3 Must Have Products We Discovered This Year

It seems like there is a never-ending list of new gadgets and ideas that come out all the time. New ways to brush your pet, sew a pillow, dry your dishes, and wash your clothes! But there are 3 things we've discovered this year that are must-haves, in our book.
1. Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel
This product comes with an applicater that allows you to stick a gel thing on the inside of your toilet. It lasts about a week and it works wonder for keeping the sewer smell down! It was given to us in a Care Basket by a Pastor's Wife friend and it's extremely handy.

2. Kindle
My wonderful husband bought a Kindle after Thanksgiving. We just got the plain, regular Kindle because I only wanted something to read books on, I didn't need another gadget for me to watch movies, tv, surf the internet, or do Facebook on. Plus the regular Kindle has the e-ink display which I love! I don't get eye strain while reading it. I absolutely love my Kindle, it's so awesome. Instead of having to find a local library that will allow us to rent books, and instead of filling our trailer with loads of books, I can rent them wirelessly and transfer them to the Kindle. It's an amazing piece of technology and I love, love, love it!
3. Norwex cloth
I heard about this when we were in Omaha, NE. A lady in the church sells them and she told me all about them. I couldn't even begin to explain what it is except it's a microfiber cloth that uses silver to capture and eliminate bacteria. You can use the cloth without any chemicals and remove as much bacteria as a Clorox wipe does. Again, without the harmful chemicals. The lovely woman in Omaha gave me a cloth when we left and I used it to clean the grease off of my cabinets and microwave and let me tell you, it is amazing! I have been trying to get the bacon grease smell out of my cabinet and I've used a baking soda paste, vinegar/water spray, and Dawn dish soap. None of it helped. I got this cloth wet, wrung out the water, and wiped the cabinet and wiped away layers of grease without hardly even having to try. And the bacon smell is gone! It also cleaned my microwave and fridge and they look brand new. Again, without any chemicals! I have also been told you can use it to clean your bathroom, mirrors/windows, and anything else and because of the activated silver inside of the cloth, you only have to wash it once a month. I want to get some more cloths, I have never seen a product like it before. If you try to live a "clean" life without harmful chemicals, this is definitely something you should look into.
So those are my top products of the year. I realize #1 and #3 conflict a little, but that's my life. I just take what God gives me and try to do the best I can with it!

We made it!

After our 5 day trip to get here, we made it to Carson, Mississippi. I haven't actually seen Carson yet, we are parked at a Youth Camp out in the woods. It is so beautiful here and it smells amazing. The weather is also perfect, mid 60's, low 70's during the day and mid 40's at night. It should be like that the whole time we're here, too.
We had to stay an extra night in Jackson because of the rain and they hadn't gotten the campsite ready for more RVs yet. And I was ready to leave Jackson! I'm just not a big city girl. I like a mid-size town with a variety of grocery stores and restaurants, but not a city.
We got here to the campground on Friday and we do not get any phone reception whatsoever. Actually Caleb got one bar at the top of a hill. But the Pastor was able to put an internet router in the Chow Hall (we're parked right next to it) so we get internet now and we can use our phone because we both have wi-fi calling! It's just another example of how the Lord provides your desires when you find satisfaction in where you are.

What is your legacy?

Psalm 109:6Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

7When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

9Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

17As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
I heard a great message tonight about this passage, but in a way I never would have thought to look at it. Verses 1-5 talk about a person who speaks against God and His followers and then these verses say what will happen to a person that does this. I can't remember everything the Pastor said but basically the Lord spoke to me about being negative. I don't think of myself as a negative person, and I don't consciously look for negative things, it's more like I take the positive things for granted, I just suppose everyone already knows those things. So all that comes out sometimes is the negative. And it's something I'm really going to work on! I find irony in things and I like to mention it, but it shouldn't be mentioned more than the blessings in my life.
I just thought I would share. I know a few people that I would say are complainers and always think negatively about things, and I do not want that as my legacy. And as the verses say, I don't want my children to be vagabonds because they inherited my complaining and discontent attitude. Nobody wants to do nice things for a complainer. Nobody remembers a complainer. You won't be succesful if you always complain. The Lord can't bless you if you can't be thankful. And He especially can't be a blessing to you if you speak evil against Him or His people.

