It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Have you begun to think about Christmas yet? Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. But I typically procrastinate and instead of me being able to relax and enjoy the Christmas season--basking in the smell of cinnamon, peppermint, and pine trees, listening to Christmas music, baking cookies with the kids, baking goodies for others--I am running around like a mad woman trying to get all those last minute gifts purchased, much less wrapped (they may just get a gift bag). Every year that I have been on this beautiful green earth, Christmas has come at the same time on the same date. So WHY, OH WHY does it always seem to sneak up on me??

Well, this year I am one step ahead of Christmas, no sneakin' this year. Not only am I thinking ahead, but my family is changing the way we do gifts this year. Here is a little background on what led to this decision:

Last year, after all the presents were opened. My sister, her husband, Cecil and myself were talking. We realized that we had gotten Ryan a gift card for a certain amount and that they had gotten Cecil a gift card for the same amount. So essentially Cecil and Ryan bought themselves giftcards. Now, hear me well. This is not to say that either party was not appreciative of the gift. But we began to think that we should put more thought into ou Christmas gifts or just save our money.

So, was born the idea that we would do homemade gifts this year. I don't know if Kayla and Ryan are going to or not, but I plan to start now making gifts for everyone. I already have some really great ideas that I cannot wait to get started on. Of course, I can't list them now because well, they may see. However, I am having a terrible time trying to get ideas for the guys in the family. Thus, the gift cards last year!

So do any you have any ideas on a homemade gift ideas for a man? I would love some help with this one. I would also love to hear your ideas for women and children as well.

Have a blessed day!!

Waiting

I have been anxiously checking my mail every day for the past few days. I am awaiting a package that I am really excited to get. Ever gotten one of those before? Before I tell you what I am waiting for let me introduce you to someone special.

Her name is Kristie. We went to the same church when I was in high school. She was a year or two older than me but decades wiser, it seemed. We, over time, became really close friends. Do you have or have you had someone in you life that you can say has helped you to become the person in Christ that you are today? Well, Kristie was that person for me. I was a Christian before I met her, but I hadn't, before that time in my life, grown much as a Christian, if you know what I mean. Kristie and I prayed together, laughed together, cried together and studied the Bible together. She always gave great advice and was really a source of encouragement for me. There was a span of time when we were inseparable. She was truly my best friend.

Well, time went on, and we grew apart. I don't recall why, if I did it wouldn't matter. I got married, had a couple kids. She got married, had a baby girl, moved away. And there was a couple months after the birth of her baby girl that we got back in touch with each other. But quickly lost touch again, as she moved out of state. I thought about her so often and searched her on Myspace and Facebook, but couldn't find her. I googled her name one day and saw an article that a person by her name had written. I wasn't sure if it was her, because I didn't know she was publishing her writings, although I knew that she always loved writing. But as I read the beautifully written article of a woman who had tragically lost her mother at a young age, I realized that it was her. But I still couldn't get any contact information on her. I stalked.... ahem.... searched for her more and found a different article that she had written and wept as I read the article and watched a video that accompanied it. She had lost two babies in utero and was sharing her story with a Christian Pregnancy Center, helping women who had sadly gone through the same thing she had had to endure.

Then I happened to search her husband on Facebook and found a man by the same name. He didn't have a profile pic, but in his friends list was Kristie's brother. My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I said gleefully, "It's him, it must be". So I added him as a friend and told him who I was, not sure if I would get a reply, and hoping it was the right guy. I left my phone number (I was really hoping it was the right guy). Then a few days later, the day after David's surgery, actually, I got a call from her. I was so happy to hear from her. She told me that day that she was expecting another baby girl in Sept. My heart was truly filled with joy for her.



I got an email this month that she and her husband introduced their precious baby into the world and all was well. I think it was the same week that I got an email saying that her book had been published!!

And that is the package that I am waiting for!

What an exciting time for their family! I am overjoyed for all that is happening in their lives! She has been through so much and deserves all the blessings and happiness God sends her way.



