Do I need a bigger plate?

Kerrville Homeschoolers has moved!

2009-10-01T22:26:00.005-05:00

I've been working hard on my homeschool blog!

I much prefer Wordpress over Blogger (*reason #1 because blogger won't let me post a link!!!! you actually have to type in the address because blogger is so BAD that it actually inserts blogger.com into the link) so I've moved www.kerrvillehomeschoolers.com over there. I'd love it if you add my banner to your blog!

Just in case

2009-09-28T15:04:00.002-05:00

Just in case you thought you aren't that big a player in God's kingdom let me shatter your doubts. God is always at work. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28.

So if He's always at work and all things work together for His good then you are a BIG player.

Our family has seen this firsthand over the last couple of weeks. When God brought us through a tough church home transition we thought it was to benefit our family; to bring us closer to Him and to teach us Biblical truth we had never been taught before.

However, God was simply using us (in addition to catapulting our family into a blessed realm of theological understanding) to minister to others. Not a verbal ministry but by our actions. We were oblivious to how God was using our life to effect other families.

When I received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a friend from the previous church I was apprehensive. I actually was going to let it go to voice mail. Oh the blessings I would have missed out on!

Then today I get a Facebook message from a friend from that church. God has been doing the SAME things in their life! I am so glad she took the step to ask me about the new church we are attending. Because she did, a path has been forged that brings us together in a special way.

To doubt God's providence is to doubt His sovereignty! I can't wait to see what happens next!

My absence

2009-09-27T15:06:00.005-05:00

I haven't written much on this blog lately. It's certainly not that my life doesn't provide plenty of blog juice, I could fill a book. It's more about the lack of time I seem to have these days. My blog focus has shifted to our homeschool blog and the cloth diaper blog.

A couple of weeks ago I made this blog private. After many emails wondering what had happened and requests to be a reader I have decided to make it public again. Many of the emails were thanking me for bringing to light many topics that helped other moms. The main one being car seat safety. I think it's time for another one of those :)

So, "Welcome back, Me!"

Recent pics

2009-09-18T16:04:00.003-05:00

We were blessed to see a full rainbow with a second one next to it. Truly amazing.

Sterling has the most precious smile, doesn't he?!

I just thought the were potty trained!

2009-09-15T18:49:00.002-05:00

Yes I said they.

Yesterday was lovely. It all started at midnight. I had given the kids a lot of water before bed on Sunday night. Usually water before bedtime isn't a problem for the kids.
But, at midnight I awake to Michael in my face asking where the twin sheets are. Most people can probably answer quickly but I seem to never know where I put anything for a good 5 minutes.

After I sent him off (looking in the wrong place) I get up and go to the correct place to find them.

So that was incident #1. After school time Monday the kids were playing outside. Michael and I were hanging out in the kitchen talking when Paisley runs in and says she has to pee. "Well go" we both hurriedly say.

Being the obedient child she is, she did...on the floor. Incident #2.

Fast forward to this morning at 6:45ish. Haven is standing by my bed and whispers, "Mom, why are my pants wet?" Had I not been joyfully sleeping I would have exploded. He's 5! But instead I say go change and get back in bed.

When I got up and went to wake the angels I saw him in bed and gasped "what are you doing in bed? are your sheets wet?!" They weren't. He's been known to pee just a bit not wetting the sheets (the positive to the story!). Incident #3.

And the final...I hope...incident just occured. When something happens 4 times close together you blog about it. Paisley was standing on the toilet brushing her teeth. I walked in and she looks panicked and says "I just peed". Grrrrrr.

She was on the potty!!!! Now my floor is a little cleaner as is the trashcan and toilet paper holder.

A Thirst for Books

2009-09-07T12:51:00.003-05:00

Our family loves books. Michael is always reading at least 4 non-fiction books and on average finishes 3 a month. When we go to the library I check out 20+ highly selective* books for the kids and Haley reads them all the first day...which is really frustrating when I want to read some to them. My little bookworm.

Haven can't read yet but he really wants to. He knows that when he learns he gets his own Bible and that has him very motivated. The other day at Hastings we found a paperback NKJV Bible for $1.49! I'm not afraid of this one getting "used" by Haven and Paisley. This is perfect for Haven during family worship, as he is always wanting to follow along.

As for me, I too love to read, if only I made more time for it. I have a particular genre that makes me feel wonderful all over when I read them. It may be a little weird to most people but I can vividly remember how and why this love came about. Black history is a deep love of mine to read about.

In high school I would read scary novels one after another but I wouldn't say I "loved" reading. It wasn't until my first college history class that my interest in books jumped and my draw to Black history began. My professor assigned Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody and I could not put it down. It remains at the top of my favorite list.

Since then I have read a number of similar books. Most recently Black Like Me and currently Uncle Tom's Cabin. I can't believe I am just now reading Uncle Tom's Cabin! What an amazing literary piece. I would not let the thickness of the book discourage you from reading it. You will be blessed by it for sure.

Maybe it's my tendency to want to take care of everyone and fix injustice that keeps me reading these books. I know that blacks do get freedom. It's a lot like living through the tribulations in life with hope because we know in the end victory is ours as Christians.

I'm also reading Because the Time is Near by John Macarthur (study on Revelations) and Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem (sunday school class).

I have 2 other books on my nightstand that I am resisting the urge to start because I really want to finish UTC...before Christmas!

The books "on deck" are The Story of My Life by Helen Keller and In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick.

* by highly selective I mean we don't just go in and let the kids pick whatever they want. You have to be careful what you let your children read. Also we don't get books that are all pictures with 5 simple words per page. Pictures are nice but we want to encourage a love of words in our children.

I have the kids sit at a little table while I go around and flip through random books. If the words are challenging and there are lots of them then it goes in the pile. If I happen to fall in love with the pictures while I'm browsing I'll get it too ;) I'm a softy for Willy and Hugh .

Who'd have thought that I'd ever get my grocery budget in check then have to worry about the "Education" budget. At least I can blame that one on Michael.

The rain dance worked!

2009-09-05T18:29:00.005-05:00

Last night the kids heard thunder in the distance (why is it always just north/east/west of us??). I told them how me, Chris and Luke used to do rain dances all the time when we were kids.

Haley was embarrassed but went behind a bush and did it. I finally got them to do it on video for me :)

Apparently, they're dance worked ...ok not really it was the prayers I said last night!

What's better than a good rainstorm and Eddie Rabbit?

Music + Slideshow = Good Times

	Eddie Rabbit - I Love A Rainy Night

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Wordless Wednesday: No bone meal here

2009-09-02T11:42:00.001-05:00

Haven's Playing Soccer!

2009-08-30T09:36:00.004-05:00

I was sick at the thought of Haven playing soccer. Why? Because I know how Haven is around other people and I feared how this would unfold.

Haven is typical boy in every way. But when you put him in front of someone he doesn't know really well he turns into a deaf-mute.

His first practice went okay. His second practice I was worried. The coach told him to tell the players his name...nothing. No recognition of even hearing the man speak words. Silence and of course huge big brown eyes staring up at the coach.

I called my mom and chuckled at the thought that they might think Haven has a slight disability.

His first game was Saturday and after many pep-talks from Daddy on what to do, he did very well. His is no Tatu..ok so only 5 people in the world will know who that is but that's ok. He'll do well enough for the 5 minute quarters and 9 games this season.

I must add that he is the cutest player out there!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T09:30:00.005-05:00

My Favorite Person

2009-08-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

I wonder who it is. I'll give you a clue:

We just celebrated our 11th anniversary. Hmmm...toughie, huh?

I honestly (and I mean the honestly that really means I'm telling the truth) could not imagine a man wiser, cuter, sweeter, more logical, more realist, more analytical than the hunk of a man I get to spend my life with.

If you know Michael (and well since this blog is read by 10 people, half of which are family) then you know that he gives 100% to everything!

Seriously. Try him. Want to know about Calvinism? He'll give you a dissertation. Interested in the history of Celts? Assyrians? Babylonians? Greeks? He'll fill your head with facts you'll actually remember after the test.

I love that he saw that our life could be so much better by selling his practice and creating an online business. Now I get the privilege of spending all day, every day with my soul mate...okay so perhaps I only see it as a privilege 92% of the time ;)

Even after all that my favorite thing about Michael is that he teaches us (me and the kids) the Bible 2 times a day. No matter what question we have he answers or finds the answer. What a blessing this is for our family. It is humbling to think of the character being built in our children.

Thank you, Sweetie, for loving this far-from-perfect woman.

False preacher anyone?? Part 2

2009-08-18T23:19:00.001-05:00

This is SO not the type of music we listen to but an exception is made for the GREAT message spoken! Enjoy ;)

False preacher anyone?? Part 1

2009-08-15T21:59:00.006-05:00

My heart breaks. I weep. I plead with God to protect the eyes, ears and souls of those who sit hypnotized by false preachers of today.

Quotes from Rob Bell in his book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith and an interview in Christianity Today.

[The Bible is a] "human product...rather than the product of divine fiat"

**read 2Timothy 3:16 for truth**

From his book Velvet Elvis Rob writes this about Hell:

"When people use the word Hell what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppression, loneliness, despair, death, slaughter- they are all hell on Earth. Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth. What's disturbing is when people talk more about hell after this life than they do about Hell here and now. As a Christian, I want to do what I can to resist hell on earth." p. 148

"Heaven is full of forgiven people. Hell is full of forgiven people. Heaven is full of people God loves, whom Jesus died for. Hell is full of forgiven people God loves, whom Jesus died for. The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version of reality we trust. Our's or God's." p. 146

"Now if there is a life in Heaven and we can choose it, then there's also another way. A way of living out of sync with how God created us to live. The word for this is hell: a way, a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be. We can bring heaven to earth; we can bring hell to earth. For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the life beyond this one because he understood that the life beyond this one is a continuation of the kinds of choices we make here and now. For Jesus the question wasn't how do I get into heaven? But how do I bring heaven here? The question wasn't how do I get in there? But, how do I get there, here?" p. 147

***no where is anything he wrote found in scripture. John 18:36 says "My kingdom is not of this world" There are many references to hell in scripture: Mat 23:33, Luke 12:5, 2Peter 2:4. The truth: have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the son of God and be cleansed of your sins. Die and go to heaven. Deny Jesus Christ- die- go to hell. ***

Rob Bell's about the virgin birth of Jesus:

"What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry's tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if, as you study the origin of the word "virgin" you discover that the word "virgin" in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word "virgin" could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being "born of a virgin" also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?" p. 26

***Luke 1: 34-35, Matthew 1: 24-25, Isaiah 7: 14***

All of this information and more was found in this YouTube video:

Junkie People

2009-08-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

Who'd of thunk it??

I've never considered myself a sloppy or junkie person. But, one look at my garage in preparation for our garage sale and I'm reconsidering.

How is it that a purger like me manages to still accumulate so much JUNK?! It must be that other big characteristic of mine: spender.

If I could just stop buying things life would be much more peaceful. What's really disgusting is our childrens' play room.

Seriously, just saying "play room" makes me feel over indulgent. What child needs an entire room for toys?? And this isn't some small closet of a room. No, our little cherubs have an entire wing of the house.

As you can imagine, we've realized we have more house than we "need". It's a good thing we're just renting, we'll be smarter when we buy.

Granted, when we moved in we had the house one way and it was used to capacity. Then recently when we rearranged 3 rooms we ended up with an unused room! People always think they need more (clothes, shoes, food, dishes, toys, cars, money, house...) than they really do.

Too bad more people don't transfer that "need for more" into the number of children they have!

Anywho (I never say that word but it sounded nice here), I'm praying this garage sale is a big success. If not for me, for the kids. They are going to man a lemonade stand and they are SO excited. They already have planned what they are going to say and where they will be set up.

Whatever doesn't sell is going directly to the Salvation Army. Remember I'm a purger, NOTHING makes it way back into my house :D

Kerrville: Culturally Diverse

2009-08-05T21:31:00.005-05:00

Did I mention we live in a beautiful place? Hmm...only 3 million times in the last 6 months lol.

Before we moved here we stumbled upon a mini-Stonehenge and Easter Island. Of course once we moved here we could never re-find them! A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a road we hadn't been on (we thought) and we discovered the amazing structures again!

It was so fun to go and read the story of how/why they were built and take pictures. No outing is ever without incident though. Five minutes after we parked and walked up, a road crew asked us to move our car so they could spray tar! We made sure to move it far away.

After we took pictures we drove forever to see the gorgeous views near Leakey. Unfortunately, we missed our turn and ended up in Vanderpool. We managed to park on the side of a highway and hike up to get a few good view pictures.

This drive was taken to show my sister Samantha just how awesome the Hill Country is. When she arrived on Monday the first thing she said was "I had no idea it was so beautiful here."

See, it's not just me lol.

Annoying things today

2009-07-31T14:56:00.002-05:00

1) Cash for Clunkers. Really now. WAKE UP PEOPLE! GAAAHHHH! I am not sure I need to elaborate anymore. Stupid, dumb, ignorant idea. How about forgiving some student loans instead??

2) Beer summit. Really now. GAAAHHHH! I'm a bit repetitive but WAKE UP PEOPLE! I didn't have much affection for Obama to begin with but after seeing him drink a Bud Light (thank you news, as if I really care what beer Obama prefers) I think my approval level sunk to a negative number.

3) Disobedience. Yes, shocking. What part of this statement does not make sense to you: "You are going to play outside for a looong time...loooong time. And you are not going to come inside a million times to get something you "forgot"." Pretty clear, right? After shooing the little angels outside they literally were back inside in LESS THAN A MINUTE! In the 30 minutes they've been out there they have come back 3 times. I've think the horns that grew out of my head scared them enough to stay outside.

They say when you write things should be in 3s so I'll stop there before I begin to sound like a whiney, madwoman.

To balance out those annoyances:

1) Michael and I were invited to the "Art Gallery" at Trinity Baptist Church. Haley and Haven participated in ArtDayz and today they showed off their creations.

.... hang on someone just came inside. Gotta go breathe fire.

2) God answered a huge prayer in a very amazing way!

3) I had fajitas for dinner last night, they were mouth-watering, and I got to eat it again for lunch.

Today's church

2009-07-29T21:31:00.004-05:00

Can it be said any better?? The video at the end is a 7 minute investment. Well worth it.

"Sanctification starts with the pastor. His responsibility is to feed and protect his flock. As a pastor, I'm not called to be a stand-up comedian, a self-help guru, or a sex therapist. My job is to teach the Bible, thoroughly and accurately. I'm responsible to encourage and catalyze the spiritual growth of God's people. Anything else is a distraction.

Too many pastors today neglect the priority of sanctification for their congregations. Instead of helping God's people feast on the riches of His Word, they throw their efforts into attracting nonbelievers. Shrouding their teaching in pop-culture references and comedy routines designed to appeal to unbelievers, they withhold the only true source of spiritual nourishment from the Christians there who are hungry. Often the people in the pews don't even realize what they're missing, content instead to be entertained into spiritual starvation.

