Posted in Family

Ours was nice. We had some steaks and just let Dad relax. I did the yard work for him. Made him nervous though, LOL He spent the day with the children......I loved this moment....2 computer geeks at heart. :)

 

The house is coming together very nicely. It is so much fun decorating. But goodness, it is tiring! I will be posting some updated pics soon! :)

For those who don't know me, I would like to invite you to my Christian Women's forum...Mama Central! bb.bbboy.net/mamacentral

We are a nondenominational forum where we focus our interests on being Godly wives, mothers and the best 'Keeps of the Home' that we can be. Please, if you have time...come join us!

God Bless,

Michele

Posted in Homemaking

We ordered this when it went on clearance at Disneyshopping.com. I love it! We are dressing him for each holiday/season.....

 

Posted in Homemaking

I have been a bad blogger! But I am hoping to change that. I am setting aside blogging and posting time on my new schedule very day or at the very least every other day. I hope it works! :)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homemaking

I am happy to report we have been in the new house almost 2 weeks now and LOVE it. :)
I will be posting pictures in the upcoming days of our new home. We have been decorating like crazy!
I feel very blessed with all that has happened to us. The Lord is SO GOOD!
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homeschool

Tj and Nathan stopped by the other day and spent some time with the girls. They all love playing with each other so much. :) My hope is we get this house....

This house is across the street from Laurie's family. It's down the road from Nicki's house and just a few houses away from Danielle. :) We should know by next week about mid-week. :)

Here is pictures of the kids when they were hamming it up in the living room...
I call this one the HAPPY FAMILY, LOL

And look at these buddies....

Posted in Frugality

We have had some yuck going around our house this week. I am hoping we are in the tail end of it. DH is getting checked out as we speak. He had it the worse. Poor guy.
We have done ALOT of thrifty shopping last could of weeks. We go to thrift stores each Friday morning and yard sales each Saturday morning. It has been working out well for us. I have found so many things for such good prices. Our needs are constantly changing so this type of weekly shopping ensures we can hopefully find the things we are in need of. Dh said it was  hard to wash the 15 passenger van and had desired a pressure washer. Guess what we found? You got it and for $20, which is great for a gas powered one! It needed a spark plug and we are good to go. I'm still hunting for a high chair with the straps on it. I have 2 high chairs currently, neither have straps. Danielle is getting to be the age she is standing up in her chair since she isn't strapped in! And I can hear the air being sucked out of the room as you mothers read that, trust me it is not my first choice either of ways to entertain myself either. It is so dangerous. When she gets antsy like that one of us has to sit next to her during the meal or snack to ensure she stays seated. So, I am still hunting and I know that I will find it. :) Here are some pictures of our finds.....
New American Standard sink. This retails for $200 at Lowe's, we found it (and needed it SO badly!!) at the Kiwanis thrift store for $20...

If you kept up with my blog you know I was searching for a carpet sweeper. I had not really wanted to pay $30 and up for one. 2 days after posting that here is what I found at Goodwill for $3.50 and it works GREAT! :)


The girls showing off the newest addition to my Publix Pilgrim collection....napkin rings! I have 4 now, only 8 more to go! LOL These were a $1 for the 4. Notice Faith in the background STILL eating on her easter bunny!

I got these baby bottle baskets for $.25 each. I had 2 and I was filling those up in the dishwasher every day and then some. With Josiah in bottles and Danielle coming out of them but in a sippy cup (which has just as many small parts) I needed some more. Now I have 4 and I *hope* that is enough!

And some various artwork I got at one yard sale. She charged me $1 and $2 EACH for these, amazing! I was needing some for the "new" dining room, so it worked out great!






Maybe I will be able to get some pictures of the things we found THIS past weekend. We did awesome in a Gated Community Large Sale where all the families in the community had their own sale, there was a TON of sales! It worked out well for us. :)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homemaking

Still trying to find my way in this new super sized life of mine. I guess now is the time you HAVE to be organized or nothing gets done. Im getting there but still really tired from staying up late. As I am posting this after 1 am.
I need to break down larger chores for different days, like the bathrooms, dusting and so on. Once I know there is a day for those things I can maybe be more relaxed about the daily stuff. The floors being the hardest. Like I said, I am getting there.  Patience is not one of my strong points!
On a better note I did drop off  2 garbage size bags of things to the childrne's consignment store. I also took in a few things to my favorite resell place, Once Upon a Child. I got a $30 store credit, and ended up getting a Baby Einstein play mat for Joisah, 2 books for the girls and 6 pair of cloth training panties for Danielle. Once my credit was used I owed $.74! DH was impressed! :)
I have alot of things to ship and also to clean and post on Craigs list. Mostly toys the girls are parting with. Whatever I don't list I will take to the children's consignment store. :)
I also have a pretty decent donation pile going on too. I will try to drop that off too.
Slowly but surely I am decluttering our house even more than previously. Less things, less things to clean!
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Family

