I am wearing jeans today.  Yes, JEANS!  Today was the first day in a long time that it didn't feel terrible to put on jeans.  I am not convinced that the cooler temperatures are really here to stay, but I am glad that we can turn off all our fans and just enjoy the comfortable temperatures.  The cooler temps and the rain the last couple of days I know are because of a recent typhoon that terrorized parts of this country.  All we got was a little rain and cooler temperatures.  

Once a month I try to take the kids out in turn and spend some time with them away from the house.  I aim for at least once a month, but if more can be managed I do it.  Today was Tomo's time out with me.  Often going out during a school day means we do some of our school work out of the house as well.  The change of scenery is nice from time to time, but it gives me time just to give all my attention to one kid.  As we got onto the train today, Tomo noticed the mist in the mountains.  He thought it looked like smoke and asked if something was on fire.  I explained the whole mist in the mountain thing to him.  Seeing the mist reminded me of the times we used to vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.  The Smokies are a beautiful place and the mist that hangs in the mountains give it a fairy-tale sort of feel to them.  It is fun to live so close to the mountains and to see the mist hanging in the air.  It does have a bit of a fantasy sort of feel to it.  

Tonight I am making pizza.  We will have Hawaiian Pizza.  Something different and yet something familiar.  I am so glad that the temperatures are starting to get cooler because it means I can do more baking without making the whole house feel like an oven as well.  I do not mind making pizza at home at all provided the temperatures are temperate.  Besides I put my bread maker to work and have it make the pizza crust for me.  Later tonight we will be showing Beauty and the Beast.  So, if you are free, come on over for some Hawaiian Pizza and Beauty and the Beast.

A long time ago when Corey and I worked as shelvers at the local Borders bookstore (which sadly does not exist any more), I came across a book while shelving.  I know that is not earth shattering.  When you shelve books, you actually come across A LOT of books.  This particular day I was shelving books and came across a book called Clean Home Clean Planet by Karen Logan.  At the time I came across the book, I was pretty newly married and thinking about children.  I knew from the get go that I wanted to try and keep the toxic chemicals out of my house if I could swing it.  I wanted to have a safe environment in which my children could grow up.  This book grabbed my attention and with my Borders' discount, I purchased this book.  I won't claim that I do not have any commercial cleaners in my cabinet, but over time as more becomes available to me, more commercial cleaners find their way out the doors of my house. 

All I have long since kept a bottle of vinegar water on hand to wipe urine accidents.  In fact, I keep vinegar water available, so that mishaps at the toilet means the child who caused it can him or herself clean it up.  In doing so, I do not have to worry about the vinegar hurting my kids.  I also use vinegar as my fabric softener.  i know it seems strange to use it as something that you want your clothes to smell good, but i find it does a great job of making my clothes feel nice.  If your detergent has a scent in it, then the vinegar brings that out more.  I also have noticed that just a dab scented commercial fabric softener with the vinegar also gives a scented smell as well.  I am looking for way, through scented essential oils, where I can scent the vinegar directly.  Little by little I see more of these types of things around me, but I am always on the hunt for more cost effective ways of doing things.  Speaking of cheap, vinegar is cheap!  Using it is food, as a cleaner, as a fabric softener...all cheap.  Vinegar...cheap, works well, isn't harmful to people OR the earth.  This makes it a winner in my book!

One of the things that has become more readily available to me is Dr. Bronner's castile soap.  Dr. Bronner's is a liquid soap which is also more environmentally sound to use.  I now have more cleaning supplies available to me because I can use this liquid soap in "recipes" to create cleaning supplies.  This is where the Karen Logan book helped me to mix up some cleaning supplies.  

The added benefit to Dr. Bronner's is that i can use it in not just cleaning supplies, but....in cleaning PEOPLE as well.  I am sure this is what most people buy Dr. Bronner's for, but it my journey it was the quest to clean my house that led me to Dr. Bronner's.  I have been using the liquid soap of the peppermint and the almond scents.  I call it field testing, and I had mentioned to a friend that after I field tested a bit, I would report on how it went.

