Gentleness and Self-Control

     This week I heard about a new book called 'Give Them Grace' by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I really want to read this book. ( I have quite a list of books I really want to read though, so it might be a while) I read the description and went to the website to find that there is a blog written by the author that models her parenting philosophy. Basically, to treat your children with the grace God gives you. 

One of my goals for this year is summed up in one word- 'Gentleness'. It's a fruit of the spirit, and as a mommy of four small children, it's something I struggle with. I want to model gentleness to my children. I fail at this on a daily basis as the chaos of a house full of noisy boys (and one noisy tomboy) makes me raise my voice when I do not want to. However, I have been getting better at it. I do try to remind myself over and over that whatever is going on that is stressing me out - clean clothes being spread around the living room, my son sitting on his sister or my younger son taking off his diaper and peeing on a stack of books.... these are a few examples of what I am talking about... whatever it is, I try to remember that they are more important to me than whatever is being destroyed, or my clean house... or my sanity. 

(This is not to say they cannot be disciplined, but consequences to their actions can be issued without a bad attitude and they will still learn)

Anyway, this blog was a sweet reminder to me to give them grace. You might get something from it too-

Give Them Grace Blog

     Another of my goals for this year is to work on 'Self Control' I have done much reading about willpower. Another Fruit of the Spirit, I know that God not only wants us to strive for it, but He promises to help us with it through the Holy Spirit. I have certainly exercised my willpower in many areas thus far this year, Food, Excercise, and Spending being a few... but this also ties in with Parenting. I definitely need Self-Control to give them grace when I am tired and stressed. 

Did You know that you can strengthen your Willpower just like you strengthen a muscle when you exercise? Scientists have done many studies lately on this subject and have found very interesting things. There is something they call a 'Small Win'. Basically, you can do something simple every day and it boosts your ability to do other harder things. You may think the little things don't count, but the value of maintaining a consistent habit is tenfold! Even just making your bed every morning has been proven to make you more productive all day long!

Because of this, I have been striving to do certain things daily. I have read my Bible every day this year through a daily Bible reading plan app on my phone. I have maintained my Drawing of the Day habit. (although I have stopped posting them in order to not bore everyone to death!) and I have been working on other regular habits.

I will be sharing more about willpower and habits again soon, in the meantime, here are my two favorite books on the subject-

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-What-Business/dp/1400069289

http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342190848&sr=1-1&keywords=willpower

By the way, this one is the most boring book cover ever and the one above it has one of the best!

Click the links to see the book at Amazon. You can even read a free chapter of the Habit book on your phone via the free Kindle app.

Thanks for letting me share.

Have a Great Day!

30 Days of The Skinny Rules!

Food! 

     It's what I have been focusing on for the past month.
Joey and I have undergone a complete change of eating habits and have maintained it for 30 days now.
This is my post to explain all the details.

     First of all, I didn't set out to start a diet when this all began. I have been needing to make a change however since I had gained a bunch of weight AFTER giving birth in January. Yes, After.
     Two things proceeded this big change. One, I had been reading lots of newly published material on habits and willpower. I was hoping it would eventually lead to having more willpower in the eating dept. but wasn't too encouraged because the book 'Willpower' stated that the advice therein wouldn't work for dieting because their findings indicate that you need sugar to power your brain (thus fueling willpower). The other thing was that I have been getting these awesome emails that post the newest stuff our library currently is receiving and I get an early crack at reserving good stuff. I can't pass up reserving a new release that looks interesting. (ps this is how I ended up reading about Habits in the first place too)
     So, one of the new releases I reserved was Bob Harper's 'The Skinny Rules'.

     There were so many people waiting for it that I was only allowed to check it out for a week. I have never had that happen before.
     I read the book, I felt it would work for us, and we dove into the change!

     Here is what I consumed before reading the book- Everything. Plus tons of chocolate milk and I loved my Dr. Peppers (LOVED) and I had no control, I was out of CONTROL!!!

