Happy New Year from my family to yours!

   I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year. I have some things in the works I am excited about. The first is my new blog. I want to keep this one more about my family and the happenings of raising many children so I am making a new blog focused on health and wellness. Here is the link. http://healthierfamiliesforus.wordpress.com/

   I will be doing a post soon about what I hope for the New Year for my family and my goals. 2013 was a very blessed year for us, we welcomed our 10th child but it was also quite challenging as I have had some health problems, my husband had surgery, and a few other things but in all of it God was so good to us and we are so undeserving.

  I hope you have a blessed New Year and hope to see you around my blog as well as my other one. ~Blessings to you and yours!!!!

  

Great deal on coconut oil!!!!

Spend $12.99 and get a quart free!!!! Awesome deal.
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/virgin_coconut_oil.htm

A New Blog

Coming soon!!!! I have decided to separate my healthy living blog from my family one. Stay tuned - coming soon. :)

A Large Family Christmas

    Having a large family does not have to break the bank for Christmas. Many dread Christmas and getting that perfect gift ,etc. What they do not realize is there is no perfect gift. The perfect gift has already been given!
    I have heard several times this year , "Wow, Christmas must be insane at your house with all those kids". Well, many think it is insane everyday since we have 10 kids, with 6 being 6 and under. Actually, for those that know us know that we like things orderly. We are actually blessed and I love Christmas and all it represents. I was scared that with all the gift giving and such that my kids did not understand the true meaning of Christmas so this year instead of doing just our traditional countdown to Christmas chain we did a countdown chain with names of Jesus on them. This is usually the highlight of the kids days. We pull a chain off, read off the name of Jesus, I have them repeat to me the name, and then we read the bible verse with the name in it. Then we go over all the names we have learned so far. This has given us great opportunity to talk about Christ and since doing this I realize my kids have it together. They understand and know way more than I thought they did!! For that I am grateful to the Lord. The kids are looking forward to Christmas but because we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Yes, they are excited about the presents. Who wouldn't be? BUT they do understand what the day is about. This year we did not go wild and stress about the presents. Our kids got a couple of gifts a piece. Really this year they didn't ask but for a few things. My mom and I were talking about this a few days ago that these kids appreciate what they have and are not spoiled.
  So ,yes, having a large family you have to be creative sometimes. For a few extra people we wanted to give gifts to this year to just let them know how much they mean to us we made them things like bath salts with essential oils and those kinds of things. Made some sugar cookies with the kids and decorated them and took them to our neighbor who is a widow. That is also a good time to spend as a family as well! :)
  A large family Christmas is a blessed Christmas. For the past several years for Christmas there has been a extra child or one on the way. That is a true blessing. It is so fun to teach these kids WHY we celebrate, WHY we have Christmas , and WHAT it is all about . I hope we are raising up arrows to go out into the world and spread the gospel. Christ was born TO DIE! When I think of that and how Mary must of felt I am overcome with awe and amazement. God did NOT have to give his ONLY son but He did. Christmas is about love and the redeeming love of God. So this year enjoy your family, enjoy His blessings upon you and your family and don't stress over the gifts so much because the perfect gift has already been given. I look forward to sharing with my family the gift of Christmas and what it represents as my family will only I imagine get larger if not with more children but when my kids get married and have families of their own. So Merry Christmas from our family to yours !
     

Another fun essential oils giveaway

Here is another fun giveaway on my facebook page ! https://www.facebook.com/younglivinghartwellgroup/posts/663395323682989

Freshing Your Home Without Unhealthy Chemicals

Here is what we use. This is also money saving at it's best. The oranges and cinnamon sticks came from Apple Cider we made , then I just cut pieces from our Christmas tree, added splash of vanilla and added some Rosemary from our herb garden and it smells heavenly. We have just been adding water to this for a couple of days. 

 Here is my Young Living diffuser! IT is awesome. It not only makes my house smell nice but I am also purifying the air in my home and my kids are actually boosting their immune systems when I use things like Thieves and Purification in it. Right now it has Christmas Spirit in it just because it smells wonderful. Next , we will be using Thieves again since we went to town today and the kids went in several stores with me.

Blessing your husband this Christmas

 With having 10 children sometimes I am so focused on other things my husband gets pushed to the side. So while getting things together for the kids to have a special week I also started thinking of things to do for my husband. I came across some ideas on pinterest and one I really liked. The 12 days of Christmas. I chose to give Billy something everyday day starting 12 days from Christmas, some do it Christmas day until 12 days after Christmas. Anyway, I had some catching up to do because I could not get started until yesterday. This is what I have done so far!

One the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a $12 fleece. ( Old Navy was having a awesome sale yesterday so I got a nice fleece in his favorite Gator colors).

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me a $11 dollar razor.(Gave him a nice razor I had because what man doesn't like to use a new razor)

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave me to me a $10 box of chocolate.

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 9 hersey kisses. :) (Also gave him 9 real kisses)

So this is the point we are at right now. I cannot tell anymore because he might read this. I will update a few days from now. You can make this simple and as cheap as you would like. We as keepers of the home really do need to make our men feel special. I hope mine does. Share with me what you do to make your man feel special and keep the spark alive. :)

Pure , Therapeutic Essential oils

   Many think there is no difference in oils but there are sadly wrong. I know from experience there is a difference and also from research. I have used oils before with not much success. That was until a friend as me to go to a class with her. I really respect her and so I went. I am so thankful the Lord used her to help me learn about these treasures he left us.
   Here is a great blog post about the difference and what it means to be therapeutic grade. http://yoursacredcalling.com/commonscentsmom/what-is-therapeutic-grade/
   Right now for the first person to sign up under me I am giving away some gifts. Please contact me if you are interested. Leave me a message with your email addy and I will contact you. :)

Purification and Lavender Testimony!!!

 

Got a unbelievable story that just happened to us. One of my 16 yr old twin sons cut himself badly yesterday when he was outside. As soon as he came in and came to me I put Purification and Lavender on it and we applied Lavender a couple of more times. Here is what it looked like yesterday and then I took a picture of it awhile ago to show how much it already has improved. I was shocked!!! I just knew he needed stiches

 

 

 

 

Teaching Our Kids What's Important

  While I know this is a touchy subject I think it is one that should be addressed. While looking around me I see all kinds of sad things. I see kids not knowing what is important. How did they get this way?Well, it is from the greed they see around them.                                                                                      
  I don't know why people question why evil is in the world because we are not teaching what is important. We are not teaching first and foremost God should be the central part of our lives. That He is the beginning and the end. He is the reason we are here, the reason we have what we have, the reason for everything. This year I watched some videos of black Friday or whatever it was this year since it started on Thursday the day we should be thanking the Lord for what we have but instead many were out killing each other for more junk. Don't get me wrong I love junk but I love God so much more. It was so sad some of the videos I saw. We do not value human life anymore but why should we . Daily we go about killing babies without a second thought and justify it by saying oh it isn't really a human yet.
  Why should our children value anything. Parents are killing themselves trying to buy the next video game or now the next best cell phone for their kids. I am guilty of buying too much for my kid and letting them play a video game too long some times but by no means do we have the newest video system.  And when those attitudes creep in you better bet no more game time. Our children know how to play with each other. Yes, they have their arguments and yes like any parent I try to teach them we are to love our brothers and sisters. That is what we should be teaching the whole world, we should love each other. In the end that is what is important! Love God, loving others, and then ourselves!
   God has done such a work in me that a blog post could not hold all the love and thankfulness I have for him. He has brought me from the pits of despair to a joyful and blessed place. I am thankful daily for His goodness and want to teach my kids what is truly important. This season is especially a great time for that. While my children will get present it will not be many. While we will go to family gathers we will still try to remind our children why we are doing this. And that reason is many years ago a baby was born and he was born so he could die. So he could stand in place for our sins. So we could have eternal life. Now , THAT is what is most important!

