Big Families: The New Green

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/magazine/big_families_are_the_new_green/

I found this article on another blog.  It's written in a Catholic magazine.  We are not Catholic but the ideas are the same for all large families.  I love being green.  I love having a large family.

Moving my Homeschool Blog

Now that I am blogging more often I have realized that I need to simplify some things even on my blog.  I have a school blog but I just don't have much time to blog on it.  So, I am moving all my older stuff here and will begin blogging about it here.  In fact, with our recent changes in how we homeschool, I am considering kind of a weekly journal to record this new adventure for us.  Our Journey with Textbooks is going to be a weekly spot for me now.  Not many people keep a blog centered on using textbooks.  I supposed that because they are really kind of too the point and maybe not so adventurous.  But I think there is going to be more to this so I want to write it all up - the ups and downs - everything.  Included in this, of course, will be our use of the workboxes system and how we're making them work for us in our family.  As soon as I can get my little one here and we all adjust to her arrival, my summer school planning will begin and I'll begin my school blogging.  I will also soon be including a post about what we're doing for summer.  I am trying something new with that as well.

"Crying It Out" Harms Babies Brains

I love this article.  I have one baby that I cried it out with as a newborn.  I also burned the book that I got that advice from.  It was from the "Growing Kids God's Way" curriculum.  The secular side of that is called "Babywise."  I wouldn't even give my copies to Half Price Books.  I just got rid of it.  Please read this before considering crying it out with your infant.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8636950.stm

God in MY Image

We are studying the 10 Commandments at church right now.  It's called Ten Words:  Out of Slavery.  into Freedom.  Great study so far.  I am going to miss a few weeks of it coming up soon but I definitely plan to listen online while I am resting up.  (I just noticed on the resource page that the sermons are not updated.  You can get to them on the home page.)


Yesterday, Pastor Craig discussed the second commandment.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."  (Exodus 20:4-6)

He explained this in a different way than I have every heard.  He said that the first commandment was the WHAT to worship. . .God alone.  The second commandment was the HOW to worship.  We are not just to have no idols.  We are not to create an imagine of God of any kind.  Any imagine that finite man might make of God would be limited in it's scope because we can't see God.  He is the Creator and the created can't make an accurate image of Him.  In doing so, we miss different aspects of His character.  The only place we can capture all of His character is through His spoken Holy Word.  Ultimately, we see all of God in the earthly form of Jesus Christ where He lived out all attributes of God.  (I do not think that I did his sermon justice at all.  But is what stuck with me.)


I was so convicted as I sat there yesterday.  For two weeks now I have been in and out of depression as I waited for God to move on my behalf and allow my baby to come early.  I had been praying for that for various and stupid reasons.  Although I said that I would accept any answer God gave me to this prayer, my heart didn't reflect it.  The longer I was being made to go, the more angry I was becoming with God for not giving me what I wanted.  In essence, I had created God in MY image.


I was broken.  No longer was I concerned about when my baby came.  My sight turned back to where it needed to be all along.  In glorifying God.  But I was living out James 4:3:

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."

My passion was all about finding relief and deliverance from the light and momentary affliction.  I wanted the glory of an early baby.  It was all about ME.


Humbled, I bowed my heart before God and repented right them and there.  I realized that at that moment nothing mattered.  This precious life within me is a gift from God.  She's not an opportunity to receive glory.   This is my opportunity to let God shine in and through me and the delivery that HE chooses to give me.  And so it is.  I have a tremendous since of peace in my heart.  So much more than before.  This is true peace not a fake peace that I tried to have when all along I believed that somehow I controlled things.  No, this is the peace that passes all understanding.  I still wish He'd allow her to come early.  Gracious, I am so uncomfortable right now.  What women doesn't wish an early , yet healthy, baby?  But I no longer feel as if I have to control things any more.  I have moved out of the way and have set my sights on simply giving Him glory and praises, come what may.


I had an appointment with my midwife this afternoon.  Everything looks so favorable for a baby to come.  I am 80% effaced and 2 1/2 cm dilated.  She stripped my membranes to see if that might encourage her.  I am not in the most comfortable place right now.  Lots of contractions but that could simply be from aggravating the cervix during my exam today.  Baby may or may not come tonight.  I am OK either way.  I am resting in His sovereign control.  I am in that state of perfect peace.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.  (Is. 26:3-4)

After the sermon we took communion as a means of celebrating God giving us a visible and tangible way of knowing Him. Through the body and blood of Christ we see the full image of the God of the universe.  While waiting we sang a chorus that I had actually been singing to myself all weekend (attempting to make it true even though I wasn't living it.)  The words have new meaning for now.   All I have IS Christ.  Nothing will ever take that place.  He bore the wrath and all I know is grace.  He is my ONLY boost.    

