Flip Flop Parenting

Moving In the Right Direction

2012-02-11T14:53:00.006-06:00

In my post Beginning to Heal, I mentioned my goals for 2012 and beyond...to get out of debt and to get back to the weight I was before I started having babies. Well I have to share with you the amazing way in which God has provided for us and encouraged us on our journey, and in other ways is requiring me to draw closer to Him and lean on Him for wisdom.

Two weeks ago we got our taxes done and were quite overjoyed when our accountant told us the final result. We were getting a great return. Well the return was deposited in our account this morning and I am very happy to say that we now have a $1000 emergency fund and have paid off all credit card debt. Previously I mentioned that the total amount of debt we have accrued was $83585.00. Today I am happy to tell you that number is now $74,963.68. God is so good.

It felt amazing sending off the money to pay off all credit cards, and C.J. and I are committed to not getting anymore, EVER! Now we have to tackle a few medical bills from the birth of our third son and then it is on to the vehicle. We are hoping to have it paid off by the end of the year and next year start tackling student loans. That is the bulk of what we owe. I can't tell you how encouraged I feel that we have committed ourselves to this and the amazing provision God has given us to knock out a large portion.

While the debt issue has been of great encouragement to me, the weight issue has not. I am at a place where I must reevaluate and press into my Savior for wisdom on how to best tackle it and still be able to nurse my amazing gift, who by the way is growing so fast. Since having my little one in October I have tried to work out ever so slightly, and I am talking extremely light workouts, body weight only, and I had an immediate drop in my milk. Having that happen after both of my previous two boys I paid very close attention to my milk production. Since working out was not going to work, I thought I would try to tackle it through changing my diet taking out all processed grains. I lost four pounds in a week but by the end of the week my milk was also vanishing and I was having to give the baby bottles. After a couple of tears and trip to Whataburger my milk returned to full force.

I refuse to give up. At this point I am trying sit quietly with my Lord and ask for His wisdom on how to handle it. Should I wait until I reach my goal of nursing for 1 year to give a good go? Is there something that I can do now and not lose my milk? Sitting still and letting God give me the answer is the hard part for me. I want to try my own thing, but doing so has not given me the results I want or that are best for my baby which is my first priority. The best part of this and what I praise God for is that it is requiring me to push into Him.

How are your goals going for the year? What is God teaching you?

Sarah

Feed Your Family: 7 Steps to Success - Free ebook today only

2012-01-20T07:53:00.004-06:00

So yesterday I shared with you my two resolutions for the year which included finances and diet. Well today I want to share with you the opportunity to get a free copy of Johnlyn's from Hummingbird Homemaking ebook Feed Your Family: 7 Steps to Success. It is free today only (January 20, 2012).

The ebook was recommended by Money Saving Mom and includes tips on how to make a meal plan, eat healthier and save on cost doing it. If it is something you are interested in, go by and download it for yourself today.

Happy Friday!

Sarah

Beginning to Heal

2012-01-18T17:18:00.007-06:00

Well it is now halfway through January and though I have had my "resolutions" set, I have yet to post anything about them. The reason being...fear...fear of judgement, fear of allowing myself to be so transparent, and fear of failure.

This year I have two main resolutions. While they are resolutions that I am seeking to get a major grip on this year, they are life changes that I am seeking to make.

Resolution Number 1: To get out of debt

I have mentioned before that my husband and I are following the Dave Ramsey Plan and are working to pay off debt. So here is the oh so very scary part...We have $83,000 worth of debt to pay off between our vehicle, credit cards, and mostly student loans. While it is hard to open myself up and let all of you know how far in debt we are (especially since the majority of my readers are friends and family who most of the time we try to appear we have it all together with), it is also somewhat freeing. I do believe it is where my healing will begin. I am on a mission. My husband works his tail off working two full time paramedic positions and we are determined to get rid of this debt so that we can give our children so much more later. We don't want to live like the average American but want to be different. We no longer want to be slaves to the lender. And it is so important to us to teach our children about how to manage their own finances so they never become slaves.

Resolution Number 2: Lose the baby weight

This is even harder for me to post, but I now weigh 149 pounds. There really is no hiding the fact because anyone who sees me knows I am carrying extra weight around, but somehow it seems so much harder to put the number out there. My goal weight is 110 pounds and I am determined to get there. It has been discouraging because I tried to workout twice using only bodyweight and my milk immediately began to decrease and Baby B was getting frustrated. I lost my milk and got it back after baby numero uno, but lost it completely when trying to work out after numero dos. I really want to make it to one year nursing so I don't seem to have much choice in working out while nursing. I do plan on running as that never seemed to effect my milk supply, but am working on teaching R to get really proficient riding his bike so he can go on runs alongside me. The other two ride in the double jogging stroller. (The triple is not in the budget.)

So there you have it. I have laid the numbers out in the open. I want to be transparent and allow my Savior to come and do a work in our home. I want to change our spending habits and be free from the bondage of debt. I want to let go of the extra pounds that hold me back from feeling confident and physically accomplishing all that I want. I am certain of only one thing...I can't do it without the strength Christ provides in those weak moments that I want to stray from my commitments. Let the healing begin. Have your way in me my Lord.

What do you need to heal in your life? How can I encourage you and pray for you? Let's begin together.

