Vinyl in the House

     We always know when we get a box from Mamo and Papa (My parents) because my Mom always wraps it up in vinyl from the Sing Shop. They have owned their own sign business my whole life. Totally great when you are the creative type. Or maybe that is why I have become the creative type. Anyways, Mom wraps the boxes in vinyl with the backing and all so I decided to put some of our packaging to use. I made a "back off" line in the kitchen. This has come in handy when I am working in the hot area. They all know to stay back but with a definite line I can easily say,"Please get behind the line." There is a clear reference. I don't plan on having vinyl on my kitchen floor forever but its working for this season. 

couldn't get this to rotate :(

      I love being able to tell my 3 and 5 year old, "Go take a bath." I most often say this after dinner when I am getting the kitchen cleaned. With this arrow system they can go run the water themselves. I usually check on them but they can get started all by themselves! Yay!

Boys just line up the arrows and turn the water off when the bath is full.

I don't know what you would use if you didn't have vinyl handy. Any ideas?

Home Education

     This is the first week I had a real lesson plan!  Paul and I had a discussion when we were engaged about the education of our one day children.  The conversation lasted about 3 seconds.  He said I'd like to home school our kids.  I said me too.  The end.
     Present day we have a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old.  Our 5 Troy knows how to read and write. Mainly because I hit the academics hard with him at an early age and he is the kind of kid that does well with structure and a class room, sit down type setting.  I backed off with Troy for a while as God convicted my heart that I was trying to make sure my kids knew how to read above all else.  The English language is my greatest weakness and it affects every other subject.  There was a heart issue that needed to be dealt with.  I was trying to fix what I don't like about myself in my kid. That's like parenting 101 what to never do ever with your kids! I may have had a 4 year old how could read and I could brag about but the motive was super off.  I was encouraged by a wise and dear woman in my life to slow down.  Teach my kids how to do life and do it well.  For the last year or so I have had troy read books here and there but really spent the bulk of our days at home learning how to be a team and run the home together.  Teaching things like cooking, cleaning, setting the table, doing loads of laundry, putting away the laundry, playing with the dog, and so on. Just everyday life stuff.  Its amazing how much to can teach your babies in running the home.  Heart issues, problem solving, math, reading, writing and most of all appropriate interaction with others.  If you are going to do life tasks with 3 little ones you really have to slow down!  I had to search my heart for idols like "my way," "perfect," and "efficient." None of these things are bad in and of themselves but if worshiped will cause you to be frustrated in parenting and frustrated quickly!
     Our home by no means looks perfect....ever but it is maintained.  Our kids understand the concept that life is work and play is a reward.  We work and do lessons 5 days a week.  We have what we call "play day."  This is also Mom's bible study day.  No chores just play.  I of course continue to maintain the home but not to the level or intensity of a "regular" day.
     Now that things are running more smoothly at home I felt is was time to implement a little more structure into our lessons.  Currently we are going through the Alphabet.  One letter a week. This week (my first week of actual preparation and lesson planning) we are learning about the letter "E."  I asked the boys if there was anything they would like to learn about that stared with an "e" sound. They said EGGS!  So I went to the library (BY MYSELF!) and got 8 or so books on eggs.  I pinned a ton video's and craft ideas on Pintrest having to do with eggs.  I started into this week with a plan for each day.  Books, crafts, and games all having to to with eggs and incorporating reading, writing and math.  It took probably 2 hours on my "weekend" and now I wake up with a plan to teach each day already ready to go!  This is so exciting!  I understand that this is  probably very basic to the experienced Home Educator but I am in the beginning stages and just wanted to share as I go through the process God has for us.  I'm sure next week will look a little different.
     To encourage anyone who would like to educate at home but think they can't.  Let me tell you if I can do it any one can!  I also want to mention that I don't think school at home is "the way."  I think God calls different families to function in different ways.  School (lessons) at home is what we believe God has for us.
     If you have any tips on educating my babies I would love to hear them!

Had to get tires on Dad's Truck so we did 1/2 our lesson there. 

Crunched up egg shells from eggs that were given to us from a farm 

Beautiful! 

One on one time

building

Ps. I didn't spend a dime on the whole week of learning. There may be times that I will have to spend $ but since there isn't an education budget to speak of God is so faithful to give creativity to work around that.

When and What they Eat.

    We had family over a while ago.  I made everyone lunch.  All the kids plates looked similar to this. My sweet sister in love got excited over this idea of a bunch of finger foods for a meal.  I told her, "girl this is 5 years in the making."  You may already eat this way but I have noticed two things.  My kids love what I give them.  There are certain veggies that one may not like and another does but for the most part if it is a fruit or veggie they love them.  I am accountable for what I fuel their bodies with and I experience the difference in behavior when I make good food choices for them.  

