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| Goin' for a walk with us! |
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Lily
We have a new kitten as of yesterday! This was NOT planned and totally unexpected. Sean was driving home from school and saw this little helpless kitten on the side of the road. He stopped, trying to figure out what to do, when the kitten ran over to his car and basically got in. She is certainly skinny and looked homeless for sure. So, when Sean arrived home with a cat, I was not totally pleased at first. I am a planner, organized, like to think things through before making a decision kind of gal. But we ended up deciding to keep her as an outdoor cat. The boys are thrilled. They LOVE cats and have been asking for one for months. We always tell them no, not right now, it's not a good idea. Well, God has other plans, which makes me remember how we have no clue what is going to happen from one minute to the next. We are totally not in control. Ryan keeps telling us how God brought him a kitty and now that he has a kitty, he knows Jesus! lol Lily (what we named our new family member) is soooooo sweet. She is great with all 3 boys and with Allie, too. She is friendly, lets anyone hold her, and she loves attention. We are letting her stay in the garage right now since it's cold. We have a little crate for her and we got her some food last night. And the cutest thing EVER.......I took the boys for a walk today, Allie included, and Lily came, too! I don't think I've ever seen a cat go for a walk with their owner. She just followed right behind us the whole way. We are pretty excited to have her and couldn't have asked for a better pet......so far! Hopefully she sticks around!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Homemade Organic Brownies
These are soooooooo easy! I mean, you really can't get much easier! BUT more importantly, is they taste good and they are 'healthy', which means I can have 2.......everyday......in bed.....with coffee.....right before I go to sleep!!! RIGHT!!!?????
Any way, just make sure you use unsweetened coconut flakes....not sweetened and definitely not big pieces of coconut. We did both and it was not good!
Any way, just make sure you use unsweetened coconut flakes....not sweetened and definitely not big pieces of coconut. We did both and it was not good!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Gestational Diabetes Scare
Two weeks ago I went in for the one hour glucose tolerance test. I had passed with my other three children and wasn't too concerned about this one. Things were a little different this time. The other times I had gone earlier in the morning and had been told not to eat anything sugary the night before and focus mainly on proteins for breakfast. My doctors here in TN said not to worry about it, eat what I want, and scheduled me for like 1 in the afternoon. Well, I was running late and decided to eat on my way there.........mac-n-cheese and a can of ginger ale! Go in. Do the test. Get results. Fail! They like to see no higher than 140 and I came in at 173.
I left just sobbing. Cried all the way home and most of that day and into the evening. I don't know why it upset me so. I felt fearful of having a disease, changing my diet, having a 20 pound baby, C-sections, health risks for baby and for me. All that stuff. I was also angry because of all the changes we have made to our diets by going organic. I had not done that with the other ones and had passed just fine. After lots of prayer and putting trust in God and talking with my husband and some of my friends, I let it go and waited a week to go in and take the 3 hr.
Ugh! It was not much fun. I had to be there at 830 in the morning, which means I fasted from the night before until close to noon the next day. Besides stomach bugs, I'm not much of a fan of not eating. I woke up with a bad attitude about it and already saying I wasn't going to make it, but Sean reminded me to trust God and pray. Did that and started feeling much better. However, after the first blood draw and downing the drink in 3 mins, I started to feel awful! Nauseous, dizzy, tired. Just yuck. Each hour on the hour I was called again to go get blood drawn. I think by the end of the second hour I started to feel somewhat normal again. It also helped that there were 3 other mamas in there doing the GTT so we chatted and compared stories. After the last blood draw, I got on the elevator headed for the car when I suddenly felt sweaty, shaky, dizzy, like I was going to pass out. I hurried to the car and ate 2 snacks, 4 pieces of gum, drank a ginger ale, and headed home for more food. I had also worried all along that by sugars would plummet because I have hypoglycemia and have for many years. When I expressed those concerns initially, the office just said I still needed to try to do the 3 hr. Grateful to God that he allowed me to hang in there just until after the last blood draw.
I also didn't get results that day. So we waited some more. Until yesterday! The nurse called and said all of the sugars came back normal, except for one. That one was abnormally low. They want to discuss those results when I come in next because it appears I have hypoglycemia. Shew! Already knew that lol!!
Me and Sean are praising God!!! I don't know what he wanted me to learn through all this, but I do know it was an experience and I did learn some things. I also met some mamas that I wouldn't have met otherwise and have now been praying for them.
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I left just sobbing. Cried all the way home and most of that day and into the evening. I don't know why it upset me so. I felt fearful of having a disease, changing my diet, having a 20 pound baby, C-sections, health risks for baby and for me. All that stuff. I was also angry because of all the changes we have made to our diets by going organic. I had not done that with the other ones and had passed just fine. After lots of prayer and putting trust in God and talking with my husband and some of my friends, I let it go and waited a week to go in and take the 3 hr.
