Wealth

A few weeks ago I was on a mission.  After yelling at the three oldest kids...AGAIN....to pick up their messes I decided I needed a new plan or system to deal with all of the toys.  I have tried keeping a very large portion of them neatly tucked away in multiple bins in the garage while only allowing the ones that fit under their beds in.  I can spends days getting all those toys in a neat order in the various bins while they can spend only minutes destroying all my hard work to find that one toy that was tucked in the furthest bin at the very bottom.   

In addition to my growing aggravation with the piles and piles of toys (that I refuse to part with until I am done having babies) we were also in the very lengthy process of trying to get an accepted offer on our dream property.  Stress and emotions were kind of riding high in our house for awhile. I decided to call my mom one day at the last minute to have her watch the three oldest kids for a few hours so I could finally put my master plan into place for all those toys.  I needed to feel that I could have something under control and in order in my life.

My plan was simple.  Go to Target buy three more matching bins.  Come home.  Divide out every toy among seven bins.  Viola.  All done.  Something in my life now feels controlled and in order.  Goal accomplished.

If you didn't already know this....but God has a since of humor.  

Here is what actually happened:  Go to Target.  Two bins left no lids--damn.  Go to the big Walmart.  No bins at all--DAMMIT!  Head for home defeated.  Turn around half way home to head to the other  Target.  Yes, three bins PLUS lids--Awesome!  Head home hot, tired and now short on time to finish my task.  On the way home....witness a very simple fender bender. 

I was finally over the top with it all in life.  I broke down shaking with tears.  Why God?  Why are we faced with all these struggles? 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary wealth is defined as: abundance of valuable material possessions or resources.

You see....I think we are all raised on the idea that wealth equals money however the word money is never once used in the definition.  Instead the word abundance is.  By that word alone then I am rich. Rich in a way I wasn't able to appreciate until that day.

Before I made it to the next light I proverbially picked myself up and wiped off all the dust.  I was only looking at the surface of things.  I was crying because it was a pain in my butt to buy a few more matching bins.  I was crying because my kids have been showered with a great amount of toys for the last several years.  I was crying because we are trying to buy this dream property and it wasn't going to our plan.  I sounded like such a fool crying over those things!!!  

We are wealthy because God has given these wonderful things to us.  Things some other families don't get to fuss about.  Two months ago it would have never crossed my mind that we would be finding our dream property in a place I never considered and for amount I though we would never be able to afford, but can.  Our kids are very healthy.  My husband has a wonderful business that is growing year after year.

I will look to celebrate what we have and try not to worry about what God has planned for the things we want.  

 

 

Food for thought:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs  3:5-6

Can you hear me?

I have tried many times to restart this blog and have failed every time.  I wish I could be attentive to it but when my life restarts every two years it's hard to.  I need a rhythm in my life and just as I start to feel like I have a good groove....another baby is born. 

I am here to give it another shot.  A lot has transpired since my absence.  Plus, there is a potential for us to be facing some major positive life changes too that we would like to share.  However, given that it's been so long since I've updated this blog I doubt anyone will be reading it anytime soon.  I may just use this for my immediate family so we can better watch our journey unfold.

Since I started this blog I have gone back over it so many times.   It's so nice to have a handy location to review your life for the last seven years that you can have access to anywhere at anytime .  Well, minus almost the last two years.  Oops. Every time I reviewed my life here on this blog the one thing I always walk away with is how funny I was.  I am certainly a girl who loves and values humor but after going over bits and pieces of this blog last night I am realizing I am not that funny girl anymore.  It's easy to assume the pressures of life.  I hope by re-starting this blog that I can re-start that humor I feel I once had....no matter how corny it was.  

When I am in the middle of living my life I often forget how far I've come.  Lately, I've been wrapped up in a "why can't we be there"state or "why me".  After looking over this blog last night I realized that we have already come pretty far and life is not about "why me".

How about a life update since the last posting in September 2014.

Our family expanded in February with the addition of our second daughter 'Carty'

Here she is at ten days old laying with her beads of courage that she earned after a nearly four day stay in N.I.C.U.

Here is one of my better photos that represents her time there. 

Here is a family photo that was taken when she was about six weeks old.

 

It's amazing the comments and looks we get for having four kids.  I believe 99% of the population thinks we should have stopped at one...maybe two.  It's weird how the world has changed.  Long ago large families were not uncommon.  There wasn't birth control.  Do I feel "done" after having my fourth?  No.  My heart yearns for a fifth but I think my body is telling me it's done.  