     Here is what I (we) eat/drink now-  Apples, Water, Coffee (with very little sweetener), Almonds, Vegetables (limiting the ones that are carbs), lots of protein, lots of fiber,  Oatmeal, Meats, Cheeses...limited carbs (whole grain at that)

     Here is what we don't eat/drink- SUGAR, Potatoes, (accept sweet potatoes in moderation), Processed foods, Fast Foods (accept the one meal a week splurge allowed on the Skinny Rules Diet and even then it's just a burger, nothing else) cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. No COKES! No milk, (don't drink you're calories) No anything fun.

     I would have not bet money on me being able to eat like that for 30 days (or even a week!) So how did we do it? I'm not sure. One thing I learned from the book though, that changed my thinking is this- 'If you eat sugar, then you will crave sugar' Your body gets on a sugar high roller coaster that makes you want to snack all the time. Without the sugar (and carbs convert to blood sugar) you remain stable and eat less! It is true. The cravings all but went away when I quit cold turkey!

So the big question, did we lose weight?
Yes. And still losing. I hope to report back on that in another couple of months with more significant results, As for now it stands at about a ten pound loss for each of us!

One thing I didn't expect was that I lost interest in exercising and actually began to feel terrible after a few weeks. In fact, even last week, I was still feeling yucky and tired. I don't know if it was a type of detoxing that left me weak, but this week, I'm feeling much better and got back to my morning biking routine. I expected after a month off the bike that I would have trouble getting started. Before last month, I was going about a mile and a half in the mornings (not much) and it was taking me about 20 minutes.
Yesterday I set out at 6 a.m. for the first time in a month and did 4 miles in 30 minutes! I have my energy back and then some!!! Yay! Not only that, but I did Bob's Cardio workout last night and got up again this morning to do 4 more miles on the bike. I'm really looking forward to weighing myself at the end of this week to see if the exercise makes a big difference.

So, What is the end result in this experiment? The end result is that there is no end, hopefully, but that we will be able to keep it up as a new way of eating, not a temporary diet. This time next year I hope to be much more in shape and on my way to skinny!!!!

What I've been doing lately.

It's been a while but I'm back and now that I can post from my phone I may be posting more often. I've been doing lots of art and lots of reading and being inspired and lots of organizing and mostly dealing with an infant and a toddler. Seen below.

Do-over

Keep Trying!!!



I love starting over.

I know it usualy means you have failed at something. (Hence the word 'over')

But, When it comes to the subject of home and family and organization or management strategies, I am finally finding that each time I start trying a new direction, or rather a new attempt at doing things 'right', things at least get better.

Better is great! If every year I keep only a few of my resolutions, or at least learn some important lessons shaping next year's resolutions, then I'm making progress!!!

Right now, I look around me and I am encouraged by the progress I have made in the last few years!

Does it sound obnoxious that I'm patting myself on the back?




Well, you should know that this is from someone who used to beat herself up a bit about her goals and lack of accomplishing them. I have these ideas about what I should be and what a day in the life of our family should look like, what our home should be like, etc...

And I used to be soooo far from there.

Now, I'm a little closer. Thanks to God's patience and blessings in my life of course.

This makes me want to encourage other people!
I think I will go do that right now...

I was thinking yesterday- you know how you can spot another dreamer? They take time to encourage other people's dreams.

So Thank You, fellow dreamer... you know who you are.

Have a great day!!!
Misty

My other blog....The Drawing One

Greetings, friends...

Just wanted to share my other blog with you real quick.
That one is just for posting a drawing each day(actually night).
So, Go check it out!

Click Here to see my doodling.

Thanks!

Misty

Big Gap in Blogging and New Baby News!

Meet our new addition: Linus Zane

I'm going to blame him for my lack of blogging for the past several months, even though he just got here.
It was a really long pregnancy, ya'll.... it felt like years.

He is almost two weeks old now and I am just now feeling like myself again. I can walk without waddling like a duck and I can sleep! (between feedings that is)

Blogging and Homeschooling were two of the things that were put on hold toward the end of the pregnancy. I wasn't totally useless though, I actually managed to put the nesting instinct to great use in cleaning and organizing my house right up to the last week. I did some artwork, I read some books, handcrafted some Christmas presents, and I finally finished the mural in my son's room.

So what I'm saying is that 'I'm back', and it's possible that more frequent blogs may be coming soon. Hope you all are well!

