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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Nothing to it...

There was really nothing to the Hurricane our way. We had a little bit of wind and scattered showers...nothing really. It was uneventful, to say the least. I'm not wishing for something bigger, but I do like to see a little bit more wind. I have good memories of us as children being on my grandparents' porch watching the trees sway over in the wind during a Hurricane. I don't mind Hurricanes. Tornadoes, no way. I am really scared to death of tornadoes. In fact, it may be #2 or #3 or my fears list! :o)

Not much more to post, normal, good day. Evan is walking really good now and probably does more walking than he does crawling. He is really growing up! He jabbers all the time and acts like he is carrying on a conversation with me. It's exciting.

I hope Emory's schoolbooks come in tomorrow! I'm anxious and looking forward to getting started really well.

I got up really early this morning, so I'm going to go to bed pretty early. Good Night!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Weekend in Review..

Even though I don't hold down a corporate job during the week, I still look forward to the weekends. I like having my husband home, enjoy us piddling around the house together, and I also quite enjoy the benefits of having dual disciplinarians in the home. :o) I don't stick to a schedule or have to do laundry on the weekends. I do basic pickups and cook a bit. We just enjoy being together. Some weekends are busier than others and we have obligations, but I do so enjoy those that require no special preparations or leaving the house unless we just want to!
My sister and her husband (and girls) are down for Labor Day Weekend, so we've visited with them a bit. Friday we went grocery shopping together and then Friday night our best friends' son had a birthday party and it was really fun. We love chillin' with our favorite people--you know people with whom you don't have to put on airs or anything--you can just be yourself. Those are the people with whom you have the best times! Anyway, Saturday, we slept in a bit (until almost 9!). I was expecting my sister to come over, so I started getting the house straightened and cleaned some. I got everything but the kitchen and took a break to cut a bit of grass (actually, I finished the whole yard). Then, the babies and I went to a bridal shower while Emory stayed and helped his dad work on a birdhouse and finish insulating the bathroom. After the shower, my dad took Erin and the rest of us (my neices included) to see some pigs (Erin's dream!). I came home pretty soon afterwards, cleaned my kitchen and my sister and her family came over. We decided to go over to my In-laws' to go swimming. My sister and I talked while we watched the kids swim. That is until I noticed my neice, who can't see very well, literally sinking in the deep water. My sister had Evan so I jumped in to save my neice. Whew! I finally just decided to stay in (the water looked tempting anyway! :), fully clothed and all! :) We later came back to our house, ate pizza, and chatted. It was a good and long day. I was proud that it was long, because I love long days if they are weekend days! :)
This weekend, we had a visiting preacher (upon whom we will be voting in the next week or so), and and he really did some great preaching. We still aren't sure how we feel about him as our pastor, but we are praying for God's will. It is just a serious situation--getting in a pastor. I almost wish churches could have a 'trial run' for the pastorship. :) Anyway, we are enjoying our long Labor Day weekend!
Tomorrow, the hurricane will hit the United States--projected around New Orleans. I know we will feel some affects--hopefully NOT tornadoes. They are scarier to me than hurricanes! Anyway, we are just to lots of rain and winds--Fay came last weekend. :o)
Emory had some behavioral issues this week--I don't know WHAT was the matter, but he was somewhat sullen and a bit rebellious. We didn't do schoolwork for a couple of days because he really easily frustrated and lacked enthusiasm. One day, I contemplated putting him in school, not because I didn't want to handle him, but because I was thinking maybe I wasn't doing the right thing--maybe he DID need to be with other children in a classroom setting. He seemed bored. I prayed long and hard on Thursday--I need(ed) so much wisdom. The Lord reassured me and I felt Him speak to me that I needed to take one day at a time, enjoy him, stop worrying and just make the best of today. Oh my, that helped me. God is sooo good. So, Friday, I went ahead and ordered him Science, Math, Language, and Spelling books. I am so excited about just digging in with fulltime homeschooling with him. I have workout a new schedule, which is more children-focused than before and I'm excited! I'm going to try to remember what I felt God impress me to think, "Don't worry about tomorrow, enjoy today"! I may have to put it on my frig! :o) There WILL be times that we have a bad day and may have to put off school for a day, but God is there to help us and I believe He will reward us for wanting to teach and train our children at home and in His ways.
Well, I have ants crawling over me from somewhere, so this will be all. Anytime after a rain, they will find some little minute crumb that can barely be seen with the naked eye and devour it. Ugh! Well, this is one crumb that can be seen that doesn't want to be devoured! :o)

Have a great Labor Day!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

And the winner is...

Patricia!

Congratulations! Please Email me at msc2001uwa@yahoo.com your address and I'll get the book out to you.

PS. I have read your blog a few times and I enjoy it.

Have a great day!

To my readers: plz remember us the first of next week, Hurricane Gustov will affect us from the way the looks.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

FREE Giveaway...


I noticed on other blogs that occasionally, the blogger will have a giveaway! I also noticed that I have TWO of these awesome books on my bookshelf, so I want to give one away. All you have to do to play is leave a comment stating you want to enter the giveaway. You may enter until Saturday at noon which is when I will draw. I will notify the winner and you can Email me your info for me to ship the book out to you. Please do not play if you do not plan to read the book. I want to pass it on to someone who will read it. It is a GREAT book--possibly life-changing for you and your family.


PS. If you are just a reader and don't have a blog, now would be a great time to sign up for a blog so you can keep in touch! :o)

EASY Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, this week has been the week for me to post recipes, but if I find a good un' then I want to share! This recipe is SUPER easy and these cookies won't last past a day (unfortunately). :)

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup sugar (if you are using natural PB, then use the whole cup, if it is reg PB w/ sugar already then use 3/4 cup)
1 egg
1/4 tp vanilla flavoring

Mix PB and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Bake at 350 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes.

Very easy!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A must read....

I have been working on this book for a few days. Last night I finally finished it (around 1am)--it is a wonderful book! It's a free download, so read!!

http://www.zealandpublishing.co.nz/womanhood%20book%20secrets%20of.html

Another Recipe...A Frugal one too!

This has been a very lean week, financially speaking, so I've been fixing from what I had in the cupboards. I had bought a pack of split peas for 72 cents a couple of weeks back and yesterday I made this soup. Very yummy and quite filling!

Split Pea Soup

3 qts. water
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in pieces
1 lb. (16 oz pkg) dry split peas
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 c. canned tomatoes
1/4 tsp. cumin seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 med. onion, chopped
Put in slow cooker at night, ready for noon meal. Let cook on low all night. Very good. We also had this yummy cornbread:

My Mom's Cornbread (with my 'touches')
1/4 cup AP flour
1 & 1/4 cup Corn Meal
3 tps baking powder (or 1 tbs)
1 tp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk (may need a littl more if you use buttermilk)
I add 3 tbs of melted butter (if you don't add the butter, put 1/2 cup of oil instead of 1/4)

Preheat oven to 450-500. Add a small bit (bout 1 tbs) of shortening (can use oil or drippings--depends on how healthy you feel that day..lol) to a cast iron skillet and place in the oven for shortening to get hot. Mix dry ingredients; add liquids. Stir well and take out hot skillet. Put batter into skillet (it should sizzle) and bake for about 15-20 minutes. You have some fine southern cornbread!! :o)

This meal probably cost less than $5.00!!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

My Chicken Pot Pie

I had Chicken Pot Pie on my menu for this week because I had some leftover chicken from the Chicken Salad I made last Wed night. I had trouble finding a recipe that didn't have Cr of Mr soup or Cr of Chicken (which I don't like to use b/c of MSG) and I did find one but didn't have access to a computer yesterday. SO, I had to make my own. It was yummy. First of all, I had some refrigerated chicken broth leftover from cooking the chicken the other day--so when you see chicken broth, that is from where it came.

Chicken Pot Pie

3/4 cup of cooked chicken (can use more, this is all I had)
2 cups of chicken broth (divided)
2 carrots, cut up
2 celery stalks, cut up
1/2 cup of English Peas (I used canned)
salt, pepper, garlic, poultry seasoning
1/4 cup of AP flour

In a skillet, saute raw vegetables in 1 cup of chicken broth. Add some about 1/2 tp of poultry seasoning. Add a little salt and pepper (I never measure). Saute until soft (for about 10 mins). Meanwhile, add a little garlic powder to cooked chicken (I don't measure--maybe 1/4 or 1/2 tp). Once vegetables are tender, add the vegetables to the chicken. Sprinkle the flour into the leftover broth and begin stirring immediatly with a fork. You should have the heat on low at this point. It will clump up some, but try to mash out the clumps with the fork. Slowly add the rest of the chicken broth, stirring and mashing the flour until it is mostly dissolved (I found I could quite get all the small lumps out, but that's ok). The mixture should be thickening. Add a little salt. After the flour is dissolved some and the mixture is thickened a bit, add it to the chicken/vegetables mixture. At this point you can put in the canned English peas (if you use frozen, you would want to put them in with the raw vegetables). Stir this up and make your crust.

