Living Frugally in 2012

Recently I have been burdened with the feeling of being wasteful.  Last year my husband and I decided to try and "live like our grandparents" meaning, not to be wasteful in our living.  We changed to cloth napkins, cloth diapers, reusable sandwich bags, and tupperware containers instead of plastic bags.  I feel like that went really well this year.  So why not take it a step further in 2012!?

If you have followed my blog you have seen some projects that I have been working, like the cloth wipes and making our own laundry soap.  Those are just some of the ways we are making changes in our daily life.  Today I stumbled upon a blog called Frugally Sustainable.  She is issuing a 23 day challenge to live frugally.  I took the pledge, and you can as well.  I will link to her blog where you can sign up along side over 500 others from around the world!!  This is so exciting for me because this is close to my heart to not just live frugally for the sake of saving money but also to be responsible in taking care of our world that God has blessed us with!

For this year my goal is to make as many cleaning products as I can to save some money and not have the toxins brought into my house.  I also plan to reuse as much as I can and not be wasteful.

Eight Days... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!???

I can not believe that Christmas is only 8 days away!!  REALLY!!???   I have realized how slow I have been this year at getting the "regular" Christmas things done.  First is the decorations...since we were out of town the weekend after Thanksgiving (which is the normal time we put up our decorations) they didn't get done until the weekend after.  Even then all I really felt like doing was putting up the tree, all of my other decorations pretty much stayed in their storage bins.  Then I realized that we needed to get our stockings out, so that prompted me to get out a few other decorations, not many though!  As for the outside lights and decorations, they are not going to make an appearance this year!

Next was the Christmas cookies, which I also normally do the first week in December.  I finally got some baked the second week in December and then just had to make some more for a cookie exchange today at my MOPS meeting!

We also buy the kids ornaments every year, this year we were a little late in getting those (as in we just went tonight and got them!).  Of course they didn't' have the ones our kids wanted and the ones they did want were CRAZY expensive!!  So they decided they wanted to share one this year, we will see how that goes over in the future!  We did find a cute one for Baby Z though.

Then there is the buying and wrapping of the gifts!  The shopping we did get done with the first weekend in December but I still haven't' started wrapping anything!!  8 days, REALLY!!???    I think I better get a move on it!!  I also still need to do a deep cleaning on my house because of people coming over for Christmas Day!!

So not only do we have Christmas stuff to get done we also have a birthday on January 1st to get ready for!  I feel so sorry for my poor Little N because every year I tend to "forget" its his birthday, because of all the hoopla that goes with Christmas.  I usually end up pulling together a "party" during the 5 days between December 26th and December 31st.  This year we do actually have his present bought and we think we know what kind of party he wants.

To finish this up, I think I am finally ready for Christmas, well at least when the presents are wrapped!  That will hopefully be a tonight and this weekend thing.  I will feel so much better once all of that is finished!

A road trip, family, Thanksgiving and Christmas, all in one weekend!

WOW!!  We have had such a crazy few weeks!!  First we were preparing for a quick trip our east to visit my brother and his family for Thanksgiving.  Then we were busy unpacking and trying to get back into the swing of things again after the trip.  Finally I have a few minutes to do some blogging about what's been going on!

First about this "quick" trip we took.  This is the first long car trip we have taken with our kids, we have been places that are 3 hours away from our home but no further!  So this 15 hour trip was quite daunting to think about.  The planning and packing and preparing was so exhausting that I was tired before we even left our house!!  Some great tips I learned from this trip though was that driving during the night is the best way to travel with small children!  Although I did feel bad that they were missing out on a lot of scenery, it kept me and my husband sane!  I also learned that thinking ahead about the times you will be in the car will help you pack!  We planned on eating lunch in the car but were never in the car during lunch time, so the bread, peanut butter and jelly were not necessary!  On the other hand we brought breakfast food and that was great to have in the hotel room so the kids could eat breakfast while my husband and I got ready for the day.  We also over prepared for the kids car activities, we brought coloring books, books, crayons, color wonder markers and books, matchbox cars, etc.  When in reality it was dark for 90% of our drive both ways (because we drove at night!) and all they wanted to do was watch movies!  So the DVD player and movies was probably all we needed to bring with us!

My nieces at Thanksgiving dinner!

Big E and Little N

More nieces dinner!

Little N helping Papa change the oil in his truck.

The babies wearing their sweaters that Nana made for them!

This was the first Thanksgiving in probably 5 years that my whole family has been together!  It was so much fun and a great time to share together.  I have two older brother, so with my family of 5, there was a total of 14 kids, and 8 adults (including my parents!)  We are praising the Lord that He blessed us with a beautiful weekend!  The temperatures were in the high 60's which meant that 14 kids could play outside and not in the house!!  While at my brothers house we celebrated Christmas since we were not going to be together this year for Christmas.  We did a homemade Christmas, where the presents had to be homemade and we all drew names.  The kids drew names among themselves and the adults among themselves.  It was so much fun, this is the second year for my family to do this!

My mom had my name and made me a duct tape coupon book!  Love it!!

My dad had my husbands name and made him a duct tape sudoku puzzle book!  He loves it!!

