Mixed greetings

I tell ya, when you go out with 5, you get all sorts of reactions.

Several older ladies got lots of enjoyment from my bunch.

One man chuckled everytime he passed us, especially when Emily discovered something inside her mouth was bleeding... she kept touching it, looking at the blood, wiping it on her shirt, and exclaiming: "I'm bleeding!" Then she'd repeat the entire process. Goofy kid.

One mom was eager to talk to me, as she is expecting her 3rd. She is hoping for 4, but her hubby says no.

Then this one... two young women out, one of which was the mama of 2 little ones. The mom who had no kids says (upon seeing me and my bunch), "Girl, and you think you have it bad..." and then they both looked at us with disdain. I wanted to speak up, but they weren't actually talking to me, just loud enough for me to hear. And they allowed me to see their reactions to my family. But still. I figured with their reaction, nothing I could say would be taken well.

Oh yeah, and the lady today who told me that she appreciated the sweet manners that my kids have. That made me feel really good!

Squeaker is now a YEAR OLD!!

Are you ready to hear the cliche things we all say at this point in our babies' lives?

"Where has the time gone?" "I can't believe my baby is one already!" "It seems like he was just born!"

And yet I mean all of them.

As for an update on the little guy, he has 5 teeth for sure. Not sure if that one tooth that has been bugging him has popped through yet. He still has his blue eyes, which makes me happy. (I have a brown-eyed boy, and I was hoping for a blue-eyed one, too. I think it's fun when they are so different.) He has been taking steps for a bit now, but isn't truly walking yet. I think he probably could, but he is too chicken to go for it. Oh! And he has a small dimple in his right cheek. None of my others have a dimple, so it excites me. However, the sort of dimple it is, I half wonder if it is the chub in his face that is giving him the dimple... guess we'll have to wait to find out for sure.

He's actually super shy. He hides from other babies, lol! I admit that I love how he curls up on me when another person comes near. But if you are at home with us (and he is used to you enough), he is so fun and active. He talks and talks, even seems to sing sometimes. He goes up and down our stairs with the older kids to the playroom. They can't shake him, but they actually love it. Sweetheart (my 4 yr old) will actually get down on Squeaker's level to ask him to play with him. It's pretty sweet.

Oh yes, one more thing - he has a trade mark growl when he is happy, of all things. I suppose for him it would be akin to a cat purring. He just growls and growls. It's pretty amusing.

The weird thing for me is... no new baby in sight. I'm trying to savor his each and every... everything! I wonder if he'll be the last or not. If he is the last - what a way to end that season! He is just SO wonderful. I cannot complain a bit!

Finally, some progress! *bodily functions alert*

Sweetheart is finally, finally getting there. He only does well if he is naked... at peeing, that is. Pooping is another story. Naked, he will start to and then run to the bathroom to finish. So then I have poop in various places and down his legs, plus the bathroom is a disgusting mess. But if I don't have him naked, then he will pee and poop in his britches.

This does not a happy mama make.

Especially when Squeaker is near Sweetheart, because Squeaker crawls around now and has actually eaten (yes, eaten!!!) his brother's yuckies.

Mothering is not for the faint of heart... or stomach.

Glimpses of the kidlets

I thought I'd let you in on how the kids are doing. It's amazing when I think about it how fast they are growing.

Sunshine is in first grade this year. She loves loves loves school. In fact, the girl *enjoys* tests. Can you believe that? Her reading level is wonderful. Tonight she brought the newspaper to me, pointing to an article she had gotten about a couple paragraphs into. And speed drills for math excite her. I love my little nerdy girl! (Made in her mama's own image. I was in Math Club in high school, where I voluntarily spent my Saturdays at math contests.) She's got a couple permanent teeth now and more on their way. I see braces in our future... Also, she has discovered that she loves sewing on my machine. She made a purse the other day for herself.

