Our home birth story

Many people have been asking to read about our first home birth experience

(after having 6 in the hospital)

so here it is.... 

the birth of our Alexa

(no gory details, I promise)

Our baby has arrived!

Introducing our newest chickadee

Alexa!

Born in the comfort of our home.

What's in a name?

     Trying to name this baby is next to impossible!! I have a list of possibilities, but Mr. Chickadee only likes the first name from the girls list. He's convinced it's a girl ❤

MOPS | Mothers of Preschoolers

     What is MOPS? It's a time to gather, child free, for mom's who are pregnant through mom's of children in kindergarten. MOPS International encourages and equips moms of young children to realize their potential as mothers, women and leaders, in relationship with Jesus, and in partnership with the local church.

Large Family | Leaving the house

     There have been two incidents when one of our children was thought to be in the car, but was in the house still, and therefore was left behind. Thankfully it happened with an older child and we didn't get far, but it was still highly unsettling. I had to come up with something to help make sure everyone was in the car before we left...

Sushi

     I wouldn't say that sushi is one of my most favorite foods, but I do like it once in a while. More so, I don't like all of it and have always wanted to learn to make my own and subsequently play with the ingredients and tastes.

     As a first time sushi maker, I didn't make anything spectacular, but it has always seemed like even the simple ones were such a difficult dish to make. Not anymore!! 

     I do have to say, after making several rolls, I much prefer sushi with seaweed on the outside, they were much easier to roll, cut, keep contained, transfer, and eat.

Peace

     When I was expecting our 6th child, I was anxious and scared and my mind was buzzing, "OMG we are going to have 6 kids!!! How am I going to do this??!" Not with this baby though. I have such peace about it and I am really looking forward to enjoying our 7 children. I must say though, God had been preparing me and opened my heart to receive this baby.

Upcycle | Jewelry Organizer

     It wasn't until I was 31 years old that I got my ears pierced for the first time. I had always wanted to, but my parents never allowed it, saying it was a sin. Even when I started to study the bible for myself, learning differently, Mr. Chickadee was still against it. So I went on with my life, browsing pretty earrings, wishing I could wear them. One day I sat down and made a list of all the reason I wanted to have my ears pierced and, hoping for the best, gave it to Mr. Chickadee. For the first time he actually considered it and then said, "I still don't want you to, but you can." You think I waited to get them pierced? I went the very next day!!

My earring collection started growing slowly, creating a storage and organization problem..
With that, this lovely hanging jewelry organizer was born!

My Bucket List

Give birth at home 11.21.16

Become a doula

Visit Sri Lanka
Own and wear a Sari
Yarn bomb

Run in a 5K

Publish a book
Make a vlog and post it

Go on a romantic getaway

Ride an elephant
Convert a school bus into a skoolie

Cross country road trip

Visit my birth place of Moldova

Build a house
Walk in Central Park
Visit the 9/11 Memorial
Times Square at night
Liberty Island
Ellis Island

Shower under a waterfall

Take a photography class

Parasail

Go backpacking

Surprise someone

Volunteer 06.29.18

Learn self defense 04.15.18

Stand up to a bully

Go on a random trip with no destination

Have a picnic somewhere unexpected 

Visit a castle

 Go on vacation alone

Design and sew a wedding dress
Sew a piece of clothing completely by hand
Build a piece of furniture

Take an underwater selfie
Be proposed to

Fathers Day 2016

     This year for fathers day I decided for another diy project and made Mr. Chickadee this fun sign and he loved it!

How we keep our home clean....

     You may remember me trying the Fly Lady Method, here, here, and here, to clean my home, but you may also remember that it didn't work .. So I have been following (more or less) a new method of keeping up with the plethora of chores. I went to pinterest for help of course and found many different ways. The one method I liked the most is where all the chores are broken down into daily chores, different chores for each day, and alternate chores done on different weeks. This way I am not overwhelmed with trying to figure out what needs to be done and when.. not to mention I don't have to do it all in one day!

There are several different schedules out there,
but I wrote my own to fit our own needs

 

Banner Update

You may have noticed the new blog banner; it has been refreshed and updated!

     Only this time, I created it all by myself!! I used my Photoshop Elements 12 and I have to say, I am quite proud of myself! Now, it's not that I didn't like the ones that were designed for me, but no one could design exactly how I wanted it to a tee... not to mention how much fun I had playing around with it all! Or that now I can add chickadees as needed ♥

When the baby is born, the egg will hatch and a baby chickadee will be added..

Love that I can update it as needed ♥

Chocolate Sausage

What? You've never heard of or had chocolate sausage?

You're missing out!!!

      I'm going to tell you right now that this is not a healthy-good-for-you dessert, but it is oh so good for your taste buds!! So I make it maybe once or twice a year.. balance haha!

Fabric Dolls

     A few years ago, I was looking for something quick to make for a nieces 3rd birthday and found a cute {and free} cloth doll pattern from Make It & Love It. I thought it was a perfect gift for a 3 year old girl and I am so happy she turned out so cute!!
 

Isn't she just adorable?!

New Home, New School Area

      The first year that we lived here, we did our school work on the couch, floor, or kitchen table and that drove me nuts.  As you may know, our educational philosophy is traditional and we thrive in a classroom-like setting. As a result, the following school year ('15-'16) I designed one!

      And that is what I want to share with you today, of course! Yes, it's the end of the school year, but it's never too late to share such awesomeness ♥ 

ISN'T IT WONDERFUL?!

My review of Bob Jones University and A Beka Academy (DVD)

      We have been homeschooling for 7 years and have almost always used A Beka Academy on DVD's for our children (one year we used Easy Peasy and one year we used only A Beka Books), but for this year (2015-2016 school year) I decided to try Bob Jones University on DVD’s (for 6th grade) and BJU Hard Drive (for grades 1 and 4). If you will be using only the books from either, some of these may or may not even matter.

This is my review of Bob Jones University and A Beka Academy:

Oh Baby!!

We have been blessed once more!!

One Hour French Bread

     This bread recipe uses honey (instead of sugar) and doesn't need any special ingredients like many other one-hour bread recipes call for. In fact, it calls for a total of 5 ingredients (and one of them is water)! And it really does take only one hour!! Really, from start to finish, ONE hour! It is simple and foolproof.

Family Safety

Today I would like to address a pretty important issue:

The safety of our children.....

     Although there are many different safety issues to discuss, I would like to share with you what you can do to protect your children when they play outside or at the park, or when they are at school or daycare, or even when they are in the grocery store with you! I have learned a few safety tips over the last few years and have implemented them in our family. I wish to share this bit of wisdom with everyone who has children. 

     This is one of those topics that I wish I did not have to ever think about, but we cannot live in a bubble, thinking God will protect us. Yes, He will, but we must do our part as well. We have to be vigilant in protecting and preparing our children for certain circumstances. Like we teach them about fire safety, seat belt safety, road crossing safety, etc., we must also teach them about being safe from predators.

Macarons

     I made macarons!! Not to be confused with macaroons.. Macarons are made with a meringue mixture and almond flour to make sandwich type cookies. Macaroons, on the other hand, are made of shredded coconut and condensed milk.

This is the recipe I used to make them...

How To Make Macarons

     Although they were nice and chewy on the inside, they were not smooth on the outside like they're supposed to, so back to looking for the right recipe.

    I made them for a party, and all in all, they turned out delicious. So much so, that some of the little chickadees decided to try some of them while mama was getting ready. And everyone at the party enjoyed them.

Do you make macarons? Got any tips for me?

New Years Eve

Every New Years Eve we stay up all night, eating snacks, watch a movie, and play games. 

This year was no different.