All shapes and sizes

We all know that people come in all shapes and sizes, right? Actually, they come in under ten pounds and as soon as they get here they just grow and grow. Some grow more than others. Sure, there are averages but there will always be  few people who thrive at levels above or below that average. That's where averages come from. It's necessary to have two extremes. So it's a good thing there are Big and Tall Clothing stores, as well as clothes for women's plus sixes. Next thing we know they'll be making a children's store that specializes in oversized kids. Not that it matters what their size is, UNLESS they're unhealthy. Then it matters because they deserve to be healthy. A lot of kids these days don't have a choice. There is a general lack-of-knowledge when it comes to the importance of whole, natural foods for health.  Some people eat nothing but processed foods. We choose to eat only whole and natural foods, but that's our choice. Mine, actually.  My kids get to make their own decisions, but they generally choose healthy foods, with a little more candy than I enjoy. Lately I have no craving for sweets at all. I think that means I am officially old or something.  I don't know, maybe it's because I just don't eat refined or processed foods much. I guess I start each day with a cup of coffee that's made with refined sugar. I should find a substitute I like. Maybe stevia. I wouldn't mind switching from coffee to tea, if I had  badass tea collection. Maybe I'll do that one day. Anyway, life is good. have a nice day.


 

Wear one out

Hey homeschoolers, wanna get your hands on some great Christian T Shirts? I know what you're saying; "A T shirt isn't capable of accepting Jesus as its savior." But lighten up, I just mean that there are some awesome shirts out there with Christian sayings, quotes and graphics. If you decide to visit their site, be sure to check out the top selling funny shirts.One cool thing about this site is that so many of the shirts are able to be customized. When you see the designs, it's kind of funny to see that each shirt says "Your words here" I collect quotes, though, so I'm always thinking of which words would go on a T shirt and I bet they might sell more if they display them with actual words instead of making the consumer think of their own. Oh well, they must have an artist on staff because the designs are fresh, modern,(yet traditional - nothing trashy) AND they're well-drawn. So basically you go for the art of the T shirt and you have to then choose your favorite quote or saying to be printed with the art. It's really a unique idea and the shirts are beautiful.  I'm sure they would make great gifts, too. 

Home Economics

I took home economics in High School and it wasn't an economics course at all. We learned how to cook and clean and sew. Not that I can even sew a simple set of kitchen curtains today, it's not because I didn't learn how, it's just because I wasn't interested at the time.  Either way, that's not economics. Economics is managing money. Maybe they were trying to teach us that it's cheaper to bake from scratch or to sew things instead of buy them.... but we didn't really ever learn how to juggle bills, how to make a family budget or how to save money eating out. That's the kind of economics I find useful as a mom and homemaker. We redecorated our kitchen once fore like $30, they didn't teach us THAT in high school, right? I mean, you can't buy one single kitchen decor item for that much, it's ridiculous.

I don't know about you, but one reason we homeschool is because I want to be sure that the kids have real-life skills that they can use and one way we do that is by including them in decisions. See, in life, you really CAN have everything you want, as long as you work out a method to get it, right? Actually I shouldn't say that because every plan I make seems to fail but I still end up getting what I want. Life is good. The world is a good place and people want to help your dreams come true. That's why we homeschool. You don't need to have an average set of knowledge in every topic in order to be successful. A better approach is to be an expert in your favorite things and homeschooling allows us to raise kids who have time to pursue their passions and become experts in their field, without the time-wasting, mind-numbing, soul-crushing focus on mediocrity. so what about you? Did you take Home Ec in school? Do you think they missed the mark, or did you learn valuable homemaking skills? How does your homeschool differ from the experience you had as a child?

Dressing up

A lot of families are dealing with weight issues, because modern technology has replaced some of the more laborious tasks of generations passed. Laundry and dish-washing used to be time-consuming tasks but now we just use the machines, and we can all agree that life is easier this way. Unfortunately, the foods we eat have also been replaced by franken-food, stuff that's made entirely in factories and all the enzymes and nutrients that nature would have us consuming aren't in our diets anymore. So there are many reasons people nowadays are just plain fatter than they used to be. It's a fact of life, but it can be avoided.

Thank goodness for plus size fashion stores, specialty clothing shops that only sell plus size clothing. It's an industry that's been growing in popularity because people want to look good no matter what their size is and most clothing stores don't order a lot of the larger sizes because they're a little harder to sell. People who wear plus sizes prefer a specialty store because the clothes fit better and look better.Anyway, if you're wearing pus sizes, please share about your shoopping habits in the comment section. Maybe you've had luck with Sears or another surprising place, maybe there's a website you're in love with for shopping, if not you should check out the links above because Jessica London is like the queen of plus size clothes. Seriously, check them out.

Cute in any size

I know a lot of people in the area have trouble shopping and even though we're not in the market for plus size clothing, I do notice a lot of plus sized residents in town and do we even have a store that specifically sells  plus size women's clothing?  I have no idea.  I can see how frustrating it would be to go shopping for plus size clothes and have to sift through an entire store just to see what they happened to order in your size.  My size is pretty standard and average, I take for granted that some people have a harder time finding things. Plus, clothes that aren't specifically made for a heavier frame might end up not being sturdy enough or flattering on a larger body. 

Take formal dresses for example. Sometimes the styles and cuts are made to emphasize the features of a smaller body, so even if you manage to find one in the right size it won't be flattering. That's why I like to see shops that specialize in plus size formal dresses because then the consumer knows they're getting something that's designed with their body in mind, so they won't have to sorry about feeling unattractive or frumpy or anything. Anyway, you should check out the store I'm linking to, they also have swimwear and bras (that would be a nightmare)  and plenty of other items made just for supersized gals who don't want to skimp on style. Enjoy :)

Big Bro Hooks Me Up

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

Man it’s nice being able to use my brother’s cabin in the winter. It’s only about 2 hours outside the city and having a place to go to get out of the hustle and bustle is absolutely essential for me and this makes it a lot less expensive all in all. He bought the place about ten years back and he’s told me before what a money pit it ended up being. He had to put a lot of money in to get it fixed up right and he even went to shopelectricityRatesTEXAS.com last year to get those electricity bills down because they were killing him. My favorite time to use it is in the winter when it gets kind of chilly out and I can start a fire and my wife and I can watch movies and drink wine. It’s so great and cozy and when it’s like that outside it’s all I can do to even open the door for more firewood! I love my brother and I really appreciate his generosity with this house of his.

Cleaning with Kids

Learning to maintain a house is important for boys and girls. Sure, for big messes and deep cleaning it's probably smarter to call http://www.thesteamteam.com/  or something, but for every day maintenance it's just smarter to crank up the music and embrace the task of cleaning as an act of love. This is so much smarter than making it a chore or punishment because those methods only teach children that cleaning is an undesirable activity. Since we've been cleaning with joy in our hearts, the kids are so much more eager to help tidy up. I can't imagine why we ever thought it was wise to associate cleaning with negativity. 


Sure, there are some tasks that require professional help, like fire and flood damage austin for example. And national air duct cleaning austin is another one, I mean can you imagine asking your 7 yr old to clean the air ducts? I know my daughter would be climbing through them with a wash cloth.  I'm not sure how the professionals do it, but I think it would be smart to seal them all off and then just vacuum through them with a powerful sucking device. I know that if you don't clean them regularly, the dust builds up and can cause a fire. It also reduces the air quality in your home because germs, bacteria and mold spores can live in there.  In our house, it could be woodpeckers or field mice. WHo knows? Either way, I know it's important for home maintenance, that's for sure.