Money Talk

Let's talk money! We are making a plan and new budget to get out of debt before the end of 2o12....I know...it's a LONG term goal...but we are in a lot of debt! So, I think I will try to devote Friday's to thinking about ways to save, budget, and keep on track. I am frugal by nature and love a good deal...so I will be re-visiting my old ways of saving and trying to think of new ways. I must say I fell into the world of convenience while adjusting to my all the sudden large family last year! We went from 2 kids to 7 kids in a year~ that was a BIG change! We are all settled, adopted, homeschooled....now is the time to take our finances seriously and be good stewards of all the Lord has blessed with! We are going to make our budget tomorrow...but I have a few ideas in my head for saving some money already!

~ Make more SIMPLE meals...like tonight was spaghetti,meatballs, garlic bread...we don't need so much variety all the time!

~ Serve more natural and filling foods...we will eat less if we eat more filling foods, not chips and junk.

~ Drink water all day except for one drink of juice and one drink of milk.

~ work on making sure lights are off when we are not using them.

~ Try creative things to make new outfits with clothes we already have....this will be especially for the little ones who share clothes.

~ Make sure we wait 4 days before buying anything we don't NEED....during the 4 day period we need to see if we can make do without it or figure out another way to do the job (so to speak)

~ make homemade snacks...like a slice of toast...something SIMPLE...not pre-packaged stuff!

~ Eat the portion size that's correct! We always eat WAY too much!

~ Don't even "thrift shop" for fun! Only when there is a NEED!!

~ Save one of my babysitting paychecks for Christmas shopping for next year

Those are just a few of the things I should be doing...and am excited about doing!

Another thing I am wondering is what is an appropriate food budget for a family of 9...we are all home all day (except hubby, but I pack his meals...so he eats our boughten food) and I babysit 2 children all day....What is your food budget?

2010

We had a very big year! 2010 was a great year for most things. We got to adopt 5 beautiful kids, we have everyone home for school now, which was a big adjustment...we went from 2 being schooled to 7...as we do "pre-school"..., we had a few hard on your heart foster care placements, we got to know many people in our church family, we teach Sunday school, we went through very hard times this year with the children we adopted but while still in foster care, we watched the kids siblings be moved around, I got a tubal reversal and then a uterine infection, and much more! It has been the most emotional year we have EVER had! Many, many, many ups and downs this year. There were times we thought the boys (the ones we adopted) were going to have to live with their grandparents, who were not appropriate...so we fought and fought for them and what was in their best interest....we had to split up the sibling group of girls we had...there were 4 sisters (we adopted only 3)....we tried SO hard to make it work for all 4...but the oldest sister was SO mean and abusive, we didn't tell the county we wanted her removed, they told us...and a month later she molested a boy close to the same age as my special needs son....we were so sad for her. To say the least, this year has been full of growing times! We are so thankful! God is good all the time....
I pray this next year to come will be full of fun and new things! There are a few things stirring already...so we shall see what God will do. Happy New Year!

Too Funny!!

This is what we found after lunch....the dog is VERY old...we can't believe he did it! We served meatloaf ....it must have smelled good! LOL

Regular Life

I am SO looking forward to getting back to "regular" life! I love the time we just had during November and December, but I am ready for our slow way of life to return! We are not busy people, we are always doing something....but usually at home...and it just seems normal to us. We are not a family who likes to run about and go lots of places and spend lots of money. It seems that's all we have done the past two month...with holidays and the adoption/adoption party...it has been hectic to say the least!! This week will be spent getting things cleaned up from Christmas, the tree and decorations put away...getting out my household planner and making new schedules as our old ones will not work now that all the kids are finally home (one was in public school until the adoption) and we have taken on another child to babysit. It feels so refreshing to look at things with a clear head and know that our slow way of living can be resumed! I look forward to every moment of it! :0)

Merry Christmas!