Raising a Healthier Family

The past few years I have really poured a lot of time, energy ,research ,etc. into learning how to have a healthier family. Since having a health issue myself over a year ago I have been researching even more because I do not want to fail my family. As I strive to be a Proverbs 31 lady ( something I will never measure up to but strive to be) I see more and more how our families health plays a part in that as well. For the past few years around this time of year we have always gotten a horrible stomach bug and with 10 kids it takes forever to get over it!!!! We have missed so much because of it, several family get togethers and just not feeling well during the holidays!!!
     Well skip ahead to this year! We have felt so much better and the kids have been the healthiest they have ever been!! While they HAVE gotten sick or a virus has tried to creep in I have been able to knock it out. I was asked to go to an essential oils class by a trusted friend and while I was like been there done that I went. I have used essential oils before but without much success. I learned a lot in those classes though and decided to try them. I learned that Young Living essential oils were not to be compared with the cheaper oils and even any other oil for that matter. So I became a distributor. When I got my kit and diffuser I was a bit overwhelmed but once I started using them and using my desk reference I was more comfortable. We are slowly changing the way we eat  and trying to stay away from chemicals. I firmly believe that the tons of chemicals around us are a big part of what is making us sick. I think since starting on this journey someone in this house has used an essential oil every day. We have knocked out the tummy flu, colds, a really bad yeast infection, headaches , muscle pains, used it for stress reduction, and SO MUCH MORE!!! I am thankful to the Lord for leaving us these precious gifts to take care of our family with.
           While I do realize sometimes we do have to go to doctors. I just went and saw a endocrinologist for my thyroid/hormone imbalance but we will be taking a more natural approach to healing whatever needs to be healed with me. Also wanted to mention I had a knot in my neck and started rubbing Frankincense on it and by the time I went to the endo it is gone!!!! When I mentioned it to her she said that when our thyroid is off that around it can become inflamed and cause all sorts of issue, she said Frankincense was a good choice. :) So , as you can see the oils have so many uses and really we have only used them for a short time compared with many and we already have tons of stories to share. Young Living essential oils is over 20 years old.
        I am so happy that we are on the road to a healthier family and I am thanking the Lord for the knowledge he is blessing me with. I am excited to learn more and am thankful he left things here on earth to make this possible. If you would like more information email me at tbllrd@gmail.com or leave a message on this post with your email. Have a very blessed and healthy day!

Young Living Starter Kits explained

 When you begin with Young Living you sign up as a distributor and pick which kit you would like to start with. I started with the Premium Kit just because I wanted the everyday oils collection and because it is a awesome value. Here is a video that explains the kits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h3Z_7oFjK8

Young Living Most Needed Winter Oils!!!

These do work very well. We were introduced not long ago to Young Living oils and am so thankful. Usually every year we are so sick at this time and miss get togethers because we are battling some nasty virus. Not this year. So far I have been able to knock everything out very quickly!!! These have worked quickly and effectively. Email me if you would like more information at tbllrd@gmail.com or like my page on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/younglivinghartwellgroup

Ladies - Your Ministry is at HOME!

    Society wants women to believe they have to have a "career", dress the best, look the best, juggle it all and still have something left of themselves to give to their spouse and children. This is a LIE the devil wants women to believe. As wives and mothers first and foremost our ministry is AT HOME. Sometimes even I get stuck in the rut of saying," Lord, I wished I could reach others and spread the gospel." What can I do? I am a SAHM and have several little ones I am not reaching anyone. BUT- what I forget is my ministry IS a home. My ministry is to raise these children up for His glory and honor. To raise them up the way they should go. Many times we forget that. Being a wife and mother IS enough and IS the most important ministry we have. If we fail our children and do not keep the relationship with their father strong we are failing everyone.  This is something that has been weighing heavy on my heart lately.
        Last night was one of the best nights I have had in awhile!!! Did I go on a trip? NO! Did I receive some big present? NO! Did I have money fall in my lap? NO!!! What happened? Well, my older kids watched the younger ones for just a while and my husband and I ate our supper in our room. We talked and laughed and just spent time together. THEN, later on little ones one by one snuck in there with us. Later on we had several kids in there including our 16 yr old boys and we talked and watched some tv program together. IT was so nice. I know the Lord allowed me to have that because I have been really stressed lately and even the baby was so good last night.
        I see no problem in having fun with your friends, going shopping, and even doing some things for yourself BUT your ministry first and foremost is AT HOME. And that should come first. WE only get one shot at raising these children up. We only get one shot of reaching them when they are small and being there when they need to talk. Just be there and put your husband first and do not forget he needs your attention as well. If mama and daddy's relationship is strong and steady the family will fall into place. God bless you all and hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Doing a giveaway on my facebook page, actually two! If you are interested in taking care of your family without toxins check it out. https://www.facebook.com/younglivinghartwellgroup

Great book for using Young Living essential oils with babies, young children, and during pregnancy and nursing!!!!

Okay I just have to shout it from the roof top. I have found a awesome book that really explains how to use the essential oils with babies, children, and during pregnancy and beyond and use them safely. I am so excited about this book. It is biblical based and includes lots of scripture. It is called Gentle Babies by Debra Raybern. Part of educating people about how to take care of your family with non toxic chemicals is also to teach them how to use the products safely and effectively. Here is the link to the book http://www.amazon.com/Gentle-Babies-Essential-Pregnancy-Childbirth/dp/098169540X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384976083&sr=8-1&keywords=Gentle+Babies

Book Recommendation

 I do not normally do this but I am reading a book right now that a friend allowed me to borrow and I know God put it in her heart to let me read it. It is called "Kisses from Katie". It really shows what we can accomplish if we let God lead our lives and if we listen to Him. It also proves to be a story that shows while things might be hard God always lets us see the light. Here is the book on Amazon if anyone is interested!- http://www.amazon.com/Kisses-Katie-Story-Relentless-Redemption/dp/1451612095/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384897346&sr=8-1&keywords=kisses+from+katie

Immune Boosting!

Young Living Essential Oils Round 2

I posted all about how they helped the kids get better before and how well they worked well we had one start to get sick Friday night/Saturday and we did Thieves and let him take a bath in Epsom salt and lemon EO and also did some NingXia Red with Thieves in it and by Sunday he was completely better and we got to go to church. This morning my 5 year old woke up with a horrible cough, that deep uh oh cough and I rubbed his chest with RC and put Thieves in his water and rubbed his feet and what you know we have had no more cough and he has felt fine all day. I am so thankful a very good friend of mine asked me to go to a class. IT has truly helped us. Last night when we got home from church my husband was aching so bad( I think a lot of his aching is due to thyroid issues) and I put Valor, Panaway , and Peppermint on his knees , ankles, and feet and in no time he was feeling so much better. It takes a lot to impress my husband too! :) If you would like more info you can email me at t_bllrd@yahoo.com . I would love to answer any questions you might have or help you in any way. I have had some awesome people lead me to the answers I was looking for. Thanks to those people, you know who you are.

IS Trim Healthy Mama for Everybody?

