Free Diaper

We have entered the world of cloth diapering full force and I'm loving it.

I'm beginning to fear an addiction to acquiring new dipes.

I've even entered a giveaway for a FREE FuzziBunz Elite diaper by posting this blog.

You can enter too by heading over to All About Baby Boutique.

Hehe...the lengths we go to for cool, free stuff :)

Seeing...red???

It's almost humerous how your self control flies out the window as you hormones increase; or at least that's what I've found to be true in the final days of this pregnancy.

"Do you know what you're having?" has been a common question as of late. I usually respond with "yes, a girl," smile politely, and leave it at that. I get a variety of reactions, but there is one question that has been surprisingly popular that has me really agitated:

"Shew, aren't you glad?!"

I hate that! It ranks right up there with "Wow, you look like you are about to pop. When are you due?!" or "You sure there's only one in there?!"

What are they really asking and how am I supposed to answer..."yes, I am really glad it's NOT a boy!" Or, "yes, I will feel complete now that I FINALLY have a girl!"

Is there something wrong with boys that I don't know about? Is my family broken or incomplete without a little girl?

I am thrilled to be having a girl. I am excited about the unknown, the pink frills, and the hope of the mother/daughter comeraderie I share with my own mom. I can't wait to see my husband go goo-goo in the palm of this baby, dance with her, and eventually walk her down the aisle.

However, I love my boys and would not trade them or the lessons they've taught me for anything! Yes, they are smelly. They are very loud. They make a mess, play with bugs, and drag in dirt. They play games that I find ridiculous or complicated. They pass gas and grunt. I'm not convinced they will ever flush without being reminded EVERYtime.

But they give awesome hugs, help me carry heavy things, and appreciate my femininity. They take responsibility for "yucky" chores around my house. They defend me mightily, even if they have to stand up to their dad. I love watching my husband wrestle and play the "knock-down game" with them, take them to the hardware store, and teach them about being godly men.

Raising boys is way out of my comfort zone. I question myself hourly and often feel like a failure. But I am so grateful for how God has used these precious humans in my life. That He has chosen me to be their mom. That He continues to refine me daily through their little lives.

So, yes, I am grateful for the little girl that will be joining our family in a few short days and all of the lessons that experience will bring. But it certainly doesn't trump the past 6+ years that I've had the pleasure of being the mom to boys.

Aa is for...

Here are a few things I've been able to capture from the beginning days of school.  The boys usually freeze when I snap pictures, but here's some of what we've been doing the pst few weeks...

 Studying the Letter Aa, so I tried to find some cool treats.  Here we have "Apples and astronaut ships" {Yeah , yeah that's not the technical name, but it works, right?!}

 Hudson is sporting his awesome homeschool shirt that my brother and SIL gave us for Christmas last year.  Aren't they awesome???

 Sweet T's math is coming from an awesome book called Developing Number Concepts by Kathy Richardson.  As a former math teacher, I LOVE LOVE LOVE her approach to primary math!!! Wish my algebra 1 kids had gone through her curriculum.  

 We are using Chicka Chicka Boom Boom as one part of our "Letter of Week" units this year. HudBug is putting up his very first letter of the year.

 Using his pom-pon magnets on the Letter A activity

 Prewriting skills using our awesome new Crayola Dry erase Activity Center 

 Sweet T working on some logic skills

 Bottlecap spelling 

 More logic skills

 Hud has a love/hate relationship with cutting.  This day was ok... We have been using the Kumon workbooks for cutting practice.

 My little Hud loves his Do-A-Dots!!!

 Numeral recognition and counting practice.

{These are magnetic numerals that we have acquired over time and they are sticking to a cookie sheet.}

 One-to-one correspondence activity from Kathy Richardson

 Practicing making the letter A with Wikki Stix

 Spelling his name with an alphabet puzzle

 Apple lacing card

 Reviewing AWANA verses 

 Picking out all the Aa's 

(with Do-A-Dot markers}

 We are using Window on the World for our geography/people group study this year.  We studied Afghanistan for the letter A.

A friendly {ahem, pretty friendly} game of Guess Who? to put all those logical reasoning and sight reading skills to good use!

I have gathered all of my Letter of the Week activities from these AH-mazing ladies who are generous enough to share all of their hard work with the rest of us:

Erika @ Confessions of a Homeschooler

Carissa @ 1+1+1=1

Jolanthe @ Homeschool Creations

Coming up next at Ledford Christian Academy:

Fall Fun Pack

Letter Bb

Ummm, yeah

{DISCLAIMER: I am 34 weeks pregnant and a little prickly these days...this is also a very important soapbox topic for me, so proceed at your own risk.  And don't say you weren't warned!}

So, the kids and I have been getting this question a lot lately, "Did you have school today?"

I'm realizing that I don't like this question so much.  Well, at all, actually.  I get a little defensive.  Kind of perturbed.  And sort of dumbfounded.

I mean, I kind of get it - we homeschool and most people that I know don't.  It is a very different world than most people that I interact with live in.  An unknown creature of sorts.