For Crust:

2 Cups AP flour
2/3 to 3/4 vegetable shortening
1 tp salt
4 Tbsp. cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt with a fork or pastry blender until crumbs are pea size. Add water and pull together with a fork or fingers to form a ball. Roll out onto a clean counter and form into a circle big enough to cover pie dish.

Add chicken/vegetable mixture to a glass pie pan or a small casserole dish and carefully pick up your pie crust and put it on top of the vegetable mixture (it will be pretty thick--if it tears, you can mend it back pretty easily). Press the sides down around the edges of the pie plate.

Bake at 375 until pie crust is slightly brown--probably about 30 or 35 minutes.

Enjoy! You don't even miss the Cr of Chicken soup!!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Random...

Today is the Lord's Day and I am trying to keep it low key--resting a bit. The kids are napping/resting, the Tropical Storm came through and left us with a cool snap, wet conditions, and breezy. It feels wonderful.
Some things I will be doing today is reading in God's word, working on our menu for next week, and making some brownies for our after church meal. We are hosting a new pastoral candidate this week, so we will be eating at the fellowship hall tonight after church.
I don't know if you are like this, but I like to have a new focus for each week. This week I'm going to focus on continue getting up before my kids do, making sure I have a good prayer session every day, keeping the house straightened, having good, meaningful devotions and good homeschooling with the kids, and tackling clutter!! That is what I really want to do. I have a good spot where I going to put all the clutter or things that have no place and then I'm going to sort through it all. :o)
Well just some randomness, but I wanted to have a new blog up!
Oh, I went to see my new neice and family this weekend (for a very brief visit) and she is beautiful and SO tiny! We had a nice time.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Me, Lord?

My mom has the kids today--she wants to keep them once every 2 weeks or so--so you'd think I'd be busy getting lots of things done. But, I felt like starting my day off with Bible reading and Prayer. First of all, let me say that I do not claim to be Ms. Spiritual or anything of the sort, but I have been drawing closer to the Lord and have felt such an urgency to be exactly what God would have me be. He has been really meeting with me in prayer and I feel myself drawing closer to God.
So, I start with my Bible reading (Jeremiah 5-8) while jumping on the trampoline (think, physical and spiritual exercise coupled in one..lol). Then I go to my prayer room, which is our future homeschool room at the back of the house. God met with me there and we communed together. It was wonderful. I have been praying that God would make me a bold witness for Him. In my prayer today, I had a thankfulness and a longing for Heaven. I also had a strong feeling that the Lord is coming soon because of the fulfilling of the 'last days' prophecies. After my prayer, I just sat quietly 'listening' for the Lord and He impressed upon me to go see my neighbor. I don't want to say too much because I don't know who reads my blog, but they are nice, sensible people. But, all indications show that they are lost. In fact, the husband has admitted to me more than once that he knows he needs to get right with God. We pray for them all the time. But, today, I needed to go see her (the wife) and God told me what to say. Boy, do you know how hard that is? I don't even like to go to someone's house for a planned visit if I don't know them very well, much less an unplanned visit to someone I've only talked to in passing? Well, I thought about it for an hour or so (my dear husband came to visit me and bless his heart, I was so preoccupied in my fears) and finally it was like God said, "Go" and I went. I opened my Bible before I went and oh my, the verse I read was this," He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me, He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." Matthew 10: 40-42. Wow, I mean that was for me!
I admit, I prayed that she would be outside so it would be easier, but I really felt like I would have to go up to the door and knock. I walked by the trailer one time and walked all the way to the end of the road and finally on the way back I went up to the door and knocked. She came right away. I asked if the dogs bit (they have several hunting dogs who barked ferociously at me) and she said "No" to "come on in". Well, I got to the point and said that I didn't want her to think I was a freak or anything but I had been down praying and the Lord had impressed upon me to come and tell her that she and her family were in His thoughts and He loved them. I told her I didn't know where they were at spiritual speaking, but to know that I just didn't go to ppls doors and tell them about God, that God had impressed upon me to do so. She said a few things but I didn't really hear her, kwim? She was glad I had come and said that we all go thru rough times, etc. She appreciated me coming and then we just started talking and talked for about 30 minutes or so. We had a good time and she is a lot of fun. I planted the seed and now God can water it, you know? I've been praying that God would help me to just exude joy from my life that others can see Christ in me by being around me or talking to me. Oh, this is my prayer!
Anyway, I'm not pinning roses on myself in any way--this was very hard for me to do and I wanted to share about it on my blog. Get close to the Lord and he will use you. You will be glad that He did. Even though I was really nervous, I was so glad that the Lord would speak to me to tell someone that He loves them! The world is dying and going to hell and if I'm a super-spiritual Christian and I never tell anyone about Christ, what have I done?? The super-spiritual don't mean a thing if I never shine as a light for Christ. God is so good to me and I want to be willing to do what he has for me to do.
Later on, I'll post a couple of yummy recipes you'll want to try! Stay tuned....

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Night Owl


My middle child, Erin, is about to be renamed, "Night Owl". For the past 3 nights or so, she has been awake when we went to sleep and has gotten up to play or to come in our room sometime during the night. This morning before the alarm went off, we heard something in the living room. It was her--leaving out of the living room and going into her room!

She gets up usually from 8-9 and naps for 1.5 to 2 hours a day. She doesn't go to sleep until after 10 every night. In fact, I don't know what time she has gone to bed for the past 3 nights.

She is really scared of the dark. They don't watch anything scary nor do we talk about scary things. She is just scared of the dark. We leave lights on, but then she can see to play. We discipline her if she gets up without an emergency, which she will sometimes 'make up' one.

Well, this is our new dilemma with her. If you've been thru similar, feel free to share advice. BTW, she NEEDs her nap because she gets really whiney and ill. I have awakened her after 1 or 1 & 1/2 hrs. every day this week so she doesn't get too much sleep at nap time.

Enjoy your Wednesday!


Today's chores:

Husband's laundry

Put up childrens' laundry

Sweep and Mop Living and Dining rooms

Change Trash

Sweep off Porch

And if my mom keeps my kids for awhile, I will finish mowing the grass

Decluttering the extra bedroom (Project)


Homeschooling:

10 minute Bible Study with kids (I take a scripture or two and we discuss it)

Read Aloud (currently reading "Pinocchio")

Emory--writing worksheet (letter 'X'), practicing subtraction, copywork, & Reading Lesson

Erin--recognizing numbers 1-5, practicing writing the letter 'E'


Menu for today:

Breakfast: Pancakes w/Maple Syrup

Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches

Supper: Chicken Salad Sandwiches (church night--quick supper)


Well, I better get busy before the little ones awake! Have a blessed day!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Blog Blahs

Well, I haven't been on vacation, literally, just haven't felt like blogging much. I have wanted to blog, but haven't had much to blog about. Things are pretty mundane here. We are doing our usual routines and have been homeschooling this week. We made it through a wonderful campmeeting at our church that was so uplifting and refreshing. Makes me wish it was at least once a month!
This week I'm getting up earlier (before the kids) which is my intention all the time, but somehow I just get really sleepy in the mornings..lol. I love it when the house is all quiet and I can get a few things done before my sweet sleepyheads walk through the door. My Dh literally has to drag me out of the bed though to get me up (wish is what I asked him to do). :)
Right now I have a new recipe, Baked Oatmeal, sitting on the stove, fresh from the oven and it smells divine. I was really easy to make and I hope it will rekindle my childrens' love of oatmeal that has been lost.
Emory started subtraction yesterday and he is doing very well. I was amazed how well he did at addition that I decided to start on subtraction. He is on Lesson 39 in his "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" Book. He is just doing great. I started Erin with her numbers 1-5 (recognizing them) yesterday and writing the letter "E". She did pretty well--she is quite stubborn when it comes to conforming to a homeschooling schedule. Before now, I have pretty much let her pick what she wanted to do for 'schoolwork' while I worked with Emory. She is officially in 'preschool' now though. :o)
I have a new niece, Emma Raeleigh, born to my SIL, Amy. This is her 3rd child so now she has 3 kids under 3 years old! WOW. I may have a chance of going to Louisiana this weekend and seeing the new baby and their new house. That is exciting.
Well, I must get busy doing something before the sleepyheads start waking up! Have a great day.

Monday, August 11, 2008

A Deeper Experience..


Recently, I've been feeling compelled to deepen my relationship with my Savior. I've also felt compelled to get more in tune with the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. I think all this is due partly because I'm staying home and I feel such an urgency to see that my children make it to heaven and are all God wants them to be. Also, I actually have time now to further my relationship with God. I feel like when one has more time, more is required if you kwim. For example, a single woman with no children and a husband to attend to is required to give more service to God that say a woman with four small children and a husband. God will bless both the same if they both put in what is required of their time. The second reason for my urgency, is I feel like God has something great for my husband and I to do. He already blesses us to sing and minister in song, but I feel he has something greater in the ministry department. My husband feels the same. When he calls, I want to be ready, spiritually. I also don't want to be a hindrance to His will being done. The third reason for my urgency, is that I so desperately want to see a move of God among our church and the families of our age-group. I desire an outpouring that will result in an endless supply of souls being saved, people being filled with the Spirit, lives being sanctified and dedicated, people being healed, and prophesies being prophesied--just whatever the Lord would do! Lastly, I know, more than ever, that the Lord is coming very, very soon. I feel like it's just around the corner. The Bible is being fulfilled more and more every year. America is turning further and further away from God. I wonder if Soddom and Gomorrha was as bad as America is today. It must grieve God's heart so much to see this beautiful world he made being corrupted by the blackness of sin.

