Posted in HOMEKEEPING
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Well, my husband did it again! Laundry and Sean are just NOT a good combination! The first time he messed up the laundry, he said "I just didn't see that red sock when I put the whites in." Everyones socks and underwear turned pink, and my eldest son Hunter would not wear pink...still won't. The second time Sean messed up the laundry, he shrank my Susan Bristol sweater down to doll size! GRRRRR! LOL The third time, Sean washed and dried bubble gum...ughhhhhhhhhh! Well, this time Sean washed and dried a bright pink, glittery crayon. I know he thought he was being helpful, especially since I am pregnant and tired...but, oyyyy! I love him, but if that man gets near my washer and dryer again, I will hurt him!!!! LOL
Instead of getting all our school work done, the children watched a video, "Keeping the Promise" (based on the book, "Sign of the Beaver"), while Mom surfed the net trying to find a way to get crayon out of 2 loads of jeans. We had planned to watch the video as part of our school day, but it became the only school work to be finished. This is the first time we ever had a crayon enter our laundry.
I ran to Walgreens to get the supplies I needed to battle the crayon, here is what I did:
1. Spray everything down with Shout Advanced Action Gel, then turn washer on using hot water
2. Put 4 scoops of OxyClean Powder in the washer
3. Pour some Clorox Oxi Magic Stain Remover into washer (no set amount)
4. Pour some Spray 'n Wash with Resolve Power Stain Remover into washer (no set amount)
5. Pour a capful of 2X ultra Tide with ColorClean Bleach Alternative into washer
6. Add stained laundry to washer and let agitate for 30 seconds, then turn it off
7. Soak clothing in the hot water for one hour, prewash, then reload with cleaners and wash normally
Everything came out clean!!!!! No crayon!!!!
While the laundry was soaking, I cleaned the dryer...here is the key to a crayon free dryer. Comet powder and an old, wet toothbrush! Make sure to wipe the dryer clean with a wet cloth and then run it with a wet towel in it. We had to take the dryer door off and the lint trap too, and it took a while, but it was ready for the jeans when they were finished.
Bubble gum and laundry do NOT mix...I have not found anything to get the gum free of the clothing. However, dried on gum in the dryer is no problem! Just spray down the gum spots (wait till the dryer is cool) with Goo Gone and let sit for a few minutes, then get out the trusty comet powder and old toothbrush and scrub away and wipe it clean.
I did have one horrible mishap with the laundry a few years back, that I will share. I put a load of towels in the dryer and killed our sweet cat! He never made a sound...my eldest found him in there. It was horrible! Cats and warm places! No cleaning will make you feel good about that dryer ever again! I now am very diligent about looking in the dryer first.
So, share your laundry mishaps and cures!
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Posted in MOMMY BABBLE
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First things first! We are expecting a new baby. This little one will be due in mid-September. I am 16 weeks along with our 9th child. I would have been 36 weeks along with Jaden right now...20 weeks apart...1/2 a pregnancy. Yes, it still causes me to cry. Something new, something different, something exciting! Happy parenting!
This year has been the hardest for me so far. Homeschooling became a real struggle, and I had to cut back...ALOT! God has set something new before me...He has put it in front of me for a couple of years now, and I finally heard Him...ok, it took hitting a brick wall, but at least I hear Him now. Next year we will be using Tapestry of Grace. Everyone will be learning the exact same thing, just at their own level. This will be a real blessing after the school year we have had. Something new, something different, something exciting...and a little scary! Happy homeschooling!
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Posted in MOMMY BABBLE
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Ting, Shing, Shy, Socks, Spooky, and Star...we love and miss you!
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Posted in Angels
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ELLEN MARIE ATHANSON VALPARAISO, IN
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Posted in Angels
http://www.netpoets.com/poems/death/0319006.htm
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Posted in Angels
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Posted in Angels
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We didn't know it at the time, but these were to be our last moments with this wonderful man...my Dad, Mike.
Friday afternoon, I took the children up to the hospital. Shortly after we arrived, my sisters Shannon and Debbie, and Debbie's children showed up. The room was full of people and noise. I had called the nurse in when we got there, to give him some pain meds, so he slept through our visit. We spent some time there with him...washing his face, putting lotion on his head, hands, and feet, and cleaning up his mouth.
Despite our religious differences, we prayed together, and then I read the 23rd Psalm. We all told him that we loved him and kissed him. Hours later he passed from this world, into the arms of God where he will not suffer from cancer...no more pain, no more tears.
We love you! Rest in Peace Dad.
