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Our first art project

2011-09-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

The first art project of the year was decorating our school boxes. One of the things I got on clearance at Target was magnetized school boxes that were able to be colored in. It was a perfect way to save money, personalize the school items and have a simple art project. I picked up a pack of permanent markers at Pat Catan's(for the second art project) and the kids were allowed to color them any way they wanted to. Even Becca got in on the action! She wanted to be like the big kids, so I got her a few school supplies as well and that included a school box. She had a lot of fun coloring, but she was using washable markers! :D

The schoolyear has begun!

2011-09-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of being a homeschool family is the fact that we can start school pretty much whenever we want to! Since we always vacation over the week of Labor Day, we didn't get started until yesterday. This year I have a 1st grader and and 3rd grader. I am excited to see what 3rd grade brings! There are a lot of changes in the curriculum this year. We have testing in every subject instead of just having simple "readers" for things like Science, Social Studies & health. Also, Alaina has some big changes coming for her in 1st grade! She is going to be doing spelling tests and independent studies. She hasn't had to do those before!

Anyways, our first day went really smoothly. It always feels good to have a great start to the schoolyear. I am a realistic parent/teacher, though, and realize that tougher days are ahead. School is school no matter where the classroom is. There are days when kids just don't want to do the work. But, I am choosing to be positive. I am making some changes to my teaching. I have been researching some different homeschool methods and I think that the improvements will be good ones for both me AND the children!

Another great sidenote is the fact that we went to Target yesterday and got ALL of our school supplies on clearance! LOVE IT! I got filler paper for $.18, rulers for $.12, composition notebooks for $.25, and much much more!

Becca's Funny for the Day!

2011-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

The weather was amazing today, so we had a playdate with some friends. We were at the park near our house. It was great!

About halfway through our day Becca told me she needed to go potty and we had to trudge across the parking lot to get to the port a pot. So, off we go....

Laying the the middle of the parking lot was an old pop can that had been run over and smashed flat. Honestly, I didn't even notice it! Suddenly, Rebecca points to the can and says to me "Ewww...a dead can! Gross!" It made me burst out laughing! She was so serious!

Not quite sure how a can ends up dead in a parking lot, but hey, whatever!

Dad vs. Poodle

2011-04-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love when you have a story that makes you laugh so hard you actually tear up!

Many of you don't know my husband or what he looks like, but I will tell you that he has SUPER curly hair. It is extremely tight curls, too! His hair is also dark in color.

So yesterday we were at the soccer field watching Alaina's soccer practice. The other two girls saw a dog a few yards away from us and asked if they could pet him. I told them to get permission from the owner so they did. This particular dog was a brown full size poodle. They had so much fun loving on that dog! A little while later Marvin arrives at the field after work and the kids come over to greet him. A friend of mine and myself were sitting there chatting when I heard Michaela tell her dad that his hair looks just like the dog! LOL! We all started cracking up! We tease him a lot about his curls, so this was just so amusing to us.

To make things even funnier my oldest went back over a few minutes later and was petting the dog again and telling the owner about how much their dog looked like my husband! She was pointing him out and making that poor couple look at him to compare. I am not sure if they were uncomfortable with it, but I can tell you that we got the biggest laugh out of that!

I will never look at a poodle the same way again!

Punishment.....someone's gotta do it!!

2011-04-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, today was a trying day to say the least. When I woke up this morning, I had a message on my answering machine telling me that my two oldest children decided to sneak out of their bedroom windows and climb out onto the roof! GAH!!! I was upset and relieved all at the same time!

I called Marvin and told him what had happened and we came to the mutual decision that they were both going to have to have a spankin'.

Now, I realize that some are against this kind of punishment, but we feel that as long as they know and understand their disobedience, then it is biblical to spank them. They had already been warned one other time about opening the screens and going out onto this particular part of the roof, so we knew that they understood what they had done wrong. Not only that but when I asked them about it, they wanted to know how I found out, LOL!

So, a little while ago, Marvin took the girls in one by one to our bedroom for their discipline "event". Michaela went first(which wasn't easy since she is a fighter when it comes to discipline) and then came Alaina. She knew what was coming after she saw Michaela come out in tears, so she was already a little pouty when she first walked in.

I was out in the office during this time. A minute after he called Alaina into the room, I didn't hear much of anything and Marvin came out just bursting with laughter. He actually had to leave the room so that Alaina didn't see him laughing during what was supposed to be a serious time. He told me that he was explaining the reason for the punishment and here is how the conversation went from there...

Alaina: I don't wanna get a spankin'.

Marvin: I know, it sucks, doesn't it?

Alaina:(arms crossed in her most serious voice) You suck! ( I want to add here that I don't even think she really even knows what that means!)

At that moment he started to giggle, so he had to leave the room!

Here is how the rest of the "event" went down...

Marvin(re-enters bedroom): You are going to get one spankin, so roll over and don't get your hands or feet in the way.

Alaina(immediately after spank, her hands reach around and grab her bottom): Owww!!! I should've worn more pantsies!!!!!

Now I know that most people wouldn't share punishment stories about their children, but this one was so funny! She actually was still laughing after she got spanked! She knew she had made a mistake, she knew she was receiving a punishment for said mistake, yet she was still able to get through it and know that her mommy and daddy still love her and want the best for her. She was able to make the best out of an unfortunate situation and that is why she makes my heart swell with love and pride! I love that girl!!!

"I Love You"

2011-03-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Night is AWANA night in our town. The kids have AWANA from 6:30-8pm and my two oldest get to go. This is the one thing they do during the week that is away from Mom so it is a fun and special time for them. Well, they are big enough now that I can pull right up to the church doors and let them out and I don't have to take them inside to help them sign in.

So, this week we pulled up as usual and the kids got ready to get out of the van when my littlest one looks at them and says "Bye guys! I love you!!". It was so cute! She was so excited to wish them farewell and just make sure they knew she was thinking about them! It was a total Mom moment where I felt so proud and so much in love with that cute little girl!

I know that sisters go through rough patches but I sure hope that they end up being best of friends one day and can share their lives together!

Home Improvements

2011-03-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

I love home improvements! I love the end result of them and I love that we are finally getting the house how we want it. What I do NOT love is the mess!!!! We have our entire dining room in our living room and front porch right now. ugh!!! We also have a mess in our kitchen because we were trying to get our new gas stove installed. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but we have no natural gas in our area so we had to run pipe lines from the kitchen, into the basement and then to the outside to be hooked up to a propane tank. It has been quite a job! Thankfully, my husband and my dad were able to get the stove hooked up and ready to go yesterday. Now we are just waiting for Wednesday to come so that the LP company can come and install the new tank.

The reason that our living/dining room is a mess is because we were refinishing the original hardwood floors in our house. We put the last coat on last night(it took us a week) and now we are finally ready to put things back together. I am super satisfied with the results and I am looking forward to seeing all of my things in their place and the shiny new floors underneath!

We have a few other small things that we plan on finishing in the near future as well. After 12 years we are finally getting new living room furniture! We have FINALLY picked out the sectional that we want so we will be putting that on order soon. We basically picked out the pieces we wanted and it is going to be a custom fit for our room! We are excited! Lastly, I found the PERFECT area rug at Lowe's so we are going to purchase that after the furniture finally gets here. Unfortunately, it will be about 12 weeks for the furniture to get here. Oh well, that will give us some time to pay down the balance!!!!

We are so thankful that we have been able to get these things done and we are really excited for the end results! Stay tuned for more photos!!!

Baby Fever

2011-03-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

I am wondering if baby fever has ever hit you? Have you ever felt it so strongly that it almost takes over your senses and better judgment? I know that sometimes when it comes around that even though we know that it isn't a good time for a baby that we let our good sense go by the wayside on the hunt for that baby fix.

I can't really do that anymore. I can get baby fever, of course, but I can't fulfill it in a biological way. My hysterectomy with my last daughter took care of that for me! LOL! But this weekend I was at the home of one of my very best friends. She cannot have any of her own biological children, so she has been hoping to do a foster-to-adopt for a while now. Finally, after years of waiting and endless amounts of patience it has finally happened! She got to bring home a 2 day old little boy and he is just adorable! I couldn't wait to celebrate with her and meet her little one so I spent the better part of Saturday with her. I got to hold and snuggle and love on that little boy. I am now praying diligently that the adoption part goes through and that he is going to be her little boy forever. Don't get me wrong, I do feel for the little one and his mother, but the circumstances(which I will not go into) make me feel very strongly that my friend is the ultimate place for this little cutie pie!!!!

Now, this little(6 hour) visit put my baby fever into full swing! I wanted to just get a "baby fix" while I was there, but it really made me miss the days of my girls being so little and innocent. My husband and I have always wanted four children and we recently had our adult niece move away, so it has left a space in our home and our family for another. It made me want to run out and fill out every paper I could and take every class possible to hopefully get to bring home a little one of my own. However, I know that right now some of these things just aren't feasible for us. The red tape and the amounts of time required to be eligible for this are just not a good fit for us right now. Hopefully soon, but we will have to wait and see what God's plan is for us.

After all of this, it really makes me wonder why some people don't take this own discretion seriously with their own lives. Why do people have babies when they can't care for them? There are so many ways to prevent pregnancy and I just don't get it. There are so many babies out there who don't have parents who love them. There just aren't enough foster families to go around. It is really sad. So many of these "surprise" babies are just lack of responsibility.

I just thought that I would urge people who maybe are finished having their own children or maybe who can't have their own to consider looking into foster-to-adopt programs. It is a great option and there are many little ones who need love!

I am continuing to pray that one day the time will be right for us and that we will be properly prepared for that situation. I would love to give one of these babies a set of parents who love and care for them!

For everything there is a season

2011-03-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

There are many times that I have to remind myself that there are season's to one's life. People come and go throughout your life that make an impact and then life moves on. I think I am at a place like that right now. It's funny because you just "know" it is time to continue on in your life. You don't feel that common bond anymore and it is just obvious. Maybe that is God whispering in your ear that it is in His timing and that you need to keep going. I am not sure. However, one thing I do know.....it is definitely time to start moving onward and upward. No more longing for things I used to have and start looking forward to what is ahead. I am excited about what life will bring my way and I am looking forward to experiencing it!

Hmmm.....Is 29 the new elderly?!

2011-01-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love being in the car with my girls. They are sure to come up with something witty almost every trip somewhere.

Yesterday we were driving along and Michaela was asking questions about the way things used to look when I was a little girl. I was telling her that things were a little different back then. There are new roads and buildings now that weren't there before. She ponders this thought for a little while and then proceeds to ask me a doozy of a question. She says, "Mom, were you alive when the dinosaurs were alive?" Ummm....NO! My goodness, I am not even thirty yet and my kids think I walked with the dinosaurs! That just confirms it....I am NEVER having my 30th birthday! Hmmpff.....

Even Believers have valleys

2011-01-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

1 Peter 5:7 (New Living Translation)

⁷ Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

It's funny to me to think that someone would think that Christians have it all together or their life is always happy and easy. This is not the case. We struggle just like everyone else. The only difference is that we have someone we can lean on and a place to lay all of our struggles. We have a way to find peace. It's an amazing feeling. However, that doesn't mean that our hearts don't hurt over many things.

