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Well, we have made a very unexpected decision. We have decided that we will be moving back home, in 29 days!
This is just part of our God journey, our grand adventure!
I have so much to do, so much to think about, so much to plan. We are very excited! I feel a bit overwhelmed. Lee is working a lot of long hours, so I need to do most of the job in getting us ready to go.
You know, I've always from the time I can remember had a keen interest in the Pioneers. Their adverturesome spirits, thier work ethic, their trials, their triumphs, their struggles, in a way I feel like a kindred spirit with those families. Although I am very well aware of how much easier I have it. On all these adventures we have been on in the last few years, it helps me to think of myself as one of them. Roll my sleeves up and get to it!
When you think of it, please pray for us. Please also pray for me specificly. Pray that I will remain cheerful in the day-in and the day-out, that I will use my time wisely, and that I will be a great servant to my husband and children during this time of change. It is my desire to bring glory to God, through this!
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I have had a couple of different ladies ask me about how I make bread, so I thought I would share that.
For a couple of years, I used a different recipe. But then my very old Bosch mixer blew up and I was no longer able to use that recipe in my weak Oster mixer. So, I started a search for a new recipe and I found one that I love!
This makes only two loaves, but if you have a more powerful mixer I'm sure you could double it. I don't mind only making two loaves at a time, I just make bread every other day.
Flour: I use freshly ground wheat. I do not have a grain grinder, but I do have a source locally where I can go in and get the wheat ground while I wait. I then store it in my freezer. For nutritional reasons I strongly encourage you to find a source for getting your wheat ground and then put in the freezer. You can also purchase ground wheat from a co-op that keeps it refrigerated.
Here's my recipe:
2cps warm water 1T yeast 1/3cp honey 1/3cp oil 2t. salt 1/3cp gluten 5-7cps whole wheat flour
Combine water, yeast and honey. Let it sit until yeast is bubbly. Add oil, salt, gluten flour, and 3-4cps of flour. Knead with mixer, continue to add flour until dough doesn't stick to side of bowl and doesn't feel sticky to the touch. Knead for another 7-8 minutes. Let sit in bowl and rise until doubled. Turn on mixer and knead for a few minutes to get all the bubbles out. Divide into 2 loaves and put in sprayed pans. Let rise until 1-1 1/2 inches above rim of pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden. (In my oven it only takes 25 mins)
Note: I add 1t. of vitamn C powder to this. Each tsp contains 2400mg of vit C!! |
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We have had a battle in our house for many years. Sometimes this battle is a little battle, one I know is there but I am willing to ignore. Sometimes this battle is huge, I fight it, but don't win. I am too tired to fight this battle any longer. It has to stop, and I have to win.
Therefore I have declared war on bedtime! You see, I have allowed misbehaviors in our children each night. I was being consistent in dealing with it, but not 100% consistent. I was dealing with it from 10 feet away, not on the front line. When I am ten feet away, lots of disobedience can occur that I am not aware of. The problem mostly exsits with two of the little ones. It has for two years now. But no more!
Each night I tuck them in and remind them that it is their job to obey, and my job to correct them when they don't. Then I get my step stool, reading material, and my obedience reminder and hold up in the hall, right between the two bedrooms. For the child that needs the reminding in the girls room, it is enough to know that I am there. For the child in the boys room, well that's a different story. Apparently this child needs to see that I am there. So the kids and I rearanged that room and his bed in now, right where he can see me, and I can see him!
I don't enjoy this. I have to force myself each night to do it. I would much rather be doing something else. But you know what, I am not doing any of us any good by letting this happen. So I have decided if I have to sit there every night for the next twenty years, that is what I am going to do. (Dear Lord, PLEASE don't let it take that long)
These children have to learn to obey me, even when they can't see me. Since this is a huge battle they have been getting away with, it has given them the idea that they can get away with other things. No way! I know if I conquer this big battle, it will help in other areas.
I try to make my hold-up be as pleasant as possible for myself. I have been tempted to knit while sitting there, but I have resisted. When I knit, I have this compolsion to not put it down until I have finished the row I am on. Well, that won't work. When correcting needs to happen, it needs to happen now! So what I have done is treat myself with one of my favorite magazines. I really enjoy Making it Home, it encourages me as a wife and a mother. So I allow myself to read one article each night! Oh, I love this!! I think I will do the same with my next issue of Above Rubies. It's like eating chocolate every night, only it doesn't add to my hips!
