tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47966769179947885452024-02-21T03:56:41.287-06:00Confessions of a Supermom WannabeKimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.comBlogger610125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-101388020599998942019-12-17T23:59:00.001-06:002019-12-17T23:59:19.708-06:00Advent day 14. 15. 16. 17...so many things;)Advent Day 14 was intended to be cookie day, but we got a little busy with activities and I made dought too late in the day. It was firm enought by bedtime so cookie day got pushed back. Advent Day 15 was our Bethlehem dinner and we had two families join us but guess what, I was so busy enjoying their company I did not take a single picture- DOH! So I give you- Day 14's cookies made day 15 after our sweet friends departed;)<br />
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The book? It is a book on the history of Christmas Cookies and their symbolism and ways they have been used to share the gospel:)<br />
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Day 16- <i>Jesus washes our sins away so our hearts are as white as snow. Let's celebrate by taking a Christmas bath.</i><br />
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Oh how well I remember the giggles of toddler in bubble baths playing with our nativity bath toys. Our kids are far to old now to take pictures of them in the tub. But the bath bombs I used this year were well....da bomb. They had little Christmas squinkies in side. The kids loved them;) ANd even Ava still enjoys Christmas bath night, she said, "I forgot how much fun it is to play with toys in the bath tub." LOL<br />
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Day 17- <i>God created the world in seven days...the entire world in seven days. Not only did he make each person unique, he made all of nature unique. Look at how many different types of animals, of birds, of fish....have you ever wondered why he didn't just make one type of tree or one type of grass? He is infinitely creative! Do you knwo that no two snowflake are alike? Millions of snowflakes fall each year and no two are alike. Today we will learn a fwe facts about snow flakes and then we'll make some of our own!</i><br />
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Look at the concentration on these faces;)</div>
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Benefit of traditions I suppose is practice make near close to perfect!</div>
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I lvoe this because Christian and Chloe proudly hang their snowflakes underneath Ava's. They are just as proud of theirs;) Oh that the confidence of children would never dissipate!</div>
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Not sure if Phin didn't want his by Ava's or just wants his own space. He likes to march to the beat of his own drum. He is definitely a kid who values his individuality;)</div>
Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-37920543605050935152019-12-17T23:36:00.000-06:002019-12-17T23:36:03.081-06:00Advent day 13-ELF NightIt is always fun to have friends join us for Elf night. John has been our dear friend since our days at Penn. He's known each of us longer than we've known each other;) He was kind enough to stand up in our wedding ON his birthday and I was fortunate enough to be able to witness the birth of his first born. Jane has become a dear friend and though we live close, life with kids never give us enough time together. How thankful we are that they were all able to join us for Elf fun...Horrocks fam knows how to have fun;)<br />
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Elf night is definitely one of the most fun nights....our kids get more sugar on Elf night than on the rest of Decemeber combined. In fact, I think they actually had a bit of a sugar hang over the next morning...and yes, I am sure that is a real thing;)<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-79457540686236371762019-12-17T23:22:00.000-06:002019-12-17T23:22:19.246-06:00Advent summary days 11-12This has been a good experiment in returning to the world of blogging. I love the parenting place I am in, but Ava is up now until my bedtime. The truth is many nights I fall asleep on the couch before I grab the laptop to blog. I am in a very healthy place with Hashimoto's but I still find myself exhausted at the end of days. I have always been a person who needs regular sleep, with the Hashi's my body just puts itself to sleep if I try to push it farther;) So I have fallen asleep instead of post pictures, but I fall asleep smiling. Life is beautifully full. I continue to find that planning our advent helps keep life slow during December. Blogged or not, these days are joyfilled and I am savoring them.<br />
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Day 11- <i>There is not much to say....it's WINDOW CLING DAY!!!</i><br />
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Day 12- <i>Time to use our gifts and talents to worship the KING! Let's go watch Chloe and Phin's Christmas Concert!</i></div>
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I do love that our schools concerts really are expressions of worship. Chloe began playing the violin in September to she was over the moon to play in Silent Night. Phin plays the drums and we could not stop smiling that he was the cowbell in on of their songs. His glockenspiel playing certainly was the best use of his talents, but nothing beats watching you kid who looks like Patrick MaHommes play cowbell while your phone keep dinging with messages from other parents of similar age and all the messages read, "more cowbell!"</div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-60600862267146544872019-12-10T23:32:00.000-06:002019-12-10T23:34:51.595-06:00Advent Day 10- RUDOLPHAdvent Day 10-<br />
<i>Here is a riddle- what is red, round, and glows? That's right, you're so smart!....It's Rudolph's Nose! Let's eat some food and watch his show! </i><br />
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Rudolph is a Christmas classic. It's easy to focus on the silly song and the nostalgic animation, but there is also a sweet lesson about not excluding others or judging those difference from us. The bible tells us every one is fearfully and wonderfully made by our greatCreator. Rudolph is a fictional tale, but leads to great conversation about times each kid has felt like a misfit, that Marc and I have felt like misfits. We challenge ourselves to be on the lookout for people being excluded just because the look different or like different things that others around them. It's a good reminder to look outside ourselves and ask God to show us the beauty and gifts in each person around us, even if they could not be more different from us!<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-68148830939717938252019-12-09T23:21:00.001-06:002019-12-09T23:21:43.269-06:00Advent Days 4-9This getting back to blogging thing is going "great"....I'm just six days behind already🤣 Whatev's!<div>
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Day4- <i>What's super sweet and sometimes pretty? We've done them in the county; we've done them in the city. It's tradition to make and also to eat. Phin may say, "Today can't be beat!" Figure it out? Do you have enough clues? We'll paint them red, green, white and blue?</i></div>
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<i>Yes! Chocolate Lollipop day is here! Let's make them and share them to bring other's good cheer!</i></div>
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This is hands down Phin's favorite day. He is a chocaholic! His lollipops were finished swiftly; he wanted to leave plenty of time for them to harden so he could get a nibble before bed. He did kindly take time on a couple and brought on of them to his teacher the next morning. Christian licked as he painted so his are not going to anyone but himself;) The girls took their time and were thoughtful about each color;) Ava finished a full hour after everyone else...hers will all be gifts- they are perfection;)</div>
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Day 5- </div>
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<i>Let's continue our theme from yesterday....God gave us Jesus, our very best friend! Our Savior! Our Teacher! Our God who never ends! He didn't stop there, he gave us family, friends and more; Let's remember all his gifts as we gift wrap our doors!</i></div>
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We are at a new stage of life. Ava had Piano and voice lessons and a ton of homework so she said she'd do this activity another day. She has not, which is fine; it's all fun anyway. It is definitely foreshadowing the future. I try to savor each moment, I know as they grow they will get busier, they will naturally pull away, the nostalgia and joy they still find in these simple activities may disappear in the teen years. Each stage will have it's joys, I am trying very hard to purposefully embrace all the joy of this season and hold my hand open to receive what each day brings.<br />
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Day 6-<br />
<i>Your're not left behind while we catch a plane! Let's face it, the mere thought would make mom go insane! Still tonight, Mom and Pap have a party to attend, so you'll have you here with your siblings like you would with your friends. You'll camp out, beds all over the floor; there'll be pizza and pepsi and popcorn galore! Home Alone for a short little bit, you'll watch Kevin's antics and they're always a hit!</i><br />
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Marc's work Christmas party was tonight. We left the kids "Home Alone" tonight with Ava in charge. We've done it lots during daytime hours; this was the first after dark departure. They did awesome....Definitely feel like we just realized we have a whole new level of freedom.<br />
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Ava is the best. She kindly took a photo of us before we left:<br />
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AND she took photos of the kids doing Home Alone night; she totally gets me;)<br />
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Day 7-<br />
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<i>We have mroe than we need; we have more than we know. It's time for some of these things to GO! Let's give much thoughts to our closets and rooms. </i><br />
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<i>Let's purge! Let's Donate! Let's give things away! Then we'll go have some time for Christmas play.</i><br />
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I make the kids purge every year. This year, afterwards we ended the day with family game night- one of MY favorite nights;)<br />
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<i>Saint Nicholas day is Decemeber 6, but a planned Christmas party made it a miss. So today we'll remember this historical man. We'll watch a movie and read a book or two and then we'll go and give to others like Saint Nicholas would do. </i></div>
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No pictures from this day;) We do random and secret acts of kindness so taking pictures would take away the secret aspect;)</div>
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<i>God is so creative, just take a look around. Not a place you can glance where his handiwork isn't found. We can't make the world just by speaking a word, we can't make a dog or tree or a bird. But we can use our creativity, a reflection of his, to make GINGERBREAD HOUSES- it's fun, it is!</i></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-78047235022741322712019-12-03T22:42:00.000-06:002019-12-03T23:11:38.579-06:00Advent Day 3- Making our own Wrapping Paper<i>We give gifts to others to honor Christ's gift, let's take some plain paper and give it a little lift! We'll use it to wrap presents for those we adore, so the gift is homemade even though bought from a store.</i><br />
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Large rolls of plain paper, sponges we used sharpies to trace shapes on and then cut, and washable tempera paint....simple preparation for creative juices to be given room to flow.<br />
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I love seeing how the kids wrapping paper has changed with time. Christians is still mostly scattered but the older three give much thought and organization to the task now. Each one really is such a reflection of themselves;)<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-16310014555838311042019-12-02T22:30:00.001-06:002019-12-02T22:30:16.478-06:00Advent Day 2- It's Christmas PJ time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>What is advent without delight? Delight will be plenty on this advent night. What's cozy and silly all wrapped up in fun? A Christmas PJ photoshoot is an advent home run!</i><br />
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We have been wearing Christmas PJ's before they were easy to find everywhere. I used to pay a LOT more for them and only a few stores carried them. I love all the options available and all the deals to be found! This year a facebook ad way back in September sucked me in....Golden State Warriors Christmas Pajamas. Ridiculous and perfect;)<br />
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Phineas, dear child number two, is a tough nut to crack. He is kind and polite and obedient most of the time. He's also introverted and doesn't easily spill his heart. He connects, like many men do, through shared experiences. One way we connect is through reading classic books together at night, but I needed more connection with him, so I have become knowledgable about basketball. I watch games with and without him and I watch Sports Center on the regular. I am gaining knowledge of football and beginning to enjoy it. I have always loved basketball, so I have just tried to take a dive into all the facts he is so interested in. We followed the draft and all the team swapping that went on in the NBA this summer. Phin appreciates so many players in the NBA so we have quite a few teams he'll root for on any given night, but the team he is most obsessed with is the Golden State Warriors. I knew when I saw this silly ad, that these PJ's would bless him.<br />
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I know, I know, this probably isn't the BEST year to be wearing Warriors PJ's, but fans are fans even in the middle of the worst season ever;) Phineas was delighted to open up blue and gold this morning: and advent is about hope, so we couldn't help but laugh at the symbolism of the PJ's this year. If any team needed hope...<br />
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And now after that entirely too lengthy explanation as to the origin of our pajamas.....I give you- our silly photo shoot;)<br />
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Family fun is always a win...even if the team your reppin' is losing;)<br />
<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-70800030979675330142019-12-01T23:15:00.002-06:002019-12-01T23:15:57.867-06:00Advent 2019Advent! It's my favorite time of year- life has slowed down in the Aneed home and we are awaiting the coming of Christmas with anticipation.<br />
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I am surprised as my children grow older how many of my advent activities they still look forward to. Tradition and Nostalgia, it seems, trump feelings of being "too old" or "too mature". They have been talking for the past weeks about the days they know are coming. They each have favorites. I had planned to do more "new" things at this stage in their lives; I assumed they'd outgrow Christmas Baths and Window Cling Day, but I was wrong. They love the memories: Christmas brings out the youngest parts of them. They even refuse to let me get rid of our Little People Nativity set! We are long past the Little People stage for every day play, but today they still set up their toddler nativity set, still wanted fresh batteries so the angel could glow as "Away in the Manger" played, still wanted to give voice to the chubby little wisemen.<br />
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I watched them today as they eagerly embraced wonder and couldn't help but think about how to pull more of this wonder into our every day. I could not help but ponder how I can provide more opportunities for them to throw their age and the expectations that come with getting older by the wayside and give them opportunities to just innocently worry about nothing but play and laugther. I thought of Jesus words, "Let the children come to me" and I wondered how often I push my children to move past the very childlikeness he embraced. How often I am too independent myself, to caught up with cares and worries and 'to do' lists, to just run joyfully into my Saviors lap? Children teach us so much!<br />
