A mommy minute

For just a minute I long not to be a stay at home mom.

Not to be the one who’s shirttail becomes a make shift tissue.
Not to be the one who is responsible to make sure that breakfast does not consist of tootsie rolls and lollipops.
Not to be the one to have to tell a child “no” for the thousandth time in under an hour.
Not to be the one who has to remake coffee for the tenth time just to try to get a sip of it while it is even luke warm.
Not to be the constant playmate.
Not to be the one to convince a child that one bite won’t kill them.
Not be to the one to ask the oldest child not to talk like a baby but to use the beautiful voice that God gave them.
Not to be the one to have to clean up, not only the diaper but the entire baby when that tell-tale brown slime starts oozing onto the onesie.
Not to be the one to not get to have a nice long shower unless Daddy is home or it is 5:30 a.m.
Not to be the one who has to watch a temper tantrum.
Not to be the one who cleans up vomit.
Not to be the one who…

I could go on and on. But then, at the end of my day when I put my babies to bed, I find myself loaded with guilt. Not everyday, just some. Some when the day has just seemed really long and my own sin has been so heavy on my back that it oozes and squeezes all of the prettiness right out of me. Some when I have just been too busy with my own desires to truly take time to enjoy my children. Some when I have just not wanted to be a stay at home mommy that day.

Would I change my “job”? My mission field? Not for the world! This is where God wants me and this is where I want to be. I need to remind myself that I am not doing these things for my glory/happiness/contentment/convenience but for God’s. He is the one who so willingly puts up with all of my shortcomings. He is the one who, by His wondrous grace overlooks all of my ugly, oozing with slime and decay, stinky brown goo to love me. He is the one who marks my steps and my days. It is for His glory that I am raising my children. For them to know Him and love Him.

I love my children, thank God everyday for them. They bring me so much joy. To see their little eyes light up when they see genuine joy and laughter come from me. To see the enjoyment that they get from me just sitting and playing with them for a moment. To know that the love that they have for me is a true and honest love.

I thank God for His love for me. He brings me so much joy. My eyes light up at the thought of His genuine joy over me. From the peace that I get from sitting with Him. To know that the love that He has for me is a true and honest love.

Whala!

Ok, I blog that I look at, but don't usually comment on is "Where the Kudzu Grows". She made a wedding cake over the weekend and could use some love! I know first hand what a fun but challenging thing making a wedding cake can be!

Head on over and give the love that is deserved!

Oh, I thought I would post a picture of my last cake in case "Where the Kudzu Grows" should hop over here to check out my post...

No more eggs, bread, pasta...

Ok, so my poor baby Kate has a very serious case of eczema. Serious in that it is covering most of her little legs and arms. Serious because it has begun to ooze and she is now on antibiotics to clear up an infection/keep her from getting an infection in the open sores. My poor baby Kate!

Eczema runs in our family, both my hubby and I have very small patches of it. My oldest had it, my son had it 10 times worse than my oldest and now...poor baby Kate! We tested my son for food allergies and he was allergic to wheat, eggs, peas, dogs, and cats. So, it is a safe assumption that Kate is also allergic to wheat and eggs. Since the only way that she would be getting these two items is through nursing, I must give up wheat and eggs!

Oh I love having two eggwhites in the morning for breakfast. I love eating breads/pastas/pretzels/any thing made from dough...so-goodbye my favorites...goodbye

Does anyone have any suggestion for healthy foods that don't contain any of the above mentioned foods?

A nod to homeschooling

I don't remember when it was exactly that I learned that Starbucks was giving away free coffee on Monday's to teachers for the month of September (uh...maybe a run on sentence). Anyway, being a homeschool mom, I emailed the company to find out if they would recognize homeschoolers as part of this giveaway.

The company responded that only teachers, K-12, with proof of employment at a school would be granted the free coffee. It was a very polite response, please don't get me wrong-but denied just the same.