Just popping in to Wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

Romance

I really do think I have the best hubby ever! We are struggling greatly with one of our adopted children...she is grieving her lost family, and is acting out in a BIG way! Rob and I have been praying and trying to do what is best for her...it feels like we are living in a whirlwind...I don't know how else to describe it...the days fly by...everything is rushed as we are trying to deal with my heartbroken child. Yesterday, my loving man was the perfect picture of romance. I am always teaching my girls about real romance, as I DO NOT believe in the ushy-gushy romance...it's not real life...I feel a woman will never find contentment in her marriage if she holds a real guy up to the expectations she reads about or sees in movies...it's not REAL! Some people have told me that I am crushing girlhood dreams by teaching this to my girls...I don't agree. Life is not ushy-gushy...mine is full of dirty diapers, dirty dishes, runny noses, and smelly animals! That's not ushy-gushy...and after having all of that....all day....I don't even want ushy-gushy! Back to my point...about my amazing husband...When he got home from work, I needed to run to the post office and then to a friends house..quickly. He ended up calling me at my friends house (he tried my cell..twice... I left it in the van, he hates that) to see if I was OK...I told him I was and we were just visiting...he told me to take my time and he would fix dinner and to stay and eat dinner with my friend and her family. Of course, I didn't...I rushed home with a full heart and made my family dinner. Then after dinner, we played with the kids, I bathed them all and tucked them in...then my oldest foster daughter called..I talked to her for a long time...my husband waits...patiently...on the couch, even though he had a plan for me...he waited...patiently. That's true love. After my phone call, he put my coat on me...wrapped a prayer shawl around my head and neck to keep me warm...he asked me to put on my chore boots ( they are SMELLY) and gave me ONE glove. Take a minute to picture this...here I am...an ugly green chore coat, a prayer shawl around my head...poopy boots, and one glove. This is not ushy-gushy, but my heart has melted at this point. He takes me outside, and he also has just one glove on...he holds my ungloved hand in his coat pocket with his ungloved hand...and takes me on a walk in our pasture. He ministers to me...shares his heart for God, shares with me what and where he feels God is leading him to teach/train me...he is so gentle and soft with me and his correction. I love this man and would follow him anywhere. This is true romance. another mental picture, just for those who may still think romance only happens in the bedroom, or some spectacular ushy-gushy way...here we are...two exhausted parents, in chore gear, smelly...because of chore gear, in a poopy pasture...and the only smooching going on was from big, slobbery, animal noses! Marriage is such a blessing and a joy...I can't believe I get to be with my husband until I (or he) dies to go be with the Lord...I love this man!

It's Right

I always feel like we take up too much room, are too loud, and bug others when we go out in our town. Our town is very small and the places we go are pretty small. I always feel like we are a side show as there don't seem to be many large families around. Honestly, I don't know anyone else with 7 living children...one of my friends has 7, but only 6 are living...and 2 of those are grown and married...I have another friend with 5, and a few with 4...I'm sure there are large families in the area, just none that I know of. Anyway... I always feel like we are taking up too much space so to speak...and am on edge when we are out. Rob took us to one of our favorite places to eat after church on Sunday as a surprise! And this time...just like every other time...God helped me see things clearly! (Almost) every time we go out, people ask us questions about our size...EVERYTIME....I honestly think I can count on one hand the times that it didn't come up! In small towns, people talk to you...it's neat :0) Sometimes I get sick of it, but then God gets a hold of me...and lets me know that these are the PERFECT times to bring glory to Him with my words. Yesterday at the restaurant two different families came up to us to talk to us about our kids! They both complimented their behavior and one lady even came right out and said..."I'll bet they are home schooled"....I was floored...and checking to see if they indeed looked really dorky or something that would make them stick out....then again...God said "HEY!!!"....this lady said that because they were an example for Christ...sitting there...big ones with little ones...all mixed together...It was so neat to get to speak of my Lord to people....people who wanted to talk to us because we look different....maybe it's not just the size...maybe they see us as approachable...maybe they can see the Light of Christ in our family?? I will always, from this day forward, thank God for those moments!

Busy Weekend...and a Question For You

I'll start with the question...so you;ll have time to think of a brilliant answer before the end of this post..hehehehe! Ok...I can not seem to come up with a good, kid friendly craft for my babysitting kids to make for their parents for Christmas! I have searched, and thought...I am coming up BLANK! HELP! Any good ideas....cheap and easy would be best!? Thank You!!

This is the busiest weekend of the whole year for us...Today we have a Christmas party at Rob's mother's house with all of his step sisters and their kids...then we have a Christmas party at Rob's dad's house with all of the step siblings and their kids in the afternoon/evening. In the middle of that is dress rehearsal for the church Christmas play! This morning before we go I have baking to do for tomorrow. Tomorrow we have church and Sunday school, the kids will be handing out cute dishes of the baked goods that I am making this morning. Then when we come home, we will build a ginger bread house, and bake some more...then we will go back to church for the Christmas play (this is my Christmas gift from my daughter, I don't watch any rehearsals or even let her talk to me about the play! ) After the play will be fellowship time with finger foods in the gym. After that when we get home I need to put together trays of goodies as a gift for the families we babysit for. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Hopefully all can be done with a good attitude and a joyful spirit...after all it is all done in the name of the Lord! Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hand Picked Gifts

