Living With A Handful

The One About Negativity Eating Away My Thoughts

2011-12-21T15:16:00.002-05:00

Negativity. I've noticed lately that when I'm around a lot of negativity, it seems to strongly affect me. I'm a strong believer in not allowing other people to affect your moods. I teach this to my kids from when they are a young age. I tell them that just because 'x' is acting that way, doesn't mean you can. I encourage them not to let other people's moods affect their own moods. When I

The One Where I Break Down My School Day

2011-12-08T18:57:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling guilty over the fact that we complete our school day in about 3-4 hrs each day. We begin by 8 each morning and are done by noon each day. Rarely have we gone past noon & most day we're done quite a bit before noon. I was trying to figure out if we're skipping something important & I realized we are skipping some things. We don't do breaks or lunches. We work straight through

The Deep One About Agreements

2011-11-17T09:52:00.004-05:00

How many agreements with Satan do you have? I've been mulling this over for a few days. Matt & I are reading a book by the Eldreges. In this book they were talking about agreements we have made w/ Satan. God created us perfect... in His image. Our bodies, our souls, our minds, our hearts are His when we give our lives to Him. We are His children & loved deeply by Him. Unfortunately, we live

The One About Grace

2011-11-04T14:05:00.002-04:00

This summer I was hurt deeply by someone who I care deeply for and who cares for me. It cut me to the core & I've been struggling with relationships ever since. It has made me question the believability of people & realize even more deeply the humanity of those I love & surround myself with. I realized that there is no one who is 100% reliable. We are all human and unless we choose to share

The One With Homeschool Confessions

2011-10-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged in ages. I don't feel like there is much to yap about these days. My days in and out are the same mundane thing. Schooling, after school chores or programs, Friday School, church, church activities and so on. Not a whole lot changes from week to week.But I came here today to talk about homeschooling. I am not enjoying it these days. If I had to be completely honest with

The One Where I Question My Calling

2011-06-20T07:43:00.004-04:00

I've been feeling lost in my "career" lately. On one hand I enjoy being home with my children: caring for them & taking care of our family home. One the other hand I feel as tho I am nothing: a nobody in this world. I feel like I want a career, a purpose, a way to get out there beyond my home & my children and DO something with my life. But I'm trapped because I feel I need to stay home and

The One Where We Begin To Get Organized

2011-06-01T15:46:00.004-04:00

It's been a little over a week since I posted about needing organization. I have since received both Managers of Their Homes and Managers of Their Chores. Being the good Mom that I am, I had to read the chores one first and put it into action. I've been pleasantly surprised that they children seem to like it. It helps them to get everything they need to get done & reminds them of what needs to

The One Where We Need Organization!

2011-05-23T17:46:00.003-04:00

Managing the home, managing the children, managing the schooling, managing the household bills, groceries, etc is becoming a task that feels so incredibly overwhelming lately. A task?! Try a bazillion tasks. I actually enjoy going to staff meetings & staffing support groups just to step away from my reality for a few moments and get a breather. Some days I think having a job outside of the

One With More Parenting Thoughts

2011-05-17T08:09:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I was asked what I do for parenting and I froze. I wasn't prepared & I didn't really explain it well. I generally do not speak of how I parent my children, especially around the more punitive mindsets that I am around 99% of the time. So I started think about what I DO. What tools are in my tool box? I don't have one pat answer for that. Honestly, I think that parenting would be

The One About Silent Grief

2011-05-05T07:41:00.003-04:00

It's called silent grief. It's the type of grief that you keep bottled up inside and mostly pertains to infant or pregnancy loss. There seems to be no time limit on how long you hold onto that grief. I've spoken to women who had an early pregnancy loss and still teared up thinking about it 20 years later. It's the type of grief you don't know what to do with. One one hand it seems that it

The One About Spring

2011-05-03T13:10:00.003-04:00

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont. Yes, it still might snow, but hopefully it won't.Saturday & Sunday were absolutely gorgeous. The weather was warm, the sun was shining & we got to spend quite a bit of time outside, soaking in the sunshine.Today it's raining and it doesn't bother me. Lawns are turning green, leaves are beginning to bud on the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom. This

The One About Grace

2011-04-22T07:13:00.002-04:00

"There's only grace. There's only love. There's only mercy and believe me it's enough. Our sins are gone w/out a trace. There's nothing left now, there's only grace."I woke up with this song running through my head this morning. It struck me that this is the season where SO MUCH grace was given to us! So much grace was poured out on behalf of us... each of us. I keep thinking about how Jesus

The One About Dancing

2011-04-15T07:52:00.004-04:00

When was the last time you danced freely? I don't mean weird dancing that looks like you're having a seizure, but fun dancing. Think of a 2 year old. The other day I was watching my 2 y/o daughter in her "pretty" (a dress), dancing to "More Sunday Morning Songs with Bob & Larry". She was spinning, raising her hands in the hair, jumping, laughing, clapping and looking so happy & full of joy!

