The Lord has answered our prayers!

WE ARE MOVING! After house hunting for 2 1/2 years we are finally moving to Cool! The Lord has blessed us with our dream home. It is the first home we found 2 1/2 years ago when we began this journey, but the house was too expensive and it never sold. It went to foreclosure and finally dropped to a price we could afford!

The Lord is so good and is taking care of all the details. It is a big job buying a house these days and it's scary how much extra it costs for everything. Things were costing a lot more than we planned and I was getting scared a few weeks ago, but Wes had faith and we continued to trust. Then the Lord gave us three days of blessings and encouraged us that we were making the right choices! The first day one of the pastors from our church called to tell us that he wants to buy our house! The second day we found out it wasn't going to cost $5000 dollars to truck our stuff to Cool, but only $200 if we rented a truck ourselves and that includes unlimited mileage! The third day we were floored to learn that our lender made a mistake and accidentally "locked" our interest rate in two weeks ago! This mistake was the best news we could have had since the rate was a 1/2 a percentage point lower than the current rate and rates have continued to rise! This is a savings of about $18,000 after 30  years! Only God could have done it! Thank you God! There have been many more examples of God taking over the details and we have such peace. Yes, we will miss Santa Cruz immensely. We LOVE our church family and friends so much! But, we feel this move will be such a blessing for our family. Our children are so excited too! We will have 2 acres, a barn, and lots more space! Here is a picture of Sophie on the front steps of our new home:

And Hannah coming out of the barn...

Thank you Lord for answering our prayers!

Waiting on the Lord

I wrote the following post in October of this year and saved it to finish later. I wanted to post it now before posting an update since the Lord has so generously answered our prayers...

Oct, 2010: Strength will rise when we wait upon the Lord...I often sing this song by Lincoln Brewster in the shower ;). I love it! It is so true! I think there are so many things that we don't wait on the Lord for, but instead we try to take over because we are sick of waiting and attempt to make things happen how we want them to happen. When we do this we rob ourselves of a blessing! If we can only learn to listen to God and wait on His perfect timing our lives would be so much more fulfilled! Oftentimes waiting goes against every natural instinct in our body and how we are made which makes it even more difficult. But that is what is required and that is what having faith is all about!

Our family has been house hunting for about 3 years. I have longed to be done with this chapter in our lives for a very long time, but we are still on it. God blessed us so incredibly with our current house almost 10 years ago. We owned a mobile home that was 1000 sq. ft and my hubby worked for a small company. The mobile home was great, but the mobile home park had a rule that you couldn't have more than 5 people in a two bedroom. We had just had our 3rd baby so we weren't sure what to do. We knew we wanted to trust the Lord with our family planning, but weren't sure what was going to happen. Then, the Lord provided an opportunity. Wes acquired a new job and doubled his salary, I started working for a charter school, and our mobile home doubled in value! All of these meant we could afford a bigger home and we were able to move into our current 2000 sq. ft. home. Then baby number 4, 5, and 6 came along and space got increasingly smaller again. Wes also works from home most of the time and space is so tight he has to work in the garage. So, there are 9 bodies in our home 24/7 and we started to feel like we needed to search for a new home. We have now been on the hunt for three years! God is so good and we know all will work out in His perfect timing!

God is so good!

We were so blessed to be able to attend the Above Rubies Family Camp in San Diego for the second time this year! We weren't sure if we were going to be able to go because of last minute details, but the Lord came through and worked out all of the necessary arrangements financially and with Wes needing the time off and we found out we could go 12 hours before we needed to leave! But, again the Lord was so great even in areas that could have been stressful! We were able to pack quickly, get a good night's sleep, and get on the road in time to get to the camp for dinner! It took us about 9 1/2 hours to get there and the children did amazingly well in the car!

What a blessed time we had! Nancy and Colin were on fire for God! Nancy spoke to us ladies about the tactics Satan uses to distract us in our roles as wives and mothers. Colin spoke to the men about having a vision for their families and not letting the world distract you! What amazing wisdom and insight the Campbells have! We were so encouraged and challenged. If you want to find out more about the Above Rubies Ministry go here: aboverubies.org

Our Above Rubies Testimony:
Wes and I went to our first Family Camp in 2002 and the Lord changed our hearts through the message Colin and Nancy presented to us and the revelation of scripture. We had three beautiful little girls at that point and were contemplating what to do next and how many kids "we should have." Well, the Lord showed us that it is in His control to create children and it is NOT our job to take control of how many children to have. He also showed us that He opens and closes the womb. God can decide if your womb will be opened to children or closed (for a season or indefinitely). It is up to Him, not us! He has the plan for our lives and if we truly believe God is in control, we should believe this as well.

Genesis 20:18
For the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech's household because of Abraham's wife Sarah.


Genesis 29:31
When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.


Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.


