For Today - First Monday in August

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…  Sunny, blue skies and fluffy white clouds
I am thinking…  Lots of thing rolling around in my mind….  first I need to tackle the mess in our kitchen and plan our lunches for this week. 
I am thankful… Thankful for a good morning during our first morning at VBS.  I have a great group and we all had fun!
In the kitchen… No much, except lots of dishes need washing….
I am wearing… Denim skirt and red tee shirt
I am creating…  At the moment I don’t really have any sewing projects on the go, although I have things I’d like to sew!
I am going…  To work on some chores here in the house and we need to pick beans and cucumbers.
I am reading…  Just the Bible right now, I just finished a book by Jennie Allen called “Anything”  Gave me lots of ponder and think about!!
I am hoping…  For for a few things…. 
I am looking forward to… tomorrow morning at VBS!
I am learning….  that I need to continue to keep pressing on and that Jesus will give me wisdom and strength even when I feel so insecure and inadequate to filful my calling as a mommy.
Around the house…  children are playing for now and baby dear is napping.
I am pondering…  Just finishing up planning for this coming school year. 
One of my favorite things…  A tiny voice saying, “I love you!
A few plans for the rest of the week: VBS each morning and gardening in the afternoons.    Plus school planning for this coming school year and whatever else comes my way.    Keep up to the housework and laundry.
A peek into my day…

First time experience!!

He thought having the clothespin in his hair was funny! He didn’t want me to take it out. Not sure which of his older siblings put it in….

First Week of School 2013

This week was our first week back to school since our winter break.  It was good to get back into routine, even though times tables, nouns and verbs were forgotten.  Hopefully next week well go better in that respect.  Otherwise, it was a good week, except I did drive an hour for a dentist appointment, but when I got there I found it was for next week!  Yikes!  I'm not sure how the mix up happened, because I do remember now about the date being changed so that I could bring the four children who needed to see the dentist on the same day.  Anyway, that won't happen again!    So we had a nice Wednesday afternoon drive...  At least the roads were good that afternoon.....

So a new year is upon us.  I didn't make any resolutions...  Well, I am praying about how I can simplify our life more.  I like to think of a phrase from a song I knew as a child, "Keep my life simple, keep my life sweet, I want forever to sit His(Jesus) feet.  It is so easy to get caught up with things of this world and forget the real important ones.

I have not blogged since last October, so I'll share some things we did in my next post.  But for now, about our youngest.  He had a bit of a mishap and we are still not sure exactly what happened, but he knocked out one of his front teeth!  Anyway, he is doing ok and didn't seem to be to bothered by it all.  I think it affected me more then him!  I felt so terrible!  He is still our happy little fellow and such a ray of sunshine!  :)

Hubby and I plus the youngest 3 went on a small business trip with our neighbours.  I'll share about that in another post.

Happy New Year and may you be showered with all of God's abundant blessings.

Random Pictures From The Week

We have had a good week here thus far and I thought I'd share a few random pictures with you all.  Being real pictures...  :D

Enjoy!

It has been a good start to school this year...

I think someone had fun throwing the clean laundry onto the floor...

He wanted to pose like this...  lol

We look for this every afternoon!

"Mmmmmmm, mom can I have some?"  lol

Clean up time, I'm always amazed at how big of a mess can be made in that room... *sigh*

Oh, this has buttons!

Pears, pears, and more pears...

Yum!

Busy at work...

Screwing on the rings...

Ok, it this a sign of what is to come?  Mess makers on the move, watch out!!

I'm so thankful for the help of my children, those of us here all day have started to get use to the girls being out taking over things they use to do.  We are getting into the groove and I'll share my school post is next!

April Challenge

On MOMYS some of us are doing a month long decluttering challenge.  This is our second week, some of last week's jobs were to go sort/clean out one junk drawer, go through the bookshelves, toys, and so on.  I did well last week.  We have bags and boxes ready to go to the Goodwill!! This week I didn't get to join in until today, so I did 4 of the jobs this afternoon.  One was to go through the cookbooks, purse, sewing room, and one pile of papers.  I had a pile of papers which got transferred to a box recently, so that is what I tackled.  I cleaned out the diaper bag, which is also my purse and I spent 1/2 hour in my sewing room.  I made good progress and was able to sort some scrap material, my notions and organize that.  I'm excited about having a sewing room!!  The room is not finished yet, but hopefully we can work on that sometime.  I'm just happy to have every thing all together.  This challenge has been good to keep me motivated on organizing/decluttering our home.

I have to keep in mind that my family is important and not to allow this to become my focus.  I know what I want done and then I want to get it all done in a day or week, but it is going to take time.  My family's needs come first.

Anyway, just thought I'd share what I've been doing!  Tomorrow, I hope to post part 2 of our trip, or  at least get started on it.  :)

Thank Your Children Often

This past weekend, I watched the DVD Tea With Michelle Dugger, which I had purchased along with some other goodies from Vision Forum with our recent giveaway win.   I was blessed, inspired and encouraged.  One of the many things that stood out to me was how we must praise and thank our children often.  I then realized I do not praise and thank my children enough.

For example, Friday is a busy day around here, we usually clean house and on top of that do school etc...  I depend on my children to help and with us all working together, we can get it all done. But I realized I didn't  thank them for their help at the end of the day.   Wow... that has to change!  How can we teach them to say thank you and yet we as parents don't thank them.  I know that when I do remember to thank them it makes a smile come to their sweet face and they go on, knowing they have been a help and that their help was very much appreciated.  Many other examples come to mind, whether it is going out to feed the calf her noon-time bottle or holding the baby for me so that I can finish up making lunch, or cleaning up their room when asked.
Far to often, we can be training and disciplining them, but we need to also shower them with praise and letting them know we are thankful for the good things they do.  And don't forget LOTS of love!  :D

This was a good reminder for me and I'm determining to say thank you and to praise them for the things they do for me.  Should be lots of smiles around here for both me and our sweet children.  :)

A little girl helping me make lunch

Thank Your Children Often

This past weekend, I watched the DVD Tea With Michelle Dugger, which I had purchased along with some other goodies from Vision Forum with our recent giveaway win.   I was blessed, inspired and encouraged.  One of the many things that stood out to me was how we must praise and thank our children often.  I then realized I do not praise and thank my children enough.

For example, Friday is a busy day around here, we usually clean house and on top of that do school etc...  I depend on my children to help and with us all working together, we can get it all done. But I realized I didn't  thank them for their help at the end of the day.   Wow... that has to change!  How can we teach them to say thank you and yet we as parents don't thank them.  I know that when I do remember to thank them it makes a smile come to their sweet face and they go on, knowing they have been a help and that their help was very much appreciated.  Many other examples come to mind, whether it is going out to feed the calf her noon-time bottle or holding the baby for me so that I can finish up making lunch, or cleaning up their room when asked.

Far to often, we can be training and disciplining them, but we need to also shower them with praise and letting them know we are thankful for the good things they do.  And don't forget LOTS of love!  :D

This was a good reminder for me and I'm determining to say thank you and to praise them for the things they do for me.  Should be lots of smiles around here for both me and our sweet children.  :)

Linking up with...

These Five of Mine Plus Two

Raising Arrows

Time-Warp Wife - Titus 2sday Linkup

Far Above Rubies

Growing Home

Raising Homemakers