Routine

I love mornings! It's another day to be blessed for another chance to live and breath! Every morning it is my goal to get up and spend some quiet time in the Word with God before the boys get up. It usually entails me creeping through the house, even though, most days, my kids sense my being awake as soon as my feet hit the floor. I try ever so quietly to make some coffee, open some windows, turn on some instrumental praise music and open my Bible. My morning study has been Beth Moores updated  study of David. It's about having a heart like His! I'm only a few weeks in, but it's great! I love anything Beth Moore does. She's so refreshing and encouraging.

My other favorite part of my morning is watching our pooch man stare at his best "friends" out the window. He whines, goes from window to window, jumps, scratches, barks, really anything he can do to try to get their attention. As if he's expecting them to come right up to the window for a conversation! He just doesn't get why I won't let him out! Sorry Buddster! 

Craftiness

That title so does not describe me! I spent about 2 hours at the local Hobby Lobby yesterday picking up some baskets for the boys homeschool stuff (I'll blog this later...super fun idea!) and some stuff for our "Chores" jars. We are going to be implementing a new chore system to hopefully streamline our day and help us to end our days happy and joyful and not trying to catch up on chores that didn't get done throughout the day. So I had pulled together a few ideas from different blogs about how they do chores with thier kids. One of my favorites was these adorable chores jars for each kid that you would put craft sticks in. Each craft stick has a different chore on it. Every morning mom takes out and divvies up the chores to be done for each day. As each child completes each chore from their jar, they put it back into the main "chore" jar. So at the end of the day their jars should be empty! Easy peasy right!? The only thing is that I wanted to own this thing. I'm seriously not crafty by any stretch of the imagination, so I used some of their tutorials to get creative!

I picked out a different print of scrap book paper for each kid with a plain colored paper to add for their names. I even picked up one for myself! Now all I need is to get some more cans! Whoops! Didn't think that one through all the way, since we don't eat much from cans anymore! Here are the ones I picked for the boys...Football for BP...Pirates for LP...and planes, trains, and automobiles for J. 

I created our own chores myself and printed them on solid colored paper. I'll have one color for each room in the house and one color for chores they will do daily! 

Mod Podge...oh my new friend! :) I still have a lot to learn about you, but how at 30 years old is this the first time I have every used you! There are quite a few bumps and bubbles in my mod podging, but, hey, this uncreative girl is just happy she has found it! 

Along with the chores we will be implementing an allowance program. They will be getting $1 a week. They will be putting 50% in a "spending" jar, 25% in a "savings" jar and 25% in a "Giving Back To Jesus" jar. It's not exactly the 10% Jesus asks for, but I figure it's just easier right now to do the percentages this way. My kids love to give back so I'm sure they wouldn't mind they are giving more! The deal is that if they don't get their chores done they will have withdrawals taken from their "Spending" and "Savings" jars. We're hoping this cuts back on some complaining with certain tasks! 

See the bubble in the "Chores" jar! ;) 

January...Seriously?!

The last time I posted was January? Wow! For a while I tried to capture our moments in just a pen journal. My goal was to journal every night. My goal was that it would let my mind relax at night getting everything out on paper. Well, it did seem to work, but me sticking to anything like that is unheard of! It lasted a few weeks, now I'm not sure I even know where the notebook is. I just get so caught up in remembering every little detail and having an account for people to read it in the future. I just don't want to forget everything myself! Seriously though...does it matter? 

I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan for our small group at church, and eye opening is all I can say, and I'm only 2 chapters in. The first chapter was about the vastness and most amazing God that I serve. One of the questions it asked during our group discussion was what would you say to God if you were standing at his throne? I would say nothing, probably melt into a heaping sob and fall on my face before him. I mean seriously...

 "...and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones, and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their head. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the 7 spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were 4 living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had the face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under it's wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

            " Holy, holy, holy is The Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come." 

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy our Lord and God, To receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

                       Revelation 4:2b-11

I'm in awe and wonder at the amazing majesty of my maker! 

