Bugs in a gui. Beans wouldn’t hold still for a photo and then HubbaHubba couldn’t get his phone out to video record them doing groundwork together fast enough.
She’s growing up way too fast. They both are.
Jan 242012
Jan 032012
The last several years, I had heard of people choosing a word of the year for themselves. A word they wanted to use to remind themselves of what they wanted to achieve/accomplish/remember for the whole year. So, last year, I decided to join the bandwagon, so to speak. I chose the word CULTIVATE.
I strived to cultivate so much last year. I wanted to cultivate a peaceful home, a love of learning in my children, myself into a better person. While I didn’t get half of what I wanted achieved, there was still progress, which is important. Add into the mix the tornado in May and well, life went haywire for most of us here.
This year, I thought long and hard about the word to incorporate into my life. I prayed and thought about it, I read what others were choosing. And finally, I had my word. This year, my word is DISCIPLINE.
I want a more disciplined life. I want to strive to be more disciplined in my homekeeping. I don’t want the house to get insanely messy and disorganized before I do anything about it. I want it kept neat and clean, inviting and welcoming to all who enter. I want it to be a place where ministry happens to my family and all who come through my doors. It won’t happen unless I discipline myself into keeping it neat and welcoming.
I want to be more disciplined with doing school with the girls. The last year, we did school, but it wasn’t the joyful time of discovery and learning that I wanted. We didn’t do much extra fun things. The Bugs and I fought over several of her phonics lessons. I want the girls to learn as much as they can, but they can’t do it if I am not disciplined to really plan out for them a good course of study and include the really fun things that I know they would enjoy.
I want to lose weight this year. Well, I’ve wanted to lose weight for several years now, but this is the first time I’ve ever said so on my blog. You see, I’ve always been on the heavier side. And after the girls came along 17 months apart, my weight really crept up on me. I am currently the heaviest I have ever been and I am disgusted with myself. I have read books, tried making changes, tried exercising, but I always give up. I forget it took time to get this way, and it is going to take time to get it off. I am sick to death of shopping in the plus sized clothes section where it costs more. I’m sick of all the cute clothes not fitting me. I think this is part of my journey into more colorful, eye pleasing clothing choices. It isn’t healthy for me to weigh this much either. So I will discipline myself into a healthier lifestyle including time in exercise. It isn’t being selfish to take the time to do it. I am not taking anything away from my family by taking the time to exercise, I will be giving to them instead.
I want to be more disciplined in my spiritual life. Devotions and Bible in school with the girls have been my main fare for personal growth. Yeah, the Preschoolers Devotional book and Leading Little Ones to God honestly doesn’t have any meat for me. I need to read the Bible for myself daily. I need to study for myself daily if I want to grow and thrive. I need to discipline myself more on taking the time for myself for study and reflection. Otherwise, I am not going to have anything left to give. Nor will I be where I belong, secure in the love of my Savior and following His will for my life.
So, have you chosen a word for the year? Want to share? Just leave a comment telling what word you picked and why or a link to your blog. If it doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry, it will. Sometimes it sends things to be moderated if there’s a link in the comment. I look forward to seeing what word you chose for the year!
Jan 022012
Happy New Year!
Well, the hectic time of the holidays is past. We had company for nearly a week so I didn’t have a moment to myself at all to write. At one point, we had five adults plus the girls in our one-bathroom home. Thankfully that wasn’t as interesting as it could have been.
This year for Christmas HubbaHubba and I ended up deciding to let the Bugs get a guinea pig. So Grandma decided to buy the cage, some bedding, food, treats, treats and more treats for the girls. It was so funny watching Bugs opening the guinea pig paraphernalia. We got it all condensed to three boxes for her to open in order from the most confusing stuff to the least. As the boxes were being opened, she kept saying things like; “But I don’t have a pet to use this stuff…Why am I getting stuff for a pet? I don’t have one…” And the look on her face was absolutely priceless. Utter and sheer confusion. We finally got to the last box. This was a shoe box that I had wrapped that contained my loyalty card for the local pet store. She took the paper off the box and found the card wrapped inside. She got that unwrapped and was like, um, ok, now what? We told her that the card meant she was going to be able to go out and choose her guinea pig the following week. She was so surprised. We had told her not to get her hopes up to get one for months now. So on Monday night we went to the first pet store and they were totally out of pigs. We went to another one and the three they had were all so skittish and all three had patches of missing hair. The third pet store in town was closed for the evening (the one closest to our house and they have strange hours). So on Tuesday after supper we went to the third store. They had several pigs to choose from. Bugs chose a nearly all white pig with one brown ear and brown circles around his eyes. She named him Mr. Pig. We call him Pig for short. He’s been a lot of fun to have so far. He loves to be held and cuddled. If you’re scratching his favorite spot he chirrups at you. And he’ll just lay on your chest as you are sitting on the couch reading a book. He is so sweet. It’s almost like having a good tempermented cat, without it being a cat (we aren’t cat people, so no offense, but we love how a cat will just come for scratches and lay in your lap and purr when it’s happy. Pig is similar to that, without the headache of having a cat and me being allergic).
I’m trying to hammer out a lot of things for the new year. There is so much I am wanting to do, but I don’t want to get over ambitious and then feel like a failure when I don’t get half of it accomplished. I do have some practical goals for the home this year that I will share with you now. I will try to keep the dishes cleaned up daily. Laundry will be put away when it is washed (actually on week three of that and it’s going well.) We will keep the living areas picked up better daily instead of letting it all get to be a horrid mess before dealing with it.
