Seeker4Christ

Looking

2007-01-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

Looking for a free accoustic guitar. (And yes, I know about freecycle and am a member, but live in a very small community.) If you have one you would like to give me, email me at: u5bakers@yahoo.com. I will figure out a way to get it here. :) btw, our house is coming along. No pics as of right now, due to the fact that my digital camera is currently being repaired. If you would like details @ the house, you may ask your ?'s by emailing me at the same address. :)

Prayer

2006-12-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in soooooo long. Holidays. I just received some bad news. A "distant" neighbor friend of mine just found out her unborn baby girl has trisomy x. She is not married, but has a steady boyfriend (father of the unborn baby) and a 17 month old daughter. They are obveously reeling from the news -- just found out last night. I am unsure where their faith is. Please pray. thank you.

Drum Roll Please......

2006-11-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

(Bada bada bada bada bada bada)

Announcing....... with much pleasure.....we are.......

(Bada bada bada bada bada bada)

The new recipients.......

(Bada bada bada bada bada bada)

Of a Habitat For Humanity Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (CHA CHING!!!)
Yes that's right, folks!!!!

We will own our very own home in just a few (hopefully short) months! :D

Oh if you could only feel the excitement! If you could only hear the praises of Thanksgiving to the Lord!

If you could catch a glimpse of the renewed hope, the sense of joy overflowing, the feeling of peace in our household!

We are not only completely THRILLED that we will be able to move out of our tiny apartment (approx. 600 sq. ft.) to a much bigger (approx. 1100 sq. ft, maybe more), but I was very quick to realize that we will be able to PUT DOWN ROOTS for our children!!!

The Lord has given us a sneak peek at the future in telling us that he wants us to stay here awhile to do some of His work! Although that may be a little sad to our friends/family in Michigan, we can always still visit. And who knows where we may be in 5 to 10 years? Only God. Much praise is given to the Lord Most High for giving us a preview of what I'm sure everyone wonders about -- "What does God have in store for us?"

Without further adieu, here is a picture of the house
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The most work that will be required is that the bathroom needs to be gutted and the cabinets need to come down in the kitchen. It is a 3 bedroom so now DD can finally have a room of her own, which she is THRILLED about, I might add! We will be turning the attic into a playroom and we have a 1 car garage (not the one pictured, though) with a backyard. We will be putting in a chain-link fence in the back as well. We are asking (begging, really) volunteers of our church and my MOPS group to help. We need to log 500 hours total to complete our commitment and we want as much of the labor to be free as possible because the remainder goes into our mortgage.

So, here we sit, in the middle of paint swatches, cabinet and bathroom catalogs. What's that you ask? Oh, "aren't you jumping the gun"? Nope! Because #1) I'm excited!!!!!!!!!!!! #2) You try deciding paint, making it match, and designing the looks of your flooring, walls, trim, cabinets, sinks, toilet and tub as well as exterior paint and landscaping all at once and tell me how long you think it would take you to plan! HaHa! Oh, but it is a fun thing that I get to do all this and that my DH told me before we got married that decorating was completely my choice!!! :) We shall see if he sticks with that or renigs! :) I'm not a complicated person, but I tend to change my mind a lot esp. when it comes to decorating. I tend to go for very trendy looks, so I need to choose wisely so I won't be outdated in like a year or two. I also know for a fact that I most definitely will not be having any eggshell white or light tan like my dreadful apartment. No more of that! That is definitely too drab for me! I like liveliness! Excitement! Pizazz! So, keep checking......I will post when I get a chance. With DH working 6 days a week, I have to coordinate all of the work dates as well as oversee the crew and be present while the house is being worked on. ~~ Anyone want to come and help??? Do you know how to swing a hammer, wave a paint brush, rip off shingles and put on new ones?? C'mon over!!! Do you like kids? Come watch my angels while DH works and I am supervising. Do you not know how to do any of that stuff and you still want to help? That's ok too! We'll all learn together! Anyone who puts hours in to helping us counts toward our 500 hours, so the more the merrier! Well, I must be going! Decisions to be made! Hope to write again soon!

Stay Tuned......

2006-11-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Big news in the Baker household to follow..........after our local homework assignment(s) are completed......

Precious Children

2006-10-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

Sitting at the dinner table tonight. I can tell this is going to be a long week. DH having trouble with his knee again; bursitis or something. Not sure. More appointments and poking/prodding in the very near future while DH works in quite a bit of pain. DD is excited about a field trip tomorrow, DS#1 just now seems to be hitting the terrible twos or will it be tumultuous threes??? Heh heh...time will tell on that one....we shall see.....DS#2 is climbing and then standing on everything with a victorious look like he just conquered Mount Everest each time. So, we sit down to have baked potatoes with broccoli, cheese (not for the DD and DS#1 -- they don't like it if its not highly processed), some bacon bits and "Salad Toppins" (look them up in your groc. store -- crunchy things to put on salads & stuff). I quickly cooked the broccoli in the mic and then semi-cooled them to cut up for the kids. I found little bugs in my broccoli. Dead bugs, but bugs none-the-less. Luckily, I hadn't served it yet. At first, I thought it was just one or maybe two, then upon closer examination, I realized it was in all the broccoli that was on the plates I was just about to serve the kids. So, I decided to chuck that, saving just a bit in case the entire bunch that I purchased yesterday was ruined. Either I bought organic for $1.99 on sale, or the pesticides that they no doubt use for the non-organic doesn't work. Either way, not too pleased at this point. Cooked up some more, there were no bugs. Yea! So, without nary a word to the children, I served the bug-free broccoli. I was planning on waiting for DH to get home from work before eating, but then upon smelling the delicious aromas from the kids' food, I decided to go ahead and eat with them. So after preparing their plates, I started doing mine.

Ya know how they say hindsight is 20/20? Why do they say that? You can never go back and change whatever you've done wrong anyways. Like putting the bacon bits and Salad Toppins on the table where a (almost) three year old is present....first came the bacon bits -- just about 2 Tablespoons, I'd say, onto a single ice cream scoop sized potato. OK, not too bad. Just know that you are gonna have to eat all your potato, DS#1! So, do I take into consideration the Salad Toppins are now fair game? No. I turn back around and continue preparing my potato. DD says, "Mom, look what DS#1 just did!" Now, on top of the bacon bits, there are about 1/4 cup (maybe more) of Salad Toppins. AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
I took off as much as I could and put back. They were dry, and he didn't have any sauce or anything on his potato and well, there was quite a heap of them, so I could pick out the potatoes.

I sat down to eat. The kids were doing a lot of bickering this afternoon. And attempted to carry it on at the table. I just tried to eat and tune them out. It was nothing serious they were fighting about. I tried to carry on a conversation with DD about what she did in school today, and she said "all I can remember is not taking out a white card." Which is good that she didn't get into trouble, but she's not going to school to narrowly avoid the school system's discipline... LOL! As voices raise to a deafening height, I find myself staring at one of my pictures on the wall. And my thoughts start to wander...It has two ff's in it. That's like fortissimo. (a musical term, for those of you who don't know) I wonder if I can shrink myself and just disappear into those ff 's? Then, I could be really loud, like fortissimo. Maybe I could even be fortississimo...hmm. Then I wouldn't have to listen to their silly fighting... Yeah! I know! It'd be like DH & Twig going through the holes in the wall in their boredom at the guy's house! {Note: In between the fun and silliness of the goings-on with DH and his roommates, there was much boredom -- this was an inside joke developed during one of those times}. I was instantly snapped back to attention when I noticed DD's plate looking real shiny. She was dumping on the salt. She has done this before, and we have made her try a bite with all the salt. You'd think she would remember, but I guess she had a brain fart. Oh well, we all have them. They can't be helped. So I look across the table to DS#2, (who is watching everything that's going on and taking mental note, no doubt) and say "What am I gonna do with your brother & sister?" He looks at one sibling, then the other and back to me and smiles real big. -- He can't wait to join them! DS#1 says "I have a idea!" "What?" I said. "Let's go someplace." slightly chuckling, I said, "OK. Where?" DS#1 "On 'Cation!" That really brought the much-needed laughter out of me! "Where do you want to go on vacation, DS?" "To town!" (Now, I am really laughing!) Sissy said "Let's go to Florida so we can go to Disney World!" DS then said "No, I wanna go to town and watch baseball! Far far away!" They excitedly rambled on their plans. All in all, it was a fun dinnertime.

Thank you, God, for loaning me some of your most precious, prized and beloved possessions! They are a treasure from heaven and I love them dearly.

My eczema story

2006-10-07T08:58:00.000-05:00

My eczema started 2 months after I got pregnant with DS#2. So, I have suffered with it for almost two years. It started on my pinky finger on my left hand. At first, I didn't know why my finger was peeling and slightly itchy. It didn't start really being a bother until about six months after it started. But then it was only one finger, so it wasn't a big deal. It is now on my pinky, and middle finger all the way around on my left hand, and in between my middle and ring and ring and pinky fingers on my left hand. It is on my right hand on my middle and ring fingers all the way around and starting up my pointer finger. So, it has gotten progressively worse over the two years and is a HUGE deal!! It is also on the backs of my hands near the mentioned fingers and on the palm of my left hand. I have tried Noxema or Aquaphil and gloves at night, Topicort, a prescription given by my family dr and Eucerin lotion several times a day. Nothing really helped. Especially when my kids were sick and hand-washing quintupled! At times, I have had to take Tylenol or Advil just so I could sleep at night. I have worn rubber gloves while doing dishes for probably about a year. To put a rumor to rest; eczema is NOT contageous. I learned recently that it is hereditary. If asthma, hay fever, or hives runs in your family, you are suceptable to getting eczema. (And also if eczema runs in your family, obveously.) Well, we have all of those except eczema in my extended family. On with the story....

I had waited a l-o-n-g time to go to the dermatologist, because my family dr told me that I had to have DS#2 weaned first, due to the fact that I would be getting an oral steroid treatment. So, at the beginning of Sept., I went back to family dr so he could refer me to a dermatologist and he decided to give me the steroid pack himself first. I took it and it was like a miracle! Within 48 hours, my eczema was gone! Then, 24 hours after I finished the steroid, it was back. So I had to go back in to the family dr to get a referral to the dermatologist. They at first couldn't get me in until the end of Oct, and I called and begged them for anything cancellation-wise. They got me in two days later (which was Thurs). I was told that I had a "severe" case of hand-eczema. {Like, tell me something I don't know!} Further, that he was going to prescribe a hydrocortisone cream but the best way to help myself was to pamper myself, and to sit tight, they had a lot to teach me. So, they told me that eczema wasn't curable, but they could teach me how to make the itching, redness, swelling and pain go away. I thought, Ok! I am game! When I informed them of my "occupation" of a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) with 2 children in diapers, they said "oh, goodness! You probably get your hands wet 25 times or more a day!" I said, "Yeah, you're probably right!" They told me that I was to only wash my hands or get them wet 5 or 6 times a day! How was I going to accomplish that, I wondered? Well, they said get a pair of cotton gloves and also a box of latex gloves and double glove for everything that might get my hands wet except after I go to the bathroom, when in the shower, and of course before and after meals. That's it. Everything else, double glove. When doing dishes, I have worn the long gloves for about a year, because without them, by the end of one day, my hands are soooooo raw I cannot bend my fingers. Seriously! They look very old and even arthritic. Well, before doing dishes, I would slather on the lotion. I thought the heat was helping the lotion to soak in. Come to find out, that was worse! It actually caused my hands to sweat, and that is a bad thing because it makes your natural skin oils come out instead of staying in where it can moisturize. Oops! So now, I have to put the cotton liners on, then the rubber gloves. I have to use Norwegian formula Neutrogena Body Emulsion Lotion LOTS each day. ;) Dr said it would work better than Eucerin cream. He was right! Major difference! And a tube for my purse. I also had to buy Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser for my hands. One bottle for the kitchen and one for the bathroom. It doesn’t foam or bubble which, I’m told, is what I want because the bubbling and foaming is what dries your skin. Don’t ask me how it actually cleans and I won’t pretend to know what I’m talking about! This was a hefty little investment, but as my DH said, if I don’t have the things I need in multiple places, then I won’t always use what I’m suppose to and will defeat the purpose of the other efforts I’m making and I wouldn’t get better. Also, when I do a diaper change or even peel veggies, prepare meals, and give the kids a bath, I have to wear the cotton gloves then latex! Well, not actually latex. I was concerned being that I would be touching the food the kids eat that they may have a latex allergy that we don't know about yet. Fine with the diaper changes and baths, but if I'm going to be touching food that they will take internally, I don't want them to have anaphylactic shock and have to beat the clock to get them to the hospital when there are alternatives to the latex. I chose Nitrile exam gloves. They were 40 gloves for $4.46 at Walmart. Yikes!!! I will be contacting medical supply companies to find out how much they are in those types of stores next time! The Nitrile gloves are non-latex and powder free. Anyways, for the plain jane latex they were only 50 gloves for 3 bucks, so not much of a difference in price. I just didn't want to take the risk, can you blame me? Well, I decided that when changing the boys' diapers I am only gonna wear gloves if they did a #2. This might sound gross, but if its just a #1, then I don't touch anything that's wet. You get quite efficient after doing diaper changes like 15 times a day for 5+ years, believe me! Then, I also reasoned that when I change a #2, regardless if my gloved hands get anything on them, I would wash my gloves (while I am wearing them) with antibacterial soap (which is also very drying and bad for your skin 25 times a day, by the way) and dry the gloves really well and reuse them. Sound gross? If you think about it, that's exactly what you would do even if you weren't wearing gloves and you had bare hands, right? You don't throw away your hands after each diaper change...so why the gloves? I can't possibly be throwing away multiple pairs of them each day, esp at a price of .11 each! Sounds cheap, but if you add it up day by day, it gets expensive very quickly! It's a pain in the neck to apply two layers of gloves just to grab a washcloth to wipe off the kids' faces, but I'll tell you something -- it hasn't even been 48 hours since I've started this regimen and it has made a drastic improvement in how my hands look and feel. I was also told to double glove when scrubbing the floor, washing the car, and washing windows. I'm telling you, though: the chemicals and soaps we use for everyday cleaning burn my hands terribly! I don't know why I didn't think of the glove thing myself. Even the acid from grapes, apples and bananas stings. Who would have thought? Anyways, the topical steroid cream I use before bed and right when I get up is good. My only regret? I wish my family dr would have sent me to the dermatologist months ago when I originally asked him about it -- I could have found relief much sooner! I have had a bit of adjusting to pampering myself. Most moms put themselves last. I am one of them. Perhaps this is the Lords way of saying "you need to do this for yourself so you aren't in pain." I would almost cry giving my kids baths, it was terrible! I kind of feel like I've been given a life-sentence. The dr said that my skin-system was failing me much like having lung or heart failure. Well, when you put it that way, I guess hand eczema isn't so bad. But it is still life-changing -- since I have to do everything so differently than before. It's so weird and amazing how one little doctors visit can change your life as you know it. I am truly thankful that it is not more serious!

