Hard life lessons

Today was filled with some hard life lessons for both of our little men. Not only was oldest son brought to tears by two older kids, but then little man was delivered the same fate only hours later by our oh so charming neighbor. (Ok, so I just had to erase some choice words I had originally written to describe these poor misdirected children, but had I published this post as I first typed it then I too would be guilty of the horrid name calling!)

We went to the playground this morning, it was a beautiful day and the kids and I were excited to really have our first official nice weather "play" at one of our favorite local playgrounds! It was packed, mothers and small children having the same thoughts I assume. The kids descended onto the equipment, climbing up ladders, running on clackety clack bridges, and flying down slides. Charlie was in his glory pretending to be a train, Tommy was thrilled to just be free of confinement and to have the ability to actually scale the play equipment this year!

The first offense of the day was handed out to Charlie, poor little guy! He quickly found two other little boys who could not have been much older then he is, probably 5, 6 at the most. These two little boys clearly knew each other and from the get go wanted no part of Charlie. In fact when Charlie asked them if they wanted to play they rudely said "No" and then proceeded to call Charlie a "dork".

It is times like these that as a parent I really struggle with what is the right thing to do. Today I just lurked a few feet away, making my presence known but not stepping in until the name calling started. I figured that the hard life lesson that not everyone will want to play with you, was an appropriate lesson for Charlie to be faced with at this point in his ever so small life. Did I like the fact that these kids were teaching my son this hard lesson at this moment, certainly not! But I figured that if nothing else this could be a good teaching moment with Charlie...indeed it was! But not before our little guy was in tears because regardless of his persistence, these older kids simply weren't going to budge on their "no dorks" allowed stance.

Granted, I let Charlie face the fact that these boys didn't want him as a playmate, but I immediately stepped in when the name calling started. I told the kids that it wasn't nice to call people names and not include people in their games. I then redirected Charlie and got him playing something else with me and Tommy, however, the tears never really quit until we left about 5 minutes later. It was clear that he had been hurt...I just HATE that!

It was a good teaching moment, despite the pull at both our heartstrings. Because only hours later when our little neighbor boy came trolling by the fence and wanted to play "run away from the creep", yes, "creep" is what he called our dear sweet Tommy! I not only reminded the said neighbor boy that calling Tommy "creep" hurt his feelings but then reminded Charlie how he had felt when the older boys refused to play with him at the playground. And what a proud Mommy moment I had when Charlie turned from the little neighbor boy to go and play with his little "creep" of a brother :)

So perhaps I should be thanking the not so older boys at the playground for teaching Charlie what it feels to be left out and teased? I do wish Charlie had been MUCH older when he learned this lesson, or even better I wished that he NEVER had to learn this lesson....but that certainly isn't the world we live in...unfortunately.

Smitten

There is just something about Daddy!
Our boy is completely smitten with him!!

Daily Devotional Ephesians 3:19

May you experience the love of Christ. . . . Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:19

Funny how things end up happening! I ask for answers and I receive them!
The last 24 hours were certainly not my best! Ok, I am being a bit mellow dramatic but honestly, it has been a struggle! Whether I was disciplining Charlie unsuccessfully, having a spat with my honey, feeling incomplete, alone and frustrated, it has been a bit of a pity party for Beth...shall we say!

But the crazy thing is that even through all that garbage, I hit my knees and asked for help! More then once might I add! The even crazier thing is that God sent me an answer. And guess what?! Our God is SO hightech that He sent it via email! Yep, you heard me right!! My Daily Devotional that is sent to my inbox every morning was Ephesians 3:19 and it couldn't of been more appropriate or welcomed!

See, through the love of Christ I AM full, I am NOT alone and I HAVE the answers! All I need is to open my heart and FEEL Jesus' love! And I know how His love feels, I truly know the feeling!! When I am open to His love, I certainly am filled with His Power!

Chaois and self pity ALWAYS come pouring in when my eyes are not lifted upward! This I KNOW is true!! When my day slips away from me and I am tired, when I allow myself to become overwhelmed and overburden, then I do not feel the love of God. I am then NOT filled with the fullness of life nor do I feel the Power that comes from Him!

Thank you Lord for the answer!! Your Word is the answer to ALL things! My heart and eyes are open to accept them!

Spring Cleaning Part 3 Basement

So far, so good! I really surprised myself this week when I accomplished cleaning both bathrooms thoroughly!! I did divide and conquer and didn't clean both bathrooms on the same day! I literally counted the minutes until I had completed this task!