1 Samuel 1:5
But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.


There are many more verses describing God opening and closing the womb, you can do a search on Bible Gateway

The Lord also showed us that children are a BLESSING! He gives us children as a way to bless us. We started to ask ourselves why would we refuse a gift or a blessing from God? Only a crazy person would refuse a blessing from the Lord Almighty! If we truly wanted to trust God and believe that God is in control of all things how could we try to take control of the number of children God gave us? We realized that it is only man and the world that convinces us to use birth control because of worldly and selfish reasons such as not having enough money, not having a large enough house, not having enough free time, and more. We began to realize that if we finally trusted God with every area of our lives that He would provide for everything for those blessings He gave us. We also realized God wants our all and for us to learn to serve like Jesus and how better can we learn to serve than by having children for God? We also realized God wants us to be fruitful and multiply so that we can futher His Kingdom! We needed to step away from the world's view of children and be transformed by God's view of children as blessings to us and to further His Kingdom!

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


What an amazing journey it has been. It's not always easy, but what peace we have because we are following God's perfect will. I would never trade that peace for anything such as more free time or more money! My time is precious and my little ones are even more precious to me! God has given me the desire of my heart! 


Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.


It was not always my desire to have more children and less time for myself (ha!), but as I sought after His will for my life and not my own will, He placed that desire in my heart. I am so grateful for His plan for our lives and that we have been blessed with seven wonderful children so far! I pray the Lord will bless us with more! I also pray that we can be the parents he wants us to be in order to train them in His ways. 


I can't say thank you enough to the Above Rubies Ministry for their diligence in preaching the truth of God's desire for families! Thank you so much Colin and Nancy! 

A New School Year

Welcome Back to School!

We started school this week and everything went really well. It's amazing how quickly my little ones are growing. It seems like only yesterday that I began homeschooling my first. How did 10 years go by so quickly? Now I am homeschooling five "officially" this year and I also have a pre-schooler and baby too! God is so good and I am so thankful that we can homeschool and we are choosing to follow God's plan for our family.

This week we memorized Colossians 3:23

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. 

We have a new verse each week we memorize as a family. This is one way that we try to "train up" or children in the Lord's ways. I want them to have these verses pressed upon their hearts so that they can remember them when they are praising the Lord or struggling through a difficult time in their lives. We begin each day with reading the Word and writing, studying, and memorizing this week's verse. Then the older three girls go off to do their independent studies while I work at the table with Joshua (doing preschool workbooks), Sophie, and Jonathan.

This year Sophie is in Kindergarten and focusing on learning to read. She is doing very well. Jonathan is finishing his reading lessons in the book 'How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons' and is almost ready to start Level 2 Readers. Sophie and Jonathan study their own Math using Evan-Moor workbooks, but we do their History, Science, and Health together using ABeka Readers and Evan-Moor worksheets.

Hannah is in 5th grade and Sarah is in 7th grade. They are both using Alpha Omega Switched on Schoolhouse CD-Roms for Bible, English, History, and Science. They use Teaching Textbooks for Math. Hannah is in Math 5 and Sarah is starting Algebra 1. So they both do all of their school on the computer. We started this last year per Daddy's suggestion and it is working so well. The girls also saw the Duggar's using SOS and wanted to try it. All of my children are very independent from about 3rd grade on up, so it really frees me to be able to teach the little ones younger than them their reading and other subjects that they can't read. SOS keeps them motivated and on track and also grades all of their assignments. I need to check in with them once a day for 15 minutes or so and a longer time once a week to check their grades and also collect any assignments that were done in Word like essays and such. We all love it and Wes feels that it is preparing them for the future when we will all be using computers to learn. We do not have them on the Internet though in order to minimize distractions and temptation.

Emily began college this year. Yes, you heard me right...college! She just turned 15 and she started a program called College Plus! It is a program that assigns you a coach that helps you to study for the CLEP exams and receive college credit. Their students finish (on average) with a four year degree from an accredited college in two years!!! She is so excited and wants to get her teaching credential and major in English. I am so proud of her! So, she is very independent this year and I just need to check in with her similarly to what I do with Sarah and Hannah.

For classes all five oldest children are taking horse back riding lessons and art classes weekly. They are continuing piano practice too and Emily wants to learn guitar, Sarah wants to learn the flute and piccolo, and Hannah wants to learn the violin. Emily will also begin a young girls' discipleship Bible Study in September ministering to girls aged 10-13 and I will help facilitate that for her.

The Lord is so good and we are so thankful to have these opportunities. I cherish each moment and try to make them matter for God.

Blessings to a great school year!

Managing our Homes God's Way

I love the straight-forwardness of the book of James and my Yearly Bible Plan has me reading through James this week.

I have been struggling with a lack of self control lately in some areas that God wants me to change in regards to how I run our home. Change is always hard and I find it's even harder when dealing with old habits that are hard to break. I realized after reading the following verses that my lack of self control was actually disguising itself as "temptation" since it was causing me to follow my own desires and be dragged away from God's desire for me. My lack of obedience to making the changes was actually sin.

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14-15


Isn't it amazing how many ways we can be tempted to do something we know we shouldn't and how that temptation can drag us away from what God wants us to be doing and then grow into actual sinful actions? As a Mommy my #1 priority is to be the Manager of my Home by supporting my husband in every way possible, caring for my children, and running my home efficiently. But, oftentimes, I am tempted to do other things that are more inviting and easier like being on the computer, sleeping in, and eating unhealthy foods (to name a few), that "drag" me away from my God-given duties as a Mommy. 