No-Poo, Almost 1 Year Later

On June 6, 2009, I made a huge leap into living crunchy by getting rid of shampoo.  You can read about my first day using it here.  I think this is the first time I have ever taken a step like this and stayed with it as long as I have.  Usually I become fearful of what people might thing of me or I give up because it's just too hard.  And I did have a few of those moments where I wanted to give up and go back to what seemed easier.  After a day or two of itchy scalp with the shampoo I ended up not give it up.

So why did I change to no-poo?

Using no-(sham)poo might seem like a very gross change in lifestyle.  Before I made the switch I was washing my hair every other day.  Then I started to read the ingredient list and found a list of chemicals that simply weren't good for my body.  

This link contains a list of harmful ingredients that you might find all over your bathroom.  Here are just a few you would find in shampoo:

DEA
(diethanolamine) Do your shampoos, toothpaste, and bubble baths contain DEA (diethanolamine)? DEA, which is readily absorbed through the skin, is a potentially cancer-causing ingredient found in many mainstream cosmetics and toiletries. Reacts with nitrates in cosmetics to form another potential carcinogen/DEA.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Harsh detergents and wetting agents used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers, and auto cleaning products. SLS is well-known in the scientific community as a common skin irritant. It is rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart, and liver, which results in harmful long-term effects. SLS retards healing , cause cataracts in adults, and keep children's eyes from developing properly.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
SLES is the alcohol form (ethoxylated) of SLS. It is slightly les irritating than SLS, but may cause more drying. Both SLS and SLES cause carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with other product ingredients. Large amounts of nitrates enter the blood system from just one shampooing.

Just a small note - I stopped using the fancy shampoos from the health food stores because they contain that last ingredient.  Also, I do not buy regular shampoo for my family either.  Instead they use a natural soap called Nature Rich.  So far I have not found anything bad in it.  I use this for everything from bathing, shampoo for the kids, to kitchen dish soap.  And I can add essential oils to it to give it a jump in usefulness or just to simply make it smell good.  I do not like alot of fragrance in products I use so the lack of "smell" doesn't bother me.

I don't know about you, but when I don't wash my wash it gets really greasy.  At least it did.  That is what has been so great about this change in my hair care.  Once I got over the hump of chemical changes in my hair, I found I had to wash my wash ONCE a week.  That day was usually Saturday to get ready for church the next day.  But even on that Saturday, my hair wasn't feeling so bad.  It still looked good and healthy.  My hair finally adjusted to the fact that the chemicals were no longer stripping it's natural oil off with each washing.  The more I stripped the natural oils and the more oil my skin made for my hair.  After a few months of adjusting and needing to wash it just as much as I did with shampoo, I found I didn't need it as often.  My body stopped making so much of the natural oil to cover the hair.  By the time I got to fall, I found I only need it once a week.  I may need to do it a bit more in the summer just because it gets so hot and humid here but for right now, even the once a week of working great.

I took a couple of months to really figure out the amounts and find a solution to dry feeling I had when I used straight baking soda.  I also had to do some research and experimenting with what to rinse my hair with after the soda.  Many people advocate the use of apple cider vinegar.  This wasn't working for me.  In some of the reading I found that the cider vinegar works best for those with dark hair.  Lemon juice is the choice of rinse of those with blonde or light brown hair.  That would be me.  To solve the dry feeling of using straight baking soda, I discovered through the Life in Shoe blog that she had hard water and found that boiling water before mixing it with the soda helped alot.  She wasn't kidding.  That became a part of regimen every week.  Sometimes I can stretch my jar to two weeks.  It doesn't take me any longer to wash my hair each week than it did when I use shampoo and conditioner.  And my hair is so much cleaner and softer.

I do not use alot on my hair.  The must chemicals I use on it is a small run a hair spray but I am looking for an alternative there.  Pretty soon I think I am just going to get rid of it.  I have found a way that I love to wear my hair that doesn't require alot of styling tools (including the curling iron) or chemicals.  I swore off permanents and hair color years ago.  The less heat I use on my hair the less dead split ends I get.  It's just so easy to take care of my hair now and it feels so good.  My kids LOVE brushing my hair.

My next venture is going to be to figure out a natural skin care regimen.  I have a preteen who is going to need guidance in how to care for her skin but I really don't want to start her on the chemical laden products even if they do come from the health food stores.  She has to buy any personal care products she needs so she's going to want something that is affordable yet healthy.  So this summer we're going to research some of these ideas as well as deodorant.  I will not use deodorant that has aluminum in it.  Sometimes I just go without (which works great as long as I am eating well.)  If I do need something, I actually have an essential oil anti-microbial hand cream that work great for those days when I do need it.  But seriously, the less junk food I eat, the less I need the deodorant.

Now that I realize that I have accomplished something totally crunchy and crazy I am ready to find something to shock people with if they ask.  HA!!!  The looks are priceless.