We all feel special when we receive a hand picked gift, rather than some pre-packaged deal that you could pick up anywhere, right? This is not a new concept...I already knew this...but it hit me like a TON of Bricks yesterday and was instantly dropped to my knees in thanksgiving... God handpicked this life for ME! WOW! We all "know" this...but man oh man, did it become REAL in my heart yesterday! I just am amazed at Him...and all He is...He picked these kids, this husband, this home, this life, for ME...Talk about feeling special! Not that...my head is big, I'm so great, kind of special...a humbled beyond words kind of special. I am SO unworthy of all He has given to me. It's incredible to me....that He will work in spite of me...I don't deserve His grace and love...but it's mine...free for the taking....I look around me...I have the BEST husband... God picked him for me, we have been together since the first time we saw each other...literally, so I believe in love at first sight...because of God. I see 7 little faces snuggled on the couch watching shows...He gave me two before I was even saved, and living a life of TOTAL sin...then when I was barren he gave me 5 children to adopt...without even asking...what a gift...it was God. I could go on and on about the blessings He has given me!! I know this sounded like a bunch of "mish-mash"...LOL...but my heart is so full, it might burst! God's greatness is HUGE and I am so thankful to know Him, and to have received His handpicked gifts!

Just Like A "Real" Mommy!

This is my daughter, Kate. she's too cute for her own good! She often dresses herself up like this, pushes a baby stroller, and is usually lugging around a purse half her size...saying "Look, I'm just like a real mommy!" She must need glasses!! This is NOT the mommy she sees....here...in this house~ I never walk around in full princess gear, pushing a stroller, carrying a magic wand~ But it got me thinking, what kind of mommy do the kids REALLY see? Do they see a mommy who is frazzled and tired? Do they see a mommy who can't hide her emotions when she's upset? Do they see a mommy who loves her home and her family? Do they see a mommy who puts God first in her life? I have no clue what they see! Kids are so forgiving...and adaptable. I have had kids get in trouble all day and then when I put them to bed and kiss them...they say to me.."Mommy, this was the best day ever!" (Kyara does this all the time!)LOL...I love my kids SO incredibly much, I think I owe it to them to really dig into the Word, pray, and see what kind of mommy they deserve to see everyday.

So Hurt!

Right now I am absolutely crushed. I am so sick of people treating my 5 adopted kids as if they are not "my own" kids! So many family members are making them feel as if they are not "really" part of our "family". One said to me.." All 7 kids will have the same number of gifts at Christmas, but I won't spend the same on "them" as I do the 2 birth kids."!! WHAT! Another family member wanted to just give plastic gift cards to the adopted kids and a gift to the "real" kids (their words)! WHAT!! and the last straw just broke...I just got word that my own brother and his wife are also segregating my adopted kids...and wanted to give the 5 nieces and nephews born into the family a nice and special gift, while they give the adopted kids a piece of plastic! It is not about gifts...I could care less if my kids get any gifts at all...I would actually prefer they don't! Especially since it is causing such problems! What kind of person could look at these beautiful orphaned kids as lowly...not good enough for equal treatment! These 5 kids, you know the "others", these are the ones who were nearly starved to death, raped, beaten, ridiculed, and abandoned....they should be the ones who get the special gifts...just for surviving their circumstances!! I'll tell you another thing...these people in my "family" have said to me....they said "These kids have never had a big Christmas before, so they won't know the difference!" I am SHOCKED at the mindset of these ignorant people, and since they are my family, my heart is totally broken. How am I going to realistically explain this to the 10 and under crew about the visable difference in their treatment...from people they love and who claim to love them?? One grandma still can't even say all their names right! They have been here for years! People are the most important thing...hearts...I wish I knew what to do...how to handle this...the tears just won't stop flowing...the kids see my heart broken...When did CHRISTmas turn into this mess? All I want is to rejoice in the birth of my Lord...not feel like this. Any suggestions on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated!

Mommy's Sick Bed

I am not feeling well. I am not down and out, just a little sick. I went to lay down yesterday at lunch break, I REALLY needed a rest as we were having company for dinner and dessert and before that I was going grocery shopping. So, I get them all sat down and started with lunch...I announce I am going to go lay in my bed and that their oldest sister was "in Charge"! I get all snuggled in with my box of tissues, close my eyes, and here a pitter patter and then "I wuz you, mom....SO much!"...and in climbs my little man...then 5 minutes later here comes another...and another...my sick bed was getting full of kids! Needless to say, I got no extra rest at lunch break...LOL...But God got me through the day and gave me a good night of rest...and a bed full of kids!