I will not give in, I will persevere, I will fight the good fight! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it! I WILL win this war! |
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Laundry is always an issue around here. I always have laundry to do. Never is there not loads to be done.
Several times this week, the thought would run through my head, "I should switch a load over before I go to bed," or "I'll throw a load in before we leave". Each time this happened this week, I would hear a still small voice saying "no don't, remember fire danger?"
Now in the past I would just blow that off. But, I didn't this time. I just listened and obeyed.
Yesturday while Lee and Austin were in the kitchen, they see some heavy smoke out the window. Lee quickly goes out there and sees it coming from the the pipes where our dryer vents. He runs down to the basement and smells a terrible smell. He cuts off the hose and all this lent comes out, then black chared lent! Upon further exploring he discovers that a fire had occured inside the dryer and the heating element is out!
So, needless to say, I am praising God for His Holy Spirit talking to me all week! I am also praising God, that it was just a little fire that he put out.
This is just one of a few mishaps that has happened this week. Satan is trying to attack us, but he WON'T win!
God is good, God is good all the time!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.............. |
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I spent two weeks off line, refocusing. It was great! So this is a quick update of the going on's around here.
~I picked up my knitting again. I have made two much needed dish cloths, and worked on the wool shawl I am making for myself, and started a shawl for my sweet niece for her birthday in November
~Zachary learned how to open doors. Somehow I forgot about this stage of babyhood!
~We started back to school, it is going GREAT!
~We spent a day up at the lake and had a wonderful day, we really needed this
~I have started making our bread again full time
~I finally got my hands on Nourishing Traditions, and I have read it from front to back! I need to copy some of the recipes before returning it to the library.
~I continue learning American History and enjoy it
~our homeschool co-op starts back up this week and I am wondering why we are doing this!
~my friend lovinliberia is in the process of adopting three children from Liberia, her family as well as their African children are heavy on my heart, join me in prayer for them (you can check out their blog click on the link in my friends)
~I have three blog entries I want to write. Convictions, Good vs. Great, School. So stayed tuned in the coming weeks.
~our life is full, we are happy, we continue to pray hard for the Lord's leading, God is good, God is good all the time! |
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Yesterday I was having one of those days where things seem to be a little off. I wasn't feeling well which I allowed to direct my attitiude. One of the first things I was faced with was a dishwasher full of dirty dishes and breakfast dishes that needed to be added. Ugh.... I hate this, it really throws my morning off. I like to have the dishes washed and the kids and I work on unloading it while making breakfast.
The dishes were dirty because Lee had overloaded our old dishwasher. When this dishwasher gets overloaded, the spicket doesn't come up and the soap doesn't release, as a result you have dirty dishes.
In my head I was mad! This is not the first or even the second time this has happened. In my head I had it all planned out that I was going to ask Lee not to do the dishes anymore. I had planned to say "I know your trying to help, but you are really just hindering, so please don't don't do the dishes. If you want to help maybe you could do a load of laundry." Then I had the gall to think to myself, "he'll probably overload the washing machine too." Yes, I am blushing and covering my face admitting this to you all!
I allowed these thoughts to stew over and over in my head, all the while getting more angry by the moment. I was being very short tempered with the children.
I knew I could not be like this. I would go back and forth trying to evaluate why I am being so awful with being angry at everything and everyone. Finally, I stopped in my tracks. I needed Jesus. Nothing else was going to change this mess around!
I grabbed my Bible on the lampstand and sat down on the couch. I put my hand on the Bible, and talked to the Lord. I said, "Father, I don't know what is wrong with me, I don't know what to read, I just know I need you." He replied, "I'm here." So I opened my Bible and began thumbing through the pages, when my eyes caught some underlined passages. I stopped to read what I had previously underlined. I was in the book of proverbs.
This is what I read. Proverbs 20:10 "Differing weights and differing measures the Lord detests them both". What is being talked about here is inconsistency. I was being very inconsistent towards the children, therefore the Lord destesed my thoughts and actions. Whack, OUCH! (That's the Lord hitting me upside the head!)
Proverbs 21:2-3 "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." My way seemed right. Don't overload the dish washer, get clean dishes, this man has to be told. But the Lord was looking at my heart. My heart was filled with pride, and anger, even if I thought I could pull it off to my family, the Lord was looking at this blackness.Whack, Ugh...(There He goes again, trying to get through to me!)
