I was just wondering, do any of your kids do school work here??
My daughter just cannot be next to me while I try and teach her younger brother. She is soooooo easily distracted. We usually do school together at our big dining room table. However, the other day, after telling her at least 15 times to do her work and stop staring at her brothers work, I finally had it.
ME: "I am sorry baby, but this is not working. I don't want to punish you for being distracted, but your making it really hard on me to school your brother. Please go somewhere else to do your worksheet."
HER: "But where will I go? Nowhere else is comfortable and I want to be near you"
ME: "Can't you think of SOME PLACE you can do it??"
HER: "nope"
ME: "I don't care where you go, even if its on the trampoline, I just need you to go"
So this is where she spent the next hour doing work. She came in a begged me to give her more work to do on the trampoline. Now she wants to do it there all the time. Is this a bad thing?? Well so far it works. We will see. That may get harder in those HOT Oklahoma months :)
Do your kids do this?
Our Trip.
First of all, before I tell you how awesome our trip was, let me explain how non-awesome our first three days were and why I asked for prayer. First please look at our driving conditions that appeared OVER NIGHT before we left. Friday was 70 degrees, we woke up Saturday AM to leave and found the road conditions to be this....
Did you happen to notice the ice that covered the road?? or how about the zero visability?? We saw at least ten cars in the ditch, however that didn't seem to be a deterrent to crazy drivers whizzing past us, staring us down like we were idiotic to dare drive forty (even in those conditions). I kid you not, we so both cars who zoomed by us, in a ditch 10 miles later.
So we never made it to Colorado Springs that day. We made it to Amarillo Texas. We were on the 40 when we saw a taxi spin out in front of two semi-trucks. It was not pretty and we made the collective decision that Colorado was not worth our lives. So we stopped. Which meant we were not going to get to go to Colorado Springs for my grandma's birthday. See we had planned to go to Colorado Springs for a day and a half to visit my grandma with my family, then me, my hubby and kids, mom and my brother and his wife and kids were supposed to drive all together down to Durango to spend the remainder of the time there. So we new once we stopped in Amarillo that we were not going to be able to meet them up there. So we only drove to Albuquerque the next day. Then the day after that we went on to Durango Colorado.
To say the first three days were stressful would kind of be an understatement. There is nothing like having your life at risk, hotel stays, car trips, and your plans going awry, to make you all a little cranky. My husband and I had it out a few times like we were back to being 19 again. We just both felt heavy burdens that for some reason or another we hung on to, instead of letting go. But in the end...we made it through. We reconciled, apologized,prayed, kissed and made up, and then we were even able to enjoy the rest of the trip. YAY!! Another point for us! No points for you Satan...sorry :)
Anyhow....this is a little piece of God's majesty that I got to enjoy once we FINALLY got there...
Kind of nice huh? Well, we definitely enjoyed it. We did fun things, but my favorite part, by far, was the view. Those mountains really are breathtaking....or was that the altitude?? Either way, here are some more cute pics of my family...
Well I hate to end this update so short (ha!) but I need to go love on the husband for a bit, so he doesn't get too lonely :)
Before I go though, I would love to send a shout out to Celee at Miscellaneous Musings of a 5x Mom. She was so gracious to open her home to us on our trip back. I cannot tell you the difference it made in our trip. Instead of an expensive cold hotel room with nothing to do but watch T.V., we got to stay with like minded Christians who fed us two hot meals, charged us nothing, stayed up late to talk with us, made our beds ready, and let the kids play with EVERYTHING. It was awesome. They are wonderful people and I was so glad to meet them. Here is my poem for Celee...
Your food was yummy
It filled our tummy
Your house was a delight
I am glad I stayed the night
It cost us no money
And you husband is too funny!
I never said it would be a good poem... lol
To Colorado we go...
Hello Beautiful People!! My blog posts will be few and far between over the next week. I am on a trip with my hubby and kids to meet up with family in the beautiful mountains of Colorado! I know you all are just holding your breathe in anticipation of my posts (HA!), but you will just have to wait....lol
I can't wait to get back and do my long overdue post on Modesty, and what it teaches kids about God. It will be a fun post.
Lastly, will you, if you feel so inclined, say a prayer for us?? There has been some spiritual attack since we left, and it has not been fun. I don't think we were prepared, and its been a big bummer. Will you pray for us ladies?? Specifically, for my relationship with my hubby, our safety, contentment, and to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
LOVE YOU ALL!!! Have a great week!
Thrift store finds!
