Starting Over

I have been pondering for the past two weeks what I should post for Works for Me Wednesday, and coming up with nothing. "Come on Amanda, this isn't that hard!" , I chastised myself, "What works for you?"

That's when I realized, it ain't working.

For the past month I've felt like a dog chasing my tail, running, running, running in circles and never catching it. The days have not been going smoothly, the house is cluttered and it feels like things are somewhat out of control. Jeremy had surgery so he is not able to be up and around much and he is now off of work until January! Usually we hardly see him during the holidays because work is soo busy then, we are blessed to have this time with him.

Typically, when he has a day off of work, we just "hang out" for the day and then I catch up on things the next day. Well I can't just "hang out" for 3 months and think things will still run well around here. So I finally realized instead of beating myself up everyday about 4:00pm for not getting my whole schedule done, why don't I reevaluate and make a new schedule for the time he is off work? *ding* LIGHTBULB! We want to make the most of this time and still get things done that need to be done..

Since this literally hit me about an hour ago, tomorrow I will go over our schedule and see where changes need to be made, and also get Jeremy's input for how he would like the day to run. (It's not all about me ya' know. ;) )

This oughta be good. :)

I've been at this place before: starting over. Life changes all of the time and we have to be flexible enough to change with it. What about you? Are your routines and schedules working for you or are you working for them? Maybe it's time to start over!

For more ideas to make life work visit: We Are That Family.

Menu Plan Monday

Let me just first say, "I heart having a menu"! Seriously, I don't know what I would do if I just had to come up with meals at the spur of the moment, my brain doesn't work that way. We have been so very busy with life and I love knowing I have a plan to be able to feed my family healthy and satisfying in the midst of busyness.

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Here is the plan for this week:

Breakfasts-

Waffles/fruit

Granola/ yogurt x2

Scrambled Eggs/ Toast

Muffins/ Smoothies x2

Banana Bread/ Smoothies

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Lunches-

Leftovers x2

Lunch Meat Sandwiches/ Pretzles/ Fresh Veggies x2

Tuna Melts/ Salad

Grilled Cheese/ Tomato Soup

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Dinners-

Broc. Cheese Soup/ Pumpkin Muffins

Chili/ Cornbread

Chicken Fajitas/ Salad

Bean and Rice Burritos/ Nachos/ Salad

Meatball Subs/ Cheesey Potatoes/ Green Beans

Homemade Pizza

Chicken Fettucini Alfredo/ Steamed Broc./ Garlic Bread

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For the inspiration of hundreds of menus and awesome recipe links visit Menu Plan Monday.

Planning for the Week.

The house is quiet, I'm feeding Judah and wanting to get to bed soon, but I have all these things running through my brain that I really need to accomplish this week. So I'm sitting in my recliner, blogging from my new Blackberry. :).
I feel.like I'm skidding into the new week at full speed and just trying to put the brakes on a little bit so I can gather my thoughts..

1.Seriously, go to bed on time and get up on time. I'm already starting badly due to things outside of my control. We have been terrible at getting to bed on time since Jeremy has been off of work, but it's essential so I have to be a stickler.

2. Lesson planning. I would like to get always be two weeks ahead, right now I'm not ahead at all.

3. Zone work. This week I'm in zone 3 which is the kids rooms and it could not have come at a better time. We will organize closets, clean out dressers and do some general decluttering.

4. Have a baking day. Make tortillas, waffles, banana bread, granola, pumpkin muffins, and zucchini muffins.
Those are my major goals for this week. Tomorrow I am going to have a planning session to work it out legistically. I am expecting a good week!

Quick and Easy

One of my favorite things about fall is pulling out all of the recipes that we only get this time of year; casseroles, soups, stews, all those warm things that nobody would want to touch in the summer heat. My favorite way to make soup is to let it simmer on the stove all day so we can smell it's yummy goodness. Sometimes though, simmering all day doesn't fit into my schedule and I want something to warm up with quick! This is my favorite go to soup for that. It is relatively cheap, quick and easy, and most importantly, delicious!

