Beauty in the Common Things: summer vacation
Listen In: little boys fixing their breakfast
Supper Plans: not sure yet...maybe gyros
Today I Plan To... go to Target (bday shopping), go to Office Depot (buy boxes to store out of season clothes and school uniforms- I know, Leslie, I should not be buying boxes when I can get them free at Wal Mart, but you are not here to have that adventure with me at 1 am), continue working on my What Goes Where plan
View From the Kitchen Window: a soggy yard and a gray sky

My weekend alone (sort of) went well. Baby and I spent a lot of time lying in bed watching movies and nursing. He has quite an appetite. I am embarrassed to admit that I watched 7 movies at home and 1 movie at the drive in theater. I don't think I have ever watched that many movies in such a short amount of time. It was fun though! We watched The Holiday, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, The Queen, Marie Antoinette, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Dreamgirls, Freedom Writers, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. My 2 favorites were Freedom Writers and The Holiday. I think I could buy both of those movies and watch them over and over.

The most exciting thing that happened to me this past weekend was an answered prayer. It is such a simple answer from God. Friday night when everyone left, I looked around at my house and was completely overwhelmed. My house doesn't just get dirty or cluttered, it gets disgusting. It happens so often, too. It will be clean one moment and then a couple of hours later it looks like a house that has not been cleaned in weeks. The floors get nasty, it looks like a stuff bomb went off in every room, the dishes are piled up...and this happens every couple of days.

All of this is very humiliating for me to admit.

So anyway, I looked around at our mess and just gave up. I asked God to give me a revelation and to tell me what the problem is. I asked him to tell me why our house can't stay clean and why it gets SO bad in such a short time and why it gets to the point of overwhelming so often.

Okay, so I prayed and then I went and vegged out on movies and forgot about it. Well, the next morning I was making Journal Jars for our kindergarten teachers. I then proceeded to go to www.organizedhome.com and just look around. I came upon an article on clutter and that led me to an article on storage. That's when God said, "This is your answer."

Such a simple answer, but life-changing at the same time. Our home didn't have a storage plan. In other words, everything didn't have a home. There wasn't a place for everything. So we just shuffled things from one surface to the next or we put things in a different place every time we cleaned. So, I went through the house and planned a home for everything. Now I am working on rearranging our stuff so it is all where it belongs. And I am tossing lots of unused and unwanted things as well.

I am not overwhelmed any longer. The house is still a mess, but it is slowly getting better because I am slowly rearranging our storage areas so they work for our family and our home.

God is so sweet to care about our storage problem! He truly does care about every detail of our lives. It makes me feel secure and protected to know that He takes care of every detail, if I only ask Him and then let Him.

Visit to the Dentist and Weekend at Home

We spent the morning at the dentist. Ds9 and ds6#2 were the ones being seen today. They had no cavities! : )

Tuesday dh and dd12 had their appointments. We had several cavities in those two. Lots of $$ to get those mouths fixed up.

Next Thursday is my appointment and my other 6 year old's appointment. The only negative thing I can say about this dental facility is that we have to schedule an appointment for an exam and then schedule another appointment for cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants. So, I will be spending a lot of time in the dentist's office this summer! Today I had 6 of the children with me and it went pretty well. The receptionist commented, with a surprised look on her face, that my children are all very well behaved and that they are "good kids."

Written Saturday morning:
Hubby took the kids out of town this weekend. He is the sweetest! I rented 4 movies to watch during my weekend at home with the baby and last night I stayed awake until 2:30 am watching 2 of them. Now I am exhausted, but I know I can take naps later on, so all is well. I watched The Holiday and about half of The Queen. It was a nice British movie fest. Today I am going to finish The Queen and then watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Tonight I am going to the drive in theater to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. This morning I am going to go to the farmer's market and Office Depot, then "czech" out the Czech festival downtown. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Soon I am going to blog about our summer plans. There are some things I have planned that are going to be really fun!

Beauty in the Common Things: waking up to the sound of rain
Listen In: kids playing quietly
Supper Plans: French Dip sandwiches
Today I Plan To: go to the grocery store, work on planning summer activities
View From the Kitchen Window: a soggy yard

We have had an incredibly busy weekend that is not over yet! We have another busy day ahead of us and then we will begin the kids' last week of school. The boys' last day is Thursday. Dd12 has to go till June 1st.