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I am aware as I type of all the mamas who are stages ahead of me in life; I know many a friend who would be quick to remind me how young my children still are! Yes, we have made it past diapers and potty training. We have four kids who can ride bikes and read. Those foundational physical skills have been accomplished, but how much more is yet to be done in nuturing and growing their hearts. Each day the weight of parenting is apparent; the passage of time ever swift. Days like today carry a lightness, a freedom of childhood that my heart craves. I sit and savor. Perhaps the nostalgia of the day pushed me back into the world of blogging, afterall so many precious memories are held here. Perhaps I sit to type to stay in these moments just a bit longer, to cherish a little deeper, to make a record to look back upon with fondness. This blog is a permanent time capsule I can always dig up and I am grateful for the record of my teeny children that is kept here. So I return to record more in THIS blissful life stage of children who are capable of so much and yet still have hearts full of innocence and joy. God has given us much and as we focus on him this month, I will record again the joy and peace this focusing on him brings us each year.<br />
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This year our Advent season will be a bit compressed. Moving cross country has made us renege on our vow to always spend Christmas at home. (School vacation is limited and the distance from grandparents is far.) This year we will spend Christmas with Marc's family in Colorado. Packing up all our gifts becomes difficult when we have six people and all our winter gear. We will just do Christmas stockings on Christmas day and open up presents early on 12/20 before we leave. This has made advent planning a bit compressed. I had to pull back on outings to fit in all the my children's "must have days";)<br />
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Advent Day 1:<br />
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<i>Advent is a word taken from the Latin language that means "the coming".</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIQdkQhwMRWT-XyPDTGzdFg7z4G0xFe7yiOFx4Y40x1MPY7IlpzDUX1eEtHdOTC7-D0fLOYpprDxQBcnT-etPc6QR2nMfC6xyWCXgw3P40GVs9fgPnEb6ziPlGZdFYE7o6tYL5QEQYKM/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIQdkQhwMRWT-XyPDTGzdFg7z4G0xFe7yiOFx4Y40x1MPY7IlpzDUX1eEtHdOTC7-D0fLOYpprDxQBcnT-etPc6QR2nMfC6xyWCXgw3P40GVs9fgPnEb6ziPlGZdFYE7o6tYL5QEQYKM/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" width="320" /></a><i>We are eargerly waitng for Christmas, now just 25 days away. The jewish people were eagerly waiting for the coming of the Messiah for hundreds of years! As we anticipate Christmas, lets make sure to focus on what it is really about- not presents and wish lists, not chocolate lollipops and cookie making, not even family and friends. Christmas is about Jesus. Jesus came many years ago as a baby. Let's not forget as we anticipate the day celebrating his first coming, that Jesus is COMING AGAIN!!!! Many missed his first arrival, they were looking for the wrong things; they had their own ideas about who the Messiah "should be". Let's make sure we are focusing on Jesus and learning about who HE tells us he is. Let's make sure we are honoring him in our hearts and by our actions.</i><br />
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<i>Today, along with out box of Christmas books and nativity, we will get out our manger, reminding us of the humble way Jesus came. Every time we honor him with hearts of humility and service, we will add hay to the manger as a symbol of hearts that welcome him. Today we will also remember that Jesus came to earth to die....came to be payment for our sin. We will set up our Christmas tree, evergreen and full of life because our Saviors death upon a tree gave us life eternal.</i><br />
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Each year the kids get an ornament that represents something they are into at that age. It's funny now for Phin to hang his Elmo ornament and for Ava to hang her Disney Princess heart. I tell them they may laugh in five years at this years ornament. They never believe me....Ava is geeking out to Dr. Who so she has a Tardis Ornament (It looks like a phone booth but I am told it is not...I don't ask too many questions- SCI-FI is she and Marc's thang;) Phin chose a Thor bobble head looking thing, Christian chose Blank Panther. Chloe chose a gittery pink bottle of nail polish.<br />
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Our tree is far too small, and crowded with ornaments. Each ornament on our tree holds a memory- one for each trip we've taken since marriage, one for each year of each childs life, a few precious gifts...the tree a reminder that God is life and love and the abundance of ornaments a reminder of the abundance of blessings he bestows.<br />
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What has not changed, whether is has been recorded on a blog or not, is my love for playing with food. What would Christmas Tree day be without a little food fun?;) </div>
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Christmas Tree day is Chloe's favorite advent day. She decked herself out in Christmas attire and she is always my sous chef in the kitchen. Christmas tree waffles were the menu tonight and she helped every step of the way;)</div>
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We recieved <a href="http://adventbook.com/"> The Advent Book</a> from our mentors 14 years ago when I was pregnant with Ava. It is a nightly treasure to this day.</div>
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-70438203532575209052019-02-28T20:04:00.002-06:002019-02-28T21:15:55.188-06:00June<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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June- the month of summer and sunshine. It is also the name of my Grandma and for me "Grandma" also conjurs up memories of the same. I see her smiling face and hear her laughter. Immediately I feel loved and safe.<br />
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My Grandma June is almost 92 and it looks very much like she will soon be leaving her earthly body and going to spend eternity with Jesus. Grandma has been slowly fading the past few years. She is here in body but little of who she is remains. For her sake, I cannot wait until she gets to go to be with her Jesus; she gets to be restored. I love imagine the light returning to her eyes and I always imagine her giggling as soon as she sees Him face to face.<br />
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I have lost quite a few special people in my life- more than most, some say. When you lose a dear friend at 14, it forever changes you. When you lose three more precious friends, you learn to cherish friendship and each day you are given. My experiences with the death of grandparents and of dear friend's parents has prepared me for the loss of my dear grandmother...or so I thought. What I am realizing as I prepare to say goodbye is that really I am not ready at all. I have known she was fading for some time. I have already mourned the absence of who she was. Intellectually, I know 92 is way past the average life expectancy; she has lived a long life and I know her time has likely come. But the ache forming deep in my heart is strong- in moments the thought of losing her literally takes my breath away. My grandmother is so deeply etched in the foundation of who I am.<br />
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Oh the memories!<br />
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I see her sitting at the table, in the cabin, snapping beans chatting with my Aunt Dorothy.<br />
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I see her serving coffee to a table full of friends and family sitting at that long table in her bay window, offering food despite insistence that all were full.<br />
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I hear her laugh and remember the stories she told time and time again.<br />
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She bought all her grandkids matching red-footed Christmas jammies long before it was in fashion.<br />
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She let us play dress up with her clothes and wigs.<br />
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She thought of all of us year round...christmas shopping for her began on Decemeber 26 and I well remember how gifts were stashed in her attic and in the upper reaches of closets- stashed where ever space could be found. I loved to snoop to see what would be coming under the tree. She caught me peeking a time or two and laughed at my curiosity.<br />
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She bought me my first Mario game...on a wrist watch. I knew it was coming and I snuck and unwrapped that gift for weeks before Christmas came, played the game and taped it back up. She never questioned why I was so good at it immediately.<br />
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Oh how I love to play on her soft yellow cannopy bed and smell the perfumes sitting on her mirrored tray.<br />
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Her house always felt like a second home.<br />
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Summers spent at the lake were filled with love and full bellies. I can almost taste her freshly fried fish and raspberry marshmallow dessert. I can see the cupboards stocked with sugary cereals we only got to eat at her house;)<br />
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My grandpa was the fisherman of all fisherman and every evening after dinner most cousins would pile into the boat and go catch Crappy's. I went a time or two, but usually I stayed back with Grandma. Staying back usually meant baking- baking and hearing grandma's stories. She showed me how to make cream puffs and watching them puff up in the oven felt like magic.<br />
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She poured love into all her food; maybe filling bellies was her way of filling hearts.<br />
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I always wanted to nap at my grandma's, far past napping age. She would lie down among us and tell us stories. We almost always asked her to tell us the story of 1 eye, 2 eyes, and 3 eyes. How I wish I could retell it just her way. It never got old; nor did hearing stories of her antics with her friend Mary Ellen or how she met grandpa...or how she'd sneak behind her parents' garage and put on red lipstick before school.<br />
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A few summers, my parents let my sister and I stay for a whole month with Grandma and Grandpa. Oh the memories with my cousins- a sleep over every night. I had a secret though, one I don't think we have ever talked about before now. As an adult I wonder if any of them have this secret too. I would try so very, very hard to wake up before all of them. The five or six times my body cooperated with this plan held special grandma time. See, my Grandma had her quiet time with Jesus before we all woke up. If I was lucky enough to be awake, she'd invite me to grab a bowl of cereal and join her. We'd walk quietly down to the lake and sit on the pontoon boat at the end of the dock and she'd read to me from her bible as I ate, the lake still like glass around us. These memories are holy ground for me. I think of it often now. The days my children get up before the sun and want to join me for my quiet time- I struggle. This is my time, my time to pour my heart before Jesus and let him fill it up with his presence. Grandma never seemed to be this selfish, never seemed to mind my joining her. Not once did she seem the least bit annoyed; she always made me feel like I'd made her day by joining in on her special time. I often wonder if she really was that loving and unselfish or just a really great actor....I think it's the former. It inspires me.<br />
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I broke grandma and grandpa's German cuckoo clock. Yes, cousins that have forgot- that was me who pulled on those dangling pine cones. The clock was a souvenier from their trip of a lifetime- a month traveling Europe. I was old enough to know better but I played with the clock; it broke and she wasn't home. Uncle Jer and the cousins that were present panicked. I was terrified. We heard the car pull into the driveway a few minutes later; I was crying and I ran to hide. I heard all the voices frantically tattling on my poor decision. I heard footsteps coming. Then I heard grandma's voice, "Kimmy get out here. You know I love you more than any clock." She hugged me as I cried. I think of this every time I read the story of Adam and Eve hiding in the garden of Eden. She came to find ME and in doing so reflected my Heavenly Father. <br />
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Oh! How I will miss her stories and hugs. I miss taking walks and picking wildflowers. I'll always miss her black velvet chair and kitchen papered in Ivy wallpaper- the chair a symbol to me of her softness, the ivy of the way she wrapped life around all of us.<br />
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I'll miss her singing hymns and teaching Sunday school at Wright Church. I'll miss her making cookies and cinnamon rolls- of watching her cut the dough with string.<br />
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I'll miss her saying, "come have a little visit with Grandma" when she wanted to have a heart to heart. I'll miss feeling like her favorite; she had a way of making each and every one of us feel just that special.<br />
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Her life was not pain free. She endured deep tragedy and pain and yet she was joy-filled. She loved big. Her door was always open and therein one would always find her open arms and heart.<br />
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How I love my Grandma LaPine.<br />
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I hope I always open my arms and home, and I fill bellies and pour coffee and somehow in the process fill hearts with the love of Jesus.<br />
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I love you forever Gram. Thank you for loving me well.<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-922081619744808572015-09-30T22:50:00.003-05:002015-09-30T22:50:30.056-05:00Confessions of an Abiding Mom WannabeA couple months ago, I came across a <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/">blog</a> that posted <u>10 days of Homeschool Enrichment</u>. I printed it out and thought it would be a good exercise; after all, why not start out enriched?<br />
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As I expected, it was helpful in figuring out my "plan" in regards to homeschooling. I love a good plan, a good checklist, a good map to lay out the journey. Marc and I worked together to set up a written discipline plan to take the stress out of discipline (this has worked so well!). I visioned the whys and whats, I prayerfully wrote a vision statement and attempted to lay out a general plan for each day.<br />
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What I did not expect was to be stopped dead in my tracks on day two, to find myself at a loss for words as I examined my own heart and fell in repentance before the Lord. What I did not expect was this:<br />
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(*note for better viewing, please click on <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/02/10-days-of-homeschooling-enrichment-day_07.html">image</a> and it will take you to the original blog post)</div>
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Guys, seriously, I sat in my easy chair in the corner of my bedroom in silence as I looked at this chart. I long ago learned I am not a super mom and if asked, I would definitely say/have said that I was using the term tongue-in-cheek and had no such aspirations; but, as I read through her comparison of Super Mom vs. Abiding Mom, my heart sort of broke. I had much to repent that day and daily every since. How often my disposition is affected by the storms of life. I want my kids to be godly, truly I do...and yet so often I am most concerned with them being "good". My perspective is so often based on what is seen. I am discouraged by failure. I expect perfection of myself.</div>