Wait, where am I?

These past few days have been a little crazy! I'll give you a few highlights.
1. We left on Sunday for Dallas. We got stuck in a traffic jam because of a car wreck when we were 10 minutes away from our destination! It ended up taking us almost an hour.
2. On Monday I drove to Grand Prairie, TX (between Dallas and Ft. Worth) to drop off some baby clothes for a friend and I had a blast driving through Dallas! I missed the AM traffic so I was cruising. It was like commandeering my own roller coaster cart. I might want to be a NASCAR driver in my next life.
3. Speaking of baby clothes, I have now given away all of our baby clothes. *deep breath* I feel great about it, I'm glad they could all go to people that need them.
4. When we arrived in Shreveport, LA Monday night we wanted to walk around somewhere and unfortunately got lost in Shreveport. Bad idea! It is not the nicest city I've ever been in. But we finally found a mall and then a Pizza Hut where the kids enjoyed their first Personal Pan Pizza earned by Book-It.
5. Did you know you can't find non-ethanol gas in Louisiana? Unfortunately I found that out Tuesday morning. I had to settle for mid-grade gas.
6. Mississippi is nice so far, we're going to the Vicksburg National Military Park tomorrow. Should be fun!

Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh!

If you have met me in person at any time, you will know that I love to laugh. Loud and long clear! My husband says I laugh louder than anyone he knows, especially when I'm around certain people that are especially hilarious. One thing I cannot stand is talking to someone that does not understand humor. I hate it when I'm talking to someone and I crack a joke and instead of laughing the person either looks at me in a befuddled manner, or contradicts me and explains her real intent or thought. Then I have to say "I know, I was just joking." This happens to me a lot. Side note: maybe I should learn from that.
Anyway, talking to someone who doesn't have a sense of humor is like eating toast without butter. Or corn without salt. Or coffee without creamer. There is no enjoyment and I can't wait until it's over. How can you enjoy life if you never laugh? If you don't understand sarcasm, how can you get through life? Sarcasm is my favorite way to get out of any awkward or embarrassing situation.
People who don't laugh and don't get sarcasm usually talk about any or all of these three subjects: How much they hate Walmart; how they know Obama is a Muslim; and any ache, pain, illness or discomfort they or anyone they know may be having and how their Doctor is too stupid to properly diagnose and/or treat their condition. I hate discussing any and all of those three topics. When any of those things are brought up, I'm looking for the exit. Because people who seriously discuss those things usually have no sense of humor and I have no taste for dry toast.
There's a time and a place for serious discussions and times when jokes are not appropriate. Side note: keep trying to figure out when jokes are not appropriate. But really people, lighten up and take a joke. And if you're talking to me and I suddenly skirt away or find a lame excuse to talk to someone else; you probably don't have a sense of humor. (that was a joke. kind of)

My Winter Wreath

I have stepped out of my comfort zone and into the new world of crafting. I've always liked crafty things, but I've never ventured very far into that world. But I got inspired to make a Fall Wreath a few months back and then I got inspired to decorate for the winter, so I changed my Fall Wreath into a Winter Wreath. I used silver tinsel that I had used for Lela's bday party and added some candy canes we made with white pipe cleaners and red and white beads. I hope you like it! As usual, it looks better in person.

What happened to my baby?