On to BIGGER and better things! This week I will actually assign myself 2 Spring Cleaning tasks, cleaning of the Basement and sorting through all the boys' toys. My mother in law is coming to visit next week and so the basement, which also serves as our guest quarters, needs to be in ship shape. And this weekend I am taking a TON of stuff to a kids resale shop and so I need to finish going through the kids stuff. Hence 2 tasks.

Toy sorting:
1) Go through toys in Charlie and Tommy's room, the family room and the basement.
2) Sort toys into categories, donate, keep, sell and throw out.
3)Pack up toys to donate and donate.
4)Throw out broken toys.
5) Divide toys to keep into storage, Charlie's room, Tommy's room, basement and family room bins.
6)Pack up toys to sell and place in car

Basement:
1) Go through all miscellaneous items and put in proper place.
2)Clean walls and baseboards.
3) Clean pictures, tv, fish tank.
4)Sweep and vacuum the floors.
5)Prepare bed.
6) Replace toys in appropriate places.
*Laundry room:
1)make sure craft project area is organized
2)make sure pantry is organized
3)organize desk
4)list text books to sell or get rid of them
5)bag cans for NY

EASTER 2009

We had a wonderful Easter! We started the day by going to church to celebrate that our Christ has Risen, He Has Risen Indeed!!!!

Before we left for church, Charlie hid an Easter egg that he had colored,

for the Easter Bunny. You know, because the Easter Bunny would probably be hungry because he has a lot of houses to hop to!! Luckily for us, the Easter Bunny found the egg and thoroughlyenjoyed it...see the proof?

The boys "found" their baskets.

Charlie's was hidden amoung the countless trucks and wagons in the toy corner.
Tommy's basket had been thoughtfully placed behind his "house".
They had a great time looking for their baskets, reading their Easter books and eating all the yummy chocolate treats!

We then had our Sunday brunch fare, chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, cheesey scrambled eggs and orange juice. Yummy!! Thanks honey, you make the BEST breakfast!! Then it was naps.

After naps it was off to Aunt Susie and Uncle Greg's house where we had a delicious dinner of ham, cheesey potatos, macaroni and cheese and a little raspberry yogurt number that was incredible!! It was so nice to visit with family that we had not seen in awhile, catch up via webcam with cousins afar, and of course....see Grandma and Grandpa!



Easter was fabulous!

The Series: Spring Cleaning Part 2

So, I started my "Spring Cleaning" challenge last week and I actually surprised myself! Monday rolled around, Trent was out of town and after I put the kiddos to bed I hit the kitchen like a force not to be reckoned with! I had the goal of 2 hours to complete the task but it really took 3 hours and I did not deep clean the stove or the floors. I still need to attack the stove but I wanted to wait until I could keep the windows open since the cleaning stuff always gives me a migraine. And my excuse for not deep cleaning the floors is because I literally spot clean them at least 2-3 times a day and I just couldn't bring myself to clean them AGAIN! All in all, I am extremely happy with the progress I made! I even packed up and donated 2 full boxes of glassware/kitchen stuff that we were not using! Not bad!

Now onto this weeks challenge....BATHROOMS!

1.5 Bathrooms
Time allotted: 45 minutes
1) 15 minute cleanup (trash, clothes, empty cabinets) (throw rug, window curtain and shower curtain in the wash)
2)Wash ceiling and walls
3)Wash vents
4)Wash windows
5)Wash shower and wash liner
6 )Wash toilet
7)Wash cabinets
8)Wash sink, toothbrush cup, replace kids cup
9)Floor
10)Wash trash can
11)Go through tub toys and wash
12)Put things back

This is far from my "favorite" area to clean...so we shall see how it all goes!

Goals for 2009

Ok, so I know that we are about 1/4 of the way through the year already, but it is never to late to make personal goals! I am not one to stick to or even make New Year's resolutions, but goals.....I can do that!

Of course I have goals for myself and Trent and I have goals for the future of our family but for some reason Phoebe over at Cents To Get Debt-Free has inspired me and has made the whole goal setting process very simple! Go check her out....she has some great ideas!

So here go my goals for 2009:

Religious/Spiritual goals: To read scripture everyday. To join a Bible study at our church. To make a time each day that as a family we read scripture and talk about it with the kids (looking for a devotional book for preschoolers if anyone has any suggestions). To work on and deepen my relationship with and understanding of the Holy Spirit.

Financial: To gain complete FREEDOM from credit card debt. This we hope to accomplish by September 2009. Then once free from cc debt we want to sock away savings for our emergency fund. We also want to start saving for Charlie's preschool next year and for a family vacation for summer 2010.