Our family also recently experienced a loss.  

Our last and beloved dog of 16 years passed away.  The Daddy-O brought her home two months after we started dating.  The three of us have been through a lot together.  Making the call to peacefully end her life was by far one of the most difficult decisions we ever made.  She is now resting in a box on our filing cabinet.  May her soul rest peacefully with God in a field of carrots. 


Our oldest is now seven!



 
By public school standards he'll be in 2nd grade starting late summer.  By my standards as a homeschooling mama he is right where he is confident at.  He loves math, Lego's and the T.V.  He is a confident swimmer, now.


Our second born is now five!

 By public school standards he'll be starting kindergarten.  The beauty in homeschooling is that I don't have to wait or do things exactly like his peers.  We started his education awhile ago.  His penmanship is great.  He is a lover to his sisters and a pincher of elbows.


Next in line is our first born daughter.  She is two now!

 
I thought she was going to be my girly-girl.  I used to say she'd be the girl in the sand box with the dirtiest dress.  She'll still be that girl but now it comes with a fierce punch.  She has two older brothers and won't take crap from anyone.

Last is this beauty...

She was our surprise gift from God.  She came to us at a time when we were hurting.  She is beautiful. She is strong and I am beyond in love with this blessing.

Here is hopefully the first of many updates!

Food for thought:
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 24:14

Family Vacation :: Part Three

Sorry for the silence.  With officially homeschooling the boys, trying to sleep train baby girl, and then working on a pretty big project for someone my "free" time just isn't there much.  Although, if I didn't care so much about the "news" and other Internet ramblings I could probably have a bunch of time to commit to this blog. 

 

I have often wondered how my parents raised four kids without the Internet.  It's so nice to be able to turn to Dr. Google when something comes up.  The down fall to the Internet is that it's a time trap! I spend way too much time on it.  With looking up home school ideas or curriculum.  To free toddler girl clothing patterns.  To pinterest for birthday ideas and themes.  Need I saying anything about the resources for shopping and finding deals??  Sometimes I feel like my time on the Internet could last days and I still wouldn't be satisfied with everything I would want to read. 

Onto the official post of the evening.  It's been three months since we took our family vacation/road trip to Louisiana and I have one last post to finish up our trip for you. 

 

I guess you could say this vacation was a two-parter.  The first part being in Louisiana with family and the second part was spending time in Oklahoma. 

 

We are not sure if or when we will go this far east again so we figured we should check out Oklahoma while we were over in that general area of the United States.  We didn't have any plans to speak of but we did have some general ideas on what we might like to see or do.  It's not easy to plan a trip when your mode of transportation is 40' long. 

 

We were told the Oklahoma City Zoo was awesome so we figured we wanted head there.  I can tell you we were not disappointed at all!  It was big but not overwhelmingly big like the San Diego zoo.  Through out the zoo there were several playgrounds for various ages and misters to help cool you off, a splash pad, merry-go-round, and even swan paddle boats.  I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone going through OKC to stop at their zoo. 

 

 

 

Once we left the zoo in O.K.C. we headed for Clinton, Oklahoma.  We found that in Clinton there was an indoor water park connected to an RV park.  This little ol' water park was the hit of the whole trip for the boys.  To this day Bug still asks to go back there. 

 

The boys riding their bikes at the RV park. 

 

 

Bug using his serious cowboy look to show off his new boots we picked up for him in O.K.C.

 

Bug, by far, had the most fun at this water park.  He was tall enough to ride on the three water slides.  On one in particular he could go solo and really enjoyed the privilege of being able to do so.  The park was big enough to not feel crowded but it wasn't so big that you would get lost so I had no problem letting Bug do his thing.  Of course I would keep a good eye on him but I trusted him and the situation. 

 

 

Just before we arrived in OKC the Daddy-O could no longer deny that he wasn't sick.  By the second day at this water park Squishy was the next confirmed victim so he kind of had a second rough day there.  We had hoped to stay longer our second day there but with two of the five sick and long, long drive home we felt it was time to get the show on the road. 