        I just want all you to know first that I was almost done with this post and this crazy laptop I have just deleted it all!!!! I feel it is so important I am going to type it all out again. :( The answer to the above question is Trim Healthy Mama for everybody is yes AND no. I am writing this post because a lady who many came to Trim Healthy Mama because of decided she did not like it anymore, that it was not working for her. First I want to say that we should all pray for her and not feel any resentment towards her because she is dealing with a eating disorder as she has stated. But I think she wrongly misrepresented Trim Healthy Mama on her blog. I have thought about this since yesterday and knew I wanted to blog about this but also wanted to be sensitive to her. I ALSO wanted to stand up for the ministry of this book. I do feel it is a ministry. If you are a woman who has suffered with weight issues you know how lonely and sad it can be. I have been struggling for several years. I know now it was mostly due to thyroid issues but no matter what I did I just could not lose weight. After my 2 yr old was born no weight would come off after having him! IT was a lonely , sad place. I know my husband loves me no matter what but you want to feel pretty in front of your husband. Anyway, after having my last baby 3 months ago I researched and saw so many talking about Trim Healthy Mama so I bought the book and read it. I really liked how it incorporated the Bible into everything and even talked about issues women may have. Even had recipes and so forth. I started it no long after my baby was born. I am so thankful to the Lord for bringing this book to my attention. It has changed my life!!!! I have lost around 40 pounds since my son was born 3 months ago and have so much more energy. This in turn has allowed me to play with kids , I even jumped on the trampoline with them last week. :) God I believe has used these women to help many others including men. I am so very thankful for that.
          As to the question and why I answered it the way I did. IS Trim Healthy Mama for everyone. Short answer is YES. Why? Because I believe it CAN work for everyone , it just may need some tweaking for some depending on what you are doing it for. Why I also answered NO is because some people take everything they do too far. This is a lifestyle change not a diet. You do not have to count calories and such like was stated in the blog post. Yes, at first it is good to know what makes things a S and what makes things a E, etc.. but to be quite honest I have hardly paid attention to that. I am a mother to 10 and really just do not have the time. I do not sit and think about food all the time like was also stated but I do pay more attention to what I eat which is surely not a bad thing. Anyone can make anything into something it is not . This lifestyle change might not be for you if you don't want to think about what you eat but that is what is wrong with America now. WE just eat harmful , toxic foods just because it taste good but at what cost. I for one am eating things that taste really good and know what I am putting into my body. I am eating things I said I would never eat.
      So I just want to thank Serene and Pearl for taking the time out of their life to help others struggling. I also want to ask that we be respectful of each other and always be truthful with what we say about things. Also don't be mad at Stacy but just pray for her and her family. God bless you all and above all thank God for us getting healthier!
          

Young Living page on Facebook

Please like my page on facebook. Thanks! It is great for learning how to take care of your family without toxins. Feel free to post there as well although I know with phones some are having trouble figuring out how to post there. Any suggestions?
https://www.facebook.com/younglivinghartwellgroup?ref=hl

Our Selfish Society

 I do not know why I am writing this post but just feel like I should. I am so sad for the selfishness of many. We are so busy and selfish these days we do not take the time to even worry about others. WE just go about our day and not think of what others might be going through .That is one thing I hope I instill in my kids is that we are not put on this earth for ourselves. We should be reaching out to others. I know some of this post is for me. Sometimes we are so caught up in our own lives that we do not see the hurt others have. I am TRYING to put others first. God has put us here to be salt and light! Don't forget that. We have got to start thinking how things we do affect others and not just going by how we feel. We need to take others feelings and put them before ours. Same in marriages! We should put our spouse and then our kids first. Sometimes that is very hard to do but that is the way God designed it. And when we do that things go so much smoother and life is so much better. So this is a perfect time of year to start putting others first and being thankful. I am trying to start in my own life. God is laying so many things on my heart! I just wanted to share with anyone I can.

Young Living Oils again

So I just have to tell you some more YL oils story. I have not been using these long at all and already have majorly helped my family!!! It is just so exciting I want to share. After writing my last post some more of my kids have gotten something and so has my husband. I was able to use my oils and very effectively make them feel better and ultimately get well. For that I am so thankful. AND without using harmful medicines that are almost more toxic. I also have gotten rid of headaches, I use it for knee pain on my husband and then yesterday my husband was feeling horribly. I started with him and he has felt so much better today. Also yesterday I got sunburned BADLY before I went to bed I mixed up some lavender and coconut oil and it took the pain right out! :) I feel so silly because why would I not think they would work, these were used as far back as Biblical times. I have more stories but I won't keep going on and on. Today we had a class so we could inform others of these great gifts from God. So thankful for what God has given us.

Young Living Oils

I am so very thankful I was introduced to these oils from a sweet friend of mine by going to a couple of classes. It was even better to see them work when put into action. There is a nasty bug going around and several of my kids(5 to be exact) have gotten it. They had high fevers, throwing up, etc.... The ones that threw up only did so once because I started the oils right away. It only took 2 hours- 1 day for them to be better. I was amazed!!! The longest one only took 1 day! I have used peppermint oil for my headaches and it has worked great. There are so many uses for these oils from making someone better from sickness to helping arthritis sufferers , to helping hormone imbalances, and so much more. I am just getting started with these gifts from God but so excited to be introduced to them. I am so thankful I can take care of my family in a healthy way without putting more toxins in there body. I just want to shout from the rooftops and say how wonderful God is and how he put gifts here on earth to help us suffer less. :) I am so happy the journey God has put me on to better health for my family and I. I love to talk about all this and am so excited to be having a class/presentation at my house Friday. While it takes more effort in some cases to use natural stuff it is so worth it.

TAKING YOUR HEALTH IN YOUR OWN HANDS

 I have been praying that the Lord would show me how I could be healthier for my family, how to take care of my family in a better way, how to do what I am suppose to as a homemaker. The Lord has been revealing those things little by little in many ways. Mostly he has used other people I really trust. First before I get into any of this I want to say to always pray before you jump right in to anything. Ultimately God is the Healer but I believe he has given us stuff to take advantage in that. First I want to start out for those that don't know a little background info. I am a mother to 10 children and a wife to a wonderful man!!! About 3 years ago I started feeling so tired and worn out. Things started to ache and I was young so I just thought it had to do with having child after child , most of them year after year. Boy, was I wrong. After having chest pains, miscarriages, and feeling like DEATH. We found out my thyroid was hardly functioning but also my progesterone level was very low. Now, I had the answers as to why I have felt so bad for several years. Now it was time to start working on making myself better. I did tons of research, kept up with getting my blood work checked, etc... First I started taking toxins out of our home since those are the things that interfere with your hormones the most. I started using Norwex products and still do. They work because they have silver in them. If you would like to know more information you could look it up. They are very good products and I have found them to work very well. But it is really hard to get rid of all toxins. Also as you know if you have thyroid issues losing weight is almost impossible if you are hypothyroid. I have not been able to lost weight for several years. It gets really depressing after awhile. NO matter how hard you try it doesn't come off. BUT, after having my last child 3 months ago I heard a lot of people talking about Trim Healthy Mama. As I looked into it more and more it looked more to me like it was not a diet but a lifestyle change. I did a lot of research on it as well, bought the book when my little ones was about a month old and started reading whenever I could. I joined the online facebook page and started the plan slowly and slowly the weight started coming off. Then it started coming off faster and faster. Since my little guys has been born in 3 months I have lost 34 pounds and have fit into a couple of pairs of jeans I have not fit into in a very long time. I am thanking the Lord for the two awesome women who wrote the book. Although my thyroid is still not leveled out, I feel so much better with that weight off. I am smaller now than when I got pregnant and he just turned 3 months!! I can run around outside with my kids, sit on the floor and play with them without hurting, and so much more. The newest thing the Lord has brought to my attention is essential oils. I had used them before and THOUGHT I was using pure one until I came across Young Living Oils. I have just started learning about them and using them so more to come on that another day but so far I am excited to be able to keep my family and me healthy!!!! This day and time you have to take your health in your own hands!!!! Would love any comments or if you have any questions. I just do NOT want others to go through what I was,sometimes hormone imbalances make everything seem so hopeless but God will give you HOPE!

Trim Healthy Mama and My Health

Sorry, holding a baby right now so this will be short and sweet. I have been following the THM lifestyle Since then I have lost 33 pounds and do have more energy! My thyroid is still off and still having some health issues BUT I do feel somewhat better. At least I do have SOME energy. Praying as I continue on this journey it will help. Just wanted to share this so others might not give up .

