Back as a Scentsy Consultant!!!!!

   My health has stabilized enough so that I started back with Scentsy. I'd love to have your support! My link is below ---------‐>>>>>>

https://tiffanyballard.scentsy.us/ ( please choose a party when you order)

Ways to have more money for the holidays!!!

 Of course we are all shopping online more and more so you definitely should check out the app Rakuten 🙂! Shop through it and earn money back from tons of stores. If you're already shopping why not get some money back? And guess what!?!?! Right now they are running a deal if you click my link and download the app and shop through it you earn $40!!!! Everyone you refer and they use your app right now you get $40 too!! It's simple and a great way to get some money back from that online shopping. Link--‐----->>>>https://www.rakuten.com/r/TBLLRD?eeid=44753

You can also use receipt apps to earn points for gift cards and some just give money!!! All these I use and have cashed in before so I know they are legit. 

Receipt Hog pays you to upload receipts, take surveys, and more! Download and enter code gen96670 to earn a special bonus when you sign up! Link---------https://app.receipthog.com/r/gen96670

Then there is my favorite called Fetch!!

Come save money on Fetch with me! Sign up w/ code Y7P8P & get 2,000 pts: https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referralsocial?code=Y7P8P. See you there!

There are a few more I use and I do some things that come to my email where you click emails and do surveys. So many ways to help during the holidays. I love earning gift cards 😍! I literally bought almost my whole family's pjs for our Christmas eve box doing this. ( that's no small thing cause I still have 10 kids still at home!)

What's your top trick? 

I wanna say thanks to anyone who uses my links as well. It helps my family! 

Here it is School Curriculum 2022-2023

 

We actually do a lot together although we have huge age differences but it works for our family! 

-Handwriting we will use The Good and The beautiful. Along with the olders doing Journaling and other things. Hope to share some throughout this year. 

-Bible will be several things. The books I posted in picture above and we will continue with our character trait cards and Bible verses we started on last year. Plus Bible reading and all those kinds of things. 

-Reading will be so much different stuff this year and also still trying to figure out for some maybe some changes. We will finish for the older ones Uncle Tom's Cabin and then we have several read alouds planned. Some will work in 100 Easy Lessons and Hooked on Phonics. 

 https://amzn.to/3S8lQ3J *affiliate link

Math- The Good and The Beautiful mostly for everyone. Olders have different maths. Also daily morning basket includes Musical Multiplication. 

Grammar- Mad Libs, Easy Grammar for several and Language 3. Along with worksheets we are using in our morning baskets. https://amzn.to/3OLhkVT * affiliate link

History- Continue with Presidents, Heritage Letter, Story of the World will be our main focus. Also will do Courageous World Changers during morning basket .

https://amzn.to/3zEVcbu *affiliate link

Science- The Good and The Beautiful 

Sing A Song of Seasons for Poetry and study a poet each month. https://amzn.to/3vpHjLK * affiliate link

Art will be several different things. Different things for different ages. 

Of course we add in PE, economics, home economic, etc.... ❤

This was a brief write up of what we are using. I will be posting hopefully often about how well the school year is going and what is working and what isn't. 

My must have Amazon homeschooling list * affiliate links

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/YOPZISXD8QM2?ref_=wl_share

Top Homeschool Amazon list

 I just started my list. Here it is, I will be adding more as I get ready for the upcoming school year.

List

*affiliate links

Homeschool curriculum

  I will be having a post soon with what I'm using this year for all my kiddos. I'll be teaching 9 kiddos but one is a 3 years old but he's super smart so I'm adding in some fun for him. Ages this year starting our year are 3- 15. 

   What is everyone else using this year? Feel free to link to your blog and/or YouTube channel if I can do the same. 

Covid hair, Thyroid hair

 Just wanted to share my favorite hair care for my hair. Since my covid,  long haul covid, thyroid issues my hair has been falling out terribly. This has been the ONLY THING that's helped is this brand!!! I can't say enough good things about it. My hair dresser recommended it and boy was she right! 

https://amzn.to/3z0emqB

(Affiliate link)

Update on me!!!

 So I know I've left everyone hanging 🙃 but it's been crazy. I'm more stable than I was last time I posted but it's been a roller coaster. I'm still having issues with my blood pressure and thyroid but pretty sure I'm dealing with Long Haul covid. 😩 Trying some new things now and hopefully will become even more stable. 

   We've had some great summer trips in our RV this summer. If anyone is interested in me doing some RV ( motorhome) trip post let me know. ❤✌

  Anyway I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing. I know I've lost most of my blog post readers because I haven't posted much but hoping to get them back. 

Leaving you with some scenery shots from some of our trips. 

Trials and Jesus

   Since my last blog post I've been back to the er twice, had tons of test ran, been poked it feels like a million times,  and saw several drs. What has gotten me through? The love of my husband , my kids, prayers from loving friends and family, and JESUS! 

  It is while in trials we see the love of Jesus. In our lowest and scariest times sometimes all we can do is whisper Jesus please help. I'm so thankful for the love of my Father and that I'm never alone. It's been a rough month, well over a month now. 

  We still really don't know what has caused all my issues but leaning towards Co*id sending my thyroid into a crazy spiral. But no real definite answers. My blood pressure is finally ok.  I'm still in the process of getting test run so continued prayers are appreciated. I am feeling better and prayerfully hoping I am 100% soon.   God is able and He can do it! 

