Fun stuff to do with kids

• whittle bars of soap
• learn to play the tin whistle'
• fold laundry
• sweep floors, porches, sidewalks
• pull weeds
• build a sandcastle
• work with clay
• design your own game
• plan a neighborhood or family olympics
• have a marble tournament
• marble paint

Family Friday...late again!

This is our beautiful niece, playing around at Mikey's birthday party. I didn't take very many pictures of his party, and none of them turned out very good, so this will probably be his only memory of it! My how things have changed in six years. First birthday, only child, spend tons of money, and invite tons of people, take more pictures than you can count, scrap book all of them within the week. Sixth birthday and three more kids later, spend as little as possible and invite as few as possible, shop for present the day before, take a couple of pictures, if you remember, and don't download them from the camera until you need something to blog about.

These are not from his party, but from a local park. It was a good park with lots of shade. I learned several good lessons at this park. A) Little black ants in Houston bite babies, especially cute little baby girls, and you have to pick them out of clothing and skin. B) If you live in Houston NEVER leave the house without water, even if it is just a jaunt to the park, because 80 degrees feels like 800 degrees here. C) Kids can figure out how to play together even if they don't speak the same language, they may even teach each other how to play squirrel hunting games and chase squirrels all over the park. And D)Squirrels are really fast.

Jeremiah has got the hang of this big brother thing already, little sisters love rocks in their hair, so why shouldn't he be the one to oblige?

Haley is a collector. She always finds stuff she wants to take home, sticks, stones, caterpillars, it is hard to say no sometimes, because she gets attached to such things rather quickly, naming them and everything. But then I think of the inside of our van, which couldn't possibly hold one more thing without busting at the seams, and of my husband who rolls his eyes every time he gets in said van, and it is suddenly easier to make her put it back where she found it.

Ella's Predicaments

Today she got stuck in the straps of our library bag. Yes, I got my camera before I helped her get out of it.

Last Sunday she got stuck in her dress, trying to take it off during nap time. I've never had a kid get naked at nap time, but if she can get out of her clothes, she does it. And yes, I went to get my camera before I helped her out of it!

Town Hall for (real) Hope

This is a dream come true for a Dave Ramsey fan like me...I have always said, "I just wish Dave would stand up and tell the whole country this stuff!" And now he really is! Click here to read more, ATTEND AN EVENT or coordinate an event at your church!! I believe the current administration is using fear to manipulate the economy, and the people of this country, this is the antidote. (In my mind, if Mike Huckabee were president and Dave was our country's "budget committee chairman" it would be a glorious day, tears of joy would flow like rivers down my face!!)

Household tip

This:

(a glass shower stall)

Plus this:

(rain x, found in the automotive department, for car windshields)

Equals less of this:

(insane amounts of scrubbing your shower stall)

Isn't that genius? I wish I could take credit for it, but my cousin told me about it. And it seriously works, I haven't scrubbed my shower stall for two weeks and it still looks clean as a whistle!

GIVEAWAY!

Leave a comment and I will pick a number next Tuesday, then send you this book.
AMERICA NEEDS THE FAIRTAX NOW!!

You can be one of those people who think it is a great idea, but write it off because "it will never happen" or you can be a part of this grassroots movement to MAKE it happen. The movement is huge and is gaining momentum all the time. The FairTax bill was heard on the house floor for an hour last week. Huckabee says he believes he will live to see the day that we abolish the IRS and make the FairTax a reality. I hope I do too.

I done did read these to my kids...

I didn't read this one to my kids, but I read it for my kids, and you should too. And again, it was recommended by my friend Jenny (are you getting why I want her to be my daughter's future mother-in-law? She knows a good book when she sees one!) The first half of the book is a great synopsis of why you need to read to your children, the advantages for your family, for their relationship with the Lord, and the lifelong benefits to reading. The second half is a list, broken down by age of "books your children should have the opportunity to experience while growing up" I am buying this book, it is a must for a mom to have at the library, and a must for any home school library.

We are actually listening to this one on a CD that I checked out from the library. It is a well written story, one of those that paints word pictures so well and makes you feel like you are watching it in your mind. But it doesn't totally personify animals, there is no hidden agenda from PETA, it is just a good animal story. And the kids are really enjoying it. Today we listened as the cat and the young lab, fought off a mama bear!