Ugh! It was not much fun. I had to be there at 830 in the morning, which means I fasted from the night before until close to noon the next day. Besides stomach bugs, I'm not much of a fan of not eating. I woke up with a bad attitude about it and already saying I wasn't going to make it, but Sean reminded me to trust God and pray. Did that and started feeling much better. However, after the first blood draw and downing the drink in 3 mins, I started to feel awful! Nauseous, dizzy, tired. Just yuck. Each hour on the hour I was called again to go get blood drawn. I think by the end of the second hour I started to feel somewhat normal again. It also helped that there were 3 other mamas in there doing the GTT so we chatted and compared stories. After the last blood draw, I got on the elevator headed for the car when I suddenly felt sweaty, shaky, dizzy, like I was going to pass out. I hurried to the car and ate 2 snacks, 4 pieces of gum, drank a ginger ale, and headed home for more food. I had also worried all along that by sugars would plummet because I have hypoglycemia and have for many years. When I expressed those concerns initially, the office just said I still needed to try to do the 3 hr. Grateful to God that he allowed me to hang in there just until after the last blood draw.
I also didn't get results that day. So we waited some more. Until yesterday! The nurse called and said all of the sugars came back normal, except for one. That one was abnormally low. They want to discuss those results when I come in next because it appears I have hypoglycemia. Shew! Already knew that lol!!
Me and Sean are praising God!!! I don't know what he wanted me to learn through all this, but I do know it was an experience and I did learn some things. I also met some mamas that I wouldn't have met otherwise and have now been praying for them.
Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
All Business
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| My very talented hairdresser is also a very talented seamstress. She makes a ton of cute clothes for babies/children and other really sweet stuff like blankets, burp cloths, paci holders, etc. She has a little portion of her shop dedicated to these things so I always enjoy browsing while I'm waiting to get my hair done. Well, two weekends ago I had gone in to get my hair cut and colored, but forgot to get it cut. Don't ask! So, I went back this past Saturday to get it cut. The hubby and children came with and she gifted us with this super cute onesie (as long as we took pictures and sent them to her). So I did. And decided to share. Also, Sean decided to share the gender of our baby with her!!!! BECAUSE she is going to be making us a take home outfit for the little guy......or girl!!!!!! Can you believe it????........Lord willing, only 3.5 more months before we get to meet our precious little gift!!!!!!! Time is flying! Ex-citing! Her biz is called Rebecca's Rarities. Oh, and no, I still don't know what we are having :) |
Friday, November 8, 2013
Latest Walker
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Erin and Chad's Wedding
Last Saturday, Erin Bates and Chad Paine were married and we were blessed to be able to share in their joyous celebration! The bride was gorgeous and the couple looked so super happy! It was really nice to see so many of the families that we have gotten to know over this past year and to fellowship with them, too. Weddings always give me that special reminder of how grateful I am for my own husband, whom I love so dearly. I thank the Lord for him everyday!!! Sean and I have enjoyed watching them court and get engaged, plan a wedding, and then marry. Little did they know, seeing these two so in love put a little extra spark our marriage!!!! :) Any way, enough about us.......we are so very happy for them and can't wait to see how God blesses them!
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| Singing a song together |
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| Our Ry! |
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| First kiss!!!!! |
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| husband and wife |
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| And they're off - of course after unwrapping the car and getting the stinky sardines and mothballs out of there! Yikes!!!! |
Monday, November 4, 2013
Mom's Daily Cleaning List
Monday: Bedrooms, book nook, playroom
Tuesday: Bathrooms
Wednesday: Kitchen and dining room
Thursday: Office and living room, hallways, laundry room
Friday: Vacuum, sweep, mop
Tuesday: Bathrooms
Wednesday: Kitchen and dining room
Thursday: Office and living room, hallways, laundry room
Friday: Vacuum, sweep, mop
Children Chore Charts
This is going to be backwards, but here is Ryan's chore list. When Hunter turns 3, he will get his name added. He already does help, but it isn't official if you know what I mean. Ryan gets paid for some of the chores, but for others he is just expected to do them because he is a valuable member of our home.