It seems like Elsa (9 months) went from being a little baby to being an almost-toddler overnight. She was this little baby that only wanted mommy and loved to be tickled. Now she crawls everywhere, throws tantrums, prefers daddy (unless she's hungry) and wants to bounce. She's still little and I know she's still a baby but she just changed so much in the last few months, it's amazing.
Last week I bought 10 jars of baby food to try out, see what she likes. Now I have to force her to eat the baby food because I paid good money for it, before I'll let her eat what she really wants: whatever we're eating. We have discovered she loves rice and noodles especially.
She also now has 7 teeth. 7! That's almost one per month. And I can see a little molar start to push its way out in the back, too. But because of those teeth she bites constantly. And boy does it hurt.
*sigh* My little baby is growing up, too quickly as always. At least she still likes to nurse, I will ho

ld onto that as long as I can. Why do they have to grow up so fast?

Oops!

I have fallen WAY behind in my Thanksgiving posts. I'm so far behind I'm not sure I can catch up. So I'm not going to try. But I have a lot to be thankful for. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams! Thank you Lord, for all You've done for me.

#9- Our Exciting Evening!

Last night we got to go to an Exhibition game at the Allen Fieldhouse to see the Jayhawks play! It was a great game; the Jayhawks won, the kids were very well behaved, there weren't any rude fans around us, and we didn't have any problems! We did have to pay an astounding amount of money to park. If it hadn't been pouring rain and dark we probably would have looked for cheaper parking but parking close sounded like a good idea. It was a great night and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go!

Thankfulness #8

If you know me for very long you know that I love shoes. If I had the money and space, I would have a lot of shoes! Right now in our trailer I have over 30 pairs of shoes including boots, heels, sandals, flats, and regular shoes. Plus I have probably another 30 pair in storage that don't fit me right now or are summer shoes. But my favorite shoes right now are my new boots I got for my birthday. We got an amazing deal on them, we ended up paying less than half their original price! (I love JC Penney, that might be tomorrow...) I wear these boots almost every day, I'm wearing them right now! They are so comfy and keep my legs warm.

Thankfulness #5, #6, #7

#5- Our Fifth Wheel
I am still amazed at how God worked out for us to get this fifth wheel. When we started in our ministry 2 1/2 years ago we started with a tiny fifth wheel that was so small, our whole family did not fit. Then we were given a fifth wheel that was a little bit bigger. We all fit, but Noah had to sleep on the floor and Anna didn't have a bed. Then, when we couldn't stand living in that anymore, God worked us out to be able to get this Fifth Wheel. A missionary family to Mexico that just happened to have the exact trailer we needed, just happened to have it for sale, and just happened to pass through Arkansas where we just happened to be working at a job site! After several months of talking back and forth, and lots of prayer, they lent us the trailer on a one-year basis. They basically let us use it for free (saving them from having to pay storage fees), and we worked to raise support to be able to take over payments when the year was up. Because of different circumstances, our church ended up taking over the payments and refinancing the loan before the year was up.
The trailer has two bedrooms; the back bedroom has four beds. It is a four-seasons trailer which means it can stand heat and cold, and it has several other features that fit our family exactly! God is so good and we're blessed to have such a nice trailer.

#6- Elsa's Play Pen
Elsa will play, sleep, and cry in her play pen and I don't have to worry about her being underfoot, or rolling off the bed. We were able to find this one at a consignment store and we got it for a very good price. It is an amazing blessing to me, and she seems to enjoy it!

#7- Dry Erase Board
Last year Caleb found a dry erase board that fits perfectly on the freezer door. I use it everyday, for lots of things! I write Lela's phonics story on it, shopping list, hang menus on it (it's also magnetic), and keep cute magnets on it. I don't know what I would do without it.

