Monday Meanderings--My Week @ a Glance

Bible Study:   Nothing at the moment.   

Memory Verse: Not working on anything at the moment (not good but I want to be totally honest)

Husband Encouragement:

1. tell him how much he means to me MORE.  He is a great husband and I'm blessed I need to make sure he knows this
2. encourage him to take a night and have some guy time with friends.  He hardly ever does this but needs to.    
3. remember to not nag when he works late.  He wants to be home but can't don't make him feel guilty.  

Train Them Up:
Cynthia-Keep working with her and the screaming.  She is doing better.  I have not been letting her get away with her fit throwing.  I think she is starting to see that I'm not giving in to her. 

Darius- POTTY TRAINING is going EXCELLENT!!!  He has had 5 full days of no accidents.  I feel like a miracle happened overnight.  Thank you God.  I begin homeschooling last week.  I want to get on a regular schedule with him 

Personal Goals:

1. to talk in a kinder voice to my children not matter what the circumstance is (still working on this everyday.
2.  To stop being so anal about our house.  I have 2 young kids and things are not going to look perfect all the time.  i need to give myself some slack and work on being content.
3. To keep up with my night schedule (without being so strict that I go to bed feeling terrible when I don't get it all done.)

New Habit of the Month
**Just adjust to the girls being gone.  I am just going to try and keep it all together and hopefully each day will get better.  It's my new Normal**

The above is an understatement.  Life is very different right now and I have been very sad lately.  

I'm trying to adjust and its hard right now.  I just want to get into a routine that feels comfortable.  

MUST DO
* Get stuff ready for The Y
* Work on learning the signs to Amazing Grace
* make a hair appointment

Zone

Yard work (grass is coming up in the back yard.  I'm so excited.  Keep working on it)

Menu
I have the flu so the menu I had planned is being replace by what ever my husband throws together.  I might get back to it later in week.  

FUN THINGS!
* plan a date night soon for David and I (did not get this done last week...still needs done)

3 things I’m thankful for today:

1.  Safety from God for Kristie and her flat tire

2.  Darius success with potty training

3.  My husband-who has been running our house the past few day as I have the flu.

Day 3

My newest misson is to get my 3 year old boy potty trained.  It has been going great and guess what?????

He woke up with a dry pull-up this morning, got up and went potty.  Life is GREAT!!

Homeschooling Week 1

This was our 1st unofficial official week of homeschooling :)

Lets just say....it went great.  We did what ever we felt like doing and I had a great time.  

Darius could work on work pages all day.  I get tired after about page number 10.  My attention span is not as good as his sometimes :)

We worked on several things this week.  Our biggest thing was how to hold his pencil correctly.  He does not have it exactly right yet but he is doing great.  

Cynthia just sits and watches us.  She will join in when she feels like it and has been enjoying watching and repeating me.

Darius is now on our official number 2 day of potty training.  He did not have any accidents and went once all by himself.  I'm so excited about this you have no idea.  It just dawned on my that he might be able to do Awana's now since he might be potty trained. Yah!!!

I think that I'm going to consider myself and our technique of homeschooling the LIFE-school method.  We are going to live life together and learn as we go....Mom too.  

I have never home-schooled from preschool on.  Kristie was my first experiment and she was 4th grade.  So this is all new to me.  

I have to tell you something....don't tell anyone "I'm really enjoying myself so far"  Yes it hard, Yes i want to pull my hair out (and I would be a very ugly bald person), but right now it's what God is calling me to do so I can either have a good attitude or a bad attitude.  Right now I'm going to smile, thank God for a good week and sign off with a Good attitude.  

That's not an ordinary BUG

I got a new coffee machine today.  Yeah!!

As I was opening up my new coffee machine and trying to figure out how it works I hear a high pitch scream from the living room.

That's not good, I thought.  Who hit who is always my first thought.

As I walk into the living room there stands my little boy screaming at the top of his lungs.  At first I can't figure out why he is yelling.

Did his sister hit him?

Did he smash his finger in the window?

Did he get his hand pinched in the chair he was turning around and around in, even though he has been told not to?

Nope

I finally get him to get me that he was trying to look in the mouth of the BUG.

I opened up the curtain and there is the culprit....A BEE

Needless to say we got out the boo boo train and Darius has decided he does not like bees :)

Is it still Summer?