I had my sister in laws name and made her a shopping bag! 

I didn't get very good pictures of the gifts my kids received, but Big E got a picture frame, and Little N received a number memory game.  Such cute ideas!  We didn't include the babies this year because they are both so small! 

The last lesson I learned on this "quick" trip is that Little N gets car sick!!  Thankfully we learned this lesson when we were about an hour from home on our way back!!  The poor kid was so upset!  So along rain, and wind we had to try and clean up a sick little boy and the car!  It was all over his car seat and the van seat!  Thankfully he was able to use his big brothers booster seat and big brother was able to just sit in the seat.  Probably not legally but when you are in a pinch you do what you have to do!! 

We went to the shore and there was this cute Christmas store where we got to talk to Santa!

Little N playing at the Shore!

Big E and little N at the shore

We got to go to a  Lego Store, I think the highlight for my boys!

The aftermath of the LONG drive!!  This is the car seat after the car sickness!  We had no where else to put it!

Cloth Diaper Trial 1

Yesterday I made my first cloth diaper!  I found this super easy pattern and went for it!  I had some extra flannel fabric laying around and some elastic.  This diaper was so easy to make, I didn't do any snaps or aplix on it though.  You are supposed to pin it shut, which makes me slightly nervous, but I think it will work ok.  I did try it on Baby Z but I realized that the elastic was not tight enough around the legs.  The elastic I was using was kinda old and maybe not as stretchy as it should be. So hopefully I will be able to get some more flannel and elastic to make another one soon.  For the next one I am going to try putting some aplix (which is a type of "velcro" used quite often for diapers). 

I found this pattern on http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/.  Its a free downloadable pattern that you print off and can use.  She has other patterns as well.  Ones to make cloth trainers, which I will be using in the future!!  Its amazing to me what you can find when you do a Google search!  I found TONS of free patterns for cloth diapers and they are all super easy and affordable to make, especially if you have "some" sewing knowledge.  Someone with a basic knowledge of a sewing machine can easily make their own cloth diapers.  My advice would be to look into any of these patterns and give them a try before spending $200 + on cloth diapers!  Its totally worth it!!  I was very fortunate and found my cloth diapers at a garage sale for really cheap.  It was a true blessing that God directed me to that garage sale, and I found them. 

 

1 Corinthians 13

Recently I was really encouraged by a blog post from Hearts At Home speaker Jill Savage.  She wrote a post that was 1 Corinthians 13 for Moms (the Love Chapter in the Bible).  This came from her blog and I am going to share it here:

1 Corinthians 13 for Moms:

I can read bedtime stories till the cow jumps over the moon and sing "Ten Little Monkeys" until I want to call the doctor-but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone.

I can chase a naked toddler through the house while cooking dinner and listening to voice mail, I can fix the best cookies and Kool-Aid in the neighborhood, and I can tell a sick child's temperature with one touch of my finger, but if I don't have love, I am nothing.

Love is patient while watching and praying by the font window when it's 30 minutes past curfew.

Love is kinds when my teen says "I hate you!"

It does not envy the neighbors' swimming pool or their brand new mini van, but trusts the Lord to provide every need.

Love does not brag when other parents share their disappointments and insecurities, and love rejoices when other families succeed.

It doesn't boast, even when I've multi-tasked all day long and my husband can't do more than one thing at a time.

Love is not rude when my spouse innocently asks, "What have you done today?"

It does not immediately seek after glory when we see talent in our children, but encourages them to get training and make wise choices.

It is not easily angered, even when my 15 year old acts like the world revolves around her.

It does not delight in evil (is not self-righteous) when I remind my 17 year old that he's going 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth.

Love does not give up hope.

It always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit, even while doling out discipline.

It always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot.  It always perseveres, through blue nail polish, burps and other bodily functions, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleep overs.

Love never fails.

But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor(s), they will fade away.

Where there is talking back, it will (eventually) cease. (Please, Lord?)

Where these is a teenager who thinks she knows everything, there will one day be an adult who knows you did your best.

For we know we fail our children, and we pray they don't end up in therapy, but when we get to heaven, our imperfect parenting will disappear.  (Thank you, God!)

When we were children, we needed a parent to love and protect us.  Now that we're parents ourselves, we have a heavenly Father who adores, shelters us and holds us when we need to cry.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love But the greatest of these is love.

~Author Unknown

I just thought this was so great to hear the practical side of never failing love!  Knowing that I will fail as a parent but I have a Heavenly Father who will NEVER fail me or my children and ALWAYS loves me and my children!!  Thank you Jesus for your unfailing love!!

Philippians 4:13, 19

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 139:5

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

Update..

Today I am going to update on the use of the homemade detergent venture we have been on at my house.  So far we have tried the laundry detergent, cloth diaper detergent, and the dishwasher detergent.  All of them have worked wonderful!!

The laundry detergent on our clothes is great!  They came out clean and smelling fresh.  The cloth diaper detergent (which essentially is the laundry detergent), works awesome!  The diapers are smelling good and looking good!  I also think it does a better job than the stuff I regularly use, which is like $15.