Proverbs 21:9 "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." The Lord said to me, "You know what? It is better for Lee to work a long hard 12 hour shift, come home and climb up on the corner of the roof in the hot, humid sun and live there, than to live with you." I could picture my big ole 6'4 husband curled up on the roof beat tired. And here I was complaining that I would have to remove a few dishes from the disherwasher and wait in my air conditioned house for it to run through another cycle.Whack, whack,UGH...!
Proverbs 21:19 "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife. " Now my husband who loves me so much he takes time to help out with my job and do the dishes for me, climbs down from the roof and walks out into the desert. He is tired and dragging himself along in the heat all the while thinking this is so much better than listening to that women telling me not to help her because I can't do it right! Whack, whack, whack, WHACK, WHACK, WHACK! (Hey, I'm pretty hard headed!)
OK, the Lord had me now. What a wretched person I was being. "I'm sorry Lord, please forgive me." "I forgive you dear, what are you going to say to your amazing, wonderful husband?" "Nothing Lord, I'm not going to say anything."
I had peace, my day changed. I didn't say anything. I was still frustrated with the situation but I chose to let it go and be thankful!
Are you thankful for the things your husband does for you, even though they aren't done your way? Or maybe is it better for your husband to come home from work, hang out on the roof, climb down and walk into the scorching desert all the while thinking,"ah this is the life, so much better than living with that wife of mine?" |
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It is 3:00 AM, Lee and my parent's left about a half hour ago to head to the airport. Saying goodbye is never easy! We had a wonderful six weeks with them, a time we will treasure.
At bedtime last night the children had to say good-bye and it was heart breaking to watch.
As I was tucking them all into bed Sadie asked what we were going to do tomorrow. I told her we would just have a relax day, a day to regroup. She said she thought we should just read all day and maybe watch one Duggar movie. I told here I thought that was a great idea.
I feel blessed we got this time to visit with them, but terribly sad that they aren't here to see us on a regular basis. |
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Five years ago, on my 27th birthday, I was given the perfect gift. This is a gift that tops all gifts, the gift of all gifts, the one I will never forget. This gift caused me to scream, cry, laugh, smile, praise God. This gift was a gift from God, and not just figureativly, it truly was straight from the hand of God. What, you may wonder could this gift be? The gift was Ellie! Yep my precious daughter was born on my birthday!
Her birth was my first homebirth. I had my beloved midwife, (who is now one of my closest friends) and my husband with me. Her labor was easy, her birth was easy, well as far as labor and birth go!
How many people do you know, that have truely recieved a gift that came straight from the hand of God into their hands on their birthday? Not many, if any is my guess. I am so blessed! I am in awe at how much God loves me!
I will never want for another birthday gift, I am completely filled up. This year marks a special one for me and the rest of the family. This one she turned five, a year that at one point we did not know if she would make it to. Not only that, but she is healthy, she can talk, she can interact with others, these are things we did not know if she would be able to do. She is a miracle! Oh, how I gobble her up.
Thank you Lord for loving me so much. Thank you for choosing me to be mama to Ellie. Father, I ask that you continue to guide me as I raise Ellie. Father, help me to be the example of a godly wife and a godly mother you want me to be.
"Jesus loves me this I know......." |
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I decided to make Lee some potatoe salad as a treat. I think he will enjoy this with our picnic lunch tomorrow.
Zachary is my sidekick, he is pretty much by my side at all times. This includes while I am working in the kitchen. He typically plays in the kitchen draws with all the gadgets, but not today. Today he wanted to help!
I got out the potatoes and a paper towel to peel them onto. I rumage around my very unorganized draws and finally find the peeler. Zachey pushes up the step stool ready for action. I begen peeling the potatoes and he hands them to me out of the bag. All on his own he figured out the system. After a few potatoes he gets down, I figure he is going to play on the floor. But no, he comes back up with a little screw driver and begins to "peel" the potatoes with it! I of course think he his is so smart and praise him for his help! Remember he is only 18 months old!!
Then I start cutting the potatoes into little chunks, my smart little boy begins to put them into the pot for me! He couldn't see over the top of the pot, and he could just barley reach over the top to get them in. It was just so precious and cute. I praised him for being such a big helper, telling him what a godly man he is growing into, and how he will be such a hard worker when he grows up and provides for his family. He of course had no idea what I was talking about, but smiled at me anyway!
