I LOVE MY FAMILY!

OK, Brian had the day off and it was WONDERFUL!!!

He is so thoughtful! I got to sleep in while he took care of the kids. He then went and got donuts. He actually made breakfast for the kids BEFORE the doughnuts. Then we had doughnuts and then lunch (which he again made).

When I woke up, AA gave me a gift she had made herself, finished about a week ago. It was a doll. A fabric doll. I will HAVE to post a picture here because I am so unbelievably proud of her! It was all done by hand. And when "Daddy didn't get [her] the buttons on time for the face, [she] just drew one." OH it is a BEAUTIFUL doll!

We headed out to run a few errands. I got some wooden knitting needles for the kids (normally $7.99 for $1.51!!!) which we are having a learn to knit party at our house Friday next week. In the research I have done, it says that thick wooden needles are the best for kids. These are meant especially for kids (bright colors and thick and has a big bulb at the end to prevent the yarn from slipping off). I am REALLY excited about this because EE is VERY anxious to start doing knitting. She wanted to learn crochet, but she is left handed and I just cannot do it (being VERY right handed).

I also picked up some glasses for AA's doll. She had to get glasses a month or so ago. I wanted doll glasses for her doll at the time because she was VERY anxious about having to wear glasses. Because of her astigmatism, she will have to wear them all the time and for life. I got them today (finally) and plan to surprise her with them tomorrow. which turns out to be PERFECT (see below for why).

After that we headed to a local family fun place (pizza buffet and arcade). I did not expect to be there for SO LONG, but we were there for almost 5 hours! I got in free (because it was my birthday), and because we were all in costume, we all got free $5 cards for the arcade (even little JJ!). We sat down for the coloring contest and colored pictures (which we didn't finish because the kids were hungry), so we got our salad (yes, we ALL eat a GOOD salad first). After salad we got our pizza. Then there was a science project! YEP! We all made SLIME! It was GREAT!!!

Then off for games. JJ LOVES to play skee-ball. He played a spinning game ONCE and won 50 tickets on the first try! It was so great to see him grab hand over hand as the tickets poured out from the machine! MM played the same spin game and the first time won 10 tickets. The second time she landed on the big prize - 200 tickets! It was AWESOME!!! All of us played other little games, winning tickets.

Then off to redeem SOME tickets (we allow the children to only get ONE prize per visit) and then back to the buffet for dessert. Then finish the coloring pages, and off for Daddy to try ONE MORE TIME to win me a portable Playstation. GOTTA love my man!!

After we got home, Brian went to put the girls to bed while I put JJ down and then headed off to put up my foot (I broke my little toe earlier this week).

Brian comes into the room and says that AA commented that "today felt too much like Halloween and we didn't celebrate Mommy's birthday, so can we celebrate her birthday tomorrow?" OH MY PRECIOUS PRECIOUS SWEETHEART AA!!

And so it is late late late. I am so happy and so blessed! I head off to sweet slumber and awaken to TWO MORE DAYS with my beloved off work!! TWO MORE FULL DAYS to spend together enjoying each other as a family. I am so blessed!!!

The Alternative To Wikipedia

I am sure most of you know that Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source. You can learn all about twhy by just googling it. But basically, anyone can put information on the page.

I was listening last night to an Australian comedian. He was flying into the US, and when the inspections heard who he was, they did not believe him. So they had him sit down and looked up his information on Wikipedia! The comedian said that it FALSELY states on Wikipedia that he is related to David Hasselhof. So if the guy asks him a question, is he supposed to tell the truth (no I am not related to him) and risk jail OR is he supposed to lie (and say he is related to him)?

Well a DEAR DEAR friend of mine talked about an alternative on her blog (yes, I am WAY behind in reading my blogs, bad Paula!)

Conservapedia.

VERY professionally done and it looks really good. While I do not think I would accept it as a reference on a book report (I would DEFINITELY not accept Wikipedia), I do think it is a MUCH better alternative to find information fast, without it being distorted to fit a worldview. It would have a Biblical view. I would STILL want to check facts because there are some people who would twist Scripture to fit their agenda too. But I would search there with my kids to find answers to their questions.

Come What May

This movie is free online until Oct 31. It really is a MUST SEE!
BEFORE YOU VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4th WATCH THIS MOVIE!

