Large Family Logistics

Trials, Tragedy, Death, and a Sovereign God

2012-05-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

Today I was looking for some word for a friend concerning trials. I knew I had something put together that I had written long ago. I found it (Thank God for external hard drives!). I thought I would share it here also.

In Job, we learn that God allows suffering for His own purpose. Satan is not another divine being dueling it out with God. He is a created being, more powerful than us but he is not omnipresent, omniscient nor omnipotent. He is defeated and has no power that God does not allow him to have. God is not sitting on His throne wringing His hands about what is happening on earth, this is a common error in theology in this day. It is a heresy. People put so much emphasis on the love of God that they stop taking into account all of God’s other attributes. In essence, taking their little scissors and cutting out all the verses that tell us about the whole of God’s character. Look below for that list of verses concerning all of God’s attributes.

God is not subordinate to the universe that He created. The infinite cannot be finite.

Another common error in this age is giving Satan way too much credit and making God way too small. We need to be in the scriptures, all of them, learning who God is and how we are to bring glory to Him.

From Webster’s 1828

OMNIPRES'ENCE, n. s as z. [L. omnis, and presens, present.]

Presence in every place at the same time; unbounded or universal presence; ubiquity. Omnipresence is an attribute peculiar to God.

OMNIS'CIENCY, n. [L. omnis, all, and scientia, knowledge.]

The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God.

OMNIP'OTENCE,'OTENCY, n. [L. omnipotens; omnis, all, and potens, powerful.]

1. Almighty power; unlimited or infinite power; a word in strictness applicable only to God. Hence it is sometimes used for God. The works of creation demonstrate the omnipotence of God.

Will Omnipotence neglect to save the suffering virtue of the wise and brave?

2. Unlimited power over particular things; as the omnipotence of love.

Here are a handful of verses about the sovereignty of God:

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Gen. 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.

Eph. 3:11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Matt. 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

*An easy way to look up the following list of scripture is to copy and paste the reference into

http://bible.gospelcom.net/passage/

God exercises dominion over great and small alike.

1 Kings 22:19

Is. 6:1

Ezek. 1:26

Dan. 7:9

Rev. 4:2

Ps. 11:4

Ps. 45:6

Ps. 47:8

Heb. 12:2

Rev. 3:21

Ex. 15:18

Psalm 47

Psalm 93

Psalm 96:10

Psalm 97

Psalm 99:1-5

Psalm 146:10

Prov. 16:33

Prov. 21:1

Is. 24:23

Is. 52:7

Dan. 4:34-35

Dan. 5:21-28

Dan. 6:26

Matt. 10:29-31

God sovereignly overrules human action as a planned means to His own goals

Gen. 50:20

Acts 2:23

Acts 13:26-39

Death

Job 30:23 For I know that you will bring me to death
and to the house appointed for all living.

Job 14:5 Since his days are determined,
and the number of his months is with you,
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,

Death for Christians is honorable, death for the non-Christian is a tragedy.

Here is beautiful sermon on death by the great theologian Spurgeon:

http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0043.htm

The verse: “the thief who comes but to steal, kill, and destroy”, John 10:10, taken in context, is talking about the false messiahs that came before Jesus v.8.

Psalm 91, is a great comfort to us about God’s love, care, comfort, compassion, and so on. God is love as it tells us in 1 John 4:7-8. God does not promise us health, wealth, pleasure, safety and happiness as this world sees it. When we look at the whole of scriptures we see that God is in control and He allows bad things to happen. We don’t know why in our limited reasoning. God is so much bigger and greater than we are, there will always be mysteries concerning this. God does not change, there is no “shadow of turning”, He hides us in the cleft of the rock. Yet, tragedies occur. I am reminded of the Christians in North Koreaand Sudanthat are under intense persecution. Why does this happen? Where is the God of Psalm 91? What I do know, from the whole of scripture is that God is in control “and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. It is very difficult to understand and we must have trust in that realm of mystery. God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, He is working things ultimately for good, to bring glory to himself. We must hang on to the word ultimately. That is the part we cannot see with our human eyes and reasoning. I think that Psalm 91 is speaking of spiritual comfort more than anything else. I imagine that Christians everywhere, in every sort of circumstance, and in every time period since David wrote it find comfort in it. Think of Corri ten Boom in the concentration camp and her God-given super-natural ability to love and forgive the guards (one of them became a Christian!). Think of Stephen being stoned.

⁵⁵But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." ⁵⁷But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[a] at him. ⁵⁸Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." ⁶⁰And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

And think of Jesus at His crucifixion.

Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴²And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." ⁴³And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

We cannot remove one bit of the scriptures. We must take them as a whole, study and understand to the best of our ability, and trust God for all of that in the realm of mystery. We are not the Creator, we are the created and we must bow to Him. We know that God is in control and that somehow things are working for His glory. We take comfort in the spiritual protection of Psalm 91 and have the true hope that only Christians have when facing anything. God is good and ultimately everything is for His glory.

“If God told me to eat the dung from off the streets, not only would I eat it, but I would know it was good for me.” –Martin Luther

Psalm 25:8-10 Good and upright is the LORD;
   therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
   and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
   for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Recommended Recipe Books

2012-02-07T11:58:00.000-06:00

Here is my list of favorites with stars by the books that are the most beat up books at my house.

366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice Beans and Grains by Andrea Chesman
Country Beans by Rita Bingham
The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book by Laurel Roberston et al
*Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
The New Laurel's Kitchen by Laurel Robertson
*A Busy Cook's Guide to Spices by Linda Murdock
*Fix It and Forget It by Ranck and Good

I have other favorites but they're church cookbooks or old and out of print.

If you're just learning to cook then I would recommend a *Betty Crocker Cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, or The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
I've always thought it a good idea for an older girl in the home to cook every recipe in one of these to gain a wide variety of skills.

Cast Iron Pan Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie

2012-01-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

Cast Iron Pan Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1 c softened butter (I use olive oil for my dairy free girls)
1 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs

2 1/4 c flour (I prefer fresh ground)
1 t baking soda
1 t sea salt

1/2 c regular rolled oats
2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped walnuts

In a large bowl combine the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat it until it's fluffy.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt slowly and carefully so that there are no lumps, or mix it in a separate bowl before adding. I like to cut corners so I put it all into the big bowl.
Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
Butter or oil a medium sized skillet. Put the dough into the skillet.

At this point my sister likes to put salt on the top of the dough. If you're going to eat this with ice cream it's a nice sweet and salty mix. But if you are not going to have this with ice cream--don't do it.

Bake for 45 minutes. If your cast iron skillet is larger then it will take less time to bake. If it is smaller and the dough deeper then the time will be longer.If your pan is smaller then the outside will be crunchier and the inside more cake like. It's all good.

And it's also good in bowl with milk. That is the Amish in me coming out.

