Pillars of Knowledge

         Based on my personal observation on how children learn best and gain important life skills I have come up with my own module for  educating my children.  I will be using the visual of pillars for my module.

First Pillar: Study at the bottom and Knowledge at the top.
Second Pillar: Experience at the bottom and Imagination at the top.
Third Pillar:  Listening at the bottom, and inspiration at the top.
Fourth Pillar: Writing at the bottom, and compassion at the top.
Fifth Pillar: Create at the bottom, and wisdom at the top.

The important aspects of education lead to the principle at the top.

• Study incorporates book reading, vocabulary, video presentations, PowerPoint presentations, memorization etc...
• Experience incorporates seeing dramatizations, museums, nature centers, parks, performances, etc....
• Listening incorporates hearing those who have experienced in lecture or hearing a reading, etc...
• Writing incorporates proper spelling, expression through poetry, research papers, essay paper, story writing, etc...
• Create incorporates making, drawing, designing, performing, composing, etc...  using what you've learned to do it yourself.  Part of this may be an apprenticeship or job shadowing.

From current Neuro research, having each of these things with everything a child learns gives them the best chances at having a continual desire to learn.  And to retain more of what they learn.

My Daily Health Tracker

I use this every day.  It may seem lame that I have to put scripture reading and prayer on a schedule to accomplish them but my life is so busy right now.  When I see it on my schedule it reminds me each time I look at it.  When I actually sit down to read it, I'm not just reading them to check it off my list.  They are on the list because they need to be there for me to fulfill a spiritual necessity in my life.  I make sure to ponder them and at some point I wont need to look at the sheet to remember.

I laminate this sheet and put it in my kitchen with a dry erase marker to mark them off as I go.

Water:

1.    2.    3.     4.     5.     6.     7.    8.  

Veggies:

1.    2.     3.     4.     5.

Fruits:

1.     2.    3.     4.

Shower  and hot/cold plunges:

1.   

Relax:

1.

Scriptures:

1.

Prayer:

1.     2.

Our Home Rules

• Respect One Another
• No T.V. except on Friday (unless sick or dad wants a party night, and if it is part of a learning experience)
• Legos on Friday Only
• Learning before Play time (unless changed by mom)
• Use Good Manners at the table
• Don't Complain about dinner or go without (at least for a few minutes)
• Be Kind to Pets
• Think about Others Feelings and be kind.
• Everyone is a part of the family so Everyone needs to Help!
• Eat only in Kitchen
• Clean up after yourself.
• When mom is Feeling sick ask how you can help.

This is more just to be a reminder for me and the kids.  Sometimes I want to give in because I'm tired or feeling sick.  Each one of these rules is important for the feeling of peacefulness, inspiration, and thoughtfulness in the home.

A Happy Healthy Mommy Nutrition and Wellness Plan

Now that our vacation is over I can start to focus more on my health, and getting it where I want it.  I've learned a lot about my body through trial and error and now it's time for the application of all my research and testing.  I know I need to be the best I can be for me and my family.  So I've made a plan of action.  And I will strive to accomplish it, and not be too hard on myself at times of failure.

For Starters:
PREPARE:  For me this means getting things in order and organizing.  I have a lot I'm doing with service, home schooling, supporting my spouse, developing my personal talents, and trying to stay healthy.  It feels like an overwhelming amount of balls to juggle, unless I organize and plan.  If I can wrap up five balls in one big bundle I can juggle them at the same time.  Organization does that for me.

First:

• Organize and declutter home
• Make and follow a financial plan
• Organize school supplies and curriculum materials, and manipulatives
• Make school schedule/ Plan calendar of events (check and make changes every week)
• Health Plan/ Schedule for my needs
• Health Plan/ Meal Planning for family

#1 Organize and declutter home

• Get rid of everything I don't need, don't want, and don't use.  Donate, trash, recycle, or give away.
• Make a bin/bins for things I may use in the future (clothe's, shoes, boots, extra material etc...)  Bin with similar items and label.
• Bin Seasonal items and label.
• Have a bin/memory chest for each child and myself for memorable items.
• Have a few bins for miscellanious school things.
• Get a file cabinet and label the files for important documents etc...
• The bottom file cabinet can be used for storing commonly used items like batteries, sentsy packets, you name it.
• Store all bins out of sight.
• Rid myself of extra boxes or find a place to nicely store them.
• Organize kitchen to my liking. 
• Organize my basement storage area so that food storage is easily rotated and easy to get to.
• Make Chore Charts, & Home Rules

#2 Fill out a monthly/ Bi-weekly budget sheet

*My house is ready.  *To keep it this way, we need to keep up with daily and weekly chores.  

