Out With The Old....and In With The New

 I've never been a fan of New Years Resolutions, but I usually set a few goals for the year.

Here were my goals for 2010.  

Did I keep any of them?  Let's see.....

We paid off debt 3 months sooner than our original goal.  

We found a church.... spent about 6 mos at one place, realized that our son REALLY didn't like it, so the search began again and we found a place that the kids really enjoy. 

 I did become more disciplined in my quiet time and was able to start waking up before the family... not so much in the exercising department...  I'll do really well for a month or so and then I stop.  

We were kinda hoping we didn't become pregnant this year, but the Lord has other plans and we are so excited for this fourth blessing into our family!  Its bittersweet, knowing that this is the last time I will be pregnant, but also looking forward to this next chapter in life.  

We didn't make it on very many vacations this year, to see family or to the beach.  Just about every extra penny went towards the paying off debt, which I am so thankful we were blessed with the means to do so.  We did make it to "north" three times for some fun- we saw Curious George Live (free, thank you blogging opportunities) and enjoyed Greenville, SC.  We saw an old and close friend get married  (YAY!) in Gaffney, SC and we went on our annual apple picking trip to the mountains!  We were able to stay in a really neat cabin and pick apples and just enjoy family, exploring and being away from life! 

 I failed in the setting up "dates" department.  Life becomes busy and we have fallen in love with the "at home" dates this past year!  So much easier!  Maybe not as "fun" but if I'm in my pjs, eating food that I didn't prepare OR have to clean up and I'm with my handsome Hubbie, we are happy!  

Did I spend wiser?  Well, yes and no.  I'm sure I've wasted money.  I didn't become the coupon and thrift queen that I aspire to be, but I've gotten some GREAT deals this year and I hope to do better in the new year.....

And speaking of the new year..... gosh guys!  Its 2011!  How in the WORLD did that happen?  I really don't remember what happened to this year.  It was such a normal year.  Nothing exciting.  Nothing to write about, really.... just normal stuff. 

Let me see... what do I remember about 2010?  

Sickness!  6 mos of sickies coming in and out our door.  One thing after another.  It started with an AWFUL cold.  I mean, one that I can STILL remember how MISERABLE I was!  Then a few weeks later.... the dreaded stomach bug!  Over the next 5 mos, we were hit with just about everything.  It was not fun and I don't remember those months being good emotionally.  I think I cried if I even tried to talk about the emotional stress.  I still believe we were under spiritual warfare or something was going on.  We ate healthy, washed and sanitized hands, cleaned things..... and we KEPT getting sick.  But, I do look back on that time as a definite strengthening of my faith and perseverance  in the Lord.  It was a hard time for me, but we made it through.  

School is another thing that I remember about 2010.  The year of making a decision.  Do we home school?  Do we stay where we were at?  Do we apply to a nearby Christian private school?  Well, we eventually decided to take the plunge and boy! what a hard first few months it was.  I realized that homeschooling had more to do with myself than just schooling my kids.  Never have I been stretched as a person as much as I was this Fall.  It was difficult to let go of "self" and really learn the art of contentment in every circumstance.  

So, out with the old and in with the new.... whats up for this year?  Any goals?  Resolutions?  

For 2011, I am praying for health for our family, provisions for needs and a healthy babe.  

I am seeking more simplicity in our lives.  De-cluttering, getting rid of and simplifying is the name of the game around our house these days.

I am looking forward to another school year homeschooling Bubbie and Peanut.  I've already chosen curriculum and hope to spend Spring making plans for the school year!  

We probably won't have the ability to save much money this year.  Our next step in the Dave Ramsey "steps" is to save 3-6 mos of living expenses and because of another addition, plus some dental and car work that needs to get done, but God has knocked our socks off before and surprised us, so we are hopeful that we will be able to make a small dent in the savings before the end of the year!  

I am hoping and praying that we can make a safe and stress free journey to see family in TN.  I know the grandparents would LOVE a visit and I need to get a dose of my SIL before our life gets turned upside down!  We also are already planning for a trip to NC for my husband's 1st marathon and for my 1st home school convention as a homeschooling Mama.  We still haven't taken our "debt free" trip yet, so we are hoping to make it to the beach for at least a few days(not a week like we had originally hoped) to make memories before the babe comes.  And of course, a trip to NC to apple pick in the Fall is a must!  

All those things are important, but most of all,  I want my family to grow in the love of the Lord.  I want our words to build each other up.  I want us to show love to those around us.  I want to yell less and train my children more with words that are encouraging and loving.  I want our home to become a refuge for my hard working husband.  I want the Lord to be glorified in all that I say and do...... yup, out with the old and in with the new.  So ready to say good-bye to 2010 and hello! to 2011!  

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Psalm 19:14

Packing Up, Yard Sale-ing and Purging

Just a few random, unorganized and crazy thoughts from this frazzled mama......

I seem to be in a bit of a nesting mode here lately.  It almost began as quickly as my pregnancy did.  I began to tell Hubbie- over and over again- about our need for order, structure, organization and overall HELP!  This pregnancy, like I've said, scares me more than any other.  Well, maybe not more than Bubbie's, because I didn't know what to expect, but this one.... boy! I feel like I'm out in left field with my hands up in the air to God saying "Ok, Lord.  Here I am.  Help!" and to be honest, I'm probably EXACTLY where God wants me.  On my hands and knees daily (sometime multiple times a day) begging Him for answered prayers, wisdom and provisions.