Can Roe vs. Wade be overturned? Maybe, maybe not. Lawyers argue it out...
Come What May

Current Web Readings

Learning How To Set The Table
What an adorable and heroic story, perfect for little girls AND boys, about how to remember where to put your knife and fork.

Library Resources For Young Ladies
Good list of books!

Make Your Own Dryer Balls
OK. I love Monica! I wish she were my sister! I will settle for her being a friend. :) And I just LOVE her blog. Normally, when I find a link to something I like, I put the link here with a HT to the source I found the link on, but Monica's blog is just so beautiful, and this post is no different! I LOVE her ideas and her pictures. And how CUTE she wrapped them up as gifts for Christmas. Thank you for sharing Monica!

Cabin Fever and Your Kids
GReat indoor fun things to do with your kids when it is too cold to go outside. :)

Paying Off Debt
Another GREAT post! This is more than just about paying off debt, but changing the way you think about money, wants and needs.

Cornstarch Goo
A tutorial for how to make cornstarch goo and the fun for kids!

Reading

We have been reading the book The Five Little Peppers And How They Grew. The girls (and I must admit I too) have really enjoyed it. We are on the last few pages which will be read later today during reading time. I have written before about how mature this book is in the vocabulary and sentence structure. It is not written like anything any public schooled child would read today. And it has been a WONDERFUL time of questions (and learning) as the girls ask what certain words mean, why things are done a certain way, and of course, trying to understand the sentence structure! :)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE old books! Especially old children's books. They have great vocabularies, are not dumbed down, and usually contain great morals and virtues to be learned. It is sad that more and more of these types of books are being burned (simply because that is what they do with old books). If the book is a great classic (like Heidi or Pollyanna or Little Women), then it is made "modern" by dumbing it down and taking away some of the rich vocabulary as well as morals and virtues within. One book we recently read had changed the witch in Hansel and Gretel into a repentant witch who has then good to all the little children.

What I love most about reading to the children is the bonding that happens between us. Yes, it is fun and exciting now that I have one full time on her own reader (who can read most anything and is finishing up the Old English abridged version of Pilgrim's Progress with FULL comprehension) and I have one part time reader (who can read books like The Cow Who Clucked - her FAVORITE and other children's books as she continues through her reading lessons). But they still beg Momma to "please wait to read, I have to get something first!" They still LOVE to listen to Momma read. And what a great time of bonding!! We are able to transport together to "the little brown house" and watch as Polly helps her Mamsie with the mending (what responsibility!). And then months later to be able to say "Do you remember when Polly did ...."

Daddy reads to the girls most ever evening. There are nights when he works late, but even then, he always tries to take off to at least read to the girls. And now JJ has taken his place beside Daddy, with the biggest of grins, as he too bonds with Daddy as he reads of the Millers and the responsibility needed for the young boy to get a rabbit.

I would not trade that time of bonding with the children for anything!

My children's future

SNL skit which is hard to find now:
http://msunderestimated.com/SNLBailoutSkit.wmv

I have never really been a very politically active person, but I have had a huge wake up call.

With the scary socialist comments from Obama (yes, the things Obama are saying could be quotes from Karl Marx), as well as his belief on foreign policy (International Law is a SCARY thing people and will strip your parental rights no matter how good your state law is concerning homeschooling or other parental rights, International Law supersedes the state law - what AMERICAN would WANT such a thing?!). Whether you home school or not, if you Are a parent, you NEED to know more about how your parental rights WILL be stripped if International Law is accepted in America.

Americans have been greedy and put themselves in this state (see the SNL link above, even liberalists admit it!), yet they look to government to bail them out. And when the government says no, they look to vote someone in who will. Obama accepts the socialist "spread the wealth" belief. Someone who will give them their fair share just because they deserve it. Not because they have worked hard for it.

So why all this? And why now?

Well, Brian and I have made some financial mistakes in the past. This caused us to go deeply into debt when our son JJ ended up in the hospital. We could have taken an easy way out. But we didn't. We worked hard, changed our ways, and are working to get out of debt, build up an ER fund, and provide for our children's futures. We don't want them making the same mistakes we did.

But now, everything is changing. The hard work we have put towards all of this is for not now that the bailout has passed. The value of the dollar is depreciating at a very fast rate. American money has basically become worthless as the government is just printing more and more money. My family is being punished for doing things the right way, while those who would rather take a handout are being rewarded for their greed.

