What's Happening (Or Not Happening) Here!

I love writing in this little place, but it's been sparse here lately.  For one, we've just been plain busy, and for two...well, I'm pregnant.  I don't know about you all, but when I'm pregnant, I feel quite uninspired and as if I'm always running behind!  Don't panic!  I'm OK!  Just telling it like it is.  All that to say that as I hard as I try, I'm not a very faithful blogger when pregnant.

Anyhoo....what has NOT been happening around here:

1.  Consistent house work.  Don't get me wrong...we're not slumming with the pigs quite yet, but compared to the not pregnant me, we're not getting much done!  But, I am now 30 something years old and have 5 children and have learned that a spic and span house is not always the most important thing.  A mom with a pleasant smile and kind words, however, is priceless!

2.  5 Course Dinners!  So, I've never been known for having Martha Stewart kitchen talents, but I have been slacking in this area a little more than usual here lately.  Now that I am over the nauseated stage of pregnancy, I am trying harder to get back to my former not so Martha Stewart talented kitchen self. :)

3.  Sleep!  There is always someone up in the middle of the night around here, and it is driving me insane!!!  Oh well...just remember when you have your first baby, you have officially signed away your right to a good night's sleep. :)  But holding little Gavin while he finally does sleep again is very much worth it!

Whst HAS been happening around here:

1.  School!  Yes, my friends, that is right!  We are not complete slackers, and we have been accomplishing quite a bit of school!  We are almost finished with American History for the year and are trying to finish up Science and several of our literature books before the end of the month.  My big concern is Math, and so we have been spending extra time working on that. We have found that working in the afternoons works best during the summer.  That way we avoid the heat outside, and we can also focus a little more easily while Mr. Gavin sleeps.  It's been nice to feel as though we are actually steadily progressing again!

2.  New recipes!  Even though I have not been making wonderful dinners, I have made some yummy desserts and breads!  I have tried several new recipes over the last two weeks, and so far, all of them have been successful!  I love baking from scratch!

3.  Free chicken!  That's right!  The kids and I all dressed up like cows from head to hoof so that we could get a free Chick-Fil-A meal.  You may not understand how big a deal this is, and so I will explain a little.  Number one - my kids NEVER get a happy meal!  It's just not reasonable, the toys are cheap and silly, and they need to learn to spend money wisely.  Number two - my kids rarely get anything except water to drink at a restaurant, and if by some strange chance, they do get a fountain drink, it is always shared!  Because each of us were dressed up, we each were able go get our own complete meal - drink, toy and all!  I had five very happy little calves...I mean kiddos!

4.  Going places!  We have been camping.  We have had our M&M's meeting.  We have been to violin lessons and to church.  We have run errands in town.  We have been to Chick-Fil-A - all in the last 10 days!  It's been crazy - especially when you remember that we drive an hour just to get anywhere!  It's been fun though and has made it feel a little more like summer time!

5.  Amazing discussions!  We have had the opportunity to have some amazing discussions with our kiddos.  Madelyn asked how big God is, and Andrew began to describe us as a speck of dust in a teacup!  It was quite sweet listening to his analogy, and it was fairly accurate too!  With the death of a friend of our family's, we've also had the chance to remember how short life can be and how important it is to always be kind and live like Jesus would so that we have no regrets if we were to die.  We've also dealt with some heart issues and have been able to see God's Word soften little hearts in a way that mom's words can't.  I am so thankful that I am the one who is able to hear all of these conversations first hand!  It makes me appreciate even more than usual the opportunity to to stay at home and homeschool my kiddos!

That's what's happening (and not happening) around here!  I am going to try to help my house recover from this busy week and get it cleaned up before we head out to our church bbq this afternoon!  I hope you are all able to enjoy your summer weekend.  Don't forget to take the time to count the blessings God has given - even the little ones!

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

A Wednesday Funny!

I saw this in a local paper while waiting for our pizza yesterday.  I'm not sure who to give credit to, but it gave me a few good laughs, and so I thought I'd share!

25 Things My Mom Taught Me

1. My Mom taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My Mom taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My Mom taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My Mom taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My Mom taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My Mom taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My Mom taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My Mom taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My Mom taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My Mom taught me about PATIENCE.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My Mom taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My Mom taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My Mom taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My Mom taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My Mom taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My Mom taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My Mom taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My Mom taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, They are going to freeze that way."

19. My Mom taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My Mom taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My Mom taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My Mom taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My Mom taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My Mom taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My Mom taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!" 