So, in an effort to keep my mind occupied, I have begun to try to simplify life.  I tend purge a lot throughout the year when I get tired of tripping over things or picking toys up OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  Our house is small, we have our fair share of furniture and very little storage, so we gotta make this home work.  I started before December.  With two little boy's birthdays AND Christmas, its a lot of stuff in a short amount of time, which isn't really fair to the kids, I suppose, but oh well, tis life, so I gave Bubbie a choice of train sets.  We had purchased a space wooden train set off craigslist for him for a Christmas present and we already had a huge trunk of wooden trains, 2 big tubs of take-along-trains AND track master trains.  He had wanted a new track master set of trains for his birthday, so came to the decision that take alongs needed to go, so that was 2 tubs out of his closet.  Then we moved on to Hotwheels.  My child LOVES Hotwheels and I just wish I did too.  None of the sets are easy for kids.  There are a million different pieces and its just a burden to try to store in our tiny closets.  We went through his basket of them and purged the majority of them.  I hated doing it and it was really the only thing that he protested a tiny bit..... He LOVES them.... but we had already purchased a new car set off craigslist that he LOVES to look at when we go in a specialty toy store nearby, so we knew he'd have SOMETHING to play with.

Next up came the playroom.  The playroom is something Hubbie and I debate on a monthly basis.  Do we keep it?  Are we giving the kids too much?  We end up cleaning it, so why let them have such a privilege?  Neither one of us had a playroom and we survived with toys in our rooms, etc.  We could use that room for quite a few other things, but it always comes down to space and keeping the toys out of the living area, so we cave and keep the room as is.  So, the next best solution was to downsize the room.  In came tubs!  I saw on a blog on Monday that Lowes had 18 gallon tubs discounted to $2.50 a piece and you could pick them up at the store and save on shipping!  Score!  I ordered 7 in hopes that only 4 would be used for the playroom.  I got busy on Tuesday morning, dividing all the puzzles, games and books.  I tried to keep out all the new things that the kids had just gotten and put things that they hadn't really touched in a while in the tubs.  I eliminated a whole shelf system that had been used for toy storage.  YAY!  We have an oversized chair in the room with an ottoman that I think, if we replaced with something a little smaller, would definitely with space, but for now, the fact that we COULD fit a swing or saucer in the playroom is making this Mama feel very good!

Last week I went through the boys winter storage and purged anything that I didn't LOVE.  I keep because I think "Oh my gosh!  I have 3 boys(perhaps 4) that will need to wear winter clothing and if I got this as a hand-me-down, I need to keep it, etc.) but I'm learning that God will always provide our needs and to keep things that I don't like or love is silly, because its wasted on us.....I won't put it on the kids and it'll sit in the drawers until the kids pull it as their last clean item.  So, I went through and gathered those items and went through the Christmas stuff.  Anything that I don't LOVE and didn't come out this year, is going in the yard sale!

The next step is laundry!  The more I talk to friends about the laundry struggle, the more I realize that I am not alone!  Thank goodness for truthful friends!  I step into people's homes and it all looks clean and everything is finished and tidy, but I'm finding out that that is what we WANT our friends to see!  Ask to see the master bedroom and I will refuse!  Its where everything goes when we don't have time to do it especially if company is coming over!  Am I embarrased?  Slightly.... but ya know what?  I'm learning that if someone thinks ill of me because I have two laundry baskets FULL of laundry that has needed to be ironed and hung up for....hmmm.... a month..... then they can offer to come help me catch up!  :o)  I'm learning that I need to change my expectations of myself.  When I just had Bubbie and Peanut, I could stay caught up on our chores and STILL have time for extra things, but that isn't my life.  We have one more little one that destroys things faster than I could ever imagine one could and we are at home all day long.  No day care.  No mother's day out.  No extra help!  No time for me to be at home without any little ones up, awake and into things!  (Yes, this is by choice, but still not exactly easy!)And with the addition of another little one, knowing that the majority of my time for the first 4 or 5 mos, will be spent feeding the babe, I need to change my expectations that life isn't going to be pretty or neat or tidy or clean.... BUT if I can make things more manageable NOW, then maybe we can cut down on the amount of stress that Hubbie and I feel with the load that we have now.  So, what is your laundry solution?  I've heard people say that since I am home all day, I should be able to keep up with laundry every day, all day long... well, frankly, I'm sad to inform THOSE that think that, but my two youngest ones keep me on my toes!  If the second isn't asking for something to eat or drink every second of the day, then he is getting into something or screaming or needing a butt wipe.  And if he is occupied for about 2 seconds, then the youngest one wants me to sing "E-I-E-I-O" for the upteenth time or read his Curious George book AGAIN!  My only free moments are when Buggy is down for nap and most of the time, I'm still tending to the older ones EVEN WHEN I say "rest time!".... so free moments for me to do ANYTHING are few and far between which means laundry is left undone.  Oh and the idea of doing laundry EVERY SINGLE DAY makes my skin crawl... so I gotta make this work.  Maybe laundry 2 days out of the week.  One day I do whites, socks and towels and the other dark, catch up, etc.  Any ideas?!  How do you stay on top of laundry?!

This whole experience of preparing for a fourth blessing is definitely like an out-of-body experience.  I want things to happen a certain way and in a certain time and I'm learning AGAIN that I have no control.  I must make do with what we've been given and in the time frame that we've been blessed with.......  I have no control.  Why is this so hard to learn?!

The P&G Buy 4, Save $4 Deal

Last night I headed to my local Kroger because there is a great deal going on!  Starting yesterday, you can head to your local Kroger grocery store (or Ralph's, Dillions, Smith's, Fry's, King Sooper's) and take advantage of the P&G Buy 4, Save $4 deal!  Before I shopped, I went onto Kroger.com and loaded digital coupons onto my Kroger Plus card, so I saved even more with the fabulous manufacturer's coupons!

This is what I purchased last night....