Misty

How to get some creativity.

I have always been a creative person. Since most of my creativity has been channeled through art, I think most people assume me and the kids probably do lots of crafts. Being known as an artist and a homeschooler, it does make a measure of sense to expect this.

While I have been rather crafty in the past, crafts are not something I enjoy doing with my kids. *Gasp* I know... bad mommy award.

Crafts with kids are messy and time consuming.... and they usually result in something that has all the stability of a three legged hippo.

So you see it's not the mess that bothers me so much, it's the fact that the end result is so fragile and temporary. Anything made with popsickle sticks and toilet paper rolls is probably not going to be produced in this house.

We do like to draw and paint however, and I do save all their creations. We like to build with legos and I take photos of the really great constructions for posterity. I encourage all building and creating with toys and anything they can find.

Creativity is what I am really about.

This past couple of weeks I came across two pieces of writing about kids and creativity that really helped me focus my goals for the kids and our creative home atmosphere.... one was an article in Parents magazine. I would love to link to it here, but I haven't found it online yet. Instead I will give you the basic points. It was called "Inspire Creativity" and the subtitle says it all: Reading and math are the priorities for schools, but out-of-the-box thinking skills will be the key to a kid's success. By Leslie Garisto Pfaff

In the article we learn that statistics show that America's kids are losing their originality and imagination in schools. The reason is cited as the push for proficient levels on state examination leaving no time for anything but the basics, Math and English are the focus, rote learning is prized over critical thinking and more than ever play time is pushed completely out of schools at a very early level. Kids need to learn through play. This is where their imagination is developed. The article cites a recent IBM poll where 1,500 CEO's identified creativity as the single most important trait for leaders of the future.

My take on the article? Kids need time to be kids. Creativity must be encouraged, and there is more to learning than right and wrong answers.

I have much more to say about this ... stay tuned.

Next Blog: Creating creative centers in our home and the need for kids to be bored!

Looking ahead to the School Year

Pictured above is our Sonlight package for Kindergarden for this year. I recieved the package a couple of months ago but am just now getting ready to prepare for the coming year. This isn't everything actually, I ordered the Horizon's Math set seperately and Micah wanted to begin using it as soon as it came in so he has done many lessons in it and likes it alot. I also may be adding a Science component before we get started but first I want to determine if we have our hands too full already.

There isn't much to do by way of preparation, the beauty of Sonlight is that the instructor's guide (pictured in the foreground) does all the planning for you. They also make everything adaptable for you. you can omit activities or add more depending on your needs. They also have the option of a four day or five day schedule for each core curriculum. I have ordered the five day curriculum but I may switch to four days since we will be doing Co-op one day a week. I went ahead and ordered the five day because it comes with more storybooks and read-a-louds and I didn't want to miss out, instead of reading them during the year we can use them next summer, or read them as bedtime stories during vacations.

The absolute best thing I love about Sonlight is that the materials are about 90% reusable for the next student and the next and so on. There are very few consumable items. Basically these are the same books we will read with Allie and Noah. Some workbooks will need to be ordered, such as Math and Handwriting, but overall, it's a great investment for us.

As you can see there are many storybooks. There are maps and a Timeline book as well. As the student goes through the stories and the read-a-louds (basically bigger books that we will read a chapter or two of each day) then they will mark significant events in history on their timeline to create a view of history and time that will help them see the big picture. We will be going through Bible stories each week also, and using the Timeline book to mark events from that too. The maps are also utilized often along with the stories to help kids get a better idea of the world and the places that are talked about.

The intructor's guide encourages us to plan several field trips for this year also. I do hope to do that later. We may visit the Firestation and maybe the Newspaper office, a couple of workplaces and maybe a museum. It will be a tricky situation however, since Noah and Allie will be with us. Maybe I can plan those for days when Joey will be home. Or maybe get him involved in taking Micah on field trips.

We just found out my husband will be home one weekday each week according to his new schedule, this will present a special problem since homeschooling while Daddy is home presents distractions. Hopefully we will find a way to make that work for us, not against us.