It's my prayer that you're in a church that does stress the importance of holiness - where your sanctification is encouraged and stimulated, and where you're fed throughout the week on the riches of God's Word. If you are, let me urge you to thank your pastor and church leaders for being faithful to their calling and in the example they set for your congregation. Let them know you're thankful for their commitment to God's Word, and that you're praying for the Lord to bless and sustain them." - John MacArthur

Haley's letter to Daddy

2009-07-28T13:02:00.003-05:00

Daddy Bird
"I love you Dad so much. He is the one. How wonderful it is to have a Dad who does not give us shots. Thank you. I love my Dad so much. Said Baby Bird."

Haley is the most AMAZING child. I cry every time I look at her and think of what a blessing she is. The fact that God chose me to be her mother is beyond humbling.

And what prompted her to draw/write this? She watched a video on Mercola this morning with Michael. If you are interested here is the link: Vaccine Video

Sterling the caterpillar

2009-07-24T23:16:00.004-05:00

Here's my little caterpillar. He was right at 4months at the time. Today he started getting up on his arms. I love this boy!

Theology from a 5 year old

2009-07-18T09:33:00.001-05:00

The post that I had planned to do will have to wait. Tonight our little Haven revealed his theological side. *sigh* This boy is amazing.

He fights sitting still during family worship where we study a book verse by verse. Right now we're in Romans and understandably for a 5yr old it is a little hard to stay focused (heck it's hard for me sometimes!).

But, at a time when he should be sleeping--9:30pm!--he shrugs off the "bad boy" persona and we get to see the inner Haven.

Here is the dialog that occured as I was making cookies and he was on the futon (because he was banished from the sleeping room after numerous warnings and absolute refusal to stay in bed and attempt sleep):

"God..."

"What, Haven?" says me next door in the kitchen

"I'm talking to God."

I listen but can't hear. Michael walks in, I tell him what Haven said and he goes in to lay with him.

"If I go up to heaven by myself I'll be scared."

"Mommy and I will be waiting there waiting for you." Michael

"Why will you be there?"

Michael talks

"So you'll die first?"

Michael talks

"I wish I could die first because it's so long to live."

I cannot think of anything more pure than hearing a child on the cusp of understanding reveal their thoughts.

Later I go in to snuggle and to take part in the conversation with God.

"God do you have castles and houses?" "When we ask God he doesn't answer back right?"

"Listen and you may hear" me

"God, I'm on the futon because I did bad in there. Did you see me do bad in there? I don't want God to see me all the time. When I do bad I don't want him to see me. Why is God always there? I want to do good but sometimes I do bad."

"God wants us to do good things. When we do He is happy." me

We went on for a good amount of time. It's fun hearing what Haven asks. After I left and was in the kitchen he told me he loves God because he loves cookies and Jesus gave him cookies so he loves Jesus.

Then he said Jesus gave him flowers and he loves flowers so he loves Jesus. I asked him what he thought Jesus' favorite flower was. He said it was yellow with brown dots in the middle. And it smells good.

It is so exciting to think 10yrs in the future of the deep theological conversations Michael and I will be able to have with our children. We are cultivating a love for God and His word that will stay with them forever.

I pray for the day that Haven will ask the Lord to be his savior. I pray that all my children are part of God's chosen elect.

"Goodnight, God. Thank you for a blessed day."

For future reference

2009-07-16T22:04:00.001-05:00

I was blog hopping and came across a recipe that looks amazing so I'm recording it here for future reference...and of course to tempt you :)

Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat oven 350* for 20-40min
(the time varies on what pan you use)

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter
1-1/2 C Sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 C flour sifted (I didn't sift :)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 C milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas (ripe)

***I doubled the recipe and made it like a sheet cake using a cookie sheet, their was extra and it fit in a loaf pan***

grease and flour pan
cream butter, sugar, eggs
sift flour, then add baking powder and salt
to creamed mixture add milk and flour--alternate the two starting and ending with flour
add vanilla and bananas

Pour into pan of choice and bake until golden brown on top, and insert toothpick for ungooeyness :)

Frosting:
1/2 Stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1lb powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

beat together until smooth

(I didn't completely double the frosting when I doubled the cake, just an FYI)

Let me know if you try it, it is very good!!

What Sterling does for fun..

2009-07-15T14:48:00.003-05:00

Oh, to be a baby again. Sleep whenever you want- for as long as you want. Nurse whenever you desire. Be snuggled, smooched on and squeezed all day long. And let's not forget playing in your own poop.

Yep. That's what Sterling did this morning. After we woke up (at 8:30!!) I changed his diaper and put him in his exersaucer. While making breakfast, Haley asked me to move Sterling's chair into their playroom. I go and begin dragging it when Haley yells, "MOM! He pooped everywhere!"

Apparently, the chair is a bit of a laxative and poop literally went ALL over the base of the exersaucer. To add to the wonderful picture I've painted for you, imagine him wildly splashing his little toes in it...with a very happy, content smile on his face.

All I could say was "Oh, heavens. Oh, heavens" I, of course, thought it was funny, Michael not-so-much.

In other news, Haley loves to take Sterling off in the playroom and make him laugh while videoing the whole thing. It is so cute. Here is the one from this morning...after he played in poop and got a bath :)

I'll also include a picture of me after Haven and Haley did my hair while I was reading Huck Finn to them. Aren't I gorgeous?!

4th of July Slideshow of FUN!!

2009-07-10T13:05:00.004-05:00

We started 4th of July by going to the parade in Fredricksburg. My favorite part was the tank! So amazing.

We then grabbed some authentic food from...Subway lol. And off we went to tour an oooooold cemetary. Sounds weird, huh? We intended to attend the live recreation at the Pacific War museum. But because of the loud sounds they recommend no children under 3.

So we toured the cemetery filled with 1800s tombstones. It was a fascinating lesson for the children.

After that we headed over to Wild Seed Farms. GORGEOUS! There they have wildflowers, plants and herbs you can purchase. A butterfly garden that has the best caterpillar tanks. It was great!

They also have wine tasting, so of course I tasted many and bought some too.

We were thoroughly drinched in sweat after this point so we headed home...well not without a detour or two.

We stopped at Vogel farms for some fresh peaches, blackberries and tomatoes. Then, we took the long-cut but to the highway taking us home.

A quick rest and dinner and then off to fireworks. Not so glorious though as we sat in a parking lot but the kids got the picture and that's what mattered.

Oh and the first slide is a video and it's sideways but oh so cute. So just bend your neck ;) The slide show continues after the video with pics. MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR CURSOR TO TURN THE VOLUME ON! YOU'LL MISS SWEET SQUEELS!

Haley's Baptism

2009-07-03T15:35:00.003-05:00

On Sunday (June 28th) Haley was baptized! We are all so proud of her decision.

It was especially exciting that Grandpa, Grandma, Riley and Jake happened to be in town!

I cried as she stood up in the baptismal looking so mature yet scared as well.

Here are some pictures that the church took.

Spiritual Gifts

2009-07-01T20:42:00.004-05:00

I have no idea why God loves me so much.

Today I wrote a blog post on my cloth diaper blog ( www.allaboutclothdiapers.com ) announcing that I would be donating all proceeds to a friend's adoption journey.

I have received so many amazing comments from friends and blog subscribers. I cry every time I read one but I fear that the praise is misdirected.

I, like anyone else, appreciates kind words but really my act of giving has nothing to do with me. I am but a worker for my Lord and Savior. I don't always listen to him but he spoke very audibly to me about this blog post.

I knew without a doubt that God wanted me to help Dave and Jessica out financially and he provided an easy avenue for me to do that. My cloth diaper blog has grown enormously because of God's blessing.

God's word always says it best.

Romans 12:3-8
³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his^b]">[b]faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

I know that my biggest spiritual gift is contributing to the needs of others. I don't always act upon the calling like I know I should. But when I do the feeling is amazing.

If you would like to help my friend achieve her dream of becoming a mother head on over to my cloth diaper blog for more information.

www.allaboutclothdiapers.com

Happy Birthday, Haven!

2009-06-23T11:35:00.006-05:00

My prince is 5 today!!! Wow. I really can't believe that I have survived the last 5 years!

Haven has certainly kept me on my toes but boy do I love this kid. He melts me in a nanosecond.

I am so grateful that God chose me to be his mommy. I pray he will always be a mommy's boy :)

A Typical Day in the Beck House

2009-06-21T20:09:00.003-05:00

Over the past few weeks, life in the Beck house has changed dramatically. I am so humbled by God's ever present hand in my life.

For years we have known of the book Teaching the Trivium by Bluedorn. We knew of this book because we homeschool using the Classical Christian approach.

After seeing it go on sale I purchased it for Michael and once he cracked the book life as we knew it changed. It's not like we were living a bad life, God just had bigger plans for us.

Have you ever known that you believed in something or knew something but couldn't quite put it into words? Then when you read it in print the huge lightbulb flicks on and you have that moment of suspended motion. A moment when you say "finally! Someone else thinks like I do."

Well, Teaching the Trivium provided that moment for Michael. I love to see this fire in my husband. He can't stop devouring new information (if you know Michael you're probably thinking that he's always been this way. he has but now it's multiplied exponentially!).

If you are completely clueless on what classical christian homeschooling is or what the heck Teaching the Trivium is about, here is a synopsis:

The Trivium In a Capsule

The Trivium consists of the first three formal subjects of the seven liberal arts: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. This is the formal Trivium in the classical sense. This formal Trivium is an academic reflection of the more basic Biblical Trivium, the mental capacities of Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom. (See the list of references at the end of this article.) The classical style of education is built upon these three mental or intellectual capacities:

The first, for receiving and gathering up information - Knowledge.
The second, for arranging and connecting the information in a logical order - Understanding.
The third, for putting this gathered and ordered information into practical expression - Wisdom.

Children are continually developing in Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom. Though these three capacities are mutually dependent upon each other, and the capacities are developing in the child from before birth, nevertheless, children pass through several developmental stages, or levels of learning, where one capacity experiences rapid growth. We will describe these stages below. Keep in mind that our age divisions are not meant as nice neat little cubicles. They are only arbitrary approximations, and they may vary greatly from child to child.

...
In summary, the capacities for Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom are not neat little compartments with sealed doors between them. Rather, they all develop at the same time from the very beginning, yet they each pass through successive periods of intensive development, until they finally catch up with each other and work harmoniously together. These ages are only approximate, and your child may be on either side of the line.

To summarize it all in one sentence: we first instruct the child in Knowledge; then we guide the youth in Understanding; then we challenge the older youth in Wisdom.

*Exodus 31:3; 35:31; 36:1; Deuteronomy 1:13,15; First Kings 7:14; Job 15:8-9; Proverbs 2:6; 3:19,20; 5:1,2; 8:12; 18:15; 23:23; 24:3,4; Daniel 1:4,17; 5:14; Ephesians 1:8,9,17,18; Colossians 1:9,10; 2:2,3; and many other places.

Peruse that site for more information on the Trivium and Classical Education.

Now, as my title eluded to, here is our daily schedule. Michael feared I would push-back (as I often do with change) and that the kids would resist. However, like all things God designed "the cards fell into place". Life has been much easier, less chaotic and abundantly rich since implementing this schedule.

7:00 am Wake Up. Breakfast. Chores (I will add this chart in another post)
8:00 am Bible time/Family worship/Prayer
8:30-9:30 am General meeting

Recite memory work- Bible verses, alphabet (eng., latin, greek, hebrew)
Reading- children read (Bible history, Constitution, poetry, etc.)
Practice narration- Haley or Mommy reads, Haven and Haley narrate back

9:30-10:15 am Mommy reads. May ask questions to children about what was read. Can do art or crafts but must be quiet! (the littles may busy their hands but must listen)

10:15-11:30am

Phonics for Haven - English notebook
Copywork- minimum 15-20 minutes (Bible, history, poetry, quotes, speeches, latin, greek) - can combine w/ artwork and draw pictures of what is being copied - put in English notebook
History and Timeline

11:30-1:00pm

Prepare and eat lunch
chores
clean house

1:00-2:00pm Naps.

2:00-2:45pm Mommy reads aloud (same system as 9:30)

2:45-4:30pm nature walks, play outside, library, volunteer work, field trips, museums, fairs, workplaces, ....

4:30-5:00pm Mommy works out

5:00-6:30pm Dinner and chores. Bible reading and questions w/ daddy.
6:30-7:30pm Daddy reads. Latin or Greek work.

No More "C" Word In This House!

2009-06-20T09:20:00.003-05:00

Oh, come on. You know the word.

The word completely devoid of any descriptive meaning.

The word that erases all intelligence when used.

The word that conjures up images of Dazed and Confused.

The word that even geniuses like Michael flippantly use when a child shows you something uninteresting for the 50th time in 5 minutes.

"Cool"

Can you scrape the barrel any deeper for a more bland word?

So, while on vacation we stopped using this word.

Instead, we replaced it with fabulous, amazing, awesome, spectacular, divine, marvelous, glorious, nifty, pleasant, excellent, peachy, exquisite, beautiful...you get the point.

Join us in this venture to expand your vocabulary beyond the mundane.

Stay cool...in the way that is so necessary in almost 100 degree heat ;)

Have A New Kid By Friday

2009-06-11T15:29:00.002-05:00

When Michael and I began reading Dr. Leman's book we had no idea we'd have the kind of new kid we have today!

Today our oldest child, Haley, made a decision every parent prays for. She received the Lord as her personal savior.

Haley has known about Jesus since she began talking. She would tell us in the car that if you didn't have Jesus in your heart you would go to hell (at 2 she knew this!).

But, knowing and having Jesus be a part of every moment of your day is not the same as actually voicing a prayer to turn from your sin and invite Jesus into your heart.

This week was VBS at our church. As you know, there is an invitation to accept Christ and go up to the pastor. Haley watched as 98% of the kids in her class went up there. She chose to sit and discuss the decision with her parents first.

I don't know that it was all her choosing. The Lord, I believe, placed a hesitation on her heart. I am eternally grateful that she came to us first. Praying with my precious first born was something I will never forget.

It is amazing how lightened I feel by her decision. There is a weight we don't perceive that we carry around. I think it is that fear of our children not becoming believers.

Of course, Dr. Leman's book is merely a coincedence. It's just funny that we really do have a new kid by Friday, a reborn one!

Perfection

2009-06-07T20:14:00.005-05:00

I can't believe Sterling will be 3 months on Tuesday. I can't even think of a single negative thing to say about this precious boy.

He is happy, hardly cries, loves everyone in this family like they hung the moon, nurses great, sleeps a ton... We are truly blessed.

Creative Meals

2009-06-05T11:03:00.004-05:00

I'm not super creative when it comes to meals but I am a really good cook.

Give me a recipe and I'll make you a meal you'll never forget. But, sometimes when the pantry is empty (which happens way too often and way too soon after grocery shopping) I have to stretch out of my box.

Okay, I don't stretch that far lol.

Here is what we had yesterday when I opened the pantry and waited for something to jump out and make itself..

Isn't that pathetic?? Pinto beans (flavored with chili powder and cumin) w/ mozzarella, mandarin oranges, and tomato. Atleast the kids loved it :)

I need some creative ideas not just when there are no groceries but for lunch in general. Lunch is so hard to be creative with.

Give me some ideas!

Want to meet my chilldren?

