L-O-V-E

In a home filled to the brim with children, love is always around!  Yes, sometimes there are disagreements and moments of getting on each other's last nerve, but there is always somebody in the mood to give and recieve love. 

Every year we have a Valentines party and share the love!  I thought I would share some idea's with you that we incorporate with this annual even of sharing our love:

-I always start with them sitting around me and I go over the Valentines Day "story".  You can find it here.

-We then make mailboxes out of ceral boxes, shoe boxes, or anything else I have around the house, and decorate them. Go here, here or here for some idea's.  (We have done this the week before but it makes it so hard to wait!)  This one is made out of a ceral box~

-we always make cards for each other, or like this year, I took the easy way out and went to our local $1 store and bought them each a box. (pregnancy makes me REALLY lazy!)   I then have buddies get together and they go and fill in their cards for everyone in the family.  I also make sure there is one for dad from each child!
-we pick one of the older kids to be the mail man and deliver all the cards to the appropriate mail boxes.
-after the boxes are filled, we go around the table and everyone says something they love about our family and then something they love about God
-cards are opened and we then have cookies and hot chocolate.  (I have also been know to hand out a couple other treats also!)
 
Nothing fancy, just building memories!  Some other things you can do:

-scavenger hunts looking for Valentines around the house.  (This takes some planning ahead)
-an all red Valentines lunch or dinner, ex.- Spaghetti with sauce, red jello, red heart-shaped pancakes made with strawberries, pizza boats made with hotdog buns that you piece together like a heart and add sauce and cheese.
-making cut-out cookies and decorate them
-These are also a great idea!
-looking up scripture that has anything to do with love.  Make it a game by giving them verses and see who gets to them first. (Not so good for real young children but you can look them up and read them outloud with the little ones)

Some things to do throught out the year to keep the love going:

-Make a "Family Love Book".  Leave a notebook somewhere easy accessible and encourage children AND parents to write down something they noticed when someone was being kind throughout the day or just write down something nice about somebody.  Go over the writings from the day before, every morning to start of the day in a positive way.
-I always write love notes to my children.  They can be short little notes left on a pillow, in a drawer, left in a violin case, or long ones in a sealed envelope for them to read when they are alone.  My girls have all the ones I have written to them and now I have even noticed them doing that for each other!  It's a great reminder to them of love when they are feeling down!
-before meals, have each one go around the table and say a reason they love somebody else at the table
-sit down with them and ask them what love means to them one at a time and WRITE IT DOWN!  Save them and give them to them when they get married.  It is so cute seeing the answers they come up with! We haven had MANY laughs!  I have an entire folder of them!

I hope you have a great day being with those you love! 
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

The first birthday of the year

Today, we celebrate the 1st of many birthday's in 2011
Our "Drubee" turns 3!

He...

*loves to laugh*

*loves fruit*

*loves yogurt*

*has talked in full sentences since he was 18 months old*

*still talks ALL the time*

*potty trained in 3 days, day AND night!*

*loves to be outside*

*knows most of his ABC's*

*plays with Thomas the Train*

*loves to watch Mickey Mouse*

*enjoys playing with play-dough*

*does not really like to pick it up (neither does mom!)*

*helps his big sister in the kitchen*

*sings The B-I-B-L-E over and over and over...*

*likes to pray at meal time*

*has a fit if his taco meat falls out of the shell*

*is very neat and likes order*

*likes to get HIS way*

*tries to dominate his little brother in VERY creative ways!*

*is NOT intimidated by his 7 older brothers*

*only weighs 24 lbs*

*is called the runt of our litter*

*LOVES his oldest brother*

*still takes 3 hour naps*

*goes to bed at 7 and sleeps until 7*

*LOVES his duckie blankie*

*is a mommy's boy*

*is photogenic*

*has to "see" his baby sister everyday (asks to touch my belly)*

*has us all wrapped around his little finger!*

***We love you sweet sunshine!***

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY!*

Thinking of...

///how cold it is out

///walking on snow and ice is really hard when you can't see your feet under your belly

///sledding with the kids

///I guess I better not

/// how I can be so completely exhausted and have 2 months left of pregnancy!

///seeing this little ones face

///what I need to do to get ready for her

///how it never loses it's excitement even when it's number 12

///what will she do with 8 brothers!

///what will they do with her!

///what will they do about my high blood sugar levels since I don't eat anything sweet anyway

///why I continue to lose weight but the baby is gaining

///that it is good knowing she is doing well

///how I will rearrange school when the baby comes

///where all the missing socks go

///how I start out with a whole bag of new socks and a week later they are all missing

///how thankful I am for healthy kids

///when I go over Proverbs with my children, I realize just how much I need more wisdom!