 

Our two day drive home was a rough one.  When we left Clinton for home I thought I just had just  two sick with a cold however that night when we landed in Roswell, New Mexico Bug came down with a stomach bug and was sick.  We spent a few hours there before we packed up and traveled on.  We were afraid of being stranded somewhere with everyone sick so we wanted to get home as fast as possible.  After an hour or two on the road the Daddy-O had to pull over for some much needed rest.

 

Off the side of the road in somewhere in New Mexico was this pretty little spot.  Squish, Annie and I tried to make the best of the situation with ourselves while the Daddy-O and Bug rested in the RV.

 

 

 

Now it's been three months since this trip and my mind is a little fuzzy but I believe it took us somewhere around 12+ hours to get home that day from Roswell, New Mexico to Tucson, Arizona.  The Daddy-O had to pull over several times for power naps.  Sometimes I just needed a break but we finally did make it home.

 

I was pretty over this trip when we finally walked in our house that night but now I am able to look back on it and miss this time.  My memories are now mostly of all the good times and not of all the trials we experienced.

 

In sharing the highs and lows of this trip with some friends recently they commented that they felt like this wasn't a good trip and I think maybe they even used the term awful.  I was sad to here that.  Yes, during times of this trip it did feel a bit awful.  The last day coming home was beyond AWFUL but we survived it and it is now that I can smile and think back on this trip with some very fond memories.  I am very thankful that we did this road trip with three little ones in our RV.  I am thankful for every experience we faced, good and bad.  And, I am just beyond thankful that we are blessed enough to be able to take on these challenges and trips for our kids.

ten months & a family update

Our baby girl is ten months old.  With each baby we have had it seems the speed of time accelerates.  My baby girl was just born yesterday and now I am planning her first birthday party!  My little girl is growing up!

 

 

 

Having her is not only a joy to us all but it's so fun for me to experience the difference between boys and girls. 

 

At ten months of age baby girl....

 

....has three teeth.

...can take a few short steps unassisted.

...says "mama" and "dadda".

...beyond adores her brothers.

 

 

Home school is under way. 

 

Excuse me while I pause and admire just how handsome my boys are. 

 

As I always tell them..."I am raising you to be respectable young men" and I hope it shows.

 

 

At the end of last month we went to the White Mountains for a long weekend.  I love, LOVE, it up there but it also makes me sick for Idaho.

 

Thanks to Aunt Kissy and Uncle Dude who let us borrow their toy we had lots of muddy fun!

 

 



A big change is coming....

My oldest is five and I have been asked several times when and where he will be attending school this year.  I know I have mentioned a time or two (or three) about our desires to home school but that has been it....a mention, a time or two (or more).  I thought I would (try) to take the time today to discuss with you a bit more about our plans. 

 

First: 
Why homeschooling?

 

For us there was never another option.  Way back in the day when the topic of starting our family was brought up we knew two things: One; I would be a SAHM and two; we would home school.

 

We feel like any and all raising of our kids would be done by us.  For us this is our job and our priority. 

 

Second:

I know this will find offend most however we don't want our kids to get the type of socialization that comes from putting 25-30 kids in an institution for 7+ hours a day.  I read this bit over at another blog confessions of a homeschooler and I really like how she put it.....

 

....I think I misunderstand the word socialization as that the notion that spending time with 30 other 6 year olds is in some way ‘socializing’ my child. I read this in an article by Manfred B Zyskthis: “Go to your local middle school, junior high, or high school, walk down the hallways, and tell me which behavior you see that you think our son should emulate.” LOL! I looked up the word ‘socialization’ and found some disturbing things. I do not want to ‘convert or adapt my children to the needs of society’. I do want them to be able to function in our society, but that does not mean they need to be assimilated into society like the Borg. We are in this world, but not of this world.

And third:

I need the re-education.  Honestly.  I went through the public school district and I didn't do as well as what I was capable of. 

 (Part of our un-schooling: culinary classes with Mama!
Yes, both my 5 and 3 year old know how to use knives)
 

 

Our Plan:

 

Really since the days my babies were born I've been homeschooling them.  Once they reached the age to where they could sit still for 10 minutes and not want to munch on the book I would read to them.  They each get a book read to them at nap and again at bed time.  There bottom shelf of their closet is lined with books.  My mom loved books and she raised us to love them too and this something that I have passed down to my kids.  Reading books is an activity that they love and enjoy.

