Something to think about.

My days have gotten so busy lately that I barely have time to sit and think anymore. Lately I have manage to somehow get a little bit more time to myself and I am beginning to wonder if that was such a good thing. I look out across the room only to find a house that needs to be picked up. Bags from our outing this morning gather on the couch, school papers are strung across the table and my computer desk is calling out to be organize but here I sit instead. I look out at the other moms that are so put together and think why am I not so crafty, fun, classy, (You name it I have probably thought it). Then I realize that God made me unique and I will never be them. My goal is not to be the most put together mom there is but instead the kind of mom who my children will some day look back on and thank God for me. May the Holy Spirit fill me so that I will be a reflection of Christ to my children every day and that they will someday choose Him. My I also teach my children to be a witness to the people around them so that they too will know Christ.

Summer is official over and so beginnings the craziness of the school year. Since our church has added a new service we now have the opportunity to go to a parenting class. It is great to be with people our own age again and learn more about how we can become better parents. Between this class and numerous other things in my life I have begun to realize what a great impact our parents, grandparents and even great grandparents have on us. What a great example of faith Noah was to go against the flow and build and ark in a land that had never seen rain before. How amazing it must have been for Noah to have people like Methuselah, and Enoch in his life. I was so blessed to have amazing grandparents and great grandparents who reflected Gods love. I remember watching my grandfathers grab their Bible and read Gods word every night. I hope and pray that Lance and I can be that example to our children and someday to our grandchildren.

Just Another Day

Summer came early to Oklahoma this year which means we have postponed school until the weather gets to hot for the children to want to play outside. Most days consist of picking up around the house but lately I have been trying to reorganize my house to hopefully be ready for when we do start school up again. Today my tasks consisted of vacuuming carpets, organized my freezer, cleaning our baby chick bed out, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning some mortared joints, putting together a bench and mowing the back yard. Luckily the unloading the dishwasher is in rotation between the three older children so I get a little break from that. However if you asked me what I did all day I would probably say nothing much.
At this point in our life I feel like the children and I have come to a pretty good understanding of each other although many times a tiff here and there happens, usually between Hope and one of the boys. If we could just get her to get enough sleep that seems to help things run a little smoother.
We have been so blessed this year. Lance has been consistently busy and has been able to employee 4 full time employees and 2 part timers for the summer.
I am so thankful for a mother-in-law who helps me out with the children whenever I need her and many times with very short notice. I am very blessed to have married a man with Godly values and with a great mother.

Being a Good Parent

My constant struggle as a stay at home mom is .... Am I doing enough? As Americans we believe that unless we have made a name for ourselves we are nothing. So let me ask you if any of us were to die tonight how would we be remembered and does it really matter?
I wake up every morning and have close to the same routine every day.... not much changes. The only thing that I can change is how I respond to my children. Will I be mean today and make the day bad for everyone (myself included) or will I show patients, understanding and in doing so teach my children to respond the same way. I want to raise my children to be Godly leaders and so I need to show them what that looks like.... (Now do I always) No way... Many times I lose my temper, get frustrated and sometimes even freak out. The question is then how to I handle it after the fact? Do I go and apologize or do I blow it of? I have made the choice to discipline out or love not anger. What does that look like you may ask? Before to disciple stop and check your attitude and actions first.... make sure you are responding the way that God would want you to and then administer the disciple. How will your children remember you?
Will I be the parent that my children will talk good about when they are grown or will I be the parent that they will say I hope I am nothing like my parents when I grow up?

Do You Ever Wonder?

For some reason I continue to have dreams about a certain family that I grew up with when I was a child. I was never sure why I had these dreams but then today it hit me. This was a family that I respected so much. Being from a broken home..... all I longed for was parents that cared about each other and were ok with showing that in public. Not in a nasty way but a good way. Like teasing each other, holding hands or him putting his arm around her. I so wanted to be a part of a family like that.
The other thing that I realized that in my dreams it seems as though that there is always some kind of conflict within the family. One time one of the girls had a baby out of wedlock other times it is just ciaos. This makes me wonder if my mind just can't wrap itself around the idea that there are truly happy families out there.
I pray that God will give us a home that my children will be proud of. A family that loves each other without bounds. That I will be a good help mate to my husband, friend and lover. Also that I will be the kind of mom that my children can count on and always come to in hard times.

Where did time go?

So it has been about a year and a half since I last posted. So much has happened since than. I now have 4 children who keep me very busy. W is in the second grade now, H is in kindergarten and L begged to start so he does pre-k work on most days. Most days I really enjoy homeschooling my children and then there are those days that I think..... I wonder what I would do with all my free time if all my children were in school. N turned a year old almost 2 weeks ago now. What a fun age it is when they are just learning everything for the first time.
As a mom you wonder how am doing when it comes to raising my children? Will they turn out as smart as they seem to be now or will they just balance out. I had a moment the other day that I had to step back and wonder if I made the right choice. My children know that I have the final say in a yes or no moment but sometimes I will allow them to plead their case. Well this is how one such instant went...... L says, "Mom can I have some milk." I say,"No you know that milk is for meal times." We proceeded to go back and forth for a couple of seconds then L says, "Put mommy I didn't get any for supper." I think about it and say, "OK but only a small amount." L gets a big grin on his face and say," I won that one." My jaw about dropped to the floor. So there you have it I have been out witted by my almost 4 year old.

Wesley's 6th Birthday

So yesterday my oldest baby turned 6 years old and I think he shot up a couple of inches over night. Spring Break has been a little bit rough on our family. Wesley and I are having to learn how to communicate to each other all over again. I was excited to see my children working together as a team when I asked them to empty out the washing machine for me. Wesley has in the washing machine handing the clothes to Hope, who was setting on a stool. She then turned to Lucas who was on the floor and he stuck them in the dryer. They did an awesome job.