Things I Already Forgot (about newborns)

• Breastfeeding makes you extremely hungry, thirsty, and sleepy...all at the same time.  I forget about this until I've got my newborn good and latched on and then realize I forgot to grab a snack or drink.
• Speaking of hungry...breastfeeding "hunger" is much more intense than pregnancy "hunger."
• It's fun to play dress-up with a new baby...they look cute in everything.  It is not much fun for the baby...she hates it.
• Nothing stimulates baby's bladder and bowels like a clean diaper.  Nothing.
• Babies are little, but their cries are not.  In the middle of the night, it is the loudest sound imaginable!
• Spit-up happens (always on a cute outfit or on my side of the bed).
• Apparently, Packard babies always look alike...boy or girl (see evidence below):

  

  Exhibit A (Penn)

  

  Exhibit B (Jude)

  

  Exhibit C (Anna)

  Thank you and goodnight:)

Happy THINGSgiving Month;)

This morning, when Penn and Jude came to our bed for our morning snuggle (or their morning wake-up wiggles), we were talking about what day it was.  Penn asked, "Is this the month where we give people things?"  I assumed he was talking about Christmas, but in fact, he's just been misunderstanding us when we've been telling him that it's "Thanksgiving month" and we are supposed to be giving THANKS (not things) for everything and everyone.  We enjoyed our little morning chuckle:)

On that note, here are a few things I'm thankful for this week:

• Kisses from "super-heroes."
  
• A husband who likes to thrift shop.
  
• Feeling little Anna's hiccups for the first time this week.
  
• Finding a store that is actually selling baking pumpkins after Halloween!
  
• Having two churches (here and in SC) that we feel connected to.
  
• A Savior that has been so patient with me as I learn how to hear and obey His voice and be more aware of Him working around me.

God and the Little Things...

This is pretty choppy, but I'm pretty excited about it.  I couldn't figure out a way to write about this without it simply being a jumble of my thoughts, but I decided to put it out there anyway.  I hope you can find the meaning in it that I did.

Today I thought of something that I wanted (well really, it's something I've been wanting and trying to get for a little while now and it just hasn't worked out yet).  It was a somewhat selfish want...nothing like wanting health for my family or world peace or anything, but just something I wanted for Pack and I and our new baby girl.  No biggie.

After working through my Experiencing God workbook this morning, I had a rush of thoughts...

I wondered if what I wanted was something that was necessary for my home or just something for my and my family's comfort and enjoyment.  (comfort and enjoyment)

I wondered if God would be angry at me for interrupting His business of "preparing for eternity" while I ask Him to provide for something small.  (Would I be angry at my children for asking me to provide something small for them...HELLO...Christmas lists, anyone?)

I wondered what would happen if I just simply asked God for what I wanted and trusted that He would provide it.  (Either He would provide it, or He wouldn't...either way, I would survive)

So I did.  I selfishly, yet confidently asked God to provide me a way to get the couple of things that I had been wanting for our home in a way that would be impossible for me to do myself.

A strange series of events happened then.  Initially, I had an urge to write down exactly what I had asked for (which I didn't do because they boys got hungry and I had to make lunch).  Then, I forgot all about what I had originally wanted.  It completely left my mind, which was pretty unusual considering I've been thinking about it multiple times every day for a while now.  And finally...my husband called me (within a few hours) and told me that we were probably going to be seeing a little extra money in the next month or so, thanks to some changes that his work made (which will provide what I wanted plus extra!!!).

WHAT???!!!

Yep...by lunchtime, the God of the universe had shown me that He cares about my comfort and enjoyment...God cares about the little things.  He showed me that when I simply ask for something AND leave Him in charge (that's the kicker), He will provide it or something better.  God wants me to rely on Him for my every need and to express my wants to Him as well.

That was easy.

Matthew 6:25-27  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Rock me to sleep, Jesus

I'm taking an "Experiencing God" class at my church right now and the topic of quiet time came up tonight.  A consistent quiet time with God is always something that I struggle with and obviously, I'm not alone.  While we were discussing the topic tonight, someone chimed in with the response that we sometimes focus on the "block" of time we put aside for God, somehow thinking that if we put in our time, we can check "Time with God" off the list for the day and go about business as usual thinking that He'll bless that.

