Who's that?

My 10yo son had a writing project where he had to retell a familiar story in his own words. He couldn't think of what story to use. I suggested Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears. He stood there for a minute with a blank look on his face, then said "Well, I'll go ask LB who that is." On his way out he turned back and asked "Golden who?"

While cleaning up the cookie cutters yesterday we ran across a Mickey Mouse toast stamp. He asked what it was so #1 was telling him how we could use it to put a picture of Mickey Mouse on the little boys' sandwich. He didn't quite get it and asked "Why would someone want Super Mouse on their sandwich?"

Super Mouse? Golden, who? Doesn't everybody know who they are? I guess that is one of those "gaps" in homeschooling that I hear about.

Making Cookies

Instead of our regular tea time today, I set out lots of sprinkles, icing, and cookie cutters. What a great time they had! The older kids helped their little buddies and the result was a bunch of cute cookies. I remember doing this with my mom at Christmas time when I was little. Whenever we dropped something, our dog Gypsie would quickly lick up the mess. I remember wondering how people would ever clean up such a mess if they didn't have a dog. Somehow the kids cleaned up our big mess even though Joey was outside!

We're Getting A New Washer!

You should hear this horrible loud noise it is making. You can't even talk in the kitchen when it is running unless you close the door! Just when I thought it couldn't get louder...it did. Today it sounded like it was going to just bang itself through the floor.

We've been looking but haven't decided yet. The new ones are neat. They use so little water and hold so much. They even use less soap. We're trying to find the one that holds the most and lasts the longest. Our washer does about 20-25 loads of laundry a week so it has to be a heavy duty one! Ours is about 18 yrs old. That's pretty good I think. I hope the new one lasts that long.

Honey came in tonight while it was running it's last load of the day. He said that the time has come. I guess we'll do some shopping this week......

He changed his mind. He just couldn't take a nap without pink blankey or all his special pillows. Spiderman is cool, but just can't hold a candle to his favorites.

Does anyone have the Apples To Apples game? I've heard that it is a lot of fun. I wanted to buy it for Christmas but Walmart didn't have it. Speaking of games (again), if you buy someone a game for Christmas consider getting the deluxe edition. They are so nice. We have the deluxe editions of Monopoly, Sequence, and Mancala. I don't think I would've bought them for myself, but after receiving them as gifts and seeing how nice they are I will try to get them from now on. Winter is the best game playing season!

It is SNOWING!!!

No more blankey?

How could this be?! My 4yo made his bed this morning and when I went to check it, his favorite pink blanket was on the floor. He had his Spiderman blanket spread neatly over the bed with the Spiderman pillow on top. He was very proud and said that from now on he only wanted a Spiderman bed. Well, that was fine but when I suggested that we fold pink blankey and put it on the foot of the bed, he said "no thanks". He wanted to put it in the blanket cabinet with all the other extra blankets. I asked him if he thought he might want it tonight when he sleeps and he assured me that he only wants Spiderman on his bed.

He has loved this pink blanket since he was little bitty. It has had to be repaired many times. He hates for it to be washed but loves the way it smells when it comes out of the dryer. He took it to the doctor with him when he had his first real sickness when he was two. He grabs it off his bed to snuggle with me on the couch. How can pink blankey days be over? What a sad day for me. My baby is growing up.

games

Someone should come up with a universal sized game box and design every game to fit into them. It seems like it would save everyone money as they could be mass produced. It is hard to balance all the different sized game boxes on my shelf. It would need to be made of some material that is stronger than cardboard as we are frequently having to repair a box. It would also be nice if the game rules were printed on the under side of the lid so they wouldn't be lost.

This week I decided that I would teach 5yo how to play Uno Attack. I know how to play regular Uno but I couldn't remember what the special cards in the Attack version meant. Good thing my daughter has a better memory than I do! Also I couldn't remember how many cards to start out with. I went to look for the instructions, but who knows where they were. This is an odd shaped plastic machine sort of game that doesn't even have a box so there is no place to even keep the rules. We just guessed about the cards and played the game.

After the games were over, I searched some more for the rules until I found them. I decided that I would start a Game Rules folder for all our game rules. Uno Attack was the first to go in. From now on, every time I play I game, I'm going to swipe the rules and file them into my new folder.

Thanksgiving is over, the company is gone, Honey is back at work, and everyone is finally over the stomach bug. Know what that means? Back to school.

We (I) decided to move house cleaning day from Friday to Monday. Why clean house on Friday when we mess it up all weekend? Also, b/c of payday I need to shop on Fridays. This way I can be home to clean house too. So today was Monday house cleaning. It's pretty nice to start the week with a clean house. Now that we have so many hands to help, we're a pretty fast team working together.

Tomorrow is school. I wonder if I need some new sort of something to add *spark* to our school? Maybe a new Christmas book to read aloud.....
Last year I read The Christmas Shoes aloud and bawled though half of it. NOT a good read aloud!! I do want to get a good Christmas carol book so we can learn more than the first verse to the songs. Maybe that'll be our new school project. At least we wouldn't be embarrassed at church when we have to fake our way through the songs!!

It's a BOY!!

Yep, we're having a little boy! He was so cute on the ultrasound just moving all over the place. He was very proud of his manhood, if you know what I mean, so it was easy to tell right away. 5 Boys and 4 Girls, we are so blessed.

I was a little concerned about telling the girls. They were really hoping for a girl. I went and got a cookie cake that said "It's a BOY" and told it to them with that. They were so excited...as though they wanted a boy all along! I'm glad. They've been enjoying the pictures and look forward to watching his video tomorrow.

Speaking of sweet little boys, 4yo gave me a kiss with his spiderman mask on today. Then he stopped and said, "Wait, I want to feel it." He took his mask off, kissed me again, and said, "There I felt that one!" Awwwww.....

Christmas Shopping

Honey and I had such a fun date night last night. We went Christmas shopping and got it all done! It's fun to shop for your kids. We've been talking about what to get them for some time now and looking online and ordering a few things. So when it was time to actually shop we knew just what we were getting and where we were going. I'm not usually a shopper. He is. I do like shopping with him though.

Rowdy Boys

Boys are a different breed. I'm learning so much with these little guys. We didn't go through these things when my first son was born b/c he was surrounded by sisters. No brothers to join in his boy fun.

Tonight the neighbor behind us (his backyard backs up to ours) came to the front door. He said that his son saw the boys throw dirt at his car but didn't think a lot of it. When he returned to the car to leave, his car was covered with dirt clods! They also caught them throwing sticks at their dog!

That is quite a strange sensation to get a complaint from a stranger (we don't even know this guy!) about our boys. They are usually so good. Well, they still act like little boys but they ARE sweet. There had to be some explanation. Well, the throwing sticks at the dog was a pretend play to feed him. No explanation for the car. I guess it just seemed like the thing to do at the time.

I wasn't home when this happened. I had taken the big kids to see Facing The Giants. Honey gave them a speech, spanked them, then walked them over to their house to apologize. He said they seemed really sorry. I hope so.

I'm glad this guy come over to tell us this. I'm sure he didn't enjoy having to do it. Who would've thought that we needed to say "Don't throw dirt at other people's cars." Honey said that he accepted their apology very graciously. I guess he remembers having little boys.

Camping

We all went camping yesterday. It was such fun. We hadn't been in such a long time. We used to go quite often but then we had little boys. I remember our last camping trip. We spent most of the time chasing little boys keeping them out of the fire, out of the water, or falling off the rocky ledge. Honey looked at me and said "Is this fun?" Not so much. We sold the camper and took a break.

The boys are a little older so we tried it again. We just went for the day and made it out there around lunch time. Everyone had fun except Baby Girl who did not enjoy it at all. She did take a nap in the pack and play for 3 hours and we were all glad. She had a hard time. Honey took everyone hiking and fishing while I sat with her while she napped. It was a very quiet time for me too! I read my new book and planned my upcoming week.

