Love and Respect

     The title of this post is the title of the book we're going to use in a class on marriage we're getting ready to start.  The full title is "Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs".  I haven't actually studied the book yet (I'm getting ready to after this blog post), but the title really says a lot.  Because it's so true.  Most women, if you ask them what they really need in a relationship, will say they want to feel loved.  That they want their husband to listen to them, like what they're saying really matters, even if it's about the 50th dirty diaper they've changed that day.  Most men, if asked the same thing, want to feel respected...they want to feel like their wives need them and appreciate them.  That when they go spend their entire day hard at work to provide for their family, even when they would just rather sleep in, it's not going unnoticed.  That, when they come home from a particularly hard day at work, and come to you for comfort, you stop and really listen.  You don't, as soon as they finish speaking, hand them the baby for a diaper change and then rattle off what's gone wrong about your day.  Not that a hard day for you is unimportant, but sometimes we need to put those things aside for a bit for the sake of our spouse. If we do this when our husbands really need it, I guarantee they are going to do the same for you when you've had a particularly awful day.  And believe me ladies, I am SO guilty of this one.  I can't tell you how many times I have done this very thing.  And not only done it, but all the while thinking to myself "He thinks HE had a hard day??  Well, I'm going to prove to him who really had a bad day...by the end of the night he'll think twice before he complains to me about work again."  Because really, what good does that do?  It just makes us like the woman of Proverbs 27:15-" A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike."  I don't know about you, but that is not what I want to be!

     For men and women alike, the simple solution is this.....make God first in your marriage and lives, and everything will fall into place.  If you are placing God where He belongs in your life, then your marriage will naturally improve.  If you are praying like you should, then you will pray together.  If you are studying like you should, you will study together.  If you are worshiping like you should, you will worship together.  If you are following God's will in parenting, you will present a unified front when raising your children.  If your life is more godly, your marriage will be more godly.  You will me more fulfilled and content in life.  And you will be more fulfilled and content in your marriage.  The only way we can be truly fulfilled in life is through Christ.  I am writing this tonight because this is a lesson I so badly need to learn.  I try so many different things to make my life what it is that I think I want it to be.  But I'm always going about it the wrong way.  If we truly give our lives over to Christ, we will have blessings in abundance.  This is something I am wanting desperately needing to work on.  Pray for me that I will, please.  :)  We spend so much time chasing our dreams, we forget about what really is the most important at the heart of it all.  Our souls.  I'm going to ask God to forgive me for all the time I've wasted in my life worrying about the unimportant, and move on to the better things.  Because when it's all said and done, a home with Him in heaven is all that matters.  And our journey there begins in our earthly home.  How we live the life we are given here will impact whether or not we have eternal life with Him.  Let's make the best of it, and try to help win as many souls to His kingdom as we can along the way.

"...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

     And that's the end of my ramblings for tonight.  I hope it all made sense.....there was a lot on my mind, and I hope when it spilled out into print it didn't become one big, jumbled mess!  

FALL!!

     Ahhh....In 2 weeks and 3 days it is one of my very favorite days of the year....the 1st day of fall!  I love everything about fall...the cooler weather, the changing colors, baking, Halloween, Thanksgiving....all of it.  This time of year just makes me happy.  I love being able to keep the windows open and let the fresh, crisp air in the house. 

     Well, we have one week of school under our belt.  Overall it went pretty good.  On Thursday I got started too late, which was not good for the Tweebs, especially Thing 2.  He does NOT focus well, even first thing in the morning.  So trying to start school at 12:30pm was not a good thing.  Then the next day he was sick.  I didn't even try with him that day.  I know how to pick my battles, and that wasn't one that I wanted any part of!  But really, still a very good week.

     The Tweebs learned all about the letters I and U.  What sound they make, what they look like, how to write them...all of it.  We also worked on colors, shapes and counting 1-10.  Also, they worked on recognizing the numbers 1-5.  They really already knew their numbers, colors and shapes, so we focused much more on the phonics parts of our lessons.

     Motormouth had a big week.  Now that he's in 4th grade, there really isn't any more "easing" into it.  He had homework the 2nd day. (Which he complained about, even though it took him all of 5 minutes to complete.) He had to write a paper the first week about a gold nugget in the California Gold Rush.  From the perspective of the gold nugget.  :)  He actually did pretty good.  His spelling and punctuation could use some work, but honestly, I'm so relieved that he actually told a creative story that I'm not too freaked out about the other stuff.  We can fix that easily.  Trying to tell a kid how to imagine something in their head, and then put it down on paper very creatively is much harder.  Especially when you aren't creative yourself!  He is a smart little man though, he'll figure it out.  :)

     Well, we start our lessons in 5 minutes, so this is all I have time for today.  Sorry, not very funny or even very interesting today, but it's all I've got.  Be back soon!