We're too busy to think about God during the day and then we're too tired at night.  Sounds like the life of a mom, right?

I know, as a mom of two (soon to be three) young ones, I spend many of my days in survival mode where I am in a constant state of exhaustion and motion and I can't really tell anyone why.  At the end of the day, the house is still a mess, we've done nothing educational, and sometimes haven't even stepped out of the front door.  Those are the days that life happens, I guess and as little time as I might have spent doing scholarly Bible study, those are also the days that I most desire to hear from my Savior.  When I crawl into bed some nights, I think about a passage that I read a long time ago in an awesome book by Brennan Manning.  He says,

The greatest gift any ragamuffin can receive from Jesus is the Abba experience. Jesus says we are to go to God with the unaffected simplicity of a child with his daddy. In  poignant psalm expressing childlike trust in God, David says, 'Enough for me to keep my soul tranquil and quiet like a child in its mother's arms, as content as a child that has been weaned.' (13:12) The little one is not an infant, but a weaned youngster of two or three who had been toddling around exploring the mysteries of his father's flashlight, key chain, and assorted coins left on an end table. The little ragamuffin suddenly wearies and staggers back into his mother's arms. Soothed by her affectionate words as she strokes his hair, the little guy falls asleep, tranquil and quiet.

Jesus invites us to become like a little child, to crawl into Abba's arms and let Him love on us. Though, as Alan Jones notes, "the most difficult part of mature faith is to allow ourselves to be the object of God's delight."

-- Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 234.

As I'm learning more about God and who He is and what His will is for my life, I'm able to understand that God doesn't want me to pencil Him into my morning.  He wants me to let Him weave himself into the fabric of my everyday (messy, crazy, unorganized) life.  He doesn't see me as a student to be taught, but a child to be loved on.  And if there's anything that I know for sure, it's that as a parent, you cherish those moments that your child crawls into your lap just to be close to you.  We don't get angry when our precious children fall asleep in our arms, so why would God be upset with us when we fall asleep with thoughts of Him?  So when the gears in my mind don't want to stop turning at the end of a busy day, I'm going to let my mind wander into my Jesus' lap and let Him rock me to sleep.

"At day's end, I'm ready for sound sleep; for you, God, put my life back together."   
Psalm 4:8

Blessings in the Storm

We are finally home from a really exciting, but really exhausting vacation.  We combined a birthday trip for the two of us (which I will blog about later) with a trip home to visit family and BOY was it an eventful week!  Aside from the fun things we had planned, we (along with the rest of the East Coast) dealt with an earthquake at the beginning of last week (whose epicenter was about 30 miles outside of our home) and a hurricane toward the end.

When we left Virginia last Friday (the 19th), we had no idea of what we would be missing...and I'm so thankful for so many things.  I was thankful that the earthquake wasn't more powerful than a 5.8, thankful that no one I know was hurt, and most importantly, thankful that we weren't home (because Pack would have been on the road and I would have been home with the boys...FREAKING OUT!).  And an earthquake is a scary thing, not even taking into consideration all the aftershocks that have continued to happen.  The scary part for us was that we had no idea if anything inside our house was damaged.  We would have to wait to get home to find out (not a thing was out of place, by the way...thankful).

And then there was Irene...

When we left Virginia, we knew there was a tropical storm in the ocean and we knew it was probably going to make landfall, but we figured it would probably strike the coastal areas (of which we are not), so we didn't make a lot of serious preparations before we left.  Just the normal security type stuff.  Then, while we were in San Francisco, we learned that Virginia was going to be pretty hard hit and all my friends in Midlothian were making emergency preparations.  We were thankful once again that we weren't home and that our boys would be safe in South Carolina while we were in hurricane-free California.  I knew we had a lot of trees around our home, but there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it, so we just didn't dwell on the worst case scenario and spend the time sightseeing and enjoying our time.  Then, on Saturday my next-door-neighbor called and I knew it must be bad news.  They were in the thick of the storm and called to let us know that a tree from their yard had fallen onto Pack's work truck....which was parked in the driveway next to the house.  They couldn't be sure there wasn't any damage done to the house itself, so once again, we had to just wait it out and see.