Some things that God has placed on my heart lately to change in relation to managing our family are: having family devotions morning and evening, having a weekly Shabbat meal, eating healthier as a family, and being more accountable with how we spend our time each day. But, alas, each of these three areas require self control in order to accomplish the new habit of devotions, Shabbat meal, better eating, and time management. I love what Peter says in I Peter 1:13-14

So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.

Isn't it true that when we don't exercise self control to do what God wants (or attempting to live a Holy life) we are simply satisfying our own desires? God makes it so simple! In everything we do we have to make a choice: 1. Do what God wants or 2. Satisfy our own selfish desires.

As Mom's we need God's help to manage our homes. If He is calling you to a higher standard or to a different way of doing things like starting to have devotions twice a day or eating healthier foods, then you need to go to Him to seek how He wants you to do it. That may mean it looks different from your friend's way of doing things because God has a plan for your family. God promises to give us wisdom if we ask:

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5


So, we need to pray for wisdom on how to manage OUR homes and we need to obey when He shows us how. Let's start obeying today and managing our homes God's way! 

The Best Father's Day EVER

Happy Father's Day! I am biased, I know, but I think I am married to the best Daddy in the whole world! We had the best day this year celebrating my hubby. We went to church the night before so we could have the whole day. We woke up and my daughter Hannah and I made his current favorite "Strawberry Crumble" made with fresh strawberries. While that was baking he decided to go in the hot tub. Well, you can't go in the hot tub alone in this family and pretty soon we ALL were in the hot tub. Yes, all nine of us (including little Eliana) were in the hot tub having a great time! There wasn't much room, but we were thinking we could probably fit a few more in! I thought it was kind of like those pictures you see of people at hot springs where they are all squished in together. At least we weren't strangers bumping into each other in our bathing suits in hot water - ha!

After drying off and eating breakfast we headed off on a surprise adventure I planned. No one knew where we were going and it was driving them crazy! When we got just around the corner to our destination I yelled out "To infinity and beyond" and most of them guessed we were going to see the new Toy Story 3 movie. Yep, they were right. It was fun and Wes was surprised. I'm not sure if it was his first choice, I'm sure he would have rather been hiking, but he's a Disney Dad at heart and he said he really liked the movie.

After the movie we went to Round Table for some yummy Maui Zowie and pepperoni pizza. After stuffing ourselves with pizza we all got back into our swimsuits and went to our latest fun spot - the San Lorenzo High School Pool! We had a great time swimming and playing.

After swimming we went to Wes' FAVORITE place in all of Santa Cruz County - Mount Hermon. It was such a beautiful day and so nice a warm there. We went to the Fountain and had ice creams - 10/20 was a favorite - caramel ice cream with ribbons of caramel and fudge - YUM! After our treats we went to the field and let the children run around and play on the playground nearby. (I hope this isn't too much torture for my good friend who lived in Mt. Hermon for many years) We finally decided to head home at around 6:30.

Everyone was exhausted and excited to start their summer camps the next day that they all went to bed. The girls are in Music and Drama camp this week and are performing in Esther tomorrow and Sunday. Jonathan and Sophie went to Vacation Bible Camp and learned all about Finding God in your life! What a blast!

I am so thankful to be married to the most awesome guy in the Universe! He loves the Lord and is a wonderful husband and Daddy! He is always seeking the Lord on what to do next and constantly prays for wisdom. I am so thankful to be married to him and that He is the one leading our family. What a joy to serve the Lord together as we raise our little arrows for Jesus!

Above Rubies Ladies Retreat

I am planning on going to the Above Rubies Ladies Retreat this summer again. It was such a blessing to go last summer and I was so encouraged! If you are not familiar with the wonderful Above Rubies ministry please view their website - it is such a wonderful ministry that reaches out and encourages families. I get their magazine and pass them out to other families and friends. This time I want to bring my oldest, Emily. Find out more about the Northern California Retreat here: http://norcalaboverubies.yolasite.com/ My wonderful hubby is planning on camping somewhere close to the camp while we are at the Retreat. I can't wait!

Weight Loss update

Okay, so I did no exercise this week because I'm still recovering from my surgery, BUT...I lost 4.1 pounds! I went to my Weight Watchers meeting today and I was free because I made it at my goal for my Lifetime Membership! I was so stoked. I haven't been at goal since I got pregnant with Eliana. Anyhow, I still want to make it to my ultimate goal of 125. So, if I'm feeling good this week I will add exercise three times this week for 30 minutes. Then I will add a day each week after that to get to the five days a week goal and Saturday fun day exercising with hikes, bike riding, etc. I added this cute ticker from Ticker Factory - they have fun tickers to countdown just about anything. Very fun! My hubby says he wants to lose with me. He recently lost 50 pounds! But has regained about 8. He says he wants to lose about 15-20 pounds, so we will do it together. I can't wait to see the results. Maybe we will treat ourselves with a trip to Hawaii (in my dreams)!

