Cherishing Life

No surprise here...for anyone that may be out there!

2011-06-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm hanging up my blogging hat for a undetermined amount of time. I know not very shocking seeing how it has been quite a long time since I have dusted the cobwebs off this things. You may (or may not) think to yourself, "hmmm...I wonder why?" Well whether you wonder that or not the answer is simple, I just don't want to blog anymore. It was fun and therapeutic while it lasted and it may be fun again in the future but for right now other parts of my life are growing in different ways and this just isn't on my priority list anymore. At all. But just because I'm not blogging anymore doesn't mean I won't be popping in and out of your mind, via your blog, and leaving my "oohs" and "aughs" over your babies' pictures or telling you how wonderfully hilarious you are or jumping in on the debate that a tiny portion of you dare to do on your blogs. Or for some of you I'll be reading your blog to glean your amazing insight and wisdom and putting more tools in my tool belt of Christian living.

Now I'm off to reclaim the time gone by!
Blessings!

2011-06-02T22:04:00.001-07:00

Not sure why I have this anymore and it's bothering me.

Lemon to Lemonade

2011-03-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you may have to force your kids to be with you, for their benefit and yours...

The boys had been gone for the afternoon playing with friends. Caleb had been acting tired but I let him go anyway. The came home at 5pm and Caleb was acting even more tired. Whiny and sensitive. So while the kids played in the back I was working on dinner. After a couple times of Caleb crying about insignificant things I decided to break him and Josiah up but more than that I wanted Caleb to be around me. So I had him shower and then sit in the kitchen while I cooked. He sat down in a bit of a huff but not too bad. I kept talking to him and allowing silence and listening as he told me stories about playing at his friends, etc. A couple of times he said it was boring being in the kitchen with nothing to do but I just ignored his words because you know what I saw? Transformation. His heart was being transformed in front of my very eyes. He went from sullen and slouchy to cheerful and smiley! His heart had a full transformation I believe because I forced him to be with me, in his momma's loving presence. I forced him to stop playing and having what he thought was fun so that he could be him without interference. It truly was amazing. The rest of the night he was thoughtful and pleasant! I realized that although I'm around my kids all day I'm not always WITH my kids. So be careful of this as you live your days with your family don't forget to be with them and not just around them. Watch the cartoon with them, sit on the floor and build a robot with the blocks, brush their ponies hair with them or whatever. Of course we can't do this all the time because we do have a home to maintain but don't get so much into your world that you don't ever sit with them in theirs, or invite them into yours.
You know what it sounds a lot like our relationship with Jesus. We get so tired being busy in our work or ministry, you know, the good stuff. But when we stop and just sit with Jesus we become refreshed, renewed and cheerful! Don't forget him, better yet, make him a part of your day everyday spending "sit" time with him.

Blessings!

Mitchell Core Attitudes

2011-02-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

If you know me or my husband...no if you know us both then it is clear that he wears the pants in this family. He's not bossy or demanding rather he is a vision caster. He's an on purpose man...like for real. Fun for him is working. He's not a slouch on the couch he is too busy working on setting a clear course for our family. One of these things he has implemented in our family are our core attitudes. He came up with four core attitudes our family lives by. Because they are four, we focus on one attitude weekly. They are as follows: 1.) Fear of the Lord 2.) Love 3.) Thankfulness 4.) Strength

Each week, really each day, we share with the kids a verse that we have read that pertains to that weeks attitude. Seriously there are so many we read more than one daily. We are trying to cultivate in our lives and theirs what it means to know and live out each one of these attitudes. It has amazed me how much God is teaching me through these times. How He perfectly gives me an incredible verse about "the Fear of the Lord" the week we are talking about it or the other ones. What's more is how I see our kids starting to get it.

Tomorrow begins a new week and a new attitude. It is the attitude of Love. How appropriate leading up to Valentine's Day! Can't wait to learn more about what God wants us to learn about his love and us loving others.

Blessings!

If by Ruyard Kipling

2011-01-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

My hubbies favorite poem...

If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Little Things

2011-01-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

Some times it's the little things that make us cry. It could be realizing that our babies are growing up really fast...or too slow. It could be seeing someone draw closer to the heart of God...or further. It could be in the saying hello after a time of separation...or goodbye. I've noticed that for myself I tear up much more quickly than I used to. Recently is has been during some sweet fellowship time with my family.
This year we are reading through the Bible as a family and having a little worship time afterwards. These moments together have so blessed my heart. Here is Josiah reading a chapter of the Bible as we are all gathered together in our living room.

Here is Richard, during our Bible reading time explaining the process of sacrificing an animal: Caleb was the head, Josiah was the tail and since Jace plopped himself in the middle, he was the "inards". :) Richard then demonstrated how the person would walk in between the two parts.

These are a few of the little moments that have been getting me all teary eyed lately. There truly is no greater joy than to hear and see your children walking in truth. (3 John 1:4)

Flavors of Jace

2011-01-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

The following is excerpts from Jace's developmental diary that I keep. He is doing so well with all of his training we are doing with him!

Today is the National Championship in college football. As I type we are watching Auburn play. The score is now 19-11 Auburn. When the game first began and we were all doing the Waaaaaaaaaar Eagle chant Jace was right in the mix just a hollerin'. It was so cute! He gets excited to put on his "Auburn shirt" as he says. For a day and a half now he's had one spoonful of corn and lima beans to force him to eat it happily before he gets anything else because when we had that with dinner the other night he refused to eat it. So I decided that before every meal he will have some until he can eat it without fussing. Today before lunch was his first time that he didn't fuss about eating this spoonful. I was so happy he has worked through it! Victory! Tonight he has fought some more going to bed. At one point I went to check on him and he had all of his blankets, pillows and stuffed animals out of his crib and was laying on the floor with them. So, I had to take it all out of his room and put him in bed with a couple of licks on his thigh. He cried and cried. Richard had to go in a couple of times to try to get him to settle down. Finally sometime after 9 he is quiet. Last night we had a snow/ice fall. So we had about 3 inches of it on the ground today to play in. It was really hard and crunchy but still fun to experience. We bundled Jace up in layers and he was so funny how he walked and was saying, "Momma, scared." He just felt different and didn't understand I guess, it was so cute. Today Richard was on the phone with Wes and holding Jace. When he got off Jace said, "Who's that dad?" We thought it was so funny that this little almost 2 year old is saying such a thing.

January 12, 2011

After about a week of knowing how to open doors and climb out of bed we are well on our way of having Jace trained to stay in his bed and room until we come to get him at nap and bedtime!! I’m so thankful and encouraged. It has taken many swats and taps and verbal correction and a few sleepless nights and early mornings, but this morning he got out once, Richard put him back in and he has stayed, no cry or trying to escape! I'm so proud of him! We have even been leaving his door open. First we put a knob cover on it but one night he managed to escape and then I felt like we needed to just train him properly and not put on outside restraints, I'm so glad we made that decision.

Last night we had stir fry veggies and turkey for dinner. In the past Jace has had nothing to do with broccoli or cooked carrots. After the lima beans and corn incident, he is a new boy! He protested at first but very quickly afterwards he realized that he would get some mandarin oranges if he ate his veggies. So ate he did and mandarin oranges he received! Victory again!

Culture change

2011-01-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about family life and culture a lot. I know it has a lot to do with the changes we have made in our family. For example my amazing and involved husband has the freedom with his job to make his hours as he wants them to be. Sometime before Christmas he rearranged his work days to be at home longer 3 of his 5 work days. The other two days are longer working days to make up for it. The 3 glorious days he goes into work at 11:30. While he is home he spends time caring for our two littlest children; sometimes running errands with them other times just staying home and playing with them in another room while I work with our two oldest children and school work. It has been amazing and a huge relief of stress has been lifted with this new schedule. Since the new year we have implemented even more changes. My husband has been moved to blend his work life and his family life more. So, this past week the kids and I packed up and went to work with him 2 days. We are limited in time because of naps (but are already discussing making naps work at the office) so we were only there for a couple of hours. But can I tell you, it has been amazing! (More on our family changes in a future post and how it has affected us and our kids attitudes!) It has led me to wonder, if we (or you) could create your culture, what would it look like? All of sudden it doesn't seem natural for a man and women to meet, marry, commit and then separate for most of their days living together as each one goes to their separate places of work. It seems counter productive and counter intuitive even! It doesn't seem natural for a loving couple to desire, pray for, conceive and birth a child and then separate from them many hours each day as they head out to their jobs. Does that seem strange to anyone else?
I know this way of life is normal in our culture, I get that. Some would even say desirable (blech!) but is it what one really truly wants? To live out their days separate more often than not from the ones they love the most? So I've been daydreaming here and there thinking of what life would look like if I had a blank culture to form on my own. What would that look like? How would I educate my children? How would we as a family make a living? Would we choose to be together or would we choose to be apart? What would we teach our kids and when? Would we want them to learn to read by age 4 or wait until they are ready (or just a bit older) and make sure their hearts were fully devoted to the Lord at an earlier age instead? Would we value moral training above athletic training as evidence of our where we spent our time? There's so much to think about!! And even more than just thinking and daydreaming....am I ready to create my new culture in my home with my family, now?

Would you change anything if you were given a blank culture to begin? If so what?

(Our family showing a little bit of our family's personality: sports, mainly football.:)

Making a Comeback

2010-12-11T19:17:00.000-08:00

My poor children are in for a bit of a tearful awakening, well really just the younger two. I do believe that somehow we have become slack in our training of our children. I didn't think we were but the evidence is lined up against us. We have just lost our senses with the coming of Jace. Thank God he has quickened us to this and we have great friends to help us find our way again. I already wear a spoon as an accessory to my outfit everyday that we are home but I guess it'll get a lot more use in these coming months.
Some things are worth the pain, having a heart that is submissive to the Lord Jesus is one of those things. It's never to late (or early) to train yourselves or your children in the admonish of the gospel. The fog is lifted and we are back to it. It almost feels like starting over for some reason. The truth is Maleah and Jace are not where they should/could be with happy heart obedience. It is making us weary and exhausted. It's probably true that if the parents are exhausted in their parenting that it has a lot to do with the disobedience of the child. I exhaust myself keeping Jace out of moments of training keeping him from learning. Here's a fresh example. I had to change his poopie diaper today. He know is and doesn't want a change so I scoop him up flailing arms and all, forcefully carry him into his room and realize what I'm doing. This is ridiculous I think, this could be so much more easier! This is a great opportunity for learning to obey! So I put him down and let him know that I expect obedience and that I will change his diaper. He actually settled down and didn't have a problem with it anymore. He knew that to run out of the room would mean he would get a swat! So often I find that I'm making things more difficult for both of us by not giving him the opportunity to learn to obey. No more, we are back in the saddle and making our comeback!

(No children were harmed in the making of this photo. This is an "air" swat.)

Neglected

2010-12-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

That's what this blog has been but my family has not. I do think about blogging every now and again and actually have started a couple of times only to delete it all and move on to something else. It is true, my time has been taken up with snuggling up and reading with my kids, training and retraining my younger ones, teaching, cooking, keeping up with the house and attempting to connect with my husband through it all.

He's not the only one I've attempted to connect with through my days. Jesus has been particularly on my mind and heart. I desire more than anything to walk in a true and pure relationship with him. To know him more than my own face, to hear his voice and to love him first and best. After all Romans 8:28 says, " For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." He has actually orchestrated it so that nothing can separate me from his love and he has done this on purpose, so I too must be on purpose in growing in my affection for him. And that is what I intend to do for the rest of my life.

So, if I neglect my blog more and more know that I am probably working at not neglected the loves of my life and soul. And that my hand is in my Father's going along where he leads me.

Merry Christmas!

Living with Jesus

2010-11-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

My goodness it has been a long time since I've posted anything! Life has it's ebbs and flows and I have had little time for anything "extra" lately. Even now I have things I "should" be doing but all of my family is asleep in each room of the house (but the school room where I am) and so I am a bit tied down. Good time to do some updates, right!?
Being that my days have been pretty full and hectic I have found myself more than ever desiring to live my days with my Lord Jesus. Not just for him but with him and through him. Every morning I awake and cry out to him in my quiet time with him to give me what I need for the day. To strengthen me so that I can withstand the pressures around me. I can't do it (meaning live my life) without him so I call for him. By days end when my head hits the pillow I realize that the last time I thought of Jesus was that morning! It's the craziest thing! Have you ever done that? So it has become my concentrated desire to remember him and seek him in my day. Thankfully he is answering my prayers. He is reminding me to turn to him in my moments of anger at the kids or in my struggle to be patient with others. Or just to give him thanks! In the moment I face him and give him my full attention he releases his wisdom, strength, mercy, patience and all that I need on me to walk in.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Blessings!

Update on monotasking

2010-10-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to say that whoever reads this blog and chose NOT to take this challenge must've known something I didn't and neglected to let me in on their knowledge. Some conclusions I came to on Friday are as follows:
1.) I don't know what monotasking is.
2.) It is impossible to monotask while caring for and schooling 4 young children.
3.) Your "just say no" muscle has to be pretty strong but mine is useless with number 2 going on.

Okay here's the details. All day I was asking myself, "Is this monotasking?" I have no idea what I was looking for exactly but if one is asking ~~yourself~~ themselves if it's okay to unload the dishes while one's child is eating breakfast, then that person just might be a little loco.

Here's is why it is impossible to monotask. Picture this. A momma gets her two boys ages 7 and 5 set up to work on their math while her other two children ages 3 and 19 months are running around doing who knows what. So, this momma feeling good about the beginning of her day starts a load of laundry but hears screaming from the 19 month old while he is in big sisters room, with big sister. Upon hearing the continual screaming the momma stops what she's doing and rushes to the room to find 19 month old holding on for dear life (now this will be tricky to describe but try to follow). The child's legs are on big sisters bed but the top half of his body is off of the bed, hands holding on to a chair on the floor at the end of the bed, face down stuck. He can't get back on the bed and can't easily get off. Thankful that the screaming wasn't a product of big sister bullying the momma rescues the baby and brings him to the laundry room to commence doing the laundry. Minutes later momma is leaving the laundry to itself again at the beckon call of another child with a need. Thus making monotasking, or at least completion of monotasking near impossible.

The above example also shows how weak a mommas "no" muscle is. How can the momma just ignore the crying or the needs of her child for the sake of doing one thing at one time in completion? It's not worth it.

Sadly I didn't find the peace I was looking for in my day but I did find a few minutes of quietude and enjoyment as I was able to slow down a few times during the day. The most memorable of those times was at breakfast. Somehow Jace was the only one eating breakfast at the time and so was I. I don't ever just sit to eat, except for dinner time. But this morning I was because of this whole challenge thing. I also never just watch Jace while he's eating even when I am at the table. I have three others to keep an eye on because about once a day Caleb falls out of his seat to the floor, God knows how and Maleah spills something at least once a day herself and Josiah is usually trying to get more food on his own most meal times, so needless to say a lot is going on. So anyway back to Jace. I just ate and watched him eat. He was so cute! A few times he would use his spoon to eat his cereal and did such a great job, I would encourage him and get all excited. Other times he just put his spoon down and used his fingers. I played with his toes and he giggled. He had my undivided attention at meal time and was loving it and I must say I was too!

I still do believe that I need to slow down more when I can. I live at such a fast pace which leaves me feeling burned out at times, irritable, and not in a place to listen to the Holy Spirit throughout my day. So maybe monotasking isn't going to work for me, but saying no to some things and making room to just sit quiet in my mind is available to me and is something I will work on achieving.

If you have taken this challenge please comment about it for us all to read about!

Blessings!

Friday's Fact

2010-10-12T19:39:00.001-07:00

I learned this week through my Compassion magazine a sad fact. 122 million children in Asia are engaged in child labor. 49 million children in Africa. One in 6 children is engaged in child labor worldwide. That is a lot of children, the number is really incomprehensible. So lets put a few faces to it.

Ages 5-11 work at least on hour of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week.
Ages 12-14 work at least 14 hours of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week.
Ages 15-17 work at least 43 hours of economic or domestic work per week.

It's heart breaking and seems impenetrable but we can partner with organizations like Compassion who through our support can change the lives of these and many many other children. It has to start somewhere, it should start with the people of God. Why not now? Know the facts and act.

Matthew 25:40 "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

"You may not be able to change the whole world but you can change the whole world for one child." Wes Stafford, Compassion International

For His Kingdoms' sake!