I have been having an extremely difficult time lately. I have been wallowing in a pit of sadness for a while. I have been angry and hurt over the loss of our church family for a year now. We are still struggling to find a place where we feel we belong. We have had a trickle-down effect from that loss. Many of my friends that I used to have a connection with have moved in different directions. I don't have that friend time that I once had. I don't have any involvement with any "mom" groups/ministries like I used to. I miss it....I crave it.....I am angry that I don't have it. I know that this, in turn, has an effect on my home life. I feel sort of like I am stuck. I am "Mom" all of the time. I don't ever get to just be Jennifer. I don't have time where I get to get away from the house and just enjoy my friendships with other women. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I love my husband, but I also love myself and find myself craving some time for just me.

I am also coming up on the first anniversary of the death of one of my best friends(view her obituary here). March 22nd. is the day that she died. I am struggling a lot with this upcoming day. I wish desperately that cancer hadn't taken her so soon. I am torn between mourning her death and celebrating her new life and her ended suffering. I want her to be here and happy and watching her daughter grow up. But I also would never ask her to continue to suffer. I miss her a lot.

The other day I was listening to the radio when I heard a song that I really needed to hear. It is the song "Cry Out to Jesus" by Third Day. It was a huge reminder that when life gets like this that I need to just leave it with Him. I need to allow all of my struggles and worries to be heard through prayer. I have been working very hard at just letting Him deal with these issues and solve them in His time. It has been a hard lesson for me. I am still learning how to deal with my "valley" and how to get through it. It's literally one day at a time.

My warm fuzzy moment

2010-12-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

My middle daughter, Alaina is by far the most sensitive of my three girls. She always has been. Even when she was a baby you didn't have to spank her when she disobeyed. Just a look and a raised voice was enough to send her crying because she didn't want to be in trouble. I love that about her. It is what makes her unique and amazing to me. It makes me want to be more like her. I am the opposite. I naturally put on a "tough" and stubborn front.

The other day she and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner. She was sitting on the stool and I was standing by the sink behind her. We weren't really having any kind of conversation when out of the blue she turns around to me and says:

"Mommy, how come you are the bestest mommy ever?"

I was completely shocked! It took me a second to respond to her and I said "you think I am the bestest mommy ever, huh?!" She shook her blonde little head yes and I was just bursting with love! I told her that she had to come over and give mommy a big hug! She stood up and I hugged her and just kissed her cute little face. I told her that I just loved her so much and she was so special to me.

These are the moments I am going to miss in just a few short years when my girls grow up to become beautiful young women. I try to savor the moments when they are not fighting or crying or begging for just ONE MORE piece of candy.

Thank you Lord for giving me the blessing of my beautiful family and for giving me a little girl who shows me some of the things I should strive to become. It is humbling to look up to a five year old girl.

My one true love

2010-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my husband. He is truly the one for me. He puts up with me when he probably shouldn't and he loves me for who I am even though I don't deserve it. My dad has told me for a long time that I am spoiled when it comes to how much he does for me. I know that it's true. Not many men these days will help out around the house and get you a refill at a party without even asking. He does! He is the best father to my girls that I could ask for. He loves them so much and it is so apparent. They can go about every single day KNOWING that they have a father who loves them unconditionally. He doesn't just say it, he shows it. What a blessing he has been to me and my family!

The holiday baking has begun!

2010-11-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am truly not much of a baker. I don't normally make cookies for my family because I find the constant need for attention that a cookie requires quite tiresome. I have children that constantly need attention and adding cookies to that list just doesn't thrill me. But the holidays are a different story. I want my kids to grow up with wonderful memories of their mom baking holiday cookies in the kitchen. I want those familiar smells to be in their memories forever. I love thinking back to the days as a kid when we sat down with the colored icing and iced cookies and ate icing until we were sick!

So, this weekend started the first of my Christmas cookie baking. I decided to try a new recipe that sounded fabulous that I found on this blog. I am so glad that I did! These cookies are like tiny pieces of pumpkin pie with an amazing icing on top! I got the recipe and the method for royal icing from the same website.

This is my first time using royal icing, so my piping skills are a little shaky, but I must admit that I gave myself a little pat on the back for a job well done after it was all over and I could admire all of my hard work!

My favorite place to shop for all of my baking needs is Mott's Greenhouse and Old Mill Bulk Foods here in my little corner of Ohio. I love the prices and the availability!

When I first started mixing up my dough, I didn't think it was going to cream together well since my butter wasn't super soft when I started, but after a few minutes in the mixer, it came together nicely and I was ready to add the dry ingredients.

After mixing it all together, I rolled the dough up in saran wrap and chilled it for an hour and it ended up being the perfect consistency for rolling and cutting.

I floured my board and my rolling pin well so that none of the dough stuck.

Cutting and baking both went extremely well and the cookies came out nice and brown on the outside while still being somewhat chewy in the center.

After the cookies completely cooled, I was able to use my new icing method and pipe around the edges of the cookies and then flood the centers without a problem. It went fairly quickly after I got the hang of it!

I let the cookies sit to dry overnight and then the next day I decorated them.

I had so much fun! I already have two more balls of dough chilling in the fridge to make some more! Next time, I think I will invest in some extra decorating tips, though, so I am not constantly cleaning out bags and putting new icing colors in!

It's the simple things in life....

2010-11-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for wood. Just wood. It is the simple natural resource that is so abundant and so wonderfully multi-functional. I love it! I love that it is the thing that is warming our home during these cold winter months that are soon going to be upon us. I love that it is free! I love that we have a FABULOUS family that took an entire month of Sundays and helped us cut it all up. Wood is also beautiful inside of my home. It makes things natural and rustic and has helped this to home remain standing since 1919! The beautiful trim around my windows, floors and all of the natural wood doors help make my home what it is. Seeing something that is so wonderful, useful, and durable makes me also thankful that there is a glorious God that created it all. He is amazing and I am in awe all that He has created.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Gratituesday

2010-11-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

I have to thank my friend, Christina, for introducing me to my new favorite website. I have been scouring this site for days reading over great homemade, unprocessed recipes and tips. I haven't even scratched the surface of what this site has to offer!

On Tuesdays they do this thing called(obviously, since it is right here in this blog post) Gratituesday. We have the opportunity to post what we are thankful for and then link back to their website so that you can read about all of the wonderful things in others' lives as well.

So, on my very first Gratituesday post I am going to say that I am so so thankful for my kids. They are what makes me complete. I can hardly even remember my life without them and quite frankly, I wouldn't want to have a life without them either! Sure, they can push my buttons on some days and just about wear on my very last nerve on others, but they are such great kids overall. They are loving and intelligent and I am so lucky to be their mother. Their lives have shown me just how much I can love another person. They have shown me an amount of dedication that I never knew I had. Every night before I go to sleep, I spend a few minutes just thanking God for the beautiful family He has given me and pray for another great day to come. I am sure that I could write an entire novel about how great my life is, but I won't. I will just end by saying that God truly knew what He was doing when he blessed us with three kids. Thank you, Lord!!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

We got the keys today!

2010-11-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

We met with the landlord today and paid first and last month rent and we now have the keys! Marvin has to work late this evening, so after the baby leaves we are going to head out to the store and pick up a few things and then head over to clean up the apartment and get things situated. Janet is really excited, and I am excited for her!

Wish us all luck.....this is a big change!

Election Day is coming

2010-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

And there are so many things to think about! Who is the best candidate? Are there any good candidates at all? Should we just pick the lesser of two evils? Who should we be considering while voting....ourselves, or the state/country as a whole? So many things to consider!

Our small group has been doing a lot of research on the candidates and thank the Lord that we have a WONDERFUL couple in our group that are extremely knowledgeable on how the government works and who does what within it. They have been a wealth of knowledge for all of us! As a group we have prayed much about the upcoming elections. We have asked the He show us who to vote for and we have also prayed for those currently in office. It is in the Bible that we need to pray for our government officials. God will never put anyone in office that isn't supposed to be there even if we don't understand it at the time!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (New International Version)

¹I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness

I have also seen MANY people say that they don't vote according to religious convictions. They vote according to the issues affecting our country now. Well, I have to say that "I" feel that if we don't vote according to what is right, good and holy, then how do we expect our country to flourish? A Godless country is one that is susceptible to failure. I think that our voting should have EVERYTHING to do with God's commands and what is right in His eyes. We need to see how these candidates voted when it comes to the definition of marriage, abortion and many other things. Do not get me wrong, I am ALL ABOUT fighting socialized medicine, fighting gun control, and many other things that threaten our nation. I think those are just as important as moral issues. I just pray that everyone who goes out to vote on Tuesday has done their homework and knows who they are voting for and why.

In the next two days, I urge everyone to pray with me. Pray hard that we are shown the direction we need to take. Pray that those who DO get into office do a good job at running our country. Pray Pray Pray.

Here is an interesting link that I found today while doing some research. It is very clearly in both the new and old testament showing that not only does it apply to people following very strict rules as in the old testament before the new covenant, but in the new testament as to how we are to live today.

Here is another great link.

I guess you learn something new everyday!

2010-10-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

As Michaela has gotten older I have learned a few things about her. She is a lot like me. A lot more than even I expected her to be. She is extremely independent and wants to understand whats going on. "Because I said so" isn't a good enough reason to make her do something. She wants it to make sense in her head, too.

Her and I had been butting heads for weeks. I would punish and she would react negatively. I wondered if she was looking for attention even if it was negative since I was babysitting and three days a week much of my time is devoted to someone else's little girl. I couldn't understand why she was fighting me on the littlest things and why she was reverting back to an almost toddler-like reaction to things. She would occasionally lay on the floor and cry over things that she felt were unfair. It seemed so out of the norm for her as well as most other girls her age. I also realize that there are other big changes going on in our home. One of those big changes is, of course, our niece moving out onto her own. So I thought that maybe she just wasn't able to verbalize her feelings.

I decided one night to just pray. I just prayed that the Lord would show me how to parent her in a positive way. I asked that he show me how to react to her and how to speak to her. I wanted to know that I was doing the right thing by her and not somehow leaving a negative impact on her life. That was when He showed me what to do. I didn't realize it at the time, but sometime between when I said that prayer and the next day, He had opened up my eyes.

The next day we were set to begin on a new battle. She wasn't doing what I was asking her without a fight and it was like someone was speaking to me telling me to just explain myself to her. It was so clear in my mind. I needed to calmly call her over to me, explain what I wanted done and why it needed to be done. To my surprise......no argument! She wasn't thrilled about folding the laundry, but she did it. And to top it off, about thirty seconds after she started folding, she was totally over the irritation she had over it. She was smiling and doing the work without question or argument. I was amazed!

I know to some mothers, getting their kids to do chores without complaint might be simple. That is NOT the case here. I was constantly arguing and getting upset over their reactions. It was a battle more times than not to get them to do something that they felt was an inconvenience to them. I pray that most mothers don't have to go through this, but I know that I am asking waaayyy too much for that to happen.

So, for the last week, when I have needed Michaela for something, or want her to explain something to me, I have just calmly spoken to her without a raised voice, explained my situation and our results have been phenomenal! I have been waiting for this maturity for a long time and I realized that I needed to look at myself first. I needed to realize that I had to change my attitude and demeanor before I could EVER ask a seven year old to do so.

I am so thankful to have a heavenly Father who will answer me when it is prayed according to His will. I am in awe of every time He answers my prayers even when I don't deserve them. What an amazing God we serve!

Psalm 17:6
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.

D-Day

2010-10-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at 5pm is when we sign the lease. A six month commitment. Wish us luck! Janet is excited as are we!

