a master wiper

I know, I know....the photo I currently have as my blog's header was taken last summer. It was the last time we took a family photo. Being that my husband and I are part of the team as well, I wanted to start featuring our faces on my blog. We'll see how long that lasts. We spent all morning at a neighborhood park. There was a total of nine children and two moms. The weather was beautiful and nine kids is just too many to entertain inside. We ordered five pizzas for lunch and watched as ten children devoured them quickly.

The kids are all loving our geography curriculum, Road Trip USA, from Confessions of a Homeschooler. It is fun, straightforward, educational and inexpensive! I downloaded it straight to my computer! She has a few other curriculums we are interested in as well.

I am trying hard to teach my children responsibility. Responsibility for their possessions, responsibility for their actions, for their siblings, and other people who might need their love and support. Along with other character traits such as diligence, compassion, integrity, and having a servant's heart. Just to name a few, of course.

I was thinking today that I should be called a master of all things that need to be wiped. Why? Because I spend a lot of my day wiping stuff. I wipe the kitchen counters at least three times a day. I wipe off the kitchen table after every meal. Okay that is not true, but it gets wiped. I wipe bottoms, for heaven's sake! I wipe noses. I wipe away dirt and blood from cuts and scratches. I Wipe away tears. I wipe my children's "slate" clean with forgiveness and love. Just like God wipes my "slate" clean and forgives me of my sins.

I am reading The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman. So far, so good. My husband is obsessed with reading, The Hunger Games. He is determined to have it finished by this Friday when the movie comes out.

My new favorite snack are organic rice cakes.

My husband and I celebrated 6 years of marriage March 18th. I will tell you our story and why I love this guy from Indiana so darn much soon.

Happy Wednesday!

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straight talk

It's Monday. Boooooooo! I want to rewind back to Friday and enjoy the weekend with my family again. The weather here is gorgeous. Simply perfect. We spent the majority of our weekend outside at baseball practice, birthday parties and lounging at the beach. Yes, that's right, the beach in February.

We are adding baseball practice to our after school activities and I am feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. At least until basketball season is over. The two overlap by about three weeks. I am so ready for baseball season though. I thoroughly enjoy watching my boys play. I also love the fact that families in the small town we live in also love watching their sons and daughters play. At any given time you will find parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins galore. They are cheering, smiling, fellowshipping, munching and soaking up the sun. It's really great.

My husband and I have been talking about a lot about what we want for our family, especially our children. What are the values that we want our children to take as their own and live out loud. Honesty, compassion, service to others, having a joyful heart, a strong love for the Lord and more. My husband and I are both growing in our faith and our personal relationships with God. This growth has changed our marriage and our parenting for the better, and I only see great things to come. Our family is being called by Him. I am not sure for what just yet, but I can hear Him.

Brady asked me the other day if penis was a bad word. His hair is getting really long and he is going through a growth spurt. He will be four next month.

There was a two month old baby girl sitting in front of us at church Sunday. My uterus was doing jumping jacks. My husband was wide-eyed. He has always been a sucker for babies. After church he told that my mother mouthed to him that we need one of those, while pointing to the baby girl. Yeah, he is not so sure just yet.

And on that note, I bid you farewell for now. Going to load Brady up and go for a walk down by the bay. Have a blessed day!

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straight talk

There seems to be a glitch with Google or Blogger or someone because my header picture is not sized correctly. Hopefully they will resolve this issue soon. You'd think, at least.

It is Monday. The weekend is over. Back to the grind. Luke and Maddie had basketball games Saturday. My dad came home from his two week Asia tour Friday. We are so glad to have him back! We finally presented my parents with their Christmas gift. Every year we create a 12 month calendar for them with pictures of our family. This year we used Vistaprint and were thoroughly satisfied. We will be using them every year from now on!!

We went to church yesterday and I had the feeling I was going to faint again. Twice in three days that has happened. I guess it is back to the doc for me. Blah! We ate lunch with my parents and then went to their house to watch football and let the boys shoot their guns. My husband made targets and hung them on trees. We all got the chance to shoot. And for those of you wondering, yes, I hit the bulls eye! Oh, you weren't wondering. Sorry!

I am reading Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. It was actually given to my husband as a gift but one night I started to read it and now I can't stop. I really like Drew Brees and his story of adversity and faith is inspiring.

I need a haircut and so do Luke and Micah.

And on that note, have a great Monday!

