Freedom in our homes

We, as women, have power.  We are created for great things and we are meant to walk in them.  God wants us to walk in freedom, freedom to be who God created us to be, freedom to walk in our destiny, freedom to just be ourselves.  He wants us to dream big dreams and see them fulfilled.  Ephesians 3.20-21 says

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

He wants to do MORE than what we can ask or even think!  That is powerful!  He wants to use us to change the world.

But first, we must bring freedom to our own homes.  We must be the light to our spouses and children before we can go out and do great things.  We have the power to bring change to the environment around us just by carrying Jesus Christ within us. 1 John 4.4b says

Because greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.

But what are some practical ways we can bring change to our environment?

• By watching what we say. Our words have the power of life and death in them.  But we tend to take them so lightly, not thinking of the effect that they may have on our children or our spouses.  Proverbs 18.21 says

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

          And Proverbs 16.24 says

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Just those two verses alone say so much as to the power of our words.  Your words have the ability to take a situation that looks dire and turn it into something wonderful or vice versa.  Take for instance the difference between reprimanding and getting angry at your child because they spilled some milk verses taking a nonchalant attitude and saying something like "oh well, that happens, let's clean it up together".   What affect will your words and attitude have on your child?

• Another way we influence our homes is by our attitudes. Are we positive and cheerful?  Or do we complain and whine?  Being thankful and having a positive attitude changes our whole environment.  And we have the power to change it.  Ten percent of life is what happens to you, ninety percent is how you react to it.  (Sound familiar?  It's true. Only you have the power to change you.)  Try smiling when all you want to do is frown and see what happens.

• Give yourself and others around you grace.  Grace is getting what you don't deserve.  Another definition I found on Merriam-Webster.com is  

d : disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency e : a temporary exemption : reprieve

We can do this for ourselves.  We need to give ourselves a break.  We are human; we will fail, mess up, fall flat, make mistakes.  And so will our children...it's how they learn.  We need to be gentle with them and with ourselves and allow ourselves a do over.  God has all ready led the way in displaying and giving abundant amounts of grace. 

There are so many more ways we can begin to bring freedom to our homes, but it all starts with ourselves.  We must find freedom for ourselves before we can walk it out.  Jesus brings freedom and wholeness.  Meet with Him, spend time with Him and read His word.  He will meet you and you will be changed.

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Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for...
61. great friends
62. deeper friendships
63. peace in speaking in front of others
64. hearing God's voice
65. sun and warmth
66. naptime
67. sweet words from the pilot
68. a husband who loves playing with the kids
69. the assertiveness of the princess
70. the sheer joy displayed by guy smiley.

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Brain overload

Yesterday I was able to attend a Homeschool Conference/Curriculum Fair.

Wow.  Brain overload.

More on this topic soon...

Stay tuned

For a possible move...I'm trying to figure out if I should move my blog to another host.  I have all ready opened up my blog there but have yet to figure out how it all works.  I'm working on it and if I can get it all worked out will be moving.

If you use Wordpress tell me what you think about it...and if you know of any good tutorials on using it let me know.

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for...
51. the blue sky peaking out from behind the mountains
52. the majestic, snow covered mountains
53. the sound of my kids playing together
54. music
55. our friend's new baby girl
56. homemade yogurt with vanilla and blueberries
57. Mom Connections
58. bugs and spiders(it's a sign that spring is just around the corner)
59. guy smiley sleeping through the night
60. a good cup of tea

Check this out!

Head over to Like A Warm Cup of Coffee and have a chance to win $400 for the charity of your choice and $250 for yourself!  Just purchase some cute rosebud earrings(I chose red) for $10(doesn't include shipping). 

My short absence

It has been a hard past few days for me...that is the reason for no blogging. 
I came down with mastitis over the weekend(yes, guy smiley is still nursing at 13 months).  Mastitis is NOT fun.  This is the second time I've had it with guy smiley and it just knocks me out.  I get a fever, chills, body aches...it's like the flu just without the snot or stomach issues.  I'm completely better now.
Add the mastitis to the fact that I've just been feeling down and have also been extremely tired(most likely the reason for the mastitis) and I've just not been a fun person to be around. I have also not been sticking with any of my goals and that always makes me feel guilty.  But I refuse to stay in that place of feeling guilty as I have been freed from guilt by Jesus.  I will start fresh today.
I was fortunate to be able to hang out with some great friends this weekend and that was wonderful as I am a people person.  We(and our kids) had fun just hanging out.  On one of our outings(the kids and mine) among three moms there were 11 kids.  Needless to say it was a bit crazy but tons of fun. 
It's also been overcast here with off and on rain or snow for a while now.  I hate to say it but the weather definitely affects me.  After it's been cloudy for a week straight I start to get depressed.  The sun is just good for my soul.
Today the sun has broken through the clouds and all ready my day feels SO much better.