Sarah

Judgement

2011-12-12T05:00:00.003-06:00

Since I found out I was pregnant with my third angel I tried to prepare for all that was ahead of me. In all the preparing I did, I don't think I ever could have prepared myself for the judgement of others.

As I have probably said before on this blog, we had our first son, Reef, and thought he was so easy that we would add another one. We planned our second little guy, Levi, and he came when Reef was only 18 months old. We knew we wanted more, but had not thought out any specific time to add another one. A week after Reef's 3rd birthday thinking I was getting the flu, I found out that I was pregnant with our third. It was a surprise but of the best kind!!!

During the following 8 months of pregnancy there were times when I thought to myself, "Can I do this? Can I be a great parent to 3 kiddos ages 3 and under?" Just the sound of that sounded like a lot. But, I always came back to the answer the same answer...YES.

I am confident of my abilities to be a mother of three young boys because and only because I know that this is God's plan for our lives. If I try to give parenting a go on my own I will get nowhere fast and be pulling out my hair in frustration, but if I allow God to lead me on this journey of parenthood I am confident that all will be okay and I will learn a lot about myself and my Heavenly Father. He never gives us more than we can handle and I am loving it so far!

All that being said I was not prepared for how others would judge me and my family because we have 3 boys ages 3 and under.

In my 8th month of pregnancy, no doubt showing, I started noticing that I constantly got looks while out with the older two boys. One day C.J., my husband, and I were out on a date a couple of weeks before Boaz was born and we got those looks of, "AWWWW, How sweet!" and even a few verbal remarks and questions of, "Is this your first one?" I commented to C.J. that when I am alone I get the "AWWW's" but when I am with the other two boys I get different looks entirely.

In that same 8th month I was at lunch with my mom at a tea room and we had Reef and Levi with us as well. There was a table of two ladies sitting next to us who smiled at the boys and said hello. Next thing I hear them talking about how women on welfare should have to be on birth control. I don't think they thought I am on welfare but that is what came to their minds when they looked at my family. This was after I had received many stares and looks at my belly and observed comments being made. Maybe I was being too sensative but it was not the only outing where I felt the judgements of others.

Since Boaz has been born it has not changed much. When he was about a month old we were at Target as a family. Reef had to go the bathroom so daddy took him while I kept looking with Levi and Boaz. C.J. and Reef returned and we kept walking around a bit. C.J. asked me, "Is it just me or is everyone in here acting very snooty toward us?" My reply to him was, "It is because you are with the hispanic with three kids." He snickered and told me that on the way to the bathroom with Reef alone they got a couple of, "He is so cute" and several smiles but now things seem different. That was the first time that C.J. had felt and seen the judgement.

A couple of weeks ago we were enjoying a Sunday dinner out and there was an older couple who looked unhappy from the get go who kept looking over at us. The husband looked over at our table and made a comment to his wife which I could not hear. She made a snear and said, "Very." Whatever he said, we were apparently "very" of. I found myself wanting to make the boys sit up straighter and quiet them to complete silence when I stopped and realized it was not our problem, but theirs. When I sat back and took a look at the situation I realized that in fact the boys had been amazing at the table. We had been enjoying our evening out very much and they were being very sweet and well mannered. We had been enjoying conversations with the boys and could not have asked them to be any better.

Now we tend to laugh about the way people look at us like we are some kind of circus act, but there are days when I want to say "BOO" and let them know that we see their stares.

The judgments have got me thinking though about how I allow others' opinions of me and my family to affect me. It has opened my eyes again to how important it is that we get our approval from Christ and not from others. It is useless to try to get others to approve of you because guess what, there will always be those who judge you negatively. If I live my life to please them I will be miserable and I will make my boys miserable. If I live my life to please the Lord and according to His will then I will live a full life and my children will be happier and healthier.

I have also been thinking about the judgements I place on others. I have come to understand that what works for each person is different an we can't define it for them. For me having 3 kiddos in 3 years works while for others having only one child or even none works. In the end it works because that is what God has given us because He knows best. We have to trust that in our own lives and in the lives of others. God is not about cultural norms and definitely does not use cookie cutters. I want to do my best to see individuals through His eyes and not my own.

Have you placed judgement on others? Are others placing it on you? Let us look to the heart of Jesus and allow His Spirit to see things as He does.

Sarah

Prayers For My Husband

2011-12-09T11:45:00.008-06:00

With three little ones I have become all about organizing my life. I have been trying to organize our home, but I am not stopping there. I want all areas of my life to be organized from our home, to our finances, to our eating plans, etc. I have even reorganized my prayer life.

While I was a missionary in Africa I had a morning routine which included praying over a different list of individuals each day of the week. Monday was family, Tuesday was friends and so on. I have tried to continue to do that since then, but I recently came across something that I have added to my prayer routine.

I follow a blog called Organizing Made Fun and I read Becky's article on how she organizes her prayer life. She organizes her own much like I do mine, but she had an added section which I absolutely loved the idea of so I began to incorporate it into my own prayer time.

For each day of the month there is something specific that Becky prays over her husband. She had some documents available for printing so I used her same prayer points and made my own prayer cards. She has several days written on one card but I printed mine with one day on each card to help me really focus on that day's prayer instead of reading ahead. The picture above is my version of the prayer cards.