Hand soap.
This was a rousing success!  I opted the set the hand foaming dispenser up with the peppermint smell.  The kids have absolutely loved washing their hands and smelling the peppermint.  I have not had to remind them to wash their hands nearly at all since I introduced Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap into our home.  I have enjoyed, after sweaty walks, washing my face with the soap which has left my face feeling not just clean but a bit tingly which helps me to feel so much cooler.  Now I know there are concerns about whether or not this is a disinfecting soap.  This one is not, but I could make it that way.  One way to do this would have been to just buy the tea tree oil Dr. Bronner's soap.  Tea tree oil has very natural properties for disinfecting things.  This is all above my head but my understanding is that many Australians do use tea tree oil as a disinfectant and hail a bottle of it "the first aid kit."  I have also learned that because of US standards there is a reluctance to actually outright call tea tree oil a disinfectant.  But like I said, there is a lot I do not know or understand.  What I do know from my researching, is that Tea tree is an all natural plant based oil that is helpful in cleaning cuts, open wounds, and burns.  The other way would be to just buy tea tree oil and add it to the Dr. Bronner's soap.

Actually, I am considering this option and looking into what it takes to get tea tree oil.  I had some on hand and have used it with vinegar to make a odor eating disinfecting spray.  If anyone has advice on how to get TTO for the most amount with the least amount of cost, please let me know.

Body Wash.
I opted to use the almond scented soap for body wash.  I also put this into a foaming dispenser.  I should also say that almost always when using Dr. Bronner's I dilute it with water.  This brings the cost efficiency of the soap to be quite high.  How does it do?  My two younger children struggle with eczema.  The summer that make them sweaty is hard on their skin.  The dryness of winter is hard on their skin, so long and short is that eczema plagues their skin.  I have taken them to the doctor who gives us medicine for the condition, but I am always a fan of getting rid of medicine if it is possible.  The soap really clears up their skin.  They are not quite as itchy and the rashes have almost all subsided without any medicines or special lotions.  I won't say it is 100% cleared up, but no medicine could do that either.  I have used it as well and once thing it has helped me with is the dry scaly skin on the heals of my feet.  

Shampoo.
This isn't quite fair because the body wash is the shampoo, but I feel it is necessary to list them separate.  Again my two younger children get the worst smelling head funk in the summer times due to sweaty scalps.  Anyone who has ever smelled my kids' heads in the summer know it is pretty funky.  I started using the castile soap in their hair and low and behold...scalp funk...be gone!  I am really happy with this one because it means that Tomo will not HAVE to have super short cuts unless he wants it that way.  One night Corey washed Maya with the baby shampoo that we used to use in their hair and immediately I could smell that funky smell in Maya's hair.  The liquid castile soap really does work!  I have used it my hair as well and noticed that at least for me that my hair is not as frizzy as it can be.  It has also helped to keep dandruff at bay.  With the scent being almond, I have noticed that while you can smell it going on, the smell does not linger like the peppermint, so I think it is a scent that works well for male or female.  I also took the shampoo/body wash and put it directly on my eyelashes like I do with the baby shampoo sometimes.  I do this to wash my eye lashes clean of dust and stuff.  I struggle with allergies and when it gets bad I wash my eye lashes out.  Baby shampoo is mild and though I feel it is does not hurt.  I found out with the almond scent, I could feel it and it felt a little uncomfortable, but it did not burn.  I know that Dr. Bronner puts out a baby mild soap, and I think this would have more of the feeling of the J&J baby shampoo.  As of yet, none of my children have complained about the soap in their eyes, but in truth none of them have complained at all about the new soap.

I have to go now.  There is more I could say about clean products that clean, but I have a 6th grader wanting me to review is schoolwork.  Gotta go.