I also understand that the question is perhaps just a well-meaning attempt to interact with us in this area of our lives or simply to make conversation.

Duly noted.

However, it still bugs me.

I mean I wanna answer, "Well, uh, yeah.  It IS a school day, right?"  Or, "have you ever spent all day with a 4 and 6 year old and not taught them something?!" Or maybe even, "Yeah, the state says I HAVE to!"

But I refrain.  I try to remind myself that just because people are asking about our school doesn't mean that they are being critical or judgmental.

Let me elaborate.

You see, homeschool is NOT just "school at home."  We do not follow a rigid 8AM-3PM schedule like most traditional schools.  We don't have to enter the sacred "classroom" and pull out textbooks or worksheets to begin our learning.

Currently, as I type, my kids are indeed sitting at their desks in our classroom.  However, Thad is in his pj pants with no shirt and Hud is in mismatched T-shirt and shorts.  They are coloring their AWANA verses for this week while belting out their favorite VeggieTales Silly Song {The Song of the Cebú, for those curious ones out there.}

One of the beauties and chief reasons we chose to homeschool was for the very things that make it "not school."  Yes, we teach our kids reading, writing, and math.  We keep attendance.  We will take "a test" at the end of the year.  We even have an official "classroom."  But that is quite possibly where the similarities to traditional schools end.  We often have science conversations at the dinner table or in the grocery store. We sometimes learn about math while folding clothes.  We can watch a NatGeo show in our jammies and cover biology, Bible, social studies, and geography all in one 30 minute segment.  {Are you getting jealous yet?}

Sometimes we do follow a structured plan (I personally love Sue Patrick's Workbox system and have my own version set up for both boys in the classroom).  On those days, our routine may closely resemble that of a traditional school.  I spend countless hours researching, cutting, laminating, and reading up for those activities, much like I did in preparation for my kids when I taught in the public school system.  

There are also many days when we won't step foot in the classroom.  We may even be running around town like chickens with our heads cut off, all day {GASP!}.  But those days are no less school days, right?  We are soaking up the world around us and learning appropriate ways to interact with the people and things in it.  We have great conversations while standing in line or sitting at a stoplight.  And talk about learning to develop and practice fruit of the Spirit?!

But this type of "non-traditional" learning lends itself to lots of questions, plenty of opinions,  and judgement.  From others as well as yourself.  There is lots of self-doubt as a parent and teacher of homeschooled kids.  Am I doing it right?  Am I gonna ruin my kids?  Are they learning ANYTHING?!?!?

If my goal is to raise my kids to know about, love, and serve Jesus (which, by-the-way, it is), then I shouldn't be limited to the four walls of a room to do that, right?  I don't have to have paper and pencil, books and worksheets.  It doesn't really matter that Thad has taught himself to multiply but is refusing to read (true story!) or that some days Hudson spends countless amounts of time walking in circles, accomplishing almost nothing.  

I am learning that I HAVE to be sensitive to God's leading and direction for our school and trust that He knows better than me and my lesson plans anyway!  He is the One who instructed us as parents to teach our kids (Deut. 6).  He called me out of the public classroom to come home and teach my kids.  He chose me to raise my kids and is continually preparing me to do that in a way that honors Him (Eph 2:10).  I cling to that promise daily, sometimes, hourly!

So next time you wanna ask if we had school today, DON'T!!! 

Only kidding.  Sort of.  I will do my best to see your heart and curiosity for what it is.  I will try to answer you politely.  

Just know that the answer is an emphatic and resounding, yes!  Yes, we did have school today..

Need a name

For 6+ years, it has been MaLedford and the Boys around our place.  We've enjoyed living in the land of bugs, trucks, and superheroes.

But, that's all gonna be changing soon! In a matter of weeks, a little girl is going to be joining our ranks.  (I know, a Ledford GIRL!!!) Though there is much to be done before her arrival, we are super thrilled and looking forward with great anticipation to the day she comes.

With that in mind, "MaLedford and the Boys" will no longer be an adequate title for our family blog.  That's where you come in...I need suggestions! Got something catchy for me to consider??? I'd love to hear from you.  Leave your idea in the comments section below!

Unexpected fruit...

We've been plenty busy since my last post.  So busy, I've not taken the time to update!  Today's event, however, was too good to pass up.

First, some background:

In the past weeks, God has been showing me much about my role as mother.  There is enough wrapped into that revelation that I could craft many a blog post, but alas, I will refrain {for now}. One of the major lessons I am fighting learning is that the lessons learned and the effort exerted during parenting isn't at all for MY glory.  Rather it is designed to bring glory to the Father.  This is pretty difficult for a girl who only likes to tackle things that she knows ahead of time she will be good at and receive  accolades for.

Jason and I have spent much time in discussion and prayer in recent weeks about parenting with a purpose.  A Godly purpose.  We have talked through rules, consequences, grace, mercy, rewards, allowance, yelling, spanking {I mean let's be honest here} and a plethora of other things.  We've read some books, some blogs, griped talked to friends, even travelled to family camp in MI to try to become experts on all things family in order to best fulfill this role of parent.  All the while, God is showing me that the glory or fruit isn't mine to receive...