A little update and encouragement during trials

   I thought I'd do an update and some encouragement to those who are facing trials. 😍

  Since my last post I have been back to the ER, finally got in with an amazing endocrinologist, and have had meds added. It's all been a whirlwind. I was doing better then all of a sudden I had another spell but I think it was because my thyroid was swinging back so quickly to hypothyroid. Another blood pressure med was added and so far things have been stable with that. Can't say so much for my thyroid. We aren't exactly sure what spun my thyroid out of control but covid is definitely a contender. I have Hashimotos so I'm sure covid teamed up with my immune issue and I lost in that game but did I...... More on that later. 

    As of right now I'm doing ok. Only issue I am having now is feeling drugged ( that's understandable). If you know me I HATE to take prescription drugs so being on 3 my body is being drugged. And since starting my levothyroxine I am awakened at night with my body in anxiety mode. Not fun but hopefully my body will adjust and that will calm. Still for me it's better than the high blood pressure and all the stuff I was feeling before but it does make for a tired mama. So today's school is games, coloring, looking at books, reading for olders, and those kinds of things. 

    Now I want to speak about trials. When I was going back and forth to the ER and feeling horrible at home I was asking why?!? I don't know when we will learn to trust and not ask why. I guess cause we are human. But, if I never would've been taken by ambulance to the hospital the first time I wouldn't have met my now endocrinologist. And if someone would've told me about him I would've said ewwwwww no an endocrinologist is not going to listen to me. But, so not true with him. He has been a blessing. So while trials and hard times are not fun they are sometimes necessary. Also it has also made me refocus on what's important. And to put my focus on where it needs to be the Lord. We get so caught up in our life and such we lose focus and need a wake up call. I'm thankful I'm still here to take that wake up call. I want to encourage anyone experiencing a trial or just a little bump in the road to just focus on Jesus. Lay it at His feet because that's all we can do and it's so freeing. 🙌 

   I am so very thankful to everyone God has sent to minister to my family. I have been amazed at everyone who has loved on my family during this time. Thanks everyone for the meals, calls, messages, and most importantly prayers! Keep the prayers coming. I'm gonna claim complete healing! 

     

Well I went MIA again

   I had intended on doing several blog post about several things but again LIFE. Last Sunday the 23rd I was feeling kinda off all day and then that night my blood pressure shot up and I felt just like I did when I had postpartum eclampsia almost 3 years ago . 

 Ambulance took me to the hospital where we sat waiting to get in from like 8 at night till 2:30 am because ya know covid and all. Then they decided to admit me but I didn't get a hospital room till like 11:30 that night. 😳 I guess you're asking what happened.  Well we still kinda are too but it was a thyroid storm or very close to one. I'm usually hypothyroid and have Hashimotos but my medicine we assume caused me to go hyperthyroid and look like I have Graves disease. 

  Also while all the test were being run a nodule was found on my thyroid and because of the size it was thought to be cancer. But praise the Lord it was benign. I am home now and recovering. The adjustment to the blood pressure meds has been HARD to say the least. And we will now be going to a new endocrinologist.  Nobody has ever really been able to regulate me but maybe he can. 

  This episode brought up a lot of PTSD about after I had my last baby and all I went though with the eclampsia. God must not be done with me yet. He knows my family needs me. My husband has been wonderful through it all. ❤ I've done a lot of resting and intend to take care of myself for awhile but cannot wait to get back to organizing the house like I started doing. We would still covet your prayers for my recovery and for knowledge for how to proceed so we never have to go through this again. 

( This was a super brief overview and I left out a few things.  It has been a rough time.) I added a picture of how I got everything ready this morning to do a little school with the kids. Something I can do from the couch. 😉 

You Can Be Who You Are AND A Good Mom

   First I wanna say sorry I kinda went MIA. We got the big C word the week before Christmas and well let's just say it threw my husband and I for a loop. 

  Anyhow, let's get back on topic. I have been wanting to write this for a VERY long time but never enough time to just sit down and do it. But, I'm gonna do it even if it takes me days to write out. 

  When I first became a mom I was 16!( Looking at my kids around that age I feel how my mother must of felt.) But everything I did from that day on was what I thought best for my children.  Has it always been right? No, but as parents we know there are no instructions on how to raise these kids. I had a very horrible experience with being a first time mom for MANY reasons but my children have always been viewed as a blessing. My first pregnancy was twins at 16 and their sister came almost 2 years later. 

  As time went on and I married my sweet husband we added more kids(10 more to be exact). And I poured myself into all my kids. When my 3 older ones were just in 1st and 3rd grade we pulled them out of public school and started homeschooling and never looked back. I lost myself somewhere along the way. Especially when we joined a church where the woman were taught as mothers you act a certain way so God will love you. So I tried to be that woman for my husband and my children.  But it wasn't really me.

  Not until after having our last and almost not making it did I wake up and say to myself stop being what everyone else wants you to be and just be you! I no longer follow rules but rather personal convictions. I'm sure I'm frowned upon by some but that's ok. I only have to answer to God and my husband.  The freedom I feel is intense at times.  I just wanna be myself. So yes, you might see me driving my jeep jamming to some music with a beat that you don't really approve of. But don't say oh my gosh she's a mom she shouldn't be acting like that. Say, you go girl, live this life. And there are other things I'm sure others would look down on and that's ok. I love the Lord. I love my children and am in absolute love with their daddy. But I'm gonna be who I am, tattoos, piercings,  and all. 

  You are a good mom ESPECIALLY if you're teaching them that being yourself is ok. We don't have to hid who we are!!!!