Being Content

One of my sons has a tendency to over react to things. He has a strong sense of "fairness" and usually feels he is the one being treated unfairly. It's not fair that his lego structure got broken, or that he only got one candy instead of three (even though his brothers got none), or that he shouldn't have to go to bed (even if his brothers are all already in bed). We love him and as parents we want to give him good gifts, but he always desires more. He is not content with what little enjoyment he gets so much so that half the time I feel almost regretful that we gave him anything at all. If we took him to rides at a carnival he thinks he deserves to go again the very next day. Or if we bought ice cream to eat, he will complain that we didn't get the flavour he wanted.

Cell Phone Usage

I never had a cell phone and never felt I really needed a cell phone until my husband bought me one. It is interesting. Now I can text my friends, call my husband from the store and check my email. I can shop for things I need and read books. I can study languages and look up birds I see in my back yard. And I can watch movies and play games at the table, on the couch and even in bed!

Putting a Priority on my Marriage

In the busyness of my life and my home, it is easy to become focused on all the things that need to be done. Maintaining the home, making meals, and caring for my children can easily take up all my time leaving my husband to take last place in my priorities.

Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce for Pasta

 We were planning to be gone all day at the beach so instead of cooking the tomato sauce for pasta all day on low on the stove, I decided to try using the slow cooker. And it worked great! I will definitely be doing that again.

1. Pour in the tomato sauce. I have a pretty big slow cooker (6-8 quarts), but two jars 680 mL each of crushed strained tomatoes was enough to fill it past the "minimum fill" line.

Multitasking Overload

I've been giving some thought recently to how I seem to always be in the middle of something... of everything. I've got laundry half folded on the couch, dishes half done in the sink, lunch halfway through prepping, papers halfway sorted on the counter, homeschool stuff on the dining room table, toys all over the floor in the living room, the kids outside getting all muddy digging in the garden, my two year old running around in his diaper because he got his clothes dirty so he took them off, and the baby crying in the crib because she woke up and is ready for some lunch. And this seems to always be the time of day when my husband pops in from work for some lunch too!

Organizing Children's Clothing

It is no small matter to keep children's clothing tidy. They are constantly growing and changing sizes so there is the matter of storing the clothing that does not fit and switching in the clothes that do. Then there is the matter of keeping the clothing that they have out tidy and organized and not all over the floor or overflowing out of the closets, drawers, and boxes.

Prayers and Peanut Butter

If you are a Christian mother and in need of some encouragement I highly recommend this book called Prayers and Peanut Butter by Barbara Classen.

Mom's Morning Time

Have you ever gotten up before the kids and just enjoyed the stillness of the morning? I really love this time of day. I make myself a coffee and sometimes even take a lawn chair outside. I sit with a big sweater on and a blanket and close my eyes and just listen to the leaves rustle in the trees and the birds rushing around singing and hunting for worms. 

Isaiah 40:11

Isaiah 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. 

I put this verse on under the heading to this blog because I've found it to be encouraging to me at this stage of my life with lots of little ones. I get overwhelmed easily and try to do so much. Sometimes I just run plumb out of energy and I can hardly think to get anything done. I'm needed to be so many things for so many people right now and they usually expect me to simply rise to their call.