Cranberry Pork Roast

2011-12-14T08:13:00.000-06:00

Cranberry Pork Roast

Ingredients:

4 lb. boneless pork roast

Spice rub:

2 t sea salt

1 t freshly ground pepper

2 t ground thyme

¼ t ground nutmeg

Herbs, vegetables, etc.:

3 carrots, sliced

1onion, chopped

Several whole garlic cloves

4 whole cloves

3 bay leaves

2 T dried parsley

2 T dried celery leaves

2 c homemade chicken stock (recipe follows) (you could use the watery store-bought kind if you had to)

1 package of cranberries

Use a stoneware covered roaster for the best results.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the spice rub all over the pork roast. Put uncovered into oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and add herbs, vegetables and chicken stock. Add cranberries to the top of everything. Turn heat to 200 degrees, cover pork roast, return to oven and slow cook for several hours. The longer it cooks slow and low the more tender it becomes, especially in stoneware.

Serving ideas: baked sweet potatoes, winter squash, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, green beans, etc. and—of course—salad and bread.

Variants that give fine results:

1. After the initial 450 degrees for 30 minutes, 350 degrees for 3 hours.

2. Rub the roast, put it in a crockpot, add the rest of the ingredients and cook it on low all day or high for 4 hours.

Homemade Chicken Stock:

This is a very easy way to save money and much yummier than store-bought.

Roast a chicken in the crock pot (with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, etc.), use the chicken for a recipe or eat it as is for supper. Put the chicken carcass and leftover vegetables back into the crockpot, add more onions and garlic, cover with water, and cook on low overnight or indefinitely. Slow and low is best, in my experience most slow cookers have too high of a low setting. This can also be done on top of the stove, in the oven, and in a roaster with several reserved carcasses. The more onions and garlic, the better the broth. Leave the dried brown onions skins on for a darker broth. Cool the broth, strain, and put in freezer containers for later use.

How to use the leftovers for a frugal and delicious soup!

Cranberry Pork Roast into Squash and Tomato Bisque

This is how I used the leftovers last time we had Cranberry Pork Roast. It was very delicious and pretty.

Unfortunately we cannot find the picture we took of it. The bisque is a deep orange with a hint of pink to it. There are pieces of pork, celery leaves, onion, and cranberries throughout. The bites of cranberry and are a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the bisque.

Ingredients:

olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 c chicken stock

4 c tomato juice

4 c squash puree (butternut, delicada, acorn, pumpkin, etc.) (this is from leftover squash from another meal or you could buy canned pumpkin)

Sea salt to taste

Red pepper flakes

In a dutch oven, saute the onion in oil. Add the chicken stock, tomato juice, squash puree heat to simmer then puree with a stick blender. Add seasonings. If you would prefer it thinner, add more chicken broth. This could be thrown together in the crockpot in the morning and served at supper time. Leftovers freeze very well and as with many soups, it tastes better the second day.

Now, to jazz it up a bit with Cranberry Pork Roast leftovers (we’re very frugal foodlovers here).

I happened to have leftover Squash and Tomato Bisque in the freezer. Into a dutch oven I put 4 cups of Squash and Tomato Bisque, 4 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of leftover baked sweet potatoes (from our cranberry pork roast dinner). I heated and pureed this soup with the stick blender. Then I cut the leftover pork and vegetables into bite sized pieces and added it to the hot soup. Heated it to a simmer and served. It was very pretty and tasted wonderful.

As a young bride, I needed kitchen wisdom. My mother-in-law mentored me and gave me an excellent pork roast spice rub recipe. I learned to make an excellent chicken stock, the value of herbs, spices and garlic, and to cook slow and low. Eventually I combined the spice rub with a cranberry pork recipe to make a tender, juicy, home-time favorite. I can dump this easy recipe into the crockpot in the morning, or take the extra time to rub the spices and sear it. Now, Cranberry Pork Roast is a “comfort food” for my husband and nine children.

The Heidelberg Catechism

2011-12-06T19:57:00.000-06:00

Of all the catechisms this one is my favorite. I just appreciate how poetic it is. I especially love the first Q and A.
It is especially poignant tonight.

Q.
What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A.

That I am not own,

but belong—

body and soul,

in life and in death—

to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,

and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way

that not a hair can fall from my head

without the will of my Father in heaven:

in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,

Christ, by his Holy Spirit,

assures me of eternal life

and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready

from now on to live for him.

Beautiful Stocking Stuffers for Girls

2011-12-01T08:50:00.000-06:00

Look at the pictures and read all the way to the bottom because there will be a FREE GIVE AWAY!!! Plus a coupon—buy three get one free.

Misty Marr, a sweet mama and faithful reader, sent me a couple of Lilla Rose hair clips to try out on myself and my girls. Let me just say that these clever things are very pretty. And practical. I carry one in my purse so that I can have something to put up my hair or the girls’ if need be.

Pull the hair into a pony tail, the flower and the loops are on the top part and you take the stick part behind the pony tail and fit it back into the left hand loop. It’s easy. They come in different sizes for different hair styles or thickness of hair.

They are quality pieces that you will not find anything like at walmart or those kind of places. They are strong, not plastic, lie nice, and again quality. We save them for church and special events.

They are jewelry for your hair! Sooooo pretty. And just the right size for stocking stuffers.

There are oodles of styles to choose from—match it to the personality of your unique girl.

The headbands are also beautiful.

Look at this beauty.

There are also jeweled bobby pins, beaded O-rings, sticks, you-pins—and I know that you probably don’t know what some of these things are but you should go look. You will be inspired!

ooooh, there are also have earrings, necklaces, and eyeglass lanyards. Very pretty. I can’t quit saying pretty pretty pretty pretty.

Like this one. Simple Danglie Necklace. I even like the name.

There are also videos of how to style your hair with these pretties.

Even if you don’t plan to buy anything at all—you should go look at this site and watch the videos with your girls. FUN! FUN!

I was originally intending to include pictures of me and my girls’ hair with the clips in. We’re going to a ladies' tea this evening and these will be perfect in our hair.

However, there is a three day sale and free shipping that Misty just emailed me about and I wanted to let you know about it so that you have time to order and get these beauties for your girls before Christmas.

Perhaps the pictures of us with our hair clips will be up tomorrow or later in the week.

Like Misty’s page on Facebook so that you can be updated on future sales and new styles.

Now it gets better than all the fun of looking through her Lilla Rose site, there will be a GIVE AWAY!

This is how you enter to win a stylish, practical, feminine, and super-easy-to-use flexi-clip (up to $15 value), you get one entry for each thing that you do, put all of your entries into one comment post:

Go to the Lilla Rose site and choose a favorite Flexi-Clip, then come back here and post in the comment your favorite
Watch the sizing video at the Lilla Rose site
Register at the Lilla Rose site
Like Misty Marr’s Sweet Hairlooms Facebook page
Post about the Give Away on your Facebook page
Post about the Give Away on your blog

So see, you can enter the Give Away SIX times!

Additionally, Misty is offering a coupon for three days, Buy Three, Get One Free. The three days start today, so Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Just send Misty a message with Buy Three, Get One Free in the subject line to sweethairlooms at gmail dot com

Do you have an apron?

2011-11-29T08:43:00.001-06:00

During the day we all have our projects, work, school, games, toys, books, and lots of mess around the house. The house may truly be clean but it’s covered up by a day’s worth of clutter. To set the tone for the evening, we restore order.

“OK everyone! It is Afternoon Choretime. Finish up what you are doing and start in on getting the house tidy.”

In my old journal that I recently found there are notes that I made about this time of day. One of the notes says to put on an apron and to start collecting aprons.