This is why I love being a mom! |
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My parent's have been here two weeks now! We have been busy, busy, having fun and enjoying our visit.
They got here on the 28th. On the 3rd my sister and family came to stay for night, which was a treat.
We got to see the baby for the fist time! I have to admit, I pretty much hoged him the whole first night. There is nothing as sweet as a newborn baby! Many times I was brought to tears at the preciousness of life.
We spent the 4th out and about for the day and through the fireworks. We enjoyed each other. We have been to Gettyburg and will return next weekend. Today the boys (all but baby Zachary) went to Cabella's and the girls and Zachey went "shopping".
Jared got his cast off this week, and the creek has gone down enough and cleared up enough for us to swim in it again.
We are enjoying our visit greatly! NO acedmics are getting done, which I had hoped we would at least be able to get one thing done. But I am OK with this.
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Before you start reading this, let me warn you, this is long! But please read the whole thing, even if you have to come back a couple of times and pick back up where you left off. You won't see the whole picture, you won't get what I am trying to share unless you finish it to the end.
You mentioned once before that you and your husband moved far away from family and friends. I was just wondering what prompted that move and whether you would do it again if you had it to do over?
One of the comments here on my blog was the above statement, so I thought I would share a little about this.
What prompted our move, you wonder. Well, the short answer is the Lord. The long answer goes like this.
At the time of the decision, we were needing a fresh start. We had just been through a very difficult time in our lives. Lee was tired of being in a dead end job. He decided that he wanted to go to Taxidermy school. Taxidermy had always been an intrest of his through out his life. So, he started checking into schools for this. He knew from talking to others and from expirence that he wanted a "good" program, not just a quickie. He discovered where the best school was for this and started communicating with them. He decided that this was the school he wanted to go to. The program was eight months long and three thousand miles away, so the plan was to move over, go to school and then come back.
All along I had felt that the Lord was just using this to get us to where he wanted us to be, that he had another reason for us going. I journaled this on more than one occasion.When I shared this with my husband, he just looked at me with raised eyebrows!
I was a little scared to go to an unknown place. I was a bit sad to leave my family and friends. I was also a little excited about the adventure in it all. For me, I was going to support my husband 100% and cheerfully. It didn't matter what I thought or how I felt, this was something my husband wanted to do and I was going to submit to him and support him. I had to put my own self aside. We had been through a tuff, tuff, time and more than anything I had to show my husband that I was by his side for better or worse and I had to support him. He was trying to make a difference for our family after all.
We told our families on Christmas that we would be moving in June. (Bad mistake in timing!) It took several months of work to plan this cross country move. I was completely overwhelmed. Finanly all the details were worked out, the plans were made. We sold our house, our cars, and most of our belongings. We packed up what we had into a U-haul and off we went. (Actually Lee and Austin drove, the rest of us flew)
We got to this strange unknown land and were in for a shock. We had no idea that things would be so different while still being in the same country. We had never been here, we had never left our little corner of the country. They talked different, shopped different, ate different foods, the stores were different, on and on was the differences. The first several months were hard, oh so hard.
I knew in my heart I had to continue to support my husband, and not just support him but cheerfully encourage him. But, in all honesty I failed at this. I was miserable, the kids were miserable. We were in a strange place, didn't know anyone, and homesick. Right at the time of the move we discovered that I was pregnant, and it was proving to be a difficult pregnancy. I became angry at my husband for past mistakes, for bringing us to this awful place. I was angry with God for allowing us to think this was what was best for us. I was tired, literally exhausted.
Due to my difficult pregnanacy, and the upcoming birth, Lee had to postpone his start date for school. This was a huge dissapointment, but what needed to be done.
But, with this difficult pregnancy I had lots of time in bed by myself. It was then, in those times, that the Lord spoke to me. I was at my bottom emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I was broken! Being a sheperd the Lord took me in my broken state and fed me, led me, nutured me, and conformed me to the person he wanted me to be.
Within weeks of the baby being born, Lee discoverd that the guy who was running the school was no longer running it. The program was being run different. Slam one! Then he discovered that the previous planned funding was no longer available. Slam two! One night he told me that he felt that as crazy as it sounds, he doesn't think that this is what the Lord wants for him. I told him that I agreed it was crazy and made no sense, but I thought he was right! I pulled out my journals and showedd him my entries from a year before about how I felt the Lord was only using the school to get us where he wanted us to be, that he had other plans for us.
