The difference starting the day with the Lord makes!!!

 I will admit it even though I really hate to but yes, I have fallen away from doing much bible study. I always have an excuse and granted they may be valid there is NO EXCUSE good enough. Yes, I am tired. Yes, too many people usually need me at one time. Yes, there is a house that needs cleaning. Yes, there is so much to do in a day but who should be first???? I am amazed the older I get the more in awe I am of the lessons the Lord teaches me. When the new year started I decided I would make time! But did I? No. It was always something else taking the place of my precious Lord and Savior. So, last night I decided I was just going to get up before anyone else and have my bible time and you know what my day was so much smoother. I did have a lot to do today, took all the kids grocery shopping with me and even took some time to take my favorite 15 year old to the thrift store like she has been asking to do. Yes, my day was still filled with a screaming toddler, a baby would just wants to nurse whenever he sees me, a son who wants to talk about putting out fires all day long :) , kids that need attention, laundry and dishes that need washing BUT I was able to handle it without feeling stressed. God is sooo good. I know in my head that if I rely on Him, if I put my faith in Him that everything falls in to place but pride gets the best of me and I go off again trying to do it myself. (Probably how I ended up with adrenal fatigue syndrome ,lol).

 I wanted to write this blog post to remind mommy's and well everyone to remember to keep the Lord with you all day long. Start the day with Him and your day will go so much smoother. Will we run in to trials. You can bet on it!!! But with God's grace we are able to handle them so much easier. God is so good to us and we are so undeserving. Can we at least take some time out of our busy schedules for someone who gave us life, who gives us all we need, who gives us the gift of eternal life if you choose to receive it.

So , I just wanted to especially share with all the mommy's of little ones right now! Lean in close. Listen carefully. God is enough! God is all you need! In those moments when you feel like nobody cares, when you feel so alone , when you feel like what you do daily doesn't amount to much there is someone who cares and someone who is right there with you every step of the way. Start your day off with Him and I guarantee you will feel so much better. I know you are tired and weary but the Lord tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest. ~Blessings to you all and I hope you have found some encouragement here . In a society where everyone wants to put each other down and say hurtful and mean things I just would love to maybe be the light in someone's day with the Lord's help of course because I am nothing without Him!

''Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD hath made; let us rejoice and be glad today!

Moms Be A Product Tester for Generation Mom!!!!

   I signed up to be a product tester for generation mom a couple of years ago and in that time I have gotten to test a couple of travel swings, a pack and play with changing station and bassinet, toys , and several other things. After testing them you get to keep them!!!! This not only saves us money , it also lets us try things we normally might not get to try and also give our feedback on ways to improve baby items. Also allows us to hear about other brands we have never heard of before. Since we have 10 kids I have a lot of opinions on ways to improve baby items LOL! Anyway, all you do is test the item and then fill out a questionnaire. Very simple and so worth the time it takes to do this. If you are interested here is the link to sign up:
http://www.kidsii.com/genmom/

*** I get nothing for posting this. Just glad someone passed it on to me!!!

Ways I am Saving Money in 2014

 I have many goals this year but one is one of my biggest, I want to simplify and by that I mean not buying things we do not need and using what we have. Also not throwing so much stuff away and getting rid of stuff we do not need to help others. I am going to highlight in this post several things I am doing to save us money and hopefully become healthier in the process.

-Cloth diapering- We have been doing this for awhile now and it really has saved us a ton. At first the starting cost was a bit overwhelming as you go and have enough diapers it really helps so much. It is not like I thought it would be either. I LOVE cloth diapering and am thankful I decided to at least give it a try. Now that our little man is almost big enough to wear his older brothers diapers it is really great. I love how they have the snaps to fit different sizes. Also love after the diapers are washed to see how many diapers we did not throw away and to know all I have to do is wash to have diapers and not have to go buy more.

-Cloth wipes-We are in the process of trying this. Will let you know how it goes but we just made up our cloth wipe solution and cut up some receiving blankets we will no longer be using. I also thought this would be a fun thing for the little ones to do is cut up the blankets in squares and put them in old wipes tubs(homeschool anyone ;)

-Young Living essential oils- Yes, you heard that right. Many say their oils are really expensive and they could never afford it but actually it has saved us. WE have avoided so far this season really bad sickness. What we have had has been taken care of mostly from the oils and I have been able to get rid of a nodule/lump whatever it was with Frankincense. Several instances we have used the oils and it has saved us money. Like when Dustin cut his hand and probably could of used stiches but they did the job. Also the health benefits we are getting from using their non toxic products.

-Eating what we have. I am going to work on finding more recipes with venison. We are eating a lot of venison at this time and I am very thankful I have hunters in the house. We also have chickens for eggs and hogs for our own pork.

-Eating healthy. Yes, will save you money as well. When you no longer buy those high priced Debbie cakes and such then you will see a difference. Cooking from scratch can save you money.

-Making your own bath salts/scrubs. Those types of things. My daughter just made her own shampoo today but I will let you know how that works.

-Oh and we are planning a big vacation this year so every piece of change I find I put it in a jar and hope by doing this I will be able to save up enough in change for our gas. :) Will let ya know.

I am hoping to do a post a week about money saving tips so keep checking back. IF there is something you would like to know about just leave me a comment. Also you can leave your money saving tips. I always love to hear how others save.

My goals for the new year!

 I am not really making any resolutions per say just goals of the things I want to accomplish as well as my family to accomplish. I have just a few.

1- To simplify: Being content with what we have and not striving to have more. Using what we have and not always looking to the next thing we can get. Getting rid of things just taking up space and serving no purpose. Sometimes this stuff can fill up our homes but make us so empty inside and sometimes even still our joy. So hoping to just simplify.

2-To be more joyful: To show more joy to my kids, my husband, family, friends , and even just the person driving down the road. God has blessed me so much and I am so undeserving the least I can do is show gratitude and be joyful in all things.

3-To be consistent with my kids- I want to work on them being more respectful, obeying right away(delayed obeying is disobedience) , and just being more loving toward each other. Through my thyroid issues, not feeling well, bringing another blessings in the family,etc. I have let some things go. Want to get back on track even though at the beginning it is so hard. Spent a lot of time today doing a lot of talking to the same kind for instance.

4-To put God first and foremost in my life. For His love to shine through me and to just live for Him. To do His will no matter how hard it might be. To trust in Him and lean fully on Him and not on my understanding.

5-To put my husband first after God. To make sure he has everything he needs. To make sure I am being the wife I need to be and that he knows he is loved. I am very thankful for my hardworking man. He puts his family first and strives to have our children taught the truth . For THAT I am so very thankful.

6-To get back to doing devotional time and reading books for encouragement.

There ya have it. Pretty simple stuff but in the long run VERY important things. So what are your goals for the New Year?