Our husbands have an extremely important role in our families as the leaders of our households. There is a lot of responsibility that is placed on their shoulders and there are even more temptations they face in the world everyday that try to lure them away from fulfilling their calling. It is important that we as wives pray over them and hold their arms up when they grow weary instead of nagging them.

I have been using my prayer cards for the past 2 months (I made them a couple of days before Boaz was born and planned to share them then, but my plans changed a bit!) and I have loved doing so. My husband knows that I am praying for him and he has expressed how much he appreciates it as well. It has also been interesting to see that the area of his life I was praying for has often been something he faced in one way or another that day.

I want to encourage you to make your own set of prayer cards and begin to pray over your husband as well. Think of how the world could be changed if we all began intentionally praying for the men we love.

When you begin yourself or if you have something different that you do to pray over your family, I would love to hear about it. Please share it with the rest of us so we too can grow from it.

Have a great weekend!

Sarah

P.S. Right after posting this I came across a site that offers prayer cards for your husband that also include scriptures and cards to pray over during your pregnancy. Check them out at Better Life Blog.

Let the Journey Begin

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

Well yesterday I formally introduced our little angel, and today I will begin sharing my journey to getting my body back and reaching a healthy weight.

Having 3 boys in 3 years has not been easy on me physically. I was always a fit person before children wearing a size 0, but changes in metabolism and not being able to workout while nursing along with pregnancy after pregnancy after pregnancy has left me with more weight than I care to admit and requires me to change how I have always done things.

As I mentioned before children I was a size 0 weighing in at 98 to 100 pounds. I ate whatever I wanted never being overly concerned with what I put in my month. I did not consume large amounts of food, but sweets have always been my weakness. Like most girls I LOVE chocolate.

Having my babies has required me to stop and take inventory of what it is I am eating. In order to lose the weight I must change what types of foods I consume. Doing my own research I have chosen to eat a primal diet consuming the foods that cavemen would have consumed...meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc.

After my first born I had a few extra pounds and began working out in order to shed the weight at which point my milk stopped. I was able to get the milk back and I continued to slowly lose weight by watching what I ate. I was still nursing and just 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight when I became pregnant with my second son. After having him and knowing that I lost my milk with my first born I tried to work out doing very little, but again my milk stopped. This time I could not get it back. Once it was lost I began working out heavily and I had also discovered The Primal Blueprint and The Maker's Diet. I was just a few pounds from my goal weight and achieved a major goal by running the 2011 Houston Marathon. Two weeks later I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant with baby #3. Now I am heavier than I have ever been and starting all over.

As part of my starting over I want to share my journey with you in hopes that you will hold me accountable. I am embarressed by the extra weight, feel weaker than ever before, and am desparate to get back in shape. I wish to share my struggles and my victories in hopes that others may be encouraged.

I am also revisiting Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst and reexaminig my relationship with food and how it affects my relationship with Christ. I am well aware that I can in no way accomplish this on my own, but rather I must rely on the power of my Saviour. Yesterday as I was tempted to grab a less than healthy snack I felt a stirring in my spirit and relied on prayer to give me the strength to choose the healthier choice.

I hope you will come along with me, and if you are on your own journey I would love to hear about your struggles and victories as well. Feel free to share recipes, etc.

Sarah

Meet Our Newest Little Guy

2011-12-07T12:24:00.014-06:00

Today I want to formally introduce the newest member of our family.

Meet Boaz!!!

Born on October 1st, Boaz weighed 8 lbs and 12 oz. The doctors were stunned as was I because everyone had him pegged as a 7.5 lb baby. Having gestational diabetes they were closely monitoring me and his growth. I was able to deliver him naturally even after having a c-section for the birth of our second son. The recovery was so much easier and Boaz has been another easy baby. I tell everyone they have gotten easier with each child and my first was super easy.

This week Boaz has begun sleeping through the night which makes for a much more energized mommy. The next step is to get him to move from sleeping in his car seat to sleeping in his crib. Our first born and Boaz have both slept in the car seat for the first couple of months of their life. I will start getting him use to sleeping in his bed now during nap times. I do all changes in sleep during naps rather than nighttime because sleep at night is too valuable to me. Some might think I am crazy but it has worked for us. I have three wonderful sleepers and that makes mama happy.

Big brothers are crazy about the little guy. In fact they get mad at us when we tell them they need to give Boaz a break. They love him so much. Reef is already asking me to pray that God will put another baby in my tummy (he started this one week after Boaz was born). Reef wants a little sister this time. We will see...

Boaz has begun giving us the most heartwarming smiles and is somewhat cooing now. I move my tongue making noises for him to see and he consistently tries to move his tongue in the same fashion. He is very strong and healthy. God has abundantly blessed us.

Now that things are getting more and more on a routine, I hope to begin writing much more often. We will see how it goes. The boys are always my top priority.

Thank you for checking in on us. I have many more posts in my head that I hope to be able to publish soon.

Sarah

THANKS

2011-11-17T22:51:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I posted anything new, but a lot has changed in the last two months. We welcomed our wonderful little boy into the world on October 1st and have been adjusting since. He is a perfect little angel, and adjusting has not been that difficult, but blogging has not been the top priority. I will soon share some pictures and what we have been up to, but today I wanted to quickly share a fun project I did with the older two boys which they absolutely loved.