Snow in April

Thankful Thursdays

I am thankful/grateful for:
42. snow...even in April it's beautiful!
43. dh reading to the princess
44. snuggles and reading with the pilot
45. the ability to nurse my babies for a year or more
46. quiet evenings
47. a clean house
48. the peace and calm that snow brings
49. a relaxing weekend with dh
50. dh's snoring

An update of sorts

Currently, as I type this blog post, it's snowing outside my window.  Yes, that's how life is here in the Great White North...Spring is a mere phantom, a tease, until sometime around mid May. (And while most people up here call it summer, I cannot.  I know what a "real" summer is and this state just doesn't have it.)  I hope one day in the very near future that dh and I will be moving south. 

As for Spring Cleaning...it's moving along slowly, which I don't mind and somewhat expected to happen due to multiple, small interruptions otherwise known as my children.  I'm almost finished with the kid's room and their closet(yes, all three are in the same room...sort of...we're currently transitioning guy smiley into the room).  The only thing I have left to do is wash the window and clean the mirror.  Here are some before and afters:
Before:
Closet-

After:

Bedroom:

Before:










 

After:

 As for my April goal of rising early...I have failed in doing so these past 3 days. It's dh's weekend so that always makes it harder for me to go to bed early and therefore to get up early.  But, honestly, I'm using that as an excuse.  I'm just being lazy because I'm tired and dragging myself out of bed at 6:30 sounds miserable and staying up later to hang out with my dh is fun.  I'm purposing to start up again tomorrow and it helps that I MUST be out the door by 9.  

On Monday, my dh kicked me out of the house.  I had been in a horrible mood all morning and he told me to leave the house or he was.  It was just what I needed...time to myself with nothing to do.  I hope to do this more often.  I went to a local coffee shop, had a wonderful cup of tea(I don't drink coffee) and read and journaled uninterrupted.  It felt wonderful to have a time to recharge my batteries.  I don't know why I don't do it more often...I found that I felt bad, guilty asking my dh to watch the kids.  Why is that?  He is their Dad.  But I still did.  Do any of you feel that way?  Or am I alone in this?

Spring Cleaning...

I decided to Spring Clean this year!  Wait, I probably shouldn't sound so excited. 

Usually though I just use moving as my purging and deep cleaning time...but then I never get to enjoy the thoroughly cleaned(and hopefully less cluttered) house.  This year I hope to enjoy my very clean house.

Like I said in my previous post I really don't have tons to purge, due to moving so often.  But I'm guessing once I get started I'll find more than I think.  I all ready know I want to be brutal when it comes to purging kids toys...even if I'm attached I plan on getting rid of toys that they just don't play with.  I know that more things will be coming in since we are almost positive that we will be homeschooling next year. 

Today I didn't get much done...I went through a few boxes in our garage that I've had sitting there, half filled with stuff that I plan on taking to the second hand store.  I added a few more items to it and put it all in one box instead of having it in four boxes.  I also sorted through tons of old paper mess I had filed away(bills, instruction manuals, etc).  I opened up an entire file container!  I plan on getting rid of more paper mess when I tackle my computer area(the messiest area in my home).  I also went through our small toy bin in the living room and got rid of some baby toys that we don't need(though I guess I might need to think of saving some of the little baby toys since we're not decided on whether or not we're done having kids.)

I'm looking forward to a clean house at the end of the week! 

Also feel free to follow along at Simple Mom for Spring Cleaning Week which is what I'm doing.

Weekend LInk Love

Since I'm new to this whole blogging deal I'm still figuring out things that I like and want to do here...what I want to blog about, etc...but one thing I do like is link love.  I've read some incredible things on others link love posts so I'm going to start my own.

Weekend Link Love...
This post called The Sex Cafe will move you.  The author of Flowerdust is blogging about sex trafficking specifically in Eastern Europe/Russia.