I'm excited about this year, the thing I am really nervous about actually is the actual teaching of Micah to read. We have begun this already with the book. Teach your child to read in 200 easy lessons' (which many homeschool friends swear by) but I haven't been enthused by it. I need to redouble my efforts though, because he is doing fine with everything else, handwriting, math, etc. I just have to press on and unfortunately, this is the one area that Sonlight seems to lack most in.

Weary

Have you ever been weary?

Lately I have been thinking of what it means to be truly weary. To me, weary is a word that speaks volumes.

Weary is a state of being.

I'm not just talking about being tired. I am not even just talking about going through a tough problem in life. Those times may be difficult, but sometimes they are quick. Some trials happen all at once.

Other trials take a long time.

That is what I am talking about when I say 'Weary'.

I am thinking of a particular friend now. A particular friend who is going through a tediously long trial. Though I have never lived through a similar experience as the trial she is going through, I still have tears and prayers for her whenever she comes to mind because of one truth.

I have been weary.

Over the last few days I have been mulling this over in my mind. I remember the weary times. Who can forget them. They lasted so very long. Those times in my life when a particular trial lasted for months or years.

Have you had a time where you were weary? Please take a moment to remember with me. Remember the heartache of waiting... I am talking of times in which your situation was stuck... your prayers become so repetitious you finally just stop asking the same things... eventually just your moaning and tears come instead of words and you let the Holy Spirit speak to God for you. You had faith that it would work out, but you wondered..... when? When, God?

Sometimes you may have even lost faith, or at least the strength to keep up hope. Maybe you sunk into a depression. Maybe you lost your joy altogether. Maybe everything else in your life began to suffer.

Maybe it was like a dry wasteland, an endless walk through a desert with no end in sight.

Maybe you were holding on with everything you had but just when your situation seemed completely hopeless... it got worse.

Unfortunately, the times that I am thinking of personally in my life when I was most weary were also the times when nobody seemed to understand.

Reasons for this vary. People are so quick to see answers to other people's situation. The things that mean the world to one person may be nothing to another. Most often it seemed, others had not experienced the same thing or were simply too busy with their own lives to even notice. Maybe they knew I was weary but had no idea how to help.

Maybe the point is, nobody is capable of helping. These situations are often dependent on God. On a miracle, on His perfect timing. Leaning on Him is the only thing a weary traveler can do.

I am thankful that I have been made to lean on Him so much. I am glad I know to go straight to Him when I need Him. I understand the reasons behind the things I have gone through.

I can honestly say, that being in the desert so long makes the rainy oasis so much more like paradise. Weeping may last for a night but Joy does come in the morning. The final outcome has always been a happy one for me. God blesses us for holding on in the weary times.

I just want to say that if you know someone who is weary, even if you don't really understand or are able to relate to their situation, this is your chance.

Lets all just be aware that some people around us are just trying to put one weary foot in front of another. A little help from a brother or sister in Christ could be just what they need to get through another day.

The Long Hot Summer

It has been a while since I have blogged. So many thing have happened in our home in the last few months I have gotten behind. Everything has slowed down to a crawl now though for the rest of the summer, so I thought I might post some things.

First of all, Is it hot where you are? Cause it is hot here... and dry.

(ok, this is not a photo of Louisiana, but it feels like it right now)

It is a drought and over a hundred degrees every day here. This is why I hate summer in Lousiana. I don't like to use the word hate about anything. I know that God has designed everything in nature for a reason. I know plenty of people who seem to prefer summer (though I am sure they have suffered some sort of mini-heat stroke to cause them to say so).


Anyway, I keep checking the weather radar for rain and there hasn't been so much as a shower on the horizon for weeks. Our car's air-conditioning is broken. So even just driving the kids to the store causes them to have red faces like tomatos by the time we get there. I wish the end were near, but there are still many many weeks of hot summer sun before we can spell relief in this area. Our only hope seems to be a hurricane in the gulf that might send nice winds and rains this way, I pray of course that if one comes it will cause little to no damage on it's way.

And when we do get some real rain...

You can be that me and the kids will be out there dancing in it!

The boy needed a haircut.

My youngest was in dire need of a haircut. I have had to trim his hair a little bit twice before. He is only 15 months old.