If anyone learns something from this that will help yourself or anyone else you know, please comment. If you have an eczema story you'd like to share, please comment. Or, you may email me at: seeker_4_christ@yahoo.com.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering, I use a different pair of gloves for diaper changing than I do for food prep -- just in case! ;)

A change was due

2006-09-27T09:27:00.000-05:00

A change was due to this blog of mine. It had to match the season. I've added my picture (finally) for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of knowing me IRL. I've added other things, and taken other things away. Browse, lurk, check it out, comment. Commenting is good. Feedback is better. I also added a "theme verse" for myself. When I searched my heart and asked God which to choose, He led me to the verse listed. (See under blog title). And so I read the chapter and found great comfort in His words to Jeremiah. I am hereby claiming Jer. 31: 2-8 as my verses that I will cling to and claim as my own. I claim them over my life in the name of Jesus.

Note to self...and anyone else who might heed my warning...

2006-09-24T21:49:00.000-05:00

When taking the task upon yourself to put new staples in your stapler, don't wonder if there's any "whole sticks" of staples in the box, and thereby dump out your box of 5,000 staples. For it is a Pandora's Box in reality.
Now why, in the world, do staples come in boxes of 5,000??? Does anyone know? I mean, I know if you were working in an office then you go through a lot quite quickly, but come on! 5,000? I also know from my days in the office that when you place an order through your purchasing dept that they come in packs of like 6 or 8 boxes (maybe more) from Office Max or wherever. Yet another type of conspiracy, if you ask me. Oh, there are hundereds, maybe even thousands of those, right under your nose, and you probably don't even realize it. You've probably never stopped to think about it before. And you think Big Brother is just a reality tv show! Ha! Sorry for me going weird. I'm gonna have to do a post soon about my own conspiracy theories. Stay tuned -- its bound to be a great read! All joking aside, though. To make my staple matters worse, did you know that you cannot just "shove" those blasted things back in the box? Oh, no. You've gotta stack 'em. Makes sense, I guess, since that is how they came out of the box. So, the pic above is my Pandora's Box mess, and the pic below is how I had to reorganize them just to put them away.

Yellow Jackets

2006-09-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

Reading a friend's blog about flying ants made me think of an expierence of my own, so I thought I'd write about it. It was terrible! Read on...We have had a serious problem with Yellow Jackets this month! I can't put my daughter on or get her off the bus without the terrible things swarming around and dive bombing me and my kids! Its really aweful! About 4 weeks ago, I got stung by one. DS#2 almost got stung cuz it landed on his face and he went cross-eyed and swatted, which made the yellow jacket mad, and it dove for DS#2 so then I instinctively swung at it for coming near my baby. I connected with its head, which, needless to say, made it come after me. Then, as it landed, I knew what was going to happen, and I dropped DS#2 in the process of trying to ward it off and not get stung myself. It didn't work. I got stung anyways, but at least my baby didn't. And he only got a scrape on the leg, which was much less than what is still "bugging" me. (no pun intended.) That thing, thought was rotten! I had to squeeze it to death to pull it out of my arm! It wouldn't brush off. You know, when something lands and stings or bites you, you try to give it the ole"brush off"? Yeah, no. Not happening with this one! I guess it got stuck. The sting-site ached and kept me from sleeping well for almost 4 days; also my inside forearm swelled, got really hot and there was a red area about the size of a softball. it only swelled about and inch and a half, though. My parents were not as concerned, until they saw what I was telling them was true! My brother saw 24 hrs post sting, then saw it 48 hrs post sting and became alarmed that my body was reacting that way but I wasn't having any breathing problems. My dad took an Xacto knife to my arm and removed what we thought to be not only a stinger but also the venom-sack. But why am I still itching? I am highly allergic to Benadryl. I cannot take a children's dose of the children's liquid without passing out for at least 2 hours. Let alone and adult pill. So the only comfort I have is the cream (tried it, it KILLED me to try to rub it in!) or the Caladryl, or that AfterBite stuff. Both work ok, but only last for about 20 minutes, then the immense itching/redness/hotness is back. We have not been able to play outside or get into our van without 4 or 5 coming in with us. It really makes you leary and edgy and kinda like a looney bin in your head to see them or have them flying around you after getting stung that bad! You start freaking out, I mean really losing your mind whenever you are outside. I wouldn't classify myself as an outdoors kinda girl, although I am making an effort to be moreso for my kids' sake, but I'm not typically scared of stinging insects. I usually just calmly shoo them away and they don't get to me. Not now. Hopefully next year we won't have such an outbreak or bumpercrop or whatever you want to call it. The first year we were here, was the year of the houseflies. Terrible. Much rather that in my house that I can chase and kill without the potential of harm coming to me and my children vs. the Yellow Jackets. See, I thought it was just my apt. complex, till I started going to the store, and I was 4 blocks from home at a stoplight and saw them trying to get into a car 3 cars behind me. Yes, I could see them that far back -- that's how many there were around here! Plus, they were all around at two different stores in two different cities about 5-10 miles apart, and about 15 miles from my place. Apparently, it is a NE Ohio thing. Yeay! Aren't we special? I only hope I don't get stung again. Ever. I haven't bene stung by anything since I was a teen, and back then, I wasn't allergic. Now, who knows? The reaction I displayed was so bad that I wonder what would happen if I got more than one sting? I don't want to find out, but I'm considering myself borderline allergic. I spoke to my Pharmacist friend, who said my only option was to use the topcial cream or lotion. So, it has been a l-o-n-g time healing. Although the pain was gone by about 7-10 days, the bump is still there and quite itchy when touched or brushed against something. Which is like all the time since it's on the inside of my forearm. What do you think?

This wonderful time of Autumn

2006-09-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

First, I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Mindy & Mike!! The Lord has blessed them with a baby! They are now pregnant after trying to conceive for 6 1/2 years! Much love to them! :)

I love to keep the temp inside down low so I can dress warmly and drink coffee or hot cocoa frequently! :) Besides, my birthday, anniversary, DS#1 b-day and Curt's b-day are all in fall! I love it! The football, although I can't see many MSU games down here. :( Only if they play Ohio State or Penn State; maybe a few others. But, I frequently call my dad during the games to get that great play-by-play action! Today, my DD was suppose to wear the color red, as they are studying the word, color, and things that are red. And the fact that OSU plays Penn State tomorrow. DD asked me to wear red, too. I thought and thought, and told her, "Ya know, Mommy just can't do it! This girl bleeds green and white!" Of course, that alarmed her, so I had to explain. But I can't betray my home state of Michigan just because we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. Looking forward to a great year w/ MSU -- can they do it????? Will this be the year?? We shall soon find out....

Also, this time of year causes me to be introspective. Which is a great thing. It can turn out to be a bad thing if I do it too much, but to heck with reevaluating myself at the end of the year, I like to do it now, when everything is crisp. I feel more alive now. By January, I'm ready to hibernate and do nothing. That is not my best time to be creative. Today, I will be getting out my autumn decorations. I love fall so much that I heard a name once I might use if we ever adopt (considering biological kids aren't coming anymore) a little girl. The name would be Autumn Rain. Now, don't steal this from me! I wanted it for my DD, but everyone told me I couldn't use it because my DD was born when? (just checking if you all have been reading my posts! Ha!) she was born in the summer. Somehow Summer Rain just wasn't as nice sounding to me. If I could name DD all over again, it would most definately be Autumn Rain. Mindy, if you want, you can steal the name. :) I don't know anyone else who's pg, but I don't really care if someone steals it. I've always wanted to meet someone with my name, but never have in person. Once over the phone while working in a call center I did. Needless to say, we were both shocked! I could like totally roll around on the ground like a dog, that's how much I love fall! However, the last two years I have had allergy problems. But then, I was either pregnant or nursing. Now, I'm not, so I can pump my body full of drugs so I can enjoy this time of year! (jk!) Seriously, though, my options for medicine are now wide open, so I shouldn't be so miserable due to the fact that the dr cannot give me anything. I will be taking many pics of trees and maybe my decorations and posting, so stay tuned!

I Won! update

2006-09-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I won tickets to go see Anberlin (christian hard rock) at Cleveland's HOUSE OF BLUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been my hubby's and my DREAM since moving here to go to a concert there!!!!! (that and the bloom amphetheatre). I am totally GEEKED to say the least! I have not stopped running, skipping and jumping around since I won them. It was the greatest radio station in the whole universe that I won them from; The FREQ 107.1!!!! I love them and we here are truely blessed to have them. I won the Jolly Time Popcorn Question of the Day. (Thanks, Matt!! :-D ) I just can't stop listening to Anberlin. I can't decide between the radio and them! It's great! We have hubby's mom coming to watch kids for us. I will definately post pics (if they let us take them). At least before and after pics of us. What's more, is that DH and I get a date night! We haven't been out since our anniversary (which is coming up in a few weeks, by the way!) So we really need it! Thanks again, Matt! You're truely the best DJ ever!

**update** We went, we had a great time! Pics to come soon! Wanna get my fall decorations out today, then maybe post pics, or post Saturday. :) Awesome concert, though! Will go down in history as one of my favs based on location alone, not to mention the band ROCKED!

Its been a looooonnnnnggggg time!

2006-09-06T20:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it has. Between not having time to blog with end of summer vacations, school starting and spending quality family time, blogging has taken a back seat for me. I apologize. My daughter is now in kindergarten, and loving it. I was sent a note home yesterday that I had to sign and return! She was being disruptive in class and bossing others. :( I just knew that I would get a note home -- was hoping it was going to be a little further down the road. Three days into the schoolyear means that it may be a long year with trips to the principal's office. (Three minor offenses, which this was classified as, equal one major offense.) We shall pray continually and look for "teachable moments" to guide her heart in the right direction. Maybe we will end up homeschooling afterall??? Ok. Not going there and getting myself all rialed up. She loves riding the bus, and says she's already invited one of her friends for a sleepover. (To which I had to remind her to ask me first.) She loves music class, but really gets "bothered and annoyed" with her friends copying her in class. I explained to her that it was because they liked her and they thought she was cool and they wanted to be like her and you should have seen her face light up! "It is! Wow! I didn't know that!" she said. Last evening, we spent about 2 1/2 hours at K*Mart doing school clothes shopping. It was stressful. Let me tell you! She has the know-it-all attitude of a teenager with none of the reasoning skills. I'm not being mean here, but that's the best way I can sum it up. For instance, when asked "do you like these jeans?" her response: "Well, what was your question again? Oh yeah do I like the jeans, right mom? Let me think....(meanwhile, I'm standing there still holding the jeans and another 30 seconds goes by, then) No. I don't. Well, yeah, I guess I do. But I like those ones you asked me about before, too." By this, she would be actually referring to ones she turned down 3 pairs previous; meaning we have to go through like 10 pair to find them. Am I making my point? I guess I gave her too many choices. I should've just gone myself and bought them for her. I know she adores the color pink and also princesses. Next year, I will do this. It's just plain easier. The papers the teacher sends home is going to surely drown me by Christmas. Its not homework, just what equals a lot of "bathroom reading material". Its the PTO and Open houses, support the football team and the soccer team, and its the book fairs, etc. You all with kids in school or graduated know what I mean. Its a bit intimidating, and I typically have had about 45 minutes of reading per night to stay caught up with the goings-on of the school!

Ok. DS#1 is still doing well on his Zantac and we have a checkup appt tomorrow with the gastroenterologist. His appetite seems to be quite supressed, so I will be addressing this issue. He is also getting better at computer games and asks frequently to play games on the "On-a-net" (internet). We do some of the Yahooligans games, and some of the Nick jr games. He is getting good at doing a CD ROM game that is Maurice Sendak's "Little Bear". He can find things and games I ask him about, and he doesn't realize he's learning. He is also talking tons more without sissy around interrupting and speaking for him. Last week, DH asked him if he wanted a dog and that if he gets one, he's gonna have to pick up the dog poo from the yard. To which DS replied "EEEEEWWWW! No! I do want a dog, though. And a ball. I will throw the ball and say 'go catch, boieeeeee!' " (that would be 'boy' with the y drawn out.)

And now for DS#2. He is already 14 months and 5 days old! Waaaaaaa! My baby is growing up. I know he's still a baby, but my hormones are out of whack as he is weaned now. He hasn't nursed since Monday at about 11am. It was time. He was only nursing twice a day, before nap and bedtime, but he wasn't nursing to get to sleep much at all. I am currently not feeling so good in the chest area -- painful. Its amazing how quickly you forget stuff like that! That will pass soon, though. The main push for weaning was my problem with eczema. Its only on my hands, but come November, I will have suffered with it for 2 years. It came about when I was about 2 months pregnant with DS#2, and I was told not much can be done because of him being nursed. It has spread to double the surface-area than the original outbreak, and is itchy and I get water-filled bubbles that are very painful. Not to mention that my skin cracks and bleeds at the joints. My goal was to nurse to 12 months, and then take it from there, so I feel satisfied for reaching that goal. I just told my DH he should be happy that I have the eczema to make me want to wean so I can take care of it because otherwise who knows how long I would nurse, knowing this is my last baby??? LOL! I wouldn't nurse him past probably 18 months, if even that long. Did I mention that when DS#2 was 9 months old, my doctor told me that he was fairly certain that my eczema could be cleared up with one weeks worth of steroids and he thought it had only a low chance of returning? Let me say for someone who is extremely pro-nursing that made me want to wean him and start the formula right then and there!!!! But, I had to do what was in the best interest for my baby. I chose to suffer and put him first, because for me, that's what motherhood is about. Me taking a backseat and letting my kids enjoy life. :) And most of the time, I'm happy to do it. :) Today, DS#2 was in the backpack carrier while I was preparing dinner (yes I still use the backpack carrier! He is the biggest momma's boy you'll ever meet -- ever challenging him for that title is his big brother, though!) Anyways, I realized that right behind me, I heard DS#2 singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'. No, I'm not kidding. And yes, I am bragging. :) Of course, he wasn't using the words, but he was saying "nana nana" to that distinct tune. What's more, is that I asked him if he was singing 'Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star' and he nodded yes with a big smile. I have been singing that to him lately to calm him before bed or during a diaper change when he just wants to get on with playing! Bragging about my kids is a decision I have made to go ahead and do on my blog. I have tried to be careful in past entries so as not to make people feel like I was saying "my kid is better than yours", but I decided that every parent feels like their own kid is the best kid, so I'm going ahead and doing it! Please don't take offense. It's nothing against your kids, I just love mine!!! :)

my fear of the Lord personal study

2006-08-17T09:44:00.000-05:00

Remember a few posts back when I said I was gonna do that study? Well, I have. I was hoping to delve much more into individual but with hubby being gone around 80 hours a week, I am really taking care of the kids and household by myself, so I just don’t have the time. That is sad to me.