The dishwasher detergent we have only used once, but it did a fantastic job!!  We have a new-ish dishwasher, its about 3 years old.  We made sure to fill the rinse agent with vinegar, so our dishes were sparkling clean!

I am so excited about how much this will be saving us!  I am not very good with math or numbers so I am going to just make an estimate on the cost savings here.  For our laundry detergent we usually buy the cheap stuff anyway, which is about $8.00 for a 160 loads so that comes out to about $.20/load, so not too bad.  For my cloth diaper detergent that I bought it was about $15 for about 75 loads, so that comes out to about $.5/load, once again not too bad.  For the dishwasher detergent its about $6.00 for 40 loads so that comes out to $.6/load.  Once again not that bad.  Total cost per month for all of these items is about $15 or $180/year, because we only buy the cloth diaper detergent once every other month and same with the dishwasher detergent.

BUT in contrast for the homemade detergents I spent a total of $8.69 so about $9 with tax.  Because the recipes only call for 1 or 2 cups of each, I will not need to repurchase these for quite a while.  The only item I will need to purchase more often is the Fels Naptha soap which is only $.97.  So to divide this up over a year I am estimating the cost to be only about $20/year, I am guessing that I will only buy the items 2 times a year (maybe 3).  Even buying the major items which are about $6 total three times a year that is only $18 a year!!

Ok so now lets do the major math.... $180 or $20!!  Lets choose!!   I am so excited about these numbers!!

Having done the research about the laundry and dish detergents it got me thinking about other ways I could save tons of money.  I came to the conclusion that I could save money by making my own baby wipes!  So that led me to some great recipes for wipes solutions.  This is what I came up with:

Basic Wipes Solution:

1/2 cup baby oil

1/2 cup baby wash

2 cups water

So there are two different ways to do homemade wipes, you can either place the wipes in a container and pour the solution over them.  Or you can also put the solution in a spray bottle and then wet the wipes with warm water before using them and then spray the solution on the wipes.  I think I am going to use the spray bottle method, because if you pour it over the wipes you will need to change them out every day to avoid mildew.

Below are the steps I took in making my own cloth wipes.

Supplies:  Towel, Ruler, Scissors

Cut into 8 x 12 rectangles

Put machine on zig zag sticth

Zig Zag stitch along outside edge

 

Finished product!

 I am a decent sewer so this was not too far fetched for me.  Even if you are not a proficient sewer these would be a great first project because its just straight stitching and super easy!!  I found a great idea, to use an old t-shirt and a receiving blanket.  You cut each into an 8 x8 square (which is a standard size to fit into a wipes container), you can also do an 8x 12 for bigger, messier jobs.  I am also going to use some flannel to make some wipes, because that is what I have laying around.  I was also given an idea to use an old bath towel.  For all of these I will be doing a zig zag stitch around the edges and tadaa, wipes!! 

Sorry this post got a little lengthy, but I think I shared some great info!!  I am so excited about these new ways to save money and I wanted to share them!

**Recent Update- As of January 17, 2012
This post has been featured here on Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways!  Come check them out!**

What to do when it rains...

So today started a LONG weekend for us.  Big E is off of school today, tomorrow and Monday.  Of course today its windy, cold and rainy!  So what to do with two active, crazy boys on a windy, cold, and rainy day...watch Star Wars movies!  But when mom can't take any more Star Wars, then what do we do?  We break out the games!  My kids are not really big board game kids, but we try!  We did play a rousing game of Slap Jack, but I couldn't really remember all of the rules so we just made some up!  Then I found a puzzle of the United States, that we hadn't done in a long time.  Big E loves to do puzzles, but Little N gets bored easily and finds them difficult.  So while Big E and I worked on the puzzle Little N decided to get the cards out again and play with them.  So wonderful!  When we had finished the puzzle of the United States, we talked about our state, the state we will be visiting for Thanksgiving and then the state that their Nana and Papa live.  That was a great geography lesson.  Even Little N got interested in it.  He was very excited to see where Nana and Papa live on the map.  It was also really fun to talk about the states that we will be driving through to see our cousins (my brother and his family).

Last night we were cleaning out some drawers and found some Highlights magazines.  These are the Highlights that talk about the United States.  There is one book for each state and we have about half of the states at this point (maybe more).  So we decided to take with us on our trip some of the ones of the states that we will be driving through.  I think this will be lots of fun for Big E, to be able to check out some of the facts about these states while we are driving through them. 

Over the past few days I have been doing some research on homemade laundry detergent.  In hopes to save us some much needed cash!  I was amazed at how much information I have found, and how cheap those ingredients are!  I went to Wal-Mart today and spent a little less than $8 and got everything I needed to make my own laundry detergent, cloth diaper detergent, and dishwasher detergent. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to find what I needed at Wal-Mart but I found everything in the same isle and right by each other!!  Score!!   I just did laundry yesterday, so I didn't have any of our clothes to wash, but I did have some cloth diapers to wash.  So ran some through using the homemade detergent.  They seem to have come out clean and smelling fresh!   Now we just have to see if they irritate our skin or if they are ok!  So below I have included the recipes for the detergents that I found, I will also include the links to the websites that I found them at.

