To the postpartum mom

First, I want to announce our baby girl is here!!! She was 10 days overdue but came in God's perfect timing. Our first baby that I was overdue with but a lot was going on so God knew exactly when she needed to be born.
   I want to write this blog post to postpartum moms. While I hope it will makes sense because I have so many thoughts jumbled in my mind and also have several little ones running around asking me question. First , I want to say how wonderful and beautiful having a new baby is. But what is not talked about it is how beautiful and wonderful it DOESN'T always feel. Feelings and our mind are strong things after having a baby. I am 2 weeks out from having my 11th child and you just forget how you feel afterwards. (Probably a good thing) While it is a super sweet time and a piece of heaven earth side it is also HARD! HORMONES are horrible and then I have a thyroid issue so that magnifys everything. Also I think the devil really tries to sneak in during this time. What destroys the devil and his message more than a family who loves the Lord so why wouldn't he attack us?
    The most important thing for ME I think during the postpartum period is to keep as positive as I can. Not saying a good cry doesn't help the soul sometimes either but remember how blessed I am and that things will heal and I WILL feel normal again. This time you can feel so lonely and that nobody cares about you. That my friend is your hormones raging. You ALWAYS have someone who cares , even if it is just the Lord. But I am sure you have a husband , or friends, or family who care deeply. Also you are gonna feel very, VERY unappreciated. Trust me on this one. I am there. BUT this is from the devil as well and really we do not strive for appreciation but to be a good and faithful servant. Right? Let me tell you a secret, God knows you are struggling and He sees everything you do. Every hard day, He is there! God is bigger!
    Tips for keeping positive.
-Have a good devotional book!
-PRAY and pray some more.
-Have a positive journal.( A sweet friend gave me a journal and it starts each page with things like What are you grateful for today, etc..)
-Stay in the Word!!!
-If possible have someone help you with things because when you get overwhelmed is when the hormones really go wild. ( Trust me I know)

 Remember this time goes so quickly. I know it doesn't feel that way but believe me YOU'RE GONNA MISS THIS so try to enjoy EVERY moment. Take in every little thing you can. Take lots of pictures because this time can get very blurry. And just be thankful and do the best you can. Rest and enjoy the miracle God gave you. After have many children I realize just how fleeting life is. While I have just had my 11th child , my first born (who were twins) are 18 and always busy doing something, mostly working. I miss the days of just playing with littles. Now I have older ones and younger ones and this season is much harder in many ways. Enjoy this time and remember your feelings are normal and they do matter. God hears you. Enjoy those precious babies!

Things I Have Learned from Being Pregnant Many Times

  First, yes I am still alive. I have just been so busy that I just have not had time to sit down to blog, much less to think. We have had so much going on including the sudden passing of my MIL. This pregnancy has been a stressful one to say the least but God has sustain me and given me encouragement to just keep on keeping on in various ways.

  I am 39.2 weeks pregnant with our 11th child. I have learned so much from being pregnant this many times.

1. Babies will come when they come. God's timing is always perfect(I am telling myself this because I am tired and weary and need to hear it myself). I have mostly always had my babies by now. But this little girl seems to want to hang out and be content inside.

2. EVERY SINGLE PREGNANCY is different. I know people are well meaning but nobody can tell you how YOUR pregnancy is going to be. IF you are like me then you definitely can't go by the textbooks.

3. EVERY pregnancy is a gift. I know when you are big and tired and cannot hardly function it actually feels more like a curse instead of a gift but it is so much of a gift. I could not imagine not being able to feel a baby grow inside of me or feel the baby move and kick. And just know that my body is being used to hopefully raise a human being that will some day make the world a little better place.

4. Having someone you can rely on during your pregnancy (even if it just to whine to ;) ) is an amazing gift from God and very important. And that could person could be your mom, spouse, midwife, friend, sister, whomever God has placed in your life. I am very thankful for the encouragement in mine.

5. Your body changes as you get older so your pregnancies when you are younger will most definitely be different than those of when you get older. Your health changes, hormones change, etc...

6. And I think with each pregnancy I have learned a bit about contentment. Just being content with  where you are. It may not be where YOU want to be( I'd love to be on the other side of this holding my precious little girl) but it is where GOD has you. He may be trying to teach you something.


  I cannot wait to hold our 11th child. To see what she looks like. She brings so much with her. We have had so much change in our life for about a year or since last summer. Her middle name will be Hope and that is what she brings. Hope for better times and I am so thankful God blessed us with this baby. To the tired and weary mom who is reading this, I understand. I understand the feeling of thinking you cannot go on another day but somehow I always do. God loves you and loves your family even more than you do. You CAN make it. Keep praying, stay in the Word, and just keep on keeping on. :) You are blessed!