1 12 double roll package of Charmin, 8 rolls of Bounty, 2 Herbal Essence shampoo, 

1 large bottle of Dawn, 1 Old Spice deodorant and 2 packages of Duracell batteries

By loading the coupons on my Kroger Plus card, I saved...... drum roll please......

The P&G Buy 4, Save $4 deal is going on until January 12th, so you have plenty of time to stock up on this deal!  So, what are you waiting for?!  

BlogHer and Kroger and helping you too!  Enter to win a $25 gift card here!  

**All comments and opinions in this post are my own.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this blog post.  I did receive a $25 Kroger gift card in order to purchase the P&G Buy 4, Save $4 deal in order to blog about it.  A big thanks to BlogHer and to Kroger for the gift card and for the opportunity to share this deal with friends.**

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of December 27th, 2010

Monday evening ~ Chili and cornbread  Leftovers from Christmas- ham, biscuits, pineapple casserole and lima beans

Tuesday evening ~ Chicken Parmesan, salad and bread

Wednesday evening ~ Leftover chili

Thursday lunch ~ Homemade pizza and bread sticks
Thursday evening ~ Chicken pot pie

Friday lunch ~ Leftover pizza
Friday evening ~ New Years Eve!  No cooking for me!

Saturday lunch ~ Leftover chicken pot pie
Saturday evening ~ New Years Meal!  Hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy, rice and a veggie with cornbread

Sunday lunch ~ Soup and corn bread
Sunday evening ~ Taco casserole and chips/sides

For more menu planning tips, visit Laura.

~

I hope everyone had a healthy and blessed Christmas!  We did and are so thankful for the time with family and to have been healthy.  We have another slow and around home week ahead which suits me just fine.  The kids are loving all their new goodies and I have more than my fair share of household work to do after a lazy and preoccupied few weeks.  Hubbie is off a few days towards the end of the week, so we are anxious to have him back home with us for a restful and family filled Holiday weekend!

I am nearing the end of my 1st trimester and the heartburn has really begun.  I've had it with each pregnancy and I gotta say this one is already starting to be a doozy!  If I do anything that I shouldn't....like drink a coke and eat pizza.... I am in trouble and definitely in need of some heartburn medication!  Besides the heartburn, I've been doing good.  Not too much tiredness.  Not too much yucky feeling...other a few days here or there or if I don't eat for a long period of time.  I don't go back to the doc for a few more weeks and am anxious to hear a heartbeat and to have another confirmation that I am pregnant.... its hard in the early weeks.....  not being able to feel movement, see inside your belly......  I just want to confirm that the babe is healthy and kicking!

We had a late "white Christmas" and it was beautiful!  The snow began around 8 on Sunday morning, so we skipped church and watched the snow fall!  I stayed busy with de-decking the halls and doing some laundry.  We went outside around noon but it wasn't sticking and figured it would be done shortly..... but we were wrong!  After naps, we were thrilled to see that it was STILL snowing and finally sticking!!!  We ran back outside and had a fun snowball fight while Daddy was out running in the 30 degree temps and snow!!!    By 5, the snow had stopped and we had a beautiful landscape of dusting over everything in our yard!

Merry Christmas 2010....Christmas Eve

We went to a Christmas Eve service and took all 3 boys with us...this year was a little more difficult with 3 mobile kiddos.  I'm one for keeping my 3 boys with me at the Christmas Eve service and not putting them in nursery, so we try to attend services that are for children or services that are kid friendly.

Every year we've gone somewhere different.... this year was our first year at the church that we've been visiting.  It was a great service with lots of singing and meaningful messages.  Unfortunately, our children were a tad bit too excited for sitting and listening to a guy talk.  All the boys did excellent through the singing of hymns.  The big boys sang the songs and enjoyed the music and lights!  As soon as the singing was over, my children went crazy.  Bubbie was lying over the chairs.  Peanut was racing back and forth over the chairs.  Buggy was getting a tad bit too loud, so Hubbie had to take him to roam the grassy parts of the parking lot.  Needless to say, it was chaotic!  Peanut and Bubbie were very concerned about the lighting of the candles (which happens at the END of service!) and they ended up messing with the candles and the protective paper so much that Peanut got burnt by the hot wax and almost caught the piece of protective paper on fire!  The service was a little longer that we anticipated it to be and we rushed out of there are SOON as it was over!

We're already thinking about changing our tradition for next year.... we've been going to a Christmas Eve service every year that Hubbie and I have been together.  I think we've only missed one and it was the Christmas that we welcomed Peanut into the world (born 6 days before Christmas)..... but now, with a new baby on the way and having to wrangle the 3 boys PLUS a 3 mo old during a Christmas Eve service...... we may have to change it up for a few years!

After service, we rushed home and we prepped all our holiday goodies.  This is the 3rd year we've done "appetizer" and munchie dinner on Christmas Eve while watching a Holiday movie!  The kids love it and so does Hubbie!  We get all the goodies that we try not to eat the rest of the year....like mozzarella sticks and queso dip with chips!  Its all so yummy and fattening!  Of course, we finished the fattening dinner off with some good Christmas cookies!  Afterwards, we get in our PJs, talk about the meaning of Christmas and what we are celebrating and then read "Twas the Night Before Christmas"....... 

We put the kids to bed rather early (7ish) which is our normal bed time, because they were bouncing off the walls!  They went to bed pretty quickly and Hubbie and I set to work.  Cleaning the house, prepping for Christmas Day and wrapping and setting up of gifts!  The wrapping and setting up of gifts took MUCH longer than I would have liked.... and sadly, we went very simple on Christmas this year and didn't spend that much but I felt so materialistic lugging all the gifts from our closet to the tree.... materialistic and dirty!  I know toys and goodies aren't bad...and we've tried put the focus on Christ's birth and His purpose on earth but I was overwhelmed and convicted with the amount of STUFF we have and use and "need" and I just wished we could somehow not want as much!  Anyway...... All in all, it was a good night and we were thankful to be asleep before midnight!  