     If I eat with them and the same thing as them I usually end up eating better.  I am more mindful to put good pure food into their little systems than I am mine.  I don't know why but since that is the case I have started eating when they eat and what they eat.  I feel so much healthier. T oddlers don't have a tendency to go too long with out eating.  As a Mom constantly juggling needs I do have a tendency to get to 3 pm. and realize the reason I feel like I could pass out is that I haven't eaten or I haven't eaten good food.  Eating more frequently has been proven to be better for your metabolism.  Who doesn't want to nurture their metabolism as we know that it is what helps us loose weight and feel good.   Just a tiny tip.  I hadn't thought of it until my sister got excited about it so I thought I would share. 

Birthday Garland

     For Our Troy's 5th birthday we made a new to us decoration. There was some left over wrapping paper that matched the theme of the party. We cut the characters out. Using the sewing machine Troy and Bear handed me one character at a time and I sewed them into a garland. Just sew straight through them. I ended up taping a few to the curtain since thin paper doesn't lay well but it was a hit!

Hike up hill for Perspective.

      I lived in Head Waters Virginia for 3 1/2 years. From age 19-22.  I was a part of a youth camp and went to a 2 year bible college.  One of my favorite parts of my job in the summer time was leading hikes to "The Tree." It was a good up hill hike that would take us to a most beloved tree sitting on top of a large hill/ mountain.  The view was breathtaking.  There is just something about looking down at a land scape. Your perspective is so different.  I have always wondered what goes through the minds of the few humans that have gotten to see our entire planet from space.  Was it a perspective changer?  Did they wonder what life was truly all about beyond their to do list.

These are the only pictures I could find of my time in
H.W. as our office is still in boxes. 

 
     Lately I have been experiencing God leading me in an up hill hike to get some fresh perspective.  As a Wife, and Mom of 3 under the age of 4 it can be so easy to not think beyond my 4 walls.  In a combination of personal devotion time, woman's bible study, Sunday church service and conversation with my man and some amazing ladies there has been this theme of pulling back and seeing the bigger picture.  By bigger picture I am referring to God's story of redemption all through time.  I mentioned in a previous post that God and Jesus decided before they even created us how they would redeem us from the rebellion they knew we would choose.  My life story starts there.  God says in Psalm 139 that he knows all our days before there is even one of them.  He knew our substance being yet unformed. What!  How is that for a mountain top view!  Breathtaking!  Now in my life God allows things I don't enjoy but not with out a promise to work it for His glory and my good. (Rom. 8:28-29) Through out my stroy I have clung to that promise many times.  Now after the recent "hike" (financial trials) God sits with me on top of this hill I see a new landscape in regards to His glory and my good.  What if my good is wrapped up in His glory.  I believe that it is.  The word GOOD is hinged on perspective as well.
     When I worked at the camp in Head Waters I had the privilege of teaching on "Girls Night."  One night I shared my story (about being molested) and later found a little girl (age 11 or so) in a ball of tears and sorrow.  She had been raped by her Mom's boy friend a year prior and never told a soul.  She found courage to share after hearing the good God brought in my life.  She was able to start a more rapid healing process with help from her church leaders after exposing the evil!  I can't explain it completely but in that moment as I held that little girl in my arms and on my lap, a calm came over me and I said to the Lord, " It was good that you allowed that to happen to me."   I would never have chosen to be molested but I would also never trade the experience and there in loose the opportunity to share my story to a little girl who have been through much worse and never told anyone.

     In our current trials God is pulling my perspective back to a place of settling into the trial. Not trying to escape it so desperately but just going with it in trust that God is working good and glory.

  What a might lover of our soul and care taker of our human experience.

Ugly But Functional

  I saw this on Pinterst.  A dresser re purposed into a some what of a shelf/ dresser.  In my mind my re purposed dresser is a fun pop color and there are beautiful matching baskets to go in the shelf section.   In reality this old dresser was given us.  I don't have the time or money right now to do anything to the finish or color but man, is my stuff organized!  It holds all things creative.  Something dear to my heart that has long awaited a place of its own.  In our new house we have an office but it just didn't fit in there so I have the dresser out in the garage.  I am much more likely to have times of creating with my kiddos and for myself if everything is in one place and organized.  The moral of this post is don't wait to make it perfect or even beautiful.  If it can be functional and maybe one day beautiful, GO FOR IT! 

My random Dollar Tree Baskets that don't match. 

Removed 2 of the drawers 

This is the top little drawer

 

JUST A SLIVER

    I often desire to share when something clicks for the first time or more deeply that before.  I am referring to truth concepts.  Sometimes I see and hear someone express what they are learning in scripture  and don't have a clue what they are talking about because I just haven't had my turn yet.  God is constantly imparting His grace and understanding on us about His love for us as we seek Him. Yesterday I think I got a sliver of His heart towards me that I previously just didn't quite grasp.  The concept is God's interaction brokenhearted (Ps. 147:3).

Psalm 51:17 "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart- these, God you will not despise." 