2009-06-02T16:51:00.004-05:00

I have 4 children: 2 boys, 2 girls. Sometimes the middle 2 get a little confused about their gender. Poor Haven just wants soft clothes so he could care less if it's girl, boy or dog clothing.

Paisley only wants to wear Haven's clothes. Sometimes when I look at her I have to do a double-take. I think I'm looking at Haven when he was 2.

So here they are...at their best ;)

Paisley in boys boxer shorts, no shirt (the usual) and a silly look on her face.

Haven looking ravishing in the Cinderella costume and head scarf.

And a cute picture of Haley and Sterling.

Wild Olive Tees

2009-05-29T14:17:00.003-05:00

I recently discovered Wild Olive Tees from Mckmama's blog (My Charming Kids). I am a t-shirt and jeans kinda girl so any chance I get to buy a nice t-shirt I'm all over it!

I purchased one of the charity tees co-designed by Mckmama and can't wait to get more!

Check out their blog for information on how to win $75 worth of free stuff from their store!

Dentists really suck

2009-05-28T08:41:00.004-05:00

Of course it's not their fault that they suck. I mean they wouldn't be any different than going to the eye doctor or chiropractor if I had take proper care of my teeth.

Because of my neglect in keeping up w/ 6mo cleanings (heck 1yr cleanings would have been nice) and my over indulgence in sweets I racked up quite the treatment plan.

Yesterday I began the journey to healthy teeth by having the entire right side of my mouth fixed. 2 mercury amalgams removed and a few cavities filled. Lovely.

We chose to go to a holistic dentist because everything else in our life is done in a more natural way. The precautions they take when removing mercury is top-notch. Not to mention the chelation supplements I was taking.

So why do dentists suck?

Because today I have horrendous headache, I can't open my mouth all the way and I am so freaking exhausted.

The headache I'm sure is from the anaesthesia. My inability to open my mouth is from those dang needles. My muscles are too sore to move.

Oh and I'm starving (main contributor to the exhaustion problem). I nibbled on some beef and rice last night. This morning a few bites of scrambled eggs.

Funny that the thing that causes you the most lingering pain is the very thing that keeps you from feeling pain when they're drilling a hole in your head...okay tooth.

The upside is I'm not yelling at my kids. But I'm sure I'm doing more harm with my depressing demeanor.

I do appreciate my positivity though as I repeat over and over "it will get better."

Huge praises are in order though for our most awesome Father! Yesterday I prayed many specific prayers and ALL were answered right away!!

I asked the Lord to carry my burdens and take away my anxiety right before the procedure. Done. As they put the shots in I was very relaxed.

I asked the Lord to protect Sterling as he had to drink pumped breastmilk for an extended period of time. I was so worried about him but he did great! It was a glorious moment when he finally woke up in the middle of the night and I nursed him.

God was so good that Sterling had the best night of his 11 1/2 wk life!

Without the hope and love our Heavenly Father provides I don't know how I'd make it through this crazy life.

My Life is Blessed

2009-05-22T10:14:00.004-05:00

I feel like I should bust out in the most beautiful voice a hymn praising God for the beauty in my life. But doing so would most certainly bring to a halt all things glorious due to my dog-howl of a voice.

I mean, God would hear only the very hidden, inaudible to humans, angelic harmony in my voice so perhaps I will.

*clearing my throat* Maybe a hymn isn't the best. Perhaps a little Blessed Be Your Name and why listen to me when you can listen to Newsboys and Rebecca St. James!

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord - Newsboys

I love it!!

So how exactly is my life blessed?

I live in a gorgeous town with trees, hills, deer, rivers, and not too many people.

I have a husband who took our family from repossession, near foreclosure, no groceries, a failing business to a life of so much freedom and fun. He never stops creating and learning. He dives head first into new businesses that 99% of the population would never touch b/c "it's too hard".

No one understands what he does. I can't say "he's a chiropractor" (well he still is but not a practicing one). And if I say "oh he's an internet marketer, chiropractic coach, google adwords genius, PPC master" then the listener's eyes would glaze over and they'd quickly change the subject.

My children. Oh my precious little 1/2 monsters. Life is challenging with them but life is so much better because of them. I homeschool **whoa. stop the bus! you do what??**

Yes, I am one of "those" moms. One who has decided that it is up to us to educate our children properly and bring them up in the Lord as the Lord desires.

It doesn't take a genius to see that homeschooling is the better choice ... don't stop reading yet please... Most people I talk to agree with that statement but they quickly admit that it isn't for their family because "they could never homeschool".

Most moms, including myself 3 years ago, are not ready to give up that image of dropping the kids off at school, getting things done in peace and quiet, and baking cookies for the kids to savor as they arrive home.

Most moms, including myself 3 years ago, cannot fathom being solely responsible for the future intelligence of their children.

Yet, after a couple of years I realized that I actually enjoy the company of my children and homeschooling isn't really that hard. Oh and there is so much less guilt when baking cookies when it's done for educational purposes.

It's a no-brainer for our family. With weekly reports of school shootings, sexual assaults on buses, kidnappings at bus stops... the choice is easy. I pray frequently for the physical, emotioal, and mental safety of my precious family members who attend public school.

I pray for my family and my ability to maintain my sanity through it all. I couldn't do it without the Lord.

There are so many ways God has blessed me. On days where I'm feeling selfish or rotten I am quickly reminded of how much good surrounds me. It's a smile from my 10wk old, it's a "i luz you" from my 2yr old, it's a bobble-head imitation by my 4yr old, it's a "what can I do for you mom?" from my 7yr old.

All are glimpses of God :)

Not frustrated...as much

2009-05-20T22:59:00.004-05:00

Still can't figure out the picture enigma but I have a friend who might be able to help.

I have spent the last hour (or more) playing with code and have settled upon a few changes.

Michael still wants to know why I am spending this much time on this blog when it makes me no money. Umm, because it's fun. I don't have as much fun working on my cloth diaper blog because it's more of a job. Plus, if I ever screwed something up on it I'd be in big trouble.

That's all I'm writing on blog design promise.

I went to bed frustrated

2009-05-20T08:29:00.003-05:00

I am never content with this blog. I like to change the background, the colors, the picture. It always bugged me that there was never a 3-column template.

So last night I googled 3-column blogger templates, found one I liked, and changed my html.

All was fine until I realized that I could no longer get my picture to show up in the header. Even when I reverted back to my original blogger 2-column the picture wouldn't show up.

Over and over I tried and retried to fix the dang thing. BAH!! So annoying.

Alas, I now have a blog with no cute kids greeting you as you arrive. I'm sure there are a million and one people who could fix it. But with my constant changing I'd probably just mess it up the next time I felt like something new.

The whole messed up blog thing even distracted me from watching my favorite show! I only caught bits and pieces of The Mentalist...enough to have me dreaming about Red John.

It was quite hilarious really. I grabbed Red John, pulled him in the car (that I was riding in with Jane), and told Jane to hurry up and do whatever he wanted to do with him. Jane was taking too long to pull the car over so I start punching Red John..???

It was that frustration. I was taking it out on a fictional murderer. Add to the frustration the caffeine I had at 7pm and you have a crazy mind.

So hope you like the blog design and if you don't check back next week.

Who is your all-time favorite singer??

2009-05-14T10:39:00.004-05:00

First, I'll give a shout out to my very close second favorite singer- Johnny Cash. His voice immediately changes my body chemistry. I slip into a more relaxed attitude. I especially love anything he sings with his wife June. And I even love the movie Walk the Line :D

Okay so the big winner, the singer that should top everyone's list, the only man besides my husband that I openly say is "hot", drumroll please...

BON JOVI

Yes, since 198? I have been a die-hard Bon Jovi fan. And he just keeps kickin out the songs! Michael likes to send me YouTube videos (most of which I never watch b/c I hate watching things on line) and today's video was Bon Jovi's Make A Memory.

I mean who can honestly say when they hear Bon Jovi they don't transport into some other state. If I'm about ready to strangle a little person or 4-legged creature and "It's My Life" comes on I suddenly become the cool mom.

For my benefit I'm going to post a couple of Bon Jovi videos..

Beer and Breastfeeding

2009-04-28T11:57:00.005-05:00

I love beer. Funny. I just said I "love" beer. Maybe love is too strong a word. Probably not though. It's not just the beverage I enjoy but all that goes along with it.

Relaxing on a hot day. Kickin' back with my best friend in the whole universe, my husband. Grilling out back in our gorgeous back yard while the kids bug play around us. Ending the day with a movie and beer next to the most handsome man in the world, my husband.

It's so much more than just a drink to quench my thirst. And I really don't care to have that discussion non-beer drinkers try to have with me... "won't a glass of tea work just as well?"

Sure but I also like the taste of a good dark beer or even a Miller Chill.

So what does beer have to do with breastfeeding. Beer is a galactagogue. That means it enhances the milk production. I've had a nice curvy figure over the last week. Compound that with Sterling's longer stretches of sleep at night and my boobies are full.

I'm sure my readership of 5 has now dropped to 2 after this post and yesterday's lol. But that's OK! I don't journal so here it is ;)

Stay tuned for more tantalizing posts...

Amazing bed commercial from Spain!

2009-04-27T09:47:00.006-05:00

This commercial made me smile. Maybe someday the U.S. will have commercials more like this and less drug commercials! On a side note, does anyone else freak out when you're watching something with your kids (a kid program) and a "male-enhancement" drug commercial comes on?? Seriously!

This commercial contains birth footage and therefore obviously some nudity. ;)

Now to the beautiful bed commercial..

What do Twitter, Rat snakes, Easter Bunny, and the year 1533 have in common??

2009-04-23T10:02:00.006-05:00

Oh it's so obvious. Got it figured out yet?? Alright, alright. I'll give you a hint..

my life is never boring.

I apologize for not keeping you updated on the excitement of the Beck family lives. So since it's been a while this post will be full of updates and general life happenings!

What do Twitter, rat snakes, Easter bunny and the 16th century have in common?

They can all be found in this post lol

Easter weekend we went home to my mom's in Highland Village. I have the bestest (a word fitting for my mom) mom in the world! She gave up her bed and room for our large family. She even erected a tent for the kids to sleep in! Poor Jim I left him out of the accolades! He's the best too considering he had to give up his bed as well.

I was extremely excited for this weekend. Every year since 2001 (I think we missed 2) we have been attending the Scarborough Renaissance Festival (based on the year 1533) in Waxahachie. This is something we look forward to ALL year. It is an amazing experience and since we love all things cultural and historical this is the place to be!

On Easter Sunday I was enormously blessed to attend my oldest brother's church. I cried as he spoke and prayed as the memories of his journey flooded my mind. I clearly remember him living with us, being a bum (sorry Chris! we all have our bum moments) and us gently encouraging him to get a job and visit our church.

That was just ~8years ago and now he is the head pastor of Fellowship Church Ft. Worth. The Lord never lets us stay in bum-ville for long. When He has plans for us he will bring them to fruition in His time.

"I am SO proud of you, Chris!!"

Oh and that Easter Bunny I mentioned, he resides at FC Ft. Worth. The kids, especially Haven and cousin Park, loved harrassing the Bunny. We don't "do" the Easter Bunny b/c I'm just too darn lazy so I'm glad FC invited him down. :D

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When we moved to Kerrville into this beautiful house with a heavily landscaped, rocky, multi-layered deck backyard I thought briefly about snakes. Would they venture into our neighborhood like the hordes of deer?

After almost 3 months of living here I got my answer...Yes! Thankfully, our fearless cat and loud, yapping dog alerted us to the intruder. Actually we shrugged off the incessant barking and it wasn't until Haven came running in saying he was scared of the snake that I checked it out.

I carefully walked toward the "rattling" noise and ... "if it was a snake it would have bit me..." I seriously about walked on top of it before I saw the camoflauged coil that was most definately rattling. I screamed for Michael thinking it was going to kill Rachel (the cat).

He got the shovel, attempted to chop it's head off (PETA go away) and then came in to identify the harmless snake as a rat snake. Oops guess we could have left the head in tact. Now we'll have rat over-population lol. So that was fun. Rachel enjoyed her new toy for the rest of the day.

And Twitter...

"Hi, my name is Autumn, and I'm addicted to Twitter."

Maybe not addicted but I like it alot. From a business perspective it is great. Not sure I see much point if you don't have a website you want to draw traffic to. I mean where else can you "talk" with owners of boutiques, celebrities and big-time bloggers?

If you want to follow me click on the birdie at the top right. My username is clothdiapertips.

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And for a kid update:

Haley gets more beautiful every day. It hurts to look at her beauty! I love her heart so much. She always wants to help others. In school we are working through Adventures in My Father's World. I'm She's learning SO much.

Haven has developed the cutest, funniest personality. I know I shouldn't laugh but man he cracks me up when he picks/pesters/annoys Paisley. He isn't doing any school work formally but we are starting to see some interest in learning...as long as you don't ask him any questions.

Paisley is in the terrible two's for sure. Goodbye sweet lovable cherub, hello loud, sassy monster! But she is still cute and obeys better than the others. She's just learned to stand up to Haven! Paisley is potty trained now. Crazy how it seems she did it overnight. Just now I walked by the bathroom to see my precious girl sitting on the potty. She doesn't tell us or ask she just takes care of business. Love her independence and perserverance to accomplish anything her siblings can do!

Sterling is my little prince. I am in love. He's started sleeping longer at night. Today he's fussy b/c of a cold his big sis Haley gave him. Poor thing has no chance if Haley carries something. She is always holding and loving on him. He reached for a toy on his chair yesterday. He's so advanced lol.

Sterling video

2009-04-07T11:23:00.002-05:00

Here is a video of Sterling. He is so darn cute!! He was 4wks old yesterday! Can you believe it's been 4 weeks already? Time surely is flying by :(

Praying for Stellan

2009-03-30T12:44:00.003-05:00

It's crazy how small this world is. Last year MckMama and I exchanged comments b/w our blogs. She had readers but then trouble was discovered w/ baby Stellan. That's when her blog exploded and now everyone I know reads her blog! How amazing is it that millions are praying for her son?!! Talk about humbling. No wonder she has more peace than 99.9% would have during this crazy time.

I am adding this to Stellan's name gallery, it is a mosaic of the verses James1:2-4 and James 1:12.

Pictures from Haley's Birthday Party

2009-03-27T23:25:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics (not that great) from Haley's party last Saturday. We had her party at an indoor jump place. They absolutely LOVED it.

It was actually kind of funny when we got into the room for cake and presents. Paisley busted big time and passed out (went to sleep not fainted lol) in Michael's arms. Then, Sterling demanded in a cute 2 wk old way that he needed to nurse. So that left me and Michael unable to help!

Thankfully, my dear friend Andrea was there to step in and help. She is an angel!

The cake was amazing...hehe I made it so of course it was ;) Even Brooke (Andrea's daughter) said it was the "best cake she'd ever had"! Woohoo!

My Favorite Kind of Day!!!

2009-03-26T11:54:00.003-05:00

It's dark and rainy and there's THUNDER!! I love it. When we moved to Kerrville I thought I was going to have to be content with my thunderstorm cd's. But apparently the rain came with us.

It rained last week and is raining again...According to longtime residents it hasn't rained in quite some time.

