Traveling Home and Back

Hello everybody Well I started the 4 weeks organization project and basically felt off the tracks completely. Not because I gave up but because a few things that happened. The first was we had to go to Texas for my uncle's funeral. When we got back we just really had to take some time to get back into the swing of things. Traveling with our family of seven which included a toddler, baby and teens wasn't easy. We did enjoy our road trip though. The drive down is 12 hours but with stops and such it was longer. The kids appreciated the stretch your legs stops. It's amusing traveling with our family. Oh boy do we get the looks. I guess people may wonder just how many people are getting out of that car?? What sort of mixed up family is that? Are they ALL yours? Yada yada we sure have a good laugh at how the stares happen. The photo of Angela above is of her making fun of the stares we got in McDonald's. They also appreciated their sleep. When they went to sleep I got excited and started talking to Rich while I should have went to sleep. I saw it as quality time with him. We enjoyed seeing our family, but not on such a sad occasion. A lot of people were saddened by my uncle's passing. This visit was the first time my family got to see baby Fia and Helaina. We were asked if we would consider moving back to TX. Well after seeing my kids be around family, if the Lord gives us an opportunistic job opening then we'll sure take it. We shall see!  The kids didn't want to leave which always makes it hard.  After a few more photos of the hotel to post for the TripAdvisor.com review we checked out and loaded in the car. It was my time to drive first, so I dressed comfortable with my yoga pants that have never seen a yoga class, comfy t-shirt and finished off with my infamous socks and flip flops.Before I put the pedal to the metal we had to make a stop at  Whole Foods. While we sat in the car waiting for Rich to come out, I got at text message from a friend who works at the Cowboys Stadium telling me she was at the stadium. Seeing as how we were right down the road we didn't pass up the chance to see our friend. We walked and took photos. We enjoyed our short visit, as usual with her we always have a lot of laughs and a good time. Wished it could have been longer but we needed to get on the road.   We arrived at home around 2 AM. I remember walking into the house thinking, "Oh wow space! I missed this!" We stayed at a Residence Inn in TX. It was good but I really appreciated being home.  Any how we all came in and finished off sleeping. I missed bible study that morning and it was my turn to bring snacks. Thankfully our friends understood the situation. Fia and Helaina had runny noses and coughs too so that alone would have me stay home. My husband, my hero, the man went to work that same day. #likeaboss! It took us a bit of time to get back to our regular things after the events above. So as you can see I haven't been following the 4 weeks organization schedule exactly but it does not mean that I have forgotten and have not been organizing. The latest thing I organized was our clear bin of electronic wires and "stuff". We throw all of the misc electronic wires and do-dads in this one bin and it all gets mixed up. We don't know what belongs to what so I decided to make it neat. I ran out of twisty ties so I used clear tape. I labeled our plugged in appliances at the surge protector. It makes the search for which wire goes where much easier. The mess of wires                                                                            How I'm organizing them  In the bin  It's a lot easier to look through and pick up one wire instead of a tangled mess. One of these days I'll get those twisty ties. My DIY Page Tab: So with all the links I've gotten "homemade DIY wanna be organizing" brain overload! I think I need to slow down. So to help with this, I've made a place to store links of sites that have great recipes, DIY, organizing, sewing projects etc that I will try eventually or that I have tried. It can be found on my DIY page. This way it helps me keep track of all the cool things people have posted online. I'll also give my thoughts on it. Taking this down a notch will lead me into my next blog post...

A Progressing Set Back

Hello Friends!

I hope this blog post meets you well. I am following the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home 

Here are my late blogged results. Day 3 should be posted soon, as I'm changing things around a bit due to not accomplishing my list of things to do today. I'm making progress but I've got a few things that may cause more of a set back.

Day 2 Assignment
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

Did this again! I was proud of me for doing this. I'm having a hard time finding clothes to fit me in the post pregnancy days. I really need to get on the ball and drop the "baby weight". Looking at my old clothes that I used to wear isn't fun, but I just can't get rid of them yet. I actually hope I don't have to get rid of them, but instead I'll be wearing them well one day. Any how I got dressed in a simple skirt, t-shirt and leggings. I was comfortable but dressed. I didn't put anything but lip gloss on though.