On a completely different note, hop on over to Simple Mom and get some tips for the gearing up for the start of Spring Cleaning Week(which I hope to join and complete...fortunately, having moved 7 times in our 8 1/2 years of marriage we've purged quite a bit all ready).

And last for this week, this post at Inspired to Action really made me think.  Especially this paragraph

Comfort and change CANNOT coincide. The one you value the most will determine on which side of the wardrobe you’ll live your life.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Party!!! (Ultimate Blog Party 2010)

I'm new to this whole blogging thing(and a bit intimidated by it to be honest)...and this is my first Ultimate Blog Party.

A little about me...
I live in Alaska...never in a million years did I think that I would ever live here, let alone visit.
I have 3 beautiful kiddos!  See sidebar for their cute faces!  We're pretty sure that the princess will be home  with us next year as she starts Kindergarten and we venture into the world of homeschooling.
I've been married to my wonderful husband for 8 1/2 years(we met and married in 13 months)...but you won't see him much on the blog.
I am so thankful to be loved by Jesus Christ! (and to be able to love Him back)
I love all things related to babies, birth, health and wellness, traveling, reading, knitting...and more!


So if you have any questions about me look around, if you don't find what you're wanting to know just email!  And come join me at the Ultimate Blog Party 2010!!

It's easy...click on the link above and look at the directions...write up your own post and add the prizes you'd like to win!
If I were to win my top 3 picks are:
The grand prize-a laptop!!  (I'd LOVE one!) by 5minutesformom.com
USC 60- Wallslicks Gift Certificate by Wall Slicks (these would be great for our rental!)
USC 17- Apple Gift Certificate by cmomgo(I love music and movies!)


If I didn't win those I'd also love 63, 104, 1, 100, 35, USC4, USC15, USC35, and any of the Target, Amazon, or Paypal gift cards.


Thanks for reading about me:) I can't wait to meet you all!

The Get Dressed Challenge recap...

This has really been a great challenge.  Thank you so much Sarah Mae!

I have gotten dressed first thing every morning(most days that's been before 9, but one day it was by 10) for the past week.  Coupled with my rising early challenge for myself, it has caused one major change for me.   I've become incredibly productive!  I can't(and neither can my dh) believe how much I get done in a day now.  There is just something about being dressed(and not just dressed in pajama pants and t-shirt) that gets one moving.  It's great!  I'm so happy with that change and I hope that I can keep it up!

Also my kids keep asking where we are going every morning and I usually have to tell them no where...that I just got dressed for the day :)

So thanks again Sarah Mae and I plan on continuing to get dressed every morning.

Here is are a few pictures of me from this morning:
This was taken by my 5yo daughter

This was also taken by my daughter

And this was taken by my 3 yo son

Week 1 Overview

Today is the start of week 2!  I'm actually excited about this...and I'm excited about getting up early still!  I'm loving it and wondering why I never had the stamina/determination to do it before.  The peace and stillness in the morning is like no other, watching the sun rise over the mountains every morning is breathtaking.  I get time to sit and journal, read my Bible, pray and listen to what God has for me each day.  I get to enjoy my nice hot cup of tea by myself(any parents will understand how wonderful this is).  And I'm able to blog consistently and more easily when I do it first thing.  And once my kids are back in there room(hopefully tonight) I'll be able to get a shower in without waking anyone and will be ready for the day when my kids wake up. Who knew mornings could be so exciting! 


As for week 1 of our Primal lifestyle...it hasn't fully taken hold.  We've had 3 sickies(2 kids and dh) in the house and so I've made some biscuits since they've been wanting bread while sick(a stomach bug).  Even though I haven't gone fully on the Primal diet I have cut back significantly in the amount of grains and sugar I eat.  Now I need to cut back on portions and snacking...just because I can tell I tend to eat from boredom(just a snacky feeling) rather than hunger.

As for the "Get Dressed Challenge"  I'll address that in another post...

Check this out!

Another DownEast basics giveaway!!  This time on the blog Take It From Me.  The more I look at the DownEast basics catalog the more I need a tissue to wipe away the drool.  As soon as we have some extra money I will be placing an order!  Hurry up tax return :)

Thankful Thursdays

I have clearly been slacking on adding to my gratitude list.  It's time to start again and do it faithfully. I'm going to pick up where I left off...I am grateful/thankful for...