But, this doesn't bode well for Haley's first soccer practice tonight. Poor girl always has something come up before she starts a new season.

Last year was her first year and she had horrible coaches. She got sick before the first game and played despite never having practiced or played before. She looked terrible but still managed to do better than most of the other kids.

I pray Kerrville has a much better system than Denton did. I know regardless, she'll enjoy it. Only us parents notice things like the complete irresponsibility of the adults and lack of organization in an organization.

So, today we will brave the elements and go shopping for soccer cleats and shin guards. Add that to about 3 other errands and you have a dream day for mommy....yes I love driving around with the family in the rain :)

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Sterling update: Still cute, still skinny skinny, still loved by his siblings in an ooey-gooey way. I hate changing diapers at night so I am searching for an even more absorbent cloth diaper for night. He does fine in the ones I have but I owe it to my readers to try as many out as possible...lol now that was a stretch of an excuse for spending money!

It seems I am having every problem possible after Sterling's birth. Bladder infection, breast feeding problems (you'd think with almost 6 years of breastfeeding experience I'd be immune to problems!), engorgement. But all are manageable and nothing that won't go away. I am grateful to have Jesus in my life to give me that hope!

Tantrum Tuesday

2009-03-24T20:11:00.003-05:00

You'd think it was my 2 year old or maybe even my 4 year old that inspired the title...but no it was me. Yes at 32 I can apparently still throw one heck of a temper tantrum.

Thankfully, it was short lived but come on how embarrassing is it to have to apologize to your 7 year old for being a jerk?!

And what monumental event led to this tantrum? A dirty house. I can't seem to get back into the swing of things like I was before Sterling's birth. No my house isn't filthy and it isn't cluttered. But, when you have Enchanted Rock of Laundry sitting on your living room chair along with 8 billion toys around the house one is bound to blow a gasket.

What is quite amusing is that God never left my side through all this. Where I might hide if my child threw a tantrum in front of people, God remains faithful. He is so good that the precious lady that brought dinner for us tonight had some humbling words for me.

She said what I've heard dozens of times before--"before you know it your kids will be grown and gone. Don't waste precious time fretting about housework when you could be enjoying your children."

Talk about wanting to crawl under a rock! I did change my attitude after that though. Thank you, God :D

The night ended with a family fishing trip. Michael caught 2 fish while me and the kids enjoyed the squirrels, ducks, bull frogs and the gorgeous weather.

Come see my new car!

2009-03-19T11:05:00.002-05:00

I love it!!! The van was falling apart and we knew the time was coming to replace it. We found the perfect replacement.

It's a 2007 Suburban. Leather, dvd, 4x4, flex-fuel...did I mention we LOVE IT!!!!!

Day One as a Mom of 4!

2009-03-16T16:36:00.002-05:00

Sterling is one week old today!! Today is also the first day of being a family of 6 with no visitors.

I've enjoyed the company but I was ready to start "real life."

Of course, wouldn't you know that Day 1 would start off so ... funny.

Today was the day we were to start Adventure's In My Father's World (MFW). As I sat in the chair nursing Sterling and preparing for today's lesson I hear, "POOP AND PEE WIPE!!"

So, I walk with my attached nursling and assess the situation. I attempt to do both but no. Thankfully, Haley is right there and eagerly helps by holding Sterling. (she later says she had been waiting forever to hold a baby while standing up)

Right after that task is complete Paisley informs me that she has pooped. GRRRR!

Maybe we'll do a lesson by lunch.

Bottoms are wiped, diapers are changed and Sterling is crying again. I gather all the materials I need and sit down at the table with Haley (and baby). All goes very well and it feels so good to have completed day one of MFW.

Getting something accomplished when you've been practically bedridden for a week is liberating! Unfortunately, I take that liberation to a full extreme.

I proceeded to clean the kitchen, do laundry and pick up toys all to end up feeling like my uterus is going to fall out.

Fortunately, my husband works from home so taking a nap is an option and it felt so good!

All-in-all, Day One has subsided my fears of not being able to do the mother of 4 thing. Michael tells me that I say this after every kid. That is reassuring considering before Sterling I was saying being a mother of 3 was easy!

I wonder what adventures tomorrow holds...

Not the birth I planned for, but the baby I prayed for

2009-03-10T21:43:00.002-05:00

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Today I have learned that my Almighty Father has a great plan for my life. It is not the plan I thought he had but one that is far better.

At 8:41am (Monday March 9th), I gave birth to my 4th child- a son we joyfully named Sterling Marshall. Sterling was 8lbs 9oz, 22” long, with a large 15” head. His hands are huge and his feet are long and gangly!

Sterling was not an easy birth. As a matter of fact my pregnancy with him was filled with difficulties as well.

Here are the generalities of Sterling’s birth. There are specific terms about his position I can’t remember but you’ll get the picture.

Labor “officially” began in my mind at 10:50pm on Sunday March 8th. I was watching 27 Dresses while sitting on the birth ball. As I stood up I had one of those “this is it” contractions.

I called the midwives and because they are so awesome they were already on their way! We all thought that baby would come fast after the water broke so they told me to keep my water intact lol. My body had done an awesome job of effacing and dilating which is why we all thought things would go fast.

When the midwives arrived they checked my cervix and Stacy commented that I was a 12…Michael said, “I thought it only goes to 10cm?” Hehe, that’s how stretchy I was.
I began pushing at about 1:30am.

My precious Sterling has already proven to us that he is an independent, determined-to-do-things-my-way child.

To back track, on March 4th I had a cervical check and Stacy found him to have his hands above his head. She moved them and I did things (butt in the air, Pulsatilla, etc) to get baby in a good birthing position. Fortunately, he moved his hands but during labor we found that he went into a series of bad positions from brow, to foot by head, to ear first, to military presentation. That’s what I remember hearing them discuss through the horrible pain I was in. Basically, he was refusing to settle into a good position.

After pushing for 3 hours with no progress I knew something was wrong. The pain was severe and baby would not go under my pubic bone. I pushed for another 1 ½ hours and knew I needed to get to the hospital.

The midwives were great and explained everything. Joy called ahead to the hospital and literally they greeted us with open arms (well everyone except the ER nurse who was an idiot…”oh, she’s pregnant?” No, duh! Lady.)

Driving to the hospital was unbearable. At this point contractions were coming right on top of each other with no relief anywhere. I prayed I would pass out, I prayed for mercy. I honestly felt that God had left me alone. However, in hindsight, like the poem Footprints I know He was carrying me at this time.
When we arrived at the hospital about 5:45 they started me on Phentanyl.

“Supposedly” it was going to take the edge off but because my body metabolizes toxins superfast I got NO relief. I was ticked and was thinking “what the heck?? I’m in a freaking hospital someone make this pain go away!!

Finally, they called the nurse anesthetist and told me he was on his way in. Good Lord, that was at about 6:30 and he did not arrive until almost 7:30! The contractions were still coming fast and furious and I was at the end of my sanity. I was literally writhing on the bed in pain just trying to get through the contractions. At this point I had been pushing for 6 hours.

When Rob the epidural nurse arrived I wanted to cry. I still endured 3 more contractions from his prep to the time it took effect but knowing it would soon end got me through.

The entire staff was amazing. My nurse Jodie is an angel sent by God. The OB on duty, Dr. Wampler, was a steady, calm, sweet woman who supported ALL of our decisions. After pushing for another 45+ minutes with no progress passed the pubic bone we opted to use the “suction cup”. I call it that instead of the vacuum extraction because nothing like what I imagined. Once that was in place I pushed him out in one contraction. His birth presentation was a military or face presentation.

I cried tears of joy at the finality of it and the announcement by Michael that we had a boy. We knew all along.

Since moving to Kerrville, we have been blessed in every single action we have taken. This hospital was amazing! The babies never leave mom’s room and each and everything we wanted was honored. Most were assumed since they all knew we had had 3 previously successful homebirths.

Dr. Wampler knew we wanted to be at home so released us right away. Of course the whole peeing after you give birth thing is always hard for me and you can’t leave until you do that. I finally peed at 12 and we were off!

Although Sterling arrived at the hospital I am not at all disappointed. The pain was unbearable and everyone involved agreed that getting him passed my pubic bones was not going to happen. This is what hospitals are for! No it wasn’t an emergency in the sense that baby or I were in danger but it was a necessity.

I was baffled at why he wasn’t coming out with the strength of my pushes. I mean I had done this 3 other times. Just goes to show you, every birth is different!

The 7 hours and 15 minutes of pushing took a big toll on my body. I am extremely swollen and sore. My neck and arms are sorer than when I used to lift weights for college track workouts! Prayers for a quick healing are appreciated!

At the end of all this I want to share with you one of my most favorite Bible passages:

James 1: 2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Whale Watching

2009-03-06T14:53:00.003-06:00

I LOVE whales. They are one of the most beautiful creatures God created.

But...

I don't like looking like one :D

Hopefully, this is the LAST pregnancy picture of me this time around!!! 40wks 3days

Don't Bet On Natural Labor Inducers

2009-03-02T11:52:00.004-06:00

I know, I know, a baby will come when they're ready. Not when I'm ready. But, I still attempt to get the baby coming at about 39 weeks every pregnancy.

However, despite the methods used, baby is still sitting pretty in the warm, dark recesses of my uterus. All efforts haven't been wasted though, my cervix is dilating. I just haven't had one of those "this is it" contractions.

So for your future reference here are a list of natural labor inducers that have not put me in labor:

1) Eating an entire fresh pineapple

2) Eating eggplant parmesan

3) Castor oil on the belly with a warm towel

4) Sex

5) Accupressure points: web of hand, 4 fingers widths above inner ankle bone, outside ankle between ankle bone and achilles. Rub hard.

6) Bazillions of mg of EPO :D

7) Jump roping

8) Running up hills with your kids

I've been at about 3-4cm for a week and effacement is 80+%

The "official" due date is March 3rd. My past births were: Haley 6 days over, Haven 1 day early, Paisley 9 days over.

Waiting for baby

2009-02-21T19:27:00.002-06:00

Last night was a night full of major cramping. I thought for sure the baby would be coming in the next couple of days. But besides the extreme tiredness I am feeling today I am back to normal. I am sure that everything that happened last night was working to dilate me more. Which is good. I have 10 days left until my due date and I really really really want to be holding my baby before then!

When words aren't adequate...

2009-02-10T21:44:00.002-06:00

We've all had those moments when words just don't do your emotions justice. I can't even begin to describe the feeling me and my family have living in Kerrville.

We feel blessed every time we look outside. We are surrounded by extreme beauty. I never imagined I could look out my window in the morning and see a family of deer trotting through our yard and down the street. Who wouldn't drop their jaw at the panoramic beautiful views of massive hills and trees that we have?

To say we feel like we are living in a dream is most definitely an understatement.

I wish I had a picture of the 30 deer Michael, Haley and Haven saw on their walk the other morning. But all I have is the image of my precious little boy jumping up and down as he described the scene. Still a good picture ;)

Here are 2 pics of our favorite place in the house, the backyard. I love it that my kids now play all day outside. It doesn't hurt that the weather is amazing here.

Soapbox Thursday

2009-02-05T00:01:00.001-06:00

Soapbox Thursday is here again! I created this blog carnival as an outlet for those little annoyances that get under your skin and infuriate you. Sometimes they only last for a few minutes but thinking about it drives you crazy. Join me as we let go of those things so we can be better mommies and wives!

Crazy as it sounds I actually am having a hard time writing something today! Not because I don't have a million things that drive me crazy but because we have just moved and life IS SO GOOD!

But because I would be doing my own blog carnival if I didn't get on a soapbox here goes..

Why does everyone feel the need to ask a school-aged child how school was today or where do they go to school? Our society has become so focused on the public school system that everyone assumes you fit into that mold. Summers, vacations, church programs all are scheduled around the public school calendar.

It always made me sad that the MOMS group I was a part of would end right when school was out. My schedule wasn't changing so why did I have to stop going to a program that had blessed my life so much?

I know these strangers who stop to ask Haley about school only mean well. But it is frustrating for me. Why? Because Haley doesn't speak up and answer their questions so my uncomfortableness forces me to answer for her and I end up saying something stupid like "she's homeschooled". We duh they didn't ask if she was homeschooled. All I did was make them feel awkward and I give homeschooling a negative slant.

So in reality it isn't the questions asked my strangers that is my annoyance but my answers! Ha! I'm my own soapbox today :D

But it is still annoying that everything is so structured around school calendars. You can't even check your child into church without giving them a grade level. Then that just messes things up more when you say your 6 year old is in 2nd grade. Oh well.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Include, somewhere in your post, a sentence about Soapbox Thursday and link to my blog. If you aren't sure how, you can simply copy and paste the following HTML code (everything that is in the white box below) into your post and the links will magically appear:

2. Grab the Soapbox Thursday button by copying the code for the button from my left sidebar and pasting it into your post. This step is optional, because it wouldn't really mess anything up about the process if you didn't do it. But do it just for fun, if you find you need a little more fun in your life. And don't we all?

3. Finish off your post by writing your own Soapbox rants!

4. Use the Mr. Linky form below to enter your name or your blog's name and a link directly to your Soapbox post. Please keep the name used to describe your blog short. You do not need to type in the entire URL of your blog in the name section. Please use spaces between words and characters. This helps insure that Mr. Linky will function properly.

Soapbox Thursday

2009-01-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the debut of Soapbox Thursday! I created this blog carnival as an outlet for all those little annoyances we encounter...then we can move on and leave it behind. What's bugging you this week?

Soapbox: Customer service has got to be at it's lowest point in history! These days employees (and I apologize to the responsible teenagers out there) especially the young employees are more concerned with themselves than the customers they are hired to help. It really is quite ridiculous.

I love it when I walk into a very small business and you get personal attention and a feeling that they actually care that you buy something. Walk into a chain store with a 17 year old working the check out and you're lucky to get a smile. Forget asking one of them where something is! They'd rather you not find it anyways and save them the time it would take to check you out.

Even small businesses suffer with this. When my husband owned his practice we had employees that would text up at the desk ALL. DAY. LONG. Finding good employees is hard! Having been on the ownership side I personally take the time to inform the manager of my bad experience.

Unfortunately, for the owner many of the managers don't care either!

Climbing down now and ready for an irritation-free day ;)

Here is what you need to do:

1. Include, somewhere in your post, a sentence about Soapbox Thursday and link to my blog. If you aren't sure how, you can simply copy and paste the following HTML code (everything that is in the white box below) into your post and the links will magically appear:

2. Grab the Soapbox Thursday button by copying the code for the button from my left sidebar and pasting it into your post. This step is optional, because it wouldn't really mess anything up about the process if you didn't do it. But do it just for fun, if you find you need a little more fun in your life. And don't we all?

3. Finish off your post by writing your own Soapbox rants!

4. Use the Mr. Linky form below to enter your name or your blog's name and a link directly to your Soapbox post. Please keep the name used to describe your blog short. You do not need to type in the entire URL of your blog in the name section. Please use spaces between words and characters. This helps insure that Mr. Linky will function properly.

Radian 65 Car Seats

2009-01-27T09:59:00.005-06:00

Where does the safety of your child end? Almost all parents would agree that a child shouldn't play with knives, put small objects in their mouths, noses or ears, or run across the street without looking both ways.