Laundry Detergent:
2 Cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated, you could also try Ivory)
1 Cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax

Mix well with a spoon and store in an air tight container.
Use 2 Tbs. per load

Cloth Diaper Detergent:
Same recipe as above
1 Tbs. per load for a light load
2 Tbs. per load for a heavily soiled load

Dishwasher Detergent: I found two different recipes for this one, but I am just trying one this time.
Recipe #1
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

Recipe #2
1 Cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Borax

For the recipes above mix thoroughly and store in a plastic container, use approximately 2 Tbs. per load. Use vinegar in the rinse compartment as a rinse agent to help prevent residue.  You also need to be sure to use the vinegar for every load of dishes.

A tip they gave on the website was to add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the powder compartment when you add the powder.  They also suggested cutting back the amount of soap used, if you are using 2 Tbs., try using 1-1 1/2 Tbs per load. 

**Disclosure-I have only tried the laundry soap on my cloth diapers, I have not tried the dishwasher detergent or the laundry soap on our clothes.  Please do your own research and know that it will take a lot of trial and error to find the right combination for you and your type of water.**

UPDATE: (September 2012)
I have recently stopped using the dishwasher detergent because it left quite a funny taste on our dishes, so I didn't think that was  good thing!

I have also switched to a different laundry soap, this recipe is easier than the other one and makes more.  I am only making it once every month and a half instead of every week or so.  Here is the recipe (which is not my own, but I can't remember where I found it!)

Cloth Diaper/ Clothes Laundry Soap

1 55 oz. box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Mule Team Borax
2 Cups Oxygen Cleaner- Sun is recommended
1/2 cup Simple Green
1/2 cup Calgon Water Softening Powder (I have never been able to find the powder, so I use the liquid and it works just fine)

Dump all ingredients in to a bucket (I use a 5 gallon one) and mix together with your hands (I use a big wooden spoon). You need to let it air dry for about a half hour and come back to stir it and loosen up any clumps that might have formed.  I then let it dry a bit more for about another 15-30 minutes and stir again.  After it is dry and few clumps are left I pour into an air tight container and store in my laundry area.   Use 1 1/2 tablespoons for diapers, 2-3 tablespoons for clothes.

November...REALLY!!!???

Here we are at the beginning of November... REALLY!!!  I can not believe that the last 2 months have gone by so fast!  I have an almost 3 month old and I feel like it was just yesterday that he was born.  Baby Z has grown so much and is changing everyday.  He gives us smiles all the time and he loves his big-est brother tons!  Every time Big E comes near, Baby Z gets a huge smile on his face.  Baby Z's newest game is sticking his tongue out at us, he thinks its the best game ever!!

Big E has lost two teeth now and loves first grade!  He is learning so much!  We got his report card the other day and I was so proud of him.  He got all 3's and 4's (which are basically A's and B's), there was one "needs improvement", can you guess what that was?!  Writting neatly!  Apparently he rushes and doesn't take his time to print neatly.  Go figure!!  They gave us a scale of reading, so we could know where he falls in his reading ability.  We knew he was a good reader but we didn't realize how good!  He is about at a 2nd grade level for his reading!  We are so proud of him!  He loves to learn and read new things!!

Little N has not been faring so well these past few weeks.  The new baby was really cramping his style.  In the past few days though he has gotten a lot better.  We have had to make lots of new adjustments to the way things are done.  Daddy has been more intentional at spending quality time with each of the bigger boys every night, but more with Little N.  I think Little N was feeling really trapped in the middle.  This has given us great improvements and has helped me out during the day.  I have also been able to just "let go" of the pressure of housework so that I can spend time playing with him.  My house has suffered but things get done, its just not done as neatly and at the time I would like it to be done.  BUT I have been given some awesome advice from some "seasoned" moms, they have told me that my kids will not remember whether their house was clean but they will remember whether their mom or dad spent time with them!

In a few short weeks we will be taking a family trip.  This is very nerve racking for me!  Its the first time we have taken the bigger kids any farther than a 3 hour drivve from our house.  Its going to be about a 15 hour (technically) but probably more like 17 or 18 hour drive.  We will be doing most of our traveling while the kids are sleeping over night (hopefully!).  We are also hoping Baby Z is sleeping through the night by then, he does really well now.  We do not have to feed him in the middle of the night so that might help.  We are so excited to take this trip though, we will be going to visit my oldest brother and his family.  This will be the first time we have seen them in over 2 years.  They also just had a new baby that is 5 weeks younger than our Baby Z.  So this is going to be a great time of family and cousins getting to know each other!  What better way to spend the holiday than with family!!

Never leave a mom behind!!

Something recently has been brought to my attention... there are moms all around that are hurting and feeling lonely!  Its not just me!!  I am so comforted to know that I am not the only mom out there that is struggling to find her way.  The life of a mom is so isolating sometimes.  There are someday, more so lately, that I stay in  my pj's and never leave the house!  That can, at times, be a nice change of pace, but more than one of those days can be very lonely.  I know with the winter months fast approaching, there will be a lot of inside days, and a lot of stir crazy children.  My goal is to find ways to combat the crazies before they happen.  

