SURPRISE BLESSINGS

There are so many ways that God showcases His never ending, unfailing, and undeserving love to us.  Oftentimes, sadly, I think that we don’t take the time to see it let alone thank Him for his kindness and graciousness.  We get so wrapped up in our own lives that we overlook the little things and only want to see the big things.  In our home we try to thank God for the big and the little.  Recently we had something big happen, and we have a reason to celebrate God’s love in a big way.

About two weeks ago I took the kiddos shopping, we all needed to get out of the house.  We hit some stores that bored my big boys to tears, but to make up for it I promised we’d stop by Way Out West in Davenport.  We love the staff there and their prices are amazingly competitive.  They’ve also been great to us by purchasing some of Robert’s artwork helping to promote his Moccasin Whips and Artwork.  While there I got to looking at John Robert’s boots and realized that he was going to need a new pair soon.  Poor Ethan, he had already outgrown his boots and needed some new boots too.  The problem is that I hadn’t budgeted for a purchase this big (it’s about $200.00 for both boys….they have big feet! HA!), so I called Robert and we decided to put the boots on layaway.  Not a big thing, we just told the boys that we would work hard to pay them off quicker.

John Robert's new boots!

Ethan's new boots!

 

We got home and both John and Ethan started looking at chores that they could do to raise the money to help pay for their boots.  They washed and vacuumed the truck, did some sweeping at the barn, and a few more odds and ends.  Proudly both boys gave me their earnings, almost $8.50, and still looked for ways to earn more.  Robert and I were proud of them.  Ethan even drew a photo of a truck that he was willing to sell for $10.97 plus tax (HA) to get his boots off faster.  This was on Wednesday, and I put the photo on Facebook to show family and friends what I thought was awesome cuteness.  My boys wanted to get their boots and soon.

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon; the day that our lives were abundantly blessed.  We got a phone call from Way Out West.  Someone called and paid our layaway in full.  My boys jumped up and down, they were so excited. The boys asked me who paid for it, but we don’t know, the person wanted to remain anonymous.  Wednesday night my boys prayed and thanked God for the kindness of this person.  Since we were going to Disney on Thursday, we agreed to stop in and get the boots before the trip.  Oh the excitement in that car ride, it was contagious.

We don’t know who paid our layaway off for our boys.  We don’t need to know.  You know who you are and God knows who you are.  From the bottom of our heart we thank you.  More than that we thank God that He chose to show Himself off through your kind action and bless the lives of two little boys in such a big way!  They love their boots and are so excited to wear them for church this Sunday!

 

 

SHE’S GONE CRUNCHY…..KINDA!

I have to admit that I am not always the “Best Mommy”.  There are days that I get frustrated and aggravated with my blessings or as we call them, our kiddos.  There are days that I don’t always do what I know I should do.  There are times that I am as far from perfect as anyone can imagine.  There are days that I am NOT the Best Mommy, but even on my worst days I do try to do what I can for my kiddos.  I do try to do what is best, even when I’m not the best.  I do try, and sometimes that means admitting what I have been doing is wrong and I need to change.

Recently my wonderful sister, who is traveling down the mothering journey and learning how to navigate life one step at a time just like me, has had to make some changes in her life for the overall health of her kiddos and family.  She has shared a lot of what she has learned with me, including using more natural organic and environmentally friendly product.  What she has shared with me has really challenged me and made me realize that I needed to make some changes for the betterment of my family too.

 In a lot of ways I have been failing my kiddos and our family.  I don’t always encourage or try to have my family make the healthiest choices.  Often I take the easy way out, purchasing items that are more convenient than healthy or easy to use over environmentally friendly.  The examples that I set as the Best Mama impact my children, their children, and the world.   I need to change and change a lot of things. 

So today, I took the first steps to making the changes that our family needs.  Today was my trip to the grocery store to stock up on cleaning supplies and snacks for the month.  I made the choice to buy some natural and environmentally friendly cleaning products, my first step in changing.  Instead of buying all Clorox bleach cleaners, I bought Seventh Generation and Methods cleaners.  I purchased new laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, and cleaning “wipes” for the kiddos to use.  Nothing major, but for us a big change; I love the smell of bleach but will admit that the lemongrass and lavender smells made me smile.  The wintergreen window cleaner cleaned my windows and mirrors better than the ammonia based products ever had, and the smell was awesome.  For the first time in, well forever, my kiddos weren’t complaining about the smell when they walked into the house and their bathroom. 