Our family vacation-Summer 2011

My family (which this time also included my nephew) just returned from a family vacation in Colorado.  We have not gone on a vacation that was just us (again, my nephew was there, but he was just one extra kid...still different than going with my ENTIRE family and having 18 people doing everything together) since before the twins were born.  Well, this year Mr. Fantastic got his 3rd week of vacation (hallelujah!) and we actually had a chance to get away together.  IT. WAS. WONDERFUL.  The kids got along (mostly), we relaxed, and we took the kids to some awesome places they had never been before.  (Well, Motormouth had, but he was 2, so he doesn't remember. 

The first few days we stayed where we normally do, which is just about an hour outside of Denver.  Other than a visit to the Colorado Railroad Museum, which, by the way, was so much fun, we really just hung out.  We went hiking to Lily Pad Lake and the weather was beautiful....plus, when we got to the lake, we saw the cutest chipmunks.  We ate lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Breckenridge.  We rode the American Eagle lift up Copper Mountain and then hiked down.  We went to the pool.  It was just really laid back and relaxing.  The kids had a great time, and really only complained a little about the hiking. 

On Thursday morning we left the condo and headed to Canon City to visit the Royal Gorge.  That is one GIANT hole in the ground.  Oh, and before I get to talking about that....the drive between Breckenridge and Canon City was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on.  We nearly bought a ranch in the mountains and never looked back.  If you have never been, I highly recommend the route we took.  I don't see how people could look at the sights you see in those mountains and not believe there is a God.  So, when we got to the Gorge, we rode the little tram thing down into it and then we walked across the bridge.  Mr. Fantastic managed to get through this without totally freaking out, which is great, because he hates heights.  Oh, and we visited EVERY gift shop they had there.  And believe me, there were a few.  Which leads me to my biggest complaint about the entire trip...........

GIFT SHOPS.....I hate them.  They were everywhere!  When you have 4 kids whose grandparents have given them spending money, of course, the first thing anyone says when you get to any place is NOT "Oh wow!  Look at that scenery!  I can't believe how amazing this is.....look at what God has created!".  It's "Where's the gift shop?  Can I spend my money?  How much do I have left?".  And then when you enter said gift shop..."If I buy this and this, how much will I still have?  And if I put this back and get this instead, how much?".  AND you are hearing this x4.  Fantastic.  If I get an ulcer in my stomach because of an over-consumption of ibuprofen, I blame it totally on the gift shops.  I cannot express to you how relieved I was when they all ran out of money. 

So, now that I have ranted about the gift shops, back to the good stuff.  After we left Canon City, we drove to Colorado Springs.  We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and headed to the Garden of the Gods.  It was beautiful....we did more hiking there.  The biggest complaint there was that we had 3 little boys with us....5, 9 and 11.  When boys that age see big rocks, guess what they REALLY want to do?  Climb them.  And you can't.  Unless you are an experienced climber with gear and a permit.  Or you will be fined $500.  They weren't thrilled with that one, but we explained that, even though we don't make the rules, we DO follow them.  So then we headed to the GIFT SHOP.  Actually, there were two of them.  By that time I would nearly eat the ibuprofen like candy.

The next morning we got up and headed to Pike's Peak.  This being Mr. Fantastic's 3rd trip up the mountain, he stayed relatively calm.  They paved most of the road, and threw in a couple of guard rails for good measure.  So all in all, MUCH safer than the last time.  Hahahaha.  He got especially uncomfortable when I was trying to lean out of windows to take pictures.  When we got to the summit......yes, you guessed it.....another gift shop!!!  AND....two more on the way down the mountain!  We spent about an hour in the gift shop up top and took some pictures, and then ventured back down.  The view from the summit is breathtaking.  You can see for miles and miles.  I really do recommend it, just make sure your driver is a seasoned professional, like Mr. Fantastic.  He may have been nervous, but I knew the whole time that we were all in good hands.  Plus, on the way up, my nephew said "Don't worry, we're going to be fine.  I just prayed about it."  I LOVE hearing things like that out of the mouths of kids.  Teaches you something about faith.  :)  On the way back down we visited the other two gift shops, one of which we ate lunch at. 

From there, we drove to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.  Once again, the boys were a little disappointed that they weren't allowed to climb everything, but they still really enjoyed it because you do get to explore the dwellings.  It was all very educational also, which was nice since we are starting school Monday.  I love getting in a little learning while having fun.  :)  And of course, before we left we visited the gift shop!!  By that gift shop I was nearing meltdown, but luckily everyone exhausted their funds there, so when we went to the next place, NO GIFT SHOP!!! 