Wives Love your Husbands

    I have not wanted to really write this post but I feel like the Lord has been wanting me to for a while. I have thought about this and thought about this topic. I have talked to a couple wives lately about issues they have with their husbands. Not the normal culture talk where the wife bashes her husband and talks about all the things he does wrong but just the more spiritual issues which is the most important. I am thankful to have a husband who is saved. I know he is saved and I am thankful he is strong in his beliefs and knows what he believes. I am thankful he is the leader of this home! Not all wives have this I know. I didn't always have it. My husband would agree with this also. I was saved when I was younger but totally was a backslider ( I am sad to say). The Lord started working on me again and I was following him sooner that my husband was. I just wanted to give my whole life to Him. I so wanted my husband to follow me but I could not change him ONLY the LORD could. But there was something I could do. PRAY! I really felt the Lord calling me to turn over my whole life to him , most importantly children and finances. The two hardest things to let go of. I talked and talked to Billy about this. He had a hard time with it, especially just turning our fertility over to the Lord. At first I kind of kept nagging him about it all. Something a wife should never do. Then I realized I was so wrong and just started praying. Praying for the Lord's will to be done, praying Billy would be a leader of our home, a godly man, and praying that I would love him the way the Lord intended. He went to a men's retreat with my brother in law and came back a totally different person. The transformation the Lord did in him that weekend was amazing. From then on our lives changed. We now have 10 children and the Lord has provided for our needs. God is sooo good. The point I am trying to make is no matter if your husband is not the Prince Charming you had hoped for just love him, pray for him, be there for him. If you are joyful in all things and praise the Lord and serve him then your husband will see and hopefully want what you have. 1 Peter 3:1
Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives. God is so good and so BIG. Do not underestimate what God can do. ********I feel like I need to stop right here though and touch on something very briefly. This post is not intended to say a women that is being battered and beat up by her husband should stay. A husband is also suppose to love his wife as Christ loves the church. But you husband may be grouchy or not affectionate,etc... Pray about this! Give it to God. This is your man who God gave you. He CAN change his heart and if he doesn't then you just keep on serving the Lord with gladness. I can never sit and write all the Lord has done for me in my life. Yes, there are trials and hardships but so much more JOY! I hope this has helped someone or encourage someone going through a similar situation. I am saddened at all the divorce, as much divorce in the church as in the world. It is truly so sad and not what God intended. Wives just love your husbands! Care for them, put them first , respect them and the Lord will bless you.

What I have learned so far from Trim Healthy Mama

         First I am sure many people have already heard about this but if you have not this not some diet fad , it is a lifestyle change. I have always been self conscience of my weight. It has always been a issue for me. And after having 10 kids it is a little worn out (plus I haven't been very good to it). If you have not read the book it is worth the money it cost plus more and although it is a BIG book it has much more info than just learning how to eat but actually being healthy. I have learned that God does not intend for us to avoid most foods and the foods I do avoid have been processed and turned into something God did not design it to be. A part of the book discusses how God gave us food for fuel. I am looking at food so much more different than I used to. I actually do not fear it but actually enjoy it., Yeah, sometimes my other family members might be eating something I am trying to stay away from and I might really want it but there is always something else yummy I can eat in its place.
       Since having my 10th child 7 weeks ago I have lost 21 pounds. I have never been able to lose that much. I have not been hungry and have not felt like I am being punished like other "diets" I have been on. I have much more I want to lose but the most important thing FOR ME for even starting Trim Healthy Mama is I want to be healthy. Something I have not been in a long time. I was having thyroid issues, progesterone issues, and probably adrenal issues without even knowing it. I am not sure how long it had been going on but I only know when it got really bad. Before getting pregnant with Jase this time I went through a really rough time and one of the saddest in my life. I started feeling really bad and having chest pains. I experienced 3 miscarriages. It was all due to all the issues I listed above. This whole process has also taught me sometimes you have to take your own health in your hands. You cannot rely on doctors or anyone else. After having our last child I felt bad again and had my thyroid checked my levels were low and my thyroid seemed to be swollen. I was just telling my husband today my thyroid actually feels normal and I am feeling better. I do get tired but I am a wife and a mother to 10 kids(one being 7 weeks old). I am actually walking and trying to exercise . On that note let me talk about that for a minute.
          Being on Trim Healthy Mama has also giving me energy I have not had in awhile. I can actually be a wife, a mother, and still get in some exercise. One thing I have learned it you do not have to go to a gym, have a person trainer, do exercises in front of your t.v. While all those things might be well and good for some people , for a mother to 10 kids I do not have that time. But I can take my kids and go for a nice walk. I can spend time with my kids while actually doing my health good.
        I am so thankful to God for giving the two ladies who wrote this book the knowledge he has and that they have shared it with other women. I am writing this post to hopefully be of some encouragement to some other mother, young lady, or anyone who might be going through health issues or weight issues. While eating this way I have lost weight but I feel so much better as well. Yes, I am still healing from having a baby but I feel so much better than I have with my past ones health wise. I am still having a few issues of lower back pain, pelvic pain, etc.. but that is from my birth. I am hoping when I get my thyroid checked in a month or so it will be good. I am on meds for that but hope to get them lowered and changed to non synthetic ones soon.
     I hope to continue to post more about Trim Healthy Mama soon . Right now duty calls. :)

Been busy!!!

As you can see my little man is growing so very fast!! I wished I could slow him down but I also want him healthy. Just thought I would check in and let you know I am super busy but will be back to blogging shortly.

Birth Story

 Well I think this is a labor and deliver I WILL NOT forget. Jase is here, he was born Sunday morning and I am so grateful to God that I am on this side of it all . Although it comes with it's own challenges too like no sleep and a tired, sore, worn out body. But I get to hold and love on my new precious blessing.
    Well, where shall I begin. Last Monday I started to feel more contractions. I had to take my daughter to the dentist which of course the apt did not go as planned but I made it through. By Tuesday I was hurting, had been up all night and was having steady contractions. I called one of the midwives and she came over. I was dilated 3 cm and she said she thought it was the day. Well, so did I because my contractions were not letting up. We had planned on her coming back later on since I usually always labor all day anyway and checking me later in the day. So she did and there was no progress!!!! I will spare you the agony of my week but by Friday I had not made much change either , only a cm more dilated with all the contractions I was having. I actually thought something might be wrong and keeping him from coming down. Some of the younger kids spent the night with my mom Friday night just to give me a break because they were surely feeling the stress I guess because they were being pretty bad. I picked them up Saturday. I just kept thinking my body was failing me and could not understand with all the pain and contractions I had why he had not been born. Music, prayer, and baths are what kept me going during this time!!!!!! Along this journey also God has placed certain people in my life for encouragement and to help me keep going on, for that I am so very grateful. Saturday night the older boys, Paige, Billy, and myself watched a movie. Contractions were pretty bad during the movie but I just kept telling myself I am not calling the midwives over anymore until my water breaks(which for me is a crazy thing to say, because usually that is when baby is coming) Anyway, Saturday night I was up ALL NIGHT with the most horrible contractions I have ever had. This was my 10th child so I have been through my share of contractions but these were pretty rough. Baths didn't help and I just could not get comfortable and it just felt like his head was right there. After one really bad contraction I told Billy to call the midwives. So, he called. I was checked at 9 am and was 6 cm but fully effaced. But I was just focusing on the 6 cm, I could not believe after all that pain I was not any further. The contractions were INTENSE. Then while everyone was out of the room , I was laying on my side and I felt my body pushing by itself. I called for Billy and told them I needed to push. I asked for my water to be broken but when I turned over to be checked there was no need to break my water. HE was COMING! Jase Malachi was born at 9:56. The midwives were not even here a hour. And btw my water must of broke while I was pushing him out so the whole waiting for my water to break would not have been a good thing!! So after a week of laboring it was over so fast. So fast that it was kind of traumatic for me AND Jase.  So there you have it, while he was my 10th he was definitely my hardest to get here but the trade off was a fast delivery. Hoping now for a fast recovery!! :)

How this baby is being used by the Lord

       As most of you know I am 39 weeks and have been "laboring" since Tuesday. Some may call it false labor but those are the ones that have never went through this and surely do not know how I am feeling. God IS teaching me so much in all of this though so I am so happy that all this is not in vain. In all of this I have felt defeated at times and like I just could not go on and God used someone or something to show He is still by my side. We have had sweet friends, which now seem more like family, that have made sure we have had all we needed and have been here whenever needed. He has used other people to bring meals, help with the kids, and just give words of encouragement. I think in all of this the Lord is showing me I HAVE to swallow my pride sometime and accept help. That is what being a part of a Christian family is all about. If you know me any at all I like things in order, things in their place, and everything neat and tidy and when things like this happen it is almost impossible for things to be that way without help.

