So Much More Than Cookies...

We made these adorable Rudolph Reindeer cookies today!

Charlie was very excited to get to cook something! I love the way he giggles and says, "I'm so happy!" whenever we make something.

 Wesley enjoyed his buffet of cereal and milk. This is they way to have breakfast if it has to be cereal! you don't have to pick just one kind!

 We consulted the internet for a cookie recipe...

And then we consulted the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. Every cook needs this book!

First we sifted the flour, baking soda and baking powder...

Second we creamed the sugar and butter and then added the egg and vanilla.

It was very hard to mix! So Mommy used the mixer to finish it up.

 Then we rolled up the dough to sit in the fridge for an hour. We love dough that refrigerates because we can take a break and play!!

And take a picture or two! ;)

After the hour was up Wesley had a banana snack while we rolled out the dough!

We made little circles and pinched in the middle to make a head and body.

Then Wesley wanted to help! Oh boy!

Pretzel antlers, chocolate chip eyes and a craisen nose! You could use red hots of the nose, but my kids like craisens! All things my kids love rolled into one! And they're sooooo cute!

The finished product! 

All ready for the Christmas party!

Tonight...

Charlie, Wesley and I joined my mom at her work, a nursing home, and they had a Christmas open house there.

My kids got to cry on Santa's lap. 

Finally when it was all over, Charlie told Santa he wanted Play Doh for Christmas. Santa said, "Is that it? What else would you like?" And Charlie said, "An airplane." Santa said, "The kind with a remote control or one that you just throw and it flies?" Charlie said, "Airplane fly in the sky!" I said, "Like Rudolph!"

Santa said, "Have you been a good boy this year?"

Charlie replied, "No..."

Santa said that at least he was honest...

The food was so good, the music was cheerful and made you smile inside. 

The hot chocolate was delightful and the crafts for the kids (and kids at heart) were thoughtful and fun!

But what got to me was the people there.

My mom couldn't walk past a room without saying, "Kelly you gotta meet so and so!" And with a quick knock and a "Hello Mrs Jane" or "Hi Paul!" we got to sit at bed side and chat with some pretty amazing people!

Mrs Jane, a woman who has flown to many countries and Hawaii twice, who has 34 great-grandchildren and pictures of them all plastered throughout her room. Smiling, adorable faces...and here was their mom, grandma, and great-grandma, chatting away about how she adores them all...She will probably win the "best decorated door" since her daughter is an art teacher and totally rocked out her mother's door! With snowman cut outs all with her grandchildren and great grand-children's pictures as the faces of the snowmen!

 There was Paul- an old prosecuting attorney who was kicked back in his La-Z-Boy watching the game on his flat screen. He welcomed us in, fresh faces, and told my son he liked his hat. We enjoyed some fellowship time with him, said Merry Christmas and left for another visitor.

The decorations were beautiful in this place! Everywhere you looked it was Christmas. Poinsettias galore, lights hung from every doorway and chandelier. Pianos played by themselves and Christmas trees lit up every room. We found an empty room by the ice cream parlor and danced to the music of the piano! It was a great memory I am sure to keep in my heart of hearts!

One of the craft tables was in the movie room- these residents get to pick out a movie, pop some popcorn with a vintage machine that I'm sure takes them back to younger days, and sit down and enjoy a nice movie. Or have church in the chapel, that too, was decorated beautifully. Or visit the salon and get their hair fixed pretty, or better yet, the spa!! Yep! The spa!

I just loved seeing these old people with amazing lives and stories to tell.

All they need is an ear to listen...to know they're not forgotten.

I have made some great friends...if only in my own heart.

I am better because of them.

Maybe that's what God meant when He said it's better to give than to receive...

Merry Christmas!

My Mommy Prayer

Dear Lord,

I am the rule maker. 

I am the one who tells them to "drink your milk", to "put that down",  to "stop that", and "go to bed."

I say "no" a lot. And sometimes that's the right thing to say.

I am also their teacher. And I love this part of being their Mommy.

But what I really want to be, the the one who turns their heart toward You.

Who I really want to be is the one who plays cars, has the time to make them cookies, and catches lightening bugs in a jar.

What I really  want to say is, "YES! We can have another adventure today!!"

And I want to put aside my chores and all my grown up things and spend that precious time with them.

Because tomorrow they'll be grown.

And my chance to do those things with them will be gone.

You made a point in Your Word to let the little children come to You. And I want that to be my heart words, too. I want my children to know they always have a place on my lap. 

I want my arms to feel their body's so that I can remember what it felt like to hold them when they're grown. 

I want my eyes to stare at their little faces and smiles so that I can close my eyes and remember back when theirs eyes filled with excitement the first time they saw or did something.

I want my hands to hold their little hands and I want to remember how their little fingers feel next to mine...

They are truly a gift from You. Let me always remember this. 

Will You make me this mom? 

The mom that has time instead of tasks.

The mom that doesn't mind using all the blankets in the house to make forts. 

The mom that takes time to read the Bible to her children. And sing "Deep and Wide", Running Over", B-I-B-L-E" and "This Little Light"...

I want my children to remember me as the one who smiled, chased them around the house, tickled them, laughed with them, loved them, and taught them about You.

Not for my glory, but all for Yours.

Let me be the Mother that honors You in all I do...to remember that My Cup Runneth Over.

And never let me forget that I am Your child, too. 

Thank you for my many blessings.

Amen

Thank Full

Today started off as any other day. 
Get up at 6:15 and start the coffee pot, my wonderful morning companion.
Read my Bible, underline all the verses I come across that I want to always remember.
Pray for my friends and family. So many hurting, needy and desperate situations. 

And then...