House goals: To accomplish a thorough Spring cleaning of the entire house and garage. To be more organized and more efficient. My goal is to complete Spring cleaning by June 1st and garage cleaning by July 1st. To finish the ceiling in the basement and to refinish the hardwood floors.

Marriage goals: To have a monthly date night with my honey! To plan a get away of 2 nights with Trent, kid free. :) To be more of a help mate to Trent and to make our home more of a haven for him to come home to!

Children goals: To design a curriculum for the summer for the boys. It should contain a theme for each week, crafts, science, literary, and music sections. To find a daily devotional book for preschoolers/toddlers and spend time each day reading, discussing it and praying with them.

Personal goals: To exercise at least three times a week. To read a book a month. Not over commit, simplify.

Gardening goals: To plant 2 types of vegetables this year in containers.

So, I think that is it and if it isn't I can always add to my list! I hope to post an update every Friday to monitor my success on these goals!

The Series Spring Cleaing Part 1

Spring is here and our house needs a cleaning! I have never actually completed a "Spring Clean" and this year I am more then motivated to do so!! To help me keep the motivation and to record my plan of attack so I can determine what works and what does not, I will be posting a Spring Cleaning Series for the next few weeks on Mondays. I hope to accomplish all of the "To Dos" on my list by June 1st.

The Kitchen:
Time allotted: 2 hours

1)15 minute clean up: put away dishes, declutter
2)wash corners and walls
3)clean art on walls
4)apply oven cleaner and clean the outside, top and inside of refrigerator
5)clean outside of stove
6)clean small appliances, including microwave
7)clean out kitchen cabinets, get rid of items we don't use
8)wash counters and cabinets
9)wipe down and clean out drawers
10)wash sink and garbage disposal (baking soda and lemon)
11)clean out pantry, wash and sort
12) wash trash can
13)clean carpet
14)sweep, wash base boards and mop floor

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:25

The Resurrection
Luke 24 1-8
But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!

Yes our Lord is RISEN!! He died so that we may live! Today is Resurrection Sunday and we are rejoicing and celebrating that our Lord Jesus arose from the dead, that He lives!!

I will continue to live my life for Him! Striving to give Him glory in all that I do! Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice, I am so unworthy.

Trent, Beth, Charlie and Thomas would like to wish all of you a Blessed Easter! May you know and feel the true meaning of this day!

And eat some candy too!! :)

In Christ alone

Call me crazy.....but I did it!!

For months I have been researching, pricing out and asking other moms the ins and outs of......cloth diapering....gasp, I know, even the thought of it is scary. It is funny that even now, that is my first reaction.

When I think of cloth diapers I think of my Aunt Patti and Uncle Shermans old house with white soiled CLOTH diapers soaking in the toilet. Or the side table drawer in the spare bedroom at my Granny's house that held the last few diaper pins from when I actually wore cloth diapers. I loved to look at them, I was fascinated by the duck head shaped pins and their light pastel colors.

But when I REALLY think of cloth diapers, I think YUCK, mess, to much trouble, and what do you do with the poop? But I also think, I am SO done spending a ton of money on diapers and we even buy the generic of generic brands AND I hate the fact that each of my children has produced 2 tons of waste (diapers) that will take over 500 YEARS to break down in some landfill!! It is hard for my brain to even comprehend those numbers!!

So, with Trent on board, I did it! I ordered 4 Kushie Ultra AIO (all in one) cloth diapers and a pack of 5 soakers that I can add during naps and bedtime. I wanted a diaper that was water proof on the outside because I didn't want to deal with plastic covers and wraps. I was also looking for a brand that was easily washed and dried. And price mattered too! So Kushie it was!

They came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't wait to put them on my little guy! Now, let me just preface that I have decided that at least in these next few days, weeks, I will only be using the cloth diapers at home. Typically we are out and about in the mornings and home for the remainder of the day. So, Tommy will be in disposable diapers in the morning and then before lunch he will be switched over to cloth. He typically only goes through 6 diapers a day, including naptime and bedtime. I figure that if this is the method we use, disposable in the morning and cloth the rest of the time, then he will only use 1-2 disposable diapers a day. My goal is to get him totaly on cloth. However, friends and church daycare providers have no fear....I won't send Tommy in cloth to your home or for Sunday school. Even though I find them incredibly easy to use, I don't expect you to dump and soak my kiddos diapers! Just wanted to reassure you!!