It was pretty cold but the kids didn't seem to notice that until dinner time. Our picnic area didn't have a fire pit but the pavilion had a big grill. We built a nice fire on top of the grill and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. 5yo LOVED roasting his own marshmallows! That was the highlight of his trip. Baby boy was content just eating them out of the bag. I liked having the fire higher up where the little ones couldn't reach it. Falling into the camp fire is one of my biggest camping fears. We went home after dinner just in time for everyone to take baths and climb into their warm beds.

It was a fun day.

Tis the Season for Sharing

Today we went shoe box shopping. Ever since my older kids were little we've done the Samaritan's Purse shoe boxes at Christmas. If you're not familiar with it, it is a christian organization that collects shoe boxes full of gifts for children and delivers them to underprivledged countries with the gospel message. My kids love participating and I think it's one of the highlights of their holiday season. They've saved their money and today we took all our shoe boxes to the dollar store to fill them up.

This year 4yo and 5yo got to do one too. What fun they had picking plastic snakes and bouncing balls and all kinds of little boy toys for some little boy that they don't know. Their favorite is the elephant mask. 14yo did two boxes this year...one for a girl and one for a boy. They brought them home and rearranged them half a dozen times. Tomorrow we'll take them to church.

Our library is collecting food through the month of Dec. We go every week to story time and I'm letting each little boy take one food item every time. I picked several things from the pantry, lined them up on the island and let them pick. Decisions, decisions..It was great fun for them to drop their stuff into the big box.

I've enjoyed this time of teaching them to share with others in a different way. The holidays are so good for that. I'm thankful for these great organizations. Hopefully they will catch on to the idea of it is better to give than receive.

19 weeks and counting!

I went to my appt with Dr. Bell, but after waiting for almost an hour and a half they said he was called away to delivery. Oh well, I didn't mind. I know I've done that to many ladies over the course of 8 deliveries. When I went to reschedule, he was on vacation. I had to see Dr. Rainwater. I've never seen her before but she was really nice too.

Nothing new. All is good. Nice strong heartbeat and 21 more weeks to go which means I'm almost half way done. I've gained 10 pounds so far. I feel great except for the usual swelling. With the holidays, spring birthdays, and spring soccer season I expect it'll go pretty fast. All of a sudden my belly is so huge. Honey has commented on it for the past couple of days and marvels at how it happened all at once. He's the king of fat jokes when I'm pregnant. He makes me laugh. Baby's kicking and it feels like popcorn popping in my belly. I can't wait until the kids can feel it too. They like that. A couple of more weeks until our 1st ultrasound! Girl? Boy? I never know and I'm always wrong when I try to guess. I think Honey's thinking Boy. We'll see.

We're working on some Christmas shopping. I wanted to get the boys the old Batman shows from the 60's. I loved those. But Honey says that Catwoman was too immodestly dressed for our boys' eyes. I never even noticed that, but then again I'm a girl. BTW, my b-day is the same as Adam West's. That bit of info didn't change his mind. Oh well, we'll think of something else.

Valentine's Day Idea

I know it's a little early to think of these things but it just came to me anyway. I was making hot chocolate for everyone and every kid was telling me which cup he/she wanted. Everyone has a favorite.

So I thought that might be a fun gift idea. We always get everybody a little present for Valentine's Day. I want to start a new tradition where we buy everyone a new coffee cup. There are always holiday coffee cups for whatever holiday it is. Also I might pick them up throughout the year at thrift shops. Maybe I can find a couple of soccer ones for my little stars or piano ones for my musicians. Maybe I'll take COW to Hue and Me to make one for Dad. Then for the next Valentine's day we'll pack up the previous year's cup in their special box in the attic and they will get another new one. By the time they get married they will all have their own collection of special coffee cups. Honey liked the idea too so I'm already looking forward to it.

Speaking of hot chocolate....here's a great recipe. I've looked for 2 years for the perfect homemade hot chocolate recipe that is easy and healthy. Sorry, but I didn't come up with anything healthy. I tried but we didn't like them. However I did come up with the easy and yummy one...here it is.

2 C. powdered milk
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. instant creamer
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa
1 dash of salt.

Big family version: Buy one of those big cans of hot chocolate mix at Sams and use it all. When it's gone, double this recipe and shake it up in that can.

Use 1/3 C. mix to 1 mug of hot water. It's so good in cold weather!

I'm No Rachael Ray

She's my favorite Food Network chef. I love watching it this time of year to see all the holiday shows and foods. She makes all her meals in 30 minutes from start to finish. I always try to do that too but I never can.

I tried again today. I had 45 minutes before nap time was over and I almost always make dinner during naptime. Tonight's menu was chicken spaghetti, creamed spinach, salad, and breadsticks. I cooked the chicken earlier in the crockpot and our salad was leftover from last night. I felt ahead of the game before I even started. The first problem was the creamed spinach recipe. It was a new one from a baby food cook book and I wasn't familiar with it. Even though it was an easy recipe, I kept having to go back and read over it. I went to start the dough in the bread machine for breadsticks and discovered that we had no flour in the freezer. I had to stop and grind it. Now I'm behind.

Honey came home from a photo shoot just in time to get little ones up from their naps and keep them out of the kitchen so I could finish. What I thought should take me 30 minutes, really took me way over an hour. I guess that's why Rachael has a show and I don't.

Here's the new Food Network show that I wish they'd show...."30 Minute Meals For A Big Family Including Clean Up"!

Shopping with Honey

It was time for the big Sams shopping trip. Did you know that you can e-mail them what you want and they'll pull it and you can just pick it up? I just learned that and I'll be trying that next time. What a great time saver.

Anyway, I needed dog food and laundry soap so I asked Honey if he'd go with me to be the muscles. We took everybody. The kids think it is such fun to shop with him. I speed down every aisle as quickly as possible getting it done. He goes up and down every aisle, pushes every button, and changes all the radio stations on the stereo displays. When he found the drum set display, it was a good 15 minute delay.

He also likes to get more fun food than I do. Actually he did great on this trip...only one unauthorized purchase and it was a cheap one. My kids have been waiting all year for egg nog season. It's finally here! They were thrilled...so was Honey. He says, "Only $2.64 for a half gallon. OK, kids grab four of them." He noticed my face turn pale and changed his mind to only two. I think they wish that Dad would go to Sams every time.

When it was time to check out we had the flat bed cart plus a regular cart. The clerk was trying to transfer the dog food but needed help. Where was Honey? I looked around and he was gone. He was back watching a show on the TV aisle. So funny.
#1 said "Dad's a slow shopper." I agree.

A Word in Jeremiah

I've studied my Bible in different ways. One year I read through it chronologically. Actually it took me two years to finish. My favorite way is to take it one book at a time, reading and taking notes with a commentary.
J Vernon McGee is my favorite.

Now I'm in the book of Jeremiah. I don't have the commentary though so I just pray that the Holy Spirit will be my guide. Today I learned something neat.

Jeremiah 25-30 is a great section on how God disciplined the Israelites and is a good practical example to me of how I should discipline my own kids.

First He was very patient with them giving them opportunity to change. When they didn't, he issued the discipline of captivity to Babylon. But it doesn't stop there. In Jer 29 He tells them how to behave when they are in captivity...."Build houses and settle down, plant gardens....." It reminds me of the speech I've sometimes had to give about how to sit in the corner or get ready for a spanking.

Later in chapter 30 (the one I read today) He encourages them telling them it will not last forever but that it was needed. "I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished." And then He reminds them of the reason for the discipline.

Here's my favorite verse. Jer 30:24 "In days to come you will understand this. " When my older kids were little I did not require so much of them, thinking they were too little to understand and be expected to obey much. I was so wrong! As I learned and had more kids, I learned how to train them early and teach them (and me) that they can obey at a very early age. There have been times when we've had guests that thought we were mean to make our baby sit in the high chair or to not scream a fit. I've learned that even if they don't understand all that I ask of them at first, if I keep working with them in time they will understand and try to obey.