The One With 5 Personalities

2011-04-08T11:42:00.001-04:00

I have 5 different personalities that I have to work with daily: The compliant child The strong willed child The sneaky child The analytical childThe silly child I have one child who is mostly compliant. He's a people pleaser and thrives on praise and encouragement. He tries to do good most of the time, tho he does tend to be bossy towards his siblings from time to time and a

The One With Sickness

2011-04-07T19:24:00.004-04:00

Try as I may I cannot keep my family healthy since February. The majority of the family came down w/ a stomach bug/flu in Feb and ever since we've been battling colds and now, another stomach bug. So far just the 4 y/o has it.... but what comes in goes around fast. It drives me crazy to get sick. We go three places consistently: Church, Friday School & the Library. We get together w/ friends

The One With A Hundred Dollar Giveaway

2011-04-04T09:53:00.002-04:00

One of my friends has a blog and is giving away $100 visa gift card. Feel free to stop by and enter!! http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2011/04/100-visa-gift-card-giveaway-from-rice-krispies/

The One With Gifts

2011-03-31T19:42:00.003-04:00

So my husband is incredibly thoughtful! I cannot believe how much thought he put into this gift. He gave me a few bags w/ gifts numbered 1-11. The first gift was a card. Inside it said he was giving me traditional gifts... one for each year.1. Paper ~ The card.2. Cotton ~ A beautiful 100% cotton scarf3. Leather ~ A leather journal4. Flowers ~ 1 long stem rose5. Wood ~ A wooden garden tool6.

The One Where We Got Married

2011-03-31T08:42:00.002-04:00

11 years ago we married. 11 years of wedded bliss... well, not all blissful, but 99.9% of it has been. We've both made mistakes and have hurt each other, but in the end we're still as in love, if not more, than we were 11 years ago when we said "I do" We've been through a lot: 7 moves, 3 house purchases and 2 house sales, 5 pregnancy/births, 2 losses, job loss & financial hardships. I

The One About Loneliness

2011-03-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

Being alone.I've never been good at being alone. Don't get me wrong... I'm definitely an introvert and love the quiet, but I cannot stand the feeling of loneliness. Not having friends, not having a significant other, not having family.... those things just eat away at me. Obviously, now, I'm near my family and I have a wonderful significant other. I also have some wonderful friends. But

The One About Responsibility

2011-03-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

"Kiddos have feelings.. kiddos have feelings too." This keeps running through my head (sung to "Critters Have Feelings" from Hoodwinked. ) I sometimes see my children as extensions of myself. After all, I'm the one who grew them in my uterus, nourished them at my breast and then continue day after day to care for them. It does often seem like they are mini-me's or "my" creation that I'm

The One About Toddlers...

2011-03-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

The more children you have the less you sweat the small stuff. I realized this the other day after KT threw a MASSIVE tantrum in which I merely picked her up, placed her on the bottom step and said "Sit there until you are done." She screamed a minute longer, got up, said "All done." and went on w/ her day as if minutes before she wasn't screaming over not being allowed to play w/ the

The One About Marriage

2011-02-28T09:46:00.000-05:00

"Marrwage... marrwage is what bwings us togetha todaayyy.. Marrwage... that bwessed union. "Ok, so anyone who has not see "Princess Bride" doesn't get that at all, but the rest of us are conjuring up images of a medieval wedding in which the bride is being forced to marry someone she doesn't love and the priest is a goofball...But in all seriousness, marriage has been on my mind a lot lately.

The One About... SOCIALIZATION!

2011-01-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

This subject causes homeschooling families to roll their eyes. How many times have you heard, as a homeschooler, "What about socialization?" It seems to be a legitimate concern of public schoolers and pediatricians. I wonder how much socialization happens in the public school anyway? Some, of course, but it's all based around classes and break times. If you truly want to get to know

The One About the "Me, Me, Me Syndome"

2011-01-15T18:22:00.001-05:00

Everywhere you turn these days there is someone telling you to think about yourself. From loosing weight to adventure trips some advertisement will say "Do this for YOU" or tell you to "stop thinking about other people and do 'x' for yourself."Don't get me, wrong... I think it's essential to take time for yourself. I think it's essential to want to loose weight or learn or new hobby or branch

The One Where I Try My New Lap Top

2010-12-27T14:32:00.001-05:00

I find it interesting that my last post here was about setting priorities. It’s definitely something I’ve been working on. today, however, I’m lazy. I’m doing the post-Christmas cleaning & organizing, but I’m definitely more lazy than I have been. I think you need a lazy day now & then. I’m really only typing on here right now to try out my new lap top. It has a feature where I can use