Pantry & Something Funny!

I have been busy around the house this last week! So far, I have completely cleaned out the girl's room, the boy's room, the upstairs hallway/play area, the pantry, and the TOY BOX! Oh...a closet and the old frig too. It feels good to have things getting back to their normal order....it's not perfect or pretty...but functionable! I call myself the "comfort queen"... I go for comfortable/functionalbe things over fashionable things...that's just me :0) I like things to look nice, and pretty...but am not very good at doing it, nor do I want to spend a lot of time or money on things like that...it is not important to Rob, so I can't justify the time or money spent in that area. I feel blessed to have a big pantry full of food to eat! I am thinking about "food storage" so that we have more on hand... so I don't have to make a big shopping trip weekly. As it is now, if I go a day or two over the weekly trip we start to run out of things. This doesn't really work for us, as life can be crazy and I may not be able to get to the store weekly! Anyway....this is my pantry...God has blessed us with much!

OK...for the funny...at least funny to me...my 3 yr old still jabbers a bit...and my oldest daughter made cupcakes for dessert last night...and colton was calling them "buttcakes"....LOL...he was TRYING to say "CUPcake"....but each time we had him try it would come out "buttcake"....he couldn't figure out why we were all laughing, because to him..he said it right! LOL...kids keep ya young at heart, I guess!

Oh My...What a Weekend!

Oh My! That's what I have to say about our weekend! It was chalked full of highs and lows! I'll start with Friday night...Rob and I went up to watch TV and visit in our room while a few bigs stayed downstairs to watch a movie...no big deal. I get up around 4:00 a.m. to let the dog out and find our freezer (the small one, on the frig) wide open! Our second to the oldest daughter left it open... ALL NIGHT! What a mess! All the food in there was ruined...and I was MAD! So, we cleaned it all up, talked with her...end of story. We get all the kids around the table as Daddy had a big surprise planned for the family! He drew pictures for clues and the kids got to guess what we were going to go do! We were going to go ride the "Santa Express"....in the theme of the "Polar Express"....we went on an hour train ride! The kids got tickets, free hot cocoa and cookies, a gift...it was AWESOME! We took them to lunch at McDonald's play place...life was good! Especially since we got a major discount on the tickets!! The kids ate candy canes and sang Christmas carols all the way home :0) Then the "REAL" fun begins! We walk in to find our frig was completely broken! It was not working at all! We called the repair man, a trusted friend, and he said it would cost at least $500 to fix it, and since it was old anyway, Rob decided to buy a new one. The decision came after hours of fretting, struggling to try to fix the old one, getting all the food we could put other places...clearing out an overstuffed closet to get to the back of the old frig...not fun...at..all!!! So, $900 later...we had a good and long talk about responsibility with the kids! The big ones were wide eyed and understood what had happened...while the Little's were just jazzed about getting a new frig. We go to bed. We wake up to a hill covered in ice! I teach Sunday School, so we were going to church...icy roads or not...we get ready and go...church was OK...not major issues except one little had a big sneeze "blow out" and I had no tissues with me! YUCK! But it was OK! After church we have a fellowship time of coffee and a snack...great...I say to my crew that it was time to go to Sunday School...3 of them take of RUNNING out of the gym and into the parking lot! So, off we go for a group time out! Then the actual teaching of Sunday School was AMAZING! I LOVE my class...it is such a blessing! But where was my husband?? After class he came to me and said that someone gave us a substantial amount of money to buy a new stove....what?? What a blessing...God is so good! The next second he was in the church office talking with a heartbroken person....then went to pick up another one of our kids from their class...and went to hug these two twin girls...we LOVE them so much...but sadly, most people see these kids (there are 4 kids all together in this sibling group) as bad kids....but their life is so sad...anyway, he scoops them up in his strong arms for hugs and kisses, and they melt into tears. How sad. They were having a bad day...there life is one of the saddest stories ever. Rob was crushed. Like so crushed he couldn't breathe....near tears himself...CRUSHED. So, we leave...we were supposed to go pick up the little girl we babysit for a sleepover and a Christmas party with grandma & grandpa...we couldn't get there due to the icy roads...we tried and tried to get there...but were slipping and sliding all over the place!! We couldn't pick her up. We went home had the party...it was fun. I finally got to talk to her mom and found out she sat all afternoon in her pretty little penguin dress and pigtails...she was sad...we were sad. Long story short...we ended up getting her later in the afternoon...it was all good...lots of ups and downs...God is good...ALL THE TIME. This weekend gave us lots to do, think about, and pray about!!