#3 Organize school supplies

• Put a shelf in a closet and store school supplies.
• Have two large bookshelves to store books and curriculum in close to where we do school work.
• Make a list of home school supplies, laminate and keep it somewhere safe so I can check it often.

#4 Make a daily school schedule and plan our calendar of events

• Print out daily schedule and keep it somewhere safe.  It's good to have it on hand for reference.
• Have a scheduler binder with calendar pages.  Plan my year/month/week.  Change daily/weekly/monthly as needed.

#5  My Personal Health Plan

MY 4 month DIET:

• Low Sugar
• Low Acidic foods
• No gluten
• No/little yeast
• Eight 8 oz glasses of water a day
• Now greasy or fatty foods
• Homemade personal cookbook

Supplements:

Fish oil

Vitamin D

Calcium

Probiotics

Evening primrose

Breakfast- Shake, Oatmeal or rice cereal, and omelet.

Lunch- Soup, Salad, and rice biscuits

Small Dinner

Snack- Soup cup, nuts, and fruit

Exercise program:

Monday:  Trampoline 20 minute interval workout.  Stairs or hitt workout if it's raining.

Tuesday:  Lift weights/squats/crunches for 20 minutes

Wednesday: Run 20 minute interval workout

Thursday: Strength Challenge with squats/lunges/crunches/ weights/ and push-ups 10 minutes

Friday: Swimming Day for 20 minute interval workout.  Stairs or HITT workout if rain or can't make it to the pool.

Saturday: Yoga, Ballet Beautiful,/ walk

Sunday: Rest

Relaxation:

Ice pack for pain

Hot/Cold plunges

Massage Chair

Feet Massage Roller

Mindful meditation

Listening to peaceful music

Spiritual:

Read scriptures every day.

Read/watch other spiritually based material

Read scriptures with children daily

Say family prayer 2X daily

Say personal prayers 2X daily

Have Family Home Evening once a week

Have family council once a week

PERFORM:

• Completely clean the house of chemically based products.
• Make a list of foods I want in the home.  (shopping list)
• Get some recipes online or buy some cookbooks of the food I like.
• Buy natural cleaning products/make my own.  
• Buy natural hair and skin products/make my own.
• Make sure I have clothes that fit and feel good on me.  Comfortable!
• Make sure I have a few good pairs of workout clothes.
• Make a list of things I would like to make on my own.

List for homemade goods:

1. Skirts
2. Yoga clothes
3. Hair things
4. Blankets
5. Home decor (with recycled materials)
6. Bread
7. Pasta
8. Soups
9. Snacks
10. Pickles
11. Dried Fruit
12. Jams
13. Sauces
14. Salsa
15. Canned fruit
16. Canned veggies
17. Candles
18. Soaps and lotions
19. Cleaning supplies
20. Pasta  Read: Making Artisan Pasta Buy: Pasta Machine
21. Flour Read: YouTube video How to make flour Buy: Wheat grinder
22. Freeze dried goods 
23. Dried fruits and veggies Read: How to dry foods  Buy: Food Dehydrator 
24. Have my own garden

Books on Gardening:

The Backyard Homestead

Landscaping your Home: Creative ideas from America's Best Gardeners

The vegetable Gardener's Bible

Weight Loss Plan and Rewards

May-June: 153 lbs.-145lbs.

June-July: 145 lbs.-140 lbs.

July-August: 140 lbs.-135 lbs.

August-September: 135 lbs.- 130 lbs.

Prizes:

May: Spring Dress

June: Hair accessories

July: Get a scalp treatment

August: Get a mini wardrobe

When I finish this plan I hope to have my pain under control and be full of energy.  My hope is to climb Mount Adams again when we head home for Washington.  We will see what I do after that. 

Books to read on Health:

Dr. A's Habits of Health

The Healing intelligence of Essential Oils

A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Varney's Midwifery

Holistic Herbal: A safe and Practical guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies

ACE Group Fitness Instructor Manual

Health & Wellness Eleventh Edition Textbook

I have a meal calendar for my family, and a printed and laminated shopping list for my family.  I'm ready to get started.

A Week in Florida

Orlando Florida Temple

Saturday May 10th

We had a pleasant surprise as our GPS took us right to the temple on the way out of Orlando.  We took the priceless opportunity to stop and enjoy the beautiful surroundings and think about the wonderful gift we have been given of family.  It was such a perfect reminder of all we have and gave us an opportunity to think on spiritual things when our life and minds had been so busy and so full of other things.  It's construction was very inspiring to me and gave me much to think about and ponder on our way home.  One of the our Father's tender mercies.

A Week in Florida

LegoLand

Friday May 9th 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

My plan for this day was pretty basic.  We were so exhausted already and I wasn't sure how much we would do, or how long we would stay.