Monotasking Challenge

2010-10-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

In a day and age when multitasking is normal and even desirable, we are stressed. I am anyway! I challenge you to take a few minutes and assess your life. Do you double up on your duties trying to be most efficient and "time saving"? Are you addicted to multitasking?? Join me and take the challenge of being monotasking! It doesn't have to be for a week or even a day! Just pick a time frame to commit to and do it. Enjoy the peace and tranquility you will experience while mono tasking. As much as possible find a way to do one thing at a time vs. 3 or 4 things at a time. Let me know if you want to join this challenge and we'll share our experiences with each other! I am going to try to not multitask for one full day. This means no reciting memory verses while brushing my teeth, no talking on the phone while folding laundry, no bathing kids while cleaning up the kitchen, etc. Oh boy!! Now I'm nervous, I think this will be hard. I think we can be encouraged by Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as for working for the Lord and not for men." Let's not try to please others with our multitasking skills but please the Lord by giving our all in whatever task we find ourselves in, one task at a time.

So, my commitment of monotasking will be this Friday October 15!! What about yours?

Blessings!

Friday's Fact

2010-10-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here's something I recently learned on a fieldtrip about corn that I never knew! Corn isn't a natural plant. What I mean is you won't find it growing wild on it's own. It is a man made grain, yes grain. Years ago Indians in Central America began creating corn from cross planting other grains. It didn't look like the corn we have now and was more commonly called maize. Check out the tales of corn.

Questions Answered

2010-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have recently been wondering about where our president stands as far as his personal beliefs in Jesus Christ. Not because of any thing any media person has said or written because honestly, I don't watch the news or follow media online. I know that I pray for him to meet Jesus, be saved and lead our country based off of his faith and relationship with Christ. I have never really determined in my mind if I think he is a Christian or not. I don't think his politics fit mine or his seeming morals around certain issues but I don't know. However last week while changing a poopie diaper my Josiah randomly asks if I think president Obama believes in Jesus. I pause and then honestly answer that I did not know. I have not heard him say so but only God knows that heart of man and so I can not say for sure one way or another but that we could pray for him either way. That innocent question stirred my own heart more and almost haunted me. I recently stumbled on this and found it quite revealing and interesting, what do you think? Check out his answer for why he is a Christian here.

Friday's Fact

2010-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Rose bushes have medicinal properties! If you leave a rose flower from a rose bush alone and allow the petals to fall off it will then produce a rose hip. This ball can be picked and made into a jelly or used for tea and has more Vitamin C in it than an orange!

So don't prune back your rose bushes until you have harvested these powerful hips!

Fieldtrip Part II

2010-09-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday Richard had the brilliant idea to also go to a drive through zoo that is in Huntsville nearby where we already were! Our tour of the Constitiution Village ended right around lunch time, so we picked up lunch on our way to our surprise trip to Harmony Park Safari! We didn't tell the kids what it was until we pulled up to the place and they were so excited. They all unbuckled and mushed their way to the front of the van. We even got a free bucket of feed for the animals because we had at least 5 people in the van older than 2. Isn't that hilarious!!? We had a B-L-A-S-T! The emus are freaky, the deer were raucousy (being near rutting season) and the alligators were huge! Here's some pictures of our fun!

Jace's new face when surprised or hears a loud sound.

We had so much fun. I'm telling you emus are freaky up close and especially when they know you have food in your car! We were told to leave our windows up at least half way but I think Richard's was up 3/4 the way after an emu came up quickly and took him by surprise! These large eagles we are posing in front of came from an old stone mountain quarry before the Stone Mountain park, so they are very old! I can't remember exactly what the sign said but they stood "guard" at some bank for many years. It's a bit random why they are here, but they looked cool!

Fieldtrip Part I

2010-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Richard joined the kids and I for our first field trip of the school year! We went to the Constitutional Village in Huntsville with Agape (our cover school). The drive was a couple of hours away plus taking the four kids, I am so thankful Richard was able to come with us!

This is the three older ones listening about scare crows and how to make a miniature one for themselves.

Learning from Ms. Connie about being a milk maid and how she makes butter from milk! Then the kids had a chance to try it for themselves.

Then we moved on to leaning how to make candles and we had the chance to dip the candle into beeswax! I thought it was interesting to learn that when they used animal fat for wax it would burn smoke and stink so beeswax was a much nicer candle--we got to take one home! (Caleb didn't want to try anything until the end, so that's him watching.)

Having so much watching everybody crush corn to make corn meal.

Milking a "cow".

Racing (but can't run!) with their milk pails on the yoke. Maleah looked so cute!!

Not my meme

2010-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is not my Meme. My Meme is what I call my mom's mom. Apparently this is like a memo? But not? Not sure but I'm up for it! Thanks Amy for the tag! Before I begin I would have to say that I am really very content with the life the Lord has brought me to and don't think I would really change anything about it (with the exception of the last question). However, for the sake of fun questions, here I go!

What would your dream job be?

If I had to pick a job outside of what I do now, I would have to say I would go with Interior Decorator or Organizational Decorator. Everything about it excites me, interests me and keeps me up at night if I'm involved in it. You may not know it by my own home per se, but I love it!

Where would you like to live?

I have always wanted to live in Vermont or Oregon. Granted, I have never been to either place but something about them (or what I envision in my mind!) draws me in. Tennessee is also beautiful, and I have been there. :)

In what century would you like to live?

I'm with you Amy, I like this one just fine! However seeing Jesus in his earthly form would've been a great thing as well, to see him, walk with him, talk with him and bring my babies to him to be blessed...I could do that.

What would be your last meal?

I don't really like the wording of this question, I would prefer something like, if you lived the life of Tom Hanks character in Cast Away what would you want to eat when you returned to civilization?
Both are difficult for me to answer, I really do get so moody with my food. Today I could really go for Chinese, specifically, Chicken Fried Rice OR a jalapeno bun bacon cheese burger and fries from Red Robin. :)

What made you start this blog?

Several reasons. I had been blogging for a while then stopped. I missed recording life events and posting pictures as a documentation of sorts. Before I closed out my last blog I printed everything out and one day I was going through it and realized the value of it, so I began again. Currently I have been considering closing out again and stopping altogether but I do see that it could be a form of mentorship. As I move into the "being older than some" category I keep Titus 2 in mind as I type on this blog.

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

I think my favorite piece is currently some green suede (dark green, almost brown looking) boots my hubby bought me for my birthday that I have not been able to wear yet because it is still HOT outside! I love them, they are very farmish looking. :)

What is your favorite film?

I have to go with Pride and Prejudice or Seabiscuit.

What would you like to do before you turn 100?

Lead someone to the Lord...outside of my kids. Go on a missions trip, speak in a woman's conference, and in general just complete the tasks my Lord has set before me that he has purposed for me before I was formed in my mother's womb!

Okay, so here's my tags!

Karen

Rachel Greenfield

Rachel Garcia

Mandy

Untitled

2010-09-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I mentioned a book I read, Created to Be His Help Meet. It profoundly challenged me and redirected my thoughts for myself as a wife. I am one of those who is eager to put into practice what I learn that needs to be corrected. As the Spirit of the Lord guided my thoughts he led me to repentance. I realized very quickly when reading the book that I had actually gone against God's given mandate to me as a wife by creating my husband to be MY help meet. Sounds crazy doesn't it?! We were missing out on so much blessing because of my stubborn, selfish disobedient self. What a sad thing. Allow me to further explain what I mean.

I am my husbands help meet right? I knew this when I got married so I enthusiastically jumped into my role as homemaker and help meet when we were newlyweds. Immediately obstacles hit and I abandoned ship ladies! Ironing obstacle: Leslie didn't meet Richard's standards so Leslie quit ironing for Richard (and worst of all I would say, while laughing mind you, that he irons better than me). Big help right! I just added about 20 min. of ironing time to his day. Sweet Tea obstacle: My southern born and bread man loves to have sweet tea daily. Oops! Leslie forgot to make more and how do you do it again? Leslie couldn't remember to make Richard's sweet tea or the exact way to make it so I guess this ones up to Richard too! That adds about 7 min. of time to his week. Making the bed obstacle: I like the sheets to be neatly tucked in for aesthetic purposes. Richard likes to not feel like his feet are being squished into oblivion while trying to fall asleep. Just curl up your legs I would say (and think, get over it already!). So, Leslie continued to make the bed my way. That adds about zero comfort to my husbands sleepy self come bed time. Groceries obstacle: Trying to save money I had begun to shop at several different stores to hit the sales and such. Oh but I just couldn't do it all (whine) in comes hero Richard adding at least an hour of more things to do to his day to help me get my stuff done. Sadly I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Can you even believe this guy has stuck with me for 11 years? When I stop and think about it I am truly amazed.

Now, I'm not saying it is wrong for him to help me in any efforts to maintain our home or what have you but it shouldn't be out of my lack of competency. If there is something I'm having a hard time doing I need to buck up and figure it out. Also you may think boy Richard is a hard one to live with but whether he is or not is not for me (or anyone else) to say. He is who God gave me to be a help meet to. Period.

So, with a heart and mind change I am working on learning to be a help meet. There are days when that progress seems slow. However, the impact it is already having on my marriage is huge. My husband feels esteemed by me. He feels like the king of this castle (as he should) and he is learning to have complete trust in me to look out for his best interest, as I continue to become trust worthy in such a thing.

If you are struggling in your marriage I encourage you to give this book a chance. It will truly bring life back into you, your husband, and your marriage. It will also give you a better understanding of who God created you to be as a wife, which in doing so bring you into a more intimate relationship with him. It is not an easy read especially if you consider yourself a "modern" women who has accepted the turn of our culture born by the feminist movement of the 60's. However it is riddled with the Word of God which we know is never changing and always truthful. Think of 2 Timothy 3:16 which says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

My Utmost for his Highest...

Kitchen Helpers

2010-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Josiah and Caleb getting snack together for everyone! Caleb is in the background catering to an impatient 18 month old.

As you know Josiah is 7 and Caleb is 5. Amazingly they both enjoy helping me in the kitchen. I don't know if this is a personality thing or because I have them help me bake from early ages and they have associated kitchen with licking the cookie dough off of the mixers! Whatever the reason, I am thankful and as they have gotten a wee bit older I have had them help me out more and more. This week, I was needed some help so I enlisted these two troopers to make the morning snack for everyone. It was all up to them. They know I like for them to have at least a fruit or vegetable in the mix and small portions. So, while they happily worked on that I was folding laundry near by in the laundry room.

If felt like I had two of me for a little while there accomplishing more than I could've on my own.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work." Ecclesiastes 4:9 and
"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

Blessings!

Baby pictures

2010-09-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Josiah a couple of weeks old. Miss this.

Caleb a week or so old.

Maleah a couple of weeks old.

Jace a few weeks old.

Oh my sweet babies are growing up TOO fast yet sometimes it feels like not fast enough.

Feeling like this today...

2010-09-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

From Toby Mac's song Gotta Go:

"I gotta go, I'm 'bout to do a show
Can't take the stress wanna give you my best, Lord
I can't sing with this hanging over me
But the show must go on, Lord, set me free

Sorry, I'm not much for conversation
I need some time with God and a mental vacation

TOBYMAC can't get to the phone.
Please leave a message after the tone.
I'm just a little man tryin' to fit in God's plan"

As we drove around doing errands today I hooked up the kids zune and listened to Toby Mac. These lyrics (only part of the song) really struck a chord with me today. Feeling busy. Feeling like I need a mental vacation. Ever have days like that? Yet I join with him in my hearts desire to want to give the Lord my best and be set free by him and him alone!

Take a minute or two with me to just pause in your day, close your eyes and renew yourself in him.

Blessings!

Learning to be his help meet

2010-09-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

This is my man. He is a God created man. He wants to rule, as God created him to do. He wants to do wild things, as God created him to do. He wants to work hard, as God created him to do. He has dreams and visions and desires to excel, as God created him to do. My man is not alone.

Here is my man and his help meet (me). My man can rule, if not anywhere else, in his home. As God meant it to be. My man can do wild things while I look along in admiration. As God meant it to be. My man can work hard and come home to a non complaining wife desiring to feed his hunger and passions. As God meant it to be. He can chase his dreams, have giant visions and be hungry for development while I encourage his dreams, enjoy his visions and make room for his growth. As God meant it to be.

Picture of the Day

2010-08-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Fell peacefully asleep while watching his favorite, Praise Baby.

What is the Fastest Growing method of Education?

2010-08-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Note:Taken from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, thought you fellow homeschoolers might find this encouraging! As home educators we have the freedom to lead our children to think outside the box of their education. To get out of the assembly line style of school where conformity and uniformity reside (I say that not to put down our educators teaching the public, but to recognize that that is apparently what is necessary when you have 20+ plus students in a classroom) and to leave mediocrity behind us. There are many wonderful men and women and students in the public/private school arena but the system, as noted by CBS news, is "clearly insufficient". My concern is that more people who lack understanding such as Arne Duncanwill think that more time in school with even more emphasis on test scores will be what is needed when the opposite is true. More time with family and more time to actually learn, not just be spoon fed for the sake of test taking, is what will truly create men and women of knowledge, understanding and forethought.
Ok, ok, on to the Magazine article...

Based on independent research conducted by organizations ranging from the National Home Education Research Institute (www.nheri.org), a nonprofit research and educational organization, to the federally funded National Center for Education Statistics (www.nces.ed.gov), it appears that in the U.S., homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education.

Let's take a look at some of the evidence:

"Homeschooling grew from 1.7% of the school age population in 1999 to 2.9% in 2007, a 74% relative increase over 8 years,"¹states Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI).

A 2008 study found that "an estimated 2.0 to 2.5 million K-12 children were home educated in the U.S. during mid-2008,"² statistics that were also confirmed by the National Center for Education's researcher, Stacy Bielick.³

This week, in their local news coverage, Chattanooga's News Channel 9 reported: "In the last decade, the number of homeschoolers has far more than doubled, according to the Department of Education" (WTVC-TV, August 13, 2010).⁴

"Homeschooling is growing worldwide."⁵

The increasing popularity of homeschooling should not come as a surprise. Homeschooling, a term referring to "parent-led home-based education . . . is now bordering on 'mainstream' in the United States.⁶ In an article published in 2008, SaveMoneyHomeschooling.com stated: "If homeschooling continues to grow at 7-12% per year for the next 5 years, we could see the percent of homeschooling students increase to 5 million, which is about 10% of the total children in K-12 education."⁷ It seems to be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States, and it's becoming increasingly popular around the world too, in countries such as Hungary, Japan, Canada, and Kenya.⁸
So, with more than 2 million students busy doing schoolwork at home this fall, perhaps we should ask this question: How are those homeschool graduates faring? Does homeschooling work? Are graduates thriving in excellent colleges, universities, the military, and the labor force? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "Yes!"
"Homeschooling high school is no longer uncharted territory . . . . There are a multitude of homeschooled graduates who are bearing fruit in the workplace, in the military, in their families, and in colleges across the country,"⁹ states the Home-School Legal Defense Association, an organization whose purpose is to "defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children . . . ."¹⁰ Drawing conclusions based on his extensive research, Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI summarized the status of homeschool grads with these words: "Homeschool graduates are just as or more likely to go on to college as the general population, more satisfied in their work, happier with their lives overall, and more involved in civic affairs."¹¹ Homeschool graduates are proving that schooling at home works, and more and more families are opting to make the sacrifices required to educate their children at home-an investment of time, energy, and resources that is earning huge dividends.
Homeschoolers typically score above average on SAT and ACT tests, and colleges, who appear to be waking up to the fact that homeschool grads make outstanding candidates for admission, consequently are recruiting them with zeal.¹² The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, widely known in the homeschooling community as a leader in providing information, support and encouragement for homeschooling families worldwide, featured an article in their Fall 2009 issue titled "We Love Homeschoolers! Prominent Colleges Jump on the Bandwagon," which discussed the current trend among colleges nationwide to actively recruit homeschool graduates. Author Claire Novak cited "the desirability of students schooled in an untraditional learning environment" as one of the factors that's gotten the attention of schools like the Savannah College of Art and Design, who hired Rita Gagliano to fulfill the recently developed role of "Homeschool Liaison and recruitment specialist."¹³
Apparently some of the $26.7 billion that homeschooling is saving working taxpayers¹⁴ can benefit homeschool graduates in the form of financial aid. According to Christine Field of Homeschool Legal Advantage, "The Department of Education has made it clear that homeschooled graduates are to be treated equally for purposes of admission or financial aid" and have backed up that stand with the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998.¹⁵
Zan Tyler, who began homeschooling back in 1984, when it wasn't such a popular choice, has observed that parents are successfully preparing their sons and daughters-academically, spiritually, and socially-to take the world by storm, and many institutions of higher education are taking notice, courting their registration in dual-enrollment programs and offering scholarships and other incentives to lure homeschoolers in their direction.¹⁶ Let's face it: Homeschooling is one big success story; it's no wonder that more and more families are joining their ranks.
Soon to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is recognized as the premier magazine for homeschoolers. Reflecting the accelerated momentum of the home education movement, their Fall 2010 issue will accordingly focus on higher education, featuring articles that discuss dual-credit programs offered by colleges, transcripts, and preparing your teen for today's job market, with contributions by a wide variety of experts, many of whom are homeschooling parents themselves.
Although academic achievement is a high priority among homeschoolers, the influence of homeschooling parents reaches beyond academic topics. Kelly Bagdanov, veteran home educator of 24 years, described it this way: "We need a vision for what education can be. We need to move beyond meeting minimum requirements or keeping up with relatives' expectations. We need to throw off the mediocre . . . to pursue the excellent. Our goal should be far beyond reaching graduation; it must be to inspire our children to be men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage."¹⁷
Apparently many parents in the United States share that vision and are enthusiastically embracing the goals for education that were established by our Founding Fathers, that of educating our children so that they can become men and women of integrity, skill, and vision. Daniel Webster, one of the United States' finest orators and statesmen, said: "The attainment of knowledge does not comprise all which is contained in the larger term of education. . . . [A] profound religious feeling is to be instilled and pure morality inculcated under all circumstances. All this is comprised in education."¹⁸Homeschoolers around the world, many of whom have chosen this route in order to honor Biblical truths, are affirming "the larger term of education."
As the homeschooling movement continues to expand, and as the graduates from among their ranks assume positions of leadership and responsibility in the United States, our nation will be watching. Most citizens would agree that our nation desperately needs leaders: men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage. The fact that homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education in our country may just offer our nation that hope we're looking for.