Well, we got home today and once again, we were thankful.  The tree that fell crushed the windshield of Pack's truck, but there was hardly any damage anywhere else on the truck.  Thankful.  Our house was unscathed (minus the yard, which is a wreck).  Thankful.  We have awesome neighbors that pulled out their chainsaw and went to town on the tree with Pack to make sure it was going to be light enough to move safely.  Thankful.  About five other men (three of which, we hardly even know), spent part of their Monday afternoon, lifting the giant walnut tree off of the truck while I backed it out the driveway.  Super-thankful.  Although the windshield was shattered, there was no water damage to any of Pack's things inside the cab.  Pack was thankful.  And the tree itself was VERY close to our house.  If we had been home, the family van would have probably been crushed instead.  If the tree had rolled off the truck, or fallen just a few inches in other directions, there would probably have been damage to the house.  As we cleaned up the yard and dragged branches and limbs to the curb, we couldn't complain about a thing.  We. just. felt. THANKFUL.  Thankful and glad to be home.

Oh, and we never liked that walnut tree anyway;)

TIMBER!!!

That was close...

The silver bullet saved the house!

The damage.  Could be worse!

Little Penn was working hard.  Jude was not interested.

Blowing sawdust out of the driveway.  Don't worry it's battery operated:)

 

No plans, just go.

My awesome hubby told us earlier this week that he wanted to take the kids (and me, of course) to Virginia Beach since we hadn't actually been to a beach at all this summer.  Out of the two of us, I am definitely more of the "planner" (which actually doesn't say much because I'm actually not a planner at all) and Pack is usually the "anti-decision maker" (because, well...he has a VERY difficult time committing to dates and thinking ahead unless it's work-related).  BUT....he booked us a hotel for a night and got us all psyched up for an overnight vacation (which, to be honest, is about all we can handle with out little guys lately).

Our plan was to have a nice supper, let the boys get some energy out in the hotel pool, and then hit the hay so we could have lots of go-juice for the beach on Saturday.  We did all those things, but it didn't go as smoothly as we had planned.  We had our celebratory supper (celebrating not cooking, of course) at the Cheesecake Factory and realized we were demonstrating why many restaurants are banning children these days.  We saw not just one, but three couples opt to wait longer for table than sit next to us (Oh, WHY didn't they let us have a booth????).  In our defense, we had to eat and at least we went early before the crowd really started pouring in...

On the walk back to the hotel, we passed a cute little cupcake shop and I thought a little sugar would help get my stress level back on track, so we picked up some to have after our swim and hurried on to hit the pool.  The pool was great and the boys had fun (after Jude got over his 15 minutes of being terrified of the cold water and begging for the hot tub).  We thought after a nice dessert, bath, and prayers, the boys would go right to sleep while we watched HGTV.  We were wrong.  It took Jude an hour to give up the fight (after many threats) and then Penn decided he didn't want to be awake alone and tried to wake Jude up by bending his finger backwards.  What was he thinking???!!!  After settling that, we cut the T.V. off and we all drifted off to sleep.


This morning, our boys woke up with plenty of "go-juice."  We were all eager to get out of the little hotel room and hit the beach.  After an awesome breakfast at our hotel and a quick shopping trip for beach snacks and a couple more toys, we were ready.  Getting a parking place close to our spot, was grossly expensive, but worth it when we were having to lug a beach bag, shovels, buckets of toys, umbrella, and two wild little men across a busy street.  Once we touched the sand though, we hit our stride.


From mid-morning until mid-afternoon, we did a lot of playing in the water and a lot of this:

Yeah...I'm the mom that packs a disposable cup and spoon for sand toys...so what!

Filling the bucket with sand so I could dump it over and break it...oops!

Sweet beach baby:)

It was pretty fun getting sandy...and thanks, Pack for not making me look like a fatty:)

Hey mom...you sunscreened your boys, now would be a good time to sunscreen yourself!

Beach play wipes you out!

More creative sand toys:)

When we decided it was time to go, we grabbed hot dogs for the boys, some Chick-fil-a for us, and we were homeward bound.  It was a great trip and I'm so thankful that our life here allows us to make no "real" plans and just go.  I'm also thankful for a husband who knows how to "roll with it" and take some initiative when I don't even know that I need him to.  We had a blast and I can't wait to go back!