The One With Priorities

2010-10-26T17:02:00.001-04:00

I haven't had much to say recently. My life has been incredibly busy between homeschooling, soccer, music lessons, job training & well... life with 5 kids.My priorities are askew lately and I've found myself tuning the children out because of the stresses in my life. The few moments I have at home I've not wanted to deal with giving them the attention they need, rather turning to my computer or

The Mixed Up One

2010-09-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

I haven't really talked about the moving in process. It went well... we had lots of help, which we were thankful for! I'm so glad to be moved in and I love my house. I especially love the way it feels when it's clean and not cluttered w/ kids toys, couch pillows on the floor and piano books strewn all over the piano & piano bench. :) I love the way it feels in the evenings w/ the warm glow of

The One WIth Thoughts on Our Culture

2010-09-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

Our culture likes to think it's better than other cultures around the world, but I have been questioning it lately.Yes, it's amazing to live in America where you have the potential to be anything you can. This post is really not about dissing America. I love my country, am proud of the men & women in my circle of family and friends who have fought for our freedoms and put their lives on the line

The One With the Story of Our Move to VT

2010-08-27T05:52:00.000-04:00

I was newly pregnant with KT when we first decided to look into moving back to VT. Our main reason was that we had started going to church over here on Sundays, Friday School on Fridays, Piano Lessons on Tuesdays & Matt was working here. It seemed as tho we were "living" our lives in VT and not NY.We put our home FSBO and started looking at houses w/ our wonderful realtor, Dianne. After 5 months

The One With a Picture of "My" House

2010-08-18T15:31:00.000-04:00

My poor lonely house is sitting there all by itself. It's so sad... it wants family in it... it wants kids running around and yummy smelling dinners cooking in the kitchen. It wants a makeover w/ fresh paint and decorations. Or is it me that wants all those things in this house? I am getting so frustrated & anxious to get into this house. I want this journey to be over. I want to feel

The One With Nothing To Say

2010-08-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

I'm grumpy lately. Therefore there has been nothing positive to say. I've been avoiding blogging because of that.It's crazy how life can be so extremely stressful that it affects pretty much every area. From marriage to child rearing. From weight loss to health. I'm pretty much ready to jump ship and swim to the closest remote island far away from everything. Aww... that sounds wonderful.

The Accomplished One

2010-08-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

I feel so accomplished today. We had our first day of school today and we completed it all in good time. Like I mentioned previously, we're trying something new this year & going w/ Oak Meadow. By the time we finished the first day the kids said "It didn't even feel like school, Mom." Lots of drawing along w/ the writing and reading and math... they really enjoyed it. Nathan's science

The One With a Summer Cold

2010-08-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

What is up with summer colds? I think it should be impossible to get sick in the summertime. I don't remember being sick in the summer when I was a kid. Perhaps I was a few times, but not that I can recall.We had VBS the week of July 19th and ever since then we've been fighting a cold. Usually in the winter we get something every time we go to church and/or Friday school. It drives me bonkers

The One With Updates

2010-07-28T09:10:00.000-04:00

Updates, updates...The house update:Besides the deed problem, there was another big cafuffle issue that our lenders were freaking out about. It got resolved already, so I won't go into details. It just added to the stress for a week. Fun, stuff. No word on the deed problem yet. I'm feeling my patience waning each day. I'm so anxious (in a good way) to get into the house. I know we will get there.

The One About Oak Meadow

2010-07-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

The school year is almost upon us and for the first time since I started homeschooling I feel nervous. Why? Because I'm doing something so completely different than I have ever done before as the teacher or the student. It's as close to unschooling as I'm comfortable to go & so far from the textbooks that we've used so far. I am excited and looking forward to this, but I'm also so nervous

Another One About Anemia

2010-07-15T09:59:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone remembers this post, but I thought I'd update on how I'm feeling. It's pretty much the same. Exhaustion, fatigue, off/on heart palpatations. I did a bunch of resarch in my midwifery texts & online and I'm 99.9% sure it's anemia. So I called to make an appt finally and they can't get me in until next Thursday. However, the Dr was concerned about the heart palpatations,

The One About Being Present

2010-07-13T09:33:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been feeling a huge pull to draw closer to the Lord. The idea of being 'in the moment' and to meditate has been popping up all over the place. It started with the neonatal resuscitation class I went to. The teacher taught us to be present because when needing to resusciate a newborn you absolutely must be present and not flipping out in your mind. I realized that this could be