31. a peaceful day filled with joy.
32. sweet, unasked for hugs from my middle son
33. giggles and smiles when I pick my baby up from his naps
34. snuggling while reading books
35. a clean house
36. motivation
37. my love of reading
38. a quiet house
39. friends and facebook
40. a healthy body
41. that I live under the new covenant of grace, mercy and love through Jesus Christ





And yes, I know this says Mondays but I always forget on Mondays...Thursdays are easier for me to remember due to my husband's schedule.

Why get up early?

I thought I'd post about why I've decided to starting rising early and why I thought it was important enough to make it a goal of mine for this month.  This is coming from a notorious night owl who is changing her ways.

For a while now...since sometime in the fall, I'd been thinking about getting up early(as in before my kids were up).  I had heard lots of good things about it and so off and on I would try it and those days were usually great.  But I would go right back to my old habits of sleeping till my kids got up or a bit later if I could.  Then in the past month I started hearing and reading about how great getting up early is from just about every source(people, blogs, etc).  So when April rolled around and I was thinking about what my new goals would be for the month, this immediately came to mind.

Here are my reasons:
1. I have time to wake up and get my day going before I have to be Mom.
2. I have time to read my Bible, journal and pray(which I know from experience won't happen if I don't do it in the morning) 
3. I get to have a cup of tea without anyone else asking for one as well :) Seriously.
4. I'm able to get my priorities/schedule/list ready for the day ahead.
5. I get a shower without having to wonder if my kids are getting into something(when I've actually gotten my shower before the kids are up...I'm working towards this).
6. I am in a better head space when I get up before my kids...I'm ready to be Mom and to go about my day with purpose and joy...instead of getting out of bed when they do and feeling rushed, cranky and still tired.

Things I've noticed just over the past week of starting this...
I am a happier person.  My days flow so much better and seem to go more smoothly.  My kids seem to be more at peace. My house is neater and cleaner:) I'm getting meals prepared on time.  I seem to be more productive and am able to fit more into my day.

Overall, I'm hoping to make this a habit.  It felt odd getting up late yesterday and even today(I was up at 7:15 which was still before my kids, but not as much time as I'd like to have).  The peace and quiet of the morning is different than that in the evening(and believe me I LOVE that time...it was/is one of my arguments for staying up so late...which I'm also working on so that I actually get some sleep).

Some things I read that were really motivating for me:
From  Simple Mom : Numbers 1 & 3 really resonate with me
From Inspired to Action: the article I linked to just really made me think(This being my favorite paragraph: Comfort and change CANNOT coincide. The one you value the most will determine on which side of the wardrobe you’ll live your life)...so then I checked out her (free) e-book called Maximize Your Mornings and read through it.  Just making small changes everyday will get you there(and me as well).  It's a worthwhile read.

So there it is...my reasons why I chose to start rising early(I will say that all the light early in the morning DEFINITELY helps...we'll see how my resolve is come next winter:)

I also wanted to add that it does take some work.  For me to really be able to have the time I want and get a shower and not wake anyone up I am having to do some rearranging(which I knew we would do soon, but it has forced me to do it instead of procrastinate).  For me, my goal now is to be in bed by 10, 10:30 at the latest...this is changing from typically going to bed around midnight and it means I must get stuff done right after supper or right after the kids are in bed so that I still have some downtime before I go to bed.  We are also in the process of moving guy smiley into the kids room(they will all be sharing a room once the transition is over).  This means that I'm also working on getting him sleeping through the night (before we started he would nurse at least 2x a night...last night only once at 6am).  And so for now the two older kids are in our room so it stays quiet for both guy smiley and for them.   But I do these things so that I am able to get up earlier and get the sleep I need because I want this to be a priority for me.

Today

Today was the first day since starting my challenge for the month that I did not get up early.  I was up 5 or so times throughout the night with guy smiley who was throwing up.  Poor guy didn't feel well, and then had to have his jammies changed at least 5 times.  Needless to say I slept in with him(as did my other kids).    But I will be pack up bright and early tomorrow.

Even getting up late I still managed to journal and do my Bible reading and I spent time praying while I was showering and getting ready for the day(which happened by 10am this morning instead of my 9am goal).  I always hate starting a new challenge and then "failing" the first day.  But I am not a failure and I will start fresh tomorrow.