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Broccoli Cheese Soup (from Jeremy's Aunt Jill)

3 T. Butter

3/4c. chopped onion

-saute in pan for about 3 minutes, then add:

6 c. water

6 chicken boullion cubes

8 oz. very fine noodles

1 t. salt

-cook for 5 minutes, add:

6 c. milk

1 1/2 lbs. Velveeta

-stir until smooth

1 bag frozen broccoli

1/4 t. garlic powder

-cook until broccoli is heated through and noodles are done

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There ya' have it! This makes a HUGE pot of soup, I usually make half of the recipe for our family. They all love it and that, works for me!

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For more clever tips and tricks visit We Are That Family for Works for Me Wednesday.

Menu Plan Monday

We have another crazy, busy week ahead of us! I am so thankful for menu plans during weeks like this, it gives me one less thing to think about, and that is a good thing!

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Breakfasts-

Homemade Granola Cereal/ Fruit

Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake/ Smoothies

Pancakes/ Fruit

Homemade Granola/ Yogurt x2

Peanut Butter Toast/ Smoothies x2

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Lunches-

Lunch Meat and Cheese Sandwiches/ Carrot Sticks/ Apples x2

Leftovers x2

Tuna Melts/ Fruit

Grilled Cheese/ Tomato Soup

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Dinners-

Lasagna/ Green Beans/ Garlic Bread

Taco Soup/ Tortilla Chips

Crockpot Chicken/ Twice Baked Potatoes/ Salad - (Never ate this last week)

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps/ Roasted Potatoes

Chicken Pot Pie

Chili Cornbread Casserole

Homemade Pizza

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To be inspired by over 400 more menus, AND to enter a drawing for an awesome giveaway, head over and visit orgjunkie!

Joy

I've committed myself to joy.

"These are the things I've spoken to you

so that My joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be full."

-John 15:11

Not every moment, of every day are there circumstances surrounding me that make feel joyful. That's ok. It's not just a feeling, it's a decision. It's an instruction. Sometimes I'm tired, or stressed or overwhelmed or attacked. I could walk around complaining of my tiredness, or I could remember that the joy of the Lord is my strength. I could remember that He gave me His joy, and it's complete. I could allow thankfulness to arise to bring forth joy. That's what I'm committed to. I'm gonna notice the little things and remember the big things..

..his chubby toes

..the way his little hands move to try to touch my face while I'm feeding him

..all of those little girls that laugh so often and sound so much like me

..the silly songs that are constantly being composed and performed

..the curls that will never stay back in her pony tail, and insist on surling daintily around her face

..the insanity of bedtime and the constant "one more kiss mommy"

..the way she holds her little brother and talks to him so tenderly, just like a momma would

..those round, brown eyes that watch me so intently to do just what I'm doing

..home from work kisses and the way he smells when he comes in from a long day

..tickle fights

..innocent questions and innocent answers when I hear them talking about God late at night

..early mornings

..late nights

..text messages

..whispered I love you's

..shed blood

..resurrected life

..the most precious gift

.... and I am gonna say, Thank you God. You have given me joy complete.

Helpers for Homeschooling

Since I homeschool my children in 3rd, K, and Pre-K and I have a 2 month old baby, I have to be able to have some things each one can do independantly during the day. They all love to be on the computer so... these websites have been a great help to me because the girls are learning, they are having fun and their attention is being kept for the half hour or so that I need it to be. Yay!

Spelling City is awesome! Each week I input Lauren's spelling list and she can learn and practice her words, play a bunch of different games, and take practice tests. The site will say the word, then a sentence and then the word again just like I would do for the practice tests. When you sign up for the site it keeps track of all your lists, so all she has to do is click on the correct one. All for free! If you pay a membership fee, it will also keep track of test and game scores too. This would be awesome even for kids in public school to have fun with practicing their words.

Starfall is a fun website for prek and k or any little ones learning to read. They have phonics practice with different songs, stories that the child can "read" along with, and a number of different games to practice sound blends. It is very easy to navigate, my 5 and 3 year olds have no problem playing by themselves.

For more ideas that make life work, visit We are That Family for Works for Me Wednesday.