I don't know if that would've been in the commentary or not. But I thought it was a neat way to apply it in a practical way.

A handy tip

Maybe everyone knows this already but it was new to me.

My dishwasher was so dirty, especially behind the silverware basket. I bought one of those dishwasher cleaners at the grocery store. What a waste of money! It didn't do anything. Tonight I poured bleach into the soap holder and ran it through. It sparkles white! So easy and cheap.

Honey is out-of-town for the last night this season. YIPEE! Actually I can't complain. We've only had 2 out-of-town tournaments that required overnight stays. Anyway, he doesn't like soup so I took this opportunity to make soup for us. It was yummy potato soup. Baby girl loved it. I'm glad that cooler weather is here and I can make soups again. They go so far.

I'm down to 1 1/2 gallons of milk for the rest of the week. Breakfasts this week will be eggs, muffins, quick breads, etc. It'll be a good time to work on LB's cooking skills. She's COW this week.

As I looked at the calendar for the upcoming week I noticed that I have another Dr. appt. I can't believe it. Could it have been a month already?! Seems like I was just there! Time is going by so fast I feel like I'm speeding through life on roller skates. I don't like that idea. What is worse is that I have such a bad memory that I know I won't remember it. I'm trying to write more things down. I don't want to forget my little boys learning to arm fart or Baby Girl "running" (in a crawl) down the hall when we chase her. So many good things to savor and I want to enjoy them (and remember them)!

Another new noise

Seems there are so many of them with cute little boys. It is a very chilly morning and 4yo comes upstairs wearing only his underwear. "Watch what I can do!" I'm thinking, whatever happened to "good morning Momma"?

It quickly becomes clear why he is undressed. He has mastered the art of arm farting. He's sooo proud! Honey said he figured it out last night when he was tucking him in. Somehow I don't think that would've happened if I had been the one tucking him in. Daddys are a different kind of fun aren't they?

So he taught his big brother how to do it too. 5yo is just as thrilled and also likes to show it off. They haven't figured out how to tuck their hand inside their shirt yet....the whole shirt has to come off every time. It has been their entertainment of the day.

It's over!

I know how David felt when he prayed for the Lord to destroy his enemies. I lay in bed last night praying for the Lord to kill this mouse...and his family!

Last night was pizza night. I went in to start the dough in the bread machine when the king of the kitchen runs out to greet me. Well, no pizza for us.

When I couldn't wait any longer I sent in an older child to flush the rat out but of course he only likes to visit with me and would not show his face. Not knowing where he was certainly made dinner prep go quick! I made some quick tomato soup and salad.

Honey came home and he and my oldest 3 headed to Tulsa for the weekend. I was dreading my men being gone and not available to deal with this MOUSE. They sweetly loaded another trap for me before they left.

So as I lay in bed last night I heard a beautiful sound. SNAP!! Oh yeah, God is good! I run downstairs to get my 9yo daughter and 5yo son. They are eager to see. Hum...now what to do with it? I thought of waiting until the morning to get my neighbor to come and get it but my daughter volunteered. Can you imagine that? She didn't want to touch it with her hands though. Good girl. It took about 30 minutes but with a dust pan, fly swatter, an old shoe, and her little brother cheering her on she finally got it to the garage trash. Then she did what any smart woman would do...she threw everything away. Dust pan, fly swatter, mouse trap all in the trash. We decided not to throw away the shoe b/c it was Honey's. If it were mine, it would be in the bottom of the can too.

We had cinnamon rolls this morning to celebrate. It's good to be the queen of the kitchen again.

The Hunt Continues

I'm feeding the baby last night when the stupid MOUSE runs right under her highchair! Inches from my feet! Aren't mice supposed to be afraid of people? The kitchen was full of people with the light on and everything! Well, apparently that spot wasn't all that he thought it would be b/c seconds later this guy zips past me again (even closer to my feet!) running the opposite direction! What is wrong with this thing?

I decided that Baby was full and we left the kitchen immediately. My men were not home but my girls looked for him with no luck. As soon as the guys came back they set out more mouse traps. I'm running low.

The morning came...no mouse. I guess he doesn't like cheese. The next try is peanut butter. My son found another trap in the garage that was still set from about a year ago. It had a piece of cookie on it. I guess it's true that store bought cookies have an indefinite shelf life. This morning the trap was still set....minus the cookie. Hum....it was one of those fancy $6 kind that enable you to dump a dead mouse without touching it. Good idea but there's NO dead mouse, only a free lunch! I'm going to go buy more of the 50 cent old fashioned, old faithful wood and metal kind. I envision setting a whole bunch of them all over the kitchen floor only leaving a narrow path to the frige.

He's back.

The mouse was in the kitchen again last night. He ran right in front of my son's feet! Obviously he's not a very smart mouse. #3 runs downstairs to get his dad. Honey and 2 oldest sons grab the bb gun and that light thing that straps on your head and head to kitchen to hunt. Honey took a shot but missed. They were up there a long time and I could hear them moving things around. No luck. They found a spot where he might be getting in and blocked that off. They set more traps in hopes of getting him in the night. Still no mouse. Apparently he's smarter than I thought.

I am reading Reflections of the Gospels by Vance Havner. Good book. Last week when I was reading it was talking about how Christians make themselves unattractive to the unbelieving world. He listed a few examples. One of the ways is by making our services so dreary and lifeless that there is no joy in them at all. When I read those words "dreary and lifeless" I thought of my own Bible time with the kids. It has gotten to the point where I just read and they just listen. Not a lot of pizzazz there. There aren't even many questions anymore.

I wanted that to change. I prayed to the Lord to give me something new....a new book, a new idea, a new spark, something. I looked through sales books but nothing really caught my eye.

We went to a garage sale this weekend. I found some clothes for Baby Girl and #3 got a Christmas present for his sister. I noticed on the side a box of books. They were a set of 12 hardback Bible story books that were brand new and unopened. They weren't necessarily childrens' books though, it looked as though they would appeal to any age. The price on the box was $50. That was way more than I could spend. Plus, I wanted to look at them but didn't want to ask to open the unopened books. The guy came over and told me a little about them and said that he would take $25 without my even asking! Even though it was a good deal, it was still money I didn't have.

#2 and I ran an errand later in the day and she wanted to stop by the g-sale too. I took her by there and those books were still there. The guy came up to me and said I could have them for 50 cents a piece! I couldn't pass up a deal like that! I was so excited as we carried them home.

They are far more than I expected. Once I opened them I saw that they are perfectly age appropriate for all my older kids. They have beautiful pictures scattered throughout and it even came with a 4 year reading plan. It includes a lot of Bible history as well as missionaries. KJV Scripture is throughout every chapter.

We started the first one this morning and my kids asked me to read more. There's the spark I was hoping for! Thank you Lord for providing just the right thing!!

More rain! I love it! We are one small step closer to finding the leak. We cleaned out the computer area cabinets and could hear the rain coming down the wall. That means it is NOT coming from below. That's good. Now the problem is finding where it's coming in from above. At least one thing is eliminated and Honey is trying a new idea with this rain. He found a suspicious spot and has covered it with a big tarp. I just stuck my head in the cabinet and I don't hear water but it hasn't rained very long or very much yet...we'll see. If this is it, it will be an easy fix. That is what I'm praying for.

My mom and g'mother are visiting. You should see my g'mother. She looks incredible! At 76 she has no gray hair and does not color it. She's full of energy and lots of fun. She doesn't complain about being old or about aches and pains, but has a huge smile and laughs a lot. She is not afraid to be silly. Honey wants to take a bunch of pictures of her before she leaves. I hope I'm like that at 76.