So, now what? He couldn't continue at the job he was working at, as it wouldn't meet our needs. We were still in this strange land. We prayed, and we prayed, and we prayed some more! What was it the Lord wanted from us, what was it that he had planned for us? We had no idea. Over and over we kept hearing the Lord say to us, "trust me and do the next thing." We were blindly following Him. This is where He wanted us! This is what he wanted us to do! This is why we were in this strange land. He had us right where He wanted us, blindly following him!
If you go back and look at how sheperd's delt with sheep that wandered in biblical times, you will see that the sheperd would break the lambs leg, and then carry that lamb. Through that, the lamb had to completely rely on the sheperd and in turn, turned his all towards his sheperd. When he healed, he had such a bond with his sheperd he would follow him anywhere.
Lee had been broken before we moved, I had been broken after we moved. Now, we would follow the Lord in all we do, no matter the cost, His ways are our ways!
It wasn't that we had completely fallen away from the Lord. We still prayed, we still read the scriptures, we just weren't where He wanted us to be in our walk with Him.
So, here we were. We had no idea what to do, where to go (if anywhere). Once again the Lord used schooling asHis way to get us where he wanted us. We packed up and moved across state so Lee could go to another school. The plan was for him to first get any general credits he could at the community college and then after a year, he would transfer to a Bible college.
Lee enrolled in school and took classes. He enjoyed school and was doing well at it. He was also working. Then, the Lord started talking to him. Showing him that it wasn't His desire for us to get into debt over going to school. He showed him that chasing after a degree that would enable him to have a good paying career was worldly, materialistic thinking. So, he made the decision to no longer go to school.
Here we were once again with a job that wouldn't meet our needs. But, we knew the Lord would take care of us, we knew he had a plan. Then one day I saw an add in the paper for a job I knew Lee could do. The pay was good. So he checked it out. He went for an interview and was hired! It's just a job doing wharehouse work. It's not a career, there is little room for advancement. But, it does pay the bills, and regular raises are to be had. For the first time in almost four years, Lee has a job that he likes, that pays the bills! God is good!
Can we go on fancy vacations? No! Can we buy clothes at the department store? No! Do we have two fancy cars? No! Do we have food, clothing, and shelter? Yes! Is this all we as humans really need? YES! The bible tells us " Do not worry about what you will eat or drink, or where you will sleep." You see He is taking care of us. We don't need to eat out, that really just makes us fat anyhow. We don't need to buy our clothes new or at "nice" places. Walmart and thrift stores do the job. They all get stained, outgrown, or torn anyhow. We don't need to own our own home. We love this house in the country that we rent. Besides, when something breaks or needs replacing, we don't have to do it! You see, we have all we need to eat, drink, wear, and live.
Would I do it over again if I had the chance, you ask. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!!! We are here because the Lord wants us to be here. It doesn't make sense in human eyes, we can't explain it. We are right where the Lord wants us to be, and there is such joy in that! Our marriage is stronger, our family is stronger. We are closer to Him than we have ever been. There is peace and joy in the ways of the Lord. We are happy here in this strange land. We are content.
What does He have in store for us next? We have no idea! But we will follow Him anywhere, we want to be his hands and his feet.
I pray our testimony touches just one person and will bring that person closer to the Lord.
So, like so many others, you have asked "what prompted your move?" My answer: The Lord. There is no other answer. There is no more information, there isn't more to it, it doesn't make sense in our humans eyes. People often want more, they are sure were not telling it all.
The Lord prompted us to move, I would do it over again if I had the chance. Praise Him for doing so!
The road has been long, the storms have been big, the journey hard. I still get homesick and lonely at times, I still go through times of wondering what exactly it is that we are doing here. But you know, the joy of the Lord is my strength! He is my refuge. He gives me peace that passes all understanding.
Trust Him, and do the next thing~ |
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Zachary just started to say Mommy these last few days. I am on cloud nine, I'm a smitten kitten, I LOVE these words! I melt each time I hear it! He has been saying mama for quite some time now, then one day out of know where I hear "ma- ME", I look around thinking Jared had come in from outside, but no just Zachey and me! Now he says it all the time.