Isn't it amazing?

2010-10-24T14:35:00.001-07:00

I am always in awe when I see how things all come together when you trust that it will all happen according to God's plan and not ours. Many already know that we have had custody of our niece for five years. We have had MANY ups and downs along the way. She was 14 when she came to us and she will be 20 in two months! I can hardly believe that we made it this far! Originally we planned on keeping her with us until graduation and then we decided to keep her in an internship for an extra year. That was over in June. We have been job hunting ever since. Marvin and I have talked a lot about the next step and it just fell in our laps over the weekend! I told Janet to call about an apartment on Friday and we went and looked at it on Saturday and it was just what we were looking for! It is a small studio only about five minutes from our house. We can still be involved while letting her be an adult and on her own. She will be able to get to the grocery store on foot or on bike within just a few minutes and only about 10 minutes to bike to our house. She can still do her laundry here and I will be able to help her with her bills and some of the other things that she will need help with. It is first step of many and I am excited to take it!

Keep us in your prayers.

2010-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

God is speaking and we are preparing our hearts to listen. I can't talk about it just yet as we are still deciding what to do, but please keep my family in your prayers on this journey God is taking us on.

Thank you and God bless!

Breaking Dawn.....why must you be so far away?

2010-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Family....there is a reason you don't get to choose them!

2010-09-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Facebook is a wonderful concept which allows us to keep up on everyone we know and even some people we don't. While this has MANY benefits, I have also discovered that it gives people the ability to hide in the comfort of their own homes all the while complaining about anything and everything without thinking about the consequences. In my personal opinion, people should not go onto social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and complain about family. It seems to be just tacky and rude.

Don't get me wrong. I have done my fair share of venting about things that annoy me, but I try to be as discreet as possible when posting on my news feed. If someone wants more information it is easy to personally inbox them with the appropriate information.

I am saying all of this to lead up to the fact that Facebook also allows you to see why God doesn't really let you choose your family. They can be irritating, annoying or just plain selfish and their inability to stay out of the spotlight allows all of these wonderful character flaws to show up for the world to see. I am coming to realize that if I had the opportunity to pick my family there would be a select few that I would be swapping out for newer models. But since this is not an option, I am given no choice but to love them despite their flaws.

I beg everyone, please keep your opinions about your family off of facebook so that you don't have to make everyone uncomfortable when the next family gathering takes place! No one else wants to deal with that drama!

Project 365-Day 15

2010-09-20T15:03:00.001-07:00

Zucchini Pineapple

2010-08-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

So, I learned that the process of canning zucchini pineapple is both simple and completely worth it! I had my seven and five year old try it after it was done cooking and they loved it! Michaela has even requested my "pineapple" as her dessert for this evening!

So the ingredients are simple. This is for one batch(approximately 7 pints yielded):

4 quarts of diced or shredded zucchini

46 oz can of unsweetened pineapple juice

3 cups of sugar(or sugar substitute)

1 1/2 cups of lemon juice

Here are a few pictures of the ingredients:

Put all of your ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce it to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes to let zucchini soften and all of the flavors mix.

After 20 minutes, remove from heat and put into hot canning jars. Put in a hot water bather for 15 minutes and voila!

This "pineapple" can be used in any recipe calling for pineapple and can be eaten as is for a great snack that will give you some veggies in your diet! Enjoy this great recipe!

PS. I also added a few drops of Lorann Oil in the pineapple flavor for an extra boost. You do not need to do this, but it really enhances the flavor!

Project 365- Day 14

2010-08-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Michaela getting some serious air on an inflatable slide at the Block Party at the Canton Baptist Temple. It was a blast!

And the laughing continues....

2010-08-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

see more Failbook

I love Failbook!

2010-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

The following is just a clip from the website failbook.com

If you would like a good laugh this evening, please check it out!

see more Failbook

Project 365- Day 13

2010-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

This photo op was set up by Michaela! She LOVES to take pictures! I think I know what Santa will be bringing her for Christmas!

Slip N Slide 2010 Trial Run.....

2010-08-04T15:08:00.001-07:00

Project 365- Day 12

2010-08-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Playing Dress-up! Aren't they cute?

Project 365- Day 11

2010-07-30T12:29:00.001-07:00

My babies have been having such a wonderful summer being able to enjoy the pool and hot weather. But one side effect.....green hair from the chlorine! So, we had to do a treatment on her hair the other morning to bring it back to its usual beautiful blonde. This is Little Bit with her hair in a bag while blow drying. Isn't she a cutie? She is gonna be like her momma and LOVE the salon!

I think I wear my kids(and nephews) out.....

2010-07-29T20:49:00.001-07:00

These are a few pictures from two different nights this week!

Corn....it's what's for Dinner!!!

2010-07-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Corn anyone?! LOL

Freezing corn is something that we love to do. Nothing is better than getting fresh corn out of the freezer whenever you want it and it tasting like it was just picked. Yum! So, I went to our friend's farm and picked up 20 dozen ears of corn for our family to freeze. By the end of the night we ended up with over 50 dozen ears of corn to shuck, blanch, cut off the ears, bag and freeze! Some of it is going to my Mom and Dad and some of it is going to my sister, so it is all worth it in the end, but boy was it a lot of work! It was a two day project. Teamwork really made this task go faster, though. I don't think we could've gotten it all done had we not worked together! Now I am just waiting for the next picking to come around so I can do it all over again! ♥

Canning Green Beans

2010-07-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

The other day my sister came over and we canned 10 gallons of green beans. It ended up making 25 quarts. We had a lot of fun doing it and it is a super simple process and takes nothing more than some canning jars, seals, and lids(when purchasing the jars, you get all of these things) and then green beans, water and a pressure canner to make sure that the beans are free from the botulism bacteria. We will get another picking soon, so I can't wait to make another batch to keep in the pantry!

Project 365- Day 10

2010-07-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

I first want to thank my friend, C, for giving me this awesome recipe! They are called zucchini patties and they were sooooo good! It is really simple and a great way to use that fresh zucchini from the garden or the zucchini that you had frozen from last year!

Here is the recipe:

2 cups zucchini shredded

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

salt to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients except salt and oil in a bowl. Heat oil in a skillet and drop mixture by spoonfuls into the pan. Let cook on each side until golden brown and then salt to taste.

If you have ever made corn fritters or apple fritters, this is similar. It has the same consistency. All of my kids loved these and even my apprehensive husband was pleased and is taking the few leftover patties for his lunch in the morning.

My pictures are showing the frying and the end result. The picture makes them look a little too dark but they were actually perfectly golden brown in person.

Enjoy this great recipe!

Project 365- Day 9

2010-07-26T20:28:00.001-07:00

I know that I am a few hours shy of a new day, but I wanted to share this picture of Michaela at the family reunion after getting her face painted. She is so silly! I ♥ this picture!

Project 365- Day 8

2010-07-26T11:34:00.001-07:00

My cat has taken over my houseplant! I always knew that Jamie loved cats, I just didn't know that they were going to be so drawn to her that even one of her funeral arrangements would attract them!

Project 365- Day 7

2010-07-19T14:32:00.001-07:00

Here is another fun picture from our day roller skating. Michaela loves to be on skates!

Project 365- Day 6

2010-07-13T14:14:00.001-07:00

We were at a roller skating party when I got this super cute picture! LOVE IT!

Dear Potty....

2010-07-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

Please continue to entice my dear daughter to come and visit you regularly! Please let her know that you are always there when she needs you and you will be her new best friend! I love that she is coming to see you throughout the day and I don't want the relationship to end! You may have a cold, hard exterior but I know you are truly warm at heart! I promise to keep you clean and tidy in exchange!

Your friend.....JJ

Project 365- Day5

2010-07-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

Me and my "baby girl". I ♥ her so much it hurts!

Project 365- Day 4

2010-06-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

So, this picture is super blurry up close since it was nighttime and the shutter speed was so slow on my camera, but this is still my favorite pic for today! Since we are leaving for camping in the morning, Marvin decided to get some mowing done even though it was late. All of the kiddos wanted to ride on the tractor with him, so this is what he ended up with! Those kids just love their daddy!

Project 365- Day 3

2010-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite picture today because it shows how much you can get at the store with just a little bit of money! For all of these things in these two pictures, I actually made $1!

I had to pay $10.00 out of pocket, but got back a $5 gift card for Target and $6 in Register Rewards for Walgreen's! I think this is my best couponing trip yet!

An update of my progress

2010-06-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

So today was my second day of no bread. I must admit that it hasn't been too bad since I have made meals that don't require any! Haha! I am sure that my time is going to come. Most likely this weekend when we are camping, but I am going to try and use my willpower to make it through! I will update again next week sometime and hopefully I still have the same outcome!

Project 365-Day 2

2010-06-22T18:32:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie I made completely from scratch this morning! Yum!

Project 365-Day 1

2010-06-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

So, I am stealing this wonderful idea from a friend of mine. You pick a photo everyday and you explain it or whatever you want to do with it. So, I have decided to start with this photo from Saturday evening. We took the girls to the Healing Field that was set up in town and get a few photos. This was a candid shot that I took of Becca. I didn't ask her to pose or anything, she was just loving the flags!

I can't believe I am even going to attempt it!

2010-06-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

So, if you ever check out my blog roll, you will see that my friend Bekki is making a major life change. She has decided to quit smoking! I am sooo proud of her! I am sure that she will be thankful one day and her hubby and kids will thank her for it, too!

On the down side.....I have agreed to go through her toughest part with her! I agreed to fast something so that she isn't suffering alone. Of course, it couldn't be something simple and easy to give up because that would defeat the purpose. So, I have agreed to fast bread. Yes....you read it right....bread! I LOVE bread. It is a perfect addition to any meal and I am so sad to have to look at it in my bread drawer and watch my family enjoy its wholesome deliciousness, but it is for the greater good.

All that I have to say is that this had better put me really close to the top of the list for awesome friends! LOL!

Fave Photo of the Day

2010-06-20T20:56:00.001-07:00

Homecoming 2010

2010-06-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

My dad LOVES to go to the parade every year with us. He comes and helps the kids get all of the candy that is thrown. Actually, he is just like a kid himself! My oldest daughter actually told me the other day that she was going to "get lots of Tootsie Rolls because they are Grampa's favorite"! When there is a lag in the parade he tells all of the kids to run out in the street and get the stray candy that's laying around. Even my friend's kids know that he is gonna help them get candy! LOL! But I thought it was so cute that Becca Boo was sitting with Grampa this year getting help, so I couldn't resist this picture!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Canning

2010-06-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

My mom and my sister came over Saturday morning to can our strawberry and rhubarb that we had picked. Between the three of us we had three reusable shopping bags full of rhubarb and 40 quarts of berries! HERE is a great write up in the local paper about their patch!

So anyways, it ended up taking about 8 hours to get all of the canning done. We ended up with strawberry-rhubarb pie filling, strawberry-rhubarb conserve and strawberry-rhubarb jam. Everything is so delicious and we are so excited to get to use it! While we were canning, we decided to take a batch of our pie filling and make two fresh pies and all of the work was totally worth it! The pies were FABULOUS!

I LOVE canning and I am so glad that I have the knowledge and passion for it. It saves us money and my kids get to eat fresh fruits/veggies all year long.