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Posted in Angels
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Saturday, October 6, 2007. I started spotting after feeling a really bad cramp. I called the doctor on call and was told it was probably nothing and to get in the bed and stay there until Monday when they could see me. He said if anything gets worse to call him back and he would talk me through it. Hmmm...7 other pregnancies and never had to stay in the bed before. I usually have horrible morning sickness, but this pregnancy it hasn't been bad, and I should have known something was wrong when the morning sickness disappeared a little over a week ago.
Sunday, October 7, 2007. Still spotting. After lunch, the spotting gets heavier and I start cramping. I try to stay in the bed, but end up running back and forth between the bedroom and the bathroom....this goes on ALL day. The cramping gets worse and at about 5pm, I realize it is labor pains. The pains get worse and are coming at about 3 minutes apart. At about 7:30pm, the pains are constant and I know it is coming. I can't walk, sit, or lay down comfortably. At about 8:15pm, I ran to the bathroom and delivered the amniotic sac. I put the sac in a container and then called the doctor on call. He told me he was sorry but sometimes these things happen and he will see me tomorrow in the office. (Ohhh that was helpful!) The bleeding gets worse and so do the clots. I am stunned...shocked...in disbelief. Of course I do not sleep well.
Monday, October 8, 2007. I was still holding it together. Still clotting, and bleeding heavy. Nobody tells you about the after-birth pains you feel after a miscarriage. I see my doctor at 2pm and between he and I, the tears are flowing! They do an internal ultrasound and say the miscarriage was complete...no D & C. Charmin (sonographer) says she is sorry for my loss and that the cramping and heavy bleeding will continue until I pass the lining. I do this a few days later in one big clot. My doctor says that I will go on to have more children...and I had beat the statistical odds of 1 in 5 miscarry. So I go home...and I cry, and cry, and cry. We has already started planning for this child...we had hopes and dreams. Jaden, you are loved and will be missed greatly! Sean is home this week as we are going on vacation to Florida for the last family trip with my parents and my sister and her family before my Dad passes away from lung and brain cancer.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007. This is the day of tears. Sean had to go in to work for 2 hours for a meeting. I cry the whole time. He brings home a beautiful wood box to bury Jaden Lee. I cry more! We have to pack and go shopping for the trip. Sean takes me to buy some clothes, as I was starting to wear maternity clothes (I hate things touching my stomach) and nothing else fits or looks good. We discuss where to bury Jaden...and I cry continuously for 6 hours. Selfishly, I wanted to be the one to hold this child, to hear the baby's first cry, to smell the sweetness of a newborns skin. But instead, instant Heaven, and a perfect baby is wrapped in the arms of God. Some day I will get to hold this child in my arms and what a glorious day that will be! I couldn't handle my baby being buried away from me. We are also in the process of buying family land and I told him to make it so we could move the baby when we moved. The man did whatever it took to please his wife. And, somewhere close to midnight we buried Jaden Lee in a spot in our yard surrounded by flowers. My understanding from a lot of women is that I got to do something that most of them do not...bury my child. I cry myself to sleep. I have found a beautiful stepping stone to mark Jaden's grave: Angel Memorial Stepping Stone
So we left Wednesday for our trip and came home Sunday. It wasn't restful or healing...and it kept me from truly grieving the death of our child. But, you can't avoid grief. I have suffered migraines daily until yesterday. I cry daily still...it has been a little over 2 weeks. I have so far managed to avoid dealing with people...but will be facing the music this week by going back to our homeschool co-op. My husband is coming with us.
Through this all, I have gotten to see how much my husband truly loves me. He has held me and wiped my tears. He has romanced me and played with me. He listens to me and we discuss our dreams. Thank you God for this Godly man! Mercy and prayer have never been my strong points...God has shown me what flaws need to be fixed. You have no where to look but up when you are brought to your knees.
Tearfully,
Traci...Mommy to 7, plus one perfect little angel named Jaden Lee
" There is no greater tragedy in life than the loss of a child. Unfortunately, because our babies live only within our wombs or they live outside of the womb for a short period of time, an uneducated society often minimizes the importance of their short lives and, in turn, our grief is trivialized." ~Clair Baca
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Posted in MOMMY BABBLE
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I do NOT like the words miscarriage or loss or spontaneous abortion when speaking about the death of a baby and pregnancy...but what other words are there?
Spontaneous abortion-abortion will always be an ugly word to me. Adding spontaneous in front of it doesn't make it look any better!
Miscarriage-I didn't carry the baby wrong, or drop the baby. This word feels like a judgement towards the mother! God just had other plans for this child.
