UUUGHHH...going backwards!

OK, not good. Sonic and Speedee Wok. That's all I'll say.

Weight Loss Update

I think it's been nearly a month since I posted, so I will just go ahead and update even though I am not as excited about the weight loss as I was 2 years ago. Since January 1st of this year I have lost 6 pounds. I wish I could say it was 10 or more, but at this point I am just glad it's coming off at all and I hear "slow" weight loss is much more sustainable over the long haul than dropping 15 pounds in a month and then gaining it all back in 2 weeks. I have to wonder if the kombucha is helping the weight loss. That and the fact that I am buying a produce basket every 2 weeks and so there are vegetables that HAVE to be eaten or they go to the bad, and most of you who know me know that I am one who does NOT waste food (aka: money!). :) So just please pray that I will keep the focus on losing to Glorify the One who made me and not for impressing anyone or even fitting into clothes that are looser and fit me much nicer (although our 20th high school class reunion in June is a good date to set as a target, but the lifestyle will have to continue throughout my lifetime).

It's been 7 months since I last posted anything here. Just wanted to briefly write to let everyone know (all 5 of you!) that I am expecting accountability. I am on a journey to replace the love of food with the love of Jesus! The Proverbs 31 Ministry devotional today spoke directly to the issue and here is the prayer I have printed out and will hang all around my house, "Dear Lord, if I'm being honest with myself and You, I know sometimes I rely on food more than I rely on You. I want to recalibrate my soul and change for the right reasons. I want to see You in and through this entire process. Please be with me, Lord, each day. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

I suppose there are many other "loves" or "addictions" or (call it what it is) "sins" that could be substituted in place of the word "food", so if this speaks to you, feel free to write out the prayer and put whatever the sin that so easily entangles you in the blank for food. I hope to check in at least weekly with progress reports, so please ask or inquire on f*cebook if you see I'm being negligent or quiet. :) Since Jan. 1st I have lost 2.5 pounds so far. But I have not begun to exercise and I have not truly stuck with the 1000 calories a day nor the 3 bottles of water I had planned to drink. I HAVE, however, overcome the no-caffeine coffee headache thing, so God is making me a conquerer one step at a time! And for that I am so grateful!

An Addition to Our Family {perhaps more of a Cowgirl than I thought!}

INTRODUCING>>>{drum roll, please}>>> our newest little family member...There he is nearly touching noses with his momma (the white cow resting in the shade...I'd be resting too if I'd done what she did just 3 days ago):

Emma Grace wanted to name him "Bitsy" because he's so small. Actually, he's a regular sized bull calf, but she's never seen a calf only 2 days old. We arrived home from vacation at the beach to find him following closely behind his momma, walking well, nursing well, and just generally being a great addition to our flock. :) We knew the momma was going to be having a baby when we bought her, but we just weren't sure when. So we're claiming his birthdate as 6/11/11. Easy to remember!

And so I must tell you all that I called it a week or so ago after noticing some signs us mommas go through and saying, "What do you want to bet she will have that calf while we're out of town?" So erase my last post about not meant to be a farmer. I'm a budding little cowgirl! HA! I'm just so thankful that mom didn't need *help* because apparently not even our substitute parents next door noticed that he had been birthed! AHEM. :) Where can you get good help? {Just kidding} Really, I just kept wondering how she did it so beautifully and quietly when ours (human birth) is so complicated. Haven't even seen any afterbirth or vultures flying around or anything. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. God is so good!

And so here's our next mother-to-be...

You may not be able to tell, but she was probably bred around the same time as the one above, so we're expecting another calf anyday now. I have noticed she is sitting more lately with these hot, no SWELTERING, days. I must say I sure hope this one is a heifer. I don't want Dear Farmer Husband to have to decide to either sell him or make him a *STEER*, if you know what I mean?! PU-LEASE don't tell me what day that is for our new little Bitsy. Oh, and we have one other bull calf (one of the brown calves in the picture). They might surely make some good, grass fed beef one day, but I just can't bear to know it. Tell me it came from somewhere else!

Nowhere Close to Being a Cowgirl!

While DH was out of town for 4 days this past week, I had the grand opportunity to play cowgirl! I say that with all of the affection I can muster up considering I grew up in a suburb of Charles*on and really never considered that we would own cows one day. It's been about 3 weeks now that we've owned these 4 heffers and 2 nursing calves, so I thought they were pretty acclimated to their new surroundings, but something in them must have decided that, truly, the grass IS greener on the other side...and that decision had to come while Jason was half a country away in St. Lo*is.