A Peek at Day Two

2010-08-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have learned a new method in breaking down our school day for this year and am really enjoying it! So a big thank you to Leigh Bortins! The way it works is I have 4 hours of school during the day that we do. One hour each for math, language arts, reading, then later CC. Each hour is broken up into three 20 min. increments. So I set my timer for 20 min. and work with Maleah for that time while the boys do their work by themselves. Once that time is up Maleah is dismissed to play (or if we are finished before then). Then I set the timer again for 20 min. and give Caleb my attention working with newer concepts or something that requires my guidance. After that he is dismissed to play. I set the timer again and give my attention to Josiah. It's working great! This way each child is receiving 20 min. of me 4 times a day. Right now we haven't begun CC so we are only doing three hour days and get it done by lunch! Today we had a couple quick errands though so we had 40 min. to make up for after lunch. Of course when I'm working with Maleah it's a lot of stuff on the floor, so Jace is in my lap a lot and when I'm up I'm holding him a lot, so he gets my attention too. Today for Maleah's 20 min. of math she counted colorful beads, separated 10 and stringed them on yarn to make a necklace. Jace had a great time dumping all the beads out and playing with them which was perfect-he was happy! So, today during some play time, Maleah did a puzzle while I worked with Caleb.

As you can see, he is still very much into crossing his eyes for pictures. He's our ham, what can I say? For Caleb's math time he pactices writing his numbers, does his Math-U-See worksheets, flash cards, coloring and couting, that sort of thing...plus games like Uno, War, etc. He loves having the time line on the wall to remember how to write a number. :)

While I was working with Caleb, Josiah was practicing his math on his FlashMaster, which is amazing. It has so many features. He can be timed, it keeps a record of missed problems that he can work on and all sorts of stuff. He really likes it and as you can see in this picture, Jace does too! :) Jace wasn't feeling well today, he has a cold and I think a fever tonight, so I let him stay in his jammies most of the morning.

In these pictures above, Jace is having a fit because HE wants the FlashMaster too! He was pulling Josiah's shirt and kicking him. You can see how unfazed Josiah is by it all. He is so in love with this little boy plus he isn't about to let any kicking and screaming keep him from getting a perfect score on his timed problems! In fact he did, he got 30 out of 30 correct! One great thing about homeschool kids is they learn to focus. :)
So all of these pictures were taken in the same time frame in the math hour. Here's one of Maleah during Language Arts hour.

She just looked so cute and studious. She's been coloring her letters during our 20 min. together, I also get down the letter from the wall to put next to her, we sound it out and name things that begin with this letter, she traces it with her finger and crayon, then scribbles all over it. Of course to her, this is all to appease momma because quickly after she if finished she asks, "Now can we do my school book mommy?!"
Here's some shots of a GREAT moment during our school hours. I finally convinced Maleah to go play and enjoy being THREE for pete's sake, after all "all work and no play makes for a dull girl" and Jace was actually enjoying his blanket time (which I'm SO thankful we worked on over the summer!). The boys were happy at work and Jace was happy at play.

Now, this day depicts a good homeschool day with little hiccups (remember the kicking Jace was doing?). This was not the case the whole day but it was a good picture of the overall mood of our school hours. So, 2 down and 178 to go!

Blessings!

Our one (ish) room school house!

2010-08-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

I find such joy in teaching our kids! Since we began our room has looked very different from year to year. This is my favorite look so far. As the needs of my children change, so does our room. Now I am more specifically schooling 3 children! Maleah is all about "doing school", so I have incorporated her into our day as well. So, I have done a lot of purchasing this year to prepare for everyone. Our school stuff has even bled into the living room a bit as well.

This picture was taken from the living room and as you can see on the right side of the picture, one of our bookcases for school is actually sitting in our living room!

Here is a full view of the bookcase. The top shelf has some great reading books for Josiah that are fiction and non-fiction. Also our devotional books and Bible. The next two shelves has our crafty things i.e scissors, glues, stickers, papers, paints, etc on the top three shelves. The fourth shelf has math manipulatives, fun books that have activities and scrap paper. The bottom shelf holds The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls series and some extra writing paper.

This is our room from the entry way to the house. Aren't their desks so cute and little? :) I have a number line on top of the wall, the alphabet below that (which I can take them down and use for activities), a sign language poster to the left of the while board (Richard wants us to learn sign language), and a cursive alphabet below that. The the right of the white board is a fun shapes poster and a map below that. Then as you can see our "reading chair" to the left of the picture.

I got a calendar and weather chart this year! How fun! Below is a portion of my stuff. I use half of the bottom drawer for storage of office things (large hole punch, extra file folders, etc.) and the other half for my files. The top drawer is jam packed with games and puzzles for the kids. On the top is the new home for my laptop, and my homeschool verse.

This is the room looking at it from the kitchen. You can see Jace's room in the background and the front door as well. Between the desks is our library book system.

Here is a closer look at the other bookcase. The top two shelves are reserved for my things, teacher's guides, office supplies, CBS things and CC things. The third shelf is Josiah's below his is Caleb's and then the bottom shelf has books that are more instructional. Earlier this summer I separated all of our books to what I thought was age appropriate for each child, so Jace has his in his room, Maleah has hers in her room and so on. Josiah's are actually all in the school room scattered where ever books are, he is reading so well now, he can tackle anything. To the left side of the book case hanging on the wall you can see flash cards. One set is for CC and the other set is just some math facts and word facts I created for Josiah when he was in kindergarten and redid and laminated for Caleb.

Our names of God and Jesus chart that we work on learning through the year.

Here is another spill over into the living room. Thanks for my wonderful MIL and FIL, we are proud owners of this amazing keyboard!!! I'm hoping to find a great and inexpensive teacher soon so they can begin lessons (gotta call you Mandy for a reference!).

This is a closer look at our library book system. First I have to say that with each new way of doing things I have learned to go about it with the understanding that it may not work. So far this is working just ok. As you can see I have it separated by child. Behind each child's name is the books they got, or that I picked out for them at the library. In front of all that sits books that I checked out that would be fun to read to all the kiddos in the evening, our library back, receipt and any DVD's we check out. This particular trip, Jace was screaming most of the time, the kids were coloring most of the time, so momma was just grabbing things and not that much. I think Caleb was the only one who came to pick out some dinosaur books for himself. :) I'm thinking it'll be much more full in the future...so long as Jace complies.

So! That's our newly fashioned school room! Where do you school?

Saying Goodbye

2010-08-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

Paci was a faithful partner in destroying dying plants and many other adventures.

We have come to have a tradition in our home of clipping the tip of the pacifiers to break our kids of the habit and we do it around 18 months. So, like the others before him, Jace was subject to our little tradition that Richard and I have come to find entertainment in. (sick huh?) Well, I clipped the tip on Saturday, and placed it in a spot Jace would find it and the Richard and I watched and waited. He picked it up, put it in his mouth and acted like nothing was different. Oh sure, it fell out more frequently, but that didn't faze him a bit. He wasn't going to toss his ole' buddy that fast! So a little while later, Richard cut some more off. Same thing, Jace had to have been holding it in his mouth by his teeth to keep it in. We were cracking up. I decided to put out his misery, coaxed Jace to throw it in the trash, said goodbye, blew kisses and ended it once and for all. His response that night? Nothing. He was over paci. He hasn't looked back, he's a new man. :)

Paci was a special travel partner, comforting when needed.

Now Jace knows happiness without his beloved paci.

Part III

2010-08-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

The kids did great getting through security and the employees there were super friendly, one man called out, "Here comes the Griswold's!" as we approached. Cracked us up. Then we got in our line and waited for a bit until we could move through the the plane. The line was long and slow moving which made for some grumbling but not too bad.

Then we made it, on the airplane at last and in our seats! The kids were pretty excited about it all.

(Caleb was all about crossing his eyes on this trip, so I think that's what he was doing in his picture.;) This first flight was fairly short and brought us to Baltimore, MD for a very short layover. Richard and I didn't get any dinner and the kids just got a quick little something to stave off their hunger. While we took turns making bathroom runs and getting snacks for the kids, here's what they did.

Maleah's lips were so cute chewing her gum I just kept taking pictures of her. Finally they got a little something to eat.

Our second plane ride brought us home and a gorgeous view of the sky at sunset. The clouds and colors were incredible! It was nice to share that with the kids. It was late in the evening so the lights were out and people were trying to sleep and my people were getting restless. After a while Maleah went to sit with Josiah and Richard and Jace joined me and Caleb. After a little fidgeting this is what we got.

Then a kind flight attendant came and took a picture of us together. It was so cute how both boys just crashed on me and eachother!

And Maleah behind us.

Sadly this only lasted for about 20 minutes before we began to descend when all three sleeping children awoke with much loud crying and pain. Caleb held his ears and said his head hurt as he wailed out, I wasn't able to comfort him much as I tried to keep Jace from falling on the floor he was flailing about and crying so hard and behind me I could hear Maleah do the same. Josiah felt so bad for them and at his daddy's suggestion he began to pray for them. Soon we landed and all was well. Tears dried up, lights came on and we got off the plane to retrieve our luggage, two car seats and one booster seat. We drove home with 4 sleepy heads who each fell asleep in the car. Whew! I'm exhausted all over again just typing about it! Well, that sums up our quick trip to NC at the bidding of our Lord and to the reckless enjoyment of our children.

Part II

2010-08-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

So here we are, minus me, with the Hickman family headed to the museum! Blake is a highschool friend of Richard's. He and his wife, Amber, have 4 boys with one on the way!

Right away Jace found the water to get his hands into.

Then we moved over the the pirate ship. Josiah surprised me by getting dressed up!

"Ahoy Mates!"

And here are the pirates I was talking about. ;) After we moved on to some other things, Jace found some helmets, put one on and then had a hard time getting it off. :) The boys got to try out some feaux ice hockey.

This place was a great place for the kids to roam, explore and learn things. It was like the McWane Center in Birmingham on steroids (as Richard put it).

After Jace had all he could have there we left for some lunch at Chick-fil-a-yummo!

Jace did pretty good but the poor kid was just all out of his routine and working off of very little sleep, so there was a lot of fussing and irritability coming from him. Yet we were determined to make the best of it and let the bigger kids enjoy themselves. After lunch we went to the Hickman's home, tried to put the little ones down for a nap while the dads and the big kids went to get some ice cream for us! Maleah ended up not napping at all and after much time Jace finally fell asleep for about and hour. One measly little nap. Josiah and their oldest, Asher, played their DS's together while the younger brothers looked on.

After that it was off to the airport we go!

As promised Part I

2010-08-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

The beginning of our ~~Griswold~~ Mitchell family vacation to Raleigh, NC began a smidge rocky. Mostly just for me. As we neared our departure my stress level rose with each childish question the children had. (Just being honest here!) After being on the road a bit things settled down and the kids enjoyed different activities in the car such as coloring...

Going good. We knew we were going to take our time but the 8 hour trip turned into 12 and the crankiness was at an all time high for most of us but mainly Jace. And traffic jams didn't help either.

Sweet Maleah covered herself all up and took a little nap.

Because of the nature of our trip (Some "movings" of the Lord are meant to be kept quiet so I will not disclose the true reason for this trip.) we had snacks and meals outside of the car and looked for the rest stops to stretch our legs and let the kids run around.

Richard managed to fit in a little science lesson too about the peach, nut and seed. :)
We finally arrived at our destination after 10pm! We stayed up for a little bit visiting with our friends who graciously let us stay with them the two nights we were there. I CANNOT believe I didn't get a picture of our families all together. They are friends of ours from college though and this was the first time all our kids were together. The first night was pretty sleepless. We were all in one room, which was fine. The AC in that room wasn't working great so it was quite hot making difficult for sleeping. Maleah and Jace were up at least 4 times each and separately wanting water. So going to bed around 11, being awoken at least 8 times and finally getting up for the day at 6am made for one sleepy momma. However the adrenaline for which we were there kept me alert and happy.

Later that day all the kids played together and some of us caught a nap. Our friends Brett and Angie have a rope swing the kids use to jump onto the trampoline, and a zip line in the back yard that my boys loved playing on. Their girls are ages 11, 8 and 6 so my boys fit right in with their younger two.

Late that afternoon we went swimming at a pool our friends are members at, bummed I have no pictures of that. Josiah was doing back flips off of the diving board and Caleb was doing front ones! My Caleb! He was all over that pool without floaties and amazing me with his swimming skills! They had a great time! Jace had a nap but by this time was a miserable tired mess, so home we went for some pizza. Jace fell asleep on the way and so we just layed hime down for a while on the bed. Passed.out!

Don't ya know a kid is wiped out when they sleep like that! Throughout the day the girls were putting make up on Maleah, painting her nails and teaching her her letters! Here she is with their oldest, Savannah playing with letters to make words.

After dinner they got to playing the Wii.

This is Josiah with their 8 year old Elizabeth.

Here's the whole gang minus Jace. Their youngest daughter is Emma. That night we tried to get the kids to bed at a more normal time but there was a lot of up and down the stairs as we tried to get Maleah to be quiet and stay in the bed. That night we all got better rest, thankfully. The older three slept in too.

But not too long because we had to leave the house at 8:30 to meet up with some other friends for family fun with them! We went to the Marble Museum, which now that I think about it, I don't think I saw any marbles...hmmmmm....

Teaser

2010-08-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

We took a special trip Sunday to Raleigh, NC and back. The "back" included flying! Can't wait to tell you about it! There was one room sleeping, screaming flights, pirates, ice cream and a whole lot more!

Nearing the end

2010-08-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

You do realize that summertime is almost over don't you? I know, the thermostat is telling another story but the items in every store you walk in is a reminder to all that school begins very soon. For most folks anyway. It's a welcomed time of year for many, getting back into the routine that gives us boundaries for most of our year. It's a routine that brings comfort usually. Like my pastor says, "It's like a second New Year." Fall clothes are springing up all around and I for one am a sucker for fall like clothing. The colors, the textures, the boots (I love me some boots!)!! I am one of those who don't mind saying goodbye to summer's routines and bringing back the routine that fits us for 9 out of 12 months. However, THIS summer I am finding that I have to wait just a little longer than usual. It really is a great thing about teaching the kids at home and not being told when to school and when not to. Our August is packing up just as much as our July. We will be traveling, I have meetings and more organizing in my school room to do! There's still much to be done. Plus our new fantastic group we will be a part of this year doesn't begin until the day after Labor Day in September! Of course I can and will begin some schooling before then (because I crave it!) but in my mind I keep thinking we don't officially begin until then.