I love thrift stores. It started when I was teenager in southern California trying to find fun and "interesting" clothes for my my very specific fashion wants. For instance one of my very favorite shirts was my "He-Man and the Masters" shirt. I wore it all the time. It was a little boys shirt and I was teen girl, so you can only imagine, I was not a very modest teen. My son now wears the shirt to bed, which just makes my husband and I laugh.
Anyhow, my love for thrift stores has now carried into my adult life. My frugal budget of course loves thrift stores. However, nowadays I am not really looking for fashion as much as I am looking for your average household needs. Some things I have found recently have been very helpful finds.
As you can see below, my kids found Legos out our local Goodwill for 1 dollar! Why is that a big deal you say?? For one, my kids are obsessed with Legos. Secondly, that particular box of Legos runs about 25 dollars. Thirdly, it was in perfect condition with most of the parts still in their individual bags. It was an awesome day in our household when we found that. Check out what my daughter built with it.....pretty cool huh?!?
Another awesome thrift store find lately has been "Addition Bingo". For a buck forty nine, it has added tons of fun filled learning in our house. And "fun" learning is always good learning in a homeschool family. :)
The last thing I want to show you is my new purse. I have a tendency to throw everything under heaven in my purse. Finding my keys in my purse while trying to get into the car and out of the cold weather is my daily enemy. So I finally bought a purse to end my battles. I had not purchased a purse in 2 years, so it was a pretty cool day. At only 2 dollars, why not?? This purse has a sum total of six pockets, now I "have a place for everything and everything in its place" :)
where have I been?
So where have I been? Traveling exotic Islands? Visiting family in another state? Nah, just here in my home. Where I love to be. But emotionally....I have not been able to blog. I have been talking things over with God. As I announced a couple weeks ago, I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Its nothing life threatening, or even debilitating. But none the less, it was not a fun diagnosis. There is no cure, and it is progressive. Meaning I am only at the beginning of this and things will probably get worse. I sort of didn't understand the diagnosis at first so I did not really get worried about it. Then the next day I talked to some women who had it and looked it up on the Internet and realized "CRAP! this is not good". One woman I know has a very severe case, and it does worry me I may get some of the severe symptoms of it. That led me to cry for three days straight and once again, pour it all out before my heavenly Father. He is so good to always hear me. I asked questions, told Him how I felt, asked him to calm my spirit, told him I was confused......and on and on it went, for days. Finally, thanks to kind words from my husband, my sister in law, and several friends, I accepted the fact that waiting was all I could do. Nothing is certain. This does not mean it will end in permanent infertility. With God all things are possible. But that does not mean that His will is the same as mine. So I wait. I wait for His revelation. I wait for His plan.
On the upside.....
I saw a great OBGYN in my area who specializes in infertility. She is going to help me figure out how to stay on top of the PCOS. I HATE medications, the majority of the time, but I am very optimistic about the one my doctor put me on. It is to help with the insulin issues that PCOS causes. PCOS tends to make all sugar you eat turn instantly into fat instead of using it as an energy source. Which would totally explain my tiredness and weight gain. WHEW!! glad I have something to blame that on..lol But it PCOS can lead to diabetes and obesity, if you are not extremely careful, which I am trying to be. I have completely cut sugar out of my diet, so I am hopeful that will help.
One good thing about the medicine is that it "can" also help some of those nasty ovarian cysts go away. I have been blessed in the fact that my cysts don't seem to be very painful. I know many women who were doubled over in pain with theirs, and so far mine have not been that way.
Another thing is that the medicine I am on typically causes side effects of nausea and diarrhea, neither of which I have been having. I am praising God for this, as I know things could be a lot worse.
So although my baby-making wishes may never happen, and my health may not be "ideal" God shows over and over, that although we are not in Heaven yet, we shall be one day. What a glorious place Heaven will be, with no unfulfilled need, no sickness, so sadness, no pain. God is good. In total contrast to this world that is dying day by day and crying out to God under the weight of sin.
Anyhow, all I can say, is that its been a rough week, but God is making it a whole lot better. Day by day I am encouraged. Day by Day, I am renewed. But I have a long way to go. That is why I have spent so much time away from blogging. I am needing more time with my family, and His word. Plus homeschooling, baking, cooking, cleaning, bible study, church, grocery shopping, sewing classes, tend to take up my time as well :)
So what have you all been up to these days??
A garden perspective.
I LOVE LOVE LOVED this post on children. It also answered the question of "are homeschool children sheltered?". Hop on over to blog "If only everyone thought this way" and read it.
Hope everyone is having a great Sunday! My Sunday is definitely better than my Saturday. Praise the Lord. Yesterday was rough. But as the Word says..."weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
I wept last night, but Joy has come this morning. :)
with kids, nothing is guaranteed.