So far the experience has been GREAT!! They are far easier to use then I could of expected, we have have had no leaks and Tommy can be a leaker!! Also, one of our biggest struggles was Tommy SOAKING himself during the night, despite frequent middle of the night changes!! It was so frustrating, laundry was building up and Tommy was having disruptive sleep because of it!! No leaks as of yet!!

The laundry aspect of it is very simple as well. Granted, I am using more water then normal, but for me it out weighs the land fill issue and is far cheaper then buying disposable diapers! All I have had to do is soak them for a bit in the washing machine, run them through the rinse cycle with cold water and then wash them with warm water and a little bit of detergent. Not so bad!!

Even though Tommy looks very cute in his new diapers and has been very excited to tell Daddy what animal or picture is on them, there are a few things I am not thrilled about. First being that I had NO idea how big the diapers were!! Part of the reason I am only having him wear them at home right now is because most of his pants don't fit on over them!! Talk about some junk in the trunk!! Sweats and elastic pants fit better, jeans are a bit snug. I think once he can wear short it will be easier! Also, the diapers are really bulky and Tommy is getting use to them. He tugs at them and pats his bottom....kind of cute! But besides their bulkiness they are great and I am sold!!

Daily Devotional 1 Corinthians 12:27

All of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part. 1 Corinthians 12:27

What a good reminder for me!! Even though I REALLY try not to, I find myself WAY to often comparing myself to others!! It is far to easy for me to look at someone and think that they have it all together. They have a trendy little number on, I have the same old jeans and sweatshirt combo on that I wear almost every day. They have washed AND blow dried hair that is spritz with some fantastic, overly priced hair product like Aveeda or something of the sort. I am lucky to wash my hair and it never contains sweet smelling products containing lavender oil or the like!
But what eats away at my soul even more then comparing myself to others is that daily I am fearful of what others think of me, how they perceive me. Do they like me? Do they think I am crazy for using cloth diapers? They must think I am cheap because I use coupons and LOVE to hunt for a good deal!? They clearly think I am a neurotic and over protective mother! The list goes on.... I suppose that this fear is also a way of comparing myself with others. When I really dissect these fears is all comes back to thinking I need to be like everyone else and if I am not then I don't measure up.
God made me, made you, perfect in His eyes! All of my unique qualities, that make me Beth were written in His book before I was even a glimmer in my parents eye! I am designed with a unique purpose and I am not like anyone else...nor should I try to be!! If I try to "be" something that I am not, like someone else then I am not walking the path that my Maker has prepared for me. I am then choosing my own way and His Will is not likely to be done. I WANT to do His Will, I want His Glory to shine down on me, on my family! I want to be exactly who I am because I know that God made me and he is by far the best seamstress around!!
I need to put more emphasis on what God wants me to do, what He thinks of me and less on how others perceive me. Easy to say, hard to do!!

Praying for Brady

This little guy needs all of our prayers today! He is battling cancer and will be having an operation today to remove a tumor. This little man is only 2 years old and has endured more then most of us will go through in a life time! Please pray that his doctors hands will be blessed, that Brady will come through the surgery with flying colors and that his parents will have peace during this trying time!

Lord, we lift Brady, and his parents up to you. We ask that you comfort them during this time and shine your Glory upon them.

To meet Brady and his great family, read his story here.

Happy Birthday Thomas!

Our dear sweet boy, Tommy, turned 2 on Saturday! How can that be? How did that happen? Seriously though, wasn't it just yesterday that I looked like this..........

. (the day before I was induced)

Labor was hard, delivery was harder. In hindsight the contractions were bearable compared to the pain of an epideral wearing off and then having to push naturally. But it was ALL worth it because this was our end result...........................

You stole our hearts from the moment we knew of your existance. We prayed and cried and laughed when your 9lb 15 oz "little" body was placed into our arms.

Thomas meeting his big brother, Charlie

First few days home

And then you did a funny thing...you started to growand growand you changed every aspect of our lives, and all for the better!

Watch out world!Here comes Tommy!!

And big brother Charlie has been right there by your side! Teaching you things, playing with you, chasing you, bonking you on the head, kissing you and loving you!! What a pair you guys make!

Tommy and Mommy on his 1st bday.

Our sweet boyTommy and Daddy

.You are such a happy boy! You are always laughing, always smiling. You are also such a lovie boy, always wanting to be held. You are happiest in our arms, snuggled up!

Tommy I love you, we love you! You are such a precious boy and we feel SO blessed to have you in our lives!! Please don't change too much, you are perfect just the way you are!

Happy Birthday to our little guy! We can hardly believe it has been 2 years!

Farm party with all our friends and family