Faithful

I cried this morning during the cool down part of my workout.

No, I wasn't in pain.

No, they weren't happy tears because it was over...(although it was a good sweaty one!)

I cried because I was so thankful.

I know, you're thinking, "You were thankful you worked out?! Weird!"

But it wasn't that either. Good guess though.

During my workout, which is called Faithful Workouts, I was telling the boys how we should be so thankful that we can move our legs and arms, that we have a good heart that pumps and good lungs that can breathe lots of air. I began talking to myself- "Wow...how very easy it is to take good health for granted."

Then I got lost in the heart pumping, stomach crunching, leg squatting, child-birth-like pains (no just kidding on that part!) that I didn't think about it again until the cool down.

Michelle was talking about a book she read that was really convicting and that it was basically a call to move...and she talked about living the John 10:10 life. 

Are we clutching on to things and missing the blessings God has for us? 

I can't help but think of all the times I tried holding onto what I thought was the only thing I had left...and missed out on the real blessing that God had in store.

God is amazing. He created us. He loves us. He died for us.

He wants us to love Him and love others and take care of the people he put in our lives as well as care for our bodies.

I want to encourage you to visit http://www.faithfulworkouts.com/ or watch it 9:30am on the NRB channel. She's so encouraging and has me pumped to live the rest of the day focusing on God alone!!!

Let's praise God for good health and for our husband's good health, for healthy babies, for good food to eat and a Savior who has redeemed us!

Have a great day in the Lord!

Dirty Little Secret...

Yes, it's a dirty little secret that playing in dirt and mud 

is actually good for your kids...

Studies show that kids who played out doors and in dirt were less likely to suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, ADHD and obesity and had better immune systems and less allergies!

Besides, playing in mud is fun!

Isn't today BEAUTIFUL?!

I asked Charlie if he wanted to play in dirt and his response shocked me.

He said, "All kids want to play in dirt."  

It was a "Duh!" moment for me, but such a grown up answer for a 3.5 year old!

Anyway, so in Tot School today we spent an hour studying dirt and mud.

We learned that it is called "soil" and there are multiple layers including topsoil, subsoil and bedrock.

We also learned that some dirt is dry, some is moist, and some is very hard, called clay. Worms, bugs, rocks, animal poop, dead grass and leaves, water and air are all found in dirt.

When you mix water and dirt you make mud.

I would love to have had a BIG muddy area to paint with mud, make mud bricks and really get creative but our limited space and time today only allowed for mud cupcakes.

We learn something each day in our Fun Study Time. Then we do a craft with it and set it in the center of the table for our centerpiece for dinner. Then we can all talk about what we learned (remembering and retaining) and can share it with Daddy!

Tonight will be super fun to see Jeff's face when we put 6 "mud cupcakes" on the table! 

HUNTING FOR DECORATIONS! :)

Hey, you gotta have some fun and show your kids that learning is exciting and what they create matters! 

We had a great time...I just wish we would have found some big  long worms!

4 Tips for Cooking With Your Kids!

Hey guys!
Since we made home made pizza today, it inspired me to do a post about cooking with your kids. As I was thinking about what I would say, I thought it would be great to tell you some simple things that I have learned while cooking with Charlie. Here are my 4 Simple Tips for Cooking with Kids!

Strategy!
Plan what you're going to make, go shopping and when you get home organize the ingredients. Going through the store I have Charlie memorize three or four ingredients and I have him recite them back to me. This helps him with memory and it gets him used to thinking about food, so the actual  food is always a part of it, and it's not just about the doing part. This is also great for teaching follow through!

*Remember to wash hands before cooking! :)

Keep it Safe!
Kids love helping, which is great, but make sure they are aware of the dangers of a hot stove/oven and sharp knives. This is an obvious one, but can't go without mentioning. Anything can happen in a split second! I always do the prep work and let Charlie and Wesley do the easy stuff. They get to mix and dump etc. but I always do the cutting and putting things in the oven, stove. I also don't let them stand too close to the oven. Charlie slipped one time and got a second degree burn on his index finger. Took 2 weeks to heal and I was a mess!!! It's NOT worth it!

Keep it Simple!
Simple steps and a simple recipe that doesn't take 3 hours to make is what we go for. Simple gadgets are always great, spoons, bowls, mixers, blenders- hey they can push the buttons- and spatulas all work great for little hands and developing fine and gross motor skills! Also, it builds a child's self esteem to accomplish something- no matter how small it seems to us- it's big stuff to them! So, mixing, pouring, sifting, dumping, whisking, poking, patting, touching, any verb you can think up, they love it! It's easy to make a kid grin from ear to ear when you pat them on the back for an accomplishment- what a great memory it is for you and them- and a good self esteem booster to boot!

Keep it Special!

Introduce new ingredients or a family specialty! This teaches them about food that is good for them, that they can make things all by themselves (they don't always need to go out to eat) and that Grandma So-and-so made this for you when you were a kid! And what a palate it helps to develop! Picky eaters? Not in my house! We eat everything except liver...and goat cheese- but hey, I try. My kids don't really turn their noses up to much and that's probably because we make everything sound deeelishes! Kale? Awesome! Broccoli? They steal it off my plate. I make things healthy and fun- and that's all you have to do!

Take the time to spend with your kids because one day they'll grow up and give you 

just the same amount of attention you gave to them!

"I made this one!"