Losing baby weight

Welp, it's time to admit that I need to lose my baby weight. Eliana is officially 6 1/2 months old and I'm not losing any more of the weight I gained naturally, so it's time to get back to counting points and going to my Weight Watchers meetings. Today I am 150.5 lbs. and I have about 25 pounds to lose. Eliana has started taking rice cereal occasionally so I have 30 points I can eat per day. I downloaded a cool app for my iPhone where I can keep track of points, exercise, and more, so I'm all set. I'll keep track on here occasionally with how I'm doing and any tips I come across from meetings, etc. I'm going to start with adding exercise three times a week and work up to five times a week with a hike on the weekend by three weeks from now.

God is so good

Wow, what a week. I had my surgery on my ear on Monday and it has already been almost a week. Everything went very well and the doctor got all of the tumor. But, I bled more than they thought I would during surgery so it took longer (three and a half hours) and so it was harder for me to wake up from the anesthesia. I got home in a daze and a lot of pain. But, the pain medication did it's job and now today I just have to take ibuprofin for the pain.

We are so blessed to have Wes work for such a great company like Cisco. They gave him the whole week off and he was able to step in and take care of the kids and house like a pro. He has been such a blessing to me and the children. He is such a wonderful husband and Daddy and I appreciate him so much! He also took them on a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and out hiking and geo-caching today. They love their "Daddy Days."

My parents were so generous as well to watch the kids on the day of the surgery and Eliana did fine without me. She ate her rice cereal and was happy to nurse soon after I got home. We were also so blessed by the amount of people that prayed for me and for the support from friends with meals after as well. The Lord truly gave me such a peace going into the surgery. I thought I would be scared and worried, but I wasn't at all. I knew that it was all in the Lord's hands and that He wants His best for me. I know that the prayers helped with how I felt too. I knew that everything would be alright and that the Lord would take care of everything. I don't think I can say that I'm thankful for the experience, but I am thankful for one more experience to have where I was able to put my whole trust in the Lord for my life and my well-being. He is so good and His goodness always shines.

Two Year Olds

“Wachusay?” (What did you say?) and “Lemon See” (Let me see) are among the many words my two year old Joshua says daily. Two year olds are adorable and I am enjoying my little guy more than ever. He is an adventurer at heart and it is so much fun to watch him just enjoy life. He gets into EVERYTHING, likes to try everything new and dangerous, makes messes by the minute, and loves to kiss his baby sister and “hode her pweez.” He is such a love bug and so inquisitive. His latest love besides Eliana? "Snayos and roy-poys" (snails and rolli-pollis). He just loves to go in the back yard and find “baby snails” and let them crawl all over him. Priceless.

These days go by so fast. My oldest is almost 15 and creeping up on adulthood. I want to slow down and enjoy each and every moment and make them last! Our days with our children are so precious and I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with this wonderful bunch of seven beauties.

Wes and I went out on our weekly date night the other night and saw the movie “Back up Plan.” It was a cute romantic comedy that was pretty funny. There was one scene at a park where an experienced dad of three kiddos was giving advice to another dad who was expecting his first child on what having children is like. The experienced dad was saying “Most days are awful, awful, awful, aaawwwfffuuullll, awful. But then something magical and wonderful happens and you forget all the awful that happened. Until…the awful happens again and it starts all over again.” Then, his younger son comes up and sits on his lap and the new dad asks “Is this one of those magical and wonderful moments?” The experienced dad says “Yeeeaaaahhhh.” Then he notices something is in his son’s hand and asks “What’s in your hand, son?” His son says “Poop, Daddy” while opening his hand to show him. His dad then says “Oh no! Is it a cat’s poop that you found in the sand?” Son says, “Nope.” Dad says “Is it your poop then?” with a hopeful look on his face. Then the son says the unthinkable, “No, his poop” while pointing to another little boy in the sand box.. Ha, ha, too funny. Who can relate? It’s good to be able to laugh at the “awful” stuff sometimes, isn’t it? 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mommies. Have a wonderful day with your little blessings. Remember to thank you the Lord for all He has given you and have joy in your hearts! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Distractions

Do you ever get distracted? Do you lose focus on what you were doing to find you go to bed and question whether you accomplished and finished any of your tasks that you set out to do that day? I do...all the time. I'm constantly multi-tasking throughout the day and I leave something I started to go take care of something else or someone else and come back later to find my 2 year old got into whatever "it" is or I forget about entirely for a few day! So...I have been thinking and praying for a solution. The solution is to live more simply! We already live a pretty simple life relatively speaking, but there are two areas of our lives we can improve on in order to bring more simple living to our home.
1. Organizing and decluttering our home (which I've already been working on)
2. Revamping our daily schedule (and being more strict with it)

Number two is definitely an area I need to work on. Since my newest blessing arrived last November and the illnesses that have plagued our family we have gotten totally off our normal routine. I have noticed that the children have acquired attitude problems as a result. Because I have not been enforcing a schedule and they have been "allowed" freedom to choose when to do chores and school they have attitudes when I tell them to do something because they think they have a choice. They have been able to choose privileges first before chores and responsibilities because there has been a lack of accountability from me! This is totally my fault and I am doing them a disservice by allowing this to continue since the unwanted behavior is then being practiced everyday instead of the behavior I want! God wants me to train my children to be hard-workers, to learn to be diligent and obedient, to be servant oriented and kind. When I allow them to choose their own schedules because I am too tired or lazy to reinforce a schedule I have put in place for our family then of course they will choose the easiest route or the most fun choice. Who wants to work hard if no one is requiring you to? This reinforces selfishness, laziness, and disobedience. The opposite of what I want in my children!