Farm Fresh Southern Cooking by Tammy Algood

I chose to read Farm Fresh Southern Cooking to review because I enjoy finding new recipes.  I do not have a lot of room for cookbooks in my kitchen, so reviewing an ebook version of a cookbook is a nice fit for me.  I live in a country where it is hard to find things that are so readily available in the local supermarkets of the United States; like baking mixes or anything prepackaged.  Therefore,  I am always on the hunt for cookbooks that emphasize the from scratch way of cooking.  Since the title of this book targets fresh southern cooking, I thought that this would be a good book to find some new recipes.I was not disappointed in that I did find a number of recipes that I will certainly try soon.  However, given my circumstances, and what I did not take in account, is the fact that where I live some of the amazing fresh produceof the Southern US are just simply not available.  As a result I found an even larger number of recipes that I would love to try, if I had access to the specific ingredients. Another thing I really appreciated about this book is how the author included ideas on either how to use a recipe or in what other foods or entrees the recipe would go well with in a particular dish.  I like this idea sharing.  As one who does not live any where near the Southern US, the information about the various farmers and markets, would be interesting if I lived in the area but hold little value to anyone beyond the area.Overall, I enjoyed this cookbook.  I will enjoy trying out some new recipes.  For example, croutons are hard to come by here, and when we can find them they are either super small or super expensive, so I look forward to using the crouton recipes to make some tasty croutons at a reasonable price.  Since I can make them, I can control the size of the crouton as well.  I also like the emphasis on the fresh fruits and vegetables and now have a number of new ideas for side dishes.  There are many main dishes and desserts listed as well.If you enjoy cooking, enjoy the emphasis on fresh cooking and happen to like Southern foods, then Farm Fresh Southern Cooking is good book to add to your cookbook collection.

I received an ebook copy of Farm Fresh Southern Cooking by Tammy Algood from Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for a fair review of this book.

This week has zoomed by way too fast.  I am just not sure where the week went.  We continued on in our second week back from summer break, and things have steadily improved.  Thankfully, the temperatures have been tolerable to quite comfortable for working on school work.  We do our school work in one of our tatami rooms (tatami is straw mats).  Because we are in this room, it tends to stay a bit cooler when it is hot outside which helps us to stay more comfortable.  I have one kid studying about Egypt and the pharaohs and another kid studying about the Roman Empire.  Talk about your time line whiplash.  Both boys took math exams and both scoring either a 96% or 97%.  My first grader is little by little making those steps necessary to becoming a reader.  I have complete confidence that he will end first grade a reader.  He is different than the other two kids in that he has not always had a big interest in reading.  My oldest thought it was delightful when his father read him articles from a writer's magazine when he was a baby.  My youngest brings things for us to read and it doesn't seem to matter if we read to her in English or Japanese.  Speaking of the littlest one, I was thinking about how fast she assimilates things.  I told her a new word that I do not think she previously knew two nights ago, and today she was using it like she has always known it.  Never missing a beat.  

In my quest to encourage my middle along in his phonics battle, I found a program that he enjoys and it supplements what we do in school time.  It is called Click-n-Kids.  We do the Click-n-Read phonics part.  I am glad for tools like this to help him learn and grow.

It certainly has been a strange sort of week.  We have heard some good news from one of our supporting churches, and we have heard some bad news from one of our supporting churches.  I have struggled with frustrations and doubt as it comes to various aspects of my daily life.  Each time I pray and ask for God to teach me and to help clarify things for me.  It seems the evil one puts road blocks to try and stop somethings I have been trying to to do.  Yet the same day, we met some people who told us about some ministry they are doing and invited our kids to participate.  This has been the week...up...and down....climbing the hill...falling down into a corkscrew spin.  Maybe that is why the week has been so fast because roller coasters always move so fast!

