E-Book: Healthy Homemaking

I just purchased a copy of a great resource that I thought I might pass along to others. It is "Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time". I've only read the first few pages but it sounds like the book for me. As mentioned before I have a bad habit of starting to make changes and then getting burnt out. I'm using this as a guide to help me slowly incorporate changes to make my family healthier so I can actually stick to it!

You can check out the book using this link.

Mommy Confession - Pride

I'm sure you haven't noticed but I haven't been blogging. I'm not really sure why and I'd like to be able to answer that question. Maybe it's because I have not been doing much with Michaela in the Tot School department. Maybe it's because I've been spending too much time reading other blogs. Maybe I've become a little lazy.

All of those reasons could be the case but I really think it's just a bad habit I have. I get really zealous about making some changes in our lives and then I get burnt out. I have begun to notice a pattern. Want a few examples?

Started "Flying" with the Fly lady (another post for another time. You can check out her website if you'd like.) Loved this but I ended up quitting.

Blogging. I have a tendency to go through ebbs and flows with this hobby. I do it for a while then quit but I really like doing it so why do I quit?

Tot School. I got really into planning out activities and even devoted a whole room for her school. No sooner did I start making this a part of our schedule did I find myself backing off day by day.

Sewing. I made a few cute things, got really excited and then put the cover on my machine.

My latest fad is natural cooking. I decided I didn't want to continue to eat boxed, processed meals so I have been scouring the internet and blogs to find natural, frugal recipes. I have also decided to make all of Corbin's baby food instead of buying jar foods. I wonder how long this one will last for me?

I really struggle with committing to the changes I want to make in my life and my family's life. All of these habits/hobbies are good for my family but I can't seem to make them stick. I notice when I start to implement the changes I become prideful. I really honestly don't want to have this attitude but it seems to happen time and time again.

It would be very easy to blame this one on Satan but I really think this is something that I need to take responsibility for so Christ can help me overcome it. Every time I see the pride I just tend to stop doing what is making me feel proud and not deal with the root of the problem. This only ends up hurting my family since the habits and hobbies are edifying and my intentions are genuinely God-honoring. Somewhere along the way I let my sinful nature get the best of me.

I'm not telling anyone this so that I can get a pat on the back for spilling my guts. If I want to continue to blog and share my experiences with other Moms I need accountability. My husband and I have learned that keeping our sins in the dark can only make them worse. I would rather confess my sins to God and others so that I can move forward and strive to be the woman that God intends for me to be.

Does anyone else struggle with this? If so, what have you done to help correct this sin?

What I love about you- 22 Weeks

What I love about you at 22 weeks

I loved seeing how happy your Dad was when you got dressed up in your Louisville football jersey for the first time.

You watched your first football game this week.

I love how protective your sister is of you. She is so loving to you.

I love how big you look when you are dressed up like a little man. You are so cute in your polo and jeans!

You can see other proud Mommas at Lil Ladybug's blog.

Acquire Wisdom! Acquire Understanding!

This morning I felt led to share some things that God is showing me in the book of Proverbs. I started reading Teach them Diligently: How to use the scripture in child training by Louis Priolo. While reading I realized that I hadn't memorized a lot of scripture. It was becoming increasingly hard to use scripture to discipline her when I didn't have enough of it stored in my head and my heart. This lead to my study of Proverbs. This is an amazing book for wisdom. I didn't realize how much of it could pertain to child rearing! I guess that is the amazing thing about His word; you can always learn somthing new.

Wow. I'm really chasing a rabbit here. Let me get back to my point ;).

Sometimes I feel, what's the word...silly when using biblical language to correct Michaela. It's not something I heard growing up and it's not the main stream way of correction. I second guess myself and think that maybe she is just too young to understand "obey", "honor", "respect", "wise", etc. I mean, she's only two.

But God confirmed to me this morning through His word that I should continue to use the scriptures to correct her. Proverbs 4:3-9 says,

³When I was a son to my father,

Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,
⁴Then he taught me and said to me,

"Let your heart hold fast my words;

Keep my commandments and live;
⁵Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶"Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷"The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your acquiring, get understanding.
⁸"Prize her, and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.
⁹"She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty."