Having Only Children Ages 6 and Younger

I call the years of children ages 6 and under "in the trenches."  I don't think I originated with me.  In fact, if I remember correctly I think I may have actually heard Sally Clarkson use that phrase.  After a few conversations with younger moms, I thought I would share some of the things I did while in the trenches that has really freed up my time now that I have older children.

Please read what I have here and pray before you attempt anything.  Makes sure that any ideas that I have are ideas the Lord has for your family.  And certainly don't attempt to do all of this at one time.  Pick what is most needful and go after that.

Kitchen

1)  Plastic dishes when possible - If it's possible and not costly, work your primary dishes to being plastic.  I have found the plastic plates and bowls that I do use with the children to be invaluable.  Why?  Because it allows you to get them involved in kitchen clean up without the stress of broken dishes.  (I realize that many are being to move toward more natural living - as are we - and plastic doesn't necessarily fit here.  I do believe that sometimes there are compromises that must be met.  I never microwave my plastic. . .NEVER.)

2)  Move all these dishes to a lower cabinet.  Why?  So you don't have to put away what they are getting out of the dishwasher.  This changed the whole way we did kitchen clean up.  They start emptying the dishes with an older sibling when they are 3 yod.  We start them on the silverware.

2)  Find some kid friendly lunches and dinners.  To begin training them at 4 & 5 yod to be in the kitchen and do things independently has been one of my best moves.  We start with learning how to spread nut butters (or peanut butter in our case since my 7 yod is allergic to nuts.)  With that they learn how to put the chips on a plate as well as a handful of carrots.  As they get older we move to gently and slowly slicing cucumbers (with mom's supervision, of course.)  One of my favorite kid friendly recipes is our family Simple Pasta Salad.  Yummy!!!  I used this recipe to teach them knife skills.  First they start by cutting black olives with a butter knife.  They eventually get to the move to a sharper knife as they prove to be trustworthy with the butter knife.

3)  Don't be afraid to include your children in kitchen clean up.  We have a family kitchen clean up every night.

Here is our kitchen clean up schedule:

EVERYONE - clears off their plate
Mom - change diapers, nurse baby
Dad - sweep the floor, supervise
11yod - load dishwasher (remember, most of this is plastic)
9 yod - take out trash, empty garbage bowl
7 yod - clean off rest of table, Thieves table (Thieves is a natural cleaning product that is made with antimicrobial essential oils.  I use this in place of bleach type cleaners.)
5 yod - take out recycle bag, move chairs
3 yod - move chairs
17 mod - w/ mom, helps with recyclables

Children want to be included in cleaning house and there is much they can do that doesn't always require help or supervision from mom.

Household Ideas

Kym Wright has an absolutely fabulous book called Women: Living Life on Purpose.  She includes a whole chapters on chores as well as a very thorough list of what children should be able to do at what age AND when they should have it mastered.  I bought this book for the chore list but it ended up becoming my favorite Bible Study as well.

Laundry 

Teach your kids to fold laundry early!!!  For those of us who are perfectionist, this is very hard to do.  But it is absolutely essential to our children that we lower standards a bit to train them in the process of work.  The standards can begin to return as they get older and are more capable of doing a thorough job.

We started with wash clothes and cloth diapers.  Then we move to the cleaning and bath towels.  Then it's on to your own laundry.  We hang alot of clothes in the house because I found it easier for little hands to actually do their laundry.  We also have limit drawer space so it just made better sense to hang things up.  We have a family closet as well, but that is another blog.

Using Appliances

I also start teaching them at age 5 how to run the washer.  I certainly didn't set them free to do all this at 5 yod but training them as left me able to do that now.  I don't wash laundry anymore.  My 5 & 7 yod empty the dryer when it's done.  My 11 yod moves the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  My 9 yod starts the next load of laundry.  We've been doing laundry this way for nearly 2 years now.  What a difference it made to take the extra time to train them in how to use the appliance.  Oh, I did the same with starting the dishwasher.

Safe Cleaning Supplies

I can't tell you enough how much healthier we are as a family when I switched using the heavy chemical cleaners to more natural and sometime homemade cleaners.  No only did it get the harsh chemicals out of the house (and made my life easier so I could breath again) but it opened up doors for my children to learn how to clean earlier.  My kids cleaned my bathroom this morning so that I can have a clean bathroom to birth my baby in if she comes this weekend.  They did a great job using baking soda, vinegar, and the Thieves cleaner I mentioned above.  They also LOVE to vaccum.

Emptying Trash Cans

Trash cans are a great job for little boys.  We call it a manly job and my girls do not do it (although they do know how.)  I do spend a bit of extra money to buy the yummy smelling trash bags but that is become the Walmart bags do not fit the size trash cans I prefer for the rooms.