Here are some of the canning recipes we used:

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PIE FILLING:
(This will fill two deep dish pies)
4 Cups cut up strawberries
4 Cups diced rhubarb
3 Cups sugar
4 Tbsp Cornstarch
12 Tbsp Flour
Nutmeg as desired

Add strawberries, rhubarb and sugar to large saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add cornstarch, flour and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat until thick. Pour filling into hot jars and hot water bath for 15 minutes. Allow jars to cool. Let rest for 24 hours. Store until ready to use.

To make pie: Fill a pie crust with filling and cover filling with crust. Put pads of butter on top of crust and bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CONSERVE

4 cups diced strawberries
4 cups diced rhubarb
7 cups sugar

Place ingredients in large stockpot and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn up heat and bring to a rapid boil until sauce becomes thick and smooth. Place in hot jars and hot water bath 15 minutes.

This conserve can be used over angel food cake, pound cake, as a syrup over pancakes when warmed or spread on toast.

Swagging 101

2010-06-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a great tutorial on how to swag with SwagBucks! Thank you so much to my friend Amy for doing all of the hard work for me! LOL

Swagging 101 (By Ames)

1. download the toolbar. you'll get 1 buck each day just for doing this.

2. use their search engine like you would any other. don't search extra just trying to get a hit. i usually get bucks about 2-3 x day. mostly 3. you'll know you got bucks because a nice little swagbuck dollar pic will show up on your screen telling you whether you got 10, 20, 30, or 50...or more. mostly you'll get 10s. i've gotten two 20s.

3. become a fan on fb. that's where i learned most of my swagaliciousness from. stalk the wall off and on throughout the day and when you see lots of 'thanks tsg' you'll know that a code is out.

4. the codes are worth swagbucks. i've seen them range anywhere from 3 bucks to 20. when one is out you have to search around to find it. they are hidden in a few different spots that you can access from swagbucks.com ......such as the blog, twitter (i do not have a twitter account but you can see their updates by just clicking the link), comments (from the blog), discussions (on fb) and other places. IF you download the swidget (i just put mine on my blog) though you can just check it and it will tell you where to look. for example, when the code was out on the toolbar, it said 'code in toolbar'. so.....no searching about for it.

5. do not oversearch because it will lock you. been there done that. and i didn't even think i searched that much. apparently they disagreed.

6. supposedly at midnight swagbucks are easier to come by.

7. on the swagbucks search page you can also search under images and videos and the others. be sure also to click on every page at the bottom. i've had a few wins on page 2.

8. check out the special offers. there are task that you can do as well. be wary of the stuff that you have to sign up for though.....because they don't always award the points. i mainly stick to searching and the codes. if i have extra time i'll do a task.
**on the special offers page, click the no obligation offers button. hit skip or no on each offer and get your free bucks. you can do this everyday.

9. get referrals. you make money from searches when they do....well, for the first $1000 that they make.

IdeaPaint!

2010-06-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

As a BzzAgent, I get to check out new products all of the time! My favorite review so far is the IdeaPaint! This is dry erase board paint that you can use anywhere in your home! This is perfect for my homeschooling! I can have a HUGE area to work and post homework and all sorts of things! I am going to be getting this ASAP!

Visit IdeaPaint™ HOME

I'm NOT doing it!

2010-06-14T14:47:00.001-07:00

So, we were at my mom's house and we were having corn on the cob for dinner. Becca was so darn cute trying to eat it, so I had Marvin grab the camera and try to get a photo of her. Well, as soon as we put the camera up, she quit eating it! We asked her again and again to eat some of her corn and she just kept refusing. Finally, she crossed her arms and looked the other way. She wouldn't even acknowledge us! The following picture is what we got:

My last time to potty train!

2010-06-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

And I am so excited! We are so close! Becca is going in the potty regularly now. The only thing left to do is to get her to wake up dry and to go when she is playing outside. I guess I understand.....why quit playing to go to the bathroom? It is so much easier to just go in your pants! LOL! But really, I can see why kids wanna keep playing. Their lives are so innocent and easily entertained!

Hopefully in just a few short days/weeks we will be diaper free for the first time in seven years! Woohoo!

Homemade Ice Cream....Oh how I love thee!

2010-05-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

We made our first batch of homemade ice cream of the season at my mom's house this evening and it was DIVINE! I just love that wonderful fresh vanilla taste and the deliciousness of the cream! My mom also made a dark chocolate sauce to go over it and it was amazing! I am still thinking about that delicious bowl of frozen goodness! I think that I will definitely be taking the ice cream freezer and ingredients to the campground this weekend!

Teenagers???

2010-05-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Do I have teenagers hiding in seven and five year old bodies in my house? It sure sounds like it! It also looks like it. The eye rolling, the sighing, the mouthing off.....I don't know how much more I can take! These kids are driving me nuts recently. I want a mute and a pause button installed somewhere on their little bodies so that I can get a time out for myself when I feel my blood boiling at the latest grief they decide to give me. I know that is why God placed this insane amount of love inside of me for them. Otherwise, I would sell them at my yearly garage sale or lease them out to other families for a while! I can't wait until this wonderful stage passes!

Come on over and join me!

2010-05-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Do you LOVE getting free stuff? Do you like product testing and reviews? Well, bzzagent allows you to do just that! I have been a member for a few months now and am active in two current campaigns. I can't say enough good things about it! Come over and join me!

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T13:34:00.001-07:00

This year was a lot of fun for the girls! They made out like bandits in their Easter Baskets and with the egg hunt! They looked so cute all dressed up for church and were so excited to get new shoes to match! I have to show off their cuteness!

I pray for strength

2010-04-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 22nd, 2010 I lost one of my best friends to cervical cancer. She was diagnosed at her 6 week post partum checkup with her daughter the first time. She had chemo and various other things and thought she had beat it. A few months later, she started having severe leg pain. The doctors told her that it was bursitis or micro fractures due to the chemo. After multiple visits and complaints they finally did a scan only to find out that the cancer had spread to her pelvic wall and was wrapped around major arteries and close to her spine. She fought a LONG two year battle. She wanted to watch her daughter grow up and never gave up hope. Even when she was flying to PA constantly to the Cancer Treatment Center of America, she continued to fight and be strong for her husband and her baby. Finally, her body just couldn't fight anymore. The cancer spread to her brain and she was just so weak. She went to be with our Lord and spend her forever in Heaven.

For those of us left here on earth, it is a struggle to understand why such things happen to good people. Why is her daughter left without her mother? But, I know that we may never understand or get that answer until we are one day in Heaven with the Father and can ask him ourselves. Every day I remind myself that she is no longer in pain and no longer suffering. Her body is perfect and whole again. She is spending her time in perfect happiness. Although I thank God that she is no longer hurting, I am left to grieve her loss. I see her pictures in my home, I think of the fun times we had together, and then I mourn the time that we will never have. The process of grieving a loved one is a long road and I know that only God can see me through this.

Please continue to pray for my healing and for the healing of her family as we go through this journey.

Rest in Peace, Jamie. 4-11-1981~3-22-2010

PS. Get your yearly Gyn exam! We all know how dreadful it is, but early detection can save your life!

Ewwww......

2010-02-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

So today I decided to take the girls and go out to lunch with Marvin. We haven't gone out to his job to see him in a while and I figured that he would appreciate it. So, we drive out there and pick him up. We get to the restaurant and sit down and have a nice lunch. It was a salad bar, so the kiddos were all nice and full when we left. We all get our coats on(because it is still cold and we have two feet of snow or more on the ground) and head up to the counter to pay for our bill. Little Bit was making faces, so I thought she had something stuck in her throat or something. WRONG! She puked all over the floor of the restaurant! It was so gross! All of that salad bar food came right back up and splatted all over the floor! I was mortified! I kept apologizing and the ladies were so nice, but it didn't make me feel any better. I wanted to run out of there, but we still hadn't paid the bill and the people in front of us in line were taking forever! So needless to say, we had to stand there and soak in our embarrassment for a long time!

I can't wait until the kids are old enough to tell me what is going on! I would like to avoid another scene like that for a while!

My excitement for the week!

2010-02-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to finally have a new camera! I have had my old Kodak EasyShare for about six years and it was just so out of date and wouldn't hold a charge and ate batteries like crazy. It would shut off in the middle of a picture and I was getting so annoyed with it. Well, income taxes finally came so I went to Best Buy this morning and purchased a Nikon D3000. It is really nice! I have been playing around with it for the last few hours and I haven't even come close to figuring it all out, but it takes great pictures! I am so excited to have a real reason to use it!

Reading "The Five Love Languages"

2010-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

A while back I purchased the book "The Five Love Languages" on audio for my iPod and listened to it. It is an amazing book and I highly recommend it to anyone! It tells you how to show and receive love from anyone, not just your spouse.

Anyways, I have been asking my DH to listen to the book for about a month now. I gave him constant reminders that I wanted him to read it and even left my precious iPod with him on occasion in the hopes that he would turn it on and listen. Well, last night I had finally had it and I told him that I was serious and that I NEEDED him to listen to this book. I told him that it would show him what my love language was and how to speak it. I told him that he wasn't filling my "love tank" and that the book would show him why and how to fix the problem. Well, he finally took it to work with him today and started listening to it. When I called him a little while ago to see how his day was going(which we usually do everyday anyways, this isn't a special call), we finally started talking about the book. He never realized what my love languages are. He didn't know that he wasn't filling my love tank fully. He knew that he was scraping by with the bare minimums, but wasn't doing much more than that. He was putting a band-aid on things instead of fixing them. I think that we finally got to a place where we can both see what we need to work on. I have been actively trying to fill his love tank for the last month since I listened to the book and he acknowledged that he saw the difference. He was grateful for the changes I have made. Now, I just hope that he can make those same changes so that we can have an AMAZING marriage and we can get back to how things used to be. I was always so proud when I was the one with the husband who refilled my drinks without being asked. He would send me flowers on every special occasion just to say he loved me. People noticed those things about him and knew how lucky I was and I never felt more loved than I did then.

I will say it again....if you haven't read "The Five Love Languages", do it! It could change your marriage and your entire life!

You have a piece of my heart

2010-01-20T16:36:00.000-08:00

It seems amazing to me that I have known you for over 10 years now! We have laughed together, cried together, been new places and seen new things. We have experienced the oceans and the mountains while in each other's presence. I miss you terribly! Even though you are still here and I can call you on the phone, reaching you is so difficult. I spend many nights thinking about you and how you are doing. I pray for you and your family. I think about what it will be like when we can be together once again like it was in the old days. We will never go through pregnancies together again and we may never live nearby again, but I am looking forward to the days when we can take our kids to the county fair, or swimming, or to the park. I can't wait to spend long nights watching scary movies or just hanging out. I want to grow old with you just a phone call away.

I know you don't want me to worry about you and that you are trying to keep me from the realities of this life, but I WANT to be there. I want to help you and I want to be your crutch, or crying shoulder, maybe even your chef. Whatever you need. I don't care if you don't feel like talking, or don't want to get out of bed. I don't care if you don't have your makeup on or even if you are still in your PJ's. I want to be able to be there. You will forever have a piece of my heart because you are part of my life. I love you and it will never change!

Get well my friend!

Cute Story!

2010-01-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today I was in desperate search for a sitter. I called my mom and dad, my sister, my friend, my aunt and finally I called my cousin. Now, normally, I don't ask her to babysit for me because she is also a busy mom and she lives about 45 minutes away from me. Well, today was an exception and I went ahead and called her. Luckily, she was happy to help. So, I got the kiddos all dressed and ready to go and told them that they were going to spend the afternoon with Bonnie. They were excited because they know Bonnie and her boys, but we don't see them a lot.