I worry for my children. What kind of future they will have? Saving a dollar for them now that could be worthless in the future, not to mention taken away from them...

I have felt convicted to fight for my children and their futures. While I have been doing that on a spiritual level by praying for their salvation and moral character and future spouses, and on a physical level by praying for their health, and just last year we started on a monetary level by starting to teach them properly about money and saving money for them. I feel that I need to do it on a political level as well.

Praying for a leader who will have my child's interest at heart. Telling others when there is someone who is running for office who DOESN'T have a child's best interest at heart. Telling others when there is someone running for office who does not believe in AMERICA, but in accepting and indoctrinating the law of other countries (even ones - Socialist ones - that America fought against for so long).

I leave with an email I got form my beloved:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/why_obamas_socialism_matters_1.html

Interesting comments - mostly people angry about the blog exposing Obama (who they can't seem to see any wrong with).
Here's one of the ones that points out clearly Obama's harmful policies:
IF YOU BELIEVE….

…A baby who survives a botched abortion deserves to die because it was the original intent of the mother. (Obama voted this way THREE DIFFERENT TIMES!)

…Having the money you have worked hard for should be taken away from you and given to those who did not work for it. (Socialism not American)

…American schools should teach curriculum based on the policies of the UN and not the USA.

…American troops should be called back and come home in defeat.

…That the people who made millions of dollars while bankrupting the companies they ran should make economic policies for America.

…That terrorists should be given grants to teach our children

…Raising taxes on the people who provide jobs and services is the right way to stimulate the economy.

…That we should not be energy dependant and that you will be able to pay for a brand new vehicle because gasoline will no longer available in 10 years.

…We should all give up our 401k’s and pay the government to guarantee our retirement pension.

…We should surrender our firearms.

…we should allow agencies such as Acorn to help define the direction that America will take in the next several years.

If you believe these things then you should vote for Obama.

Some People Are So Brainwashed

While I am not a fan of Howard Stern, when Voddie Bauchman puts a video on his blog, you watch it (video below):

Herbal Chicken Stock

Well, I did it!! After talking about chicken tortilla soup, I had to do it!

So here is what I did.

We roasted the chicken (a la Alton Brown).

We took everything he had us cut out (minus all the guts, I just could not bring myself to do anything with them at this time - I hope to get over my fear of the innards soon as I know I want to waste as little as possible), plus all the bones (which my husband lovingly took all the meat off for us to eat that night) and the drippings from the pan.

We then added carrot chunks, celery chunks (with leaves), onion chunks (with skin). Then we followed a recipe for Healthy Herbal Chicken Stock which will help us fight off colds and flu this winter season. They call it a tonic. :)

We have the CD Training Our Daughters To Be Keepers At Home (TOD-KAH). I have created a section for teaching on Herbs and this recipe is going right in there. I have also changed the books we will be using to teach her as I do not have the Sue Gregg books, nor do I want to get them. I have PLENTY of other books just as good that we will be using instead. PLUS, they will be getting hands on training in most of that now and while they are young. :)

The stock simmered all night long! Then in the morning, I made the condensed cream of chicken soup and used some to make the chicken tortilla soup for lunch and froze the rest of the herbal chicken stock and cream of chicken soup. Which is 8 cups of stock (which honestly is about two soups worth for our family), and about 3 cans worth of the cream of chicken soup.

Which brings me to a question. How do you freeze liquids without using plastic? Everything out there I read said to use freezer bags. I am hoping to move away from those. (Although with the success of using cereal bags around the freezer bags I am really happy and liking the ease of freezer bags, especially for things like frozen veggies.) But with soups I would really like to use something NON-plastic. Can I use canning jars? Anyone with any advice?

Current Web Readings

Kids Gardening
GREAT newsletter and site with great ideas for kids and gardening.

Chica and Jo
If you LOVE crafts and tips you will love this site. I need to stop reading past issues and just DO some of this AWESOME stuff!

Paper Weaving Tutorial
Who knew weaved paper could be so pretty!

How Would Jesus Teach
An awesome post on how to use the example of Jesus in our homeschoolin

Every Day Learning LInks
for the young and old alike. This is a GREAT list of links!!!

Buddying
OK, so the first part of this post kinda grossed me out (I cannot stand broken bones EEK!), and I almost skipped over the post. BUT I AM SO GLAD I DIDN'T!! This post is amazing! I LOVE how God uses our children to teach us!!