****Warning: The next sentences will be my own ramblings and may not be of much interest.****

My work in the school room seems to be growing just a bit. I wish I had good pictures of what it has been to show you, but I don't. We basically converted our dining room into our school room sometime before Jace was born. (He took our fourth bedroom as his own.) From Richard's old office at work we have beautiful wood furniture for our use. Two lovely book cases, a matching large desk (for me) and a matching filing cabinet. For the kids work space we have our old kitchen table and chairs. It worked great, it was nice to have a room to do school and use for that purpose. However, it has felt cramped. I'm planning to take my large desk out of the room, find a new home for the table and chairs and put a large white board on the one big wall we have. To replace my desk, I have been working at reorganizing our two bookcases to fit my things neatly and the kids things. What I have come up with is we each have our own shelf (I may end up needed two). My things are at the top of one bookcase, Josiah's below mine and Caleb's below his. After that it's regular books we own and then games on the bottom (that Jace has been enjoying getting into, so games may have a new home before long). The other book case holds crafts, papers, math manipulatives and more books. I purchased a crate of sorts to house our library books to keep them separate from ours and keep them in one spot in the house as to not loose any. :) To replace the kids table I am planning to get them some desks that are height adjustable so they can be more comfortable and have a nice work space for themselves. I am also working on putting more things on my walls. I want them to see things they can learn from wherever they look in the room. I don't want it to be overwhelming as to shut their brain off, but I do want Caleb and Maleah to look up and see the alphabet, for Josiah too look up and see a number time line and so forth. Something new I plan to add to our day is a daily question(s). To go along with their learning I want them to learn to ask themselves questions and figure out the answers. So I will train them to do so by asking the questions first. They may be fun or obvious ones now but will grow in interest and depth as they grow. If they learn to ask themselves not only questions, but in the end the right questions, what can they not learn or do? Nothing.

I'm excited for this school year, for our new layout of the room and my new way of thinking to be implemented!! Nearing the end isn't all that bad now people!

Blessings on your August!

Conviction with a capitol "C"!

2010-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

I know I've been putting books up here left and right. So much so that it's making my own head spin! However THIS book is the one to begin with, if you haven't already read it! I do realize that I'm on the late side of getting into this book in Christian circles. I'm actually borrowing an older copy from a friend right now but have already ordered my own (I have to make my own markings!) Debi Pearl is down to earth, forthright and full of wisdom. What a dunce I have been for so many years in so many areas of being a wife. It's really quite embarrassing. Thankfully the Lord has been gracious enough to my husband and is showing me the error of my ways. It began a few months ago when I decided to get serious about honoring my husband through obedience. When I began to look for opportunities for obedience I realized that they were much more subtle than I was hoping for. In fact just as I'm typing this another subtle moment came. As my husband went to go to the boys' room to turn off the "Bible" (they listen to the audio Bible every night when going to bed) he said, "I wish I could listen to the Bible while I fall asleep." Now inside myself I cringed. If I were to put words to my cringe it would be, "Well, that won't work for me so sorry buddy that ain't happenin'!" However, thanks be to God, a change is at work in my heart for my husband. He didn't directly say he wanted to do this but it was clear that it is a desire of his. Perhaps he wasn't direct because of years of being shut down in other desires of life (my poor man!). But here is my chance to move forward and make things not just right but holy. So as he came back into the living room, I said (happily!) "You can do that honey!" He looked at me with suspicion and coyly said, "You're so compliant." Yea baby, with a capitol "C"!

I'd love to hear from you who have read this book already, how has it changed you, your marriage and your family??

Blessings!

Classical Learning

2010-07-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm plunging into deeper waters this year for school. It's called Classical Conversations. It's the undiluted Classical education at it's finest and I'm pumped that my kids will be getting Harvard quality learning at their young ages. Curious? Check out www.classicalconversations.com or www.leighbortins.com

The Woman Speech

2010-07-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

My sweet Maleah is growing up so fast! She will soon be three which is still very little but it still makes me see how fast the years go by. I have several times had to give my oldest bits of "the man speech" which really I have no idea if it's the same one my husband would receive from his grandfather but it's basically "you may not WANT to do such and such but you WILL do such and such..." So, I know there will come the day to give Maleah the "woman speech" but what is that? I have no clue. Is it the same? What is the heart of it? What is the role of a women by which I will draw from to give this speech (in appropriate times and age)? So, without giving it too much thought I wanted to get some feedback from my readers! Maybe you've never thought of this before or maybe you used to get one or maybe you have some ideas that pop into your mind. There's no wrong answer but I would love to hear back from you. If you've never commented before, now's your time!! :) Thanks ahead of time and blessings to you!

Retirement Options

2010-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Being that I am only 31 years old I know I shouldn't "technically" be thinking about retirement. However yesterday as I was driving around listening to NPR I heard a report of a study done in San Diego. This study was done with men and women of various ages and about the effects of television viewing and how much television they watched. The people older than 65 watched more TV than the participants of ages 19-35. Not terribly interesting when you really stop to think about it. After all what else are the elderly people going to do? What I did find interested though was that watching TV made the older people more stressed and less happy than the younger participants whose stress was not impacted when viewing television. SO that led me to think well duh, we were not created to retire from life upon turning 65. Here's a few things the God says about old age:
Proverbs 16:31 Grey hair is a crown of splendor; obtained by a righteous life.
Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life.
Titus 2:2 Old men are to temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love and in perseverance.
...The older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no on will malign the word of God.
Old age is a gift, a blessing. Old people should be teaching, giving to others and encouraging younger people.
We also know that at 100 years old Abraham became a father Sarah was 90, Noah was 500+ years when he built an ark, and at 80 Moses received his call from God to rescue the nation of Israel! Imagine what God will do with you in your older years?
I propose one retirement option; "Fight the good fight of faith..." 1 Timothy 6:12 and finish your race stronger than when you began it.

Blessings!

Summer speed

2010-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Somehow this has been our busiest summer yet and I haven't really planned all that much! This coming month of July our family will only be all together for ONE week and part of that week my mom will be here! Sorta sad.

We have continued with our reading. Sarah Noble is the latest, which I didn't actually read to them, Josiah read it.

Another addition to our family recently made is a...

Nintendo DS Lite. Josiah has been saving his hard earned working money for 8 months to purchase one of these. His waiting paid off because his cousin just recently decided to sell his plus two games for $72.00! So, Josiah was able to buy it cheaper than otherwise. However this new addition has brought about a new house rule: You read, minute for minute however long you play. This new rule is the brilliant idea I borrowed from a friend. So, he is actually reading now more than he otherwise would've because he wants to play his DS. :) His reading does not include his devotional reading, Bible reading, school reading or required reading. We are also applying this new rule to Caleb too for playing computer games which has also been going great. Who knew having a DS in the house would make my kids read more!

I also just introduced my children to Shirley Temple. My mom has always loved Shirley Temple movies and so by her influence we checked out "Curly Top" from the library. I thought Maleah would really enjoy, which she did. She loves singing lately and I thought little Miss Shirley would help inspire her further. Wholesome entertainment that inspires for free! Score.

Just like my Father

2010-06-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

What a privilege it is for me to be a mother and be able to teach my children from God's Word. Recently I have been sharing with my children from my time with God. I gather them together usually on the floor in the living room. We sit in a circle, I open my Bible and read the verse. Usually during my time with the Lord in the morning a verse will stand out to me and that will be what I share with the kids about and make it practical for them. One particular morning recently nothing was really standing out to me and I began to almost search for something when God whispered to me that this time was for he and I to connect, not for me to find something to share with my kids. It's not about them, it's about him. Confessing my mishap and moving on I just sat soaking in his goodness I enjoyed the rest of my time alone with God. Knowing I was still going to do family devotions with the kids I layed it in my Father's hands to give me something to teach them. As the morning unfolded, worship was coming to mind. Then Caleb said he was doing hand motions and singing (to himself) with the worship music I had playing while he ate his breakfast. I also remembered how Josiah had mentioned the night before that he doesn't hear God. That sealed the deal. As we sate in a circle on the floor I shared with the kids how I didn't have a specific verse to share with them that morning, that I didn't "hear" from God but felt that God was leading me to teach them to just worship him. One by one we went around telling God how glorious he is.
Later as I thought about it I realized how amazing it was how my Father moved in each of us by NOT giving me a specific verse to share with the kids. Sometimes we just need to worship him. Sometimes we don't hear from God but we need to be vigilant in our worship of him and doing the fundamentals of our faith regardless. It's just like my Father to have all the bases covered and in his special way to reveal to each one just what we need.

Happy Father's Day Abba!

Making my mission

2010-06-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

For a while now I've been wanting to put together a mission statement for different areas of my life. I have the one for homeschooling, our family has one for the family but I don't have one for any other area and I felt the pressing need to make it. So after some inspiration from another blogger I went for it, prayerfully I might add. I've sat with them for a couple of weeks now and have read them almost daily. For example and encouragement that you CAN do this for yourself, I'll list mine for you.
Daughter of the King:
To obediently and humbly live a submissive life to Christ Jesus my Lord, actively proclaiming the Good News through word, action and giving. To diligently study his Word and seek him whole heartedly through prayer and song.
Wife to Richard:
To be the sweetness in his life and the crown on his head (Proverbs 12:4) by lovingly honoring, submitting, encouraging, and praying for Richard.
Mother to my Children:
To sharpen them into arrows that will advance the Kingdom of God through prayer, training and faith.
Homemaker:
To bring order, peace and beauty through thoughtful planning and effective managing.
Teacher:
To make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suitable to serve in the royal palace and to train them in the Word of God.
Bible Study Leader:
To diligently pray for the needs of the women, to be a humble, encouraging and gracious facilitator and to live my faith out before them.

If you create your own, or already have a mission statement for different roles you play, I would love to read them and I'm sure others would be encouraged by them as well. Please share!

Blessings!

Loving our man

2010-06-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Remembering today that woman was created for man and as wives we are to work on conforming ourselves to our husbands and not expect or direct, them to conform to us. I admit, this is hard for me to do. I've been praying these last few days for God to open my eyes to how I don't live this out. I think I'm not even aware of it sometimes. When it comes to health, sin or the detriment of relationship, be it ours or his with another, I think speaking up is beneficial and necessary but do I really have to say, "I was hoping you wouldn't volunteer us first."? It is his nature to lead and go before others, I can learn to follow along and be an encouragement to him and not follow my own selfish desires. What are some other ways we can better live out our role as "created for man"?

Looking forward

2010-06-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

O I'm looking forward to really sitting down to blog but lately I've been enjoying regular home life with my family; teaching, growing, learning and loving. I have some thoughts stirring though that I need to process and get out. Soon I hope!
Blessings!

Number 2 Turns 5

2010-05-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Caleb as a newborn was so cute and snuggly and a good sleeper.

By his first birthday we saw that he was a more cautious child, liked his space, was very silly and loved his daddy. In this picture he is eating his birthday cake which was hand fed to him by his great uncle Ron!

When he turned two we were noticing his wonderful qualities as a friend. He is very loyal and protective of his friends. He is very affectionate, still giving hugs when saying goodbye to his friends and just loves to be around others in general. His absolute best friend, though, is his big brother. He adores him with every fiber in him.

When Caleb turned three we noticed more silliness, temper and stubbornness. At this age Caleb likes to have fun, eat junk food (fights us on his greens) and lounge around. He readily slips into the imaginary world and enjoys singing and being goofy.

Turning four showed us even more endearing qualities of Caleb. He desired to know more about God, asking questions and asking me to pray with him to receive Jesus. He prays like someone with more maturity and authority, it amazes us. His coordination kicked in a little better and he receives less self-inflicted wounds and faces uncertainty with more boldness and courage. He is becoming a hard worker, learns new things fast and is overcoming his fear of greens.

Now at age 5 my Caleb has learned obedience well. He is stepping into his big brother role better and better all the time and dotes on his younger siblings. He accepts correction more readily now and has compassion for others. He speaks words of encouragement to his whole family and friends. He isn't a fierce competitor but does well at all he puts himself to. He is reading short stories, writing his letters and numbers and is excited about learning new things. He has jumped a huge hurdle of being afraid of the dark and on his own asks to pray for people. He finished his first season of soccer without losing a game, throws a frisbee like nobody's business and is thoughtful of others. He is growing up so fast in so many ways! I'm so proud of him and I can't wait to get to know Caleb as a five year old.

Happy Birthday my love, my bear Caleb.

Next book

2010-05-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

With the Call of the Wild under our belt (including movie watched yesterday). Today we will begin a Laura Ingalls Wilder book: Farmer Boy

Summertime

2010-05-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

Busy with family in town but did want to share THIS. If you homeschool (or don't) here's some fun tidbits on how to go about enjoying your time this summer with your kiddos. And as always, I promote making list of Summer Fun. We do this at the beginning of every summer and it really helps us have some great things to enjoy as a family. Summer's need a focus too! Let's not forget the mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others.
Blessings!

Reading Extended

2010-05-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

So, we finished The Call of the Wild now and have moved onto a new book!

This was already in our library from when Richard was a boy. At the library today I saw a movie of it, so we brought that home. Hopefully I can finish reading the book before the movie is due back! I already know what we'll read next too! I'm loving this extra time for reading that summer has brought!

Southern Sweet Tea

2010-05-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

My first experience with southern sweet tea was when I was 16. We had a young couple helping with our youth group and we met in their home for a Bible study. She was from Georgia. She made sweet tea. Love at first sip. Maybe a little obsessed at first sip. I think I drank like 6 or 7 glasses of it in the couple of hours we were there and was confused when I kept having to go to the restroom, until of course someone said that the tea goes right through ya. Hey, is that how the phrase "tee-tee" or should I say "tea-tea" came about? Anyway, fast forward to married life. Married life to a southern boy who knew how he liked his tea that is. It's the best I've ever had in any restaurant, home, or store.
What you need:
Tea Kettle
Red Diamond gallon size tea bags
Sugar
Measuring cups

How you make it:
Water in kettle and boil, 1.5 cups of sugar and 1 gallon size tea bag into pitcher, pour boiling water in pitcher and stir up sugar. Let sit for 4 minutes, dispose of tea bag, fill pitcher with water and refrigerate.

For an Arnie Palmer, mix lemonade into your glass.

Best sweet tea ever!

The Way

2010-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he (she) should go and when he (she) is old he (she) will not depart from it.

For so many years I have heard this verse and others' interpretations about it. I have also seen the disappointment of parents who thought they were training up their child but when the child got old, they did "depart" from it. So, what is this verse in Proverbs really trying to say? Is it literal? Is it a guarantee? Is it 100% effective? I don't know that it is but God did shed new light on it for me recently. As I read that verse last week the Holy Spirit gave me a fresh understanding of this verse for myself. What I saw was many roads laying before my children. Many ways to go everyday. A few examples of this are Way 1. Do my chores with a cheerful heart. Or Way 2. Do my chores with complaining. Another one might be Way 1. Go outside walk up the street in the middle of the day without asking. Or Way 2. Ask permission to go outside and walk up the street. (Both examples are pulled from real life in my home this past week.) These particular times I'm thinking of, my children, unfortunately choose Way 2. My job as their mom is to teach them Way 1 consistently enough, long enough, lovingly enough patiently enough that when after all these days, months and years of training them in Way 1, Way 2 doesn't even register on their radar. That when they are old, they will have had so much training and practice and learning in living Way 1 that they will know Way 1 and be familiar with Way 1. Now, because life is...well, life Way 2 will creep in there somewhere but they will taste the bitterness of Way 2 and learn to dislike it's flavor. Way 2 will loose it's appeal as they begin to understand the long standing benefits of Way 1.
Tonight I had the honor of guiding one of my sons out of Way 2 and into Way 1. He had been mistreating his siblings as of late and I explained to him that the way he was going was not a good way. If he didn't learn to treat them with kindness and respect then he would have a hard time knowing how to treat others with kindness and respect and nobody wants a friend who mistreats them. I tried explain to him the goodness of Way 1 and the perils of Way 2. Way 2 has pain. Right now that pain comes in the form of a hard wooden object to the rear, but later the pain will be greater. Now is the time to train them in the way they should go, now is the time to bring them back on the right Way. Be encouraged by Proverbs 22:6 to train your children in Way 1 today, creating those mental grooves so that they won't depart from it when they are older.

Popcorn and a movie!

2010-05-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

So, we finished Charlotte's Web yesterday and now the kids are watching the movie with their popcorn!

Next up...