Here's the scenario. The pond where they drink water is low. Two brown cows (Herford cows or as some call "white faced cows")decide to venture out to the middle of the pond up against the barbed wire fence running through the middle of the pond. They are able to successfully cross the fence (or what's left of it in the middle of the pond). Farmer Wife decides the two calves need their mommas for milk (they are around 3 months old) and must go to the gap to let them in, coaxing with sweet feed, all the while in nice, dressy sandals and capri pants. Farmer Wife has trouble opening up said "gap" Dear Farmer Husband has created--when this has happened once before, I might add!!

Please picture for yourselves the nicely dressed woman loading up with a white bucket with a bare minimum of sweet feed heading out where the cows are peering at her across the gap. She is straining with all her might in battle with a rusty, big gate and finding out she has to untie a blue strap holding it to a tree. Then seeing the barbed wire going round and round the gate and attempting to untie the barbed wire with her B.A.R.E. hands!!! Not a nice picture once I was finished...bloody, bloody mess compounded with a rusty, rusty mess. And the gate still would not move to the right or the left (hence the shoulder pain now!). The left side of the gap/gate was wedged between two trees...when my husband does a job, he DOES IT WELL!

Please remember I was in nice sandals---not even sure that the area where I was stepping did not contain tons of poison ivy or poison oak. OH, yeah....back to the 3rd person story...

So Farmer Wife remembers Son up in the baby pool (he's 3) playing and calls with cell phone (thank you Lord I remembered that!) to the house to ask Daughter (who is 6) to go out and watch out for Son---that this is going to take longer than expected!! Ya think??!

Next call was to Papa Jeep next door (my FIL) to ask him to come down and see if he can help part the gap so these noses across the way can come through and make life LOTS easier. He arrives and cannot remove the pins from the middle of the gap either, so helps to lift and slide left gate out enough that the two mommas can come through to their nursing babies (who could not cross the pond like their silly mommas did then could not figure out how to get back to them!!). Then the worst part (in MY estimation) occurs:

Papa Jeep says the cows need more sweet feed. I wondered why but figured he had known cows a LOT longer than I, so I did what he said. FW runs, *literally runs*, to get some more and the cows both RUN after FW!!! Can I just tell you how scared I was?? Having lived all my life in the suburbs, I think the movie 8 Seconds (bull riding) is the only memory of knowing anything about cows (bulls--the male kind, which we only have one calf that is a bull). That and the fact that if you wave a red flag, they will come running. And all the pictures of the Spanish people running from the bulls in whatever town it is they do that silly thing. So I could just see myself getting trampled to death by two Herford Heffers!!

At any rate, Papa Jeep tells me to stop running and I DO and they start walking nicely beside me. I get the sweet feed, hand it over the fence to him to put in the feeding troughs and then all 4 heffers come running full speed at the troughs!!! It was quite an experience, let me tell you. I head to give the cows some water on the left side of the house in the watering troughs so maybe they'll stay away from the pond. Papa remarks that we all need to pray for rain so the cows can have some green grass.

Now, I am thinking all is well and can roll up the hose and head back to the house (15 min. later!). That's when I hear Dear Son screaming at the top of his lungs standing on the back deck! The screaming continues as I am reeling in the hose pipe madly. I get to him and he yells, "Sissy said she's gonna spank me with the metal spoon!!" Sissy tells me that he went out barefoot and got 2 splinters in his foot and she told him if he went outside barefoot she would spank him (not with metal spoon, she said, but with wooden spoon we discipline the children with---yeah, not sure if I believe that). I reassure both that grownups are the ONLY ones who will do any spanking of any sort.

Well, I wish that was the happily ever after ending to the story, but it isn't. As I receive a return call from my husband, now finding he is stuck at the St. L airport as his flight has been cancelled (now I see my duties as FW may continue yet another day---oh boy!), I share the whole story with him telling him I AM IN NO WAY CALLED TO BE A FARMER and I should have called Daniel (but it's Daniel's birthday--bless him--and he works out of town anyway, so probably couldn't have helped)!!! Dear Husband just laughs (AT ME and my antics!) and tells me he hopes he'll be home tonight...when....low and behold...looking out the window what do I see but the same two white-faced cows go RIGHT BACK ACROSS THE POND FENCE!! I've never! And they didn't even nurse their young!!!! BAD MOMMAS!!! I could not do that enticing and working and straining like before, knowing all the while they may cross over a 3rd time, so I left them over there where "the grass is greener on the other side"!!!