I'm home unable to go anywhere today...why?  Because I'm sick.  I started getting sick, Thursday, on our trip and have gone down hill from there.  I have tons of work to do but feel like total crap when I stand up.

Is summer over?  

I thought sickness, like what I have, come only in the winter.  Instead of enjoying the nice weather outside...I get to stay home sip on something warm curl up in a blanket and hope to get better quick.  

Darius woke up yesterday asking me to wipe his nose....great not only am I sick but I have given it to my little boy.  

Way to go mom!!!

Monday Meanderings--My Week @ a Glance

Bible Study:   Nothing at the moment.  I'm getting ready to start BSF and I'm getting ready for the Y to start so I'm very busy with that right now.  

Memory Verse:

Husband Encouragement:

1. Keep encouraging David in the big and small things
2. Continue to say Yes even when I want to say no.  
3. Continue to be the best help mate God intended me to be.

Train Them Up:
Girls- tons of prayers for their new adventure

Cynthia-Keep working with her and the screaming.

Darius- I really need to work on the potty training.  With so much changing in our house I will take it slow but it really needs happen soon.

Personal Goals:

1. to talk in a kinder voice to my children not matter what the circumstance is
2. To have an attitude of that of Christ Jesus....I need to watch my attitude and response to others especially my soul mate.
3. To keep up with my night schedule and keep the house clean

New Habit of the Month
Just adjust to the girls being gone.  I am just going to try and keep it all together and hopefully each day will get better.  It's my new Normal

MUST DO
* Finish Cynthia's room
* Work on getting my calendar together
* Get my life organized

Zone

Yard work-helping David with fence in front

Menu
M – Mexican Potatoes, peas, warm caramelized apples

T-Caribbean Chicken, steamed, potatoes, honey/lime cantaloupe

W- Grilled Cajun Tilapia, corn on the cob, grilled peaches

Th-Southwestern Quiche, spinach salad, strawberries

F- Grilled Shrimp Teriyaki, grilled veggies, wild rice

S-Chicken Parmesan, fettuccine, Green Salad

Sunday- Club Salad, Swiss Cheese Bagels, Grapes

FUN THINGS!
* plan a date night soon for David and I

3 things I’m thankful for today:1. My girls finding jobs in Joplin

2. My husband being off extra days

3. Starting to feel better-Not back to normal yet but feeling better than Thursday

Things not to say!!!

Wow, its been a long and interesting week taking my girls to college.

  I will blog about all the details of our trip later. 

As I get ready for bed and look back on the past 2 weeks I have heard several things from different people.

1.  What will you do with the 2 little kids once the girls are gone. 

Obviously these people don't realize that I raised 3 girls almost by myself and did fairly well if you ask me.  I think Little" D" and Sissy have a mommy and daddy that will miss the girls but will be able to take care of that which God has intrusted, so don't ask me that question.

2.  Why are you so sad, it's not as if your girls died.

No they did not die but please don't assume to know how I feel or presume to understand what I'm going through...you have no idea

3.  So now you are starting a new family.

I have not stopped being my girls mom just because my girls have gone to college.  I don't feel like my job as a mom has ended just because they are not under my roof, instead my job has just changed.

I don't believe these things were said out of spite but intead out of stupidity.  I love my girls and I miss them terribly.  I don't need or want to hear things that will only make what I'm going through worse.

My prayer is that God will give me the strength I need each day while the pain feels like more than I can handle.  I pray that as each day passes the pain I feel will lessen little by little until I can look back and see how God held me close and helped me through the most painful thing I have had to do....let my girls grow up  

Change

What does not kill you will make you stronger right???

Well, I walked into my house after being at work all day to find that Keisha has packed her entire room up and has begin to paint the room for her sister.  Wow, I thought I was going to lose it.  By baby girl is leaving for college in less than a week.  Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday I was watching her take her first steps.  And here is my baby now...

"Beautiful isn't she!!!"