Growing Wise

2010-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" Proverbs 13:20

Who do your children walk with for the majority of their day? You? Other children? There's nothing wrong with limiting the time our children spend with other children. They won't grow up socially deformed or marred. They just might grow up mature.

*Thoughts inspired by Greg Harris

Responsibility

2010-05-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Being a mom calls out so much in a women. The Bible doesn't give many directives on mothering specifically as much as it does parenting. However in Titus 2 we learn that the older women are to teach the younger women to "train [them] to love their husbands and children...to be busy at home to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands...". We don't usually think of needing training in loving our children, husbands yes but our children? Let's think about love for a minute. What is love? We can find the answer to that question in 1 Corinthians. Love is patient and kind. I certainly need patience and kindness daily as I love my children. It does not envy, boast get proud or is not rude. I know I have been rude to my children at times. Not easily angered, not self-seeking, keeps no record of wrongs. All these things need training for us to work these things out in our lives and in our role as mothers. It's not so easy to love, even our children but God has given us the responsibility to love them and train them. I read recently in "One Million Arrows" (I'm paraphrasing here) that so many times when we have an excess of money (which we all do, even those of us on one income do!) we tend to buy more and bigger things and say, "we are so blessed" when really we have more responsibility given to us to do more with our money and resources. It's not so we can buy more to satisfy our earthly desires, it is to give more to satisfy God's kingdom desires. The same is true of our children. We don't have them to satisfy our, or their, earthly desires but to sharpen them into productive arrows to advance the kingdom of God. We have an enormous responsibility to train them in righteousness and lead them into a relationship with God to be of use to him. Our family has found out that for us that means we homeschool them. Not just for their book learning needs but we need more time than just a few hours a day to properly train them. Of course it is not all up to us and our training God can do anything he wants to do regardless of our action or inaction however, when you begin to look at scripture and what it does say to do as parents, it requires more time spent with our children. To talk to them about God as we go on our way, in our rising our coming and going in all that we do and wherever we go! Let us not forget what God has told us in his Word about the responsibilities of mothering, let us not succumb to the culture of this world and forsake our God given directives. Dear devoted mommies, be mothers of the home! Be one who is learning and being trained in how to love our children!

Eleven Years Baby!

2010-05-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

I get to live each day with this hero. Can't get any better.

Snap shots

2010-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy lately I've hardly had time to post about it. Here is my attempt to get it all in at one time!

My mom, Nana, came for a short visit a couple of weeks ago. Josiah had the idea to buy her a gift because she is always coming here with some gifts for them. She recently got three little ducks and so the boys bought her two duck statues to put up in her house or yard. So sweet!

Maleah really baked with me for the first time doning a little apron too! She was a big helper and seemed to really enjoy it! It got me so excited for times of baking and cooking together as she gets older. She is such a delight to me!

The boys had their last art class and art show. They are sporting one of their pieces of work. They both had more but here is a taste of it. Josiah's is a canvas painting that is now hanging in my foyer. Caleb's a book based off of Eric Carle's books.

We have finished this year of Community Bible study as we studied the book of Genesis all year. I had the privileged of teaching the 4th and 5th graders and doing the study for myself and with Josiah. Next year I will be facilitating the study with the adults as we study Revelation, but am sad to leave the kids. So, this summer I'm going to have the girls from my class come hang out for game night a few times! This was the day they had their performance for the parents by singing worship songs and reciting memory verses. As you can see, Caleb is not too happy about getting his picture taken here. Oh well!

The kids and I along with my friend Mandy and her crew of five boys spent a few hours at Civitan Park in Trussville letting them get in the creek and get muddy and catch "tadpoles" that were really minnows. We had a great time and so did they! As you can see, Maleah (in a dress) was the only girl there.

Josiah also finished up his track season and we went to the awards ceremony. He loved it and did so well. He is one fast boy!

Maleah and Jace both got some new toys for free! She's sportin' her new PINK scooter and he his car. Yah for new free toys!

Maleah, being surrounded by boys, asked for her cousin Libby to come play. So I immediately set it up for her. She loved having Libby here to play with her! Here they are beginning to work on some puzzles.

Lastly, I put my flower clip making skills to use on some flip-flops. She thinks they are wonderful! They are pretty cute and she looks so fru-fru wearing them. She may be surrounded by boys most of the time but she certainly doesn't look like one. :)
I don't have a picture of this but we are currently reading through Charlotte's Web again. I read it to Josiah a couple of years ago and he pulled it out again recently for me to read to all of them. It is so fun reading to them while they play quietly on the floor. We are all transported into Mr. Zuckermann'a barn with Fern for about 45 min. at a time and loving it! Even little Maleah will sit by me or tinker with the legos and listen. I promised them that at the end of the book we would rent the movie and have a movie night! Can't wait!
What have some of you been up to lately? Reading any good books with your kids?

Radical by David Platt

2010-05-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am at a loss. A loss for words. This is how I want to live my life. Not for myself, not for my family even, but for Christ. This truth takes me to my knees, may it bring you to yours as well.

It's What's for Dinner

2010-05-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw on another bloggers blog her endorsement of e-mealz.com. Fascinated and wanting to know more, I checked it out. I admit, I'm not usually one to do this sort of thing. We like to craft our own way of doing things. Richard even had the idea of doing something very similar to this a year or more ago but we have no time to make our ideas happen, yet. However, I'm willing to see if it does indeed save me money, I already know it'll save me time! I'm excited and hopeful. We chose the low-fat meal plan for any grocery store. They post meals for 7 days each week, providing the recipe and shopping list that also works with what any given store has on sale for the week. They also have a information on couponing with websites so you don't have to clip but can still save! I'll have to let you all know how it goes!

How I See

2010-05-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

I jokingly said I would do the cliff notes version of One Million Arrows on my blog and then at the request of my dear friend I said that I would indeed do it. Yet, as I sit here reading in this incredible book I find that I cannot make good on my word. Every word I read resonates so strongly and deeply within me that I can't imagine doing a cliff notes version (sorry Rach!). It stirs my soul so deeply, if it sounds remotely interesting to you, you must purchase it and read it for yourself and be ready to make a bunch of your own footnotes and markings.
Another, more sobering, reason why I can't do it is I am way too immature to do so. You see I'm one of those that sees in black and white. It doesn't leave much room for gray sometimes known as grace. Grace is something I desperately want to be better at. An amazing women I know recently shared with me something she learned from a Beth Moore study. Beth was talking about speaking the truth vs. speaking the truth in love. Sometimes when we speak the truth it is like when Peter used the sword (representing God's Word-truth) and cut off the servants ear when Jesus was being arrested. When we/I speak the truth without love I am in effect cutting off their hearing of the truth. I don't want to be one to cut off anyone's hearing and I'm afraid I have done so with things I am passionate about. So, I will refrain from writing my thoughts about this book. Now, I'm sure I will write some things pertaining to the book as I read through and learn things but I will be doing so carefully and lightly so as to not cut off any one's hearing of the truth.
Richard is already concerned with all the deep sighs I make while reading this book which is probably a clear indication that I am too emotionally invested to write about it regularly and do it gracious justice. Does this make sense? I hope so. Now go buy the book!!

Reading

2010-05-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

I know that most of you mommas probably read to your children. Some of the benefits for them are learning to read (for the younger ones), growing in their interest in reading, learning new vocabulary, learning how to follow along in a story (orderly thinking) and so forth. I love to read books to my kids that are over their level and without pictures. It forces them to use their imagination and to listen without being stimulated visual, it creates a discipline of sorts. I love that my kids are able to listen to books on cd well (or listen as I read), follow the story and not get bored. So, most of us are aware of the benefits for them, but what about us???

Oh it is wonderful knowing that we are pouring knowledge into the hearts and minds of our children. I really like to read to them stories by James Herriot. They are interesting stories about animals and written with a different way of talking. It introduces them to a different life, culture, and images. It expands their hearts and minds and mine as well. Being close to them, snuggling them, smelling their soft hair and skin, all of it bonds us closer together and builds wonderful memories that will last a life time. We are mutually enjoying each others company.

This summer Richard and I have decided to pay Josiah to read. Unconventional maybe but the money will be so worth it! I have ordered him a bunch of book from Heroes for Young Readers and am pumped that he will be spending his summer pouring over these wonderful examples of people living for Christ.

If you don't do it much, read to your children it will benefit them as well as you. It will encourage a habit and desire of learning in them and it will bond your hearts closer together. If you do read a lot to your kids, bravo! Keep it up and open their minds to discover new places through books, don't shy away from the books without pictures either, you won't regret it!

Too Fat?

2010-04-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Is your appetite making you too fat? Your appetite for the things of this world that is. Matthew 7:14 says, "For narrow is the gate, and straight is the way, that leads to life, and few find it." If we are too find and fit into the narrow gate, we cannot be fat. We have to trim off the fat. Get rid of our pride, selfishness and jealousy. We have to work off our laziness, greed and apathy. The road to destruction is wide and easy to find and live on, it's comfortable, no body is rubbing against you bringing friction. But that is the wrong road. We need friction to sharpen each other and ourselves. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man (or women) sharpens another." Friction is not bad, it's good! It's strengthening. We need to be sharp and strong to live in this world and advance the kingdom. We don't need to be fat. Ezekiel 16:49 says," 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.'" Do you see that? God says the sins of Sodom were not their (or only their) sexual perversion but they were overfed and unconcerned!! It sounds like a lot of us in our churches in America. We are overfed, going to church 2, 3, maybe 4 times a week feeding. Then we see the poor and needy in their distress and say, "Oh bless their hearts!" and that is the extent of our concern. It's time that we rise up, trim off our fat, and move into action. To be lavish in our giving, bold in our witness and unconditional in our love.

Righteously Angry

2010-04-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

Reading in my new book again and finding that things we have thought to be true ARE indeed true. Not good things.
Soon after Richard and I married and graduated from college we moved to a different state and Richard began working as youth/associate pastor at a church. The most heart breaking and difficult things we found there were not the youth but their parents! They expected Richard and I to train their child in the things of God. The Bible clearly states that this is a job for the parent. Others are to encourage what is being taught in the home, not the other way around. We were at a loss with many of the kids. I felt like we were put on an island, isolated, with these kids and were expected to produce wonderful godly children with the few hours a week we had with them. I often felt flustered and annoyed with the parents, not like partners in their efforts to parent their children.
Okay, so fast forward to now. I still see it happening. Parents are not parenting their kids. Other people are doing it. Parents are working to give their children the things they think they need to make them happy and safe and are missing it! The things that will enrich their lives are the parents, with them. Living life with them. It is about discipling your own child, not expecting others to do it for you. It is living for the GREAT mission with them and introducing them to their Savior and the power of God. Making Him real so that they will be world changers. According to this book and research parents still think that it is up to youth pastors and others to evangelize and disciple their kids! I'm sure non of those who read this blog need to hear this but it makes me so mad! Wake up people!! If you don't teach your children, the world (Satan) will! She states, "While parents heartily express that the spiritual training of their kids is their top priority, they seldom follow through on that priority when given opportunities in real life." That parents don't have a plan for the spiritual development of the own children's lives! How can this be? How can we be so lazy? Could it be because we don't even have a spiritual plan for our own lives? Oh how I long for moms and dads to see that their kids have huge amounts of potential in them and to nurture and call out that potential. Will it be easy? No! Is it worth it? Of course! Let's not be parents that are more concerned about what we/our kids wear, where we/our kids sleep (or what they sleep on), and be more concerned about their moral development and wholeness. God deserves our best and so do they.

Arrows

2010-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I just received my new book today and cannot put it down! Well, obviously I have because I am now typing, but I HAD to put it down. I felt as if I couldn't read fast enough. You know what it's like to get your hands on something or someone whose heart beats with yours? Whose words you read or hear have also been spoken or thought by you as well? Whose talking about life in a way that God has written on your own heart? Well, One Million Arrows is doing that for me.

Early in my new role as mother, the Lord clearly spoke to me my purpose. To stay at home and raise up world changers for his sake. Later after having Caleb he confirmed this to me by giving me a new vision for my boys (then I only had Josiah and Caleb). It was to view them as princes in his kingdom and to instruct them as such. Princes receive quality (the BEST), appropriate, and challenging education. To do their job well they have to be thinkers, world changers, able to excel under pressure, courage, and strength. They also have to be capable to fight in battle. All of these things and more, he poured out to me to raise my children in such a manner. Even later he gave me a specific verse for their home training it is Daniel 1:4 "Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. My long standing position and main purpose in keeping my children at home and receiving their education here is to be obedient to my part in the call God has placed on their lives. I believe that God is raising up this generation and the next to do signs and wonders, to be a new radical generation passionate for him and furthering the kingdom of God through his love. This won't come without a cost. Without suffering. Our children need to be equipped to fight in the battles unseen. They need to develop delayed gratification, learn to communicate well, they need to KNOW our God. To be intimate with him. This all requires much time and focused attention. Our children have a call on their lives to be more than what we see.
From this book: Remember, there's a war going on in the heavenlies. Our children can either be pawns unaware, or they can be weapons of mass destruction against forces of evil in the unseen realm. We've got a choice to make. "It's the righteous man who lives for the next generation," says Dennis Rainey of Family Life Ministries. "This is not the time for peace, it's time for war. Raise your kids to become arrows for war." Only then will our kids be the conquerors God intended, not the casualties.
We need to stop clinging to the things of this world and all its vanities and throw off every hindrance, to run the race strong, finish to the end and lead our children to do the same and more.
Gather your arrows, sharpen them and launch them into the world to do even greater things than Christ. Be a part of fulfilling his prophecy about us.

Catching Z's is harder than it sounds

2010-04-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

Life has caught up and I am wiped out. The hustle and bustle of the last couple of months is making me feel drugged on a regularly basis and continuing to deny my body of extra rest is leaving this momma zonked. What makes it worse is knowing my hubby is feeling the same but has even LESS opportunity to nap. I did just wake up from a nice snooze with my Maleah and Caleb but for some reason my body is crying out for more. I look forward to some time of rest soon, for Richard and myself. With community Bible study homework wrapped up, track and soccer nearing the end and summer break almost here, I see some good sleep on the horizon. In the meantime please don't laugh at me if you see me walking around like a Zombie with the memory of a tadpole. ZZZzzzzzzz.....

AUGH!

2010-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently told me about a blog she thought I might enjoy. I forgot all about it until just now. Why did I think of it just now? Well the short story of it, I believe, is God brought it to my remembrance and if I explain further it will just be the spaghetti mess that is known as a women's thought process. One thing leads to another. So anyway, as this woman's header is IT. It is what I have been looking for! Ready? Here it is: "Reaching the World for Christ Beginning in the Home"!! This succinctly puts my heart into words. So, thank you stay at home missionary momma for putting these words out there and I will kindly take them and use them for myself.

Letting the Cat out of the bag

2010-04-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but for some reason we do things quite nontraditionally. Not with everything I guess but with popular things that just don't make sense to us. We are so weird, I know and perhaps fuddy-duds too. Lately I have been wondering if we need to just suck it up and be more traditional. Here's a few examples:
1. We don't do the tooth fairy thing. Why? Why put money under my sons pillow for his tooth falling out? Who came up with that idea and why? It makes no sense to me. It is only for children too! Why don't elderly people receive money from family members when they lose all their teeth? It's fun enough for the child to lose his tooth, the money is unnecessary.
2. We don't do party favors. Is that mean? But really, what is the point? I'd rather use that money on making the party more special or going toward a great gift for the birthday child! (This is one I am particularly looking into changing for others' sake.)
3. We don't do pictures with Santa, the Easter Bunny or go trick or treating. Again. Point? Who is Santa? Who is the Easter Bunny? What am I celebrating on Halloween? Like I said: Fud-dy Duds.
4.We are not big into singing Happy Birthday. Horrible right? It's just that, it embarrasses the child, it makes all adults suddenly self conscious of their birthday singing ability and it...it...I don't know it's just plain awkward. We DO sing it, don't get me wrong but does anyone really enjoy it?
5. We are not advocates of dating. There is no reason to date anyone you don't plan to marry. Is there? Why get romantically, emotionally and often times physically involved with someone to whom you are not married to? Why? There is no good, God honoring reason! Period.

I'm not saying that our ways are right in any way shape or form. I also don't mean to make anyone feel bad if they do one or all of these things. I have just seen a pattern over the years of how differently Richard and I do things and thought it particularly comical tonight. I guess we rebel against the norm in certain areas of life. Our poor kids.