The Secret's Out!

Secrets...

I hate them.  I mean, I love the juicy stuff that secrets are made of, but I just can't seem to keep them.  And I've got one right now.  I can't even think of anything to blog about except this secret (that may not be the best-kept secret already) and I know that it will continue to be part of my writer's block until it's completely out.  So until then, I'm avoiding my blog.  Just wanted to put it all out there without really putting anything out there...

Things I Dig

In response to my grump list...here are some "things I dig."

• Lists (obviously...)
• Babies (my twin sis is having one RIGHT NOW...there will be another post on this)
• Camping
• Window shopping
• My boys
• Having a husband who tours VA wineries when he travels on his off time.
• White Merlot (see above)
• Dessert
• Bubbles
• Reading 
• Trying new foods
• Seeing moms breastfeed in public (go ahead and roll your eyes, I'm cool with that)
• Ice (preferably from Jumpin' J's in Florence)
• Making my husband a meal that he requests to eat again (chicken spaghetti, baked eggrolls, Ramen casserole???)
• Making my kids a healthy meal that they will actually eat 
• Sappy, romantic, cheesy stuff
• Perfume, blush, and lip gloss (on a deserted island, this is what I'd miss)
• My parents, siblings, and in-laws
• Having a friend nearby to do free date night exchanges with
• The "rainbow" selection at the car wash
• Coffee someone else makes 
• Having a husband who is "not a natural," but gives it all he's got ;)
• Facebook
• Learning to make my own "stuff"
• Peace (the groovy, hippie kind) 
• Peace (that passes understanding)
• Having a Savior.  Enough said.

Overrated...

A list of things I'm not into...right now.

• Sorting laundry
• Politics
• Measuring before hanging pictures
• Recipes without substitutions
• Grass (as in "lawns")
• Preschool
• Disposable Products
• "Me Time" (I kind of like my husband and kiddos)
• Shopping for Clothes
• War on Germs (aka "antibacterial" everything)
• Washing clothes before wearing them
• Stuff (aka "dust catchers" or "attic fillers")
• Meat as the main dish (I'm sorry, Pack...it's not you, it's me.)
• Phone calls
• Eyebrow maintenance
• Running
• Having to CLEAN a washing machine (seriously, my oven can practically clean itself, but the washer???)     Speaking of...
• Front loading, HE washers
• Itineraries on vacations
• Coupons
• Uninterrupted sleep (who needs it, anyway!?)

Actually, it sounds like I might need a few nights of uninterrupted sleep...I sound like a complete grump!  Maybe I'll make a new list of things I actually like...some other time.

Pack, this one's just for you:)

Eleven years ago (when I was a junior in high school), I had this crush on a guy who may or may not have known I existed (and who may or may not have known which "twin" I was).  We "talked."  We flirted.  We went to a concert together.  I told him I had a thing for big, strong, tall guys.  He said he always like petite girls.  He gave me a piggyback ride on the beach because I didn't have shoes with me on the shell-littered shore.  We had our first kiss at his house and we became "boyfriend and girlfriend."  After a sweet summer with lots more kisses, I was addicted.

Sometime that first year.

 Then...he went away to college...FOR FOUR LONG YEARS (well, four-and-a-half, if I'm being honest).  I tried going to college close to him (it didn't work).  He thought about coming home to be close to me (he didn't).  There were a couple of times that we both thought it just might not work (but, it did).

One month after he graduated (on my 21st birthday), he asked me to marry him at a picnic on the grounds of the university I was attending.  I still can't believe I didn't cry.

Telling the Family!

Just a few short months later, in April of 2005, I married him...at last (and I still didn't cry)!

The kiss!

Now, six years after that most perfect wedding day, I'm living in someplace I never imagined I'd be with someone I never imagined I would be able to love more and more each day, and I have the job of my dreams...as the mother of his children.

Nowadays...

He makes me laugh all. the. time.  He is such an awesome dad.  He makes me feel beautiful (even though very little about me still resembles that "petite girl") and I have never doubted his faithfulness.  He prays with me and for me.  He always surprises me.  He never stops trying to be better--at his job and at home.  He makes me walk on the inside of the road with the children so he can protect us from traffic.  He's an awesome guitarist.  He is honest with me.  He is such a professional and his work makes me so proud.  He's a friend to everyone.  He's mine and I know he loves me.