Posted in Motherhood

This is for you Moms out there with 4 or more kids. I have a question. It is burning the very being in me at the moment.
When does this get better?
Stop laughing.
Please?
Seriously.
Ok, go ahead and laugh if you must but can you just give me an idea of when it slows down.
Ball park figure.
6 momths?
A year?
See, your laughing again.

I have 5 here. The children are not the problem. They are lovely and are behaving very nicely aside from one naughty little redhead who is just being five. Oh the humanity. The problem is the STUFF. Ya know, the laundry, the dishes, the baths, the meals. I mean there has to be a system to this. And I am getting a routine, but I gotta tell ya.....I don't see myself saving any time and goodness knows I am still dead tired. Keep in mind I went from 3 kids five years old and UP to 5 kids ranging from newborn to teenager. It happened very quickly! Instant family, just add formula. The upkeep is just not what I was prepared for. I was prepared what it would be like to be disciplining them. But seriously, they are like a moving pile of laundry with cheerios stuck to it.
Any suggestions, tips, advice, websites, medications to help me through this???
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Family

My dear sweet 15 yo son had his first high school party last night. It had a theme, "Hollywood in Cape Coral" and they had to dress up as someone famous. My son being the Pirate of The Caribean (sp) fan that he is of course chose Jack Sparrow. :) It took us a week to perfect the costume but I think he looks great!!!

God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homemaking

Have you seen my new best friend?


I don't know why  I bother to unplug it to be honest. I use it 4 times a day. I have come to a few realizations.....
1. I hate carpeting.
2. Even 'lightweight' is too heavy.
3. Letting the dog eat the crumbs on the floor and seats isn't really *that* gross.
4. Did I mention I HATE carpeting???
Ugh.
Ok so here is what I am dreaming of...........

*sigh*
It is either that or rip out the capreting. I'm just guessing the non-electric carpet sweeper is cheaper and easier.
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homemaking

This is our laundry for the day..........about 1/3 of it. This is the daily amount (x 3) that we wash, line dry, fold and put away. I have to wash aleast 2 loads a day not to get behind. I do 3 loads most days. And I do laundry everyday of the week. I do about 14 - 20 loads a week. That is for 7 people. I also cloth diaper when I am home (not when Im out just yet!). Cloth wipes for me. And lots of uniforms for DH, small loads of Josiah's laundry. So it adds up!
I am getting it under control though by taking the clothes from the girls room and me pulling outfits for them myself. That has helped this week alot! They would wear a new nightgown each night. I make them wear the same one (as long as it is clean) for the whole week. I cleaned out their closet and gave them some hanging organizers. I wrote the days of the week on each slot and that contains all their clothes for that day. There is their nightgown, which I put in there after the wake up in the morning, then there is a set of play clothes and a nice going out outfit. I start Monday with that the nice outfit only. If it gets used then I put one in Tuesdays. Otherwise if we go no where I just take MOndays outfit and "recycle" it down to the next day until it is used. There is also clean pair of socks and undies. The socks get done just like the nice outfits. Since my girls rarely wear shoes! LOL  Here is a quick glimpse of their closet. I was in the middle of filling up the clothes for the week. Each girl has their own hanging organizer.:)

So far it is working really well! :)
I moved their clothes into my large closet. They have one side and I have the other. I am in charge of putting away all the clothes in that closet. I do that so I can assure everything goes in the correct place and it keeps looking nice. See?

It is no easy task line drying laundry for 7 people each day. But we do live in Florida, we just have to stay one step ahead of the rain in the summertime. I also hang laundry in the garage/playroom when it rains. I also have 2 drying racks and always looking for more at thrift stores and yard sales. :)
Madison my 9 year old, has the job of  hanging out and gathering the laundry. After struggling with a heavy basket of wet clothes or multiple baskets of dry clothes she came up with a great solution!