I used to make what we called "Trash Bag Bags."  This simply held enough small white trash bags (vanilla smelling) for all the small trashes in the house) as 2 black trash bags to put them in when emptied.  I stored them in a gallon size zipper baggie that we would use for more bag later on.  We don't do it anymore because I have different boys on different parts of the house doing trashes.  It got too confusing trying to keep up with who needed what and where.  My 5 yod is about to take over this job and so I may go back to these bags to help him out.  He's more spacey than his older brother and could use the help.

Great Resources:

Here are some links to some great resources and cleaning supplies that I have found to be fantastic to use with my kids.  Some of these I have mentioned above.  I hope you are able to find something that will help you while you work in the trenches.  And remember, don't try to tackle everything at one time.  Pick ONE thing and help them learn it before you move on to the next.

The Clean Team
Young Living Essential Oils Thieves Cleaner (I am a consultant if you are interested in trying this.)
Managers of Their Homes**
Managers of Their Chores**
Women: Living Life on Purpose by Kym Wright
Sue Gregg - Lunches and Snacks cookbook (great for teaching kids)

**The Maxwell's also have a book called Managers of Their Schools.  If you are feeling overwhelmed with homeschooling your children and need a different perspective, this would be a great place to start.  They advocate using textbooks BUT you might find their reasonings are just what you need to bring peace back into your life.  We've chosen this path and are thoroughly enjoying the changes we've made so far.  By mentioning this book I am not saying you MUST change.  Nor are the authors.  But I found as I read the book that much of what they were saying are things I have thought or said in the past.  What peace we've found.

Lord, Help Me to Glorify You

I borrowed this from Reforming Mom but it is so pertinent to my situation right now.  I am operating in total weakness.  I keep placing my eyes back on my circumstances and they are depressing me.  But ultimately, this prayer is what I want to be living out.   It is that reason that I post it.   

Lord, Help Me To Glorify You

Lord, help me to glorify you;

I am poor, help me to glorify you by contentment;

I am sick, help me to give you honor by patience;

I have talents, help me to extol you by spending them for you;

I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve you;

I have a heart to feel, Lord,

let that heart feel no love but yours,

and glow with no flame but affection for you;

I have a head to think,

Lord, help me to think of you and for you;

You have put me in this world for something, Lord,

show me what that is,

and help me to work out my life-purpose:

I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites,

which were all her living,

so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into your treasury;

I am all yours;

take me, and enable me to glorify you now,

in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Up All Night

It's 4:30am.  I have been up since 2am when I started having contractions in my back again.  I knew if I didn't get up and compel her to move I would have them the rest of the night.  They stopped once I got up.  I came downstairs to get a snack.  I ended up finishing off the cornbread with another bowl of beans.  Not sure what I did differently the beans this time around but they were really good.  


I was joking through my facebook page the other day that the middle of the night might have more meaning if I actually had something to do.  HA!!!  I mean, I don't necessarily have a problem being up.  Often times if I am sleepless I will spend time praying.  Tonight I watched a movie that Underdog asked me to watch online.  But I find more meaning behind these middle of the night wake ups if there is someone to be with.  Not that I want my 3 yod who often has the longest run on sentences in the world to be up talking to me.  As much as I love the little guy, I need a break from him and he needs sleep.  That is true for all my precious blessings.  I also know that if they are up in the middle of the night, then tomorrow is going to be a LONG day.  No, the someone that I would love to spend my middle of the night with is a newborn.  


I remember when I was pregnant with my first.  I would be up at night enjoying a huge glass of milk (can't do that anymore though. . .dairy, especially processed milk makes me sick) in the glow of the street lamp in our apartment complex.  I would imagine being up in the middle of the night feeding my little one.  It would be quiet and peaceful.  I would listen to her quiet sucking.  I would cradle her.  Some things never change.  Although my midnight snack of choice has changed, I still sit here and wonder about my newest little girl.  What will she look like?  When I go back through baby pictures the resemblance between certain siblings is very obvious.  Who will she come out looking like?  Will she have a head full of brown soft downy hair like everyone else?  What will she weigh (a fun thought on the minds of all in this household as some vie to be the heaviest baby at 10.3lb while others fight to keep their status as smallest baby with the largest head)?  Will she nurse well?  When in the world will she join us?  


The waiting gets old but it's just part of life.  It's hard to convince yourself of that when you're exhausted being up all night for no reason.  For some reason, when I am up with babies and there is a reason to be up, I don't have many issues the next day.  But these nights right at the end of a pregnancy kill me.  I am so thankful for a husband who recognizes this and allows me leeway where his job allows to sleep in or nap.  I am very thankful for the thoughtfulness of my children who have been patient with my sleeping in and disrupting the schedule.  I am thankful for the grace God gives me.  Not only does He help me through my day but He's so patient with me when I have a bad attitude about waiting.  Despite the fact that I still have 2 weeks left (literally, I am 38 weeks today) my first two where born at 36 & 37 weeks.  I have forever struggled with going past those weeks and seriously wanting to have my babies early.  I am tired, big, uncomfortable.  But God is merciful to me.  He gives me strength for my day.  He is my rock.  