| Chore List | |
| Ryan's Chores | |
| Feed Allie x 2/day | x |
| Empty Dishwasher | x |
| Get newspaper | x |
| Get mail | x |
| Pick up clothes in bathroom | x |
| Pick up toys | x |
| Yes sir/ma'am and no sir/ma'am | x |
| Set the table | x |
| Clear the table | x |
| Unload groceries | x |
| Put away pajamas | x |
| Help fold laundry | x |
| Dinner prep | x |
| Help with Mommy's chores (when time permits) | x |
| Get dressed | x |
Managers of Their Homes
Well, I don't know how to make this fit my blog better and I don't know how to do like an attachment or something, but I still wanted to share, especially because it has helped our family and hoping maybe it will help yours, too! I got all this from reading Managers of Their Homes by Steve and Teri Maxwell. What a blessing! I've already loaned to another mommy in our church. Now, I will start off by saying that I am a pretty organized, tidy, scheduled, rigid person so we were already living by an unwritten, in my head schedule for the most part. Actually, I have always felt that I wished I could be more messy, more of a "fly by the seat of my skirt" type gal. I have really wanted to change my organized, clean, scheduled person into a more fun person! In this book, however, they point out how God is a God of order (think of seasons, night and day, time, etc.) and we are made in his image so he would like for us to be orderly, as he is. This made me realize that I should stop trying to change this part of myself, but instead embrace it and be thankful for this gift that God has given me. Lord knows I have plenty of other faults and areas that I should be changing and working on!!!!! So, I say read this book! It will help! Especially if you are a wife and mother with children and you stay-at-home and you homeschool. And you would like to be a joyful mother of children. And have peace in your home! And keep your kids from getting so much discipline. We have been on the official schedule for a week now and we LOVE it! http://www.titus2.com/managers-of-their-homes.html
I will explain a few things. CQ is character quality review. We review character qualities we have worked on during family devotion time, go over our previously memorized scriptures to keep it a little fresher, and sing a hymn. Alone time is exactly that. Each child goes to a separate room with a toy to play quietly. Ry and Hunter playtime is where they pick a toy and go to their room quietly to play together. We read the Proverb that corresponds to the day of the month and a Psalm during lunch. Honor hubby is a time where I do something special for Sean, either something that he has mentioned that he would like done or I write him love notes that I stick in his lunches or welcome home we missed you signs, or whatever else I can think of that would be special. I have allotted one time to do phone calls and texts so I am not consuming my day with it. Except I always answer for my husband. Some of the things that I do during naptime don't take as long as the time allotted. Then I just move on and it sometimes ends up that I have more reading time or I will stick in a movie. The blue bag we use during dinner has Bible hero flashcards that we read and then we will do educational flashcards, too. Ryan and Andrew have scheduled playtime alone, too, but Sean is close by and listening since Andrew is just a little guy! We rotate where I get 10 mins one on one time with each child to do whatever they want and Sean will have the other two as we go through the rotation. After Ryan is done with his 10 minutes with me, he is allowed to play on the tablet or on the computer if he has done well all day. We will give him 10-20 minutes for that. I get together our grocery list on Wednesdays, which also includes putting together our nightly dinner meal plan for the week. Such a big help to already know what is for dinner for the week and to be able to plan accordingly. If we don't all go together, I will take one child a week with me to the grocery store and farm for milk and rotate it weekly. I have scheduled to clean at 9 p.m., but if there is extra time during the day, which so far there has been between dinner prep and eating when the boys are watching a movie, I do it then. I try to do at least one load of laundry a day, if not more, that I sneak in usually around 8 a.m. and change to the dryer around 930 and so forth so I have laundry to fold at 430.
I will explain a few things. CQ is character quality review. We review character qualities we have worked on during family devotion time, go over our previously memorized scriptures to keep it a little fresher, and sing a hymn. Alone time is exactly that. Each child goes to a separate room with a toy to play quietly. Ry and Hunter playtime is where they pick a toy and go to their room quietly to play together. We read the Proverb that corresponds to the day of the month and a Psalm during lunch. Honor hubby is a time where I do something special for Sean, either something that he has mentioned that he would like done or I write him love notes that I stick in his lunches or welcome home we missed you signs, or whatever else I can think of that would be special. I have allotted one time to do phone calls and texts so I am not consuming my day with it. Except I always answer for my husband. Some of the things that I do during naptime don't take as long as the time allotted. Then I just move on and it sometimes ends up that I have more reading time or I will stick in a movie. The blue bag we use during dinner has Bible hero flashcards that we read and then we will do educational flashcards, too. Ryan and Andrew have scheduled playtime alone, too, but Sean is close by and listening since Andrew is just a little guy! We rotate where I get 10 mins one on one time with each child to do whatever they want and Sean will have the other two as we go through the rotation. After Ryan is done with his 10 minutes with me, he is allowed to play on the tablet or on the computer if he has done well all day. We will give him 10-20 minutes for that. I get together our grocery list on Wednesdays, which also includes putting together our nightly dinner meal plan for the week. Such a big help to already know what is for dinner for the week and to be able to plan accordingly. If we don't all go together, I will take one child a week with me to the grocery store and farm for milk and rotate it weekly. I have scheduled to clean at 9 p.m., but if there is extra time during the day, which so far there has been between dinner prep and eating when the boys are watching a movie, I do it then. I try to do at least one load of laundry a day, if not more, that I sneak in usually around 8 a.m. and change to the dryer around 930 and so forth so I have laundry to fold at 430.