I have been feeling just a deep urgency to pray at different times in the day. The other night, I felt like praying before I went to bed and it was already midnight! I got down, not really feeling anything, and when I got up it was 2am. God met with me in a way that I could never explain. I told my husband the next day that it was addicting! I'm ready for the next experience like that! :)

I was raised in a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led church by Spirit-filled and Godly parents (the best!), but I want a deeper experience for myself. I want to have such a Glow about me that people will know that I've been in the Spirit and that I'm walking in the Spirit. I've been praying that God will just dig so deep into my heart and carve out anything that is in there that should not be there, whether it's pride, deceit, or maybe ungodly desires. I want to be so filled up with God that maybe I'm doing laundry and I just feel God so strong that I have to just fall on my face before God, right there in my laundry room, and cry out to Him. He is so Holy and so worthy.

I believe we are missing out on what God really, really has for us. He has greater heights and deeper depths for His children. If we will seek Him, we will find Him. I'm tired of just being a mediocre Christian. I want to be 'on fire' for God. I want my children to remember their mother as being a woman who knew how to pray.

We have Campmeeting at our church this week and oh, I'm so excited about what God's going to do in my life and the lives of those dear to me. We will hear some wonderful, anointed preaching that will be straight from God's Holy, unadulterated word.

I do believe that God has so much more for us. I want all that he can give me. I want to be like this: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, oh God". Praise the Lord--I want that to be me.

I challenge you to seek the Lord until you find Him. Stay on your knees until you get that "Holy Ghost" experience. It is wonderful. You'll go back for more and more. God is real. Well, I feel another prayer meeting coming on. LOL

Thanks for letting me testify!

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Projects

I have several things that I am/have been working on in the past 2 days. First of all, I organized our schoolwork a bit. I have a filing system going and have organized the kids' papers. Secondly, I have been whittling away at the clutter in our second spare bedroom. It is a very slow process because it has been a year since I've decluttered that room. The kids have gone through lots of sizes, toys, etc. since then. It is a catch all room until I have time to organize. Third, I have been repainting an old (but very cute) table that we had our in our storage shed. It will be a perfect table for us to do homeschooling at. It is being painted red. I hope to get a new memory card in my camera and I can take a picture. An extenuation of that project is that I'm working on converting our #1 spare (tiny) bedroom into our homeschooling room. I have lots of ideas that I hope to get on paper within the next day or so. I'm also working on getting our grass mowed before the day is over. I have about 15 minutes worth left. Last, I hope to start composing a very nice song book today..one that we can utilize in all our services.

Well, I better go before I think of more. The kids are asleep so I'd better get with one of my projects! Oops...also we have campmeeting all week (even during the day) at our church next week and I hope to get all of our ironing done. Looks like another late night tonight (last night's was spent in prayer...oh, I had a great prayer meeting--God is wonderful)!

God Bless!

Friday, August 08, 2008

From the book of John....

Here is some wisdom I gathered while reading the book of John..
To be saved: Believe in/on Jesus, Believe He is the Son of God
Then: Sin no more--His words to the Woman at the Well and to the Blind Man (We strive daily to live a sinless life and daily crucify this flesh)
Commandments: Love thy neighbor as thyself--care for your neighbor, have compassion upon your neighbor
Promise: We can ask anything in His name and it will be given unto us.
Promise: We will suffer persecution/tribulations in this World but we should not fear.
Lastly: Our joy should be full!

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Guess what I got?


Just a quick post so my readers can celebrate with me: I got DSL! Yeah, I've had dial-up for all this time. It's wonderful how the page loads so quickly! Just thought I'd share.


We have had a good week. Done homeschooling every day, had fun with the kids, kept the house decent...yeah, it's been good! :o) Tomorrow is my last night of being the guest pianist at a nearby church's revival. I've enjoyed playing some of the hymns that we Pentecostals don't sing very much. :)


I think my mom wants to keep the kids tomorrow, so I hope for a nice productive day. We got a nice rain tonight, Praise the Lord, so the grass will hopefully be ready for mowing.


PS. Today Erin was sitting on the potty doing her 'business' when she looked up at me and inquired, "Mom, does my God have a booty"? LOL Wow, I don't think I was 'instant in season and out of season'. I didn't have a very good answer. :o)


God Bless!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Why I Homeschool


Our public and private schools started today and tomorrow so I decided an appropriate post would be one that states why my little Kindergartener won't be standing at the bus stop this week. So, here goes: twenty reasons why I Homeschool (in no particular order).


1. I trust no one with my children the way I trust myself with them.


2. No one loves my children the way I love them.


3. No one cares for my children the way I care for them.


4. No one has the best interests in mind for my children like I do.


5. I'm responsible for my children, not someone else.


6. My children need me.


7. My children do not need to sit in a desk for 6-8 hours a day.


8. My children do not need to be with 20 children the same age as he more than he needs to be with his family. The people you are with the most are the ones who influence you the most.


9. In a traditional school setting, my children will not learn the Bible and other subjects will be of more importance (How can they find their way to Heaven if they don't know what the roadmap says?)


10. My children are not used to being hollered at.


11. All children the same age are NOT on the same level intelligent-wise, even though the traditional school setting requires that all children learn the same thing at the same time.


12. I want my children to learn about the 'Birds and the Bees' from me and not from what Johnny told him that happened in this movie he watched.


13. I do not want my children to be made fun of or to be pressured into being malicious to other children.


14. My children are disciplined out of love and not anger.


15. I don't want my children to have a chance of being molested by a school peer or a teacher.


16. I don't want my children to be in the school when that guy that is mad at his girlfriend decides to go on a shooting rampage.


17. I want the freedom of teaching my children a variety of subjects in a variety of ways.


18. I want my children to have the liberty of participating in art, music, nature, philosophy, Bible memorization, woodworking, baking, and any other skill that I deem important for them.


19. I want my children to have a Biblical worldview.


20. I homeschool my children because they are MINE and I know it is what God wants me to do.


Who created the educational system? Man, not God. God placed the mother and father in charge of teaching the children. Sending my children to a modern day school to me is like sending them to a den of wolves on a 'kiss and a prayer'. I have the freedom to homeschool these precious lives God gave ME to teach, mold, and make. If they are away from me 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, then how can I do this? Then comes extracurricular activities that are school-related that take more time away from family-time and I have even less time than that to mold my children! We pray that our children stay safe at school, aren't molested, don't hear curse words, aren't influenced, don't sneak around and smoke, don't get groped, etc., but then why are we sending them to school on this prayer, when God has given us the command to 'Train up our children' . I am very passionate about homeschooling and feel so disheartened at times because it is so looked down on where I live.


The biggest frowns about homeschooling that I get or hear:


1. They need to be around other children. What do I say about this? First of all, what happens when you get a bunch of kids the same age, together? You get stealing, or cheating, peer pressure, maliciousness, fighting, selfishness, bickering, etc. I know because I've seen it year after year. Who made the law that children do well by being around children their own age for 8 hours a day? I don't know, but it's such a deception for one to believe this. Children learn social skills by seeing it modeled. NOT by being with children their own age all the time. They learn to share by seeing grown ups share or by hearing grown ups express the importance of sharing and implementing sharing. They don't learn sharing by being with other children. Unless YOU, the grown up, steps in, kids will get into a fist-fight before they will give into someone who has their toy. Do you see what I'm saying? Social skills by being with other children is a BIG misconception. Yet, it is the number one defense against homeschooling. Okay, so I agree that kids enjoy being around other kids. What about siblings? My kids have a blast being with one another. They are used to each other. They love each other so much they often want me to 'marry them'. LOL What about cousins? What about church kids?


2. The second 'frown' is your kids will miss out on so much (i.e. ball, soccer, cheerleading, performances, camps, and all the other gazillion things that kids are involved in these days). Do you know what my kids won't miss out on? The won't miss out on Mom reading "The Swiss Family Robinson" or "Robinson Crusoe" to them. They won't miss out on Mom reading the Acts chapter 2 and explaining the Day of Pentecost to them. They won't miss out on learning Psalm 1 at age 3. They won't miss out on playing the 3 Little Pigs outside for an hour with siblings and Mom. They won't miss out on learning how to bake a special dessert. They won't miss out on building a birdhouse with dad. They won't miss out on learning a foreign language at an early age. They won't miss out on ball--with daddy as the pitcher and mom as the umpire, who can beat that? They will, however, miss out on being hollered at by a teacher (who may be having PMS) because out of being bored from sitting in a desk for 2 hours, he or she decides that doodling is better (and probably is) than doing multiplication. They will, however, miss out on going to bed at 11 because of studying and doing endless hours of homework. They will, however, miss out on being pressured to make that "A". They will, however, miss out on having low self esteem because someone called them "fat" or "retard".