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  

Another One For the Books....

Our plan this week was to stick close to home, but we found ourselves running errands several days this week.  I had a few crafts planned for the week, but then realized at the last minute that I didn't have everything I needed, so on Wednesday, we made a quick trip to a few stores to pick up the last minute supplies.

We, the young boys in the double stroller and Bubbie tagging along, walked into one small store, looking desperately for the supplies (of course, they didn't have anything we needed) and wasn't quite prepared for what happened next....

The cashier was walking around the store and as soon as she saw our crew, she loudly said "Wow!  You have a lot of kids to drag around!"  I was immediately hurt by her comment to "drag my kids around" and really wasn't sure how to respond.  Well, honestly, I didn't want to respond....  I thought it was inappropriate, so I just chuckled, turned the stroller around to try and avoid any more conversation and said, "I don't drag them around too often."  As we were turning, my sweet little boy said, "Well, my Momma is gonna have one more to drag around, because she is having another baby!"  Oh my goodness!  You would have thought the flood gates opened..... the cashier immediately said, " YOU ARE!  WOW!  Let me see your belly!!!"  to which I immediately shook my head and said that its very early.  Then she proceeded to put her foot in her mouth and said, " I bet you're hoping for a girl after 3 boys, huh?"  Oh boy!  If she were a smart cashier, she would have seen that my body language was NOT saying "Please talk to me more!"  I responded as nicely as I could, laughed and said, "Well, some moments yes and some moments no."  And again, started to walk away and she AGAIN, stuck her foot in her mouth and said, "I know you're tying your tubes after this one, huh?"  Do what?!  Seriously?!  What is it YOUR business about me tying my tubes?!  I said "Yeah" even though it was NONE of her business!  Again... trying to WALK AWAY from the weirdest conversation EVER....but nope.... it got weirder!  She then asked how old Buggy was and told me that her cousin's child (around the same age as Bugs) just died from the flu and that her cousin had died 6 mos ago.....  OK.... AWKWARD!  I felt awful for the lady and tried to take a moment to tell her that I was sorry for their loss and how horrible I'm sure that is to deal with during the Holidays.....but I did this all VERY quickly!!!

Thankfully, we was able to walk away, purchase the things we did need and leave!!!  The next store we went to was much more pleasant....AND DID have the things that we needed!


The whole situation at the store was a little odd and reminded me that sometimes it is just better to keep your mouth shut!  I think this woman was lonely and a tad bit peculiar.  I am still annoyed by her comment about me "dragging my kids" around and still shocked at the audacity of some people's complete lack of tact or ability to keep their opinions to themselves!  Haha!  My children were not being bad or loud or disruptive...  maybe if we were making a scene....and then I am usually a little more tolerable of people's comments, because frankly, I don't blame them for being annoyed or whatever....but we weren't.  


And another thing that annoyed me was that my oldest son heard all this.  I don't want my children to ever think that they are a nuisance to us because of what others say.  Yes, I tell them often that they are frustrating me or I do a "ARGH" at them to help diffuse a tense situation, but I think (and hope) that I say "i love you" and give kisses and cuddles 10x more than we have those bad moments!  


So, I posted this incident on Facebook yesterday and was amazed at how many people responded.  I think most Momma's have been in similar situations... whether its an unkind look or a few words of judgement or pity.  Now, I know I am not completely innocent in this.  I am SURE I have made stupid remarks before when someone said they were pregnant and had their hands full already, etc...   I just pray that I could start looking for ways to encourage young Mama's that we see in stores.  Whether by an understand smile, help picking up items off the floor that the children have thrown out or a word of encouragement when the child is SCREAMING!  

Christmas Funnies

Here are a few things the kids have said and/or done in the last few days that have made us laugh and shake our heads in disbelief....


On December 20th, Bubbie informed me that he sure was thankful that Christmas was only 5 days away, because then he wouldn't have to be good for Santa anymore.  The sad thing is is that I didn't know he was TRYING to be good!  My response?  "Oh really?!  Hmm....."

Later on December 20th, I walked into the living room and found shredded wrapping paper and no Peanut and no Bugs.  Bubbie was with me in the bathroom (I decided to cut the boy's hair).  So, I called out for Peanut and he was in his bedroom, with the door shut.  I walked into his bedroom and asked what he was doing and he immediately said "Momma, its Christmas morning!"  I informed him it wasn't and asked why he had opened the present.  He quickly said "Buggy did it!"  His new phrase for EVERYTHING!

On December 21st, I was getting ready for our errands and library morning and Peanut walked into the bedroom.  He looked around and said, "I need to check out  my presents!"  I starred at him with my mouth hanging open....not believing that he was ACTUALLY WALKING TO THE CLOSET.  Sure enough, he got to the closet door.  The whole time I'm saying "No, No, No, No........." and he was STILL pulling the door open.  I rushed over to the door (because the LIGHT WAS ON and the toys were VERY VISIBLE!) and shut it quickly and guess what?!  Mother of the Year over here.... I hit Peanut's head!  Nice, huh?!  I still can't believe that he's been taking peeks.  Wait?!  This is PEANUT we're talking about..... I'm not surprised!