The other day Jared was laying on the floor for quite some time, just laying there. I stopped what I was doing and went over and sat next to him, just to talk to him. In our conversation I said, "I love you so much". He replied, "You love me long time", "Yes, I have loved you a long time" "You love me long, long, long, long, long, long, long." It was just so sweet. He really meant the word lot, but I was not going to correct him at that moment! |
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Jared fractured his foot in two places over the weekend. We just got to see the orthapedic this morning. I took him to the ER Sat. night and was told to keep him off of it. WHAT? He's three!! So we have been working hard at keeping him entertained! Last night we took him outside to play for awhile, this gave Lee and I more grey hair! But at last, he has freedom to walk, run, and play. Casts can be wonderful things! We will go back in three weeks and they will take it off and do more x-rays. |
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When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas |
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Been busy living life!
My parent's are coming to visit for six weeks the end of the month so I have been sprucing things up around the house. It has been a year and a half since Lee and the children have seen them and a year since I have seen them, we are all so excited about their visit! We have some fun field trip type things planned for when they come.
Strep throat is still making it's way through the family. Lee has it now. I feel so sorry for him. He very rarely gets sick. But he has been hit hard this time. Despite being sick he still worked a 12 hour shift today. He is a hard worker!
I read The Light and the Glory. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it! I found it to be so interesting. I didn't get a good history education. Actually that is putting it mildly. I also had no interest in history, it was always boring to me. But I am now quite interested in US history! This is one more plus for homeschooling! I believe that if I hadn't homeschooled the children, my oppinion of history would have stayed the same. What a shame! The great thing is that my passion is wearing off on the children! As I read The Light and the Glory they kept asking me all about it. As I would get excited about learning something, I would share it with them. I picked up a copy of The Light and the Glory for Children on paperbackswap. After my parent's leave we will go through it.
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We finished the big boys' portfolios. We had fun doing it this year, we did it in scrapbook/notebook style.
The three of us decided that we should work harder this year at keeping up with our reading list and the portfolios.
Their evaluations went great! We found a wonderful, godly evaluator. She is a keeper!
I got our objections written out for next year. Lee and I decided that I would just make a standard one that we will use for each year and each child. This way I just have to copy it for whichever children have to have them turned in each year. I wish we would have thought of this two years ago!
I also made copies of our affadaiteds and filled them out.
Tomorrow I will go get them notarized and then take them to the school district to turn in. Whew.......... I should be done for another year! |
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God really does have a sense of humor. You see he gave me, yes ME four boys! I love my boys, little boys are so much fun, but still quite often I chuckle to myself and think how funny it is that God gave me all these boys. You see my first real expirence with boys was my husband when we were dating. It is just my sister and I in our family, we don't have any brothers, while we do have 3 boy cousins we rarely lived by them.
What is even funnier is that he gave me Jared! This boy is 200% boy and then some! Oh boy, oh boy is he all boy! All my boys are boy boys but he surpasses them all!
I imagine the Lord saying this to himself, "I'm going to bless this girl more than she could ever hope for, I'm going to give her six children! Then to spice things up, four of them are going to be boys! This is going to be great, she is going to have so much fun, and learn a ton. And lest she get haughty and think that she has this parenting thing down, I'm going to give you Jared Darrel. This boy will be Davy Crockett, energizer bunny, spiderman, and the Crocodile Hunter blended in one!"
This is my 3 year old boy:
*Big huge smile *A face that lights up *"I can't find snake for my pocket" (which really come out like this "I no end nae or I pa-a) *"Jared did you disobey?" "Yes." "Then what does mommy need to do?" "Spank me." "Yes I need to spank you because you disobeyed." "Spank my bum again?" "Yes Jared, why do I need to spank you?" "I not obey." "Mommy why you spank my bum again?" aaaaaaahhhhhhh! *Tonight he got into Rickey's essential oil and squirted it all over the floor.I saw that he had the oil and I asked him to put it away, he headed off to do so. I was then informed that he had squirted it on the floor in the front room. I talked with him and he cleaned it up. I went to do something and then came to check on him. He tells me he poured more in the entry. This was a HUGE pile. I had him clean again, this time I helped because I had to use degreaser. While in the mist of cleaning up the oil he bumps into the dog's water and spills that all over. I tell him we'll clean it up after we clean up the oil. I looked at my husband who is chuckling over the whole thing and say,"see this is why I am behind on the laundry again. This is how it goes all day long, from one thing to another!" *he is very active go, go, go all day long. * I have started to not let him take a nap during the day, this way he falls asleep during devotions right after dinner. The rest of us get a little calm time for the rest of the evening. We all love Jared, he plays with all the other children quite well, but he does keep each of us on our toes. Remember the energizer bunny? This is my way of taking the batteries out! *He and the big boys caught tadpoles today at the park. While we were unloading and getting settled back at home, he took the bottle and dumped them in his pocket, water and all. * His favorite things are his blue rope that he can actually rope with like a cowboy! His pocket knife, this is a big play one. Change for guess where, yep, his pocket. His nigh, nigh, he is only three after all. *The child is tall and solid. Not fat, but very solid. He looks like he is five. He talks like he is one.
