Halloween

Do you celebrate Halloween? Do you know what it stands for? Most Americans do not!! Check out http://www.family.org/topics/a0017957.cfm They say that they take a middle of the road approach but they have some links that can help you decide if you want to support it. On another note, we are picking up Toby and summer today. The girls miss them terribly so I think we are going to wait to let them stay at Emily's. Charlotte REALLY missed them. She didn't know what to do with herself. Me too for that matter. We went to mcdonalds yesterday and the girls had fun. School was easier but not by much. Charlotte is still coming down from her sugar rush so the last two days have been hard with her. I really need to be better about giving her sugar! I still haven't recieved picks from Allen on the birthday party but when I do, I will put them up. I have started on a GI diet. Not to lose weight, but to feel fuller. It's not like those low carb diets that mess with your heart. This is really healthy eating. I am praying that it will be good for my body and it will have a good reaction to it. I am drinking alot more teas than I used to- green tea especially. Did you know that studies show that drinking 5 cups of green tea increases your metabolism? Today I have to clean up and take a nap! I didn't sleep well last night.

Today should be interesting. Emily has Toby and Summer so I will get to spend a little more time with the oldest. The weekend was great with the exception of some well meaning family members comments about our fertility. We had Toby's birthday party at Gattitown and he loved it. I was plesed with how everything went. After that I went to a family get-together that proved very emotionally challenging. These things are always this way though. I guess I should prepare myself before hand but usually I go into it thinking that maybe this time its different. Anyway, I will post some pics later of the b-day.

This coming weekend we are going up to visit family. Today is our last day before we have to start preparing so I think I am going to take the kids to the bookstore and then to a thrift store. I need to pick up something for Toby's birthday and I don't want to spend alot of money. If I don't find anything there, then we are going to get him a castle-$40. I can't believe my little guy is going to be 3! Here is a picture of them this past weekend at the zoo.

I'll just finish updating on the weekend. Saturday we went to the zoo. It was great because they had all the boo in the zoo stuff up. Nothing was lit but we still got to see everything. I can't bring myself spending $5 a child to go get candy. We are going to anderson this weekend to a pumpkin patch so I hope the kids take that as their "halloween". We bought them costumes and this is how it's broken down. Kaitlyn is a bride, Charlotte is a princess, Toby is Mr. Incredible, and Summer is a princess. They look adorable. I am planning on getting some pictures this year! Yesterday and today have been really nice. We have taken the week off of school so I am catching up on some things. I finished my MOTH schedule and sewed Kaitlyn a skirt today. We made some beds and a "bridge" out of craft sticks and hot glue. They had fun with that. I am expecting to be able to go to MNO tonight so that will be nice. I have found a tea I really like. It's Earl Grey. It has a flavor I really didn't expect-YUM! I am trying to cut back on my soda and this is a great substitute. I haven't had soda in a week! Oh, one more thing. My FIL sent me a letter in the mail that said he donated 2 bible in my name!! How great is that. That REALLY made my day.

The weekend was great, really relaxing. We even had a mini service here at the house with the kids. I haven't found a devotional that I like so I thought we would begin Pilgims Progress. The kids really enjoyed it. We then listened to some worship songs. I have been thinking about something to do for Russian Missions. I am going to start an apron drive. I want to collect as many aprons as possible, I'll set a number later, and I am going to send them with love to the Russian Women. I am encouraging Aprons with scripture on them. I think this would be a fun thing for some of the older girls that are homeschooled. I think I might have the people who I am going to send them to but I need to read up on them a little more. Why you ask? Because they have very few things, in comparison to us, that make them feel feminine. I remember when I went that all the women we met up with, who were in charge of a daily household, wore an apron. I am going to start on mine soon. I will update on the weekend more a little later.

Jack of all Trades

I really believe that I fall into this category. With the exception that I am not a jack of all trades, just many. I cannot seem to get myself to focus on one thing. I love sooo many things! I want to learn and master all of these things but I just don't have time. How do you keep your focus on one thing long enough to master it? For those who are like me, how do you find the time to do all the things you want to do? I think my desires should have been dealt out to at least five other people. Why God decided to pack them into one person knowing that she could never possibly learn and do all, I will never know. I realize that this "season" of my life greatly inhibits these things and so I will have to put off a lot. It gets very frustrating though. Today we are trying to get back into the groove of things after a visit from my Mom yesterday. It feels like a Monday! Thankfully the calendar proves otherwise.