But what about car seats? Again, most parents would agree that a child should be in one. That is where any agreement ends, however. Despite stricter guidelines spoken by the almighty AAP to rear face past 1 year of age, the majority of parents gleefully await the momentous first birthday to turn their precious baby front-facing.

Was the child deprived in some way by rear-facing? Of course not, yet parents feel this insatiable desire to give their kids all that they have (as evidenced by 12 year olds having cell phones). The feeling is that if the parent is facing the front the child wants to also.

That child could care less to look out the front window. The child could care less that his legs are bent. The child could care less that you want him to be a "big boy".

What he does care about is whether or not he will be killed or paralyzed if you are in an accident. So what if his legs suffer injury from rear facing... he's alive!

Besides the fact that a child is best left rear-facing passed 30lbs there is the issue of when to grow your child up even faster and put them in a booster or shoulder harnessed carseat.

Even more disturbing to me than seeing an infant turned front-facing is seeing a spritely child barely 45 lbs in a simple booster seat. What the heck?? How in the world does one think that a shoulder strap is going to hold their kid in during a high-impact crash?

Oh wait, what are the chances you're going to be in a crash anyways?? I don't look at statistics like that when it comes to the safety of my children. I may trust my own driving but I sure as heck don't trust the crazy drivers on the road.

Plus, I've seen my 45lbs six year old in a shoulder-strapped car seat. She leans forward, takes her arm out of the strap, basically moves around freely. If she can do that I know it's not the safest option.

That's why I ordered 3 Radian 65 carseats. The Radian 65 allows for your child to be harnessed in a 5-point harness up to 65lbs. There is also a Radian 80 but most kids outgrow that one by height before weight.

The Radian 65 is also narrow enough to fit 3 across in a seat. Very good for me since baby #4 is soon to arrive and things will be tight in the mini-van. The new baby will use the Evenflo Triumph we have for a few months then I'll purchase a Radian 65 for him or her.

Just one more note about commonly misunderstood car seat facts. They DO expire. And NO it isn't just a way for car seat manufacturers to make more money. It doesn't take much to understand this fact. Take a plastic toy and put it outside in the sun for days, weeks or years. The plastic doesn't stay hard or even the same color does it?

Your child's car seats are made of plastic components that sit in a vehicle for years. A vehicle gets up to over 150 degrees in the summer. As this occurs the plastic breaks down on a level we can't see. But during an accident when the plastic's integrity is put to a test is when the damage can be seen.

Most car seats have a 5 or 6 year lifespan. The Radian is steel framed and has a lifespan of 10 years.

Death Always Hurts

2009-01-27T08:53:00.004-06:00

Is it just me or do you also feel a sharp pain when you hear of a celebrity or political figure dieing? When Jett Travolta died I wanted to cry for the pain his parents were enduring.

If I can hardly control the tears over the death of someone I've never met imagine how I deal with death on different levels.

Last night we received one of those calls. Michael's biological father passed away yesterday at 4 in the afternoon. Barton (Bart) lived in Florida with his wife of a couple of years, Lynn.

I was blessed to have met Bart when Michael and I had a layover on the way to our honeymoon. This was the only time I ever saw Bart.

Like all of us, Bart made many bad choices in life. He was not a part of Michael's life after about 3 or 4. However, he was still Michael's father.

My only wish was that he would have gotten to meet his grandchildren. I did send him pictures that he proudly showed off to his friends, as any grandpa would do. He expressed a desire to come see them and I hear he even made a small effort to come to Texas last summer. Knowing that means something.

Bart died of congestive heart failure. He was 56. Lifestyle choices led to cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes. His liver shutting down ultimately led to the heart failure.

I am so grateful for the few pictures I have of Bart. Those pictures show us just how much our precious Paisley looks like her Grandpa Bart. What a neat blessing.

I wish so much that I could say that Bart was a Christian. I will never know but I did pray for a peace to envelope the Christian loved ones of his that may be struggling with that unknown right now. That's a great reminder to take advantage of every fleeting moment you have with someone to share with them the love of Christ.

With death sometimes the sting is brief, sometimes it lingers for years. But it always hurts.

My New Layout

2009-01-26T17:55:00.004-06:00

Isn't it SO cute?! I got the background and Welcome Friends blinkie from thecutestblogontheblock.com

She makes it so easy to install that literally my 6 year old can do it. I must have chosen a background that a lot of people like because I found a blog with the same one! And I never read blogs!

Hope you enjoy it!

Girl's Night Out

2009-01-25T22:47:00.003-06:00

Man could I get used to not cooking! Last night I went to my first Girl's Night Out as a married woman. I know...I am so sheltered.

My mom, sisters Riley and Samantha, my sister-in-law Brittani, and my beautiful big girl Haley went to BJ's. It was heavenly. Because I don't get to go there often I stick to my stand-by the Great White pizza. I would hate to try something new and it not be as good as the Great White.

And if that wasn't enough to engorge my walnut sized stomach (thanks to the 35 week baby floating high in my uterus), I topped it all off with a double chocolate pazookie with chocolate ice cream. You won't have ever caught me saying something was too rich...until I ate that! But it didn't stop me from almost licking the pan.

It was such a blessed time. Not just because the company was amazing but because in 5 days we will be moving. I won't be able to call the girls together and meet up at a restaurant. I will miss everyone here tremendously but I am eagerly awaiting the start of our new adventure.

Today was our last time to attend Denton Bible Church. I was emotionally detached from the parting moment until I picked Paisley up. As the 2 year old leader said "well, we'll know next time" I let her know that this was our last day at DBC. She quickly snatched Paisley back up for another squeeze and I literally fought back tears.

God was good in providing us with DBC when we moved to Krum and I know that He has a wonderful church waiting for us in Kerrville.

I have pictures from Girl's Night Out but I'll have to add those later (Michael has a billion things downloading right now *rolls eyes*).

Did You Know I'm A Soapmaker?

2009-01-19T20:42:00.003-06:00

I've only done it once but hey that qualifies me as an official soapmaker. And it is really awesome soap.

Granted, I didn't really have to struggle to make this soap. An online friend, Heidi, is a professional soapmaker ;) On her etsy store Vintage Fresh Soap she sells kits for those challenged in the area of homesteading lol. She kindly sent me a soap kit with detailed directions on how to make soap. Everything I needed (mostly) is contained in the kit.

The soap turned out fantastic and even my husband applauded my endeavor.

This week Heidi is running a contest on her blog- Soapaholics Anonymous - for a wonderfully yummy giveaway. Hop on over to her blog and check it out. Don't worry you don't have to make soap or even have the desire to do so to enter!

A few pics from January

2009-01-15T20:47:00.002-06:00

Our big move

2009-01-13T10:27:00.003-06:00

Most people jump into decisions hastily or based on emotions. Usually that's me, but God knew I'd screw my life up big time if he didn't send me a husband the complete opposite.

In March 2008, we began planning in detail where we would like to raise our family. After many check lists the choice was obvious. Now we just needed to get there. Our house went on the market October 2nd. I packed up half our house and it was beautifully staged.

I naively estimated that the house would sell by December. That meant in storage sat all the Christmas decorations and music, the $300 box of Omega 3 oils and all my warm clothes. In early December we listed our house for rent as well. Again I thought it would go in a couple of weeks.

During this whole time, Michael was putting in 12 hour days working like a mad man to create a product designed for Chiropractors. Michael's launch date was set at January 5th. A deadline that could not be pushed back. As this date approached and Michael's put in more hours it was obvious that our house not renting or selling was God knowing better than us.

After a huge launch where we saw how huge this brilliant product was going to be for our family God began moving things with the house. We got the call that our house had a rental application on it and I was in utter disbelief. I knew that nothing is final until the lease is signed.

We went ahead with our scheduled midwife appt on Saturday the 10th and searched for houses in Kerrville. We found the perfect house and put in an application. When we got back on Sunday our tenants came over to sign the lease. It was now official. We could now move.

9+ months of planning, dreaming, doubting, worrying, praying had finally come to fruition. I mean it's not like I had anything to worry about (HA!). I rested in the fact that at least I didn't have to find a hospital and doctor to birth with! Yuck! I knew that it didn't matter where I was, I could birth anywhere. That was a reassurance from God but yet I still craved the knowing.

Where? Where would I give birth? I really really needed to have closure on that question. I did tell God that I'd be okay giving birth in our current house but that it wasn't really what my heart desired. I look forward to moving and getting settled into our new home.

Even now Michael is breathing a little easier about the move. There is no way he could have moved at the end of last year. Not with the insane amount of work he had. I am slowly starting to pack up some boxes. I'm sure the week before we move will be crazy.

Everyone keeps asking us why are we moving away from family? I wish they could accept that we didn't decide to move because we wanted to be further away from family. We made the decision that was best for this family. There is always something you could use as a crutch to stay where you are. Whether it be church, friends, schools, convenience. All of those things matter but they aren't what should dictate where you raise your family.

Our family has dreams and desires that cannot be met living in Krum, Tx. It's not hard for me to accept that another family is not going to have the same dreams as us... a little hard to comprehend but I accept it lol.

When we drive through Kerrville our whole body changes. Breathing in the clean, crisp air is the most refreshing experience. Driving through the neighborhoods and seeing the deer wandering across the road and through yards is something I'll never get used to.

I earnestly pray that our family will visit. I know we plan on visiting often. When our baby is born in about 7 weeks I want everyone to come see us. If they don't, well with God's help I will get over it :P

I can't even begin to describe the giddiness I have inside me anticipating this move. I know it will be hard physically and extremely stressful. But 2 months from now I'll be breathing easier.

Our Thanksgiving and then some

2008-11-29T09:04:00.003-06:00

On Thursday we all went to my mom's house. The old house is getting smaller the more kids we have! So far there are 6 grandkids + us 5 kids + 3 spouses = not enough seating. Actually I couldn't imagine my parents not living in that house...unless of course it's a house near us when we move lol.

This year I brought greenbean casserole, pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie YUM! Last night as I was eating way too much pumpkin pie the baby was letting me know that he/she liked it to. There was some serious break-dancing going on in my belly.

After Thanksgiving lunch we played some basketball (we being the kids as the adults didn't so much enjoy the cold front that blew in along with the sun setting at 4:30!) and hunted for acorns that the tree obsessive uncle Chris could take home and plant. Did you like that insanely long sentence?

Then it was time for the girls to totally spank the guys at Bible Outburst. Oh yeah my knowledge of the Old Testament has definately come in handy. hehehe. And to think us girls were afraid we'd lose miserably without our husbands to help us.

We finally made it home at about 8:45 thinking we could push record on the DVR for CSI but no didn't work. Oh the travesty. But atleast we have Bait Shop to watch....seriously this is a big joke in the house right now. Michael logged on to the Blockbuster account and selected this movie. I thought it was a mistake but um no. He has bet me though that if I don't laugh through the movie I can have whatever I want for Christmas...I'm an oak.

Anyways Black Friday came and there is just no way I can fight the urge to spend money. Thankfully Denton was only as busy as it always is. Poor old Santa Claus was just sitting there lonely. Only Haley would approach him and quickly pour out her very specific wish list. Haven said he'd do it later and Paisley would only shake her head with a terrified look on her face.

After Santa we headed for Target. My favorite :) We got 1/2 the gift buying done. For the last half I will most definately go by myself. I like to browse while everyone else wants to get it done in 10 minutes. Where's the fun in that??

We made it through the traffic and safely home, surviving a Black Friday shopping trip. I ended my night but snuggling in bed with 2 of the 3 dogs and the new book Michael surprised me with. It's the Jon & Kate book. I am really loving it! I didn't think I would since I watch the show a lot. But the heavy Christian lean has me way enjoying it.

Well that is the most I've written in a long time. Today we are off to Dad's house. The kids are loving all the cousin time!

October Pics

2008-11-07T22:25:00.005-06:00

Paisley has weaned

2008-09-18T10:30:00.007-05:00

It's official. Tuesday after lunch as I laid Paisley down for a nap I nursed her for the last time. In my mind I was going to wean her soon I just didn't realize how soon.

This time I want to journal about the last nursing session. With my other 2 I thought about it and never wrote it down. I actually thought I'd remember something so special as that but I don't.

Dear Paisley,

On September 16th you and I shared a last experience. I have recorded all your firsts but very few lasts. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was a perfect 78 degrees with the sun shining. As we finished lunch I asked you if you were ready for a nap. Just like you always do you took my hand and led me to my bed. I remember that I had actually fully made my bed that day with our big comforter. I spread out a sheet on top and you were so impatient! We laid down and I let you know that we wouldn't be nursing for much longer. I told you that you were a big girl now and mommy would miss nursing you. You eagerly pulled up my shirt to nurse and quickly fell asleep. As I unlatched you, you began to cry-in a mad way. Sometimes you do that. I think you are asleep but you haven't yet fully fallen. I said "shhhhh" and held your leg (you like that) and you slowly quieted and fell asleep. I walked out the room saying goodbye to one of the most precious moments we have ever shared. I loved nursing you. There could not have been a better relationship. I have been so blessed and I will miss our time so much. But through the tears I know there will be many more memories to fill this empty spot. Now every snuggle, every smile, every boo boo will be all the more cherished. Thank you for a perfect (and I mean perfect) 21 months of nursing.

Love, Mommy

An Amazing Poem

2008-09-15T15:15:00.001-05:00

I am copy/pasting as the author wrote it. It will be in red.

OK, so I typed this after our loss in May of 2004, and with all the debates I just felt the need to share this... I know, it's probably silly, but, here you go!

(And I don't want pro choicers 'cause I don't need their comments!!! )

My hugs go out to all of you who have experienced a loss...

________________________________________________________

I wish you were right.

All you pro-choice people, I want nothing more than for you to be right.

But you’re not.

If you were right, I wouldn’t have gotten so excited at that positive pregnancy test. I mean, who gets excited that a bunch of cells are multiplying. That’s what they do, right?

If you were right, I wouldn’t have told my mom, and my husband’s parents, and his young sister. We wouldn’t have celebrated. Come on, who celebrates a parasite
invading one’s body?

If you were right, my daughter wouldn’t love to come and kiss my belly. She wouldn’t wave hi to it or bring me books to read to it.

I wish you were right.

If you were right, I wouldn’t have felt the sheer terror of seeing the blood. I wouldn’t have been hyper-aware of every twinge. I wouldn’t have had to be on the phone with doctor. I wouldn’t have had to lay for three days.

If you were right, I wouldn’t have had to pray and pray and pray.

If you were right, I wouldn’t have had to cry and cry and cry.

If you were right, my husband could have continued to go to work. He wouldn’t have to hold his wife as she sobbed and yelled and begged him to make it all stop.

If you were right, there wouldn’t have been such joy on Tuesday when we saw a heartbeat. If you were right, there wouldn’t have been such hell when we saw that baby in my hand.

If you were right, I could have left “it” in the toilet, and just flushed.

I wish you were right.

If you were right, there would be so many tears saved by my mom, and my husband’s parents, and his young sister.