The One With The Glitch

2010-07-12T17:50:00.000-04:00

So a glitch has come up. I may be naive, but I have an underlying feeling that it will all work out. In the meantime this is what is going on.Recap: We are buying the house from Fannie Mae through an auction company. We were the highest bidder in the auction & have to close by July 14th or we risk loosing our 5% that we put down. This is "earnest" money, but it's also non-refundable if we

The One With Some Thoughts

2010-07-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

It's interesing how just a comment from a family member, a friend or a stranger can throw you into a spin. Just a comment, hurtful, but just a comment. This happened to me recently and it's making me question my parenting, my children's influence on others, & mostly my relationship with that person.I'm confused as to how to continue on with the friendship or if I just need to step back for a

The One About My New Home

2010-07-10T12:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's not 'mine' yet, but if all goes well it will be by mid-week next week. Only 5 days!!I'm actually really excited about this house and I feel funny telling people that. It is, after all, just a house. It is, after all, right in town (which I said I wouldn't do again) and only on .25 acre (again, which I said I wouldn't do.) However... I LOVE this home. Let me describe it to you in my

The One About Churches

2010-07-08T07:50:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine recently wrote about being free from churches...as in the four wall, brick & mortar structure. It got me thinking about the churches we've attended over the past 5 years.I struggle with churches. I have been an active member of a church for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a very close church & I think because of that my expectations may be skewed. We have not found a

The One Where I Talk About More House Stuff.

2010-07-06T12:37:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm in the last phase of "pregnancy" (i.e. house buying). Yes, I can pretty much relate everything to pregnancy, labor & birth. At the end of pregnancy you know it'll be over soon. You are miserable and anxious and excited all at the same time. You want to ready everything and try as you may, you can't wait patiently. You are too excited and a little apprehensive. That's where I

The One Where I Say 'I Love You'.

2010-07-01T07:51:00.000-04:00

I'm on a parenting kick lately. Not sure why that is, but there are a lot of parenting thoughts mulling around in my head.I realized this morning as I walked through the living room where Michael was laying on the couch reading "Percy Jackson" that I don't tell my kids "I love you" very often. Oh sure, the typical times... bedtime, morning, etc. But not just randomly throughout the day. So I

The One With More Thoughts On "Training"

2010-06-30T15:29:00.000-04:00

I can't stop thinking about the verse "To train up a child..." This verse evokes a lot of frustration and anger in some of my friends because of it's very strong ties to Michael Pearl and his teachings. He wrote a book with those very words as it's title. But he isn't the one who coined the phrase. It was Solomon. In all of his wisdom. Tho one has to wonder if he truly trained his children

2010-06-29T09:05:00.000-04:00

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6). This verse is not a promise about faith. It is not speaking of training a child to follow Christ or promising that if you do, the grown child will continue to follow Him. Sorry. The proverb is about raising a child to know who he is and to guide him in becoming ever more himself. In the

The Venty One About House Buying

2010-06-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

Why does house buying have to be stressful? The lenders know what need to be done. The sellers (especially in our case as the seller is Fannie Mae) knows what need to be done. We are on top of every piece of paperwork they need from us. So why does it seem like there is always something that is stressful?Right now we need an appraisal. In order to get one we need the electric/water on. In

The One Where I Don't Feel Well

2010-06-20T20:37:00.000-04:00

I haven't been feeling well for quite a while. I'm exhausted all. the. time. I was talking w/ Rachael the other day and she asked why I'm so tired all the time. I started thinking about it and realized that I'm constantly tired. I have different levels of exhaustion, but I'm always tired. I have headaches almost daily that get progressively worse as the day goes on. I have heart

The One With The Auction

2010-06-15T08:01:00.001-04:00

Wow! That was interesting. I've never been to an auction before... and certainly not one in which I was willing to bid up to $135,000 on something! To say I was nervous would be an understandment. I was literaly shaking in my boots (er. um. sneakers, actually). I was more nervous than I was at my wedding.It was an actual auction, with the auctioneer talking fast and people raising their cards

The One About An Auction

2010-06-10T23:15:00.000-04:00

Gah! They said we were too late to get our pre-auction bid in. Gah! You told us 72 business hours, people!! It's not our fault if you didn't bother opening it until today when you received it yesterday! ARGH! So I guess we're going to an auction on Monday. *gulp* I've never been to one... I don't know what to expect. It should be interesting... and a learning experience. :) Suppose I

The One About the House & Isolation

2010-06-09T08:20:00.000-04:00

So we placed our pre-auction offer on the house we really want. IF this works out it will be such an answer to prayer in so many ways. There are hoops to jump through.. there's a ton of paperwork that we need to work on... but we're taking it one step at a time.Competely different topic here: Why is that we stay at home Moms easily isolate ourselves from the world around us? I do this all