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I have to tell you, this was most convicting not because of my blog title (though let's be honest it was poetic justice), but because one of my favorite books ever is <u>Abiding in Christ</u> by Andrew Murray. I read it 17 years ago and knew I wanted my life to be marked by abiding. Yet, when I saw this comparison laid out in this way I realized how self-sufficiency creeps into so many areas of my life and my motherhood.</div>
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I DO NOT WANT TO BE A SUPER MOM; I WANT TO BE AN ABIDING MOM! </div>
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I know the homeschool aspect of this journey is such a small piece, just a tool He is using at the moment. God is graciously directing me to a new place with Him. In some ways perhaps I strayed a bit, but in most ways, I think He is always growing us, leading us, taking us into deeper intimacy with him. That is what I ask Him for, and I believe He is answering in new ways, bringing me to a deeper level of dependence and surrender. He is opening my eyes in new ways...Oh! that they would stay open to what He has to show me!</div>
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It is often said that in scripture and life, when something is repeated, it is important. At the moment, I feel like God has been repeating or reinforcing the same message. I better be getting it! I just finished a short, little, recently published, former ebook, titled <u>Teaching From Rest</u> . It's a great quick read, that packs a powerful punch. It's final section deals out homeschool suggestions, but I swear she should take it out and just publish it under "Parenting from Rest". It is so good and reinforced what God has continued to whisper to my heart about simplicity, getting my agenda from Him, being present in the now....ABIDING.</div>
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"Before we attempt to live a day well, teach our children, or tackle our to-dos, first we put the whole thing at His feet. We beg God to use us to fulfill His purpose, and then we see that every frustration in the day ahead is an answer to that very prayer."</div>
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Every frustration an answer to prayer? How desperately I want to go through my days with that proper perspective: to realize that everything that crosses my path is fulfilling HIS purposes, not mine. That He is refining me and simultaneously using me to show His love and grace to my kids, to neighbors, to slow cashiers at Target, to the McDonalds attendant who gives me ice tea instead of coke....everything.</div>
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"Most of my own frustration comes from forgetting what my real task is in the first place. He's called me to be faithful, yet I am determined to be successful." Faithful looks so different that what the world tells us defines success. He has asked me to be a good steward of my time, of my children, of my talents. He hasn't asked ME to perform miracles, He's got that job sealed up lock, stock, and barrel. He wants to be God and wants me to be...well, me;) I just need to bring Him what I have, my proverbial <a href="http://biblehub.com/mark/6-41.htm">"Five loaves of bread and two fish"</a>, and HE will stretch it, expand it, and work miracles.</div>
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Marc and I have so clearly felt led to pull back, simplify, focus on relationships, to exchange busyness for rest and chaos for peace; yet almost every day I have to catch myself from adding more into our lives. It is so hard to keep my eyes focused on what He has laid out for us; it's so easy to look around and fall trap to the comparison that kills contentment, peace, and joy. I see so many things others are doing, so many GOOD things. I know my kids could be speaking other languages, taking more classes, and obtaining more skills and sometimes when I hear others giving these things to their kids, I feel like maybe I am failing. I feel like my kids are missing out. I see people thriving in ministry and I start to question whether I am contributing enough; if I am honest, one of my BIGGEST struggles is wondering if OTHER people think I am doing enough. I buy into the worlds deceitful definition of success. I worry what <strike>man</strike> women think of me and my contributions to church, bible study, our neighborhood, friendships, our homeschool community. I am prone to worry and yet all God has asked of me is to be faithful to what HE has called me to- not to what He called someone else to;) When I look to the left or right, I find anxiety and discontent. Yet, when I keep my eyes on Him, when I am abiding in Him? That is where I find that indeed His yoke IS easy and His burden IS light.</div>
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"Jesus did not do it all. Jesus didn't meet every need. He left people waiting in line to be healed. He left one town to preach to another. He hid away to pray. He got tired. He never interacted with the vast majority of people on the planet. He spent thirty years in training and only three years in ministry. He did not try to do it all. And yet, He did everything God asked Him to do." (Quote in this book from another one- Kevin DeYoung in <em>Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem.)</em></div>
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Hi my name is Kim and yes, I am a recovering successoholic and a former supermom wannabe; but He knows my name, my make up and my heart. He calls me beloved daughter. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. In Him, I will abide.<br />
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-47661133616740351722015-09-21T22:07:00.001-05:002015-09-21T22:07:55.810-05:00Two Years of being completeTwo years ago today we completed our family. Our precious son Christian came home FOREVER.<br />
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It's amazing to look back and see how he's grown. It's hard to remember what our life was like before he was in it. It's no secret, the kid is about as cute as they come. I don't know if I've ever met a more photogenic child. What you can't necessarily see in pictures are his sweet heart. his silly spirit, or his generosity. He has had to learn that adults are to be respected and obeyed. He's put in lots of work learning to respect boundaries and though he has so much yet to learn, it's really amazing to stop and celebrate how much he has grown internally as well as externally. The kid is WHIP smart. He has always stunned us with his ability to communicate. Even before he could speak English we were astounded at how well he could use motions to communicate his needs. Now he speaks English so well, sometimes he stuns me with how well he can articulate his needs, feelings, or the description of a situation. Sometimes I wonder if God hasn't gifted him specifically in this area to communicate God's love with others some day. Christian struggles to respect boundaries, but he also rarely draws his own. His is welcoming, affectionate, and seriously more generous than any kid I've ever known. He is loving. Anyone who knows him has been a recipient of his hugs. Few people leave our house without receiving one. Sure, sometimes he has trouble restraining himself when it isn't appropriate to express certain things and we are teaching him to reign in some of his emotions, but we pray we never stifle him; the way he lives life with fullness is inspiring. Every person in this family knows we are loved. He runs into my room every single morning before doing anything else and gives me a giant hug and tells me "I love you, Mama." He loves pizza so much that every time we have it delivered he hugs the unsuspecting delivery guy (sometimes I order pizza just to witness the hilarity of a 16 year old boy ringing our doorbell only to be immediately accosted by our little guy hugging him saying, "Pizza! Thank you!" It's a riot!)<br />
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Parenting him has stressed us beyond what I thought was possible. God has taught me much about surrender. Has taught me what it means to love even when it hurts. Has taught me to push through moments of Christian's rejection and keep loving until he learned I was safe. In the process I have learned more about the depth of God's unending, pursing, faithful love for me.<br />
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I am better for being Christian's mama. Our family is better because he is in it. Two years in, we are able to start seeing some of his healing. We have settled into normality. I feel like I am not just treading water, but on some days actually SWIMMING;) We are seeing more and more beauty arrive from the ashes of loss for him. He has some sensory issues and still has some anxiety that presents much like ADD in certain situations. He'll have much more growth in his little life and I feel so privileged to be called his mother and be able to hold his hand through the difficulties and witness success. He is just amazing.<br />
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Today we celebrated. We call this "Family Day" because it is the day our family was completed.<br />
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We had Haitian food. Rice and Beans, which are seriously amazing (that's what sautéing beans in bacon fat does to a recipe), Grilled Chicken, Plantains, and for dessert banana fritters (which aren't the prettiest, but they are AMAZING).<br />
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Yes, we are aware that the chicken is extra charred...we had a little fire in the grill and the sauce was fuel to the flame;)</div>
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Little man got to use a Haitian Map placemat and our "special day" plate.</div>
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Banana Fritters</div>
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Our sugar monster loved the Fritters best of all;P</div>
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What a difference two years makes!</div>
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2013 or 2015...the boy loves to look sharp;)</div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-80934740270164192832015-09-19T14:30:00.000-05:002015-09-19T14:30:11.637-05:00Yet again, I realize my Cup OverflowsThis week we had our first homeschool community day. We'll go once a week to kick off the work for the week ahead. We have a short devotional time and then the kids split into smaller groups to get their memory work, do a science experiment, and an art project; we all gather back together to have lunch and recess. In the afternoon, Ava and I attend a pretty intensive writing program. Those are the facts in a brief overview. I am having a more difficult time finding words to express the feels.<br />
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Morning Meeting</div>
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(just so you can see what they are staring at- I know you were a wonderin' ;)</div>
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Phin putting his timeline cards in order</div>
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Little miss lovin' her class;)</div>
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I wrote in a previous post about the angst I had in making the decision to homeschool. I shed tears; I lost a good deal of sleep. It felt like God was asking too much. I argued with God that I already give and give and give- why was he asking me for more? Once the decision became clear, I did have a peace that this was what God had planned for us this year, but I also was daily having to give him my fears of the unknowns, my insecurities, my selfishness, and fears. Now that we are in it- I feel like I am overwhelmed with a joy that is hard to articulate. I am overwhelmed with God's provision in meeting needs that I didn't even know to express- needs I didn't necessarily know were needs at all.<br />
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We started math and reading three weeks before our community started. We've had a great deal of fun and I have had so many moments of wondering what I was so afraid of?!! Indeed, as I felt God telling my heart in the decision process, he has been restoring a joy to my motherhood that I have struggled to reclaim since adding a fourth kid and a autoimmune disorder;P It's been lovely. I have pondered many a thing in my heart over those three weeks: I am more capable that I gave myself credit for. I have really amazing friends, who know me and my kids well, that have given me really good advice in structuring our day and our curriculum in ways that flow with who we are as a family, with who I am as a mom. I know I avoided many a pitfall because of their experience and loving advice. God really does give us strength in our weakness, and help us embrace the way he's uniquely crafted us! I have gotten the best of my kids each day instead of exhaustion. I've been able to rejoice in seeing my kids learn new things! <br />
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I was terrified of teaching Chloe to read. What a cool thing to see her going from frustration to mastery with each phonetic sound. We've done really fun art with our letters and we shook the heck out of a pint of cream while saying, "b-b-b-b-butter" til we were giddy with laughter and had sore arm muscles.<br />
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Phineas is sharp as a tack and loves to show off. I've been able to get him excited about math using Skylander guys instead of counting bears. We've added, subtracted, and sorted Skylanders and I love that he looks so forward to our one on one time.<br />
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Ava has performed just as I expected. She is driven and self motivated and loves to learn. She really wanted to study Revelation. I thought it was crazy, but then I found a Kay Arthur precept study for kids and I LOVE that she is really learning to study the bible and we get to look up questions together. I love reading aloud with her and finding out how much she already knows about so many things from her insatiable desire for books. <br />
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Christian in going to preschool three days a week, but the other two days, we get to work on his sorely lacking fine motor skills and incorporate him into our learning time. Instead of being a distraction, he is (on MOST days anyway) a delight to have along on the journey.<br />
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I am so pleased with our homeschooling decision; the joy of the first three weeks felt like gift enough. Truly the way I am wired, lends to stressful moments trying to get kids to school and keep up with each teachers requirements. The reprieve really has released me of much of that stress and is therefore beneficial to my littles! All of that would have been MORE than enough, but God loves to show off. We had community day and I left in tears- joyful tears. It was so much fun. A few moms are paid tutors to kick of the weeks memory work and I was so humbled by how much work they put into it. Phin is in a class of ALL boys and his tutor had them learn while doing obstacle courses. They were engaged and had a great time. Chloe was glowing. What really set my heart aflame, however, was the afternoon of writing class with Ava. First, it's really special to have a room of mamas and daughters working together. Second, I have NEVER seen Ava so comfortable with a group of people in a school setting since preschool and it was DAY ONE. She just fits. They girls all get along so well. There is kindness and laughter and joy. I could see clearly see God putting her in a place that takes away the anxiety she is naturally prone to. She is an overachiever and she already over achieves. This is a one room school philosophy and they went over that with the girls, so it's just about working together and embracing strengths and that they are each at different level and it is OKAY. There is no competition. She had a hard time shaking the "new girl" label when we moved here- NOT because of other children (at all!) but because she labeled herself as "new" and "outside". It took a year and other new kids coming to work through it;) It was lovely to see her growth and rejection of that label. Instead she labeled herself "friend" and made plenty. <br />
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Ava's new compadres</div>