Ending to story: Daddy came home at 1:30am that night without any luggage and the cows were somehow all on our side of the fence that morning when Daddy woke up to see where they were. Five minutes later Daddy watched the two white-faced ones go back across and throughout that day they continued to cross over at will. Farmer Husband has since fixed the barbed wire in the pond and the cows cannot in any way cross over. Praise the Good Lord!

Now, who wants to care for the cows while we're gone to the beach next week??! Bibbi and Papa, you're up! :)

Wordless Wednesday {although the last 3.5 months have been wordless}

Trying to learn via osmosis?

Not sure why, but my kids have a new fashion trend---strappy journals on their heads!

Made to Crave?

There has been a post in the works coming for nearly a month now. And I have probably had a million ideas on what I want to write about during that month....

Friends, homeschooling, dieting, marriage, Christianity today...

But today I am not really in the mood for something serious, so here is what you get...

CRAVINGS, FOOD, ADDICTION to FOOD

I know, not the greatest post and I'll probably lose a few readers right about now, but this has just consumed so many thoughts lately.

Last year I lost about 33 pounds from Feb. 1 through April 30 and I felt so much better about myself. I did not read any books about it but I went on the dieting plunge with my Aunt Pam and, through the grace of God only, I was able to see food for its nutritional value and not something that I "controlled". In actuality, it controlled me!! Very much so. Not many would call overeating an addiction, but that's just what it is. I had grown up eating all the wrong foods and those habits went with me into adulthood. If I craved it, I found a way to get it. Food was for comfort and pleasure.

Now, I believe food should be good (as in palatable to the tongue) and should bring pleasure because it fills that hunger in your body & cells, but I now know that I must choose to find pleasure first in obeying God and not in feeding whatever craving I have. And if I choose foods that bring more lasting nourishment instead of chips/dip, chocolate, etc., then my cells are fuller longer. :) Make sense? If my craving were alcohol, I suppose I could be a recovering alcoholic. Or if my craving were pornography, I suppose I would dealing with those sins right now instead of the food. My "sin that so easily entangles" happens to be overeating/glutony.

Lately I have been hearing scripture through sermons and others on FB and receiving devotionals dealing with lusts of the flesh and being controlled by the Spirit instead of food, and I have really been convicted once again that, even though I have only gained back about 10 pounds of the 33, I have fallen back into the "being controlled by food" syndrome. I constantly pray for my will to bend to His and that I will focus more on serving Him/doing things for my children/being a godly productive wife/exercising & taking care of this "temple"/choosing the healthy alternative.

Here are some of the scriptures in Romans that have been helpful to me:

"...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans words cannot express" (Romans 8:26).

"You, however, are controlled not the sinful nature but by the Spirit" (Romans 8:9a).

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b)

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37)

I would like to ask if any of you have read the book Made to Crave? I have considered buying the book and seeing what the author Lysa TerKeurst says about filling your need with GOD. I think it's wonderful that she acknowledges that we as women were made to crave---it's that "something" that we crave.

I'll end with that as I resist the habanero dip I have prepared for my husband. :(

Merry Christmas and a Meaningful 2011

Yes, we're counting down the days until the New Year rolls in! And we just celebrated a 6th birthday for a very special girl in our family! Is certainly is the "most wonderful time of the year"! I wanted to share a very special gift my sister Kaye got us for Christmas. It was our request that we (Jason and I) not be given gifts this year but that the money that would normally be spent on us go toward people who actually *need* things. So here is what she came up with:

We received a card telling us that Aunt Kaye Kaye donated $75 to Hopeg*vers International so that an orphaned child in Ind*a could have new pants, a shirt, socks, shoes, sweater, blanket, toiletries, school supplies, a toy, and a brand new Bible, along with a sturdy chest to keep things in! Her contribution will also help provide the children at their Hope Homes with a special Christmas meal and a Christmas Carnival Celebration!

We were so excited to receive this card (even though Kaye Kaye had already told us what she got "us") and to actually see the child's hand print, name, and age that received the Hope Chest!! What a joy it is to know that we are helping orphaned children through my sister's gift. And in case anyone wonders, yes, we'd LOVE to continue this tradition for our birthdays and Christmases to come. Honestly, what do we *need*? Nothing except the love of our Father and we already have that!