The One With the Long Night

2010-06-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

Last night was one of those nights when you get up in the morning and wonder why you even bothered going to bed. First there was the dog... scratching, licking, eating... whatever she was doing it was making noise & annoying me. Then, right at midnight, the girl's alarm clock went off, waking up Katie. It was LOUD. And Karah didn't bother to get up to fix it, instead she buried her head under

The One on Failing

2010-06-06T18:09:00.000-04:00

Failing. I've been thinking about this a lot late. I fail daily in my walk as a mother by not giving my children 100%. I fail daily in my walk as a wife by not giving my husband all that he needs from me. I failed as a college student. Not failing as in poor academics, but by not finishing my degree I failed by default. I fail as a child of God daily. I know you cannot truly fail God unless

The One With a Clean House & Auction News.

2010-06-04T11:31:00.000-04:00

I'm finding that the messier my house is, the more stressed and anxious I feel. Last night Matt did the dishes while the kids & I put away the 7 loads of laundry I had done earlier in the day. While putting away his laundry, Nathan looked around his bedroom and decided it's much nicer to wake up with a clean bedroom, so he cleaned it. After I put away the laundry I started picking up the

The One About Running Away

2010-06-01T08:19:00.000-04:00

Some days I want to run away. I told Matt this recently and I think I freaked him out a bit. If I could I'd take him with me... but one of us needs to be the responsible one and stay put. I often feel like life is overwhelming lately. I'm not quite sure why. It's no more stressful than last year. In fact, maybe it's a little less stressful than last year. I'm not sure... But I'm overwhelmed

The One About Uncle Bob

2010-06-01T08:12:00.001-04:00

Uncle Bob & Aunt Cathy are leaving today. They live in WA and I haven't seen Uncle Bob in 12 years. 12 years too many. He has always been my favorite uncle. When I was a child he would come out to visit every year and he was a lot of fun. When I was a teenager he was wonderful to talk with and never seemed to judge me. This was the first time I've seen him since I became an adult. I have

The One With Housing & Parenting Thoughts

2010-05-04T08:54:00.000-04:00

On Parenting: Lately parenting has not been a walk in the park. Lately there has been a lot of strife in our home between all of the children. Even 18 month old Katie gets in on the action by pestering 3 year old Erich. How does she do this? By getting in his face, trying to kiss him while he's screaming "NOOOOO" or laying her head on him or taking his favorite stuffed animal and then

The One With Parenting Thoughts

2010-04-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

More parenting thoughts... I've read a lot of parenting books in my time. I'm always looking and searching for new ideas, new thoughts, new ways of dealing with the day to day things we encounter. And it seems that as soon as I figure out how to deal with "x", they start doing "y" and I have to start all over again. This move has thrown us all over the edge. We are currently staying in a

The One With Open & Closed Doors.

2010-04-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

I don't know if God literally opens and closes doors... but yesterday it sure seemed that way to us. We planned to go to 3 houses yesterday and were praying that we would get a clear answer on whether we should make an offer on one. The first house we visited we didn't think we'd like, but decided to weigh all our options. We loved it... When we arrived the couple who owns it was just leaving.

The One With the Move

2010-04-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Well, the end of our home selling saga comes to an end as of tomorrow at 4:30 pm (probably a wee bit later than 4:30... but that's when the end begins. ;) ) Our closing has finally arrive and I'm thrilled!! We moved into my parents home a few weekends ago. The rental isn't quite done yet... just a few things left to do before we get the OK to actually move in. However, all of my stuff is

The MOVING One!

2010-03-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't actually gotten excited about this move yet. I've been more overwhelmed w/ it all. Who knew that packing w/ 5 little ones wouldn't be a walk in the park? LOL!! I have had half filled boxes knocked over, glasses broken, fully packed/waiting for tape boxes unpacked by a certain 1 y/o, toys unpacked and played with. Not to mention that as I'm packing the laundry is piling up. It's

The Overwhelmed One

2010-03-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed. I can't stop thinking about the appraisal and whether the house passed. I can't stop thinking about how much the electrical issues will cost us (have to get the box replaced by a licensed electrician) Can't stop thinking about how expensive houses in VT are. Can't stop wondering if we'll ever find the right place for us. Can't stop feeling jealous and

The One With An Offer

2010-03-04T06:49:00.000-05:00

There's been so much happening lately that I've been super busy. We received and accepted an offer on our home on Feb 20th. We had our inspection on Feb 28th & will have the appraisal done tomorrow, March 5th. If all goes well, we should be closing in April. We've also found a home that we like in VT. We're praying/thinking about it. We have an appt on Friday w/ a loan specialist to get

The One About Selling

2010-02-23T00:04:00.000-05:00

So we have a contract on our home! Someone came and saw it on Friday, made an offer, we accepted & signed the contract earlier this evening. I'm spinning... wow. Now we need to pass the inspection & appraisal. *gulp* I'm having such mixed emotions over this. I'm actually surprised at how I feel. I'm looking fw to being in VT. Closer to family, friends, church & Friday School. More schooling

The One With An Experiment

2010-02-11T08:26:00.001-05:00

Can anyone tell what our project this week is? Michael got this book for Christmas, so we decided to try a project from it for this weeks science experiment.