In my mind, it was ok. My hubby is a teacher so he picked up a cup for me on his way home one Monday afternoon. It was very strong-STRONG, coffee. But apparently, someone else was not quite as content.

Today, I received an email from the HSLDA (home school legal defense association) that stated the following:

Starbucks Offers Free Coffee for Homeschool Parents

This coming Monday, September 29, homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks.

This promotion is part of Starbucks “Great Start for Great Teachers” promotion, and is now open to all teachers.

HSLDA intervened when we were alerted that homeschool parents were not included in the promotion.

We are pleased that Starbucks is recognizing the contribution of homeschool parents by extending their program to us.

In order to pick up your free cup of Pike Place Roast you will need to present evidence that you are a homeschooler.

Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:

• Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
• Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
• Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
• Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
• Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.

If you don’t have one of the items on this list be creative and try to provide other proof of homeschooling.

Please note: the final decision about whether to accept proof of homeschooling resides with Starbucks.

We hope you choose to take advantage of this offer.

foniks

Each day during school we work on sight words. Monday it was “my”. Yesterday it was “two”. Today it was “but”.

I had Gracie spelling the word out loud.

Have you ever spelled the word “but” out loud? It sounds like a completely different word- (b)ea(u)(t)y.

How in the world did we come up with this fune langwige?

A new use...

I found a new use for the baseball card holders that I bought to organize my coupons....
It is now a chore organizer for Gracie!


















There is a "token" inside each little sleeve of things that she must do everyday. Once the task has been completed, she can take the token out and put it in the "Gracie did it!" slot. She will be rewarded for the tokens that she does on a daily basis with a happy heart.

No gas

Yesterday, in light of Hurricane Ike, people went crazy (C-R-A-Z-Y) in our small city buying gas before it soared to $5.45 a gallon for the cheap stuff. My hubby called me from work and told me to go get some too. The result?

This morning, there were only a couple gas stations on Main Street that actually had gas. I hope that in your hometown, you didn't experience this crazy price hike.

Hannah's Hope in Guatemala

Hannah's Hope in Guatemala

My cousin Emily and her husband Phil are currently waiting (for God is good!) to try to adopt a little girl from Guatemala. They have been waiting a long, long, long time and could really use your prayers.
The orphanage where "N" is, needs help. Emily has put out a plea for help so, here is a copy of her blog page...(this way you don't have to click to go somewhere else!)

From Emily's blog...

In the past, our adoption agency, All God’s Children, used adoption fees to cover the cost of running Hannah’s Hope Orphan Care Homes in Guatemala. Now, with adoptions in Guatemala completely stopped, their ability to financially sustain the homes has also stopped.

Given the critical situation, God inspired them with a new vision: to build a self-sustaining orphan care ministry in Guatemala. Without it, Hannah’s Hope will need to be closed and every remaining orphan will have to go to other orphanages. Through the UNITE campaign, friends and families are called to join together to financially support Hannah’s Hope.

To accomplish this goal, AGCI needs to raise $50,000/month. Currently, AGCI has 286 sponsors but have reached only part of the goal. To make this happen we need more people involved.

Phil and I have been sponsors since the summer of 2006. It has changed and blessed our lives. Of course, with N still living at Hannah’s Hope, we want to help make it possible for her to continue to live there as long as she can, as well as the other precious children in their care. Phil and I have been there, witnessed the conditions and the care these children receive. It is drastically different than other orphanages in Guatemala.

We are asking that our friends and family step up and make a difference in a child’s life. Please help us to spread the word and support Hannah’s Hope Guatemala.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”James 1:27

Kroger Run!

Last night I did a Kroger run! I love going to Kroger when I have a coupon for absolutely everything that I am going to buy and those things are on sale. It was alot of fun!


















Here's what I got:
25 boxes of Granola bars (Nature's Own & Fiber One)
11 bags of Chex-mix
26 cans of soup
1 deodorant for my hubby
4 packages of chicken (not shown)

Total before card and coupons: $180.52
Total after card and coupons: $49.11
That's a savings of: $131.41