ginger bread houses

so i have to say, i was never one to want to partake in the work of a gingerbread house. however my friends having pictures of all the different years houses made me wish we had started the tradition long ago. and actually, once we got the kits and assembled the thing, i realized there wasn't as much to it as some people made it sound. alot of people said it was alot of work etc.... well really, not so much. the hardest part was waiting for the icing to set after the initial assembly so you could start the decorating process. and i do have a few pointers for anyone who has not yet set off on this adventure....

1.) there will be a waiting period for the initial assembly icing to dry. if you don't it will start to fall apart when you put the candy on!

2.) it's not as much of a mess as you think it will be. there will be clean up yes, but the end result is worth it!

3.) no matter how disgusting YOU think the candy and icing would be, your kids who will not try something truly delicious, will try and LIKE the candy and icing that come in that box!

4.) let them decorate it how they want to, no it will not look like the box or even how you would have done it, but it is like seeing a picture they have drawn, you will see their personality in it and that is the best part!

5.) last but not least, do it with some friends.

the kids did not mind waiting for it to set cuz they could go play with their friends until it was ready and they had fun helping each other!

it really is a fun experience and one i hope they will have great memories of later.

to homeschool or not to homeschool...THAT is the question

ok, so it has been forever since i have blogged. i got so bad about it, so much happened and yet again i did not write it down. oh well. so here is the latest for the toth household. kids had their slc (student learning conferences) at school, they both are above average on levels but not putting forth the effort that could make them be literally off the charts, simply because they just want to get by. so frustrating, so i talked to them about the gift God has given them for learning, one he did not give their mother, and that if they don't use that gift, God will use someone else to do whatever He had originally planned for them. i went deeper into it, and then waited for a response and what i got was frankie asking me why God didn't want to make his mom smart and what was His plan for me?!!! ha! i told him to work on finding out what God planned for HIM!! and not to worry about his mom! lol which brings us to the latest contemplation, we are considering homeschooling next year. atleast starting with frankie and then after gracie finishes 5th we would start homeschooling her as well, if not before then. we just feel the kids are learning alot more of what we don't believe they need to learn at this age and alot less of what they do. thankfully they do, do very well academically but unfortunetly they also are quick to learn alot of what they shouldn't until way later in life. thankfully, their school right now is about as .....trying to think of the word, as on top of that behavior as you can get in a public school, but i have heard of the things that go on and happen at the middle schools, and i don't believe that is the place for my children. i do understand that you can not shelter your kids forever, however, i think it is good to shelter them as long as you can to help build those strong convictions and ideas etc... so when they are forced into "the real world" they will be able to stand firm. my kids are naive, and frankly, i am thankful for that, but alot of kids who aren't are trying to be the ones to educate them and you know what, that is not who i want to be my child's teacher. God entrusted those kids to me and for me to do what i can (with God's help) to raise them to be what He meant for them to be, not what the world would have them be. i have considered homeschooling before but allowed myself to be talked out of it for fear. fear that i wasn't smart enough to teach them, fear that they would be "different" than the other kids, fear that i would hurt them socially, or they would not come out as smart. but i have done alot more research and there are alot more things out there now that werent' there before because, "shock" i am not the only one to feel this way. there are homeschool social and physical activities, there are so many different curriculims to choose from, and in fact the one we will probably go with, is a set of dvd's that is an actual teacher in an actual classroom and THEY do all the teaching, and if the kids have a question that we can't help them with, we contact the school/teacher and get the answer. alot like school now! i can't always help with their homework now (can anyone say new math! ) so i have to contact the school/teacher. plus the fact that research shows that most homeschooled kids actually score higher than public school kids and that alot of colleges are now seeing the benefits of homeschooled kids, how they are able to self manage themselves alot better, and take learning more serious etc.. and so are recruiting more and more homeschooled kids! now i am Soooo not saying homeschooled is better than public schools for everyone. it's like being a stay at home mom, if that is not what you are called to do, it is NOT going to benefit you or your kids. however after much prayer and seeking, i do believe this is what WE as a family are supposed to do. and you know what, as far as my kids seeming different, as christians in this world we are supposed to be different than the world. the difference is, i want my kids to feel ok with being different. i don't want them to feel they need the world's approval, only God's. and if i can help build their faith and confidence by homeschooling, then i will do it, even if everyone around me thinks i can't do it or that i can not do a good job, i know if it is what God is wanting me to do, HE will help me succeed. and that my friends is the end of this blog! lol