One day they may be telling their kids, "I never got any money for losing my teeth, so here you are son, $100 for your first tooth! Let's celebrate and have a party, with party favors and we'll sing "Happy You Lost Your Tooth Day", and then just for fun we'll invite the Easter Bunny to come over and let all your friends sit on his lap for pictures and let's make it a costume party too and perhaps we'll walk around the neighborhood and ask for donations for your tooth falling out! But shhhh, don't tell Gram and Gramp."

I feel as though I need to emphasize that we DO sing Happy Birthday to our children, and with joy and gusto because we love them dearly and want them to feel special. But when your child's face turns beet red or they try to hide under their hands I do wonder why am I singing this silly song, off key, to celebrate them. :)

That boy

2010-04-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

My little munchkin, Jace, is continuing in his unpredictable ways. For over a week now he has been irritable with a capital I. So much so that Richard and I keep saying I guess he's teething or maybe he has an ear infection, he does have a runny nose maybe his throat is sore. The guessing game. My days were becoming way longer than necessary with all of his crying and wanting to be held and hitting (yes, my 14 month old hits when upset). I was utterly exhausted with managing him and keeping up with the rest. Richard thought we should get him checked out. Something inside said I'm sure it's nothing but it's always nice to just have confirmation. So my amazing man took time out of his very crazy work day and took him to the doctor's office. All to say, nothing is wrong. It's his "personality" for now he said. It may just be his way of temporarily coping with being the fourth child in this family. I will say, he doesn't have good verbal skills but he does have good communication skills, I am just not always aware enough of what he is driving at. So, I'm working on getting better at watching him before he comes to me, to know what he may be trying to tell me. Today has been going well, thankfully! I decided to also let him nap as long as he wanted to this morning just to see what he body naturally wanted to do. He was losing it at 9 (when I would usually make him hold out until 10) so I put him down. He slept for 3 hours!! I usually wake him up after an hour so he will take a good afternoon nap while Maleah and sometimes Caleb does that way I can get a much needed break. But today I'm letting it all go and see what his body is wanting. He actually went down again at 2 (which is normal), so we'll see how long he sleeps. Caleb has a soccer game tonight at 7:30 so some extra sleep today will be good for him. He keeps me guessing, that's for sure. I don't know why but I just assumed the fourth would be the easiest. Well, you know what they say about people who assume right? :)

Blooms!

2010-04-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

I tend to have a black thumb but so far this year I think my ole' black thumb is finally turning a little bit green! I have so far not killed anything I have planted! The above picture from back to front is Cilantro, Oregano, and Parsley. They are really herbs the kids planted (with my assistance of course!) and watching grow. But these yellow beauties I did all by myself and when I planted them there was only one bud and now look! Gorgeous!

Then there's our new Encore Azaleas. Richard did the actual planting BUT I have been watering and I did help do some digging so I think they can count as something I have done too. I didn't know if they would bloom this season but alas they are! I can't wait for them to be full grown and full of blooms! The buds are just coming up and the color is supposed to be a bright reddish orange.

Slowly Learning

2010-04-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm wanting to do and as of this moment going to purposefully work on. Being a mom of four who doesn't work outside the home and educates my children in my home, multitasking seems necessary to get it all done. But I'm convinced that this is not what God had in mind for abundant living. “When you divide your attention, there is a loss on both ends,” says Lyman Steil, president of The Masters Alliance, “Our research is crystal clear that multitasking does not mean people are doing their work productively.” Not only is my "work" quality being diminished but my relational quality with my kids, husband and friends is also diminished. If my attention is divided between my kids and something else, then they aren't receiving the attention they deserve and need. Of course this doesn't mean that they get to interrupt me anytime and expect to receive my full attention. They need to understand that there are boundaries and mommy needs time to do other things. I was just telling my Caleb the other day about the verse that says to do your work whole heartedly because you are working for the Lord and not for men. I believe that this gives us some practical advice in how to do the things we have to do. Yes there is a lot to get done and there are friendships that need to be maintained but when I think about how to do something with all my heart for the Lord, I see the importance of doing less things at one time. The times that I have done this have been so much more rewarding and relationship building. It brings the stress levels down and allows more rest and enjoyment in my actual activity. I have already tried paring things down. Beginning in January, instead of FBing all day, I have minimized most of my time to Sundays. Instead of blogging while my kids are up and running around I wait until they are napping or in bed. One that will be hard to do is to minimize my phone calls while driving. It just seems easier to talk when I'm driving and all the kids are buckled down somewhere. :) But it will be much safer I'm sure. I have a long way to go, I seem to multitask constantly without even noticing it. But slowly I will learn how to live slowly!

Our Traoccopeancharty Day!

2010-04-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

That translates into: Track, Soccer, Hope Ranch, and Birthday Party Day! Whew! It all began with bringing Josiah to his track meet at 7:15 am!! It doesn't start until 8 and goes to 1! Today he raced in the Relay, 100, 400 and 800. He also participated in the long jump and shot put. He placed first in 400, 800 and long jump! Yay for him! He was wasted after the 800 and came in second for his last race, the 100. He's such a trooper giving it everything he's got.

Then Caleb had his soccer game, which I had to miss. :( I brought Jace and Maleah home for Jace to recieve at least one decent nap for the day. This picture is of him at his last game. Daddy is his coach so he wasn't without support! Today was his third game and third win! He is great at handling the ball while running, otherwise known as "drippling" in case you didn't know. :) He is in the foreground of this picture in the white (on the left) going after the ball.

We were so thankful that Josiah got to participate in all of his events at his meet today. We had to leave 2 hours early but he finished just in time to jump in the car and we all headed out to Spirit of Hope Youth Ranch! This is a place where horses are rehabilitated after being in abusive places and partnered with youth who have been rescued out of emotionally stressful home situations. As the two interact, both find healing in each other. Beautiful. This was a fundraiser event and a dedication time for a newly built barn used for storage of donated items, like hay! This is an annual event called Bluegrass and Burgers. They have great places for the children to play and enjoy themselves. We did things such as eating (of course), listening to live Bluegrass music, watched a magic show, played in this huge play yard full of fun stuff for the kids to do, face painting, and of course pet the horses! I think if you click on the picture you can see our painted faces in more detail.

After leaving there around 3:30, we headed home to change and get to a birthday party of sweet Ansley Elise! This was her first birthday and it was a delight to attend her one year mark celebration! She is the daughter of Richard's cousin Jon and his wife Karen.

Aren't they cute? She was pulling on that bar and I guess Jace thought it was funny. All in all it was a great day! Even productive! During the hour Jace napped (while I missed Caleb's game) I was able to fold and put away 5 loads of laundry! Whoo-oo! Then while I was at the party Richard finished digging up some bushes in the front, went to Lowe's and purchased our replacement bushes, Azaleas!
I have only one problem with this day. Jace seemed to turn his face the second before I click the camera. Like this:

this...

and this...

But thankfully I did catch him before he looked away a few times. Like this time.

Looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow!

I Love This Girl

2010-04-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Because she is so fun! She jumps right in with her all boy family (excluding me of course). She stuffs her shirt and pants along with them to run around bumping into each other like a little goofball.

One of the few things she likes to sit still for is puzzles! I love to watch her figure out the pieces and how they go together and to hear her little voice say, "I did it momma!" She is so smart, sometimes too smart for her own good.

She loves to be outside and play, like me! Of course she's barefoot. She would be naked if I let her too. I think it's precious.

My girl is fearless. She isn't afraid of heights, depths or sheep! Here she is being sassy with this one.

This cutie is inquisitive too. She wants to check it all out, ask a bunch of questions and touch it. Anything new she sees is a new puzzle to solve for her.

She is 100% girl. She enjoys her babydolls, flower clips, dresses, shoes, chocolate, makeup, perfume and giggles. She is full of life, beauty, and grace. She is my favorite girl ever and I'm so thankful she's mine.

Walmart

2010-04-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

I admit, just the word Walmart makes me break out into hives. However, you really almost can't beat their prices when you are regular shopping vs. coupon shopping. Plus, they have Guinea Pig bedding and food that I need to purchase weekly. All that to say, I mostly shop at Walmart these days. So, now that I got that out I can move on to my story about my trip to Walmart tonight.
I was making my way through Trussville traffic headed to do my grocery shopping minus children (they were all with daddy at Josiah's track practice!). I noticed in the car behind me a young women with a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone up to her ear in the other...DRIVING! Along with her she had a young boy in the front seat about 9 and a little toddler in the back seat. I kept glancing back at her and could feel the anger rising within me. I just wanted to stop my car, get out and give her a piece of my mind. Then it happened. Nudge, nudge. Yes, little nudges from my good friend the Holy Spirit. Nudges of compassion, mercy and grace. He's the one person that I don't mind always being right-ya know? So, I put on my new women and tried to think of what I might say to her instead. I might say, "Is everything okay? Really, are you okay? How can I help you? Is life going well?" Honestly, I hope that HE would give me something better than that if I actually did stop and approach this women. But the jist of it would be to approach her heart, not her actions. Her actions come from what is in her heart. Nobody in a good place would be smoking in their car with their children for so many reasons. Plus putting all of them in danger by not having even one free hand to drive! It doesn't add up, she needs help. Maybe physical, emotional and spiritual! But help is what God replaced my hate with. He is good like that. He is also good to take care of those precious children when incompetent parents don't.

Second thing that happened to me at Walmart today. As I was leaving and making my way through the parking lot I saw a Walmart employee walking with a Walmart bag in hand. I assumed he was off his shift and going home. Next thing I know he busts out in a dead sprint and begins hollering, "Hey! Hey man!" Then I realized he was trying to return a bag full of canned beans to a customer who obviously left them at the check out. How do I know it was a can of beans you ask? Because just as the customer man turns around the Walmart employee man lost some cans of bean out of the sack and they went crashing down to the ground with a thud. I don't know if it's a "you had to be there" moment, but I suppressed my chuckle and just smiled as I replayed the moment in my mind the rest of the way to my car where I then finally let out a laugh. It just looked to funny that this faithful employee was trying to be noble, return the man his beans but in the middle of it botched up the cans. Haha! Well, it was funny to me.

The Nude Dude

2010-04-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

It's not every day one has the opportunity to walk outside with one accessory on only. These days must be recorded and shared. ;)

Well hello world!

Who needs a bathing suit when you've got your birthday suit!

What individual of the male gender doesn't want to check on his garden in the buff?

Now that is just plain cute.

Off on Friday

2010-04-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

We didn't take a spring break when the area schools did. We waited for some nicer weather and when Richard had some time off to do something fun as a family. So we made Friday our day. We took the kids to Oak Mountain State Park for the afternoon. We visited the petting farm, hiked to Peavine Falls, enjoyed a picnic lunch lakeside and the kids hunted for tadpoles and small fish to catch. The weather was gorgeous, the hike was a workout (as I carried Maleah quite a bit on my back and Richard lugged Jace around on his in a hiking pack), the boys enjoyed running the trails in the woods and wading in the water in search of wildlife to collect and we built unity. Here's a bunch of pictures that captures our fun time. Beginning with Maleah chasing after a peacock. It just wouldn't be still for her!

Maleah had no fear of the animals. She was loving it all. Caleb on the other hand held on to my leg or hand most of the time and took a while to warm up to the animals.

Once we put Jace down, he too was fearless. This goat didn't seem too big until my little Jace was nose to nose with it.

Jace suited up and ready to go! He was loving this thing just smiling and giggling as we put him in it. I think he really enjoyed his view from up high.

This is a little bridge as we made our way to the top of Peavine Falls.

A Time To Die

2010-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been on my mind so much all week. Even now as I type, I find myself fighting back the tears. The reason is so complicated yet so simple at the same time.

He humbly put aside his glorious body and traded it in for one of our decaying bodies. He created the world but lowered himself to take on the form of a tiny baby who suckled at his mother's breast for nourishment and sustenance. "He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care." He carried our weakness and our sorrows, for US! He was punished for our sins-he was without fault! He was "pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins", "beaten so we could be whole", "whipped so we could be healed", "unjustly condemned", "his life was cut short and nobody cared", "he had never done wrong and never deceived anyone". This is the cause of my emotion.

He did it all for me, for you. He gave his life up, tortured and beaten beyond recognition...for us! Why would he do such a thing? What does that mean? God's wrath had to be satisfied and only through a perfect sacrifice could that be possible. But instead of us, he gave us his son as our substitute. So that just by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be saved from that torture. He was tortured in our stead if we choose to believe in him and allow him to live through us. What amazing love, love like no other. Love greater and stronger than any of us can imagine. It is truly beyond our comprehension. There's no way I could allow any of my children, or yours for that matter, to suffer for your wrong doing. But that's what he did for us. He gave his life so that I, and you, could have one.

"But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied....I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for the rebels."

It begins tonight. He ate the Passover meal with his friends tonight. Left to the garden to pray late into the night. Was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the middle of the night. Stood trial all night and into the morning. Was beaten near death in the morning. Then nailed and hung on a cross to die. Dead a little after 3 in the afternoon Friday. It was his time to die. It was the moment in all of time that God appointed him to experience such suffering and pain. It was when God chose to make himself fully and completely available to us all.

Thank you Jesus, thank you for being obedient to the Father to the point of suffering you took upon you all the way to death. You are amazing and worthy of praise by all people, in all languages and by all living things be it human, animal or plant. We rejoice in you Lord Jesus! I am so excited for your return, I can't wait to see you face to face.

**All quotations and my paraphrasing come from Isaiah 53.**

5X a Day Cook

2010-03-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you SAHM's, I am busy in my kitchen 5, sometimes 6, times a day. That's for breakfast, snack, lunch, (sometime snack after naps) and dinner! New meals that are easy to incorporate into our routine are always great to come upon! Easy to incorporate means using items I normally buy. So my husband actually came up with a sandwich he wanted to try. It didn't sound good to me but he wanted to make it and taste it, so we were all game. He made a meatball type sub sandwich. It was very yummy! So, I thought I'd share it for you looking for a new way to use your ground beef and sandwiches. :) He made not well rounded meatballs with ground beef and Italian sausage, submerged in tomato sauce spooned into a Hoagie roll with cooked onion and green peppers on top covered with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. It was very yummy. It's just as good with just cooked ground beef and less tomato sauce (I know this because I had another one the next day like this!). The kids loved it to, but you may need to modify it to suit their taste. I had another one today for lunch! That makes it three in three days. I guess it's my newest favorite sandwich and to think I didn't even want to try it out for myself. :) I guess you could say I ate my own words, "You never know, it might be your newest favorite thing to eat!" No pictures sorry, we ate it up to fast.

Projects

2010-03-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Oh I love a good home project, especially when they are complete! For whatever addictive reason, whenever things get "settled" around here we find a project to tackle and then feel like crazy people for a few weeks until it is complete and vow to never do another project again. But alas, with new climate brewing and longer days ahead, I've got projects on my mind. In fact I did one today and semi completed it. A few weeks ago on a nice weekend all of a sudden Richard was out front digging up 7 of our little bushes that line the front of the house! We have nothing to fill the holes with (yet) and plans on the calender and no money (yet) to replace them! He hauled them to the back to be recycled somewhere back there. So for weeks now they have sat unattended, outside our bedroom window. Today was the day. It was beautiful outside, school work was behind us (mostly) and I actually had the ambition and energy to dig in, literally. With the kids out playing, Josiah helped me dig some but mostly cared for Jace while I broke my back. I dug and dug. Then I dragged the heavy, although not huge, bushes with their roots to my holes and placed 4 of them in. The holes seem a little too deep, or else the plants are just shorter when in the ground. Then I took on the task of refilling dirt around the plants which turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. I just kept telling myself that my honey would be so proud of me when he got home. I got it all done in a little over an hour! It helped that I knew that the longer I took, the muddier the kids got and the later they took their nap and the louder Jace's fussing would become.
I learned something about my daughter today in all of that. Something I never knew. She likes earthworms. I mean, she was delighted in them! She carried two around until she dropped and lost them. Then I found another one and she carried it around until she came to show me the red stuff around it (EWWWW!!) and unfortunately I found another one and even more unfortunately I told her. She carried that one around until she had to go inside to potty and Caleb "worm sat" the earthworm and lost it. Thankfully after that I didn't find anymore. When she had them she was squealing with enjoyment as it wiggled around in her hand and she kept proclaiming VERY loudly, "I like my wormy momma!" She was too cute with them and very sad and inquisitive when I didn't find anymore. I also learned that they give Caleb with heebie-jeebies. I'm with him.

