Foto Friday

Glad my week ended up better than it began! Have a great weekend!

Be still and know

The other night I was holding my 8 week old as he was crying and getting very impatient to eat. He had about 30 minutes until it was time. Because I am his mom and I know what is best for him, I knew he needed to wait. If I fed him too early, he would either not eat enough to make it until his next feeding, get a tummy ache, and the worst would be that if I would give in all the time, he would think that every time he cries, I feed him. Not a good way to teach discipline! Which by the way, is important to them even as a tiny baby! It is the basis for life~ So as I was holding him, I gently said to him in that high pitched voice that I so often speak to him in, "Don't you know even if you did not cry, I know what you need! I am your mommy! I know you want to eat, and I will feed you when it is time."

Now I know he had NO clue what I was saying. But a thought crossed my mind, that is how it is with God and me! I cry and whine about all the things I think I need and want. The truth is, even if I said nothing, He knows exactly what I need and when I need it! The great thing is that He does want to hear what I have to say, just as when my baby cries, I understand that he is trying to tell me something and so I try to comfort him, but in MY way! God will and does listen to me, but ultimately He will do what He knows is best for me!

So I guess what he was trying to say to me, "be still and know that I am God!" Just as my little one can be still and know that I am mom! :)

 

Two words...

Okay, so here it is. This weekend did not go as I had planned! Why? You may ask. Or you may not, but here it is anyway... summed up in 2 dreaded words from a mommy of 11 kids...STOMACH FLU!

You may not prefer me to go any further in fear that I may give too much detail, but I think if I have suffered so much, why not spread the joy! :)

I thought I would include just for sympathy sake from my blog friends, (you are sympathetic, aren't you?) Some of the things I did not accomplish because of the visit from the worst enemy of a large family, Mr. Stomach Flu:

I was not able...

-to clean ANYTHING! (Really, that is NOT true! My carpets are spot cleaned better than ever and I think our bedding smells fresher than it has for a long time!)

-cook anything with flavor OR color in fear that at any given time, one more child would begin to make that familiar moaning sound followed by the next familiar sound! (Need I say more?!)

-get any sleep! (Just for a side note~ this whole thing started the night that my 8 week old decided to sleep the whole night for the first time, so I COULD HAVE had a great nights sleep minus the regurgitation every half hour from my other children!)

-spend much time with my husband unless it involved cleaning up carpets and changing bedding together. We did get a pretty good system going!

-to go to our state fair to watch my oldest compete in her first fiddling contest, we figured fried foods on a stick would not go well with Mr. Stomach Flu!

-to gather things for our families garage sale this coming weekend, (although the thought crossed my mind to put some price tags on my children's forheads a couple times!)

Things I was able to accomplish...

-not getting Mr. Stomach Flu myself

-everything that God wanted me to! After all, taking care of my family is the one and only thing God intended for me to do this weekend! (I just would have liked to have done it a little differently! :) Maybe a day at the park, a picnic, the fair...)

As my grandma always used to say, "This to shall pass!" And for that I am truly thankful!

Foto Friday...Brotherly love!

May they always be in awe of each other! In a loving way that is! Not an awestruck, "I can't believe my brother did that", sort of way!:)

 

 

Have a great God-filled weekend friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER!!!

To my mother, my friend!


Mother, thank you...

...for loving me when I was an unlovable teen
...for giving me everything you had when you felt like you had nothing to give
...for showing me how to love others
...for showing me how to forgive others when they treated me wrong
...for never leaving me when others left you
...for allowing me to grow by making my own mistakes
...for trusting me
...for believing in me when everyone else was putting me down
...for making me laugh even when I did not think I wanted to!
...for listening to me when you needed somebody to listen to you!
...for being an awesome grandma to my children

...for the most important thing a mother could ever show, the Love of Jesus!

You are truly an example to me of what it means to love others unconditionally and how Jesus loves us! You have always made me feel I am here on this earth for a reason and that God has a special plan for me! You will never know how much that has meant to me! I love you and thank you for not only being my mother, but my best friend!

I Love you!

The oldest kids plan and cook

From the time my kids were able to help pour things in a bowl with ease, I have had them helping me in the kitchen. I always thought it was important to teach them to cook. I never made a meal once until I got married! By the grace of God, I have learned to cook and bake and enjoy it very much. But occasionaly it is a blessing to not have to worry about a meal. So...part of our home education is once a week, the oldest 3 must plan a meal. That includes a budget that I set, ingredients, perparation and the dreaded clean up! (Which is nothing new, because they have meal clean-up every night anyway!) Last night my oldest son and oldest daughter decided to chip in together and make a meal with dessert.

On the menu:

Grilled pork chops marinated in sesame terriyaki sauce
Hot dogs on the grill and brat burgers
Homemade french fries
Corn casserole
Grapes

And for dessert...
Fruit Pizza (our family's favorite!)


Won't he make a good husband someday?!

 

A wife and mother in the making!

 

Grilled chops anyone?

 

The table is set!

 

I highly recommend doing this with your children! It is a great feeling of accomplishment for them and it encourages them independence once on their own. I also teach our younger children to thank them excitedly which just adds an added blessing to everyone!!

Where arrreeee you...

I lost my 18 month old for awhile...we called his name...nothing...called his name again...nothing...and then the door slowly opens...and...

 

...there he was...

 

...oh, if only he were not so stinkin' cute! It makes being a responsible, consistent, parent reeeaaalllyyyy hard! :)

 

Foto Friday

Before the heat wave comes, we decided to have a picnic and some fun at the park! Enjoy your weekend, blog friends!