Menu Plan Monday

So this week I was working to keep the budget REALLY low. There are a few things from last week that we didn't eat because we had a whole bunch of leftovers to finish up for dinners. I'm not sure how much I will end up spending because I haven't actually gone to the store yet because of the busy weekend, should be around $40-$50.

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Breakfasts-

Overnight Blueberry Coffeecake (a hit with the fam)

Pancakes/ Fruit

Eggs/Toast

Breakfast Burritos

Homemade Granola/ Yogurt x2

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Lunches-

Grilled Cheese/ Tomato Soup

Turkey Rollups/ Carrot Sticks/ Homemade Apple Chips

PB&J/ Carrot Sticks/ Homemade Apple Chips

Leftovers x2

Tuna Melts/ Green Peppers/ Homemade Apple Chips

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Dinners-

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Sweet and Sour Pork Stirfry over Rice

Burrito Casserole

Cheesey Meatball Soup

Herbed Crockpot Chicken/ Baked Potatoes/ Green Beans

Cheesey Broccoli and Rice w/ Chicken (also a hit with the fam. Yummy and cheap.)

Pizza

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For some recipes and menu inspiration visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by Orgjunkie.

Planning for the Week

I've had all these things bouncing around in my head that I would like to accomplish this week, so I'm gonna join with my friend Lindsey and blog my plan for the week. Maybe I'll even update it to let ya'll know where I'm at with it. We'll see. :)

First Goal: Begin the habit of getting up at 5:00am. I was doing 5:30am but that really is not quite early enough (and truth be told, it hasn't even really become a habit) for me to get a good workout in, have ample quiet time and be ready to wake the girls at 7:00am. They say it takes 28 days to make a habit, so here's to day 1!

Zone for the week: Master Bedroom
Declutter the closet and bureau, make a clothing inventory, wash the windows, detail vacuum.

Start reorganizing the kitchen a little at a time. I've been trying to come up with a new plan for the kitchen to make it make more sense as to where everything is and I think I finally have some good ideas. It will take a little time, so I'm just going to do this as time allows the next few weeks and if it's not done by the time I'm in the Kitchen Zone, I will finish it then.

Maybe "fallify" the house, on a budget of zero dollars. This should be fun. :)

This is of course besides all my other "normal" stuff. I'm expecting a good week. :)

Frugal Friday

There are so many things that I have learned in the past two years, during our quest to get out of debt, about being frugal. Menu planning, couponing, baking from scratch, making my own detergents and cleaning products, gardening, canning, freezing, budgeting, snowballing. Some of these things I was already doing and some things were completely new to me. There are so many ways to save a few bucks, and they all add up to a whole bunch of bucks over time. You know what they all have in common though?

Hard work.

Clipping and organizing coupons takes time and work. Gardening takes work (which this year my Father in Law did most of, bless him), canning takes work, hanging clothes on the line to save a little electricity takes a small extra effort. Not everything is "easy", but it's so rewarding. My favorite books to read when I was growing up were books like Little House on the Prarie, and anything from back in that time period. I learned something from them. I learned that the essence of their survival was the willingness to work and that each person in the family contributed to the household for it to operate successfully. I am thankful for every modern convenience that we have, but I also don't want to sacrifice what is best for my family so I can take it a little easier, and I don't want to raise children with a lazy mindset. What's best for my family's finances is to be debt free and stay that way, so if that takes some extra work on my part, I'm willing to put that in.

My frugal tips for today:

1. Be ready to put forth the time and effort that it will take to make changes in how you live.

2. Schedule and plan. If you read my last post you know that I believe nothing is more important than your family and relationships. Your family doesn't have to be sacrificed in order to be frugal. It's just finding the balance.

3. Start with one thing. When we first started this journey, I jumped in with both feet.. and burned out quickly. Make a list of some things you can change and begin with one thing, master that, then add something else. It takes time to learn how to do some of these things and it will help you fit things into your schedule when you're adding only one thing at a time.

4. Get everyone involved. Children love to help and they can learn amazing lessons right now. I am excited to raise children that have wisdom about finances and the heart to be good stewards of the things that God has given to us. Also to have the "know how" to do many things on their own.