1.  Get there 30-40 min. early.

2.  Island in the sky & Lego Factory 30 min.

3. Walk through duplo village & Explore World of Chima 40 min.

4. Explore Lego Kingdoms 40 min.

5. Lunch 20 min.

6. Walk through mini land & Star Wars 30 min.

7. Explore Land of Adventure 40 min.

8. Explore Lego City 40 min.

9. Watch Pirates Cove show 3:00 

10. Explore imagination zone & Lego Technic 1-1 1/2 hours

11. Exit LegoLand

This changed a lot.  LegoLand was about 1 hour from our hotel and we were all so tired. We got there close to an hour after it opened.  We skipped Island in the sky and Lego Factory.  Duplo Village was under construction so we started with Lego Kingdoms.  We rode two major rides there, The Dragon, and Merlin's Challenge.  Because the Lego sculptures are some of the most amazing aspects of this experience we took lots of pictures.  We headed to World of Chima and road Quest for Chi and played at Cragger's Swamp.  At Land of Adventure we road Coastersaurus, and Lost Kingdom Adventure.  Again we took lots of pictures.  Next we did Boating School and Flying School in Lego City.  In Lego Technic we road Project X and Aquazone Wave Racers.  Spent some time in the Lego store, and road the double decker carousel.  Then we were done.  We were so exhausted and hot.  The only sad part of the day was that Dallen lost his Darth Vadar hat on the Aquazone Wave Racer ride.  Other than that it was an incredible adventure.  We had tones of fun!  That night we ate at Red Lobster and went swimming in the hotel pool.  It felt good to relax.

A Week in Florida

Animal Kingdom and Epcot One-Day Happy Family Touring Plan

Thursday May 8th

Animal Kingdom 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Epcot 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.

Animal Kingdom

1. Arrive 25 min. prior to Animal Kingdom opening.

2. As soon as park opens get fastpasses for Expedition Everest in Asia.  Fastest way to Everest is through Asia, not DinoLand.  Asia 15

3. FAMILY:  Ride Dinosaur in Dino Land U.S.A. 21

4.  FAMILY: Ride Triceratop Spin.  Dino Land 20

5. FAMILY: Ride Primeval Whirl in DinoLand U.S.A. 19

6.  FAMILY: Take a Ride on the Kali River Rapids in Asia.  You will get soaked.  Asia 14.

7.  FAMILY:  Take the Maharaja Jungle Trek in Asia.  Asia 13

8.  FAMILY:  Ride Expeditions Everest using Fastpasses obtained Earlier.  Asia 15

9.  FAMILY: Get Fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris.  Africa 6

10.  Lunch

11.  FAMILY:  Ride Kilimanjaro Safaris.  Africa 6

12.  Exit Animal Kingdom

Epcot

13.  FAMILY: Get fastpasses for soaring (future world west The Land), test track (Future World East 4), Mission: space (future world East 3), and Sum of all Thrills (Future world East 5)

14. FAMILY: Ride Spaceship Earth near park Entrance

15. FAMILY:  Ride Soarin, test track, Mission: Space, and Sum of all Thrills when it says on the Fastpass.

16. FAMILY:  Take a walk starting with Mexico and see the World Showcase.

17.  FAMILY:  When at Norway Pavilion ride Maelstrom boat ride.

18.  Dinner.

19.  FAMILY:  See Illuminations.  Excellent view locations are along the walkway near Canada and United Kingdom.  9:00 p.m.

Here is where doing a park hopper makes it more difficult.  I could only get three fast passes at one park per day.  I chose Epcot and got the fastpasses for soaring, Spaceship Earth, and Mission: Space.  We didn't have time to do any DinoLand U.S.A. rides and we couldn't get Jungle Trek in.  The lines weren't long but we had a family dispute about who would ride Expedition Everest.   The line for Kilimanjaro Safaris was very long so when that was over it was time to go.  Our first fast past for Epcot started at lunch time so we had to get over there.  We were able to use all the fastpasses at Epcot but we didn't ride Sum of all Thrills or the Maelstrom boat ride.  It was really hot walking around the World Showcase so we were done after walking around it.  We went back to the hotel after doing a little shopping.  We ate some dinner and got ready to go back to Magic Kingdom.    We went back at around 9:00 p.m. to see the parade and fireworks show.  The light parade was canceled at 9:00 but the fireworks show was amazing at 9:45 p.m.  After the show we road Peter Pan and it's a Small world one last time.  On our way out of the park we caught the 11:00 p.m. light parade.  We chose Magic Kingdom night shows over Illuminations in Epcot.  Amazingly full and exciting day.  The rides at Epcot were my favorite!