We also listened to this one on a CD checked out from the library. It was on our trip to San Antonio, we had kids in the car from 9 years old down to Ella. And they all thoroughly enjoyed it. We are loving books on tape right now. And I try to have something new to listen to in the car whenever we go out, car rides are so much more peaceful that way, and we can stop the book at any time to ask questions and to dialogue about what we hear so it isn't as if we are missing out on the fun of interacting in the car either.

I done did read these...

First off...this is for RONI F...I will be saying some prayers for you! Keep my mom updated or email me so I know just what to pray about!

OH BOY! I have had some seriously awesome reads lately!


This is the second book written by Neal Boortz and Congressman John Linder, it is the answers to all the questions that come up after reading the original "FairTax" book. My dad gave me this book while we were visiting for Christmas. After reading it, I was totally energized and excited and had hope for our great nation again (at least economically speaking!)! The FairTax could single-handedly save our economy, even the current mess we are in. This should be a must read for every America-lovin' citizen. It is a voluntary consumption tax, that eliminates taxes on the poor, and generates revenues that we have never even imagined in this country, all while bringing companies back to the U.S. As if all of that wasn't good enough, The FairTax also makes government spending totally transparent, and removes politicians ability to manipulate the tax code to get votes. Sounds like a miracle, doesn't it?! I wouldn't go that far, but I would say that it is a change we can't survive without! I liked it so much that I signed up for the volunteer list immediately, this is a movement that needs our support, and needs it NOW! Best of all it is non-partisan there are so many things that appeal to the entire spectrum of right and left, it is GOOD for our country and anyone can recognize that. Here is the link to their website.


Second, and this is another book that got me totally stoked for the future of our country! (I was kind of discouraged after the last election, if you couldn't tell!) Mike Huckabee is phenomenal. His voting record is impeccable, at least if you are a conservative, his voting record is impeccable! Embarrassingly enough I voted for him in the primaries, because Michael told me to. I knew nothing about him. After reading his book, I will write him in for every Presidential election until he dies if I have to. I am a value-voter. There isn't anything I am more concerned about than sanctity of life issues and the like. (OH BOY, how many of you will stop reading my blog now?!) READ THIS BOOK! If nothing else, hearing his stories and realizing that there really is still a HUGE population of people in this country who love God and love America and love common sense, was super encouraging to me.



Lest you think I only read crazy right-wing political books, this one is by Elisabeth Elliot, and is called "Let Me Be A Woman." What an amazing lady. You can read her story here. She also has a great online daily devotional.
My friend Jenny (and possibly my daughter's future mother-in-law, at least if we have any say in it!) turned me onto Elisabeth Elliot. Her writing flows like poetry and there is so much scripture laced into every sentence. The woman knows her Bible, and isn't afraid to tell you what it says. This book is a series of letters written to her daughter, during the daughter's engagement period. It is chalk-full of wisdom for all women, married or single. I had to stop and read some of it twice in order to really get it, and sometimes it didn't even occur to me until later that she was referencing certain parts of scripture. That is how versed in scripture she is, it is just part of her language. Someday I want to be like that. There are lots of books on how to be a wife, how to submit to your husband that might be more nuts and bolts type of books. This one is all theory, but straight to the heart theory, attitude behind the action kind of stuff. It is also much more about depending on God to "be a woman," rather than trying to do it in your own strength, or by mapping it all out on your daily to-do list.
(Husband home, turn on smile. Husband walks in door, kiss him. Husband takes off jacket, hang it up and serve him dinner. Husband wants to watch TV, bring him bowl of ice cream...)

I read this one before, but it came up in conversation with this super-creative gal. And I wanted to recommend it to all the moms I know. This book "Say Goodbye To Whining, Complaining And Bad Attitudes" is grace-filled from the very beginning, and weaves it, very practically through every aspect of parenting. I learned lessons from it, for my own behaviors. The National Center for Biblical Parenting has a lot of great resources for families. Another one (which I am currently reading again, and enjoy very much) is "Parenting Is Heart Work." And one I want to read in the future is "Good And Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character."