Her book is her memoir of losing her babies and how she has trudged through all the pain. While I know that it was a painful process for her to write the book, she will touch the lives of so many women who go through miscarriage and the loss of their unborn children. I am so sorry for her loss, and wish that I had in some way been there for her during those difficult times. But I am so glad that she is using the short lives of her two precious gifts to minister to hurting mothers.

Lemonade Stand

Last month, my friend Chasity, and I had a garage sale here at the house. The girls had been wanting to have a Lemonade Stand, so I figured that it would be a good idea to let them do it while we were getting traffic to the garage sale. They didn't sale a huge amount, I think maybe 24 cups. But they were happy and enjoyed themselves.
Selling lemonade in your neighborhood seems like such a quintessential part of childhood. And their childhood is quickly fleeting. It is so reminiscent of summers in simpler times-when kids were free to stay out in the neighborhood until the street lights came on just having fun. Some of that summer innocence seems to be fading, so I am glad they got this opportunity.
I remember selling lemonade at my aunt's house one summer. Our goal was to get enough money for myself, my sisters, and cousins to go to the movies. We reached that goal, but I can't remember what we went to see. That's a neat childhood memory and now my girls can look back on their own Lemonade Stand.

Have a Blessed Day!

Chasity

Hawaiian Luau

Yesterday, we had Alyssa and Lylah Grace's birthday party. We have always had their parties together since their birthdays are so close. And it is easier for family because with my nephew's birthday sandwiched between my three kids, we would be partying 4 weekends in a row. Although next year I would like to give them separate parties...we had a lot of girls here yesterday and it was a bit crazy. They had fun though and went off without a hitch.

They wanted a Luau theme.

I usually make the cakes but with Ava being sick and in the hospital this week, I just couldn't pull it off this time. So I bought a cake and just embellished it with all the Hawaiian goodies. The girls loved it.

We limboed with Luau music playing in the background....

played Jenga...not Hawaiian but fun.

They made a wish...

And got lots of cool gifts.

All in all it was a great day!

Working and Sick Babies

I just got home from the hospital with Ava, she has double pneumonia and spent a night there on IV antibiotics and breathing treatments. They said it probably stemmed from the flu that she had a couple weeks ago. She is really doing great now. We are continuing breathing treatments at home and she should be fine.

You know, I started this post with the intention of writing about the stress that accompanies working and then having to stay home from my job with sick children. Not that I don't want to take care of my sick children, I just don't like having to call in sick to work. But as I wrote, I began to answer, in my head, every complaint that I had and I erased all that I had written. This is somewhat how that mental conversation went, at the risk of sounding completely nuts:

Blog: Having to stay home with sick children is really stressful.
My head: Anytime you have a sick child it is stressful, whether you are working or not.

Blog: I hate having to call my boss and say that I am not coming in. (with four kids that happens a bit more than I would like it to happen)
My head: You are fortunate enough to work for an organization that loves you and your family and completely understands when you have a sick baby at home.

Blog: But I don't like relying on someone else to do my job teaching my students for me.
My head: Your students are in good hands, they will put a great sub in your place. And furthermore, would your rather have someone else doing your job and taking care of your sick baby at home for you? (OUCH!)

Blog: But I feel guilty for not being at work because I have made a commitment and I should be there.
My head: But what about the commitment to your family, doesn't that come first?

You know, there are feelings of guilt, at times, associated with working outside the home. But it sort of comes from two ways when I have to call in sick, yet again. Nevertheless, my heart is at home with my kids and there is never any doubt that they come first. Keeping my priorities in the right order is helping me deal with it all.

This post may sound completely crazy, leave a comment if it does and let me know! Or some of you may be able to relate to this mental exchange with my self, leave me comment and let me know that, too!
Either way, these are the thoughts that weigh heavily on the heart and mind of this "Working Mom with a Stay-at-Home Heart".