Being Frugal: It's all in a days work.

For more amazing frugal tips visit Life as Mom.

On My Mind

It's been on my mind lately how fast time goes.

Maybe it's the busyness. The never ending to-do lists that seem to drain the time.

There are days that seem to last forever, you know those days.. cooking, cleaning, laundry, schooling, scheduling, phonecalls, crying, fighting, whining (that's usually just the children, rarely me =] ), and on and on it goes. The days that the tasks cloud my vision and living somehow gets pushed to the back burner. You know what? I don't like those days. Thankfully they are not the norm, but I would like them to be obliterated completely. Last week I realized in the middle of the day that I was caught up in task mode, so I put down the to-do list that I was adding to and took the children outside to play.

It's no coincidence that the days that I'm in task mode there is more whining, crying, and fighting. Since "I don't have time" to deal properly with issues with the children, attitudes and character issues are allowed to continue and we end up with "crazy house" as we fondly refer to it. :) So of course those days are long!

God made us to relate to one another. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers, sisters, friends, we all need relationship. Our life with Papa God is all about relationship! He wants to know us, we need to know Him. And relationships take time. So wouldn't our enemy like to make us "too busy" for relationship? Too busy to consider what we're missing out on? Too busy preparing the perfect whatever that we don't get time to hear what Jesus is speaking, our husband is sharing, our children are excited about, our friend is needing?

I have purposed to not miss out on living. Not miss out on any smiles or laughs or jokes or gurgles or tickles or cuddles or hugs or questions or answers or booboos or bad days at work or good days at work or tears or hurt or sadness or joy with my precious, precious family and my very dear friends. That's a lot to miss out on just to get my list all crossed off! How blessed I am to know Jesus, and how blessed I am to have this life so full of His gifts.

Here is what I really don't have time for: Forgetting this lesson. Because no matter how long some days are, months go quickly and years fly by and I want to relish every moment of this life I have right now. As wife, mommy, daughter, sister, friend.

The cleaning and scrubbing
will wait till tomorrow,
for Children grow up,
as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep......

Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday

How time flies. Judah - 10 Weeks.

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Linked to Wordless Wednesday

Menu Plan Monday

Well I know it's not actually Monday, but yesterday the time was just not available to blog... actually the last few weeks the time has just not been available...

School has begun! We are having so much fun learning and adjusting to our new schedule, but it is an adjustment! Thankfully I have had menus planned all of the time because menu's are sanity savers. For real.

Here is my plan for the coming week..

Breakfasts

Breakfast Casserole

Cereal

Zucchini Bread/ Fruit

Breakfast Burritos

Graonla/ Yogurt

Orange Smoothies/ PB Toast

Pancakes

Lunches

Lunchmeat Sanwiches/Carrot Sticks/ Pretzles

Leftovers x2

Tuna Melts/ Apple Slices/ Pretzles

PB&J/Carrots & Celery/ Applesauce

Grilled Cheese/ Applesauce/ Tomato Soup

Chili Cheese Burritos/ Green Peppers

Dinners

Burrito Casserole/ Chips & Salsa

Chicken & Stuffing Bake/ Corn from Freezer

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken/ Macaroni Salad/ Applesauce

Broccoli Cheese Soup/ Oven toasted Turkey Sandwiches

Cincinnati Chili/ Green Beans

Sweet and Sour Pork Stirfry over Rice
Pizza

For more inspiration and lots of good recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.

Menu Plan Monday

I must say that my brain was a little more cooperative this past weekend than it the last time I tried to make the menu. I was actually able to think a little bit more out of the box. Good for me, good for my family, good for all of our bellies.

Breakfasts-
Blueberry Coffee Cake (yummy) and Fruit
Yogurt and Homemade Granola
Breakfast Burritos
Pancakes
Cereal x2
Homemade Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Lunches-
Tuna Sandwiches/Pretzles/Carrots & Celery
Egg Salad/Mandarin Oranges/Carrots & Celery
Cheese Quesidillas/ Carrots & Celery
Lunch Meat/ Carrots & Celery x2
Homemade Lunchables

Dinners-
BLT's/ Tomato Soup
Chicken Fettucini Alfredo/ Green Beans
Cheesey Broccoli and Rice w/ Chicken/ Corn
Beef Stew/ Homemade Biscuits
Lasagna/ Garlic Bread/ Greenbeans
Crockpot Herbed Chicken/ Rice/ Steamed Veggies
Pizza

For more menu inspiration visit Laura over at orgjunkie!