Speaking of pictures...Honey is off the rest of the week! He's taking yearbook pics today and will be home tomorrow editing them. There's only about 110 kids so it won't take him too long. We're thankful for this business. The WASA pics are almost done! He also has one senior picture shoot coming up and I think 2 family portrait shoots too. We're trying to decide what to wear for our own family Christmas picture. He just got a new stand for the yearbook shoot and was so excited. I like watching him when he gets something new. He's just like a little kid. He must have been a lot of fun at Christmas when he was a little boy.

The clothes exchange is almost done. I prayed about this asking the Lord to give me a clear mind to know what to keep and what not. This was the easiest so far. All the big kids were not only able to exchange their own clothes but do the big cleaning as well! All I did was to look over and point out some finishing touches. All these years of them helping me has paid off. They know the system and just took off. They helped me a bunch with the little boys' clothes. It looks like everyone has plenty of clothes for the winter w/o having to buy very much. Only Baby Girl has immediate needs, but her clothes are still cheap and easy to find at the resale shops.

One more thing. I'm going to pass along my tip for potty training. With 7 kids potty trained so far, you would think we would have this one down...NOPE! We've tried it all from infant potty training (yep, I tried that one) to letting them do it themselves. Because they are all different, no one thing worked with every one of them. Now when #3 was little he would NOT use the potty. No about of bribing, praising, threatening, or coercion would work. Nothing. In desperation I gave it over to the Lord and gave up on my own. I decided that if we went from diapers to Depends, then so be it, but I was done. I only prayed. This was not easy for me b/c he followed 2 sisters that were very easy to potty train and this left me wondering where I was failing and what else was in store when raising little boys. In no time he was potty trained w/o me doing another thing! Last week I found myself once again up against a resistant potty trainer. I was getting frustrated with him and remembered #3. I let it go and prayed. He's hardly had a accident since. He even asked to go at the soccer fields this week.

When people find out I have 9 kids they say things like, "You must be so patient/organized/etc. I want to laugh out loud!! That is so far from the truth. The truth is that what the Lord calls you to do, He enables you to do. His strength is made perfect in my weakness and He never leaves me to do anything alone....even potty training little boys.

Today

It's that time again and today it was so cold that I decided I couldn't put it off any longer. It's time for the fall clothes exchange. Every year it's different. Last season I knocked it out in a record-breaking 3 days. I don't think that'll ever happen again...certainly not this season!

Right now this is such an overwhelming task to me that I'm taking small bites out of it. Very small...I cleaned out one drawer. Oh well, it's a start I guess. Oh wait, I also gave the girls a job in their room. During the clothes exchange, I also deep clean and clear out junk in each of their rooms. The girls' room is always the worst. Why is that? Aren't girls supposed to be neater than boys? Maybe it's b/c I'm in the boys' room with them so much and can keep a tighter handle on it. I don't know. My initial game plan was to do the worst first and tackle that room. I chickened out. Plan B is to give them a specific job a piece everyday until I am brave enough to start overseeing it. I didn't get much done and I didn't even get anything out of the attic.
Maybe I'll do more tomorrow.

I had my 2nd appt with Dr. Bell today. All is good and my blood work is done until the glucose test months from now. Yippee! I've decided that his scale is not as friendly as the one I have at home.

sharing the wealth

We have a new 4yo in our house. #6 just turned 4 this week and is so proud of it. We had a lot of fun with him on his b-day. It just doesn't take much to thrill him and he was thankful for every little thing. He made his cake with #2 and decorated it himself. I'll have to ask Honey to post some pictures later.

Our neighbor across the street gave him a card with $5 in it. My little boys are fascinated with money. I told him we should put it in his bank but he asked if he could hold it in his pocket "to save it" for awhile. I agreed, planning to get it from him later and let him put it in his jar himself. Later he runs upstairs with a huge smile on his face and his big brother (5yo) following right behind. "Look! I shared my money!" he says. They both stand in front of me each holding HALF of the $5 bill that they had cut with sissors to share. So sweet....

The life of a 2yo

Awww, my energy streak didn't last. Today I am overwhelmed thinking of what all I need to do in the next couple of weeks. I am praying for clarity of vision, motivation, and energy!

It's chilly and we're still wearing shorts. The winter clothes are in the attic calling my name. I have a feeling this will bring a new challenge for 2 yo. Wearing shoes other than his spiderman sandals bring him lots of grief. Today I put tennis shoes on him. He hates the shoe strings. They are never the right length. They are too tight or too loose. Too long (not a bit of them can touch the ground) or too short and they don't make a big enough loop. Hum....I wonder what kind of sorrow jeans and long sleeves will bring him?

I think it must be hard to be a 2 yo. Nothing is ever right for you. You aren't big enough to do lots of fun stuff that everyone else can do. You still have to take a nap. You have to learn to use the potty. You still can't play with marbles or eat chips. Shoe strings are awful. Nothing but the spiderman cup will suffice. You're big enough to talk but not mature enough to discern when you should be quiet. You must speak your mind on every issue and are obedient to every bad idea that comes into your head! All this adds up to a LOT of trouble!!

The good part is that you're still little enough to be carried up and down the stairs if someone is willing and to sit on Momma's lap when she reads a story. Life is good as long as there are popsicles in the house and the spiderman cup is clean.

Today

#3 played the Ozark Classic in Fayetteville today. They left early this morning and got back this afternoon. His team won one and lost one and plays again tomorrow. So today I stayed home with the 4 little ones and LB to help. She likes being the big girl of the house. I've had a lot more energy today than I have had in a long time and was able to get some things done. Thank you Lord!

We started the morning by baking bread which was done around 10am for a snack. I am frustrated with this new organic grain. Seems like the non organic makes better bread. Even after adding extra gluten, it's not what it should've been. Even so, it's the first time I've done the big bread baking in weeks and even with ugly bread I'm glad it's done. I got chicken in the crockpot for dinner later. Since my 3 biggest kids were gone, that left a lot of chores for us to do. We all worked together when Baby went down for a nap and knocked them out. We got a ton of laundry done today. I still need to vacuum my room.

After Baby woke up we went to the circle park to play for about an hour. It's so close to home and we're usually the only ones there. We came home, put Baby down for another nap, and the 4 other kids headed outside with sandwiches. What a beautiful day!

The painter came today. I was surprised b/c I didn't think he worked on the weekends. We talked about the color again. He painted another section for me to see. I just don't know. This is a hard choice but he's being patient with me. I have to have it nailed down soon. I'm not good at this.

We got another order of WASA pics in so I got them sorted and sacked and ready to deliver this week. That's my favorite job of the business. I did a few more chores around the house, some more laundry, and tried to take a nap. Nothing doing....2yo kept having screaming fits outside and needed some attention. Oh well.

When Honey came home he crashed on the bed and took a nap. He hardly ever takes naps. It was funny though b/c I don't think he even took his shoes off. He lay on the bed and was out in about 2 seconds.

After dinner, he took the big kids b-day shopping for #6's b-day on Monday and to buy his b-day meal supplies.
Here are his meals...

breakfast: donuts and deviled eggs
lunch: mac and cheese
dinner: pizza, carrot cake, and ice cream. (Sounds like 4yo foods, huh?)

After they left, I read to the little boys and worked on their sign language.
Now I've gotten the 4 little ones to bed, sort of. 2yo takes a little more time than others but we're almost there. I'm waiting for the shoppers to return and show me the goods. The good news is that I don't think we have any picture work tonight b/c I got it done today. That means Honey and I can watch a movie and drink hot chocolate or something.

This day was so good. I think I got more done today that I have in weeks. That feels good. It's funny how I take my energy levels for granted until I have none. The only thing I wanted to do but didn't was to do manicures with LB. She's COW and likes to do that. Maybe tomorrow....