Sugar-n-Spice is doing preschool and loving school as well. So far, I show her things pretty much once, and she has it. I know it won't always be that way, but it is an encouraging beginning. No one wants the initial experience to be like pulling teeth. She is ever so much like her name, too. We go from sweet moments when she tells me that she loves me even more than she loves her friends (lol) but then we are disciplining her for telling one of said friends that if they don't share, she is going to kick their *ahem*. (I know everyone deals with their kids picking up a few unsavory phrases here and there, but I kinda hoped we'd avoid it for a couple more years.) A roller coaster ride with her for sure, but hey, let's all admit it: we love our rides, don't we?

Sweetheart is soooo enamored with Spiderman/Peter Parker. Mistakenly, some days I call him by his given name and am quickly chastized for not remembering to call him Spiderman/Peter Parker. And it has to be the entire name of "Peter Parker" if that is the day's alternate identity. I can't get away with a simple "Peter." Part of the obsession (or maybe the reason for the obsession) includes all 3 Spiderman movies. We are also still working potty training this little turkey. And just today I found out why it is going so slowly - he prefers the diaper route. He would rather just not be bothered with the toilet, thank you very much. Bribes of candy do not entice him. So we're off to try something he might be interested in: Spiderman stickers. Think it'll work?

Shortcake has become quite the singer. And it is so adorable!! Just today I heard her ask Squeaker if he wanted to hear the song "Fishers of Men." It came out something like, "See Fishuh Men? I may fishuh men, fishuh men, fishuh men..." etc. If you know the song and can figure out toddler-speak, then you totally just understood that! I also canNOT keep that girl out of the refridgerator. She has also found a stubborn streak when it comes to naps and bedtimes, as well as wanting to sit in a regular chair instead of her booster chair. She is two and wants to be seen as a twelve-year-old.

Squeaker is 5 months old now. He been rolling over for awhile, grabs anything within reach, growls in pleasure (hilarious), and loves to watch Shortcake. He is no longer breastfeeding and seems to miss it. He won't take a bottle from anyone else if I'm around - he only wants Mama to give him that bottle. I think he is also entering the separation anxiety phase. I admit sheepishly that I love that he wants me. Oh yes, and if you should elect to hold the kissable bundle, wear waterproof clothing; he drools.

Guess what fun is going on at our house?

We are potty training!

I had tried it about 6 weeks ago (or so), and it was a total bust. I'm giving it another go after changing some things, plus Hubby is home for more than a week on leave. That makes a huge difference!

We are training both Sweetheart and Shortcake at the same time. They are 3.5 and 2 years old, respectively. So it is time. Especially for Sweetheart. Can I get an amen?

It is a funny little ritual. All 5 of us - the 4 older kids and myself - go into the bathroom. One of the trainees sit down. We sing two songs all the way through, then practice wiping. Then second trainee takes a turn. Repeat with two different songs. Repeat wiping practice. Then we all file out. So far, no one has successfully made it in the toilet. But as soon as they do, we'll be getting candy. Yay!

Anyway. Wish the kids luck. Pray for me. And my carpet.

The most wonderful news!!

Yesterday, Sunshine got saved!!

She has prayed to accept Christ as her savior several times in the past, but I've always wondered which of them were sincere, since she could answer all sorts of questions about salvation and sin correctly, but something didn't feel right. However, only God can truly judge and know her heart, so I kept hoping that she was saved.

But this last week, she has expressed an interest in it several times, and finally yesterday she asked some really intuitive questions, especially for a 6 yr old. We had a GOOD talk, maybe 15 minutes long or so, and despite the many interruptions from her siblings, she kept focused on the topic. That tells me it was truly important to her.

So we prayed together, and afterward, I told her that she is God's child, and so that makes her and Mommy and Grandma all children of God, which would make us... "Sisters?" When I told her that was right, she got a real kick out of it. Then I pointed out that if God is the King of kings, then she would also be a... "Princess!!" Oh, the grin that spread across her face!! She couldn't stop smiling!

So I am thinking this time is real. Oh happy day!!!!! And I got the honor and priviledge of pryaing with her, leading her to Him. Can there be a greater honor for a mom?

Do you ever just get overwhelmed with the mothering thing?

And I don't mean the upteenth try at finding the perfect schedule or routine. I mean, seeing all the things you want your children to know or to be when they leave your home?