I was putting it off this time because now that he is a year, I figured we would be taking him for a 'real' haircut. However, it was also time for his big brother (5) to get a haircut and the last time we took him to a barber there was mass crying, moaning, and nashing of teeth. (The majority of the crying was by him and the rest was by the girl who cut his hair)

So I dreaded it.

And I put it off.

Till it looked like this...

Finally, I decided it wouldn't hurt to at least trim it until I could get him to a professional (I did my older son too, but I don't have an after pic yet)

Anyway, here is how it turned out.

Not too shabby I think.
Noah seems to like it, maybe that's why he is taking this opportunity to give me his best James Bond impression...

Grey.

Noah, Grey.


Later!
Misty

Stop: In the Name Of Love.

Sometimes it is really hard to stop being busy and spend some actual time playing with your kids or reading together or doing anything where your attention is totally on them.

However, It means the world to them and it is vastly more important than our to-do list.

Moms, I urge you to not just leave it for their Daddies to come home and play with them while you take care of cooking or chores. Carve out some time of your own to play.

Also, if your child has been misbehaving alot lately, you may see a correlation between the bad behaviour and your lack of attention. When put off for too long, they simply act out in desperation. I used to see it in my son. I would find that all it took was some time out from my day to do things with him where we could talk and play and create and laugh together.

With homeschooling you never have to worry about not spending time one on one with them. It is a neccessary part of your day. Even so, I try to take time for more fun things also.

Do you find yourself saying no alot? I don't mean 'No' as in ... 'No' you can't put the cat in the mailbox... or 'No' you can't put your sister in the dishwasher. (those are recommended)

I mean when your child asks... 'Mommy, can you play this game with me?' Or 'Mommy, can we play hide and seek together?' or 'Mama, can you read me this book?'

How many times a day do you say no to special time with your child?

I remember my grandmother being one who took time to just be with me. She raised me. She was fond of reading to me when i was little. She rocked me in her rocking chair. When I was older, we read peacefully to ourselves together on the front porch swing.

I believe it is vitally important in the raising of children, not to be always in a hurry. If your life is simply too full to make this happen, then some things must go.

Simplify, I beg you. This is important.

Here is a pic of my 5 year old at his 'lego station' I often sit and build with him. We got a box of assorted legos from ebay at Christmas and they are awesome to play with. Here is one of my creations...

That being said. I will also say that you must not think that your children require attention 24 hours a day. Children must have time during the day when they guide their own play. I spent more of my childhood coming up with things to do than most children. I had no neighbors, and no siblings and I lived in the woods, far away from anything by way of entertainment. I created my own. I read. ALOT. I taught myself to draw. (Pretty Well, if I do say so myself) I used my imagination. I had time to think.

I think kids today are scheduled to death. I think one of the greatest gifts we can give them is to let them alone a little each day (supervised of course). I may be alone in this conviction, but I think this may be one of the things that has made me how I am.

I meet women who can't be alone. I meet women who can't be satisfied being at home. I meet women who can't be still.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with them, but that maybe they may be lacking something rather helpful in their spirits.

Here's to a little less rushing... a little less running... a little playtime... a little quiet time. A little attention to the blessings that run around our feet... and a little time for them to just be kids.

Diet and Excercise are here to stay!

I'm back ya'll! (and those are not my feet by the way!)

I hope you all have had a wonderful beginning to 2011! I have had an awesome month and a half myself. Has it really only been that long? Crazy!

Well, as you may know I had set out to do many things this year. Heck, I have set out every year to do many new things, but I am here to testify that change can happen! This time I have kept many resolutions and even added more.

There are a several areas of my life that I have begun to alter for the better already this year. I will only talk of one of them today:

Diet and Excercise:

I have never been one for Diet. I have never really been on a diet to lose weight in my life. I have gradually become overweight and while good intentions have abounded, three pregnancies in 5 years have enabled me to let time and lbs get the best of me. The worst thing about it is that I didn't gain very much with my last pregnancy (a year ago) but that after my youngest was born, I proceeded to eat (and drink chocolate milk) like there was no tommorrow. Claiming that nursing was making me more hungry and thirsty, I sort of gave myself permission to be a glutton. I lost all self-control. I gained 20 more lbs than I had weighed before my pregnancy.