Me with my best friend!

Pack, thank you for kissing me, loving me, and asking me to marry you six years ago.  You are very simply the best husband I could ever dream of and I'm so thankful that God saved you for me!

Happy (late) Anniversary!!!

Time to Breathe

We have been so busy for the past few weeks (or just this past month) that I haven't even thought about blogging.  I mean, I wanted to, but life comes first, right?  Here's a little synopsis of what the Packards have been up to lately!

Visitors!  It seems we've had a steady flow lately since we got the "office" switched to our bedroom and we actually have a "guest room" now.  Starting with Karen, Cam, and Jac back in mid-March for a weekend-long play date, followed by my parents the next weekend for Jude's birthday (which was lots of fun and my parents helped a ton!), and most recently Pack's mom came for an overnight visit last week while traveling to Lynchburg (she took us out for dinner. and gifted me a nice solo grocery shopping trip!!!).  It's been fun.  I love having visitors although I'm still learning how to be a good hostess.  Luckily, family is very forgiving so it's been stress free.

Traveling to SC.  It's always fun going home, but that drive is surely dreaded.  We've been to South Carolina a couple of times this past month.  One time I just didn't want to stay by myself for that long while Pack had to be in Florence anyway, and then there was this past weekend that had been planned for a while.  This past weekend was an adventure of its own...

Dirty children...the only time they stood still!

This past weekend.  If you have ever wanted to pack your weekend with as much activity as possible, then you should let me plan your schedule.  I can never decide if I'd rather have one thing to do every weekend for four weeks or four things to do in one weekend.  Since we don't live in Florence, we just have to pack in as much as we can in a short time frame whenever we come home.  This weekend was no exception.  We started with a campout on Friday night with our church (after driving straight to SC).  Then we got up early, had breakfast, and headed home to mom's to clean ourselves up.  I was immediately off to do some shopping for some things I would need in the afternoon.  After getting settled back at mom's, she and I were off to my aunt's house for a shower we were throwing for my sister, Karen who is having her first girl (pretty much our whole family's first baby girl...we're pretty excited).  We had approximately 30 minutes to set up before the shower started and it was a hit.  She got some way cute things!!!  We cleaned up by 5'o clock and I headed back to my mom's to pack my bag for an overnight hotel stay uptown with my sweet husband on our anniversary (most of the day I was so busy, I forgot it was even our day, but I'll devote another post exclusively to my sweet hubby later this week!!!).  We ate dinner at a great new restaurant called Southern Hops and had a great night's rest in a spacious hotel room without being disturbed....ahhhhhh.  Then--back to breakfast at mom's, followed by church, lunch, and then target practice with Pack's dad...oh yeah, then church one more time (pant, pant, pant).  We made it home yesterday (after a long and stressful drive to RVA) and went straight to our Small Group Bible Study.  After putting the kids to bed , we both crashed by 9:30.  I am SO. GLAD. TO. BE. HOME.

Carmon's Diaper cupcake ceterpiece!

A brand new day.  Back to the grind, right?  Started today off with a 2 year old check-up for Jude only to have it thrown in my face that he's growing faster than the speed of light (okay, not that fast, but three and a half inches in just a few months is pretty significant).  He jumped from 75th percentile in height to 95th although he's still a scrawny little thing.  I swear I'd kill for his BMI...  Baby Jude is turning into a boy, I guess!

There are so many things going on in my family that I have to be thankful for right now. We are really blessed and so grateful!!!!  Hopefully, this month will be a little slower paced so I don't forget to take some time to breathe (I doubt it though...).

P is for Patience.

Week one of "home-preschooling" is over!  On Monday, we started this simple little curriculum I bought from Laura Coppinger at www.heavenlyhomemakers.com, called, "Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve."  It's as simple as it sounds and I loved it as soon as I saw it because it gave me an opportunity to try out homeschooling without dishing out tons of cash for a preschool curriculum that was totally unnecessary.  I also loved that I could take this and run with it completely or just use bits and pieces of it that would fit into our days.  I am all about using someone else's good ideas:)  And who doesn't want to teach their children to have a servant's heart???