If a messy kitchen is what it takes

To spend my day with you,

Then I would bake ten thousand cakes

And smile the whole day through

If time with you meant dishes for days

and living in the sink,

Then I would wash and scrub away

And never even blink

If I had to have a dirty floor

from teaching you to cook

Then I would sweep and never care

of how much time it took

If all I ever did with you

was play and run and swing

My heart would be full of joy

And all the good you bring

~Kelly Moore~

8.25.12

Seize the day!
Capture every moment and keep it forever!

~Kelly

Butterfly...

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. 

We could never fly!

Two Poems...

"When It's Rainy Outside"

Written July 14, 2012

Inspired by the rain on Saturday while doing the dishes.

When it's rainy outside

I close my eyes

And listen to the sweet pitter patter.

As the rain comes down

I slowly sigh

And the rest of the world doesn't matter.

A cuddle on the couch

A quiet nap

My heart calmly beats with each tiny drop.

When it's rainy outside

The world goes by

But in here all things come to a stop.

To hear many rain drops

Is luxury

To watch them trickle down the window pane.

When it's rainy outside

A cheeky sigh

To listen and watch little drops of rain...

"I Said Unto Thee, Live"

Written July 16, 2012

Inspiration from Ezekiel 16:6

As the sinner lay there waiting

Expecting naught but wrath

Knowing his life is darkness

And death is all he hath

O, the words of grace and mercy

Came as He drew close by

He stopped, looked...He paused

He spoke these words of life...

Said the Master to the Sinner

"I said unto thee, Live!"

The eternal Lord in glory

With words of life to give

His free, unpurchased, unsought grace

Has quickened who were dead

It took but one death at Calvary

to pay the sinner's debt!

Guilty, ready to be condemned

The Mighty One said, "Live!"

The sinner arises, pardoned-

For the Savior does forgive!

Saved One, show gratitude and live!
Your Savior set you free
And the dawn of Resurrection-
What a day that will be!

Love this last one...to God be the glory!

The Sweet Life {for real}

Boy have we been busy!! I'm sure it's the same with you, too!
This month is almost over already and soon we'll be into July and holiday festivities...
Then back to school in August and another year full of AWANA craziness in September...
Trunk or Treat and the coolest old car show in October...
Thanksgiving...Christmas...

Ok, ok, ok...I know, it won't be that quick and it sounds like I've got the rest of the year all planned out.
But really, that's how life goes! Before you know it, the day is over, the week is over, the month is over, the year is over...in a blink.

I take lots of pictures, not because they are great, but because my kids are great. My LIFE is great!! Sure, it has it's busy times that are exhausting but then you have times like today- Saturday- when the kids are sleeping and the fan is blowing and you have time to blog about not having any time! :)

I am going through a chapter in my life where I'm making sacrifices to get to a point where we as a family can move forward in life and go, do, see, explore, create, learn, and discover new things. Where me as a mom can learn new things too and make my home a place that reflects my heart, my passion for life and my commitment to my God and my family. Soon- I'll get to embark on all those great things. But for now, it's working and sacrificing and praying for God's blessings and direction, strength and purpose.

So, while I could get all flustered that I don't have an iPhone, or an iPad, or anything that starts with an "i" or has any ounce of coolness to it whatsoever- I'd rather enjoy what I do have and live like nobody else- so that one day I can live like nobody else!

So, if you're in the same boat as we are (saving money, striving to get ahead, or like us, paying off your house) be comforted in the fact that you are not alone and one day it'll pay off big time! The success of financial freedom is more valuable and liberating than any accessory! True dat!

Also, rumor has it that having no mortgage has replaced the BMW as a status symbol and those with no debt are fewer and farther between than ever before.

So, go work hard money bags- and smile while you're at it. You're in the minority- and that's a great thing!

And get ready to live the sweet life- for real!

just something fun...

I have been behind on printing out and planning tot school activities and projects and learning things for Charlie...so he's just been tracing letters a lot lately! :D Finally I finished what had needed to be done for a looong time!

Just wanted to share what we did today!

We used to verse from 1 Thess 5:18 

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

 This verse has been the only explanation for me in a lot of trials that I have faced. We don't often know why we're going through something difficult and it's in those times that we need to pull on God's strength and know that whatever we're facing is God's will...and that He wants us to grow and become better and better with each passing trial- it's not always "sunshine and bunnies" and sometimes the "rain" is necessary...but this we know, the Creator- the Potter...is watching over us!

So, I explained to Charlie that even though it's sometimes rainy and even though it's sometimes sunny we ought to always give thanks for what we have, where we are, and that we have each other! This was ALL him today (except for Mommy who taped it up!)

Also, today we worked on letter U. A little out of order but that's the beauty of teaching yourself- you decide what you do today! So far we have done letters A-P...so we're not too far off. Gotta mix it up! :D

 

This is my {now} organized "workbox" are for Charlie. Everything we do for tot school is in each workbox that he moves down through during the day.

Here are some more things that he uses. Crafts container,  Tot books that have numbers, letters, colors and shapes that he looks through. I try to keep it fresh.

 

 

I printed out letters that Charlie can trace and put them in page protectors. He wants to do this daily so it has really gotten some use. I even put numbers and pages of lines and squiggles to get him ready for shapes and such.

 

Do-A-Dot art makes everything better!

 Really I just wanted to share the first picture but went overboard I guess. I have to make the most of the days I'm not working which is actually fun because we spend a lot more time doing things with each other than if we did a little every day. What we also do is our calendar songs: the weather, the days of the week, months of the year and color of the day.

 

That's all!