                I am also being reminded how blessed I am. I think sometimes moms of many take for granted the blessings God has given them, especially when times get hard. Being able to labor(however long) and then go on to deliver a blessing that will hopefully one day go out and spread the gospel is such a blessing. In all of this I keep going back to what sorrow I felt in experiencing the 3 miscarriages before the Lord decided to bless us with keeping this baby in the womb. I will gladly take this pain to see my little one's face!!!! As I am typing this I am having a contraction, which reminds me I am just that much closer. I am blessed and it is crazy how often we forget it.

               I know I am loved. The Lord is showing me time and time again in so many ways. I a lot of times no matter what hardships I go through time and time forget to not try to rely on myself. I cannot do it alone, only with the help of the Lord. I think he uses things like this to remind us only trusting in the Lord, keeping our faith on Him, and leaning on Him can we ultimately make it in this world. He has used music lately to quite my soul and I am so appreciative of that. I had put some songs together for when I was in labor and God knew I would need them at this time!!!!

 
              I know this will not last forever and Lord willing I will soon be holding a healthy baby boy and baby #10 will be welcomed into this family. And I also know I will be grateful for the lessons I have learned in all of this.

Who are we trying to please? Man or God?

Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.


    I read this verse in my bible study this morning and it really stood out to me. I think that is a lot of the problems our country has now. We try to please each other , do not want to step on any toes, hurt any ones feelings, be different, etc.... Don't get me wrong, we should be loving and kind to one another but we also have got to start standing up for what is just and right. Deciding to give our lives over fully to the Lord was not easy for Billy and I . It meant we had to let go of some friendships and ultimately just pray for those people to find the Lord. It meant not always living in comfort, it meant getting comments made to us about the number of children we had, it meant giving EVERYTHING over to the Lord. While this was not easy the Lord has always provided what we have needed and many of the things we have wanted. WE realize many look at our family with displeasure and that is where this verse really comes in, we are not here to win the approval of man. I want to please my Father in heaven. Just like a young girl dances and sways and calls out to her earthly daddy for his approval on how pretty, how well she is doing something, or how much he loves her we too should also be seeking that approval from our heavenly Father. We were not placed on this earth to make men happy but for the pleasure of the Lord. I really think if we as a society of Christians stood up and started making the Lord the focus of our lives things would change. I am not saying that pleasing the Lord will always make life easy , if that is what I was saying I would not be telling you the truth. People die daily for being a servant of Christ. But I will tell you is that your life will be transformed , you will be changed , and you will see things you have never noticed before. I am so thankful I am saved, a daughter of the Most High, and that while sometimes hard giving of my whole life to the Lord I have experienced such blessings!!! Just meditate on that verse for today and see how it changes your perspective on things going on in the world and how you view things. And maybe also how you are living your life.

 
   ****** Just a quick baby update. I am almost 37 weeks so could be anytime now our sweet baby boy makes his entrance into the world. Please pray for safety and health for both him and I. God bless you and have a Christ filled day.

The things the Lord has been teaching me and a few other ramblings

Baby will be here very soon. I am 34 weeks and counting. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I think with each pregnancy the end gets a bit harder but thankfully I know what comes from it! :)  I am so thankful for my husband and wonderful older kids. I think if we had not chosen to live the life we have, following the Lord in everything (including the number of children we would have) I would of missed lessons. The Lord has had to really teach me about relying on myself. I CANNOT do things well if I am not relying on Him. Every time I start not relying on the Lord I fall flat on my face. Fear sets in and things go chaotic. 2 Cor. 12:9 has been a HUGE verse for me. I put it on my mirror in my bathroom and memorized it when I was going through my miscarriages and it has been a HUGE help in my times of trial.
         Secondly, the Lord has really been teaching me that sometime you just have to let others help. I am not sure why this is so hard for me. Maybe it is a pride issue the Lord is working out in me. I am not sure but it is really hard for me to ask or take help. But sometimes you just have to allow others to help. I think that is why I have gotten to the thyroid issues I have is with each pregnancy and after I would not really let anyone help except for maybe meals right after baby. I really believe the body of Christ is put in your life for a reason and that the Lord puts people in your life at certain times because HE knows what we need. And sometimes we do not let him work in our lives. I am still really, really working on this!!! I have been asked by several young ladies who have just started kids what would be my advice and I always tell them first about always relying on the Lord but then if they have someone offering help to take it and be sure they get the rest they need. I am really praying about that this time, that I would take the help offered and get the rest I need so I maybe come out with better health than I have had in a while.
     The Lord has also been teaching me that sometimes life is just gonna be chaotic and sometimes that is life. I am a little OCD , you can ask people that have been to my house even when I am feeling bad. I want everything neat and tidy and in order including everything that goes on in my life and sometimes life gets messy and is not neat and tidy. Sometimes we can fix everything from scratch and feed our families very healthy and sometime we are in a season( say when we are very big and pregnant) that we just cannot do it and we have to feed them less healthy things BUT we have to remind ourselves that they are getting fed and that ultimately relying on the Lord for our health is our best bet. ;)  I have really had to learn there are times we just cannot do things. Times for rest! God even rested I have to tell myself , isn't that crazy that have to MAKE myself rest even when my body is screaming please sit down. This has really helped me to remember that life has seasons in our life for different things. And the things I may be wanting to get done may not be what the Lord wants me to be doing at the moment.
      I am growing daily with the Lord. I am thankful for the family and wonderful friends my family has. I know God puts certain people in your lives for many reasons. I am thankful for the things I am taught daily and how it helps me grow. And how it helps me swallow my pride and be humble. The Lord is so good and I look so forward in 3-6 weeks meeting this little fellow. :) God bless and I would love for you to leave me a comment and let me know what the Lord is teaching you.

Thankfulness during trials

       Well, first I wouldn't really call it trials just little bumps in the road that make things a bit harder. My husband and I went away last weekend for some much needed time together while my parents stay with the kids. We have a wonderful time but I hardly even remember it because since we have been back it is been well ... kind of chaotic. We came home to a lot of things not working in our home because we had a bad storm while we were gone and lightening struck. It also was very bad and scared the kids something horrible. My parents said it was the worst sound they had ever heard. So then I felt kind of guilty that I was not here and my kids were scared(also kind of guilty that I was glad I was not here because I HATE storms). So it took us about a week to get things working again like our air condition, internet, phone,etc... We had to buy a lot of new stuff. Still waiting to get our business computer back which we are having to buy a new one because it fried it. Totally money we were not ready to spend. In all of this I just kept trying to be thankful. Thankful because some houses did burn down that night. Thankful because my kids and parents were not harmed and it could of turned really bad after seeing some of the things the lightening had did. I KNOW the Lord was with my family while we were gone and I am so thankful. To top that off I came home to my 6 year old having severe headaches. He cried with it for like 2 days straight. One day he just had a awful day but I think all of that was sinus issues. So while that was hard while everything else was going on I am thankful it was probably nothing serious and I have healthy kids. Then my lower bad started hurting but by Thursday it was horrible!!! IT sends shooting pain down my legs and just hurts something horrible, sometimes I think worse than labor pains. Midwives say it is sciatica but in all this I CAN and WILL be thankful too. I can be thankful I have a healthy baby that is growing inside. All of this I cannot do in my own strength. I have people constantly telling me you are stronger than I am, more patient than I am , more this or that but it is not true. It ALL comes from the Lord. He is our rock and our strength. I am praying that baby turns the right way and my back pain gets better because 2 months of this would be horrible but I know I will make it WITH the Lord help if I have to. So , I am hoping if you are going through little bumps in the road or even big trails that you let go and let GOD help you. I hope you all have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend.

