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.