That is our dolly cart we use when we move heavy things around, like our freezer and what not. She is making GREAT use of it! Otherwise it is used daily to push around a little sister in the yard. :)
Though the laundry can be overwhelming. I have found this part of my Large Family Journey to be the easiest to control. Dishes..........eh well that is another day! ;)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Heavenly Journey

Aren't they adorable? :)
And they are my new journey. The large family journey.
I have said it many times that we are a large family but truly until Josiah came, I had no clue.
I thought I did. But the Lord said...........you think your busy now? Let's subtract some sleep, some patience, and for good measure why don't we let the 1 year old walk now! LOL
Tired has reached a whole new level here. But I am not complaining. I can say whole heartedly and honestly, I was ill prepared for the addition of the 5th one to the group. Now mind you the 1 year old is not living here per say. She spends 10 hours a day here, 6 days a week. But still it is long enough to make me very aware of the time and effort it takes to raise 5 children.
So over the coming months I am going to be on a journey, large family journey. It will require me to be more patient. To be more organized (getting there!). For me to be a better steward with our money. All the while I am very aware that I am the odd person out around in these parts. All eyes are on me and my kids. Waiting for us to implode at any moment so they can say , "See and THIS is why you use birth control!" UGH. We are now forced into a role model postion almost. Where we are on display for others just due to our family size. I thought it was overwhelming when I was preggers and had 4 kids out and about. It is extremely taxing on my patience now! The Lord asks us to stand apart from others. How is this for standing apart and basically sticking out like a sore thumb....
We are quiverfull.
We are modest dressers (skirts or dress only and long at that).
We homeschool.
We avoid as many immunizations as we can.
We should blend right into all the McMansions around here, eh?
ROFL NOT!
The Lord has shown us HIS way and we are trying our best to follow HIS will. He never said it would be easy. But we all know it is worthwhile.
Hope you enjoy your journey your own, where ever it takes you. :)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Frugality

I have to say my life changed this week......we got a FREE dishwasher. We could not install it in our old 1970's cabinets because their size would not accomdate them. So we installed it next to the washer in the laundry room. Which is 2 feet from the kitchen sink. So it worked out great!
My life consisted of washing bottles constantly and never being caught up on dishes with 5 kids underfoot al day. Now.....my countertops are spotless!!!!! YEA!
I love my used FREE dishwasher. And I praise the LORD for blessing me with it! :)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Family

Went shopping today with all 5 kids. Was interesting.
I prepare myself to be the largest family in the store, as we always get looks with just the 5 kids. And I really want to be postive even though I feel at times as if people treat me as if I just landed from Mars. So, on this trip we make it through the adventure with hardly even a look. Much less no questions. As we get ready to check out, I send DH with the 5 kids to sit and wait for me. No need for the whole family go through the checkout line. As I am waiting I see the lady in front of my with 2 kids checking out. She has 2 carts full of food. Peaks my interest as I begin to view her purchases. It was almost all the sales for the week. As she gets done and the register is trying to catch up the cashier says to her....."Big shopping trip this week!" and the lady smiles and says, "Yes....but I have a big family. So this is like this each time." Now I am SURE that she can not have me beat in the large family department, as she only has TWO kids. So I pipe up and ask, "How many kids do you have? I have 5." I almost said it like a badge of honor, Im ashamed to admit it now. She turns to me with a very kind smile and says,"We have 8 children." My mouth dropped! LOL I was trumped! By the way, her grand total for 2 brimming carts of food? $335. I can aleast console myself that I could have spent less, right?? LOL
The Lord is funny like that. When your getting a bit full of yourself, he has his own ways of knocking you down a peg or two, doesn't he? :)
God Bless,
Michele

Posted in Homemaking

Title sounds strange but don't jump ship yet! Let me explain!
I have a baby tub that I need to find a place to store. I was storing it under the crib as it fit and that is where I had extra space. Now that the baby is here, it is just not a good place. I give the baby his baths in the kitchen sink since I can not really lean over the tub just yet. So the bedroom is on one side of the house and the kitchen on the other. So Im in search of a new place to store the tub. Any suggestions?
Just to give a bit of history, my kitchen is very very small and there is literally no room in there for it. Here is a pic....

There is a laundry room beyond the room there, but it too is pretty much cramped and filled. I was thinking though.....Would it look odd to hang it on a hook in the laundry room?
Thoughts or suggestions welcomed!