I want my girls to be better seamstresses than I am by the time they leave the house. I want them to know more about cooking and meal planning than I did. (And how to pick out good meats, which I still don't know too well.) I want them to have a fire in their heart for God and a true desire to know Him and serve Him, not just be obsessed with the latest celebrity or boys. I want them to realize that while being God's child carries many blessings with it, the greatest blessing is that you have the enormous priviledge of getting to know God in an intimate way. I also have so many things to list for my boys, not the least of which is how on earth do I teach them to be men of God who guard their eyes and thoughts, when I do not truly understand their struggles or how they think? And those are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many things practical, spiritual, and otherwise, that I want them to learn.

I just sit down sometimes and think, "Oh, today I wanted to do x,y, and z, and I didn't even get close! How will I fit all these life lessons in?"

It all comes to living life with a purpose each day, living life intentionally. Would it be crazy to list those goals and post it somewhere in my house? My first thought is, what if company sees that list? And my hubby would most surely mock the list. (He is just a teaser that way - nothing is sacred. *wink*) But if I don't post it, I won't see it. And if I don't see it regularly, I will get caught up in the day-to-day of laundry, dishes, and diapers.

Thoughts?

Oh dear me - please forgive me!

I cannot believe I've been MIA for so long!!

I seriously thought it had only been at most a month since I posted. GULP.

As an olive branch, may I offer the news of our baby's birth???

We had another BOY! He weighed in at 8 lbs, 10 oz and 20.5 inches long. Labor was fast and and furious at the end, going from 7 cms to birth in just 15 minutes. I ended up going all natural without pain meds, which was not in my plan, lol.

The other children are very happy and pleased to have another boy in the family. They love his squeaks and tiny baby parts. They all love to hold him and give lots of kisses. Watching my children joy in another sibling is such a wonderful thing!

Hugs to you all!

Had to expand modesty discussion with my oldest

We were reading yet again the story of creation. And of course, there was the pic of Adam and Eve naked. Well, we've pushed modesty so much here at home with the girls that she was appalled that they were naked together. She has always pointed out the fact that they are naked, and I'd always sidestepped the issue.

But today she pushed it, so I just took a deep breath and told her that it's ok for husbands and wives to be naked together. Which led to the *very simple* discussion that God says husbands and wives are one, so it's ok. She asks if she can be naked with her husband one day, and I say yes. She had a bit of trouble understanding, but the simple answer seemed to suffice her, anyway... it's just that these sorts of things tend to come out in her play, so I know I'll be hearing her say to her little sister, "You be the naked husband, and I'll be the naked wife." I know I'll deal with it when it comes up, but goodness.

New blessings, new beginnings!

I am very happy to announce to you gals that I'm expecting another wee blessing. According to every due date calculator I can get my grubby fingers on says that the due date is March 22, 2008. My first spring baby!! No going through a hot summer while sporting my best hippo look! LOL

This baby is a baby of new beginnings, new promises, new hopes. Isn't God GOOD?

Gentleness

I've not been very patient with the kids lately, as you know. I'd love to say that after I wrote that post that everything righted itself, but it did not. That fix was a temporary one. I'm still hormonal and grumpy. And tired. And short-tempered. And tired. And hormonal. And tired. LOL

But as I was having my time with the Lord this morning (a challenge for me, but I can't keep my evening routine of studying because with dh here at night now, it isn't working out), my attention was caught by this phrase in Psalm 18:35 - "thy gentleness hath made me great." David was speaking of God's gentleness. That's a rather unique phrase in scripture, isn't it? And it caught my attention. I mulled over it awhile, thinking how did God's gentleness make David great?

Hmmm, well, David (and I, for that matter) did not deserve God's gentleness. What we all deserve is God's immediate judgment for the sins we commit, right? But He is gentle with us. Long suffering. Patient.

God was gentle with David, instead of harsh, and through time and patience on God's part, David slowly became what he was.

Hmmm. This is what my children need of me. Gentleness. Not snapping at them when I've told them 100 times... or on my snippy days, told them twice and now have no tolerance. They need from me a lifetime of gentleness, mercy, discipline, and love to mold them into what God would have them be.