God's grace

 We've been sick this week! I am not talking some minor cold sick, I mean really sick. Have you ever had 10 kids be sick almost at the same time. Takes a lot of grace from God to get through and I am so thankful for grace! This is the sickest we have been in 3 years. I think partly due to me sliding a little with our immune boosting stuff, but sometime in our lives we are bound to get sick(it's a part of living in a fallen world).
  I am 32 weeks pregnant with our 11th child and to say this week has been hard for me is a understatement BUT God have extended so much grace. I am exhausted and can hardly function but somehow everything that has NEEDED to be done has gotten done. AND since I have done a lot of research for a couple of years and helped others use their Young Living oils with success I knew pretty much what to use (with a little help from others ;) ) and we haven't had to make a trip to the doctor with anyone yet. :) I am pretty sure we have either had  the flu or RSV. And I know for a fact my 3 yr old had a nasty ear infection. I have a tool you can look in their ears and see for yourself(if you don't have this as a parent it's on my must haves list).
 
     God has used a sweet neighbor, friend, and the family we home church with. They brought us groceries and some warm food Monday. Then He used my bestest friend and her church to provide food yesterday. That allowed a little rest and for me to be able to just take care of sick little ones. My biggest helper has also been sick since yesterday but thankfully she has been able to still help a little and push through. For two nights I was on the couch with a couple of really sick little ones. God's grace is the ONLY way I made it through those nights. At your most hopeless times God always shows up. Never give up!

    Yes, I am exhausted. Yes, it's hard and I haven't complained because my poor husband and older sons have been sick with it AND having to work. My husband is the only provider of the family and owns his own business so he pretty much had no choice. He is so strong and I know only by the grace of God he has made it to work and gotten his work done.

 I know this too shall pass but as any mother will tell you taking care of little ones is hard when they are really sick. But another grace thing happened. My husband and I were able to get away last weekend for a anniversary/Valentine's day, before baby comes trip. Therefore I was able to come in this sickness week rested and having had time with the most special person on earth. How Great Is Our God!!

   If you could just say a quick prayer for our family. And thank you to everyone that has helped our family in one way or another. My sweet Annie woke up and was fine this morning but started with hives later on but thankfully Lavender oil cleared that right up. Many blessings to everyone that reads this and I pray you see God's grace in everyday life as well as the rough times.

Mold Me, Lord!

 Boy, is the Lord doing a work in me and sometimes the molding hurts and is not fun but oh what blessings come from it. First, I want to say we found out last week our 11th baby is going to be a girl. What a sweet blessing! She is healthy thus far and I am so thankful to the Lord. She is already loved very much and we still have many months until we can me her here earth side .

  Back to the original post though. The Lord is molding me into being a wife, a mother to many, a sister, taking care of my grandma , and being a daughter. Life is NOT about us. Was never intended to be. But oh how society has made us think it is suppose to be. We need to give freely and no I am not talking about money. I am talking about ourselves. The Lord has totally humbled me in taking care of my grandma, my kids, and my husband. I am no where near the person I wished I was but I am still a work in progress. I am so thankful the Lord loves me enough to discipline me and mold me into that person that I should be, that I was put here to be. Back to giving freely. That means give of yourself, your time, your talents. When you start focusing on others and how you can help them you will be changed in the process. YES, life is hard taking care of 10 children, TRYING to be the wife I need to be, and taking care of my 91 year old grandma. YES , sometimes I am downright exhausted and want to give up. But guess what? In those times is when I call out to the Lord for help. Would I need him so much if I did not give myself to others? Following the Lord is NEVER easy but is so very worth it!!! If I didn't take in my grandmother I would miss all the sweet conversations we have or the silly times my family has with her. If I only decided to have the kids I thought I should of had I would of missed many blessings from the different children I would of missed meeting. Thankfully, we trusted the Lord in every part of our lives including our fertility. If I didn't strive to be the wife I should be I wouldn't need the Lord so much because frankly I mess up. I don't always love my husband like I should, or take care of him like I should. But I do try!!!

  Believe me I know what many of you are saying I don't have the time or energy for anything else.  But a lot of time this is where prayer comes into play. Along with a good bible study time(which I really need to get back into). I am thankful the Lord is still molding me and while I will never be perfect this side of heaven I want to follow Him. I want to do His will. I want to give freely of myself even when it's too much. Because in those times I come broken to the Lord and He picks me up and dusts me off and tells me it is part of the plan. He is molding me into the woman He wants me to be and THAT is exactly where I want to be. :) I know many are struggling today but just remember your stumbling blocks only cause you to hit your knees and pray and that you are still a work in progress. What the devil means for evil , God turns into blessings!!