Crayon Tinting Your Embroidery
OH MY GOODNESS WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!!! HT: Whip Up

Showing Growth
Oh the idea of this little girl in 16 years makes me want to cry (happy beautiful tears of course). What a WONDERFUL way to capture the memory of your little girl growing up.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Found a recipe for Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup from stockpiling. It looks REALLY good and easy to make. We are about 95% vegetarian. But every once in a while when you find a yummo recipe, you just gotta have you some chicken tortilla soup!

I also found a recipe for Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.

This would be a GREAT recipe for the littles to try! Especially since everything is in cans. It would also be a good camping/vacation recipe because everything is canned. But we will prolly do this from scratch at home. :) And keep it in mind for when we are camping/vacationing.

Spool Knitting

I have started another blog and posted all about spool knitting on there the other day. Thought some of you might be interested.

Economics

I first have to say, that while I am against Obama as president, I am not certain who we are voting for as of yet. I am not a proponent of McCain (nor anyone else at current, although I was a proponent of Huckabee while he was running).

That being said, there was an article that came across my email today on how risky (and honestly scary) Obama's economic plan is. 100 well known and respected financial economists signed an article agreeing.

It is AMAZING to hear a lot of other financial advisers agree. I know that Obama is a smooth talker, but the only one he seems to be duping is the average kid just out of high school. Those who are informed on the issues, ESPECIALLY in the area of finance, are speaking out against Obama.

Current Web Readings

Muffin Tin Monday
OMGoodness I LOVE THIS IDEA!! DOn't have the money for a bento box? NO PROBLEM! Use a MUFFIN TIN!! Check out al these creative ways to use muffin tins to make fun fun for the kids (hey, for Mom too! This looks fun to ME)! :D

Build A Bear Muffin Tin
This is a GREAT rainy day activity!!

Newspaper Hats
These are not your typical newspaper hats. THESE ARE SO CUTE AND GIRLY!!!

Pie In A Jar

Magnifying Glass Art
Oh I am gonna HAVE to try this next summer!!

Knitting Nancy
This is a GREAT project to help a child who wants to knit, but can't.

Mini Caramel Apples
What a GREAT idea for a Harvest Party (or even Thanksgiving party).

Zipploc Baggie Ice Cream
This is just TOO FUN! I can see this becoming a monthly thing during the summer, and then when the kids have kids of their own, passing it onto their kiddos with fond memories. Now I just need to see if it can be done vegan. :)

Folding Cube
This is a GREAT idea for gifts! HT: Chasing Cheerios

Catching Up

Sorry I have not been as good about posting. We have been playing catch up with our schooling.

Some sites I came across that are pretty neat that might help others with schooling:

Free Preschool Printables

Parable of the Lily Study Guide LOVE these books, so neat to find study guides to go with them!

School Express - lots of free help here

The Old Schoolhouse Freebeis

The Lost Ladybug Project
Help track ladybugs!!

Going UP?

I am on a list where a link was sent through by a friend that talked about Peter Schiff and how he is a name to listen to and learn from. The link was to this most accurate and foretelling video about the coming recession (foretold in 2006):



So I searched for something a little more recent to hear his take on things currently and found this video:



It reminded me of a post I did recently on Extreme Frugality in response to a post by Crystal.

But with what he said about the price of everything going UP, it made me feel like I needed to stretch even MORE in finding areas to save money. So I wrote my beloved the following letter:

I have been watching more of Peter Schiff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIbD3BGoe5g He has basically said that this new bail out is going to make prices go through the roof soon. SOOOOoooooo... If there is ANYTHING you feel we REALLY NEED (like a NEW COMPUTER for you), honestly NOW would be the time to buy it. The lens you are wanting, we might just have to wait and buy it when it gets a GOOD sale. I am trying to think if there is anything else we are going to NEED. I can’t. (thought of some more as writing below, see below) Maybe a few homeschool things here and there. But with the friend's we have and their library collection along with ours, I might be able to get it from them or use what we have. And hopefully we will be able to share with them as well!! :) It would be fun to have our own little library among ourselves to share with each other! NO LATE FEES! :) OR get it from ILL if necessary.