///what the next 2 months will bring

///how I will not get overwhelmed with all the possible changes

///how hard it is to be misunderstood by family

///how living for Christ can lead to persecution from others

///my dear, wise husband and how hard it must be to take care of 13 people

///my parents visiting us Saturday

///how great it is having parents that love us unconditionally even as adults

///how wise they really are

///going out to lunch with 2 wonderful, Godly friends

///what a privilege that is

///being thankful

///grateful

///content

///satisfied

///the grace my Heavenly Father gives me daily

Character Training~ Part 2

I was at the mall this weekend and because of my pregnancy starting to slow me down a touch when it comes to walking around, I sat while my girls were off looking at clothes.  In about 30 minutes I observed WAY more then I cared to watching parents with their children.  No wonder I get the comments I do about having so many children and why people think one or two is enough!  I would not want to go home with children who act like that either!  I by NO means claim to be a perfect parent and my children misbehave and corrections must be made.  However, I have rarely had problems in public places because the training begins at home.  Please DO NOT attemt to make changes for the first time when out in a public place!  It will not be productive and will more than likely backfire only making the problem worse and causing more of a scene.  If you see a problem while out and about, take note and get a plan of action and implement it in your own home first. 

With that being said, one of the first things I observed this past weekend was the parents inability to follow through with their own "threats".  A mother was dealing with a screaming 3-4 year old, and told him if he did not stop, she would take away his ice-cream.  He continued to scream.  So she took the ice-cream away.  Great!  Well, not really!  She gave it right back.  Minutes later, he began to act up again.  She threatened once again to take away the ice-cream this time she stated she would just throw it away.  He continued to throw a fit.  This went on for at least 5 times.  She never did through it away.  She kept giving it back to him and he continued with his disruptive behavior.  They walked away with him screaming with the ice-cream in his hand.  Both of them at their wits end.  DO NOT make a threat you are not willing to immediately follow through with.  If you say you are going to do it, DO IT!  It will not take more than 1 or 2 times for your child to realize you mean business!  Please do your child a favor and never use counting as a means to obedience!  Demand instant obedience every time!  Believe me, if you use the #3, they will wait until the #3 to obey.  That is not the goal!  If a child is in a dangerous situation, you are not going to count to 3 before they have to listen.  You will want instant obedience.  Always require it. 

In a nutshell:

• Don't make threats in anger or in the heat of the moment
• Follow through even if you regret the consequence, learn from it
• Never count when requiring obedience, demand it the first time
• Don't implement something for the first time out in public. 

Our children have missed out on many things because of consequences of misbehavior.  It is so hard to follow through but believe me, it will pay off!  We went to a friend's house when my oldest was young and he did not follow through on a responsibility he had to do before we left.  So I told him he had to sit the entire time at their house and could not get up and play because he did not do what he was told.  We got there, and I looked over at him sitting watching all the other kids playing.  I was literally in tears wanting to go back on my word and give another consequence when we got home. I had wished I would have given not quite so harsh a punishment.  I was talking to my friend and telling her how hard it was!  She in all of her wisdom, said to me, "It has eternal value!  Don't look at the here and now, think of it as training for eternity!"  That made an impact on me I have NEVER forgotten!   I talked with him about it when we got home, prayed with him and gave him a big hug!  The next time we went somewhere, he knew he better get his stuff done and he did!  But boy was it hard at the time!  Hopefully later in life, when his wife asks him to do something he will realize it is important to her and he will follow through.  The same goes for the direction of his heavenly Father.  It seems extreme, but that is what character training is all about.  Doing it while they are young, so when they are old, they will not depart from it!

This parenting thing is SO hard sometimes!  They start out as clean slates and the minute they are are laid in our arms the training begins!  It starts with sleep training and feedings and takes off from there.  The flesh is a terrible thing!  They don't need to be taught to give into it!  It is up to us to allow God to show and direct us in the way we should train them to not give into the flesh.  He does not expect us to know it all!  Our dependancy must be on Him and He must be our example!  We will make mistakes and that is okay!  We will lose our temper, our patience will be tested daily, and we will not do things perfectly everytime.  But He will give us wisdom and understanding if we ask.  Our children crave discipline and boundries from us from the time they are babies until they leave our home.   It is up to us, to seek direction and follow through. Keep praying and obeying and He will see you through!

Foto Friday

On the mend!



Finally, some normalcy around here! 
(Whatever that is but I can tell you last week WAS NOT it!)

Some runny noses, loose coughs and grumpiness are the remnants
but sitting up and playing games is at least being witnessed!

And me you ask?
2 nights of uninterrupted sleep!
Well, except for the little one in my womb giving me the normal 3rd trimester discomforts!
But she is at least quiet about it!:)

We will be getting out and playing in the many inches of snow this weekend!
Hopefully freezing all the bad germs so we don't have to go through this again anytime soon!
Have a safe, healthy weekend!

Longer than I meant it to be

Well, I last posted and gave my word that after I became well, I would be posting more on character training, and I will.

However, a few things came up in the mean time.
Here is an update...

Last week started out fine.

Sewing some baby girl things with a little one on my lap...

Little did we know what the next 10 days would hold for our family! 

This happened...

The H1N1 flu hit our entire home in the worst way ...
(okay, the house is fine, but the children were NOT!)

and it was NO respecter of anyone that walks and breathes!