Now is the time to take control. Last month something in my brain finally clicked. Before that point, I was not able to say no to food. After that click... I have been able to totally embrace the concept of MODERATION!!! Woohoo!

I think I had been preparing myself during the holidays, that it would be my last time of eating freely. Then last month when I suddenly fell victim to an evil stomach bug that is going around, I actually decided to make the bad into a good by using those three days of fasting as a jumping off point for my new way of eating. (after all, my stomach had shrunk!)

In the past month, I have lost 6 lbs. I know what you are thinking. "Big Whoop, 6 lbs" But really, this is just the begining, because instead of doing something temporary, I have begun a long lasting new habit. I chose a sustainable method of losing weight. This is no crash diet. I have decided certain things in my mind and I am willing to follow through. There just comes a time in your life when you want to make your dreams come true. I dream often of being thin and healthy. I want to be able to look at photos of my and my kids without cringing.

Yes, that is my dream. Family photos where I look good!

What is my method of losing weight?

Just in case you were wondering. I am simply counting calories. Each day my goal is to eat only enough calories to properly sustain the ideal weight for a woman my height. I make sure to eat small snacks and meals throughout the day so that my body doesn't think I am starving (the body will hold on to that stored fat if you seem to be in a starvation mode). I gave up cokes. (a big deal for me) and occasionally substitute tea made with honey instead of sugar.

I am suplimenting my weight loss with an exercise program. I am using a video game on my Xbox Kinect to do daily workouts and now have begun to ride my bike again as I used to do... I ride about 4 miles a few times a week. I have also begun to take vitamins also, to help my body run properly.

I have lost some weight, but I have gained something too!

With these new habits I feel better. I feel great! I have more energy (not less) and I have more stamina and strength. I already play more actively with my kids. I don't need caffiene to stay awake. I sleep like a baby when it is finally time to hit the sack. I get more done (even though I take time to excercise I am able to exert more energy when chores are being done)

You may scoff. You may say that this is a temporary spell. I hope not. I feel confident that I have turned an important corner in my life that will ever be for the benefit of me and my family. If you too are trying to get started on a new way of eating and living, I encourage you... You can do it!!! We can do it! Don't worry if it takes a year or two years, or 5 or 10. The important thing is that we are taking steps in the right direction and no longer in the wrong direction. Keep it up! We will get there!

Fresh Start!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I get super pumped this time of year because I love fresh starts!

As a bonafide scatterbrained disorganized last-minute throw it together type of person in need of a more consistant quiet time and fewer pounds on the scale and less clutter in my house, I can't wait to try to do it all better in 2011!

Yes, if you read my blog from last year at this time you will probably find the same types of goals (except I gave myself a later starting date so I could have a baby!). But here I am again, starting over.

"Why Bother?" you may ask yourself. Perhaps you are one of the many people who go ahead and quit before they begin. You may think of some things that would be good to improve on but you know how these things go, you... like myself ... have had 30 or so years to learn that you are a mess and unlike me, you have decided to just accept it.

With each passing year instead of becoming more jaded, I become more hopeful for the future! When I look at my past I see failures, but I also see improvements. (very gradual ones in some cases) but still, any tiny step in the right direction is better than none.

So lets 'Press On' people!

This year my goals pretty much cover everything:

Daily and Weekly must haves:

Consistant Quiet Times

Consistant Family Devotions

Consistant Excercising

Maintain a Healthier Diet

Consistantly keeping a cleaning schedule

Making a point to encourage others

Some one-time goals:

Finish painting Micah's room

Potty Train Allie

Completely declutter and organize entire house (more on this later)

Teach Micah to read

Others to be named later...

Do you have a list? Do you have an action plan to make it happen? My main problem is daily stuff. Basically, the second I decide to do something every day, I avoid it like the plague. Am I the only one like that? The Rebel in me comes out in full force and starts tearing up those schedule sheets about a week into the year. I need to come up with a plan to psych her out and get those dailies done.

More on this later.

PS With my fresh start you may have noticed I have a fresh Blog title, Hopefully some more meaningful and heartfelt blog posts will come along soon to go with it.