Meet The "Littles"

These are the "Littles"....they are the little people in our family. Their ages are 3,4,5, and 6. They keep our house full of mischief, laughter, and fun! They do EVERYTHING together...and are often referred together as a group....hence being called the "Littles":0) I love that God blessed us with children like this, one right after the other! I pray any future pregnancies will be this way! There is always a party as far as they are concerned! There is always someone to play with, someone to talk to, someone to snuggle with! I pray that as they grow they will be best friends and understand just how special it is for them to have brothers and sister so close to their own age. In this picture the "Littles" are watching a Christmas movie together and eating popcorn :0) Another funny thing that just came to mind was this...people ask me all the time how I find time to have "one on one" time with each child...first of all, I don't really think this is a great idea...it works out that way sometimes, to have just one child, but we believe in doing things TOGETHER, anyways....if you try to do something with just one of the "Littles"...alone....they are devastated! They can't wait to get back with the "guys"! My kids actually ENJOY being TOGETHER as a FAMILY! Crazy idea...lol....

Let Them Help

I feel it is so important to let the children help decorate for the holidays...it helps them feel as if they are part of making it special! I have been in some homes that looked as if they fell out of a magazine, and for a moment, I was (and still am) jealous! It lasts only a moment...because as you look around, you feel like you couldn't touch a thing or it might break, you feel uneasy with your children even being there, they might mess it up...etc. This does not set the tone of an inviting home, to me. What I prefer is to look around my house, as it is now, and see the little messes made in the spirit of Christmas, like the "train track" one of the boys built around the base of the tree, the nativity my son set up on his desk, it's set up backwards! I see homemade ornaments on my tree....I think there is only ONE bulb on the tree! I see lots of art work made by the kiddos, I see the HUGE candy advent calender, I see LOTS of books about the birth of Jesus, I see my windows painted by small hands...with drippy and smeary paint, I see a garland of paper gingerbread men strung across my dining room doorway for all to see! I pray the people who enter my home this Christmas season will feel comfortable, and feel the love of Jesus, not feel like they need to concentrate on not breathing as they might mess something up! Merry Christmas....Merry Memories! :)

Little Girl's Room

As I said yesterday, things have kind of fallen to shambles around here...and I aim to fix it! LOL...I don't mind kid messes one bit...but this was more the kind of cleaning that I needed to do...picking up toys can be done quickly by the kids :0) So, this is the little girl's room. It was pretty trashed as you can see! Our home needs some decorating help, but it works....we are warm and dry!! I scrubbed the walls, did cob webs, washed beds, and cleaned under beds, dressers, toys/books, and cleaned the floor. Looks a bit better now!

Princesses do Laundry!

Even princesses do laundry! She has no maid...so she happily helps with the wash! LOL...too cute! I am hoping to make more time for such things during the next few weeks. The wrapping is almost done...I just have a few things left to wrap, so I am going to take the hour I was spending wrapping and do some deep cleaning. I am going to start with the bedrooms and upstairs. During the time of getting ready for the adoption, doing the adoption, having the flu and strep throat go through, the house work has been let go a bit. We are still keeping things up OK, just not the greatest...LOL...Things have kind of been tossed here and there...so it's time to get to work!!

Christmas Decorations

I thought I would share pictures of some of our Christmas decorations. We didn't put up as much as some years. I think I like to keep things simple. We don't have much extra space, so this works for us. I do have more decorations out than what is seen in these pictures though. Things are coming along as far as Christmas goes. I just have 2 more small things to buy the next time I'm at the store. They are not for my own children so it won't matter if they are with me when I buy them :0) I have a few more days of wrapping and then that should be done! I am looking forward to having a bit of free time in the afternoon to do some cleaning and organizing to get things ready for all the new things the kids will get for Christmas. It's a good chance to keep things cleared out! We have most of our get togethers scheduled and on the calender, so that makes it nice! I am having a hard time coordinating some of Ashley's activities and the parties. I think she will miss the get together with her grandparents this weekend as she will be with the church putting on a play for a nursing home. I am going to have her do this instead as I think she needs to learn to serve others...and this is a great opportunity to do so. I am trying to make this as stress free as possible!!