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And you guys! Can I tell you about the other mamas? I LIKE them..a lot. I totally have a gazillion friendship crushes. I think they are some lifelong friends in this group. I cannot wait to get to know them better!<br />
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I am not obtuse to hard days ahead. Yet,I am challenged by unconscious ways I define God when he asks me to step out of my comfort zone. Why do I automatically assume it is going to be horrible? There are times he calls us to hard things, but he also grows us for our GOOD. He is my father who wants GOOD things for me...and yet in moments of change, I realize I have some room to grow in the area of TRUST. He is always faithful. He carries me when it's hard. Why is it so hard to trust?! Once again, he has blown my mind. His ways are so much higher than mine. Yes, on the surface, I have almost zero "me" time (I do have some- don't worry;), but he's restored a part of my spirit that means infinitely more than a couple extra hours of reading or rest. I feel like I opened a gift of more time with my children in these really fleeting years. Ava daily asks me to please not just homeschool for a year but forever (I always tell her we will do each year what God leads us to do:). Phin says he loves homeschool but can we have more boys (the answer is "no"). Chloe doesn't know much different but is just blossoming.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*I just want to reiterate again in this blog post, that this is more about being where God wants us than homeschool itself. I do not believe homeschooling is the only way. I know mamas in public school, private school, and homeschool whose families are just where God wants them!</span>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-29373130190296729992015-08-23T21:12:00.002-05:002015-08-24T14:39:36.084-05:00Starting this Homeschool ShinDigOkay- I don't really know how to homeschool, but tomorrow we start math and reading. I've prepared as much as I can, but I still feel like I am jumping off a cliff tomorrow! I am filled with nervous anticipation and excitement.<br />
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One thing I got right, I think, I redid our office this week. Last Sunday it had dark green walls with Marc's sword collection and our college diploma's. I did some painting, spray painting, clearance shopping and such. I am so happy with the finished product. We have a happy room, I hope it foreshadows many happy moments.<br />
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-13464122751069136882015-08-22T11:56:00.002-05:002015-08-22T11:56:43.483-05:00Bridal Shower Devotional for my Sweet FriendRecently (and by recently, I mean May) I was asked to give the devotional at the bridal shower of a sweet friend. I was honored, she is a dear girl who has babysat for my children and whom we love like family. I was very humbled that I was asked after the shower by a couple different attendees to post a copy of the devotional on my blog. More humbly still, I was reminded that I hadn't done it yet. Humbled, I post it know, knowing my words are inadequate but that God's truth is in them still.<br />
I am so passionate about marriage. I feel so blessed by the man God has in my life and so grateful for the ways God has molded and refined us, grown us and humbled us, and carried us through difficult times. Sitting down to prepare a short devotional was difficult. There is so much I wanted to share with a new bride- I've learned so much in 15 years, and I know I have so much yet to learn. I prayed for clarity and God's leading. This is what he laid on my heart for my sweet friend.<br />
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J, you've spend a great deal of time dreaming of marriage and of the perfect wedding day. I know it will be beautiful, but as you spend the next few weeks finishing up the preparations, I challenge you to purpose to spend double the amount of time meditating on the vows you are about to make.<br />
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I know you understand the biblical importance of covenant, so I will just briefly remind you today. Covenant comes from a Hebrew word and is an agreement that brings with it a sense of cutting, a pact made between passing of flesh. It involved blood and was a solemn and binding agreement relationship meant to last a lifetime. In the Old Testament an animal would literally be cut in half and the agreeing parties would walk between the two halves saying, "Cut me in half if I break this covenant." In today's traditional wedding, the center aisle between two families is a symbol of this.<br />
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Marriage is often referred to as the highest covenant because it is not just a covenant between man and woman but is simultaneously a covenant between the couple and God.<br />
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It is not just a contract as our society would have you believe. <br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">-A Covenant is base on trust. A contract is based on distrust.<br />-A Covenant is based on unlimited responsibility. A contract is based on limited liability.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">-A Covenant is lifelong and not to be broken. A contract can be broken by mutual consent.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Times; font-size: x-small;">(*Source:http://www.worthychristianforums.com/topic/157757-marriage-a-covenant-or-a-contract/)</span><br />
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You are not entering into a marriage contract, you are entering in to a marriage covenant. Your responsibility to that covenant is unlimited.<br />
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Traditional vows have some variation of 6 basic parts.<br />
1) <em>"I will love you as long as I live"-</em> signifying kindness and self sacrifice<br />
2) "I will honor you"- signifying thoughtfulness, attentiveness and respect<br />
3) <em>"I will be to you what a wife (or husband) ought to be to a spouse"</em>- signifying doing your part to meet your spouses needs<br />
4) <em>"I will take you as you are"</em> - signifying acceptance<br />
5) <em>"I will forsake all others"</em>- signifying faithfulness<br />
6) <em>"I will do all this for better or worse, in sickness or in health, whether rich or poor...." </em>-signifying the unconditional nature of the covenant<br />
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J, I don't know if you guys are writing your own vows or if you will chose some written for you, but I challenge you to make this the most thoughtful part of your ceremony and rehearse them until they are burned into your brain and onto your heart.<br />
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Your tastes will change, and while you will always look back fondly upon your choice of flowers and dress, ten years from now you'd have chosen differently. What will not change are your vows.<br />
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People have told you marriage is hard. People will offer you myriad different pieces of wonderful advice. It is all head knowledge now. It will mean infinitely more to you as time goes on and you "get" what people mean by hard times.<br />
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I hated people saying that a day may come when you'll question whether you chose the right spouse or you'll wish you weren't married or that your situation was different. J, I can honestly tell you that for me those times have been very, very few. (They usually had more to do with my own sinful heart that deficits in Marc.) But what I do want you to know is that when you really are "in worse" it usually doesn't have much to do with sickness or poverty. It usually happens when your spouse has hurt you deeper than you've ever been hurt. Love may feel farther away than you ever thought possible and yet you will stay and you will chose to love and serve and honor because you have entered into covenant to do just that. At times, it may be the covenant alone that keeps you going, but J, God does amazing things when we honor our covenants! I can testify to you that he makes beauty from ashes, and though times love will something that yes is a choice and not a feeling. God honors that choice and you get through the hard times and the feelings and intimacy are deeper on the other side.<br />
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You are about to get married and learn just how selfish you are. It's eye opening to truly realize what it means to lay down your life. It is easy to say and yet painful and costly to do. You will learn what it means to forgive 70x7; even harder, you will learn how deeply you can hurt another human being and how hard it is to humbly accept forgiveness.<br />
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There is only one way to be a successful wife, J, you must be a woman of the Word, filled with the Spirit. <br />
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Be a woman of the Word and don't write the Word of God solely on you mind, engrave it upon your heart. <br />
-Luke 6:45 says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Girl, your mouth can make or break your marriage; it can build up or tear down your spouse. Keep your heart clean of unforgiveness and bitterness. Keep bringing your heart before the Father so our of it's abundance comes beauty.<br />
-Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death and those who love to talk will reap it's fruit." Your words will bring life or death to your husbands very heart and soul. Sow words that are life giving to him!<br />
-And let's not forget what wise Ol' Solomon wrote to his son:<br />
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<li>Proverbs 25:24- "It is better to live on the corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.</li>
<li>Proverbs 21:19- "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife."</li>
<li>Proverbs 19:13- "A quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof."</li>
<li>Proverbs 27:15- "A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm."'</li>
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Think about all that. It is better to life ON THE CORNER of the ROOF than with a quarrelsome wife. On the corner, mind you, where you are off balance and unsteady. On the ROOF, where you are exposed to all the elements nature throws at you. It is better to live a DESERT- parched, dry, lacking any signs of lush life. And this dripping thing? Maybe that's hard to relate to as Americans because who among us has endured a constant dripping roof? I once heard this compared to a dripping nose, so I pass this little wise illustration to you, dear friend. Think of when you have a constant drippy nose. You can turn your head or move with out the annoyance of the drip. You have to wipe it so often, your nose gets so red and irritated that you look like Rudolph. It's embarrassing socially. It's uncomfortable at all times. You go to bed desperately hoping for relief in the morning only to wake up and find your drippy nose is still with you. Dear friend, do not be a wife that is constantly nagging N. Don't have him desperately wipe you aside only to find himself more irritated when you return. Don't let the way you speak to him be embarrassing socially. Don't let him go to bed just hoping you'll be different in the morning only to find the same nagging wife still resides. No one wants a drippy nose or a nagging wife. Period.<br />
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Speak to N words that build him up. Accept him as he is. Don't <em>focus</em> on what he needs to change- it tears him down, frustrates you, and gets you NO WHERE. Sit before God and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how YOU need to change. Walk in the Spirit. Be being filled with the Spirit and not yourself, not good intentions, not false ideals of what a perfect husband or marriage looks like. Be honest in communication and don't fail to communicate your needs, but bring them before God FIRST and let him lead.<br />
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Finally, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT look at others. Comparison is in my opinion, the death of women. Psalm 16:5 says, "Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup, you have made my lot secure." We are given what we need for security, when we start going off trying to obtain someone else's portion, trying to paint our cup to resemble their cup, things doing work and insecurity abounds. Do not compare N to other men. Trust the mistakes of married women here when we tell you- DO NOT DO IT. God did not assign you those men, he gave you N. Be content with the man God has gifted you. Do not look at other woman's lives and circumstance and wish you had them, live life God gave you. Finally, do not compare yourself to other women and feel less than, be content person he made YOU, let him mold and make you into the beauty he has planned. Comparison kills. <br />
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Life isn't a fairy tale, it is a journey. Marriage will have many happy moments. I think you know how genuinely happy I am in my marriage, how deeply I am loved, and how much I love my hubs. But I want to remind you that the aim of marriage isn't your happiness it is God's glory. If you seek happiness alone, selfishness will overtake you and you'll find yourself farther from happiness than you ever thought possible. Focus on your vows and honoring the God who you are making a covenant to. Spend your life walking in the Spirit, living by the nourishment of God's word. Marriage will not be what you dream, J, but if you submit to God's plan for you and live for his glory, I promise you, it will be far greater.<br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-66820218391982431842015-07-26T10:40:00.000-05:002015-07-26T11:55:24.889-05:00Leap of Faith- Part twoAs we began to look at stress in our life, I was once again humbled. I just don't seem to be able to handle things other moms can. Busyness stresses me out- like REALLY stresses me out.<br />
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We purposefully have kept our kids activities to a minimum. We do very little by comparison and I realized I often feel guilty because the little we do sometimes feels like too much. Though logically I know better, I constantly battle against what culture pushes on us. Are my kids missing out? I know in my head that activities alone aren't what's best for kids, that we want our kids to play and imagine and have free space in their lives to just be kids, but when few around us seem to be doing that, I find myself feeling like my kids are missing out.<br />
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This summer though we knew we just couldn't, I haven't felt well enough. So, our kids went to VBS and one week of theater camp. Chloe is taking three gymnastic classes this month and Phin tried basketball on Friday mornings for a month. That was plenty. We've spent time at the pool, played, they've Konmaried with me. We're happy, we have more energy for others! <br />
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We read a book by Archibald Hart called <u>Stress and Your Child</u>. Hands down the most helpful book I've read in a long time. We have a kid with psoriasis. She has stress. As we looked at simplifying our lives, we wanted to decrease stress for everyone, compare ourselves to no one. It's easy to look at others and say, "well, they are busier so we must be fine". We just asked God to show us what was best in this season. We laid our entire lives before him in surrender.<br />
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Our two most stressful times of day are bedtime and morning during the school year. Every holiday and summer break, I dread the return to school. We've gone to a private school 20 min. away. Marc works 45 min. away in the opposite direction. I have to leave the house with four kids fed and ready to go by 7:30am. Because of this we try to do bedtime early, starting 7-730pm. Marc gets home at 615. Trying to fit in dinner and dad time, is crazy. We try to make it calm. Eating and rushing to bed when you haven't seen dad all day is just hard for kids.<br />
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Homeschool was put on the table. I didn't want it on the table. It's too hard. I don't know how to do it. I am supposed to be decreasing my stress not adding things to my plate. Yet with time and tears and prayers and research God began to reveal that this was the path for us. <br />