I'd also like to share that I personally have been very convinced lately of the need and desire to honor God through our adopting a child in the next few years. And the orphanages that Hopeg*vers directs and oversees in Ind*a is very close to our hearts, so this gift is very special gift! Who knows? Maybe one day we'll be able to bring home one of the orphans directly impacted by gifts like the one Kaye gave in our honor. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!!

We love you! Thanks, Aunt Kaye Kaye!

Free Baby Sling!!!

I recently received an email for a promo code for 100% off on the baby carrier of your choice at www.sevenslings.com ! There are SEVEN to choose from!

These high quality carriers make great holiday and new mother gifts! Get an early start on your shopping so you can relax and spend time with family and friends during the season!

The code is "Thanksgiving".

Go to www.sevenslings.com , click on “Shop Now” and select the correct size sling or gift set you would like (be sure to visit the sizing page for instructions on how to select the right size carrier for you). Once you have selected the sling or gift set you would like - enter the promo code Thanksgiving into the promo code box and click “Apply Code”. This will bring your total from $39.00 to $0 for one of the carriers or from $44.00 to only $5 for a 3-piece gift set - all you are required to pay is the shipping fees!

This promotion code is valid once per transaction! You can use it more than once –you just have to open a new window to do so. Have a great holiday!

The email comes from Jenny Pierce, the owner of http://www.sevenslings.com/ .

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It cannot be true. It simply can't be time for Thanksgiving festivities and then a few short weeks leading right straight to CHRISTMAS and our daughter's 6th BIRTHDAY! She'll remind you it's 2 days after Jesus's birthday--so glad she remembers who comes first!!

So it's time for gathering loved recipes, baking, making lists and checking them twice (I already know who is naughty or nice!!), fun homeschool crafts and activities, family photos (you know according to the hubby, he only participates in family pics once per year!), and then choosing the PERFECT photo(s) for our Christmas cards!

Speaking of Christmas cards....

This year I will be uploading to www.shutterfly.com and choosing from literally HUNDREDS of styles of cards! I just love looking at all their new designs online without leaving my home and creating it all with a few touches of a button. I have been scanning the ones from this year and here are my favorites: "Wonder of Wonders" and "Dotty Holiday Monogram" by Stacy Claire Boyd (who is she anyway??) and "Kaleidoscope Stars" by Erin Condren (although it is square shaped and requires extra postage, so probably not a go). I also liked "Retro Plaid 5X7 folded card" by Haute Note. I have NO IDEA what pictures I will pull from, so I guess I need to see how many I have that I want to put into my creation first, huh? And then I need to head to the post office and see how much of a loan I'll have to take out to buy the postage for 50 cards!

Then, wa-lah, they are delivered presto to my mailbox, which we are sure to make the awaited trip out to the mailbox each and every day in anticipation of a special package (don't know what I think might come, but we have frequented EB*Y quite a bit being a homeschool family). :)

So all you bloggers out there, take note of this great deal: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly... sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Here are some links you might find helpful in picking your design:

holiday cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

new years cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards

Christmas photo cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

O.K., go check it out!!

Beach Vacation 2010

God is so good! Thanks to Mrs. Bette, we were able to go with Papa Jeep and Bibbi once again for a week at the beach! This year it fell in October, but it turns out the weather was just WONDERFUL!! As I said, God is good and He is never late with His good gifts to His children!

I won't bore you with every picture of our beach vacation, but at this (LIMITED) time of the morning where one is still asleep and the other has eaten breakfast and wants jelly beans, I will give you a brief walk through our vacation at Garden City last week (most of you have seen them on FB, but it's mainly for those who are not a friend on FB--MOM!!)...

Where Does My Bank of Information Come From?

I have been asked more than a couple of times to share the websites I frequent and places where I gain a whole bank of information on child rearing, homeschooling, saving money, meal planning and preparation, etc. Here are the websites and blogs I use most often and highly recommend:

http://www.amommysadventures.com/
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/
http://www.thehappyhousewife.com/
http://www.faithfulprovisions.com/
http://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.southernsavers.com/
http://www.thriftymama.com/
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/
http://www.prayerofhannah.blogspot.com/
http://www.joyunspeakableandfullofglory.blogspot.com/
http://www.thepacepage.blogspot.com/
http://www.katlupesblog.blogspot.com/

I think that about summs it up. There may be a few more I'm missing, but I will try to add those if I find them. Hope you find them helpful! Leave me a comment if you have others you recommend as I always love to read other good, Christian websites that can help me!