Loss-I didn't loose or misplace the baby. The baby passed away.
If you have better words to replace these, post them in the comments section. I do NOT like these words!
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Posted in Angels
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October 15 - A Day of Remembrance
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Posted in AWARDS
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I was picked as the Random Blogger of the Week. I am very honored, although probably highly unworthy of such an honor! Thank you!!! Here is the post about it from the HSBCompanyBlog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/406816/ ~Traci
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Posted in Angels
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While we were in Florida, I rested some and was too busy to dwell on anything. My husband was awesome...he waited on me, bought me things, held me, romanced me, played with me. Ohhh I am so glad that God made our paths cross! Once we crossed the FL-AL border, I felt the tears start and at just that moment my husband reached for my hand. There was obviously some butterfly migration going on down in Florida, because they were everywhere...and it felt like God sent them just for me! Strangely, I seemed to be the only one that noticed the butterflies. I actually had to point them out to everyone. When I couldn't see them, I knew they were still there...the shadow of their flapping wings were always near! My Butterfly by Kimberly de Montbrun This poem is on a site that sells jewelry for those that have lost a child, whether it be to miscarriage, still birth, or a preemie. I bought a custom-made necklace and today got an e-mail that it shipped out. Here is the site: God bless,
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Posted in Angels
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The past few weeks with my Dad have been hard. And, we haven't done any school work in 4 weeks due to traveling back and forth at his beck and call. He is still very confused, cries a lot, and gets very lonely even with my Mom and Sister there.
But this post isn't about that. This post is about "rain"...the constant tears that continue to flow from my eyes. This post is about Jaden Lee Boyd. Sunday (October 7, 2007) I miscarried our 8th child. I was 12 weeks pregnant. We buried our baby tonight. Our baby was laid to rest in a beautiful wooden box that my husband bought. I will never hear this baby's first cry or smell the sweetness of the baby's skin. My arms will forever ache to hold this child. Yes, this baby is cradled in the arms of our Lord, but selfishly I wanted to be the one holding this child.
I never expected a miscarriage, however I should have known when the morning sickness seemed to disappear about a week ago. I never thought I would have labor and after-birth pains with a miscarriage. I never knew the level of grief that would follow, it is quite intense. How long can one person cry in a 24 hour time period? I can't stand the comments that come from others that they think are comforting ("better early than late", "at least you are only 12 weeks", "these things happen")...they aren't! They don't know what to say...and their best bet would be to just not say anything, of course that doesn't happen! They could send a card that says sorry for your loss, or send flowers...but that isn't happening! I quit answering the phone and haven't gone anywhere, and I am going to escape for 5 days to Florida...nobody will know and I can grieve in silence (or at least with just the sounds of my husband and 7 children on earth)!
I will post again after we get back from Florida...when I feel up to it. For now, the tears continue to flow like rain. Please keep us in your prayers.
God bless,
Traci...mom of 7, plus 1 tiny angel
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Posted in OUR CHARACTER STUDIES
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DEFIANCE/REBELLION VS QUIET SUBMISSION
Monday
Read the story of Korah (Numbers 16:3-35) and discuss how when Korah rose up against Moses, he was defiant and rebellious towards God, and that led to the his death and the deaths of his family, and all his friends.
Read Proverbs 21:29 and discuss how defiance shows in a hardened face.
Tuesday
Read the story of Belshazzar (Daniel 5) and discuss how his defiance and rebellion towards God lead to this death and division of his kingdom.
Read Proverbs 15:10 and discuss how those who choose to leave the straight and narrow path will never see Heaven.
Wednesday
Read 1 Peter 2:13-17 and discuss how living a good life and submitting to authority is God's plan for us and may help others to know God.
Read Proverbs 15:32 and discuss how later in life you will hate the foolish things you did that people warned you about.
Thursday
Read Psalm 119:9. Remind the children of the importance of Bible study, scripture memorization, and prayer.
Project: Start a prayer book (something small that can be carried in a back pocket...homemade is fine)...include in this a section for "The Lamb's Book of Life" to list those that are saved. This section will help them see the importance of prayer.
I am using "For Instruction in Righteousness" as a guide for our Character Studies. |
Posted in PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
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My Dad, Mike Titus, has lung cancer. He has been battling lung cancer for 2 years now. It has been easy for him at times...but mostly this battle has been hard, for him and for us.