3. They aren't going to be prepared for college. You know, frankly, college doesn't mean much to me and I won't pressure my children to go. *Gasp* I pray my girls will grow up to want to stay at home mothers and my sons will grow up to have a trade to where they can be around their families, if possible. Hardworkers, but with a meaningful job. However, I'm am convinced 100% that homeschooling will more than prepare my children for college. You can look up the statistics on homeschooled children. Their IQs are higher than the traditional schooled children. Why? More ONE on ONE and no pressure to do 'said' objective and have it mastered by such and such date. Also, possibilites are endless. You can teach Shakespeare one day and Booker T. Washington another day. Isn't that wonderful?


I love homeschooling. Won't you consider it? I'm fully convinced your child will benefit from it. And, perhaps, most importantly, you might prevent your child from a lot of sorrow. Shelter your children. There's NOTHING wrong with it.


God Bless.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Productive Day and Pottying....


I have found that I'm not happiest when I look back on my day and I'm gotten all my chores done. I'm happier when I have done everything on my list with my KIDS than my housework. Today we got to do our devotions, book reading and homeschooling. I tweaked my schedule a little today and it worked even better than my last tweaking. I'll post it when I get it 'down pat'.


Back before Evan was born, I read a book called, "Diaper Free Baby". I had heard of Elimination Communication before and after reading (most of) the book, I decided I would try it some on Evan. Now it's hard to try things like EC and cloth diapers, etc., when you have another caregiver than yourself, so I knew I couldn't do it all the time. I remember when Evan was about 2 weeks old, I put him on the potty. He was soo cute--his little red, wrinkly booty on the big potty. In December when he was 4 months old, I knew he was about to 'poo' one day while we were at the table. I thought, "Why not just take him--don't wait for him to soil his diaper." So, I did and he went! He did it several times during my Christmas vacation, but after that, he went back to my mom's during the day and we fell off the wagon (er, potty) so to speak. I determined that I would start taking him to the potty after his one year old birthday. So, today I got the little blue Bjorn potty out and cleaned it out. I put it in the living room and sit him on it after each diaper change. One time, he was dry and had been for a few hours. I thought surely he would go on the potty, but he wouldn't. You know, he is now 'trained' to go in his diaper. Isn't that sad? I have trained him to soil his diaper. Back at 4 months, he was comfortable going on the potty because he wasn't quite trained yet. Just like we don't feel comfortable going in our underwear, he doesn't feel comfortable going anywhere but his. Well, I'm going to keep trying! Keep you posted.


This week I am guest pianist at a nearby Baptist church. It went well tonight, I enjoyed it. It is a job I love.


"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow"

Monday, August 04, 2008

Happy Birthday, Evan!




Here we are from then until now!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Happy, Sad, Disappointed all in one day!


Happy:

Today we had Evan a birthday party after church. His grandparents and great-grandparents were all there (with the exception of my grandmother in the nursing home) and a few close friends with their children. I have pictures on my MIL's camera I hope to upload tomorrow night. He really had a great time. He dove face first into the cake and finally picked it up and eat it! He enjoyed playing with his presents. Everyone brought a dish, so we had some good food--just enough for everyone. I'm so proud of my sweet, little one year old. What a gift from God!


Sad:

Today when I got home from the party, I went out to feed the dog and cats. Gabby, our rat terrier, wasn't there to get her feed. Thinking this was unusual, I went out and called her for a bit. I went in and told Dh that I couldn't find Gabby. He told me that he had noticed that she hadn't come to him last night when he was at his car. I went walking a little further in the yard looking for her. Finally, I got in my car and drove around. I had just got to the end of our road, getting ready to turn out on the highway, when I saw her in the ditch. I could tell she was dead immediately. We live a little ways from the highway, but I'm thinking she followed one of us out to the road and a car hit her. She was the best little dog!! We had just got her in April. She really was the perfect dog, gentle and playful, just the right size. I will deeply miss her, as will the kids. She was Erin's best pal. I was really frustrated that she died. That is the second dog this year! :( Another thing is a dear reader of my blog and a cousin of mine has had a spot discovered on her lung. She had a biopsy done yesterday and things aren't looking too good. She has a 1 yr old son and is in her early twenties. Brandy, we're praying for you!!!!

Lastly, my best friend for many, many years had her sweet baby girl taken to be with the Lord one year ago today. She's in my thoughts tonight.


Disappointed:

We voted on a pastor tonight at our church. We have two candidates. The candidate that we felt like was God's will for our church was voted on tonight. He had to have 80% to get in as pastor. He got 73%. I was so disappointed. He is a great preacher and a prayer warrior. I don't see any reason for someone not to vote for him, but the other candidate is kin to some in the church. Anyway, just a little disappointed. God is still sovereign though. He knows where we are. He is still in control.


Back to the proverbial drawing board tomorrow. I could be starting back to school (teaching) tomorrow, but praise the Lord, I'll be with my babies!! Thanks be unto the Lord for that prayer answered.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Look at me!


I got Evan's one year old pictures made last night. Isn't he adorable? Just thought I'd share! Happy Saturday!


PS. Got a lot to do today...bake a birthday cake, among other things. Have a great one!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Opportunities...


Tonight I received a call to be the pianist next week at a nearby Baptist church's revival. I gladly accepted. I feel that God just gave me the talent to play the piano. It's hard to explain, but I never had to learn to play, per se, I just picked up either on my own, or by watching others. I have no reason to brag on myself, so I'm not--God gets ALL the praise.

Last week, my husband, our friends and I had the opportunity to minister all week in music and song to a local campmeeting. We really were blessed by being a blessing. I can't think of a much greater satisfaction than being a blessing and using the talents with which God has gifted us. The bottom line is I just love singing and playing the piano--especially when it's with those I love!

I have recently begun teaching a couple of students piano. I was sort of skeptical of my ability because of my lack of training as a music teacher. I decided to go full speed ahead and rely on God. He has truly come through! My students are doing great, are practicing hard, and God is guiding me in teaching them. It's exciting to see them learn with each week.

My husband ministered to us at church last night with a great sermon on "Pilgrims and Strangers". He is not officially a minister, but we both feel like he has a calling in that direction. God is definitely leading us that way and we are looking forward to doing His will. I'm excited for my husband and what God is going to do for him.


So thankful tonight for the opportunity to serve God with the talents He has given me! Are you using yours?

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

New Focusing for this week..


Before I get into my post, I would like to report that I am fine from my massage/table crashing incident. My legs are really sore-to-touch and bruised, but I am good. Our table is fixable, we believe, and is in the floor with the legs up in the air, waiting to be fixed. Quite a conversation starter, if we have guests. :o) Thankfully, noone has shown up since the accident. :o)


Earlier in the week, I got out my binder and worked on some tweaking to my schedule. My goal with my schedule is this: To keep my house clean and orderly without it being the consumption of my time and energies. To maintain a healthy balance between taking care of my children's needs and my home. I would love to get everything on my schedule done each day and not be consumed by it, yk? So, I have reevaluated it and decided that my daily cleaning chores and going to get done first and foremost--that way I will not put them off and they not get done. Also, I can get them over with and spend any extra time in the afternoon doing homeschooling or reading to the kids, playing, working on projects. Second of all, I haven't been working on any projects since I started my schedule. I have lots of clutter spots and entire rooms that need working on. I had to figure out a way to squeeze in some project time. Thirdly, I haven't been homeschooling diligently. This is NOT on my top priority list because Emory is still only 5 and I'm going to enjoy not doing homeschooling for 8 hours a day while I can. I don't want to push the issue. I still do want to do some, tho, even if it's just reading, copywork, memory work, and some math. That is my goal. Lastly, my house was STILL being a near disaster zone. So, instead of my 15 minute LR/DR pickup, I'm installing 3 10 min pickups at intervals during the day.


Here is my revised schedule (I'm sure it will constantly be revised):


1. Get up (I do not have a set time, anytime between 7:30-8:30 usually)

2. Laundry (different person's laundry for different days)

3. Chore #1 (ex. sweep/mop front of house)

4. Chore #2 (ex. sweep/clean off front porch--those were today's chores)

5. Bible reading/trampoline (this is not 'set', I do it when I have a quiet moment..when the kids are playing good and Evan is not clingy)

6. Clean room/Get dressed

7. Breakfast

8. Clean Table/Stack dishes (revision: I used to wash them at this pt, but for sake of time, I'm waiting until later in the day to wash bf, dinner, and supper...save time)

9. Devotion (I do a short devotion with the kids..for example, today we read about the Good Samaritan and talked about "Compassion")

10. Kids' room (make bed and clean room...kids help)

11. Get kids dressed

12. Hang out laundry (I hang out ALL my laundry except towels/washcloths)

13. Recess (revision: kids play outside while I hang out laundry..this is long enough..it is SO hot..I used to have this slotted for 45 min-1 hour)

14. Ten Minute Pick-up--added(we pick up all toys they have out at this pt...just a general straightening)

15. Lunch (we don't eat a big lunch..today we had watermelon!)

16. Homeschooling (they did 2 worksheets a each today..Emory had reading lesson)

17. Story Time (right now we are reading, "Pinocchio")

18. Nap preps (Bathroom, water)

19. Naps (they don't nap every day, but I make them rest)

20. My Time (Prayer time, general chores--i.e. sweeping, trash, dishes, etc--PROJECT time--right now I'm decluttering our future school room which is now a junk/movie room)

21. Supper Preps (kids play with table activities during this time and any other time they need to calm down and play structured)

22. Supper

23. 10 minute pick up

24. Family Time

(From here on, I really don't have a schedule...we either are going to church or to my mother in law's to visit, or spending time as a family...they do the baths and teethbrushing, stories, prayers, bedtime, have another 10 minute pick-up, etc.)