Dealing with Consequences

My oldest daughter Kayla is 7 years old. She's normally a very helpful, funny, kind-hearted girl. But lately she has had a very selfish, greedy attitude. I didn't know what it stemmed from, or even how to get it to stop. I tried talking to her about it, giving her scripture about what happens when you're selfish, I tried scolding her, I tried all I could think of and it wasn't getting any better. If anything it was getting worse. Maybe her selfishness was a way to get attention.
So I've decided something; I'm not going to accommodate her selfishness anymore, she's just going to have to deal with it, even when it hurts me too. Yesterday at church a sweet lady in the church brought some hats she had knitted. Kayla immediately snatched up a red and blue one and said "This is mine!" I wasn't near her so I couldn't say anything about it, but because she grabbed that one, there wasn't one for Lela, our (almost 6) 5 year old. But Lela didn't cry or complain, she just had a sad face and the lady said she would make some more that would be her size. Today she brought two more hats; a green and yellow one and a light pink and red one. Kayla decided she wanted to pink and red one also, and told Anna (2) that she could have the green and yellow one even though Anna got a pink one yesterday. That made Lela upset and she started to cry.
This is where I had to be firm with Kayla so she could see how her selfishness yesterday effected her today. I told Kayla that Lela got to choose first since she didn't get one yesterday and since Kayla had already told Anna she could have the green and yellow one, and Lela wanted the pink and red one, that Kayla had to stick with the red and blue one she greedily grabbed yesterday. She was not happy about this, and was upset for quite a while. But I hope she sees on her own that selfishness seems to get you a gain when you're in that moment, but in the end, it limits your blessings. If she had shared yesterday, she could have gotten the pretty one today. I told her "Sometimes your choices keep making bad choices for you." I'm praying she'll see that selfishness does not equal gain.

Day #3 and #4

Well I missed yesterday, it was a long day! So I'm going to combine yesterday and today.
Yesterday I was thankful for Contact Paper. Yes, you heard me, contact paper. It's a homeschooling moms best friend! It's a little tricky and it takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it you'll want to use it on everything.

Today I am thankful for cool weather. I love it when it gets cool and your nose and cheeks turn red, and when you step outside it kind of burns to take a deep breath. I love being outside of a cool but sunny day! The kind of day where it's bitter cold in the shade, but deliciously warm under the sun rays. Today is one of those days and I'm hoping to go out and enjoy it some!
I will add a picture later, I want to get one of the kids playing outside.

Day 2: Smile

What's my favorite thing that makes me smile? That's easy, my husband! He is so funny, we laugh all the time.

Jumping on the bandwagon....

I'm going to do the 30 day challenge of things to be thankful for. But I don't know if I'll make every day! I'll see what I can do.

The first one is "Favorite Food" and I have a tie! Dr. Pepper and popcorn, of course!

These two things together make the perfect snack!

From my fingers to my soul

I wish I could describe what it feels like to play the piano. I'm not an exceptional pianist. If I practice a lot, I'm pretty good. But I'm not good at reading notes, making up accompaniment, or playing a song perfectly. Ever. But I do love to play! Sometimes when I play it's like it's not even me. Sometimes I'll play an entire song and then wake up from the deep place I was in. Sometimes I like to play to clear my head, sometimes it's out of necessity, and sometimes it's just because I really want to. God created music so we could worship Him and I love playing songs that speak of Him, and the cross, and the blood.
I took lessons as a child and I hated it, but my mom made me keep taking lessons. Once I was done with lessons and I was able to play what I wanted and not what my lesson was, I started to love it. My favorites were classicals; Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, Claire de Lune, and sometimes Ragtime. But nothing lifts my soul and speaks to my spirit like gospel music that speak of God's love and sacrifice for me.
One of the hardest things for people to understand is that playing the piano is difficult for 90% of the people who play. It takes a lot of practice, a lot of practice, and a lot of practice. There are so many people that was a quick lesson so they can play beautiful songs. It takes probably 5 years of lessons before the average person can start playing really nice songs, and most people don't want to wait that long.
If you are taking lessons or want to, or if your child is taking piano lessons, don't give up! Keep at it, keep going, even if the songs you play are so mundane and boring you put yourself to sleep while practicing. My mom never let me quit lessons because she knew how important it is to know how to play. And every day, every time I play the piano, I thank her in my mind for making me continue, even when I would cry while practicing because I hated it.
Thank you Mom!

What do you do all day?