Here is what I believe is the bottom line of what I have learned: I looked up Psalm 111:10 in my New King James Personal Study Bible (by Thomas Nelson Publishers) and here is what it said: v10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. I have footnotes that coincide with each verse and they say fear of the LORD: This phrase is used in the OT to designate true religion. That is, a life which expresses its accountability to God. This awareness of accountability to God is seen as the foundation of wisdom. See “The Fear of the Lord” at Gen. 20:11. So in Genesis 20:11 we read (v11) And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. Then below in the footnotes area there is a grey box that’s the “focus” area which says: The OT has no word for religion. This is probably so because for the OT people all of life was religion. But the phrases the fear of God or the fear of the Lord come close to expressing what we mean by the term religion. It reflects a life-style which always takes into account that there is an all-wise, all-powerful, all-righteous God who holds people accountable for their behavior. To act sinfully is to act as though God is either too weak, too ignorant, or too inconsistent to enforce His will. To live in loving fellowship with God is possible only for those who “fear” Him.
That really about sums up this study for me. I miss doing that with my husband. We used to spend a few hours a day sudying the Bible when we were dating -- (I was working 40 hrs a week and he was laid up and we had no kids. Sometimes I really think "those were the days".) Maybe some day I can come back and reopen this study. That would be cool. I feel a peace about ending it now, though. And it has raised my awareness of the things that I do read, and I am slowly learning to filter more of what goes across the tickertape of my mind.
Those of you wishing to know more about what I found can contact me via email at: seeker_4_christ@yahoo.com.

Save your Money

2006-08-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note: Save your money. Don't buy that Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Cleaner. Pretty periwinkle blue bottle, but after purchasing and comparing to my large bottle of bleach at home, I'm quite certain it's just bleachwater in a fancy spray bottle. It was between $2 and $3 and I at first thought I was getting a good deal. I like it, but I could've made it myself much cheaper. I think those Clorox wipes are much better -- handy, although expensive. Just a heads up! ;)

Ooops!

2006-08-16T20:14:00.000-05:00

I apologize for forgetting to update about DS#1. I talked with my mom and family members about it and forgot about my blog friends :( sorry! Anyways, the test results came last Thursday and he was put on Zantac twice a day as they believe that he has acid reflux. Poor lil guy! I'm glad that's all it is though. They tested and searched for many other more serious, life changing things (a bunch of things I cannot remember/pronounce) and it was none of them. Thank you and praise you Jesus! We have a follow up appointment in about a month to discuss if the Zantac is working. So far, it is. The last time he threw up was about July 13th or 14th. It has been over a month! Wow! But he's only been on the medicine since last Thursday.

My Lil' Guy

2006-08-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

**UPDATE** Yesterday was the two scopes. Upper and lower. Doctor said there was nothing to cause major concern. Upper showed possibility of acid reflux, and the lower showed some signs of redness but was thought to be caused by the scope itself. No colitis, or Chrohns (sp?) Disease. Nothing abnormal or out of the ordinary. He did take some small tissue samples with a tiny brush and swabbed some different areas. They are testing for flu-like bugs that he maybe hasn't fought off that are hanging around. Those results will come back in 4-5 days at which point they will call me and discuss what meds to put him on and for how long. They will be giving him something for the reflux, but they want to know more of what they are dealing with first. We praise you Lord Jesus that You are the divine Healer! Thank you that my little boy has nothing major wrong! Do you all know how many times I myself have wanted to shrink and crawl into DS body just to try to help? It is an awful feeling to have your baby sick and not be able to make it go away or know what is causing it to avoid those certain things. It is miserable. Not to mention how the child must feel. Took awhile to get the procedure started. The other child that was there was picked up by the nurses and carried to the OR, but they said my DS looked so comfy they just wheeled the gurney he was lying on and took him that way. Let me tell you that was a God thing!!! Right now, DS doesn't like being taken away from his "mom-mom". It's not really a separation anxiety (at least at this point) but he just really likes to stick close to me. So for him to go with strangers and to be carried away by them would've been a lot worse. See, we had just made him a "nest" out of the warm blanket they brought him and his "fafa" (favorite blanky he goes NOWHERE without!) and a big fluffy pillow and his "fuzzy puppy" stuffed toy. He was chillin. I did well, too. But I will say that as he was being wheeled away and I was walking the other direction there was a moment of sadness in which I almost lost it and ran back blubbering, but right at that moment, the Holy Spirit calmed my nerves and said "I am with you. I am with him. Everything will be fine. Trust Me." And that's what I did. I didn't pray the whole time. I didn't feel like I needed to. In fact, I forgot to ask for prayer in church on Sunday, and I forgot all week to call my pastor! But it wasn't that I didn't want them to know or anything, I would lift up the procedure in prayer each time it came to mind during the week, and trust and know that God was in the midst of it, and then I would leave it at the throne. Isn't that what casting our cares on the Lord is all about? Sure, it surfaced in my mind occasionally, but not near to the magnitude as most things worry me. And each time I prayed, I felt an amazing amount of peace. Then I would forget to worry. Most previous times, I would worry then pray, then go right back to worrying again. I know that the Holy Spirit is moving over my life right now. I have gone back several times to my blog entry of what God is speaking to me and read it to myself. To remind myself both of what God said and what I am suppose to be doing and not doing. It is so hard to not read things other than what God told me to! Let me tell you: I LOVE to read!!!!! I will read anything news online, watch CNN's ticker tape, or occasionally MSN ticker tape to get caught up with what's going on in the world, but I read billboards, signs, even things like street signs I know what street they are. I am a reader of everything. But you know what? I realized I also read things like Hollywood gossip both on the opening page when I get online and in the checkout line of the grocery store. I never pick it up, but I still read. Its like my brain says "oh look there's some words." and that thought is instantaneous and I just read it without thinking what it is I'm looking at. I need to create a conscious, huge filter when I leave the house. But also about the Holy Spirit moving; I recently had a pretty long conversation via IM with a friend who is really searching for Christ. It was wonderful! I was able to answer most questions for her and had some help. (Thanks mom! The Lord will bless you for your willingness to be available to me on a moment's notice! :) ) I kept praying over the conversation. There was a definite spiritual battle as Satan was trying to get me to take the credit and I was not accepting, and Satan was trying to get me to admit defeat, which I did NOT do. There was warfare done during said conversation, as well as praise and Thanksgiving to God for using me! I am thirsty to learn more and be used more in this way! It was so awesome to see God woven through the conversation. Hallelujah!

Things the Lord is showing me right now

2006-07-31T10:26:00.000-05:00

Start taking notes on the sermons given in church. On Mondays, take the specific points and/ or scriptures from within the notes that the Lord has laid upon my heart and type them and post around the house.

I am to soak up like a sponge each bit of scripture. I am to read only the Bible and concordances for right now. (With the exception of finishing the Karen Kingsbury book I am Â¾ the way through and the book God specifically called me to order from Christianbook.com) After those books, only Bible and nothing else.

I am to highly guard the content that plays on my television. Both for my children and myself. Also the content that comes through my front door.

The Lord wants to do a mighty work in me. He told me: Daughter, you are a beautiful and gorgeous lady on the outside. You need to "wear" that knowledge and carry yourself as so, because it is so. Do not look at your body and think about how you want to change your weight. I love you the way you are. You are desirable to your husband. Do not worry. The inside of you, Daughter, your heart is what I want to change. You are cracked and dry and hardened by the things of your past. Those things that have happened have caused you to be angry and resentful and though you try to be happy, this is affecting your outlook on life. Anger is a sin. Anger is ugly, and I want you to have no part of it. You must let it go, cast it off. I will help make it a foreign thing to you and to your heart. Another thing; do not be so quick to judge others. For though they may seem ugly on the outside or even like they have it all together on the outside, I am doing a work on their hearts. Can't you see it matters not what is outside? It is a heart issue. Every time. I will teach you how to be skillful at approaching those subjects/problems you used to approach with anger in a different manner. To learn this, my daughter, you must get your head in My Word. Focus on it. Devour it. To say "soak it up" does not begin to tell you how to do it. I want more than that from you. I will make you voracious for my Word. Memorize it. Hide it in your heart. The second thing you must do is be silent before Me. I cannot speak to you if you are not silent before Me. I want to tell you so much more than this. But you must listen. I speak to the quiet places of your heart. It is there that you will find me. It is there you will be able to discern My will from yours and from Satan's. The more you listen and are silent before Me, the more easily you will discern and recognize the difference between the voices. You are so easily swayed right now by confusion. This will be no more if you heed my instructions. You will know exactly what to do in each situation.

I love you. You are my daughter and I love you very much. Consider this message a message of joy and love that will change your life, ignite your heart and grow your spirit. ~ God

Please be gentle, careful and loving with your comments. This is the most personal thing I have ever shared on my blog.

Also, Proverbs 9: 10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” I will be doing a study on this verse and what it means to fear the Lord in the near future.

What celebrity do YOU most look like?

2006-07-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

I heard about a website from the christian radio station Air One. It has a free service where you can upload a picture from your computer of yourself or a family member and it will scan the picture and do a cross-reference of sorts to show you out of 3,500 most popular people of the world whom you most look like. I found that it mainly goes on the smile. See what you can come up with. Just a little bit of fun, but be forwarned: you may want to set a timer -- this can take up a lot of time if you really get sucked in to these things.

So who did they say I most look like? Anne Hathaway, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts. I found it interesting that it showed Emma Watson for both myself and my daughter. Also, she had one that was the same as my husband as well. (Yes, you can choose after the scan male, female or both.) Its not entirely what I would call accurate, but it is fun. Click here if you want to go directly to the site. The address (in case you want it for later) is: www.myheritage.com

I did read through the "EULA" or the "Terms and Conditions" and it didn't seem bad. (No profanity, nudity, or copyrighted stuff.) Its free to sign up.
(Note: I will soon be posting my picture and then you can judge for yourself.)

Are you a slacker mom?

2006-07-30T14:41:00.000-05:00

That's what was asked of me. I thought nothing of it at first and then decided to take the quiz.

Its not as bad as it sounds. Or maybe it is. I guess I scored pretty well. I don't usually do these things, but I can throw caution to the wind ~ once in a while! :) {FYI: It's meant to be fun, nothing serious.} If you do this, please share your results with me! :)

Here are my results:

Your quiz results make you a Zen Mom. How do you do it? Even when explosions are all around, you are able to take a deep cleansing breath and chant your mantra "this too shall pass." You are a calming influence on your kids in a hectic world.

Take this free personality test by Clicking Here>> or going to www.areyouaslackermom.com

Psalm 121 (NIV)

2006-07-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Speaks for itself. I cannot add anything to make it relate better. This is like a healing balm to my soul in the wake of what has happened and what lies ahead for my little boy. Praise the LORD!

Pediatric Gastroenterologist

2006-07-28T07:26:00.000-05:00

Yep! That's where our pediatrician sent us. They said that it may be a food allergy, but since it was "tummy trouble" that he was having they wanted us to go to this kind of dr first. Then he could handle the allergy if there was one and if he needed allergy testing, that specialist would refer us out. On Wednesday when we went to the pediatrician and they found a cancellation at the pediatric gastroenterologists office for the next day! It usually takes about 1 month to get in, so can you see God's hand in this already? (For those of you who don't know what that kind of a doctor is, its a doctor that specializes in the tummys and digestion for children.) :) The doctor was very patient with DS#1. You can tell that kids are his specialty. He checked for blood in the stool. An immediate test. None. Whew! Thank you Lord Jesus! The next thing was to get an endoscopy from both ends. That is a scope done of his esophogus (throat) and stomach (to check for acid reflux and ulcers) and a scope done of his colon and lower intestine. He commented that it could be a resistant bug that won't leave, or acid reflux. Didn't mention anything else, although I know they will be probably looking for polyps and stuff. Once again, there was the ability to schedule soon, so the scopes will be done next Thursday. I will have the 40 minute drive for this one, though. Please pray that my son will be able to hold down the magnesium citrate that I will be giving him the day before. If he throws that up, I will have to give him a pediatric fleets enema. Yuck! But I will do ANYTHING for my son to help him! Doctor said that the upper scope would take one to two minutes and the lower no more than 5 to 10. However, they are going to be using general anesthesia and putting my little baby under. :( Now, I have faith in my regular pediatrician's office that they will send us to excellent specialists, but....it seems so sad that my baby has to have problems at such a young age! Each time I feel burdened with this; I fervently pray about it that the Lord's will be done and that he will be guiding the doctor's hands. That DS will wake up right away from the anesthesia with no problems. Please be in agreeance with my DH and myself on that day! BTW (by the way), DH will be taking the day off work to stay at home with the other two kids. (To understand more about this post and how things started, click here then scroll up.)

The Innocence of a 2 1/2 year old!

2006-07-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

I want to share with you a conversation that took place between myself and DS#1. IT may be a little explicit but I mean no disrespect to my son or anyone reading this. I found it hillarious! It will be a great story to share with his future wife! Here goes:
DS:"Mom-mom! Help me peese! Got pdsklfasj (unknown word) im my bahow. (butthole) Here look with dis." And he hands me the focusing-part of my Easy Show Projector from when I was a kid. [Now I know that there was no way he could know that it was a magnifying glass of sorts! We haven't been able to get the projector to work in over a year.]
Me:"What?!" As I turn to look at him, he is bent over. I never knew a kid could bend over so far that his place "where the sun don't shine" could actually be pointed to the heavens and the sun could shine on it! For it was pointed straight up! Trying not to show the fact that I was alarmed and chuckling, I said "Whoa there! Now what is going on?" At this point, he has my FULL attention.
DS:"I got something, a p-jklelshghn. Its in my bahow, mom-mom! GET IT OUT! PEESE! I looked and saw nothing. I said "Buddy, you're clean as a whistle. There's nothing there. What are you tryin' to say, though. Poopy, puddle, puzzle, potty..." I could tell the word was starting with a 'p'. He was getting frustrated. He said:"It has one, two, free legs, mom-mom! Look!" And woump! There he is bent over again! I said, "Buddy. Really, there is nothing there." DS:"Mom-mom!!! [then very slowly] it has one, two, free, four, fi, sick legs. [wiggles fingers like crawling bug legs].
Me:"Oh! You mean a spider!? No, honey. There's no spider on or in your butthole."
DS:"Uh huh! I can feel it! [bends over again and points] Right here!" At this point, his rear is again pointed skyward and he points to the wrinkly part.
Me(now laughing uncontrollably):"Buddy, you are fine. You have nothing to be scared of. That is your butthole. Its part of you and how God made you and me and all of us. Don't worry, honey. "
DS:"Ok, mom-mom. Need new diaper now."