Somewhere in here, I let my kids watch one video every other day. Usually it's while I'm doing my morning chores. They play really good with blocks and whatever I set out for them.


This is basically our day--with lots of hugs and kisses in between times!! :)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

A Day Out


Yesterday Dh and I were out saving a few figs from being devoured by hungry birds and I spontaneously suggested that we go to the beach (which was suggested first, the shopping part was suggested later and we see what we actually DID) so my Dh (the KING of spontanaiety..lol) said, "Let's Go". So, we had a LOT of prepping to do and it was actually after lunch before we headed out. We asked my MIL to go with us and she helped entertain the kids on the little over 2 hour drive to the coast. I desperately needed to get Emory some new shoes, so we stopped at the outlets on the way in. He has to have Wide Width or better yet, Extra Wide Width, so I got him 3 pair from Stride Rite. I hope these hold up for him at least until we make another trip down at Christmas. Just as desperately, Erin needs some new church dresses, especially since our annual campmeeting is coming up, so I went into Strasburg, definitely not thinking I would be able (read: afford) to buy her anything. They had some in season markdowns and had an additional 20% first item markdown, 30% second item markdown, and 40% third item markdown. Anyway, I got Erin 2 gorgeous smocked dresses and Evan a little jumpsuit (to match!) for a little over $100. I was really pleased with my savings!!


It is a little after five by this time and I am getting hungry. I enjoy eating 'on the beach' at an authentic seafood restaurant. However, I DID NOT KNOW that it is near impossible to eat on the beach near seven o'clock, on Saturday, without waiting forever! The first place had a TWO hour wait, so we said no way. We piled everyone back in the van and drove to a second place. It had a 45 minute wait so we put our names down. We changed our mind and drove to about 3 more places, all having a huge wait. We wasted about 30 minutes looking/driving, so we came back to the second place and figured our name was about to be called. We got out and waited about 30 more minutes, but it wasn't too bad. The weather was sort of rainy and cool. The food was good, but you know it's never as good as it was anticipated. :o) Especially after the ticket is paid and you have nothing to show for except for a too-full tummy and a sick feeling! :o) Maybe one day we'll learn in that area. Anyway, I just enjoyed today. BUT, it was so late when we got finished eating that the public beach was closed. We had taken some clothes to spend the night, but my MIL didn't really want to. It didn't matter too much to me, but I was very bummed for my children's sake that they didn't get to see the beach. again. (The same thing happened last time we came...too much shopping...no beach) I felt so bad for them that at WalMart on the way home, I got them a toy. :o) I never do that, but I really felt bad. They didn't throw temper tantrums or anything, which I was so proud of them, but you could tell they were disappointed! :o/ I sure hope we can go back soon and just take them to the beach (and go to Shakes, baby, to get a custard...yum). We had a miserably sleepy ride home and got home at near one o'clock.


All in all, it was a good day. I got some good bargains. If I had it to do over again, I would go shopping, eat somewhere away from the beach (Mellow Mushroom which was first sugg by my dh), have time to go to the beach for about an hour (that is plenty, imo, with small children), then go get ice cream!! ;O)


I'm so glad to spend time with my family. I love being with my mother-in-law too. My kids adore her and she is the most unselfish person I know! She hadn't seen her hubby all day and I can't blame her for wanting to go home! ;o)


Tomorrow is my birthday and a perfect day to me is a day just like this one with my family. Having fun and being together!! ;O)

My Week, updates, ramblings....

I started to title this post, "Haven't Blogged cause I've Been Clogged" but decided against it for various reasons...lol. You will see why that title is appropriate on down the post.

This week my schedule has been off kilter and we've barely done any homeschooling. I mean hardly any to speak of. First off, we (my dh, and our dear friends) had to sing at a nearby campmeeting for the special singing and altar music. Every night from Sunday to Friday. :o) It was pretty fun--I love singing and esp with my dear friends--they had a good sound system (from OUR side of the stage..ha)--and the spirit of the Lord was there every night, so it was really a good time. When we think about why we do what we do it's not so much a drudgery. Well, I had to have a sitter just about every night so we split up kids between my mom and my MIL and then some nights I would take one or two, so it worked out. I prefer having my children in church with me, but with our being onstage for a major part of service, it just wouldn't be as feasible. I just say thank God for good grandparents who will come through unselfishly for their children/grandchildren!! :o)

The second highlight of the week is I got mastitis (hence the 'clogged' title). I had a painful lump in my breast that turned into an infection, complete with fever, chills, aches (including a headache). It was not fun. The only plus to it was it wasn't contagious and I got some rest. Of course, my house did not clean up itself, but we managed. I don't stress over an unkempt house anymore. I have learned two things (and this is such a profound statement(s) to me that perhaps I should do a whole separate post on this) 1. People only drop by or come to visit when your house is at it's worst or near worst and 2. There is no way to keep a house straightened when you have clutter (i.e. too many toys, clothes, what-nots, mail, papers, etc.) in places. Clutter that needs ALL DAY to tackle and one cannot do that while taking care of three kids (which is more fun that tackling clutter, btw...ha). Anyway, it's funny that I should mention this because in the past two weeks, I have had 4 or 5 people that I could name that have just 'dropped by' (which I love company!!!) and my house happened to be at wreckage state due to late start on the day or my being sick and not feeling like straightening. One day I was decluttering the kids' room and couldn't get to the rest of the house. Anyway, my house IS clean. I change the trashes every other day, I clean the bathrooms once a week, my laundry gets done weekly on schedule, I mop weekly and sweep every other day, I dust weekly. But.....alas...it still gets messy. :o)

So, I don't know how I even got on that!! :O) My dh stayed home with me the day I was sick and that was nice!! I enjoy him being home so much that my selfish side sometimes wishes he had at least a part time work-at-home job so he could be at home more. :o) I am so very thankful for his job, tho.

Well, I told you it was ramblings!! My mastitis is better and I'm on antibiotics (which I have needed to be on for various infections this year, but I know it creates more candida in the body, but, gotta get better)

God Bless!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Book Recommendation


If your child is 4 or 5 yrs old and shows signs of wanting to read, I really recommend this book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I ordered it from Amazon. It is direct-instruction, phonics-based. We are almost to Lesson 30 and Emory is reading words like, cat, at, mom, sit, ram, sick, sack, etc. He is reading sentences like, "See the ram sit" and "The rat is sad". I'm so excited!


Just a short post--I just finished mowing the grass and I'm about to go get the children from their grandmother's.


God is still good even today! :O)

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The Harvest is Plentiful....




No time to get on the computer much this week. Even now, it's 12am and I'm putting up peas (taking a break while they are on the stove). So, you just get a few photographs for now!


I put up 4 or 5 bags of tomatoes, 11 bags of peas (I think that's how much it's going to be) and the squash keeps coming.


Check out Evan's dimple on this picture! I got a bucketful of squash out of my garden just today! This watermelon is my FIRST!! It's in the frig waiting on me. Let you know how it turns out.


Hope you, my dear readers, are having a great summer!.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Ramblings and Gone Explorin'



Well, yesterday my No Greater Joy (http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/) magazine came and as always, I had to say, "Ouch" after reading a couple of the articles. Michael Pearl sure knows how to shoot it straight. Anyway, he had an article in there about Boys acting silly and he talked about how silliness in boys can create foolish young men. I'm so guilty of indulging my son in a little silliness and oft times I am plain silly with him. I just thought of it as fun, but I see where folly as a youngster can create foolishness as a young man. Anyway, today the two oldest started with silliness while memorizing their scripture verses (Psalm 1). Actually, my daughter started it, but oldest son soon joined in. It was so hard for me to say, "Stop being foolish", because they were being really funny, but I did. They quit pretty quickly when they saw Mama wasn't participating. I am a fun mom, don't get me wrong. I will make up for the lack of silliness by engaging them in more tickling session or hugging marathons. :)


Again, the Pearls talked about how destructive the entertainment world can be upon our children's moral lives. My daily struggle is with this. My kids LOVE to watch movies, play the computer, Emory loves his Game Boy, and he will even play games on my phone if I will allow him. I feel like I'm saying No all day long. Kids are so bored these days. MY kids. And it's all thanks to the entertainment industry. Makes me want to smack em' (the entertainment industry, that is...lol). If I have a stack of dishes and my children have already done table activities till they are green in the face, then I will allow them to watch a video. Let's see--weekly, my kids (youngest excluded) probably watch a total of 4-5 hours of TV per week. Sometimes a bit more (when they are at grandparents') and sometimes a bit less. But every bit bothers me. This evening they played probably 2 hours total with blocks and animals. I love it when they do this.


