Digital Scrap-booking Class

On my birthday this year I asked my husband for an online photography and digital scrap-booking class.  I started the class a couple of days ago and completed one of my assignments today.  The class is really teaching me a lot about Photoshop right now and how to use tools within the program.   I have always wanted to know this program better not only for scrap-booking but also to be able to make fliers for work.  I'm really excited to be taking the class and I'm sure it will not be my last.  

So it's not much but here is my first completed page :)

Friday at the Livingston's

I have not had one day in a while that was not filled with some kind of drama or situation, today is no exception.  

What I thought would be a nice relaxing day turned into a day at the emergency room.  Yep, and if you know my family at all I bet it would not take long to figure out which of my children would cause a run to the emergency room......yes it was D.

I laid D down for a nap and within 10 minutes I hear a loud popping sound coming from my fuse box followed by the loudest scream I've ever heard.  I knew immediately what  had happened I was just unsure which child was screaming.  It turned out to be D.

We had been putting a small heater in D's room before he goes to bed because his room is the coldest in the house.  We have to unplug it if he is awake because he messes with it.  Well, to make a long story short I unplugged the heater but did not put the outlet cover back on.  

My precious son decided to stick a hair thingy in the outlet.  The the breaker blew in the fuse box but he got a bad electrical burn on his finger.  I don't know much about electrical burns but what I do know now is they hurt.  D yelled and cried for about 30 minutes straight.

By the time we got back into the emergency room he wanted to watch cartoons on the TV and was doing much better.  I'm sure you can imagine how happy his parents were that we will now receive fan mail, because we are self pay,  from Penrose :(

On the bright side I did have David take a picture of the nurse cleaning the burn.  He was a big boy and handled it way better than I would.

He literally talked to this nurse from the time she walk in until we walked out...non stop
She found him cute and entertaining.  

The things I hear

Recently during a conversation with a mom she bluntly said "why shouldn't I be able to do _________. Its not all about the kids. Parents should not have to give up everything for their kids"

You see I totally agree with this statement, except where I don't. Make perfect since :). I didn't think so.
You see as a mom I definitely need an outlet. I need to hang out with friends, blog if that's my thing, do things that keep me going...rejuvenate myself, take care of myself.....Agreed

But not at the sake of my children or my husband.

I believe we live in such a ME society. I need to get out away from my kids, I need to blog because that's how I communicate with other adults, I need to...you fill in the blank. I'm not saying another the above is wrong what I believe can go wrong is the Attitude behind the thoughts.

We can't continue to do a good job taking care of our kids is we don't take care of ourselves. Yes we need to do this but With the right attitude.

We, I made a conscious choice to have each child that is in my home here. They deserve the best of me. The don't deserve my bad attitude day in and day out because I did not get to hang out with my friends or sit at the computer to blog or what ever I do on the computer.

I love my life the good and the bad, and there is a lot of bad days...weeks. This is my life and I'm only getting this time to do it right...... for my kids for my family and yes this will mean giving up some things....MOSTLY MY TIME.

Did he really say that...yep he did

I have friends that blog all the time about the things that there kids say.  I have one friend whose stories about her son never ceases to make me laugh, until I cry.  I tell her when ever she indulges me with a story that she should write a book about all the things he says and does.  

I'm beginning to see a small resemblance to my son and the stories I'm able to tell.  He does and says the funniest things.  I wonder what must be going through his mind often.  I understand that I have never raised a boy before but man does his brain work different than the three girls I raised.  

I went out to lunch with a friend to Soup-n-Salad when out of the blew my boy tells me that his stomach hurts.  I turn to ask him what hurts when he proceeds to tell me...and this is a quote "my stomach hurts and I don't want to have a baby".  OK, after I stopped laughing I explained to him that he could not have a baby because he was a boy and boys don't have babies.  He then says to me...and I quote "then why is my tummy hurting, its a baby."

Yep that's my boy!!

I have narrowed it down to the fact that his Preschool Teacher is having a baby.  Although she is not showing a lot there has been lots of talk about a baby and he has over heard it.  Good news is his stomach stopped hurting because he was not believing me when I told him he was not going to have a baby!!

Love that Kid  :) 

and I can't wait to tell him that story when he gets older!!

Good Conversation

Today has been a very good day..

I had good conversation with all of my girls.  

There are days when I sit and wonder what they are doing; how are they doing? 

 Today, I'm not wondering.

I miss my girls but I know they are ok and that makes me feel good.

Yep, I miss them tons.  

I am so proud of these girls.  They are growing into great women of God!!  

Yep I am!!

I know that its weird to talk about weight where people can read it but I really want to talk about it.  Yes, just in case you did not know this I have a weight issue.  I have struggled for years with this issue and have sworn off dieting because I hate giving up food :)  which is why most people do it.  