Chloe's Birthday Tea

For probably 6 months, Chloe has been asking to have a tea party for her 5th birthday, "no boys allowed, except Daddy and Judah." Since I was due to have Judah on Chloe's birthday, I wasn't sure when to schedule this party since I had no guarantees of when labor would be. :) We were finally able to schedule the party a month after her birthday, and the waiting was half the fun for her! She was so excited to plan and prepare for her party. For the first time I saw her as the list maker (wonder where she got that), organizer, planner type. She planned the color scheme, picked the cake and organized the activities, she was quite the little party girl.

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My aunt loaned us all of her collectible teapots for the little 5 year old girls to all have their own. Quite the brave soul isn't she? :) There were no mishaps and I shall be returning the teapots in fine shape thankfully. I will say though that having all the teapots made the party what it was! The girls loved having their choice of "teas" and pouring their own drink. They all had the sweetest lady manners and one little girl said, "I feel like a woman". Too funny!

The Teapot Cake. (This cake came on one of those recipe cards that come in the mail when they're trying to sell their cookbooks... Well I didn't buy, but the idea for this cake came in handy). That would be my frugal tip for today- make your own birthday cakes!

All of the girls seemed to have fun, and I know Chloe loved her party! So thanks everyone! A special thanks goes out to my Mom who did so much to help me that day, I couldn't have done it without you. And to Aunt Tressa, who loves parties so much and would do anything to make a party a good one, even let little girls use your pretty teapots. Ya'll are awesome!

This post is linked to Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom. Stop in there for more frugal tips!

Menu Plan Monday

It's that time again. Amazing how fast a week goes by and before I know it, everyone ate all the food and it's time to start again. I made my menu and grocery list last night and I seriously felt like I had brain freeze (must be the lack of sleep), but I muscled through it and came up with the menu. So, without further ado:

THE MENU

(FYI: If I don't mention sides with breakfasts and lunches, just assume I'm serving fresh fruit and veggies, because, well, that's what I do.)

Breakfasts-

French Toast

Cereal x2

Waffles

Scrambled Eggs

Muffins, Yogurt x2

Lunches-

Mac and Cheese

Chloe's Tea Party Lunch

Lunch Meat Sandwiches

Grilled Cheese

Homemade Lunchables

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps/ Chips

Dinners-

Barbecue Chicken Pizza/ Salad

3 Cheese Baked Spaghetti (already ready in freezer)/garlic bread/ salad

Nacho Grande

Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Veggies

Pizza Night

Enchiladas/ Mexi Rice

There ya' have it folks. For more inspiring ideas, head over to orgjunkie.com and join in Menu Plan Monday!

More Water Fun

What better thing to do on a cool, breezy summer day then go to a spray park and let freezing water pour all over the children? That's what we thought. :) It is water week ya' know! Jeremy was off today so we thought we would do something fun in honor of water week, and although it was fairly chilly, the girls had fun and that's what counts.

Lauren, making the most of it.

Chloe, freezing but wanting a picture. .

Tatum and Jeremy, chilling where it's warm.

And here is the picture of cuteness that sits on my lap as I blog. :)

3rd Annual Summer Camp

The days of summer are quickly slipping away, along with all the things that make summer, summer. Two years ago when we first started homeschooling I wanted to think of something to get back into "school day schedule" that would be fun for the girls and not very stressful for me. So we started "Summer Camp".

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It's that time again!
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This year I decided that we would do a different theme every week and we would incorporate everything into that theme. This week is "Water Week" and we're focusing on obedience and serving others. (Cuz believe me, we could use an extra dose of obedience and servanthood around here. Yikes.)

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Yesterday, we read about Jonah and the Whale and we made these whales. (Do you think I could use this story to threaten my children that if they don't obey I'm calling the whale? Probably not a good plan.)