Well....I take that back.  There were actually 3....and a cafe.  Which we had to visit all of, because the kids got a book that they got stamped, and then if they got all 4 stamps, they got a prize.  Of course, all 4 stamps were located in gift shops or food places.  But we were able to do it pretty quickly because we just reminded them that they were out of money!  Oh!  I forgot to even say where we were....haha.  The last stop on our vacation was beautiful Seven Falls.  Absolutely gorgeous.  We walked up the (scary) stairs to the top of the falls, and then hiked the trail behind them to Midnight Falls.  It was so peaceful there....I could have stayed for hours.  Another Colorado Springs must-see.  When we left the kids got their prizes.....Seven Falls posters for their bedrooms.  Pretty cool.

We really had a fantastic time, and enjoyed the time with the kids and the break from the normal day to day grind.  Colorado is a great state to visit, and the city of Colorado Springs has tons to do.  I recommend a visit. 

Here are a few pictures from our trip....some are still on my camera, so I'll have to upload the rest later.  Enjoy!

Oops.....looks like those are on the laptop.  I guess you'll have to be in suspense until my next post!  I have to go get ready for Bible study, but hopefully I'll post again soon.

Oh, P.S.......I started training for a 5k today.  I wanted to die.  That is all.

How honest should I really be?

Now, before you jump down my throat, NO, I don't mean I should lie.  I'm just wondering, since I am blogging about my day to day experiences as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, if I should really divulge the good AND the not-so-good of the job.  Part of me thinks no.  Because I really, really love my kids and am so thankful that I get to be with them.  Part of me also thinks yes, because the whole point in the blog is to be kind of cathartic for me.  Write about my frustrations, and then I can get them out in a healthy way, as opposed to melting down on a bad day and considering selling my dear, sweet progeny on Craigslist or Ebay.  So it's kind of a toss up at this point.  I would never, EVER want anything I write to do any of the following:
     1. Make people think I don't love being with my kids.  They are my life, and that's definitely what I want. Sometimes momma just needs a minute.
     2. Make people think that homeschooling is a scary or bad thing.  It's absolutely a great choice.  I just feel like people need to be prepared for the good AND the bad days, because if they aren't, then they are in for a big surprise.  And not the good kind, like remembering the ice cream buried in the back of the freezer, or finding a twenty in the jeans that are in the dryer.  I'm talking the bad kind, like remembering the Diet Coke that was buried in your freezer getting nice and cold...until you forgot it, and it exploded everywhere.  Or finding your kid's sucker from church in the pocket of their jeans that are in the dryer.  THAT kind of surprise.
     3. Make people think that I am truly, certifiably insane.  Because believe me folks, I have my days that I wonder.  Some of that may come out in my blog posts if I'm not holding back.  

So, my dear, faithful readers (all THREE of you).....what are your thoughts?  Please, I would love some honest feedback.  Because I really want to make a go of this blog thing, and stick with it for more than 4 or 5 days.  And I would like for it to be something that is actually enjoyable, educating, or AT LEAST a little bit funny so that when you do take the time to read it, you don't feel like that the 5 minutes you spent on it are 5 minutes of your life you'll never get back, even though you desperately want to. 

Goodbye beautiful weather....hello thunderstorms. :(

     I used to love, love, LOVE winter.  That was before I had three kids.  Don't get me wrong, I still really do like getting to play out in the pretty snow with the kids, and I still love to ski.  It's just that after having three kids who take turns getting sick all winter long, and after the hundredth time that I spend an hour getting someone re-dressed in their snow clothes that they had to take COMPLETELY off for a 30 second pee break-just to do it all over again in 20 minutes-winter just doesn't do for me what it used to.  So when we have a few days of shorts and t-shirt weather in the middle of March, I am very sad to see it go!  It was sunny and beautiful yesterday, and now, as I sit here by the window, the temperature is dropping and the clouds are rolling in.  Oh well, it was great while it lasted.  And I suppose I should be thankful for the rain, because if it's raining, then God obviously is doing it for a reason.  I will just hope for more sunny weather next week. 

     I really have been wanting to get more regular with my blogging, but it just hasn't seemed to pan out lately.  I would also like to think of some good subjects to blog about, and not just ramble about what's happening on any given day.  I am going to have some down time in a few weeks that will probably give me that opportunity, so if any of you-and by you I mean my THREE readers-have anything in particular you want to hear me ramble about, just let me know!  Until then my posts will probably be few and far between.  I am going to be having a fairly major surgery, and REALLY need to try to finish up our school year before then, otherwise I will do my normal freaking out thing.  I do try to be calm, I really do, but some things (i.e. money, getting behind on schoolwork) just bring out the crazy in me.  Since I'll be down for a few days (I'm hoping it's only a few days), I'll have time to do some real blogging.....not just the quick, 5 minute post that really isn't that interesting.  :)  So, see you then!

    

Playlist

Oooookay.  That didn't work out as planned.  That playlist was supposed to be a gadget on my page...

Anna??  HELP!!!!  :)

Listen to this playlist: angie_baker215's Playlist