I also think it would be a good time to perfect our self-sufficiency skills. As you know, the unschooling homeschool group I belong to started a self-sufficiency co-op and our first meeting is this week! I plan to take FULL ADVANTAGE of it and learn as much as I can while sharing what little I know! :)

Making things from wood (like new shelves for your office, garden boxes and such for SFG, bookshelves, toy boxes, etc.). You have the tools, we just need to clear out the garage so you have space to use them.

I need to improve my sewing skills (I am thinking of making curtains for each of the rooms that actually are meant to >keep warmth IN, making flannel slips for myself and the girls to wear under our dresses, etc.).

Speaking of which, we did pretty good last year with keeping our bill down by keeping the thermostat at 65. There were even days I was able to put it to 63!! I know that you were cold on most of those days. However, the girls and I were pretty good. But then again, when they said they were cold, I told them to add another layer on. Speaking of that, there IS something we should buy for the girls and myself. Leggings. GOOD QUALITY leggings. They will help us stay warm. The girls have stockings, which should last them through this year, but if we see them on sale at the end of the season, we should get some for the following year . I have already darned a few stockings, so we should be set for this winter. But the leggings would be good and wool socks if we can get them. I am learning to crochet socks (ravelry link, so I might even be able to crochet some wool socks for us to wear!! :D

Maybe making some cold frames and growing lettuce this winter?? Also, getting a garden going for next year would be GREAT! I think we need to actually care for the compost pile we have (it needs to be turned every so often and needs to be kept moist (but not wet). I would also like to grow some herbs indoors in pots --- only problem is we need SUN (which our bedroom window supplies PLENTY of, but did you mind if we someone maybe put a board up and across that we can put the plants on that I can grow them??).

I of course want to start getting rid of more stuff (which as prices go UP, we will be able to sell on ebay and get a good return because people would rather pay for used than buy new).

As far as cooking, I think it would be fun to start trying new things and learning different ethnic cooking styles. I think it would also be good to start doing beans and rice days and soup days both at least once a week. Costco will REALLY help with costs, as well as stocking up. Oh that brings up another thing we REALLY need to buy --- a deep freeze for the garage. I also think it would help if we made a large batch of food and freeze one and cook the other. That way we would not be so tempted to go out to eat and/or go to the grocery store to buy food when we already have food. I also want to do more dry beans rather than canned. And am hoping that next year we can do a LOT more canning. Especially of salsa. :)

I think we both need to utilize the library more. There are magazines there as well as the movies. And the books too. I know we both want to learn some things. BTW --- how is you reading going? You have not been sharing what you are learning. I want to grow and learn too!! :D

Also, I have been hanging the heavier sheets to dry on the drying rack we have. But it would be really great to also have a line somewhere to hang up that I could hang up more. I would like to take the old rack that is outside and have you fix it (strip it of the current paint and maybe put a finish on it? I am not sure what to do, it will be getting wet things put on it) so we can bring that inside also. And it would be great to find at LEAST one more at a garage sale and/or thrift store. That way I would have three drying racks indoors.

I have already taken the budget down to bare bones and EVERYTHING else is going into ER fund. We are still getting our allowance, but even the blow money is now going into ER fund. I know how important it is to you to build up the ER fund as quickly as possible. This will help to make that happen.

Thanks Love for all the hard work you do EVERY DAY, even when things get tough, in order to provide for our family. We truly do appreciate ALL you do for us. And I want to help and make sure that I am doing the most I can to help YOU.

Are there any things YOU can think of??

I love you, Paula

----

So I ask YOU readers. Is there anything else YOU can think of? Anything else YOU are doing or planning on doing?

And does anyone know where we can get some good quality under things for the girls and myself (like leggings and other undergarments to help keep us warm in the cold months ahead)?? THANKS!

Snippets from my Bible Studies

This is mainly here so I can see them sometime in the future:

1 Tim 2:9-15
*Don't be so focused on outward apperance that you forget the attitude of your heart. When they look at me, what do I want them to see? Me, Wealth, Beauty?? No, I want them to see Jesus.
*We need men who will lead, women who will support them, and people who will serve and glorify God.

Matt 8
"Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean."

Lord - acknowledge who He is
if you are willing - being in the will of God, placing trust in Him gives peace knowing you are in God's hands
You can make me clean - God is able to do it - FAITH

Healed immediately. Healed that same hour.

When in the stormy sea, God rebuked the disciples first for lack of faith. THEN He rebuked the winds and the sea.