Quick update

Not much to update except I am almost 30 weeks so our new little man will be here before we know it! It has been so busy around here that I forget how far along I am sometimes and forget I kind of need to be preparing for a new baby. WE have been sick for about a week and a half, not all of us at one time but a couple or more for a while now. And now I am down along with my oldest daughter and that is pretty hard. We have been trying to just press on and get done what needs to be done. I have a pretty bad sore throat today and just have no energy.
I just wanted to do a quick update. Mother's Day is Sunday so don't forget the special mothers around you. And as mothers we need to remember the special job we have, it may seem so demanding some days but what job could be more important than raising up warriors for the Lord!!!! Happy Mother's Day a couple of days early!

To the Mom with Lots of Littles in the House

I have been asked a lot what the best advice I could give a mom with lots of little ones. Well the first would be that God will supply your needs. Yes, it gets hard. And when you just almost whereyou can't make it anymore God will give you exactly what you need. Trust me on this!!!! It played out just yesterday for me. While this advice is for others I have to remind myself weekly not in my own strength only with the help of the Lord!!!! God gave you these little ones and he will give you the tools to make it through. And remember what is important!
I think the next advice would be do not feel bad about taking help and get your rest. I am not saying you have to take a nap everyday because I have NEVER been able to do that, too much to do. But I had a hard time for a long time taking any help that was offered. This for me is still a work in progress and yes many women do not have others to help but IF you do trust me take them up on their offer. They would not be offering if they did not want to help. And I think the biggest reason I am having such thyroid issues is NOT due to having so many children(although it may or may not have contributed to it), it is due to not getting the rest I need. If a grandparent offers to take care of your little ones or maybe just a young lady at your church, whomever it is , if they are trustworthy and you are comfortable with them take that time and let them help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness either, actually for me it takes more courage to ask for help that it does not to.
Thirdly something else I have struggled with is not always being able to help others as much or get out and really spread the gospel. But one thing is for sure God gave you these children and your ministry right now is to your family. Yes, as time permits by all means help others. But just remember we have seasons in our lives, and our seasons look different as our children get older.
( That bit of advice was given to me by a couple of wise women in my church)
Lastly, just soak it all in because believe it or not one day you will want this back. The dirty diapers, the slamming doors, the little feet running through the house, the handprints on your freshly cleaned window, etc... Children are only little for a brief time. Take the time with them, yes this is for myself as well. Remember to stop in your busy day just to give them a hug or listen to what they are trying to tell you. Everything will wait for you. Just love them!!! Loving them is the best gift you can ever give them after teaching them about the Lord.
Have a blessed day!!!!!!!!!!

Cloth diapering

This year we have decided to try to save money but also for us more importantly improve our health. That being said one of the first things I wanted to do was cloth diaper. I have thought about it for a while but would always chicken out but my last little man has had so many diaper rashes and I have tried every cream known to man. Although I did find all natural herbal bottom creams that worked we were still having trouble with rashes and such and the more I read about the toxic stuff in disposables the more I knew that I did not want to continue using them. This being said we have used them for all our other children. SO anyway I just decided to take the jump. I started buying diapers for the youngest two since my third one was in pull ups and almost trained. So at first buying enough to last all day was overwhelming but the good thing was the youngest two are very close to the same size so I could use the same size with them. I order some boy/girl ones too just because that is how I am. Cloth diapering you can make as cheap or as expensive as you want and I do mean expensive. I mixed it up and ordered some prefolds and covers for low cost but I also LOVE my AIO's(All In One's) and pocket diapers as well. They are a bit more pricey but if you think about how much you actually do pay for those toxic ones you throw away the cost doesn't seem so bad. In the months since we have decided to do this probably 4 months ago I have spent less than $200 and that is enough diapers for 2 kids(adding in some fancy more expensive ones) and also several for the baby we are expecting in July. I also found a wonderful website that is always running a special if you spend so much they send a free diaper so that also allowed me to see which ones I liked better since they have sent a different kind each time. Also this website once you spend a certain amount gives you certificate for a certain amount off. It is called http://www.kellyscloset.com/ . Also the next step is actually washing the diapers. This sometimes can be tricky depending on what kind of water you have(soft or hard). My awesome handyman husband made me a diaper sprayer so when we have nasty diapers I can just rinse them out. YOu can also buy these but him putting it all together made it cheaper and better made. You can always look up cloth diaper sprayer to find out how to make one or you can buy one. So since we go through so many a day with two in diapers I have to wash everyday . I just use a old diaper genie I had and bought a liner that I wash each time with the diapers. So , to wash the diapers I do a rinse, a wash, and then another rinse to make sure all the suds are out. If any detergent is left in the diapers a lot of times they will smell. Also there are several problems you might have with your diapers like smell staying in them,etc.. but there is so much excellent advice on the computer. When baby gets here in July we will have 3 in diapers and with cloth diapers we will save so much money. Even though I used to coupon and get the best deals for disposables we still will save a ton and I know that we are not putting toxins on our children's skin. I wish I would of took the jump sooner and would not have been so chicken so if you have thought about it before but have worries just try it. I am sure you will find it is not as bad as you think it is. You are ALREADY having to change those nasty diapers anyway. The first time I actually washed a load of diapers I just looked at them and thought we have been throwing that much away, money just thrown away. How happy I am that we decided to go this route. Yes, it is a bit more work but what important things are not more work anyway. Eating healthier is more work sometimes but we need to still do it. So the reason for this post is to encourage you and say yes you can do it and it may NOT ALWAYS be easy and you will have to figure out what works best for you but once you get a schedule it is not difficult. I usually start my diapers at night , that way I can do the rinse right when we are going to bed, then the wash and the other rinse when we get up the next morning. That way they do not get in the way of all the clothes I need to wash.

Easter

I know I do not write often and most of the time I try to wait until the Lord really places something on my heart and then I write so that is why sometimes I write a lot on my blog and sometimes it is few and far between post. I would like what Easter means to you? But I would also like you to know all about what Easter means to me and what it should mean to you. First and foremost I want to say I am in this post no way knocking how you celebrate Easter but I do not the Easter bunny as part of Easter that is why our kids no longer get Easter baskets and really know nothing of a Easter bunny. What they do hear a lot about is how a Savior was sent from God who was tortured and murdered for OUR SINS. How Friday was a sad day but then on Sunday it was a joyful day, a day our Savior was raised from the dead which means HE IS ALIVE. That is where our hope comes from. When talking to our kids about what Easter really means this past week I ran across this story and thought it was wonderful. It is called The Story of the Little Hill.



The Little Hill by Kathy Vincent

Once there was a little hill

And on the hill there grew green grass

And under the green grass, a flower began to grow

And on the flower grew 3 red petals

The little hill was happy



One day a worker walked upon the little hill

And on the hill he dug 3 deep holes

And in each deep hole went a tall log

And on each tall log a cross was made with another log

The little hill was confused



The next day was Friday and a large crowd gathered around

And on each cross a man was hung

There was a man in the middle…His name was Jesus.

And on each side of Jesus there was another man

The little hill was sad



The man in the middle was very sad too

But other people on the little hill were very mad at Him

And made fun of Him

And they laughed at Him

And then darkness came

The little hill was scared



And then the man in the middle died

The little flower on the hill died too

Even the grass on the little hill died

And then the little hill shook and shook

The little hill cried



The man in the middle was taken down from His cross and buried in a cave

Friday was done

Saturday came and went

But on Sunday morning something wonderful happened!