Another note says to match the apron to my mood. I have been wearing aprons for a lot of years so this note gives an indication to how old this journal is. In fact I have a current mental note to collect aprons because all of my aprons are in such bad shape, downright embarrassing actually. They are old favorites that in my mind’s eye are still cute, or pretty, or fun. These old ratty aprons hang in my back hall in a careless unattractive way.

With some new aprons I could be more clever and use them to decorate my back hall. I could upgrade my look in the afternoon and decorate my home in one move.

This apron is from Jessie Steele, there are a lot of really cute aprons at that site. I could do all of my apron shopping there and be very happy! One for each mood or day of the week!

But then the Practical Me takes over and reminds me of all the fabric I have down in my sewing room and apron patterns to use up the fabric.
I know I have this pattern because the Practical Me said that this is the most practical apron ever. You could wear it over your best dress and be protected from the kitchen muck. Make it with a heavy fabric and go out in the garden with it.

I could also use some of my old aprons as patterns by just laying them out and tracing around them. But I don’t think I could make that really cute flower on some of the Jessie Steele aprons. I could probably buy a flower in a store and attach it to a pin and put it on my apron. BUT would I actually ever do that?

Maybe I’ll just ask for one of these aprons for my birthday or Christmas or Mother’s Day or something.
And in the meantime, I’ll restore order to the sewing room so that I can go make some new aprons with fabric I already own.

Your Personal Workspace

2011-11-28T07:35:00.000-06:00

Revitalizing my life...
In this old journal I found I had some notes about making my workspace uniquely mine with personal treasures. And I did this for years. I can picture my desk in my head. I had a designated place for papers. Favorite pictures in frames nearby, an inspiring daily flip calendar, a pretty piece of fabric for my water glass, a plant, a candle, and most importantly a basket for papers. It was a good place to be to do things such as pay bills, shop online, read blogs, and manage my family's life.

Now, don't get me wrong, it would degenerate into a mess during busy seasons requiring a battle with the big bad scary Paper Monster. But I could restore it back to a place of organization and beauty.

Today, I have more than a mess. I have no inspiring and pleasant place for work. My workspace looks like somebody has been telling people (for the last few months) who don't know what to do with a piece of paper, "Oh, go lay it on my desk." Now I know that it has been cleaned off sometime in the last few weeks because of searching for some missing piece of paper for one of my college boys but it LOOKS really bad. I think the mess I'm staring at will take two hours and one big trash bag because it's including all the paper junk I needed to sort through that was on my Teacher Desk.

I think it's important to identify how long a certain job will take because sometimes staring at a job and getting started is HARD. And it's really easy to say that, "This job will take me all day and I'm going to have no fun!" Quickly analyzing how long it will take and what you will need for the job can help to see that it's not that bad. And it motivates me to move fast and try to get it done in less time than I thought.

But here's my lesson for the day that I'm pulling out of this old journal--I need to make this workspace uniquely mine with personal treasures and pretty it up with a plant, a picture, a framed photograph, AND a basket for the papers that I tell to some child, "Oh, go put it on my desk."

Living Healthy

2011-11-22T09:15:00.000-06:00

Being a mom is hard on the body. Carrying babies inside and out. Bending over to pick up children. Carrying laundry baskets. Standing at the stove and the sink. On one hand doing all these things keeps us moving and that keeps us young! On the other hand, doing these things improperly or with a stiff-just-got-out-of-bed body can do damage. For the past several years I have been a big fan of T-Tapp. I'm not a superstar with it. I have months that I'm consistent and feeling great... and then I'll have six months of doing nothing because life sped up for a season. It's a habit like anything else.

What works best for me is to do it right away in the morning then take a shower. Last winter Matt and I were up very early every morning (he leaves for work at 6:30) and did the Total Workout together. We started with the Instructionals, then the Beginner Rehab, then onto the Tempo because it's faster with less water breaks (although I really do love the built-in water breaks). But when April hit, it was all over. I didn't do any exercises again until about a month ago. From April through October I slowly felt worse and more stiff and sore. Not that I wasn't active. Good grief... housework, yardwork, dairywork, hoisting tents and coolers for farmer's markets. BUT I was slowly losing core strength.

I was also gaining weight and experiencing bloating and puffiness but that's another story for another day.

Life slowed down drastically when we dried off the goats for the winter and stopped making cheese and going to farmer's markets. One of the things on my list to reinstate after cheesemaking season was to do T-Tapp again. I started with the Instructionals to relearn the moves. Form is everything in T-Tapp, you're not just flopping around. Then I moved onto the Beginner Rehab and ordered the Ladybug Workout. You can't order that one until you already have the Total Workout because it builds on the moves done in the Total Workout. The Ladybug Workout has a floor segment that targets the area between the ribs and hips. That is my weak area for weight gain. I have slowly began to look like a ladybug the last couple of years so when I learned about this workout I knew it was for me. Who wants to look like a ladybug? After nine children I don't anticipate looking like a twenty-year-old again but please not a ladybug! And I really hate standing in my closet looking at clothes that I like but can't wear because I'm starting to look like a ladybug! The Ladybug Workout came and I did it every day faithfully for a week so that I would learn the moves. We don't own a scale and I didn't take any measurements but I can feel that my clothes are getting looser.

And my five year old tells me that I'm not as fat when she hugs me. What a nice thing to hear.

I've been doing the Ladybug Workout daily to learn the new form techniques but on the forums they say that you don't need to workout every day and that you actually lose more inches by not because it gives your body a break. I'm no exercise scientist, just a pragmatic person. I actually prefer to exercise daily because I like strong habits so I think my key is then to use variety. I have the Step Away The Inches DVD but haven't done it for a couple of years. Now that I have the Ladybug in my brain I think I'll rotate Step Away the Inches in and do Tempo once or twice a week. I really like some of the exercises on that DVD that aren't on the Ladybug Workout.

Can't not mention Charlotte Siems, a mom of 12, who lost a whole lot of weight doing T-Tapp. She's so inspiring! I love reading her blog.

And if you haven't ever done skin brushing you should! It makes the skin feel so soft and supple, it tightens it, and I can feel the lymph start pumping when I do it. It is a strange feeling but good! Apparently it flushes toxins from the body including cellulite and stubborn fat.

Another Big Sale if you missed the last one!

2011-11-21T13:09:00.002-06:00

Keep Your Brain in a Book

2011-11-16T08:58:00.000-06:00

HA!
That is one of my secrets. Actually it's no secret. My family and friends know that I do this. And I might have even mentioned it here before. It's worth repeating.

With a lot of kids, the house, the cheese business... my brain is hitting the overflow a lot of days. That is when I carry a writing book of some sort around with me.
With the cheese business it tends to be a yellow legal pad (easily picked up at any grocery store). I scribble down things to do, ideas, people to call, and other important information. Typically it's attached to a clip board which I have lots of other pieces of paper tucked under the clip. I call it My Yellow Brain as in "Hey! Does anybody know where my Yellow Brain is?" I carry it a lot in spring and summer when the cheese business kicks in gear.