Later on December 21st, Bubbie said, "Momma, I sure wish I knew how Jesus gets babies into Mommy's tummy!"  Hmm...... I wasn't quite prepared for this one.  I know parents always talk about the moments when their palms get sweaty and you go into panic mode!  I immediately went through the dusty filing cabinet that is my brain nowadays and tried to think about wise words that I had heard once about this kind of situation.  Did I lie and talk about "the birds and the bees"  or the "flower getting pollenated" or did I just ignore it and hope the question went away or did I save it for Daddy or did I tell him the "when Mommy and Daddy love each other....blahblahblah?!  So, what did this wise Mama do?  I said, "You do?  Hmmm......" and then thankfully Peanut said, "Doctor cuts you open!"  WHEW!  Close one!  And then we talked about doctors cutting Mommy's tummy to get the baby out and blahblahblah!  Much easier to discuss HOW TO GET THE BABY OUT than how it got in there!  Hmmm..... I might need to actually do some work up for the next question!

The kids keep us on our toes CONSTANTLY!  If its not something they are saying or singing, its something they are doing!

Psst… want to save up to $46?

Hey! I just learned a clean little secret about Lowe’s.........to read more, go here.  

Elf'd OurSelves

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of Christmas 2010

Christmas week is finally here!  :o)  The kids are so excited and bouncing off the walls.  We are all anticipating a fun and family filled week and weekend ahead!  Now, this Mama just needs to survive the week ahead!  Most of our friends are sick or out of town and since this Mama would rather OUR family not get sick on Christmas week, we'll be staying at home a lot this week.  I've got crafts and school for the kids to work on and I have a little baking, some cleaning and sewing to do.  And its suppose to be "warm" so I know we will be able to get out and get some sunshine this week as well!  Maybe an outing to our family "trail" as well?  Either way, we will enjoy some quiet and lazy time this week at home and outside before the nasty days come back (Christmas is suppose to be nasty, cold and rainy)!


Hubbie surprised me by telling me that he gets 2-in-a-row 4 day weekends which is nice!  Hopefully all that time won't be spent running around like chickens with our heads cut off!  Between the kids birthdays and doing things that need to get done, this Mama hasn't had much time to herself or to sit down and sew or even time for Hubbie and I to just relax, so it would be nice to have some free time during the Holidays and for life to settle down!  


Pregnancy is going well.... little nausea, some piriformis pain already (each pregnancy it happens a little quicker!) but Hubbie was able to do something to me to make it better!  Yeah for Hubs!  


So, here is our menu for the week.  Forgive me for adding in our breakfast and lunches, but I just did it to keep myself organized.....  I've got a stock freezer/fridge and I need to know what we have and what we have it for!!!  :o)


Here is what we will be eating!!   

Monday night- Spaghetti a la Philly(I'm gonna put mine in the oven as a spaghetti bake)salad and french bread


Tuesday night-  Leftover spaghetti and sides


Wednesday night-  Chili and cornbread


Thursday lunch-  Leftover chili
Thursday night-  Grilled chicken, corn and carrots


Christmas Eve noon meal -  Sandwiches and chips and dip
Christmas Eve dinner tradition- Snacky foods- mozzarella sticks with sauce, chips with queso, salsa and guacamole, taquitos, spinach dip with crackers and homemade mini quiches and of course, Christmas cookies!!


Christmas Day breakfast tradition - Cinnamon rolls and o.j/milk
Christmas Day noon meal- Ham, broccoli salad, pineapple casserole, green beans and rolls and goodies!!
Christmas Day dinner tradition- homemade pizza with breadsticks and salad


Sunday lunch-  BBQ chicken, macaroni and cheese, lima beans and carrots
Sunday night- Leftover snacky foods and/ or clean out fridge




For more menu ideas and tips, visit Laura over here.

Chex Mix and Kroger- A Review and Giveaway

A winner has been chosen in the Chex Mix and Kroger giveaway... go here to see who has been chosen!

This Christmas, 2010

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  

How I <3 these three little ones... and we are so thankful for these three precious boys and looking forward to next year......having our quiver full with 4 precious children.  Life is good....

"Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."  

Psalm 127:3-5

Chex Mix and Kroger- A Review and Giveaway

Check out another fun giveaway going on at the review blog.  Go  here to enter.  And don't forget about the other Chex cereal giveaway, ending tomorrow night.  Go here to enter that one.  Good luck!

First Purchase.....

for the darling baby no. 4 was....

Nappy Balm...

Baby bar soap...

Both from ecoStore.  To see my review on ecoStore products a few months ago, go here.  On Black Friday, ecoStore had a FABULOUS sale.  I think most items were 60% off PLUS free shipping, so I stocked up on baby shampoo, lotion, body wash for the kids and body wash for myself (which I use as shaving gel).  :o)  Now I just gotta get the babe in my arms, so I can use these products!  In the mean time, I am enjoying using the baby shampoo and body wash on my 3 darling boys.  

**No one asked me to write this post.  I bought these products with my own money and love them!  Excited to share!!**

Going to See Santa

We went to visit Santa on Sunday....

Bubbie was eager to tell Santa what he wanted.  He even prepped for the conversation by cutting out pictures of the toys that he wanted.  By the time we got to see Santa, he had forgotten about all the other things and just told Santa one item..... a Nascar race track.  Score!  An item that Mom and Dad actually DID purchase for him... off craigslist.... for less than half of what the store was charging for it.... again... SCORE!

Peanut wasn't as eager to tell Santa what he wanted, but once he saw his older brother sitting on Santa's lap and having a conversation with him, he became VERY eager to tell Santa.  Peanut told Santa that he wanted a puzzle.  My child and his puzzles.... he could (and does) do puzzles ALL DAY LONG!  I love it, but seriously, if we buy him ONE MORE PUZZLE, I think this Mama might lose it!  I did buy him a neat Discovery toys puzzle at where else?!  Goodwill!  With all the pieces in it... for..... 50 cents!  Who says I'm not cheap?!  