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching I did a quick little activity with the boys. I got the idea from Pinterest (I am so addicted!). Amanda at Impress Your Kids wrote a post about decorating their door. We took the idea and did the same.

It was simple...cut out the letters T.H.A.N.K.S. out of construction paper...take our trusty sand buckets and head out on a walk to the park, gathering leaves along the way...stop at the playground and play a while to get some energy out...return home and glue leaves onto letters...let dry overnight and hang them on the door in the morning.

The above picture shows our finished project!

The boys loved the project, and it made this mama happy to have a little Thanksgiving decoration up.

What ideas do you have for involving the kids in the Thanksgiving spirit?

Sarah

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

2011-09-14T07:09:00.005-05:00

Today is a special day in my life. It is my parents' 37th anniversary!

I have been one blessed girl. I have amazing parents, and I have been extremely fortunate in that they not only loved me throughout the years, but they also loved each other very much and weren't afraid to show it.

My parents were in the same second grade class together and their second grade teacher came to their wedding 37 years ago. They met up again at 14 years old have been together ever since.

{Mom is the 2nd from left on bottom row. Dad is 2nd from right on second row.}

{This is their prom picture}

Growing up their story always sounded much like a fairytail to me and I thought I would meet my prince charming at 14 too. It took me a little longer, but he was well worth the wait!!!

Mom and dad had much to teach me throughout the years. They have always been affectionate with one another, sneeking kisses as they pass one another. They have fun with one another and truly are each other's best friend. Some of my favorite memories were the water fights they would have in the house. They have always made each other the priority even over my brother and I (though we were definitely never neglected). They have shared each other's joy and pains and despite the difficulties of marriage they chose to stick it through. That is rare today! I am especially grateful for the love of Christ which they have always had as their foundation.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for all you have been to each other through the years and taught Clate (my brother) and I. Thank you for growing our family in Christ and for being wonderful grandparents as well. From all of us, we love you and wish you many more wonderful years together.

Sarah

A is for Astronaut

2011-09-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

Last week the boys and I started our version of homeschool preschool as I mentioned we would in a previous post. I definitely do not have everything set up perfectly the way I would like, but I wanted to get started anyway.

We started our year with the letter "Aa" with the theme of astronauts. I was quite happy with the way the week went.

Each morning we started with "Calendar time." Again our version at this point is not where I want it to be, but I thought it was a good start for the first week. We will add onto it later. We put our date on the calendar first, then we talked about the letter of the week using a animal cut-out, did an exercise for the letter of the week, and our memory verse for the week.

The memory verse for each week comes from Totally Tot's "In My Heart" series from Songs for Saplings. I have not purchased the CD yet so for the time being we just went over the verse by reciting it ourselves. I did the coloring pages with the boys and we cut out the words to place them in order. The boys memorized the verse very well and I would hear them saying it on their own during play time throughout the week.

After "calendar time" I read the book of the week to the boys each day. For this week it was On The Moon by Anna Milbourne. The boys really enjoyed it! The week centered mainly around this book, but we also checked others out at the library which we enjoyed reading.

I wrote "a", "A", and other letters on small pieces of paper which I crumpled up and placed in a bowl. The crumpled papers were our "moonrocks" and the boys had to pick out which ones had "Aa's" on them. "A" seemed to be easier to pick out, but by the end of the week they were great at both. I got this idea from Spell Outloud.

{Selecting their "moonrocks" and deciding which ones have either and "A" or "a"}

The boys also did a Do-A-Dot page which they loved.

I used the Astornaut Preschool Pack from Homeschool Creations and we did all of the activities included in it. For the first time tracing lines, I think they did pretty good.

Along with the animal puppets that I am using to help introduce the letters each week, I also printed out a coloring page for the boys to do. I love that both of my boys color with their tongues out for the most part.

We created an astronaut out of a toilet paper roll.

Each day we sang "Five Little Astronauts Went Out to Play". We also did the "Planet Shadow Match" from 2 Teaching Mommies. I was really impressed by Levi and how well he did at the shadow match.

We did school on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday as is the plan every week. Wednesdays we go to the library for story time. And on Friday this week we took a special field trip to Space Center Houston.

Reef was extremely excited. He kept tell me, "Mommy, this place is AMAZING!" and he soaked in everything.

My little munchkins tried on helmets and daddy got in on the fun too!

Nana and PawPaw came along for the ride on our first field trip.

We all had a great time and I was extremely happy with our first week of school. The boys seemed to really enjoy it too. I hope to keep improving on it.

This week we are doing the letter "Bb" and studying the body. Hopefully on Thursday we will get to go to the Health Museum during their free hours as long as we don't have a baby instead. (Actually, I think I am hoping for the baby!) I am continuing to try to get Reef to be patient and let Levi answer some questions for himself, but I am glad to see Reef enjoys it so much.

Sarah

Paging Dr. Brown

2011-09-12T08:37:00.007-05:00

Sunday we took the boys to their "Big Brother" class at Texas Women's Hospital. It was a lot of fun. We watched a silly video that talked about babies and what it will be like have a new one at home. Next the boys practiced holding a doll properly, changing diapers, swaddling, and discussed what types of toys are dangerous for the baby.