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straight talk

I am sitting down attempting to get in some quick straight talk while Brady sleeps. He had a rough morning and fell asleep in my lap while I was talking to my husband on the phone. He has picked up some potty words(Brady, not my husband) from his older siblings and it has been quite the challenge to rid him of them. The weather here is gorgeous so Brady and I played at the park this morning while we waited for my mom to get her hair cut.

I am still contemplating homeschooling our children. I have gotten in touch with one family from our church and hope to talk to others in our area. There is so much information it is overwhelming to research online. One great benefit I see is having our oldest three, or at least our oldest two, learning the exact same things! They are so close in age that pairing some subjects would be ideal and concentrate on English and writing on an individual basis. So much about homeschooling just makes sense. I met a woman at the park today and her daughter has 36 kids in her 5th grade class. That is a lot of students! Too many, if you ask me.

Our Saturdays from now until mid November are filled with football games. The boys each had their first games this past Saturday and what a blast we all had. My husband coaches Luke's team. Madison cheers for Luke's team. Micah is a running back and safety. Luke plays defensive end and center.

I am still reading(and loving) the book Sacred Marriage. It has only taken me about seven months so far. I am starting a book club that focuses on God's plan for our marriages and the woman's role in marriage. I am really looking forward to the fellowship.

My mom and I are driving to Atlanta tomorrow and staying until Wednesday. I am attempting to get everything in order for my husband who will be juggling all things little for the next two days. He is such as awesome father, I have complete faith in him!

I am off now to take some Advil for a neck ache I can't get rid of. Happy Monday!  

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straight talk

I am up extra early today. I have no idea why. We are dog sitting for my parents while they stay at the beach a night  or two with my aunt and uncle. Shadow is my brother's dog. I always wonder if Shadow misses Martin and knows that he is gone to heaven. Does she think about Martin and get sad at times? I wonder......

I have been a busy little bee the past few days. I am washing uniforms and getting them organized in the kids closets. School starts on Thursday. I can't believe summer is coming to an end!

I spent a good part of the day yesterday going through bins of paperwork and filing and shredding. Ahhhhhhh....feels so good to purge.

Homeschooling our children is still weighing heavy on my heart. I will continue to do research on Alabama homeschool laws and talk to families I know that homeschool their children. I have been getting a lot of feedback from all of you, and our friends and family on their thoughts of homeschool versus traditional school. It's all very interesting and much appreciated.

What I am about to tell you may shock you, so be prepared. Here goes. I am having baby fever! I know I know! What's up with that?! Well Brady is three and growing up so quickly. I remember when he was a newborn and was so tiny and helpless. I remember late night feedings and cuddling just he and I. I remember how our other three children loved him so when we brought him home and our family felt complete. And now here I am thinking about having a fifth babe! Well, God has a plan for our family and if we are meant to be a team of 7 then it shall be!

Oh I almost forgot. Brady pooped in the potty on Sunday! Yay Brady! We have been waiting for this day. So, as promised, my mom picked up Brady yesterday morning and took him to get a big Buzz Lightyear. My husband and I are so proud of our little guy. We did a poop in the potty happy dance with Brady. I think Brady was shocked he let himself poop in the potty. He would hold his poop in and end up having an accident in his underwear. Brady said it would hurt if he pooped in the potty. We are hoping it wasn't a fluke and he continues to poop in the potty.

Luke, Maddie and Micah found out who their teahers are last night. We go to the school this evening to meet the teachers and drop books off. How exciting!

This has turned out to be a pretty long straight talk. I am off to fix breakfast. 

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straight talk

Does your brain ever feel like it is going to explode? Like it is so jamm packed of to-do lists, blog post ideas, appointment reminders, grocery lists, potty training tips, summer reading books, adventure ideas, and thoughts on what the heck to cook for dinner that at any given moment it could burst into a thousand tiny pieces? Yeah, mine neither!

Seriously though. My mind races all the time now. I ly in bed thinking about crazy stuff. I take deep breaths and try to clear my mind of all the chaos. Nothing. Like who thinks about ways to organize the pantry when they lay their head to rest? Who makes a to-do in their head for the next morning when they are suppose to be getting some shut eye?! I can't be the only one. Can I?

Potty training with Brady is, well, going. He still hasn't quite mastered the art of telling me when he needs to go to the bathroom. So I end up taking him every 45 minutes or so. There are days when he doesn't have any accidents and there are days when he has three or four. Still no pooping in the potty either. But he talks constantly about the big Buz Lightyear Grandmom is going to buy him when he does poop in the potty!