I have heard it said by many (myself included)"If I feel like having kids later then I will just have them in a few years. I will decide when we are ready."
There is only one problem with that......we are never guaranteed tomorrow. I know some who read this are not Christians, but I am going to primarily deal with Christian themes on this issue. You see Psalm 27:1 says "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth" He is not just talking about death. He is talking about everything. More on that in a bit.
When it comes to having children in this country, it is often viewed as a plague. A curse. If you are having your first child, it is told by most, "congratulations!". When you are having your second some people start to say "oh well I guess its nice to give your first a little brother or sister" or even the old reason of trying to get a boy if you just have a girl, or vice versa. Have your third child, and just wait for the funny looks and the "Oh wow, another one??" Have your fourth, and people straight out say the rudest things possible. Yet it is somehow now deemed normal to say to a woman...."you are done right?!!?!". Answer that question with "actually I would love more" and watch them laugh about your insanity or walk away in disgust.
No wonder we are scared of having more children! Its more work, more time, less sleep, and often times you are the brunt of jokes in the circle of moms, or even at church. I know that has been the case for many of my friends with 4 or more kids. They have been persecuted for having children. People stay away from them as if they have a weird disease. I have a friend who is pregnant with her fifth and is terrified to tell her friends and family. I have another friend who, when she got pregnant, people said "Oh I am so sorry" As if she got CANCER or something. What a shame.
I know that when some of my "church" friends found out we were getting our vasectomy reversal, decided they could no longer be my friend anymore. One woman, whom I was very close with, said " I am not sure that is a good idea, and I cannot support you in that". She never called again. What is happening here? REGARDLESS of how women feel about having children themselves, why do christian women, in large, not support women who do want children? Please hear my heart, I am not saying Christian woman HAVE to have children, I am asking people to look inside and ask themselves "how do I treat women who have more than 2 kids? DO I joke about her? Do I avoid hanging out with her because she has too many kids? Would I ever consider babysitting for her? Did I ask her if she was crazy when I found out she was having another one, or did I say congrats? If a woman with lots of kids looks tired and worn out, do I ask her how I can help or see if something is wrong, or do I assume that just what she gets for having that many?"
To be totally honest, I have thought ALL these things. Not recently, or in the past two years, but I have thought those things. I regret that heart attitude deeply.
Since I am addressing this to Christians, I will use the bible as my source for our heart attitude. The bible speaks on having children in this way...Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."
And again....Genesis 9:1
[ God's Covenant With Noah ] Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
And again....Genesis 17:6
I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
By the way, how was God supposed to get those "kings" he talked about in the above verse, if not by someone having to have children?
And again and again.... Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, "I am God Almighty ; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.
Genesis 41:52
The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
There are more scripture on this, but I wanted to point out that it was assumed throughout scripture that we would HAVE children. One of those reasons was practical, it is a result of a sexual relationship, and since God wants Married couples to be together physically (as shown in scripture such as 1Cor 7:5), its obvious we will have children. It was also obvious in the bible we would WANT children
Genesis 33:5
Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given your servant."
I could go on and on on Gods heart for children. There are several scriptures that show God giving children as blessings and rewards, but I cannot seem to find ANY scriptures where children are viewed as a curse. Some verses on children being seen as a blessing (right up there with wealth and health, which we cannot seem to ask enough for)....Deuteronomy 7:13
He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.
And again....Deuteronomy 28:4
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
And AGAIN....Psalm 127:4-5 (New International Version)
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
I close in saying this...
We may be putting off having children, and saying as I said in the beginning of this post "I will wait until I am ready" or in some cases (And I have been told this by a Christian friend) "I really want go on vacation, so I can't plan a child this year, and then I have my sisters wedding next year, and I don't want to be fat in the dress, and then I will be graduating college, so WHO KNOWS when we will fit one in".
If you are may I say to you... we said similar things. Then those thoughts turned to wanting to end our fertility altogether. After our second child was only 2 weeks old we had a vasectomy. Four years later, we realized the mistake. God led us to get a reversal. After a year and a half of trying and no pregnancies, we have found out through tests, my husbands reversal was a complete success, and yet now I have been struck Barren. I have been diagnosed with PCOS which is the leading cause of infertility in woman. My one and only ovary is covered in cysts, and my body is lacking the hormone to tell it to release an egg (even if it could get through all the cysts.)
Fertility, is not something to be mocked, nor something to be taken for granted. Yet we did,and so do many others, at the support off our christian brothers an sisters.
My diagnosis is hard to swallow. But I am still hopeful in a miracle and still thankful for the change that God has made in us through it.