After Jesus cast out demons into the swine, the people heard of it. Fearful of Him and what He might do, they BEGGED Him to leave. I am sometimes the same way. Even though God does only what is good and no evil, sometimes I am fearful of what He might do (to accomplish His good and perfect will).

Answered Prayers

This past weekend, it seemed that we kept losing one thing right after another. First, JJ's drink, then a book, then some bill Brian needed, then ... well you get the idea. Everytime I asked the girls for help finding it, the first thing they asked was "Have you prayed yet?" Sadly I had to answer NO each time. The girls and I would pray and sure enough within minutes each item was found! That not answered our prayers to find the lost items, but answered my prayer that the girls would seek the Lord in all things. I will continue to pray that until the day I die.

God answered all of our prayers about Brian and his health. He is healthier than I am!!

JJ is having a VERY difficult time with his environmental allergies. Of course it doesn't help when I forget to give him his medicine. But even though last night he was REALLY BAD, God allowed the medicine to kick in pretty fast and JJ was only up for about three hours last night! And only one of those was him struggling to breathe. I know it sounds odd to give thanks for that, but we are to give thanks in ALL things.

UPDATE on Brian (after the doc appt)

So Brian is in better health than I am! LOL!! They are still not certain WHAT caused Brian's chest to hurt like it did (it could have been an esophageal spasm or just plain anxiety attack). All I know is I am SO THANKFUL to all of you who prayed! I am NOT ready to lose him.

But God did use it as a wake up call in my life of things **I** need to change in order to be a better helpmeet to Brian. AND to realize that I need to give him to the Lord and not hold onto him so tightly. I cannot change Brian. I cannot keep him alive. I cannot make him healthy. But I can support him in prayer for the changes God CAN make in him. I can do pray for his heart and make healthy meals for him that God CAN bless.

Because of his family history (his dad suffered a MAJOR heart attack about 5 years ago?? I am fuzzy on exactly when, and I believe his father's side of the family has had history of heart problems as well) they are going to keep an eye on him and run some more tests. But all in all the heart specialist said that there really shouldn't be anything to worry about.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! I am so thankful to God that He is gracing me with more time to love on and serve Brian.

Current Web Readings

Toddler Activity Bags
What a GREAT idea!!! Thanks to Like Merchant Ships!!!

Science of Cooking
OH HOW FUN!!! HT: Large Family Mothering

Math Worksheet generator
HT: Large Family Mothering

Help For The Overwhelmed
This was so helpful. I printed out the "checklist" of priorities and plan on using it! I also plan on asking Brian more to help me with what to do, especially when I become overwhelmed. I know that when I am doing what HE has asked of me, and not what I think I need to do or what **I** want to do, then my life is more peaceful. GREAT reminder Crystal! Thanks!!! :D

Crash
This post explains exactly as I feel and I hope I live - in a way that glorifies Christ without bringing others down. A good read.

How to Make and Use a Floor Loom
How cool is this!!! OH MAN! I want to do this RIGHT NOW!!! :) What a GREAT winter project though! How fun to sit by a warming fire and do this?!?!

Boredom Buster and Part 2
This is a GREAT idea for long car trips too!!

Quick Update on Brian

He did go to the doctor yesterday. They ran some sort of test and saw a “blip”, whatever that means. She sent for lab work (not sure if it is the 12-lead thing Mrs. Burton mentioned in the comments below) and is getting Brian in with a heart specialist on Monday. She did not seem too concerned. And the lab assured us if anything was life threatening OR if the numbers were abnormally high, we would be hearing from them and NOT have to wait until Monday.

Please keep praying. We have no answers at this point. And having to wait over the weekend is NOT helping matters.

To top everything off, Brian's back has deteriorated again and he is in extreme pain and not able to stand up again - just like a few months back.

Thank you again for your continued prayers.

Politics

OK, so I will admit it. I never voted (or even registered to vote) until the 2004 election. I did not really care about politics. But then, having children, I got scared. I wanted to make sure my voice was heard on behalf of my children.

I have a LOT of feelings about the current election. My biggest concern right now is that Obama is for International Law (which basically rips ALL parental rights from me AND YOU as parents). PLEASE visit this site to learn more about it. Pass this link on to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! And sign the petition.