I also decided to not buy so much “junk” for the kids to eat.  Snacks are a much needed item in our house.  We have boys; they are never really full no matter how much food I give them.  Oftentimes I give into the kiddos and buy things that I know aren’t the greatest for them, like tons of chips, goldfish, and cookies.  Not today.  Today I bought veggies, organic yogurt, cheese, eggs, raisins, and lots of fruit.  The plan is for me to make a snack bin in the fridge, were there will be a drawer of healthy and more filling snacks.  My goal is for the kiddos to open the fridge and grab a snack bag with healthier options.  It might be carrots and broccoli and ranch dressing, raisins and the organic yogurt, or a hardboiled egg and cheese stick.  No matter what they pull out, it will be a healthy and organic snack.

I am currently in the process of researching more organic hair and skin care.  I am also researching essential oils and all of their benefits and trying to decide what will be the best to try and use for the physical and emotional health of our family.  Any advice will be appreciated, I am open to learning, growing, and changing in this area.

I am just starting out in this journey, and I am not where I want to be yet.  In spite of that, I am one step closer to being a better mama.  I am not totally crunchy.  I am not against all junk (I did buy some cookies and bleach), but I’m going a new route and purposing to make some healthy changes.  Yep, we are going kinda crunchy in our house, and in that process we are learning and growing.  Being kinda crunchy will help me to better myself, my husband, my kiddos, and the impact that we have on the world.  Being kinda crunchy brings me one step closer to being the Best Mommy, and that’s what I really want to be.

DEATH AND GRIEF

Life is so fragile.  Oftentimes we believe that we are invincible, able to do and withstand anything.  We live our lives as if we have all the time in the world.  We do not take the time to do the little things, like hug our loved ones close.  We often think that we have forever, that life on earth will last.  There is no sense of urgency, we think that have all the tomorrow’s that we need.  The reality is that we have no guarantees of anything, let alone tomorrow.

Recently our lives have been hit by a tragedy that has brought us to our knees.  Maggie’s best friend Kelly, a beautiful child of 14, lay down to take a nap and never woke back up.  This beautiful girl had battled asthma and lung issues her entire life.  Her asthma finally won the battle, and we lost her.  The tears that have fallen in our home, myself included, are too numerous to count.  Instead of planning a spring break beach trip where the girls talk about their swimsuits, we are discussing what clothes to bury her in and what should be worn at the funereal.  Instead of laughter at singing favorite songs, we are weeping over the reminder of the beauty of this precious friend.  Instead of laughter, giggles, and smiles there are tears.   

My heart as a mother is so broken that I can’t begin to describe the pain seeing my daughter in pain brings me.  Her tears are a reminder that I can’t walk this path for her.  She has to mourn and grieve in her own way, and I have to step back and watch.  This is not a role that I am good at.  I want to take the pain for her; I want to heal her hurts.  I want her to be two where a kiss on the boo-boo mends everything.  But, I can’t do this.  I have to sit back and watch her walk this path and I have to allow her to grieve in her own way and in her own time.

My heart also breaks for this sweet girl’s family.  I have wept hearing their heartache.  I have sobbed praying for them, asking God to give me some of their grief so that they don’t have to bear this burden alone.  I have cried out to God on their behalf, praying for the mama who has lost her baby of 14 years and begging God to heal their hearts and their hurts.  I have sobbed for them, broken in a way that I have never felt before.  I am torn for this family in a way that I have never felt in my life.  I am crushed, I am broken, and I am devastated.

Grief is a funny thing.  It makes us stop and think about what is important and why it is important.  Grief also makes us question things in a new light. I have never doubted God’s love for me, but I have struggled with this.  I have struggled with the death of this precious baby.  I have struggled with the feelings that this death has brought up with regards to my baby boy’s death a year and a half ago.  I have struggled with the pain that my daughter is dealing with.  I have hurt in ways that I’ve never experienced before.  This venture in grief has been so hard, so new, and so raw.