I was going to tell you all about it...how I bought it, what we did day by day, why I chose not go linearly through the alphabet...you know, stuff you're probably not that interested in.  Instead, I'll tell you this story and you will hopefully see the heart behind the lessons.

Day One.  We talked the Letter "P" to death.  Penn really liked the idea of "school" so I thought things were going pretty well.  Then, we tried to think of people that we could pray for that started with "P."  Unfortunately, we could only think of four people (bet you can guess two of them...).  It suddenly occurred to me that "penny" starts with "P" and when I worked in a public school, we took up a collection for "Pennies for Patients."  That sounded perfect to me!  I told Penn that we would be on the lookout for pennies for a while and that we would give them to sick people in the hospital.  Shortly after, I found him in his room, dumping out all of his money from his banks.  He was separating all the pennies so he could give them to the sick people.  I think I might have cried.

I see a ton of lessons about serving in that face right there...and I'm the one who needs to learn them.

It started with an alarm at 6 am...

Actually, it started with a shower before bed.  There was no way I was going to get myself up at 6am for nothing in particular a day at home with the kids if I had to take a lukewarm shower first thing in the morning, then blowdry hair, then straighten...ugh....

Anyway, so I did that last night and set my alarm for probably the first time in months

Would it matter?  Would I keep hitting the snooze until the kids woke up?  Why was I doing this again?

I've had a revelation (yes, another one) as of late.  I don't work outside the home anymore and I've found that I've been totally a bit lazy.  I think I just finally realized that even though I might not leave my house, I still had a job to do (a much more important one).  I couldn't shake the thought of how I wasn't giving this "job" the same amount of preparation that I gave myself when I worked outside my home.  I would never have started my day in a robe, without a shower, that late in the day (and I use the word "late" very loosely...it's a relative term when you have young kids).

So I made a decision:  I would start getting up at 6 am, BEFORE the kids woke up, so I would have some time to "group" before they began their job of  un-doing the entire house  acting like children, learning, and growing.

And after debating it for about two months....I DID IT!!!!!!!

You know what?  It made my day start out so much easier than rolling out of bed onto the feet of a demanding toddler and preschooler.  These are just a few of the things I did while the boys were still sleeping:

• I took my time getting dressed (a pure luxury).
• I put on make up and straightened my hair (without having to chase down and wrestle cosmetics and hair tools from the boys).
• I made up the bed before I left the room.
• I made a pot of coffee (that I started last night so all I had to to was mash the "on" button).
• I took out the trash...including ALL the bathrooms.
• I listened to "The Counter-Cultural Woman" in peace and quiet.
• I made a breakfast that I've been wanting to try, but haven't because it takes 40 minutes.
• I ironed Pack's work clothes.
• I did the dishes (that I should have done last night.......).

And then my time was up.  7:30.  My kids are like clockwork.  And they almost passed out when they saw I was already dressed ;)

Being this productive so early in the day, left me some time to actually SIT with Penn and Jude for breakfast AND lunch, sweep and mop downstairs (I know...fun fun, right?), take the boys to the library,  and read a book outside while the boys played in the "bounce house."  Simple things, but nonetheless, things I never get to do without "multitasking" (aka, "something I'm not very good at").  And I might even get a chance to have some "couch time" with my MAIN MAN later without a pile of laundry that needs to be folded between us!  (That sounds like a date night, don't you think?  Why, yes...I think it does *wink, wink*)

I am so grateful for this day of productivity and I think it has helped me be more patient with the source of my work.  My job is not to keep the house spotless...it's to raise up the two little boys that I've been entrusted with.  And by giving myself that extra little bit of time to "breathe," I've actually had the heart to work harder and better than I've been able to in a long time.

Now the question remains...can I do it again tomorrow???

Rough night

It sucks when your feverish three-year-old wakes up several times because he doesn't feel well.

It sucks when that same child wakes up at 2 a. m. screaming bloody murder and hitting you because he thinks you're a monster.


And you can't sleeep well because there is a child laying on each arm, cutting off the circulation, and begging you to "do my back" all the while you are freezing and can't get up to turn off the fan without disturbing them

And then when your one-year-old decides he wants to get up before 6 am.