Anyways, I am not going to use this blog as a platform for who I am voting for. But I came across a WONDERFUL breakdown of the VP debate last night. It is well done and not biased. It is done by a speech and debate coach who has written some of the bestselling debate material in the nation.

Part 1
Part 2

UPDATE: Please Pray some more

Thank for all who prayed yesterday. We ended up taking JJ to the doctor. She is a WONDERFUL doctor (who sadly is moving away due to her husband's health). Anyways, she knew right away that it wasn't a food allergy or a cold or anything else. It was an allergy to ragweed. While it is good to know WHAT this is, it is frustrating that we are now entering the world of environmental allergies in addition to all his food allergies.

Last night was a rough one for JJ. He has Reactive Airway Disease and ended up having an attack and not able to breath last night. We had liquid abuterol on hand, gave him a dose, and he was much better.

Which brings me to my next request. On Monday night, I am fairly certain Brian had a small heart attack. He HATES hospitals so he refused to go. And after praying, the pain subsided. But last night he admitted that he was certain Monday night was a heart attack and that another one is not far behind.

I am not 100% sure if it was a heart attack or not (although when I was googling his symptoms, everything kept saying get thee to an emergency room!). And I am not understanding why Brian is now saying he is certain it was. All I know is that he is under a TREMENDOUS amount of stress. Your prayers for him are GREATLY appreciated. I am going to try to get him to at least goto his doctor today. I know that there is a test that can be done to tell if you had a heart attack or not (certain things are released into your blood stream). HOWEVER, I am not sure if those things can be seen if it has been more than three days since the heart attack.

I guess the most important thing is to just pray for him. Please. He is my pineapple. I know I need to give him to the Lord, even though I am just not ready to lose him yet. I need to trust God's will. So I guess you can pray for me too.

Friday's Fun: Games

Here are some fun games to play outside during these last days of warm weather!

PAPER FOOT RACE:
Give each child two pieces of paper plates. Define a starting and finishing point. The object is to see who can reach the finish line first using the paper as stepping stones. The child's feet must NEVER touch the ground. Put one plate down, step on it, reach back to grab the other plate and put it down and step on it, etc.

I'M LATE:
Have a clock (it can be made from a paper plate). The person who is IT has the clock and sets it for a certain time. Then the person who is IT says "I am late I am late for a very important date!" Then the children ask questions: "Is it a time when you eat?" "Is it morning or night?" "Is it a time when you sleep?" They are trying to guess the time. When they guess the correct time, the correct guesser becomes IT and the game begins again.

ALPHABET GAME:
Each person has a sheet of paper. Using no proper names, see who can write a word for each letter of the alphabet (in order). The first accurately finished list wins!

MEMORY TEST:
Have a tray and put items on it (rubber bands, paperclips, pencils, toothbrush, etc.). Cover it with a cloth. When everyone is sitting where they can see the tray, remove the cloth for a specific amount of time (1 minute, 3 minutes, etc.). Place the cloth over the tray and take it away. See who can list the most amount of objects on the tray. Even better, HOW MANY of each item were on the tray.

DRESS UP RELAY:
Put a whole outfit of ADULT SIZED CLOTHING into a suitcase. Have two teams. Each team gets a suitcase. The first player puts on all of the clothing over his own clothing. Then he buttons every button and zips every zipper. Once completed, he takes off everything, puts it back in the suitcase and passes it to the next player. The next player does the same thing and so on until the whole team has put on and taken off every item in the suitcase.

PLEASE PRAY

JJ has had a runny nose and cough for about a month now. The bad thing about JJ having esophageal problems and so many food allergies is I cannot tell if it is related to that or something else all together.

The runny nose is aggravating his esophagus and causing him to cough which causes him, at times, to throw up. This is VERY concerning as he needs to be able to keep foods down. I know he is hungry because he is constantly asking for foods. But poor thing has developed more allergies, so things I could previously give him, I cannot any more.

Which again, is why I am unsure of WHAT is causing this. I only know that after a month of no sleep (he coughs all day AND NIGHT), I need to find out for certain what is causing this. Your prayers are GREATLY appreciated. All of this has really changed his attitude and he is not as sweet as he normally is, nor is he as happy and joyful as he normally is.

Thank you for praying.

Library Thing (mine personally)

OK, so I am not sure how many of you have noticed that I have added Library Thing to my sidebar. In it, I am listing all the books I currently own.