Losing "Things" and my MIND!

It is not uncommon. Things disappear and reappear. Our children like rearranging our home and redecorating.

This one has been the longest missing so far. The cordless phone from our room disappears for a night and I look high and low for it. Then a week passes and I think it must be in a closet hiding in a shoe where the kids were playing hide-and-seek.

No such luck.

So while cleaning up their "fort" in the living room, I find lots of "missing items".

Low and behold, Dora must have needed a cordless phone for her latest expedition as I found it in Dora's purple back pack!

Sad thing is that now it won't charge on the charger and it won't turn on or anything.

Completely dead.

Much like my mind lately.

The First Day of Kindergarten

EMMA GRACE'S FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN--at HOME!

After waking at 8am, we had pancakes and cereal for breakfast! I already love kindergarten!!!

Then, we brushed teeth, made beds, and got dressed so we could head outside for FIRST DAY PICTURES!

We headed inside and Emma Grace asked the Lord to bless our school day and that we wouldn't give up when something was too hard. (Boy, mommy seems to have been the one to need that as being organized and keeping Jase occupied was more of a challenge that I had originally thought!)

Jase did find some things to do....like reading Thomas the Train.

Math U See--what do we remember from last year?

This is actually the first grade "Alpha" edition since we did the kindergarten "Primer" last year! So proud of my girl!
First day for a double french braid!

Jase is learning too! (And mommy is headed to the computer to find more activities for the little man to do during school hours!! Does anyone know of a free "Mom's Morning In"? I need some peace to be able to teach my girlie. Ha! No, seriously, who ever thought I'd need those same skills I once used in teaching a class full while still planning individual activities for each child?!)

Overall, it was a very productive day and I think it's going to be a wonderful year of growth for all 3 of us! Lord, keep us grounded in the Word.

Episodes of The Green Thumb Robber

One day last week I began wondering why leaves were disappearing off my "T*psy T*rvy" tomato plant at light speed (which I had diligently watered and watched over for over a month now). I even went so far as to move the plant off the front porch and onto the screened in back porch to protect it from any night prowling animals like deer, rabbits, birds, etc. Then, the leaves were still being munched and the poop was still appearing below the plant on even the back porch! On the advice of my friend Julie, I discovered not just 1 "horned worm" but 14 that were TAKING OVER my entire plant. Here's what's left of that said tomato plant and some pics of the creatures that caused all my trouble.

Boy, I just love it when these green, ugly things ruin all my hard work! Someone did tell me they are called "hummingbird moths". I love the hummingbirds, but I could do without these worms!

I suppose I'll pay better attention to my plants from now on!

Pluses and Minuses to Being a SAHM

I probably could have written these posts myself...they are so much the things I feel in my heart/head....but I have copied and pasted these two posts from Leah at the Prayer of Hannah http://www.prayerofhannah.blogspot.com/ .


Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Benefits of Being a SAHM
Here is a list of things that I'm thankful I get to experience as a SAHM. I often take these for granted, but wanted to reflect here about how great they truly are.

1. Snuggling in the mornings b/c we're not in a rush to get out the door.
2. Getting to laugh all day long at the silly things my boys say.
3. Picking how much/little my boys watch TV.
4. Going on outings to the library, the zoo, the farm.
5. Hanging out with friends for playdates.
6. Going to MOMs group.
7. Reading to my kids throughout the day and watching their vocabulary blossom because of it.
8. Going to the grocery during the day when it isn't as busy.
9. Talking to my kids throughout the day about God and His Creation.
10. Listening to our VBS songs in the van and hearing the boys start to sing along.
11. Getting stuff done during the day/week so that our weekends can be clear to do fun things.
12. Playing with my kids.
13. Getting to go visit my out-of-town parents for a week at a time without having to take vacation days.
14. Having opportunities all day long to teach my children good manners.
15. Being there to answer their questions.
16. Knowing what they've done all day long and helping them tell their dad all about it.
17. Saving money on things I can do around the house since I'm home.
18. Being able to go to BSF, and to take my kids there too for their awesome children's program.
19. Being the one my children spend the most time with.
20. Getting to hug and kiss my boys all day long.

What about you? Do you have any favorites that you'd like to add?