One thing that I feel will make this winter different and fun, is to have lots of mommy-dates, or you could call them play dates.  We all know what play dates are really for the mommies, right!?  I think if I can implement a  routine of weekly or biweekly play dates, that would really help, not just me but other moms as well.  What a great way to get through the tough winter ahead!!  

Back to the lonely and hurting mommies out there...I was brought aware that even the happiest of women could be totally dyeing inside!  I personally do not want that to be any of my friends, because I have been there!  I have been in the place where you are so discouraged and feel like no one cares.  If I can be that one person to come along side another mom and be their encourager what a blessing that could be!  I have been sitting at my house and just waiting for the phone to ring, wishing someone would call and invite me over to visit!  Well I have recently just thought, why am I not that person to call someone up and ask them to come over!  I tend to fall into the rut of just waiting for someone else to do the inviting, I need to be the one to invite and encourage!  

My prayer now is that I could just be that person to encourage another mom, or even a young married woman.  How much I would have loved to have had someone take that interest in me and come along side me when I was newly married, or a new mom.  

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Romans 1:12

...that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith

2 months old!

To save a little bit of money this time around, we opted to do our own photo shoot at home! This is our little Z man
at months old! He is growing so much and we are so happy to have him as part of our family! I can now say that I think our family is complete! I can't wait to see where God takes him in his life.

How I am learning to grow grateful kids...

This semester in my Tuesday morning bible study we are going through the book Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson.  What an eye opening book!!  This weeks reading came from chapter 7 and 8, I was so moved by what I read in chapter 7 that I feel compelled to write a little about it.

Chapter 7 begins with this quote from St. Augustine of Hippo "It was pride that changed the angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels."  What a powerful statement!

The title of this chapter is "Live Humbly : God is Great"  I feel so strongly about this statement that I am so excited to start teaching this to my children.  Growing up I do not feel that it is something that was taught very well to me! 

She gives the example of Joseph from the Old Testament in the Bible.  Joseph was the youngest brother of 12, he was the favorite of his father.  His brothers sold him to slavery when he was young.  Joseph was bought by a guard who worked for Pharaoh the King of Egypt.  With all that Joseph went through he could have been bitter or angry at God.  Instead he humbled himself under the mighty had of God and was lifted up and blessed by Him for the whole world to see!  Joseph is the perfect example of being humble.  Samson, another Old Testament man, is an example of someone who trusted in himself and didn't listen to the plans God had for him. Samson was gifted and called by God but instead of listening to his parents he was bullheaded and spoiled.   Samson decided to take matters into his own hands and neglect his vow to God!  The lesson I get from the life of Samson is to earnestly seek God's wisdom and direction, I must also humbly submit to the cleansing seasons of my life that God allows me to endure. 

For this next section I am going to copy this text from the book Growing Grateful Kids.  I have taken this from pages 110 to 112:

What consistent lessons on pride and humility do your kids pick up by watching you?

If our kids see: us shaking our fists at people more than they see us praying for them

They'll learn:  that people shouldn't get in the way of what we want.  That's pride.

If your kids see:  us responding humbly to the rude person in line at the grocery store

They'll learn:  that we are alive to reflect the character of Christ.  That's humility.

If our kids see:  us dissecting others' flaws more than they hear us honoring them in their absence

They'll acquire:  and exaggerated view of their own importance and the idea that it's okay to gossip.  That's pride.

If our kids see:  us speaking well of others, giving people the benefit of the doubt, and believing the best about others' motives.

They'll learn:  not to be quick to judge or to assign motives; they'll learn to believe and hope for the best in others.  That's humility.

If our kids see:  us striving and straining in our own strength and neglecting to give Jesus the credit He deserves

They'll learn:  that more rests on our shoulders than on His.  They'll come to believe that they are stronger than they really are (and that God is weak in some way).  That's pride.

If our kids see:  us humbly committing each new day to Jesus

They'll learn:  that He truly loves and cares about every detail of our lives.  That's humility.

If our kids see:  us disrespecting authority, criticizing our pastor, nitpicking our neighbor

They'll learn:  that it doesn't matter if Jesus told us to respect authority and to love our neighbor, because our opinions matter more than they things He has asked of us.  And that's pride.

If our kids see:  us refusing to forgive, stiffening up in the face of correction, or refusing to admit when we're wrong

They'll have:  a front row seat to watch pride in action; they'll fear correction (rather than embrace it); they'll learn to defend their "right" not to grow into everything God intended them to be.  That's pride.

If our kids see:  us admitting when we're wrong, asking forgiveness, and applying ourselves to the pursuit of holiness

They'll learn: to follow in our footsteps, to admit when they're wrong, to ask for forgiveness, and to apply themselves to the pursuit of holiness.  That's humility.

James 4:6 

...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Lord may I be more humble in my life.  May I look after others before myself and respect those that are in authority over me!  Thank you for all of the examples for me to follow through your Holy Word!  Amen!!

If you are interested in reading Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson, click this link to find it at Christian Book Distributors.

Failure....