Buggy took one look at Santa and began to scream!  That poor face!  Years ago, I would have just put the child on Santa's lap, taken a picture of the screaming child and laughed!  This time, it just wasn't worth the Kodak moment.... so no picture of my baby boy screaming at the sight of a white bearded, large man.  :o(  Santa did ask Buggy what he wanted for Christmas, while he was safely in Mama's arms.....  when Santa told Buggy that SURELY he wanted something for Christmas, Buggy shook his head "no".  :o) 

So, sadly, no picture of all 3 of my boys with Santa.... maybe ONE day I'll get a decent "Santa" picture....  so far, I haven't gotten one!  I did think my boys looked exceptionally cute in their Christmas wear.  




**And for all the locals, Santa will be at the Learning Express for one more Sunday, before Christmas, starting at noon, which is PERFECT for you church going folk.... head to church, looking dashing and BEFORE lunch, head to the store to get pictures with Santa!  :o)  

Here We Go Again!!! :o)

I really can't believe that for the 3rd time in my blogging "career" I am announcing important, life changing news.... it seems like a dream (a good one) but still something I can't even begin to imagine......that.........

I'M PREGNANT!

Yes, you read right.  I'll say it again, since I'm having to repeat this news a lot to people..... I am pregnant with our 4th child.  Due in July.  It is VERY TRUE.... and I am not joking (MOM!)......  I guess I can't get flustered with people being SHOCKED with our news, because frankly, I was a tad bit astonished!  A month, exactly, after having, yet, another "talk" with the Hubbie about whether to find some permanent form of natural B.C., we became pregnant.  Needless to say, you can see what our decision was to do..... and that was leave the timing of no. 4 up to God....or as others have said, up to chance....

To go ahead and clear up any questions that you have floating in your mind, I'll go ahead and answer just a few....

1) Yes, we know what causes this

2) No, we don't want to stop

3) No, we aren't trying for a girl

4) and.... yes..... this is our last baby  

Ok, now that that is cleared up and the questions have been answered, we'll move on!  ;o)  

I was 3 days late and Hubbie just KNEW I was, but he kept insisting that I didn't purchase a home pregnancy test.  I wanted to buy a test the first day I was late and my darling husband, insisting that I DIDN'T buy the test which made me question whether I was or not.  I just knew that I'd get my hopes up, not that I was eager to become pregnant again, so soon, but its easy to start thinking and planning and getting hopeful- and then my period would just be a few days late.  So, anyway, finally, 3 days late, I bought a test at the store and took it as soon as I got home.  Almost immediately I could see the "positive" signs on the pee stick and I was SHOCKED.  I really  had a hard time believing the news this time.  As soon as Hubbie saw it, he was all smiles and I just kept saying "Really?"  It was just too easy... too predictable... just too awesome...just too.....something!  Too crazy!  But all true!

The baby is due in July and this is an exciting part of the pregnancy for me.  HAHA!  No winter babe!  This was a definite worry for me, because I did not want another Fall/Winter babe.  July is CLOSE to Fall, but I think if the babe comes a week earlier than the estimated date of arrival, then it'll be smack dab in the middle of the month, so we'll still have some time before the actual Fall activities start, so we'll be good.  I am not concerned about being 9 mos pregnant in the Summer.  I did the majority of my "big pregnancy" in the Georgia heat with Buggy.... so if I did it once, I can do it again....  I plan to sign up for the pool this summer though!  Anything for ME to cool off and the boys wear off some energy!

The idea of 4...... yeah, it terrifies me.  I think more than 3 ever did....which I know is shocking, because EVERYONE says that once you add 3...any number of kids after, is a breeze.... which doesn't make any sense, but I guess I'll take it!  Every ounce of my inner being screams PANIC! but my constant prayer has been, since Hubbie and I had that discussion a month before "SURPRISE"! was that God would pour out abundant blessings and be completely faithful to our family.  I know this sounds a tad bit selfish, but gosh, folks! we're adding another child and man! thats scary!  There is a lot that goes with saying "we're pregnant!"..... doctor's bills, preparations, figuring out schooling in the midst of chaos and a place to live......  not that we can't stay here and not that we want to move..... but if we could swing it, we'd do it......  so lots of things to think about.  But I was reminded by a blogging pal that we're debt free!  Our first (and last) child is being born in a debt free family.  What a difference from no. 1 babe to no. 4 babe, huh?  No. 1 babe was born in the midst of financial and marriage chaos.... and now, no. 4 is being born into financial stability (My husband will laugh at this statement!) and a committed and strong marriage.  God is good!  

Now, please, don't take anything I'm writing the wrong way, I am happy, excited, hopeful, prayerful and anxious!  Actually, that was one of the first things that Hubbie told me after we found out, was that he was happy, because I was... and I am.  I am anxious to meet this little one...already!  If I could have the c-section tomorrow and bring my babe home 2-3 days later, I would!  I am so ready for this pregnancy to be over and to have my family done and complete.  I want to hold my baby!!!  At the same time, both Hubbie and I are a little sad..... because this is it.  This is the last babe that I will be able to carry and bring into our family.  The finality of that is sobering.  Just having something personal like that decided for us (this will be my 4th and final c-section) is kinda sad....  This will be the last pregnancy... the last chance to cuddle one of MY children or nurse my babe...... This is it!  Once this babe comes into the world, our family will be in a new world.... the world of no more "adding kiddos"....and I think we are ready.... or will be ready.... which is also exciting that once we pass a stage, we'll be done.....  sobering and exciting.....