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, andmake a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

Yes did this. I actually added and changed a few things. I read the assignment wrong for the first day.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

My morning routine needs to be a lot better. I would prefer my mornings start out quiet but they don't. I would love to start out with a bible devotion and spending quiet time with the Lord before the little ones get up but the running theme here has been I stay up late to enjoy quiet time and wake up when Fia starts kicking my ribs. I try to sleep in a little longer but it doesn't work well with the little ones. Afterwards it's the Helaina and Fia show of tug-o-war. Helaina needs breakfast, Fia wants to be held. Helaina wants to play with the blocks, Fia needs a change etc. In between this I am cleaning up the kitchen from the previous night. *sigh*

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your kitchen: wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, clear off the countertops, and, if you have time, wipe down the countertops and the outside of the cupboards with wet rag or cleaning cloth.

This is a part of my "morning routine". I did set the clock for it and got this done. I do think it took longer than 15 minutes but I'm blogging this after day 3 has passed to catch up.

::Clean out your refrigerator. There’s a step-by-step guide for cleaning out your refrigerator here.::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Yes! This was one of the jobs I dreaded doing that I loved that I did lol! We have a full Refrigerator and full Freezer that needed cleaning. I had a time trying to figure out how to get the drawers out because it had been a while since I cleaned it before. It reminded me why we will never by another Electrolux product if we can avoid it. Every appliance we've had of this brand has had an issue. I forewarn to stay away from this brand! Any how after figuring out how to get all the shelves and drawers out the cleaning was on and done. I am thankful for my older kids who entertained the little ones so I could get that job done. Well I have pictures but those will have to wait, the kids are starting their day. My morning was a bit odd. Our little Fia Rue was up at late 3 to early 5 am last night. She was congested and had a temp of 100.3. I was up with her using the nose aspirator, gave her saline drops and a fever reducer. She was finally able to breath comfortably enough to eat and fall asleep. We snuggled up on her big donut until this morning. She woke briefly for her pacifier and a cuddle. I expecting Helaina to come down stairs. I read a bit of the bible and began to blog. Helaina was down before I finished this blog. Helaina's loudly singing to Sesame Street songs, Fia has woke up sounding congested again and it's school time now. Life is calling. I must answer.

Changes I made to Make Things Easier

A question came through on a homeschool egroup I am on that asked: How do you keep it rolling with your older children while also managing meltdowns, diaper changes, nap times, watching the crawlers and new walkers? What works for you?

Before I had Fia who is now 5 months I wondered just how was I going to manage those things. I knew that having an infant is a full time job alone. She's our 5th child so our daily life is quite full. It has it's busy and calm moments. I worried how I was going to home school older children, tend to the busy body toddler and 

be a comfort to an infant who rightfully needs me. I knew it would work out, but how?

Well, here is what has worked for me so far in addition to praying! This comes with the disclaimer that it will not apply to all ;)

1. We are using a different curriculum -I began to look for a curriculum that would allow my kids to work independantly. I wanted something that would be easy for them to grasp and do on their own if need be. I wanted something fun since they are very visual and creative. We had always purchased the tried and true boxed curriculum from ABEKA. My thinking was "When in doubt turn to ABEKA." I still think that way. It's a great curriculum, however this year after the Bob Jones difficult year it pushed me to think outside the curriculum box. We decided to purchase curriculum that wasn't so mainstreamed and well known among all homeschoolers. It has worked out well. I stepped out of  fear and tried something new. It's working and the kids aren't completely dreading school. In fact I think they love this school year. Ok Love might be an exaggeration. ;)  

2. I have a schedule as a guide. Yes only a guide, not law. I have a mental schedule some what and I allow myself not to be bound by it. We are allowed to stray. I find if I try and stick to it, with the unpredictability of the 5 month old and 2 year old I get stressed. When I fight against the flow of the day I get frustrated.  It's not fair to them. Maybe this is what God has for me to do today. Maybe my idea of the day wasn't what was supposed to happen they way I planned. The schedule gets pushed to the side or rearranged  and we do what is immediate. So if we have meltdowns, diaper blow outs, an unusually hungry baby, a really clingy toddler, an injury, an attitude, or mom just having an off day, it doesn't mean the day is lost. Deal with what needs to be done at the moment, when and if it gets dealt with, continue with the schedule but don't worry if the time is later than you anticipated. We won't remember the time "lost" in a few days as busy as we are anyway. But think on this for a moment, time was not lost! It never is when we are caring for our kids.

3. We have some structure. I say this for the sake of having rules for the older kids and not letting it become a free for all. We do have rules that I rarely flex on like school work must be done! Home school does not equal or mean Optional school! The rules that I won't flex on are those that develop good habits, morals and values. The kids showering, brushing teeth and getting dressed for school are must dos. No electronics until school and chores are done, be in school by 9 am (I know late huh wonderful benefits to homeschooling) and not a minute later if so then no electronics etc. As you can see we like our electronics ;). Our older kids need some structure. They have chores and set rules that are to be done. Those aren't things I am willing to flex on easily. Well maybe. If they don't get all of the chores done due to helping me or others then I feel they have accomplished far more than sweeping etc. So for us structure is basically enforcing fundamental and moral things.