We are having a great summer! We are staying busy playing on our backyard waterslide, going to the pool, doing artwork, organizing the house, taking road trips, visiting family and playing board games.

We will welcome our family down to the Gulf Coast this week and then more next week! I just love summer time! 

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seasons

Today my first born played in the championship game for Minor League baseball in our town. They played a terrific game, two actually, and ended the season as runner-up. We are so proud of Luke and how much he has grown as a baseball player and played like a true team player. Way to go son! Way to go Blue Claws!

My husband and I continue to go through a difficult season in our marriage. We have let stress, pride, sadness, anger, and tragedy take over our hearts and harden them. We remain committed. We remain stubborn. Please keep us in your prayers.

Now that baseball season is over I feel like the season of summer can officially begin. Beaches, parks, picnics, museums, adventures galore! In fact, I am loading all four kids up Monday morning and heading out of town with my mom and grandmom.

We have a week of Vacation Bible School soon. The kids are excited and I get to help out this year for the first time. We are escaping to Egypt and learning all about the culture.

Yesterday marked eight weeks since my brother, Martin, died. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him. It is still hard to grasp that I will never see him again, until we meet in Heaven.

Have a great weekend! Off to snuggle with Brady James. 

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straight talk

Today, my husband and I have been cleaning out our garage. It really needed it and I have had the urge to get it done for weeks now. Trying to get a jump start on organizing things before summer vacation begins. We threw a lot of stuff away and donated a lot of stuff. It sure does feel good to downsize and purge.
It is a scorcher here. In the 90's I believe. The kids have been playing with their friends, running through the sprinkler, and made up some 'dunk your head in a bucket game'. Our neighbor, Bryan, holds the neighborhood record for dunking his head in the bucket the longest. Seventeen seconds I think it was. Impressive.
We have a bird nest in our tree in the front yard again this year. Bird nests make me so happy! The Mama bird layed three eggs and they hatched the other week. So we have three tiny baby birds in our tree. The kids are keeping a close eye them. The Mama comes around often to feed her babes. I took some pictures today and hope to post them soon.
My parents are coming over for dinner tonight. My husband is going to grill out. After dinner we will have a bonfire and make s'mores. Yummy!

What are you up to today?

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Ask.Let.Stop.Start.

What I want is for you to ask me how I am doing.

Ask me how I am feeling.

Ask me if I miss Martin and if I think about him all the time.

Ask me if I weep uncontrollably at times.  

Ask me if I need anything from you.

Let me talk to you about what I am experiencing.

Let me lay my head in your lap in silence.

Let me ramble off stories and happenings.

Let me fall into your arms and feel safe.

Let me be.

Stop wasting time.

Stop wasting thoughts.

Stop wasting assumptions.

Stop wasting your energy on worldly treasures.

Stop wasting me.

Start talking.

Start repenting.

Start giving selflessly.

Start learning to love.

Start today.

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homestead happenings

I am sitting here on the floor next to Brady who is putting a puzzle together. It has been raining here all day. We have been staying busy though. I have managed to unclog the kitchen sink, clean out more than half of the garage and take care of one Mother's Day gift. For not having much energy or motivation the past three weeks, I would have to pat myself on the back for staying focused and busy today. Brady and I will be leaving the house soon to pick up Luke, Maddie and Micah from school.

We received a notice from the kid's school that they are letting 1st graders play football next year. Our third born, Micah Joseph, is head-over-heels inlove with football! When we told him the good news he grinned from ear to ear, and hasn't stopped since. Nor has he stopped talking about playing football next year. It is the cutest thing! I envy his excitement and pure happiness. Oh and let me tell you, Micah is very good at football. He is very good at most sports he plays but Micah can throw a football better than most third graders! And he is only six years old! He is the next Drew Brees!! Micah truly has a God given talent in athletics.

I have lots of happenings and pictures to update you all with over the course of the week(hopefully). We celebrated a First Communion in our family, the tooth fairy paid a visit, we have been attending baseball games and soccer games galore, created a driftwood memorial for my brother and spening lots of time with our family.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. I am so grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. I am blessed.  

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squeezing in a post

Trying to get a few thoughts and updates in while Brady rests. We will see how long it lasts.