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As I journaled, I began to realize I DID have dreams of motherhood that I am not fulfilling. During the school year, it's hard for me to help with homework and teach kiddos anything about cooking or caring for the house. Family devos are rushed or pushed aside. I started journaling what was appealing about the silly Christian fiction books I'd been escaping to- it came down to SIMPLICITY. I love reading about settlers. I realized how much I love the idea of families working and being together. I WANT to teach my kids to cook and care for the house. I want to work more again as a family, to play more, not just on summer break and vacations. Ava is nine and I feel behind on what I think she is capable of learning to do. I still have some fear, after all, I have never done this. But as we have prayed, I really feel like God is going to help me become the mom and have the home I dream of having. I realize I do have more dreams for us...and I don't have to ignore them. <br />
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This decision is scary for me. I like safe, sure decisions. This feels anything but safe and sure and yet the more time that passes the more excited I feel for the journey ahead. So we are jumping into this unknown...<br />
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I am now a homeschooling mother. <br />
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I am now a homeschooling mother! I still cannot believe it and yet I have not felt this excited and joyful in a long time. I am facing fears about my own inability and trusting God's provision. The kids are excited. Marc is excited. It feels like we have been fighting for two years to stay out of the fast lane of the expressway here and it's like God just pointed us to exit the road all together right now.<br />
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We don't know anything past this year, we just feel like God is calling us to a season of rest. I am looking for someone to help me a couple days a week so I can focus on school. We will be doing little else but school. We found a homeschool community nearby and are excited to start Classical Conversations with them. I am still figuring out our schedule and trying to leave it fluid enough to learn. We'll be starting in Sept. and I plan on spending the month freezing extra meals with the kids to have them on hand. We'll be taking every Friday as a catch up or field trip day. I have many friends who homeschool and I know there will be really hard moments; we also know there will be joyous ones. I am so thankful for their advice and authenticity as I prepare.<br />
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Marc is putting new boundaries on his work. He was promoted in April and has a great job, but it will suck the life out of him before we know it. So he is prayerfully asking God for wisdom in balance.<br />
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I want to be very clear that we are confident that this is where God is calling us right now. We do not think this is the only way. We do not think this is the only right way. We LOVED the kids school and the teachers there. Nothing was broken except it's not a fit for us right now. The school itself is great. Our neighborhood school is great, as well, we just didn't feel like public education is where God would have our kids right now. We DO know God has built each of us differently. I am so thankful for the mom who are rocking activities, rocking public school, rocking private school, and rocking the crazy various methods of homeschool out there.<br />
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This is our leap of faith. This is my freefall. I cannot even express the utter amazement I feel over the fact that we actually jumped! I really believe though there will be many more moments where I feel unsafe, where I feel afraid or incapable, that as we seek the Lord, we will fly.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-77918695704862565372015-07-26T10:06:00.000-05:002015-07-26T11:57:57.503-05:00Leap of Faith- Part 1In the spring, I read a book called <u>Freefall to Fly</u> by Rebekah Lyons. For reasons I could not articulate, I cried through much of the book. I didn't expect too. I couldn't even decipher why? She talks about fear and surrendering to God's call for your life. I really felt like God was preparing me for something but I had no idea what it could be. I ordered the journal and began a somewhat frustrating few months of trying to decipher what I was missing.<br />
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In the book and journal, she takes you through identifying neglected dreams. I couldn't find any. I tried. I literally asked myself everything I could think of: "Do I wish I'd pursued music?", "Do I want to go back to work?", "Should I pursue a job dealing with adoption or Haiti? (passions of mine)" Nothing resonated. Nothing felt right or nothing felt like a dream neglected. I certainly didn't have obvious discontent with my life or feel like I'd neglected something God wrote up on my heart. Still the nagging nudge that God was preparing me for change continued.<br />
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I was uncomfortable with the nudge. instead of dreams surfacing, fears began to run rampant. I had to confront fear about moving again (I think I am still having some PTSD from moving two years ago and then the immediate transition to child number four!). I began to worry He'd ask us to have more children and I am barely hanging on with the four I have;) Why is it that we always assume God is going to make us live our nightmare? I started out exploring if I had neglected dreams and ended up assuming God was going to push me into the worse things I could imagine. The unknown, unsettled feeling was a bit overwhelming. Looking back now, I can see I felt so overwhelmed by it, I just shut off.<br />
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I found myself reading ALL the time. That seems like a healthy hobby. It's a socially acceptable form of escape and yet I knew I was escaping ALL the time. Nothing in my reality is inherently bad, I just felt overwhelmed. I was shutting off to God and truly to my kids, if I am honest. They were stressful so I was pulling back emotionally. Funny, how we've never talked about it, but they knew. They were acting out, desperate for my attention. We'd have good days. Days I felt alive again and then I'd feel that nudge in my quiet time with God and I'd find myself retreating to the safety of fiction book in my kindle, to fictional worlds with predictable, always happy endings.<br />
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I knew something was off and the Holy Spirit was nudging me, drawing me gently, reminding me that God is a God of love and grace. I knew I was letting the enemy deter me from whatever God's plans were and I know his plans are for my benefit.<br />
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Simultaneously, this has all be complicated by my struggle with Hashimoto's disease. I was diagnosed last Sept. and I have had some times I have felt good, but it's been a struggle. I knew what I was feeling was not all just emotional and spiritual. This is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. I gained 8 lbs in 5 weeks between April and May. Sure, I was eating a bit of sugar but nothing crazy, this was obviously physical proof the thyroid isn't functioning, that my meds weren't right. It can feel almost like a depression and the exhaustion is something I can hardly find words to describe. When it's bad, I feel like I can barely lift my arms and legs. I knew I had to return to the doctor. Four kids really ARE too much when you can't find the energy to get downstairs;) <br />
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I just felt God call me to pursue him despite my fear and to take care of myself so whenever he revealed whatever this unknown was, I would be ready. I joined weight watchers to help lose the weight cuz it's hard without a normal thyroid and I know progress will be slow, so I knew I needed support. That step was life changing for me. I cried going in and leaving. It was so humbling. I realized how terrible I am at admitting I need help. T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. Let me just tell you, now its the highlight of my week. It's fun, the ladies are awesome and I feel encouraged every week in just taking steps to take care of me.<br />
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I started purging and organizing the house using the Konmari method. Again, just life changing to get rid of anything that doesn't add joy to our lives. Simplicty, freedom from clutter. I felt like I was getting rid of physical, emotional, and spiritual clutter all at the same time. My heart felt decluttered, as did my mind. I found myself able to enjoy stillness and trust God with the discomfort.<br />
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I found a new doctor. I'd started having migraines that were unspeakable painful and that affected by vision (temporarily when having them, nothing permanent). The underlying disease process has worsened over the year (the antibodies attacking my thyroid have increased 200%) She increased my medicine and has made me go gluten free. Again, tears. Who knew giving up Dunkin Donuts and Panera triple berry scones was so emotional;) I prayed. God is good. It's been four weeks and barely a struggle. I never had digestive issues, so I don't feel any differently so I'm so grateful it's not been a struggle. She said it's worth a try; it sure is. I have four kids- that's my incentive. <br />
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She also said to manage stress.<br />
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That visit began our journey of how we can more effectively manage stress and it's been the journey that showed the elusive unknown. It's been a journey of confronting fears and we finally decided to jump. This is my free fall....Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-43761984851863975292015-04-13T18:16:00.001-05:002015-04-13T18:34:22.132-05:00Thankful for each momentLast week on vacation, we had quite a scare. Our little man followed his big brother and sister toward the deep end of the pool. They had no idea he was following them. I saw him head after them from my lawn chair and I immediately got up to bring him his arm floaties. I called, he didn't hear me. By the time I got to the side of the pool, I saw him panic and go under right before my eyes. I've read kids drown silently and now I know exactly what that means. I literally saw him reach the point where he was over his head, he bobbed up with the most panic look on his face as he realized there was no one near to help and he just went almost flaccid and went under. There was no call for help, no frantic splashing. I jumped in immediately of course and pulled him out. He was fine; there was not even choking or gagging. He's been in swim lessons for over a year and he held his breath instinctually as he went under. He's been taught to reach for the side if he falls in, infact, he actually had enough ability to swim there, but he didn't have the confidence and he absolutely panicked and frozen. I grabbed him right out, He clung to me and cried. It was so frightning, we had to tackle some fear to get back in the water. I don't think he'll go out after the older kids again.<br />
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I had nightmares all week. What if I'd waited just a little longer to get up? He'd been told not to go past a certain point, what if I waited to see if he'd obey and turn around? What if I was reading and missed seeing it all together? I am one hundred percent confident that God prompted me to get up immediately. I literally got there with no time to spare. I just couldn't shake what a close call we endured. <br />
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I realized one morning after many restless nights and bad dreams, I had to release my fear. It was consuming my nights and any quiet moment. I just kept seeing the panicked look on his face and the way he just went under so quickly. The truth is though that there are probably a million close calls with my kids that I am unaware of. God is so gracious in his protection. He sees things I miss ALL the time. I am imperfect and there are plenty of times I am too laid back about things, plenty of times I DO wait just a moment before acting. Each day I have with my children is not evidence of my awesome protection but God's. I had to sit before him and surrender my fear and the what if's. I cannot protect my children all the time. I'll miss things. It's the awareness of my own weakness and inability that ultimately was paralyzing me. I had to recognize that God DID prompt me to get up immediately. He DID protect Christian. I fail daily and no matter how hypervigilent I become, no matter how much sleep I lose, or how many scenarios I prepare for, I may still fail, because I am human. They have plenty of cuts and bruises to prove that! I have to surrender and trust my kids to God. I have to trust him with me. I have to trust that even if something ever does happen to my kids or to me or Marc(entirely possible as we live in a world with a gazillion and one dangers), he'll be enough. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Death and pain are no respector of age or ability. I can live my life paralyzed by what if's or release them and rejoice in what is. I can waste moments with them frantically fearfully or embrace the gift of each day. <br />
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<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-34022527091653439122015-03-21T18:38:00.001-05:002015-03-21T19:26:47.934-05:00Ava's Spy BirthdayAva turned 9! She really wanted to Spy birthday party this year. Initially she picked that theme thinking it could include boys and girls but as we set out a guest list, I quickly realized to have fun, we needed to pare things down. She agonized over having to chose classmates, but alas, we need to start realizing we can't have 40 kids at every birthday party;) With a guest list of 10 finalized, I had a blast putting together a Spy Mission thanks to some great ideas on pinterest and a little of my own imagination.<br />
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While my sister usually designs my invitations, I went with an ETSY shop this year because she already did such a fun job of putting <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1004946850">this</a> spy party package together. The invitations were personalized for each girl. I had such a fun time coming up with every one's spy name and a secret password for entry.<br />
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The kids had to say the secret password (Ava is a Spy Kid) that they had deciphered from the invitation. Then we used a hand scanning app and had then state their spy name. The app can be set to say "truth" or "lie" we had it confirm "true" that they were who they said they were. We made sure to have it say "lie" with my parents and sister, which the girls enjoyed watching;)<br />
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Once confirmed, each girl was given their lanyard with name tag and had their finger prints taken. They then sat down at the table at Mission Headquarters and I had Spy Themed Mad Libs for them to work on until everyone arrived. I don't think anyone of them had done Mad Libs before, but once they figured it out, we had some pretty hilarious Spy stories to share with one another.<br />
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I then explained pulled out a file marked Confidential and read our Mission to them: "<i>Last night a top secret love potion was stolen from a science lab in Washington DC. This potion makes boys girl crazy and girls boy crazy. Our intelligence indicates that the criminals currently in possession of this potion intend to begin making large quantities of it and plan to give it to girls everywhere, age 8-10, to make them boy crazy. We mus find the vial of love potion and destroy it so girls everywhere can just enjoy being little girls. You will be trained especially for this mission."</i><br />
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They all agreed to accept the mission so we went into the "outfitting room" to dress up in our spy attire. I had a black T-shirt, black hat, and black sun glasses for each girl.<br />