Friday night ds9 had a friend sleep over (his first sleep over that wasn't a cousin) and we went to the drive in theater to watch Meet the Robinsons. It was a cute movie. There was a pretty scary part in there and the kids hid their eyes. But other than that one scary part (the evil hats were attacking the time travel machine) it was a cute movie.

That same night dd12 went to a friend's house and they went to see Shrek the Third.
She was dropped off at 7 am Saturday morning because ds9's birthday party was at 10.
She mowed the lawn (she gets paid for this job and she is happy to do it) and then got ready for the party.
Birthday party at 10 (very low-key party with only 3 friends plus our kids which equals 10 kids!) . Then we dropped dd12 off at 1 at a friend's birthday party (HUGE mansion house, 3 horse stables, pool, limo taking the girls out for the day) where she spent the night.

We then went out to our land (not actually ours yet, but we have a contract on it) and walked the whole 11 acres to choose a spot for the house. We found several great spots to build the house.

Then we took ds9's friend home and drove to Home Depot (15 minutes away) and Radio Shack (ds9 wants to buy remote-controlled car with birthday $$). We picked out fencing material to put a fence around our front and side yard to keep Baby Girl in the yard this summer and the next year while we are still living here.

We got home at bedtime and crashed. This morning we are picking dd12 up at 10:30 and taking her to meet her Girl Scout leader so she can ride with her to their field trip. They are spending the day at a water park.

Whew!! House is messy again and laundry is backed up again, so I am going to spend the day working on that, I hope. I always enjoy running around and being outside when the weather is nice, like it usually is in May. So the house usually gets wrecked in may because we are gone a lot. When we are home, we are busy eating and getting ready for bed so for some reason the house gets dirty. Also, it is birthday season for us. We have one child's birthday in May and 4 in June. It gets crazy around here during birthday season!

With one party over with, now I am going to start planning the next one. The good thing is that all 4 June birthday kids want to have their party together. So we're having one big party in a couple of weeks. Then we're finished with parties for a few months.

Please read Elsha's blog this morning. She continues to need our prayers. Elesha is a precious little girl who has a heart for Jesus like I have never seen before in a child. Her family has been through so much with her illness yet they continue to lean on the Lord for strength and trust Him to take care of their little daughter. I am humbled every time I read their updates. Their faith is astounding.

To Do Tuesday, May 15th

Phone Calls/ Internet Stuff:

1. Make appt. for Baby Girl’s 2 year pictures
2. Call dealership about getting van worked on
3. Make appt. with optometrist
4. Make postpartum appt.
5. Pay truck payment, mortgage, insurance, Mom

Errands:

1. Mail LGS paperwork
2. Buy stamps
3. Birthday Shopping- MP3 player, gift card to Target, gift card to Blockbuster, party supplies

Misc. Stuff to get done:

1. Work on laundry
2. Walk for 10 minutes x2 (after taking kids to school and again after dinner)
3. House cleaner coming at 11!!!!!! I am SO looking forward to this. Sleep deprivation has taken it's toll on me and the house is a wreck. I normally clean up before she comes over to deep clean, but not this time. I am going to let her do whatever she wants to do with all of the clutter and mess everywhere. I am going to leave the key for her, leave her $$ on the table, and go out for lunch with the kids.

I feel better after getting all of this written down. I may not get all of it done, but it feels good to put all of my thoughts together and figure out what needs to be done. : )

Happy Birthday!

Today is my oldest son's birthday. He is 9 years old today!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Mother's Day!

Elesha Needs Us

Please take a few minutes today to read Elesha's latest update. Go here to read the update. Elesha needs us to pray for her. Pray as if she were your own.

Wordless Wednesday~10 days old!

Visit here for more Wordless Wednesdays!

Time Travel Tuesday~ Sweet 16 Edition!

I was 16 in 1993.

The album of the year was Unplugged by Eric Clapton.
Song of the year was Tears in Heaven.
I listened to rock music when I was 16. bands like Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nirvana were some of my favorites.

Movies that I watched in 1993 were Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire (love this movie!), Sleepless in Seattle, The Pelican Brief, and Schindler's List.

