Shiloh's "Taggie"

Kids love tags... at least mine do.  They love to chew on them.  If you ever pick up a stuffed animal one of the babies has been playing with, the tag is soaked.  lol  I can't claim this blanket as an original idea, but mine was much cheaper to make then the real Taggies.  I just used scraps I had from other projects.  The loop on the angled corner (upper left) is perfect for a link-a-doo.  As a bonus, the blanket is small - only about a foot square - so it's quite portable, and keeps Shiloh really happy in the carseat! :)

I'll share some other sewing projects later, but wanted to get this one up as I've been intending to do it since I finished the project!  (Hence, the picture...) lol

Moving in the right direction

While I still have a long way to go, I feel that I'm stepping out in the right direction.  Thanks to the wonderfully supportive hubby God blessed me with (twice!) I am improving day by day.  We sat down and came up with a menu - and subsequently a shopping list - for two weeks worth of suppers.  It was so nice tonight not to wonder what we were going to eat.  And, I know already that I can do tomorrow's meal no problem :)

Homeschool is coming along.  It certainly is an adventure!  Have a mentioned that?  lol  Chase is catching on to the "get your work done and have the rest of the day to play" thing, but Alex still struggles with his focus.  So, now, at nearly 9 p.m., he is just finishing his work from today.  I pray that tomorrow goes much better!  Chase was done before lunch (around 1 p.m.)...  If they can both do that on a semi-regular basis I'll be thrilled!

Time to prep for tomorrow...

Thanks to all my friends - real life, and cyber - who pray for me and support me in my daily life.  It's so good to know I'm not alone in this!

~kjl

Where I am

Maybe more appropriately this post should be "Who am I?"  I wrote this today and didn't know if I should blog it, but decided to put myself out there...  If anyone wants to pray for me as I deal, I wouldn't object!

~kjl

******

I don't think I'm doing so well.  Maybe it's a severe lack of sunshine.  It's not that I can't figure out what needs to be done -- it's a complete lack of desire to do anything.  Certainly the list of things to do is long enough: laundry, meals, cleaning, teaching, planning.  I need help.  Someone to come alongside me.  Someone to be here all day for a day or two to push me. God has called me to be more than this!  Why do I continue to struggle so much?!  Do I not ask enough?  Do I not trust enough?  Have faith enough?  HELP ME!  Maybe I'm not clear enough in my own mind what it is I want/need/desire to be.  My kids need me to be more.  Tim needs me to be more.  I need me to be more.  God desires for me to be more.  So what does that look like?  What do I think it should look like?  I guess it all starts with my relationship with God.  He created me!  He loves me.  He has a plan for my life.  In order to be clear on that plan I need to know Him more intimately.  My days need to begin and end with him.  And they need to begin and end earlier.  How great would it be if I could wake each morning around 6:30 a.m. and spend time reading and praying.  Once everyone else was up I would already have my heart in the right place.  My night would end with Him as well.  And it would end before 11 p.m.  Ideally it would end around 9:30 p.m., but that just seems so impossible.  LOL  And how does my day look between the good start and the good end?  It is joyful!  The kids would be taught and cared for.  Specifically?  I would fix them a good breakfast.  Meal planning would mean all ingredients would be on hand.  When the meal was done each child would get dressed and the table would be cleaned up and dishes dealt with.  Small ones would have quick baths if needed.  Then school would begin for the day.  We would pray, read/recite/review Fighter Verses, and get on to other subjects.  A load of laundry would be started while another load was folded and put away.  Some touch-up cleaning would be done while the older boys worked.  I would be available if they had questions.  Everyone would have a healthy snack (once again, pre-planned) and while the older boys got back to work, I would work with littler ones on letters, numbers, shapes, etc. and spend time playing with them.  Everyone would have an activity to keep them busy while I prepared a light lunch.  We would eat, and little ones would head off for naps/quiet time while bigger ones read quietly.  I would switch over laundry and fold dry clothes.  Then, while the bigger ones finished up school, I would do grading and planning for the following day.  If time allowed, I would take a short nap.  When littles woke up everyone would have another snack and I would prep for dinner.  About 4:30/45 a.m. we would do spot cleaning so things were calm/neat for Tim when he got home.  While I made the (pre-planned) meal, the older ones would sit quietly reading with the littles.  We would sit down to a timely meal after which dishes would be taken care of and then family time would commence.  We would have our devotions and play a game together. After a quick/small snack the kids would head off to bed.  Hugs, kisses & prayers would be done.  I would then check email, finish school prep, do a quick cleanup if necessary.  Tim and I would then have "us time".  Specific enough?  I think so.  Realistic?  I don't know.  But now it's "out there".  We'll see if that helps... 

It's fun to *play* at the Y.M.C.A...

For the last 3 months I've been going to the YMCA.  The 3rd Saturday of every month is Women's and Girl's Night.  They close down and open to all women and girls in the community free of charge.  Even the childcare is free!  Steph T., Tami G., and I went the first month.  This month, Jennifer M. joined us, and we had a great time!

Steph and I fell all over ourselves playing racquetball last month, and tonight Tami and I played.  It's a great workout, even if we don't play "by the rules".  Laughing is probably as much exercise as the actual game. :P

Our family is planning on getting a membership soon, and then I'll be able to go even more!  I'm looking forward to working out and beginning to get in shape.  I'm also excited to get the kids in the pool.  They'll have so much fun!  And the Rainbow Room will be a great place for them to play so Tim and I can have some "alone time" and workout together.

Hope this got you singing :)   Y.M.C.A...

I loved this :) And for the record...

1)All of them and then some!
2)We're not Catholic or Mormon -- we are children of God
3)With God's provision
4)If that's God's plan
5)Yep... we are so blessed!
6)If that's your attitude, absolutely
7)Only through God's grace
8)Well, God causes it... and the method he chose sure is a good one!
9)Maybe the next one(s)...
10)Nope
11)Train up a child in the way he should go...