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They were informed that their training would be done by expert field agents Marc (code name: Mr. X) and myself (codename: BigMama). We went outside for step 1: Physical Training and Agility</div>
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They were deemed able to successfully disarm their opponent physically and agile enough to maneuver around lasers. They were ready for Step 2: weapons training.</div>
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They had to first learn weapon assembly. You cannot travel around the world with a weapon after all! They needed to assemble them and personalize them according the the instructions.</div>
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Once assembled they received their bag of ammunition (mini marshmallows)</div>
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We went over how to use the gun and we received our next piece of intelligence. "<i>Headquarters has received intelligence indicating that the suspects have hidden the love serum near this very headquarters. The suspects believe we will look around the world, so they chose to hide it close by in effort to deceive us. You have been well trained for today's mission.</i></div>
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<i>Our sources tell us there is a young weapons dealer with information as to the serum whereabouts. We are told he plays regularly in the yard in front of headquarters. Bring your weapons loaded and ready for battle. He will not give up information easily and is never found alone."</i></div>
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<i> </i>Phin, Christian and some younger brothers of other party attenders were waiting and ready for the marshmallow battle.<br />
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I think I saw as many marshmallows consumed as were shot...</div>
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Turns out the young weapons dealer was just protecting his grandfather, who had the clue we were looking for! "<i>The serum may be found underground. Access to this area is through a door said to be located near an electric piano. Be prepared to disarm a body guard and navigate lasers and bombs. Rumor is that a bomb guards the details of the serums secure location. Birthday Girl </i>(Ava's codename)<i> will be beneficial in deciphering this clue because of her in depth knowledge of the area surrounding headquarters. Be safe and Good luck"</i></div>
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Because of his vast experience with explosives, Mr. X accompanied them on this part of the mission. </div>
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They each had to give two punches or one punch and one kick to this robotic body guard (otherwise known as a stationary punching bag that Marc uses for his morning work outs;)</div>
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The laser maze was a git. Marc and I used white yarn and black lights that they had to navigate to get through to a ton of bombs. <br />
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The black balloon bombs had to be popped to be disabled. All of the contained red foil shreds except one, which contained the final clue.</div>
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The final clue red. "<i>The serum is blanketed where Old Money sleeps."</i></div>
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It took Ava a minute but she figured out the "Old Money" was indeed referring to our dog. When we rescued him last may his name was "Money" and we changed it to Ollie. She got to excited and up the stairs our little spys ran.<br />
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Indeed, the serum was confiscated from where it was hidden in the blanket within our dog's crate.<br />
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SUCCESS!<br />
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Our little spies had worked up their appetites so we ate;)<br />
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Our water was "truth serum", we had magnifying glasses made from round cheese slices and pretzel sticks, baby bombs made from mini donuts and Twizzlers, detective dogs (mini pigs in the blanket), energizers (fruit and veggie trays), explosives (Cheetos), on the Trail Mix, Invisibility tablets (Mike n Ike's), and secret messages hidden in Jello (girl power messages like "Be yourself, no body does it better", "You are beautiful", "Kindness is what makes one beautiful", "Be your adventurous, courageous, wonderful self every single day" cuz these little girls get enough negative messages;)<br />
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Then was the cake. Ava wanted Ice cream cake and I wanted to do a bomb...so miraculously it worked! I lined a bowl in saran wrap and layered in an ice cream cake. When well frozen in the bowl, I turned it out and set it on my cooling wrack. I took three bottles of Magic Shell and emptied them into a smaller bowl and then dumped it all on the cake at once. I had a mess under my cooling wrack as expected but it worked! I had my bomb! I froze giant marshmallow and dipped it in magic shell for the top of the bomb and then instead of a candle we used a sparkler! (Thanks, Bobbi, for having sparklers around your house in March!:)<br />
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Full disclosure...this beast was hard to cut, had to get out the electric knife and use my husbands muscles;) But it tasted AWESOME;) Cookie dought ice cream, then layer of fudge, then chocolate cupcake ice cream, then layer of Oreo Crumbs mixed with chocolate syrup, then vanilla ice cream...I mean it was "DA BOMB" (I am so punny!)</div>
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Our little spies are a great group of girls from different walks in Ava's life and they blended together with ease. They are all a bunch of sweethearts and I feel grateful they are in her life.</div>
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Mission Completed: 9th birthday of my sweet girl celebrated and thoroughly enjoyed. Her heart was full and that makes this mama smile. She is the most grateful little gem and I am so proud of her and honored that she is mine.</div>
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Happy Birthday to the little girl who made me a mama and brightens each and everyday of our lives with love, creativity, and intelligence. I don't know what you'll grow up to be...but I know you'll only continue to brighten the world.</div>
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*Thanks to Roxanne Engstrom for some of these pic's (probably everyone you think has good lighting is hers;)Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-67578262090379196042015-03-21T17:06:00.002-05:002015-03-24T08:40:18.005-05:00My Outrageous CourageousWe started a new video series in my Tuesday morning bible study called <a href="http://charlottegambill.com/store/books/outrageous-bible-study/">Outrageous</a>. The first week's subject was on Outrageous Courage and the subject was Esther.<br />
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I love the story of Esther: love that God put her in a place of influence for the perfect time, love how her femininity is an important part of her role, love her faith and obedience despite her fear, love that despite what she did or did not consider qualifications, God used her "for such a time as this." I also love that when she expresses fear upon initially being called to speak up, Mordecci (her cousin) reminds her that if she doesn't, God will use someone else to do his will, but she won't escape the fate of the rest of the Jews just because she is sitting in her ivory tower (my own description- I actually have no idea if there was a tower;). <br />
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God uses us and that is a gift, he doesn't NEED us to do his will. I find that a profound and humbling privilege and it grieves my heart to think of times I've squandered opportunities because of fear and missed out on experiencing God's glory being revealed in my weakness. But alas, that wasn't the focus of this week's study. The focus was on stepping out of our comfort zone and being outrageously courageous. It was also our assignment and we have to email a courageous act we do this week to a partner in the group.<br />
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Can I just say this is a terrible week for this assignment?! Isn't it funny how that happens? I don't have any exciting stories to share. For me, I've been in a real funk much of the week- I've not mustered the courage to tackle my life responsibilities let alone do anything outrageous. My laundry is piled up, we've had more than our normal consumption of restaurant food or frozen entrees. I just don't "feel" like doing much of anything except maybe take a vacation and that isn't on the agenda! I certainly wouldn't call taking naps every day very courageous!<br />
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I don't have great reasons for this. I have a good life and I know it. I am just in a funk. Perhaps is simply the let down after running on adrenaline for 6 weeks with sickness cycling through our children and then my sweet Ava turning 9. <br />
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My hubs has also been extremely stretched thin and stressed with work and it's taking it's toll on me. Initially I was geared up to serve him, but being the "only one serving" (from my perspective) I kind of petered out. I kind of reached a low on Wednesday. I felt empty, unhappy with him for not being enough to meet my needs. I felt like my love tank was empty. I decided to "get over it" and mustered up my strength to plan a fun evening and low and behold he didn't exactly handle things the way I expected and I became angry, sad and withdrawn. I went to bed so disappointed in him and the lies about what a horrible person he was and how unattractive and unlikable I must be were swirling.<br />
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I spent Thursday sad. Amidst the sadness, I also struggled because I know I am more fortunate than most. I know Marc is a good husband. But he wasn't enough...and I was disappointed. I didn't call a friend cuz I didn't want everyone to tell me how wonderful he was; I was ticked that he was a jerk sometimes. I didn't want to hear about all the times he isn't! I struggled with whether I was having a pity party or whether my concerns were legitimate and valid. We've gone round and round with this same scenario over the years. The same conversation seems to happen in times he's stressed and I feel he becomes self absorbed and feel neglected. I struggled with if I'd truly been giving grace in the past and should I now or should I be angry and make him realize how he was failing me. I was feeling hurt so part of me want to say something to hurt him to his core too...and part of me knew I'd regret that forever.<br />
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It was admittedly hard to process throughout the day with kiddos around my ankles so he came home and I, obviously down in the dumps, told him almost immediately I was going off duty and went in my room to journal.<br />
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Have you ever not wanted to pray cuz you don't really want God to change your heart? I was there. I wanted to sit in my anger, defend my rights to be taken care of and poured into and defended and pampered and adored. I just knew God would call me to lay down my life and I just didn't want to. Ever been there? "I just don't feel like laying down my life today, Lord. I don't want to pick up my cross. I want to sit here and be mad. I want to make my husband be who I want him to be. I want him to grovel and apologize for failing me." Except the truth is, I knew even if he apologized I would say something really wonderful to him, like, "If you are really sorry, you'd have changed and you are still self-absorbed." cuz I am a <i>super gracious</i> wife.<br />
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So I just told God how I felt. He can handle those things. Quickly, God showed me my hubs wasn't self-absorbed. He was work absorbed because he has a ton on his plate and these seasons pass. Quickly, I was reminded of the dishes he'd done over the week and the fact that he hasn't complained about the Trader Joe's frozen meals I've served him for dinner or the McDonald's receipts that have popped up in our budget. He hasn't complained that his clean laundry has been sitting in laundry baskets all week because I hate putting laundry away. No complaints. No judgement. Sure, he said the wrong thing on Wednesday. He didn't meet my expectations. He failed me just like he's done hundreds of time in our marriage and just like he'll do hundreds more. He'll fail cuz he's just Marc. I didn't need to start recalling my failings...the are numerous this week alone. What I needed to confront is would I live the wisdom I would pass off to anyone else in this situation? Would I put my money where my mouth would be? Ugh, how many times have I told others that we cannot rely on our spouse to be God. Our spouse isn't supposed to meet 100% of our needs, only God can do that. <br />
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Would I accept and surrender my rights? Would I just let myself mourn the fact that my dreams might never be 100% fulfilled this side of earth? Would I just accept my husband for who he is, weaknesses as well as strengths? Will I continue to set a bar higher than a human can go because I've read too many romance novels or will accept that my Knight has fought in some battles and his armor has some dents? Will I accept that not all the battles he has to fight are for me? Will I accept that I am his priority but not his only one? Will I surrender my needs and wants and release him to be broken and make mistakes? Will I chose to forgive even when I may not be 100% understood? Will I surrender my "need" to be RIGHT?<br />
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On paper the answers are easy....but in my heart they are not. I struggle. I struggle with unreal expectations and pride. I struggle.<br />
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I realized sitting in my chair that my outrageous courageous this week wouldn't been seen or recognized by anyone else but the One I am supposed to please. My outrageous courageous was surrendering and remembering that God alone can meet all my needs. My outrageous courageous was telling my husband of my struggle with unmet needs, but instead of making him feel guilty, I would be confessing and releasing him from unfair expectations. My outrageous courageous was admitting to myself and to him that I may not be right and my feelings are not always fact. My outrageous courageous was from this day forward putting a stake in the ground that I will accept that my husband doesn't always handle life well when stressed and it is not up to me to fix that. My outrageous courageous was choosing to keep pouring into my husband even if work stress continues (to be fair, I know it won't, but in emotional moments these things become mountains instead of mole hills;). My outrageous courageous was recognizing that the role God has called me to isn't one others will write books about. Most people won't recognize or see it. But I have been placed in this marriage with this man for such a time as this....for stressful times when my husband is stretched thin and exhausted. I have been placed here to pray for him and hold him up. To make home and my arms a soft place to fall....not a place that stretches him even more. I have been placed here to lay down my life and love.<br />
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I am married to an amazing man. This post in no way is meant to indict or tear him down. This post is about me. I had to decide anew that whether my husband is wearing his superhero cape or seems weighed down with kryptonite, I will lay down my life and love. I won't just stay and mope and manipulate to get things to go my way...I will love and give. When I muster up my own strength, as I did on Wednesday, with my own "good ideas" that are really round about ways for me to get my own needs met....I will fail, be disappointed and quickly find myself weakened. When my needs are met by the One who Satisfies, the stores of strength are unending. <br />