Remember the Answered Prayers

Today I realized that God had answered my prayers in a specific area.

Sometimes we get so busy with day to say that we don't stop to remember. What was on my heart a year ago?

A year ago I was 8 months pregnant and the news was full of stories of the Swine Flu. I ws worried about it. Someone even emailed me an article that said that the fatality rate for pregnant women hospitalized with swine flu was 1 in 4. The news article went on to say that doctors were recommending pregnant women be vaccinated. The vaccine was only a few weeks old and untested. I was more afraid of what it might do to my unborn baby than getting the flu. But both were worrisome.

I prayed, I stayed home alot and I carried antibacterial soap to slather on grocery store buggies.

We made it till Noah was born, and then he ended up getting a rough start due to a mistake the hospital made. After a week in the NICU he was released with dire warnings. 'Flu season is about to begin', they said. Just beginning in January? Yikes.

So we prayed. (and stayed home a little longer)

It's been a year now. Noah will be eleven months old tommorrow! And our home has been a healthy one all this time. Sure we have had a few issues... an ear infection here and there, a case of the sniffles and some impetigo... but overall, until about a week ago we have had none of the stuff I had worried about.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to praise God for that answered prayer. Sure, we have spent this week with coughing and sneezing and sniffling... There's been fever and crying...I have been stayed up late with one child and gotten up early with another for several days now. But I won't complain. Our family has been truly blessed this year and with God's blessing maybe it will be another healthy year before our turn comes around again.

Hope you and yours are well!

Misty

Poem: Stay at Home Mom... what did you do today?

This Poem speaks my heart....

I heard it this week and it was just perfect so I wanted to share:


Stay at Home Mom... what did you do today?

Today I left some dishes dirty,

The bed got made around 3:30.

The diapers soaked a little longer,

The odor grew a little stronger.

The crumbs I spilled the day before,

Are staring at me from the floor.

The fingerprints there on the wall,

Will likely be there still next fall.

The dirty streaks on those window panes,

Will still be there next time it rains.

Shame on you, you sit and say,

Just what did you do today?

I nursed a baby till he slept,

I held a toddler while he wept,

I played a game of hide and seek,

I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.

I pulled a wagon, sang a song,

Taught a child right from wrong.

What did I do this whole day through?

Not much that shows, I guess it’s true.

Unless you think that what I’ve done,

Might be important to someone,

With bright brown eyes and soft blond hair,

If that is true … I’ve done my share.

Author Unknown

The Pre-Christmas Movie List

Happy Holidays Everyone!

This is the time of year I love most. It's about this time that I hit the most euphoric holiday mood and just go crazy baking and planning and dreaming of holiday memories. This may actually end up being the height of my yuletide spirit since I am sometimes over it just a bit by the time Christmas actually gets here. Once Christmas is upon me I am too busy to feel the fun anymore.

Anyway, while I don't put my tree up until the day after Thanksgiving and don't listen to Christmas music until then either, I do however enjoy some festive holiday movies while I am in the kitchen cooking for my family. I don't want to watch my favorite Christmas movies just yet, I like to save those, so I have collected up a very few movies that I feel are perfect for this pre-thanksgiving time. Some of these actually contain a Thanksgiving scene and most have just a hint of Christmas, maybe in the last few minutes.

Here they are and I hope you will watch a few of them and enjoy! Oh, and you can click to read about them on IMDB

1. Holiday Inn - Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are funny and entertaining in this 1942 classic. Bing plays a showman who wants to quit and be a farmer but ends up turning his big farmhouse into a club/hotel that is only open on holidays. The musical numbers are great and Fred's tap dancing is terrific as usual. The Fourth of July scene is great and the 'Father Abraham' song has been edited from the televised version because of the blackface routine. This movie features the debut of Bing's classic song 'White Christmas' and there is even a Thanksgiving scene.

2. The Shop Around The Corner - A wonderful black and white movie with young Jimmy Stewart. This movie was the inspiration for 'You've Got Mail' but I like this one better. It's a cute and funny tale with a slight holiday flavor toward the end.