I do want the girls to take a quiet rest time each weekday after lunch so I can have some time to work on the computer and write. I am so not a morning person at all and waking before the rest of the family for me to do anything that requires much thought doesn’t work too well. I can do routine things when I’m not fully awake yet, but if I have to think about it, forget it. And I don’t want to do my computer work at night so much because I like that time with my husband (yes, we’ve been accused of still flirting with each other and we’ll have been married for seven years in July).
More to come but I just thought that I would get this posted today to let you know that yes, I’m still alive, the insanity of the holidays didn’t kill me or get me committed J I pray that you have a blessed new year and are somehow ministered to through this blog.
Dec 152011
Man, life has this way of creeping up on you, doesn’t it?
I mean, I’ve had every intention to sit down and write for the last week. However, with Christmas quickly approaching, shopping for gifts, getting the house ready for company (Grandma, and HubbaHubba’s sister and her husband will be joining us at our home for Christmas this year. It is the first year we are hosting the family gathering) and preparing to meet my parents half-way on Saturday for lunch and to exchange gifts with them, along with doing school, cooking, regular housework and such, time has slipped through my hands.
We don’t have any snow yet. Which is perfectly normal for Joplin this time of year. Finally, some “normal” weather for us. After the insane blizzard and then the tornado, I’ll take normal and boring any day of the week. I can’t believe next week it will have been seven months since the day our lives were turned on end. I’ve been meaning to write a post about it, but every time I go to write it, no words come out. Nothing reads right and it isn’t what I am wanting to say. I have so much I want to get out, but it isn’t coming. Perhaps in time.
I’ve got a lot of other things I wish to write about. I need to sit down and write and schedule the posts. Ok, I also should sit down and map out what I want to post for the next year and force myself onto a better schedule. I’m working on it. I’m working on our routines and mine is included with that. Changing the regular routine is hard work so I’ve given myself to the end of January to really get to where I’m thinking we are headed.
School is going along swimmingly for the girls. They just absorb so much. Beans is in love with her math book. She begs to do three times as much as I schedule for her. Bugs loves her Classical Phonics program that we got to review. She’s really taken off with it. And now Bugs is wanting to write books (which she has made several so far. She draws the pictures and then dictates what she wants them to say to me and I write it out for her). She is also wanting to turn her books into movies. Which is going to be a Daddy project.
HubbaHubba is busy at work. He’s finally getting some great contracts which means commission for us. I won’t complain 
I’m so proud of my husband. He truly is the best husband ever, and no, I’m not biased in the least. Last Saturday he woke up earlier than normal and took the girls to breakfast and then Christmas shopping for me. He left a new book on the side of the tub for me to read (Queen of the Home from Vision Forum) and the Epsom Salts out with a note telling me he had already put the salt in the tub, to have a good soak and that they would be back about noon. It was wonderful to soak in a hot tub and just read. The girls and Daddy had a blast together too.
This past week I’ve been on a decluttering rampage I guess you could call it. I took a trash bag and went around the house pitching random receipts, papers, magazines and broken items. It was so freeing. Then I tackled and thoroughly cleaned our bedroom and started in on the bathroom today. Tomorrow will be the laundry area and the kitchen. I kind of didn’t clean out some of my cabinets and well they are needing it badly…I hate that job. I have to stand on a chair and the counters since I’m not much past five feet tall. I also need to scrub out the fridge before the company comes. After the kitchen comes the living room and then the girls’ room. Their room is last since it never stays picked up for very long…Though Bugs is now in charge of putting their hung up laundry away. And she’s been doing a great job with it. Beans is in charge of making sure all the dresser items are tucked away.
Oh, and Bugs begged and begged for days to start making breakfast for everyone. So, after putting her off for several days, we let her try. She fell in love. Granted, she gets out the granola bars, yogurt and washes the fruit, its a start. I’m looking for a small pitcher for the milk so she doesn’t have to man handle the gallon jug. I’m currently leaning towards reusing water bottles for that so she can expand her repatoire with cold cereal. Then it will be on to oatmeal in the microwave. She’s getting so big.
I want to apologize for the three reviews in a row tonight. I’ve been behind and am just now catching up. I have two more to get up tomorrow and they also have giveaways to go along with the Renuzit giveaway. All are short entry periods as I need to get these over with. Besides the FFH and My Memories are digital downloads so you won’t have to wait long for delivery.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Sep 292011
On this day five years ago (already? How in the world is it five years ago already) we were blessed with our Bugs.
Bugs is such a sweet girl. She is very curious, full of zest and is so much fun. We are so thankful to have been given such a wonderful daughter.
The poor girl is a bit upset today though. All of our fun plans for her birthday are on hold for a few days. We have all been struck with a nasty virus (I’ll spare you the disgusting details) one right after another since Monday. HubbaHubba woke up with it Monday morning at 4. Bugs got sick Tuesdsay night at 10 and Beans got sick last night at 8. I’m not feeling all that great right now. Beans is still sick, Bugs is bouncing back and HubbaHubba is finally completely over it. So we’ll make the cupcakes and play outside and celebrate this weekend hopefully.
I hope you treasure your blessings daily. Time goes by way too fast and you never know what is around the corner. This past year has proven that to us in so many ways.