 

I have tried to sit down several times with my oldest, Bug, to start some informal preschool but he never showed much interest.  He loves learning but the brakes are quickly applied once it's put into a formal setting.  I never wanted to push the issue and make learning a miserable experience.  Now that he has reached the magical age of five and by the standards adopted here locally he should be starting kindergarten this year.

 

My goals for the rest of this year are to take it light.  I want to get our feet wet but not so wet that we become overwhelmed and have a bad experience.  I know first hand that when an education is enjoyable it's desired and I want this to go well.  Come the start of 2015 I hope to ramp things up a bit more.

Currently, the boys go to my mom's house on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30ish to 3:00ish.  We will do our school work on Mondays and Wednesdays with Fridays having a focus on more hands on science activities.  Come the first of the year they will stop going to my mom's house on Tuesdays but will still have their Grammy time on Thursdays. 

After doing years and years worth of research I think our style of teaching will be somewhere between traditional and the un-schooling method.  I feel both boys already know so much because the Daddy-O and I are constantly seeking out those "teachable moments" and using them to our advantage.  The traditional schooling will be used to sort of "fill in the blanks" if you will.

(In the kitchen my boys are learning science and math)

 

My Curriculum (thus far) for the remainder of this year are:

 

Fortunately, I have an older sister who has paved the way for me on this and has given me a ton of advice and resources.  You can buy a complete curriculum for lots of money that may or may not work for each child or you can piece one together which is the route I am taking. 

 

Mind you I am no expert because this is all new for me but based upon the advice from dear older sister and with many days searching the Internet here is my curriculum:

 

Bug:

Reading:  All About Reading

Penmanship: Confessions of a Homeschooler
General education reinforcement:  Leap Frog Kindergarten Skill-Builder Workbook

 

Squish:
I am not going to push Squish into anything but I know he will have an interest just because Bug is doing "school work".  So for him there will be

General education:  Kumon, My First Book of Tracing
I have also printed several other things for him to work on through these following websites:

http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/index.html
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/

Hopefully, come the first of the year I will share with you the additional items I'll be adding to our school year.

Our Annie is 9 months!

My baby is nine months old!!!

 

 

She celebrated the day by getting her first tooth! 

 

I am sure you have noticed that I stopped taking the weekly pictures of Annie.  It became too difficult to manage every week so instead now I am taking them monthly.

 

So what is my Annie like at nine months?

 

She is....

 

...crawling.

...standing up without support.

...cruising furniture.

...squealing like a girl. 

...self-feeding with big people food.

...saying "mama" and just this morning "dada."

...chasing after her brothers as fast as she can.

...playing peek-a-boo!

...clapping.

 

Annie is just a big ball of fun and cute-ness.  She is such an amazing blessing.

 

 

Her nine months stats are:

 

Weight:  15lbs 12oz  =  12th percentile

Height:  27"  =  26th percentile

Head:  44.5cm  =  70th percentile

 

 

 

Family Vacation Part:TWO

In the first post I did about this epic ten day, six states, family road trip we traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and then into Louisiana.   We left Pineville, Louisiana Monday, June 9th and traveled over to Natchez, Mississippi.  Our goal was to stop somewhere near the Mississippi river so we could get out and explore the area.  There is a good chance we might not ever go this far east again and although our kids are young and may not remember much they can at least say they've been there, done that. 

 

 

There is about a 40' problem when doing RV road trips without any tow....it's almost impossible to find a spot to park!  So, with one kid sleeping, the other crawling around trying to find something to put in her mouth and the oldest not seeming to care we just rolled through the bridge twice while I took pictures from the passenger seat. 

 

State five done!

 

Once we left Natchez we traveled on I-20 into Monroe, LA.  West Monroe to be correct.  Our Buggy Boy is a fan of the Duck Boys over at Duck Dynasty so we thought we would make this stop for him.

 

After a nasty down pour we continued on our journey to Shreveport. 

 

 

 

 Here we all are chill-laxin' on the boardwalk at the Red River. 

 

 

Once we explored the great wonders of the Bass Pro Shop we set up shop for a bit in the parking lot to let the kids run around and ride their bikes.

 

Somewhere in small town Oklahoma we stopped for a break because Mama had enough. 

(I just dug through all of our receipts from this trip and I can't find the one for the restaurant we ate at across from this stop).  This little park and its little train kept our boys very busy and happy!

 

 

 

Alright.  Perhaps I'll stop here so you don't get bored and overloaded.  I'll work on a final part three post for you soon!