Written by Leah at 8:19 AM 1 readers shared Links to this post

Labels: Leah, Life as a Mom


Wednesday, July 21, 2010
My Weaknesses as a SAHM
There are a few things that really stick out to me when I consider the sins I constantly face as a SAHM. These probably apply to other women as well, but sometimes spending so much time at home seems to really bring these out.

1. Ignoring my kids. Since I spend all my time at home, I feel like there is a big blur between mommy time and me time. Life is just not comparmentalized. Your home is where you work and where you are supposed to retreat. For me, this translates into me being pulled to me time when I should be focusing on mommy time. I think I can just pop on the computer for a bit while the kids are playing. Or I see the newspaper and think it would be so great to sit down and read it for awhile. But then the kitchen sits messy or the bathroom doesn't get cleaned. In the end, I think it's my kids that suffer. I put myself before them and don't get down on the floor and play with them.

2. Comparing myself with other moms. As I said, I spend a lot of time with other moms. This gives me plenty of time to fret about what ways they are better than me and what ways I'm better than them. I wish I was as skinny as Erica. I wish I was as pretty as Keyna. I wish I was as fit as Kristin. It goes on. But it also goes the other way. I find myself criticizing (in my head) the way that different moms parent their kids. I climb right up on my high horse the minute I walk into the library and see a mom letting her kid crawl all over the furniture and throw toys. I pat myself on the back when Samuel & Joel say please and thank you while the other kids grab. I think about how I would organize the house differently if I lived at that mom's house. I am being really honest here because I want to expose my pride for what it is - ugly, ugly sin! I hate it when I catch myself being this way. And I feel like there is so much competition as a SAHM. Do I do preschool with my kids? What kind of schedule do I keep? How clean is my house? Am I going to homeschool? It gets so exhausting and before I tsk my tongue and think it's just something that happens to me, I have to admit that it's something I inflict on others as well.

3. Resenting my husband. The first would be that my husband gets to go to work every day and get a break from the house and chaos. I think a lot of SAHMs struggle with this one. I don't know if our schedule makes this more or less pronounced than others. Ed works from 3pm-12pm Monday through Friday. That means that he usually sleeps until 8:30 or 9am. We get up at 7 or 7:30. I find myself getting so upset when I have to get up with the kids every day while Ed "sleeps in". I wish I could just sleep until I was ready to get up. And then he gets to come downstairs and have breakfast (which I've fixed for him) and then I clean it up. Same with lunch - he waits for me to lay out lunch and then he sits down to eat it. And I clean up. Dinner? Same drill - I cook and clean. Can you see my bad attitude dripping through here? Ed goes to work at 3, comes home for dinner between 6 and 7, and then heads back to work for the rest of the night. That leaves me to do bedtime every night. When I talk about our schedule to others, I always talk about how great it is to have Ed home during the day. But as I go through my day, I find myself getting so upset all the time and resenting him. It is NOT him - it is DEFINITELY me and a sinful tendency to make everything me vs. him. He is a GREAT dad and he really does help out so much during the day. And he cleans the kitchen floor for me! The problem isn't anything he does or doesn't do. It's me building up resentment towards him. I always seem to concentrate on the negative instead of the positive. And this tends to cause strain on our marriage. I find it so hard to put away the resentment.

4. Finding my job mundane. Ugh. This is the worst for me. I focus too closely on the day to day things I'm doing as my job instead of stepping back to see the bigger picture of what I'm actually accomplishing here. I see my job as a SAHM as a combination house cleaner, cook, babysitter, grocery shopper, laundrymat, etc. And I get so bored. But is that why Ed and I decided it would be a priority for me to stay home once we had kids? Absolutely not. I became a SAHM so that I could be the one to fix my kids meals, talk to them about their day, teach them things along the way, teach them about the Lord and how much He loves them, put them to bed at night, be a living example to them. I should clean my house because I love my husband. I should cook the meals because I care about my family's health. I should never view spending time with my kids as just 'babysitting'. I should do a good job shopping because I want to be a good steward with my money (okay, for everyone that knows me, you know that I actually enjoy this part!). Sure, a lot of what I do is mundane. I get it. But there are things that need to be done one way or another. I can either hire someone else to do it, not do it at all, or do my job with joy because I am doing it for the Lord. If I step back and think about it, life isn't necessarily meant to be fun or easy. I think about all that women have had to do for centuries past, as well as what other women around the world do today and I realize I actually do have it pretty good. It just takes that stepping outside of myself to get a little perspective.