Posted in Family

I am finally getting around to doing an update. :)
Josiah Randall was born Feb. 25th.....weighed in at 9 lb. 13 ounces and a long 22 inches! He was born with dark hair but it is now turning red, just like his older sisters. All went well with his birth and he is now home!

He is now 3 weeks old and we are adjusting to life here with many children (well for us it is ALOT lol). We have found a routine and are now all getting some sleep! LOL
Since his birth my oldest son has had his confirmation. What a wonderful day that was! I had so many tears, he is growing up so fast!  Well they all are, look at them here at his confirmation....

Josiah was a meer one week old in that picture. Hard to believe! Madison is 9 , Faith is 5 and Christian is 15. Where did all the time go to?
I will be able to blog more often now that I am finding time, so stay tuned!

Posted in Motherhood

I recently have been reading online some blogs, message boards and so on. And I see some women who are just truly upset about getting a last minute or even scheduled c-section. I read comments like, "I was so disappointed!", "I am so upset!"  or "I think it was un-needed and un-necessary!". Don't get me wrong, I realize there are doctors out there who do them cause its easier on them to have things scheduled. But truly, I think those doctors are far and few in between. My point is...........it gets the baby out, so why be upset? The end result is there is a blessing of joy from the Lord......how can you be so upset? Having both can I completely understand that the recovery is harder, and who gets excited about major surgery? But the bottom line is your child is here and they are SAFE. That is what birthing is about, getting your child here safely as possible. I guess when after losing my son I feel that complaining HOW you get them here SAFELY is a bit selfish. Relish in the fact you were blessed in the first place to have a blessing from the Lord, that they are here, you can hold them and they are healthly. Thank God that there is a c-section (whether it was needed or not in your mind) that brought that child in the world.
I can only imagine what a child in later years would feel like hearing a mother say repeatedly, "Oh they MADE me have a c-section for him/her.....and it was awful and I felt it was un-necessary." I choose to tell my daughter and soon Josiah when he comes in the world how I feel SO blessed that the Lord gave me another blessing! And how blessed I am that HE put me in the hands of a surgeon who was able to get them here safely. At the end of the day when I held them all the pain, recovery and fear was WELL worth it. Isn't that what parenting is about? Choosing THEM first?

I urge all parents of child under 80 pounds to watch this video......Kyle's Story
I have got some really big eye rolls as of late for putting Madison who is 8 yr old and only 60 pounds in a booster seat. After seeing this video we will be putting away the booster for the Brixtax car seat. Without a doubt. Money, eye rolls and comments are just that...........her life is precious and worth all of it.

Posted in Frugality

I found a solution to a problem that has been brewing for FIVE years now. Laurie knows what I'm talking about. The dang bench. LOL I have been desiring a bench for our dining room table for as long as Faith has been on this earth. Only hitch, I didnt want to buy new. Do you know how HARD it is to find a used or curbside bench for a dining table? Well......its nearly impossible. But yesterday I was presented with ONE of them! Then when I opened my eyes, I really saw about SIX of them. I found a nice leather topped one at a thrift store. Oh how pretty it was, perfect size......perfect perfect.......until we got to the price........$100! ACK! No thanks, I can buy a new one for LESS than that. At another thrift store I combed the furniture section once again, no benchs. Just lots of coffee tables. On my way out the store I glance in the window again as I am walking away and see TWO coffee tables. Long, narrow and umm......chair height. Hmmmmm I think to myself. But I was hungry so I continue on to lunch. Last stop of the day. I see no benches. I stop however at a tall, long, narrow coffee table. Marked $30. It ok looking. But for the first time I realize something about these 1960's tables I keep seeing.......that most have a 3 sets of legs. You know ..... most have 4 but these have another set in the MIDDLE. I am assuming cause they are so long and that was the design at the time. I ponder it. Madison picks up on my pondering and sits on it. Sturdy. Faithy joins her. Still sturdy. Then *I* sit on it with all my 238 pounds (I know I know I know!) and we all sit quietly and contently on this sturdy table. Legs do not wobble. We all fit, actually room for one more. Now I say outloud......is it tall enough? Madison without direction goes to the dining room section of the thrift store, pulls a dining room chair over to the table. SAME SIZE. SOLD!  We now have a bench! The wood tone did not match anything we had, so we decided to paint it black. $2 worth of paint later........well you tell me what you think.
Before....

After it was painted....

And in it's place of honor....

Now the journey is over. I am sure I will find something else to hunt down, LOL