If you were right, my heart wouldn’t rip in two when I have to explain to my daughter that our baby went to heaven. But she’s too young to understand. If you were right, I wouldn’t want to die when my daughter still comes and kisses my belly. Or when she continues to wave hi to it or brings me books to read to it.

If you were right, I wouldn’t feel like my baby is dead.

I wish you were right.

But you’re not.

September 2008 Update

2008-09-07T15:40:00.003-05:00

It has been a long while since I posted much of anything. Like every other mom there are a million things keeping busy. Here's a little update on us:

* Michael sold his practice (YEAH!) and is in the 90 day transition for the new doctor.
* We rescued a new puppy. Yep that makes 3 dogs, 1 cat and 5 people...soon to be 6.
* I feel huge. I'm 14 1/2 wks yet move and look like I did at ~25wks with the others. Dang abdominal muscles.
* We celebrated our 10 year anniversary at the end of August. One of my sisters offered to watch the kids and we went out. What better place to eat when your pregnant than a brazilian meat restaurant??
* We're hoping to put our house on the market within the next month.
* I did not realize that finding a midwife in the San Antonio area would be so difficult. DFW is so midwife rich. But just as he always has God will provide the perfect one.
*Haley got her ears pierced. She did not even flinch. I couldn't believe it. I almost cried and she acts like it's nothing. You'd see this as funny if you lived with this child. She acts like a paper cut is a 2" deep gash.
* Haven and Haley started Awanas. What an amazing program. I'm a little nervous for tonight. Haven has to recite his Bible verse to get his vest.
*Paisley has entered the terrible twos. I thank God I had 19 months of an angel baby. It makes her constant crying, whining and sassiness a little more bearable. Hey, atleast she's sleeping well.
*My blog has surpassed the 4000 visits a month mark. Sort of flew by 4000 actually. I am about to offer up advertising spots. It's kind of surreal to think of how this cloth diaper blog has expanded so quickly.

I can't think of anything else right now. God Bless.

A Blog I Love

2008-08-20T10:21:00.005-05:00

I know we all have way too many things to do in a day. But believe it or not I sometimes find myself sitting at the computer with nothing to do. I occassionally hit the Stumble! button and of course find great ways to waste my time that way.

But I always make sure to read one of my favorite blogs. It's called My Charming Kids. Right now Mck(s)Mama is going through some deep valleys. If you have a chance stop by and read. And of course send a prayer for baby Stellan.

Not SuperWoman

2008-07-25T16:06:00.003-05:00

Apparently I had successfully deceived myself into believing that I was SuperWoman in the flesh. Today, of course, reality knocked me off my high horse.

Yesterday wasn't a terrible day with morning sickness, it was actually a little better. But last night I was kept up by the worst heartburn ever. All I could think (well besides "you have got to be kidding me!") was this is the most insane symptomatic pregnancy ever.

So I make it through the night propped up on 3 ft of pillows only to discover that the morning sickness was going to be the worst ever today. I really was at a breaking point. Here I have 3 amazing children who deserve the best and I can barely stand up straight.

I called Michael and broke down. I mean sobbing. Uncontrollable. I am so enormously blessed to have a husband willing to come home from work to take care of me.

I could handle that my husband now knew that I was not SuperWoman...who am I kidding? SuperWoman would never repeatedly leave dinner out until 10pm...he already knew that. But he was taking the kids to my mom's for the afternoon.

An awesome blessing but now my mom, dad and siblings see that I am incapable of handling it all. I feel like a loser. It is my job to watch my children yet I sucked at it today.

I am in the 9th week and praying this ends soon. Please, God?

Being Tired

2008-07-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

Oh the joys of pregnancy. I can't really complain though. When your biggest pregnancy symptom is being dead tired 90% of the day, it beats throwing up. My poor friend, Mese, spends half (or more) of her pregnancies puking. I love naps so now I have a pressing reason to take one.

This long weekend is paying off really well for me. With Michael home I can slip off anytime!

But what I really end up doing is laying on my bed doing my new puzzle book. I am extremely obsessed. I don't know if it is the challenge I like or the scoring system that says I'm a flat out genius lol.

Now I'm tired. Family nap time sounds like a good idea.

Having a cat is so much fun! spoken with a side of sarcasm

2008-06-11T17:44:00.003-05:00

Debating whether or not this post needs words...

I guess now we know why Rachel is so fat despite only getting 1/3 cup of food a day.

Scooter vs. 3 year old boy

2008-06-04T17:33:00.004-05:00

Exhibit A: This is an x-ray of a normal radius and ulna of a 3 year old boy.

Exhibit B: The x-ray of a broken left ulna and radius of a 3 year old boy.

Exhibit C: A very cute 3 year old boy in a bright orange cast. :)

Verdict: Scooter won.

My Loss for God's Glory

2008-05-30T09:20:00.005-05:00

There are some things you just NEVER want to experience. The saying "ignorance is bliss" is very true.

On Wednesday my 4th pregnancy was abruptly cut short.

I honestly thought (how naive of me) that somehow I was immune to miscarriages. I had 3 easy, healthy pregnancies so the trend was set, right? Apparently that's not how it works.

As with all things in my life God uses them to grow my character. Until I reach that state of perfection **insert scratch head smilie** God will continue to turn up the heat. Although the hardest thing I have ever had to endure, it has been very humbling and enriching.

I do feel like I am closer to my Father and my character has developed. Before I could not empathize with those who had miscarried, now I can.

I'd love to share the events of Wednesday with you, both for my own recording and for your growth as well. I pray most of you have not experienced a loss and perhaps my story will enable you to comfort a friend or loved one better if they go through this pain.

In order to begin I must mention the pregnancy test. With my 3 previous pregnancies a faint positive test was all it took to tell me I was pregnant. There was no follow-up testing, no doubting. With this one, I doubted. I kept testing and testing waiting for the line to scream at me. The line continued to remain faint after many days of testing. I asked for prayer from everyone because I felt this nagging was from Satan. I prayed furiously for protection from the Lord, even asking Haley to pray for the Lord to control my thoughts. I now understand that a mother "just knows".

On Wednesday morning I got out of bed and felt a little pinch. I walked into the living room and sneezed. I laughed at the fact that my sneeze caused me to pee in my pants (so I thought) and I thought what's going to happen when I'm 8 months pregnant and sneeze?!

I went to the bathroom where my husband was shaving and sat down. Literally, shock took over. I sat there frozen, staring at the blood in my underwear.

What is this??? I thought I just peed? This can't be what I think it is? NOOO!!

Michael just wanted to know why I continued to sit frozen on the pot. He knew when the dam broke and the sobbing overtook me. My sweet husband tried to make it better. He even insisted I take a test. No use. I knew.

I didn't know what to expect but I expected to feel something. It wasn't until 10 that I did. Up until then I was so overcome with grief that Haley wondered why my eyes wouldn't open. I took homeopathic Ignatia and felt a bit better.

I began to feel sharp cramps. I went to the restroom and saw that I had passed a 1/2" of tissue.
From this point forward I truly felt like the hand of God reached down and healed the hole in my heart. I knew that this piece of tissue was the beginnings of my baby. I knew that God had control of its development. Who am I to question why or how? My mind can't even comprehend God's wisdom.

I followed my instincts and buried my baby. I was alone and it was perfect. There were no more tears.

I was most surprised at the motions my body went through during a miscarriage. I had all the same feelings that I do after I birth a full term baby. Emptiness, heaviness, bleeding, hormone surges.

Today 2 days later I am still bleeding bright red blood. It is minimal and it will probably all be over by tomorrow.

I dreamed of being with Jesus in heaven and asking him about my baby. I told him that if he wanted he could tell me someday in a dream if the baby was a boy or girl.

Well there weren't any tears until I wrote that. The tears come at the thought of being in the presence of my Saviour. How powerful!

There is always a song :) I prayed for a song that would speak to me in my time of sadness. Of course, the Lord provided.

He sees you down by the water line
knows what you thinking all the time
He sees the rising of the waves
when the tide starts rolling in he lets you know its gonna be okay

He sees you dancing in the moonlight
His arms around you hold you tight
and if those clouds should start to break
He'll be standing out in the rain with you
and though its hard to believe he beieves in you

(Chorus)
God is watching over you as always
you are loved whatever you go through
he's right beside you
god is watching over you as always
and if you think he'll ever leave you
you'd better think again

Painted in the sky a rainbow to remind you
nothing that is broken
cannot be made new
and when you feel so far away
he's gonna keep the nightlight on
he's waiting there
there to recieve you

God is watching over you as always
You are loved whenever you go ...

Through fire through wind and through rain
yesterday today and tomorrow the same
nothing there can take this love
nothing you can do can change this love
climb a tree gonna reach so high
Swing low sweet chariot
It's time to fly ...
oooh oh
and if you think he'll ever leave you
you'd better think again

God is watching over you as always
you are loved whatever you go through
he's right beside you
god is watching over you as always
and if you think he'll ever leave you
you'd better think again (X2)

I can't stop buying cloth diapers!

2008-05-25T16:01:00.003-05:00

What in the world is wrong with me?? It's a poop catcher for crying out loud!

I can justify by saying I buy for "research" purposes. After all, I do have hundreds of readers on my cloth diaper blog (All About Cloth Diapers) sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for my next recommendation... ROFL!

Hmmm, that doesn't quite do it for my husband.

I spent all weekend selling diapers to build up paypal for a custom order and what did I do an hour ago? Spent it on some diapers that I have been in search of for months! Yes it was worth it but now I have to put a custom order on hold.

I fear I might scare a few moms away from cloth diapering because of my little problem. Yes, it is very possible to actually SAVE money cloth diapering. I probably am too with all the selling I do.

It's highly unlikely that a disposable using mom could resell a diaper her child has peed and pooped in :D

But, there are days when I feel like I need intervention. Just when I become happy with the "stash" I go and change it up.

It's crazy I tell ya. I'll just keep writing about my top cloth diaper finds in an effort to ease the pain of seeing *Paypal* on my bank statement.

I am so R I C H !!!

2008-05-20T08:47:00.002-05:00

LOL! Rich on the word of God that is! When the Lord speaks to you in multiples you know you need to listen up. This mornings audio Bible time of Luke revealed a very well known verse that even an unchristian child had memorized.

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I looked it up in my Bible and taught it to Haley (and the other 2 that weren't really listening. Haven just wanted me to turn the cartoons on *sigh*). Then I got my coffee, turned on the computer and read my Daily Bible Verse.

Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

I will be honest this verse has caused many a "discussion" with my husband and I. I tend to fear judging anyone (although of course I do and not always in a nice way) where as my husband feels it is important to view others mistakes and learn from them; in essesence look at someone who has very obviously taken the wrong path in life and do all you can to dissect how they got there and run like hell the other way. Me, I pity then make an excuse for that person then agree that yes I wouldn't want to be where they are and defend that person...

Jesus didn't live the way I am (Thank you, God!!). My husband is modeling for me a route that is more biblical. Call someone out on their obvious wrong doing, don't sugar coat it (yummmm, love that sugar) and learn from each other. I certainly would want someone to call me out on my errors...okay well not always but it is for my good. And I prefer it not to be my husband but for some reason it always is. Bah! I need thicker skin.

God is so good to us poor saps. We don't deserve the rich teachings he provides for us. I mean really, I have been so bad you'd think he would have given up. But no, each day I read my Daily Bible Verse and listen to the Bible on CD I learn something completely new and life changing...even if I have heard it a thousand times.

Is anthing safe??

2008-05-15T16:35:00.001-05:00

Why????!

I will never be able to comprehend why my son (most boys for that matter) prefers to destroy EVERYTHING he touches. I just don't get it. Toys, paper, books, crayons, valuable items, sentimental items, junk, food, furniture...

I am trying to recall an object that Haven has not desired to take apart, color on, cut, burn, or all together destroy. He does have some toys that are in perfect shape. Anything that is HIS.

What brings this up? As I was walking in my laundry room today something blue caught my eye under the dryer. It was one of those adjustable eraser sticks. I love those things. I was so excited to show Haley and of course my excitement led to Haven's curiosity. You'd think I would have learned by now to not over-react to inanimate things.

After Haley showed no interest in this eraser that I thought was so cool, Haven took off with it like it was his newborn baby. That love lasted um...15 seconds. As soon as I turned back around he had already fully taken apart the eraser.

Because I like to waste my breath, I explained to Haven that we don't have to destroy everything. If he was half the smart alek that I am he would have grinned and said "ya sure mommy".

Needless to say, 4 hours later the eraser is MIA and when I do find it, it will be in 25 parts. :D

I am still picking up the shreds of foam from an octopus sprinkler I bought 3 weeks ago--when will I learn.

Scarborough Faire 2008

2008-05-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

Scarborough Faire is a yearly must attend event for our family. We look forward to it all year. This year we actually got there before the gates open. The first picture is during Opening Ceremonies.

The jousting competition is so fun to watch. Granted, you have to forget you are an adult and participate with child-like maturity in order to overlook the bad acting, lol.

AH, the highlight of Scarborough Faire 2008. Every year without fail the first show we attend is the Birds of Prey. The master falconer at the end of the show asks one child to come up on stage. This year he chose our Haley! I could not have been more proud. Mr. Falconer presented her to the "king" and "queen" and concluded by giving Haley a very special necklace. Michael and I were secretly jealous.

Don't they look tired? This is at the end of our 6 hour day. A ton of fun but boy were they pooped!

The Tooth Fairy IS Real

2008-05-13T17:30:00.003-05:00

I have made a "few" mistakes in parenting. *gasp* One being when I read a tidbit of parenting advice I jump right in and give it a try.

A couple of weeks ago I read in Mothering magazine about not "lieing" to your children about things like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. So when the time was right ... it was oh so bad timing... I calmly explained to Haley that adults have imaginary friends to, like Santa and the Tooth Fairy.

She looked at me confused, then asked "so the Tooth Fairy is you?" This was a bit ackward. They didn't mention this part in the magazine. "Well, yes, but I pretend to be the Tooth Fairy."

Subject quickly changed and nothing was ever mentioned. Fast forward to yesterday when amidst MUCH MUCH drama I pulled Haley's 3rd baby tooth. She was very excited about what the Tooth Fairy would bring her-

Wait. Didn't we discuss that the Tooth Fairy was just me? Apparently, to a 6 year old, reality isn't as fun as make-believe. So we put her perfect little tooth in a bag and set in a safe place. Thankfully she remembered to get it and put it under her pillow (I have some memory issues).

I go to bed at 11pm and never have another thought of my duty. Not a good thing. But God is good to me, I'm not sure why but I think it has more to do with my children than me.

Haven starts hollerin' for me from his bed at 6:30...okay I have to share why he is yelling for me. Literally in my deep sleep I wanted to cry from laughter.

He went to bed last night after a spanking (which is the normal routine because why on Earth would a 3 year old go to bed when told and stay there???) and apparently fell asleep while still crying at 8:30 just as all sunlight was disappearing.

So at 6:30, just as sunlight was appearing, he wakes up thinking it's nighttime. Being the "good boy" he stays in his bed and calls for me. I walk to him with my eyes still pasted shut and ask what he needs. "Mommy, what are we having in the morning for breakfast?" he asks. This is our only bedtime routine, to discuss breakfast. The poor lad thought it was last night!