So...I am convicted by the Lord to choose the right and hard choice for me too. It's hard to keep my children accountable! I would rather take the easier route too. I would rather sleep in a little, have my coffee in the morning instead of exercising and hang out for a while. But, when I do this it's 11:00 before I know it and I've accomplished nothing! Then I feel bad for not getting more done and that's no way to start the day. I have been distracted and I've let bad habits seep into our days, but NO MORE! I know a schedule will keep me focused on my tasks and help my children stay focused as well.

A schedule will also allow me to have more time since I will be getting more accomplished! More time will free me up to do things I have been wanting to do. I have been wanting to sew and do some other projects, but haven't found the time because I'm always putting out fires? Why? Because the children are running around not having a focus or purpose either. A schedule will allow my children to have more time for things they want to do too. With summer coming I need to get us back on track. Time to get back to the basics and re-read my MOTH (Managers of Their Homes) book. If you don't know about this website, check it out. The Maxwell's are such a blessing to others with their encouragement and help for homeschooling families.

Until next time...

Laundry Update

Well, I am so happy to report that the Lord answered my prayers on how to do laundry in our house more efficiently! We have been doing our new method for about a month and a half now and it is working out wonderfullly! Here's what we used to do:

Three laundry bags labeled "Darks and Brights," "Lights and Whites," and "Miscellaneous Specials" were in our Laundry Room. Everyone was responsible for getting their own dirty laundry to the Laundry Room and sorting it in the right bin. I then was responsible for washing, drying, sorting, and folding. We had 8 shelves on top of the dryer for each person and they put away their laundry unless they were under 6 years old. My oldest does her own laundry (14). The problems I encountered were children would put clean laundry in the bins instead of hanging up clean clothes and I wouldn't know it until it was under the dirty ones and too late. Also, children wouldn't sort correctly and I would end up having to re-sort. We often have lost socks and mismatched clothes because they were tossed in the different bins (white shirt that goes with dark blue shorts, etc.). Not to mention I was working too hard!

New Way:
I turned those three bags around and they now read "Room 1," "Room 2," and "Room 3" to represent the three children's rooms. I have one more bag for mine and my hubby's room. Now the children put their laundry in one bag with their room label on it. As the bag fills I put all the laundry in the wash on cold (I wash the undies and socks separate - usually). I am now responsible for washing and drying and that's it! No more sorting, no more folding. Once dry it goes in one of the brand new laundry baskets (from Target) that I bought for each room and then it heads to their rooms. The children have to sort their clothes out and put it away. There are only two children in each room so only two children's clothes are in each bag or basket. Very easy. No more lost socks either! Plus! All of my children from the 6 year old on up wants to do their laundry now and they can since it's all washed on cold and they are doing their own laundry with their room mates. I haven't had the bags overflowing one time since I started this - it's working like a charm. Mon-Wed. we wash clothes. Thurs I was sheets and towels and Friday is clothes again.

I also make our own Homemade Laundry Soap.
We have been doing this (inspired from the Duggar's) for about a year and it is so easy. I encourage everyone to try it out. My 12 year old Sarah usually makes it for us too.

I'm hoping to make some more progress in the other areas. Hopefully I'll get some pics up to show before and after.

Illness

This has been a season of illness for me. I normally don't get sick much at all, but I am currently getting over my second case of pneumonia since January. I also have something wrong with my left arm and back pain from my cough. I feel like I'm falling apart. My ear has been hurting me lately from the tumor as well. My surgery isn't until May 17th.

I have been thinking about all of this and wondering if I shouldn't be spending more time with God asking what I could do to change something in order to have better health. I will be turning 40 this year and I don't want my  health to start declining just because I am getting older. I want to be a Grandma and and Great-Grandma someday and I need to be healthy now in order to reach those years.

I know for one that I could eat healthier than I do. I could cut out the sweets and definitely eat more fruits and veggies. I still have about 20 pounds to lose since having Eliana and I could exercise more too. With the pneumonia and the cough that goes with it I feel like I've even gotten more lazier in the area of exercise and healthy eating. It's a vicious cycle. I get sick so I stop exercising. I'm tired from being sick so I can't plan our meals and I eat fast food/junk. I stay sick because I'm not eating right. The cycle continues.

I know I need to change my ways. I want to start eating and taking care of my body how God wants me to. I pray that He will show me what His plan is for me and that I will have the courage to make those changes. I have learned that I can't copy what works for someone else, I need to pray and follow God's special plan for me. He made my body and knows what is best.

Being Slow to Speak

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 
James 1:19-20

I have recently been gently reminded that I need to apply this verse to my life (once again). This is an area that I constantly have to be reminded about especially in the area of my marriage. Why is it so hard for me to keep quiet? Why do I struggle with wanting my way and voicing my opinion? Why can't I just be happy with what my husband wants and not always try to second guess his opinion or desires? 