Anyway, what I'm posting is, I don't like letting my kids have any entertainment. With the least bit, I do worry what the damage will be. BUT, I know they enjoy it and I hope that a 'little bit' won't hurt. Anyway...enough ramblings and to my subject...


Yesterday, after reading the Pearls' it got me geared up to do something with the kids. So, I decided on a Nature walk. They had to clean up their room first, so I set the timer (blessed timer) and they did it pretty well. We made us a list of all the things we wanted to see on our nature walk--a checklist--and headed out. At 1:30 in the afternoon. Oh my. Anyway, we have some trails around here, but none are favorable for a stroller, so I had to pull Evan in the wagon. We ended up not seeing but about 4 things on our list (boy, we had a list...moose, elk, 'cantelopes', deers..lol), but it was a good time. Hot, but adventurous.


Try it sometime. PS. The first picture is before we make the trek. The last picture is at our destination (this is actually a camp site for my dh's first cousin and her family--it is so pretty there)

Flea Market

No, I didn't go to it, it came to me!!!



My first cousin had (past tense) two hound dogs, very nice dogs, but they had fleas, awful. My puppy who gets bathed at least once or twice a month and who is on Topical flea medication would get a few fleas on her because of these dogs. When these dogs would come around (read: all the time), I noticed we were starting to have fleas in the house. I would pick a couple off of me and the kids every day or so. I would see (one time, SIX) some in my dirt pile from sweeping. The past few days, I haven't seen any other than the occasional one I would get off of me.

Fast forward to Monday night, I thought I had gotten into red bugs, because I had some really itchy, red whelps the next morning. I had cut grass the day before and hadn't taken a bath that night (okay, so I fell asleep during the family devotion/read aloud time) so I thought that must be it. I made sure I bathed really good the next day. Wednesday morning, more bites. I thought I just haven't gotten the red bugs rid of. I was putting creme on around the clock and even took a dose of Benadryl. This morning, I woke up at 5am itching. I went to get a drink of water and stopped by the kids' room for a looksie in their mirror at my back. I had 3 FRESH bites. I decided to strip down. After two look overs in my pajamas, I found not one, but TWO fleas residing inside my pajama bottoms. They met their doom and I went to check out my sleeping quarters.

Evan had a few bites on his back (sleeping next to me) and I really got upset at these blood suckers. I checked him over really good and the covers and decided to go back to sleep. Yeah right. It's the same feeling you had in school when they checked everyone for lice. Your head itched the rest of the day even if you didn't have it. You felt crawling in your head all day. I finally got up at 5:30 and did the quiet time/housekeeping thing. I enjoyed the jumpstart on my day, but I am not happy about my bites.

Speaking of them, I counting all my bites today. TWENTY THREE.

ICK

Update on a few things...

I was glancing down my blog, and I saw a few things I need to comment on.

*First off, I haven't commented on this at all, but I'm going to be an AUNT again! My sister, Ashley, is pregnant with her third baby due in February. Her youngest is 4 yrs old and for awhile I didn't think she would have another one. I'm really excited. She's really hoping for a boy since she has two girls already. This will put my parents with EIGHT grandchildren under the age of seven. YIKES.

*Secondly, I posted a couple of posts down about Evan's horrible sleeping, etc. Well, we have stuck to just laying him down at naps and nighttime and he is doing great. Within a few days of starting he will fuss a maximum of 3 minutes. Sometimes he goes right to sleep. He still doesn't sleep for a long period of time and this is due to two reasons: I have other small children in the house who do.not.know.how.to.be.quiet, and sometimes he will 'do his diaper' before he falls asleep and who can blame him for waking up pretty soon after falling asleep?? Other times, I don't know what it is. He has never slept for over an hour and a half for naptime since I have been home and even that long is RARE. But, God has helped me and has given me patience about it and I just joyfully (well, er, most of the time) go pick him up and we have a good time. He is crawling from one end of the house to the next!

*Another thing was my asthma/no sweets deal that I had going on. Well, I have to report that I haven't had to use my inhaler (no trouble with breathing) since the very night that I posted the post about asthma! I haven't given up sweets either (*hides*) and the only thing I can attribute to this (other than divine intervention which I say, Thank you, God) is I have been exercising! For two weeks now I have walked 2 miles 3 times in a week. So, I don't know. It is nice to be able to breathe. As for the yeast/sugar related issue, I knew about a product and it was brought to my attn again the other night which is called, Three Lac. It restores healthy bacteria to your stomach and rids your body of extra yeast (the bad kind) you don't need. I'm still researching it because I'm still nursing. I want to be careful. The good news is you don't have to give up sweets! :o) I don't go around eating sweets all the time, but I do like sweet tea, a homemade goody every now and then, and a bowl of ice cream at a special function!! :o)

I can't remember if there is anything else to update!?! My schedule is going well, still. Some days I don't get everything done, but I just get up earlier the next day and do it! This morning I was up at 5:30 (more about why in another post) so I just swept and mopped, swept off the porch/sidewalk, watered plants, straightened living room, and did my usual chores. So nice to start my usual day (time that I normally get up) with an already clean house! :o) It takes hourly 'pick-ups' it seems, though!

Okay, off to clean the bathroom and maybe get in a couple more posts before the day is up!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Yet another reason why I love being a mother


And not just any mother, but a mother to MY precious babies!


This is what my two oldest worked on today! My dear daughter has a rare obsession with pigs. Yes, that's right. Notice the pig in the 'pen' and the wolves who are waiting with 'baited breath' to taunt and perhaps tear into the poor pig. This is hilarious. My kids are so much fun!


Today's 'table' activity was blocks.

Canning Congratulations


This is my first attempt at canning! I was so scared my "Sweet Pickle Relish" would not seal, but when I got back from my anniversary trip, every can was sealed! Praise the Lord! :)


Yay!

Goals...got any?

Lots of things on my mind tonight, hence the 3 or 4 posts that I'm coughing up (literally...see last post about asthma). I'd appreciate comments on, er, all of the posts..ahem. :)

Tonight I was thinking about posting about my goals. I don't want to be misunderstood about posting about goals. I'm way content with my life right now because I'm doing God's will. I'm at home being a keeper of my home, a mother to my children, and a helpmeet to my husband. I have found my niche, so to speak. In fact, I love my home and all it's imperfections. It's a wonderful place. I can't understand why my kids hardly ever want to come home after we visit someone because I'm the opposite...I LOVE being in my castle! Anyway.....

There are some things that I might like to aspire to do/be one day when or if God sees fit. These things all fall second to my duties as a Christian wife/mother.

Goals (typed in the order of desire)
One day open a health food store that also could serve healthy lunches/sandwiches/snacks, etc.

Write books on homemaking/mothering/homeschooling stuff

Smaller Goals
Have a regular exercise program
Eat healthy all the time
Be more self sufficient (grow more food, make things, etc.)
Be debt free (almost got this one done)
Have more animals (farm type)

Of course, I have family goals and goals for me and my husband, but these are some individual goals that I have. What are your goals?

PS Look for an upcoming post on 10 things ultimate relaxation/fun things (I consider fun) I would like to do (before I die...LOL).

Friday, June 27, 2008

Asthma and a drastic change...

I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma right after I got married, 9 years ago. I started riding my bike every morning before work and I would have trouble with hyperventialating. I went to the doctor and got a diagnosis. Thinking back, I remember in 6th grade, I hyperventialated after winning a race against other 6th grade girls. Then, as a teenager, I remember I would have shortness of breath sometimes at night (for example, while praying before bed) but we hardly ever went to the dr for anything. While pregnant with Evan, I had a lot of trouble with shortness of breath. I went back to dr and got a new inhaler prescription. I used in only when neccessary for a couple of months and then got better.

Fast forward to now. For the past month, I have had episodes of wheezing/coughing that onsets in the evenings/nights. This is when I feel the urge to cough or start to wheeze without any warning. I have had to use my inhaler just about every day or every other day for the past month!

I really hate taking medicine (hence one of the reasons for the name, Natural Mama) and I like to look at the underlying cause of the problem. Well, I know I have an overgrowth of candida in my body. I have rashes from candida, I have horrible allergies (which have gotten more horrible in the past month) which cause me to sneeze ALL day and blow my nose ALL day! I dust every week and I don't think there is any mold in the house (there probably is some in the bathroom, but we are remodeling) and I don't have carpet, so I know it's something inward. Well, the symptoms are all there. I have wanted to do a candida cleanse for a while, but I'm always pregnant or either nursing it seems. The ultimate solution would be for me to (are you ready for this...because I'm not) GO OFF ALL SUGAR! Yeah, sadly you heard me right. Candida overgrowth is caused from antibiotics (which kill the GOOD bacteria in your stomach) and stress and thrives (read, feeds) off of sugar. It reproduces because of sugar.

I've got to start somewhere. Are you going to come along and listen to me while I blog about not having any sugar? I warn you, I might get cranky. A little prayer would be appreciated as well. I can't have fruits or honey or ANY sweets. Yeah, a LOT of prayer would be appreciated.