| Daily Schedule | Mom | Ryan | Hunter | Andrew |
| Time | ||||
| 6:30 AM | Shower, get ready, devotions | |||
| 7:00 AM | ||||
| 7:30 AM | ||||
| 8:00 AM | Morning routine w children | Morning routine | Morning routine | Morning routine |
| 8:30 AM | Breakfast, CQ review, cleanup | Chores/color, breakfast, CQ review, alone time | Color, breakfast, CQ review, alone time | High chair w toy, breakfast, CQ review, alone time |
| 9:00 AM | ||||
| 9:30 AM | ||||
| 10:00 AM | Ryan school/violin | School/violin | Educational DVDs | Free time/Educational DVDs in jumper |
| 10:30 AM | ||||
| 11:00 AM | Diapers, potty, walk, play outside | Potty, walk, play outside | Diaper change, walk, play outside | Diaper change, walk, play outside |
| 11:30 AM | ||||
| 12:00 PM | Lunch, Proverb/Psalm, cleanup | Ry/Hunter play, lunch, Proverb/Psalm, cleanup | Hunter/Ry play, lunch, Proverb/Psalm, cleanup | High chair w toy, lunch, Proverb/Psalm |
| 12:30 PM | ||||
| 1:00 PM | Nap prep, storytime | Nap prep, storytime | Nap prep, storytime | Nap prep, storytime |
| 1:30 PM | Nap for me | Nap | Nap | Nap |
| 2:00 PM | Honor hubby | |||
| 2:30 PM | Phone calls/texts | |||
| 3:00 PM | Computer | |||
| 3:30 PM | Workout | |||
| 4:00 PM | Read | |||
| 4:30 PM | Wake up from naps/fold laundry | Up from nap, fold laundry, feed Allie | Up from nap, fold laundry | Up from nap, Exersaucer |
| 5:00 PM | Dinner prep | Dinner prep/movie in office | Dinner prep/movie in office | Free play, movie in office w snack |
| 5:30 PM | ||||
| 6:00 PM | Eat, blue bag, cleanup | Eat, blue bag, cleanup, Ryan/Andrew play | Eat, blue bag, cleanup, free time or play w Daddy | Eat, blue bag, Andrew/Ryan play |
| 6:30 PM | ||||
| 7:00 PM | One on one time w each child | One on one time w Mommy/CPU or tablet | One on one time w Mommy/play w Daddy | One on one time with Mommy/Play w Daddy |
| 7:30 PM | Playtime w all children | Playtime w all | Playtime w all | Play w all |
| 8:00 PM | Bath, family devotions, bed for children | Bath, family devotions, bed | Bath, family devotions, bed | Bath, family devotions, bed |
| 8:30 PM | ||||
| 9:00 PM | Clean if not done | Good night! | Good night! | Good night! |
| 9:30 PM | Bible time with Sean/Get ready for bed | |||
| 10:00 PM | Relax, TV | |||
| 10:30 PM | ||||
| 11:00 PM | Good night! | |||
| Weekly Amendments | ||||
| Sunday | Church, morn and eve | Church, morn and eve | Church, morn and eve | Church, morn and eve |
| Monday | Ry violin lesson 3:30 | Violin lesson | ||
| Tuesday | Movie night | Movie night | ||
| Wednesday | Grocery list, church | Church | Church | Church |
| Thursday | Farm/groceries | Rotate farm/grocery day | Rotate farm/grocery day | Rotate farm/grocery day |
| Friday | Date night/movie night with children 1 x per month | Ice cream, movie night | Ice cream, movie night | Movie w all 1 x per month |
| Saturday | Family Day | Family Day | Family Day | Family Day |
Friday, November 1, 2013
Storm Damage
This is what we woke up to this morning!!!! High Winds + Rain + A Still Standing Dead Tree Next To Our Shed = No Shed And No Standing Dead Tree!!!!!
We stored our lawn mower and other lawn equipment, bikes, outside toys, and some big rubber totes, and some cardboard boxes in there. Not sure if anything got damaged (well, besides the shed!), but praise God it didn't hit our house or hurt anyone! :) We will see what the owners of our house want to do.
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