I have been trying to rest a lot this weekend to get rid of a bad cough. My oldest is also resting as she has the same cough. She started a tradition years ago of watching Little House on the Prairie episodes when she is sick. So we have been enjoying a marathon of LHotP seasons 1-4 this weekend while Daddy has the little ones out hiking. I just love the lessons in this series and am always convicted of how I could be a better wife and mother as I watch Carolyn Ingalls interact with her husband and children. She was quiet! She knew when to speak and when not to and she always allowed her husband to lead even when she thought he was making the wrong decision. 


One episode we watched today showed Charles wanting to sell the farm after a tornado wiped out all their crops. He decided to give up on farming and move back to his hometown of Wisconsin. He was hours away from selling it to the new buyers and visually struggling because he didn't really want to move. Then realized something and turned to Carolyn and said "I never even asked you what you wanted!" She began crying and saying it was okay and that he was going through a lot. He then apologized and said "WE were going through a lot" and in the end they ended up staying in Walnut Grove through another series of events. But, the point was she never said anything. She submitted to him even though she was dying inside to tell him she didn't want to move because she didn't want to leave Walnut Grove. She supported her husband even though inside she thought he wasn't making the right decision. As I watched I realized I not only don't do this in the big things I don't do this in the little things as well. I complain, I argue, I voice my opinion WAY TOO MUCH and WAY TOO OFTEN!!! Because of my sinful nature and desire to say what I think is right it oftentimes causes friction and stress in the family. It doesn't matter if I am right, my job is to be a helpmeet to my husband. I am not to be in charge of our family, my husband is the one in charge. Thankfully I'm married to a man that asks me my opinions. But, I know he does not appreciate me telling him what I think when he doesn't ask and this is where I need to change and learn to be quiet and listen. I need to "go with the flow" and not worry about him making mistakes. I need to stop trying to control every situation with our family and with the children. They are his children too and he has a right to decide things without his wife second guessing him. This is soooo hard for me. Thank you Lord for reminding me that I need to work on this area of my life. 


A few years ago I read Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. It is such a great book on the teaching of biblical submission and I learned so much. I am so excited because I am going to start a small group reading this book starting this week. I'll be writing about what the Lord puts on my heart to share and pray that he helps me to be slow to speak and quick to listen more and more each day!!! I'll let you know how I'm doing :) 

Decluttering/Remodeling a smallish house for our large family

Well, I'm trying really hard to declutter our house. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We moved into our home over 8 years ago and we had just three little girls 6 and under. They all shared one bedroom and we had two other bedrooms to spare. That gave us one kids room, one office, one guest room, and a master - sweet! Our house is just under 2000 sq. ft. which was perfect for our 5 person family.

Fast forward 8 years and 4 children later...Now we have three kids' rooms with two children in each room, our master is the same except baby Eliana will sleep in there until she is two-ish. Eliana will eventually have to join one of the girls' rooms and so we will have three in one of the children's rooms.

For the past two years (since I was pregnant with Joshua, #6) we have put any changes or adjustments to our house on hold because we were considering moving to a larger home in Sacramento area since the real estate market has gone down so much there. We had green lights to move in every area including my hubby's work, etc., but with the news of my ear surgery and other things, for now we have decided to stay in Santa Cruz. So, we are now trying to make some long overdue changes to our house so it will work more efficiently for a large family.

Kids Room #1: Our oldest two girls have the most stuff and also have the hardest time getting rid of stuff. Their room is very cluttered and packed. We don't have anymore attic space or other storage space so we need to make do. So, my husband is working on building a "platform" about 18 inches high and that covers half of their room. They are going to store their treasures under the platform and put a small couch and table and chairs on the platform. We are working on buying them a bunkbed as well. I am hoping this will solve a lot of their space problems.

Kids Room #2: The second set of girls do a pretty good job of keeping their room organized, but there is 5 years between them so their biggest problem is the age span. Hannah needs a place for her stuff that Sophie won't get into to. Also they need bunks too to maximize the space and we will get a trundle for storage. I think I will look into a locking trunk for Hannah, the 9 year old, for her treasures. Any other ideas?

Kids Room #3: Finally the boys - 2 year old Joshua and 6 year old Jonathan are doing great. They have the same problem as Hannah and Sophie because of the age span so I will have to look into a locking trunk or something else for Jonathan. I also need to get a trundle for their existing bunk. But, boys just don't need as much space and also don't have as many emotional attachments to stuff.

Other problem areas upstairs:
Laundry Room: I need help with this one...any suggestions? It's upstairs and I'm so thankful for this since it's centrally located next to all the kids rooms. But, it's about 5 ft. X 5 ft and I never have enough space to do laundry..wash, dry, fold. There is no sink either. I would love a bigger area to store the folded laundry while it's waiting to be picked up by the kids to put away. I have to do at least 3-4 loads each day to keep up.

Linen Closet: We don't have one. I heard a suggestion to store the extra set of sheets for beds between the matresses. I thought this was one I would try since presently I store them in the kids closets and they really could use that extra space. I keep blankets on the top shelf in our walk-in closet, but they take up so much space I could use for something else. Any other suggestions?

Photo Albums: Where is the best place to put these when we have no shelf space? The kids love to look at them when they are out.