Websters definition of failure is this: nonperformance of something due, required, or expected,  lack of success, deterioration or decay, especially of vigor, strength.  Man does that describe me today!  Here is a series of events that took place at my home just about 2 hours ago.

I awake after being able to sleep in a little, my husband had gotten up with the baby at about 5:30, so I could rest.  That was so sweet, and I was so grateful for the extra hour and a half to sleep in!  So I walk out of our bedroom to my little sweet N telling me he needed some milk!  My husband was busy with the baby, he had just finished his bottle and needed to be changed.  So with some asking my little sweet N, how he was supposed to ask for his milk, he finally said "please, may I have some milk".  Sure sweet little N, I would be happy to get it for you!  THEN.... while pouring him a cup of milk, into the cup that he had gotten out, I realized there was still a cup of milk in the refrigerator  so I get that cup out and discover that it just had a little bit left in it.  I decided that rather than waste the milk that was already in the refrigerator I would pour that remaining milk into his cup.  Well that did not sit well with him and he began throwing a fit.   Now here is where the failure on my part took place.  Instead of reacting calmly and rationally to the fit throwing, now hanging on my leg, sweet little N, I blew up!  I was so upset with the attitude he has been having lately, that I lost it!  I threw his milk into the refrigerator, grabbed him up and spanked his little bottom.  You would think that would have been enough for his sweet little heart.  BUT I continued to lose it and I took him down the hall and tossed him onto his bed, and went storming from his room slamming his door (which by the way, they get time outs for!).  Then I proceeded to my bedroom and slammed my door!  Oh boy is this really me!!!  

After spending 5 minutes cooling off in my room, leaving my poor husband (who was changing the baby and had no idea what was going on), to deal with this situation, I emerged!  Still not too calm but feeling like I needed to go and talk to my sweet little N.  Going into his room, where he was now standing in the middle of it, looking a little unsure of what just happened.  I walk up to him and get down to his level and have to apologize for yelling at him and getting upset like I did. Now if you have never had to apologize to your kids, then you have no idea how humble it makes you!  After apologizing and grab him onto my lap and cuddle his little heart out.  BUT I can tell that he is still not sure what to think of this whole situation.  After holding him for a few minutes he decided he's done and gets up to join his brother watching Saturday morning cartoons in the living room.  All this to say that I feel like a total failure today, and I now that only by the grace of my loving Heavenly Father will I be forgiven!!  

This message of a loving Heavenly Father is so important to me that I always feel terrible when I lose my temper with my children, because I am supposed to be the example for them to go by!!  I am supposed to be who they can trust in this world!!  BUT I also know that my Heavenly Father is a powerful, forgiving, and loving God who is more wonderful that I can ever express to my children.  I lay them into his hands daily, for their protection and their faith!!  I am so blessed to know that nothing I can do will bring them to His loving Hands its only by His divine power that any of us are called to HIM!!  Thank you Jesus for bridging that gap for us, so that we can come to God's loving hand and sit with Him in Heaven one day!!  

2 Thessalonians 1:11, 12

...that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then came number three!

Baby Z

Baby Z has arrived!!  He decided to greet us 10 days early!  We are all adjusting well and the older boys are so excited about their new baby brother.  These past 7 weeks have been crazy!!  Baby Z was born, then 12 days later E started school (first grade this year!!), then Tuesday after Labor Day N started preschool!  Then E decided he would like to do Cub Scouts this year, so we are letting him try it for a year and if he likes it he can continue next year.  So far he is really enjoying Cub Scouts, they were able to walk and throw out candy in our towns Homecoming parade, that was a blast!!

In between all of this other activity, E had a birthday, the big number 7 for him!  He has also lost his first tooth, with the second one just about to fall out!  This has certainly been a big month for our oldest child!

Our big Cub Scout!

First day of preschool for N

Our 3 little men!

As a family we are adjusting to this new life we are leading being a family of 5.  This is such a great time in our lives!  Baby Z is fitting really nicely into the new schedule and sleeping really well, despite the wrestling matches that are constant! 

The countdown is on!

Well we are officially 35 days from delivery.  Unofficially we are hoping for only a few more weeks, so like 20 days!  We had our final sonogram last week and baby is healthy and growing very well.  I would like to get to 37 weeks, which is only 2 weeks away.  Contractions have been coming pretty frequently lately, so there is hope!  I am pretty sure they are Braxton Hicks but still hoping they are making some progress.  I go to the doctor again on friday this week, and we will see what she says. 

Little N is getting so excited about being a big brother!  We took both of the boys to a sibling class at the hospital that we are delivering at.  They were able to tour the area of the hospital that we will be in having the baby and then they were able to see the nursery area where the baby would be.  Also in this class they learned how to change diapers, swaddle the baby, and hold the baby.  It was so sweet to watch my little 3 year old take it so seriously!  For a little boy to want to play with his doll, was so fun to watch.  Big E on the other hand was not so excited about this class.  He didn't want to do any of the things, as far as diapering, swaddling, and holding his baby.  I think its just his age though, being 6 he really isn't that interested.  Even now though little N, is so fascinated by the baby doll and learning all the things that he is going to get to help with. 