It's surprising that I get asked this question, even though I have 5 children and 1 of them is less than a year old. But because we're in a special ministry I do get asked this quite often. In fact, I got asked it at the Chiropractor yesterday. So what do I do all day? Sure, I don't have a huge house to clean. I also don't have a yard to keep up, or a garden to tend. Some people assume I work on churches like my husband does and that each member of our family has a special job we do at each job site. Well, I will tell you what I do all day. I take care of my children, I clean, we do school, we take trips to the library when we can, and we play outside. My life is very similar to any other Stay At Home Mom's, but there are a few differences. What are those differences? Well for one we live in 364 sq ft, give or take a few. That's roughly the size of a normal living room plus a bathroom, but that's our home. That means that it takes under an hour to clean, if everyone is working together. It means that it also gets messier quicker. Our table is for meals, school, desk, crafts, a fort, sometimes a place to lay down and read. The counter is used as a storage area, science experiment area, table for some, food prep, buffet table, craft table. Our couch is a school station, normal couch, nap spot, doll bed, and sometimes a wrestling mat. You learn to use the area you can in creative ways. Our whiteboard for school is on the fridge, school crates are under the couch, toys and shoes are under the bed, and potatoes are in the same cabinet as the mixer. And you learn how to go to the bathroom with your eyes closed because someone is in the shower and there's only one bathroom. In a lot of ways our life is not any different than anyone else's, just the condensed version. What do I do all day? Well what do YOU do all day?

Life Goes On

Well I got my neck fixed but now my shoulder is killing me! I seriously think I tore my rotator cuff or something like that. I went to the Chiro on Monday before we left and she said I had a rib out and she could feel my shoulder joints popping in and out. She caused me some serious pain with that clicking spatula but it still hurts. I'm hoping to be able to go back tomorrow. The Conference last week was great! But I struggle with feelings of loneliness, even when I'm in a big crowd. I feel like nobody really wants me there, and it's easy for me to sit and pout because nobody is coming to talk to me. I did make myself introduce myself to different women and try to make conversation. I just never know what to say! Does anyone else struggle with this? I'm sure I come off as snotty and rude, but I'm really just unsure. I don't think I helped my shoulder my going on all of those roller coasters at Silver Dollar City! But it sure was fun. I loved seeing Noah enjoy it so much. He used to be so scared to do anything he was not in control of. I was so proud that he loved them so much. He did great at the Conference too. He found a gang of boys to hang out with, and even came to sit with us when they were deciding who was "cool" and who wasn't. He recognized that it wasn't nice talk and didn't want to be involved in it. And he only got in trouble for fighting once and other boys said that the other kid started it, not Noah. Whew! That's always a relief.

Oh, the pain!

On Monday I decided the kids and I were going to walk every morning after breakfast. We're way out in the country and it is just gorgeous here! So every morning this week we have put on our jackets, and walked down a gravel road for a 20 minute walk. Everyone walked except Elsa, I had her in a baby carrier which I thought was really handy. Unfortunately, I think this baby carrier has done a number on my back and shoulders! Every morning I have woken up with a sore back and shoulders, but this morning and I wasn't able to move my neck and head at all! My husband took me to a chiropractor and he said I definitely did a number on myself and I have to go back Monday for another adjustment, and possibly Tuesday too. It hurts so bad! I am never using that carrier again! I was trying to avoid pushing a stroller on the gravel road because that's a pain, but I think that's my only other choice.

These are some pictures I took today on our walk. I love Fall, it is so beautiful! There was a lovely low fog, and by the middle of our walk the sun was burning it off and you could hear the water dripping from the trees.