Life as a song

Have you ever heard this phrase? It seems that I have somewhere but not sure exactly where. I have been trying to further my skills in music. I was reading about the comfortable notes in a chord or scale. Take for example the key/scale/chord of C. The basic chord of C is made up of 3 "comfortable" tones. All other notes within are considered "uncomfortable". Does that mean that songs should just be made up of "comfortable" notes? Of course not. We have the "uncomfortable" notes within it to change it, make it interesting, and exciting. This is how life is I think. It wouldn't be very interesting if things were always "comfortable". Even God calls us out of our comfort zone to do work for him. I hope I remember this next time things start getting uneasy!

Being sick and school update

Yuk! I can't stand being sick. This past Saturday I was up all night and it was not fun! Thankfully Jason was able to watch the kids on Sunday and I stayed in bed all day. I can't tell you how much I missed my family! I couldn't hug or take care of them because I didn't want to get them sick. It's amazing how one day without them reminded me of how much I ENJOY them! I thought about taking this week off from school but I am not. I want the time off for holdays and such. So, we are entering our 10th week of sonlight and everything is going really well. I have not had any major problems with the girls understanding math or language concepts. It's been great having 2 children that read! it hit me the other day that Toby will be 3 in 2 weeks! One more year and I will start him on 100 easy lessons- if he's ready of course. He has already shown interest in reading. As for Summer, she is doing pretty good. I can't wait till she can express herself a little better. She gets so frustrated not being able to tell me exactly what she wants. She is one of those babies that would benefit from sign language. My nephew learned sign language when he was younger and my sister said it was really neat. He just turned a year but he could communicate long before that. I have thought about doing it with Alex but I doubt I will have time.

If Today was my last day...

I don't know why but I was thinking about this today. What would I do if today was my last day? I have thought about this periodically through my young life and it's changed as I have aged. When I was around 12-14 I thought I would spend all day witnessing. Then I hit 15 and thought I would spend all day eating. Now it has completely changed. One of the first things I would do is call my Mom and sisters and tell them I love them and ask them to come see me. Then, I would get on the phone with my Dad and StepMom and say "See, I knew I would never see you guys. This is what you get for not coming to see me or my family, ever. I still love you though." (This is NOT a rant on my Dad or Stepmom, I am NOT mad at them. I think I would be though if I were going to die without seeing them. Besides, I don't think they would really care at that point. It would be more for me than them.) Then, I would spend all day with Dh and my children. I would cherish everything I heard, touched, and smelled. I would then get on the video camera and talk to them each individually and tell them how much I loved them. I think we need to think about this every now and then. Our days are numbered. Do we sulk on it? No. it's only for evaluation purposes. I know some people might think this is an awful thing to think about. But, it's too late by the time you need to think about it. The biggest change that I need to have, based on my thoughts here, is that I need to cherish my children and Dh. Everything about them from the sweet and stinky baby smell to the active little kid mess-ups. They are precious, eternal, and sooo special to me.

Song

Here is a recording that I did really fast yesterday. It needs polishing but it is a beautiful song. This song is for all the girls out there. We are "beautiful" because God made us!http://www.captivatedminds.com/beautiful_take.mp3 It might take a minute to download but be patient

Quoting

I don't know why but I thought I would comment on quoting. Have you ever been envious of those people who quote just the right thing at the right time? What about those blogs or articles that quote scripture. For some reason I look at these people in awe. Is it that these people are so smart that they memorize all this scripture? Wow, they must be REALLY spiritual, right? It hit me today that I feel inferior, I am not as well taught in biblical matters so I shouldn't be going around quoting scripture. I realize that this conclusion is completely unfounded. God gave me the same book he gave everyone else. Sure, I don't study as much as I should, but he reveals things to me just like he does to other people, right? God's word is always worth quoting(in context of course), no matter how dumb you think you are.