I am working on tying heart strings with him. I am really making an effort to get him involved in what I am doing and play with him and KEEP HIM WITH ME! This seems to make a dent in the disobedience scene. Also, while he is with me he still seems to be able to make mischief, all I have to do is turn my head away.But keeping his with me redusces this, because I can stop it when it first starts.
I have been spending a lot of time in deep thought as to why he acts the way he does, the pros and the cons. I have been praying for the Lord's wisdom with him. I do not want to break his spirit, he is such a wonderful person. When I step out of the stituation and look bac, what I see is that he really for the most part is not delibertly disobeying. Most of the "trouble" he gets in is due to boy curiousity, and doing what his older brothers do, only on a three year old level. So often in the day in and the day out, I tend to get caught up in thinking that he is just a trouble maker. This is not good. I praise God for showing me how it really is. He needs to be tomato staked with Daddy and Mommy so that we can show him the way he should go.
Do you have a chalanging child? Do you have one that you get caught up in thinking is the naughty one? Pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes, maybe just maybe your not seeing it for how it really is. Tomato stake! And laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh at the days to come. God does have a sense of humor, for he gave you, yes you, of all people this child!
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This is a poem that is in my Dad's baby book! My Mom gave me a copy of it for Mother's Day.
Love Affair
Someday he'll think me silly but now he loves me willy willy.
There'll come a time when his inspection will prove that I am not perfection.
And he'll unearth some younger cutie who far surpasses me in beauty.
So while I have him in my arms, I'll make the most of all my charms.
And store up memories to last, for when I am dwelling in the past.
For tho' my hold on him is strong, he cannot stay a baby long.
~Author Unknown~ |
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I like most of you go through periods of crusing and periods of rush, rush, rush. I am in one of the rush, rush, rush, times right now. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all I need to get done. I really don't have all that much, it just doesn't seem like I am making any progress each day!
The big boy's evaluations for shcool are next Wed. So we are working on getting our portfolios finsihed. I struggle with this as I know they were educated it is hard for me to "prove" what they have done. I know we have plenty and need to relax, it is hard for me to know I am going to be "tested" on all that we have done!
I need to make Sadie's dresses. I was going to make skirts with T's but then my friend shared with me t-shirt dresses and I decided it would be just as easy to make those as to put elastic in the skirts. So I got some t's and went through the material stash. Somebody, touched my serger and it needed to be rethreaded, so I did that, but apparently I did it wrong because I keep breaking a thread. I can not find my mistake.......... I haven't had it too long so I really don't have any idea what the problem is. After trying to get it working, I have decided to do the dresses without the serger and deal with it another time.
I also need to finish the cloth doll I am making for Sadie. She has been very patient.
I need to finish planning our next term of school.
I need to finish up the clothing project I have out.
As soon as we can get a day without rain, we need to finish planting our flowers, mowing the yard, and weeding!
So I guess I am busy, busy, busy. Please pray with me that I will be able to stay on track and also that I will only do what the Lord wants me to do and not anything of my own making! |
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I awoke this morning to a very loud and excited 3 year old voice proclaiming, "Mama, we got a mouse!!" I opened my eyes and there Jared was standing in nothing but his blue undies holding up a dead mouse with the trap still attached! EEEWWW! "No, Jared!" I said in a very loud and uncontrolled voice as I was jumping out of bed. He was all smiles and quite proud of himself. As he was running out of the room, I was saying in my loud, uncontrolled voice "where is your Dad?"
What a way to wake up!
Once I got the sleep out of my eyes, my head cleared, and my heart palpatations under control I smiled to myself! Jared was so very proud of himself. This was the ultimate for my little Davy Crockett!
Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory......... The tune has been running through my head all day! |