Speaking of the Get Dressed Challenge...head on over to Sarah Mae's blog and enter to win a fabulous giveaway from DownEast basics.  I drool over the clothes from there often and can't wait to place my first order!

The Get Dressed Challenge

I've decided to add to my goal of rising before my kids.  I was reading on this blog about getting dressed as well before starting your day and have decided to take the challenge.  My goal is to be up and dressed by 9am.  I still plan on working towards getting up by 6am but I want to make sure that I get time to journal, read my Bible and talk with Jesus before I shower and get dressed, so for now 9am is my goal, but that is going to move earlier as I get up earlier. 

For today...it is now 9:14am and I am showered, dressed, and have done my hair.  Now for breakfast, for me and the kids(one of my kids is still sleeping), so it's not too late for us:)

Day 2

So I promise to not talk in terms of my goals everyday...but since I'm at the beginning of them it will be more frequently for a bit.

I was up and out of bed today by 630, so 10 minutes earlier than yesterday.  I could've been out of bed by 610 because guy smiley woke me up but instead rested for 20 more minutes.  I do like getting up early and even though my eyes feel a bit tired when I wake up, the rest of me feels well rested. So maybe 6ish is a natural time for my body to get up.  It does help that it the sun is coming up when I get up.  I love Alaska in the summertime...all the light is wonderful!

We(dh and I) have partially started implementing our new eating style.  We know tomorrow we won't be completely on it so we planned that in and said our official start date would be Monday.  But since yesterday was shopping day all my grocery shopping was geared towards it.  And both of us have all ready begun cutting out our sugar and grain intake.

Speaking of grocery shopping...is it just me or are groceries expensive?  Especially organic or all natural food products and produce?  Maybe it because of where I live but man, grocery store days are frustrating for me because it seems like I can't get ahead and so all my budgeted money flies out the door the first day(buying things we need, I really am not wasting it...dh looked over my receipts).  Then by the time two weeks is up we are scrounging...I find it very frustrating.  But last night, driving home from the grocery store(my second trip of the day...first was to another store with all the kids) I realized that I needed to be thankful even through my frustration.  So that's what I did...and while I still feel frustrated I do feel better.  So I'm going to work on continuing that thankfulness and see how it changes my outlook on groceries.

April

Well, it's a new month and I'm starting over(again) with blogging.  It's been almost 2 months since I've posted and I have yet to get better about it...but I am going to start fresh.


Last month I began setting monthly goals(a maximum of 3 as I don't want so many that I keep none of them).  For the month of March my goals were to Meal Plan every payday and go to the library once a week.  I did fairly well.  I have made a meal plan for 2 out of the last 3 paychecks.  And we have made it to the library every week for 3 weeks now, tomorrow will be our 4th week in a row.  And we will continue, though we plan to move it as to coincide with our local Farmer's Market when it opens!

As for April, I have set new goals(and dh has set one with me).  My goals for April are:

1. To start getting up early, before the kids with my end goal being 6am.  I've decided to start with 10 minute increments getting earlier every day to two days.  Today I was out of bed by 6:40am(usually I'm up with the kids around 7:30).

2. To have the kids have two sets of 30 minute by themselves playtimes.  They usually play great anyways, but always want to be where I am(or dh is).  And ask any parent...this gets tiring after a while. Whenever we ask them to stay in their room to play we are usually met with fits, crying and tears.  This is not what I want.  I don't want them to NOT be able to play by themselves.  Not only that, but we find that after having 30 minutes to play alone they behave so much better when they come out.  It's like they needed that time for to be by themselves.  To reach this goal I'm going to start with one 15 minute playtime a day and move up from there.

3.  Last, but not least, dh and I are starting the Primal Blueprint "diet". (To learn more go here.)  I hate the word diet, that is why it is in quotations...it's really a lifestyle change we are embarking on.  We have realized that we really need to cut back on the amount of sugar we have been consuming recently and along with that we'd like to see other changes occur.  I'd like to lose some weight and dh would like to have more energy.  So I'm heading to the grocery store today with these things in mind and after Sunday we will really take off eating Primal.

So as we begin these changes I hope to be faithful about blogging about them.  I'd like to be blogging at least twice a week hopefully more.  And I'd like to pick up where I left off with the 1000 Ways of Gratitude.  I hope to post those on Thursdays.