Another thing happened today: I was in the bathroom. Usually my dear daughter comes in unannounced and uninvited. Today, much to my surprise, it was DS#1! He was mumbling something about his sister and the baby that I'm watching. I couldn't understand him, so I asked him to repeat. To which he said .[while tapping his index finger on his chin]Hmmm. [then scratches his head] Me no no (don't know) what me saying."

Too funny! I love my kids so much! I learn from them every day.

The Timothy Posts

2006-07-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

I will no longer be posting every day on Timothy.

DS #1 and my hubby

2006-07-23T14:48:00.000-05:00

In my daddy's truck! :)

Nanananananananana Batman!

DH by his work truck! I am soooooo proud of him! :)

Happy lil guy!

DS#2's New Look

2006-07-23T14:36:00.000-05:00

(Offering me a piece of cheese!)

Here's his new 'do! How do you like it? We had to trim the bangs; they were poking his eyes and he was rubbing them a lot. Then the hair over his ears had to be cut. It was past his earlobes! So of course we had to cut the back so he didn't have a mullet! Ha!

My Little Girl is 5!

2006-07-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

Boating/fishing with her Hampa and Daddy. She just loved soaking them!

Opening presents from Grammy and Hampa and other loved ones in Michigan. (Not all presents are for her, though. Some are for her littlest bro, too!)

My darling little girl! I love her so much! It is happy and sad that she is already 5! This fall brings kindergarten and riding the bus! I will miss her dearly as she will attend 5 days a week all day. She will really grow and mature, though. I feel a total peace about having enrolled her in public school. Homeschool is out on the horizon for this family, that we do know. The Lord God will tell us which kids and when. She is already wise beyond her years.

Here is a story I would like to share about her:

Just the other day, little girl said "Daddy! Watch! I can drink this whole cup of juice really fast!" [According to my DH, he started saying "Chug-A-Lug! Chug-A-Lug! Chug-A-Lug!"] to which she replied "Daddy. Thank you for saying that but I didn't need the encouragement! I could have done it all by myself!" DH:" Wow! That's a big word! What does that word mean to you?" DD:"It means like teamwork, Daddy. That's the best way I can describe it. Like a team." DH and I were shocked and amazed that she has grown up so much. She is learning new words from the Noggin show "Pinky Dinky Doo". It teaches new big words each day and how to use them correctly.

(*Note: her birthday was actually the 9th, but busyness with summer activities and computer problems has kept me from posting sooner.)

2 Timothy 1

2006-07-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

5I am calling up memories of your sincere and unqualified faith (the [b]leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), [a faith] that first lived permanently in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am [fully] persuaded, [dwells] in you also.(AMP) I hope one day someone will say the same about the faith from my grandmother and mother has been passed on to me. You both are amazing ladies of God! I look up to you and all that you have been through!

7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.(NIV) I love this verse.

11-12This is the Message I've been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It's also the cause of all this trouble I'm in. But I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground—the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end. (MSG) Do you know of any christian now days that would truely profess to live like this? I'd like to say I do, but I'm not 100% when it gets down to the nitty gritty.

Please Pray for my baby

2006-07-21T07:06:00.000-05:00

My DS#1. Ok. I know he isn't my baby baby, but he will always be my baby. All of my kids will be. Last night, he awoke at 11:45 with a stomach ache. I tried not to read too much into it and just gave him a gas antacid tablet. He awoke about an hour later. It seems that he has like stomach cramps. He was almost doubled over at times holding his stomach crying. Then about and hour after that (now 1:45 am), DH and I awoke at the same time to a cry we now know as the "I've just thrown up or I'm just about to throw up" cry. I asked DH if that was why he awoke or if it was because I was grumbling about being awoken 3 times in 3 hours (the first two times the crying awoke DS#2) and he said he awoke immediately from the way DS#1 was crying.

We know the routine well by now. The problem is that he didn't have any whole kernel corn. This is what the doctor thought he was allergic to. About 2 weeks ago is when he threw up and had diarrhea from kernel corn. After a trip to the doctors, it was decided that we wouldn't do allergy testing just yet. Well, now I think the time has come. He is 2 years and 9 months so I know it should be affective. Frustrating. And scared. That's how I'm feeling. Part of my brain tells me if I think about every aspect hard enough then I will be able to figure out what is going on. I know that I'm not a doctor, but still. Then another part of my brain says its probably just a food allergy and we will have to get him tested, then we'll know and we can stop feeding him things that are poisoning his body. But then I think either way, this is going to revolutionize things in the Baker household. Lots more cooking from scratch. Like I have the time! But yet I cannot afford not to. I will go to the ends of the earth and back for my baby. For any of my babies. I would do ANYTHING to make him better or help him to feel better. Then another part of my brain is afraid that we're not gonna find an answer as to what the problems are before something really bad happens. Then another part of my brain knows that God knows the plans He has in store for my family and my little boy. I try to cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but lots of times the other parts of my brain think too much and I worry. I know it is not of God. But still I do it. I worry that I'm going to worry myself crazy. Deep breath. I have asked my neighbor to find another babysitter for her daughter. I don't know if I've posted this before, but I took on another baby about a month ago. I did it to help, but mostly to supplement our income while DH was getting on his feet with his new job. Things are going quite well for him, so we no longer need the extra money, which is a WONDERFUL PRAISE REPORT, I must say. Right now, I just don't need the added stress. She is 2 days older than my youngest. (So 1.) Makes it very difficult to go anywhere with 4 kids ages 5 and under! My neighbor seemed to understand. I told her to find someone asap, but I don't want her tripling what I am charging just for my sake, unless that's what she chooses. Please pray for our family as the Lord leads. I will try to keep you all updated. I will be calling the doctors in a few minutes when they open.

1 Timothy 6

2006-07-20T11:40:00.000-05:00

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.(NIV) One of my favorite pastors in Michigan had bought a White Pontiac GTP. I believe it was loaded, and he got it when GTPs first came out. I cannot remember the entire story, but I believe it is related to this part of Scripture. He loved this car very much. It was a beautiful car. But he had to remember one thing: that he could not take it to heaven with him. So he put a red round sticker on his car to serve as a constant visual reminder to him that the car would, one day, burn and that we cannot allow ourselves to get obsessed with material possessions because when we are in heaven, all our "stuff" would be staying here. (I am not sure if I got all the details of this right, but I know that was what he did and the reason why. Perhaps my DH will come on as my guest storyteller later....)

11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (NIV) This part in the NIV is called "Paul's charge to Timothy" and it seems quite hefty to me. But you know what? It gives me not just hope, but fills me with excitement to know that this same charge given to Timothy we can still carry today. Its like a torch to be continuously carried on for all of time.

20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you. (NIV) People, please be careful. There are so many people out there that will try to distract you. They believe their way is correct. They believe they know the future. Please don't depend on anyone but God and His word to direct you. Be discerning in what you allow into your home. Not just your homes, but the conversations you take part in. Constantly hold it up to the Word of God and see if it measures up. If it does not, discard it or stop the conversation. This is my prayer for you.

Does Anyone Know?

2006-07-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

I am looking for a website that compares secular versus christian music. For instance:
If you like Nickelback, try Scott Stapp (from Creed). Please post comment if you know of such a site. Thanks!

1 Timothy 5

2006-07-19T06:01:00.000-05:00

8a If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits].(AMP) This is good. The Bible also says in 3 places that faith without works is useless: James 2:18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.(NIV) // James 2:20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?(NIV) // James 2:26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (NIV)Good stuff to remember!

11As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. // 14So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.(NIV) How do you interpret this? It seems sort of contradicting. First saying that they have broken a pledge by marrying a second time, then saying he counsels them to marry. I thought sure that when a spouse died you were released from the pledge of marriage and that this was the one and only situation where God was clear that remarriage was ok.

16Any Christian woman who has widows in her family is responsible for them. They shouldn't be dumped on the church. The church has its hands full already with widows who need help.(MSG) To what extent, do you think, are we responsible?

21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
22Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.(NIV) Here, it seems like Paul is telling Timothy in the NIV translation that its ok to drink wine because of being sick a lot from the water. History tells us that water in Biblical times was full of bacteria and sickness and this was the primary reason for them drinking wine. Not for the relaxed feeling that most people here in America drink it. In fact, many other countries around the world still do this because their tap water isn't up to the standards for drinking like ours is. 23Drink water no longer exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.(AMP) This version seems like Paul is saying it is ok as well.

Father God, thank you for your rules. Although they may seem hard to follow, we know that You know what is best for us and You have our best interests in mind. Help us to be mindful of your Holy Spirit and to seek Your face daily. Keep us in Your word, Lord. Give us the unquenchable desire for You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Praise The Lord

2006-07-19T05:44:00.000-05:00

1Praise the Lord [Hebrew Hallelu Yah]
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

2Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and the lyre,

4praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

5praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. [Hallelu Yah]
Praise the LORD. [Hallelu Yah]

Bad Attitude

2006-07-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

Today, I have a bad attitude. Don't know if it's a funk or what. I do not feel I can post on 1 Timothy 5 objectively with an open mind. Some things are going on in there right now that would prevent me from hearing God's Word. Maybe I will post it later today, maybe tomorrow. Please keep me in your prayers as the Holy Spirit directs. I am frustrated.

1 Timothy 4

2006-07-17T06:15:00.000-05:00

1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.(NIV) I don't want to read into this, but I wonder if this portion of scripture includes some false prophets that are masquerading as tele-evangelists? There are SOME that are false prophets. Now, that is my opinion. I do not mean to offend anyone. But come on, people! Let's be real! Those evangelists that are out their for their own agenda that preach only 'health and wealth'....I have to wonder. I could go on and on about that but I won't. Just be careful who you listen to. If you do watch teleevangelists, ask God to give you a discerning heart.

7Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.(MSG)7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.(NIV) This is speaking to us to lean on God and His Word and not get caught up in the world around us for ways to be healed. Check out my friend Kellie's blog. Read her entry for Sunday, July 16th. It really applies to this. And how about the Message calling it "spiritual flabbiness"? Too funny, yet we all can clearly get the picture of the metaphor!

12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. This could almost be my anthem for doing this study. I am doing my best to do these things. Are you???

Dear Lord, please be with me today. Thank you for giving us your Scripture so that we know how you want us to live our lives. I ask that you would guide me so that I don't misguide others, God. I only want to do Your will in Your timing. Speak to my readers today, God. Impart wisdom to them. Speak clearly to their hearts. Allow them to soak up your word. Keep us all humble, Lord Jesus. It's in Your Name I pray; Amen.

1 Timothy 3

2006-07-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

2Now the overseer must be above reproach...(NIV) according to dictionary.com, the word reproach means 1to express disapproval of, criticism of, or disappointment in (someone). 2to bring shame upon; disgrace. I just wanted to clarify the word. I knew that I understood the concept, but wanted a clearer view.
6He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind]...(AMP) I thought that was kind of a funny way of explaining it, but very true. We all succumb to this once in a while, especially when our emotions get in the way, right?
9They must possess the mystic secret of the faith...(AMP) I don't like that version. To me, mystic secret sounds like its dark and evil. But who am I?
13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.(NIV) I always thought that we were all viewed the same in God's eyes. Hmmmm.....
Overall, this chapter gives good teaching on what is expected of the leaders of the church and how they should live in order to remain upright and godly. But what happens when you know of a leader or pastor in a church that is very much not living a godly life? Do you only pray for them? Or do you approach them? What about if its in another church than the one you are attending? ***PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT SPEAKING ABOUT ANYONE IN MY CHURCH FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME IRL (IN REAL LIFE). *** But I do know a church or two that I believe is unfruitful because of the pastor/leader(s) in it.

Dear Lord, please be with those you have called into ministry today. Speak to their hearts, Lord God. I pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them when and where needed and would either drop them to their knees or hit them over the head with a two by four if necessary. Help them to realize that there are souls at stake that they are responsible for if they mislead them. Allow them to live a life holy and pleasing to you, Lord. In Jesus Heavenly Name, Amen.

1 Timothy 2

2006-07-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.(NIV) This is such a good reminder for us to pray for our government. Did you know that today is President Bush's 60th birthday? This is not a coincidence that I am reading this today! :) I understand why the Bible says "pray continually" (1Thessalonians 5:7). Think of all the things outside our little bubbles where we live! You cannot stay silent. Our lives should be continual prayer. I love to pray for people, but I don't like praying out loud if there are more than one or two people. I found myself a few years back saying to everyone who said "pray for me....." that I would pray for them. But then I'd forget. It made me feel sad, and like I'd let that person down. So, a wise person (I cannot remember who) advised that when someone approaches you and asks for prayer, that you tell them you will pray for them as the Holy Spirit leads you. That means that you are living in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and when he places a person on your heart that you will pray as He leads. This works out much better, and still conveys that you care about the person and their situation.

8 I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt [in their minds], lifting up holy hands. (AMP) This is good, but this 9Also [I desire] that women should adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with [elaborate] hair arrangement or gold or pearls or expensive clothing,
10But by doing good deeds (deeds in themselves good and for the good and advantage of those contacted by them), as befits women who profess reverential fear for and devotion to God.
11Let a woman learn in quietness, in entire submissiveness.
12I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to remain in quietness and keep silence [in religious assemblies].
13For Adam was first formed, then Eve;14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but [the] woman who was deceived and deluded and fell into transgression. 15Nevertheless [the sentence put upon women of pain in motherhood does not hinder their souls' salvation, and] they will be saved [eternally] if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control, [saved indeed] through the Childbearing or by the birth of the divine Child. (AMP) This confused me. First, from biblical days to the present - the clothing has changed almost immeasurably. What is now considered modest in clothing would still probably be considered immodest in biblical times. I did not realize that jewelry was wrong. Second, I did not know the Bible specifically said anything about women teaching over men. My sister-in-law is a pastor (and married to one), although she is not currently preaching. There are different denominations that do allow women pastors. I wonder why? My mom leads a couples bible study, does that mean she is wrong to do so? Third, I did not know that childbirth had anything to do with salvation. ? Well, there is the obvious -- that being the birth of Christ Jesus, and maybe that's what Paul is saying here. Maybe I am reading into this too literally, but I can't understand it.