Monday, Monday

I normally love Mondays. Anytime I feel like I should do something, start a routine, do a new thing with the children, I always say "I will start that on Monday." So when Monday comes around, my whole week is full of possibilities and exciting new things. But what about days like today when nothing goes right, from the moment I wake up? I couldn't find my Bible because it was left in the church last night. And apparently everyone else left their Bibles too because there was nary a Bible in our entire trailer. But then after I had already gotten up and gotten dressed to go get my Bible from the church, my Bible was found. I don't know why that was so frustrating for me. Maybe because I envisioned myself reading it right away, in my pajamas, before I even got out of bed? But now I had to read it fully dressed and frustrated? During breakfast I almost got my entire mug of coffee spilled on me. Elsa ejectile vomited across the table, including my plate of food. I forgot to get Anna a drink 3 times and sat down before I remembered. Kayla asked if she could feed Elsa some eggs, of course I said yes, but her idea of "feeding Elsa eggs" was putting a bowl filled with scrambled eggs in front of Elsa, which she promptly dumped all over the floor and then I stepped on. I decided we all needed a walk since it was a beautiful, wet morning. So we walked for 22 minutes; we saw 27 animals, some fake and some real; nobody jumped in a puddle although there were a few attempts; and Anna only cried that she was too tired for the last 5 minutes or so. It was a nice walk and I burned 50 calories. Yay me!! The rest of the morning shall not be mentioned. Let's just say, we finished school and I hope they learned something. Maybe a life lesson about why God gave us a brain. Maybe they even learned a little school. We may never know. I do know this: Mario Party 8 brings our family together! We are borrowing it right now, but we might have to scrounge up the $50 to buy it. The older kids will play a game for 30 minutes together and because everything is in short bursts, they don't get so frustrated about finishing levels and winning games. Even after today, I still love Mondays!

Staying on Top of Everything

How do you stay on top of everything a mom has to do? Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of the things I would like to do with my children and teach them, compared to what I actually can do and teach them. It's also a time when I get a little freaked out about adding more children to the mix, when I can't seem to do everything with the ones I already have.
First there's schooling. We spend about 3-4 hours a day doing school, some more and some less depending on amount of focus and work load. But still I wonder if they're actually learning, if they're learning the right thing, should I try a different curriculum or approach for this person and subject? Will my children be the above average homeschoolers that everyone brags about, or those ones people whispered about that should go to a "real" school.
Then there's raising well-behaved children. Obviously other people are much better in this area than I am. It probably has a lot to do with my temper and my predisposition to bouts of laziness. I would much rather sleep than wake up early and be prepared for dealing with my children! It is so stressful to constantly be training and teaching the children to be well-behaved. Sometimes I feel like all I'm doing is admonishing and they're going to grow up hating me.
What about teaching them basic recreational activities like sports? My son is 9 and can't throw a ball. I don't even know if the girls have ever jumped rope, and they're 7 and 5. I can draw a pretty good stick figure, but how do I let them explore an artistic ability and not go berserk over a huge mess of glue, glitter and paper?
And of course, there are the "bragging skills", things parents like to brag over their kids about. "My daughter can play Beethoven's 5th and she hasn't had her 5th birthday yet!" or "We have a new CD, all of our children play a musical instrument they taught themselves." How about this one: "Our family is writing a series of short stories based on our adventurous life raising 10 animals and growing our own food. All the while learning every subject available and sewing our own clothes made from cloth we wove ourselves, from cotton we grew in our backyard."
How do you keep up? How do you decide what is important for your children to learn and do? And how do you stay sane and not die a young age?
I'm stressed just writing this blog post.

July

It has been really nice to be here in Omaha with my sister. She's become a good friend plus being a sister, and it's fun to meet her places and to see our kids play together.
It has also been nice to see people that I don't usually get to see. I was able to have dinner with my two good friends from High School, Katie and Jackie. I haven't seen Jackie since my wedding almost 10 years ago. I also got to see her family which was great. Her dad was my volleyball and basketball coachI for 6 years and I really looked up to him. He meant a lot to me and taught me a lot more than just sports.
This next week begins a little bit of routine which has been missing from our life! We will start a new schedule to prepare for school coming up. We will do a little bit of workbook school left over from last year. I will also be waking up to do devotion time and fit some exercise in, hopefully. I have to make a willful effort to go to sleep earlier and hopefully Elsa cooperates.
Speaking of Elsa, she is driving me nuts. She has the worst sleeping pattern and I don't know how to change it. Last night she would not go to sleep until I nursed her, even though she had just eaten a little over an hour before. I don't know if it's a bad thing to nurse her so she goes to sleep or not. She'll only be a baby for a little bit so I should just enjoy the time I CAN nurse her, right? I know I'll have to break her of it later but you always have to break your children of something I've found. That's just how parenting is.
It seems I am forever breaking one of the children of some bad habit. What's one more? At least it gives me some peace for right now.