 

Not only that, but also 2 strains of strep throat hit most of them along with the flu!
I have NEVER witnessed anything like it in my entire 17 year career as a mother!
And I have witnessed LOTS!

So, I cuddled LOTS, prayed more, slept less and had a broken heart looking at their sad, sweet faces and lifeless bodies...

While their bodies fought it all off.

Yes, it was THIS bad!

But this week has been better! 

As I said many times from the wisdom of my dear grandma,

"This too shall pass!"

And it has!

I had to remind myself CONSTANTLY that God will never give me more than I can bear!

Even 11 kids REALLY sick, all at the same time!
I feel invincible!

I am woman, hear me ROAR!

I am going to post more on character training, I really am.  Sickness has entered our home and I have gotten hit so there is a slight delay!  I will get back at it when I am well.

Stay tuned please!

Character Training~ Part I

This is a topic that I feel so unworthy to talk about because sometimes as a parent I see my flaws WAY more than I see the things I have done well.  However, with a 17 and 15 year old, living in my home, I have been through a few years of "training a child in the way they should go".  So here are some idea's that we use and have used in the past.  I'm still learning and cannot believe how the more I know, the less I feel like I know!  I do believe that the most important thing we teach our children are how to imitate the character of Christ.  It must start from very small child on.  I even start when my children are newborns!

*I do that by laying them down for nap or bedtime and EVERY time telling them Jesus loves them out loud.  You probably are thinking, "They don't understand that yet, why would that matter?"  Well, first of all, the one main thing I want my children to know is that God loves them unconditionally.  By telling them about His love before they even understand it, is essential to them understanding it later in life.  My two year old was asked when he could barely talk, who loved him and his reply, "JESUS!"  He was told that EVERY time he was  laid down.  (I still do this when I tuck my children in!)  They WILL get it!  After I tell them of Jesus love, before they can understand, I gently tell them, "It's time to go to sleep now."  They also learn that when I say, "go to sleep", they know a few months later, when it is time to sleep and they have no choice.  I have NEVER had a problem putting my children to bed.  We have had the same bedtime routine and been consistent with the time.  Even when they get to be older, bedtime is bedtime and that is it!  That is one of the first ways, we train them.  No stalling, no games.  Bed time is bedtime. 

*As they grow, we begin teaching them the word of God.  Simple verses.  Proverbs is always our starting place.  This is also a  verse that all of our children know, I Timothy 4:12~ Do not others think less of you because you are young, be an example to all believers in word, in spirit, in faith and purity.Or Proverbs 20:11~ Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right. They don't learn these ever night, word for word but they will begin to understand them with gentle reminders throughout the day of examples they can "prove" these verses to other's.  I then begin to teach them memorization of these verses bit by bit.

*My husband at around 18 months to 2 years old, will set things on a table to tempt them.  Things that will test self-control and encourage it.  Something they will really enjoy.  A piece of cereal, cookie, or something that they really want.  He will then sit on the floor with them and gently tell them to wait.  As they begin to reach for it, again, he will say, "wait".  When they are finally able to just stare at it without reaching out for it, he will say okay to them and let them have it.  This also takes time but it teaches them to not always grab something just because the "want" it.  It really pays off later on, when our goal is to have them ask before they take something.  Looking back, we have slacked with some of our children on this training technique and they have the hardest problem with impulse and lack of self-control.  Personality also plays a part in that!  Some kids are just more impulsive and some are more careful, but as a whole, we see a pattern.  The better we have stuck to it, the greater the payoff later.

*With young children, we have encouraged them to learn how to sit at a young age.  Blanket time is something I used quite often with my older ones but have found it harder because of a "busier" life with my last 6 or so.  I still use play-pen time,  up to 18 months old.  This teaches them to stay on a blanket or in a play-pen for a time to learn to focus on something for a while.  More on this HERE.  The next step to that is teaching them to sit on a lap or small chair quietly for a few minutes at a time.  Getting up is not acceptable until told it is okay to get up.  My husband has sat through MANY crying fits because a child did not want to hold still.  He just quietly continues to hold them until they quit crying and gently speaks to them as many times as needed, telling them when they are quietly sitting for a time, they may get up.  After a few sessions of this, you will be amazed at how they will sit when they know it is necessary!  It works great for Wal-mart and strollers also, once this has been taught.  When they are in a cart or stroller, gently remind them, they need to sit until mommy says so.  I have hardly ever had problems with a child when it comes to sitting somewhere for a time.  Now, I also don't abuse this and I understand at a certain point, children need time to wear off some energy but there is no reason a small child cannot sit through a church service at a VERY young age,  if trained properly at home.

*One thing we are "religious" about is is Bible time/family time.  EVERYDAY we meet with the children for a small amount of time together.  That is where some of the things mentioned above can be practiced and utilized.   When we slack in this area, which is rare, we notice that we always have to go back and "remind" them of the expectations.  Lots more work then just sticking with it!  It is a time we all look forward to.

These few things, we have done to BEGIN character training.  More to come in Part 2 for the child a little bit older...

I would LOVE any idea's you have for the younger child age group!

Stay-tuned!