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Chasity

Just a real quick post to say that this past week went so much better than the first week. I loved coming home knowing that dinner was almost done before I even got in the door. What's better? I still have some stuff in the freezer to use for this week.

I'm turning back to my trusty Flylady Control Journal to try to get a handle on chores and such. If you have never heard of Flylady, you should check out her site. If you have never tried her system, I highly recommend it. It completely changed the way I take care of my house. I have a "Control Journal" with all of our routines and chores in writing (typing).

Here's how it is broken down...this is all on her site and she does a much better job of explaining it:

• Before Bed Routine
• Morning Routine
• Afternoon Routine (things we do right when we get home)
• Late Afternoon Routine(what we do after homework is done)
• Evening Routine (begins approx 6:30, when we eat dinner)



• Weekly Home Blessing Hour List (the only time the whole week that you spend more than 15 minutes at a time cleaning)
• Weekly Checklist (Those things that need to be done every week ie. Mop, Vacuum, Refrigerator,Dust, etc.)
• Basic Weekly Plan (This is a plan that outlines on what days I will take care of the chores on the Weekly Checklist)

Then your home is broken down into Zones for all the monthly detailed cleaning (baseboards, window sills, tops of door facings, top of fridge, etc.) You then take one zone per week and do your detailed cleaning(never for more than 15 minutes at a time).

For example, Zone 1 is the Entrance and Office. Some things I have listed on my detailed cleaning list are:

1. Dust tops of door facings
   
2. Clean Switch plates
   
3. Clean baseboards
   
4. Wipe down door
   
5. Clean computer monitor screen
   
6. Clean Window
   
7. Shred papers that need to be shredded
   
8. ETC.

At the end of the month, your house is spotless and gorgeous.....ideally.

I haven't ever gotten EVERYTHING done on my list...but a little is better than nothing. And I keep my papers in sheet protectors and check off the items I did complete with a dry erase marker. The chores that didn't get checked off are the first to be done next month.

I wish I could post my Control Journal here, but unfortunately I don't know how or even if you can attach documents. If you would like to see it, I would be happy to email it.

on a side note: You know how they have Day Sponsors on the radio on Lifesongs? Well on Saturday, the Day Sponsor sponsored in honor of Flylady. She really is great, and so very encouraging!

Have a Blessed, Stress-Free Day!

First Week as a Blogging Working Mom

Since I started this blog when I was out of school for the summer, I haven't actually posted yet as a "Working Mom". So here is my first post as a "Working Mom with a Stay-At-Home Heart.

I will just start out by saying that last week was ROUGH. I almost deleted this blog because I felt like a miserable failure at managing both home and work. There was a flood of emotions and a shortage of time. But then I remembered that I didn't start blogging to write a manual on how to go about this journey, but to document my journey, which is often times a little crazy..ok, a lot crazy.

Our schedules this year are really tough because of where my two younger kids are while I am at work...in completely different towns. It makes for a rushed morning and a rushed afternoon. But by the end of the week, things began to smooth out a little. Although, we ate out every night last week except for one night when we had leftover Pastalaya. The house was a wreck because by the time I got home I was exhausted. I really wasn't prepared for last week.

So this weekend, I am working hard to be ready for next week. I am hoping our lives will be more peaceful because of a few things I have done to get us ready.

I spent a few hours today preparing meals to freeze or to refrigerate for the week. Here is how my day went:

• Went grocery shopping for the week.
• Put together two meat loaves; one to freeze and one to put in the fridge for Monday night.
• Made two Shepherd's Pie mixtures-minus the mashed potatoes. Froze them both, one for Tuesday night, one for a later date.

**I have class on Wednesday, so Cecil will make pulled pork from the leftover pork we will have after Sunday lunch.

• Made a Spaghetti meat sauce to freeze for Thursday.
• Pounded, breaded, fried and froze chicken breasts for Chicken Parmesan on Friday. I will just thaw and add marinara sauce and pasta.
• Cut chicken breasts into strips and froze for Chicken Marsala.
• Diced, cooked, and froze chicken breasts for Chicken Pot Pie.
• Made a double batch of Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie dough. Cooked one batch for snacks for the week. I will freeze the rest for use at a later date.
• Making a batch of pancakes to freeze. They are super easy to heat in the mornings for breakfast.