That brings up a question: how is discipline gentle? What is the alternative? With God, discipline is the gentle option. Loving guidance that, yes, sometimes is SO upleasant and painful. Is it fun when He brings us through difficult trials to bring us back to Him? Nope. Unpleasant and painful. But what is the alternative? Do you know where I'd be without Him? Do you know how horrible my life would be without Him? And my ETERNITY without Him? *shudder* Oh, His discipline IS the gentle option.

So it is with us as parents. Our discipline is the gentle option, or else our children will grow to be unruly, disrespectful, disobedient... and unhappy adults. But also, practically speaking... if I'm being harsh, I'm getting in the way of my children actually seeing where they were wrong. If their eyes are HUGE because I'm wigging out over their 300th argument of the day, how can they see anything but my hissy fit and frustration? How can I ever get them to focus on their part in it all if they are just intimidated by Mom and thinking they don't want to cross me again?

I do think it is ok for our children to see us angry over their sin. God gets angry with us. But my discipline and my treatment of them should never be in the heat of my irritation or anger.

Sigh. I've failed miserably lately. Yeah, I know, the hormones aren't my fault and make things harder. I know you've all been there. But it doesn't excuse being a shrew. My hormones aren't their problem. It is mine.

Military Mommy has a great post that is along these lines, too. Her prayer at the end is so right on. It is wonderfully convicting and encouraging, all at the same time. Take the time to check it out.

Sweetheart and Daddy bonding

Sweetheart was only... let me do the math here... 16 months old when we moved here to my parents' home and hubby was gone in another state. From time to time, we'd get a short visit from hubby, but no significant "bonding" happened between them, really. Sweetheart does remember him, but Daddy means something completely different to him than he does to the older girls.

Sweetheart is very intimidated by Daddy. I can see why... Daddy is a big fella and has some pretty intense eyes. And Daddy just has that something about him that can be pretty intimidating.

When Sweetheart is scolded by Daddy, Sweetheart cries pretty hard, but tries to hold it in, like he's afraid to even cry. With Mommy, Sweetheart wails his little heart out and lets me know exactly what he is feeling. But he acts like a deer in the headlights with Daddy. And when Daddy tries to show Sweetheart lovin', it doesn't always go over well.

So Daddy has started something new in the morning - he makes coffee for himself and Sweetheart. Sweetheart's "coffee" is just a smidge of coffee with a more-than-generous helping of milk and sugar. They go out on the front porch together each morning and drink their coffee. I have to say it is the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

Hubby and his dad never were very close. Hubby's dad just isn't a people person (which is funny, as he is a pastor). He'd be very happy to be a hermit with his books. Truly. He did love his boys, but he didn't do dad stuff with them, and my hubby wants differently for his boy and himself. It's going to be a challenge with hubby gone so much. But I love that he is actively seeking to get that going.

I love that when the kids are outside, he runs at them and tackles them to the ground. I love their squeals of delight and surprise. I love that he "wrestles" with Sweetheart and does those chest-bumps that fellas do.

It does my heart so much good to see them together.

What are your long-term dreams for your family?

Or to put it another way: what is your vision for your family? What do you hope for your children?

I've been mulling over this. So far, this is what I've come up with:
1) I want them to have first-hand experience with the provision and love of God.
2) I want them to love reading.
3) I want them to be independent workers, both in academics and in work.
4) I want them to be servant-hearted.
5) I want them to know how to take care of all aspects of the home, no matter what their sex is. (What if they don't marry or become widow(er)s?)
6) I want them to think things through before acting - maturity and wisdom are buzz words you could attach to that.

Ok, so then it kinda dawned on me the other day... if I want them to exhibit those traits THEN, I have to begin training those traits NOW.

1) How much time in the day do I spend SHOWING them how He provides for our family and loves us? Must have conversations about this. This is why I started a prayer journal with them, but it must be talked about daily and often.

2) How often do we read books together? A few times a week - not even every day. It would be better to do it every day. It was every day at bedtime when we were doing chapter books. I need to get another book for nighttime reading, but we also need another time in the day to snuggle and read.