Oh, and I almost forgot, SEX of the child.... yes, we WILL find out!  HAHA!  Hopefully in February/March!  I do not like to wait!  I do like to know!  What do I think?  Am I expecting a boy?  Sort of..... Am I hoping for a girl?  Sort of......  Some days I watch the boys play together and its just so touching and (Yes, I'm VERY emotional already!) I just can't imagine a girl being rough, tough and dirty -playing along with them!  And having all boys would be fun! exciting! loud! BUT..... this is my last chance to have a girl.... and I really didn't want a girl until a few years ago, so yeah, a girl would be a blessing and a fantastic addition to our family too!  Its kinda funny.  When I think of names, I mostly think of boy names.... and maybe its what my head is telling me that we are having.....  I do have a favorite girl name and a boy name picked out.  My family is praying for a girl.  Hubbie is wishing and hoping and praying for another boy!  I am praying for a girl, but most of all, I am praying for the Lord to change and protect my heart!  I do not want a girl SO BAD that when I find out its a boy, I'm disappointed, because in reality, it doesn't matter!  The thoughts of never holding another precious baby boy of my own, its sad.... since this is it and having baby boys has been so much fun.... so maybe my heart wants a boy!  HAHA!  Who knows!!!  I guess its a good thing the choice isn't up to me, huh?!  I just want to know and get my healthy babe in my arms!!!

So, to all the friends that KNEW and didn't spread it, THANK YOU!!  We were thrilled to be able to share our news with friends and family... some of them over the internet/Facebook, phone and some of them face-to-face.  We are so thankful for supportive family and friends that are there to give us encouragement and excitement over our news, because believe you me, I know the discouraging comments and looks are on there way...

We decided to wait to announce the news until we had been able to go to the doctor.  By my choice, I decided to wait and make the appointment around 9 weeks.....  learned the hard way with Buggy that the earlier the appt, the more money on useless copays!  Besides, they don't want to see you until after 8 weeks anyway, so keeping this news has been difficult!!  And is the reason for me feeling BLAH! lately... its called ALL DAY SICK FEELING and TIRED!  :o)  The lovely 1st trimester of pregnancy!  

Again, I ask my family, friends and readers for your prayers of safety, peace, provisions and most of all for us to be able to see a healthy babe, in our arms, in around 7 months!  

Menu Plan Monday - Week of December 13, 2010

This week, we will be having... 

• Beef stew with biscuits

• Crunchy chicken and broccoli (leftover from  last week's menu)  

• Cubed steak, gravy, rice and green beans

• Beans and rice with cornbread  

• Pizza and bread sticks with salad  

• Grilled chicken, potatoes, carrots and cornbread

and of course, hopefully, lots of leftovers, because leftovers make this Mama HAPPY!!!  

~

For more menu planning tips and ideas, visit Laura here.  Have a happy week!  

Chex Mix Get-Together and Giveaway

We recently had some friends come over and we were able to try out a  new Chex Mix treat!  Check out Hyperactive Review blog for the rest of the blog post and a giveaway!  Go here..

Winner Chosen....

Check out Hyperactive Lu Reviews for the winner in the Family Flick Movie Pack.......  go here.

Lights Adventure 2010

An activity on our Advent Calendar was "to see lights".  There is a place near our home that has lots of lights and fun activities to do, for a small fee, of course!  :o)  We decided we'd be "adventurous" (since we'd be leaving our home AT bedtime!!!!) and go last night!

We had a good time and enjoyed the lights and the hayride.  It was in the 30's and it was COLD!  Thankfully, the boys didn't seem to mind since we had them bundled up pretty good!  I was the only one in the family without a hat or gloves... guess I need to put that on the "to get list"......I decided that we'd go in the frigid temps to avoid the crowds... nothing worse than trying to do something fun for the family and have to wait with a 15 mo old.... MISERABLE!  

All in all, it was a good, family evening!  We made memories and did something the kids asked to do!  I think we'll stick to driving around neighborhoods and seeing lights in the comfort and warmth of our car..... for some reason, thats more fun to me!  Maybe because all the kids are BUCKLED!!!  :o) 

We were gonna go the "cheap route" and JUST pay for seeing the lights...  I did promise that if the boys were obedient, then we would stop by Starbucks on the way home and get nice, hot cups of cocoa/coffee....  Mom and Daddy needed the warming up more than the kids did!

While riding through the CRISP winter night with my three little ones and my darling husband, I realized that there really wasn't anywhere else I'd rather be.  No matter how cold it was (obviously, I can't handle the temps this year!!!) or how tired and cranky the Bugs was being, I really enjoyed just BEING with my family and I always do.  I know these years are going to fly by and life could be 10x crazier this time next year, so we decided to just BE and it was good.......

Prayer In My Life

My prayer for the last 2 months has been for the Lord to be faithful to our family and to provide abundantly for our needs.  I know this might be a vague post, but its on my heart and I felt like I should praise Jesus in the midst of my faltering faith.  I believe that the Lord can provide, but knowing me, mover and a shaker, I want things to be taken care of NOW!  I don't want to wait or not know how the car's timing belt will be paid for.  I don't want to schedule dental appts.... I'm thinking I need my wisdom teeth out like YESTERDAY..... and not have the cash, IN MY HANDS!!!  But, whenever I start to worry about expenses and time commitments and things that are truthfully OUT OF MY CONTROL, then I pray.  I don't think I've prayed ever prayed as much as I have until recently... and I do believe in the power of prayer.... but here lately, I feel like since I can't do anything else, I just gotta pray.

About a month ago, we realize that Bubbie's bike was WAY too small for him!  I don't know when it happened, but out of the blue, he was just TOO big for his first bike....  I felt bad that I couldn't just walk out and buy him one.  I kinda looked around and priced them and looked for them at Goodwill/ yard sales.  I mean, I could have budgeted the money for it, but with birthdays and Christmas, and him not WANTING a bike for Christmas (I mean, he did, but he wanted other things more than that....) I just knew we couldn't swing it right now.  I continued to pray for His perfect, faithful provisions....... a few weeks later, Hubbie helped a friend and they asked if we needed their son's "old" bike!