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We made these bubble snake things that I found in Family Fun magazine and the girls had a blast with them. They played with them for an hour!

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Instructions:

1. Cut the bottom of an empty water bottle.

2. Secure a piece of old towel that's a few inches larger than the bottle to the bottom with a rubber band.

3. Dampen the wash cloth in water, then dip it into a shallow pan of dish soap.

4. Blow gently into the top to make the snakes.

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For snack we had "Beached Whales". I honestly did not know what we were going to have for snack until the girls were outside playing and it came to me. It worked well with the theme though! Basically it was smores with the marshmallows dyed blue, and whale crackers.

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But, most importantly the girls got up early, did their chores and morning routines on schedule for school, and had many blessed opportunities to obey with a joyful heart, and serve one another too. :) So far this summer camp thing works for me!

Menu Plan Monday

Ya' know how I planned a menu and stuff last week? Well it ended up we had 5 more meals brought to us, and we had enough leftovers to cover everybody for one night, so that left me with only one meal to prepare! (besides breakfasts and lunches of course) I should write a post for Works for Me Wednesday that having meals brought all the time "works for me"! :) But I know that isn't real life so I'll get on with reality...

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Breakfasts-

Cereal x2

Pancakes

Zucchini Bread x2

Eggs and toast

Fruit

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Lunches-

Coldcuts sandwiches x2

Mac and Cheese

Spaghettios (this is a very rare treat that the girls begged for at the grocery store)

Tuna Melts

Picnic Lunch

Fruits

Veggies

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Dinners-

Meatball Subs, Roasted Zucchini, Corn on the cob

Chicken Quesidillas, Salad, Cornbread

Chef Salad, Fruit, Bread

Grilled Turkey Burgers, Oven Fries, Coleslaw

Homemade Pizza (of course)

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The Happy Housewife is hosting Menu Plan Monday this week, so for lots of menu inspiration click over there and check it out!

The Scariest Thing

Maybe it's because we have a new baby and the weight of the responsibility of another life always feels heavier when new ones come. Maybe it's because every day I'm faced with my own carnality and the carnality of my children, the proof that we need a Savior. Whatever the reason tonight the scariest thing hit me.

My children will one day choose their own way.

I shudder just to type it out. Right now I choose most of the things in their lives, what they eat, what they watch, what they wear, what they play, what they listen to, how they treat one another. Now of course within the parameters that we have set they have choices, but we are in charge of the parameters. One day though, they will decide Who will have their hearts, and I so desperately want them to choose Papa.

All of the thoughts that would try to plague me are ones not uncommon to any mother: What if I don't do it right or good enough? What if I'm too strict? What if I'm too lenient? And then of course the biggie: What if I don't show them the joy of living in the Love of our Father?

Truly this is so fresh to me that I am teary even typing this out. I could allow all of these things to torture my mind, make me try to control every thing and situation, and even them, but that is not love. I am reminded that it is God's love that draws us to Him, not because He forces us but because He wants us and when we recognize and feel His desire for us, what can we do but surrender? What greater thing is there than being so desired and loved that His own precious life would be sacrificed while we were yet sinners?

So, I could allow these things to torture me, but I won't. Instead, I will pray. For the children and for Jeremy and I. Instead, I will be love to my children. The kind my Papa is to me. The patient, kind, humble, selfless, forgiving, bearing up, rejoicing, believing the best, enduring, never failing kind.

Then the scariest thing won't be so scarey.

Getting Back on Track

I'm pulling out the big guns. This nonsense has gone in for far too long. It's threatening the sanity of our family and I have to put a stop to it. What is this monster of which I speak?

Disorder. No schedule. Chaos.

Call him what you want he goes by many names.

For the past few months I have been "flexible". You know the pregnant, tired, just getting through the day kind. Now that pregnancy has been relieved and the baby has been birthed so I've been the no sleep, new baby kind of "flexible". Now, don't get me wrong I need to be flexible and I have learned some good lessons about letting some things go so more important things can get accomplished. I have also learned the lesson that my family needs me to keep them on schedule and none of us really thrive without it.