4. I had to redefine "Productive"- I was viewing productive as doing things other than taking care of the kids. I know it sounds crazy but it comes from the mentality of not being "just a stay at home mom". I battle with having a career that brings in an income while being a stay at home mom. So I feel a bit non productive when I haven't done anything business wise, or saved any money by using resources we have here. I always want to feel I'm contributing something to the family.  It's hard not to feel non productive when you haven't done anything on your to do list. Step back and see the exact opposite has happened. We have in fact done our God given job of caring for our children. My husband said to me one day:

Cuddling the little ones sounds productive to me. I don’t think we have a greater responsibility as parents than loving our kids. To me the state of the house on an everyday basis does not compare to spending time with the kids. It does agitate me some when I’m trying to help clean up, especially when I know you’re not happy with the mess, but in the end if it’s a toss up between cuddling Fia, spending time with Helaina dancing or laughing and goofing off with the Ashley, Angela and Adrian or having a clean house then give me the mess any day.

Gosh I love this man! Talk about support and encouragement! 

5. Enlist the older ones!-  So when all is going a little off the tracks, call for back up! I have older ones as in 14, 14, and 12. I'll say hey guys can you hold Fia while I make this bottle, will you play with Helaina while I change this diaper. Most of the time they are happy for the break away from school work. School work 

gets done, but not just in 8 consecutive hours. It teaches the older ones to pitch in, makes them feel important and creates stronger bonds in the family. I am careful not to over use the older ones. They are still my children and not parents to their younger siblings. 

6.  Don't Compare Yourself!  I don't think I'm saying this right but bear with me.. I over heard a mom who's oldest is 12 talking about her home school life as if she and her childern were the bees knees! I had to walk away. I had to in order to save myself from comparing. I don't recall what she was saying I just recall the attitude in which she was saying it. I remember early on I wanted to keep up with other families. For goodness sake that "Little Johnny was doing physics and already accepted into college at the age of 3!" Ok that is an exaggeration but you get my point of parents bragging about how smart their child is. Hearing these stories of exceling far beyond expectation used to bother me. I would get stressed and start academically pushing with the motive to have my child at the top academically. I pondered, "Well you have the opportunity like little Johnny to excel, why aren't you?" I questioned their motivation, their laziness, their ablity to learn etc. I simply had to lay off. This wasn't healthy for our family and I was blessed to catch on while they were younger and stop. When you find your family's way things will naturally happen. It won't be forced.  Now when parents "brag" I rejoice with them but you probably won't hear me bragging that my children are "So advanced for their age!" I hope to be supportive and not a hindrance to families. I don't feel the need to brag that my children are smart. Why not? Wise people don't go around sounding like know it alls, patting themselves on the back for their intellegence and making others feel bad because they "don't know". That's actually against our Christian walk. I hope my children's intellegence along with morals and values show natrually in general conversaion with people.  Again, I do rejoice with those that tell me about their kids accomplishments. They are considered inspiration, not competition. I believe that we are to encourage and celebrate with one another, not compete. Do what is good and works for your family. Just because you hear the success stories of others doesn't mean you have to keep up with that. I believe you already have your own unqiue success story in the making.

Those things have helped me to grow in my home. I'm taking these days one at a time and praying I'm not making a mess of them lol. Not to say I'm just sailing on through! That is not the case at all. I find the older I get the more irritated with messes I get! I look around at my floor at times and yall I'm telling you I'm ashamed! So on and so forth, but I'm working on it!  I hope those bits will help you to know that life is challenging. Do your best and keep going :)