The little hill was excited!



An angel appears and says that Jesus is ALIVE!

The friends of Jesus are very happy

They go to tell their other friends

Then Jesus appears and shows that He is not dead, but ALIVE!

The little hill is filled with joy!



The little hill thought about Jesus

And soon new green grass began to grow

And soon many flowers with red petals grew

And soon new life was all around

The little hill felt loved

What a wonderful way to teach children all about Easter!!! So all I ask is go ahead and do your egg hunts(we do this at my parents house) and go ahead if you want and add in the Easter bunny but please do not forget to teach your children the true meaning of what this holiday is about. It is about the joy in knowing our Savior is ALIVE! That he was murdered for YOUR SINS, he was tortured beyond our comprehension BUT he arose and we have joy in knowing we have HOPE. IF you do not know Jesus Christ ask him into your heart, start living for Him, and just know that he did all this so you could live eternally in HEAVEN. How wonderful!

Being a Christian is Easy???

So when did we as a society start to believe that being a Christian is always easy. Yes, being a Christian if a joy filled life but sometimes we have sorrow as well. I have really been thinking about this a lot lately especially yesterday due to various things happening to people that are really close to me. If things were always easy would we hit our knees as much? Would we have conversations with our Savior as much? Would we think we could do it all ourselves?? Maybe that is the point and to be honest I mean on those days when I think I cannot do this all I have to do is think of Jesus, precious Jesus, walking up that hill carrying MY CROSS, not his own, not carrying his cross because he ever did anything wrong. NO, Jesus was sinless, pure, without blemish and yet he carried that cross and DIED a painful, horrible death so that I may live one day in paradise. So as a Christian no things will not always be easy and we were NEVER promised it would be. There are verse after verse in the bible about enduring hardships.
-Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (Hebrews 12:7)
-Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
But as Christians we have the joy of knowing that we do not have to face our trials alone. We may not have been promised things would always be easy but we have been promised God is always there!!! What joy we can find in knowing that! What a great gift to know we do not have to face things alone and what joy in knowing when our lives on earth are over that really our life is just beginning.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
****I think this is one of the biggest things I want to teach my children is that following the Lord is not always easy, not always popular, and not always fun BUT following the Lord you will find so much JOY and so many blessings. Our children have saw us go through trials and sometimes I wonder if I handle them right. If they really learned from it what I want them to. Because my faith has been shaken at times , I am not perfect. Nobody on earth is perfect but there was someone that walked the earth that was perfect and He is our hope, our refuge in times of hardships. So I know that even though I am not perfect one day through Jesus Christ I will be. And that makes me know in this I can face tomorrow.
___If you do not know the Lord please know that only in Jesus Christ you can be saved. Ask Him in your heart today and LIVE for him. I was letting life past me by many years due to trying to find something to fill the void in my life that ONLY Jesus can fill. I pray whoever reads this will find encouragement, hope, and joy.

Being a homemaker

It means just what it says: making a home. Alot of times we do not value the job of a homemaker , the society and well also the one being the homemaker. It is more than changing diapers, wiping noses, cleaning house. WE are shaping who our children will become, we are taking care of the home so when our husband gets home from a hard day at work he has no worries, we are placing value on the family!! Something our society has completely lost the sense of-value of family. In doing this we also learn important things like natural ways to help our families with sicknesses and such.( Will be sharing some good things I have found recently for our health in a future post.) I just want us to remember this is what we were created for. Now I know some women HAVE to work, have to be outside the home but you can also make the most of your time at home as well. So when someone ask you what you do, don't kind of put your head down and quietly say I just stay at home. No, you proudly say I am a homemaker!!!! Because afterall that is the most important job you could ever have.

Misconceptions Part 2

This is where I will answer some questions we get. I hope to only glorify the Lord and to encourage other families that have "more than the usual" number of children.

Question 1: Do you know what causes that? Do you have a tv? And those questions along those lines. WEll yes I sure do know what causes it!! All blessings come from the Lord(Jess that might be a good response for you to try :) ) WE have went between having cable tv and not having it, we are very specific of what the kids can watch though no matter what. But yes we do have a tv. I just love really how people think it is their business to begin with.

Question 2:How do you manage everything?? Well with prayer. That is how I manage alot of days. Have a schedule,being consistant,being organized helps. Finding ways to make things work easier. We were never promised life would be easy and yes we have hard days but it is all worth it. I am sorry if this did not answer some of your questions or what you wanted to hear. But somedays I only manage with the Lord's help, when I try to go at it on my own that is when I fail miserably.


Question 3: What does a day in the Ballard household look like? Well, depends on the season. To be honest in the past year I have experienced problems with my thyroid and things like that and experienced 3 miscarriages( We are happily expecting now and things are looking good). So, things right now look different than they used to. Right now I try to sleep in a bit before I get up so my oldest daughter takes care of breakfast. We get up, eat, take vitamins and start the day. I usually start the day with making the bed and starting a load of clothes. WE start chores and whatever we need to get done that day. Some days we have errands to run or appts to make but most days look the same. Chores, I school with the little ones before lunch, we have lunch and then the older ones do most of their school in the afternoon because most of the younger ones are sleeping. I have days to make out bills,make menu plans and grocery list,do Quickbooks for the company ,etc... So my days are a bit different from what the kids look like. My day consist of doing many loads of laundry. All the kids are given different parts of the house that is their responsiblity. We trade off every so often. After the kids get their school work done they pretty much do whatever needs to be done. I have one older one that always makes sure he can get outside. His day always starts feeding the hogs,chickens,and dogs. So each child's day looks a bit different as well. About 4:30 we start dinner because my hubby likes to eat when he gets home from work usually. AFter dinner we do whatever needs to be done and we usually do family Bible study about 7 together. Then it is play time , bed routines,etc... I hope this makes sense. Our days are pretty routine but we just get done whatever needs to be done and I guess each day looks a bit different. Some days the older ones need me more with school and some days not so much.

Question 4: Do bigger families get sick more often?? Well, this is a hard question to answer right now since we just are getting over a stomach bug lol. No actually we hardly ever have to go to the doctor and from the small families I know we are just as healthy or healthier. Now when we do get something naturally it has more people to go through so it takes longer to get rid of things and sometimes 6 kids sick and throwing up is harder than 1 or 2 but for the most part I think we are pretty healthy. Our youngest who is 15 months old has been to the doctor for his first check up after he was born and to be circumsized and for that check up, other than that he has not been. :) Things could change but for the most part no I do not think bigger families get sick more often.


Question 5: I have been asked recently what our budget is for a month. That is kind of hard to answer right now because we are trying to change some things so we can spend less. Right now our GOAL is $650 a month for our family which is a family of 11 right now, baby will make 12 :) Ways we stretch our budget is my husband and older sons hunt deer so we have alot of deer meat. WE raise our own hogs(some say this does not save money since they eat so much but I disagree AND I know WHAT we are eating),we raise our own chickens for our eggs. WE shop at Sams,Aldi,and Ingle's. Making a menu plan at the beginning of a month sure does help!!! Winter is pretty easy to save money because you can do meals like Chili,Chicken Chili,Potato soup,Veg. Soup,etc... We have been trying lately to add lots of fruits and veggies into our meals. :) But since we homeschool we have to prepare 3 meals at day at home. If you are trying to stretch your budget adding fruit to a meal or something like brown rice is great.


I hope this kinds of answer some questions you might have wanted to ask big families. I also hope this is an encouragement for others. I am always honest and open about my life. I have nothing to hide. Just a mom and wife trying to do the Lord's work while here on earth.