I've gotta get better. I don't want to use medication every day. I want to go through an entire day without blowing my nose or sneezing ten million times. I want to be able to breathe through my nose again. I would appreciate flawless skin.

Gulp. It's gonna be hard.

Anniversary

First off, I want to say Happy Anniversary to my dear husband of NINE wonderful years. I know most women probably think their husband is the best (I hope they have reason to think so), but really and truly, mine IS the best. He loves me and appreciates me. He is a wonderful father. But, the thing I appreciate the most about him is that he is a Godly, Christian man whose number one desire is to live for God and please Him. He is the ultimate high priest of our home. His desire for our children is not success, wealth or fame, but that they become saved, Godly men and women. I do not deserve such a wonderful man, but I am sooo thankful for him. We went out to eat to night by ourselves (rare!) and went to our favorite store, Books-A-Million and just lounged around, went to Lowe's (we are remodeling our master bath) and just enjoyed each other. We had a kidless night tonight and I'm going to enjoy some uninterrupted sleep, I hope. I do really, really miss my children, though! :( We are talking about going somewhere next year for our 10 year anniversary. I don't see how I can be away from my children over a day!! :( I know they are having a blast at my grandparents, but I need them! :)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

When Life Gives you Squash...


Make a cake?


Yes. Yummy.


Squash Cake

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups oil

1 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups grated raw squash

2 cups whole wheat or white flour

2 tps baking powder

1 1/2 tps baking soda

1 tp salt

2 tps cinnamon

1 8-oz can pineapple, well drained (I just cut up some fresh)

1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)


Place eggs, oil, honey, and sugar in blender, in that order, and blen until smooth. Add the squash, a little at a time. Pour into a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and stir well. Fold in nuts and pineapple. Pour into 3 greased round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until done (it only took my stove 25-30 minutes).


I made a cream cheese icing (1/4 cup butter, 1 pkg cr cheese, 2 cups confec. sugar) for the top and had lots left over--I had forgotten to icing between the layers!! Duh!


Delish, tho!


Tomorrow is my honey's and my anniversary, so this was our anniversary cake! :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

To Elisha...

One of my friends, Elisha, reads my blog and had some questions about scheduling/organization. I hope it's okay that I just make a post about it??

First of all, I am far from the organizational guru, but I do have some tips that help my home run smoothly.

The first tip is with really young children (like 4 and under), it is pertinent that you get up before them every morning. It gives you a head start and you can sort of straighten up for the day. Just 30 minutes is enough. Here's what I do before my youngest 2 get up (Emory is an early riser, but he doesn't get in the way of my morning chores):

*Iron husband's clothes (sometimes he beats me to it or I don't get up in time, sorry, honey)
*Set a timer for 15 minutes and straighten up the 'living' part of the house. This is the living/dining room for us. *BTW, get you a timer. I got one at the dollar store for $1 or $2
*Read your Bible (I have a reading schedule which helps me...I don't have to take the time to search what I'm going to be reading.) This just jump-starts my day. And I'm like you, if I put it off to the end of the day, I will be too tired to do it.

By this time, the kiddos are waking up. Go ahead and greet them with kisses and hugs (my kids do better if I love on them for a few minutes before 'sending them off' while I do more chores). Then, make your bed (even if you don't get around to cleaning the rest of your room) and get fully dressed...even put your shoes on. You will be surprised at just having shoes on will get you motivated to 'do the next thing'. Third, spend 2 or 3 minutes straightening up your room. Start a load of laundry. I do one load a day and NONE on the weekends. Monday is sheets/Tuesday is kids clothes/Wed Dh clothes/Thurs My clothes/ Fri towels/washcloths.
While you are making breakfast, put the kids at the table and put on a CD of kids Bible stories or songs and give them an activity to do. If they aren't used to this, they may want to get up or not cooperate, but you must train them to sit there while you are fixing breakfast. You will love how having them in one place keeps you from having to stop and 'break up siblings' or keeps them from messing up the house, etc. We have a different table activity for each day. Monday is books (I just pile a bunch of books on the table and they 'read' them), Tuesday is blocks and drawing boards (wipe off/things), Wednesday is coloring books, Thursday is puzzles, Friday is blocks, Saturday is drawing, etc... Anyway...it makes things go smoothly!

After Breakfast, immediately put away the dishes, stack them in the sink, wipe off the table, and you can even wash them if your kids want to finish their table activity (if I don't have many, I will wait until Lunch or supper). We do a small devotion before we get up from the table.

I help them 'clean their rooms' and we put our play clothes on for the day. Now think about what has been done already: My room is straightened, I am dressed, the living area is straightened, I've read my Bible, the kids are fed and they are calm because they have been playing quietly, their rooms are clean, and it is just around 11:00! You can smile! :) I get my kids dressed down to shoes in case we need to go somewhere on the spur of the moment. Usually around this time, the baby is ready for his nap. I can just lay him down and go on with the next thing. We go outside now because I believe it is so impt for them to get some sunshine and fresh air. We stay out for an hour. During this time, they get popsicles (a treat--they deserve it) and I will hang out my clothes (you can put yours in the dryer at this point--I just love hanging mine out..I'm weird) while they play. Sometimes I will swing them for awhile or we will play kickball. Today, I read a new book I got in the mail while they played in their imaginative world.

When we come in, it is time for lunch already! I will put them back at the table for the same table activity while I fix lunch (now, the kids will help me 'set the table' of get out the tea/ice, etc...I do believe in teaching them work ethic) which will either be leftovers from the night before or something quick and healthy. After lunch, we straighten up the kitchen again (takes 5-10 minutes) and I read them from our Read Aloud book. Then Erin will go for her nap and Emory and I do school work (if Evan is awake at this time, he will just be crawling around and playing) for about 30-45 minutes. Then he goes to bed for a nap. Some days all of them are napping at the same time and that is wonderful. When Emory starts his independent schoolwork, I start on my chores for the day. Here's what I do: Mondays: Sweep Living/Dining /Kitchen, Clean out Purse/Diaper bag, Clean all mirrors/glass surfaces, Fold Sheets (Put them on beds if kiddos aren't in them..:), wipe down all appliances
Tuesdays: Fold and Put Away kids' clothing, Dust (just go through house with a duster), clean out van
Wednesdays: Fold and Put away Dh's clothing, Sweep living/dining/kitchen, Mop front of house, sweep off sidewalk and porch, water all plants/flowers
Thursdays: Fold and Put away my clothing, Clean bathrooms
Fridays: Fold and Put Away towels/washcloths, sweep in laundry room/straighten , sweep in bedrooms and mop (sometimes I have to wait until they are taking their baths at night to do this)

Mon/Wed/Fri I empty all trashcans into big trashcan and take out, also I do some gardening in the midst of all this, and reading, occasionally I get to sit in the recliner and relax with a good book! LOL

Anyway, usually at 4:00, I start on Supper plans. I try to know ahead of time what I will fix and sometimes have something in the Crock Pot! YUM. I make tea at this time too and any other preps.

If the kids get up before supper is served, I will let them watch a short movie or play a computer game, or do a table activity.

After supper, we pretty much just spend time as a family...going walking, visiting In laws, swimming, etc. They get bathed and we do family Bible reading/prayer too.

This schedule really works for me and I even get time for hugs and kisses from my babies! Really, just make you a FLEXIBLE schedule (don't pack every single minute in) and go for it. If you have lots of clutter, set you a timer for 15 minutes (put that in your schedule) and tackle it every day until it's gone.

Think on encouraging scriptures during the day! You are the queen of your home and you are doing all for the 'glory of God'.

Let me know if I can be of more help to you, okay? Congrats on baby # 3!!!!

Blogging Blahs

Haven't felt much like blogging the past weekend or so, just things going routinely around here. My new schedule is still working out great, the kids are doing well, and I'm just loving being home with my kids. Some times are tough, like now (it is 11:35pm and they are still not asleep...we are having 'scared' issues), but most of the time we have a great time.

Emory has two loose teeth! His new tooth has already come in behind the other teeth. It is weird. I hope (with mixed feelings) that the other teeth come out soon, so the new teeth can position itself without problems. On the educational front, he is doing great with reading. We are using Teach Your Child to read in 100 Easy Lessons (we got from Amazon) and he is doing great! Our homeschooling is really flexible right now: Bible memorization, Read Aloud, Copywork, Alphabet worksheet, and Reading lesson. We can get it all done in 30 minutes or so. Emory has turned into a great helper and is really a wonderful child.

Erin is still my outdoors pet-lovin' gal. She is still in love with pigs and is really acquiring lots of 'stuffed' pigs, stickers, books, and anything really, to do with pigs. She is still in the prime of training and her stubborness comes out at times. She tries to be sneaky with her disobedience as well.

Evan is really, really growing, FAST. He is crawling everywhere, cruising everywhere, jabbering and calling, "Mama" all throughout the day. He is sooo pretty and such a precious baby boy. We are doing good with his nap situation. I have just 'laid him down' for a week now for his naps and he only fusses about 5-10 mins now at the most. Yay!

Gardening season is upon us. It's getting really hot here too. Ick. Summer is here.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Thumbs up!!