This is my favorite verse:  

You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. 

Isaiah 26:3-4

My biggest goal right now is to keep my eyes of Him.  If I don't I will go insane with the waiting.  That is probably more true when I have these nights of contractions that appear to be doing nothing.  I know they are doing something. . .they just aren't producing a baby.  But I won't be pregnant forever.  They do have to come out at some point.  HA!!!  And I eagerly wait her arrival so that my middle of the night takes on more meaning than just getting a midnight snack and blogging.  Although I do pray during these times, my prayers become more intense as I watch the little life in my arms taking in nourishment.  She has a heart that is hostile to God even now.  I must intercede on her behalf and ask God to save her.  When I pray this for one child, it simply increases my prayer for another.  I know my prayers now make a difference.  They just change when you're actually holding another life in your arms that is completely dependent upon you.  

Light Momentary Affliction

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is 

being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing 

for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the 

things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that 

are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I have not had the best day in the world.  I took a long nap yesterday afternoon.  It was much needed and Underdog commanded me to.  But it did just exactly what I was afraid it would do. . .it caused me not to sleep well last night.  I tossed an turned from about 11pm to 3am.  I finally got up and went down stairs.  I should have done my Bible study for the day but I foolishly spent my time doing other things so my focus was off today.  


I left a note for my kids this morning to get the day started quietly and let me sleep.  No one saw it. So I woke up to alot of loud children.  They felt so bad when they realized the note was there and tried to make it up to me.  Sweet kids.  They do not deserve to have me as a mom.  


One of my children woke up needing a nap already for the day.  I can't figure out if she's teething or is suspect that something is up.  She's been very clingy today.  I was honestly glad to put her down for her afternoon nap.  The other child that was giving me fits (literally) has taken to screaming over not getting his way, not getting help, you name it. . .he screams.  So I told him that when he screams today I was going to put him in the bath tub until he was ready to come out and not scream.  He spent more time in the bath tub this morning than he did playing.  (By the way, that is a drive bath tub.  Dry bath tubs are cold and not fun to be in.)  Another child decided that his sin wasn't as great as mine and used an opportunity to beat me over the head with a failure of mine.  All of this to take the focus on his sin.  I just about lost it.  I am so hormonal and cry at the drop of a hat these days.  His words really hurt but I didn't want to take it personally.  His sin shouldn't offend it.  It offends God enough.  


I finally called Underdog to see when he might be coming home.  I felt such a need for reinforcements today.  Just about the time I got off the phone with him, the baby began to wiggle.  This was just any wiggling.  She's down low and every move of her pretty little head would send sharps pains down my legs and through my abdomen.  I had another one do this and the flashbacks began.  He started doing at this time in my pregnancy and he wasn't born until 41 weeks.  To add to all this, my hands, feet, and face are now stiff, burning, and itching.  This is where the cholestatis usually starts its run.


But in the midst of just feeling great despair I picked up my Bible and it just happen to open to 2 Corinthians 4.  The title of that section said "Treasures in a Jar."  I have heard of the idea that God collects our tears in a jar (not sure where that is found though) so I kept reading.  When I got the part about this monetary affliction by heart was struck.  This IS a momentary affliction.  I have been through all of this with 6 other babies.  They don't stay in there forever.  They do come out eventually.  When they do, there is such relief and peace.  No more discomfort.  No more being big.  It's momentary.  The great thing is that the Word is true when it says it's preparing me for an "eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."  What we suffer on this earth is nothing compared to the richness of HIS glory is heaven.  What peace that should to all of us as we may suffer.  


God sees all that we experience.  In fact, His son experience a great deal of suffering in order that we could also experience His glory.  If we are called to be Christ-like then suffering should never be looked upon as a bad thing.  We are becoming more like Him.  I, for one, take great comfort in that.  It energizes me to keep going as I wait for His promise to deliver this child.  


(I want to make a small note here.  When I talk about suffering, at this point it's a physical suffering that is testing my resolve.  But I do not believe in anyway that I have experienced suffering in it's fullest form.  Although there can be persecution for American Christians, it's light compared to those that suffer around our world.  We are one of the richest nations in the world.  Most of us fall into the top 1% of wealth in the world.  Although a time is coming when our freedoms will be jeopardy, that times hasn't arrived.  The suffering of the church around the world makes our suffering and persecution seems as a joke.  Again, I am not saying we don't experience suffer.  Many are sick.  Many are hurting either in their hearts or physically.  But I believe we must keep our perspective.  If you want to know what the suffering church really looks like, look to the people in China.  Many of them are sitting in prison because they will not recant their faith.  Christians in Muslim countries are being murdered for their faith.  That is not suffering that we have ever experienced.  I don't want to make light of anything we experience.  God is Sovereign and all of us are in American by His grace.  We are comfortable yet suffer in the midst of that.  But we MUST keep our suffering in perspective.  If anything, knowing of the suffering of so many others should lead us to a place of gratitude that it isn't worse.)    