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In my pity party, I didn't feel very outrageous and certainly not courageous, but God met me and reminded me that he didn't call me to risk death by going before a king. He called me to lay my life before the King of all Kings, whose assignment is to <b>daily</b> lay down my life for those around me. My actions will likely never save an entire race of people, but they might save my husbands day and bolster his heart. In a world that screams for us to put ourselves first, this surrender was hard fought.<br />
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My outrageous courageous is small, but my God is big and the work he did in my selfish heart is one he and I know is miraculous.<br />
<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-44349399629204576472015-03-13T09:26:00.000-05:002015-03-13T09:26:17.995-05:00Chasing TimeI am preparing for Ava's ninth birthday party. She picked a spy theme and I am having so much fun planning this one (do I say that every party?;).<br />
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Her turning nine is really hitting me as I plan. She is half way to 18; half way to being an adult. How is that even possible? So many of my friends with teenagers or college age people remind me to savor the days for time is short. I am really feeling the shortness of time this week. I look at this beautiful little girl who is quickly becoming a young lady and it seems like just yesterday that I was dreaming of who she'd be as I felt the flutters of her first movements in my womb.<br />
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I think when I was in the throws of baby and toddler years, people telling me to savor the days felt frustrating. I was exhausted and just wanted to get to place of sanity and sleep. To savor hard days feels insane. But I feel like Ava's age now is a sweet spot for me. She still looks up to me, she admires me, she cares deeply for my opinions and teachings. She has a soft heart. I am in a sweet spot of being able to <i>parent </i>and not simply keep her alive and teach her not to stick her fingers in the light socket. I am in a sweet spot of being able to reach her heart and teach her truth of who God is and who he wants her to be. I am in a sweet spot of seeing a beautiful young person really emerging. I get to see the way her heart is growing in her love for other people, the way she desperately wants to do the right thing, they way she loves her siblings and us. I get to see a humble heart that apologizes easily. I get to see the creativity of her mind go to new places in writing and art. I get to see so many glimpses of good things coming for her!<br />
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But in that sweet spot, I also see her flaws, her insecurities, her hurts. I see the way she has a tendency toward anxiety, toward people pleasing, toward perfectionism. Right now, she wants my voice to help her grow in these areas, but I am painfully aware that there just isn't enough time. I see her struggle and I am desperate for her to "get it" so she doesn't have to learn the hard way that perfectionism slowly kills our souls. I feel like she is at a crossroads in life and the parenting we are doing now is vitally important. I LOVE parenting her and yet I realize yet again as she approaches nine that we are not enough. <br />
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I realize my own fears are creeping back into my heart and mind. The what ifs loom as I see her human fragility. I am painfully aware of lost opportunities; I am painfully aware of times I was so exhausted I didn't seize an opportunity for bedtime conversation, or couldn't handle one more question. The fear of those lost moments affecting her entire life can loom large. I realize my own perfectionism is reeling it's ugly head yet again. I realize no matter how deeply I love her, she is going to have struggles in life that I have to watch her hurt through. It is infinitely harder to watch emotional hurts than physical ones; they tear at my heart in ways I couldn't have imagined and I appreciate my own mama all the more.<br />
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I have to once again take my daughter to the foot of the cross and surrender her there. She is not mine and I realize in loving this sweet spot I have begun to cling too tightly, to hold desperately trying to capture the time that is fleeting. I have to confess, I have not just savored these days, I have attached to them. Oh how I need Jesus! How my sweet girl needs Jesus! I realize anew that I desperately want to save her from hurt and yet in doing so I would rob her from the absolute comfort that I myself have found in Jesus. I cherish every painful moment in life because they have been the sweetest times with my Savior. Above all, that is what I want for her- to know how desperately he loves and delights in her.<br />
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I am so proud of Ava and I am so thankful for the relationship I have for her. I want to savor, to dance, to laugh through this stage as long as I am here, but I also want to release her to the next stage when the time comes. I want to love her enough to release her to whatever God has for her ahead. I want to release her to be human and make mistakes; I want to love her enough to accept those mistakes and not make her feel like a failure when she makes them. I want to love her like God does and I am not enough. I can only do that through Jesus.<br />
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Lord, help me parent not on my own ability and power, but through you. Holy Spirit guide me. Let me know when to speak and when to shut up and let you speak to her in different ways. Oh, Lord she is yours. Help me be faithful in praying for her and listening to you and obeying YOU in how I should parents her. I don't want to be a good parent, I want to be a godly one. She sees my imperfections Jesus, but help her not just to see those imperfections, but to see you at work in them. Help her to see you in me. Fill me daily so that I can love and guide her in your ways. Thank you for this beautiful little girl with a soft heart. Lord, give me what tools I need to guard that heart. Give me wisdom and peace. I pray that she would never go a day in her life questioning if she is loved by us or by you. Thank you that YOU are the Potter and help me to leave the clay of Ava's life on your wheel. Thank you that you know her completely and love her and me more than I can even imagine. Thank you for the gift of each day that I have with her and for the profound honor it is to call her daughter. I praise you for all you are doing in each of us. May our lives glorify you.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-6605653348749186422015-02-18T10:01:00.000-06:002015-02-18T11:02:33.978-06:00The Why's behind the What's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my status on facebook a couple days ago. I don't think I have to further describe how absolutely grotesque a situation the wood floor vomit thing was...<br />
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Yesterday was more vomit and diarrhea.<br />
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Last night, I had three kids with fevers- Chloe and Christian with coughs and the big D, and poor Phin was still throwing up. I got about 5 hours of choppy sleep and Phin was so miserable he didn't want me to leave him so I carried his mattress and bed things onto the floor of my room about 3 am.<br />
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This morning, I had a massage scheduled during the two hour break I get while Chloe and Christian are in preschool. Instead it had to be cancelled, as I have three littles home sick. Bless Ava's heart, she's representing the healthy side (a time her OCD handwashing tendancies actually may be her life saver). I am Clorox wiping every surface and toilet and washing sheets AGAIN. <br />
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Did I mention my hubs is at a crucial meeting this week that he really cannot miss unless it's an absolute emergency (like if I go down with the troops)? It's in sunny Florida so that makes it all the more lovely to think about when I feel like the smell of diarrhea and vomit may be forever trapped in my nose.<br />
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Livin' the dream....livin' the dream. I mean this is the stuff I imagined as I nested during my first pregnancy, right?;)<br />
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A little comment on my facebook page (cough- Jenny) made me think. The comment was good- natured from a kidless dear friend,<i> "<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">You're not helping the cause Kim! Feeling so bad for you all right now!"</span></i><br />
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I Laughed, but then it made me stop to think. Why does everyone encourage this parenthood thing? I mean it's grotesque and inconvenient. It's filled with sleepless nights and frustrating moments. Are we all just insane?<br />
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The insanity part is undoubtedly debatable;) But what makes these moments worth it?<br />
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1)Snuggling a scrunched up newborn to your chest and feeling your hearts beat as one as they sleep.<br />
2)Being the one to see the first smile, and hear the first laugh.<br />
3)Being the one a baby reaches for with squeals of delight the moment they see you.<br />
4) Hearing Mama for the very first time...<br />
5) Watching babies explore the world with wonder and figure out how to use their little bodies to move about the world.<br />
6) Being so desirable, that YOU are the one they work so hard to tottle toward and take their very first steps.<br />
7) Watching them unashamedly grimace as they poop their diaper....I mean gross, but hilarious. What parents don't laugh at this? It had to make the list.<br />
8) Toddlers mispronouncing or using similar words in the wrong context...hilarity.<br />
9) Seeing kids personalities emerge- each different and unique<br />
10) Seeing them fall in love with toys and books and their imagination<br />
11) Being amazed at the brains ability to learn and memorize (hello two year old who can recite Moo Baa La La La)<br />
12) Hearing toddlers sing<br />
13) Family dance parties<br />
14) The absolute gratitude and delight my kids express at any and every gift- no matter how big or small<br />
15) Breastfeeding....I was skipping it cuz I know not everyone loves it, but I do and this is my blog, so on the list it goes! I will forever be grateful for those quiet moments of solitude, breastfeeding my littles in the still of evening hours. I think some of my most content moments in life were spent in my leather Lazy Boy gazing at my contented baby.<br />
16) The awesomeness of them dressing themselves in ridiculous combinations that they are so very proud to wear.<br />
17) The lack of filters in toddlers mouths- never have to wonder what they are thinking about you or anyone you pass in Target<br />
18) Watching a child learn to read<br />
19) Seeing a kid ride a bike independently for the first time<br />
20) Watching their unabashed self delight at every thing they accomplish, no false modesty in kiddos- nope not a shred of it<br />
21) Laughing hysterically at knock-knock jokes that makes absolutely no sense to anyone but the tiny teller<br />
22) Pig tails and tiny painted nails<br />
23) The pure joy kiddos find in running around naked<br />
24) bedtime stories<br />
25) Hearing belly laughs (Phin's especially) while kiddos watch movies ( eg.Home Alone;) or America's Funniest Home Videos<br />
26) Seeing my daughters have absolute confidence in their beauty and bodies<br />
27) Watching kids fall in love with Jesus<br />
28) Hearing their heart and passions for the world around them develop<br />
29) Realizing you have a budding artist whose abilities far surpass your 37 year old self when they are only 8<br />
30) Hearing positive things from teachers and friends parents about your children's kindness<br />
31) Playing Wii as a family<br />
32) Snowball fights and sledding<br />
33) Getting homemade birthday cards<br />
34) A jam pile of morning cuddles<br />
35) Being forgiven instantly, EVERY time I mess up as a mom. No questions or qualms about it. I apologize and ask forgiveness and every time they answer as if I didn't even need to ask.<br />
36) Hearing about school days on the car ride home<br />
37) Seeing my husband be the best dad ever...I could NEVER have even imagined he'd be so stinkin' good at it<br />
38) Watching ballet class (It cannot possibly get any cuter)<br />
39) Seeing my kids care for each other (eg. walked in last evening to Ava sitting next to Phin's bed reading aloud to him while he lay and listened. She knew his eyes were kind of hurting from his fever so she read for him.....)<br />
40) Little boys in Teenage Mutant Hero under-roos<br />
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The list could<i> literally</i> go on ad nauseum...and boredom certainly would never be listed.<br />
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Here's the thing, even IF someone had told me that I'd one day be digging vomit chunks out of the cracks between the hard wood, or wiping pee off the bathroom floor on a weekly basis (what is it with boys?!), even if someone would have told me that my kids would try to climb my closet shelves, breaking them all in the process or stick coins in my car CD player and cause $600 worth of damage, even if I would have been able to not just hear about sleepless nights but KNOW how hard they'd be, even if I knew how hard it would be to get out to the movies or find a babysitter for 4 kids, even if.....<br />
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I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN AN INSTANT- ALL OF IT. Motherhood is hard and exhausting and in those moments, sometimes I just want to run away with my Visa and see how far away I'd get before someone caught me. It's hard. But here's the truth, most beauty in life is discovered in the hard stuff. I'm by far a better person- God has chipped off lots of crap and revealed much more yet to be extracted from my heart. Motherhood takes and takes and sometimes it feels like there is nothing more to take...until I stop and realize that somehow in all the taking it has given me tenfold in return. I could take my Visa and run, but I guarantee after a couple days on the beach, I'd high tail it back. Words cannot adequately express the joy of being a mom- the ways it completes you in ways you never knew you needed to be completed. I know I am better for it, so bring on the vomit, diarrhea, and disobedience- I happen to know those little things come wrapped in MUCH bigger, better things.<br />
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-41610693515054332252015-02-12T22:44:00.002-06:002015-02-13T15:32:44.389-06:0038It's my birthday and today was a great day. <br />
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My life is obviously pretty chaotic. I am a mess, but I love and I am loved. I couldn't ask for more. Still, my family made today pretty special:<br />
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My kids came in bright and early (a bit too early perhaps;) singing Happy Birthday and bringing me their gifts that they have been dying to give me all week;)<br />
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Each gift fit them well. Chloe got me a Barbie card and red purse. Christian got me an Elmo card and a wonderful smelling candle. Phineas got me a Rock star music playing card and Sunglasses. It was Ava's gift that nearly had me in tears. She's old enough to put a LOT of thought both into the message of her card and gift.</div>
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She wanted to spend her own money and she decided to plan a date for the two of us. There was $5 in her card with a map for our special date. </div>
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Her card says, "Mom, I may not always show it and sometimes I may blow it, but I want you to know it- I love you, Mom and I'll never outgrow it! Happy Birthday." and then my precious girl wrote, "Dear Mom, I chose this card because it is true that I may really blow it, but I love you no matter way. I love you! Happy Birthday. Love, Ava"</div>
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I came down to Marc already playing the "Happy" station on Pandora and we danced a bit, one of my very favorite things to do with my hoodlums. </div>
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Then my hubs had my favorite breakfast ready. If I ever have to chose a dying last meal request- it would be chocolate croissants and Earl Grey tea with Lavendar...so why not eat it while I am celebrating being alive;)</div>