I took a really nice walk this afternoon.  I needed that.  Walking gives me time to think and pray.  What I love about our current location is that there are trails very close to our home, so I can walk in the woods a bit.  Being out in nature and breathing in that earthy smell is so simple and such a pleasurable experience for me.  Sometimes I stop to catch the sweet smelling breeze and praise the God who created it all.  While on my walk, I happened upon a shinto shrine, and I stopped a bit to pray.  What do I pray?  I pray that God's glory would be revealed.  I pray that the spiritual darkness the hovers over the valley I live in would be lifted and that the light of Jesus would be revealed and understood.  People, very beautiful people all around me, live in this repressive spiritual darkness, and it makes me feel so sad.  I know the reality of it all is that the roller coaster week has been more about the spiritual battle all around us that wages on.  Battles that wage in the lives of people around me, battles within myself, battlefields that involve the core of our family....how people treat each other....homeschool.  I know that God is greater, and I put my hope in HIM.  

If you happen to think about it, pray for our family, pray for our finances, pray for our ministry, pray for the valley we live in, pray for Niigata, and pray for Japan.  If you would ever like to know more, please do not hesitate to send me a message.  I would love to tell you more about this country or what we do.

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My first grader memorized this scripture, and I am praying that this verse is our theme verse as a family:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6

A little while back I read a book called Stand by Me: A SouledOut Sisters novel by Neta Jackson. I really meant to write a review much sooner, but with our moving locations and being busy with visitors and summer, I am just now getting around to writing. This light-hearted read is essentially about two women whose paths intersect quite unexpectedly. One woman is a vibrant, white college student who is young in her Christian faith, and the other is a black elementary school principal who has a weathered and strong faith. I enjoyed seeing how these two women interacted because it was not always on the best of terms, but by the end of the book, both women benefit from their relationship to each other. Initially I was not sure if I would enjoy this book, as I do not normally opt on the sort of fiction that aims straight at women only (granted this is a very clean read). I am more a historical fiction kind of gal, but I liked how the author brought the line between real faith and daily life into the forefront of this book. In doing so, it made it feel more like real life. My only real complaint about the book was that the author was a bit redundant in explaining who the characters were a few too many times as though I would have trouble keeping the characters straight. Otherwise, by the book's end I found myself wishing I could keep reading the rest of the story in answer to some of the questions I was left with concerning some of the characters in the book, or even how the two women would continue to grow in the relationship with each other and to God. In short, it is a nice feel good kind of read and I recommend it for what it is.

I received a copy of Stand By Me by Neta Jackson from Thomas Nelson Publishing in exchange for a fair review of this book.

Below is a picture that the homeschool mom in me feels demands a story. However, I know the story already. I am more curious about the story others could concoct for this picture. Part of me thinks I should give background information, but I think that would steer stories in ways that might not happen if I simply say nothing all in the way of background information. With that, I challenge you the reader to create a story for this picture.

Not sure if it is the weather but the children today, oh my. It has been enough to try my patience. I have to admit that I am not going to win any mother of the year awards with today's performance. Thankfully now is rest time, and one of the big offenders is actually sleeping. The most well behaved child is helping his dad gather groceries and getting a special treat in the process. I am supervising another offender who is doing schoolwork while I am trying not to go all Incredible Hulk on anyone.
Hopefully by dinner time all involved will be back in sorts, so we can enjoy the evening. Frankly, the being all out of sorts is quite exhausting for me.

I do realize that it is Labor Day in the States, but in spite of that we decided to start our second term today. Many of the Japanese elementary schools started today and since we tend to run more on the Japanese schedule, it was time for us to start. In spite of the fact that the temperatures still read 92 with a heat index reading 106, it actually did not feel like it really reach that mark. We hit some bumps along the way, but we were able to complete all the lessons scheduled for today!

The preschooler in the house from now on will be given more and more things to do as well. However, Maya seemed pretty tuckered out at nap time.

Skyler is reading Augustus Caesar's World in the photo.
Tomo seemed to adjust pretty well to summer break. He even seems a bit stronger in his reading as well. We will make a reader of him yet! I'm the picture his daddy is reading him his read aloud book. They are reading Henry Huggins. Seems like a great story for a boy who loves dogs!