Pregnancy Update

It never occurred to me that I should do updates on my pregnancy.  Seems silly since I only have 3 weeks and 2 days until my due date.  LOL!!!  Nonetheless, I shall pick it back up (I think I was doing some blogging about it while on bedrest.)

I had a tremendous amount of fear surrounding this pregnancy in the beginning.  God has been gracious to take that fear and turn it towards Him.  I was fearful of having no energy like my last one.  When I have no energy I am simply not an engaged mother.  Well, I certainly didn't want that again.  Talk about a blow when I was put on bedrest and essentially cut off from my family.  But I didn't allow myself to be cut off.  We still did school.  Even had our same fun for Thanksgiving (maybe even more fun since I was kind of forced to stop and simply do what I have been wanting to do for a long time.)

After the bedrest ended in December I seemed to have an abundance of energy.  It was the holiday season, which is my favorite, plus I was in the beginning of the second trimester so I was having fun just being able to be somewhere in the house other than my bedroom.  The energy level stayed at a high until my iron dropped at around 28 weeks.  That was easily fixed with my Florodix and some extra chloophyll.  I have kept that up pretty regularly since.

I wasn't until about 2 weeks ago that I really felt myself slow down.  I think the baby put on about 10 pounds. . .of wait, that was me.  LOL!!!  Or so it felt like she and I had both put on weight.  Come to find out, I have been carrying alot of extra water.  Even in the midst of that, God was gracious to give me energy and keep me going.

The past week has been a little rough.  I hit the peak on the excess water last weekend.  My legs had been swollen all along.  I thought I was just carry extra weight in them.  Then my ankles swelled beyond recognition.  It scared me a little, especially since my last urine test revealed that I was put off protein.  My blood pressure was fine but it still concerned me a little.  So I started extra doses of the herbs to flush my liver AND I sat in a warm epsom salt bath.  That helped flushed alot of extra water.  If I don't watch my sugar intake, then I start retain alot of water.

This weekend has been interesting.  I think the baby dropped on Friday afternoon sometime.  I could suddenly breath better.  But let me tell you, her big head was putting lots of pressure on my cervix and I pretty much the contractions changed.  The hormones started changing as well.  I have been very emotional, crying at the drop of a hat.  I am also sick to my stomach like morning sickness all over again.  I can't sleep either, at least not comfortably.

God's grace again reigns.  He's been gracious to help me persevere and not get caught up focusing on myself. The worship service yesterday was especially meaningful as He gently reminded me where my eyes needed to be at this time.  Definitely not on myself, but on Him.  All that I do should be for His glory.  Withdrawing into myself, as I always do at the end of a pregnancy, and feeling sorry for myself because I am ready to be done doesn't bring Him glory at all.  This was my greatest fear.  I didn't want to get to the end and completely lose my focus on Him.  And He's been helping me stay centered.  He's helping me to trust His timing in all this, even though I have prayed that she might safely come early. . .according to His will.

I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow afternoon.  We start the weekly appointments now.  Yea!! My tub is set up in my bathroom and my birth kit is assembled.  I am still washing and fold all the extra towels and then will move to making sure her clothes are all washed and ready to be worn.  (I don't use dryer sheets but can smell the heavy chemicals all over the clothes I bought for her.  They were used from a consignment sale.  They make me sick just smelling them.  I am want to smell her sweetness NOT the dryer sheet's.)  I am continuing to keep school going for my older kids while I work around the house to fulfill the nesting desire that I have right now.  I have been working to purchase our new curriculum used and I am slowly collecting that.  And I have peace about her arrival and it's timing.

For the record, I have been praying that she would safely come early.  Why?  Well, honestly, I want to go to the homeschool book fair that is taking place 4 days after my due date.  LOL!!!  Isn't that silly?  But it's not just to go to the bookfair.  There is a precious family that Underdog and I have befriended through Facebook.  I think they found Underdog on this blog somewhere.  Well, the mom and her older daughters will be at the fair that weekend representing Rosetta Stone and I just really want to meet them.  I can forgo the fair if it's needed but I would disappointed if I didn't get to meet them in person.  They are just such a neat family.