I do know some things that I can cling to.  The Bible tells us that Jesus wept at the death His friend Lazarus.   This is not to show us that He wasn’t God or unable to heal, rather I believe it is to show us that Christ understands our pain.  Jesus wept because of the pain that death has brought to our lives, to the world.  Death is not supposed to be, it is a result of sin, and sin has destroyed us.  BUT, through Christ, we can rejoice in life and know that in Him we have peace and the access to eternal life.  In the midst of my sorrows, I cling to this truth. 

We will miss Kelly more than words can express.  We will miss her smiles, laughter, and contagious joy.  I will miss the confidence that she empowered Maggie with, the joy that just a short phone conversation brought to my daughter, and the laughter; most of all I think that I will miss the laughter of these two girls just being friends.

Kelly’s brother called to check on Maggie and to tell Maggie just how special she was to Kelly, how much Kelly loved her.  I was amazed that he did that.  In his pain he thought enough of my daughter, his sister’s best friend, to reach out and see if she was okay and to remind her that she was loved and is loved by their family.  I want to tell these precious people that we love them and that Kelly was loved by us all.  I want them to know that we mourn with them and for them.  More than that, I want them to know that Jesus understands too, and he weeps and mourns with us all.

We are in the midst of mourning and walking a new path.  Our hearts and lives are a lot better because of this beautiful girl named Kelly.  We will miss her greatly!

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

There is something about the little things in life that make life special and exciting.  There are times in our lives when the exciting and big things really matter and can make or break a day; but for most days it’s the little things that count the most.  Sadly most of us look past the little things and only concentrate on the big things and in doing so we miss out on major blessings.

Take for example, today.  Today was Saturday.  There was nothing extraordinary about today, just another day of life, just a day in the lives of our family.  Yet, looking for small blessings in the little things of today, I can see God’s hand everywhere with little blessings.  

Take this morning for example.  This morning started off as any other morning.  Jacob and I got up at 5:30 for his morning feeding and our serious conversation.  This morning we were joined by Robert who shared his ideas for Christmas gifts this year.  There the three of us were, snuggled in bed and looking at the gifts that Robert wants to give to his children and family to make memories this year.  This was a little thing, but it gave my heart a big blessing.

After we got Jacob back to sleep, Robert and I decided to NOT get up and go back to bed too.  We both slept until 8:30, but the three bigger boys were up by 7:00.  BUT, they did a little thing for us, John Robert and Ethan kept Cole occupied and fixed his breakfast so that we could sleep.  They even turned the coffee pot on for Robert to wake up to a cup of hot coffee.  Nothing out of the ordinary, the boys often keep Cole busy so I can sleep until 8:00 or so in the morning.  Today though, it was a huge blessing to let Robert and I both sleep in.  This is something that we haven’t done together since our St. Augustine trip last year.  Yep, it was another little thing that was a huge blessing.

Now that the whole family was up (Maggie wasn't home yet, she stayed with friends) it was time to get chores started.  Instead of starting the boys off on their chores, Robert decided to take them fishing.  This is not something out of the ordinary, but it was exciting for the boys.  They were bored quickly since the fish weren’t biting, but that didn’t matter.  They came home and all went to work on fixing the chicken coop. Robert, John Robert, Ethan, and even Cole stayed outside together and worked together to fix up the chicken coop.  Nothing extraordinary about this chore, keeping things clean in the chicken coop can be dirty but necessary work!  It was a needed chore that was made even more exciting because the boys were with their Daddy, their hero, a little thing like fishing and cleaning up a chicken coop that made for a big blessing. 

Finally it was time for us to get Maggie from her beach trip that turned into an impromptu slumber party.  Robert waited to go to work so he could pick her up while running his plants.  Nothing extra special about that, he has to work every weekend.  Yet, when Maggie came in she had a little thing for me, a “thank you” for letting her be a teen and have fun.  She brought me some Reese’s peanut butter cups.  A little thing really, just a small gift of thanks that for me is a huge blessing, I love that silly candy.