Bathrooms. We have two for all of us and they are both upstairs - none downstairs. The girls basically rule the spare one with the amount of Bath and Body Works lotions and spays that are in there. How can I make our "kids bathroom" more usable for all seven children? I've thought about everyone having a bathroom case with all their necessary items in it like toothbrush, paste, brush, etc., but am not sure. Any suggestions from other larger families? We are planning to put in two sinks and a door between the sink area and the tub/toilet area in order to maximize usage too.

Well that covers upstairs. I'll post again with what we are going to do downstairs later. I'd love to hear what works for other families with some of the same issues.

My oldest girls

I was amazed and so incredibly blessed this morning! While trying really hard to stay on task and encourage the children to do the same, I walked into my older girls' room to wake them up thinking they would still be sleeping. Instead I opened the door to find them reading their Bibles! I was so blessed. I had told them we were going to start to get back into a more strict routine, but they took it upon themselves to add that habit to their personal routine. I was so thankful. I have always encouraged them to read the Bible on a regular basis, but struggled with the fine line of making them do it and having them want to do it on their own. To have them freely choose to read gave me such joy it filled my entire day with gladness. 

To top it all off, as I was leaving I noticed a list on my oldest daughter, Emily's, desk. (This is her holding our newest little one, Eliana) It was a list titled something like "The most important things I want in a husband." On the list she had things like "someone who absolutely is against divorce," "a man who loves the Lord," "a man who reads the Bible every day," etc. I can't wait to read her whole list. She says she isn't finished. She told me she got the idea from a book she had asked me to buy her a few months ago. It's from Vision Forum and it's titled Before You Meet Prince Charming It's a wonderful book and it's changing who she is by challenging her to think deeper in her faith. I can't believe the level of maturity I am seeing from her at only 14! 

She recently has felt convicted to not wear pants. This is a girl who LOVES her blue jeans and is very fashion conscious. But, she loves the Lord and wants to please him before herself so she has only been wearing skirts and more modest shirts since Christmas. She has also encouraged her sisters to do the same so all of my girls are now wearing more modest clothes and skirts/dresses only with little or no influence from me. It is all the Lord. In fact, they have influenced me and I have been wearing skirts only too. We are all loving being more feminine. I am so thankful for who she is becoming and can't wait to see how the Lord is going to use her! Being a parent is so exciting! 

Schedules and Time Management

Boy have I been lazy lately! I have always loved schedules and being orderly, but over the years I have had to learn how to relax a little because I'm married to a very spontaneous man who doesn't wear a watch and who loves living in the moment! However, the Lord is changing him lately and he has been telling me that I need to be stricter with the children and get them back on a better routine and schedule. I guess I have gotten too lax! So...we are adding more structure to our lives. Today was the first day of our new routine and it went really great! I am taking baby steps and praying a lot! Here are some changes we are making...
1. Get up on time. In our house that means by 8:00 am. None of us are morning people and we have gotten into the habit of sleeping in too late.
2. All of us will eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. We will follow the meal plan for the day that I have made in advance. I make a meal plan, but have been lax in enforcing it lately for breakfast and lunch and as a result the older children have been eating what they want which is a lot of times very unhealthy. Also, when we stick to a plan we save money in the long run!
3. We all do our chores together. In our house that means three times a day...Morning Jobs, Day Jobs, and Night Jobs. I have also been slacking in this area with keeping the children and myself accountable, but not anymore :)
4. Mom gets up before the children (7:30) to exercise and then spend some time in the Word. I am currently re-reading The Power of Motherhood by Nancy Campbell of Above Rubies. Love it!
5. Everyone in bed by 9:00 pm. Mom goes to bed by 11:00 or earlier.
6. Last, but not least, be thankful and joyful in all we do. Show the children by my example that I am thankful that I am able to take care of them and our home on a daily basis. More is caught than taught!

If I can stick to these basics our days go so much smoother. Here's a look at our basic schedule by the hour that I'm trying to stick too. We did pretty good today.

7:30 Mom wakes to exercise and spend time with God. Older girls read Bibles in bed.
8:00 Morning Jobs: make bed, shower, get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, help buddies (older coupled with a younger child), feed pets, and general clean up.
9:00 Eat breakfast together and have Bible time as a family. Clean up kitchen.
10:00 All kids start school. Mom works with non-readers.
11:00 Continue school
12:00 Lunch and clean up
1:00 Continue school for older children. Quiet time for younger children.
2:00 Monday: Baking Day
        Tuesday: Gymnastics for older four children while Mom runs errands
        Wednesday: Library Day and other errands
        Thursday: Music Day: Practice praise and worship songs
        Friday: Sewing and Arts/Crafts Day
3:00 Snack and outside play time or continue errands/above classes
4:00 Day Jobs: Clean up province (area of house that each child is assigned to clean up), put away personal items, clean up room, put away laundry, help buddy
5:00 Get ready for dinner. Cooking class and etiquette. Set the table.
6:00 Eat dinner
7:00 Clean up dinner and have Family Bible Time and worship
8:00 Night Jobs: Clean up stuff, baths, jammies on, brush teeth, brush hair, prayers.
9:00 Lights off. Older girls may stay up until 9:30.
Mom does laundry off and on throughout the day.