3. By the Light of The Silvery Moon - This Doris Day film is set in the 40's and is charming and fun. It's few musical selections are nice and the side stories are funny. It's like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life and is set around Thanksgiving.

4. Meet Me In St. Louis - Ok, I am just considering adding this one to my list. I have seen it a couple times in recent years and I like the little girl in it. I also love the song 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' which debuted in this movie. If it's not your bag, then go watch 'The Wizard of Oz'. Judy Garland is in both. (and for some reason the major networks want us to watch 'Oz' on Thanksgiving.

5. Stars in My Crown - Just one of the most ignored wonderful movies ever made. Not available on DVD (last time I checked) and a rare glimpse of a movie with major screen stars which glorifies God! It has a really great story and a sweet ending too. If you ever get a chance, watch it! If it were available on DVD I would own it in a minute!

6. It's A Wonderful Life - And finaly, my all time favorite movie! I just can't wait until Christmas to watch this. I usually watch it about once a week during this time. (Not actually sit down and watch it, but you know, have it on in the background while cooking) Only the ending involves Christmas and then only slightly. I know it is a classic Christmas movie, but really it fits into the spirit of the season even as early as Thanksgiving.

Whether you watch these or your own favorites, Have yourself some Happy Holidays!

Busy

What have I been busy doing?

Sorry I haven't been sharing much. I have been busy doing home-school, homeschool co-op on Wednesdays, MOPS every other Monday, Heart to Home once a month, children's choir Wednesday nights, a major cleaning out of my storage building, a garage sale (that flopped) and have begun doing pencil portraits from photos (See Here).

What am I going to be doing?

I will be spending the next two weeks trying to finally get the house back in shape after the garage sale fiasco in time for the big birthday party for my son who is turning 5! Also I will be doing more portraits and preparing for the holidays.
I will get back into the habit of posting very soon, really I will!

Our new family recipe for Sloppy Joes...

These may sound a little crazy but taste great...

McKeithen family's Insanely Sloppy Joes-

Ingredient List:

Hamburger Buns
Plain ruffled potato chips
1 lb of ground beef or turkey
pepper
garlic powder
mustard
brown sugar
2 apples
1 package of kraft macaroni and cheese
1 green bell pepper
1 medium onion



Before preparing meat go ahead and be boiling the water for the Macaroni and Cheese and prepare as directed while working on other elements of the meal...

Sloppy Joe Mix-
Cook about 1 lb of ground meat (beef or turkey)
While browning meat add about-
half a cup of diced green bell pepper
half a cup of diced onion

Once the meat is browned add in

3 teaspoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of yellow mustard
1 tablespoon of garlic powder or to taste
pepper and salt to taste
3/4 cup of ketchup

Heat through.

Toast buns if desired, then place a layer of Ruffles chips on bottom buns, spooning sloppy joe mixture onto chips, then spooning macaroni and cheese onto meat. Last, add sprinkling of diced apples and top with other bun. Enjoy!

Homeschool Has Begun!

My little student:

We started school last week. I have been anticipating and fearing this time for many years! I am committed to homeschooling all of our children, but I am a little nervous about actually pulling it off! We are trying Sonlight's Pre-K curriculum this year. Micah is 4 but turning 5 later on this fall. He is already showing signs of being a little ahead of me. I am alredy suplimenting the read-alouds with worksheets I have collected and we are also beginning practicing writing his letters and working with flashcards and other games.

We have been starting around 8:30 or 9:00 each morning and have been finishing before his 2 yr old sister gets out of her crib. She usually hangs out and plays in there till about 9:30. The baby has been getting up with us but then going back to bed a little later. The school times have been quiet and though Micah is usually a ball of loud noise and constant action, he likes the one-on-one time and likes completing the worksheets. The read-alouds are really short so he usually does fine sitting still for them too.

I also like to wrap-up school time with some drawing for fun. I enjoy it as much as he does. Here is an example of one of his drawings... we usually draw on paper and put it up for display but occasionally he and his sister draw on their magna-doodles and we take photos of it to save the art.

I think he is rather talented, but then I may be biased. (and have no other 4 year olds to compare it with!)

We finished our second week today and I am soooo happy I didn't have to send my baby away and entrust this precious opportunity to someone else.