Dear Lord, please reveal your Word to me. Help me to understand its meaning so that I can apply it to my life today. Please be with our President today, bless him and keep him safe. Allow him to have an enjoyable day. Please be with our service men and women. Guard them. Go before them, and allow them to seek you as they make decisions regarding the war. Be with the other offices of our government, Lord. I pray that you would bring more honest, christian men and women into office and that your divine will be carried out. In Jesus name, Amen.

Surprise!

2006-07-06T00:15:00.000-05:00

Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh? Well, what do you all think? Do you like it? I am getting more and more comfortable with my Template, and I have made some updates. Check it out. Let me know if you're dazzled (or not). I know my Spiderman 3 timer isn't working yet....still learning. I haven't found out how to make it tick yet. More to come on that. I must be off to nighty-night land for now, though! Watch for more changes real soon......

1 Timothy 1

2006-07-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

(NIV) v9We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. Don't we all fall into this category? So we are all unrighteous, and full of sin. Dictionary.com defines righteous as 'Morally upright; without guilt or sin'.

Then we see in verse 15 how we can be made righteous: 15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Did you notice in verse 17 the excitement from Paul? I can relate to his personality! Very exuberant, full of life, (seemingly) talkative and one who sticks their neck out a lot.

(AMP) The last thing that struck me was v19b and 20 By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.
20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan in order that they may be disciplined [by punishment and learn] not to blaspheme. I found this to be quite interesting. Like, what does that mean, exactly? Is it figurative- That those two have gone astray from the faith, maybe backslidden, and Paul isn't trying to stop them? Or something else?

Father God, thank you for Your Word. Thank you for the work that you have begun in my life. Please continue to speak to me and allow your Word to be alive and fresh to me each day. Thank you is just not enough for your Son's life. We are wholly and completely unworthy of your love, yet you, oh Lord, love us unconditionally and desire us to be with you. I desire to learn how to love like that. Bless this time as I post these studys, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Studying the Bible

2006-07-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

I will be doing a study on 1 and 2 Timothy. A chapter a day, Monday thru Friday. I will be posting my thoughts from the reading on this blog. Anyone can join me. I'm not trying to copy Amanda, but I was held more accountable and I actually chewed on what I was reading and processed when I had to post my thoughts. My quiet time has digressed since we finished the Phillipians study, and I have prayed about this a lot. I feel that regardless if anyone joins me or not, at least I will be posting and it will cause me to dwell on God's Word.

I will be reading from BibleGateway. I feel led to read each chapter from these versions each day: New International Version (NIV), then The Message (MSG), then the Amplified Bible (AMP). Plus, it causes me to read the chapter 3 times, and also to slow down so it will soak in. I may not post thoughts on each of the different versions every time, but know that I am reading each version each day. If you are joining me, you may read whatever version you want and then post your thoughts. (let me know what version you read out of when you post). I am doing this in hopes to get a more thorough and complete understanding of God's Word so that I can apply it to my everyday life. Its my desire to get to know and understand Him more.

My Baby is 1!

2006-07-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's true! My baby is one! Today has been a reflection of the past year. Back to my pregnancy with him, my easy labor and delivery. (Look for more on that to come.) Then I think to my other two children, about my pregnancies with them and the deliveries and all the milestones. Today, I was able to go shopping for free birthday cake, a few gifts for each child (DD will be 5 next Sunday, and we didn't want DS#1 to feel left out.) We celebrated with DH's parents by eating homemade lasagna, garlic bread and chocolate cake. Maybe I can post pics tomorrow. My mother-in-law brought some wedding pictures from various family members; so fun to remenisce! Then, to end the day, we received a phone call from a dear old friend from Michigan!!!! He will be taking a road trip to come see us and be here tomorrow night by dinnertime! We are sooooooooo thrilled! Can't wait! We miss Michigan A WHOLE LOT!!!! (For those of you that don't know, we moved to Ohio 2 years ago for my DH work.) Our friend will be here overnight until at least sometime on Monday, or maybe till Tuesday. DH will have to work Monday, but the kids and I will show him the lake, maybe go on a trailwalk. So thrilled!!! More to come!

WooHoo!

2006-06-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

WooHoo! I've done 6 posts in a week!!!!!! Can you believe it, momteacherfriend? (wink wink!) I said I wanted to do more entries, and I'm actually doing it! Praying for time management is working! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I was told by my grandma that my aunt prints off my entries for my grandma to read. My grandma said one day I should take my experiences and put them in a book.
My response? First, I didn't even know that anyone really read this blog, except my mom and momteacherfriend. And occasionally my DH. So that is exciting! Second, I said, "but there's like a hundred or more books of christian ladies that have written their experiences with their children, so why should I? Who would read it?" You know what she said, "Well, I would! (Now that's enough right there to make a granddaughter write a book! Even if she was my only fan! ;) ) Besides, no one has kids the exact age as yours, and no one has the exact circumstances and situations and life lessons that you have. And you need to share what God is doing in your life. I am excited to hear about it and know what is going on in your life."
That made me so happy! I told her why I had started this blog and what I hoped to get out of it. Thanks to the person who prompted and encouraged me to start this blog and then keep it going when I wanted to destroy it. You are a TRUE friend. (You know who you are.) Who knows? Maybe some day I will publish a book. It is something I've always wanted to do, but never have made the time to sit down and do. Taking these entries would allow me to do that in little bits and pieces.......hmmmmmm. Something to let simmer on the backburner of my mind while my kids are young, then we shall see in about 5 to 10 years. I hope they still have Blogger around then, and that you are still unlimited in the number and length of your entries. If you could see me right now, I am Beaming!
Loves!

Developing a Habit of Hapiness

2006-06-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

The following is what got out of watching Joel Osteen's sermon on tv this morning. You may or may not like him. I personally love hearing what he has to say. So I will share. The title to this entry is the title to the sermon that I watched. You can watch it on his website if you have realplayer. Click on the word website (link to his site) and click on message #310.

We must retrain our minds away from the conditioned, negative responses. Its all in how we choose to see it! Phl 4:11 ~ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Paul learned. It was not automatic. He had to train himself to be positive. Stay aggressive. When you wake up and get out of bed in the morning, you've got to set the tone and put a smile on your face. At the very start of the day. If you don't se the tone, the Devil will set the tone for you! If you say "Well, if I smile I'm just faking it 'cause I've got so many problems and I'm depressed so I can't be in a good mood," that's ok. When you smile, that's an act of faith. When you smile, that's sending a message to the rest of your body that everything's gonna be ok. Dig your heels in. No matter what your circumstances look like, start having this positive attitude of faith. You will sow a seed for God to work in your life.
Negative attitudes will spread to every area of our life and drag us down.
What thoughts and attitudes you put in are what you get out. In the middle of tough circumstances, you ahve to think "I know God has something better in store for me. I know when one door closes, God's gonna open another." When you do that, you just tllk that negative situation and turned it oround and stamped it positive.
Pay more attention to what you're feeding yourself! Are you storing away more positive or more negative?
Reticular Activating System - its in our brains, has to do with our memory and our habits. {With some added research I have found it has to do with our consious and subconsious thoughts and actions as well.} me: Its a function where our mind eliminates the thoughts and impulses it deems unnecessary. Like getting used to sleeping even though you live by train tracks; a train goes by 4 times each night, and it doesn't wake you up. You at first hear and wake up each time the train goes by, but then go right back to sleep. Over time, you train yourself to not even hear it anymore and you sleep through it. back to Joel now: We can train our mind like that. When that negative, discouraging thought comes to your mind, learn to tune it out. If you keep it up, your mind will realize "they don't need that thought anymore. They're not gonna do anything with it. Let's not send it."
Choose what you're gonna dwell on!
Don't pray necessarily about the problems, turn them around. example: instead of praying about your kids disobeying, pray Joshua 24:15b (example verse) over them. 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' And thank God that your children will one day follow Him. This will train you to focus on the positive instead of the negative.

Well, people, this really spoke to my heart today. Even though Satan was trying to get me to stay home from church today so I wouldn't be filled with God's wisdom, I was anyways! So how do you like that, Satan?! Bite the dust! I need to review this often. I was taking notes in a notebook while watching this. Then I typed it here. Hopefully I will retain more of it this way. Blessings!

The wonderful age of almost 5

2006-06-25T08:11:00.000-05:00

My DD has a friend who lives down the hall from our apartment. Her mom has 3 children total, with two different dads. She does not have full custody, only every Wednesday and every other weekend. This perplexes me, but I am not close to the mother, so I have not felt it is my place to ask why this is. We have talked cordially about raising kids, the trouble they get into, sicknesses, the normal stuff moms talk about. The girls started playing outside together, but the other little girl is not here much. When she is here, either with or without her older brother and sister, they are only here a couple of hours and you see the mom go in with her work uniform on and come out a couple of hours later dressed up in fancy clothes with hair and makeup done, and she whisks the kids off. Even when the kids aren't with her, this seems to be her pattern on the days she comes here. To go into her apartment and come out later seemingly ready to "go out". Where else would someone go dressed up?

Anyways, I received a call from the mom yesterday about 1pm asking me if little girl could please spend the night and if I could watch her till mom got out of work on Sunday at about 2 or 3 pm. I felt like I needed to do this. Here are the reasons: 1) I never know when I may need someone to watch my kids, so I try to be available even if I don't want to. (Plus it's kinda hard to say no to a neighbor when you live in the same building and you are gonna be home all night and they can see that.) 2) I am constantly striving to be more Christ-like and I know that He would want me to do it 3) I feel bad for little girl always getting pawned off on different people. She says she doesn't sleep here very much; that most of the time she stays with her dad. And he doesn't do anything with her. (According to her.) She is almost 6, by the way, and has never been to preschool and will start kindergarten in the fall. You can tell that hardly anyone pays attention to her. She is quite a bit behind speech-wise than my DD. I have a hard time understanding some of her words. By the way, my DD diction and pronunciation has been perfected through preschool! Praise the Lord! She only mispronounces something if she doesn't understand the word completely. (Except hospital which she still calls hostable.) I digress.
So the mom usually pays me for bbsitting - quite well. Usually about $20.00 or so for 7 hours. Its an easy $20.00 since it just gives DD someone to play with. On Wednesday, the mom cut my DD hair for me b/c my DD decided to take scissors to her own hair. It was beyond repair except to cut it off. So she got a cute "stacked" haircut. I will try to post a pic of it soon. so I don't know if I'm gonna get paid for this time or not. We shall see. I don't care about the spending the night part. Except for the fact that last time I watched the little girl, was when the mom called me and imposed upon me asking if I would have a sleepover. I had about 6 hours to prepare. I kinda thought the idea would be fun when she asked, so I was excited to do it, but it bugged me that the mom would have the gall to call me up and ask me that. People, I'm telling you I don't even know her boyfriend's name, or much about her. It's kinda weird that she has me watch her daughter, but I think she either doesn't know what to do with her or she doesn't care to have a relationship with her and finds her a bother. Its sad. I figure that if the little girl comes here, hopefully she can feel Christ's love in our home, and we can show her God's love in how we act and speak as a family.
But this time it has been SOOOOOOOOOOO difficult for me! The girls have been arguing and yelling. Little girl is talking my DD into doing things that my DD knows she is not to do. Little girl heard a song that was playing on the radio (a christian rock and roll radio station we listen to ALL the time) and mistook it for "regular" rap. She told DD and DS#1 that the song was about killing little kids and that we have a bad house that we play bad music. I had walked outside my apt. building to where my DH was rearranging the contents of his work truck and come back in. In the span of a whole 2 minutes, this little girl had upended my two kids (I had taken DS#2 with me) and they were visibly shaken up. I asked what happened and all I could get out of them was that above about the radio station. Oh yeah. And that the little girl saw a man (at some point other than that day) outside our complex and she didn't know him, and that she has seen someone be killed before. This is what my DD told me that the little girl told her while I was outside and my DD said the little girl described what she saw. That's what shook up my kids!!!!!! That got my hackles up, let me tell ya! For a 5 year old to come into my house and tell me I have a bad house and I'm listening to bad music?! But not only that, but to tell my kids about a murder?! You've got to be kidding me! I was FURIOUS!!!! I want to shine my light for Him, but this is too far! I do NOT want my young children exposed to things like that. DH and I are EXTREMELY careful with what we watch on tv when the kids are awake. We generally don't even watch movies that are above PG-13, and even those are getting terrible! I corrected the little girl about the music, telling her that this rap music was about Jesus and His love for us, not that other stuff. And I told her to never ever talk about that other stuff in my house again. I did not do this in a very loving way, but come on! I have to protect my kids! Good grief! People; don't sell your kids short by allowing them to view things you THINK they aren't picking up on. Just because they are in the dining room coloring or playing with toys, it doesn't mean they can't hear or see what you are watching in the other room! Don't expose your kids to things too early. Protect them! Charish them! Shelter them! Especially if they are below school age!
The next problem we had was that we could not get the girls to begin to settle to go to bed until 10:00! I had told my DD that if she was going to have a friend spend the night on a Saturday night, then we were still going to church. (I had previously cleared this with the mom, and we have taken this little girl before). But also, that my DD had to go to bed when I asked, and she said she would. DD fell asleep by 10:50. Both DS were asleep by 10:30. See, the girls were so hyper that they kept the boys up. Little girl didn't fall asleep till 11:30! She kept complaining to me that she couldn't fall asleep. I told her she still needed to lay there. When we did the sleepover, the next day (which was a Saturday) I had asked little girl's mom what time she goes to bed and she kinda just looked at me like she didn't know (which she probably has no idea) and said, "Uh, well, whenever she wants to."
Needless to say, we missed church. I will watch little girl again, but NOT overnight. I am fine with her being dropped of on Sunday at 7:20. I usually have to get up by 6:30 or 7 to get ready for church, anyways.
Then this morning, talked my DD to getting the phone to try to make phone calls. I stepped in and corrected the situation. Nicely. Then they were playing with dolls and the dolls were having an arguement and the little girl (pretending to be a doll) said (to my DD who was pretending to be a different doll) "Fine. I'm gonna hurt you or kill you."
I have not had a chance to talk to DH about this one yet. I think it may be time to sever this friendship on behalf of my daughter. I will talk to the mom about it, though. She is one who will defend her children to the death regardless if they are guilty or not. I have seen her do it with the other neighbors, so I am not looking forward to it. I am praying that I will have a calm and not accusing spirit that she will hear the heart of what I am saying and not get defensive.