The One About Breaking the Will.

2010-02-10T07:52:00.000-05:00

Last night we were at Rangers & I was chatting with some other Moms in the church library. We were talking about letting babies cry it out. I admitted to having done that with Michael and Nathan. Later I was thinking about why I allowed it to happen, tho my Mommy heart was being torn apart by it. It all boils down to my old thinking process of having to "break the will" of the child. My

The One With a Haircut

2010-02-08T14:43:00.000-05:00

Karah has been asking me to cut her hair for quite some time now. I've always felt a bit reluctant & have done nothing more than trim it now & then. Today we were looking at my friend's pictures on facebook. She has a daughter Karah's age & just took her in to get her haircut. Karah said she reallllllyyyyyy wanted me to do it, so I decided to finally do it. I don't have before pictures (tho

The One With The Girls Dressing Up...

2010-02-01T07:04:00.000-05:00

The Girls played dress up together for the first time yesterday. Katie was so proud to be in that little purple dress. She didn't want to take it off. LOL! As you can see, she's really into her doll lately too. How did she get so old?

The One With More on Parenting

2010-01-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

Some of you are going to think, "There she goes on a tangent again..." and you are right. LOL! I'm reading Scream Free Parenting right now. I was a little hesitant to read this book as I don't really have a problem with yelling. Yes, I do raise my voice once in a while but it's not even on a weekly basis. However, this book goes beyond actually yelling to learning to control ourselves and not

The One With Continued Observations

2010-01-28T08:09:00.000-05:00

After I posted yesterday Erich started having a headache & a sore throat. He may have had a low grade fever, but as fevers aren't high on my list to check /cure I didn't take his temp. I gave him a few extra doses of the elderberry syrup and popped in a movie to ensure that he rested. He did. He slept for hours in the late morning and then again in the late afternoon. He woke up fine, ate a

The One With Observations on Illness

2010-01-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

Here's the rundown of this week... I find this interesting, so I'm posting it. Friday ~ Exposed to a child I thought may be sick. Saturday morning ~ Gave Karah & Erich 1 tspn each of elderberry syrup. Gave Michael & Nathan 2 tspn of elderberry syrup each. (This is what is recommended on the bottle for their ages) Gave Katie nothing. Matt & I each took 2 tspns as well. Sunday morning ~ Repeat of

The One With a TV Day

2010-01-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

After making it through most of the cold/flu season with no sickness, we were hit. Yesterday Karah & Katie had fevers and Erich woke up in the middle of the night with one. I'm a firm believer in medicating for pain, but not for fevers unless they get too high. I learned quite a few years ago that fevers aren't bad... they are the body's way of fighting off viruses & that we can actually

The One With Decisions

2010-01-25T06:45:00.000-05:00

"Should we stay or should we go now?" You know that annoying commercial w/ the lady sniffling/sneezing & the song "Should I stay or should I go now?" is running in the background? Anyway... that song is playing around in my head today. We are feeling sooo directionless (is that even a word?!) There are definitely more pros to moving to VT than to staying in NY. The pros to staying in NY are

The One With Knitting

2010-01-21T13:10:00.001-05:00

One of my Christmas presents this year was knitting needles. I had requested them & my Mom gave them to me. :) Since then these are some of the items I've knitted. In addition to these I've knitted another scarf (pink to match the hat in progress that is pictured below) & another green washcloth. The orange & blue scarves were knitted for my older boys. :) I'm having fun with it. :)

The One With The Kid's Camera

2010-01-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

The children got a Vtech Kid's Camera for Christmas this year. They've been having a blast w/ it!! Here are some pictures from my budding photographers... A child's view of Grandpa... Erich keeps pointing it the wrong direction...A beautiful picture of Katie... Love that smile!I don't even remember them taking this picture of me! LOL!My handsome hubby. <3

The One With The Workouts

2010-01-12T08:11:00.000-05:00

I bought myself a Christmas present.. Wii Fit Plus. I've been using it often... I love the updates from the original Wii Fit. Today I tallied up my hours & calories burned for January so far. 987 calories in 3.4 hrs. That's pretty good for me... the professed exercise avoider. I've been starting out each exercise w/ a 20 minute run which burns app. 130 or so calories. Then I change up the

The One With New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-04T07:17:00.000-05:00

New Year's Resolutions. I don't like to make them because I don't enjoy failing. However, last year I made a 'resolution' to read 40 books in 52 weeks and I made it! Woohoo!! I was going to go for 52 this year, but think I'll just up it by 5. So 45 books in 52 weeks this year. I have a few other goals too: loosing weight, family fun activities, more outdoor time once the good weather hits.