Revival Part 1

We've had revival at church this week with Bro Bill Stafford. It was fantastic! He is 73 years old and is so obviously in love with Jesus. He was very insightful and had a thankfulness to the Lord that was contagious. It was a joy to sit under his teaching this week. We took all the kids and they looked forward to going every night. I'm glad they got to hear him too. I am planning on getting a tape from the church so that I can watch it at home. I had to miss a little bit and want to catch up. Last night was the last night. I did NOT want to miss any of it, but we knew that Baby probably would not last. She sang with all her heart with the choir but when it was time to be quiet, she wanted to preach too. I had to take her out. The great thing is that I took her to the hall where the tv is and (this is a miracle!) no one was talking in the hall! There were 2 other people sitting in chairs watching and NO noise! So I did get to still watch it.

I want to post over the next few days some of the great message he preached. Here are my favorite highlights for now...

Your sin will not get send you to Hell, not coming to the cross will.

He spoke out against those pastors who preach the unoffending message so as not to make anyone feel bad but the fact is....we ARE offenders!!

He had a bold way of speaking the truth straight up....no feel good stuff.

He invited everyone to come up front, or step out into the aisle, or knell in the pew to come to Jesus or to pray for revival.

It was just what I needed at just the right time. God is timely and I'm thankful for this week.

Love is....

I can't sleep at night. I usually wake up around 2am and am awake for a couple of hours. I do hope this passes soon. I lay there thinking, thinking, thinking. That doesn't help. I try to stop thinking and concentrate on my breathing, or listen for the clock to chime, hoping I won't hear it again. Usually, I fall back to thinking and that keeps me awake. Here is what I've thought about tonight...

What is love? We have the 1Cor 13 example. But I am talking about how those things are played out in every day life. First I started eliminating a few things...

1. The business aspect of love. Example: when you have a baby you are immediately thrown into a business type of relationship w/o even realizing it. Family business. Now there are schedules to coordinate...feeding schedules, church, work, so forth. I know that you can have this type of relationship without kids, but it's just what came to mind first. Washing clothes, making dinner, running errands....those things fall under family business and do not count.

2. The decision type of love. Jesus tell us that we have to love our enemies. That has to be a decision. Not meaning to oversimplify that command, but that's not what I'm talking about either. My neighbor and his wife do not get along. They have been married 50 years. He told me once about how they considered breaking up, but it wasn't right. He speaks out all the time about divorce and how people do not understand the importance of decision...how that decision affects others even more than you.

3. Physical attraction. It's not love and since God says "beauty is fleeting", it will all pass away.

4. The concern over well-being love. This love does not want you to be run over by a car or break your leg when you fall in a ditch. Since I have this love even for my dog, I don't think it counts either...at least not for this musing.

These things are important (except #3) but I'm talking about the real love that is not the basic "Love your neighbor" love that those things fall into. So strip these away and what is left? Here's what I came up with.

1. If you love someone, you will be there for them if they need you or want you whether it is convenient for you or not.

2. You pray for them, a lot.

3. This one is hard to put into words. Honey has taught me this by example and I'm trying to figure it out. It goes something like this...when you know that you have great influence over someone else, you are careful what you put into them. There are times when I know exactly how he is feeling but I notice that he's careful about what he says as so not to influence me to a destructive way of thinking too. Especially if it is a family issue. I have a tendency to vent everything and tell him what I think on every point. I've noticed that he is more careful. He says that I'm not allowed to practice this type of love with him, though and that I have to tell him everything! I think that's funny. (A little double standard?) But it makes sense. If you are carrying around baggage, it's easier to dump it on someone else. You feel lighter, but they are weighted down. Jesus says that we are to carry each other's burdens so this one is hard for me to figure out how it fits in. Balance and discretion I suppose? I'm rambling...

4. You can tell them what others will not. "The wounds of a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."

5. Ok, this one is a little silly, but here goes....you know how to make their favorite sandwich! Well, it doesn't have to be a sandwich exactly, but you know those special things that they like (and you do them!). Usually they are very small and don't even cost much if you buy it at the store. But the neighbor doesn't know them and that is the kind of set-apart love that I'm thinking over tonight.

Official Announcement

We're having another baby! Yep, Baby #9 will be here in April, Lord willing. We're 12 weeks along and I'm finally starting to feel better. I still can't take my vitamins yet, even at night, but I'm hoping that'll change soon too.

I ran into a lady at Sams today and struck up a fun conversation. She had this tiny 5 week old baby boy. My babies are not tiny anymore by the time they are 5 weeks old but this one had had the stomach virus and was still only 8 pounds. Anyway, she said she found a great help, not a cure, but a help for morning sickness. She kept peanut butter by the bed and ate a heaping tablespoon of it before she got up. She said it stabilized her sugars and actually worked. I don't need to do that now, but I will try it next time. If anyone reading this tries it, comment me and let me know if it worked. I've actually been sicker in the evenings so I don't even know if that would apply to me.

Most of us are hoping for a girl so Baby Girl will have a playmate. CT wants a boy b/c he wants an official sized family soccer team. We're thinking of the names Lindsey or Elijah.

I've gained 2 pounds so far and can not wear my favorite pants. I guess I'll have to find a new favorite.

I have a new doctor. This was really stepping out for me b/c I've been with the same one for so long and he has delivered most of my babies. It was time for a change though and I really like my new one. Since I'm so old (37) he actually does fewer tests instead of more! What a refreshing change.

Since I hate being pregnant, I've found ways to pamper myself only when I'm pregnant. That gives me things to look forward to. This is what I've come up with so far....
Buying whatever juice I want in the grocery store, even if it's not 100% juice. I love Welch's Passion Fruit. Juice is our (after the kids go to bed) snack.

Real popsicles...not juice ones. I like Blue Bell Bullets. I wish they would sell only green ones.

Sonic ice.

Herbal tea baths. My sweet friend made this for me after Baby Girl was born and , oh it was so nice. I'm going to ask her for the recipe and keep it made up in the refrigerator.

Before Baby Girl was born I bought 2 new books at the Christian book store and saved them to read in the hospital. I didn't even take them out of the sack. It was fun to finally get to break them out. I'll do that again.

That's it, but I'm trying to think of more. Any ideas?

YIKES!

I'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans and sitting on the floor. All of sudden I feel something crawling up my back! I smacked the back of my shirt and could tell immediately that there was a big bug there. It felt like the size of a quarter! Here's the best part...when I hit it, it went down the back of my pants! You know that little gap in the back of your jeans when sit on the floor and lean forward? Just the right size for a bug to fall into!

I start doing the crazy dance trying to take my pants off. I'm jumping up and down and brushing off everything making double sure he's not on me but I don't see anything on the floor or in my pants either. I turn my pants upside down and shake them out and a big camel cricket jumps out at me!! AAEEOOOOWWW!

Do you know what those are? I had never seen one until we moved to AR. They are crickets that have long legs like a spider and can jump in every direction. They actually jump AT you to attack when you're trying to kill them! They are quite scary and can make you look like a fool with a fly swatter.

This is funny. I took the little boys to the grocery store today. They were a little more rowdy than I would've liked. As we're standing in line, I had to say things like...

"Don't touch that."
"Stop licking your brother."
"Stand right here and don't move."
"no!"

The lady behind me thought we were a great show. She told me that she once had little boys but now they are grown. She said she always looked forward to 8:00. I told her that I did too! Then she said..."But I think I'd put them to bed at 7:00!" LOL!

Homeschooling

Homeschooling is hard.

I am teaching the little boys to read. My 3yo is catching on very quickly. My 5yo is doing well but it is not as easy for him. Since we are reading from the same book, I teach them together. Today I almost made 5yo cry. It is nothing new for one of my children to cry about school, but for him to cry really struck a soft spot in my heart.

When I saw 3yo doing so well and surpassing him, it made me want to push 5yo a little harder. He didn't actually cry, but his eyes turned blue underneath like they do when he is about to cry. I felt so bad. I can't do that. The beauty of homeschooling is allowing them to learn at their own pace. That can be hard.

From now on, I will teach them separately. I think that'll help. Sometimes I wish I could just be their mom and not their teacher. I would just play with them, and love them, cook them yummy foods, correct them when needed, and read to them. But I definately don't want to be separated from them all day every day. Then there wouldn't be time for all that anyway.