I got the kids in the car and on the way over, they were asking their usual 1,523 questions. Only, the thing that made these questions funny is that they kept calling poor Bonnie, Barney! Questions like, "Mom, where does Barney live?" and "Mom, how long until we get to Barney's house?" I had to keep correcting them, but it was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing while trying to correct it!

Fortunately, I got it into their little minds that her name was, in fact, Bonnie and they managed to call her by her correct name when they arrived!

Darn those kids!

Interesting Topic

2010-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

While I was at my MOPS group this morning, we had a wonderful chat during our table discussion time. We talked about friends and forming friendships with other mommies. We also talked about two women being friends where one has entered the world of mommy-dom and the other hasn't. We were able to speak openly and honestly about our roles in our friendships and how we can grow new friendships and many other things. It was nice to see other points of view on this topic!

Well, this brings me to my main point. It seems amazing to me that once you enter the world of mommyhood that you get soooo many judgments from other mommies. These mommies can be friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors....anyone!

Some women believe that you NEED to breastfeed in order to feel a "special bond" with your child. Some also think that you NEED to let your child wean themselves and that parent-led weaning is somehow detrimental to a child's health and overall emotional well-being. Wanna know what I think of this??? I think that it is a bunch of hooey! I had an UNBELIEVABLE bond with my first daughter and I only BF for the first three weeks of her life due to some various issues! I loved her from the moment I laid my eyes on her and every time that I gave her a bottle, I knew that I was giving her nourishment, strength, love, care and my undivided attention. This was different than with my second and third child. I BF my second child until I returned to work and with my third child, I moved mountains to make our BF relationship work. I BF for six months and then I decided that it was time to make the switch. I did NOT feel any closer to my second two children than my first. I loved them all the same and was bonded just the same to all of them. I knew that I would die for any of them and still feel that to this day. Why is this such a big deal from mom to mom? Why do we feel the need to judge other moms by how they decide to feed their child? Now, obviously, BF is Bestfed, but the options are there and ultimately it shouldn't matter what you choose. If a mom wants to breastfeed, I think that everyone around her should give her support and encouragement that she needs and deserves. BUT....if a mom wants to formua feed....I think the same respect should be paid.

Another thing that moms like to compare is circumcised vs intact babies. Now, granted, I have no sons and I never had to make this decision but I am pretty darn sure what our decision would be. Why do moms play the guilt card when it comes to this? Why do they try to play the "it's a violation of your son's human rights" card to moms who choose to circ? Let me just say this.....my children have only the basic human rights. They have a right to life, a right to be fed and clothed, loved, never abused, and they have the right to any other basic human need out there. I, as their mother, have the right to make decisions on their behalf that I think is for their own good. Just as mothers of intact babies have the right to decide that they want their children to make that decision when they are older. I don't care if you want your son to wait until he is 18 to make that choice, so why do you care if I make the choice for him? I have the right to decide that circ my son is the safest and most hygenic option for us. I am, in fact, their mother and until they turn 18, have ALL of the decision making power in their life. I will make decisions to the best of my ability and if you don't like it, then you will just have to sit back and shut up. I make my decisions and you make yours. No need to judge and belittle for these choices. They are personal decisions and no one has the right to berate you for them.

Another thing that some moms feel is a super special accomplishment is the ability to push a baby out of your body. Why oh why is this something that moms feel the need to compare with others? I was speaking to a mom that I live near and she really wanted me to know that there is "nothing like having a vaginal birth. It was the most special thing ever and it just doesn't compare to anything else". Well, let me tell you something......all of my babies were by c-section and I feel like just as much of a mom as the next woman. I grew those babies for nine long months just like everyone else. I loved them, and cared for them and spoke to them while they were in the womb. I ended up having a c-section(while not by choice) and now my babies are here. They are happy, healthy, vibrant, beautiful and thriving. I don't feel like I am missing out. I am a mom. This was the result that I wanted. I didn't get pregnant for the labor....I got pregnant for the child. In my personal experience with childbirth(yes, it IS childbirth even if they didn't come out the birth canal)I am soooo lucky that c-sections are available and successful! My first daughter came out butt first. That has high potential for serious problems. With a c-section, she came out PERFECT. And with my last child....I would be dead without a c-section. Yep, you read that right! DEAD! I would have bled to death and my children would be without a mother. Not ALL c-section moms are just the mindless statistic. We don't all just follow the almighty doctor. A lot of us make informed decisions and feel that we are doing the best thing by having that c-section. We go into it knowing what our risks are and what our options are. I am at peace with my decision and no one has the right to make me second guess that. I thank the Lord every single day that he let me continue my life on earth to raise my children. I want to add to this that I am soooo proud of vag birth mamas! I think that they are amazing and wonderful and strong and all around awesome! But at the same time, I don't find it fair for some women to feel like they are part of some special club if they gave birth naturally. And the same goes for c-section mamas. We aren't in a special club all on our own either. Our natural birthing counterparts ended up with the same end result as us. We are all moms! I want all moms to realize that no matter how their babies come into this world that we are all still mothers. The method isn't what is important, it's the end result.

Okay, I think that is enough with my soapbox! This has just weighed heavily on my mind for a while and I needed to get it out there!

Post Baby Body Update #2

2010-01-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

Here we are again with another body update. I am going to start by saying that the hubby and I have started a Biggest Loser within our house. We have competed for two weeks now and we are on the first day of week three. Since he is a man and his weight fluctuates much faster than mine, he was able to win the first two weeks' weigh ins. The first week he was 1/10th of a percent higher than me and the second week was just about the same. But, I am determined to win this week! I have lost a total of six pounds in two weeks and I was down another pound today when I weighed in. That puts my current total at 7 pounds in 15 days. This is a slow but steady loss and I have to say that I am proud of myself for sticking it out. I am not big into exercising but I have been running on the treadmill every other day and now I am adding strength training to the opposite days of that.

I have to recommend a great iPhone or iPod Touch app that I have found through a great online friend of mine. It is free and it is called Lose it! You can find out how many calories you can take in in a day according to your weight loss goals per week. You can keep a food journal on it as well as an exercise journal. It is really nice to have handy!

I will be updating again soon, so keep reading and looking for my update titles!

Men are from Mars....

2010-01-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

It never fails to amaze me at how different men and women are. We see things in a different light and can be so frustrating! Now, I love my hubby with all of my heart, but the things he does just bother me to no end sometimes! Our latest disagreement is over his ability to respect my requests. Now, I don't think that my requests are that difficult and quite frankly, I usually expect more from my kids than I do from him when it comes to the daily household things.

So, last week, I spent an ENTIRE day working on my kitchen. I cleaned out cupboards, the pantry, and the appliances. I got rid of old dishes and plastic containers and changed the way that my cupboards are set up. It took me a long time since this is the first real down-and-dirty cleaning project I have done in the kitchen since we moved in six years ago. So, after my long and hard day's work, I was so proud to have a sparkling clean kitchen with clean cupboards and more room on my countertops as well. When hubby got home, I pointed out all of the work that it had taken me to accomplish this task and that I really would like for him to FINALLY stop putting all of his crap all over the counters as soon as he walked in the door from work every night. Our kitchen is the first room that you walk into from the back door and so everyone can see the mess that accumulates there and this is where I spend a majority of my time since I am forever feeding hungry ~~gremlins~~ children and a hungry ~~adult child~~ husband. When he comes home from a long day at work he seems to feel the need to throw EVERYTHING right in the middle of the counter. It doesn't matter if I am cooking dinner or not. I get a heaping pile full of keys, papers, wallet, coat, hat, change and whatever else he carried home from that day. So, reluctantly, he said that he would "try" to keep things off of the counter. Well, that effort was short lived! It only took him about two days to go right back to his old routine. I guess that he made one baby step in the right direction since he has now moved his "pile" from the middle of the counter to the side counter, but nonetheless, it is still a huge mess in an otherwise clean kitchen.

So, today, I once again woke up to find his mess leftover from last night and I cleaned it up into a nice tidy little pile while he was away at a side job. But, as soon as he arrived home, he takes his stuff that he brought in from the car and threw it into another big pile instead of noticing that I had cleaned the first pile and then following suit.

WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT?!?

He has no problem reminding me that since I am his wife that I should make an effort to meet his needs, but has problems seeing that he is NOT meeting my needs. The house is my domain. I run this place like a well oiled machine and try to have it cleaned and tidy for when he arrives home from a long day at work. I simply ask that he not mess up my work space. I have pointed out to him in the past that I do not go into his place of employment and make piles of stuff all over his desk. I am sure that he would not appreciate this gesture. So, once I put it in perspective for him, why is he having such a difficult time making a simple change for me????

So, I guess that the "counter war" will continue on for a while, but hopefully we can come to a peaceful resolution soon!

Our Christmas Photo session!

2010-01-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

My sister and I decided to have a photographer come and take pictures of our families as a gift to our mother and to her mother in law. So, the weekend before Christmas, we all got up early in the morning to have a photo shoot at 9:30am! The pictures turned out wonderful and I am so proud of the kids! Unfortunately, these are not the best photos since I had to take pictures of the pictures, but you will get the idea when you look at them!

After almost a year.....

2009-12-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am finally going to have an oven again! Yep, that's right! I have been without an oven for almost a year now! Actually, the broiler still worked, but the bottom coil was broken. So, I have been baking casseroles in the oven with just a broiler. It has not been easy, either! I had to put foil on the top rack to help diffuse the heat and then I would have to broil things on the low setting and it would take three times as long to cook. I made a breakfast casserole last week and it should take 30 minutes to bake and it ended up taking two hours! Yikes!

But, my dad came through and got the coil and took it to the store and ordered the replacement. Last week he dropped it off and DH put it in the oven. Voila! Heat!

So now, I am so excited to bake again! I have made cookies twice and have been making baked dishes for dinner almost every night! Oh, the small things in life that matter!

Life on Planet Mom

2009-12-29T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am part of a MOPS group and this year the theme is "Life on Planet Mom" and we have a great book that corresponds with this theme. I was reading some of it yesterday and the chapter that I happened to read was on your relationship with your spouse. I am sure that it was not a coincidence that I read this chapter this week as my husband and I have been having a lot of disagreements lately about the way that a lot of things work in our relationship. He feels that I don't give enough of my time to him. That I spend my time and energy on the kids and the house and myself and I don't have any leftover for him. Well, this is partially true. I DO spend a lot of my energy on the kids and the house and the bills and the laundry and the planning and the appointments and the shopping and the budget and the and the and the......but where he is wrong is the fact that I spend a lot of time on myself. I honestly feel totally drained by the end of the night and there isn't much left for him. I just want to relax and have no one calling my name or needing me. Of course, I am sure that most married women know that at the end of the night is when your husband is calling you and needing you and grabbing at you, this is the last thing you want. The same thing that you dealt with ALL DAY from your kids. Intimacy can seem like just one more chore! Well, I decided, after reading this chapter in my book, that I needed to really try to make time for my husband and I and intentionally leave some of my time for him. So, last night I thought that I was doing this and guess what......it totally backfired! He didn't think that I was doing enough and I didn't think that he was responding to me. It ended in a big fat argument and both of us going to bed upset. Now, we are going to have to have a long drawn out, frustrating discussion tonight and I am not looking forward to it. I already know what is going to be said and what is going to happen. Ugh! I can only pray that God will help both of us to see and understand the other's point of view. I need to just remember that marriage is a long journey and there are going to be bumps in the road.