Reef was soaking it all up. He was extra gentle with his baby and so proud. He even gave it several kisses. He is super excited to have his baby and I think he will be quite the good helper.

{Giving the baby a high five!}

Levi was somewhat interested and did great in the class but is still a little young to take full interest in the process. None-the-less he was quite cute holding his baby.

After the classroom portion the boys were allowed to put on a doctor's hat and mask and we took a tour of the hospital visiting a labor and delivery room and the going by the nursery to see the babies. Both boys sported their doctor getup quite well and were super cute. Reef did not want to take it off afterwards.

Once we made it home I started have consistent contractions. They were coming fairly strong at 5 minute intervals for 30 mins and then they stopped. During the time that I was having them Reef and I were home alone and he knew I was not feeling good so he had me put his doctor gear back on him and he kept giving me kisses to make me feel better. He told me not to worry because "Dr. Brown is here." Sure was good medicine for this mommy's heart.

Sarah

Envelope System

2011-08-30T05:00:00.002-05:00

As a mommy of two toddlers expecting a third, I have been on a mission to organize our lives. I have come across many great resources with tips on how to do it, and I wanted to share a particular one that I was very excited about.

My husband works extremely hard and more hours than either of would like in order to provide for his family. Because of this we are determined to do our best to get all debt paid off as soon as possible. We have been through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and it is our plan to follow his steps.

Gotta have a plan!

For those of you who are familiar with the program, you know about the envelope system of organizing your money. {For those of you unfamiliar with the program I highly recommend you check it out.}

Well today I wanted to share an easy way of creating your own envelope organizer for your existing wallet.

I found this great tutorial and free resources on how to make an envelope organizer at Kelleigh Kratzlaff Designs. I was so excited about it and decided to try it out myself using scrapbook paper I already owned...trying to be thrifty!

I was very excited with how they turned out and thought I would pass along to anyone else who might be interested.

Hope some of you find this as useful as I did.

{This was the completed project...Can't wait to fill them up with money!}

And one more side note, if there is anyone who likes the envelope system but doesn't care to make it themself, you can order a complete set at Kelleigh Kratzlaff's Etsy store.

Sarah

Snack Station

2011-08-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

What you see here is our new "Snack Station!"

Thursday in full nesting mode, I cleaned out our pantry and reorganized it. In the process I completed and checked off one of the projects that has been on my list for a bit now. I made a snack station on the bottom shelf that the boys can get to on their own.

I have had the idea for a while now and have since seen some other great examples on Pinterest (which I am addicted to). I decided to take the bull by the horns and go for it.

Reef had begun climbing the shelves in the pantry a couple of months ago to get what he wanted, and then he would bring it to me and ask if he could have it. This is what got me thinking of how I could organize the kids' snacks so they were available to them and in appropriate amounts. What you see above is what I came up with for now. There is cereal, peanut butter crackers, pretzels, raisins, graham crackers, and small 100 calorie packs of cookies.

I immediately established the rule that the boys have to ask before getting anything out of the pantry. They are not allowed to just get whatever they want when they want it. It has worked out really well and the boys (Reef especially!) are really enjoying the little bit of independence it gives them to pick their own snack and get it on their own. I am enjoying it to because I do not have to go to the pantry every time they want something. They are growing boys...they like to eat!

This is only part of the reorganizing I plan on doing in our home. I am trying to make things as organized and simple as possible to help us all function better.

Have you done or are you planning to do any organizing projects around your house? If so, what are they? I would love your ideas.

Sarah

Date Night: Does the Family Good

2011-08-27T14:15:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning my amazing, thoughtful husband got home from the station and sent me on my way to my doctor appointment. He stayed home with the kids and insisted that I go do something by myself after my appointment just to get out for a while. I went to Hobby Lobby and savored my time looking around thinking of all the projects I want to do and not feeling hurried at all.

At lunch time I found my way back home and entered a house that was all cleaned up, kids sitting down at the table eating lunch, and a husband cleaning the lunch dishes. While I was out he even folded all of the laundry and that was no small stack. Reef was so excited to show me his room, and then my room, and they we had to go look at Levi's room. I was in Heaven.

After all that my wonderful husband had done, he had also arranged a babysitter for the evening and a surprise date. I was told to be ready by 4:30 pm and other than that knew nothing about what was going to take place. It has been a while since we have been on a real date and I was rather excited. I married the greatest man ever!

At 4:30 pm my mother-in-law arrived at the door and we where on our way. C.J. had me take a couple of guesses at where I thought we might be going, but I was way off. He took me to dinner near our old stomping grounds at Monument Inn. Then he drove me through old Pasadena and I really had no clue what we were doing. We got close to the football stadium and I halfway joking said, "Are we going to the high school football game?" Turns out we were.

All evening C.J. had given me a million and one disclaimers about how it will not be the greatest date, but it would be something different for us. He had mentioned where he was taking me to a coworker who made the comment, "Well at least she will be out of the house." To most a high school football game, watching a bunch of kids you don't know, may not sound like the most romantic thing, but to me it was just perfect!!!! I loved sitting next to my man cheering for our new hometown boys and giggling with each other like we were back in high school ourselves.

Date nights are incredible things. It is amazing what a difference they make in a marriage. Before kids they are important, but after the kiddos arrive they are essential to making the home a happier place.