This all sounds like a lot. But it really didn't take as long as I thought it would. I plan to do this for a couple weekends to try to accumulate a few meals in my freezer for really busy days. I just have to remember to take it out to defrost. I am horrible about that.

I already feel better about next week. Now I am off to tackle the laundry and get uniforms ready for the week.

Whether you work outside the home or inside the home, what are some of the strategies you use to help your household run smoothly?

Fashion Savvy

I usually try to let the girls pick out their own clothes. I try to let them wear what they pick out barring anything inappropriate or just really extreme. This morning I told them to get ready because I had to go to the school and this is how Lylah Grace came out of her room. She always puts together the most interesting outfits.

She is so proud of her choice!

You know, layering is so in right now. Notice she has not one but two sweaters over her shirt. And yep, I'm letting her wear it. Although with this heat, I 'm sure one or both will come off. I just love her!

Happy Birthday to You!!

Ava's party went very well. We had the usual family and a couple close friends over for hamburgers, hot dogs, and cake. This birthday was, of course, a happy birthday, but for me it was a little sad. I just can't believe that my baby girl is one. I no longer have an infant. I guess why I'm a little more emotional is because she may be my last baby, and I just don't want her to grow up. But that is our job as parents, I guess, to grow them and teach them. I just wish sometimes that we had a little more time to do that.

Here are a few pictures from her party:

The last one was the day after, on her actual birthday. She was wearing the new dress that Mrs. Chasity got her and the headband that she made for her. Yes, we know another Chasity, I am not referring to myself in third person. That would be weird, but I guess not as weird as if I made my daughter refer to me as Mrs. Chasity.

Finding Joy

The school year is fast approaching. Already I am feeling anxious, busy (more than usual) and like I just don't have enough time in the day. I know myself well enough to know that I can get really grouchy-for lack of a better word. I have really been praying for God to help me to have a joyful heart in everything I do. I know, I know, I know, without a doubt that time is going to get crunched, schedules are going to become so full, they are bursting at the seams, and I know that the way I deal with these things along with the other daily inevitable bumps and gliches depends on my heart place. It depends on where my priorities are.

Like I said, I have been praying for a joyful heart for a couple of weeks now, and this verse is lodged in my brain for some reason. (I really know the reason)

Satisfy [me] in the morning with your unfailing love that [I] may sing for joy and be glad in all [my] days.

Psalm 90:14

I read or heard this verse somewhere this week-I can't remember where for the life of me. But it has really stuck with me. I think this may be my motto for the next 9 months. It just reminds me that my joy is not going to come from anything that can happen to me throughout the day, my joy comes from Jesus. Therefore, anything that happens to me throughout the day will not steal my joy away. It also reminds me that I need to "meet" with Him in the morning, for me it will be first thing in the morning. I'm really going to have to commit to having a prayer time each morning. I know it sounds terrible- and I feel ashamed even as I write this- but some mornings are just too rushed for me to sit down and have a quiet time. But as a wise woman(Lydia), has said over and over, "You usually make time for the things that are important to you". And it is so true. I mean, would I really leave the house without taking a shower? Okay, crazier things have happened ;) But my point is by not having quiet time in the Word every morning, I am essentially saying, "Ok God, I'm really sorry but I have got to unload the dishwasher maybe I'll talk to you tomorrow. Call me crazy, but I really don't think I, or anyone, would say that if God were really stading in front of us and really wanted to have a conversations with us. If there is something God wanted to tell me, you better believe that I would want to hear it. Well, God may not physically be at my kitchen table every morning, but I do believe that he has a word for me, and I want to hear it.

A couple more verses that I will lean heavily on are:

When anxiety [is] within me, your consolation [brings] joy to my soul.

Psalm 94:19

Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18