Why is this important? Because God was looking out for Haley.

As I mentioned I had forgotten about my duty as the Tooth Fairy. I had tended to Haven and brought him to our bed to join Michael and Paisley. But I noticed another body. Haley had come into our bed sometime in the night (which NEVER happend) and I hadn't noticed until then. I laid down with Haven on top of me and immediately flew out of bed! Holy crud! I ran into the kitchen, blindly grabbed some cash from my purse and replaced Haley's tooth with a gift from the Tooth Fairy.

No more than 30 seconds after I returned to bed did Haley wake up and ask Daddy if he thought the Tooth Fairy came?

"Thank you, God!"

Turns out the money I grabbed from my purse was $3. I hope there is a long time between now and the next tooth. Enough time for her to forget that the Tooth Fairy left $3! She did actually say that she'd rather have a toy next time.

I rather enjoy my imaginary friends...if only I could remember them at the right times.

Right Choices = Controversy

2008-05-09T08:26:00.004-05:00

Why is it that doing the right thing or letting it be known that you are not just like everyone else causes controversy? I have actually had someone (someone very close to me) yell at me for making them feel bad for the choices they made--NOT because of something I said, mind you--but because of the way I live! What the heck??

Then I had a mom call me the other day about homeschooling and she told me her daughter's teacher said she couldn't read ahead because it might make the other students feel dumb. So okay, let's put a ceiling on this girl and teach her that being smart is a bad thing. Makes sense. I have learned to keep my lips tightly pursed. God has been good to me on that one. My tongue used to get me in lots of trouble. (Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 17:28, Proverbs 21:23)

The thing that gets me the most is people who get offended by my choices are Christians. Yet the Bible is very clear:

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

I choose to not conform to the ways of the world (most certainly the ways of America). I choose to homebirth, not vaccinate, not circumcise, use alternative health, cloth diaper, breastfeed, co-sleep, profess my faith, submit to my husband, allow God to control my family size, spank my children, say NO, and make decisions based on long term results not instant gratification. I'm far from 100% on some of those, especially that last one. But that's why God blessed me with a very wise husband!

A woman emailed me the other day and I'd like to share part of it: (emphasis is mine)

Hey girl!!
I am in your small group at MOMS and I was wondering if you can help
me out. My family in general is moving in the direction of healthy
eating but this is ever more important right now. X needs to
change his habits from normal to pretty strict because of his
headaches. We need to eat fresh, non soy, no preservatives and
nitrate free.
Why am I telling you this? I think I heard you telling the helpers
at class that you did not want the kids drinking juice, I don't
either!! So this morning I thought of that statement and wanted to
email you. But anyway, I have been praying about this eating and you
came to mind. If you have any suggestions, book to recommend I would
love any help in this area. It is very hard to decipher through all
the millions of internet searches and books available!!

This is why you live by example. There is always someone watching and God will use you to glorify Him. I was in awe for days after this because it is so easy to think everyone thinks you're crazy (most do). But there are those who want a better life. Those who are just waiting for you to show them that you have some answers.

I invited this mom over and well I gave her more than she wanted I'm sure. It's kind of hard to stop yourself when you get started. But she went home and this was her reply email:

Ok. You have given me the tools to see that our food is
POISON!!!!!!!!!!!! X and I have checked out every label and are
going to transition all our foods to be MSG free among other
things!!! It is amazing what the FDA does not tell us and what they
allow in our foods. X and I have discussed that we feel so
betrayed by the food companies. Can't believe it.

Thank you for the information. I think it was info that we needed to
hear.

It is up to us to determine our paths not the FDA, CPS, Dept. of Health, CDC, Hospitals or media! I love that our children are a great example of smart choices we've made. The choices are never easy but then again Jesus told us we'd have trouble on this side of heaven. (John 16:33)

Paul's words are so full of inspiring, direct words. I feel this is a great end to my post:

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

The Business of Being Born

2008-05-02T22:52:00.004-05:00

I have been dieing to see this movie! Finally tonight I get the chance and it's online! I'm only watching 30 minutes tonight since I started so late but I am loving it so far.

I have had 3 homebirths and could not imagine doing it any other way. I mean why would I? I am a healthy woman with perfectly normal pregnancies. M.D.s are there for emergencies and thank the Lord for them during those times. But I certainly do not live my life in fear of the what-ifs. As a Christian that goes against all my Father in heaven teaches me. God speaks clearly through Psalms to me about fear and confidence in Psalm 27:1 and 27:3.

I am grateful to have read that magazine years ago with Cindy Crawford telling of her experience with homebirh. If it wasn't for that I may have had a different experience with my first birth. Thank you, God!

The movie is 1 hour 30 min. Here is the link: The Business of Being Born

My Family

2008-05-01T10:41:00.001-05:00

Michael: genius, entraprenuer, sexy, practical, level-headed, patient, giver, CHRIST LOVER, chiropractor, internet marketer, most amazing husband and father!!
www.dcpracticetools.com

Me: daughter of Christ, helpmeet, mommy, writer of blogs, homeschooler, organic chef, cloth diaper expert, constant worrier and dreamer of unlikely scenarios involving the danger to my children, health advocate, birth warrior, breastfeeder, doctor of minor wounds, referee, maid...

Haley: Ah, where to start...intelligent, mature, beautiful, innovative, creative, emotional, CHRIST FOLLOWER, strong headed first-born.

Haven: Rowdy, ornery, silly, funny, dirty, emotional, stunning, sensitive, all boy!!!

Paisley: Precious, loving, hugger, gentle, gorgeous, so smart, independant, stubborn, tomboy, a true baby girl!

Sterling: Pookey bear, sweetie, cool cat, loves sleep :D, my forever baby b/c I will find a way to keep him from growing into a monster!

Compassion International

2008-04-26T09:43:00.003-05:00

I lost a child yesterday. Thank God it was not a loss due to death and it was not a biological child. My first Compassion child that I started sponsoring in 2004 will no longer be a part of Compassion International. Carlos Jose will be moving to the United States from his home country of the Dominican Republic. I know I should be happy that he moving to our country where opportunities (and food) abound. But his letter left me in tears. I didn't think I was so attached. I was not going to let the sadness last for long. I pulled up the Compassion website and with my family's help we chose a new child to sponsor. I knew that I wanted a girl this time and my heart was with the children who had been waiting longer than 6 months for a sponsor. Our search ended with little 4 year old Selina. She lives in Tunisia. I now have her picture on my desktop and every time I see her I say a prayer. I look forward to many years of letters with Selina.

If you are not already sponsoring a child with Compassion, please pray about it. It is only $32 a month. Even when we were so poor we couldn't feed ourselves, we remained faithful. God blessed us through those times.

Get this widget!

Car Seats

2008-04-25T15:25:00.003-05:00

There are a few things that really get me going. One of them is car seat safety.

I didn't gain this passion until my pregnancy with Paisley. It's one of those things that I don't think of all the time but when it comes up, I swear I break out in a sweat. Just the thought of a child dieing because of parent ignorance or just plain stupidity (the first being because they simply don't know and the other being they do and choose to use the brilliant statement "the chances of that happening are slim" or "my other children have made it through just fine".)

I will admit I'm a little in the stupidity category. Haley is 6 years old and 43lbs. She should be in a 5-pt harness still. I made the mistake of rushing into a carseat purchase 5 months ago w/o researching the best choice. I bought her a multi-use seat that harnesses to 40lbs. I now know that I should have purchased either a Britax Regent or a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1. The Britax harnesses to 80lbs and the Graco to 65lbs.

With my husband's blessing I will be buying the kids Graco seats very soon.

As for Paisley, she is still rear facing at 25lbs. She will remain rear facing at the very least until 2. She is in an Evenflo Triumph. Most parents can't wait to turn their babies front facing. I was one of those parents. But I thank the Lord for the education I have received.

I pray I am never in an accident but if I am I want to know that I have done all I could to protect my children.

Here are some powerful videos in case I sound like an over reactive fanatic.

Importance of Five Point Harness:

Importance of Rear Facing:

Do You Squidoo?

2008-04-23T13:57:00.003-05:00

I have a headache trying to figure out all this social networking stuff. I would have never even learned about that term if it wasn't for my internet marketing guru of a husband. Now I Stumble, Del.icio.us, Twitter, and now Squidoo. It's madness I tell ya. But I see the benefits when I look at how much my blog has grown in the very short time it has been alive around.

So back to Squidoo. It's this insanely complicated, hard-to-wrap-your-mind around lense thingy. I have officially become the poster child for "fake it till ya make it" on this one. Basically, you connect with other... oh heck I can't even give you a basically.

If you learn a simple answer for me please let me know. And in the meantime, check out my Squidoo page :) . Ratings are preferred (5 stars of course) but you have to register to do that :( If you use Stumble or any other bookmarking sites PLEASE bookmark it. It's all about getting it out there so it will be promoted so it will be read so readers will like what they see so they will go to my blog so they will buy my guide...lol!

It's madness I tell ya!

www.squidoo.com/allaboutclothdiapers

Do a Little Dance, Make a Little Noise!!

2008-04-21T10:23:00.007-05:00

Today is such a great day!

1) It feels so good outside! Just like when you go camping and wake up to a cool, breezy morning. There's a little moisture in the air but not in a crazy humid way.

2) Although I did not win a contest I entered on a blog (www.Terry Dean.org), atleast I did something no one expected of me.

3) THE MOST FANTASTIC NEWS: MY CLOTH DIAPER BLOG HAD 228 VISITS YESTERDAY!!! Isn't that awesome!

4) I am blessed. My kids are gorgeous, sweet, smart, lovable little munchkins. And now I am going to go spend some time with them.

Thanks for letting me share my excitement.

My Little Director/Producer/Actress

2008-04-18T11:51:00.006-05:00

The last few days I have literally written dozens of blog posts...in my head. For some reason I never quite make it over here to share my prolific thoughts with you. But today I made it part of my to-do list.

I considered carefully what to write about: my cloth diaper blog, my sister in law (holding little hands) and our fantastic conversation on parenting that we had on Wednesday, my failures and successes of parenting a strong-willed boy or the uncanny resemblance my little Paisley has to her daddy. All of them good reads for sure but it was Haley who rose to the top.

Michael bought me an AWESOME digital camera the other day so I generously passed down my caveman digital camera to Haley. Today she has been busy making movies. What kind of movies does a 6 year old 100% daddy's girl make?? Ones that make her mommy proud. You see Haley has been by my side as I have worked tirelessly on my cloth diaper guide (a 78 page guide called the Ultimate Guide to Cloth Diapers ): writing, taking pictures, blogging, videoing, buying for "research", all of it. You never know how much your kids want to be like you until they do something like this.

Enjoy. Oh, one more thing, she did this while I was in the bathroom doing my hair (I know shocking! It happens once a week). She set the camera up by herself, wrote the script, everything! Uncle Chris will be proud too!

My little girl is growing up

2008-03-22T09:55:00.004-05:00

I have been gone for a while; busy working on my cloth diaper blog and book, entertaining family in our house for 5 days, and sadly watching my firstborn grow up so fast. Haley turned 6 on Thursday and I can't tell you how much she has changed over the last 2 weeks. It's little things like now she can reach the kitchen sink and turn it on by herself. Those last few things that they depend on us for are slipping away. When she was just born well meaning family tried to explain that this would happen. But in my naivete I shrugged them off and thought to myself that this won't happen to me. I know she'll always need me but now I have to beg...plead...for some snuggle time. Haven is my little snuggler so I can get my fix there-for now.

Here are a couple of pictures from Haley's 6th birthday party:

To see Haley reading 100+ page chapter books makes me take a second look. Am I really seeing my little girl???

I guess "they" were right, they grow up so fast.

The Blog World

2008-03-12T08:48:00.005-05:00

It wasn't until last week that I really "got" blogs. Months and months ago I started this blog and introduced my sister-in-law to blogging. I stopped writting and she developed a huge fan base. Now even though she likes to say "I don't know anything about blogs" I have discovered that she is quite versed in the right things.

So what got me back into blogging? My husband. He is the business mind and he got me started on a new venture (All About Cloth Diapers). I started to enjoy writing to help people with questions and doubts that they had about cloth diapers. Now that I am learning so much more than "open blog, write post, publish", I am starting to read other people's blogs and critique them. There are some outstanding web-savvy mamas out there! I wonder if they are the know-it-alls or if they have a husband behind them doing all the technical stuff?? I am perfectly happy just doing the writing.

Now my "Blogs Worth Reading" is growing and I am having to learn about this Google Reader my husband told me about weeks ago. Why does it take me so long to catch on?? Maybe I'm stubborn :) and have to figure it out myself.

I did figure one thing out on my own today. You will notice (hopefully because I don't usually do all the coding things) at the end of this post is a new "bookmark" icon. I saw it on a blog I was reading this morning and I love it!

It is also being added to All About Cloth Diapers so hop on over there and check it out!

Who says 12 hours in the car isn't fun???

2008-03-10T10:00:00.004-05:00

You wimps lol! Well it wasn't 12 hours straight thankfully! On Saturday we drove to Houston for a wedding and turned around Sunday to come back.

If I could choose one word to describe the wedding it would be: interesting.

It was beautifully decorated and I loved the colors: purple and sage. Well not purple purple but lavendar. I am not sure if I would say that overall this trip was a good thing or a bad one. Anytime you drive 2 long stretches that close together you're bound to have atleast one of them be horrible.
On the trip back we made a lot of stops. One of them was at a rest stop that was so gorgeous. I think it was around Conroe. The trees are tall, thick, and wonderful. In the middle of the rest area was a huge play ground. It would be a dream to have that in my backyard! The kids got to play a bit before we continued on. Oh and the reason we stopped was because my precious son likes to scream "I need to poop and pee NOW" at frequent intervals...and usually at times when there is NO bathroom in sight. So we had a couple of "on the side of the road" potty breaks. It makes me glad that I only have 1 child who does this. The other is almost 6 and has a great bladder and the other is still in cloth diapers.

But we made it back as one happy family still and that is a great accomplishment!

the beck family

IT'S SNOWING

2008-03-06T15:05:00.005-06:00

8 1/2"

Mr. Frosty has a carrot nose and eyes and mouth made out of blueberries...plastic forks for arms.

Princess Paisley in her tutu

Too cool for this snow. I had to d-r-a-g Haven out in it.

My little snow angel.

ALL ABOUT CLOTH DIAPERS!

2008-03-05T20:02:00.006-06:00

ALL ABOUT CLOTH DIAPERS.COM

Finally Finally Finally! After months of late nights my cloth diaper blog has launched. Michael worked so hard learning how to build a blog from nothing. I joke that he speaks code in his sleep now.

My blog is going to provide readers with the latest news in cloth diapering along with tips and tricks to help them along the way. If you are reading this I would be honored if you would link to me in your blog or add me as a favorite. Your readers will thank you :D

My first post is titled "The 6 Reasons Why Cloth Diapers Are Making A Comeback".

http://allaboutclothdiapers.com

Thank you for helping me spread the fluffy love!

Run, Forrest, Run!

2008-02-29T16:23:00.006-06:00

Let me tell you what a sneaky one God is. I am the last person in the world you want holding you accountable for something especially exercise. So last night when I saw my friend Misty at soccer practice what is the first thing she says to me???