I also have a planner (which needs a good clean out one of these days) that really is my brain. It's red so I call it My Red Book or My Red Brain. I use it most for storing important information. All the really important cheese business info is there. When we have a family cheese meeting I scribble the plans there. Important info concerning my college kids. Passwords.It has calendar so when important stuff is going on those days are filled up and lists of things to do are outlined and delegated and checked off from the Red Brain. You should have seen it last spring before we had a graduation party, 50th Anniversary party, and a WEDDING. Wowza.
I keep names and phone numbers in it.You might say that's what cell phone does for you BUT I tend to let my battery die and sometimes I misplace it. AND I'm old school and still learning how to use my five-plus years old cell phone. I don't want to give it up because it has large buttons like the Jitterbug. Yes, my kids snort with laughter at me while they store info in their phones. But my Red Brain has no batteries so HA!
And my planner is my Source Book of where I get what when I'm online shopping. This is a good thing because some things I only order once a year (swimwear) and can't always remember where that thing came from.

I have a black bag that I can keep both of my brains in and carry them out the door with me when I know I'm going to have some time in a waiting room or at piano lessons or children's choir. Then I reorganize my info, check dates, and make plans.

A few days ago I found an old journal where I had taken notes and quotes from some book. This is a fun thing to find and also taught me a couple of lessons. First, I should start a real quotation book. A place where I can put down things from the books I read along with my own thoughts. It should be a serious journal, something pretty, and I should keep it with my current reading book. And it should be able to fit into my black bag with my other brains.
And second, I should use quotes around the things from the book. In looking at this old journal I can't tell whether what is written is a quote or my thoughts in response to reading the book. It actually seems to be blurred and it's frustrating to me. I won't do that again! I think I've said that a lot in my life.

Jennifer McBride collected quotes and turned it into a beautiful book that is on my list of things to get this week during Vision Forum's big sale.
Queen of the Home: Essays, Poetry, and Quotes on the Honor, Nobility, and Power of Biblical Womanhood

I love the title. I think it's a book that will set on my bedside table for a long time to be read a little bit at a time.

I think it will be excellent things to put into my brain and I won't have to write any quotes down because Jennifer already did it for me and put it into a book. I'm really looking forward to this book.

As I said, my Red Brain has a calendar in it and now I have something special to do on Wednesdays. I will be writing over at Time-Warp Wife! I wrote with Darlene Schacht years ago at Christian Women Online. She caught me at a good time, right when I had been thinking that I really should be more disciplined and diligent about writing, so I said yes. Writing for Wednesdays will be a nice little jump start. I have lots of things circling around my brain to write on and sometimes they hit the overflow and land in my Red Brain. When I sit down at the keyboard they come out pretty fast. Writing for Wednesdays will make me sit down. I don't sit down very well. But you can't write when you're moving around.
Bookmark Time-Warp Wife and come visit there on Wednesdays!

A great Vision Forum sale!

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-06:00

Small Habits

2011-11-14T08:34:00.000-06:00

It was timely for me to find a book of quotes and notes when I was cleaning the schoolroom shelves. The first thing I read about concerned small habits. Small meaning the little things of the day done on a routine basis. I.e. Every day we drink water. What do we drink water from? Glass, plastic, something else? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Do you add lemon to the water? Do you make a pitcher of water in the morning? Get it from you refrigerator dispenser? Do you keep your water glass in a special place so that you don't lose it or mix it with someone else's water glass? On and on.

We have little habits that we don't think about until it is brought to our attention. Either willfully or not.
I.e. My favorite glass gets broken. I make a gallon pitcher of lemon water for my health.

One thing I need to work on is my morning routine. I had a crazy-busy year and a lot of my old habits fell off in my rushing around. I became severely allergic to one of my "vita-pills" but didn't know which one so I stopped taking all of them. Which led to starting to feel poorly. Which led to being tired and short-tempered in addition to being crazy-busy.

Last winter my little children loved to have drop of a calming essential oil rubbed into their neck and shoulders last thing before sleep. The bottle ran out about the same time that life got crazy-busy and we lost a very special small habit. Now, all these months later, I ordered another bottle but need to take it up to the bedrooms and make it a small habit again.

In the past, I have laid out my morning routine very clearly on a notecard. In my bathroom I laid out my order of events in a line. I.e. Toothpaste, cleanser, contacts, moisturizer, mascara, earrings, etc. When I go down to the kitchen I had a routine with my supplements laid out in a line and a cup of warm water, etc. These are small habits that make the day easier and enriches my life by keeping me healthy and put together. I need to fix my small daily routines.

Making these small habits beautiful is the next step. By choosing a pretty glass or something that you like to look at, feel in your hand, and drink from adds a little layer of pleasure. Taking a big drink while looking out a certain window at a lovely view is another dimension. While looking at that view and thanking God for the day is another layer of goodness. These are small minute habits that add order, structure, and enrichment to our lives. Small habits impact the whole of life.

Take this same idea to other parts of the day that occur in and out. Such as: a routine of small enriching habits that you create for the time before your husband comes home and then another for when he walks in the door. Another for putting the children to bed. And then yourself. They become so ingrained that even when life becomes crazy-busy it takes a lot of erosion for them to fall apart.

Even if you think you are footloose and a free spirit you still have habits every day. You wake up in the morning, your children wake up, your family eats, your husband comes home, your children go to bed, you go to bed. You have habits. What are they? Are they beneficial to you and your family? I think the good habits that we've had in the past and fell into sloppy have been detrimental to my family. It is going to take effort to get beautiful habits going again. One little step at a time.

Be thoughtful and deliberate. Enrich the life of yourself and your family by making your small habits enjoyable and enriching for everyone.

Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

2011-11-09T13:51:00.002-06:00

Loving the Little Years, Motherhood in the Trenches

by Rachel Jankovic

I love the cover pic and design on this book. I don't know if you can tell or not from this blog but that is a spaghetti noodle in the corner and spaghetti sauce splatters that follow onto the back side of the book to a messy spaghetti plate mess and fork. Soooo normal. And then the first thing you read on the back is this

I didn't write this book because mothering is easy for me.
I wrote it because it isn't.

Rachel Jankovic, mother of 5 under the age of 5, is the author. And she's real.

This book is twenty little chapters and you can read each one before the next mess happens or as a reward for folding one more load of laundry. It's small and fits easy into one hand while you nurse the baby. Let me just say this--you need this little book of encouragement.

It is full of real life everyday stories with encouraging biblical wisdom on how we moms are being sanctified in our homes with our families. It can be read and reread and still find nuggets of truth.

Sin is just a fact of life, it is the way we deal with it that changes ours.

One of the great things about having children is that you constantly convict yourself by teaching them.

Multiple nuggets on each page.
I laughed. I was convicted. I could relate to her stories of motherhood. I was inspired. I laughed some more. It's good to laugh at ourselves.
And then I laughed some more.
I was convicted again and vowed to make some changes around here! I remembered things I did with my older children that my little children know nothing of.

Her stories are so typical to what happens to all moms. Children grumbling in the back seat of the car. Children mimicing the words they hear. Diaper blowouts. Picking up toys. Losing shoes. Settling squables. And our attitudes, our thoughtlife, our reactions. Grace.

Their are things in this book that I needed to hear many many years ago. If you are the parent of of little children, get this book. Don't learn things the hard way.
I think an ol' mom like me needs to reread some of these chapters.
And did I mention this book is funny. I laughed so much once that I was crying. Probably because I could sooooo relate.

Canon Press is the publisher and you can also get it from Vision Forum and on Amazon.