Last night was a church work night, so I was helping put putty into cracks in the trim. I actually enjoy doing it. Lela came in from playing outside and was watching me. She kept sighing and said "I wish I could work." I said she can work and she said "Yeah, but not in the trailer, I mean real work like you're doing, or what daddy does." I said there wasn't much work for 5 year olds to do in the church. So she sat sighing and watching me. Then she said "I hope my husband builds churches so that I can come in and work like you do." It was so cute! I melted. So I showed her how to put putty in the cracks and she helped me. I had to redo most of what she did but we had a good time!

Pretty Princess!

Right now Elsa is asleep on my bed, I'm sitting next to Anna who is drawing on her doodle pad, and Kayla and Lela are watching a movie with three friends. Yes, tonight is Kayla's sleepover and so far they're having fun! We made our own princess crowns, ate cupcakes, opened presents, and now they're watching a movie!
Noah went to the Newkirk's house to celebrate Zak's birthday. Caleb went to
Wichita with David Newkirk.
I exercised today! And I did fairly well with my calorie counting. I only went 100 over and if you know we went o Pizza Hut for lunch and I had a cupcake, thats pretty good!

Keep It Quiet

This morning started out really rough. I felt like everyone was against me and I was yellingv a lot.then I remembered Bro. Dedmon's message Sunday where he said pride will excuse itself from rules. We don't allow the children to yell at each other like I was yelling at them. Then I decided to not yell but to smile and talk quietly and it really helped! My attitude changed, the children calmed down, and we got stuff done.
My first day of calorie counting went well until I was given a free chocolate mocha milkshake at Sonic. I knew it would be too much but I ate it anyway. So tomorrow I start over. I also didn't exercise. No more staying up late!
We went to the chiropractor! He only charged $50 for all six of us to get adjusted.
Kayla's party is tomorrow and I found this cute craft to make princess crowns from headbands, pipe cleaners, and beads. Kayla seemed excited! But we won't e able to have a tea party because we only have four cups and five girls are coming. We will have to have Brooklynn over at another time for a tea party.
Starting tomorrow Noah and Kayla will not be grounded! I am as excited as they are. They had better not complain about playing outside for a while.
So a busy day tomorrow!
I'm hurting for my friend. God knows who she is. And I have two friends who used to be really close but are now running from the Lord. I miss them both tremendously.

My First Post

I picked the name "Through It All" because it's one of my favorite songs. "I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Throug it all. I've learned to depend upon His Word."
Today was rough. Noah and Kayla are grounded so they've been on their beds except for meals, chores, school, and bathroom breaks. Which means they're hyper from no exercise and won't go to sleep!
Elsa screamed, literally, for two hours this morning. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for her tummy, nothing seems to help. I'm going to buy some Gripe Water a few friends have told me about.
Anna had a fever for a few days and that's gone, but now she has a cough and chapped cheeks. Teething maybe?
My amazing husband let me take a break this afternoon. I ran some errands, and then relaxed at the coffee shop. It was so nice, I didn't even have to take a baby! He got all of the kids washed up for church and got dinner started.
Speaking of dinner! He made an awesome Racheal Ray meal. He made Stuffed Sausage Meatballs kind of like THIS recipe. It was so good! I should have taken a picture. He also made breadsticks from a pizza crust mix.
Tomorrow I am counting calories again and exercising!!