Monday Meandering- My weekly Plans

Bible Study

Just finished up 2 different studies looking for a new study now

Memory Verse

Psalms 5:2

Listen to my cry for help, my King to my God, for to you I pray. 
Husband Encouragement...
* making sure i continue to follow our budget
* have dinner ready when he gets home or shortly after

* Continue to put him first after God and make sure he knows it
Train Them Up...
* Continue to work with Cynthia helping her to use her new words to help her communicate 

* Get girls ready to leave for college and make sure they have what they need to have a good start
Personal Goals...
* to work on keeping balance in my life and home

New Habit of the Month...
*continue working on keeping up with my night schedule-this is still not easy for me.  I want it to come more natural to me....I'm still struggling to keep up with it

MUST Do...
* switch around rooms

* get ready to take the girls to college

* get the house ready before we leave 

* get Cynthia ready to go to Aunt Connie's

 Zone...  must work on my room  and get the Van cleaned out for the trip
Menu -we are following the e-mealz plan so it has been easy to plan my weekly meals 

Monday- Penne Primavera, strawberry spinach salad, garlic bread

Tuesday- Country Fair Chicken, fruit salad, crescent rolls

Wednesday- Lemon Basil Pork Loin, Baked Potatoes, green beans

Thursday- Orange French Toast, Turkey Bacon, Sliced apples

Friday- Tilapia Amandine, brown rice, corn on the cob

Saturday-  braised steak, mixed frozen veggies, fried potatoes

Sunday-  Tuna Macaroni Salad, cantaloupe 

FUN THINGS
* Library with the kiddos

* Work on getting my pics ready for when I come home
3 things I'm thankful for today... 
1. Movie night with the hubby- watching Avitar

2. Great volunteers in Children's Ministry

3. My family

To eat or not to eat

So I have recently started to cut back and really try hard to save money on our weekly grocery bill.  I have done lots of things to make this happen. 

1.  I have started making a weekly meal plan...planing all my meals out
2.  I have recently ordered the gazette and the Denver post so that I can cut out coupons
3.  I took a class called grocery university that helps you figure out ways to cut your grocery bill by a huge        percentage
4.  I have signed up for something called e-mealz which plans all your meal out and does it so that your weekly grocery bill is under around $75
5.  I have been looking at frugal living blogs to see what other women are doing
6.  Follow faithfully springs bargains- to see what is on sale in our area

I tell you all of this because now I'm struggling.  About 2 years ago we cut out a lot in our diet and started to eat tons of organic stuff.  There are things I still will not cook at home if they are not organic but that is another topic.  My problem has come in the hard reality that I can not be organic and be frugal with our families budgeted money.  Today as I was shopping at Walmart, which I have not done main shopping at  in over 2 years, I felt the need to possible cry.  I felt like I was not fixing totally organic meals for my family and that because of that was not being a good mom, a good wife. 

What a dilemma I now face. 

We buy our meat in bulk so we have plenty of meat that is organic but other than that it is a pick and choose.

 I am currently doing the good, better, best theory

Basically we do what we can.  I am praying for Gods wisdom regarding what I should stick to my guns about.  I will not be intentionally feeding my family things with high fructose corn syrup, or Hydrogenated oils in it.  We will be staying away from thing white...white bread, rice, ect.  I will continue to cut coupons and cook healthy meals at home.  I will continue to try an provide as many organic meals as we can afford.  And I will continue to buy Walmart Great Value brand if is cheaper and I don't see a major nutritional value between it and the name brand. 

I know that to some of you this might seem weird but for me it is a big deal.  When a women feeds her family of 7 on for less than 100 dollars a week this is a big deal.  I have been working on making this work for my family and today when I went shopping and succeeded it was a victory. 

We don't have lots of money and we need to save what we can.  God has been so gracious to our family and my husband works hard for every dime he brings home.  I want to honor him by making sure I'm spending our budgeted money for food, diapers, and household item the way he would be proud. 

It's not easy but I'm working hard at finding the balance.  It can't always be the best...sometimes its better..and than sometimes I just have to do what is good.   I will praying for balance and for God's will even when it comes to which lunch meat to buy.  Funny to some....reality to me. 

America the Beautiful Park

Yesterday I decided to take the kids to the library and then over to America the Beautiful Park.  Wow did we have a blast.  Darius played until his little legs could not go any more and Cynthia acted scared for the first 1 1/2 hours we were there than she ran and played like no one business.  I can not believe that it was our first time going this summer, we have really missed out. 

I woke up thinking that we better make the most out of the rest of the summer and we sure did.  I called up some friends and we all meet for lunch and had a great time.  We had so much fun that some of us are meeting again today to do it again....Darius can hardly believe he gets to go again.  

Here are some pictures from yesterday with more to come......