     In the past I would read this thinking why in the world would God like brokenness?  It seemed kind of mean and twisted to me.  I got to this conclusion about God because I was not yet fully convince of His goodness and goodness towards me personally.  My understanding of God's goodness was first challenge at age 11 when in my perspective He didn't save me from being molested.  That was pretty much the catalyst for a life time of wrestling over weather or not I believe Him to be good or not.  As I have continued to seek after Him and He has allowed countless trials I have become convinced He is good.  It is a wonder that He would use lack (financially) in my life to show me how I LACK NOTHING in Him.  We experience evil daily and it is easy to go to the place of thinking God had something to do with it.  He does not.  His only interaction with evil is redeeming us from it.  What a GOOD God.  The subject of God's goodness is huge so I wont try to unpack it all now.  As I have studied the book of Ruth and Paul and I are reading a book on God's goodness I have been over whelmed with a clearer understanding of His goodness.
     As to the sliver of God's heart and Psalm 51:17 I have to share a little story:

BEAR

TROY

In the mornings I have worked to train and teach my boys to get out of bed only once the Christmas light timer turns their lights on (as I type I hear the door cracking to early, lol), to get dressed, if I am still showering to start unloading the dishwasher and feed our puppy.  Yesterday morning my boys were on it!  I was so blessed to come out of my room to boys dressed in clothes, good attitudes and initiative!  As Troy was on the chair next to the counter putting mugs away, Bear had what we call a black out moment.  These happen with our sweet Bear in anger or creativity.  He seems to loose all connection with reality or his desire to make good choices.  Bear had his light saber and decided that Troy's chair was the enemy to be defeated.  I'm sure you can imagine what happened next.  Troy had a mug in each hand and in order to grab the counter so he didn't fall he dropped a mug.  We have tile floors in our new house so the mug shattered on impact.  It wasn't just any mug.  It was Mommy's new mug.  I had gotten a special mug and a special sharpie marker to decorate it.  I wasn't in the kitchen because I had been sent out. They didn't want me to see the kitchen until the job was done.  I came rushing in to find to faces filled with modification and sorrow.  In tears they both broke out with "I'm so sorry Mom!"  No blame shifting not explanations just complete sorrow over the offence of my mug being broken.  Here is were I was shocked and my response.  I could care less about the MUG!  I was so blessed by their responses even though the offence affected my possession all I wanted to do was cry with them and scoop them up in my arms and say I forgive you!  I didn't just that minus the crying because they don't understand why Mommy cries when she isn't sad.  I explained to them how much more I love them than my special mug.  We talked out how we could avoid breaking mugs in the future and the "I'm sorry's" kept coming.  I held each of their faces and said, "I forgive you. It is over."  As I proceeded with mug clean up my heart flooded with correlations between my response and God's heat towards me!
     I am so thankful that Jesus came to preach GOOD tidings to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted. (Is. 61:1)

IMPRESSED!

     As Mom's and Wive's we have a responsibility to "Make the Home."  It goes so much farther that making the bed, making meals, doing endless chores, and keeping the kids alive!  We set the tone in the home.  Proverbs talk about how it is better to remain on the roof top than dwell in the home with a contentious wife.  In mine and Paul's experience this is a very true statement.  So how to be that Wife and Mom that draws the family in instead of repels them, causing a desire for roof top living?  I have found my behavior towards my family is either drawing in or pushing away in direct correlation to my being IMPRESSED with REDEMPTION.  The "Gospel."  I have heard people say, "Preach the gospel to yourself every day."  I had know idea what they were talking about.  "Jesus died for my sins so that I can go to heaven."  I'm thinking how is reciting that going to make a difference.  Like saying the pledge of allegiance anything can become so routine that it looses it meaning.  How often did you as a child growing up saying the pledge of allegiance think about every word and the weight it carried?
     So how do I get IMPRESSED with the Gospel of Redemption?  I have found for me just staying it to myself each day over and over doesn't impact me much.  But, as I continue to get up every morning before my babies and get into reading the bible in some way (bible study home work or just reading it and looking up words in the Greek and Hebrew), God through His Word preaches the Gospel to Me!  The whole focus of God's word is that we are separated from Him by sin.  We can not return to Him by anyway but the One He planned on giving us from the foundation of creation.  God knew before creating the entire world that we as a people would rebel.  He and Jesus had a plan to save us from separation with Them!

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus"  Romans 3:23-24
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of grace..." Eph. 1:7
"In Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1:14
     At our church our Pastor says one thing more than anything else.  "God has taken care of our greatest problem!"  When I keep my eyes on that care God has taken with me all the other hard stuff of this life looses its color a bit.  We have trials in this life as a result of the fall of man kind and our own choices.  He walks with us through them.  What a lover.  Truly working even the terrible for my good and His glory.

Don't forget the COFFEE!

     Today I am so IMPRESSED.  I just had to share! I can't impress myself with the Gospel but I have found if I remain consistent in spending time with my Jesus in the mornings reading and better understanding His word, HE WILL IMPRESS ME!

Then impressed, I live better!