Please visit!

2009-12-18T08:18:00.001-08:00

Please visit my other blog for homeschooling. It has lots of new info on it about some of our summer adventures. I would love to have more readers!

Homeschool Blog

Interesting Article on Homeschooling....

2009-12-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me this article on Homeschooling and Socialization. I am so happy that this has finally been thoroughly researched and comes out in favor of homeschooling parents. Dealing with this concern from family and friends is a big obstacle and this gives me great confidence in the fact that we are doing the right thing for our family!

HOMESCHOOLING: Socialization is not a problem

By Michael Smith

One of the most persistent criticisms of home-schooling is the accusation that home-schoolers will not be able to fully participate in society because they lack "socialization." It's a challenge that reaches right to the heart of home-schooling, because if a child isn't properly socialized, how will that child be able to contribute to society?

Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.

Proving academic success is relatively straightforward. Today, it is accepted that home-schoolers, on average, outperform their public school peers. The most recent study, "Homeschool Progress Report 2009," conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, surveyed more than 11,000 home-schooled students. It showed that the average home-schooler scored 37 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than the public school average.

The second myth, however, is more difficult to address because children who were home-schooled in appreciable numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s are only now coming of age and in a position to demonstrate they can succeed as adults.

Home-school families across the nation knew criticisms about adequate socialization were ill-founded — they had the evidence right in their own homes. In part to address this question from a research perspective, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned a study in 2003 titled "Homeschooling Grows Up," conducted by Mr. Ray, to discover how home-schoolers were faring as adults. The news was good for home-schooling. In all areas of life, from gaining employment, to being satisfied with their home-schooling, to participating in community activities, to voting, home-schoolers were more active and involved than their public school counterparts.

Until recently, "Homeschooling Grows Up" was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled "Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults" from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.

When measured against the average Canadians ages 15 to 34 years old, home-educated Canadian adults ages 15 to 34 were more socially engaged (69 percent participated in organized activities at least once per week, compared with 48 percent of the comparable population). Average income for home-schoolers also was higher, but perhaps more significantly, while 11 percent of Canadians ages 15 to 34 rely on welfare, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income for home-schoolers. Home-schoolers also were happier; 67.3 percent described themselves as very happy, compared with 43.8 percent of the comparable population. Almost all of the home-schoolers — 96 percent — thought home-schooling had prepared them well for life.

This new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. Being home-schooled has not closed doors on career choices.

The results are a great encouragement to all home-schooling families and to parents thinking about home-schooling. Home-schoolers, typically identified as being high academic achievers, also can make the grade in society.

Both "Homeschooling Grows Up" and "Fifteen Years Later" amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path.

To read the full study or a synopsis, visit www.hslda.ca/cche.

• Michael Smith is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He may be contacted at 540/338-5600 or send e-mail to media@hslda.org.

Sick MOM=Who cares?!

2009-10-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Being a mom and being sick is no fun at all! I started getting sick about four days ago and even though I would've liked a break, the world just didn't stop turning. I ran a constant fever and had a severe cough, but the kids didn't care.....they still needed to eat! I remember the days when I was sick and someone would tell me to go home and rest and I could actually do that. I could take the time I needed to get better and recuperate. Not now! These days it is basically the same routine I am just doing it all on half a tank of energy and even less patience. I couldn't take a nap, I couldn't just zone out in bed all day. Nope, I had to get up and continue on with my day as if I was totally healthy.

To put the icing on the cake, my dear hubby basically just kissed me goodbye in the mornings and went on his merry way. He didn't ask if he could get me a sitter, he didn't offer to stay at home with me and take a vacation day....nothing! I was so frustrated, tired, irritated, sick and just plain out grouchy. Would it hurt him to just pretend to want to baby me for a day?!

Now that I am on day four of my illness and the fever has finally passed, I can honestly say that the kids weren't as much of a burden as the days before, but they are definitely on their own when it comes to keeping themselves occupied because the fever and coughing has taken every bit of energy out of me and I can't bring myself to play or go anywhere.

I am looking forward to the day when I get to focus on me again when sick!

Drama Queen Version 3.0

2009-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Having three little girls has shown me that there are certain things that I get to deal with that most moms of boys do not. One of the biggest things is that girls can really be drama queens! Now, I know that there are some little boys in the world who emit their fair share of drama, but in a household of three girls, I get enough drama for about three families!

Now, I have my youngest daughter starting with her version of drama. While most of the time she is a tough little cookie, she can sometimes really play up the little bumps and bruises. The other night she was playing and ended up bumping her head. I don't even remember what it was that she bumped into now, but of course I remember the crying!

My husband's first reaction is to put ice on everything! Every sore muscle, bump, bruise, scrape, mosquito bite....anything! So, on this night, the first place he headed to was the freezer! My girls are now also hooked on ice for every problem and even though Little Bit isn't even two yet, she also likes a bag of ice! We sat her down on the couch and gave her the bag of ice and the picture says the rest! She looked so pitiful with that ice pack on her head, yet in the picture of her "bump" you can't even see anything because the red mark is so small!

Oh the joys of drama queens.....

Baked Goods anyone?!

2009-09-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was feeling quite motivated so I decided to do some baking. Now, I should preface this story with s small story about my lovely husband(known as Sir Lovely from here on out) who has known that I my oven has been malfunctioning for over six months now. Granted, the broiler works, but the rest of the heating elements are broken. I haven't been able to preheat my oven to a specific temperature since then. Sir Lovely has been complaining that last summer I bought a bunch of zucchini for bread and yet he hasn't gotten a single loaf. I kept telling him that if he fixed the oven that I would be happy to bake him some bread. Well....Sir Lovely is still to this day avoiding his manly duties and hasn't fixed my poor oven. If I need something cooked, I have to broil it!

So on to the original story! I went ahead and got my electric roaster oven out and preheated it. I mixed up a batch of zucchini bread batter and put it in the roaster(which also doubles as an oven). Lo and behold, it worked! I spent an entire evening mixing and baking bread. I made four loaves of regular zucchini and four loaves of chocolate zucchini. It is so yummy!

While I was at it, I decided to go ahead and bake up a pineapple upside-down cake! It turned out delicious! It was so moist and tasty that it didn't last long at all. Overall, it was a successful night of baking and I had a lot of yummy treats for the kids, Sir Lovely and I to enjoy!

Coupon Shopping...one of my favorite nights out!

2009-08-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

So, it has become a kind of ritual that every Wednesday night that my friend and I go out and do all of our coupon shopping. We clip coupons earlier in the week and plan out our evening and then we get to have the whole night to ourselves with no children! I have come to LOVE these nights out! We laugh and joke and talk about all sorts of things. I have learned so much about my friend in such a short period of time doing this! The bonus is that we get to save HUGE amounts of money! We don't usually get home until around midnight or so, but that is when the fun has really gotten to its peak! We always find something humorous that happened during our trips into town and we like to recall it regularly(remember our Arby's friend, mama?!) and we have even laughed until we almost peed our pants!

I have to say that I truly appreciate these nights out b/c I get the chance to be me for a while. I don't have to be "mommy" or "wifey" for just a few hours and I get to behave like I have no responsibilities. It is such a breath of fresh air for me!

I think that my kids are better off for this "mom's night out" as well. I get to wake up the next morning with a feeling of being refreshed from my daily duties and routine and I get to appreciate being mom again. I can only hope that every mom gets some kind of time away on a regular basis. When I first quit my job, I didn't have anyone and it was a hard and lonely time for me. I certainly don't wish that upon any mom! Although I think that being a SAHM is the most wonderful job in the world and where I think moms should be, I know for a fact that it can't be our whole existence and this couponing trip is my way back to the fun side of mommyhood and having great girlfriends!

Post Baby Body Update #1

2009-08-25T18:47:00.001-07:00

Well, here I am again talking about this darn post baby body that God has blessed me with. I just wanted to give a quick update and let everyone know that the workouts are going well even though I am not doing them as often as I would like. I am hoping that with the schoolyear starting and a new daily routine emerging that I can make myself do it!

Good news....I am down 15lbs! Yay!

Bad news....I can't really tell it in my clothes yet. Some things are fitting looser, but I haven't had to go down a size yet! That is when it will hit me, I think!

I will be sure to keep everyone updated in the months to come!

Mmmm.....Sweet Corn!

2009-08-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

We have been very lucky to have three little girls who eat very well. Overall, they are not picky eaters and will try most anything. Well, Rebecca's newest experience was Sweet Corn! She loved it! At dinner the other night, she sat in her dad's lap and enjoyed chewing on that cob for a long time! Then, she decided that she was going to try and share her piece of corn with Alaina! It was cute and definitely a kodak moment!

Yesterday's nine hour adventure!

2009-08-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to can some beets and freeze some onions. So we took the kiddos and drove over to the pickin' patch and picked a bushel of red beets and a 1/2 bushel of sweet and red onions. We also picked up some fresh garlic while we were there! Yummo! The kids did a great job and Michaela and I kicked Dad's butt when it came to filling our bucket first! Yay for us!

So, we got home and Michaela really wanted to help me out. So, we found her little apron so that she could look like mommy and we got to work! We poured all of the onions and beets into the sink so that we could get started with the washing. We washed two stock pots worth of beets and got them on the stove and then we started with the onions. Michaela was so brave! Even though her eyes were burning from the odor of the onions, she stuck it out! After we did about 6 HUGE onions, we got two glasses of ice water and sat down in the dining room to take a quick break.

Then it was back to work! We chopped more onions and before we knew it, it was time to skin the first batch of beets! So, we dumped the hot water out of the pots and put the beets in a sink of cold water. Those things are the easiest things to skin ever! The skin just slid right off! So, I got the first batch skinned and chopped and in the jars. We covered the beets with the pickling juice and I thought it was smooth sailing from there. Wrong! As soon as we got the first batch of jars in the hot water bather, a jar busted! Darn it! That always makes me so mad because then you have to reheat that huge pot of water all over again and it it takes a while! So, I got the first batch out of the bather and cleaned it out and got it on the burner again. Meanwhile, I skinned and canned the second batch of beets. Once the water was back up to boiling, we got the second batch in the bather. After that little setback, it was a pretty easy night overall.

We continued canning until about 1am when we finally got our last batch in the bather and I got the dishes and the floor and counters all cleaned up. Fortunately, the counters didn't stain red like I thought they would. It all wiped up rather easily.

By the end of the night I was exhausted, but I am proud to say that I have 25 quarts of pickled beets for the pantry and over 50-2cup bags of onions in the freezer! It was a successful evening!

The "ouch" side of love

2009-08-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

My sister gave me a CD to listen to about three weeks ago that was a sermon that was given at her church. It was all about disciplining children the way that God has commanded. It was titled "Disciplining Children: The "ouch" side of love". I listened to that CD and I was instantly convicted. I knew in my heart that God was telling me that I needed to take these steps when disciplining my girls. I knew that while I was already implementing many of the things that they spoke about, I was going about it the wrong way. I wasn't disciplining for all of the right reasons and I wasn't taking the right steps to ensure that I don't lose my temper during difficult times with my children. I felt like God was using this woman to speak to me and to teach me the right way to discipline. It showed me a way that I could discipline the girls in a way that they would not fear me, but still know that I meant business.