I loved the time away with my husband, the conversations we were able to have without interruption, and the affection we were able to give without a 2 0r 3 year old trying to climb in the middle. While I love my boys more than words can describe and can't imagine life without them, their daddy is my world. Sometimes life seems to distract us from each other, but date nights seem to bring us back in focus.

Focusing on each other and remembering why we started this journey together in the first place centers us and helps us to tackle all that we face. There is also something spiritual about focusing on my husband that draws me closer to God. That in turn helps me serve my family better, and I tend to do it more enthusiastically.

Have you been on a date lately with your other half? If not I recommend that you do it soon. Focus on each other so that you can better serve the family together.

Sarah

Homemade Telescope

2011-08-25T12:58:00.009-05:00

(The room was dark, but the flash from the camera lit it up.)

Last night Reef found a roll of wrapping paper that was left over from Levi's birthday this past weekend. He and daddy began playing a game where they jumped over the scrap that was left in all sorts of different ways. Reef was so proud of himself and giggling like crazy. There was a lot of "Did you see that, Mommy?"

C.J. picked up the cardboard roll that it came on and put it up to his eye to look through. Reef who loves pretending while looking through toilet paper and paper towel rolls immediately asked if he could keep the wrapping paper roll. I told him yes and then I had an idea.

Watching him hold it up to his eye it reminded me of looking through a telescope so that is what I planned on doing with it...we could make a telescope and look at the stars.

Today I had both boys sit at the table and we decorated the roll with markers. They were quite happy to do so and so focused.

After decorating the roll I taped it to my tripod which was set at their level. The final step included turning off the lights, closing the curtains and borrowing Boaz's new Constellation Turtle which turned Reef's room into the night sky.

(This is the Boaz's Constellation Turtle his brothers borrowed.)

Reef and Levi had a great time looking through their new telescope at the stars and were so proud of themselves when they discovered the moon all on their own. Levi lost interest much sooner than Reef and he began playing in an empty toy bin which he always pretends is his boat. I went with it and began telling the boys how sailors use to use the stars to help them find their way.

Reef begged to keep looking at the stars while I made lunch and that is what he did. I heard him telling Levi all about them. It was super cute and warmed this mommy's heart.

Do you have any fun projects you have done on the fly with kids using stuff laying around the house? These are my favorite types of things to do. I would love to hear your ideas.

Sarah

Letting Go Of Pride

2011-08-24T05:00:00.003-05:00

Lately I have had a true, deep desire to meet with God, and to give Him my whole heart. I long for a new depth in our relationship. I yearn to feel His presence in my everything.

I have tried to make quiet time more of a priority and some days I fail, but I try to get back on the horse as soon as possible. I notice a major difference if I do not sit alone with Christ.

I was reading through Romans and came to Romans 4:21:

He [Abraham] was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything He promised.

I wrote this verse in my journal and then wrote these words of my own beneath it:

I want to believe as Abraham did and in many ways I think I do believe that
God can do anything, but lately I have struggled to believe that He will.
I struggle with lies in my head that tell me we as humans have messed it up for
ourselves.

Let me expand on this...I question why God would want to help me with my finances when I continuously make less than wise decisions financially. Why would He chose to bless our country when our country continuously turns her back on Him? As I said above I know these are lies from the enemy that I must replace with the truth of Christ.

My ultimate prayer has become that I would be disciplined at seeking the face of God in ALL that I do including the smallest details of my day. I want Him to be a part of my financial decisions, diet, what I wear each day, the decisions I make for my boys, and every other detail of my day.

Though I seek God, sometimes I struggle to hear His voice. Sometimes I hear it and decide to live in the flesh rather than follow God's prompting. I choose what is easier for me. I have been in prayer that God would change me and help me to be strong enough, bold enough, and have enough faith to do as He is leading me despite what I may want. I pray for energy and stamina to continue the race with endurance rather than reverting back to what is easy and comfortable.

Last night as I sat alone with my Maker after the kids had gone to bed and the house was silent, I asked Him to speak into my heart. I was convicted of the fact that lately I have been focused on myself...how tired I am, how pregnant I am, how much I do for everyone else, how I have desires that sit on the backburner, etc. Lately I have placed too much emphasis on myself rather than those who are most important in the world to me. In the process we have all been miserable.

I could probably justify much of the pride (let's call it what it is) and probably even get sympathy, but this is not what I was called to do. I was called to serve with a joyful heart. Christ put all others before himself and I am do the same. He has blessed me with the unbelievable gifts named C.J., Reef, Levi, and Boaz. He has also given me all I need to be their wife and mother despite what lies I allow in my head to convince me otherwise. I will choose to believe His truth.

Though Christ has revealed this to me, I no doubt will be tempted to allow pride to creap back in. I ask you to pray for me that my heart would be changed.

I also ask you is there anything God is trying to reveal to you? Are you listening? I will pray for you that your heart would be opened and changed by His grace.

Sarah

Washing My Boys' Feet

2011-08-23T13:52:00.005-05:00

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet. John 13:3-5

A couple of days ago I read in my Mini Devotional for Moms about how even though Christ was given authority over all others, He still chose to wash the feet of His disciples rather than demand they wash His feet. This got me thinking about the authority I have been given and how I choose to use it.