Your thoughts? Comments?

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

2006-06-24T13:55:00.000-05:00

The following is a recipe that is wonderful! Got it from Hershey's website, but I had originally found it on their baking cocoa box. Indulge! (But only once in a while! This stuff is addictive!)

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

(see below for frosting recipe)
Directions:1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. 2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS: ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine2
/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting. This makes plenty of frosting which also goes good with graham crackers! Yum! I used real sweetened unsalted butter for the frosting and it was totally worth the extra calories! If you're gonna spoil yourself with this chocolate cake, go all the way, baby! If you're looking for a cake that is low cal low fat, go with the one that you use pumpkin instead of veggie oil -- also a very good cake, and better for you. Here is the link for that cake:hersheys

The need to share

2006-06-24T13:46:00.000-05:00

I feel the need to share the lyrics to the Scott Stapp song "Justify". It is from his newest CD called 'The Great Divide'. Someone out there is struggling and wrestling with their life. This person is a christian who has back-slidden and walked away from God. This blog is for you. This song is for you. Allow it to touch your heart and change you from the inside. God will take you back. Regardless of what you have done. He still loves you and wants a relationship with you. Reach out to Him in your time of need.

I met a man in New Orleans wore a half suit with dark blue jeans Kicked his heals together winked at me real nice.I saw him from a mile away,But in my state of mind I let him make his play“Hey boy… have you seen the other side”Yeah…in this man I saw the devil's hand so I looked at him man to man said“This time it’s gonna be a fight!”I do not have to justify,The way I live my life.I do not have to justify,The reason I’m alive.I saw her from across the room with diamond eyes she’s heaven’s jewel.Dropped two aces smiled and threw my cards back.Yeah I’ve been that man Who lives deceit Surrounds himself with worldly things. So let me tell you a story Let me feed it to you We fly around like we were superman live in another trance a different way to dance with dark romance you get another chance to do that dirty dance without consequence. I do not have to justify,The way I live my life. I do not have to justify,The reason I’m alive. Let me change the timber of this section. Add a little booze to ice. I guess you probably noticed I’ve been living a double life. So fly around like you are superman given another chance a different way to dance with true romance you get another chance to tell your dirty, darkest secrets.We fly around like we were superman live in another trance different way to dance with dark romance you get another chance to do the dirty dance without consequence. I do not have to justify,The way I live my life.I do not have to justify,The reason I’m alive. No more. It’s just not me. Not me. I’m just like you.

I will not interpret or give clues to what this song means. You who are reading it that needed to hear it know what it is telling you from God. The Holy Spirit impressed upon me to share this song on this blog. Contact me if you have questions.

Need More Posts

2006-06-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

I do, that is. I'm frustrated that I think all day long about little things I would like to post about and I never get to them. So, I'm gonna try to stay caught up more on my chores and then I will maybe be able to stop and do a short post (those of you that have read my previous entries and/or know me IRL are thinking yea right!) here and there when I think of them. First, I want to say, does anyone that knows me remember me talking to them about "mystery poopy"? I swear that I've had that problem before!? I think it was my dear friend Beth from the church I am currently attending.

Anyways, yesterday, I made a chocolate cake from scratch (look for the recipe to follow shortly). It calls for baking cocoa. DD spilled some on her clothes. You know how it's like powder? Well, I thought some of it dusted off onto the bathroom floor. Innocent me. Nope. Tried to wipe up the "chocolate dust" and it was stuck on there. I thought, well, I'll have to scrub it off later. Then, a few hours later, I noticed that my bathroom was smelling really foul. I HATE cleaning my bathroom!!! And I just cleaned it last week. And mopped the kitchen and bathroom floor last week. (Some of you are probably super-grossed out by this - sorry! I absolutely LOATHE to clean the bathroom and you do not want to be around me when I do it.) In fact, I usually wait until my DH is gone so that I don't gripe him out about the chore and get myself into trouble. I digress. (do you notice I do that a lot? Oh well. My blog. I can if I want. -- yes, it has been a trying afternoon.) So I decided that I would need to mop the bathroom floor again today. And, if I'm gonna mop the floor, then I would need to go ahead and clean the whole bathroom. All 15 square feet of it. Just as I had resigned to start on it after lunch, my DS#1 spilled a whole cup of juice on the kitchen floor. Great. So, I guessed I would have to mop the kitchen floor as well. Did that. Then went to do the bathroom. Found more "mystery poopy". I call it this to inject some humor so as not to get too upset. You see, no one knows where it came from. No one has even noticed it there. But also, no one is gonna clean it up but me. Phhhhhllllllllllbbbbbbbttt!!! Oh well, job is done now. Hopefully my br will smell clean again. Gotta run for now! Severe tstorm warning forcasted for our county and my DH is out installing someone's sattellite! Please pray for his protection! 70 mph winds and nickel size hail!

My Husband

2006-06-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! I am finding that with summer being in full swing, I have less and less time to post! I long for the time, and think often about posting, but run out of time in the day! Day starts between 6 and 7 am and ends between 11pm and 12 am. So, very looooooooong! I expect to be able to post more after summer, though.

Today, I would like to post about my Dear Husband. As I have noted before, he started school in March at ITT Technical Institute for Computer Engineering and Electronics Technology. The Lord then blessed him with a wonderful job that we feel we (as well as other close family and friends -- you know who you are; and thanks does not begin to describe our appreciativeness) had been prayerfully interceeding for for the past 3 1/2 years. He is installing dishes for Dish Network. He loves the job, and thinks that he could stay there a long time. He does not look at it as "just a job" but really enjoys the work. I enjoy hearing of his experiences, although I don't really understand what he's talking about. This is a very physically demanding job and he is just learning the tricks of the trade. Sometimes he doesn't get home from work until 7 or after. Well, school starts at 5:45 three nights a week. Right now, he has to work mandatory 6 days a week, and his days off rotate. Not that much fun for our family. More on that later. After talking with eachother, and seeking wise guideance, (thank you Brian) Curt and I have made a decision that he will step down from school for 6 months until he learns his job and can do it more efficiently. It is scary, and I am apprehensive about what people may say, but as our dear friend, Brian said, its not like my DH is 18 years old and deciding to quit school just because of a job. People, if you don't know me IRL, then you don't know the poverty that my family has lived in. DH and I feel like right now is the time to get the job down pat and make the money. I feel guilty for that. Like we don't deserve it or something, but I know that is just the enemy, Satan. I also feel guilty for the swell of pride that comes up in me when I look outside my living room window and see my DH work truck parked outside. It makes me so happy. I am proud of him that he was blessed by God with a better job than just McDonald's. Some of you may understand what it is like to have a husband who cannot get a decent job to provide for his family. It destroys a man. Believe me, people. I watched it happen in my own household. I cannot describe the sadness and opression that used to hang over my husband. It will crush the spirit every time. It will keep them down. Not only have we been blessed with that, but this job will provide more abundantly than that. I'm not saying we're gonna be rich, by any means, but let's say it will be a decent amount more than the state assistance we were getting -- was under $500 per month. I have to say, I AM proud of my husband. Is that bad? I know the Bible says not to be proud. Maybe today, when DH gets home, I will take a picture of him by his truck and post it.

Now, for the heart of why I'm posting about him. I had to explain/catch up any of you who didn't know what was going on. The dynamics of the Baker household have DRAMATICALLY changed since he started working on his own. (Been working for the company about a month now, but got truck last Friday and since then has been working on his own). Some good things that have changed: I have become even more dependant upon the Lord Jesus Christ for support since DH is gone A LOT!!! I realize that even though I would toss up "one-line" prayers throughout the day that that just isn't enough. God actually wants to ANSWER those one line prayers. And now instead of me feeling like I am just sending up pleas to Him for help, I feel like I am in a TRUE RELATIONSHIP with Him! Isn't that AWESOME!?! I feel like the relationship is balanced and goes both ways. In other words, healthy. Yes, I have many things I need to work on, but I realize God knows about them and yet still loves me and accepts me. Regardless. That I have known for years, but it has very recently become personal to me. Its like it was in my head, but now it is finally in my heart. And it feels so wonderful to be loved like that! Another good thing that has changed, is that I have learned to become more patient with my children. I am in the process of learning how to balance my housework with spending time with them. Still needs some improvement, but this is doing much better. Only a couple of bad things, but really more of an adjustment: The kids and I hardly ever see DH. This is especially hard on me, considering my DH is also my very best friend. Do each of you have that close of a relationship with your husband/wife? I pray so. It's incredible! So one blessing we did have during our time of poverty was that we were always around eachother. Yes, we fought. But DH and I are quite good at working things through. So as you can imagine, going from having him home nearly constantly to having him gone 15 hours a week for school, then to have him gone 60 hours a week for work on top of the 15 hours for school has been gut-wrenching hard on me! On my emotions, mostly. On the one hand, I am ecstatic about the job, but on the other hand, I MISS HIM! I Liked having him home. We never run out of things to talk or joke about. Today, he told me that he has been missing me, too. This is a happy adjustment period, and one that I'm not used to. I think it's safe to say that most marriages start out with both spouses working. We have never had that. And I only worked for just over a year right after we got married, so I am VERY used to having him around to talk to. Just pray that I will not get too discouraged, especially when it hits 6pm and I start getting anxious about him coming home, when it may be several hours still.
Ok. I want to share with everyone the note I found on Sunday morning. I will preface it by saying that I packed DH a lunch before I went to bed Saturday night. He had already went to bed. I left him a note thanking him for installing our a/c unit that my parents had bought us and the kids and I picked up earlier in the day. DH had had a work day from H***, and it was almost 8:30 by the time he got home. His day started at 7, he had 2 appointments, and he didn't even get to the second one. But still, I meekly asked him if he could install it. I thought all you had to do was stick it in the hole in the wall and then plug it in. Boy, was I wrong. I didn't know the thing had to be put together first, and then mounted. Oops! But still, DH loves me and the kids so much. He took a deep breath and came out of it 2 1/2 hours later with it purring like a kitten and blowing cool air on me! Did it take him that long because that's how long it takes, or because he had a lousy day and he was tired, I don't know.Yes! It was then that he said he hadn't eaten anything ALL DAY! I felt aweful! Dreadful! (He ran down to BK). I do know that my husband sacrificed eating and a little bit of sleep so that we could sit in comfort one day sooner (rather than having us wait till Sunday night) just so he could work outside and sweat! So, anyways, when I woke up, I found a post-it note and this is what it said:
Thank you for taking care of the kids. You do a great job; better than I could. Thanks for the: -Lunch -Doing Dishes -Note -picking up the a/c -Time -Shopping -Love -Help. Thanks. Love U
I will treasure it always! I have read and reread it many times since Sunday. It makes me feel good. (smile).

I...

2006-06-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

I...
I want...a deeper relationship with Christ
I wish...that I could be more laid back
I hate...cleaning my bathroom
I am...a stay-at-home-mom of 3 kids under age 5
I miss...my grandpa Hitchcock and my friends and family in Michigan
I hear...the Lazy Boy creaking
I wonder...if there will ever be life on the moon
I can't imagine...not having a relationship with Jesus
I regret...putting God on the backburnerI am not...deceitful
I dance...with my kids
I sing...with every song I know (which is a lot!)
I cry...at the drop of a hat
I am not always...great at keeping my housework done
I do have...issues within my family
I would...like to travel with my family someday
I make...a mean lasagna
I write...in my blog, but not as often as I should
I confuse...my will for God’s will for my life, but only sometimes
I should...slow down, way down
I start...lots of books at a time and then it takes forever to finish them

My Little Girl

2006-06-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

First off, I want to say two things: 1) I love her very much. She is the apple of my eye and I would absolutely not trade her for anything or anyone in the world. 2) She is a replica of me. And she mirrors me. (Don't all little kids?)

I am wondering what to do about a problem that seems to be getting out of hand. She won't stop talking. Those of you who know me personally are probably cracking up right now! I know! I am the same way, but let me explain. You see, she has to always be talking. And her little brother, well, he can't get a word in edge-wise. And he is a quiet-talker, so it's hard to hear him anyways, let alone when she is talking. Did I mention that she talks loudly? We ask her, "Little girl (yes we use her name), do you talk just to hear yourself?" She smiles and says "Yes! I just love to talk! I love to hear myself talk . Sometimes I find myself tuning her out and she catches me doing it. I can't help it. I feel bad, but my goodness! It's so hard to listen to a 4 year old go on and on about little girl 4 year old things for 10 15 or 20 minutes. (Or longer). No, I really don't think I'm exaggerating. See, when DH and I want to talk, we get like 50 interruptions. 48 are from DD and 2 are from the boys. Ok, that may be a bit exaggerating, but you get my point. I get frustrated because I can't ask DS#1 "what do you want for lunch, a pbj or a hot dog" without DD either answering for him or paying no attention whatsoever to the fact that I am in a conversation and trying to start one herself with me. We have tried the time out thing, but even there, she keeps right on talking. Which leads to her sitting in time out longer until she can stop. We do spend time with her. I am trying my best to be dilligent in spending one on one time with her as much as possible. Maybe its just her age and I will have to just deal with it. Maybe God is using her to teach me patience.

Sickness -- again! :(

2006-06-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

Came down with it on Saturday night. This happens often on Sat. night; I believe there is some sort of stronghold in our lives....anyone know about them? please let me know how to get rid of them (seeker4christ@yahoo.com)DD is sick the most, but has stopped throwing up as of 7:15am. DS#1 was fine till this am, now he is throwing up about twice an hour. Cannot get anything to stay down. Not even 1 tsp. of water or pedialyte. Poor thing has it come from both ends at the same time! Right now, I am glad that he still wears diapers!!! I even have Tygan suppositories for them and that didn't help! DS#2 threw up all night Sat, some yesterday and now just has lower stuff happening. Seems happy for an 11 month old. The biggest problem was that DS#1 climbed into my bed this am about 5. Then woke an hour later crying and threw up on my bed!!! I will spare you the disgusting details of what he ate last night! So, by the time all was cleaned and disinfected, here it came again. DD and DS#2 threw up about every 20 to 45 minutes for the first 12 hours or so. So, I at least knew what to expect. Oh, yeah, did I mention ny DH is away on a business trip!?!?!?Yep. He is. And what's worse, is that yesterday, he had to fix his exhaust system on his car. In the pouring rain. And he had already tried fixing it a week ago -- and at that time he pulled two ribs out. So, he can't take a full breath, laugh, or cough without shooting pains. So here I was all day yesterday, dealing with the flu, and I got one escape to go to Rite Aid to get Pedialyte popsicles and Pedialyte juice, and some more Lysol. I got about 3 hours of sleep Sat night. Had to wake DH at about 3:30am when I could take no more of DD whining. Who can blame me? Then last night, flying solo, the Lord God saw it fit to allow me 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Thank you Jesus! Awesome! I am tired, to say the least, but God has created in me an Iron Stomach to deal with this. **WARNING: Graphic part coming up -- queazy stomachs should NOT read**:Saturday night we had pizza for dinner and I'm telling you, having to clean up pizza vomit is HORRIBLE! UGH! I could cry right now just thinking about it! I don't want to eat, look at, or smell a pizza for a very LONG time! Cici's will have to wait. (They just opened one right by us.) I am reminded by my mentor "This too shall pass." And I know it will. -- I am just looking forward to when the kids are older and they can make it to the toilet. Will save on the carpet, furniture and laundry $!