One of the things that she spoke about was to never use my hand to paddle the girls. I had never really thought about this concept before. I always just paddled with my hand because that is what was handy and always available. I didn't really put it into a perspective to where my kids would come to flinch or shy away when my hand was raised. So, instead we have started using a plastic spoon when necessary.

Now, I don't want anyone to think that I beat my kids. I don't. I just give my children a paddle when they disobey. Another point during the sermon. You should never paddle out of frustration, or embarrassment, or anger. ONLY for disobedience! So once your children understand the concept of "no" and what things are off limits they are to obey. If they choose to disobey, they have chosen the consequence that comes with that disobedience.

Another point that she made was to never paddle your child in front of others. Discipline is an event. You should take the time to put your child in another room, talk with them about the disobedience, paddle them, and then make sure that they understand that you forgive them for their actions and pray for forgiveness as well. It has taken me a while to fully implement all of the steps effectively, but I can see the difference in my children already! They are responding better when I speak to them. They are taking their discipline in stride instead of rolling on the floor crying. It has been great!

If anyone is interested in this CD, please let me know. I am happy to burn it and let you have it. I have listened to it many times. I am sure that once will not be enough for anyone!

We got a visitor today!

2009-08-21T16:10:00.001-07:00

So, today was one of those rare days where I was lucky enough to get all three.....that's right ALL THREE of my children to take a nap. I was so excited to have a few hours to myself that I barely even knew where to begin! Well, I finally decided on a lazy afternoon by the pool reading a great book. So, I get my suit on, grab my towel, sunglasses, hat, phone and book and head out the back door and onto my pool deck. It was a really hot and sunny afternoon, so after about 45 minutes of sitting in the sun I decided that it would be safe to get on a raft and read my book. I don't have any children to splash me, of course! So I slather on the sunscreen, get into the wonderul 86 degree water and get onto my beloved raft. I then grab my book and begin reading while lazily floating about. About 20 minutes later I hear what sounds like a piece of chain being drug down the road. I look up and don't see anything so I continue reading. Again, I hear this unusual noise. Again I look up and see nothing. At this point, I think that I need to get my hearing checked. So, a third time of hearing the clinking I look up and see a dog slinking through my veggie garden heading towards our dog's pen. Eventually he gets up to my dog and they start looking at each other through the fence. I figured that the dog would move on, but after about five minutes I realize that he isn't going anywhere so long as my dog is there.

Now I have a dilemma.....this is a male pit bull that hasn't been neutered, I don't know him, and my children are in the house sleeping while I am in the swimming pool. I don't want to get out of the pool to go to the house, but I don't want one of the girls to wake up and head outside either. While the dog looked friendly enough, you just never know! So, my first thought is to call my neighbor and see if she knows the dog. She doesn't. Strike one. My second thought is to call my husband and have him look up the number for the dog warden. He can't because he is out on the road. Strike two. So, my last thought is to call my friend and see what she suggests since she has had many pitts and has boarded many dogs. Success!!! Her husband is home from work and they are on their way over! My only concern now is hoping my kids don't wake up until he gets here. Well, of course, Michaela wakes up and looks out the garage door and I start screaming for her to go back into the house until I call her. I am so glad that she listened without question and headed back inside!

A few minutes later, my friends show up and he heads in to the backyard, prepared in case the dog is mean and realizes that he is not aggressive and approaches the dog. He has his tags on since he still has his collar AND lead attached to him. We find the name and number of the owners and they come and get the dog. He ended up being a really friendly dog, but I just didn't want to take any chances of our uninvited guest being less than friendly!

I guess these are the perks of country life!

Do unto others....

2009-08-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

That is the saying that has been running through my head for the last two days. I find it funny that for the most part, my life is an open book to my friends. I trust people unless given a reason otherwise, I am very honest about my viewpoints on religion, politics and just everyday life. I have even give a select few a glimpse into some very personal parts of my life. I have opened up and laughed and cried with these women. I have shared my struggles and joys. My highs and lows. All that I ask in return is the same courtesy. No, you don't have to share personal things with me if you don't want to and no, you don't have to call me every time you are struggling. But, the least that you can do is be honest. If you have something you want to say, just come out and say it! I don't appreciate when people beat around the bush. I feel like you are belittling my intelligence and disrespecting me in a serious way by not valuing my friendship in the same way that I am valuing yours.

Unfortunately, God has designed me in such a way that I tend to be very easy to read. You can look at my face and 99% of the time you can tell what I am thinking and feeling. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot cover it up! I guess I am just NOT a good liar! That can be good and bad. I know that when I see these people again, they are going to see my hurt and my begruding and sinful nature. I hate that part of me, but it is in my DNA. Personally, I would just love to be honest and up front, but I have seen and heard the denial before and am not in the mood to try and hash out the details with someone who doesn't come to the table ready to be completely honest. If I have done something to you that makes you not trust me, then tell me! If I have hurt your feelings or earned this treatment that I am receiving, then man up and spit it out! I am willing to tell you if you have hurt me. I feel like we are all big girls and we should all be wearing our big girl panties, so we can handle a little bit of disagreement and constructive criticism from time to time.

I am trying to pray for guidance during this time because I really want to handle this situation with the most class and dignity possible. I want to be able to show my girls that I have done the right thing and that even though there will be times of angst and disagreement among friends that it is possible to handle it in a mature way. A way that is pleasing to God. As I continue through my journey of handling conflict in a Godly way, I will be sure to keep you all updated. It seems like this may be one that is going to require a fair amount of reflection and soul-searching.

And the verdict is.....

2009-08-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

CELLULITIS! Yep, that darn bee gave poor Alaina cellulitis in her foot! Poor thing! I am sure that it has been painful, but we are finally going to get it under control. The pedi gave us an antibiotic and also a handful of samples of Zyrtec. That should help the swelling and the itching and she may finally be able to get her foot in a sandal once again!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and well wishes!

Poor Baby!

2009-08-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Poor Alaina got stung by a bee yesterday afternoon while we were at the park. After repeated attempts to get her to put her shoes on, my little country girl finally reaped the consequences of her actions. She cried for a little bit and so we cleaned it up and she went along her merry little way, but in the middle of the night she started crying about it itching and hurting. When she woke up this morning her foot and toes were swollen. I called the doctor and they told me to keep my eye on it. It is now about 11pm and she has gotten up from her bed again crying about it hurting. It is even bigger now and HOT to the touch. I think we are going to be heading to the ER for a quick checkup. Wish us luck!

2009-08-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was pregnant with Rebecca, I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo to represent my daughters. I wanted something beautiful that I could carry with me my entire life. So, back in May I found the perfect tattoo but I needed it modified a bit. I took it to my tattoo artist and he drew it up for me. I loved it!

Monday night, I finally went and got my tattoo and it turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined it would have! I am so happy with it! I am really excited to show it off! The girls' initials are in each of the butterfly's wings if you look closely.

I wish I would've gotten a picture!

2009-07-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

I had a busy day of working in the kitchen yesterday afternoon so needless to say my story takes place there! I was making my food for supper swap, so I was busy making pie dough and kneading it and cutting it out. While I was doing that, Rebecca was "innocently" playing on the floor. I didn't think much of it, so I just kept on about my business. After a few minutes, I turned around to see my little girl had turned blue!!!! I don't mean the "she can breathe and needs CPR blue", I mean the "she got into the food coloring gel and has it EVERYWHERE" blue!!!! She looked like a little smurf!! At the time, I was so busy and I got upset, but now that I look back on it, I laugh a little bit! I wiped and wiped her hands, face and belly, but the blue just wouldn't come off! She ate lunch a little bit later and all of her food ended up with a blue tint from her fingers. Now that it is over, I sure wish I had used my camera!

Going on a road trip!

2009-07-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am so excited! After a year of trying to make things happen, we are finally taking a road trip down to Texas to meet my online friends! I am really excited to finally meet them and I am even more excited for a road trip with the girls! We have decided to make it an educational trip. We are going through four different states(at the least) that we have never been to so we are going to stop along the way and visit some landmarks and hopefully learn the states, capitals and other useful information! We are going to take pictures the whole way down and then make a scrapbook for a school project on the states we visited.

I feel so blessed that we are able to make it happen and hopefully have a great time on a budget! We found a hotel for $39/night and that is unbeatable! We also have fuel rewards at two different places that we are able to use to help save on gas costs.

So let the countdown begin.....we are leaving Sept 2nd!

Reflections for the day.....

2009-07-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

As I sit her listening to the Ice Cream maker hum and my children laugh together, I sometimes wonder how there are people out there in the world who don't take the time to be at home with their children. And worse, don't want to! I am currently reading the book by Ted Nugent called "Ted, White and Blue" The Nugent Manifesto and it has confirmed to me that I am not the only person left who wonders what happened to the way things used to be. The American Way. When did "keeping up with the Jones's" become so important that people **choose**(and by choose, I actually mean choose and not those people out there who have to work to survive) to be at work all day instead of at home raising their own children. We are allowing outside influences raise the generation of tomorrow. The government takes control of the majority of our children's learning at the tender and influential age of five and they are trying to make it even earlier by implementing universal preschool! Where are the parents of these children?? Why aren't they fighting for their children and the few precious years they have with them before they are sent off to the voluntary brainwashing we call the public school system? When did mothers and fathers become so incompetent that they are no longer good enough to educate our young people?

As a homeschooling mother to three young girls, I am appalled to see what some school districts are teaching their young people! It is no longer up to the parent to teach abstinence and procreation to their children. They leave it up to the teachers. Parents no longer want to teach discipline at home. Instead they want to leave the discipline up to the teachers while they focus on being the "cool" parent and their child's best friend. But, if the teachers get too harsh, watch out! Those same parents are quick to retaliate against the school system saying that their child was treated unfairly or disciplined too severely.

Although I think that it is a personal decision to homeschool your children or send them to a public school, I cannot feel more strongly about my decision to teach my children at home in a structured environment where they are free to practice their religion w/o feeling pressured to change their mindset and where they are learning the importance of saving your virginity for marriage. I want them to learn that there is a difference between respecting other people's choices and accepting them. I am happy that they will learn about all of the religions of the world along with other historical figures w/o feeling the need to agree with all of them b/c some "activist" told them they should.

So, as I continue to sit here and watch my children ride their bikes and feed their animals and talk amongst each other, I thank God that my husband and I have chosen this simple life for ourselves and our children. I am thankful that they will value the dollar and not expect to get all of the finer things in life just b/c someone else has them. I am thankful that we have chosen to put our children above money. I am thankful that God has given us the ability to make these choices for ourselves and most of all, I am thankful that my children have helped me see that the simple things in life can be more exciting than any shiny new toy that can be bought in a store.

Supper Swap....my new favorite thing!

2009-07-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

If you have never heard of supper swap before, or if you have heard of it and never done it, I HIGHLY recommend that you join a group NOW!