God has given me the authority as a parent to train my children. I am responsible for their upbringing. I am responsible for making sure they know the truth of who Christ really is. I am responsible for getting them dressed, giving them baths, making sure they brush their teeth, clean their rooms, and do a myrad of other things.

I have the authority to demand things of my boys, but I desire to be like Christ and serve my children instead.

I have to admit lately I have probably been a little more demanding rather than a server, but I want to change that. I want to stop and evaluate all that I am doing and make corrections where I can. I know I must also balance the service with teaching them their own responsibilities. I pray God will show me how I can do this.

One example of how I plan to serve my boys more is by stopping what I am doing and just sit to play with them doing whatever they choose for longer periods of time. I want to show them more love in this way.

How can you serve your children? I would love to hear some of your ideas.

Sarah

First Day of School! First Day of School!

2011-08-22T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today is the first day of school for most districts around our area. Though I do not have any little ones starting tomorrow myself, I am a former teacher and I am thinking of all those I know who are going back.

My prayer for all the teachers is that they would have a great year with students and make an impact like never before. I pray the teachers would learn from their students as well and have many opportunities to show their students love (especially those who may not be getting it anywhere else).

My prayer for the students is that they would make an impact on others' lives and make unlikely friends. While academics are of very high importance, I pray that more importantly they would have experiences this year that would grow them and shape them into stronger individuals.

I hope it is a great year for all.

Sarah

Starting School

2011-08-17T20:17:00.005-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of the year.

Reason being...School Supplies.

I love school supplies. I cannot walk into a store that sells school supplies without walking the aisles even though there is nothing that I need.

It use to be my favorite time of the year when I was a kid too. I loved going shopping for all of my pencils, crayons, notebooks, and who could forget picking out your Trapper Keeper for the year.

Well I have little ones whom I stay home with and we are not doing formal preschool yet, so I don't get to go buy the list of supplies, but this year I picking up a few anyway because I am going to try something new.

I am going to begin homeschooling my boys for preschool. It is going to be more about having fun with learning than achieving specific skills, but I believe the skills will come in the process.

My goal is to begin the school year on September 5th. That gives me two weeks to get everything together. Eeeek!

I have already begun much of the planning and have found amazing resources which will save me an enormous amount of time. There are a few more things that I want to get in order before beginning, but I am not far off.

Why am I telling you this?

Well because I will be posting updates on how it is going, what we are doing, and where I am getting my resources from. This is will also help me be accountable to you and stay on top it. That is one of the biggest challenges to me as a stay-at-home mom...staying on top of it all.

Here is my plan so far...Each week we will focus on a letter of the alphabet and study a theme that goes along with that letter. I will also incorporate Bible study time for the kiddos and good old fashion fun. I even have few field trips planned.

The week of September 5th we will be starting with the letter "Aa" and studying Astronauts. We will even be making a trip to the Space Center.

Say a prayer that God will bless us as we begin this new adventure and that all will go well.

In case any of you are interested in looking into doing something similar I wanted to pass on some of the wonderful websites I have found.

Sarah

Wasting Your Time Staying Home

2011-08-16T13:03:00.004-05:00

Recently I had a couple of friends mention that they get frustrated when others comment about how easy it is to stay home and raise your children. With her in mind I wanted to revisit a post I wrote last year (it was on the first version of the blog).

Click here to read my take on staying home with kids.

Hope you enjoy!

Sarah

Told By A Three Year Old

2011-08-12T05:00:00.001-05:00

So yesterday was one of those days that I hate admitting I have. You know those ones where patience is hard to come by.

Last week Reef was very, very sick with what turned out to be mono. Levi went to spend three days with my parents. This week with all members back in the house and feeling better, we have faced the challenge of getting back to our routine, sleeping in our own beds, sharing attention and toys, and other "normal" things.

Yesterday my husband was at work and the boys were fighting A LOT. Nobody wanted to share, there was screaming at one another, and quite a bit of whining going on. I found myself losing my patience with it all.

My fuse was not very long and seemed to get shorter and shorter as the day went on.

About an hour before bedtime I had the boys begin to pick up their toys from around the house. This was not a priority to them and it seemed like I was talking to myself. I was getting frustrated and my volume begin to rise to a level I hate getting to.

Then I was told by my three year old!

Reef looked at me and said, "Why are you mad?"

I replied because they were not listening to me.

Then he dropped the bomb...

His response was, "Well you should just be grateful that you have your two boys!"

I was stopped in my tracks. Though I had prayed for patience throughout the day, I was not very good at living it out. At that moment I was knocked over the head.

I called Reef over to me and gave him a big hug and told him he was right. I apologized for losing my patience and he said he forgave me. He even went so far as to say he was sorry for making a mess. I was blown away and the rest of the night was quite different. Not everything went perfect, but my attitude was extremely different. God spoke to me through my little guy.

Sometimes I get wrapped up in myself really, and what I have been doing all day which no one seems to appreciates (cleaning, cooking, etc.) with so much as a thank you. I get frustrated that what I find important is not as important to others. My 3 year old helped me take the spotlight off of myself and put it back where it belongs...the reason why I am doing all of this...on the two greatest gifts I have ever been given.

We are all going to have bad days, and while I felt bad after his reminder, I chose to move on and improve from there. I love my job as a mommy and wouldn't change it for the world. I just have to keep the focus on them and not myself. Pity and pride never lead anywhere good. I also know I have to get back to my routine of quiet time in the morning so that I am better prepared for the day.