Large Family Logistics Appendices

2011-08-25T05:30:00.003-05:00

We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12

Blogging through the book with the the 4 Moms for the last little bit of the book, the appendices.
Appendix A Coping While Exhausted and Overwhelmed
Appendix B Moving Beyond Survival Mode

Often times in life we come to a spot when we do not know what to do. We "can't see the forest for the trees". Someone else looking from the outside can immediately see what the problem is and give ideas to fix it but we are bogged down and stuck. Like a game of Chutes and Ladders going up and down over and over again.

We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12

Call upon the Lord and He will give you rest. He is wisdom. The Holy Spirit will counsel you. Ask Him.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10

Whether are challenges are big or small, continuous or hit us at a certain time every single day, physical or spiritual we have the best weapon to meet the challenge and that is God's Word.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

When Jesus was tempted by Satan He used the scriptures as a sword and we should do the same throughout our days to meet the small challenges and the big ones. Satan will wear us down with mundane little things and cause us to be useless in God's kingdom, useless in raising up Godly children. Do not let that happen. Memorize God's Word, post it around your home, teach it to your children.
Coping While Exhausted and Overwhelmed
and
Moving Beyond Survival Mode
are both nitty gritty bare bones instructions on how to get your life back on track. Both address the spiritual aspect of priorities and attitude but I wanted to reiterate here that when we have things right with God, when our priorities are lined up with His priorities, when we are seeking Godly counsel, when are hiding God's Word in our heart and using His Word as a sword then we are stronger in Him. And we have His peace that passes understanding. And we have joy like a fountain. And we see people like Jesus does and we love them like Jesus does.

Heavenly Father,
We thank You and praise You for blessing us with Your Word which is a light to our path and a sword against the enemy. Please help us to faithfully read Your Word and to teach it to our children. Help us all to hide it in our hearts and not sin against You. Help us to be strong in You and faithful in the work that You have given us to do.
In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

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Large Family Logistics Part 2: Chapters 28-47

2011-08-18T05:30:00.002-05:00

"What? I wrote a book with 47 chapters?"
That was my thought when I looked to see what I was supposed to reference this week in the 4 Moms blog together linky thing. Which is actually 5 Moms since I joined them for this book blog on August Thursdays, so it is 5 Moms, 44 Kids. Hopefully readers are being inspired, comforted, and learning some tips and tricks of the large family to apply at home.

Read to the end to see the other moms' links.

So, what did I write about in these chapters...

oh yes, it's the nitty gritty of our days.

VERY important stuff.

Evening Routines

Mornng Routines

Meal Time Routines

And more of the same. If you want to know what to do, how to do it, and how to get your family involved--it's there. While it is about the nitty gritty details of life it's not written so that you have feel you have to do it exactly a certain way. Sure, we all live in homes that require management, we have children that need care and make messes, we have husbands--each one unique, we have front doors and gardens, we have bathrooms and kitchens, we all eat food.

Things are the same among us but yet very unique.

Every woman is different, every family is different, every geographical location and heritage and home are different.

You have to take the ideas in this book and from other moms as a springboard that will help your specific family and home situation.

Every six months the children are dramatically different. They grow and change so quickly.The dynamics of the home change with each developmental milestone reached in each child. And we ourselves change from year to year depending on the people we rub shoulders with, the books we read, the things we get involved with, and more.

One thing is constant and that is God. His Word is true and a light to our path.

Do you know Him?

Do you study to know Him better?

Does your day center around Him and His will for your family?

Are you praying? Is your family praying?

When we keep our eyes on the Master our days honor Him.

Anything else dissolves into chaos.

I know. Personally, we have had days, weeks, months, years that are right. And we also have had days, weeks, months, years that are chaotic. The root of the chaos problem is our focus--you are good at what you focus on.

Are you focusing on making God the center of your familylife?

Is He at the center of your work, of your play, of your worship? Or is some other idol being worshiped?

Sometimes I have to sit and think: what is my current idol? I'm not worshiping God so what is my idol? Where is my focus? What do I think about? What are my actions?

I'm not perfect, I'm right there with you.

So, these chapters 28-47, they are about the nitty gritty details of our days and getting things done in an orderly manner but they are also about including the worship of God in it all.

Blogging through Large Family Logistics, Part Two - Chptrs. 18-27

2011-08-11T05:30:00.018-05:00

I'm blogging with the 4 Moms again. They're all unique and I really enjoy their blogs so be sure to visit them. Such interesting things. I confess that I have gone from reading 0 blogs to reading these 4 the last few weeks since KimC came up with this "blog through the book idea". I did read blogs in the past but somehow the last few years I have gotten too busy. Something to do with the number of children, high school age kids (covering all the bases before they're gone), a preemie (now 4 years old and doing GREAT!), a goat dairy (32 milking does), making cheese (every other day and going to multiple farmer's markets), college age kids (and you thought that young children were exhausting), and my sister getting married at our house (!!!!), and life in general (laundry, cooking, cleaning, homeschooling) --I find it hard to sit down (and lest you think that all we do is work work work - we do play as hard as we work). Anyway, these blogs are fun and inspiring.
Life in a Shoe Kim has a new blog design and a new pic of her kids. Cute cute cute
Smockity Frocks
Raising Olives
The Common Room

On to blogging through the book...
I thought that I should preface this part of the book with a most important underlying philosophy.
A Godly Work Attitude
must be part of our lives every minute of the day.

Colossians 3:23-24 says

Whatever you do,

work heartily,

as for the Lord and not for men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

You are serving the Lord Christ.

I can’t say it more clearly than what the scriptures do. This is to be our work attitude. Think of every work that you set your hands to do as unto Him.

Work is scriptural. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden to tend it. Work precedes The Fall. The Fall made our work more difficult to do.

Organize your life and your home for efficiency.

Think Ahead – what is happening tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and plan your days accordingly.

Plan your work-

Plan when you will do what.

i.e. Exercise early in the morning so you don’t have to dodge the children and can get a shower in before they rise.

Plan the steps that you will take and the things that need to happen for each step.

This is making things more efficient and you will be able to move through the task much more quickly than if you have to constantly stop and find something. Order builds on order. Step by step.

Plan your meals –
At the very least have a pantry full of things you use for your family’s favorites. Planning meals ahead relieves so much stress for you. You don’t need to worry and stress about what’s for supper, you know already. If you can’t remember, you can look at your plan. And because you have planned, you have the necessary ingredients and can make it with ease of mind.

Plan your rooms-

Paper belongs at the desk, not all over the home.
Music books belong with the musical instruments.
Children’s books should be at the location you read them to the children.
Bedrooms are for sleeping.
The kitchen is for food preparation.
What purpose does a room serve? Remove the unnecessary from that room.
Plan your cupboards and drawers -

Your kitchen knives should be at the location you do your cutting.
If the children unload the dishwasher or set the table then the dinnerware should be placed at their level.
Eliminate unnecessary steps by placing things where they will be used, within reach.
Rarely used items should be put in the out of reach places.

Plan your home to be hospitable.
Get enough chairs around for meals, they don’t have to be beautiful. An assortment of folding chairs is fine. A piano bench can seat three little children. Hospitality is an attitude of love but it takes thought and preparation to show that love. Keep some things on hand for quick appetizers and drinks. Have a plan for games or activities for children to do together.