For the past few weeks he has been forgetting things. This past week he has been very confused, saying things that didn't make sense. Saturday everything came to a head. He was very confused, staring into space, and jerking his head. The doctor later said it sounded like a localized seizure. Anyway, off to the hospital he went. The admitted him, ran some tests, did some x-rays of his chest, and a CAT scan of his head. The discovered the lung cancer has moved to the brain.
I spent all day Sunday with Dad. He was calmer than he has been in some time, but due to the aneurysm bleeding in his brain, he is still very confused. He tolerated me fussing over him and "mothering" him. Sean and I are taking the kids to see him for a short visit this evening.
Please keep Dad and my family in your prayers. As my Mom said, "Are we at the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end? I don't know, but it isn't going to be easier from here on out."
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Posted in OUR CHARACTER STUDIES
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DISOBEDIENCE VS OBEDIENCE
Monday
Read the story of Lot's wife (Genesis 19:17, 23-26) and discuss how her disobedience to God led to her death.
Read 1 Samuel 15:22 and discuss how obedience is better than sacrifice. Lot's wife sacrificed her earthly belongings, but in the end did not obey.
Tuesday
Read the story of Jonah (Jonah 1-2) and discuss how Jonah's disobedience to God got him cast off the ship and in the belly of the fish. He had to suffer for his disobedience.
Read Romans 1:28-32 and discuss how long term disobedience and sin can lead to a depraved mind and the wide and winding path to the fiery pit.
Wednesday
Read the story of Abraham (Acts 7:3-8) and discuss how his obedience to God gave him the blessings of an heir and land.
Read Hebrews 11:8 and discuss how Abraham didn't know where he was going, he just obeyed and trusted God and was abundantly blessed. Read Proverbs 3:1-2 and discuss the blessings of obedience: longer life, prosperity.
Thursday
Read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) and discuss how their obedience (No other gods before me) and trust in God led to a promotion after their deliverance from the fiery furnace.
Read Psalm 143:10 and Psalm 119:11 and discuss how Bible study and scripture memorization is vitally important.
I am using "For Instruction in Righteousness" as a guide for our Character Studies.
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Posted in OUR CHARACTER STUDIES
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STUBBORNESS/SELF-WILL VS SUBMISSIVE SPIRIT
Monday
Read about the people of Noah's day (Genesis 6:1-8) and discuss how their stubbornness led to their destruction through the flood.
Read Proverbs 29:1 and discuss how God punishes those who choose to do as they please.
Tuesday
Read the story of Eli's wicked sons (1 Samuel 2:22-26) and discuss how their self-will led to their death.
Read Proverbs 28:9 and discuss how willfulness destroys fellowship with God.
Wednesday
Read the story of Noah (Genesis 6:9-22) and discuss how Noah's submissive spirit towards God saved him and his family.
Read Ephesians 6:1 and discuss how submitting to your parents while you are a child is a commandment from God, our Heavenly Father.
Thursday
Read Proverbs 1:8-9 and discuss how those who follow wisdom and truth add beauty and honor to their lives. Project: Have each child make a crown and necklace to be worn during times of submissiveness and obedience. Have older children help younger children on this project.
I am using "For Instruction in Righteousness" as a guide for our Character Studies.
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Posted in MOMMY BABBLE
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Today, I asked Logan what he wanted to be when he grows up. His answer was, "A vegetarian." I said, "Hmmmmm! Do you know what that is?" His answer: "Someone who eats veggies. I want to get paid for trying new veggies." LOL From the mouths of babes!
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Posted in OUR CHARACTER STUDIES
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HYPOCRISY VS HONESTY/SINCERITY
Monday
Read the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32) and discuss the difference between the sons and how the first sinned and repented (honesty) and the 2nd son was a hypocrite.
Read Luke 12:2 and discuss how God knows and sees all, even what is in our heart and mind. Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy!
Tuesday
Read the story of Herod (Matthew 2) and discuss how Herod tried to trick the wise men to find the baby Jesus.
Read Mark 12:13-14 and discuss how the Pharisees and Herodians tried to trick Jesus.
Wednesday
Read Matthew 15:1-20 and discuss what comes out of your mouth is a matter of heart.
Read 1 Samuel 16:7 and discuss outward appearance vs inward appearance and the difference between the hypocrite and the sincere.
Thursday
Read the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10) and discuss how their lack of honesty cost them their lives. God can see what we think, feel, and do.
Read Psalm 139:23-24 and discuss honesty and sincerity of the heart and in all we do. Read James 3:17 and discuss the verse and how it applies to us.
I am using "For Instruction in Righteousness" as a guide for our Character Studies.
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Posted in MOMMY BABBLE
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