Correction

2006-06-03T07:05:00.000-05:00

I need to make a correction. Ya know when you tell someone something and forget your main point because you're so busy? Well, that's what happened to me yesterday when I posted. I didn't mean to leave this part out. I meant no disrespect to God or to my DD. I was trying to post in a hurry so I didn't have my thoughts gathered that well, and also, my DD thought I was IMing a friend and she wanted to say something. Except the key she randomly chose to use was the delete key, and she had erased half my post! :>( [i was pretty upset, needless to say!]

I digress. Ok. Here is the correction. Now two nights ago (Thurs. night) I was putting the Caladryl lotion on DD and while it was drying, she said; "Mom, I'm gonna ask God to make these chicken pox go away. (to Him) 'God please make these chicken pox go away. I don't want to itch anymore. Amen.' (short pause then big smile spreads accross her face) Mom, God just said. 'ok. I heard your prayer. I will make you better.' Really, He did, Mom! You don't believe me, do you?" "Yes" I said. "I absolutely believe you! That's wonderful! I'm proud of you for praying like that. You know the Bible says that we all need to have faith and believe in God like kids do. I know He will heal you because you asked Him to." But see, yesterday (Friday) when I woke up, did I remember that? No. Me and my finite mind. I gave complete credit to the Caladryl and Benedryl. I believe that God can use modern medicine to carry out His good and perfect will, but that really wasn't what we were dealing with. We serve an Almighty God who heard the prayers of a little girl and blessed her with a healing. Were they chicken pox, or an allergic reaction? I don't know. Does it matter? I think what matters most is that my DD faith was grown HUGE by that happening! Praise be to God! Thank you Holy Spirit for speaking on her behalf. It may have been the beginning of chicken pox. I will probably never know. I am, however, claiming this healing for my little girl. Glory to God!

Letting Go

2006-06-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I decided to treat my children to McDonald's. We had to run errands, and they needed to get out. Rain is deluging us yet again, and my DD does not have chicken pox. Apparently, she got into something while camping. How do I know it is not chicken pox? Well, after using Benedryl and Caladryl, for a few days now, the spots have shrunken in size, and 90% of the redness and itching is gone. Amazing! Thank you God!

Just endeavoring to take all three of my children by myself anywhere requires careful planning! I figured they deserved the treat, considering the fact that they have done a great job overall doing their chores and also behaving while camping.
Well, I have been thinking about the fact that I hold my kids back after reading a friend's blog on it. MOMTEACHERFRIEND (check out the post from May 23rd.) In the middle of our meal, DD says she has to go potty. Here is the conversation between us: me: well, you will have to wait until we are all done. I'm sorry, but I can't leave the boys.
DD: I can't! I can't! I really can't!
me: I don't know what else to do, hon.
I know that she waits to go until the absolute last minute, and I felt bad for her. I immdiately felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to let go of her and let her go by herself. I was scared, but I obeyed. I told her she had 3 or 4 minutes and then I was going to come in. (How, I had no idea, as both boys are s-l-o-w eaters.) I reminded her to scream very loudly if anyone approached her, and off she ran. I was a praying maniac the whole time, and I also felt the Holy Spirit ministering to my spirit as it was happening. I was also trying to not let the boys see me anxious. Exactly 4 minutes went by and she came out with the biggest smile on her face! DD: I did it! I went all by myself! I was having trouble getting the sink on so this lady --she looked real nice to me mom, don't worry--she helped me but I went potty by myself with no help! me: Congratulations, honey! I knew you could do it! I am soooo proud of you! I will go home and write about it in my blog!
Now some of you (especially my mom), your mouths are probably gaping open. But I ask, what is a parent to do? I really feel that sometimes in parenting, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and trust God to protect your children when you cannot be right there. Yes, it is difficult, but she feels esteemed by mommy allowing her to go off by herself. And it helps me realize my baby is growing up in ways she needs to. Will I go with her next time if there is another adult present? Yes, but only if she wants me to. I could see the bathroom door the entire time, it wasn't very busy and there is only one way out of there - through the door I could see. Maybe, just maybe, she won't need so much "company" as she calls it, when she goes to the bathroom at home now. (she always insists on "company" at home because she gets bored.)
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for speaking to me today, and for giving me enough boldness to let go.

Dear Daughter's Preschool Graduation

2006-06-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

The day of graduation, May 25th, was rainy. We were deluged with rain. So these were the best of the pics I managed to get with my camera. I was having lighting problems. Thankfully, my mother in law was videotaping! (Did I mention that I was holding DS#2 the whole time?)

DD before preschool graduation

Walking to receive her diploma.

Is this a telescope?!

The whole class.

It's about time!

2006-05-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

Yeah,yeah. I know! I am in a procrastinating mood lately. Probably the heat. I want to post about my vacation. I journaled while camping at a KOA this weekend, but I don't feel like reading through it to decide what to post on here and what not to. Maybe later after I read my journal to DH. He had to work all wkend so he couldn't join us till Sun night. So, I journaled so as not to lose my cool with his parents. That is who I went camping with. Them and my kids. I feel hot and sticky. Mom and Dad are working on getting an a/c unit for us. Thanks loads! We love you for it already! Can't wait for it! The latest on us is that all 3 kids have chicken pox. Started with DD, then notice a few spots on DS#1 like about 6 of them. DD had way too many to count, mainly on her stomach and back. She has them on the back of her neck, in her armpits, and a lot along her line, as well as some other unmentionable places. Now just a few minutes ago, DS#2 got a diaper change, and has some in that area. :( I feel so bad for them. Maybe it will get DS#1 potty trained ~ maybe. But I'm not holding my breath. That's what mom says happened when I brought them home from school -- it got my bro potty trained in a hurry. But I'm not using cloth diapers - big difference. So, I will be giving lots of tepid oatmeal baths, benadryl, calamine lotion, etc. to make them feel better. They are just mostly restless right now. A little grumpy. Pretty normal, given the heat. I am buckling down and preparing for the worst. To answer everyone's question, no. They have not had the varicella vaccine as I believe that children should get chicken pox. Just a personal conviction of DH and mine. Now I am second-guessing holding back on that vaccine. JK! It was a wise decision, one directed by the Holy Spirit. But now its coming full circle and we have to live through it. It will be good for them. I am happy they got it. Although a lot of work.
Pray that this heat subsides some, please. And that my a/c unit will come really, really, soon! I will ask the maintenance guys here to install as DH is busy working a lot. That's another thing. It is hard right now. I literally went from having his help almost constantly to having it hardly at all. I feel like a single mom, but its almost worse in a way. Why? Because when he is around, I have to "let" him be in charge, ya know? Like, I have a routine (sort of) and way I do things. When he is around and does things different, it bugs me. Just little stuff. Nothing I can even think of to mention. But I love him, and he is my knight in shining armor. Despite the fact that we fight sometimes. He is my soulmate. God has brought us together. I am happier because he can adequately provide for our family and he is happier because of this, too! Well, I must go for now. Need to do dishes, and vacuum. I don't feel right about making the kids do their chores while their sick. This may change, depending on how long this virus lasts. BTW, in case you all are wondering: the spots are little raised bumps that are reddish pinkish. They look like little zits. All the pics I could find on the internet (Google Images) show people with them in the second stage. My kids are in the first stage right now. More soon today....promise. I never intend to not post each day, I must make it more of a priority! Ok! Now procrastinating on dishes. Bye!

Go Eat Popcorn

2006-05-23T07:59:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know (all two of you that actually read this blog! Ha! Thanks, SS and DH (smile) )that I will be starting a bible study, or more appropriately, Daily reading of the Word. I will be studying Go Eat Popcorn. My friend (momteacherfriend) is "in" a Bible reading group and they just finished the book of John. Now they are going to be reading Galatians, Ephesians and Philipians (hence the Go Eat Popcorn). I am excited about what great and wonderful things God will bring about in my life through this studying of His Word!

I was thinking just the other day that I need to physically read God's Word. At our church, since we meet in a movie theater, the scripture is on the screen. It's way too dark to try to follow along in your bible. I tried this for a few weeks when we started attending and gained a headache each time. So, I decided to just follow on the screen. But lately, my heart misses just sitting down and physically holding my Bible and reading out of it. Is that weird? In today's society, we can "hear" the Word in so many different ways, but for me, there is NO substitution for the mindset of sitting down to read my Bible.

Busy

2006-05-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been over a week since my last entry! Well, I have to say that things have been very hectic around here. DH started his new job at Dish Network last week. He will be working 6 days a week most of the time. Plus, going to school full time as well. Finals are this week, and yesterday we got everything squared away for English. There will be a 2 week break between quarters (of which he will work more hours) and then school will start again. However, no English next quarter! Yes! Gives me a break. I do love to help him, but it can be very taxing at 10pm when you just want to veg! I may still be needed to type for him, though. Which is fine. DD is going to be graduating preschool at the end of this week, so that is pretty emotional. She awoke Saturday morning with a toothache. Not sure what to make of it, but later in the day it wasn't bothering her and she hasn't complained of it since. Census I took decided it was best to not encourage wiggling (it was appearing loose) and to just leave it alone. DS #1 got a toddler bed last week, so he hasn't been going to bed till he passes out about 11pm. Which is another reason for no entries. By the time I get him settled, I go straight to bed. Last night, he even climbed into the crib with DS #2 just as I got DS #2 asleep! Ugh! Well, DH got DS #1 out of there in a hurry and DS #2 went right back to sleep. DS #2 decided to start teething all 4 teeth on top, all at once last week. So, they are all completely broken and staying through, but I am telling you right now, each morning, you can see that they have come down more out of the gums. I have been his favorite "chew toy" despite pretzel rods, large carrots, frozen or refrigerated teethers or biter biscuits. He will take them, yes, but preferrs mom's arm over anything else given a choice. I finished a Karen Kingsbury book last week. Started a new book my mom gave me called "Legacy Lane" Hart's Crossing series #1 by Robin Lee Hatcher. It is a very short book compared to what I normally read; only 150 pages or so. I expect to be done with it in 1-2 days. Then I am forcing myself to finish reading "Sheparding a Child's Heart". It is not that I don't want to read it, but for the most part, reading is my only escape from the kids, so I enjoy christian fiction. I am finding an extreme need to finsh "Sheparding a Child's Heart" because it is so obveous (particularly with DD) that her heart is the issue at hand when it comes to disobedience. I had only stopped reading it because I was really hoping to get DH to read, but even if he loved to read (which he doesn't, he hates it) he wouldn't have time right now with work and school. So, I will read and fill him in on the details. Isn't that just like a wife, huh? Well, one more thing, then I must go. Kids are getting wild. I sent my DH this beautiful ecard and wrote my own eloquent message. Very heart-felt, very sappy. But I felt God telling me to do this for DH on Friday. So I did. I got "Thanks, that will help me make it thru school tonight." I even felt compelled to put it into nice writing on MS Word and then post it in our room. I did not do this to get a favorable response from him, but i was hoping for more than what I got. I truely meant what I said, and I thought he would have talked to me about it. Guess that's something men really don't do, even if they are excellent hubbies. Hopefully more later today!

Worship

2006-05-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

I believe worship is an integral part of not only a church service, but to our daily lives as well. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful, alto singing voice. I love to sing. At one point in my life, I was singing in an arranged group 6 to 7 days a week, not including practicing in smaller groups or by myself. Worship is awesome. It is key for me to enter into His presence with a right heart and mind. It helps me to leave my troubles and life situations at the door so I can humbly come before Him. I have sang on a number of worship teams in the past, as well as lead worship for a youth group for a time. I could worship for hours at a time without ever realizing it. My problem is this: this world will let you down. The people in it will let you down. The people in this world, no matter how great their relationship is with Christ, can still be used as a tool for Satan without ever knowing it. I have been hurt in the past by some of the pastors and leaders at previous churches that I attended/was a member of. I have not forgiven them. The Lord has brought this to my attention tonight as I am listening to the praise and worship music on Launchcast Radio. I realize that I have developed a bitterness to them for allowing things to happen. It is not their fault, but Satan's. I rebuke you, Satan! I hate you! You are a liar and a thief! God, I pray that you would birth in me forgiveness toward the people in my past that have wounded me. Please send your healing Balm of Gilead to be the salve to these wounds so that I can be healed and move on. Lord, I long to worship you with no cobwebs or dead horses attached. That is too heavy a load for me to carry. Please take it from me now. You alone are worthy of all my praise. You deserve so much more than I can ever offer. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. I am forever grateful. I cannot imagine what that would be like. Take this messed up, trampled heart and forge from it what you see fit for the benefit of your kingdom. I love you, Jesus. Thank you for cultivating this soil in my heart and for continually working our the rocks. I am but a hard lump of clay. Even though I am cracked and dry, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. It's so hard, Lord, to turn off my brain and just focus on you. Please teach me how to do that. Send Your Word to me in ways I am not expecting so that I will see You. It's all about You, my precious Lord Jesus. It is not about me or the music or how anyone looks around me in church. Please help me to remember this and please help me to feel uninhibited to raise my hands again. I know it has been Satan holding me back from lifting my hands in church telling me I cannot because it would be weird or people would look at me. I don't care anymore, Lord. Remind me of this tomorrow morning. Please help me to be the songbird you have created me to be and help me to not worry about what I sound like or if I come in too early. Remind me that NONE of that matters to you, Lord. You don't even care if I can sing a tune in a bucket or not. You just love hearing me sing to you. Help me to do this for Your glory. Amen.