Misconception of large families Part 1

Well I will only be able to speak for my family and the misconceptions we have faced. I have been wanting for awhile to answer these, there are many reasons why I want to do this. One is because I would like people to be informed and not misinformed. I know no matter what you do or say in life people will judge, just how humans are. That is fine with me. AFter all these years I have heard it all , saw all the dirty looks, etc... Fine with me. My prize is in heaven and it is the Lord whom I serve, through serving him I have been given tremendous blessings. So without hesitation here are some of the misconceptions I know we have come across. Also will be answering questions I get alot and questions I have gotten recently. This will be a 2 part series.

Myth 1: We are a cult or part of some strange religion. Or that we are Mennonites or Catholics. We are none of those. WE are just Bible believing people who want to follow the Lord. Actually we are Baptist. LOL! WE just believe as we are taught in the Bible that children are a blessing and not the curse this culture would have you believe. They are a beautiful gift!!

Myth 2: I hear all the time wow they must keep having kids to get assistance from the government. While I will be truthful and say we have taken assistance in the past and I am not knocking anyone that NEEDS it with anything I am fixing to say. As our faith has changed so has the way we take care of our family. We accept NO government assistance. I wished you could of heard the lady when I called and told her we wanted to be taken of all of it, she said even the children and she just kept on saying but you qualify. LOL. We have our own health insurance(well it is not really a health insurance but a health christain share program)that we pay for. If anyone is interested in it pleast let me know, it is great. Our payment goes to a family that has medical bills instead of a insurance company. My husband works his behind off to pay for groceries and everything else we need. :) so no we do not take government assistance. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Myth 3:WE have the patience of saints. If I has just a dime for how many times I have heard this I would be set for life!! NO, we do not have patience. Our patience is still in the works. Relying on the Lord is where it comes from. Phil. 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengths me. That is sometimes something I have to tell myself constantly and it is true. God does not give us more than we can handle with HIS help. :)


Myth 4:WE are trying to see how many children we can have. OR I just love this one,"are you guys trying to be like the Duggars"? Um, no I do not desire to be like anyone else. I do good to be myself. It is not our desire to see how many children we can have. It is not a game, a race, or anything like that. WE LOVE our children dearly and will glady accept any the Lord shall bless us with but raising children is hard. (Especially this past week since we have had a stomach bug!) Our only desire is to follow the Lord, to let him lead our life, to advance the kingdom of God. That is why we do what we do.

Myth 5: "you must be rich to have all those children" Well, define rich. Yes we are richly blessed but we are not rich by society's standards. WE make sacrifices and pinch pennies and save. The Lord promises He will take care of us if we just rely on Him, that does not mean we will have all our hearts desires. WE have found since giving our lives over to the Lord right when we need something the Lord provides. :) Such a wonderful blessing to see it unfold. HOw much we would of missed if we would just listened to our own selfish ambitions.

Myth6: The older children in a large family raise the younger children(hear this alot about the Duggars). While our children do have chores and responsibilites to attend to they by no means raise the younger ones. They do have buddies and in turn have learned to take care of younger one and and sometimes they have to be selfless but what is wrong with teaching them those things. We have set certain meals for certain children and we all pitch in AS A FAMILY!!!! That is what is wrong with society in my opinion we do not excpect enough from our children and then wonder why they do not know how to do anything when they get older. I will address the question of what a day may look like in our house when I do the second part of this. Our older children could take care of a house, work a job, and know how things run as of now at the ages of 15 and 14 for that I am not ashamed.

WEll I guess this is it for this part of what I wanted to answer. I will be answering some common questions in part 2 coming hopefully sometime today. If you want to comment or have something you would like to ask then be my guest. Just always remember I always try to be respectful of others so please do so towards my family as well. WE are only doing what we feel the Lord would have us to do. And I will leave you with some verses to consider.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalms 127:3-5

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:13-16

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

Blaming others

Today my husband and I were having a correcting moment with some of our older children , we have one that tends to blame everyone else for his problems instead of seeing what he is doing wrong. That got me thinking about how our society is like. Just the other day I say on facebook someone reposted about a lady who had several children and her husband/baby's father got arrested. She proceeded to say I want to know who is gonna take care of all these kids. Well miss that would be you. Why do we think other people need to take care of us and when things go wrong instead of looking at the true root cause we blame whatever we can think of. Like the shooting recenting where thost beautiful innocent little lives were taken, what was blamed. Guns. What about just saying this is the result of sin! This is the result of this nation trying to get as far away from God as they can and the plain simple truth that this is darkness and sin. WE have got to start raising our children to understand what THEY do and what happens to them has nothing to do with what someone else does. If someone else is doing wrong and wrongdoing towards them they will have to answer for that. Just like some people say well I won't tithe because I don't like what the church does with my money. Wait a minute-that is God's money. IF the church does not handle the money well that is on them. If they are irresponsible they will have to answer for it. IF as a society we spent more time taking care of our responsibilities and less time blaming everyone and everything then things would work out alot better. Wanna know why medical cost have risen and why doctor's are leary of doing certain things? It is because every chance someone gets they want to sue someone. Hey, what about just going out and making money and quit worrying about trying to find someone that has did wrong. I hope this post is not taken wrongly. I do believe if someone does wrongdoing they should be punished but I also believe there comes a time where we have to take care of our responsiblities and be responsible for our own actions. Just like our wonderful president said if this gun control he wants to pass could save one life it is worth it. UM, MR. President what about the innocent that are MURDERED daily for the sake of women's rights???? Why instead of blaming everyone we start standing up for what is right and understanding it is sin. That is the cause of heartache. So.... in saying this I know this is something I will have to teach my kids almost daily and that will also have to remind myself of. But it is worth the effort to turn what this society has tried to teach around.

2012 in Review

The past year went by so quickly. IT was a year full of so many blessings and a good bit of heartache but I am thankful for it all. To begin the year in Jan. Paige turned 13! My baby girl was now a teenager but she acts way beyond her years, she is so smart and helpful. Levi turned 5, where did my baby boy go. Feb. was Billy and my 11 yr wedding annivesary. That one is hard to believe, so grateful to God for giving me this man. March my sister and I threw my parents a surprise party, they had been married 40 years and also both were turning 60 so we called it a 100 year celebration. That was very fun and we really surprised them!! WE are very thankful for our parents and for the life they have given my sister and I. March also was full of more celebration as Dylan and Dustin turned 15 and Brittani turned 9 ( all that was very shocking too). Dylan and Dustin were born at 32 weeks and weighed 3 and 4 pounds at birth and now they are thriving 15 year old boys that are super smart and I am amazed daily at what they have learned working with their daddy. June was my turned to be surprised!! My husband, oldest daughter and sons, and some sweet young girls from my church pulled together as surprise party for me for my birthday. I was in total shock and very grateful for my family and that of the super church family we have. IT was a great time after experiencing a couple of miscarriages. In August our Issac turned 4 and in September our sweet baby girls Annie and Elizabeth turned 3 and 2. In October was Billy's birthday which we celebrated by having a GA/FL get together as usual but this year we have tons of people here which made it even more special to Billy but since Ga. WON it was a special day for me too ;) Also October brought a very special day in it as our baby boy Jericho turned 1!!! November brought another positive pregnancy test and as of right now I am almost 11 weeks. AFter alot of heartache of 3 miscarriages it is a joy to be expecting and so far baby has looked well. Prayers for a healthy baby in 2013 would be appreciated. 2012 also brought health problems as the reason for my miscarriages was thyroid issues as well as low progesterone which makes you feel horrible. Billy also has a hernia. December brought a fun Christmas season that we celebrated the birth or our Savior Jesus Christ. And now here we are in Jan. 2013. I am hoping for many more blessings this year and the blessing of a healthy baby. Through all the heartache I experienced in 2012 the Lord taught me so much!! Well that is pretty much it! Hope your year was blessed and that the New Year will be even more blessed for you and your family and my hope is that we all turn our hearts to the Lord.