The One About My Daughter, the Entertainer

2009-12-21T08:01:00.000-05:00

I really wish I had a picture to go with this story. We went caroling last night & one of the places we go to is a nursing home. We all (about 36 of us) pile into their living room and sing in front of the tree. It's a lot of fun. This was the first year for Katie and at first she was shy. But then she started to get into the music. She was in my sling and started dancing in the sling.

The One Without Do-Overs

2009-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

Michael, my oldest, was sweeping the floor today. He kept missing spots, so I kept sending him back to finish properly. I explained to him that when you have a job to do and you don't do it right you have to fix it. You have to go in and finish it. I told him that when Matt messes up something in his painting or fixing a car he has to go back and fix it. I explained that it happens to

The One About the Unwritten Pages

2009-12-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

I honestly cannot remember exactly the point of Pastor Roland's message on Sunday. However, he was talking about how our lives are like a book w/ the ending currently sealed. No one is able to open the seal except for the Lord because He is the only one who knows what's going to happen with our lives. With the book "Becca Pattullo White" I can look back and 'read' all that has happened, but I

The One About a Craft Day & a Snow Day

2009-12-10T16:28:00.001-05:00

NOTE: I fiddled with this stupid thing for 1/2 hr now and it's still uploading my photos wrong and deleting them and not letting me put them where I want them... so please excuse the jumbled photos and disorganized look, but I don't want to deal w/ it anymore. I have other things to waste my time with like dinner and kids. We've had a busy week here! On Monday the cousins came over for a craft

The One With Flowers

2009-12-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Some people like to get flowers for their birthdays or anniversaries. Some people don't like to get flowers at all. Some people prefer they be arranged when they come or from a special florist. I like to get flowers 'just because'. I love it when Matt brings them home from the grocery store because I love arranging them myself. It makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside. :)

The One With the Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T16:36:00.000-05:00

We decided to get a real Christmas tree this year. Not only to get a real one, but to go pick one out, cut it down, bring it home, trim it & then decorate it. So this morning that's what we did. We went to a local tree farm and as we were browsing through various trees the lady who co-owned the place came to us and told us of a patch of trees out in the middle of the woods (only a few minutes

The One with a Gingerbread Village

2009-12-02T15:36:00.000-05:00

I found a gingerbread village kit at Target a few weeks ago. It had 5 houses in it... perfect for the kids to each have one! I promised them we'd do it right after Thanksgiving, so right after school on Monday we got to it... I didn't get many pictures of them actually decorating because I was doing my own... I mean helping. :P

The One With a Sermon, Shopping & an "At Home" Date.

2009-12-01T07:44:00.000-05:00

Pastor Roland had a really good sermon on Sunday. He preached about doors... yep. Doors. He started w/ explaining the difference between your front door and your kitchen door. The front door is for salesmen, strangers or acquaintances that aren't real familiar with your home & your family. They knock, you stand in the doorway and talk and then they go and you go on with your life. Then

Another Rambly One

2009-11-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! It's a new week... Thanksgiving week to be exact! I'm excited because this week my brother, who is in college, is coming over for a few nights!! And Matt gets Thursday & Friday off work! It will be good to spend that time together.We were unexpectedly blessed this week... I got the electric bill to find that we had overpaid and owe nothing until mid-January!! Yay!Today I clean

The One Where I Explain Myself

2009-11-21T19:35:00.001-05:00

I think I really do have the best husband around. I've been in quite a funk lately... just overwhelmed, exhausted, grumpy... not myself. Tonight he brought dinner home AND is doing the grocery shopping for me so I don't have to go. Let's see how close he gets to the list! LOL! But it's worth it even if he buys a little extra. I'm home hanging out w/ 4 of my kiddos and the shopping is being

A Discouraged One

2009-11-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

I would really love to pretend to have it all together. I'd love to pretend to feel upbeat and confident all the time. I'd love to pretend to put my full confidence in the Lord. The reality is I'm so beaten down right now. I'm so discouraged, frustrated, unsure of direction... I feel like a fish out of water with no way of knowing how to get back in. I feel like yelling and crying and

One With More On Whole Foods

2009-11-11T17:44:00.001-05:00

So, like everything in life, switching to a whole foods diet is going to come slowly. It's going to come in spurts and as we can financially. I have chosen to spend a little extra $ on whole grain pastas and flour, which sacrifices some of the quicker snack items and bread I usually get. It may have to change some weeks when I know how busy life will get. Anyway... tonight's experiment is with