So the large home organization/schedule binder has come out. The schedules and charts have been revamped to fit our family where it is now and I am ready for action. So although this is a very simple post about getting back on track. I just want to say it loud and clear for the world (or the few people that read this blog.. "hi, mom" :) ) to hear: SCHEDULING WORKS FOR ME!!!

Menu Plan Monday..

The past few weeks since having Judah I have hardly had to cook. So many people have brought us dinner and it has been SUCH a blessing! Not only have I not had to cook, but I haven't had to plan meals and that is such a load off me! The week before I had Judah I made Zucchini Bread, Banana Bread, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Waffles, and Pancakes and put them all in the freezer so we could just add some fruit and have simple breakfasts, and for lunches we just stuck to sandwiches and leftovers. So basically my mind has been shut off to meal planning for almost 3 weeks, ahhhh.. :) So, I am coming back refreshed with new ideas and we still have a few dinners coming this week. Here's the lineup as it looks right now:

Breakfasts-

Cereal/ Fruit

Scrambled Eggs/ Toast / Fruit

Waffles / Fruit

Zucchini Bread/ Fruit

Cereal Bars / Fruit

Lunches-

Tuna Melts/ Roasted Zucchini/ Cottage Cheese

Lunch Meat and Cheese Sandwiches/ Fresh Veggies

Leftovers

Cheese Quesidillas/ Tomato Soup / Fresh Veggies

Make our own Lunchables for a picnic

Dinner-

M- Dinner Brought

T- Dinner Brought

W- Dinner Brought

Th- White Chicken Chili/ Tortilla Chips/ Salad

F- Pizza

S- Chicken Macaroni Bake/ Green Beans/ Homemade Applesauce

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For some amazing recipes and whole bunch of inspiration visit Laura over at orgjunkie!

Nicknaming Fools

Many people don't know this about me, but I like to give nicknames, lots of nicknames, to those that I love. I don't know where it came from, it's just something that has been apart of me for as long as I can remember. My youngest sister Kayla and I were reminiscing the other day about her nickname "Bob Jones". It started by my dad calling her "Billy Bob", then it moved to "Kayla-Bob", from there I shortened it to "Bob" then shortly after the "Jones" part was tacked on to the end. She is 10 years younger than me, so when I was in highschool and I would call her name "Bob!", then "Bob Jones!", my friends would say, "Your sister's name is Bob Jones?!" It was always a long story.

I say all of this to say.. my girls have picked up my love of nicknames. I have given them their fair share of nicknames and they have taken on the task of nicknaming Judah. In his short 16 days of life, Judah has aquired more nicknames then he will ever be able to answer to. The names come from the oldest girl to the youngest, we are constantly discussing who was the one that first thought of that nickname (just one more way to be competitive), and they frequently come to me to get my approval on the latest name... Here is a short list, in no particular order (should someone think this is a competition) of the nicknames baby Judah has inspired..


Judah Boodah
Ju Ju
Ju Ju Bug
Ju Ju Beetle
Judah G
Mr. Judah
Mr. Man
Judy
Judy Cutie
Little Buns (from Tatum :))

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but if we continue at this pace he will have approximately 276 nicknames by the time he is a year old. I am really TRYING to refrain from using too many nicknames myself because I would like him to know what name we actually gave him!

I have to go now, Ju Ju Bug is getting hungry. (I said I'm TRYING :))



Bob Jones holding Judah Boodah

Some Pictures of our Minivan Full

Here they are! Lauren, Chloe, Tatum and Judah.

Baby Judah trying to suck his fingers.. we are making him a binky boy instead. Finger sucking is too hard to break!

The biggest sister Lauren with her first little brother.

Chloe and Judah. Birthday buddies. (Chloe turned 5 the day after Judah was born.)

And last but not least, the first time big sister Tatum.

A New Day..