3) I have to start weaning them off my constant supervision when they are given jobs. Which means... I have to start with the basics: teaching definitions of "diligence" and "faithfulness" and "initiative" and then rewarding them for such characteristics, even if they did them for 30 seconds before slacking off. Memorizing verses on this character traits would be good.

4) I have to exhibit a servant's heart and have them do it with me. Taking a meal to a family? Kiddos, get in here and help. Have them make cards. "Suzy is sad lately; Sunshine, I was going to call her, but how about if you make the call first and then I'll talk?" And what about within our own family? I can teach them to look for ways to help each other, to serve Daddy when he comes home at the end of a day, to anticipate needs of others. Also, I should have them memorize verses on serving others.

5) This means that I won't let my son slide when it's time to do the laundry or mopping. It means when I start teaching my girls how to sew on buttons later, he'll be in there learning, too. It also means I will be expecting my girls to take out the trash, mow lawns, etc.

6) Hmmm, this is gonna mean lots of talking about decisions, about other's decisions, about what-does-the-Bible-say about the subject at hand, "why did you do that" and "what should you have done" and "why should you have done x-y-z."

That's all I've got so far.

What are your goals/dreams/visions for your children? How do you plan to get there? I'd love to glean from you!

Attitude check!

When I was in high school, I was in a group called FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). If you know me personally, this is highly entertaining, as I am soooooooo not athletic!! Why was I in the group? Well, because it was the only Christian group at school, and well, ahem... there was this... boy. Ahem.

Anyway.

When we would see each other in the hallway, especially if we saw each other looking grumpy, we yelled, "ATTITUDE CHECK!"

To which the person would have to respond, "PRAISE THE LORD!" Loudly. In a hall full of teenagers. In a public school. Funny stuff.

I've decided to do it with my kids. Minus the screaming at the top of our lungs, of course. (wink) This will be good for them and good for Mommy, too.

We already have memorized Phil. 2:14, "Do all things without murmurings or disputings." (Which we talk regularly about what those "big" words mean.) And it works. But I think we'll add something fun, something silly to get those smiles back.

So, what is going on today that has you bent outta shape? ATTITUDE CHECK!

Thank You, Lord

For little chubby cheeks

For little chubby smiles

For beautiful sparkly eyes

For the sound of tiny voices saying "mommy"

For tiny toes feeling the grass

For giggles when being pushed in a swing

For moments to talk about You

For little clothes to fold in the laundry

For those little eyes peeking up over the edge of the bed

For cuddles

For the sound of sucking thumbs

For long eyelashes resting on cheeks

For that silly game of "Drop It and See How Many Times Mommy Will Pick It Up Again"

God's provision saved my son

In the last few days of March two years ago, something was very wrong with my (then) almost-four-month-old baby boy, Sweetheart. I'd taken him to two different ERs in 24 hours, and each set of docs and nurses passed his symptoms off as multiple infections that would pass in a matter of days. All I knew was that he was very sick and not at all like himself. I was instructed to follow up with his doctor in a couple days. I did, but when I arrived at the office, I was told the doctor had moved on to his new assignment (military doc), and we would be seeing his replacement. My heart sank, because even though the doc and I had trouble communicating (he had a thick accent and I often misunderstood him), at least he knew my son.

Our new pediatrician was an "older" doctor, in her fifties. She looked Sweetheart over, took detailed notes as I relayed the events of the last few days, even noting what day certain newer symptoms appeared. She sat and thought and thought, and started pulling out her huge medical books. I had very mixed feelings... I felt like I was finally being seriously listened to, and it was nice to see she had an idea what it could be, but it was also intimidating to see her flip through the pages, muttering names of diseases.

She found the page she wanted, and let me read it with her. She mentioned the onset of different symptoms my son had and how they had progressed... she gave me a name: Kawasaki disease. Yup, just like the motorcycles. Basically, it's the inflammation of the blood vessels, and it can result in death, especially if untreated. But if caught in enough time, the child will have no lasting damage to the heart.