I realize this was a really negative post as far as sharing all the downsides I find in being a SAHM. But I am thinking that some of you out there might feel the same way at one time or another. Tomorrow I'll touch on how I try to turn these things around as well as things that I think I would miss if I weren't a SAHM.

Written by Leah at 10:08 PM 5 readers shared Links to this post

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

How does nearly a month go by without blogging? Seems impossible that summer is halfway over---well not summer as the season, but summer as most teachers and school children understand!

We have been busy bees with 3 Vacation Bible Schools here in our town and then add to that a birthday party (5 1/2) for our daughter, a wedding, a baby shower, a wedding reception here for Bubba and Necia, and lots of free movies and SWIMMING!

I have been thinking lately about how to word this post and exactly what I wanted to say.

Basically, I wanted to share with you a couple of the oh so MANY ways I am SOOOO thankful! I just think we can never quit giving thanks to our Lord and having a joyful heart!

I am thankful for:

1.) A husband who doesn't mind eating leftovers or whatever I put on the table for that matter.

2.) Children who are healthy and usually sleep 11+ hours a night.

3.) A husband who loves to spend time with his family/children! He just loves to come home and jump in the swimming pool with us even though I know he is tired.

4.) Enough money through my sales on Eb*y to pay for homeschooling books for next year.

5.) Websites like Thr*fty Mama and friends with awesome, cheap ideas for fun and menu planning that help me save money for our family.

6.) A husband who wakes up each morning early and spends time with Our Father. What an example! And one I should follow more often.

7.) Parents who see the value in allowing Jason and I to spend time together as husband and wife on a semi-regularly basis.

8.) My friend Julie!! Without having her to share with, I would have all these crazy thoughts running around in my head daily (and I my husband's boss would get fed up with me calling him too often!).

9.) Having a home to work in, take care of, feel safe in, and provide nurture and love to the two children God has entrusted us with.

10.) God is never late! He is always on time! The money always comes on time; the vacation time always comes on time. The right words from His Word always come on time. As Corrie Ten Boom says, God always gives you the "ticket" right when you need it...never before you board the train, but right when you have to have it. Praise be to Him!

Been Thirsty Lately?

Here in SC it's a balmy 105 degrees! My A/C tries desperately to keep up with the rising temps outside. Our son's bedroom thermostat reads 77.8 right now as he tries to nap--and we keep our temp set at 71 during the day, so you can tell it's really having a difficult time (esp. when boiling potatoes for potato salad to take to church tonight). I have found myself wanting more and more to drink...I fill up one cup with filtered water (thank you, Br*ta!) and before I can finish that cup, I find I am craving another.

But I have another thirst....

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my sould pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Psa. 42:1-2

Since becoming a mom 5 1/2 years ago and even since being married nearly 10 years ago, it seems that those times of refreshing don't come soon enough. Or maybe it's I am not making that time a priority, as we all know we make time in life for the things that we deem most important. The things of the world are so alluring and steal me away. I have so longed for the times to read my Bible and devotional book and to be a part of Sunday School and worship with my fellow brothers and sisters at church!

Sometimes I find myself sitting back remembering with such joy all the time I had in college to read and pray and study God's word. The Winthr*p lake was such a wonderful, peaceful place where God was soooo very real to me. I would cry out to Him, literally in an audible voice. I prayed for everyone in my family and all of my friends at Winthr*p and at home near every day as well as for the man I would one day marry.

I long for those times when my Daddy held me and called me back to Him each and every day for hours and hours. I know what it means to pant for streams of water, for the God who knows me completely and LOVES me unconditionally. He completes me.

It's so nice to know that sweet love and to be able to crawl up into His lap. I don't have hours and hours anymore in my life, but Oh, how I savor 30 minutes or an hour when I can commune with the Father. That water in my cup might help me not to physically thirst, but I give thanks that He has drawn me close once again and made me THIRST for Him. It's been a L O N G time since I've felt this thirst, but PRAISE BE TO GOD that it's back. You don't know how that makes me want to sing and shout!!!! How I pray I might not ignore the thirst or try to fill it with anything else.

Allinger Family Reunion at Givhans Ferry State Park

Yesterday we traveled 2 hours to Givhans Ferry State Park for the Allinger family reunion. It was a good time to talk with and catch up with family we hadn't seen in at least a year and some in 2 years. Uncle Bill has been struggling with lung cancer and had recently learned that his CT scan came back all clear of cancer! But then, he had to be admitted to the hospital on Friday night due to episodes of passing out due to thinning blood. He and Aunt Carol were certainly missed! I know Jason really looked forward to talking hunting and fishing with Uncle Bill! Jase was begging for his paci and blanket by noon, which is his usual napping time. But we held him off til 3:30pm and then headed on home so the kids could nap on the way back.