We love Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo's "Growing Kids God's Way" series. BUT it is a highly controversial book. IF taken out of context, and common sense thrown out the window, that series can be very legalistic. HOWEVER, if you really read the books and spend some time in the whole series, not just snippets of it, they are phenomenal books.

Happy Birthday Mikey!

As per birthday tradition, Mikey got to choose what was for dinner.
1. Pork chops, with Shake-n-Bake
2. Mandarin oranges as a side dish
3. Ice cream cones with strawberry ice cream

Does anyone else have a hard time believing that we have a SIX year old? Because it is unbelievable to me. Has it really been SIX years since I brought this sweet baby home from the hospital? How is that possible? I don't even have words...

Mikey is a smart little fellow, he reads like a champ and can memorize like no body's business. Sometimes you can actually see him reasoning things out in his brain. He is very passionate, and wears his emotions on his sleeves. If he is happy, man is he happy. If he is angry, he is ANGRY all the way. We work hard on keeping those emotions in check, and pray that he will never lose that passion, just use it for God's glory. He is a great big brother and very helpful.

Hope you enjoy the video, this was his present from us. When we were in Spokane he learned to ride his bike without training wheels but it was a 12" bike, and it was a hand me down so it was too small and well used. Needless to say he requested the training wheels be taken off this new bike immediately. Haley used her own money to buy him a present and chose to get him some swimming goggles.

Hope your week was as wonderful as ours!

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Modern Pirate Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!
Can't you just see Haley playing pirates with Mikey in this little beauty?!

Basic Smoothie Recipe

We have smoothies with breakfast at least twice a week around here. I always use the same recipe and just switch up the fruit. Very easy, and we all love them. This recipe makes 5 cups of smoothie which is exactly enough for us.

1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt (I use vanilla or plain)
1 cup fruit
2 cups ice (which is one tray full)
your choice of sweetener, to taste (we use honey or sugar, if you use plain yogurt you will need more sweetener)

Blend it all together!

Pie in the sky

Check out Whimsy Love. It is so fun, I grin just opening up the blog, and she has great tutorials! Like this one, Wee Pies, made with bottle caps and seed beads. I made mine into refrigerator magnets.



I had glue problems. You must use the clear tacky glue, just don't even waste your time trying out every other glue product in your home, they don't work. And don't try to weave the little strips of felt. I thought hers were woven, upon closer inspection I was wrong. Which is good because I was beginning to think she was crazy. One more tip, you can buy bottle caps in the scrapbook section of any craft store. Did you know that? I was too cheap and just used some free ones, but it took me a couple of months to get them!

Remember the Alamo?

My cousin was in San Antonio for her daughter's cheerleading competition (they took 2nd place, nationally!! ) So Michael took a much needed day off and we drove to see them. We grabbed our niece Allison along the way, since she is a cheerleader also. Excuse me, it is Pep Squad for her age group, she likes to remind me of that. We met their family at The Alamo, saw some sights, had some lunch and then watched the cheerleaders do their thing at the competition.Tragically Mikey and Haley left those bears at the restaurant where we ate lunch. BIG tears over those bears, "but it was my favorite bear, he was so special to me..." Yesterday there was a different favorite bear, and tomorrow there will be another.
This is my cousin's girl, the cheerleader, can you tell?! They did some pretty cool stuff considering their ages and sizes. As if anyone my age could still do that stuff...
This is her middle boy, and man is he ca-ute. He looked like the prototypical little boy throwing leaves into the fountain to amuse himself. I couldn't resist a photo.
And Ella is sharing her crackers with their baby. We even have the same stroller. He is a couple months younger, but a couple pounds heavier! I would say that chunky babies are the cutest, but I never had one of those, and my babies are the cutest.
We went down to the river walk, and it was very pretty. I expected there to be some shopping but it was ALL restaurants, I have never seen so many restaurants. San Antionians must love to eat.
Here we are outside of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The kids were laughing so hard, and their giggles were making me giggle, I could hardly snap the picture from laughing.

It was also the anniversary weekend of the battle of the Alamo, so there were loads of people and reinactments every half an hour. LOUD cannons and cool demonstrations. We had a great time.