She made a few calls, and very quickly, we had an appointment at a nearby hospital with a team of doctors. They looked him over, had a conference, and decided our son had to be hospitalized. He stayed a total of four days, during which he was given an IVIG, which is an intravenous dose of immunoglobin. He had a whole team of doctors that regularly had conferences during those four days to discuss his progress and to see if we had any concerns or questions.

Over the next year, Sweetheart had to have periodic exams of his heart to watch one particular artery. He was also put on lose doses of aspirin for 3 months. We got really chummy with the pediatric cardiologist. And Sweetheart hated those ultrasounds and EKGs.

God had His hand alllll over that whole situation. He gave us the perfect doctor who didn't dismiss the symptoms. The team of doctors at the hospital was also military, and several of them had just returned from assignments in Hawaii in the weeks prior, where KD is much more prevalent. These men were quite experienced, and they, too, arrived at just the right time.

Sweetheart was given a huge green light a year ago: the artery that was affected by the KD is fine now, and you cannot tell that it ever was.

So today I hug him a bit tighter and praise God that my fella is so healthy! I could have easily lost my little boy, but God took care of him. Even by moving military doctors around the world to be at the right clinics and hospitals at the exactly right time. Isn't God wonderful?

One-on-One with Mom

I've been asking God to show me some things to teach my children to be like Him, to help their spiritual lives mature as they grow up. And over the past few days, He gave me an idea - to spend 1:1 time with them individually. Not to just run to the grocery store so they each get time with me by themselves. Oh, that idea is great and fine, and we do that when I can (Daddy being gone makes that hard), but no, I'm speaking of a more purposeful time alone together.

The goal of this time together would be to really get at their heart. To ask them, how is your heart doing? Are you struggling with any areas lately? What can I pray for? Are you afraid of anything? What is God telling you in your Bible time? (This last question will be when they are old enough to have their personal devotions. Mine aren't old enough yet.) This time will be to pray together, to talk of their dreams and hopes for their life in the future, to talk about anything bothering them, and so on. Also, this would be a good time for me to be open with them about my own failures and struggles, and to ask their forgiveness when I've made mistakes.

My hope for this is to let them see that I care personally how they are doing on the inside and out. I want this to deepen their trust of Mommy. I also hope this will open doors for me to intimately "disciple" my children as they know Christ as their Savior.

Churches disciple their new Christians - or they certainly should; many churches have discipleship programs. Do we as parents have a purposeful discipleship with our children? Do we have a time to address their individual needs?

But I hope this time won't be all seriousness. I don't want it to be stiff. I hope it's filled with lots of laughter and giggling, too. I don't want it to be like a report-card interview. I want it to be a sweet time. And so I need to start it now, while my daughter is five. She'll have no expectations of Mom coming into her room and sitting down to talk. We can start off these memories with lots of giggles over her made-up jokes and stories. I can tell her my own made-up stories (she loves these at bedtime) just for her. And we can talk about her fear of the dark, and Mommy's fears (not too much detail here for her little mind) letting her know I get afraid, too, and how I take my fears to God and so can she. We can pray together, read the Bible together, and just have fun being Mommy and Daughter.

I have high hopes for this idea God gave me. May He bless it richly!

We will spend our lives on You.

While on Three, God and Me this morning, I read this post. There was one particular line there that really grabbed me.

"As for me and my house,we will spend our lives on you"

That line caught my attention. I don't believe I've seen it said that way before, and it really is a great way to put it. Like I said in my reply to her post, our family prays together, reads the Bible together, goes to church together, and I'm starting to teach them to reach out to others, but am I really teaching them to spend their lives on Him?

So how does one do that?

It is not merely enough to be dependent on the Lord yourself. Meaning, you may pray all day in your heart to Him, fully relying on His strength to give you patience and wisdom while being a mother or in a career, but your children will not see that. They may see you always being patient and wise, but that won't be enough. Taking them to church isn't enough. We have to actively teach them. How?

We started something a few months ago that is a start, I suppose. The goal is to have one person each week that we bless as a family. With small children, that looks like a phone call from the kids or me, drawing pictures/writing letters to mail, sending ecards, and even taking them some flowers or a meal while visiting. Then at home, we pray for them. As I said, the goal is to have a different person each week, but I've not been faithful enough with it.