Honey got the WASA business and the first day to shoot team pictures was today. We got everything ready last night and loaded into the car. We made plans with the kids and were all ready at 6:30 am. As we were getting into the car....BOOM! Thunder, lightning, huge storm! Well, there went that. Now we must use the make-up day that we scheduled....the Saturday that we were hoping to go away somewhere together. Rats. #5's game was cancelled as well as every other game scheduled for today. I guess the good news is that CT's game was already rescheduled to tomorrow b/c of the Hog game so his soccer game wasn't cancelled. He plays in Sugar Creek tomorrow.

It rained tons. Our downstairs started leaking...again. We've battled this leak for about a year now. We've had 5 diffent guys come out to look at it and no one knows what it is. It seemed to stop for awhile, we thought. But now it seems that it was probably leaking in a place we didn't notice. So the carpet was wet and Honey pulled out a drawer under the computer area. Water was standing underneath there! There doesn't seem to be water coming from above as the walls are not wet nor show any water damage. So we've already had a plumber, 2 contractors, 2 irrigation guys, and the builder of the house come look at it. No one has any idea at all...except that they are all in agreement that it is not coming from above. Now it will be a foundation man. I hope to get to the bottom of this mystery, but I'm afraid of what it will cost and the work it will mean.

Aunt Bea

Have you ever envied someone else's life? In my eyes, Aunt Bea has the perfect life. I noticed it last night while watching Andy Griffith.

She sends Opie off to school with no second thoughts. It's a good place and Ms. Crump is a good attentive teacher. There is no worry about bad influences and besides, Opie is always a good boy.

She has the rest of the day to do neat things like cook whatever yummy dinner she wants for her family without having to think about how long it will take. She has plenty of time to bake cookies and pecan pies for Opie when he gets home from school. She looks great in an apron.

There is no one in her house all day. She can make it noisy or quiet, whichever she prefers at whatever given moment. She can clean and organize her house the way she likes it and no one will move anything. That means it is ALWAYS clean!! Her Blue Willow china are her everyday dishes.

Because she has so much time, she can go to lunch with Claira whenever she likes and it is very simple. She can walk to the market when she is out of sugar for her pie. There is a friend to greet and visit with at every corner.

This has become my favorite show. I love Aunt Bea. My life is as different from hers as any life could be. And though I would not change that, it is nice to daydream........

A New Noise In the House

This has been a big year for 3yo. He is definately the over-achiever of the bunch. He has learned to swing himself, ride a 2-wheeler, swim underwater, read a little, and now he has learned something new. He can whistle!

A couple of nights ago at the dinner table, Honey was trying to show the little boys how to do it. They couldn't, so instead of whistling they would make a high-pitched noise with their mouths that sort of sounded like it. They tried to fool the dog, but Joey didn't buy it.

Tonight, out of the blue, #6 started whistling! His big brother thought he was blowing a whistle and asked to do it too! What a surprise! I had him stand up in front of everyone to show off his new skill. His sisters were impressed. So was I.

Yesterday, I had quite a run-in with my 3yo son. #6 is a tough fellow.

He decided that he was NOT going to make his bed. #2 is his buddy and is in charge of over-seeing his chores. I heard him arguing with her and then throwing a fit in his room. I go in and find out that it is over making his bed. I went in, spanked him, and told him to make his bed. Thinking we were done, I left the room. I was wrong!

About 5 minutes later he was throwing another loud fit. This time I went in and gave him a big speech about obeying his sister and obeying Momma. I spanked him again.

5 more minutes passed. I walked in to check his progress and found him complaining that it was too hard and he couldn't do it. Speech #2 was about being a sluggard vs. being a diligent man. I spanked him again. He assured me that he was the diligent man and was going to make his bed. I relieved my daughter and told her that I would take over the rest of his chore time.

5 more minutes passed. He's crying loudly in his room, bed still not made. I spank him again. Speech #3 was about being a good steward and taking care of everything God has given us. I was running out of ideas. I wanted to tell him that if he was unwilling to take care of his bed then he would lose his bed and have to sleep on the floor. I decided that that wouldn't work though b/c my kids love to sleep on the floor, in the closet, under the coffee table....anywhere that is not their bed. Soooo after considering a minute, I decided that he would lose his special blankey and pillows and would only be left with the big blanket on his bed. He didn't like that idea.

5 more minutes passed and I check his progress. Still a messy bed! Now I was really stumped. I thought the blankey/pillow idea would have changed his mind. I guess he didn't believe me. I spanked him again and told him to take all his pillows and his blankey to the couch. That did it! Praise the Lord! I had run out of speeches. My little son hugged me, and said he was "so sorry" and MADE HIS BED!!! Oh thank you Lord!

He had to take a nap without his blankey and pillows. At the dinner table he was telling Honey about it. When Honey asked him why he lost them he said "I was fighting wif Mommy." He had to go to bed last night with only the big blanket. Although he was sad, he handled it well. I was sad for him too.

If you've never had a fight with a 3yo, I would advise against it. They are formidable opponents!!

Our Garage Sale

Honey had to go into work at 6am Saturday. On his way to the car he noticed that our next door neighbors were having a big garage sale and were already set up. He ran back into the house and rallied everyone out of bed to get busy and put our junk out too.

Now even though I decided against the g-sale (I hadn't told Honey that yet), it now sounded like a pretty good idea since the neighbors already put out signs and the ad in the paper. At this point, our stuff wasn't even tagged. The girls came upstairs wondering how in the world this was going to happen. We got busy fast. We didn't have tables, so we started carting out the coffee tables, piano bench, ironing board, etc to use for tables. It worked.

It turned out to be a fun time. My kids had a great time at the neighbor's sale looking through all their junk. CT bought me a pretty glass bell for $1 as a surprise plus a cute frame for Baby's picture. MTT bought herself 3 new shirts. Even today they were still telling me of all the neat things she had that I hadn't noticed. Other people's stuff is always more exciting than your own.

We put it up about 12:30 with a grand total of $70. It's not much, but considering all we had was junk, I guess it's ok. The kids even made a $1 tip carrying stuff to someone's car. They were glad to add it to the pile and to know that their dollar was the one to take us over the edge to the $70.
Later that day, my son said "That was just about the funnest thing I've ever done!"

Well on my way to the tub, I stopped by the pantry to try to get some inspiration for tomorrow's breakfast. All of a sudden a mouse!!! ran out at me!!! I was stuck. My laundry room is in the back of my kitchen. In order to leave I have to go through the kitchen where the mouse ran. See my dilemma? If I go in the kitchen where the mouse is he could run out at me again. Oh, this is no good. I thought of going through the garage to the front door but the front door was locked. My son is at soccer practice. If he were home, I would make him "guard the way" for me in case he ran out. I stood there for a minute but decided that if I don't leave soon the mouse might come out anyway thinking the coast was clear. At least now he may be scared too and is hiding. I mustered up my courage and ran at top speed out of the kitchen! I called my girls into the laundry room to take every box of crackers, oats, beans, etc to the freezer....(they aren't afraid of mice and thought it was funny).

Honey, I want a cat!

I'm tired, I don't feel good, and I have a messy house that I just can't stay on top of. I know this is just a season but it sure seems long sometimes.

Joey (and Willow) got out again but my neighbor brought him home before we knew he was gone. This time the kids left the gate open that Honey closed. The gate situation is weird, we'll have to talk about that with the kids. I'm glad for good neighbors.

I was going to have a garage sale this weekend but I thought better of it. How can I have a garage sale when I can't even stay on top of the regular stuff? Tomorrow I will take it all to Thrift Town and be glad to be done with it.

I forgot to remind my child with cereal duty to make cereal. We're out. We don't have many eggs, and I just can't think of what to have for breakfast tomorrow.

I need to go soak in the tub and think these things over......