Upcoming projects:
1. Paint the front bathroom
2. Clean out/reorganize kids closets
3. Yard sale!
4. Work on garden (with hubbies help of course!)
5. Repaint little wooden chair with Maleah's name on it
6. ...TBD

Cold Cold Creek

2010-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

Oh we had so much fun! The other day I said enough is enough, we are getting out! So, they put on some play clothes and galoshes and we headed to the creek to play. Our neighbor "C" from across the street was already at our house so with his mom's permission and a change of clothes he joined us for our adventure. They enjoyed throwing rocks in the water and to my surprise Josiah and C were actually skipping rocks. They had a great time getting wet and exploring. Josiah got a little out of hand and was pushing his limits (and my patience) trying to see how far in the water he could go. Just after I said we were leaving in ten minutes little Maleah fell as she walked back toward me and got soaking wet. So, there went the ten minutes and we headed back at that moment. We will be doing that again real soon. Even Jace enjoyed himself trying to get to the water but of course his momma wouldn't let him. :) This turned out to be a great way to beat off the blues of winter.

The best man in the world

2010-03-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

**I do not know what has happened with blogger! Uploading the pictures are different, moving them around is different and I can't seem to get the pics where I want them and do not have time to fiddle with it any longer! So, they remain out of order.)

Pic.#1- Richard and I on his 32nd birthday.
#2- Richard about to open his second gift from us.
#3- Cutie patootie Jace posing for the camera.
#4- Richard opening his first gift from us-an ice cream maker.
#5- More posing from Jace.
#6- Richard about to open his ice cream maker.

I cannot believe I have been given the privileged to hold the heart of Richard. He is an amazing man.
Here's a list of things I love about him...
10. He is in passionate pursuit of Jesus everyday.
9. He has an amazing mind; he is brillant, creative, and always making things work better.
8. He is in passionate pursuit of me everyday; forgiving me, knowing me, caring for me, serving me and spending time with me.
7. He is an invested father. He plays, teaches, feeds/baths, and chases after our kids hearts. I mean how many father's do that?!
6. He is the hardest worker I have ever met. He pushes and pushes his limits making things happen.
5. He encourages my walk with Jesus and gives me a great example to follow.
4. He can whup up in some basketball. He is an amazing sports player and I like watching him in action.
3. He changes diapers without being asked, and folds laundry, and cleans up in the kitchen!
2. He pays our bills and takes care of the finances for our household.
1. He is smoking hot! At 32 he is hotter than when we met at 18. He is simply gorgeous. **sigh**

Richard, I love you forever. I'm committed to you always, I can't stop thanking God for your life and bringing us together. You are wonderful. XOXO

In bloom

2010-03-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have been making Maleah some flower clips for her hair. They look so stinkin cute it's hard to stop. I went to my neighbor even and asked if she had any unwanted silk flowers to which her reply was, "Will you make me some!" So, I have also been making her some. She is a very fashionable Chinese women from Vietnam and they look great in her silky black hair. The latest one for her is the sunflower above and the red rose one at the top of the picture. She has been supplying flowers for herself and a few for Maleah, she even bought me some more clips when I was running out! It has been so fun to have a little creative outlet that doesn't take long but is rewarding.

Scratch that

2010-03-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, somehow I missed this before but half way into my day I'm realizing that
Nothing + God = Success! Yes I am prepared for this long day but without God it would be disastrous! So many people have told me today that they have been praying for me. That's when it hit me, duh! Who do I think I am making it through any day without God?!

I have 15 min. before my sitter shows up and I go to get my hair cut. I have great neighbors! My neighbor across the street is coming to sit with the kids while I'm gone.

Okay, I just had to correct my mistake about this day being successful!
:)

Preparation + Opportunity = Success

2010-03-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, God just gave me insight and I just finished getting my lesson ready for Thursday! I help with the 4th and 5th grade class at our Community Bible Study. I am not the one who lectures but this week, my lead teacher is in Florida with her family! So, I get to do it all, including lecture. Now that I think about it, I have never led this age group in anything before! It's a tad intimidating but not overwhelmingly so. These kids are great, very sweet and obedient...and homeschoolers. I think it'll go well. I had been feeling a little anxious about the whole day altogether because not only will I be giving the lecture and leading the whole time with them, I am also supposed to bring something for lunch for us in leadership (about 40 of us!) and it is Richard's birthday that day and we are having a small family gathering that evening for some homemade Red Velvet cake, oh and I have a hair appointment that day at 3:30 just before I bring Josiah to his track practice at 5. So himmm...what is that day going to look like?

8am: leave for CBS (and don't forget the food!)
9-11ish: lead a group of, over 20, 4th and 5th graders through Bible study
11ish-1:30ish: meet with CBS leadership for lunch and home study questions
2pm: Maleah and Jace nap after getting home from CBS
3:15pm: Neighbor comes over (bc said children are still napping) and I get my hair did
4:30pm: Home, shove food in Josiah and head out with kiddos for track practice
6pm: Home again (doing a crockpot dinner!), eat
7pm: Party time! Whoo-hoo!
8pm: Throw the kids and myself in bed and pass out!

Whew! That is gonna be a long (but fun!) day. Maybe I'll have to have some coffee in there somewhere.

Lamentations 3:22-33

2010-03-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline: Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord's demands. Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.

This blessed me immensely this morning so I thought maybe it would bless you too.

Cheating

2010-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

The face of innocence in many areas but one. Yes, my sweet precious, brilliant, wonderful, loving, caring, nurturing, competitive boy succombed to the temptation to advance himself through less than ideal means. Ok, ok, that sounds a little dramatic. Last week while my mom was visiting us I left Josiah with some school work to do while I ran a couple of errands. One of those items was math. Well, my mom caught him looking at the answer key in my desk drawer. Not once but twice! *gasp* The horror! Again, that was last week, before the stomach bug hit our house and nobody thought of math let alone school for a couple of days. (Well, actually I did think of school--I am the teacher after all!) So, we did some make up tests today. Before we began I put my answer key in front of him, yes, the very one he committed cheating with. I asked him if he has used this before to do his work. His head stooped and a small yes came forth from his little red lips. I don't remember what I said after that but it wasn't anything note worthy. He knows that what he did was wrong and I basically wanted him to know that it is unacceptable. He apologized, asked for forgiveness and teared up a bit. Then he took his test, aced it and I said, you don't need to cheat, you know this stuff! He said that his written questions that day were hard and he didn't think Nana would know how to help him, I guess he felt like he didn't have any other choice. As he took his test I was asking God how to punish him because I didn't think my minor reprimand was quite enough.
I can clearly remember being caught cheating on a science test in 5th grade along with a bunch of other kids. My mom talked to me about it, I felt embarrassed and ashamed but apparently not enough because I cheated again at some point, just better. I don't want him to learn to cheat better, which is a heart thing but I'm convinced I can help shape his heart.
So, God's answer was Luke 16:10. It says, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." He was to write out this verse along with what he did and why it is wrong. Later tonight he will hand it in to his daddy (a.k.a Mr. Principal) which will complete his learning experience about not cheating.

Cherishing life.

Jace turns one year

2010-02-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

Top to bottom: Jace at 1 year, 6 months, hours.

How can I even begin to talk about my sweet little (okay, big) Jace! He is precious! He has not been my easiest baby (he did/does a lot of crying/fussing) but he has been such a joy and delight to us all. Weighing in at 7lbs. 9oz. at birth, making him my smallest baby; he has grown into my largest baby! I am simply thrilled to be the mother of the Jace Isaac Mitchell and can't believe I have the honor of watching his life and what God has in store for him.
Happy Birthday to my Jacey-boy!

Nothing Fancy

2010-02-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

So, I'm listening to Beth Moore's Believing God book on CD while driving around town. And yes, it works out with all 4 kids in the car. Josiah likes to listen too so he shush's the others. :) I had to pass on a biggie that I've learned from it. It has to do with arming yourself with the shield of faith. The shield guards the rest of our armor from the enemies attacks. The shield protects our vulnerable areas. So, she said God gave her some statements of truth to help her hold up her shield. They are five simple statements I would encourage you to memorize.

1. God is who he says he is.
2. God can do what he says he can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's Word is alive and active in me.

Whenever you feel your faith waning, repeat these statements out loud if you can and take them to heart. Just the other day someone said, "Are you sure you want to add more to your family?" (Referring to adoption.) This statement came in the middle of a particularly stressful moment with my already four kids. I didn't have a kind answer so I didn't reply but thought it over a bit and began to feel my faith wavering in my abilities. So, I went through the fab five and got to #4, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." It's settled. I don't have to doubt or question it. Heck, I can't raise the four I've got without #4 of the fab five! So, arm yourself with the shield of faith and watch God grow your faith and move mountains.

10 Things

2010-02-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

A WHILE back I was tagged to do a "10 Things That Make you Happy" list. So, here I go:

1. Time with Jesus. Really! He fills me up. I love my time in the early mornings with him, no interruptions, no agenda, no tension, no stress. Just he and me.

2. Time with Richard. That's a no brainier I guess. He seriously makes me laugh and well, I love to laugh. I know, he comes across so intense and stern but he truly is a lot of fun the more you get to know him. He is hilarious and we love to laugh together.

3. Time with my kids. I could break this down to each child but that may be cheating. Overall my kids are very good kids, respectful, interesting, funny, playful, smart and creative! They make me happy.

4. Time outdoors. Time spent in the goodness of God's creation stirs my soul. Hiking, walking, running, sitting, marveling. All of it, I am happy outside.

5. Time with time tested friends. Many of my time tested friends live in other places but any time I can get with them in person, on the phone or over the internet makes me happy. There's just something about friends you grew up with that know you; the good, the bad and the ugly you, yet they are still your friend. (Gotta do a shout out to you girls: Rachel W., Rachel Gr., Joanna Ch., Jenny B., my long standing sisters of the heart!)

6. Time spent decorating. I love to decorate/rearrange furniture. I do it less now but it still makes me just as happy talking color, fabric, placement, lighting, etc. as ever before!

7. Time spent helping others. If there is one thing that energizes me it is to share with another what I've learned in being a wife and mother. I love to relay any insights God has graciously bestowed upon me to teach another and better their journey in their life as a wife and mom. I eat it up!

8. When an outfit comes together. Yes, it may be vain but comon' you know how great it is when an outfit comes together! What can I say, it makes me happy!

9. Time spent hosting. I am happy to open my home to others, hosting a party. I wish I did it more but I do have a recluse for a husband (LOL, that's supposed to be funny! That's a little exaggerated but let's just say he isn't as into parties as I am.) Maybe it's not hosting AS MUCH as it is parties. I love the atmosphere of friends or family yucking it up and just having fun.

10. (Okay, the pressure is on it's number 10!) Shoes. Shoes make me happy. Looking at them, trying them on, wearing them, shopping for them. I like shoes.

So, there's my 10 things that make me happy! What's yours? Any of you share my happiness?

Mommylife.net

2010-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

Stumbled on this today, enjoyed it, so I pass it along.

As the mother of eight sons - the first string of four now grown men in their 20s - I can't emphasize enough how much I needed to learn to raise boys well.

You moms with young sons are in for a very special journey yourself if you allow God to teach you to step outside your own way of viewing the world. It takes a major paradigm shift for a woman to understand boys and to provide for their masculine potential.

There are many moments of surrender. I can remember so many times when my boys were roughhousing and I'd have to bite my tongue to keep from saying, "Be careful! Don't get hurt!" But instinctively, I felt like I wanted to do everything I could to avoid setting unnecessary limits on my boys.

As a former feminist I was used to looking at the word from the perspective that women were the norm and masculine behavior was deviant. Today, the once radical ideas of feminism have crept into our culture, suffocating our schools, which currently follow a learning template which girls can handle well but which is frustrating and stifling to boys. Boys learn best where there is physical activity and fierce competition.

But women, thinking competition "not nice" have seen to it that such opportunities are few and far between. Now every kid on the team gets a trophy so no one has hurt feelings. And all those medals and trophies and certificates have become cheapened and meaningless, leaving boys with nothing to strive for.

Their natural drive to compete gets them in trouble and they are made to feel ashamed about their drives, dreams and desires. Playground games, climbing structures, and in some schools even recess have disappeared.

And of course, the culture - through coarse and corrupt movies andTV - drives down their noblest impulses and replaces them with cheap humor and uncommitted sex.

Since I homeschooled my oldest sons, we were first of all able to break up the day and they had many more hours to be active, to explore and to find themselves as masculine creatures than they would have had in school.

I know they are grateful for that today.

Just cry

2010-01-29T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we all (especially us ladies) need to just cry and let God hold us and soak in his love. Recently my son needed this.
For those of you who don't know our family well, you don't know about our Josiah. He is SO much like his daddy, it's eerie. He is very intense, talented, smart and also a perfectionist. He has high expectations on himself, doesn't like to mess up and is highly competitive. Yes, all this in a 7 year old body. One problem with all of those things to be wrapped up into one person is what happens when they make a mistake. Because of course, we all do make them. One thing Richard used to say (to me, because I am actually quite competitive myself) that I love is, "Even Michael Jordan misses a free throw every now and then" (to which Josiah would say, "who's Michael Jordan?") Okay, back to the story....
It was a normal school day and Josiah finished his math worksheet, handed them in and I began grading them. These were very unusual math sheets because answers were wrong and some were not answered at all! I had about 4 or 5 markings on each page! Thankful that I am his teacher and I know my boy, I tucked those papers away in my desk to deal with the next day. He needed to be fresh before he saw these papers. So next morning, I pull out his papers and began to go over his problem with him. One look at my markings and he lost it. I mean, he began to sob. He was so upset. He began to try to say things like he was going to blame me for something but would stop. I could tell he was just trying to figure out how to process this and not take it out on me or anyone else. Usually in moments like this he doesn't want to be touched, looked at or anything! Thankfully, this wasn't one of those moments. I sat on the floor and scooped him up into my arms and just held him. After a while it felt more like he needed to just cry, just release tension. Maybe even emotions that didn't have to do with his math but just he needed to let it out. So, instead of trying to get him to dry his tears I just let him cry long and hard. After a while I just began to tell him the truth because how many times do we get upset about things and begin to believe lies about ourselves. "I'm not good enough", "I'll never be able to do that", "I'm so stupid", "I give up". So, I told him how smart he is, how God created him perfectly for his plans, how it is okay to make mistakes, how he is a great boy with a good heart. He started to settle and let my words sink in and minister to him. When I sensed that it was safe, I got a little firm with him saying, "We can't stay here Josiah. Mistakes are always going to happen but it's what you do with your mistakes that is more important. We can't sit in our mistakes, we have to move out of them and learn from them." He nodded his head and sat up. He smiled and I could see him thinking and feeling more clearly. We went over his problems on the white board together (actually just one or two bc he knew them, he had just been distracted that day hie worked them).
Don't you know that God wants to do the same with us when we mess up? Sometimes we push him away. "Don't even look at me God" we might feel in our hearts. But he just wants us to let down our pride and barrier and allow him to hold us and wash us with truth of his love and how he sees us. He doesn't want to leave us there though, he wants us to get up and learn from our mistakes and move on in freedom.

About the Chilrens'

2010-01-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

Any body ever see any of Tyler Perry's movies with Madea (I'm not sure how to spell her name)? I know that's pretty random but "chilren's" made me think of it. I've caught a few on TV.

Here's some updates on what they've been up to...

Jace-Growing, growing, growing. He goes in next month for his ONE YEAR check up! I can't believe it! I'm sure he is around 25lbs. now and I'm so ready to get him into a forward facing carseat and I think he'll enjoy the view much better also. He is still not walking which is crazy to me, although I know it's normal. (Josiah walked at 9 months, Caleb and Maleah just before 10 months!) So here he is at 11 months and he takes about 5 or 6 steps at a time before he will collapse on the floor in chuckles. I guess it tickles him that he's walking, I don' t know? He is getting his 8th tooth in (I just today held him down digging in his mouth bc he has been SO fussy lately-I had to find out for sure why). He signs for "more" and sometimes "all done" but "bye-bye" seems to be his go-to when he's really upset. I'm not sure why, I guess because he's trying to communicate something but all he knows to do is his "bye-bye" move. He is not a fan of getting diapered and dressed after bath time although he LOVES bath time. Thankfully, all my kids have. He just splashes and giggles and puts his face in the water. Yes, he leans over until he dips his face in the water and comes up gulping air and smiling and then he repeats this move over and over. Pretty cute. His chin still quivers when he cries or laughs hard. It is so cute when he's laughing and so pitiful when he's crying. Caleb calls it "chiver-quin". :) He enjoys exploring the backyard on the warmer days and just crawls everywhere checking everything out. It's fun to see him out there exploring. It reminds me of Josiah. He's down to 1 or 2 bottles a day now and is on table food completely other than that and the boy loves to eat! He tries to say "ball", "bye" and I think that's about it.