I want to warn you that I was up late last night entering books. The first few were the ones my husband and I are currently reading or have on our bed board to read soon (things like Family Driven Faith, and For The Children's Sake). Things that are things that the kids can see.

But now I am into my closet books. And the books in there, while they are few, are books I do not want the kids getting into. They are books on marriage and the act of marriage. God has given me a heart for marriages. I do not talk a lot about that on here, although you can see that it is important for me to share with others when you visit the Romance posts on my blog. And while I do have lots of other books on marriage downstairs, those are ones that the kids can see. :)

So bear with me for a few weeks while I continue to add MORE books (boy do I have a ton of books!) and then there won't always be an act of marriage book popping up there! LOL!!! Most of those were required reading as part of our pre-martial counseling. Brian and I were miles apart and could not counsel together, so the pastor had us read books and listen to tapes and discuss them in phone conversations together. Others (like Love and Respect) are studies we want to do together. And yet others (like Created to be His Helpmeet and The Excellent Wife) are ones I want to have close on hand (not minding if the children read them) so I can read them over and over again. :) And yet others are to help us when it comes time to explain the facts of life to the children (oh I can SOOOOO wait for that to happen!). :)

The Pineapple Story

I love how when we start to live for Christ, He shows up!!

So I was trying my BEST to find my copy of 21 Rules of This House (and it is SOOOOO bugging me I cannot find my copy, am I am questioning whether I truly had one or not), and I came across our copy of The Pineapple Story (Listen to a free audio by the person who wrote the story! REALLY funny! I highly encourage you to download it so you can hear it anytime. It is the third link down - look for PINEAPPLE. And read some of it online. Here are a few more audios of him speaking).

It was a blessing! This book deals with anger. And how we need to give everything we have to God. And when we get angry, it is like a little alarm that we need to give something to God. At the end of the book, it asks you what your pineapple garden is (basically, what is it that YOU are holding on to. What makes you angry? What do you think YOUR rights are?).

So I had the girls draw just a few of the things (at least three) that make them angry. Then we talked about each thing that makes us angry. I also had them think about their rights and draw/write those too. Then we gave those things to God. Here are the pictures and a little bit about each. Click on the pictures to make them bigger.


This is AA (8yr) drawing. She LOVES to draw, so she was drawing VERY detailed things. I told her we needed to move on, so she plans to go back and draw more later. Things that make her angry/are her right: my sisters play with my things without asking, they tear up my dolls dresses, they eat all the candy I buy with my own money, I have the right to goto the bathroom without my sisters opening the door and sticking their tongue out at me.


I must admit that I am the most proud of EE on this assignment. She really dug deep on this one. Things that make her angry/are her right: she is possessive of her baby brother and wants to be the only one to play with him (I was SO PROUD of her for recognizing this!), when she is given time on the computer it is her time, when she is cleaning her zone and her sisters make it more messy or they do not clean up after themselves, when her toys are played with without her permission, my peguiny is mine.


This is MM's. I was realy proud of her for doing this at all. It was a VERY mature project for such a little girl. She remembered details in the story I had forgotten (when I had her retell the story to me). I am AMAZED at how much she comprehended. Things that are her right/make her angry: when my sisters make my bed messy, when my sisters get into my bed, when my sisters pull me off my bed, when they take my toys, when they take all the time on the computer and I don't get any.


Here is mine. Things that are my right/make me angry: when the children interrupt my time on the computer, when the house is a mess, when I fail/fall in my walk with the Lord, it is my right to have time to my self, it is my right to be loved and respected and it is my right ot have help with the cleaning of the house.

So for me, and I did this in front of the children, I realized that I am very selfish with my time. I need to give my time to God and not hold onto it. I need to give my day to the Lord so He can direct my steps. I need to be willing to clean up the whole house myself in order to serve the children (yes, they do need to learn to do it, but it really needs to come from their heart and if they see MOMY doing it to serve, then they will learn to do it to serve). I need to be willing to give up my time for that of the children - keeping their hearts. So right there in front of the children I prayed to God and gave my time and my day and my self to Him.

And without fail, on the way to take a nap, a little argument broke out over some stuff. I asked if this was a pineapple for them. They smiled and had to admit it. I think I will be reminding the girls of pineapples for years to come. :D Now if only I can get them to remember to PRAY about it!! :D