One thing I did forget to mention is that I have started itching again.  My feet and hands are burning an itching.  This is usually where the cholestatis of pregnancy itching starts out.  I do have itching on the rest of my body but the burning hasn't started.  I would appreciate prayers over this.  Cholestatis can lead to stillbirth in babies its bad enough and you go past 38 weeks of pregnancy.  I have had it with all my girls and have gone past with 2 of them (my water broke with my first.)  It would be nice to simply induce labor next week but I struggle with the risk involved there as well.  The inductions never seem to work right.  I will praying for wisdom and discussing this with my midwife tomorrow.  In the meantime, I have to endure the itching and burning.  It's worse at night, hence the not sleeping well.

Something for Fun

Feminine Dress - Monday

I was afraid this would happen this week.  I failed to get a picture of the girls.  I thought about this morning but then we were so busy trying to get back into a good school week that I forgot.  So, I'll just have to describe what they were wearing and what they did.

Schmootzy Poo was wearing a yellow dress (her favorite color) with a denim top.  It also had little blue flowers all over it.  She didn't do much with her hair today.  That was my fault for not checking chore cards in which she has one specifically for taking care of her body each morning.  Her activities for the day included doing her school work and laundry.  We do all of our laundry in one day so there is alot of work to do on Monday.  Still, there was time to play.  Now, I think this is where many people lose the idea of the girls wear dresses to play in. It's really quite easy.  Right now her choice of play in the backyard is the trampoline.  It was damaged last spring in what we think was a small tornado or straight-line winds so it's been out of commission for a while.  Dad fixed in a few weeks ago so it's getting much use these days.  And indeed, even the girls in their dresses jump on it.  How?  Very simple. . .you require them to wear either bloomers or shorts under their dresses.  They can jump to their heats content when there is something under their dress to keep them covered.  They can do the same on a bicycle, although I admit they struggle to do it sometimes.  They are still learning where to put their dresses and such when they ride like that.  But the undergarment keeps them modest and feminine at the same time.

JennaBear wasn't much different today.  She was wearing a red floral dress with a denim top.  She did a great deal more school today than Schmoo did so she wasn't outside as much.  She did jump today though.  She forgot her shorts and actually came inside late morning and announced to me that she'd forgotten them.  Her younger brother and sister wanted her to jump so she asked them to wait while she got her shorts on.  Jennabear's love is the kitchen so you will find her there on must days.  Today she was learning how to make pudding. . .for a box.  LOL!!!  We have a recipe for homemade pudding but had no time to make it so I just bought a box this time around.  But she faithful stood at the stove in her dress and stirred the pudding until it was ready.  Normally we put on a apron while we cook but mom forgot and Jennabear doesn't have one that fits.  She and I have a summer project on the sewing machine now.  A new apron.

Pinky Poo did not wear a dress today but daddy dressed her and forgot we were doing our challenge this week.  I didn't want to change her as a means of submitting to daddy and not changing what he helped me out with this morning.

What about mommy?  Well, yes I was wearing a skirt today and (unfortunately) a tighter top than I prefer.  Today was grubbies day so I was wearing something I don't normally wear.  This top is more like a blouse but it's sleeveless.  I don't wear much sleeveless anymore simply because I don't think they are as modest.  If I can find a good tank top to cover then I might.  Not when I am pregnant though.  But I did put on a skirt even though it's really not as comfortable to wear.  Tomorrow I will put on my favorite dress as we have a going away party to attend.

So that was our day.  Hopefully I will get pictures tomorrow.  I want to get some of them in action not just standing their with smiling faces.

Feminine Dress - Sunday

I decide to go ahead and get our post for first day of Challenge done this afternoon.  My children have a passion play planned for tonight so I want to be available for that.  

Today, of course, is Resurrection Day.  I would love to sew more clothes for my girls but the size and age of my family makes my time rather limited right now.  Nonetheless, I do sew our new Easter clothes.  My girls like to match in their clothing so sewing allows us to match and coordinate in this way.  I took a picture of all three girlies.  My 17 mod wears alot of dresses as well.  

This is Schmootzy Poo (7 yod), JennaBear (almost 11 yod), and Pinky Poo (17 mods).  

Pink's dress matches the girls long skirt.  Don't these young girls just look lovely.  

And just to prove that housework can be done joyfully in a skirt or dress I took a picture of JennaBear vacuuming the front room.  We don't normal do this kind of work on Sunday but boredom and set in and she walked into the wrong room to complain about it.  

For the record, mom is wearing a dress behind that camera but I am almost 36 weeks pregnant and really don't want to record what that looks like.  

Changes in the Works

The arrival of a new baby in our household usually brings a myriad of changes for our family.  Babies kind of do that as we all have to adjust to a new life and learn a new personality.  We've gotten used to it though and the kids have learned to roll with the punches.  We are expecting our newest baby in less than 5 weeks.  With summer coming, the time for changes are truly upon us as I consider not only how to integrate this baby into daily life but also how our school year is going to look next year.  Because we are a homeschool family, our lives tend to be centered around our school days.  This is where our greatest changes are taking place.

