Are you a Horder?

I have been known to horde over the years, especially when I was teaching preschool because you never knew when 150 juice lids or 50 toilet paper rolls could be used for a craft project and it does take awhile to save up that many. I have mended my ways in regards to those items but with having a few kids I feel I'm hoarding in a different way. Clothes, for one and shoes. I save the strangest things sometimes. I have about 40 Rubbermaid tubs in my basement with clothes for various sizes, for babies, girl or boy, maternity, winter sweaters, etc. But,.......one thing I have learned with the youngest children is that I keep getting things given to me and I can go a whole year and not look in the tubs for the size of a particular kid because they have way more clothes in their drawers than they need. The problem I am having right now is the overflow. As I clean out each child's clothes for each season I put the "to keep" clothes downstairs in the tub room and guess what?...... they don't get put in tubs for several months. I'm tripping on things down there and can't find a thing.

This thinking is coming from catching an Oprah show this week on a women who hoarded so much stuff that it was piled in every single room in her house to the ceiling. She hadn't used her dining room for 12 years, her 5 year old grandson had never been to her house because there wasn't any room. They hadn't seen their furniture for years. They didn't even spend much time there anymore. I can't quite relate because the upstairs is as neat as I can get it with 9 people in the house. I don't like clutter around me so I am always putting something away but if it is an area I can't see, well....it does get away from me. So, my goal this week or month is to throw away all the workbooks and notebooks from the last 12 years of school. But, if you are like me, you open your oldest child's first handwriting book and go ohhhhh, this is so sweet, put this back downstairs and I'll find something else to throw right now. It will take me awhile to adjust mentally to this process much like the lady on Oprah I saw who cried much of the time. It was hard to let go of such a way of life. One motivation is to train my kids not to put so much stock in stuff and having as much as you can. It slows you down. It takes time away from family to always have to reorganize it and clean it and if God called me to leave this home to mission work somewhere it would take me a year just to clean out the place.

I know there is a verse that talks about this world is not my home. Obtaining things can be considered worldliness. I am so guilty of thinking of this too often. If only this was redone, I'd be happy, if only this was clean and orderly. 1 John 2:15-17 says"Do not love the world or anything in the world.........The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

A Long Absence

Hello friends! My virus protection is up and running. Kevin was off on Good Friday and we went to Fargo for errands with the three boys. We signed the papers for our will and other papers. We feel so good that we have that in place now. For about 10 years we have wanted to make sure the children were taken care of in the manner of our choosing. It was a relief for my "Mr. Steady" husband who has probably thought about that much more than I have and worried. We had fun with just the boys and took them to a pizza buffet where they loved eating all they could. I got many supplements for an infection I have. It is so expensive trying to get rid of this naturally. But, the best part of it is I am forced to eat right and cut out sugar. I do believe I am going through some sort of cleanse because my joints hurt and are very creaky right now. I can only attribute it to they are in protest to being cleaned out of the carbs and sugars I eat so much of. Yogurt, eggs and lots of vegetables can be a good thing.

We continue to pray for those other prospective adoptive families we know. I read an article in Above Rubies Sunday about a family who got a baby placement four weeks after they gave birth. I was so encouraged. That is my dream right now. This mother also was able to nurse both babies!! Above Rubies is put out by Nancy Campbell and is a wonderful encouragement to mothers and was the catalyst in getting us into adoption. They have beautiful stories each month on adoption.

I want to say what a nice visit we had yesterday with long time friends. They were part of our church and moved away to Tennessee and spent the day at our house yesterday, the mom and three girls anyway. Pray for safe travels back on Wednesday. Her husband is not able to fly back and drive with her. Have a beautiful day! God Bless!

Hello, again

Hi, I am having quite the time. I went to the home school convention this last weekend and am trying to enforce the listen the first time I say something rule and it is very hard. Take seven kids times all the times they don't listen the first time and that is a lot of correcting I have had to do these last two days. I have been so lax on enforcing. I wait, and wait, and wait and give them 5- 10 times and then I am so frustrated. I figure it will be a couple weeks of not giving up and I'll have a more peaceful home. I just told my oldest when dad calls to see if I need anything it will be a super large blizzard from Dairy Queen with chocolate chunks and caramel and pecans because I have to tell you after being told no or stomped at or having eyes rolled at me this many times is sending me major chocolate craving signals. Last night we already emptied the boys' room of all their toys because they can't keep it clean. Two weeks of not having so much stuff and we'll wean them back on a few things. I have threatened and threatened them with this but have never followed through. A little tears at first then last night they were eager to help and they really like their clutter free room. The speakers were excellent and helped motivate me to want to be a more pleasant person and that just isn't going to happen until we have more joy in our home.

Otherwise, the pregnancy is going well with less times of nauseousness. I was sick all day yesterday after having trouble taking my Cod Liver Oil, yuck! The two older boys and I started taking it for our mental state of mind. Plus, I'm working on good health for the baby. I bought a high in Omega-3 mayo and wow, I couldn't eat it yesterday but maybe someday. The kids thought it was OK. I am considering going to all succanat and agave nectar for sweeteners in baking. Has anyone baked with that? I'm sure I can go on-line for recipes. I am at piano lessons right now. I neglected to get my virus protection up-to-date so I can't go on-line at home until I get to Best Buy and get the newest. I don't think my computer can do it over dial-up. So, it might be awhile until I get on here. Have a great week and pray for me to stick with it and be CONSISTENT.