My parents bought me a 1987 red Jeep Laredo the summer of 1993. It was awesome!
I remember having a very fun summer with my best friend, Emily. I had a job working as a cashier at a small, family owned grocery store. I remember taking my first paycheck and spending the whole thing on clothes and a bottle of Mackie perfume.
I still love the smell of Mackie!

I can’t talk about my “Sweet 16” without mentioning my oldest daughter. When I was 16, I had a serious boyfriend, too serious. My oldest daughter was conceived when I was 16 and born when I was 17. Most of my memories of being 16 involve that boyfriend and my pregnancy. It was a heartbreaking year for my family and a challenging year for me. But we made it through and God blessed me with a baby girl!

My daughter is one of the greatest gifts of my life. God took that little girl and helped me turn my life around because of her.

Hubby's First Day Back to Work...

Hubby went back to work today. I am feeling semi-normal this morning, so hopefully I will manage today well. The hardest thing right now is not being able to pick Baby Girl up. She is still so little and I need to be able to pick her up and put her in her crib, car seat, high chair, etc.
Yesterday I decided to just go ahead and pick her up because I took a week off from carrying her and picking her up. Dh did not agree. He wants me to not carry her or pick her up until I am completely healed, which I guess will be around 6 weeks postpartum. I'm not sure if that's realistic, but I am trying.

He took the big kids to school for me, so I just have to pick them up later. I am really ready to get back to normal and get out of the house. But nursing is still taking a lot of time and is inconsistent, so I had better hang out at the house for a bit longer.

This morning we had smoothies for breakfast. They were so good! Go to www.askdrsears.com and get his recipe for Schoolade. That is the recipe I follow. I leave out the tofu, but I use everything else.

Beauty in the Common Things: sleep
Listen In: Baby Girl whispering to Baby
Supper Plans: Sandwiches and Salad
Today I Plan To: survive
View From the Kitchen Window: trashcans by the curb

Please Pray for Baby Will Today

Will's circumcision is this morning at 11:30. Can you please pray that everything will go smoothly and that he will experience as little pain as possible? Mommy is stressing out about this so pray for me as well! : )

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Grilled Chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob
Tuesday: Sandwiches and salad
Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas, refried beans, chips and salsa
Thursday: Sandwiches and salad
Friday: Hamburgers and hot dogs, mac and cheese
Saturday: Gyros
Sunday: leftovers or "Breakfast for Dinner"

Beauty in the Common Things: families
Listen In: boys squealing and Daddy sending them outside
Supper Plans: Chicken Fajitas
Today I...took care of Baby, called nurse about his jaundice, took a nap with Baby, enjoyed being with my children and hubby
View From the Kitchen Window: trees blowing in the wind

Annie has tagged me to complete this meme.
Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I have a 4-day old baby boy who is wonderful!
2. My hubby is home with me this week and next week and we are having fun just doing nothing all day long.
3. My favorite colors are pink and green. This is funny because when I was younger (late teens, early 20s) I only liked black. I wouldn't even put pink on my first daughter because I just hated pink. I didn't like anything with flowers on it either. So it is funny to me and to those who know me that pink is one of my favorite colors!
4. I am named after my aunt who lives in California. She is my mom's oldest sister.
5. I am a scheduler/organizer at heart. I love to make plans ands schedules and lists!!!!
6. I enjoy managing my home. I love to try new recipes and to cook for my family. I also like to try new things with my children...new routines and activities. I don't really enjoy cleaning my house, but I love the result when I take time to clean it well. This is my dream job and I don't want to be anywhere else doing anything else with my life. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than taking care of the husband and children God has given me.
7. I am an introvert. I recuperate when I am alone and I crave alone time. ha! Doesn't God have a sense of humor? an introvert with 7 children (5 boys!!)

Now I must tag 7 people...
natalie
christina
leslie
cheerful

okay, I really can't think of 7 people who have blogs and who I think will want to do this meme. So i am going to leave it at 4 people and if I think of any more I will add them!


Beauty in the Common Things: velvety newborn skin
Listen In: Baby Girl and Daddy discussing babies
Supper Plans: Chicken and Rice
Today I...took a shower, went to Wal Mart, took a nap, walked around outside with Baby Girl and splashed in puddles