It's a new day. By day I mean season, and by season I mean a new time in our lives. We are now the parents of 3 little girls and 1 new baby boy. Judah Gabriel was born July 8, 2009 at 11:41am. He weighed 7lbs. 13oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Believe it or not I was able to keep the secret from Jeremy and the girls my whole pregnancy and seeing their surprise at having a little boy in the house was worth the stress of secret keeping. Judah is doing wonderfully and the girls have been amazing in their adjustment. They love to hold him and talk to him, but they are not in his face and overwhelming him (or mama :)). He is a cuddly little guy and I love it! If he is to be our last baby then I plan to relish every single moment of his babyhood. I always love this time anyway, a little one fresh from God reminding me at every moment the miracle that life is. I have been observing him and the girls, enjoying their ages, loving each place that they are, amazed that God gave us these precious gifts. Hmm. How thankful I am. My heart is that each one would know their Heavenly Papa through the love of their earthly Daddy and Momma. That I would see each one for who they are, recognizing their individuality and raising them in the purposes of the Father.. How very, very precious they are.

Again, haven't been blogging..

I guess I just have not found the right way to fit blogging into my schedule. I really want to, it's just I haven't had the time... So here again is an update post.

Micah, Jessica and Malik moved in with us on April 15th. Things have been going really well and we are having so much fun getting to spend time together and get to know Malik. He will be two in June and he has a huge personality that continually makes us laugh.

We went on vacation!! We went to Orlando for 3 days and visited the Magic Kingdom for a day. It was... magical. :) The girls had an amazing time. Really they are the perfect ages to go there because they were so transfixed by the fairy tale of it all. (I won't make any promises, but I would like to post some pics and stuff) Then we went to New Smyrna Beach for 3 days. That's my kind of vacation; sitting on the beach, playing in the waves, relaxing by the pool. After 3 days of busyness in Orlando, this pregnant mamma could use the relaxation. Jeremy and I both agree that it was our best vacation ever, we just had so much fun together. We did decide that from now on we are going to take 10 days or so instead of just a week, we really would have liked a few extra days.

I am down to 8 weeks left before the baby comes and I don't have anything ready. Really, nothing. So that is kind of where I need to focus my attention the next few weeks. We are all very excited and anxious for our little arrival. We will finish school next week and then I will be able to concentrate on baby prep and gardening.

That's all for now. I need to go bathe some little girls. :)

Happenings.

So there are a lot of new things happening since I began this blog and I haven't even had a moment to write everything out...



1. Kayla and Caleb's wedding went fine without too many hitches. I am glad that I was able to help them with their wedding and I am also so very thankful that it's over... I think I should probably start planning the girls weddings now. Weddings are hard to plan.

2. Jessica, Micah and Malik were able to come to Ohio for the wedding and it was a huge surprise for Mom and Dad... You can watch the surprise happen here.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqrSXZDdqVI. It was so much fun! We loved spending time with them and getting to know Malik too, such a sweet little guy he is. While they were here, they decided that they want to move here! So they went back to Washington and are in the process of getting rid of their stuff to move back here. They are coming on the 15th and will be staying with us for awhile.

3. So... since we will be having house guests for awhile, I am in the process of changing our finished basement into a bedroom/ living room for them. During that process I am switching the girls rooms (which I already had planned to get ready for the baby), but everything is just happening a little faster. Which really is ok, because I will happy to have that part of baby preparations done so that when it's time to start gardening, I don't have to worry about reorganizing and moving bedrooms.

So I am keeping myself on track with some serious to-do lists, while still trying to get the rest that I need to get. God has been teaching me that I need to listen to Him in EVERYTHING, even resting when He tells me to rest. I have a hard time with that for some reason... but I know that if I listen then I will have energy for the things I do need to accomplish for the day.

Tomorrow, I will post my to-do's for the week just to help me stay accountable. The 2 older kids are working on Math worksheets but they are almost done, so I need to get them started on something else and the little girls need some direction too.. :)

Starting Over

So...

I'm starting a new blog. I honestly never kept up with my old blog. It was an ok blog host, but it was somewhat slow, hard to edit, hard to add pictures and many times I would end up frustrated trying to use it. So tonight I almost posted an "I'm back" post, but then I decided that really I just need a fresh start. Here's my fresh start. I am hoping to keep up with it. :) So come back and check on me. I will try to have new things a few times a week at least.

Welcome Friends!