King David taught Solomon at a young age about wisdom. My first thought was that he had to be very young because it said the only son in the sight of my mother. I assummed there were more children so he was probably very young. He still might have had more children with Bathesheba but it doesn't mention it in scripture so I don't want to make that assumption. He does use the word tender so we can say that he was a young person.

From the young age David is teaching Solomon to acquire wisdom and acquire understanding. According to Webster's dictionary acquire means "to get as one's own". My goal as a mom is to lead my children to love wisdom and to fear God. I don't want them to fear me as a parent because one day I will not be here. One day they will leave my sight but they will never leave the sight of God.

Not only am I to teach her wisdom but I also have to teach her how to use this wisdom. She needs to acquire understanding. I need to let her see how the Bible is practical in her everyday life. Another goal is to show her that God wants her to use His word everyday. To be a Christian doesn't just mean we go to church. It means we are striving to follow Christ and become more like him everyday.

So I guess this means I need to continue to feel silly.

Thanks for showing this to me God and letting me share your wisdom with others.

Tot School-24 Months 4 Weeks

Michaela is 24 Months Old

Last week was so busy with doctor appointments that we didn't have a lot of formal school time. This week was filled with more play time and practical life experience. Here's a glimpse into our past week.

Puzzle about colors.

Writing in her salt box. I saw this idea on a few other blogs but I did not write down the location. (Sorry I can't link up.) We didn't have any sand so I used salt instead. She loved writing in her box and making it disappear.

She worked on a number matching puzzle.

Sorting her pom-poms. She sorted by color and then by size.

I've been trying to teach her about sharing. We sent some of our extra supplies to another homeschooling mom. Michaela is coloring a card to include in the box.

Our week usually includes cooking. She is baking cookies with Aunt Holly here. She helped me make potato soup. I let her wash the potatoes.
Then she got to put the veggies in the crock-pot.
Then she stirred the soup.
She also got to water the flowers at Nana and Papaw's house.
Need more ideas? Check out Carissa's blog to find more Tot School Links.

What I love about you- 21 Weeks

I have recently felt like I leave Corbin out. This blog usually is filled with Michaela because of Tot School and I occassionally throw pictures of Corbin in the mix. I really want to change that. Starting this week I'm going to link up with Lil' Ladybuy and do "What I love about you". (Michaela-when you get older and read this I want you to understand that I love many things about you as well. This is just a special way for me to document Corbin's first year.)

I love the way you "held" your bottle for the first time.

I love watching you play with your toys.
I have also learned to love you despite of the projectile vomit and additional laundry.

I love your carefree disposition. I love those huge dimples.

I love giving you a bath in the sink. (This was the first time we tried this and it was so much easier on my back then the tub.)

I love the excitement from your Daddy when we buy a matchbox car.
(This is your first official car.)

I love the face you make when eating your solid foods. (This is your first time eating avocados.)

I love the way you laugh out loud when we tickle you. You have the most adorable laugh ever!

I love hearing you cry. It might be one of the most precious sounds to me, especially since our accident. I can't tell you how much more I appreciate you (and your cries.)

You can check out other proud Mama's here.

Nuts and Bolts

This is a simple exercise in hand-eye coordination. My Papaw graciously donated some random nuts and bolts for Michaela to work with. We added different sizes to challenge her.

Counting Hide and go Seek

This one is still a work in progress. I haven't let her use it yet so I'm not sure what kind of tweaking it will require.

The idea is to help her work on her counting abilities. She knows how to say her numbers but I'm not sure she understands the reason she can count. The idea here is to open each of the boxes and count the objects inside. Not only will she get the thrill of surprise when she opens the boxes but hopefully she can begin to understand the concept of counting.
Not only will she get the thrill of surprise when she opens the boxes but hopefully she can begin to understand the concept of counting.

Sorting Pom-Poms

This is a very simple tray to assemble. Put different colored pom-poms in a divided tray and let your little work sort. In this tray we can sort by colors or by size. (Right now she is obsessed with different sizes. She likes to call everything either a Daddy(large), a Mommy(medium) or a baby(small). You can also try using a tong to pick them up one by one.