Anyway, I started weight watchers on January 13th with a friend and my husband is also watching what he eats. 

The night before I went to my first meeting I had bad dreams about everything I would not be able to eat.

How funny is that :)  NOT

I hate dieting and so I'm not going to do it.  Instead I will be trying to change the way I eat.  Yep it will be hard and yes I will mess up so don't judge me.  What I need more than ever is friends to come along side me and support me.  So, here I go on another adventure.  

Mom's Heart Conference

Yes, I did get to go away for the weekend.  

Yes, I did have a good time.  

For my birthday my hubby got me a ticket to the Mom's Heart Conference, which is exactly what I wanted.  Then with Christmas , my birthday, my hubbies birthday happening right before the conference I was not sure that I would be able to spend the night, which would have been ok but not as much fun.  Right as I was preparing my heart to possibly not be able to stay....I got a birthday present from my dear friend Anastasia, my hotel room paid for the conference :)  

What a great birthday!!

Well, I went to the conference this weekend.  I had a great time.  I heard God tell me so many things so many I can't even list them all here.  However, the one thing that I came home with is.....

That I need to be faithful with the children, all the children, that God has given me. 

 I need to be raising little warriors for Christ.  

I want to finish "WELL" this mission field call "Motherhood".  I want the Livingston kids to make a difference in this world for eternity.  I want my grandchildren and great grandchildren to make a difference in this world for eternity.  In order for this to happen I need to pour my heart and soul into my children.  

It takes a lot of energy and patience to be a good mom but there is nothing I want more than when I get to heaven for God to tell me "Well done good and faithful mom of Jelissa, Kristie, Lakeisha, Darius, and Cynthia  and because of your faithfulness your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren....will be here too."  

I love my kids so much.  I love being their mom, and this is the best job in the world!!

Keeping track

Trying to celebrate the ups and downs of homeschooling a preschooler.  Some days are good and some not so good but I would like to start keeping better records of my days here on my blog.

Now if you read and you like fluffy....this might be where you stop following because when it comes to school it is rarely fluffy!!

Start of the Week

Today was a good day.  Church was great and I got to hang out with the kids.  I had a conversation with a friend a couple of days ago about kids.  I can not recall a time when I did not look forward to being around the kids at church.  I love each one of them and try and let them know that they are precious to me but more precious to their creator.  I love working with the kids, even the ones that have the tendency to be naughty :)

D did not get to go to Awana's today because of the weather so a long nap was ordered for him, and he took it.

Joe, Keisha, David and I came home from church ate lunch and watch a movie, the a-team. 

It was an ok movie but it was a good lunch.  

I found a recipe online for carnitas tacos.  They were really good.

I don't cook a lot of pork but we got 1/3 of a pig from our in-laws and I'm trying to find recipes that we will like.  We liked this recipe.  None of us are big pork eaters but we all liked this meal.  Looking for more recipes to make for the family.

Well, it's going to be a busy week.  We have something going on every night again and Wednesday is my Birthday.  I'm pretty excited this year which is unusual I have no idea why.  It's not a big birthday but it's the last year in the 30's.  I'm hoping for a good year of growth both spiritually and emotionally.  I'm also looking with great anticipation to see what God will do in my families life, it should be amazing.

My girls

The Heart

...it's a part of the body that God created to pump blood to the rest of the body.  Life starts and ends there.  The Heart, without it life ceases to exist here on earth.  

19 years ago my heart begin to live outside my body.  Today not only does my heart live outside my body it has literally been broken into pieces, 5 different pieces.  How can this be?  How can I live with a broken heart?

March 24, 1991 I looked into the eye of the most beautiful things I had ever saw, my twin girls.  

I could never imagine loving anyone as much as I loved them.  People asked me about other kids and I would laugh and say there's no way I could love another child like I love my girls.

June 19, 1992 I looked into the eyes of a little girl who would wrap me around her little finger from the moment she was born.  I looked into my little Keisha eyes and at that very moment my heart was broken into 3 pieces.  

My life would never be the same.  It's hard to have your heart live outside your body.  How can that be?  How can the organ that pumps life live outside of you?

I never thought I would ever love any child the way i love my girls.  They have made me the mom I am today. I can't imagine life without them.  I'm a better person because of them.  

15 years after Keisha was born David and I have 2 more kids.  Could my heart actually love these 2 kids the way i love my girls?  I worried it might never be possible.  I worried that I would not have the same bond I have with my girls.  

The truth is I had no idea I could possibly love D and C the way I do.  My heart has grown and made room for each child added to our family.  I love all my kids the same.  Yes, the relationship is very different but the love is the same.  

It amazes me that God has made us the way he has but I'm very grateful that He did.

Today part of my heart left to go to Joplin for winter session and again my heart not only lives outside my body but part of my heart is in Joplin.  Love you to the moon and back Kristie