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Sacrifice

I thought I didn’t have time for a Gratituesday post this week, but then I realized that I had an obvious reason to be grateful today and I couldn’t pass it up. Today I have the privilege of watching one of my closest friend’s four boys. I am sure many of you are wondering why in the world it would be an honor to have four extra boys in my home.

Today is a special day for this family. Today my friend will go to the airport to pick up her husband. But this is not a routine reunion. Today her husband and their dad returns home from a one year tour of duty in Iraq. For one year, this family made a great sacrifice for us all. My friend was a single parent for potlucks, soccer games, church activities, fights, laughter, tears and so much more. They shared their dad with all of us so that we can enjoy so many freedoms we usually take for granted.

I don’t pretend to imagine how hard it must be to have your husband/father absent for one year. My husband’s deployments have been much shorter. I am thankful that they were supported by friends, neighbors and their local church during this time.

I am thankful that our friend is returning from his one year deployment safely. Many return injured and some do not return at all.

I am thankful to this family and all the others who sacrifice their husbands, wives, dads, moms, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. As I type this, my next door neighbor is getting ready to deploy in a few days. Remember these families in your prayers and thank them for their sacrifice.

by admin -

5 Ways I Stay Sane

I was honored that Lisa asked me to share 5 Ways I Stay Sane. The first question I asked myself when I read her post was, “Am I really sane?” After a few hours of debate, I decided that I am indeed sane, so I guess that qualifies me to continue with this post.

5 Ways I Stay Sane

  1. Read my bible everyday- Reading my bible helps me to put life into perspective. I am always encouraged by the scriptures and am challenged daily to finish well. I am reminded that my hope is not in things of this world but in things to come. Remembering those things throughout my day helps me to stay calm even in the midst of chaos.
  2. Play the piano- What many of you don’t know about me is that I took piano lessons for the majority of my school years. After an exceptionally stressful day I like to sit down and play the piano. I would love to tell you that I play hymns and praise songs but I don’t. I play fast and loud. It is a great stress reliever!
  3. Go outside- I love to sit outside on my porch or take walks with the kids. I love seeing the bugs and the butterflies, the trees, and the sky. I love the distinct smell of the different seasons. When I return to my house, it is like starting fresh.
  4. Sew- I love to sew. When I sew I am in my own little world. I am not a very good mom when I am sewing because I usually burn dinner or forget about the laundry, but I sure am happy. Sewing is a great escape for me and I don’t even have to leave the house.
  5. Reading- Reading is the ultimate escape for me. I normally read nonfiction, but do read fiction occasionally too. When I start a good book I have been known to stay up until I have read the last page. I read almost every night before I go to bed and strive to read at least one book a week. Thank goodness for the library!

Motherhood and family life is rewarding, and yet chaotic at times. I would love to hear what you all do to stay sane.

For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara the Lazy Organizer.

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Flexibility

Earlier I wrote a post, on my other blog, about spending quality time with the kids this week. I determined that this week I would focus on playing games with my kids since it is an activity we all enjoy. This morning after we ate breakfast and dressed I was ready to challenge my two year old to a game of Bingo. She had other plans. My three little kids really wanted to play blocks/ army men. My old self would have insisted that this was game week and we needed to play games.

I quickly realized that the point of this challenge was not to spend time with my kids in a boot camp fashion. If the kids want to play blocks all day, that is fine. We don’t have to play games. It wouldn’t be fun to force my kids to play a game in order to spend time with me. That defeats the purpose!

So this week, if your children want to take a detour, let them. Summer will soon be over and schedules will abound. Relax and have fun with your kids this week!

See, I really am flexible! I am building a tower for the army men with my legs crossed!

Photobucket

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On the Road Again

I am off for a weekend with my oldest son to one of our favorite places to get away from it all. I’ll be back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!

 

by admin -

August Challenge ~ Face Time

For all of my readers who don’t know this, I have another blog with two other moms called Happy to be at Home. We are running a carnival of sorts titled End ’08 Great, six months of challenges to end the year right. Last month was Conquer the Clutter and this month the challenge is Face Time with the Kids. This couldn’t be better timing for me. As I attempt to plan for the upcoming school year, time with my kids definitely drops way too low on my “to-do” list. Even though I am doing something for the kids (school planning), I still need to spend “face time” with them every day.

This week I have committed to spending each morning, uninterrupted with the kids. No email, phone calls, bills, lesson planning, coupons, menu planning, blogging, etc… This is tough because my inbox is always full and my phone rings frequently throughout the day.

Today we spent the morning learning spanish, coloring, playing games and reading stories. Tomorrow we have a trip to Target planned. (This is a really big deal because normally I shop alone) I haven’t figured out Thursday and Friday yet, but I think we will probably take a trip to the park and possibly a bike ride.

The bottom line is I don’t have many super great creative kid ideas, because I don’t need them! My kids desire time with me, whether it is reading, playing a game, riding bikes, or helping me in the kitchen. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, as long as we are doing it together.

Here we are attempting to play memory with a two year old. Needless to say the game ended up being played like this;  pick four to eight pieces, see if you have a match, throw the piece if you don’t like the animal you picked, if you do like the animal make the animal noise and crawl around the house. My eight year old did not really like this version of the game, but he is a rule follower. The two and four year old had a blast!