Lost and Found

We are still dog-sitting Willow. The kids went out to play in the backyard and discovered that the gate was open and the dogs were gone! Now Joey is such a good boy that he will stay in the yard even with the gate open. Willow is an explorer and saw her chance. Joey followed.

The big kids rode their bikes around the block looking for him. A friend of ours stopped by and he looked too. No Joey. I got in the car and drove all around but still no Joey. I started praying for him. He is not street smart and he is such a handsome guy than anyone would want him as their own.

I called the Humane Society and after describing them in detail she said I just needed to come in and look. This was a big disappointment. I don't exactly live close to the HS and I had a soccer game to be at in less than an hour. I called Honey from the car. He was at the soccer fields taking pictures of other teams. He offered to come home but there was really no point. There was nothing else to do. I was so frustrated driving to the HS. I was mad at Willow for leaving, mad at Joey for following, and mad at the HS lady for not being more helpful.

When I arrived at the Humane Society I walked through the whole kennel of sad looking dogs and adorable puppies. There were 11 other dogs that I wanted to bring home, but no Joey. At this I was just ready to cry. I think the lady could tell b/c she was being extra nice to me calling me "hon" and all. She gave me lost reports to fill out. I left them with her and headed to the game.

After the game, and dinner out of the way, Honey took the little boys to drive around and search some more. The girls and I prayed for them to bring Joe home. In a few minutes the phone rang. It was the HS lady saying an officer just brought in both dogs! YIPPEE!! She said that they were closed but that they would wait for us in the back. If we came right away they would waive all fees.

Joey was so tired when he got home. He crashed in the laundry room and didn't move. He wouldn't even raise his head when we talked to him. He finally got up at 2:30 this morning to go outside. Poor guy. This morning he is back to his same old self and was wrestling with 2yo in the family room. It's nice to have him back!

Hum, I don't know what is wrong with this thing but I can't seem to do colors anymore. Honey, can you fix it for me? Black is boring.

I LOVE this weather. It is so perfect! It sure makes soccer games easier. This is my favorite time of the year. Fall is actually my favorite, but I like the cool time before the fall b/c I like the feeling of knowing that fall is coming and will be here for awhile. Once Halloween passes, it seems like it all goes so fast and then it's winter. Why doesn't summer go by that fast?

Vacation is good. I think I could live on vacation. Honey is gone to story time with everyone except #3. Baby is taking a nap. #3 jumped on this chance to be home alone with me and is setting up a big game. I think we're playing Money Matters. It's sort of like Monopoly. He's a big game player and I'm just about the only one who likes board games besides him. That's our special thing to do together. Even when he was little he was hard to beat. He's a lot more competitive than I am. Now it's nearly impossible to win a game against him!

Honey is on vacation ALL week! It is so good. We aren't going anywhere but plan to do lots of stuff here at home. Tomorrow he is planning on taking everyone to see CARS. The little boys have never been to the theatre before so they will love it. It is also #5's first soccer practice of the season. He's so excited and has been counting down the sleeps until Tuesday.

#1 wants him to take her driving.
The boys want to go fishing but the trolling motor is broken so that might not happen.
If it warms up everyone will go swimming. They love it when Dad swims.
We may set up a photo shoot with some new stuff we got.
There is a field trip to the radio station that we plan to go to.
Honey may take the boys to story time and take pictures.
My big girls and I will go to the big consignment sale.

This weekend is the big Dawg Daze tournament here in town. That is always fun! Honey will stay for most of the day taking pictures (and hoping to sell some).

I think it'll be a fun week.

Christmas Lists

The kids and I sat down together the other day and made Christmas lists. My 3yo's list is so cute. Here it is...

candy
chocolate cake
action figures

He's so easy to please!

The interesting one is my 10yo son's list. There are things that are mature in nature, as well as things that reflect the fact that he's still a little boy.
On the top of the list is a Bowflex (!) and most of the list is made up of soccer or training equipment. There are also cute things like a spy night scope and a distress signal....what in the world is THAT!

My oldest daughter has very mature things on her list like a cd player with headphones and flair jeans.

#2 is very practical. She wants white shirts and socks!

#4 wants dance lessons and a new lamp for her headboard.

I've never kept Christmas lists before but I think I will save them from now on. It is such a cute reflection of who they are right now. When my 3yo is 10 he can laugh that he used to want candy, chocolate cake, and action figures.

My Quiet Time Today

Isn't it funny how when God is dealing with you on some particular issue, everywhere you turn it seems it has something to do with *that*? I have trouble with unforgiveness. I can hold a grudge for a long time. I can build a wall very quickly to shut out someone for as long as I wish. I also have the terrible tendency to re-wind what was said over and over in my head to remind myself of why I am mad and thus, justify my unforgiveness. Ugly, I know.

I have been going through that this week. And since I do not have to deal with this person much, there has been no hurry to change anything. However, and this is a big one, it has occupied much of my thoughts. I wake up in the night thinking about it. I think about it whenever there is a quiet moment during the day. I hasn't made for a good week.

I was actually crying over it the other day in the bathtub as I was thinking how displeasing my attitude must be to God. How could I be so unforgiving when I have been forgiven so much?
I am reading Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund. As I was reading in the bathtub, I came across this sentence.." (we are) slogging over miles of life, one step at a time, one decision at a time in choosing our course, suffering anything, and arriving gloriously at our destination." Well I'm certainly not going to arrive gloriously anywhere with all this extra baggage!

To be honest, I did pray about it but my heart wasn't in it. Since I don't see this person much it is easier to think I'll just get over it. I think I'd rather walk away from a mess than clean it up.

I have started working though My Utmost For His Highest again. Today his verse was in John 15. I started reading that chapter and this verse shot out at me. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever your wish, and it will be given you." John 15:7 That verse has always been a little confusing to me. Whatever I wish? Hum.... Well, I wish to be free from this bondage of unforgiveness! I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and think about it anymore. I want to be gracious when I think of this person. I want to be done with this whole thing!!

It would seem that this should be easy. Just "get over it", right? And I thought of how I am supposed to "cover an offense with love when wronged or hurt". That's it! Perhaps my problem is not so much unforgiveness as a lack of love. That seems to be the root of so much. I read on....
vs. 17 "This is my command: Love each other. " He also says that He loved me before I ever even thought of loving Him. I do not have to wait for someone else, it can start with me! It is not conditional based on what someone else does. I can just love them anyway!

Ok, elementary I know, but it was a big revelation to me this morning and I feel a great weight lifted. There's more...vs. 8" This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." The thought that God would give *me* something that would be to the Father's glory is a precious thought. So, back to verse 7, I would say that love and forgiveness are what I ask for. The weight lifted when I realized that I don't have to get over it by myself, but that I can ask God to give me these things and it would be for the Father's glory.

Thank you Lord for this word this morning!

I took the little boys to the health food store yesterday. I like going in there. It has such an old-fashioned general store sort of atmosphere. My little boys like it too and were following behind me in a single-file row like little ducklings. I was enjoying looking at all the stuff I'd never heard of when I glanced back at the boys. My 2yo is carrying a big bag of organic oreos. Does he have good taste or what? A son after my own heart! He looks at me very seriously and says "I got this one," as though I had been looking for them all along. He was so cute that I had to buy them. I won't tell you what I paid for them, it was crazy. I don't think I can afford to take him again, his cuteness is too expensive!

Numba ates first "bites"

Well Numba 8 took her first "steps" away from the mommy milk factory recently. She took to it like she had been studying us for 8 months!

See her in her cuteness here: http://thetaggs.smugmug.com/gallery/1739446/2/90464924

The weather is so beautiful today. We've had lots of rain and now a cooler afternoon. August is so hot, dry and long. It's nice to have a reprieve.

It was perfect for #3's soccer game tonight. I think Baby was actually a bit chilly! We lost the game, but had lots of fun watching.