Public displays of affection or PDA

Have you ever heard that term outside of public school? What does it mean? Does it mean the loving hug from your little kid or the groping affection of two highschool age kids? I realized today as I walked through the bookstore that the bad version of PDA is everywhere. It's not so much done by the people that pass you by, but its everywhere! How you ask? Look at the magazines at the grocery store, the covers on books, pictures plastered on the mall walls. How in the world can we set a Godly example for our kids when the media has determined that they will teach them how to look and act? The only solution is to basically stay clear of places like that. You may think I am crazy, how could anyone NOT go to the mall? What does it offer you? Something to do? Go to the park, play a game with your kid, go sit them down and TALK to them. Find out where they are in their head. When they get a little older, old enough to start training their thoughts and actions, teach them to CHOOSE to turn away from those things, pictures, books ,etc.., that turn their mind to mush. Easier said than done. I think that if your kids see you making changes, even if you fall, it sets a better example for them than seeing your face plastered to some obscene magazine. Do you really want your little girl strutting her stuff down the beach in some of those almost naked bathing suits? I am sorry to go off on a rant but it just gets to me, the shear disrespect for the human body that most people have. It's not ours. It was bought with a price. This is a topic that I have thought alot about in the last year and my opinions and convictions are changing gradually, for the better. It's amazing how God changes us. I can't imagine who I will be in 10 years!!

MNO

Last night was a lot of fun. We had a mother's night out at Atlanta Bread Company. I had a blast. It's so nice to talk with the other moms. Julia was there as well so that was a nice suprise. She is a mom that lived near me when we lived closer to town. I really hope she continues to come up this way because the whole family misses her family. Yesterday was a much better day. I tried not to think for most of the day. If I started thinking, I would end up worrying. Did I ever mention that I am a worrier? I have a hard time "giving it to God" as most christians will say. I have successfully done that upon occasion. Most of the time its right before bed, so that I can get to sleep. I try to imagine how it will be when I get to heaven, not having to worry about the every day little things anymore- just peaceful. That puts me to sleep pretty fast. Well, today is midweek and I can't wait till the weekend. We don't have any plans but I just can't wait to be able to spend some time with Jason. I think I might take the kids to the bookstore today. We will see. Until another day...

Old Poems

If you have ever written any poems, songs, etc.. and looked back on them years later, you should try it! I just read some of my old stuff and I have to say, some of them are confusing. When I wrote them I knew exactly what I meant and I didn't think anyone would have a problem understanding them. Boy was I wrong! I barely understand them now. It does bring back old memories and feelings. Some good, some bad. There was alot of stuff I wrote to Jason that was sweet and "profound". Then there are the writings of your typical teenager, depressing and too deep, if you know what I mean. I have never been good at writing happy poems. Maybe I will post some things on here one day. I thought about recording some music on here. Can you tell I am going through "finding me" stuff? It' s really easy to lose yourself when you have so many people to take care of. You forget your loves. When we went to a new church last Sunday, it brought back all those feelings that say "I need to sing". For those of you who don't sing, you wouldn't understand. But, for those of us who enjoy it, it is so soothing and "completing"- if that is a word! I got out some tracks today and practiced, man does it feel nice! I am supposed to go to a mothers night out tonight. There are several ladies that I really enjoy talking to so I am looking forward to that. I do stress over it though. I HATE the feeling that you want to "fit in". That highschool feeling. At least as adults we get to choose who we hang around with. We are not forced to see the same people everyday, well at least that's true for those of us who don't work.:)

Thankfully

Its Friday!! I am so ready for the weekend. My Mil is supposed to come down and bring the rest of our stuff from the storage building. The girls will be ecstatic because their bikes are in there. I am praying Jason and I will get some time to spend together as well. That would be awesome. The past 2 weeks have been very tough. I haven't been dealing with anxiety as well as I normally do. I think I know why though. I was reading that taking Sam-e in high doses or over a long period of time can actually cause anxiety. I am going to try and lesson my dose a little and see if that helps. I have taken a break from helping Jason with the site but I will soon start back. I don't think I posted about it but I have been getting back into the 3d stuff. I really enjoy it but I find it frustrating when I am working and the kids need this or that. It's almost better if I don't do it just because it causes extra anxiety. I really WANT to though. I guess I will just have to learn to balance kids/work etc.. Life is always a learning experience I guess, especially with 5 kids! I am going to try and upload some pics this weekend but no promises....

well

I finally got the video to working. I encourage everyone, record yourself. See what others see. Today has been tough though not lost. Last week was the hardest week I have had in a while. We tried to recover over the weekend but today proved that I need more than a couple of days off!! We are trying something different. We are cooking ahead on the weekend so that there is minumum cooking over the week. I think this will help out alot with our stress. I am having more palpatations than ever lately. I don't know the cause but I am not to concerned with it. I definetly do NOT want to spend money on it when all they are going to tell me is to slow down. Now is not the time. I am going to take some video of the kids and upload it within the next day or so. Here's to just another manic monday.....