Order Your Week

This is what Chapters 18 through 27 are about.
This is something women of the past did. They had specific days for specific work. Unlike us though, some of their work literally needed a whole day for the process. Think about laundry. On their laundry day they had to heat water over a fire, soak the laundry, boil the laundry, beat and rub the laundry, rinse and wring out by hand, and dry in the air. Doesn’t sound like something you would want to do in the winter does it? Which helps explain the need for spring cleaning, eh?

I remember loving to do laundry with my grandmother and her wringer washer, which was a recent invention of the 20th century. My job was to stir the rinse tub with an old broom handle. She wouldn’t let me put clothes through the ringer because many children have had their fingers crushed in them. She didn’t have a washing machine as we know it until she moved to a cottage in a retirement home community. Laundry for my grandmother was assigned a day of the week and she hung everything out on the clothes line.
She also had a Cleaning Day and a Baking Day (oh, she was a wonderful baker!). I don't recall if she ordered her other days like the women of yester-year. She did sew her own clothes and she made beautiful quilts so she must have had a day that she focused on her sewing.

Grandma Stoltzfus coming out of her chicken house.

Classically, the days went like this: Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Sew on Wednesday, Market on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday. In the name of liberation we run around like headless chickens. Headless chickens don’t get a lot done.
Order your days to suit your life. You can't escape Laundry Day and Cleaning Day though. Or Market Day.
And what do you do about this age of technology and paper? I have an Office Day. Grandma had it easy in that regard.
The point is to live in an orderly manner.

You will get more hours in your day and your week and you will have more time to enjoy your family.
You know what you're doing and when you're doing it.
And if it doesn't get done this week (cause we're always interrupted) that same task will come around next week.

Laundry Day

Kitchen Day

Home Office Day

Town Day

Cleaning Day

Gardening Day

Day of Rest

Blogging through Large Family Logistics, Part One

2011-08-04T05:30:00.098-05:00

A lot of the first part of the book Large Family Logistics: The Art and Science of Managing the Large Family concerns underlying philosophies that are based on who we are as children of God and how that impacts some of the nitty gritty of life. I'm going to expand on that here and tell you what I've found to be helpful through the years in growing our faith.

Who are you? Why do you do the things that you do? What’s your purpose? What are you living for?

From the Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.... Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Psalm 16:5-11. The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 144:15. Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Often times we live to glorify ourselves. We fear man. We fear what others will think of us. We live to please our friends, neighbors, family. Sometimes we find ourselves sucked into relationships with others that bring us down.

That is not God’s way. We are to fear God and live to glorify Him. When you let go of the fear of man and fear God instead you are freed. Your life revolves around pleasing Him and doing His will. The things of this world will pass away but God and our life with Him are forever.

When we live to serve God we become strong. Strong in the Lord. Strong does not mean that we become the manipulative bully in our relationships with others but it means that we are strong enough to stand up against wrong or things that bring us down or are detrimental to our children. Strong in faith, hope, love, and the desire to live for a higher purpose than the here and now.

First we need to study God’s Word and learn to know Him.
Read the Psalms they are full of imagery and descriptions of who God is and His relationship to us. Do Bible Studies both with groups and on your own. Do not get the kind of book that tells you what to believe but get a book that has you searching the scriptures and thinking. Know what you believe and why you believe it. Go back to the scriptures again and again.

Psalm 119:23-25

23Even though princes sit plotting against me,    your servant will meditate on your statutes. 24Your testimonies are my delight;    they are my counselors.

25 My soul clings to the dust;     give me life according to your word!

Pray for wisdom.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Hebrews 10:14-16
14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them    after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts,    and write them on their minds,"

The Holy Spirit – in us – will teach us, check us, and guide us. Pray to Him that He would teach you more and help you in your life.

Make it a point to read the Bible before you read anything else –a novel, a study book, Facebook, blogs, anything – read the Bible first.
Choose a book of the Bible and read one chapter a day. Mark the verse or verses that jumped out or spoke to you that day.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Wear out your Bible. Plan to buy a new Bible next year because your current one gets worn out. Put it beside your favorite chair and read daily. Read it to your children, not only yourself. If a child interrupts your quiet time then start reading outloud to that child. Don't get frustrated, just make that child part of your study time. Take the Bible to the breakfast table and read to the children while they eat. Do the same thing at your lunch hour. Take it to bed with you and read it before you go to sleep. When you wake up, read a chapter right away.

Pray all the time. Converse with God in your thoughtlife.
Jesus teaches us how to pray in Matthew 6.

Put on your list to do a study on the elements of this prayer.

Make repentance a part of your daily prayer life.Read Psalm 51 while you pray.Repentance is not a 360 degree turn of regret but a 180 degree turn. Replace the bad with good. Change your habits with the help of the Holy Spirit..

Be thankful, live thankful, teach your children to be thankful.

Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Psalm 147:7 Sing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.

Music touches our emotions and when the music is God honoring it can be healing. Music is a balm to the soul. Learn scripture music so that you’re singing God’s Word. It will get in your heart and come out when you need it later. Use music to teach your children. Put it on in your home to create an atmosphere. Quiet music for the wild days. Upbeat for when you're doing a quick clean up.

24Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin,was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." 26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Do not doubt.We have the Holy Spirit and He will help us.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

When we look at life and our problems through the mind of Christ we are able to see, albeit dimly, that God has a purpose for all things. The Holy Spirit is a gift to us, our counselor, He will build belief in us if we live a life of repentance, prayer, and study. Our belief will grow.

Philippians 4:6-8
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

That peace is a gift to us that we should be thankful for. We know that there is a higher purpose, a reason, a hope for the future.
We're not to do life on our own, in our own strength. In God we have peace, we have joy, we have Him.

Nehemiah 8:10

the joy of the LORD is your strength

Ephsians 6:10-11

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

We are calm because He leads us beside quiet waters (Psalm 23).

Walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-26
16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

From the Heidelberg Catechism

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer:

That I with body and soul,

both in life and death,

am not my own,

but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who,

with his precious blood,

has fully satisfied for all my sins,

and delivered me from all the power of the devil;

and so preserves me

that without the will of my heavenly Father,

not a hair can fall from my head;

yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation,

and therefore, by his Holy Spirit,

He also assures me of eternal life,

and makes me sincerely willing and ready,

henceforth,

to live unto him.

He knows you. He loves you. He lived and died for you. He lives again and is preparing a place for you in Heaven.

Live for Him in all your ways.

Promo Code 4MOMS expires today at Vision Forum. Hop over there to get a 40% discount on Large Family Logistics.

Three Under Three with a Newborn

2011-08-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

This is a post from the archives. I was asked again about the post partum stage of life. There is are a couple of things that I would add to this. Read through, I'll put it at the bottom. And then I'd like to hear what other moms would advise for the post partum.

3 Under 3 with a newborn

This is the most physically exhausting time period of your life. I have had 3 under 3 and that was really rough and I had big kids! Before that, without help, I had 3 under 4 and that was my roughest time ever. To top it off, I baby sat also. Was that crazy or what? And then I grew a monstrous market garden with my sil, went to Farmer’s Market twice a week, and we canned and froze like crazy. The baby was 6-12 mos old during that stretch. Anyway, I know what you’re talking about.