And also when they are both so sleep deprived, they fight through breakfast and the only respite you can get is to plop them in front of the T.V. for 30 minutes (at least).

When will my husband be home???

I'm there.

You know those seasons of life, where you're just happy where you are and not wishing you could be at a different place? You know, the ones you just want to pause and soak up for a while?

I'm there.

I love this life.

Those boys....sigh...

Calling my bluff

I've been suggesting nagging Pack about lowering the thermostat in the house lately (mostly for my own hot-natured comfort, but also to save some money) but I didn't really think he'd do it.

He called my bluff.

I'm in a sweater and boots in my 63 degree house and I'm still freezing.  Here's why:

Short of using our actual names, our pastor shared a message on Sunday that really identified us.  I don't think that many people saw us elbowing each other during church (while whispering, "That is soooo us!").  We should have known it was a message meant for us when it started with a clip from The Office.

It was about money (specifically debt).  We can relate to that.

Here's the deal.  One year ago, we REALLY realized how much in debt we were.  We knew we had some debt, but I guess we just hadn't sat down to add all of it up (because student/home/car loans seem like good debt, right?).  We paid off several puny credit card balances and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done.

Or not.

Turns out, Pack wasn't the only one who called my bluff.  I thought if we paid off a few things here and there that we would be doing all we should and God would be happy and would let us have more money.  Turns out, our new church started the year out with a series on "The ABC's of Financial Freedom" that opened our eyes.  Turns out, everything we thought we knew about money was WRONG!


Sounds like bad news, right?  Well, here's the good news (and it's awesome).

We don't have to be slaves to our money (or society) anymore!

That's why I'm considering this post my Emancipation Proclamation from debt.  I don't want it to own us anymore, so I'm putting the word out.

We're getting free.

We're starting now (and that's why I'm freezing).

And as if I wasn't cheap enough, I'm willing to cut every corner I can find.  Pack and I even had a head-to-head Magna Doodle brainstorming session on ways we can cut back.  We're excited.

To be honest, it's not all confetti and balloons though...we are experiencing some of the friction that occurs when two people come to terms with their bad habits and it's gotten ugly at times.  Next we're going to need someone to teach us how to talk calmly about money and how to be accepting of each others' ideas (but no, Pack...we are NOT drinking powdered milk and I won't even bring up your other "money maker.").

Please pray for us as we learn to live without the false security of debt.  Pray for our family and for all the other families at our church that are learning how to "break free from the bondage of debt."

I have already been so blessed and excited by this series.  I'm so thankful God moved us here to VA when we did and helped us find this church that blesses us EVERY week in so many ways.  I'm thankful God planned this for us and planned for us to be set free from this mountain of debt that looms over us.

I'm thankful, He called my bluff.

Preschool???

Am I being unconventional when I say that I don't think it's necessary to go to preschool?  I've been getting a lot of information lately that is supposed to make me decide I should send my 3.5 year old to preschool to "get him ready" for regular school.

I'm not buying it.

I understand that a lot of kids end up in preschool because both parents work or because maybe the child requires some special instruction (like language, for example) that the parents cannot provide, but besides that...I don't get it.

These are the two guilt trigger phrases that I feel are thrown at parents the most:

• Your children need the socialization that they will get from other kids at a daycare/preschool. Uh....no they don't!  If mom needs some socialization away from the kids, that's one thing, but my 3.5 year old doesn't need to socialize with anyone except me.  No one will deny that kids model their behavior after the behavior of the parents more often than not.  With good role models as parents, your children will be plenty fine learning from socializing with you!  I'm not saying that you should keep your kids away from opportunities to play and engage with other children; I think that it's vitally important that kids know how to react with their peers.  Instead, I'm suggesting that your kids will benefit from as much quality time with you as possible in the early years.  Don't feel that you're depriving your kids of a necessary experience by choosing to forgo preschool.
  
• Kids who go to preschool do better in school and are more ready for it.  There are a couple of reasons that I take issue with this.  First of all, I didn't go to preschool and I think I was plenty prepared for school when I started after adjusting for a couple of days.  That makes this argument personal.  Secondly, from an educational background, your kids aren't learning that much in preschool that you couldn't teach at home.  Don't believe me?  Read up on What Your Child Should Learn in Preschool and ask yourself if you have basic knowledge of those skills (That's a joke.  You know how to do all of it...hopefully...if not, you might want to think about preschool).

