving them:) Yes, most teachers especially in the colleges are so liberal. Sad. We need more teachers like you:) so thank you!