Another Venty One About Home Selling

2009-11-09T17:56:00.000-05:00

I am trying so hard not to get discouraged right now. Yes, I'm using this blog as a sounding board at the moment... and won't post this one to my FB page as I just need to vent.I'm frustrated with this whole selling the house thing. A dozen showings, 1 crummy offer... and all we keep hearing is "we like it, but it's too small." or "it's #2 on our list" Our entire lives are disrupted... to the

The One About Whole Foods

2009-11-06T13:25:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a lot of Shonda Parker's books lately. I am really enjoying the way that she writes and am trying to glean as much information as I can from her. The reoccuring theme in her books is that your body is a temple to God and should be taken care of accordingly. She writes how we should be careful about what we put into it, but to do it according to how you can financially and

The One With a Mixture of Topics

2009-11-02T07:13:00.000-05:00

Recently a friend posted on FB how she has spent too much time trying to fix the negative things in her life than time spent focusing and accentuating the positive aspects. What a thought!! I am very good at seeing the things I need to fix in my personality, my actions, etc... and very bad at seeing and working on the positive things that God has given me. I tend to think if I work on those or

The One About the Costume Party

2009-10-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

We had a costume party for the girls. It was a lot of fun!! Levi dressed as Luke Skywalker from a certain episode where Luke wears all green. (I admit: I have NO idea what he's talking about... but he insisted, so I let him. He made his own costume) James was Maxwell Smart from "Get Smart" (TV show WAY before even MY time... but the kids love it! lol!) Beth was a bride, Sammy was a sailor &

The One About Being Sick

2009-10-23T07:31:00.000-04:00

I detest this 'cold & flu' season. Right now we have everything that points to the "flu" according to the CDC. Everything on this list except for the first and last which both say only some people get. So we're staying home from Friday school today because of it though I know other people who have similar symptoms are going. We're all on the mend. Have been dealing w/ this for a little over

Another One About Trust

2009-10-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

Being the Mom God wants me to be. This has been on my mind a lot lately. Two times in my recent reading I came across the idea that if what I am doing is taking away from my family's needs then perhaps I shouldn't be doing it. This was interesting to me as so much of what I do at the moment is focused on the house selling, house buying, my schooling, and friends. So much of what I do is

The Mushy One Combined With a Normal One

2009-10-19T06:59:00.000-04:00

I love how connected Matt & I can be at times. I love that he knows my thoughts without me even hinting towards them and he can still finish my sentences. I love how he understands me and 'gets' my goofiness. I love how patient he is with all my 'new ideas' and how he fully supports me in all my efforts. This all really hit me this morning with something so simple. It was 6:30 am and I was

The One Where God Speaks

2009-10-11T20:23:00.000-04:00

Matt & I were given an offer on our house this week and were advised by our realtor not to take it or even counter offer as the type of loan they were trying to get is close to impossible in this state. We took her advice... the offer was ridiculous anyway.5 days later we found the house we want to buy. It's literally 2 miles from my parents house. It has a loft, 3 bedrooms 1.75 baths, 1.21 acres

The One About the Quiet Day

2009-10-04T18:42:00.000-04:00

Quiet days are few & far between. Days when we have nothing on the schedule, no where to go and we are at home are a rarity these days. So today I took complete advantage of it. Matt had to work so we didn't go to church. Then Matt took Karah out shoe shopping for her birthday. They had a great time together. The rest of us just stayed home. We cleaned, we played on the Wii, we built tents

The One About Joy

2009-09-28T16:11:00.000-04:00

It seems the more I attempt to rid myself of negativity the more I notice it in my life. It's something I've been working on for about a month now and TBH, I FEEL more negative than I did before lately. I'm discouraged about the house, I'm discouraged about the market prospects in VT, I'm discouraged that none of this happened before school started or before hubby started working over in VT.

The One About Patience

2009-09-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

The children's devotional today was about patience. It was funny timing because I keep saying to the children what my RA in college used to always say "Patience is a virtue, virtue is grace & both put together make a very happy face." I need to incoorperate it into my life as well. I'm feeling a bit impatient about the house. It's been on the market since the end of May and I want it to be

The One About Being Busy

2009-09-12T17:05:00.001-04:00

I was able to counteract the mastitis I felt coming on with a mixture of echinacea, vit C, water & rest. Woohooo!! I'm so glad I skipped having that again. The kids have a busy/full fall coming up. They are doing 3rd, 2nd & 1st grade this year. They are in a local homeschool group and have lots of fun classes and field trips on Friday. They are in piano lessons on Tuesdays and Royal Rangers/