Preschool Activities...

We needed a revamp of our preschool activities as winter has set in and the kids aren't playing outside as much. I like them to have things to do...so they don't run wild and kill each other! LOL

1. cutting and pasting
2. art box...this has magazines to cut and paste and odds & ends
3. baby care...baby bath, crib, swing, bottles...etc..
4. play dough
5. pudding bags...put pudding in a gallon zip lock and they write on it with their finger
6. grocery store
7. books
8. blocks
9. an educational movie about community helpers and a sheet for example
10. kitchen
11. water in a big oblong tub...put boats and measuring cups.
12. coloring
13. number and letter games I made from ideas found online :0)
14. bingo dot art
15. play Dr.
16. play "school" using unwanted homeschooling items I already have.
17. restaurant...I printed off pretend menus...some will be servers, others will be diners
18. "office"...with fake computers and phones...they will "dress up"

I have most of these items on hand, others I do not and will need to buy...I hope this helps keep little hands busy while we are cooped up for the winter!

Full Freezer...Thanks to God!

The Lord has provided much for us this year in the way of food! We have been blessed with people giving us groceries (an older lady that can't get things used up before they spoil), people have given us beef, pork, and gave us the deer they shot...as well as what hubby has shot. He was blessed with shooting another doe on Friday! Saturday we put away 4 deer. Our freezer is full...and we are set for the year! It's nice to now know we don't have to worry about buying meat for a whole year! I will probably buy some pork, fish, and chicken as the budget allows....but it would not be necessary if we didn't have the money for some reason. I am a happy lady, for sure!

Candy Calender

Each year my husband makes a candy calender for the kids to count down to Christmas! This goes along with our December surprises! The kids LOVE it...we have done it since the oldest was little...so they look forward to it all year long! The usually start talking about it in the summer! We glues on over 200 pieces of candy this year!

Soggy Toast

Soggy toast is one of our families frugal favorites! My husband grew up eating it, and so my kids have always eaten it. I personally do not enjoy soggy toast...but you may! First, you heat milk and butter in a pan, and then dunk in toast until it's soggy! We add salt and pepper to the milk and butter. It's a hot and cheap meal that the kids LOVE! It's also nice to eat when you have a soar throat...and we have several with strep throat right now...so it was perfect! This breakfast is also easy enough for children to make on their own :0)

A Very Blessed Hunting Season!

We have surely had a very blessed hunting season! I am VERY ready for it to be over as we have been at it since the first Saturday in October. My own husband has only got to shoot one deer, but we have been blessed with 4 others! We generally put 7 deer in the freezer every year, but we had some leftover from last year...so even if Rob doesn't shoot anymore, that should be enough. We are so thankful for the provision...God meets our needs everyday, I love to see what and how He does! This weekend will be full of all the gross stuff that goes into taking care of the deer to put into the freezer :0)

Anger...why??

James 1:19-20
" My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for mans anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."


Aren't they beautiful? How could I be so angry? I don't know. It seems like I am a snapping turtle lately! Over-reacting to small things, snapping at the children, being irritable. Not good. I am now seeing this overflow into the lives of my kids! They are all in trouble, hurting each other, yelling at each other. This is not how I want my house to run. I'm not sure if it's the stress from the Holidays, the tight budget, tons of school work, sick kids and sick hubby and I....it doesn't matter one bit....this is wrong. God got a hold of my heart yesterday, and it felt so good to dig into the word and see what He had to say about anger. I am praying today will be much different. I only get the privilege to raise these kids for a short time, I am wasting it. He blessed me with 5 children to adopt, am I acting grateful? He blessed me with a warm home, and I whine it's too small, He blessed me with some money for Christmas gifts, and I worry it's not enough, He blessed me with my children being home schooled, I whine it's too hard and there's no time for it all....you get the picture. I am in a bad spot right now...or should I say, WAS in a bad spot. God really worked in my heart...I am so thankful for these convictions I have right now...this is a growing time, and a time to rejoice! God is in control, and I don't need to try to pretend I am!

Proverbs 14:16-28
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Proverbs 16:32

Pajama Party!

We had a pajama party last week in school! It was a BLAST! All the children got to stay in their pj's all day! We read books, sang songs, made cupcakes, made a craft, and did our regular school in our pj's :0) I think it's good to mix things up a bit for the kids. When we are home, I often forget about trying to do fun school related things and we just do regular life...which is fun too...but it's nice to have a mixed up school day once in a while too!