Back to the "does it matter?" Today I was reading chapter 2, and it was talking about how out lives are but a vapor. It gave the example of being an extra in a movie. How silly if you were in the movie for 2.5 seconds and all you could see was the back of your head, but you rented out the local theater and invited all your friends and family. No one would probably even care. The movie isn't about you. 

Throughout history God has used ordinary people for what....for their own glory? No, God has used people throughout the Bible to bring glory to His name. How can I live my life for myself? It's not about me, it's about God! 

 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, od it all for the glory of God." 1Corinthians  10:31

My life is just a 2.5 second clip in the wonderful creation of God. It's not about making sure that I note every little thing I do every day. Keeping strict tabs on 8 calendars of every thing my kids have accomplished. I'm going to start letting go of myself and living my life for my glory and start living to bring glory to Him. My cameo appearance in life will be worth something for my Savior! 

Some days you just need to

I decided to forgo the majority of our schooling today for some quality time together at the zoo! It wasn't all a loss though! We are studying goats and farms this week so as long as we stopped to visit the petting zoo it qualified for school in my opinion! :) The weather was great today and from what I hear we're in for quite a cool down in a few days, so we needed to take advantage of the beautiful day we were blessed with. They needed the fresh air and freedom to run too, and this mama needed some time to rejuvenate. If you can do that while keeping track of 3 boys! It was nice, however, to stand back and watch them as they explored the world around them on their own. It's also nice to stand back and watch them interact with each other on a day when they "like" each other! ;)  I ended up surprising them with a 3D IMax movie, which was a little terrifying (Monsters of the Seas) even for me. 3D movies always make me sick to my stomach, dizzy and when 30 ft prehistoric fish are coming at my face with jaws open I'll be the first to jump through the roof! I was surprised that my little fella fell asleep during the movie, 3D glasses on and all! Yet another favorite part of my day, snuggling him close while he slept in my arms not a worry in the world. My boys were silly, fun, obedient, loving and pleasant to be with today! Prayer works and obedience is key! ;) Today was a nice reminder that it's okay, and should be mandatory, to take breaks from our school days to relish in our time with each other!!

Tragedy in our schools

I was laying in my bed "pouting" this morning because my own homeschooled children were not cooperating at all today. I had just made threats to them that they were going to public school asap. I left them downstairs to their own plans, and marched myself to my bed. I've been a little under the weather and so I easily drifted off to a light sleep. I was awoken to the tv interrupting with breaking news. I sat straight up in bed and watched as the horrific news unfolded. Instantly I was hearing my harsh words downstairs that I was sending them to school, because I just couldn't deal. My eyes instantly welled up with tears, and my husband called at that moment. I became a sobbing mess of true hurt and pain for these families. I just cannot imagine...I'm speechless as to what to say. I know that these parents would give anything for their kids to be back in their arms. I am so deeply saddened at the senseless tragic loss of precious babies, that I'm just sick. BP walked in my room, saw me crying and caught a glimpse of the tv. All I could do was hug him and cry. I continued to thank Jesus for my babies and the fact that I can still wrap my arms around them and tell them I love them. I will definitely have a different outlook on our schooldays and just any time that I have with them. This world is a sinful tragic place, and all we can do is pray that Jesus keeps us safe until His glorious return.

Praying for the families of this tragedy, that God would comfort them beyond all understanding. Praying for the babies that they would be at peace and rest with our Saviour.

Hello, My Name is Courtney, and I'm a Planner

It's 2:30am and I'm still wide awake, and still managed enough energy to blog about how I have issues! :) I do not like the fact that I'm such a perfectionist, so much so that I am planning on making it a New Years resolution to not be such a perfectionist. You should see me, I'm a plethora of lists, schedules, calenders, reminders, alarms, sticky notes, spreadsheets, etc. You would think I would be THE most organized person, but more days then not I feel like my mind is scattered in a million directions.

 I know what my problem is. I find a solution that works for me, yet I continue to search for something better. When something better comes along I grasp on to that as well as holding on to what I had been using before. Hence my calendar on top of calendar on top of calendar issue! Seriously people, it is just getting out of hand!!