The Happiest Place On Earth

I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while…The reason is that we spent last week at “The Happiest Place on Earth.” We had a wonderful time making lots of memories that we will remember for a long time. We were even blessed to have my parents join us for half of the trip and we also celebrated my second daughter Sarah’s 12^th birthday. What a special way to celebrate! We enjoyed great weather and no ride lines longer than 5 minutes on most of the days. Late winter is a great time to go. Our little ones were the most fun to watch as their eyes lit up when Mickey appeared or Cinderella took Sophie’s little four-year-old hand to dance like a princess. There is nothing like going to Disneyland with a two and four year old, it truly brings you back to the younger years of life.

I am thankful we live so close to Disneyland that we have made it a family tradition to take our vacations there quite often and we even have annual passes thanks to grandma’s and grandpa’s Christmas gifts. The memories we’ve made will last a lifetime. However, after spending a week in such a magical place I can’t help but ask myself “is my home the happiest place on earth?”

I know it may sound silly because obviously you can’t live a fantasy life like you do while you are at Disneyland, but it really is my hearts desire to make memories of a lifetime with my children while they are in my home. I love my family so much and know so well how short our lives are and I want to make every moment matter (ha!). Yet, I find this so hard to do in the daily grind. Do you struggle with this too? I struggle with the Martha verses Mary lifestyle choices each day. I find as a mom it’s so important to try to balance that diligent, hard-working Proverbs 31 woman with the live in the moment, obedient, Holy Spirit led personality we see displayed through Mary. I know you know what I mean.

I find two things essential to making it work for our home:

1. Spending time with the Lord on a daily basis

2. Having a plan for the day, but being open to God changing your plan.

Without these two essential steps, my days go by the wayside and I live my life being reactive instead of proactive. I want to be more proactive so that I can be prepared for each moment and for the Lord’s direction. It’s easier said than done. But that is my goal and what I purpose to do. I have failed many times (including today!), but the Lord is gracious and I can start each new day fresh.

Thank you Lord for each new morning. I give each and every new day to you. Lead us in our actions and thoughts with one another and direct our paths. Help us to plan our days, but be open to your Holy Spirit’s leading at same time. Give us your wisdom to be diligent with the precious time you have given us on this earth and help us to further your kingdom.

In your Son’s name, Amen.

Praying for Friends

Today has been quite a day in the friends department. I am reminded how important it is to truly get on my knees daily and pray for my friends. For wisdom, for protection, for strength, and that God will use them and guide them in their daily lives. I had three encounters with close friends today going through three totally different personal situations that brought me to tears. It seems to be a reoccurring theme right now. Many of my Christian friends and family members are struggling with one thing or another. It is an opportunity for us all to remember how important prayer is. To pray without ceasing.

I was recently diagnosed with a tumor in my ear. It is called a glomus tumor and I am told that most of the time they are benign. I was experiencing a pulsing sound when I would go to sleep and so I finally got it checked out. My GP referred me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc who then ordered a CT scan. With the CT scan he was able to see it was a tumor that looks to be about 6 1/2 mm. right behind my ear drum. He then informed me that it is a very rare type of tumor and that I was his very first patient with this condition. But, being very humble, he explained that he didn't feel comfortable operating on me and that he would prefer that I go to Stanford. I saw my Stanford doc this week and we are scheduled for surgery on May 13th.

When I first got the call from my doctor after the CT scan that it was a tumor I was shocked and worried more than I have ever been in my life. I have never really thought about death and this made me think about all the "what ifs."What if I die on the operating table? What if it isn't benign? What if they make a mistake during surgery and cut the nerve that controls all the muscles in my face and the left side of my face is left looking like I had a stroke (which is a risk)? Most of all I was worried about my newest little one being only 4 months old and having to leave her all day! But then...I prayed. I prayed for peace and I prayed most of all that God would use this situation for His glory. I can honestly say I am at peace. It is in the Lord's hands.

I so desire to be a positive example to my children so that they can learn how to respond to crisis in a godly way. They are watching our every move as parents and are learning how to act the right way or the wrong way. They will have crisis in their lives, which is unavoidable, and I need to teach them how God wants us to react in a crisis. God can use everything (good or bad as perceived by us) for His glory. I am not being fake. I am telling them I am scared, but I am also telling them that God has a plan and He has never let us down. We need to trust in Him for everything. We need to pray. It seems like that is all we can do sometimes and yet it's the most important thing we can do.

So...don't forget to pray. Pray without ceasing. Talk to God. Tell Him about your day, your worries, your fears. Thank Him for all He has blessed you with. Your family, your friends, your home, your job, everything. Ask Him to show you what to pray for and how you can be a blessing to others. Finally, don't forget to pray for your friends.

Hello

Hi,
I am so excited to start journaling my days with my wonderful family. I have been reading other home schooling blogs for several months and have gleaned so much from them that they have inspired me to start my own. I love the idea of having a place to record our days and I hope this will be a way for me to stay motivated to organize our pictures and happenings. I hope this will also serve to be an encouragement to others in our home schooling journey and to learn how the Lord is leading us. Until I have another free moment...