Yesterday the kids and I traveled with our church to New Orleans. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there. We went to the IMAX and aquariam. Of course I forgot my camera so I have no pictures to show off! Grrr! The kids had a blast walking around the place with their friends. I felt like blasting my littlest son straight to the moon! He was all over the place. Wouldn't sit still for a second. Not that I expected him to. Just saying. And he is a bolter. One minute he is looking intenting at the sharks and BAM! the next minute he is gone from my sight. Lost him a couple of times. Lost my cool a couple of times. All-in-all a wonderful adventure was had by all!

We walked along the Riverwalk. It was a beautiful day! We ate beignets at an outdoor cafe. Yummy! The kids passed out on the way back and Daddy greeted us with open arms when we arrived home. I enjoyed a glass of wine and went to bed.

I have been listening to Christian music more. I am slowly reading my way through Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas and thoroughly enjoying it. What a powerful message. I am really being convicted of a lot of things in my life. I am reaching out to ladies in my community and trying to start a book club that focuses on marriage and God's idea of what a marriage should be. I feel like God is calling me to do this. Very exciting!

Still shopping for a new camera. Waiting for the one I want to go on promotion at Best Buy.

Spring has sprung in our part of the world and it is being welcomed whole heartedly by my family. Barefoot in the park if you will! Time for water fun, park madness, eating outside and soaking up the rays.

April is a busy month for our family. Baseball season is in full force and I can't wait to introduce you to our very own Muck Dog and Blue Claw! Yup! Minor league team names this year.

Madison is playing soccer and her first game is after Spring Break. She rocks at soccer with her pink polka dot socks!   

My husband leaves this month for a week. I have never been away from him for that long, nor has he been away from the kids that long. Lucky for him, his business trip is close to where he grew up so he will be seeing his family.

I still plan on formally introducing you all to my business. Some of you are well aware of what I am doing. It is just a matter of me sitting down and doing it. Which for me is the hardest part.

My husband and I are in a good season. We are seeking God and His will for our marriage. What a concept!

Well, Brady is stirring and I need to check on my dinner! Have a blessed evening!

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right now...

...I feel discouraged.

I feel unmotivated.

I feel depressed.

There are so many things I want to do right now. Blog, take the kids to the park, clean my messy house, tell you all details about my business adventure that I told you I would weeks ago, go to the Arts & Crafts show downtown Fairhope.

But I don't feel like it.

Sigh.

I don't get it. What is wrong with me? Can't I just splash some cold water on my face and snap out of this funk!

Clearly not.

Right now...

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the scoop

Holy Moly I did it again! I have gone daaaaaaays without blogging! What is wrong with me? I think about blogging every night after putting the kids to bed. But to be completely honest with you, I have been so very tired at night I can't even find the strength to lift my arms and hands up on the keyboard. These days the life is being sucked right out of me. I have four children and a husband to thank for that!

We have been doing good though. It is baseball season and I am so ready for me some baseball! There is just something about watching my boys playing baseball that is so energizing and American. There is nothing else like it. Luke moved up to Minor League this year and Micah will be in T Ball. The boys are pumped. I am pumped. Now let's play ball!

I joined a Bunco group and went to my first game night last Wednesday. I met some really nice ladies and had a lot of fun. It was good to mingle with women and share stories and eat some good food. I look forward to meeting monthly.

My husband and I wisked away on a weekend trip to Destin, Florida. We attended a marriage conference and ate at the Melting Pot to celebrate our anniversary coming up. We had a wonderful time and I promise to tell you all about it later. Well, perhaps not all of it!

I have rid my house of juice. I now serve mostly water and the occasional milk to drink. I thought I was going to get lots of whining and complaining about not having juice but was pleasantly surprised when the kids took to the idea. They agreed that juice has way too much sugar and water is much better for us! We also switched to organic milk and/or almond milk. We had been drinking 2% for the longest time.  

What have you been up to lately? Any changes or updates I should know about?

 

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straight talk

Do you feel neglected? Do you feel like you have been let down?

I am sorry you feel that way. It has been extremely busy around here. I have neglected my blog and my blog readers, and for this I am truly sorry.

This weekend alone our children had three birthday parties to go to. That's a lot of cake and ice-cream! Which, by the way, not one child brought me home any. I told them next time, don't bother coming home without a slice of cake for Mama!

I have been gearing up the last few weeks for the launch of my new business. I will post all the wonderful details of this later today! I am very excited and I know lots of you will be excited as well! So stay tuned!! I have pictures as well.