After a great deal of prayer, wrestling, and talking with Underdog, we've make the decision to go strictly with textbooks next year.  This idea was introduced to me several years ago when I met Renee Ellison at Homeschool How Tos.  Honestly, I thought the idea was crazy.  There is so much written now about homeschooling that textbooks were commonly known to be simply bringing school home and not really a good way to educate a child.  They were demonized on many fronts.  So I kind of brushed the idea off but the idea wouldn't leave.  Then last spring I received a Mom's Corner from Teri Maxwell at Titus2.com.   In her corner that month she talked briefly about their decision to move strictly to textbooks.  I was so overwhelmed and burned out by that time that the idea seemed very appealing to me.  So Underdog and I made a trip to a local homeschool bookfair to check out the books.  But I chickened out.  I couldn't make that kind of switch with all the great curriculum out there to teach with.  So I made a vow to just keep going and to work harder.

Since that time I discovered I was pregnant (which honestly came as a total shock at the time), my then 4 yod was ready to read and was thriving on the challenge that academics bring him, and my responsibilities around our home and family have changed as Underdog really started working his own business.  So I approached him several weeks ago about looking into the textbooks again.  He told me honestly he was just waiting for me to come back around.  I was shocked.  I had no idea he thought they were such a good idea.  I immediately felt a weight beginning to lift off my shoulders.  I finally decided to order Managers of Their Schools in which the Maxwells give further details on their decisions to change to textbooks and then explain how they use them.  Much of what I read in that book are thoughts I have had long before the idea was even introduced and I was further sold on it.  I loved it.  

Since that time I have mapped out all the curriculum that we will need for 4 students.  I still plan to keep up my preschool with my littles but this is something I had already developed.  We are adding a good deal of the "Letter of the Week" from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  These two coupled with our workboxes should allow me time to spend with my littles as well as time to meet with my older students in our tutoring sessions.

The weight continues to lift as we get more and more of our curriculum in hand.  I see a light at the end of the tunnel allowing me time to simply mother my children.  The time I am now going have back will give me time to run my home, love on my husband, and simply BE with my children.  I can't disciple my children under all the pressure I felt to give them a "better" education.  Don't get me wrong.  I think some of these methods ae great ideas.  I wish I could do it but my personality does work well with it.  But I no longer believe that these great homeschool writers have the corner of the market on what makes a great education.  There is NO guilt in this switch no matter how much people say textbooks are bad for kids.  My kids are growing very excited about all this as they see that this may actually provide a gapless education.  And there a many gaps right now. . .many of which I see beginning to close as we've already started some of our books.  And I couldn't be more happy or confident in the way the Lord has led Underdog to encourage me in this direction.  Peace is returning.

Feelin' Feminine Challenge

Modesty is a topic that is very close to my heart.   Now that I have little girls this area has become even more important to me.  I talk with my girls alot about guarding their bodies.  We must keep them covered in order not to cause our brothers in Christ to stumble.  But we must also guard and protect them FOR our husbands.  A godly women does her husband good all the days of her life.  I believe this begins when they are young and modest plays a roll in this.

We start early talking about modesty with our girls.  For me this has always kind of started around 3 or 4 years old.  But recently I have felt convicted that I should even be helping to guard the body of my littlest girl.  What habits we start now (like running around naked or in a diaper) could potentially become problems in the future.

We have no specific conviction about wearing dresses and skirts only, at least not right now.  I will admit that my jeans and pants are a bit of stumbling block for me.  I love wearing them.  They are more comfortable to me sometimes.  Recently Underdog and I discussed the idea of simply making sure that if we do wear jeans or capri (no shorts above the knees anymore) that we would also attempt to wear a shirt that would fall belong our hips and backside.  My almost 11 yod, JennaBear, has grown to prefer that look but I remember many years ago being very convicted by her desire to dress in a distinctly feminine ways, much like her 7 yod sister now.

I post this in on behalf of my Schmootzy Poo my 7 yod.  I found a blog that I saved just for my girls to read when they are old enough to start visiting a few sites.  Feelin' Feminine is one such blog.  I love this site because it's encouraging to me to see older teen girls who are taking the call to modesty very seriously.  And they don't look frumpy in the least.  They honestly look very modern but are simply promoting the idea of distinctly feminine dress.  When I told Schmoo about the challenge she wanted to do it immediately.  So promised her when they did another challenge I would sign our blog up and blog on it for a week.  She convinced Jennabear to do this with her.  Mom is on hold as she struggles to find clothes to wear right now.  But I wear as many dresses and skirts as I can find that are comfortable and not too tight.

You can find more about the Feelin' Feminine Challenge here.  We will be taking pics of the girls and posting how they went through their day in feminine dresses.  This should be fun for all us.  Please join us in this.  Dresses are what make women in our culture distinctly feminine.  In many ways, pants are rather uni-sex but that is a topic for another blog.