Supper Swap is where a group of women get together each month and plan meals for each night of the week. So, since there are four women in my supper swap group, there are four nights that we get home cooked meals and one night where we have to fend for ourselves. My cooking night is Wednesday evenings. So, I decide on a meal that I would like to cook and I suggest it to my group. If they are interested in it, I will put it on the calendar for one of the Wednesdays that I am doing the cooking. When my day comes up, I make meals for myself and the three other womens' families in my group. So, I make a total of four meals in one day. Then, I go around and drop those meals off to those families at 4pm. They have a fully prepared meal and they didn't even have to do anything! Now, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, they do the same in return(on their scheduled day) and I have meals brought to my house and I don't have to think about dinner at all! I just pop the 9x13 pan in my oven and let it cook until ready to serve! What a grand idea! As I am typing this, I am smelling a pan of sausage and scalloped potatoes cooking in my oven that I didn't even have to prepare! Talk about wonderful!!!

Now, get on the phone with some of your friends and family in close driving distance and set up a meeting to plan your first month of supper swap! You will be soooooo happy that you did!

How much is that doggy in the window??

2009-07-21T14:25:00.001-07:00

Because lately I have been willing to trade three little girls for that cute little puppy for sale!

Well, not really, but I am sure that most moms can relate to times when our kids drive us insane! We are all trying to adjust to a new schedule with my niece now having a job and needing to be picked up at 2:30 each afternoon. It is a 1/2 hour drive each way and is right smack dab in the middle of nap time! How convenient! Not only am I dealing with the nap situation, but we are also dealing with two little girls who are trying to see how far they can push mom and dad! They have tried being defiant in public and when it is time to go to bed, among other times. But last night really took the cake! Fortunately I wasn't there for the fiasco, but Marvin had to go to the store to pick up some milk and the girls wanted to go with him. From the bits and pieces I got of the story, it is my understanding that the girls were given specific instructions at some point and decided to ignore those instructions and continue on with whatever it was they were doing. That did not fly with good ol' dad and when they got home, they both got a firm swat on the behind and put in bed for the night!

Now, most times I would have felt somewhat bad for their poor end to their evening, but last night was an exception. They had been defiant with me that afternoon when we stopped at a store and had also been extremely mouthy throughout the day. My patience meter had run out and those girls didn't get an ounce of sympathy from their mama!

I can only hope and pray that the end of this phase comes sooner than later!

Post Baby Body

2009-07-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

Well, as many moms know, your body after you have a baby can be soooo different than the one that you had just a few short months before. Of course there are those lucky mama's out there that can keep a great little figure(these are the ones we despise! J/K!!) but most of us feel like we are dressing a completely different person! I am no exception to this rule and I have noticed that after giving birth to my three little heathens angels, that I have changed in many ways. So, I have decided to do something about it! I was doing Weight Watchers for a while, but I got tired of counting points, so now I am following the 8 simple habits in a wonderful book that was recommended to Marvin and I from his dietician! It is called "Water With Lemon" and it is full of great ways to lose weight and get healthy without counting points, calories, carbs or even feeling "dieters guilt"! Both Marvin and I have been doing well on this new lifestyle, but after talking to my PCP about it, I have decided to incorporate regular exercise into my daily routine. I have been walking at night with a friend a few nights a week, but it didn't seem to be enough. So, this week, I have started doing cardio workouts on the treadmill for an hour each morning. Wish me luck as I try to maintain this new habit! Maybe in a few months, I will have progress pictures to share with you all as well!!!!

Another Saga at the Pediatrician's Office!

2009-04-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Many of you may already know that we have been dealing with chronic diarrhea with Rebecca for a few months now. Well, this morning when I got her up and she was covered in poo, I finally decided that I had had enough! I called the pedi and made another appointment. So we get there and the next step is to get a stool sample to have them tested. Great....I have more waiting to do! I am so sick of cleaning up a dirty crib every morning! Hopefully this will give us some answers. We have done everything we know to do up until now. We have stopped giving her dairy, put her on a probiotic, taken away juice, put her on a BRATT diet and limited her food intake. We are at a loss right now! I know that we surely could use prayers right now!

To top that off, we also found out that Michaela may have strep throat and her throat is soooo sore and bright red. She had a fever, too! We are waiting for the strep culture to come back, but I have the prescription already written out so I can get it as soon as I get the results.

Last but not least, Alaina STILL has a double ear infection. We had her into the doctor two weeks ago and they put her on amoxil for her ears and today they were both still infected so she is now on a z-pak so hopefully she will get some relief soon!

Summer is finally on its way, so hopefully all of the cold germs will take a hike, too!!!

Why does this happen to MY children?!

2009-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Poor Alaina woke up this evening around 11pm and was having a horrible time breathing. She was coughing and gagging and sobbing all at the same time. Needless to say, anyone who has experienced the croup knows exactly what I am talking about! It is such a disturbing childhood illness. While most people will never experience the croup because you have to be prone to it, the lucky few who do get it know how awful it is to see your child have it! We stuck her head in the freezer to let her breathe in the cool air, we took her outside and neither of those worked, so we finally gave her an albuterol aerosol treatment. It didn't help a lot, but enough that she could breathe a little bit without coughing. So, I finally got her calmed down and she is now sleeping in my bed and I am dreading going in there to sleep because she is a really violent sleeper and I won't get a wink of sleep tonite! Oh the joys of childhood croup.....

Nightmares!

2009-04-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

I always feel so bad when one of the girls has a nightmare. There is just nothing that you can do to make them stop! So, last night, Michaela came down in the middle of the night sobbing and wanting to sleep in our bed because she had a nightmare. Of course I let her get into bed and sleep with us and I tried to calm her but she just cried herself to sleep. So, in the morning I tried to talk to her about her nightmare so I could help her feel better but she just immediately started crying and told me that she didn't want to tell me what it was about, just that it was about me. So, I decide to leave it alone and I head off to the store for a little bit of shopping. When I come home, she finally decided to tell me what her nightmare was about. My poor baby dreamed that I ate a worm and it blew up and killed me!!! Poor thing! It just broke her little heart. Later on this evening she even drew me a picture of her dream. I felt so bad for her! I just told her not to worry because mommy would NEVER be eating a worm!

I LOVE COUPONS!

2009-03-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

I shopped at both Giant Eagle and Walgreen's today and I did awesome!

In total I spent: $82.36
My total savings for the whole day was: $106.48!

At Giant Eagle I got:
*2* Boneles Sirloin Tip Roasts~BOGO Free, so I saved $11.33
*6* 36 count packages of Chinet Paper Plates~4/$10-$1/1 MFQx6=$9.00
*6*Bottles of Shout~2/$5-$.55/1(this doubled to $1.10/1)x6=$8.40
*40*Yoplait Yogurts~20/$11-$.40/6(this doubled to $.80)x6=$6.20

My total spent at Giant Eagle was: $48.18
My total savings was: $39.41!!!!

At Walgreen's I got:

*2* Dawn Dish Soaps @ $.99/ea=$1.98

*2* Packs of 100ct Vanity Fair Napkins~2/$2.99-$.50MFQ=$2.49

*3* Boxes Aluminum Foil @ $.89/ea-$1/1MFQ(3)=$.33 overage!!!!

*5* Dial Foaming Hand Wash@ $1.99/ea-$.35/1MFQ(5)=$8.20

*6* Bottles of 24ct Bayer Aspirin(3 of them were 100% more for free!) @ $1.99/ea-$1/1MFQ(6)=$5.94

*6* Bottles of Febreze @ 2/$5-$1/1MFQ(6)=$9.00

*2* Bottles of Softsoap Body Wash~ $3.99 for the 1st and the 2nd was FREE!(Going back for more of this rolling RR this week for sure!)

*10* Packs of Mentos Gum @ 2/$2-$1/1MFQ(10)=FREE!!!!

My total spent at Walgreen's was: $34.18

My total savings was: $67.07!!!!

Tea Party with the girls!

2009-03-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Ever since Michaela had a Tea Party at her homeschool co-op she has been wanting to have one at home, so I finally decided that while Marvin was gone on a side job this evening we would have one. The girls decided on a PJ Tea Party. So, after dinner, all of the girls helped clean up the kitchen and the table and they got ready for the tea party. They set out some cute little dessert plates, picked tea cups and heated up the water. We also thawed out some carrot cake and made a pan of brownies. We lit some candles and Michaela decorated the table for us with little wicker-style purses and tiny stuffed animals. Michaela's bear also joined us for our tea party! What a great addition to the group!So, we munched on cake and tea and just laughed and had a great time. Just us girls! What a great memory to share with my children! I will never forget how happy they were sitting at that table just enjoying some fun time with mommy!

Now, they have decided that they want to have a tea party with friends, so we are gonna invite some friends over during spring break and have an "official" tea party with the girlies!

A great Week at Walgreen's!

2009-03-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last week Walgreen's had a GREAT diaper deal and I couldn't wait to take advantage of it! If you purchased $25 worth of participating products, you got $10 in RR, so I bought three $10 packages of Huggies Diapers for $30 and I had three MQ's for $1.50/each. That brought my total down to $25.50 and then I got the $10 RR and that brought my total down to $15.50. I spent only $5.16 per jumbo pack of Huggies Diapers!!! I was so excited! Now I can't wait to go use my RR this week on some more great deals! Yay for couponing!

Please Read! This is scary!

2009-02-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

This is from a website that I read and I wanted to pass the information along!

Hidden provision in Stimulus bill!
Stimulus Rations Health Care for Senior Citizens!

Take Action!
Call your Representatives and Senators and Demand this Provision be Removed!

February 11, 2009
Over the past 48 hours, specific details have unfolded about a little-known provision hidden deep within the 1500-page Obama-Reid-Pelosi “stimulus” bill (H.R..1). This provision allows the federal government to create a health information monopoly, a giant stepping stone toward nationalizing health-care. Betsy McCaughey, best known for her 1994 article, “No Exit,” which exposed the details of Hillary-Care and opened the door to its glorious defeat, has done it again! Just two days ago, her latest column, “Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan,” specifically detailed exactly what the intentionally vague stimulus bill language means for all Americans. She confirms that the provisions flesh out the health care strategy which fallen HHS Secretary Nominee Tom Daschle laid out in his 2008 book called “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.”The “stimulus” health care plan begins with Congress endorsing a very broad, not-well-defined concept in the form of a bill, and then bureaucrats, lobbyists, and unelected officials write and decide the “details.” The stimulus health care “details” are as follows:
Rations medical treatments, doctor's appointments, procedures, prescriptions, etc. by setting up a federal database to track and monitor every American’s medical records and activity.

Creates a new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, which will monitor all treatments of every American in order to ensure that your medical procedures are deemed “cost effective” to the federal government. The ultimate goal here is to have a single-payer system where medical procedures you elect to have are viewed as a “cost” to the government, since the health care market will ultimately be taxpayer-funded.

Harms senior citizens and the elderly the most. The Federal Council will be granted authority to intervene and prohibit a patient from receiving a particular health service on the basis that it is not “cost effective.” This means that the government is more likely to deny an elderly person a service than a younger person, because the younger person will benefit a greater number of years from the medical treatment than the elderly person.

Imposes penalties on hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users,” meaning that those who do not abide by the mandates will be punished. The stimulus bill does not specify what sort of penalties will apply, and this is intentional. Obama will leave these controversial decisions up to the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research.Of all the problematic provisions contained within the Stimulus bill, this is arguably the most dangerous. This provision is Hillary-Care in disguise, stealthily and covertly inserted into a massive spending bill.

Worst of all, time is running out! The “stimulus” has now passed both the House and Senate and is headed to conference where the differences in language will be resolved, but we are receiving reports that the liberal Congressional Majority is aiming to cut Republican conferees out of the House-Senate negotiations! This cannot stand!

♥