This afternoon we packed up the lunch boxes and headed to Honey's office to have lunch with him. I packed him leftover pizza but when he saw #1's egg sandwich, he talked her into trading. She is the expert egg sandwich maker. Honey offered her his leftover pizza and a dollar for trade. She took it and even threw in a peach slice too.

Baby starts fussing in her stroller so he picks her up to hold her while he eats. I think he had taken about 2 bites of the sandwich before she grabbed it and threw it to the floor! He was quite disappointed with that!! We all thought it was pretty funny. I gave him my pb&j but it just wasn't the same. I think he lamented over that sandwich all afternoon!

Here is a funny story that happened this weekend. It is one of those "you had to be there" stories but I'll try to tell it anyway.

My mom and grandmother came this weekend to visit and we went to Walmart yesterday. When we were walking out, I stepped on a gigantic wad of gum. It was HUGE! It must have been 5 or 6 pieces! I don't even know how anyone could've gotten it into their mouth. My shoe was so stuck that I almost stepped right out of it and it took an effort to lift the next step. As I was making my way to the car, I was dragging this thick line of gum though the parking lot. The more I tried to scrape it off, it worse it got. It was oozing up the side of my shoe and I was wearing flip flops!! It was a huge mess.

At this point I'm thinking I need a new pair of shoes. I mean I am at Walmart, right? My grandmother said it was ok and she would clean it off for me at the car. She was giggling the whole way. I don't really think my mom knew exactly what was going on b/c she was pushing the cart ahead of us with the kids. Sure enough when we got to the car I took my shoe off, my g'mother found some kleenex in the car, and started the gross job of cleaning my shoe. Is that LOVE or what?! I would never do that. In the meantime, Mom is having to unload the cart by herself and deal with the kids.

Grandmother actually did a very good job. I wouldn't have thought it could be done. Once in the car, my g'mother found a travel pack of baby wipes for her hands. She needed it. She gave me two and told me to use them on my shoe. No way!! Of course I didn't say that out loud but I guess she could tell by the look on my face that it wasn't going to happen. She took my shoe and finished it up with the wipes. Is she great or what?

Now Mom and the kids are asking what is going on and as we're trying to tell it, my grandmother and I are laughing so hard that we could barely speak. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. It really was SOOO funny....but I guess you had to be there.

My mother-in-law brought my girls a big bag of nail polish. There must be about 45 bottles in all. LB is my personal pedicurist and was getting everything out. She dumped out the bag and we looked through colors. It didn't take long for the boys to jump into the action.

Lots of bright colors, lots of clinking glass bottles, lots of fun. Let me just say that it is a bad idea to let little boys play with bottles of nail polish. They leave that one out of the parenting books. I know it should be common sense, but there is no sense common to all men and they were so cute playing with them. The next thing we knew there is a broken bottle and RED polish spilled on the carpet!! YIKES!! OH, I was soooo glad that Honey was home and I was not the only one in charge when that one happened! Of course it had to be the red one.

When something like that happens, I tend to despair and give up with thoughts like....Oh well, I wanted hardwood floors in here anyway. Everyone else jumped into action. The girls grabbed paper towels to blot out the mess. Honey looked up the problem on the internet. He read that full-strength Simple Green works on nail polish. I don't think they meant red though.

We tried it. We also tried some really good laundry stain stuff I was borrowing from my neighbor. Finally we broke out the shampooer and shampooed the whole room. I'm surprised we got out as much as we did. At least it doesn't look any worse than any of the other stains on the carpet.

Moral of this story? Nail polish is for girls!!

This weekend

Honey and #3 are in Edmond this weekend. They just left this morning and are riding with another dad and son to save gas. This might be a long weekend w/o them b/c if we win, the latest game doesn't start until 6pm tomorrow night. Then there is the 3 hour drive back! This is what we call the "combo" team. It is made up of u11 and u12 boys. It is #3's favorite team (he's on 4) b/c they get to play more competitively. Hope they win!

Anyway, we're looking forward to a good weekend too. Since Honey will be gone tomorrow night and that is our usual date night, we went out last night instead. We ended up buying a new tv stand at Sams. Today I'm going to bring the big box in the house and let the boys decorate it with markers and play in it all weekend. It's huge.

#1 is having some friends over for lunch and a movie. She's really looking forward to that.

#4 has an indoor soccer game and the little ones and I will go to that. Indoor soccer is nice in the summer! I'm a wimp in the heat.

In the kitchen I'm making bread, playdoh, and burgers. I might also come up with some lunch box snacks. We're having lunch at Honey's office 2x next week.

The girls and I are going to take apart the whole computer area so it will be easier for Honey and I to rearrange next week. This will be a surprise for him. Dad brought the kids one of his old computers and we need to make a space for it.

The girls and I are going to start working on tagging our sale items for the consignment sale. They like doing this.

I think that's about it. Hopefully I can squeeze in some scrapbooking sometime too!
Have a great weekend.

I wanted to post here a big CONGRATULATIONS to my friends that are pregnant. Babies are a sweet blessing from the Lord. Whenever I hear that one of my friends is expecting, it makes my day. It does not matter if it is the 1st or the 7th. Every single one is special and different with a different calling from God.

I do feel for some of my friends who have many children b/c some people are just mean. It is hard to share good news b/c of the way it will be received. Of course, everyone is just thrilled when baby is here and is beautiful and cute. But when Momma is expecting it is a different story for some reason. It is as though the baby isn't as special until he is born. And of course, they must endure the wise cracks. Unfortunately we become the butt of many jokes in the church as well as out. For some reason people do not feel the same way when you announce the first one as they do when you announce the 10th. It is very discouraging and makes me sad. It reflects a world that does not care about the things of God and rejects the true meaning and value of motherhood.

Another thing that concerns me are moms who feel guilty over being afraid of becoming pregnant. Forgive me for being so blunt. It is not the fear that is a concern but the guilt over the fear when the pregnancy happens. Guilt is a bad thing. It is a tool of satan's to discourage us and make us feel unworthy.

I have come to realize that there is NO reason for feeling guilty if you do not experience that giddy excitement when the stick turns pink. Those who haven't had many babies will not know what I mean. The tears that sometimes follow are usually associated with the fear of what is to come, not with the baby. And those who make our calling harder by not receiving the news with joy make the thought of doing it again almost unbearable...if only for a little while.

Let me offer this....
I do not think that Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, was "excited" to find out that she was pregnant. While she certainly experienced something so marvelous that we will never understand, imagine her thoughts when the angel left and she had some time to settle down.
Imagine her thoughts when she knew she had to tell her family and her sweet Joseph! Imagine the fear!! How would they ever believe her? Even though she was carrying the Lord(!), I doubt that she was thrilled about what was before her. I wonder if she felt guilty later for those thoughts? Perhaps I am being presumptuous, but I feel a sort of kinship with her when I think that she, too, may have felt the way that I do. Also that not everything the Lord asks us to do for him, will be received with joy from the world, but rather with raised eyebrows and ungodly judgment. Mary had to stand alone..... and her answer? "I am the Lord's handmaiden, may it be to me as you have said." Oh Lord, may we all be able to say that in truth!!

Thinking on that helps me with the guilt over the fear that I sometimes feel. Knowing that it is not from the Lord helps me to put it in the right place. Knowing that every precious gift is from the hand of God helps me to face what is to come b/c I am doing the work that he has given me. It is an honor to be called!!

All that to say that no, I don't have this "down" and I struggle with this fear everyday. But this rambling is for myself as well as my friends and I want to encourage you that the Lord's mercies are new everyday for us. Most of us will not be called to a foreign mission field but are called to a mission field right in our own homes. To take on a task that too many women scoff at as being unimportant, is a divine calling. There will be a day when we will have the honor of answering to the Lord for what we have done with what he has given us. I think that thought helps with the fear of man that some of us experience when we look at the heavenly end.

Again...CONGRATULATIONS to my good friends! I am so happy for you!