...until today.  Praise Him for His good gifts!!!  I was dead-to-the-world when the boys got up this morning.  Like every morning, they came down, found me awake woke me up, and moseyed into the den for their daily TV fix.  Only the TV is not what I heard.  Instead it was a drastically different sound.  A very distinct one.  A sort of clanging of glass and metal.  A slamming of cabinets and drawers.  As the sounds continued and became more and more familiar, I began to think I had fallen back asleep.  Yes, I was dreaming.  My ears were mistaken.  I MUST be dreaming.

Really?!  Yes, really!  My precious little children arose this morning, greeted their mother warmly and gently as she was still snuggled in her bed, and then proceeded to UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER.  Go ahead, rub your eyes and re-read it...my 4 and 6 year old unloaded the dishwasher.  Completely unprompted.  No bribing or begging involved.  No threats hurled.  No "deals" made.  No nickels exchanged.   Just a precious, loving, and pure act of kindness and service from the hearts of my babies.  What a way to start the day!

Lord, thank you that you chose to show me fruit of my labor today.  Thank you for beginning to soften the hearts of my children unto You and Your ways.  Thank you that, even on the hardest of days, I have the privilege of being their mother.  Thank you that you shelter them while their mom stumbles through this process called parenting.  And thank you, THANK YOU for allowing me to wake up to an empty dishwasher!!!

Carla's Cakes???

I have been dappling in the cake world for some time now, but it hasn't been much more than squeaking something out for my own kids' birthdays.  Until lately, that is. I have recently had the pleasure of making a few cakes for some great friends who placed incredible trust in my experiments.  I am no pro, far from it, but I enjoy stressing over, planning out and decorating cakes.

Here are some of the latest (forgive the picture quality: these are from my phone...)

a 1st Birthday cake for a precious little boy who has already learned to love the remote.
 (His mama had to write Happy Birthday on the cake because I was SCARED!)

My first attempt at both a character that didn't come from a shaped pan as well as writing!

a Valentine's Book Club treat for a friend - complete with a marshmallow heart border!

A baby shower cake for a friend who happened to deliver just a few days later!

I have discovered that I really enjoy being able to give cakes to friends knowing that I created something special for them.  The catch is I never really know how the thing is gonna turn out.  I mean, I kinda just make it up as I go and hope for the best.  And it takes me forever! {I credit some of that to lack of skill and the rest to my being a perfectionist.}

So, I have decided to bite the bullet and will be embarking on the official Wilton cake decorating journey - I start my beginners class next week and I confess, I'm a little nervous! At least at home, I can stress out in the privacy of my own kitchen.   I will now be in the company of other students as well as a very experienced teacher who will be hovering over me and watching my make-shift techniques.  I am hoping to learn more efficient ways to decorate and maybe some cool new tricks.

The pressure is on, friends.  Taste-testers get ready!

February in review...

I really wanted to get this posted before the end of the month, even if that meant 2 posts in one day!

I was super excited about our February sensory bucket.  I had a blast putting it together.

red beads 

heart buttons

erasers

small wooden hearts

some tweaked goodies from the dollar store
I cute apart the letters for love and took the sticks out of the hearts

red koosh-like thingys

I also added colorful muffin cups, plastic heart container, and red pom pons with a white bean filler.
Isn't it cool?!

I decided to amp up my attempt at creativitiy this month.  We made "marble art" (or in our case, bouncey ball art) for our Valentines cards.  They turned out really cute, but they didn't make it in the mail!!! Sorry family and friends - you can know you were loved from afar.

Happy February! Bring on the warmth of March!

Nice try...

So I've discovered, I'm just not the blogging type.  {Collective gasp of utter surprise!} I mean, if I can't even get my daily household chores done, my kids schooled, and dinner on the table in a timely fashion, why in the world would I expect myself to stay on top of a blog?!  Silly me.

Though it isn't posted for all to see - and by all I mean the 4 people who read this blog - life indeed goes on in the Ledford house.  Hudson is completely boycotting school right now, so that portion of our lives is a little out of whack, but alas, we continue to plug along.

Here are some clips from the past few {ahem} months:

 Thad, Hudson, and the "big kids" heading our to conquer the arctic villains during our Christmas snow storm.

 Hudson and Uncle Joe creatively passing time while we wait for Christmas dinner to be served.  Apparently that bowl makes a pretty mean reflection!

 Thad enjoying one of his awesome new toys, Qwirkle  (thanks Bebe & Pops!) on the kitchen floor .  I even made it in a picture!!!

 Proof that school has indeed taken place since November! The boys love to use their Do-A-Dot markers.

 As a motivator to get Thad to read, he's been reading these cards and then taping them in place all over the house.

 Our first stab at Pick and Draw, and super cool game that came in Thad's stocking.

 More winter work...

  My attempt to beat the winter blues by being crafty! Hudson helped me sort some of my old crayons, back from my public school days, and we made homemade ones.  They took longer than I expected, but turned out cute.  I was more impressed than the boys, of course.