"Autumn. I need help. I need a someone to hold me accountable to working out."

I respond...after 30 seconds of staring blankly at her... "oh, really? I am the worst person for that job." pause. "I suppose that is why God prompted you to ask me."

I really had nothing to say. Inside I was screaming:

NO GOD I DON'T WANT TO WORK OUT! ESPECIALLY NOT BEFORE SUNRISE!

But I couldn't vocalize that because God had convicted me in a big way. I know all the book stuff. I told her there were no excuses for me to give because I know what the Bible and science say... GET OUT OF BED EARLY AND DO SOMETHING! So I reluctantly tell her that I will commit to getting up at 5 AM!!! (yes that is not a typo) Monday thru Friday. Aside from not sleeping at all last night for fear that I would over sleep, this morning went extremely well. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt to jog around the track. I already had a planned playgroup at my house this morning so I feared I would not be able to stay awake. But it was great and I even forgot to drink my coffee! How funny is that!

I'm sure I'll crash soon but for now I'm basking in my runner's high.

Do you hear God?

2008-02-26T16:23:00.002-06:00

When you pray do you hear God?

Is it wrong to say that I do?

In this world of political correctness and equal rights and ... existentialism :) I feel like making this statement is in someway blasphemous. Why can't I simply accept that I actually have an area that I have been blessed in ways others haven't? I don't baulk at the concept that I am blessed with the gift of hospitality. As a matter of fact I embrace it proudly. Yet it seems that if someone professes that they pray and actually receives a recognizable answer then they are categorized as, oh I don't know, holier-than-thou maybe. I am sure that these feelings are simply a product of my being "in the world" for so many years. I have learned to shed many of those false teachings but I still have a few cobwebs. Right now I am working on encouraging the growth of this blessing. I mean what better activity is there to engage in and enjoy than praying to our glorious Father in heaven. He is the only one with the answers afterall. I am at that point of eagerness to see what will be revealed next. Thankfully I have many opportunities to grow my relationship with the Father and my prayer is that I will impact others to develop their prayer life.

On that note, pray for my Haven. He seems to have the unfortunate potty sickness right now.

Juice anyone?

2008-02-25T13:39:00.004-06:00

YUUUUUUMMMYY!!

1 stick Rhubarb
2 stalks Bok Choy
4 leaves of Kale
2 Beets w/ leaves
3 Carrots
2 Apples
1 1/2" Ginger Root

Place in Jack LaLayne and WALLAH! You have a crimson concoction that even the kids will love. Mine are on the back porch drinking their "wine" now. It feels so good to make and drink something that is SO healthy! I can feel every cell screaming out "Thank you!". Don't be intimidated by hard, pungent greens. By adding ginger and apples to any juice makes it sweet and spicy. Just perfect!

The other day I wanted to juice but was very limited on ingredients. So in case you ever wondered Celery, Broccoli, Apple and grapes make a "celery-ific" juice. I'm afraid that anything that contains even a string of celery will predominantly taste like celery. I liked it, the kids didn't.

Here is some new found info on these veggies:

Beets
Bok Choy : Bok choy has a mild flavor and a higher concentration of vitamin A.
Rhubarb
Carrots
Kale
Ginger
Broccoli
Celery

Here's to healthy drinking!

Existentialism in the home

2008-02-17T11:08:00.005-06:00

What a sad picture it is looking at the home today. Children are off the wall and all parents do is chalk it up to "that's just the way he/she is".

What kind of lame excuse is that?

If you don't know what existentialism is you need to and when you do you'll realize you have been brainwashed with this line of thinking. I always feel comfortable writing and handing out advice on subjects that I have been guilty of and thankfully graduated from. I don't worry about stepping on any toes. And if I do step on your toes I realize it's not me with the problem it's you. When my toes get stepped on I ask myself if 1) I being too sensitive or 2) am I needing to learn a lesson here?

First, I owe a huge apology to my son for the injustice I gave him by complaining to other parents about his "just a boy" behaviors. Now I have the monumental task of undoing that grouping he has been placed in by sympathetic mothers who themselves were/are looking for others in a similar uncontrollable (or so they think) situation.

So if I am no longer a mom who just sits back and passively/forceably parents what happened and what am I doing now? First of all, I made myself very aware of what the Bible says about parenting, training, children, sin and love. Then, I found a companion to my Bible called To Train Up A Child by Michael Pearl. Finally, I no longer looked at what I hadn't done in the past or lamented on the damage I had done to my children but I started on that day doing it right! You have to start somewhere, why not now? It literally took hours for the change to be felt in our house upon implementing techniques that would bring order and respect to our family. It simply sickens me when I think of the children I know that are CRAZY! I would have easily called my Prince that weeks ago. But he wasn't crazy nor are the other children I am thinking of. They just simply crave the loving guidance and training from their parents that will help them to become respectable young people.

I'll tell you, I no longer get frustrated and overwhelmed by my children (if I begin to I know that it is because I have slacked off or have some personal issue going on that needs to be dealt with). I don't let them tell me what they want to do or don't want to do. As their parent it is my responsibility to train them to respect authority and to follow directions. Think about what happens if parents don't do this! They fail in school, they break laws, they never have a steady job, they end up divorced... These are all results than can and will occur when I child is just left to "well boys will be boys...that's just the way he/she is...she/he is just strongwilled or stubborn...she's just dramatic" We made a decision to take control of our family.

I clearly remember a sermon I listened to called KidCEO. The heart of the message was that kids are not to be the center of the family, the marriage is. A husband and wife HAVE TO parent TOGETHER! One who disciplines with one how consoles will end in FAILURE. Good guy, bad guy doesn't work. Parents often think they are helping their children by offering balance. I have seen first hand how that doesn't work. When Michael and I made the decision to work together everything fell into place. How bout that!

You notice I keep saying we made the decision. You wouldn't believe how many parents seriously think it is out of their hands. How is that Biblical? God gave us the blessing of being able to decide which path we will take. It is never too late but it does get harder the longer they are allowed to do whatever they want. Haven is 3 1/2 and he is a different child now. But I am smart enough to realize that actions speak louder than words. I pray that the Lord will give me plenty of opportunities to minister to others through the behavior of myself and my children. I know I have a loooong way to go and my children are faaaar from perfect. However, I will not make excuses for them and I will not cheat them by allowing them to think for one second that the world is at their beck n call.

Okay now I am stepping off my soapbox.

I'm back...and I'm organized!

2008-01-10T22:02:00.001-06:00

Wow I have been MIA since 2007! lol With the holidays, travel, soccer, school, LIFE I never made time to blog.

BUT I started the new year off right!

I saw a link on a message board for a calendar called Motivated Moms. The description was short and sweet and exactly what my life needed...ORGANIZATION!

I don't know about you but Michael would get home at 6:30 and I would feel like I did a whole lot ALL day and didn't have much to show for it. Of course I would just blame it on 3 kids, 2 dogs and a cat for messing it all up.

So I immediately bought one of the calenders and began using it and holy cow I about cried. (I know no mom out there can relate to my old undisciplined, unorganized ways.)

Not only did my house look clean, it smelled clean AND Haley was eagerly participating in the chores! She loves a to-do list and what I had been trying to do for the past 2 years was solved in 5 minutes. She now has a list of daily chores that she completes at the start of her day with no complaining. (Yes I am over here doing a happy dance!)

I still have my playgroups and stay way to long at my mom's house but with my planner laying on my kitchen cabinet (open for all to see and admire) I have a plan and that makes me feel successful!

Anyways, here are some things in the page-per-day w/ bible verses planner (you can choose from a few different ones depending on what you like):

Daily chores that are done every day (ex. load/empty/run dishwasher, sweep kitchen, feed animals, clean sinks, exercise-ok so this one is going to burn a hole in my conscience until I actually can check it off-, plan/cook dinner...)
List of chores specific to that day (ex. on monday I may mop the kitchen, tuesday dust the living room, wednesday scrup the toilets...)
Daily Bible verses
Hourly schedule
Daily menu box
Notes section

For me this has helped me get one step closer to being the Proverbs 31 wife I am continually striving to be. To buy a planner for yourself Click here

A Fallen Soldier

2007-10-26T14:51:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon my family and I left the house to run some errands. As we began to leave our subdivision we were detoured by a police car. As we started to think of alternate routes we realized what the road block was for. On October 14th a hometown hero was killed in Iraq. When I first read of his death is deeply saddened me. I remember reading when he left for Iraq. But when you actually see flashing lights, hundreds of cars, motorcycle veterans, news helicoptors and people standing outside their cars showing as much respect as a human can show that's when sad takes on a deeper meaning. Sad became a horrible pit in my stomach. I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up. I wanted to let the tears flow but I was embarrassed of my emotions. I later found out when watching Channel 8 news that night that he was a husband and father to 3. I just finished reading the beautiful article on his life in our Krum newspaper. He was very highly decorated, a Special Forces Green Beret. He is the same age as my brother, 28. I have been forced to be aware of the brevity of life over the past week. A member of my church, a 19yo girl, was killed in an auto accident. An Oprah show w/ guests that are dieing right now of cancer but are living...LIVING...their life like we all should. These deaths explain why I have been thinking of my Meemaw and Pawpaw almost constantly the last few days. I use my memories with them as a reminder to love my family as much as I can every day. And to hold nothing back. I know we all die but it never gets easier hearing of a young person dieing. Justin's death has brought home the war. Before it was something I had no connection too. As of last Tuesday my step mom's nephew is fighting in Iraq. My prayers are more specific now. I am so grateful that I have my Lord and savior to comfort me in sad times and rejoice with me in good. Praise God for his plans.

Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgements, how unfathomable his ways. Romans 11:33

Tatu anyone?

2007-10-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

There are many times when I don't feel all that old but then a moment arises when my uncoolness shines through. For example, when I want to brag on my 5 yr old daughter's amazing soccer talent I want to compare her to Tatu.... crickets chirping... who?? If you aren't from Dallas and weren't awake in the late 80's (?) then you have no idea who Tatu is. I mean he was the single greatest indoor soccer player! Duh! Haley might not be Tatu but when I want to elevate her greatness to profession status he is who I think of and actually the only professional player I can actually name.
So what makes Haley so amazing??? WELL ONLY THAT SHE SCORED 4--- YES FOUR--- GOALS TODAY!! And just as I coached her :D after every score she would jump up and through her fist in the air. That's Prater blood I tell ya.

If you think you've had a rough life...

2007-10-12T19:27:00.000-05:00

I have a new friend and her name is Molly. I truly adore Molly. We get along great and even better our kids get along well. It seems though that poor Molly has experienced EVERY bad thing a mom can experience in her 3 short years of being a mom. Just to give you a brief laundry list of "episodes": crazy MIL that didn't become crazy until she got pregnant, PSYCHO doctor who violently delivered her son, p*nis issues w/son where again she encountered another psycho dr., bone infection that had to require surgery where her son's arm was literally removed scraped clean then reattached, son has these seizures when he gets worked up... okay that's just with Calen! I mean the woman has to have nerves of steel. Ok ok. I see you're not convinced. Here is the last couple of months: Ella drowns and is rescusitated by Molly, CPS comes a knockin'! Yikes! It puts my "problems" into perspective. I feel very blessed to know her and I pray for SAFETY for her family. Her husband is a big honcho with the Flower Mound fire dept. so b/w him and Molly's training as a nurse at least her babies are in good hands :))

Oh and I so have to brag on her knitting!! She has knitted Paisley some beeeautiful items. Here is a pic of one.

Updates

2007-09-23T22:35:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since my last post. Every day I think about writing but I have not really had much interest. We've been busy as usual. What family with 3 children isn't? Haley had her 3rd game yesterday. She scored her first goal! I am so in love with her! It is such a joy to watch her play. And I must humbly admit that I am like my mother. I have the biggest mouth on the sidelines. Maybe all the other parents missed the memo that you're supposed to be Asst. Coach by yelling for each and every player :D. I have a blast though. And of course my time to shine was this week...snack week. I brought half time and post game snacks. Now what kind of example would I be to sahms if I didn't go all out??? Don't worry the bar was set high LOL! Other than soccer we have been enjoying lots of family time. God has really brought us closer together lately, which is something only He could do because we were already really close! I am consciously aware that not all women have their husbands there all the time. Yes Michael goes to the office from 8 to 6 MWThF but other than that we're not apart. I can't imagine what I would do otherwise. God has been blessing Michael in some amazing ways these last 2 weeks. It is such a PRIVILEDGE!! to watch this occur. Of course I'd love to spew all the details but it's one of those things that no one else would really understand :P From one Christian to another though I'm sure the message is clear. God is GOOD! The only thing I'm missing is our family dinners. I sure miss seeing my brothers. That is the hardest part of growing up. They have lives too and well I guess that happens. I hope they know I pray for them daily. And I certainly hope they know that I am there in a second if they need me. Britt, if you read this, I love you and your sasqwatch husband too :)

Do I need a bigger plate?

Kerrville Homeschoolers has moved!

Just in case

My absence

Recent pics

I just thought the were potty trained!

A Thirst for Books

The rain dance worked!

Wordless Wednesday: No bone meal here

Haven's Playing Soccer!

Wordless Wednesday

My Favorite Person

False preacher anyone?? Part 2

False preacher anyone?? Part 1

Junkie People

Kerrville: Culturally Diverse

Annoying things today

Today's church

Haley's letter to Daddy

Sterling the caterpillar

Theology from a 5 year old

For future reference

What Sterling does for fun..

4th of July Slideshow of FUN!!

Haley's Baptism

Spiritual Gifts

Happy Birthday, Haven!

A Typical Day in the Beck House

No More "C" Word In This House!

Have A New Kid By Friday

Perfection

Creative Meals

Want to meet my chilldren?

Wild Olive Tees

Dentists really suck

My Life is Blessed

Not frustrated...as much

I went to bed frustrated

Who is your all-time favorite singer??

Beer and Breastfeeding

Amazing bed commercial from Spain!

What do Twitter, Rat snakes, Easter Bunny, and the year 1533 have in common??

Sterling video

Praying for Stellan

Pictures from Haley's Birthday Party

My Favorite Kind of Day!!!

Tantrum Tuesday

Come see my new car!

Day One as a Mom of 4!

Not the birth I planned for, but the baby I prayed for

Whale Watching

Don't Bet On Natural Labor Inducers

Waiting for baby

When words aren't adequate...

Soapbox Thursday

Soapbox Thursday

Radian 65 Car Seats

Death Always Hurts

My New Layout

Girl's Night Out

Did You Know I'm A Soapmaker?

A few pics from January

Our big move

Our Thanksgiving and then some

October Pics

Paisley has weaned

An Amazing Poem

September 2008 Update

A Blog I Love

Not SuperWoman

Being Tired

Having a cat is so much fun! *spoken with a side of sarcasm*

Scooter vs. 3 year old boy

My Loss for God's Glory

I can't stop buying cloth diapers!

I am so R I C H !!!

Is anthing safe??

Scarborough Faire 2008

The Tooth Fairy IS Real

Right Choices = Controversy

Having a cat is so much fun! spoken with a side of sarcasm