You have a newborn right now, that baby will settle into a routine soon. The newborn period is always a bit hectic. I make it a policy to have the whole crew stick to the schedule like glue. That’s the key to keeping everyone peaceful, routine routine routine. Children thrive on routine and structure. They like to know what is going to happen next and what is expected of them. They like to know where the boundaries are. Even with a schedule there are enough variances and interruptions that it’s crazy even with a schedule! Make sure they take naps and lay down with them. Go to bed early. Do whatever you can to get that sleep. Cut out anything in your life that detracts from you getting sleep, adequate nutrition, and same for your children. If you have them in playgroups or some such that messes up their eating and sleeping, then drop out for 6 months then re-evaluate.

Have dh bring home some boxes and box up clutter. You can sort through it later when the baby is bigger. Just get the clutter out of the way so that the house is easy to pick up and clean. You and the children should be able to get the house picked up in 10 minutes or less. If it takes longer, you have too much stuff. Get rid of all toys that they don’t play with. You and they do not need to pick them up.

Take your children along with you in all of your work. If you’re in the kitchen put them at the table or the sink. They can play with a bowl of rice or beans and spoons or “wash dishes” then give them a rag to mop the floor from the water they spilled.

Try what I did on vacation: each child had 3 outfits and we did a load of wash every morning and every night. Box up the rest of the clothes and set aside til later. If you’re behind on the laundry then kill that beast at the laundry mat with dh to help. Just get it over with. With 3 under 3 and a newborn you need to take it easy on yourself and make your life simple.

This is also the time to resort to paper plates, plastic dinnerware, paper napkins, paper towels, etc. This is cheaper than a housecleaner! Those who know me well, know that I hate paper and plastic, but I am flexible. There is a time and place for disposable and this is one of those times. Keep things as simple as possible. This is a season, not forever. When you have bigger children they will be washing the pretty dishes for you and hanging the cloth napkins on your wash line, and making a chocolate cake for an afternoon tea party. Right now, you are busy keeping things sane so that you can get to that stage! : )

With each task you do, ask yourself, what can I do to make this easier? Ask your husband for advice. I know sometimes their suggestions are silly because they aren’t there 24/7 with the children but other times they have great logistic ideas because their brain somehow can see how to fix problems while we are all emotional about having the problem.

What can a 3yo do? Keep him by your side and talk to him all the time. Tell him what things are and why you are doing things. Keep his hands working in what you are doing. Give him little jobs to do right beside you. Demonstrate how to do things. Praise him for all the little helpful things he’s doing with you. Teach him when he is little that all the work we do is as unto the Lord. Talk to him about Jesus. Tell him why you love Him. Tell him how you are serving Him and how he is serving Him. Christianity is more than Sunday and more than reading Bible stories to our children, it is living Christ out in all of our actions. As parents we are to teach this as we go about our day in all of the seemingly insignificant tasks. That’s what the shema is:

4"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

To summarize:

Try to see what you can do to simplify, ask dh for ideas.

Use paper in the kitchen.

Box up clutter and toys. Sort it down the road.

Box up clothes and keep on top of the laundry.

Keep the children with you in whatever you are doing and teach them all the time.

Do whatever it takes to get sleep and adequate nutrition for you and your children.

Most importantly: Pray without ceasing.

In addition:

Keep your baby close to you. Hold that baby and nurture all the time. Get really in tune with each other.
AND
Stay. Home.
It is hard on the baby, it is physically hard on you, and it is one more stressor to the other children. stay home stay home stay home

stay home

If you feel the need to get out. Then sit on your back deck. With your baby.
And then if you feel the need to get out again. Sit on your front porch. With your baby.
And if you need some adult conversation... invite your best friend who won't care that your house is a mess and will wash your dishes or fold your laundry or bring you a meal.

Now, there are some that attach times to that thought of staying home based on scripture and the sex of the baby. I believe there is wisdom in that, it did come from God's Word after all. Perhaps someone else can give the reference for it and the time periods. I want to say it's six and eight weeks and I can't recall which sex for which time period.
All that I can say is that, from my personal experience of learning everything the hard way, a new mom should stay home with her baby.

Q and A plus more and a sales promo

2011-07-28T06:50:00.001-05:00

I'm doing a Question and Answer with the four moms who blog together.

They gave me a bunch of questions to answer, then we divided them up between the five of us. You'll have to visit each of their blogs to see all the questions. Here are a few to start you off. Keep reading to learn about the promo.

Q      What are your personal strengths and weaknesses? And how have you grown in those areas?

A      For the first several years of my marriage and in parenting I prayed for self-discipline. I studied it and read anything I could on it. I memorized verses. I stuck verses and quotes up above the sink, on the frig, on mirrors, in my Bible, by my bed. I had to learn to think ahead of this moment in time, this hour. I had to learn to think about supper before 5 o’clock. It slowly came. I’m not there yet. When life gets busy I drop good habits and bad habits are quick to jump in place.

Q      How do you manage clothing, handing things down, switching seasons?

A      I keep all the children’s clothes in the laundry room in tubs on shelves about 16 feet long. The girls Sunday dresses hang in their closets. The tubs in the middle shelf are for their current clothes and they do not have the lids on. The top shelf has out of season clothes and sizes that nobody is currently in. Changing seasons is always painful for a couple of months. Cold, hot, cold, hot. I guess I manage that bit of chaos by enduring it for a short season. It really helps to set aside a few days, once you’re sure the season has changed for good, and get completely caught up on laundry and change out the clothes and get everyone in the right size.

Q     Can the ideas in your book be applied to a single parent household?

A      Absolutely. The first twelve years of our marriage my husband traveled a lot with his work. He would be gone for weeks a time. I completely sympathize with home management alone. I didn’t work outside the home though so I don’t have that perspective. Simply assigning house work to days of the week gives direction, puts things into order and frees up time. Knowing what you’re supposed to do and when is freeing.

Q     Can the book benefit small families or is it specifically for large families?

A      I think this book is more for the mother of young children. By the time someone has a lot of children they have figured out so many things already. I would have loved this book when I had my first one, two, three, four children. Then life got easier.

The rest of the questions are spread between the blogs.
Life in a Shoe
Smockity Frocks
Raising Olives
Common Room

If you have a question for me -- go ahead and ask. I'll be answering questions here and at the other 4 Moms' blogs today and in the next week.

For one week you can get the book at Vision Forum for 40% off. The promo code is 4MOMS.

Plus, Minus, Misconceptions, and Fascinations

2011-07-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

Plus
The biggest pluses of having a large family are that there are always people to play with, to talk to, to do things with, and lots of love from lots of people all the time, teamwork, more resources, more interactions with people of all ages, cooperation skills, working together, playing off of each other’s talents. As a mom I’m not always the one to teach the younger ones things such as how to tie shoes or riding a bike or the alphabet but it has been such a joy to see the older children tenderly teach their younger brothers and sisters or to see them run and help if they fall and get hurt. There’s a lot of love and care in a big family.