The Bible tells us in Psalm 118:24 that “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  For us, that simple verse describes our day of ordinary little blessings.  There was nothing extra special about today.  It was a Saturday like every other Saturday in our family.  Yet, when we focus on the everyday little blessings, we find that we do have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to rejoice over.  Today was a great day, filled with the little things, and abundantly blessed because it was made for us by God.  In our house, it is the little things!

LOVE IS......

We have been so busy with our lives.  Jacob is going on two months old, I celebrated another birthday, and the big kiddos have started back to school full time.  Yes, our lives are full and busy, but we don’t mid.  Why?  Well mainly because our lives are full of love.

As I have been thinking about what we love, how we love, and why we love certain things; I have been pondering the idea of what LOVE really is.  Most people associate the word love with a feeling.  Personally, I think that we use the word too flippantly in our lives.  If we enjoy a good meal, be it a steak or a hot dog, oftentimes we say “I LOVE that!”  If we see something that catches our eye, a new car, a new toy, or in my case new bags or jewelry; we will say “I LOVE that!”  Yet, the reality is that love is more than a feeling or a flippant expression. 

Love is an action, a series of items that when combined give us a beautiful picture of love.  The best definition of LOVE that I have found is in 1 Corinthians.  Most people know this definition of love.  It is used often at weddings as the ideal that the couple getting married has achieved this level of love.  Most people read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as the LOVE chapter.  They read the verses and smile.  I read the verses and feel convicted. Here’s why!

The LOVE chapter in verses four through seven states:

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Right away I can see that I am NOT loving nor am I full of real love.  At any given moment I lose my patience.  At any given moment I can be unkind.  Some days I brag about my accomplishments.  Most days I am easily angered when things don’t go my way.  I harbor hurts or what I feel are injustices against my person and do not want to forgive but want to stew and remember them for many days, months, and even years to come.  I don’t always want to hear the truth let alone rejoice in it, especially if the truth goes against what I think and feel.  I don’t always protect, I don’t always trust, and I lose hope and give up the fight too often.  Based on this definition of love, I am the most unloving person of all.

BUT, I don’t want to be unloving.  I want to be all of the virtues of love in action.  I want to be patient and kind.  I want to persevere and have hope.  I want to not brag on myself but esteem others.  I want to be LOVE, but I know that left to my own devices and that if I rely on my own strengths I will showcase my greatest weakness, an inability to love.  I need an example of how to DO all the things that are needed to show love.  Thankfully, I have that example in the personhood of Jesus Christ.

When I am purposing to love, I only have to look at Christ.  His very words and actions showed what real love is.  His very life was lived fully and completely demonstrating and practicing the idea that love is a verb.  Knowing this, when I set my sites on Him and mimicking His life, I can LOVE perfectly.  Sadly, I don’t choose to do this often.

As I sit here, listening to my children laugh, watching a baby smile and coo, and thinking of what I need to get up and take care of in my home I realize I have a choice.  I can choose to live the example given to me by Christ in His perfect examples of love, or I can do things my way and continue to be unloving.  Today, I choose LOVE.  Will I fail?  Most definitely, but I will continue to strive to LOVE the right way.

BIRTHDAY PLANNING

It is time to begin our annual birthday party planning.  This year we will have a 14 year old, an 11 year old, a 7 year old, and a 3 year old to plan parties for.  We will also have a new month to add for next year when our little big man turns 1 in January.  We have a lot of birthdays to plan for.

This year I have a couple of ideas for birthday themes.  I know that Ethan wants to have a cowboy party.  One of his all time favorite TV shows is Daniel Boone.  (Yep, the old TV show starring Fess Parker!)  So we might mix it up and have a Cowboys and Indians party.  I think that will be lots of fun!  I am also considering having his birthday at the “old” park in town.  We will soon have two parks to choose from since the city is working on fixing the older park up again, and I LOVE all the trees there.  It might be the perfect place for a Cowboys and Indians party!

The next theme that I know of is Cole’s, but we have tons of time to plan for it.  He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, particularly the “Hot Dog Song”, so I’m thinking a Mickey Mouse party will be in order.  Once again I’m thinking play park, but we will see since I have until December for this one.