From lovinglife

Musical, Creative and Microwaveless

Hello Everyone! I hope your soon to be over winter season has been great. The first day of Spring is March 20th! Yay! We've had a rather mild winter but I am looking forward to warm weather. So I've been up to the regular ol things. Our baby Fia is now 5 months old. She's a little delight! I find myself checking daily for teeth. No teeth yet! I love it because without teeth I can still have my "baby." I honestly think I might cry when she gets her first tooth/teeth. She's the happiest baby I've seen. Loving it! She will be 6 months on the 7th. She's trying to sit by herself now too. Our little one is trying her best to keep up with her 2 year old sister. Every time Helaina comes around Fia starts smiling and laughing. She's also got this one little curl on her head. It's so cute! This is one of the photo collages I did with picstitch and Instagram. This is after bath time. Speaking of Fia's older sister, Helaina is on the go!  This was today at church. Goodness she's got energy! She is very active little girl. There are times I wonder if I am too old for all this! Eh maybe not!  Helaina has taken to her older sister's guitar. She's rather dramatic. Have a look at her playing if you can stand it. The ending is "rock star."  Here older sisters are becoming active at church. I am so proud of them. Angela has joined the choir! Yay!! I'm so glad she is using her voice for the Lord. Ashley has decided to dance in the hiphop part of the Easter Trilogy. I'm so proud of them. Our son Adrian is growing by leaps and bounds. I had to rush out Wednesday to get him new jeans because he has out grown the ones he has. We are now shopping in the adult section for him. He's all leg now and we think he is going to be tall. We shall see! So that's what's going on with the kiddos, now my project was to make a diaper bag right? Remember the pink one in the previous blog? I decided to scrap it. I wasn't comfortable with it. I wanted to start over. So I did. I wanted to follow a pattern or tutorial this time. I chose modabakeshop.com  Baby on the Go Diaper Bag. Mine doesn't look exactly the same but here it is.  It's not as cute but hey it worked! I got the fabric from Joann Fabrics.  It was a no brainer for me to have to have our diaper bag dedicated to the Lord since we firmly believe children are a blessing from the Lord. My next sewing project will probably be simple dresses. One of the biggest changes our family has implemented was a experiment to see if we could do without a microwave. It was something that had been on my mind for while. One day while cleaning up the kitchen, I got tired of how much space it took up on the counter top. So I discussed it with my husband and we agreed to try it. Well it's been at least 2 weeks or more and it's still gone! I am excited to go without the microwave. We've had great discussion about how the microwave may or may not effect the nutrition in food and water. My take on it, better to be safe than sorry! So far we've been doing just fine without it. It takes a little more time to do things but we don't mind it. Food tastes better and the skeptic in me feels like it will be healthier.  So that's all for now! Oh! I just blogged on my photo blog check it out please! http://tscullenphotography.blogspot.com/ ...can't believe it's 4:40 am!

Time flies

Hello All,
Just wanted to give a quick update. Our little Fia is now a month old! Can't believe it. She's now at 12lbs 5oz. The doctor says she's doing well. She's a night owl though. Well she is if she isn't in the wrap I made. Fia loves her home made Moby Wrap knock off. It does help keep her comfortable while letting me be arms free. I'd recommend this kind of wrap over all others. I had another one I tried to use with Helaina and could never get the hang of it. I am one of those people that think, if I can make it easily, I probably will and skip buying it. This is what I did with the wrap. I had some knit fabric around the house long enough to make 2 wraps. There are tons of these wrap tutorials online.

Our Fia Serenity at 1 month old 

We hope she'll keep her blue eyes. Helaina was born with blue eyes but they are a Hazel now. They turn green when she is upset though. We are waiting to see what color Fia's eyes will be. Life is so interesting with kids.

Many Blessings ♥

Happy Blessings

Hello Everyone,
I'm late telling this but we had our beautiful blessing Fia Serenity on September 17, 2011 at 8:38am. She weighed 8lbs 15oz! We are very blessed and so happy to have our little sweetie. Oh she's such a joy to snuggle with. Her siblings adore her. Helaina who is 2 gives her kisses all the time. We are truly blessed.

Many blessings to you ♥!

Baby Kicks and Prayers.

Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to give a short update. I had an ultrasound and we found out we are having a baby girl! Yay!! We haven't officially thought of a name for her yet. We've got a few ideas but nothing solid yet. She's doing well. I've read that the average baby weight at 20 weeks is 10.5 ounces. Baby girl Cullen was 14 oz. I wonder how much she's going to weigh at birth with this head start. She's been moving around pretty good. She's already given some strong kicks. I am a few days away from the 22 week mark!

She's a girl!
Flexing that right arm like her mom already! (lol)

We've had some crazy storms in MO. I hope you all are staying safe. Our prayers are with those in Joplin, MO. Many have scheduled to drive down to help and bring items in need. We are hoping to get on board with those helping and send our love and items down there. I know Faith St. Louis Church is going to send supplies down. They sent an email out saying "Please consider dropping off your donated items to the Northwest Campus in Earth City by Wednesday, May 25th or the Central Campus in Fenton by Friday, May 27th. Some of the items that we will be collecting include: non-perishable food, toiletries, bottled water, pet food, clothing, etc." Check their website at http://faithchurchstlouis.com/ if you want to know of other relief efforts google "Joplin, MO storm relief"  Our prayers are with Joplin, MO.