I did and Mom was right, they did.
Maybe they should read this list too.

Did your mom tell you any of these?  Better yet, if you are a mom, do you find yourself saying them?  Enjoy your Wednsesday!

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

Some Good Blog Reads

I have read several great posts by other bloggers this week, and because nothing wonderfully inspirational is coming to mind today, I thought I'd just pass a few of these along!  Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Thursday.  The sunshine finally came back to visit us!  YAY for Vitamin D! :)  

How Grace Changes Our Days by the always inspiring Sally Clarkson!

Inspired Mothering from Andrea Birch at momheart.org - an excellent reminder that we must follow the Holy Spirit's voice and our own maternal instincts as we parent.  What may be right or work for one family does not always work for another.

Top Time Management Secrets to Know - a great post for me because I am always rushing through things so that I can get to the next thing.  Stop and enjoy the moment!

25 Things Our Sons Need to Know about Manhood - I came across this letter Ann VosKamp wrote to her 18 year old son reminding him of the importance of purity and manhood.  A great post that I have marked to share with my boys in their future!

A Super Simple Way to Help Your School Age Child Have a Quiet Time Habit - an excellent idea that I would love to try with my older kiddos.  This also came at a time when I have been praying for how to help my children establish their own quiet time while making sure to keep it relational and not just another duty.  I'm so thankful that God hears our prayers and places things like this in my path!

I also found this yummy looking dessert on pinterest.  I confess I haven't tried it yet, but it looks so delicious I thought I'd pass it on!  Snickers Seven Layer Bars - tell me what can you not love about this?

I came across this fun idea from the Dating Divas for a date with the Mr.  Maybe you could try it?  

Make Up Your Own Holiday

That should be enough reading to last awhile!  Happy Thursday!  Tomorrow's Friday! :)

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

I Need Ideas!

A very random post for today....I would love to hear some of the lunches you prepare for your family.  Our family is trying to stay away from the processed, pre-made, pre-packaged foods as much as possible.  I do great for breakfast and supper, but almost all of our lunches are packaged and processed because they are quick and easy.  We finish school right at 12:30 each day, and the Mr. is usually walking in the door right then.  I need simple but filling ideas.  In other words, crackers and cheese ain't gonna cut it for the Mr.!  If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear from you!  So...comment away and have a great day!  (How did you like that for a rhyme?) :)

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy

Counting God's Little Blessings - 3 Every Day:
55.  A quiet day without many irritations! :)
56.  The smell of good food cooking!
57.  God's protection - even when we don't realize the many things we're being protected from!

Ten Random Thoughts from the Last Ten Days!

Some random thoughts from the last ten days:

1.  I am a huge procrastinator!  Not that I didn't already know this, but it has been more evident than usual these last few days.  I must find some motivation somewhere...

2.  In the attempt to find motivation, I began spring cleaning - a most RIDICULOUS way to handle procrastination!  

3.  The weather has either been too dreary or too sunny to finish the aforementioned spring cleaning.  I think I may need to hire my kiddos to finish a few projects! ;)

4.  I love homeschooling with our new method!  I know I've probably mentioned this oh...about a hundred million times since we began this school year, but I just love the new rhythm we have found, and I love that my kids enjoy school.  (Yes, I am aware that Andrew says quite often that he hates school, but I promise that almost every day, he is the one that is most disappointed when it isn't his turn to work with me!)

5.  I love our M&M's group!  This is our group of mommies from our church that meets once a month to challenge and encourage each other through Bible study and fellowship!  I don't think I could be a mom if I didn't have this group!

6.  I am being immensely challenged by the book we are studying in our M&M's group - Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus.  It has been thought-provoking and has already begun to change the way I approach my children when they sin.

7.  Our house has been started!  There are walls, people!  Foam walls soon to be filled with concrete!  This will be a slow process, but like I told the Mr....now that there are walls out there, when our humble abode becomes too confining, I can sit out in my new house and dream! :)  

8.  We skipped spring and are going straight for summer!  It is supposed to be 73* on Thursday! YAY for warm weather!

9.  I had a wonderful weekend with my Mr. doing absolutely nothing of any importance!  It is nice to take a break from responsibility.  We stayed up late, slept in, and even completely forgot about the time change - unintentionally.

10.  I love listening to symphonies.  There is nothing better than having the windows open, the sunshine pouring in, and a symphony playing!

That is my list of randomness...not so very interesting, but it's the best I have for today! :) 

Wishing you a day full of blessings,

Christy