Lastly I’m already contemplating a FIRST birthday for big little man.  I LOVE the Little Man themes with the mustaches, but I still have plenty of time to gather my thoughts and plan this party out.  I will keep checking Etsy, my party inspiration website for fun ideas between now and next year!

So there you have it, three out of five kiddo’s birthday theme ideas.  Now I just need to sit the big ones down and decide what to do for them!  I LOVE planning my kiddo’s birthdays.  Nothing makes me happier than celebrating my children in a big way!

BOX DAY 2014!

Box Day is a phrase that has been coined by Sonlight Curriculum.  It is the day that Fed Ex arrives at your doorstop with at least one box of books to kick off your new homeschool year.  For us, Box Day was Thursday February 20^th.    What a great day that was!!

 

To kick off our Box Day adventure, we started by sorting out all of our books, workbooks, school supplies, and any and all papers that were related to the previous year.  Since we school year round and take breaks as needed, like for the birth of our newest little one Jacob, our school year starts when we need it to and we take breaks as we need them.  This year it starts the first week of March.  This year we will be adding a little bit of fun things for Cole in the mix, so we took the time to go through the toys in the boy’s room and pulled out some educational toys that will be great to use for school hours with Cole.  We also set up a little “cubby” with some books and toys for Cole. After we got the kitchen area organized and cleaned up, we realized that we needed more paper and pencils so we took a trip to Wal-Mart to get some things and get some storage bins for the books for our old cores.

I forgot to take a BEFORE picture of the kitchen, here is the end results.
I am so excited to have things organized again!

 

When we got back home from grocery shopping and supply trip it was time to tackle my desk and then the book shelves around the table that we keep all our current school books at.  I must admit that as we organized, pulled out our favorite books, and dusted and cleaned, I was getting more and more excited at the idea of opening that beautiful box that was filled with so many new, exciting, and wonderful books.

Messy and ready to be reorganized!

One shelf almost empty and crying out for new books.

 

 The books from last year being packed away.

Organized chaos!  HA!

 

At last we were ready to set things up!  YAY!  This year John Robert and Ethan will be using Sonight’s Core “D” and begin an introduction to American History.  We will also be starting a brief overview of Florida’s history, something that I am excited about.  Maybe we can plan a weekend field trip to my favorite Florida city, St. Augustine.  This year Maggie will be finishing up her delve into world history by finishing up with Core “H”.  I must admit that I was getting really excited as I sorted out all of her school books and looked at the history that was there, specifically with regards to more modern history, from World War II on. 

Isn't this beautiful?

 

 

Ethan was so excited to open the box this year!

 He was even excited about the math book box!

John Robert holding the Love to Learn sticker!

 

 

Books, glorious books!!!

 

Ethan was my main sorter while John Robert "babysat" Cole and Maggie took pictures while snuggling Jacob.

Look at all those glorious books!!  YAY!

 

After sorting all the books, it was time for me to sit down and set up the two new Instructor Guides (IG’s).  Of course this is when I get really excited.  I get to separate all of the wonderful books into History, Readers, Read Alouds, and Bible and then see how they all relate to each other within the IG.  I also adore that the IG has all of the planning done for me.  The only person that doesn’t have a “reading” list this year is Ethan since I had almost all of his books already, so I get to organize and make our own reading list and reading guide. 

Checking the books off my list.

Sorting, working, and assembling the IG's!

 

After all the hard work, the new books are up, the old are put away, the bookshelves are clean, Mama’s desk is cleaned, and Cole was happy to help us celebrate! 

Cole "reading" Maggie's new book.

 Box Day isn't fun unless you GET IN the box!

That smile says it all!

 

I love how organizing and setting things up for a GREAT start to school makes everyone so happy, especially this homeschooling Mama!

Ethan, Maggie, and John Robert's books are ready to go!

The math books are up.

And there are lots of P3/4 and P 4/5 books left out for Cole and well all of us to enjoy!

Someone was very proud of all Mama's hard work!

 

I love Box Day!  I love the look, feel, and even the smell of new books!  Here’s to a great school adventure and an organized one too!