Maleah-hmmm...what do I say about her? She is all about "lipstick" (lip gloss), frequent reminders that her birthday is coming up, and having her nails painted. She is in a "doesn't eat much" faze. It takes her forever to eat because she's goofing off because she isn't really that hungry. She really enjoys looking at books and will sometimes get into building things with her blocks or with the boys and their legos. She still asked to be held all.the.time. She gets real giggly just before bed when we are tucking her in. It's cute. I just lay there and giggle with her. She also enjoys praying. She will start praying at dinner time before we're all settled down and ready. If someone can't find something she'll just blurt out, "Jesus, help _____ find _____, amen." Or if one of the boys gets hurt she'll jump into, "Dear God, help _____ to feel better, amen." Last night before bed she was telling me that for her birthday cake she wanted it to taste like chocolate (that's my girl!), be sparkly, and look like a lion. That just may sum her up actually. She also said she wanted blue and yellow lipstick.

Caleb-is becoming so helpful and mature! He is growing up before our eyes. He is no longer waiting to be asked to help do something but he sees the need and jumps in on his own to help! He does his chores without complaint (most days) and is a real encourager. He is getting better at eating his lima beans, black-eyed peas and whatever else he doesn't like. Dinner time is no longer a guaranteed complaining fest! Hallelujah! His handwriting and reading and math skills are growing by leaps and bounds. He is very smart but the trick is to do things in short spurts because he has a short attention span, I guess like most boys his age. He is signed up to play soccer this spring which will be a real treat for me to watch, I can't wait to see how he likes it. We're hoping it'll get him out from behind his big brother's shadow a bit more. He seems excited to start which is a good start in itself. He's more cautious than his siblings but loves to be around his (and Josiah's) friends. He is all about play, play, play. Caleb's relationship with the Lord is so sweet and pure. We have a little kids music tape in the car with silly songs on it and Caleb recently told me we should throw it away because it wasn't worship songs praising Jesus so we shouldn't have it! Wow! He asked Richard one day what Hallelujah meant and Richard told him it's like Hosanna, saying God is here and we praise him. After a few moments of silence Caleb said, "so at night when I get afraid I can just say, Hosanna!" :)

Josiah-impresses me just about daily. He is such a blessing to all of us. He is really into lego anything right now. Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc. He and Caleb will spend long periods of time building stuff and playing in "Lego World" as they call it. He is extremely thoughtful and helpful. He will play with Jace while I get things done, he will do his chores without me asking, he does his schoolwork without complaint (about 9 times out of 10!) and he obeys right away! He is a big eater. I mean sometimes I can't believe how much he eats! Last night he ate 3 eggs, 2 toasts, 3 helpings of grits, a handful of grapes, and was wanting more! So, he finished Jace's oatmeal. After that I said no more. Really, this is not uncommon. He often eats seconds or thirds at dinner then asks if he can make a sandwich! Crazy. Yet that's mostly just at dinner time. Many mornings he 's not hungry for breakfast (hmm I wonder why?). I usually tell him he has to eat something anyway. His reading is getting better and better. I just got him some Abeka books for second graders (free at Agape!) at the time I didn't know what level they were but they looked good for him. He has been reading them great with the exception of a few new words here and there like "plantation", "mansion", "England" and words like that. The best thing is he really enjoys the stories in them. I've noticed he really gets into the biographical ones about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and so forth. So, I'm thinking we found his niche when it comes to reading. In March he will be moving into second grade math and grammar. It's neat to see him learn and grow in the Lord as well. His answers to his CBS questions are really very insightful for his age and he seems to really be soaking in concepts to his everyday life. I'll hear him tell Caleb, "You can't love anything more than God Caleb, legos come after God" to which Caleb of course says, "I know that!" :) We are planning to sign Josiah up to run track this spring and I was going to start him on guitar lessons in January but decided to maybe wait another year however just this week he wrote a song and got his guitar down from the attic to play for his song! He was all in to strumming it that night before bed, so I don't know, maybe he'll start soon.

Well, that about wraps up this extra long blog about the kids and their happenings lately! It's just a peek at the four little amazing people I get to spend my days with!

2010-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

My heart is aching for the many many children orphaned in Haiti after the earthquake. I just viewed some pictures of many young children laid up in beds sleeping. Now alone and in a very different world than just a couple of weeks ago. Who can help them? Who can meet their needs? Who is working to care for them and love them and give them the kisses and hugs and cuddles they so desperately need? Who?! I feel mad about their situation. I don't know why exactly. It just doesn't seem fair.
And so I turn to El Roi, the God who sees and Jehovah-Shammah, the God who is there and a companion and I turn to Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord who is my Shepherd. He is the all-knowing One. He hears and sees their pain, their tears, their hurts. He has measured the height and depth of it. He is in their midst comforting and healing. It isn't fair but it also isn't accidental or happenstance. God is moving and working and will use this time to glorify himself. He is a good God, always faithful. He is abounding in mercy and calls us to himself...and these little precious orphans. He longs for them. I find myself longing for them. Just to take them in my arms and hold them. It's unbearable to imagine their state.
Protect them Lord, have your way in their tender hearts. Set them in homes, in families that you have set apart for each of them. Heal their brokenness. I know your heart is aching for them, I know we have that in common. Bring the light of your salvation to them and clothe them. Envelope them in your goodness sweet Jesus.

1Peter

2010-01-20T05:24:00.000-08:00

Standing firm and fighting my battles:
Let us not forget to be alert to the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Stand firm upon the truth of God's word. Stand firm in the grace he has given you. Fight against your flesh, live in the heavenlies, fix your eyes upon Jesus.

We all have battles, let us encourage one another and not fight alone. Open your eyes to the lies and rebuke them in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Teeth

2010-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

Teething is really no fun. Not for the child, the siblings, nor the parent. It's painful and it's tearful. I know it's necessary and I know it's healthy for a child to um get teeth. But really it is a disturbance in schedule, sanity and naps.

Jace currently has 4 teeth on the top and 3 on the bottom and he seems to be suffering from another one trying to poke through somewhere. Poor baby is not taking his afternoon nap. *sigh*

Sunshine

2010-01-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from a quick time of play at the zoo last summer. I'm finding myself becoming distracted with the summer time and it's only JANUARY!! All this sunshine I see out my window is causing me to think of the fun of summer. Perhaps it's also because I also have cabin/warmness fever. :) The things that have been coming to mind are summertime pecan pie with cool whip (thanks to Karen!), the heat of the sun on my skin while at my mil's house (with sunscreen on of course!), making our summertime list of things to do, NO SCHOOL, warm summer evenings, strolling in the neighborhood, cookouts with neighbors, our garden, trips to Elberta and the beach, VBS, week long trips that the boys will take to Nana and Grampaw's, weekly cousins day camp!!, oh and the list goes on and on. *sigh*

However, I can honestly say that I don't foresee any joy in the process of looking for a bathing suit this summer; that thought sorta puts a damper on things doesn't it?

Moments from Christmas

2010-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

Maleah reading a book while traveling 9 hours to Louisiana to visit Nana and Grampaw. The drive should really only take 7 hours but you know...we do have four kids! Thankful to have borrowed my SIL's Yukon that has a DVD player! Although they actually didn't watch the whole time. :)
Josiah's really into thinking games like Chess, Checkers, Pente', and so forth. He's playing a game of Checkers here with Grampaw (my daddy)!
Me and my honey-bunny. :)
A cute picture of the kids with their cousins. L-R: Caleb, Aaron, Josiah, Jace, Lauern, and Maleah! They had a blast together, we are so thankful that the kids have cousins on both sides of the family that are around the same age for them to play with.

Oh my Jace! What a sweet and fun baby! He is saying "bye-bye" these days while he waves and it's the cutest thing. He's soooo close to walking and squeals as he walks behind a walker toy. He is such a joy and brings a laugh to us all.

Can you believe these three? Mimi and Papa got this for them for Christmas and what do I see as I look out the window. Three shirtless children jumping their hearts out.I've been working on my braids lately. I'm getting faster with the French braid and it looks so pretty on Maleah. It also helps make her hair look tame. :) She sits nice and still so I can practice while watching cartoons.
The kids did a semi-impromptu play of the birth of Jesus while at Mimi's for Christmas. Elijah and Caleb opted out wanting to watch instead. So everyone else had to play multiple roles. Maleah was just running around looking cute in a make shift costume that could act as a kitten/sheep/angel.

Saying goodbye to the tree is never hard for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE picking out a tree and getting it up and decorated in the house and I love our house with a tree. But something about December 26 beckons me to get it out and clean up. It's almost like starting fresh. I get all into redecorating the house or at least rearranging the furniture. This year all I did was remove a rug from the living room and put a fake tree in a different corner-I know-I went all out. Something about the rug being gone feels so clean but I remember when I first put it in the room a few years ago I felt like it made the room more cozy. This was our first year to not do our church's Christmas Eve service which was sad in a way but refreshing to not have to go somewhere. I'm sure we'll make it next year. Something else different we did was a meals on wheels type of thing with Jimmie Hale Mission Christmas morning. It is an easy way to love on others as a family with young children. I can promise you that we will do it again next year. I also was really wanting and beginning to plan to do a Christmas party but something didn't seem right about it this year. I kept thinking about inviting homeless people instead of neighbors and friends but there's just one problem with that-I don't know any homeless people! How would I go about doing that? That's probably for another blog post. I sure do hope that your Christmas season was filled with family, joy and above all Jesus!

Love laid bare

2009-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

You see 1Corinthians tell us that If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol. And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I dole out all my goods, and if I deliver my body that I may boast but have not love, nothing I am profited. It sounds pretty clear to me. Without love being our motivator nothing we do matters. In fact I would go as far to say that without love motivating us, what we do is working against love. It's very tricky you see because I shared in an earlier post what my "Black Friday" looked like but if I went without love what good does it do? If I sold all my possessions and gave to the poor but wasn't motivated out of love it is a loss. If I adopted a child into our family but not out of love it is meaningless. If I state my position on abortion to the world though FB but not out of love, I bring doom on myself. If I spend my days and nights serving in church but not out of love, it profits nothing.
If I speak a word of kindness but not in love nothing is gained and more is lost.

Selfless

2009-12-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Back in college my husband was putting together a sermon (his major was pastoral ministries and so he had a preaching class). He won the title "Preacher of the Year" which I think would make him gag if he knew I just told everyone that. (But he'll never know because he never reads my blog!) He had to give his sermon to the student body in chapel one day. In his message he said this phrase:

Situation-Self= Love

If we take our self out of our situation we are able to love like Jesus. So, someone speaks unkind to me. Take myself out of the situation and I am able to return kindness in love to that person. Or my kids repeatedly ask of me all day everyday. Take myself out of the situation and I am able to repeatedly give to them in love.

This is something I need to be reminded of E-VER-Y-DAY and am so thankful that in God's grace he does remind me. His Word drips moments of situation minus self. Mary giving her body, life, reputation, and son over to God. Joseph giving his reputation, firstborn son coming from his seed, and his family over to God. God the Son putting aside his riches in glory to take on flesh and ultimately giving his body and flesh completely, ending in physical death. God the Father offering his one and only Son to be sacrificed for our sake, bearing the burden of our sin and death for the love of us! Each one taking themselves out of the situation allowing love to shine through and manifest itself leading to the greatest gift of all to mankind everywhere. Life. Eternal, abundant, powerful, amazing life...

Throw Back

2009-12-10T11:25:00.000-08:00

I was going through some notes from a college class I took my senior year (way back in 1999;). One sheet in particular caught my attention. It is simply labeled "homeschooling". I thought it was interesting because at the time I don't think I was interested in homeschooling. I thought my homescooling momma friends would find it interesting to read so here it is:

Homeschooling:
Commitment driven.
Not for someone who doesn't like public school system or who has no money for private school.

Lifestyle:
Homeschooling creates thinkers not just rote memory learners. Often the parent is the facilitator like a librarian.

It isn't/doesn't have to be subject driven or content driven. It is life driven. Homeschooling has a broad vision.
Family as a unit.
Understands family values (teachers don't know your family values)
Committed to concepts, not facts.
Everything is media for knowledge which allows you to cut out a lot of curriculum
There is no wasted time
Everyone becomes a teacher and everyone as a student.

Has an intense focus
Individualized program
Knows history of the child: likes, dislikes, abilities, environment they live in, committed to the ultimate education of the child.

Suggested that formal math doesn't begin until 7th grade
Allows kids to get to age of appropriateness
Wouldn't test until 3rd grade

So what do you think of these notes mommas? Besides the lack of congruency. :) What do you think of the content being that you live the homeschool life?

2009 Black Friday

2009-11-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

My black Friday morning began with my alarm clock ringing at 3:40am. Few things will I set my alarm for this early, but this was worth it. No reason to shower so I just dressed for the cold weather that was awaiting me outside. Fully dressed, warm and ready to go at 4:00am. So, I make my way through the dark house to the boys room where I gently wake up Josiah. He's coming with me this special morning. This will be our second time doing this type of thing together, just he and me. It's fun going out early in the morning to do something special with my first born. It makes me happy.
We work our way out of the neighborhood and see a lot of lights down the hill. Josiah notices all the lights on this dark morning. I chuckle at him and his observations as we travel to our destination. We pass Target, parking lot is full. We pass Old Navy, parking lot is packed. We pass a few other stores with full parking lots and I wonder what it'll be like where we are going. My excitement level rises a little bit more. Josiah is nervous he says.
After meeting up with my MIL, FIL and Memaw we finish our short journey following behind them. When we arrive, the parking lot is small and not full. It's still dark outside. We get in line, sign in and get a name tag. Then we are placed in the location waiting us. After about an hour of sorting through things, the moment arrives.
And I hear:
"Can I get a coat ma'am?"
"You got any sleeping bags?"
"I need a blanket, that brown one will do."
"I need a coat, do you have one with a hood?"
"Can I get a hygiene pack?"
The next hour goes by quickly as we serve the homeless of Birmingham. All too quickly my MIL comes and says that it's time to go. I didn't want to yet, I wasn't ready. There's so many more people waiting and needing help. I thank the Lord Jesus for allowing me this opportunity to give to him in this way. I really didn't do much. I'm just hoping that these men and women will recognize the help from others as Jesus' love reaching out to them in tangible ways.

Lord, shine your light in these needy lives! Rescue them, bring them into your family!

Craziness!

2009-11-23T18:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight has been so crazy. While Richard cleans up the kitchen I'm getting the kids' bath time rolling. Josiah wants to get a bath (usually he takes a shower) in our big tub with Caleb. While I'm tied up in the kids bathroom with Jace and Maleah the big boys are running around the house naked. I mean for a long time they are just running amuck in the buff for a long period of time. Somewhere along the way Caleb is crying (nothing new) and Josiah is being so obnoxiously loud I can't even hear myself call his name. So, then I get Jace and Maleah out of the bath, lotioned and jammy-fied. Then I fire up the big tub for the big boys and even give them a little of my bubble bath. Not long after I hear Caleb screaming. I rush in to him (actually "rush" is a bit exaggerated. It's the end of the day and I've had it with the screaming. So I saunter in.) I know what happened, Caleb has soap in his eye. As I pour clean water over his eye his screaming intensifies and he's now splashing me away and turning away from me. After a few attempts to help him I give up and just walk away so frustrated that the boy won't let me help him! Moments later the screaming stops and the giggling ensues. So then I smell Jace has a stinky. I go in his room to change his diaper and decide to change him on the floor (bc things are on his changing table, things that I haven't put away yet but had to lay there in haste bc well I have 4 kids) and find out that it is a big load. No big deal, I've changed big loads before but then my dear little Jace begins his routine; the roll over. Not about to let this happen I lift his legs higher in the air trying to keep poopy from getting on the floor. Not able to get a good grib and feel stuck while he is half way on his chest I yell for Richard to come help. What happened next is a bit of a blur. There was a loud holler of pain, Richard on the floor and Jace screaming in my ear. Apparently in his haste Richard broke his toe on the wall. Yes, that's right. He broke his toe...maybe two. And now I'm just so tired from reliving it all that I'm going to bed. G'Night.

The Journey

2009-11-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Please read the latest blog posted under "The Journey" on my blog roll. Be changed.