Minus
The biggest minus of having a large family is that the house is pretty loud, crazy, and it can be messy. Managing the home and family is a definite challenge. Most women are not prepared to care for a home and family but trained to enter the workforce. I wrote a book, Large Family Logistics, detailing the skills I learned along the way so that other moms don’t have to learn the hard way. Moms who have several children will find it all familiar, they are like me and learned to cope one child at a time, but a mom with two or three little children will be far ahead of the game after learning the methods, hints, and tips therein.

Misconceptions
One funny misconception is people trying to figure out “Well, you’re not Amish, are you Catholic or Mormon?” We’re not. We’re Christians who believe that children are a blessing not a burden and now that we’ve been down this road of a large family several years I can unequivocally say that children truly are a blessing. Another misconception is that people expect me to be tired, worn-out, haggardly looking perhaps—I’m not sure but I always get surprised unbelieving comments that I have nine children. The children keep me up and moving and I want to do fun things with them. Having babies doesn’t wear out a body—the standard American diet and lack of exercise does.

Fascinations
I think people are fascinated with large families simply because they are not the norm anymore. People are intrigued by things that are different from what they are or do. Also, most people have large families in their family tree about three generations back and to the beginning of time and they like to contemplate “What was it like for Grandpa to grow up as the youngest of 11?” “What would life be like if I were born into a large family or if I have a bunch of children.” Another thing that interests people in large families is the love and care that they show to each other. It’s a built in set of friends only better. It’s truly fun to watch big family dynamics. We have a handful of large families that we do things with and each one is different because of the personalities of the parents and the children but common amongst them all is the help, care, and love they share with each other as a family unit. Not that small families don’t have that, it’s simply multiplied exponentially in a large family.

My sister was married Saturday!

2011-06-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

My sister got married on Saturday. My only sister. My baby sister. She's been spoiled her whole life. By everyone in the family. Including me. Maybe, especially me. My mother tells me that I prayed every day for a sister until I got one.

For years she's been dreaming, "When I get married I want to get married in your orchard." She was probably still in high school the first time she said it. But of course there must be a groom for the wedding. And in God's timing, the groom came into the picture last year. The proposal was made on Valentine's weekend. The date was set. And the preparations began. Between rainstorms for the last three months we pruned, we painted, we laid landscape fabric, we planted, we arranged, we weeded and weeded and weeded and mowed the grass between storms, and the weed wacker became a permanent appendage on key persons. Did I say that it rained a lot this year? In fact, it is storming again as a I write. Everything is lush and green. And the grass grows very fast. We shopped for the wedding dress, we shopped for the bridesmaid dresses (not fun), we shopped for shoes, for shirts and ties for the ushers and carparkers, for the flowergirls, and shoes for the flowergirls, and lights, and the constant conversations for the last months have centered around such topics as long tableclothes or not, canning jars for drinking glasses or not, candles or not, tiki torches in the parking area?, ring bearers or not (that conversation ended when one thought that he was going to get to be a ring bear, complete with the roar of a bear). And now it is over. I have a wonderful new brother. The bride and groom are on to their honeymoon. More fun to come this week and next weekend with visiting family. And one houseful of tired children.

The day of the wedding I was up at 4:30 to load cheese for farmer's markets. It was a foggy morning and most everything was set up for the wedding except for the tablecloths and flower bouquets. I had to capture the moment.

My dad made the lectern out of a hedge post and an old barn board.

The bride is known to faint in weddings so she and the groom sat in the old church pew for most of the ceremony.

Tables set up and waiting for the decision concerning the rain forecast. Do we put on the tablecloths yet?

Chelsy and Allison Bontrager were here doing all of the girl cousins' hair. There were three flower girls, three girls that helped serve at the reception and were gift takers, and two girls that were Heather's personal assistants. These eight young ladies were absolutely thrilled to have such a girly-girl day.

This is Brielle, 5, taking her turn. The other girls sat in the hall and watched and anticipated their turn to be beautified.

Farm girls beautifying farm girls.

Three flower girls (Brielle, Annika, Bronwyn) being very good and not messing up their hair while they patiently wait for the time to get dressed before the wedding. I did have to yell out an upper window to "Get out of the sandbox!"

The bride and Brandt, one of her nephew carparkers. It was also his twentieth birthday.

These four boys (Nick, Brian, Jon, Nathan) were the wild card. Where would they appear next and what would they be doing?

Here's another ornery cousin (Simon) who was better at escaping notice because of his camouflage.

Looking pretty...

(back: Bridgette, Brock, Matt, Kim, Brandt, BriAnne

front: Brooke, Brielle, Matthew, Bronwyn, Brian)

and here we are after a group hug with an uncooperative four-year-old.

I'm not the only that has spoiled Heather. Our brothers have been heavily involved in it also. My brother Chris owns a winery and had special labels made with the engagement photos for the wedding reception wine bottles.

Here's Dad and Mom before the wedding.

The groom's uncle was the minister for the wedding and the minister's father married our parents 42 years ago.

Now where's my new brother, the groom?

Found him, with his wonderful family. Lovely people to be connected with.

And my sisters-in-law. I love them so much. We have a lot of fun together.

Here's my brother Chris and sister-in-law Amy with their children and Amy's parents.

This is my brother David and his wife Rhonda in a successful group hug with their children.

Here come my lovely sisters-in-law and nieces through the orchard after hanging mason jars of peonies. When it got dark we changed out these jars with jars of candles in sand.

It was a heavenly day.

For my dear husband

2011-06-20T10:54:00.000-05:00

...who is tired of checking my blog and seeing the old Baby Snap Sack review. I love you honey!
And in honor of Father's Day yesterday--You're such a great dad!

We're going to be doing this kind of stuff this summer now that all of our big parties (graduation, anniversary, birthday, wedding) are over.

Don't forget we have county fair coming in less than a month though.

No bucket/bottle calves this year though.

But there will be cattle.

and pigs.

and it will be hot, it always is.

You might have to eat some pie without your hands.

And then we'll go home

and do some more fishing

I love you!

babysnapsack

2011-03-17T09:19:00.000-05:00

Susan from Lone Pine Designs sent me a babysnapsack to review. One word for the babysnapsack--smart.
I'm all for working smarter not harder and this is another one of those things that makes mom's life easier.
The babysnapsack is like a sleeping bag for baby that fits around the arms and neck of baby like a jumper. It's adjustable with durable snaps to fit a little baby all the way up to a toddler.
Here are the benefits that I see right off the bat:

it looks like it built to last through a bunch of kids; the zipper and snaps look great and the material is a light-weight corduroy on the outside and a soft flannel on the inside
it's washable
you won't need to worry about blankets for baby, this is a blanket and it's fastened to baby so he won't come uncovered in the night
it has a two-way zipper to make diaper changing a cinch without disturbing baby; baby won't need to get all the way undressed and cold

Depending on your climate, season, home temperature, and baby you will want to dress your baby in appropriate clothes before putting him in the babysnapsack. Think of it as a blanket that you don't need to worry about baby rolling out from under.
There are four snaps on both the right and left side of the torso in order to adjust for width and there are six adjustment snaps to fit baby's shoulder. This truly looks to fit your baby for a couple of years.

Smart!

I love it.

To get a babysnapsack for your baby or for a gift visit the online store Snuggle Down Baby.

We have a winner!

2011-02-28T07:06:00.000-06:00

Winner of Family Strategies is Quinn!

Quinn,
Send me your email address.
mkbrenne at netins dot net