Friday was my parent's 33rd Wedding Anniversary! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! You both are wonderful witnesses to a Godly marriage.

The kids are all doing great. Luke has had some sinus issues and we are trying to regulate those. Nothing seems to give him any relief. He is still as funny and clever as always.

Madison got to go shopping for some clothes this weekend. Let's just say she is her own person and has a unique style. I would not have it any other way!

Micah is the best snuggler in the WORLD! He needs a haircut and claims he saw an alligator and a snake walking in the woods the other day!

Brady is obsessed with Superheros and wears his Batman costume all day long. He turns three next week!

My husband still loves his new job. He is letting his hair grow out. He looks very handsome in a suit!

I am Mama. And I always will be. 

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party like it's 1999

AAHHHhhhh. I am relaxing. Right next to one of my best boys, Micah. He is out like a light in our bed. I think he is actually snoring a bit. Cute. The rest of our brew are watching a movie in the living room with Daddy.

We went out to eat tonight to celebrate. Celebrate what, you ask. Why, today was my last day of work at an 8-5 desk job! And....it was the completion of a week of work for my husband at his new job. It's the end of an era for me, and the beginning of an era for my husband. So as you can see, we had a lot to celebrate!

We got caught in a horrible rain storm on our way home. It was the worst rain storm I have ever driven in.  And believe you me, I went to college in Seattle so I know rain storms. We couldn't even see the road lines because of how hard the rain was coming down. My husband was driving thankfully. He was raised in Indiana and that supposedly means he was born to drive in any weather conditions. He is a pro. Because he is from Indiana mind you. I know what you are thinking. I had my doubts at first as well. But after driving at his side for close to three years now, he has proven himself over and over again. We have driven in wind, rain, snow, extreme humidity, rocky hills, and sloping..well slopes. He is the best all-terrain driver I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And marrying,

I am off to join my husband in partying like it's 1999! See you later. 

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straight talk

What a purpose driven day! I made blueberry muffins for breakfast. The purpose of that was to fill up my kids empty tummies. They awake so starving every morning! We then proceeded to take showers and get ready to go to church as a family. The purpose being, to take time to thank God for our many blessings and fellowship with other believers. It started to pour halfway through church. My husband and I held tightly to two hands each and dashed to our car. Yes, we still got soaked but the purpose was to not be scared of a little rain and have a laugh. It's not like we were going to melt!

We then headed across the bay to the big little city. We ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. Maddie discovered what her Italian last name would be. Seems that you simply add elli to the end of the first syllable of your last name. So what's yours? Our three oldest children are at the stage of making each other laugh at the dinner table and inevitably at least one child snorts something, be it food or drink, through their nose. My husband and I hold the laughter in and can't help but smile. Oh the joy of knowing that you made your sibling laugh to the point of spewing, peeing, or choking. And of course, it's always the others fault. "They made me laugh!" "Tell him to stop making faces at me!"

After a most filling lunch we were off to test drive what would hopefully be our new used car. The purpose of this new used car is so my dear husband has a safe and reliable commuter car. Oh, and a car with a heater since the car he currently drives lacks one. Makes for a chilly drive to work at 6am. After a thorough inspection and test drive, we purchased the car. It's a Toyota Camry. My husband now gets to drive his new car to his new job tomorrow morning.

Now we are home and glued to the tv watching the Saints football game. Who Dat?! Go Saints!   

Gotta go cheer.

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straight talk

I am sitting on the couch  next to my husband blogging, watching O'Reilly, drinking wine, and discussing a business opportunity. Exciting stuff, I know. Trying to unwind from a somewhat nerve racking day.

Went to the doctor today. A cardiologist in fact. Trying to pinpoint what is causing my dizzy spells. I have more tests and bloodwork to endure in the coming weeks. Keep me in your prayers please.

Tomorrow is my husband's last day at his current job. Yipeee!! He has a few days off before he starts his new, very exciting career.

To those of you who follow me on Twitter, I tweeted about some news/plans that are in store for our family. Ready to know what that is? Are you on the edge of your seat? For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know my prayer is to be a stay at home mom. Well, dear friends, today I gave my boss my two weeks notice!!! Crazy, isn't it?! But so very exciting for our family. What a blessing! Thank you God!

If you don't follow me on Twitter you should really think about joining the fun. And if you were one of the many who read my tweet and thought I was pregnant, I am sorry. Not yet!!!

Must sleep now. Goodnight.

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