Where is your focus? Is it on yourself or what really matters? Are you spending time alone with God to set a solid foundation? I encourage you to make that a priority.

Sarah

Hello My Name Is Trouble

2011-08-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Recently laundry was low and I was looking for a t-shirt to match a pair of shorts for my second son, Levi. Looking through his closet this was the shirt I found to match the shorts.

I have never been real big on shirts with such sayings, and I am even less so now, but on that day I let him wear it because it was the only one that matched. I won't be letting him wear it again!

I am my daddy's daughter and tend to be more of a literal person. I have always believed that the words you say have meaning, even if you are just trying to be funny. I don't like these type of shirts because I don't like what they imply about the kids that wear them.

On this day when I reluctantly put this shirt on my son, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That day seemed much more difficult behavior wise than most days. I will also saying that taking him out in public people treated him different than they normally do.

On most days in public I get comments about how cute my boys are. They can even be crying and most of those around will offer a sympathetic reaction rather than an annoyed one making some excuse for them such as, "He must be tired." While Levi was wearing the troublesome shirt and having a tougher day than normal, people around seemed to react differently.

Though I say it was tougher, I still don't think it was that bad, it just wasn't HIS normal. It may have just been a coincidence that the day was more difficult, but seeing the difference in how others treated him I know that I don't want my children wearing shirts like this any more and people who don't know them assuming the wrong things about them.

Kids will be kids and they have to explore their world. They will have bad days just like we as adults do. They will test the limits and sometimes our patience, but that is their job. Remembering that fact helps me in those moments when I want to lose my temper. They have to test in order to discover how the world works.

I want to give my children the best possible chance for success and to me that includes how I speak of them and how they are portrayed through their appearance.

How do you speak of your children? Is their anything in their closet that gives the wrong message? I can say this shirt is no longer in our home.

Sarah

Boaz's Baby Shower

2011-08-07T20:29:00.017-05:00

Saturday my mom, best friend and cousin all gave me a baby shower. It was lovely as is expected by the three of them, and I greatly appreciated all the time and effort they put into it making it so special.

This was a shower for my third child and my third boy at that. You would think I have everything I could possibly need for a boy, but suprisingly there is always more stuff you need and have to replace. Then there are grandmas who just spoil each child.

Besides needing, and okay maybe just wanting a few things, my husband and I are really commited to making sure that each boy has their own identity and gets some new things of there own. We want the younger ones to be just as important as the first one.

I am incredibly grateful to those amazing ladies who offered to give me a shower and to each individual who attended who helped me start giving my third baby boy his own identity!

Besides celebrating Boaz and his upcoming arrival, my older boys were celebrated as they are going to be BIG BROTHERS! That is an important job and I was so appreciative that they were given gifts and included in the process. Levi was able to attend the shower, but Reef was not because he was sick with what turned out to be mono. None-the-less they both got their big brother gifts and were super excited.

Surrendering My Children

2011-08-05T13:52:00.009-05:00

This week has been a tough one for me and even tougher for my little man. My oldest son has been sick and out of sorts since Monday, running high fevers with the highest reaching 105.2. He has only moved from the couch to his bed and done nothing else.

Normally my little guy is playful and very active. This week he has been limp and anything but himself.

Watching my sweet boy in such misery has been hard for this mama to take. I have never seen him this sick. For the most part I have been strong and been right by his side filling his every request (mostly for a drink of gatorade), but I have had my moments were I feel like I can't take any more. I can't take watching him so lifeless.

I have had many thoughts and prayers for those parents that must watch their children suffer through cancer or other diseases. How do they do it?

I don't think my son's has anything that serious nor do I try to compare my situation to theirs, but I have a new found respect for those amazing parents who care for their terminally ill children, many often balancing life with other children.

{My second son has been staying at my mom's house for two nights now. That has been hard for me as well, but we do not want to risk him getting it. I am going to pick him up in the morning and can't wait to see his spikey hair and smile.}

This week I have prayed over my son in the name of Christ asking God to heal his body of all infection. I have put my faith in the words of Christ that we can ask anything His name and it will be granted. Watching the fever continue day after day I found myself becoming somewhat angry at God questioning why He had not healed my son yet. It has been long enough.

Last night as I held my son on the couch God spoke to my heart and reminded me that I have been telling Him that my children are His to do as He sees fit and surrender their lives to Him. He prodded me asking if I really meant it or if I only meant it when things were going the way I wanted.

Luke 14:26 came to my mind which reads, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and CHILDREN, brothers and sisters-yes more than your own life."

My response to God was I do want to be His follower and yes I will continue to surrender their lives to Him. I have to say that it has given me a new sense of peace. I know Christ loves my son more than I could ever begin to and only wants what is best for Him. I might not always understand God's best but I will trust it. It has been a relief to rest in the hands of God.

Since becoming a wife and mother, giving control of my husband's and sons' lives to God has been one of the most challenging things for me to do. I have to continuously surrender their lives to His will, but I am learning to do so much quicker than I use to and gaining much more peace and understanding in doing so.

What do you hold onto in this life that you need to surrender to Christ? Allow yourself to do it and gain a peace like no other.

Sarah