A statement was made at BSF recently that made me think....  what disturbs your mind?  whatever it is continue praise God for what He will do in the future.  whatever you are doubtful of God's power in your life, praise Him for that....  we praise God for the things to come... we praise Him for who He is...... we praise Him for offering salvation and eternal life.....  so I will continue to pray and hopefully, I'll pray MORE than ever, that the Lord, who I have been shown by, time and time again, that He IS abundantly faithful, will reveal Himself to us again in the areas we so desperately need His hand!

A Poem

Tied Down, by Edgar A. Guest

"They tie you down," a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.

"When babies come you cannot go
In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you."


I looked at her and said: "'Tis true
That children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?


Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?
"They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.


They tie you fast to chubby feet,
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.
"They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso'er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.


"Oh, go your selfish way and free,
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,
And win from them earth's finest joy."

Peanut and Potty Talk

Peanut is all about families lately..... if we are reading a book with an animal on the page... he'll ask "Where is his Mommy and Daddy?" or "He misses his fam-a-ly."  Its so sweet and I have no idea if this is a development thing or if something has made him realize that being away from your family can be scary, or what!!!  Its gone so far to say, while on the potty, that he's pooping a family- the Mommy, the Daddy, the Bubba and the Buggy......  should I be scared?!

Menu Plan Monday - Week of December 6th, 2010

Hi folks!  I felt pretty good last week and kicked some chores to the curb!  Unfortunately, I did NOT get around to ironing, so now I have a month worth of ironing AND several loads of laundry......  how did we make 3-5 loads of laundry over just a few days?!  I don't get it!!!  Anyway, after the week of having little idea of what we'd be having for dinner I'm ready to post my menu for this week.  I'm not going to put our meals on a particular DAY, just because, knowing me, by 4 pm, it might change!  :o)

Ham and White Bean Soup (recipe here) with bread

Sloppy Joes (recipe here) and home fries

Crunchy Chicken (recipe here) and broccoli

Homemade Pizza and breadsticks

So, thats what we're eating this week....  I'm thinking between these meals and leftovers, we'll be set for at least a week of dinners!

This week we pick up our last of the co-op chickens.  We signed up for 4 mos and that is coming to an end.  I will not be signing us back up right now since we have a freezer FULL of birds!  Maybe we'll pick back up in a few months when we start to run out....Also, this week, we will be purchasing a cow.... or a part of a cow......  I went ahead and purchased some ground beef for a few meals this past weekend and this week, but I'm excited about being able to plan meals from my freezer inventory!  I really hope buying this cow is a wise choice and we enjoy it!  I'm kinda nervous about the "cuts" since we don't really have a say..... we'll see!

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!  :o)


For more menu ideas and tips, visit Laura here.

Happy Birthday to my Six Year Old!

Our oldest baby turned six years old on December 4th..... how did it go by so fast?  When I look at him, I sometimes wonder how he's who he is with me as the Mama..... he's such an awesome kid.  Sure, he does the normal kid things, but he has such a sensitive heart and spirit.  He loves to learn and pushes me to learn everything I can.  Bubbie is seriously the best oldest sibling any kiddos could have...even though he loses it with his baby brothers, its usually after a LOT of pestering or messing up of his tracks or towers!  I've never been so motivated to be a better person until Bubbie came into the world and fill my life with so much joy!

We are blessed to be able to call this little boy our son.  I am so thankful that I was chosen to get to watch him grow up!  

Bubbie's weekend was filled with lots of fun, goodies, family and....well....frankly..... catering to every desire he had!  We certainly don't do this often and by Sunday evening, it was time for a reality check!

Bubbie has asked for a Ruff Ruff Man cake (PBS show...his FAVORITE!)...which is a pretty tall order... oh, and a yellow cake.  So....hmmm.... this makes decorating the cake a tad bit tricky!  I didn't want cream cheese icing and a yellow cake, so I decided to cheat and print Ruff Ruff man off the computer and stick it onto a yellow cake with chocolate frosting (all homemade, thank you VERY much!) and then decorate around the paper with buttercream icing....  It all worked out and I thought looked pretty good!  Bubbie's face, when he saw the cake, was priceless!  Wish I had had my camera ready!

Bubbie's birthday morning started with a quick treasure hunt for his gifts!  He had wanted a pretty expensive train set for his birthday, so it was a short hunt, but Bubbie was thrilled with his gifts!  He kept saying "thank you!"  I guess we made him think he wasn't getting it!  Mean, Mama!  :o)

Next stop was donuts!  Bubbie had requested donuts for breakfast and off we went!  The boys chose nice, sugary treats and they were a ball to watch gobble them up!!!  Once the sweets had been devoured, we had to scoot over to  Bubbie's basketball game.

Bubbie is playing in an Upwards basketball team and he is loving it!  He had a great morning! Nana and Pops came to watch him play and he was so cute sitting in his seat, on the side of the court, waving to us and saying "hey!"  When the game was over, we headed home for lunch.  Bubbie had asked for meatloaf, mashed potatoes and biscuits for his birthday lunch!  Odd request?!  Yes, very!  I don't know WHERE this choice came from, but I didn't argue!  Hubbie and I made dinner while the kiddos played and watched T.V.  Lunch was delicious!

 Later that afternoon, Nana, Pops and Uncle Mark and Aunt L came over for cake!  Everyone left before dinner time and Bubbie went with Nana and Pops.  They were going to have a fun night eating dinner out and Bubbie soaking up the alone time!!!

On Sunday we celebrated Bubbie's birthday one last time in 2010 with lunch at Red Robin!  You can sign up for kids club and the restaurant will send a coupon for a free kids meal on their birthday!  We had another coupon, so all 3 boys were able to eat for free!  Score!!!

Happy Birthday to our smart and handsome Bubbie!  We love you!