Right now I am feeling quite overwhelmed though.  We received Little N's preschool papers in the mail and found out that there is a meeting in a few weeks (really hoping we can make it!).  Then there is school starting for Big E in the middle of August, so I feel a little crazy knowing that I need to get his school supplies sooner rather than later, plus school clothes!  Unfortunately I can not find his school supply list at the store, so I am in a holding pattern until that comes out!  Registration for school is next week, hoping that I can at least get the list before then. 

This week weather wise is going to be terribly HOT!  Heat indexes in the 100's!  So its going to be a challenge to find things inside to do with the boys, since its going to be way too hot to play outside.  Tomorrow we are going to see a movie, our local theater has $1 movies in the summer.  That's about all I can think of for this week!  Not a good start, huh?  I guess I need to be more creative!!

Nursery Finished...

I finally think the nursery for this new baby is finished!  We need to get a few more items (like pictures or something for the bare walls) but other than that  I feel pretty good about how it turned out! 

Last week at my doctor's appointment the doctor said she thinks I might go a few weeks early!  Her exact words "It wouldn't hurt my feelings if you went early."  My statement to her "It wouldn't hurt ours either!"  I am measuring about 2 weeks ahead of where I should be, which is what I did with my first baby, and he came 2 weeks early!  I am only praying this one follows suit!  I go for a sono next week and we will see how this little boy is progressing.   If I do go early then I am only about 5 weeks from delivery, I am really ready to meet our new little boy! 

Big E is getting excited too.  But he was a little worried when I told him I might be in the hospital for his first day of school.  I made sure to also tell him that if that happened he didn't need to worry because grandma and grandpa would be here and daddy should be here as well.  That seemed to comfort him some.  Little N on the other hand might not take this too easily.  He has really been glued to my side lately.  I can't seem to leave the house with out him screaming and throwing a tantrum.  I think he thinks that every time I leave a baby will show up when I come back.  I don't know, really what he is thinking or what is going on in his little head.  The poor kid doesn't know what is about to happen to his little world!  All we can do is keep talking to him about this new baby and the fact that he will still be loved the same! 

Summer again....

I really had high hopes for this summer, but I have not been feeling that great already!  The heat is a little unbearable right now and my little boys just want to be outside all the time!  I am trying to keep them busy and active in the mornings so I can get a little rest in the afternoons, but that has been in vain!  Little N thinks that most days he doesn't need a nap, or he will fall asleep in the car for a few minutes and think that is a nap!  Today was not a napping day!!  So mommy is really tired right now!

A few weeks ago my husband bought a cheap emac computer on ebay.  Our intentions for the computer was to be for our boys to use.  E (the 6 year old) loves it!  My husband has it set up so there are only certain web sites that he can get to and he can manage doing it all by himself most of the time.  I like that we can have better control over where he is going on the internet and what games he is playing.  For some reason we could never get the hang of it on our main computer.  Mostly because we had to log out of the family account and then log him into his.  Which really took a lot of "effort" (not really, but it seemed like it!).  So in the afternoons E gets to have some computer time and that keeps him busy enough that I can get a little rest in while Little N is napping (if he chooses to nap!).   

As for Little N, finally at 3 1/2 years old he is going potty in the potty!  Well pee at least!  He is still really struggling with pooing in the potty.  We had to resort to bribery with the pee, he earned himself a Bubble Foam Blaster.  So with the pooing we are offering him a trip to Chuck E Cheese.  (As a side note, I just had to take a break from writing to take Little N to the potty and he just tried to tell me that he wanted his shirt tucked into his underwear!  Haa haaa!!)  Anyway back to the Chuck E Cheese bribe, all he has to do is go poo in the potty 5 times.  We started this chart 2 weeks ago, he has yet to get one sticker!!  OHHH the frustration!!  He knows what is supposed to happen, his poo is to go into the potty, but he just refuses to do it!  We are totally out of ideas for that!  We are hoping that when Nana and Papa come home in a few weeks maybe they can talk him into it! 

Now for the newest little guy coming into our lives, Baby Z, he seems to stay pretty active!  :)  I also wonder how my bigger boys will react when Baby Z is introduced.  E I think will adjust ok but I still think we will have a few issues with him and the level of his voice!  He tends to get really excited and a little loud sometimes.  Then there is Little N, not sure this will be the favorite thing to happen to him this year.  He is being really clingy to me lately and wanting me to hold him and do lots for him.  So this will be a definite challenge!  He will also be starting pre-school shortly after Baby Z is born, and E will be going back to school as well.  I feel like I am really babying him right now because I know how his world will change in a  few short weeks and I want him to feel like he is still very important to me! My husband on the other hand is not liking the whining of Little N lately and having a hard time dealing with it.  Anyway this will be an interesting fall for sure in our house.

I was so impressed with E and his level of learning that took place in Kindergarten this year!  I am so proud of him!  He went into the school year still writing his name backwards and upside down sometimes and he came out of the school year totally reading entire books on his own!  He is able to sound out words that he doesn't know and most of the time can figure it out all by himself!  Man how Kindergarten has changed!  I remember just needing to learn my address and phone number, colors, numbers and that sort of thing!  I am so excited that he is really loving to read, (he takes after me I guess!)  My husband is not a reader and says that E is reading better than he did in 2nd grade.   