Family Friday

Here is the long awaited picture of our house. We are renting it right now. No plans to buy anything in the near future. Although we might kick ourselves later for not buying in this market!

Jeremiah is very cute in this picture, and it gives you a good taste of our jail-cell striped wall paper. Pretty huh?!

Haley wanted to wear Mikey's rain boots and go play in the rain all day long. I got some great video of her splashing in the puddles. Oh this girl, I just love her!

Here they are on a warmer day enjoying their lunch in the sunshine.

I had the opportunity to help at AWANA on Wednesday night, and they invited me back to help each week. The opportunity helped me see how much I really love interacting with the kids, and helping them "rightly divide the Word of Truth." It was the highlight of my week!

Hope your week was as wonderful as ours!

Prayers for my family

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Father in heaven I want Your Word to abide in our hearts. Lord, if your word is deeply rooted in us, then we will abide in You, drawing our very life from You and in turn glorifying You with the fruit that we bear. In Jesus name, Amen.

Happy Birthday Ella Rosie!

Ella turned one this week! It was a really big week for her, the day before her birthday she also got her first tooth! She is getting better and better at walking around, very soon she will be too fast for me!

This sweet baby of mine, is just that, very sweet. She loves to give kisses and always has a smile. She is a great sleeper, a great eater, and she loves Mommy. All of my other kids have been daddy's babies, hands down. But Ella is mama's girl, and I am enjoying it for a change. I suppose I should be on my guard against spoiling her.

The older kids were very sweet and used some of their own money to buy her gifts. Mikey bought her a stuffed Dalmatian dog, so that she could play with him and his stuffed Dalmatian dog someday. And Haley chose a little bitty baby doll for her. They came home and wrapped the gifts by themselves and made cards for her. Mikey kept saying "I can hardly wait to see her face when she sees what I chose for her!"

She still doesn't get opening packages thing, but she sure did get a kick out of clapping for herself each time she heard a little "rrrrip" in the paper.

The birthday hat was just "too-too," (that phrase is for you, Jenny!) and I couldn't resist. Especially since I was feeling a little guilty over the lack of pomp and ceremony of the birthday party. With the first kid we went all out on the first birthday and each kid thereafter has had a little less to grow on!
I did manage to invite the aunt and the cousins over for cupcakes, and that was as far as I ever got. Probably because I started planning the "party" about 10p the night before!










Eating the cake is the only part people really want to see anyway, right? I know it is my favorite.











Happy birthday, Ella. I know it has only been a year since you joined our family, but we can't imagine life without you. We serve an Awesome God, who worked out every little detail of your personality ahead of time, and suited it just perfectly for our family. You are a gift, an arrow in our quiver, and a joy to behold.

Recycled mailers

There is a lot about the "green" movement that I can't get into, and a lot of people behind the movement that I can't support. BUT, Genesis clearly tells us we are to be stewards of the Earth that God created for us. This is a whole different thought process than what is currently being promoted as "green." Here is a great article, she put into words exactly what I have been thinking, and makes some great points.

That being said, here are some "green" projects! (And frugal too!) I saw this on a blog somewhere, but can't find the link. I would be more than grateful to give credit where credit is due, so if you know it or it is yours, please let me in on it!


You will need:
Junk mail/bill envelopes
glue

Every bill we get has two envelopes, one that it comes in and a return envelope. If you use an envelope opener to unseal the edges and then flip it inside out and refold it, you can use it again! I used modge podge to seal the edges, but elmers would work fine. This would be great for teaching kids how to use glue judiciously. (Some of them don't have pre-printed stuff all over them, so you wouldn't even have to flip it inside out, you could just reuse it.)

Next up: Kid's artwork bubble wrap mailers, or magazine collage mailers. This idea came from here.

You will need:
Bubble wrap
old magazines or kids artwork (We did it with magazines, but in the future will do it with the kids artwork)
scissors
modge podge/elmers/double sided tape
clear packing tape

Cut your bubble wrap to the size you need for the contents of your package. Smear modge podge on the smooth side of the wrap and cover with magazine clippings. LET IT DRY!

Fold into a pocket shape, leaving enough for a flap to cover the top and seal the edges with tape. Fold the flap over, like an envelope and seal the edges again with tape.


Sign, seal, deliver!