Been MIA

Hey friends! I know I haven't been around for awhile. I was having a busy summer enjoying my kiddos and things really changed all of a sudden for my family and we have gotten even busier. My grandmother had a stroke , she is 91 years old and was living by herself. Of course after the stroke she cannot live by herself and there was the talk of putting her in a nursing home. We knew a nursing home just was not for her and my family and I have a major heart to heart talk. My husband agreed to let my grandma move in with us and our 10 kids. It has required a lot of sacrifice from EVERYONE in this home but my kids have also LEARNED so very much from it all as well. My kids have learned that life is important, that people are important. That we should put others needs ahead of our own. That life is fleeting and not always fair. IT has grown our family in so many ways. Yes, some days it's hard but I am not sure who told society this lie that life was suppose to be easy. I have heard several comments on I don't see how in the world you do it all now that you have your grandma living with you too. Well, the fact is *I* don't do it all, first I fall on my face daily in front of Jesus's feet and ask for help and grace. God sustains me!!! Secondly, we work as a family. No one person in this family is more important than the other, everyone plays a vital role down to our unborn child. Speaking of unborn child we found out right before my grandmother moved in we are expecting our 11th child. At first with all that at one time I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed but I am so very ,very thankful! We are excited that things seem to be progressing normally and Lord willing sometime around the first of April 2015 we will welcome our 11th child in our family.

  Our kids could not be more happier that we are welcoming another baby and are already putting in orders if they want a boy or girl. I know many people probably look at our kids and think they have no life but from where I am sitting they have a pretty good one! And the lessons they have learned in our family(since it is not so average) they will carry to future generations. I only hope that they love the Lord and realize just what a gift he has given them. We have been truly blessed! Maybe not in the eyes of society but where it really matters WE ARE BLESSED.

   I hope to be able to blog more frequently but if I am not around you will know why. Times are busy and there are some very important people who need me. Have a blessed day!

Things I Learned While Taking the Kids Camping

 My family went camping this weekend for my birthday. We have not taken them in a long time... we have only been one time and only had 4 kids at that time. Now, having 10 kids I was to say the least a little apprehensive . But I am so thankful we went!! I learned so much and realized so much from it and we will be going back LONGER next time. I will be doing another post soon about tips and tricks I learned and what worked well but that is a later post. Here are some of the things I discovered....

 Number 1- God is soooo very good. We are blessed beyond measure. I think we take sunsets, sunrises, just life in general for granted and while camping you have time to kind of focus on that. You have time to actually absorb all the Lord has blessed you with. What a great reminder.

Number 2- We miss so much in our day to day lives. Doing chores, being on the internet, our phones, living our everyday lives we miss a lot of things. WE miss important things. We miss some awesome conversations between our kids. We miss some silly things they say. Now, I KNOW we have to do daily things and do what needs to be done but that is why camping and these sorts of trips are so important. I think my kids will remember this trip more than Disney or anything else we have done. They have said over and over again how they loved camping and time we spent as a family.

Number 3- I realized how much my kids like to be together doing things. I saw them have so much fun together and hardly ever argue. I realized how grown up my sons actually were while they were helping their dad put up the tent, helping back the boat in the water, taking us on the many trips to the bathroom, and helping pack up... They are truly men!!

Number 4- I do not actually NEED all the things at home but they do make things nice. And I always said I could never live back in the old days but actually now I think I could!! Yes, I loved coming home and taking my nice warm bath and using my washer and dryer BUT actually things were not that bad. I realize I do not NEED or really WANT some of things I use to.

Number 5- I realized how much I truly love my husband and how much he invest in our children and for that I am grateful. This birthday was one of the best ever because of this trip. I got to just focus on my children and be with them. We got to get away and just love on one another. I really believe God put this trip together for me. I needed it and I am thankful we were able to make these memories with our precious children.

Our screen free week!

What's a no screen week you might ask. Well, I was really tired of the kids constantly playing OR asking to play video games. I want my kids to enjoy life and you miss out on SO MUCH just staring at a screen. So we got together talked about some things they would like to do and prepared for our week. As you know with lots of little ones preparation is key! So how did it go? Well today is Friday , the kids are napping and I am exhausted but I think I have heard the most  thank you moms ever since having children,lol. They got to see their mama jump rope and was amazed when I got in on a water balloon fight! We also learned SO MUCH this week and that was not even planned. Today we visited a local place and they got to learn about how bees make honey!!! Those bees were just as busy as all my little bees. So I encourage you, no I challenge you to plan a no screen week with your kids , you will be thankful you did!!( btw- my husband and I  did get on our emails and Facebook some but for various reasons we needed to but it did make us step away from our screens a whole lot more too

) Also a huge thank you to my husband for working so hard and being such a wonderful provider so I can stay home and enjoy our children!!