I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty who is already sending their child or children to preschool.  Moms already deal with enough guilt for every single other parenting decision out there from breastfeeding and diapers to co-sleeping and car seats.  Not sending your kids to preschool is just something that we don't need to feel guilty about and it's frustrating that people wold assume we wouldn't do what we thought was best.  If I'm happy being with my children and they are well-adjusted and healthy, then to me, that's the best-case scenario.  After all, they are only little for so long and I want to soak up every little bit of their childhood as possible!

Resolution Review-January

I was thinking that the best way to hold yourself accountable for a goal is to review it periodically.  Since I have 11 goals for 2011, I figured it would be wise to review these monthly.  I don't expect I'll blog about it every time I review it, but I will this time:)

1.  Homemade Quilt.  I cut out some squares.  I really need a book.  I seriously don't know what I'm doing and I have this thing about not wasting time for pesky things like measurements, which is causing me some problems.

2.  Vegetable Garden.  Not. Even. Close.  I just don't know where to start.

3.  A Proverb a Day.  I've actually done this so far.  I might skip a day, but I know I'll be reading it next month, so I try not to stress about it.  I think I'm going to read a different translation (on my Droid) each month to keep it fresh.

4. Limiting Eating Out.  We did really well with this for two weeks and then blew it out of the water on the weekend.  You can't win them all, right?

5.  Get rid of clothes.  I started with the childrens' clothes and moved to my "unmentionables."  I cut out at least half there.  The other clothes just seem a little overwhelming right now.

6.  Small Group.  This weekend!  I'm very excited to be joining a group.  My only debate was whether to join a women only group or a married couple's group.  I think we settled on the married with children group as a start.

7.  Lose 10 pounds.  SKIP!

8.  Renovate our Kitchen.  Not yet.  I'm afraid this will the the first resolution to go...

9.  Family Service Project.  Pack gave me a great idea to make some bread for our neighbors and have the boys take it to them (with me, of course).  I've noticed that I THINK we are the only people on our street who go to church on Sundays.  Maybe we can invite them when we deliver the bread....

10.  Loving Pack.  I'm learning his love languages:)

11.  Make less waste.  I've gotten the ingredients to make some laundry and dishwasher detergent and I've also bought some hybrid diapers.  Of course, after I bought them, Jude decided to start potty training, but I guess that will help with our efforts anyway:)  I'm also doing MUCH better at remembering to bring in my reusable grocery bags at the store.  I'm having a lot of fun with this resolution.  I'll have to do a post on this alone one day.  It's pretty addictive:)

So that's where I am.  I'm on it (for the most part) so far!  I'm excited to see how much I will have done by summer.

Oh, how I long for summer, but that's another post!

To-Do List

I thought about making a to-do list today.  Pack will be home tomorrow and there was a lot I wanted to get done while he was away.  Then, yesterday came rushing back to my memory and I went with my better judgement by just going with the flow today.

This morning, my shower was still cold, drinks were spilled, messes were made, cleaned up, and made again, and yes...I fussed (hey...my kids are 1.5 and 3.5...it happens).  The difference is that today I kept reminding myself of those words that He brought to my heart yesterday, "You're doing this because you love them--you don't have to be a natural!"

And do you know what?  It made all the difference!

So instead of focusing on all the things I might not have checked off on my would-be to-do list, here are some things that I actually got done:

• I made up my bed.
• I swept and mopped the entire downstairs (a rare feat!)
• I separated all the clothes that were too small for Jude.
• I got the boys to take a nap from 2:00 to 4:30 (!!!!!!!)
• I found a good recipe for whole wheat bread and made it.
• I played with the boys outside (well, in the garage...it was COLD!)
• I made three meals.
• I kept the sink empty.

So, some of these things wouldn't have even been considered important enough to even make it to the to-do list (making up bed, cooking, dishes, naps), but today they were an accomplishment that I was proud of.

Tomorrow, I don't see any blogging on the horizon.  I'll be busy doing most all of the above and getting ready for my sweet, sweet husband to get home and release me for a long overdue girls' night (yippeee!!!).  I'm so thankful for today and this breath of fresh air!