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My sweet sisters watched my littles while Ava and Phin were at school and Marc and I went shopping and out to lunch....yay! for perusing Nordstrom Rack without children.</div>
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Dinner will make most people laugh. I am a girl who loves food- fancy food and not fancy food and for some reason, often on my birthday comfort foods from childhood make me smile, so we had Totino's pizza;) It is a guilty pleasure...we grew up on it. It probably isn't even real cheese, but man, do I love it;)</div>
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(notice all the help I have blowing out one candle;)</div>
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Marco put the hoodlums to bed and he sat with me and watched Mom's Night Out.</div>
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(Ending each day with this one...one of my favorite things;)</div>
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A day doesn't have to be fancy to be special. My love tank is overflowing. So often life passes by unnoticed, and I am thankful for birthdays and anniversaries that allow us an opportunity to stop and savor. Today I am savoring the simplicity of just being in my own shoes. I love that I am 38, comfortable with myself- well aware of the beautiful mess that is me, humbled by the way God uses that in ways that somehow bless others. I love that I have a husband and a rockin' marriage that we have fought and worked for and can be proud of. There is no one I'd rather have a lazy day with. I love the four children that run me ragged but love me with every fiber of their tiny beings. I love my extended family and dear friends. Life is hard and broken- but I have a God who never leaves me and a legion of people who see me, get me, and love me anyway. Happy Birthday indeed.</div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-89861317124059162342015-02-12T09:35:00.001-06:002015-02-12T09:35:50.330-06:00Kimmy and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad DayI love the book <u>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day</u> it makes me laugh. Our entire family enjoy the film by the same title. Sometimes when everything is going wrong the best thing to do is laugh so I am dustin' off my computer keys and stretching my neglected blogging fingers to record this one for the history books.<br />
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Let me first say, my plan for the day was to clean my house because my birthday was the next day (today) and I wanted to wake up to a clean house and empty "to do" list. Chloe and Christian had preschool, so I had a nice couple hours in the morning and then during nap to get it all done. It was the makings of a productive, stress free day.<br />
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6:40 am- I received an email reply to a previous night's email. I hadn't received any details on worship practice (which is abnormal) so I emailed the coordinator to see if I was still scheduled. Her reply was "I didn't hear back from you so I wasn't sure what you were doing?" I NEVER got her email. I hate starting the day, feeling like someone thinks you ignored them and slacked off and really it was lost in some email black hole.<br />
7:00am- Realize I have NOTHING for Phin's lunch. Spend thirty minutes scraping together a lunch...a mismatch of crackers, baby bell cheese and some salami slices, canned peaches, and a granola bar.<br />
7:30am- rushing out the door to get Ava and Phin to school and I remember it's everyone's library day, so I say, "Everyone has their library books, right?" They all say, "yes". I literally then think, "I think my Hashimoto's really is finally getting under control. I cannot believe I remembered that without looking at my calendar. Maybe the brain fog is finally improving."<br />
8:15am- return home and sit down to grab breakfast and check my email.<br />
8:25am- The phone rings and Ava is frantic because she has just learned the class Valentine's Party is at 2pm and we didn't do Valentine's yet. WHAT? Why is the class party on Wednesday? I feel totally confused and it is 100% my fault. The room mom sent an email asking people to sign up for food and sure enough it says 2pm Wednesday. I guess I just figured parties are always at the end of the day before the holiday...lesson learned.<br />
8:45am-Drop Chloe and Christian off at Preschool.<br />
9:00am- Return home to put Ava's Valentines together and the phone rings almost immediately. Apparently, I put Chloe's library folder in her bag, but her book isn't in her library folder. We forgot her book last week so I needed to bring it back.<br />
9:10am- I grab the Valentines and bubble tape to go with them, the library book and head out the door.<br />
9:15am- Drop off Chloe's library book<br />
9:30am- Run in Target to get the Marshmallows I have signed up to bring to Ava's class party.<br />
9:50am- I sit in the parking lot at Ava's school, fill out all her Valentine's and tape the bubble tape on them. Then take them inside. The sweet secretary invites me to stay for chapel, where Ava is, and give her the Valentines when it is done. How do you say, "no, I actually do not want to stay for Chapel?" You just do. I said, " I have one hour left with no kids, I love Jesus, but I don't want to stay for Chapel. Can I please just leave these in her classroom?" Ba ha ha...<br />
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I do an errand because running home is kind of a waste of time at this point.<br />
11:30am- I pick up Chloe and Christian from School<br />
11:40am- My cell phone rings, it is Phin's teacher. She says, "Did you think Phin had hot lunch today? We don't have him on the order, but he doesn't have a lunch?" She probably was a bit caught off guard when I just started LAUGHING. WHAT?! I packed him a hodge podge lunch- where was it?! It wasn't on the counter anymore! She asked me to bring lunch. Mind you I've already driven to their school TWICE and it's 20 minutes each way. I told her I could come but it would be 20 minutes before I got there, plus I'd have to stop and pick up subway because we didn't have any lunch food left. I found out lunch would be over before I got there and she said she'd hodge podge something together for him.<br />
12:30pm- After lunch (Mac N Cheese if you are curious) for my preschoolers, I finally got them to nap and settle in for a good couple hours of chipping away at my "to do"s. I probably don't have to even tell you that my little guy was a pill. He almost always goes to nap easily...NOT THIS DAY. Finally, his overtired grumpy self fell asleep.<br />
2:30pm- I have to wake up Christian who is dead a sleep and crying hysterically that I woke him up. I give him and Chloe candy to stop the tears (judge away, my friends, desperate times call for desperate measure). I drive to school and think to myself, "WHY didn't I set up a play date for Phin?!" See, Ava was going home with her friend Isabella (planned 2 weeks ago), which means I pick up Phin 20 minutes away at 3pm and return home only to pick up Ava at 5:15 the same direction but further 30 minutes away. I need a taxi hat.<br />
3:00pm pull into pick up line when Isabella's mom (Rachel is awesome and I totally love her) comes up to the car with my kids and says, "I was just here for the Valentine's party and Jake (a year older than Phin) doesn't have anyone coming over today. He wants Phin to come too, would that be okay. I started laughing...sure, why not...whatever.<br />
3:30pm- back home putting laundry away and I realize I FORGOT THE DOG! See, the day before I had dropped off Ollie at the dog daycare because I was going to be gone all day at my friend Christina's helping her unpack. The problem was I got a flat tire and I couldn't pick him up before they closed, so I called and explained and they boarded him, but I was supposed to pick him up before noon...<br />
4:30pm- head out, pick up Ollie, get charged for a second day of boarding.<br />
5;15pm- pick up Ava and Phin, and get cluttered in crazy traffic so realize I have to feed my kids dinner in the car. Mama is going to splurge and get Steak N Shake. I mean have you ever had their Parmesan garlic fries. That is some GOOD stress food. I pull into the drive thru and I order a Steak Frank with ketchup only and those heavenly friend and food for my kids. The drive thru takes forever. I hand the kids back their food while driving home, sort of stressing that I will be late for worship practice (and she probably already thinks me a flake;). It is dark, I grab some fries...THEY ARE NOT Parmesan garlic- they are plain. Not even salty- PLAIN. Argh. I'm not going to wallow- I move on to the hot dog. I bite into it...have you even drank or eaten something expecting something else? That horrifying, "what is going on?" feeling when it isn't what you expect? Yep, had that cuz my hot dog, which I ordered with KETCHUP only has on it MUSTARD only. I start laughing...my kids know I am crazy so they just laugh hysterically too. We are a driving bunch of laughing hyena's. They don't even know why we are laughing<br />
6:00pm- we are just about home when sweet Chloe says, "These are the best fries ever." NO! It cannot be...I say, "Chloe Roberta, hand me one of those best fries ever please." She happily shares....THEY ARE MY FRIES. My fries are in her kid's meal! I say, "Those are my fries!" TO which she says, "That's okay, I don't mind, they WERE yummy." The curly Q ate almost all of them....seriously.<br />
6:05pm-We are home, I am quickly giving Marc the pass off. I ask him to have the kids clean the rooms, fold the laundry in the dryer (trying to salvage the plan to wake up with a orderly home) and help Phin with his Valentines. I instruct him to make sure Phin writes them all, but to help him fold them and then tape stamps on top because they aren't allowed to bringing candy.<br />
6:30-10pm- worship practice. It was fun. I love to sing. I drive home, thinking, "well, that was a great way to end the craziness." I should quit having thoughts.<br />
10pm- I walk in the door and am chatting with Marc and I notice this:<br />
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"Why are the stamps still here, did you forget the Valentines?!" <br />
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He says, "No, we stamped them all." </div>
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Seriously, I could not stop laughing and thinking I somehow woke up in an Amelia Bedelia book. After I explain he said, "Oh! I wondered why you bought so many stamps."</div>
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It was the perfect end to the day where few things went right and certainly wasn't the stress free day I planned. It's a mixture of my brain farts and circumstances, but really, a mom who plans quiet time to herself should just know better. If kids are involved, especially four of them, something's going awry. Throw a husband and Hashimoto's in the mix and we are just happy we are all alive and laughing. It's a crazy life, folks, and it's 100% mine.</div>
<br />Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-85036417092834459042014-12-15T20:59:00.003-06:002014-12-15T21:00:10.164-06:00Advent Day 15- Candy Cane Day!<div style="text-align: left;">
12/15/14- </div>
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Candy Cane day is well established in my kids minds, so it was kind of fun to simply put a picture int the Advent box today. We get Candy canes after breakfast and lunch and a special candy cane dessert at dinner. I'd planned a fancier dessert but though I am feeling gobs better, I'm still a little behind in the energy department, so store bought ruled the day.</div>
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Who knew Betty Crocker does candy cane cookies...I don't know if I've every purchased box cookie mix. The upside is is makes a really small batch;)</div>
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My kiddos really don't like peppermint (lol;) So we have multiple kinds of candy canes to chose from much to their obvious delight!</div>
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All the extra's get added to the tree;)</div>
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Every Monday we have Milkshake Monday on the way to swimming lessons (Steak and Shake Happy Hour- half off milk shakes every day from 2-5 people;). Today was no different, except I ordered them all candy cane chocolate chip milk shakes. They are YUMMY...and quite like a shamrock shake with chocolate chips for all you Shamrock diehards!</div>
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" 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And yes...we always, read The Legend of the Candy Cane;)</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">and yes for anyone keeping track, I just officially caught up on Advent blogging and I am patting myself on my back....now to catch up on my laundry!</span></div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4796676917994788545.post-79321187160858030262014-12-14T20:34:00.000-06:002014-12-15T20:41:39.929-06:00Advent 14- Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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12/14/14- <i>Good Things come to those who wait...It's time to take all that Christmas Cheer burning inside you and DECORATE! Let's get that Christmas Tree up!!</i></div>
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Mama still was pretty under the weather but It's 9 days until Christmas! The tree couldn't wait for health to arrive. Couches are comfy and I am a good observer. I have to admit...I couldn't help but feel a bit better as our ornaments that each mean something so special came out of storage and took their rightful place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDEyyo2-nYvBGQdeEuHenEfoONxiiQzjeGiq1pMuo7N4OXuAr_33ghR00Vcz67sPIYrm08fOndiGeyzDswC80vKIuMjEpMrOR-lTqHPEfUbGZs2zK1YBuIIL0CzWoEDwkXEvIgGziQuE/s1600/361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDEyyo2-nYvBGQdeEuHenEfoONxiiQzjeGiq1pMuo7N4OXuAr_33ghR00Vcz67sPIYrm08fOndiGeyzDswC80vKIuMjEpMrOR-lTqHPEfUbGZs2zK1YBuIIL0CzWoEDwkXEvIgGziQuE/s1600/361.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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This years "new" ornaments that they picked which in Philly for vacation...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsMtMd0nbhmtpk073hqlU_70ZGsurR1wEB3v4meMu31oAnm-Pe8kp6NCIvJb_PKTHkkkV6G3olBfFOVLcwc8UjiCUAptAsxuIf0vwTt8MfxEygtiF39V4-mK3BJw05ilnTC-5Qxj7AkA/s1600/365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsMtMd0nbhmtpk073hqlU_70ZGsurR1wEB3v4meMu31oAnm-Pe8kp6NCIvJb_PKTHkkkV6G3olBfFOVLcwc8UjiCUAptAsxuIf0vwTt8MfxEygtiF39V4-mK3BJw05ilnTC-5Qxj7AkA/s1600/365.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, this is real and somehow we permitted this precarious ornament hanging...my judgement must have been stunted by my foggy head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBIVzZj4obkKNpSq7Pa7WI1hP8FEIfYovu58641ygshWByu_3yV4jj6b2wR2-bR7yHrMnEuvzZNZuazHFjIEm5upjdXNC4Cw9n_bnKWWzzPHCfcExuFV4SuH6rQG6dpV3ZFMkGdg_Z2Y/s1600/368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBIVzZj4obkKNpSq7Pa7WI1hP8FEIfYovu58641ygshWByu_3yV4jj6b2wR2-bR7yHrMnEuvzZNZuazHFjIEm5upjdXNC4Cw9n_bnKWWzzPHCfcExuFV4SuH6rQG6dpV3ZFMkGdg_Z2Y/s1600/368.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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I wasn't really feelin' up to crawling down and getting the Christmas tree skirt in place so my little gentleman did the honors.;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-bAjW6xFpKdcu3i0KVdf-2AVq9IEx9uUCWYdsFUe2JRbJ1Z5zbJQsMgbUXNfiDN6jHsqBWIRxe4_CNF0YX-ZGQdvKmKHntSkoHX6hpX6LI7BK1LZhn98NA5OZDH8fihn7Y605bIrbI8/s1600/372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-bAjW6xFpKdcu3i0KVdf-2AVq9IEx9uUCWYdsFUe2JRbJ1Z5zbJQsMgbUXNfiDN6jHsqBWIRxe4_CNF0YX-ZGQdvKmKHntSkoHX6hpX6LI7BK1LZhn98NA5OZDH8fihn7Y605bIrbI8/s1600/372.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was so thankful I"d purchased these silly cookies on a whim while a Target. I wasn't feelin' up to any silly supperness, but the kids were thrilled which store bought goodness.</div>
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It's been a weird Advent over here and finally feels normal now that our tree gives our evening their warm Christmas glow. Is there anything cozier than drinking tea in a room lit only by a Christmas tree- indeed not.</div>
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Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09158428398746166992noreply@blogger.com0