I give my new schedule a HUGE thumbs up! I got everything on my schedule completed and had lots of extra time to spend with the kids. I also didn't spend time rocking the baby today, which takes up sometimes 30 minutes at the time. We are CIO, baby, no looking back. He is old enough to know that I'm not forsaking him and he knows that he is in his pack and play to SLEEP! :o) Anyway, I'm looking forward to having him trained in the sleep dept.

Today was a good day. We spent more than our 'allowed' time outside because the weather was nice and we were having fun. I taught Emory how to play kickball and he loved it. The kids all took their naps at the same time this afternoon which has been really rare here lately. I got all my chores done which included, sweeping/mopping LR/DR, sweeping porch/sidewalk (I even repotted 2 flowers), watered all flowers/plants, folded kids' clothing and put away, and I even had a little computer time! We had tacos for supper, which didn't take much meal prepping.

What do I credit my successful day? Getting up before my kiddos and reading my Bible this morning! (Put me in a good mind-frame)

Speaking of reading the Bible, this morning as I was reading, Emory wanted to fix a surprise for me. Well when I came inside, he had everyone (including Evan and Daddy--who wasn't there) a full bowl of cereal. He had poured Chocolate ORGANIC (expensive) Soy milk in each bowl and fixed everyone a huge glass of OJ. He had had a couple of spills too which he had awkwardly gotten up. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I just smiled. Smiled at his smiling face when he saw I was, er, pleased. Smiled at him for being so thoughtful and responsible. So, I ate the extra, extra sweet cereal with a happy heart. We had a few bowls left over since Erin wouldn't touch hers and well, Evan's not into cereal/choc milk yet. Of course, Daddy's bowl as well.

Emory also has a somewhat loose tooth!!! I can't believe it! :)

Well, I've stayed up late tonight working on the budget/bills, but I had put it off long enough.

Goodnight.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Blessed Schedule--a few changes

The thing I love most about a schedule is that it's yours to change and fit your life as you see fit! Well, my current one was too jammed packed and there was a few things I had 'to do' that really didn't have to be done. It's impossible to get a too-full schedule completed when you have littles around. Like a no-napper. Sigh.

Here is my updated schedule for tomorrow:

~Up at 7:00 (got to get up before my kiddos...it's so hard to get up when your precious baby boy is nestled under your arms...that's better than chocolate cake to me!)
~Iron Dh clothes
~15 minutes straightening living room area
~Read Bible
~Clean Room (supposing kids are getting up)
~Get dressed
~Load of clothes (tomorrow is kids' clothes)
~Breakfast while kids do Table Activities (tomorrow is Coloring books)
~Breakfast
~Devotion
~Table Chores (Erin helps with dishes, Em clears table, wipes it and sweeps under it)
~Clean Kids' Rooms (w/my help)
~Kids dressed (Emory takes trashes to big can while I dress Erin)
~Outside (45 min-1 hour--moved this up b/c it's getting so hot!!!!!!!)
~hang out clothes
~feed animals
~play with kiddos
~Water/Popsicle break *usually the kids ask for popsicles on the way out..lol)
~Evan nurse/nap (pushing his nap to later in hopes he will be more ready to fall asleep
~Lunch Preps/Table Activities
~Story Time/Bible Verse
~Table Chores
~Nap Preps (BR, Water, Clean any messes)
~Nap (Erin)
~Emory Homeschool (30 min-1hour)
~Emory Nap/Quiet time
~Prayer time (if they are all asleep..most of the time I just find ways to get in some prayer time!)
~Evan Lunch
~Chores for the day (Tomorrow's are: sweep & mop front of house, fold kids' clothes and put in baskets, sweep off porch/side walk, water flowers)
~Supper Preps
~Baths (have them earlier on Wednesdays b/c of c hurch)
~Computer time--alternating kids
~Table chores
~supper
~stack dishes, clean table
~Get ready for church at 6pm
~Church
~Bedtime preps
~Bedtime for kids
~Time alone/Dh
~bedtime

I sure hope this schedule leaves me less frustrated because I haven't gotten a few things done, etc. Let you know how it's going. Gotta put in some Gardening time several times a wk. Picked our first batch of butter beans yesterday! Still getting squash. Made delish squash cornbread tonight. Will post recipe if anyone is interested.

Good night!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

ON Vacation!

Well, we are about 13 hours from home in Oklahoma! We had a good trip with my parents--the kids did great! Emory only asked 'when will we get there' about 4 times which I thought was minimal. Erin was really, really good with no peeps hardly. Evan was good for a 10 month old. He and I sat in the very back of the van and got reaquainted! :) He rarely cried at all. He started getting restless at about Tulsa, but we were almost at our destination!! :)

We are at a church camp that I haven't been to in 12 or so years. I see lots of kids I used to hang out with some and they have kids and most don't even remember me! I mean, time does a lot, doesn't it! Anyway, we are enjoying ourselves, hearing some great messages, and eating good meals! :) The stay at the motel has really been relaxing for me. My kids are mostly in my parents' room all the time. LOL We have gotten some good sleep and relaxation. It's just nice to be able to just relax without having to wash dishes or make beds, etc. I enjoy doing those things for my family, but every now and then it's just nice to be able to relax with your family! :)

This weekend we will go through Missouri and visit my brother and his family, whom I have not seen since Christmas. I'm REALLY excited about that visit. My brother and I rarely talk (he isn't really a phone person, and neither am I) but we sort of have this understood relationship that is a great one--we sorta pick up where we left off, even if we haven't talked in months! :) He is a wonderful person. Maybe I can take some pictures of us at their house.

Well, just thought I'd check in at the motel!

PS. Thanks for the comments on my other post! I really appreciate the time and effort of your comments! You know, this week at camp, SO many young ladies my age have 3-5 kids and tons are pregnant..so it's encouraging that more young families are having more kids. I mean, when my mom was having kids, they had 2 or 3 which seem to be the norm for now--except in Conservative circles. Now, young families are seeming to want more children. That's encouraging!! :) Well, gonna go lay down by my precious little angel of a son and get some sleep!!

Saturday, June 07, 2008

What do you think?

Well, we survived youth camp and had a great time!! Our kids did great admidst all the going to church, getting dressed up twice a day, and going to bed late.

You know, I have often thought about this. I want to give it serious thought and prayer before I even settle on how I feel about this matter. Here goes:

We put our lives into the Lord's hands when we get saved. We hold nothing back. Our lives are lived doing His will--and in our lives we want His will to be done. We trust God for and in every aspect of our lives and feel like the Bible mandates that we do all these things.

We only hold one thing back. God's will in our reproduction. Yes, you read that correctly. WE take charge of our reproduction/fertility (hey, there is actually a book by that title--Taking Charge of Your Fertility). WE decide when and if we want to have more children. WE know best in that area.

Gulp. Have you every thought about this? Do you feel that we are doing the right thing? We aren't trusting God in this area of our lives. I mean, does it matter to God? Is it too trivial to matter? I'm just asking what do you think. I'm scared about what I think.

I read some about the Duggars--the family of soon to be 20, right? They totally leave the number of children they have up to God. They have an awesome Christian family. Can you imagine the descendants this family will bring? Godly descendants. I think that's why God wanted us to 'Be Fruitful and Multiply' because he knows that Godly parents will raise Godly children and they, in turn, will produce Godly grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. We could over take the world for Christ! :)

Well, I'm not saying that I'm going to be the next Michelle Duggar (I don't think I even have enough time on my hands for that..lol), but I just wonder if I'm pleasing God by 'taking charge of my fertility'. I don't take birth control, but I purposefully space out my children (for sanity purposes...lol).

What do you think?

Monday, June 02, 2008

D-day (Decluttering Day)

Well, today my mom kept my children for a few hours so I could bite into some of this clutter that is stressing me. First, I started in the bedroom and spent an hour in there. I only made it to my closet. I got rid of a huge garbage bag of clothes and shoes. I swept in the closet (under the shoes--gets really dirty) and straightened it up some. I only got about 10% of my decluttering done in there--still have do do chest of drawers and dresser drawers, not to mention under the bed--but I only allowed myself an hour. I knew if I spent all day in my bedroom, it would look as if I had accomplished nothing in the rest of the house.

After each hour, I would take a 15-minute break to do some of my regular cleaning and washing sheets. In Erin & Emory's room, I cleaned out dresser drawers and underneath the dresser (the horrors!) That was also about 10% of decluttering done. Lastly, I worked for an hour in the living room/dining room, and about 30 minutes in the kitchen and it was time to get the kiddos.

My dh was home, so I had him intermidently doing honey dos, such as hanging pictures that have been postponed due to a baby always being a sleep. I rearranged my living room on Saturday and I'm loving the new arrangement. Upon my completion of decluttering, I plan to rearrange both bedrooms as well. I can't wait to have things finished! I hope my mom can keep my children once a week until I can get this done.

I'm still getting lots of squash! I will have to post some squash recipes I'm planning on trying! :)

Evan still isn't sleeping very well, but I'm hanging in there. He is so sweet...tonight he fell asleep with his hand wrapped around my hair.

Thanks for the comments of encouragement/advice! I really appreciate it.