Home with Tracy

Good morning, Moms! I am sitting here with my four children, enjoying my second cup of coffee after completing my morning bible study. I am a little tired because a couple of my children kept me up a bit past my bedtime. If I am completely honest here, it was way past my bedtime. The older I get the earlier I am ready for bed. One of my daughter's came in my room three different times to tell me about the book she was reading. She has been reading a series that has, a few times, brought her to me with tears streaming down her cheeks. Last night, however, the story was ending and there was some happy moments. She simply could not wait til morning to tell me. This is the same girl who, a couple years ago, refused to read. She wanted nothing to do with reading at all. Now she gets so in to the stories that she is emotionally connected. It is great to witness this transformation in her. After my daughter went back to bed, for the fourth time, I started to drift off to sleep .......

Dear Younger Me, You are beautiful! You don't see it. I know you don't see it. When you look in the mirror, you only see the words people have used to describe you. You only see the words that the world has used to describe beauty. Both of those are false. Both are untrue. Don't listen to the words of the world. Listen to the words of Your Heavenly Father. (Welcome to the late 80's/early 90's! Big hair, permed to make it bigger, gotta have the Aqua Net, Sun In fading, roots showing, why on earth and I wearing my pants that high!)   What is true is that the One who created you, created you beautiful. Don't let anyone take that away from you. He sees your beauty. Right now you are young. You are invinsible. You are also very impressionable. You take words to heart. You try to shrug it off, but it hurts you deep down inside. Words matter to you. At this age, the majority of your days consist of you eating a Snickers bar and having a can of Mountain D...

Five years ago, when I was just starting out on our homeschool journey, I was searching, longing, begging for knowledge of what homeschooling should look like. How should I plan our day? What curriculum should I use? What age should I start my child learning to read? What age should I start my child learning handwriting? What time should I start our day? How many hours should I teach? Should I make them all sit in desks? All these questions just to find out what my homeschool should look like. So. Many. Questions! Five years later and I finally have the answer. Your homeschool should reflect your family.  It should look like you. It should look like your children. It should be an environment that you are comfortable teaching. It should be an environment where your children desire learning. There is no cookie-cutter style of homeschooling. What it shouldn't look like..... It should not look like other homeschool homes in your neighborhood. It should no...

I have written about my experience with Zaycon Fresh previously, but I wanted to share with you a little more. We recently picked up our order of ground beef. This is my first experience purchasing the ground beef and just like everything else I have purchased from Zaycon Fresh in the past, I was very pleased. Here is the description of Zaycon Fresh's ground beef: Comes fresh, never frozen! The beef cattle have a grass diet which is supplemented by grain after they reach approximately 700 pounds. 100% grown in the USA. There are no chemicals, additives or water added to meat during processing. Processed at a USDA-inspected, state-of-the-art plant employing strict operating protocols (including HACCP) and the highest in food-safety standards. Prior to processing, inspectors from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service randomly sample cattle under a monitoring plan and perform testing for antibiotic residues. USDA nutrition labeling standards defines "extra ...

I stand in the kitchen making my coffee and my daughter comes in to join me. I must confess, when I hear her coming, I envision her in piggy tails. I envision that I am going to need to look down to see her. I envision that I am going to need to kneel to get down to her sweet little face and look into her beautiful bright eyes. What I envision, is simply memories. She now stands up tall to my shoulders. There is no longer a need to kneel down to her level. She is almost eye to eye. She asks if she can make herself some toast. As I watched her moving around the kitchen as if it were her own, I couldn't help but remember when I used to make her toast for her. I couldn't help but remember when I first started teaching her how to prepare her own foods. Those moments flew by so fast. There is no longer a need for me to tell her how hot the toaster gets. There is no longer a need for me to help her get things out of the cupboards, she simply has to reach up to get them h...

Dear Adoptive Mom Who Didn't Adopt, It is difficult to express the loss of a child through a failed adoption. It is difficult for people to understand. But I am here to let you know that I understand. I understand your pain. I understand your loss. I have felt your heartbreak. I have cried your tears. You don't start the process of an adoption thinking the end result would be a bed that is still empty. You don't think that there will be a seat at the table that wont be filled. You don't think of all the goodnight kisses that will never be given. You don't think that you will never give comforting hugs, letting your child know you will always be there mommy. You don't start the process of an adoption thinking you will come out at the end without your child. It is difficult because the people around you may not respond to your loss. They may not realize that you are grieving the loss of that child. Your child. They may not realize that even though you never ...