Then Jason was able to mow the grass and do the weed eating before he leaves again this Tuesday for the SC Fir*fighter's Association Convention at Myrtle B*ach where he will have a booth to work for his program at the Fire Marshal's Office. I am really hoping to get a respite and be able to go with him for a couple of days this week before the convention actually gets started on Thursday. I'll leave you with some pics from the day yesterday. Aunt Pam will have to get me the big family picture with all 28 people that some lady heading toward the restroom took so I can upload it.

Our family at the picnic shelter where the reunion was held.
Aunt Kaye Kaye brought the vegetable tray.

Mandy and her family (husband Lonnie and girls Kayla and Brianna)

One of our cooks--Uncle Jimmy

Two more cooks-- My cousin Brian Allinger and cousin Brenda's husband Mark.

Aunt Pam uncovers the food & Dad drools!

My family plus Uncle Roy--everyone awaiting lunch!

My cousin Michael, cousin Mandy, Aunt Jenny, and cousin Brenda

Emma Grace is starving for lunch---even resorts to eating celery with ranch dip!

Surgery Update

Just wanted to let everyone know (if you aren't already on FB and following SU's) that Jase's hernia surgery went well. He went in bright and early Tues. morning and they repaired the right side and then looked at the left just to be sure and found....you guessed it...another hernia over there. So he has 2 incisions on his abdomen that are healing up so nicely. He has internal stitches and a nice clear medical tape/bandage over the incisions so you can see if they are oozing or anything. There has been no more bleeding since the surgery, and I think on Wed. at his followup visit they will take off the bandage if I haven't taken it off already.

He was able to take a bath last night and rode his tricycle for the first time this morning! Boy, was he happy about that. We've been hiding the riding toys for 5 days now and I'm sure he was delighted when his daddy pulled it out and allowed him to ride it. EG and I had gone to Columbia for a haircut.

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Just an aside...continued from a past post....

Honestly, I have always thought that FB could be a witnessing tool and an area where you could reach some people you wouldn't normally reach. Obviously, we cannot think that our 498 "friends" are all Christians. Just like we cannot think that 100% of people who sit in the pews at churches are all Christians. I think at one point the Baptist church (SBC) even went so far as to say something like 1/2 of all of their church goers were not Christian. They may profess that they are Christian, but we know that not all who say "Lord, Lord" know Him personally....they were simply saying that there will be wheat and tares even among a church congregation. I think that is probably true of most churches, not just the Baptist Church.

My original intent on FBing was to help reach the unreachable. I have tried to give scriptural references when possible, and yes, I have even added a few opinions, which I would hope are not against God's Holy Word. In fact, most of them are very conservative and not offensive to God. There may have been some things I have said which others did not personally agree with and in which God did not address specifically in His Word. I.E. Us not watching TV...not choosing to pierce our child's ears until a certain age...not putting our children in tons of extra lessons and activities....choosing to keep them at home for schooling....and the list goes on.

But there have been instances lately wherein I was "attacked" on FB for presenting a scripture or laying out my opinion, which I believe to be scripturally sound and what Jesus would do if He were here on earth living in my place. Even so far as to having been called a "spherical a-hole". (!!) So I have felt the need to weed out those who don't help me in lifting up the Father.

I have another question.

So if you are no longer friends with someone on FB, are you no longer friends with them in real life? And I have some people on FB who have unfriended me but not my husband. That is just amazing to me b/c he puts a lot more conservative things on his SU than I do. Things about training up children and our choice not to watch TV. All biblical things. Most of them are things that would make the majority of society who are unsaved press the "dislike" button (if there were such a thing). But my guess is that these unfriended people don't want to engage in such a conversation with my husband for whatever reason. Or maybe they just want to continue to see pictures and updates on our family and he is their only "link" left.

I have no idea....maybe someone can fill me in? I will be glad to read comments left. :)

Funny thing is, no one will leave comments here like they do on my SU's b/c 496 people aren't publically reading this at the same time. Makes one think about the motive for anyone who wants to argue and attack in such a social media as that, doesn't it? 12 readers versus 496? Yes, it's still time to weed the friend garden.

Bye y'all! That's all I have for now.