 I have my teachers manual which I mark with the date and any activities we are doing with each day. Then I have my desk calendar which has my tasks for the day of homeschooling, along with household things, and events. Then I have my computer calendar which houses all my events, and has reminders set up to send via my email. I also have a calendar in my kitchen that I jot random things down on when I can't get to my computer OR find the other small mini calendar in my purse. Gah! I'm exhausted and I'm not done yet. So, I have the small wallet sized one in my purse that I keep with me on the go for appointments or reminders of where I'm supposed to be going! I also have a dry erase board on my fridge that I keep a weekly to do list that everyone can see. Right now the boys are doing a December calendar in the kitchen where they move a snowflake to each date until we reach Christmas. We also are doing the candy advent calendars. We are doing the ABC's of Advent calendar. The boys and I do calendar time every morning for school. They have calendar notebooks, where they go further into learning about numbers, days, months, etc. We also have a magnetic calendar in the kitchen for the boys to use. I have a plain calendar hanging in my kitchen close to the dinner table that M and I can refer too during meals when we're chatting. Oh my! My ears are shooting steam and my head is spinning! Don't even get me started in the drama it takes to make sure that each calendar is in sync!

So in my effort to stay super organized, I have created such a disarray and am probably more disorganized now! In my mind I have a great reason for each calendar, as you can see from my defending of my 14 (yes, I just counted them all) calendars. Now that just makes me sad. I have gotten so overtaken with scheduling and planning things according to my desires, that I have taken control of the drivers seat, and put the JC in the backseat. I have always been a planner, and I can't say that that will ever change. I just need a shift in priorities...from me to Him!

 I am determined to make my life more streamlined with less clutter, more true organization, and a peace and direction that I know will only come from my amazing Father in Heaven. God is really teaching me to let go of my plans and let Him have His way in my life. In EVERY area of my life. I need to know that I can only hold loosely to my plans, but be ready at any moment for God to take over! I need to roll with the punches and let God do his thing. Everything that I have is God's, and I need to be reminded of that daily. I pray that God will help me to be a good steward of my time and the blessings he has given me. This is definitely a verse I'm plastering all over my......umm...calendars!! :) 

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

 

My Vegan Thanksgiving...

with a big fat pasture raised local TURKEY! It was a little ironic to me that my Thanksgiving meal plans were based around all vegan recipes because of J's allergy, except for that wonderful bird! My mom and I each bought a turkey from a local farm here. They are organic and pasture raised. They are also extremely expensive, but definitely very well worth it! We also had vegan mashed potato's, vegan green bean casserole, and vegan stuffing. Not only was it vegan, but it was the "cleanest" most "real" Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had! No processed food at our table! I actually felt good, even after all I ate! This is some of the results that I see J's allergies as a good thing! ;) Some of our desserts turned out quite...well, there's nothing more to say, but terrible, but the ones that turned out were just enough!

Our food wasn't the only thing that changed this year, but traditions did as well. We've gotten together with sweet family friends of ours for years now (as long as I remember), but this year we parted ways for our own quiet family dinners. It's always hard to let go of tradition, but it's refreshing to start new ones.

Our LP had been coughing since Tuesday night, but we thought it was just a cold. Unfortunately we were proved wrong when his belly joined in the party on Thursday. He started running a fever, and was just miserable. At one point we were just staying in our own homes for our own dinners with someone transferring foods back and forth, then everyone was coming here, we were going there but LP was eating outside, and finally settled with our original plans. Poor LP, he was so sad, and just kept saying "I'll take my puke bucket with me!" Needless to say, the puke bucket, his blankets and pillow ended up in the car on the way to grandma and grandpa's! It was a nice time, and LP managed to do very well!

The boys had been working so hard for the past few weeks working on their Thanksgiving unit. They worked on "First Thanksgiving Books", WOW (Words of Wisdom), maps, thankful crafts, and their memory verse..."Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and His courts with praise, give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4" They had to get on their "stage" (the fireplace) to put on a "play" for our family, complete with pilgrim and Indian hats! They did GREAT, and made this mom and teacher VERY VERY proud!!