This is going to take some prayer and some thinking. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on purposefully teaching our children to spend their lives on Christ.

My heart is so full!

This morning is a rainy, yucky morning. Very very dark out there, even at 10 am. But on this type of day, I always want to stay in our jammies, bake cookies, read lots of books and have a generally cozy, homey day.

So, I made a bigger breakfast for the kids than I typically do: oatmeal, scrambled eggs, biscuits (don't be too impressed - they were the refridgerated type), fruit, milk and OJ. Now, I do fix these things frequently as it is, but not all at once; usually they only have two items at breakfast.

What a reaction I got from the children, though! I got extra special hugs, many I-love-yous, and plenty of contented smiles. Who knew they'd be so happy? And they really stuffed themselves. Most mornings they don't eat half of what they did today.

I've cuddled with the wee bairn this morning. I felt her little fingers stroke my face while she nursed today. I've seen their sleepy-smile faces straight from their beds. I've heard their little giggles and goofy antics around the kitchen table.

They bring me so much joy. On the phone last night, my husband reminded me that one day, there will be no more tiny clothes in the dryer, no more tiny bottoms to wipe, no more waking in the middle of the night. And it is so true. I will greatly miss these days.

But before I can get too sad about losing those chubby baby fingers and the belly laughs when someone plays peekaboo, I know that I will get to see them transform into wonderful young adults. I will get to laugh with them over jokes, watch them grow in maturity, and, prayerfully, watch their faith grow.

And homeschooling my children allows me to be with them even more. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be with them all day. I love homeschooling. I love the excitement Sunshine has over learning. I love that she asks every day for phonics and math. I love that she is disappointed when we don't do school on the weekends. What a blessed thing it is to see your children grow and learn!

I'm not a "schedule" kind of gal

I tried over the first four years or so of childrearing to get myself into a schedule. You know, sit down, draw out the blocks of time, and then put assign tasks to each block? Well, I can tell you, I just can't do schedules. To me, a schedule creates an expectation. And then every single day, that expectation isn't met. Because a house full of little ones just doesn't fit neatly into boxes. At least not here in my house.

I've spent a lot of time feeling like that we should be running on a schedule, and since we weren't, it must have meant I just didn't have it together enough to do a schedule. Until the day it dawned upon my mind... I could still have an organized and smoothly running home with a routine.

Now, that routine has morphed over and over again, because we've added a couple babies, moved, started homeschooling... and each time things completely change. While I'm pregnant, life is in survival mode the entire 9 months. But we have a routine, even if it is bare bones. I know if I tried to keep up with a schedule then, I'd be having major expectations of myself that I just can't meet.

Right now our routine looks like this:

• Mommy up (6 am) - dressed/eat, put in a load of laundry, tidy one room somewhere in the house, computer time
• Kids up - eat/dress, make beds
• Bible time (family devotions)
• School for Sunshine and anyone else who feels like joining in.
• Exercise (they play while I exercise, sometimes they join in)
• Lunch, prep for dinner
• Chores (like sweeping the kitchen floor, taking out trash, emtpying dishwasher, reloading it, tidying the kitchen or bedroom, etc)
• Take a walk or do something outside if the weather permits
• Rest time
• Get dinner started (I try to have dinner ready to eat at 5:00, but sometimes I'm late)
• Kids tidy up living room and we all fold laundry (yes, the two older girls really do fold laundry, and they do a great job, too!)
• Half hour of tv while Mommy finishes up dinner
• Eat
• Start getting ready for the next day: laying out clothes, clean up the kitchen one last time, get the kids into pjs, brush teeth and braid Sunshine's hair (lessens tangles)
• Play and read together until bedtime for kids
• Once kids are down, I take the baby to my room and I do my own personal devotions. I try to be in bed by 9:30 these days. Baby still wakes in the middle of the night.

If you noticed, the baby isn't listed for where in the routine she nurses. I just work around her, so the kids get free time while we nurse. Sometimes we all pile on the couch, and I read to them while I nurse her. It all just depends on what I feel like that day. And bath days are a few nights a week, so we do that after dinner on those evenings.