This has been a total random thoughts post but I needed something to keep me awake until hubby gets home in an hour!  :)

Baby Nursery...

The nursery is almost complete!  I finished painting last week and over the weekend we got it cleaned and all of the furniture put back in.  I feel like I am really ready for this baby to come!  Too bad I have about 15 more weeks, I am already having trouble sleeping and my body is just so sore.  I am also anxious for summer to start, ready to get a little bit more sleep and not have to "be" anywhere! 

This summer my plan is to just hang around the house, and let the kids play outside.  We bought some blow up pools last year and those were wonderful!  I am really looking forward to getting those out and using them again, they kids loved it and it kept them busy for hours!  I also plan on visiting local parks and getting a membership to our local zoo, which is a wonderful way to spend a morning with restless boys! 

This week I also went searching for a pre-school for our 3 year old.  With the new baby coming we were a little hesitant to send him to pre-school.  We didn't want him to feel like he was getting shoved out the door after the baby was born.  BUT after lots of considering I think that this will be the best thing for him.  He will get out of the house and get to play with other kids his age.  The pre-school is just down the street from us and its only 2 mornings a week.  So I think this will work perfectly for him, and me!!  I have talked to a lot of other moms who said those couple of mornings a week were a perfect time for a breather and a great time for bonding with the new baby.

Prepareing the Nursery!

Preparing the nursery is quite a big job!  Since we are having another boy, and have moved since having the other two, this will the first nursery room we have done.  The room began with flowery wall paper and pink curtains.  Step one:  remove wall paper!  Step two: Paint!  Step three:  Replace all the baby furniture, put up curtains (that still need to be bought!), make cover for rocking chair, buy carpet rug for floor.  Step three will be the most fun!  Step one, was two long days of spraying and peeling and scraping, and spraying and peeling and scraping, repeating many many times, until after about 9 hours it was done!  Thankfully grandma and grandpa were able to take the older boys (since it was spring break) to stay with them for a day and a half.  That gave me a day and a half of uninterrupted working time.   Being 6 months pregnant and all of that labor intensive work really took a toll on my body!  I was super sore for a couple of days after, but really relieved to have it done.

The big helper!

The little helper!

In the process

Part of the big mess!

Almost done!

Hopefully step two, painting, will get done in a few weeks.  We are planning on asking grandma and grandpa to take the boys again so we can spend a Saturday painting, and hopefully getting it done!  The theme in the nursery will be monkeys, with light green and brown for the colors.  I found this super cute quilt on www.etsy.com/shop/grammiesquiltz that gave me the inspiration. 

My inspiration for the nursery.

We have narrowed down the first name for this third boy, but the middle name is still in "negotiations".  There is so much to think about when naming a child.  Can it be made fun of, well probably.  Do the initials spell something weird?  How will it sound as an adult?  So many things to think of!!  And then there is the meaning of the name.  Is it a powerful meaning or something weird and stupid!? 

I am so thankful to be this far along in pregnancy and to be feeling so well!  Its nice to be at home and not working while pregnant.  The last two pregnancies I was working full time, in a day care!  That is not easy work!  So for me to be home with a 3 year old and have the 6 year old off at school is a total blessing!  Its wonderful to get to rest when I need to rest and do things (like cleaning, laundry, etc.) during the day when I feel pretty good instead of at night when I am super tired and sore! 

The Name Game!!

So we have begun the name picking process.  Its pretty funny that with this being our third boy, the list has gotten pretty short.  I remember with the first, we had a pretty long list but knew fairly early the name (and no arguing or anything!).

With boy number two, it took quite a bit longer, I think I was about 6 or 7 months along before we narrowed it down to just a few.  Then not until about month 8 were we sure!  In that process my husband and I talked first and then decided that we would both make out own list and go from there.  With our completed lists we realized that neither of us had the same names or even close!  So we started the process over again!  This time we did have a few of the same names (with the one that we ended up choosing on both of our lists!).  BUT we still could not agree.  Then after a few weeks of "deliberating" we FINALLY came to our conclusion! 

So now with boy number three, we each did our own list again.  But this time we each only had about 3 names on each list.  A little bit easier to decide, especially since two of the names were the same!  So now that I am almost 5 1/2 months along we are down to 2 names!  Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have a final decision! 

Now on a funny note, when asking the older two boys what they want to name the baby we got some interesting responses!  The 6 year old said we should name it "Woody".  The 3 year old said we should name it "Buzz".  I think maybe a little too much Toy Story is being watched in our house!!  

Also last week the 3 year old and I were sitting on the couch cuddling, and having some candy!  When he asked what I had in my mouth, I told him a life saver.   He then began talking about the baby and where it was.  I told him the baby was in mommies tummy, and that he could talk to the baby if he wanted to.  Then in his little 3 year old way, he asked me if I ate the baby!!  Without laughing too hard I had to try to explain the concept to him.  That didn't go very well, he really was confused when I got done.  So now we just try to do our best when talking about the baby in mommies tummy.