For You on Mother's Day

2006-05-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

This is part of an email message that my mom sent to me. I wanted to share it with everyone. Hey! If you got the same story/poem thingy, let me know! If you got another you think I'd like, put it in the comments. (please!) I love the sappy messages we as mothers get for the holidays. I have always given them to my grandmas and my mom. Now I love to receive them. But this one was a little different. This one hit home exactly where it needed to. Thank you to my mother. She is a wonderful lady. I can tell that the Lord directed her to send this particular e-card to me.
A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother. She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference.
At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. "Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?"
It was during these moments of questioning that she heard the still, small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart.
"You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye.
But I notice.
Most of what you give is done without remuneration.
But I am your reward.
Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know.
I bless him through your service and honor him through your love.
Your children are precious to Me. Even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care to raise for Me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me.
You may never be in the public spotlight, but your obedience shines asd a bright light before Me. Continue On.
Remember you are my servant. Do all to please Me." ~Roy Lessin
23"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23, 24 KJV. Here is that verse in NIV: 23"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Are you seeking Christ?

2006-05-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

Today, I am frustrated with the fact that the website which holds all the blogs for Blogger or Blogspot can't do anything with the trash that is on it. It only took one blogspot for me to become angry. I waited till my dh was out of the room and flagged it. I have half a mind to go back 10 times a day and flag it each time. What's keeping me from doing so? Well, one, I don't wish to see seedy, nastiness. Two, I'm not sure yet if someone flags your account do you know who has flagged it? Or is it anonymous? There's no use in leaving a comment, (even anonymous) about God because I don't think it will do any good. I don't want them to be ticked off with Christians. I feel that God will use someone closer to them or God will prompt their heart to start searching Him. Also, something I've found as I was searching is that there are so many sick people in this world that I can't imagine why God isn't weeping constantly for them. (Maybe He is.) I searched for "christ" in the blog title and also "jesus" and in all the listings (well, I didn't read the pages upon pages, but through the first page's listings of blog names) in all those, there were only TWO that were honestly about what I was looking for = true christianity and people who follow the One True God. All of the rest were mockers. Poor lost souls. It turns my stomach and makes me feel like this world is hopeless. Let me pray for them right now, the one thing I can do: Father God, I come before you now and I ask that you will reveal yourself in a mighty and powerful way to the people who are trashing your name. I pray that you will bring christians accross their path and that they would have to take a second look and ask the person "what's he/she got that I haven't that makes them enjoy life so much?" I pray that you would create in them a genuine need for a Savior, your Son, Jesus Christ. Also I pray that you would bring about a conviction in their hearts from the Holy Spirit. Forgive them, Lord Jesus, and forgive me. I am no more worthy of your forgiveness than they are. Help them to realize that what they are doing will never satisfy them, Lord. It will never make them happy. Only Christ's love and believeing he died for our sins can do that. I love you , Jesus. In your name I pray, Amen.

Just one more thing, I often have been wondering: if people don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, where they communicate with Him, then what in this world are they living for? What gives them the motivation to get up each morning and go through their routine? I'm convinced that deep, deep, deep, down in their heart of hearts that they know that whatever they are living for isn't worth living for. The Bible says everything on earth will pass away. All our worldly possessions, even our family members and friends. Yes, it is sad to think about, unless you know where you are going after this life. I have complete certainty of that, how about you? If not, would you like to? If so, contact me via email at: seeker_4_christ@yahoo.com. If you, like me, are seeking Christ, let me know. I would love to read your blog (if you have one) and I would love to know to what extent you are seeking Him. Comments? Thoughts?

Practicing Raising Your Sheild of Faith

2006-05-08T23:15:00.000-05:00

The following is from an excerpt from Beth Moore's study book called "Believing God". It was a weekend reading from my daily devotional magazine called "Journey: a Woman's Guide to Intimacy with God". I felt lead to share this on my blogspot to encourage others as Beth has encouraged me. She regularly writes in to the magazine from what I have read. I don't know a lot about her, but I am put to the challenge with everything of hers I've read so far. So Beth writes:
God taught me a specific way to practice taking up me shield of faith. He equipped me with a five-statement pledge of faith that encompasses virtually everything we're challenged to believe. I raise my right arm and hold out my hand like a shield. I then put up my thumb and declare, "God is who He says He is." I add my index finger and proclaim, "God can do what He says He can do." Adding my third finger, I say, "I am who God says I am." With my fourth finger I state, "I can do all things through Christ." My little finger completes the shield as I say, "God's Word is alive and active in me." I put an exclamation mark on the end of my five-statement pledge of faith with the simplest of sign language to the words "I'm believing God." With the index finger of that same hand, I point to my heart and say, "I'm." I point to my forehead and say, "believing" (because faith is always an exercise of the will, not the emotions). Then I point upward toward heaven and say, "God." I practive this exercise in my house by meself, on walks with my dogs, in my work and anywhere else I can get away with it. As I make each statement, I can literally feel supernatural strength building within me. Anytime someone makes fun of me, I have the same thought: "Beloved, I was once the most bound-up, defeated believer you've ever me, and now I'm a walking miracle experiencing the power of God. With all due respect, how's life going for you?" Sometimes God demands radical measures when He wants to bring about radical results. I may look silly, but to the glory of God alone, someting's working. This woman should have been a lost cause. Commit to say, write or think your five-statement pledge of faith repeatedly over the time frame you choose with God. As for me, I think I'll declare it until I die. But even if you only repeat it for a number of weeks, I pray the practive will help you put a new belief in your system.
Please remember that everything in italics was Beth Moore's words and thoughts and ideas. I found them to be awesome and encouraging so I thought I would share them with everyone.

2006-05-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

The following is a message I received from the Lord on Sunday, May 7th 2006.

MOPS

I feel the need to start a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group here in the ***** area. I don’t know much about MOPS. Mostly that it gives moms a break and is Christ-centered. I don’t care if it is me that runs the group. Doesn’t matter who; I just feel it pressed upon my heart to check into this. The closest MOPS is currently about 20 minutes from here. I know the economy is currently @ 11.5% unemployment rate in the greater *town area. That’s 4.5% higher than the national average. I was reading the book “Celebrate Home: Encouragement and Tips for Stay-at-Home parents” by Angie Peters and, in the back, it listed several websites. MOPS was one of them. I had already spoken with my sister-in-law about a month ago regarding locations near me. Well, add the distance plus the fact that gas is nearly $3.00 per gallon and for me, especially with one vehicle to share with my husband, that makes it almost impossible to go.
Today, as I was worshipping in church, I felt the Lord God tell me to pray for 30 days (until June 7th) about starting a MOPS in this area. He told me to sit down with my husband each night before bed and pray about it. He said “Do not miss one day or you will not know.” As I am sitting here writing this, I think there’s no way I could do this because I think sometimes my life really stinks right now and I get depressed. He reminds me that He used David to fight Goliath and that my life isn’t that bad, that I only think so because I get caught up in my situation when things don’t go according to myself and I take my eyes off Him. He hugs me and says, “I love you. Keep looking to me. Talk to me when you feel discouraged and I will cheer you. You must give me your burdens and stop carrying them yourself. You weren’t made to take these things upon your shoulders. I Love You. You are my dear child and I long to help you if you will only let me. I’m going to use you soon in a mighty and powerful way beyond your wildest dreams and far beyond anything you can come up with. You must turn to me each day. You must not worry how things will come together or when. This is my agenda and I will do them how and when I please according to my will. Keep your eyes and your focus on me because I am going to do a work in you. This is my desire. I care for you.” ~ Jesus

One problem: I have to admit that dh and I both forgot last night. As soon as I woke up today, I really wanted to die. I had let God down. I had failed. I yelled at dh. He said, "God knew this would happen. And yet, He still saw it fit to tell you." I feel in my heart that the main reason God told me to pray with dh on this is to get us together to pray consistently. I know that tonight we will not miss. There is no way. But I can tell you that I now know what it means to pray continually. I have been doing this since I received the word yesterday afternoon. I still have that dooming feeling of failure, but I know that is just Satan trying to get my to give up. I will not do this. Just because we don't do exactly what God has asked I know that He can still use me and work through me. It doesn't mean that He will definately move on. Also, a note on the "30 days/June 7th" thing. I counted and realized that between May 7th and June 7th there are 32 days. Didn't realize this until this morning. Perhaps this was God's intention. With Him having the Master Plan, perhaps with Him knowing that I would screw up the first night, He added 2 extra calendar days. We shall see....I feel like I cheated myself out of part of a blessing similar to sneaking and opening a Christmas present behind your parent's back. (No, mom, I never did this, but I can imagine what it would feel like). So, now it's not quite so special, but I will still get it. Will that be the case, only the Lord knows right now. I'll find out on June 7th.
Now, if I get absolutely nothing besides a renewed heart, mind, spirit from this; even if nothing works out; I will have walked away a winner. You want to know why? The Lord God has rekindled my passion. This has been gone for a very long time. I have been hurt by people in the church (maybe more on that at some point) quite a bit and this has caused a bitterness to grow inside me that I can honestly say I no longer feel. Praise the Lord! He is worthy of our praise and on the move in my life!!!!! :D

Darkness

2006-05-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

I am quite sad today. My marriage, I believe, is under great spiritual attack. I feel like I know why, but I cannot say because this place is too public with too many people viewing. My family doesn't appreciate me and what I do for them. I so don't want to do this life anymore, but it's the only life I know and I feel like I would be lost without them. Everything I do from sun up past sun down is for and revolves around my family. I am grateful for the opportunity most of the time, but right now I feel so burnt out. Maybe things will balance out after dh finishes school. But 2 years away may as well be 2,000. I don't know why my dh puts up with my moodiness. I can't stand to be around myself lately. Something happened to me about 3 1/2 years ago that tore me to shreds emotionally and God showed me that that is at the heart of the problems in my marriage. I am continually being dragged through the mud that is this situation and it affects my attitude, decisions, and how I deal with everyone on a daily basis. The problem is that God told me that I needed to let it go. It is too big of a burden for me to carry. But, God, I say, the hurt and pain is still there as if it happened yesterday. I just don't know how to get over it. I do not believe I have the skills or knowledge on how to let go. No matter that I have been churched all my life, I just can't figure out how to do it. It's not that I choose to dwell on it. Satan brings it before me continually and I do not know how to battle him on that subject. Satan knows this so he keeps doing it. I really need a mentor, so badly, if anyone ever reads this, please pray for me, although you may not know me, that I would find a mentor. I long for someone to talk to about life issues as well as regular day to day stuff. I thought yesterday I may not even do this blogging thing anymore. Now I can hardly stop as it is a place to work through things.

sickness

2006-05-03T17:03:00.000-05:00

To all those who are hanging on my every word (yeah, right!) My ds#1 and ds#2 are STILL sick!!!! ARGH!!! UGH!!!! I am so frustrated! And bone weary! I let ds#2 have a dime size did you get that DIME size amout of pork roast last night at dinner. 3 hours later, he was throwing up the contents of the entire day. (I will spare you the details). So, I thought, 'well, I guess his lil tummy wasn't ready after all. Guess I'll have to go back to the BRAT diet.' Then, this afternoon, ds#1 was acting a lot better (save the diarrhea ~ we'll get to some of that in a moment...) so, I thought he could have one pkg of fruit snacks. How WRONG was I? Not even 2 hours later up it comes! Waaaa! Waaaa! I can't take it anymore! I know the Lord knows this. I shall try very hard to take comfort in that. So, after just recently returning from the laundrymat today and doing 18 (no lie) loads of laundry (just got $ today...we were just a little behind in laundry, don't ya think?) anyways, so I just had to run another 1/2 load b/c of what was just soiled. I'm tired. Please forgive me for not updating this as much as I'd like to. Last night, I was up until 3 am helping dh with English. One important thing, then I must go: Yest. ds#1 was complaining that his bum was hot like his fafa (blanky) when it comes out of the dryer. which is kind of cute, but very painful to him. he thought that there was a diaper rash but there isn't. My dh and I tried tons of different things. Then, the Lord spoke to me and told me to use Lansinoh cream (the internet said something about lanolin, and God said "hey, that's Lansinoh, and you have some of that in your top dresser drawer." So, we started applying that liberally and that helped quite a bit, but he still wailed from the pain. It is so sad to hear and see your 2 yr old writhing in pain and you can't do anything. :( So then dh mom sd try cornstarch. So, I put lansinoh on then cornstarch. working wonders for both boys! ds#1 doesn't even realize when he has a poopy and his bum is protected by the lansinoh. we still check very often, though. One more thing God told me to do to help him with his pain: have him squeeze mommys hand, or arm or a stuffed animal. God told me that it would defer his attention and it wouldn't hurt me and it would allow him to vent out his pain. God is good! Even in the midst of sickness. ps any suggestions would be welcome on how to deal with this stuff.

This too shall pass

2006-04-30T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today was a rough day. Actually, it started yesterday. Both DS1 and DS2 are sick with the flu. I am told that it could last a week although I am not claiming that. I am hopeful that we will pull out of it. DS1 has it worse. He had jello today at 2 and his stomach decided at 8:30 that it was going to reject it. DH took him to the hospital @ midnite and he got suppositories b/c he couldn't even hold down a teaspoon of water or soda. I am bone tired, and weary. This weekend was the pits. It started off fun with DD having her first official sleepover with two of her friends. I enjoyed having her friends at out house and that is the way I hope it will always be. I want our home to be welcoming for our children and their friends and I want them to feel comfortable being here around DH and I. I yearn to make my home "the hang out". :) Couldn't go to church this a.m., obveously, so we found a sermon online from Joel Osteen Ministries. (www.joelosteen.com) It was awesome about staying on the potter's wheel. About being a hard lump of clay and allowing God to use problems in your life to refine you instead of you reacting negatively toward them. I highly recommend you view this if you have broadband. If not, it may get aggrivating because it is one hour long. It even included praise and worship which I always enjoy to prepare my heart. Please pray for my family as it seems that most Saturdays, my kids get sick. I don't take my kids to church sick. Wont do it. Don't like exposing everyone to germs. Esp. when its the stomach flu! I think I have only been to church about 6 times since the beginning of the year. It is very sad for me and I am praying for an accountability partner/mentor. I desperately need the discipleship and confidant in my life. Most of the time I feel like I'm shipwrecked and barely hanging on to the liferaft. More on that in the days to come, I'm sure.

my first entry

2006-04-29T18:15:00.000-05:00

I am excited at the prospect of starting this. I hope I can be consistent and that God will use me through this blog. I am not sure what to do or say, but it will probably be what is most pressing on my heart at the time. Perhaps I can achieve some accountability through it. We shall see. I anticipate many things to happen in my life in the next few years. My husband will be going to school and completing a degree in computer engineering and I have 3 children ages 4 (almost 5), 2 1/2, and 10 months.