In the midst of all the prayers my eyes get wet, my chin wiggles and I feel a pain in my heart- no, it's not a pain, it's an abundance of joy, knowing I don't deserve any of it yet He's given me all I need and more! It's looking at my children's faces that I get to put on display all over my house. It's seeing my husbands work boots in the laundry room that remind me at a random moment of how amazing my Jeff is- how selfless, how tired, how aching, how loving he is. Those aren't just any old work boots. Those boots belong to the best man I have ever known. 

I am so Thank Full- not just thankful. I am to the top, over flowing, appreciative, grateful, contented, overwhelmed,  and forever indebted to God for all the He has provided for me and blessed me with. Health, Wisdom to know that I need Him always, Children to remind me daily that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me more than I can imagine, A husband and best friend to show me I'm not alone in this world, and a husband that I can love back. I have a home that is the nicest place I have ever lived. Clothes, although they may not have the most famous names on the label are enough and according to God, rainment is meaningless anyway. I have more shoes and accessories than I should. I have food in all of my cabinets, refrigerators and pantry- and yes- that is multiple refrigerators.

See? Blessed!

I was able to make a couple Thanksgiving crafts with Charlie. We made a thankful wreath with a paper plate and his hand prints cut out and glued on the "wreath". I talked to Charlie about what thankful means and how we thank God for our food, house, family, toys and clothes. If Charlie doesn't learn anything for the rest of the year, I want him to know what it means to be thankful, in his heart, for who is in his family, his life, and for what he has.

Charlie is a helper. He's so much like Jeff. He loves to lend a hand, to be involved and to make a difference. I hope God uses those characteristics; and that Charlie becomes a man who is faithful, whose friend is Jesus, and one who loves, forgives easily, is merciful to those less fortunate, and stores up real treasures in Heaven. A man that is slow to anger and swift to pray for someone. A lighthouse. A shining star. A witness. A man after God's own heart.


I pray this for Wesley as well. He's a fire cracker that I just know God will work miracles through. He's wild, he's curious, he's a fast learner. He loves to pull up on your legs and stand there just hugging you, knowing that he's got hold on someone special. He's also loving. He gives me more kisses that a cat licks a bowl of milk. He's hugs me. He rubs noses. He's also feisty. Frisky. Funny. He has a sweet, sincere heart. I pray God uses these for His glory.

Jeff is more than I ever thought I'd have in a husband. Even with his flaws! ;)

Remember to be more thankful. Be Thank Full!

  Don't do anything grudgingly or for vain glory, but in lowliness of heart let each esteem others better than himself. This verse always comes to my mind- daily- to keep me remembering what I am here to do, to keep my heart right. 

I am so blessed.
 

Raising Rock Stars

 

 I'm totally excited!!

I've been contemplating, and thinking, and praying, and wondering, and trying to be creative about curriculum for homeschooling. I'm getting a jump start on this next year for a Pre-K kind of class for Charlie and another friend of his. This will help me see the cracks in my routine for when he is 5 and it's actually time for him to start Kindergarten- at home with me. The more I think about the fact that I am going to be Charlie's Kindergarten teacher the more excited I get! It's like being his dental hygienist, but better!

One of things I think I will love so much about homeschooling is the fact that we will all be together, in a busy, messy day of learning- day in and day out. I'm in charge of field trips, adventures, and the things they learn, for example, Bible reading time, Memorization and Prayer time...they won't get any of that in public school! I also look forward to forging deep attachments between my children and us as parents.

This is not to say that people who don't home school don't love their children as much or something foolish like that. I know plenty of great parents out there who send their kids to public school- and that works for them and that's what keeps their family in harmony. Either decision takes a whole lifestyle of adjustment! Whichever choice we decide to make has advantages and disadvantages.

 When questioned if her kids got as good an education as a public school, one lady from a blog I follow said, ".....I really feel like a mother with a library card can offer a stellar education." She had more to say but, you get the point.

 I want to experience so badly piling a hundred books on the couch about a hundred different things and sitting and reading the whole afternoon with my two best friends on my lap. I can't imagine a better afternoon!

Life, learning, and laundry will all fold together. Singing hymns around the table and watching my kids as they learn something they never knew before just puts a joy in my heart that I can't explain!

A Kindergarten teacher at Ann Weigel told me, "Everyone's a teacher if you think about it." I replied with, "and I've been teaching them since birth- sitting on the floor with Charlie as we put together a 6' puzzle of alphabet animals, going over what each letter sounds like and how God made each animal different- that's teaching!"

There are pitfalls to homeschooling and I will do my best to avoid those.

My heart is in doing whatever I do, as unto the Lord. I want to raise rock star kids for Him.

{Ahem}

Now for the best part of this blog. The blog I stumbled upon and am now in love with.

When I came upon 1+1+1+1=1 I stopped, mouth wide open, drooled a little bit, and fell in love. Kind of the same thing as when I had Charlie...no, I'm kidding! :) But, I seriously love this theme!!

One Father, One Son, One Holy Spirit equals One God. Started by a mom who taught Kindergarten in public school for 5 years and then decided to home school her own children- I cannot wait to delve into this more deeply!

When school is about to start I LOVE to go school shopping. I love freshly sharpened pencils, crayons, markers, playdoh, bright, white paper, the smell of new books, loading up backpacks, erasers, folders, binders, glue sticks, glitter...you name it. I have a weird addiction to all things school supplies! So, when I cam across this I was in home school heaven!

I can't wait to get a whole room ready for school. I can't wait to have all these printables in files labeled and ready to go. I can't wait to sit down and plan a month at a time what my kids will learn about, how they will learn about it, and what adventures we can take along the way. Wouldn't it be cool to sit on blankets at Farbach eating lunch with nature and having a lesson along with it? Endless opportunities!

I have a lot of printing planning to do before next September!

And I am so excited for it!!!