One Solution Fixed

I'm sure you are all dying to know how the computer thing worked out!!!!!:) Just kidding. Actually, it might be helpful if this happens to you. I called Tech. Support about the School Program that wasn't working and the only thing I did that day was let the computer update Flash Player. Well, the tech guy said he did the same thing on the same day and had trouble with some programs but not all. I had to uninstall Flash Player on my end and go to the Adobe website and upload it from there and wahlah, it worked and all their grades and lessons are in tact. I was so happy. I figured I'd call tech support on my camera today!

I am happy to say also that I am feeling a little better in the evenings. Some of the days are up and down but the nights are always the worst and last night I didn't lay on the couch all night hoping when I got up that I could make it somewhere without being sick!!:):):) I actually have been laying there planning ways to fund raise lately. I'm thinking I get the whole summer to have lemonade stands, another rummage sale, make skirts and maybe bring to a craft fair of some sort, etc. My dream right now is to get a placement for a baby about 6 weeks after our baby is born so I can nurse that baby. My dream was always to get my milk going anyway but then I ended up pregnant and it was too difficult to do but this pregnancy is perfect because breast-feeding has never been a problem for me. Those are my adoption thoughts lately. I have also always wished for twins whenever I went in for ultrasounds (and have been glad when only one came out) so we'll just wait and see what the Lord has planned for us.

Have a great day! We are off to a good start with good attitudes. I have a boy who has been a challenge to get to do his school work who walks around with Dan Frontier books reading while walking and reading to the little boys. Praise the Lord that it actually happened, he learned to read and likes it!!!! These are the moments in every home school mom's day that give strength and make you feel you can do it another day.

Not feeling so good!

Hi, I am not feeling good today. I want to tackle a cleaning project in the basement and it just isn't going to happen. I finally had Kevin help clean the fridges today. A 5-6 week old pork chop was making opening the fridge a bad experience for me. This nauseousness can be so tedious. It is a blessing though, too. I usually feel the worst of it at night from 6-11 p.m. but lunch time can be challenging too. Thankfully, this time around I have kids who can make meals. What a wonderful blessing that is. Anyway, I had to lay down the whole time Kevin cleaned it out because I kept picturing the rotten stuff. The girls then washed out the fridges and now I can open them without too much trouble:)

I lost a few hundred pictures on my SD card last night. Why does my camera sometimes go blank with it? I took some pictures at the Public Speaking Night last night and now they are the only ones on there. Can they be saved? What kind of store would I go to and can they even recover them? I don't care as much about my trip pictures as Moriah's fourth birthday!!! Also, we use Switched on Schoolhouse for a couple of subjects and yesterday the screen went blank whenever the kids tried to do their lessons. Why!?!? Technology isn't that great always! Especially when you don't know what you are doing or how to fix it without it costing a fortune to find out why.

Well, I bid everyone well and glad tidings. We are thankful for school getting done lately, the fact that I am 15 weeks now (6 weeks farther than before), and the many, many blessings God has given us each day (that sometimes I don't see right away I admit).

Don't plan for anything.....

I've learned just to be quiet and not to plan for anything. I was certain the grouting would get done last night and the house would get back into some sort of order but that was not to be. Moments before Kevin added the water to the grout Jordan cut her finger on a glass. He had to take her in and she got three stitches. No piano, violin or guitar for 2 weeks or more. She is a bit down because she doesn't do well with pain. Her blood pressure was a bit up when she got to the emergency room. She did well though and didn't panic while getting the stitches. She did not act like her 6 year old sister did yesterday when she had a cavity fixed. She screamed down the whole place. She would cry even when he was just looking in her mouth. I haven't had someone act like that before so it was a bit of a shock.

Everyone is at their school and the little ones are occupied in a somewhat quiet manner. Just as I say this the two little girls started fighting. Ahhhh, life with children. Kevin asked me last night, "How old is Gideon?" I said, "Five." He just sighed and said, "What are we going to do?" Meaning how is it they are growing so fast and it feels like we are missing it? It does get difficult to remember some of their younger years and moments and gives you a moment of panic feeling like you are missing something. Kevin also commented at the dinner table how different it will be to have a baby around the place. By the time the baby comes we will have been 4 1/2 years without one!!! He is either feeling quite old or just seeing the changes around him more acutely. Have a wonderful day and enjoy it and all the Lord has for you.

Back again!

I was really planning on getting to this Saturday. We had a bit of a cleaning day, vacuuming every inch due to tracking stuff from the laundry room floor. I am happy to say it is all tiled after a quick run to Menards yesterday for more tile and goop. Kevin will be able to grout tomorrow night and then we can use the room again! Hooray for Kevin's hard work.

Friday night we met with a team for the Micah fund. They give grants to Minority adoptions. Well, the next morning they called and have accepted us. They give the money at the very end of your adoption and then disclose the amount. We are very happy and blessed.

We don't actually have very long to get a placement. We have let our agency know we are PREGNANT again!!!! I can hardly believe it. I was extremely worried at first and didn't think I'd carry the baby this long but it is now 14 weeks along and 5 weeks past the last miscarriage time so I am encouraged by that. We continue to pray for me to carry to term and I am eating much better than my last pregnancies. Our agency will still consider us in the next two months for what they call agency placements. I would love it because the two babies would be so close. My ideal would be to get a placement a month after our baby is born so I could nurse them both. If we don't get a placement soon we will wait until after our child is born near the first week of September and see where God leads us. It is still a very great desire of ours to adopt and with this pregnancy that desire hasn't gone away. As the financial part comes together I believe so will the rest. Now, you can pray for good health for our baby and a placement to be made known to us. Thank you and God Bless. I am off quick here to take kids to the dentist:(