I just read a post from a sweet young lady who teaches me a thing or two every now and then. You can read Julia's latest wisdom here. She made me think. I NEVER refer to myself as a homemaker. Why is that? Honestly it's because I see myself more as a stay at home mom, than a homemaker. I stay home because of my daughter not because of my husband. Why is that? Shouldn't it also benefit him? He is making the money so that I can stay home. Why is it that if we didn't have our daughter I would still be a full time teacher in a school. God made me to be his helpmate and his partner first and a mother second. Shouldn't I adjust my job duties to reflect that?
Let me ramble here for a moment. I am one of those people who can't keep a plant alive. It doesn't ask for food, it's never underfoot and honestly if it doesn't look like it wants water I usually forget to give it any. The same thing can apply to my duties as a home maker. The laundry and dishes are things I can't ignore at least not very long. If I ignore laundry I run out of clothes. If I ignore the kitchen and the dishes we can't eat at home (which is sometimes the reason we don't). The bathroom, dusting, vacuuming and other cleaning things can be ignored because nothing happens if I don't do them. They do continue to get dirtier and eventually I notice and it gets done, but not really until it cries out at me. So I am not great at these things.
This is also true of my daughter vs. my husband. She (sometimes literally) cries out at me to get things done for her or with her. No she isn't asking to do her math, spelling and memory work, but that's all in my realm of want to with her. I want to homeschool her so to prove to myself (and others) that I am not a failure in that area I am eager to keep her learning in those areas. The fact that our school week has yet to have a full 4 days plus the one co-op day is another matter entirely.
Conclusion if it begs to be done I do it. If it doesn't I fail. What do you do to motivate yourself to do those things that don't beg to be done? How do you keep up with being a homemaker and a stay at home mom? Any suggestions on how to help me are welcome!
I want to be better! For God, for my Husband, for my daughter, and for me.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Contest! http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I don't know about you but I like a good contest. I have a friend who is an amazing photographer (see Joy's 5 year photos!). Reflection by Rosie is her business name and can be found here or here on facebook. She is partnering with Two Little Bugs Boutique (first I have heard of them but looks like good stuff) for a free photo shoot in an outfit. You can choose to purchase the outfit or not, and you will get a discount from both businesses for future business. Anyway go ahead over to Reflection by Rosie's blog and sign yourself up, or not better chance I will win if you don't! :)
(Must be local to Houston/NASA area or willing to come down here).
(Must be local to Houston/NASA area or willing to come down here).
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Slow to post...
Sorry, not really good at sitting at the computer and writing. In my head I wrote 4-5 different posts in the time that I have written nothing here. Unfortunately I am not great at remembering great ideas for more than 20 minutes so those posts are gone. What I can say is this....
My daughter is now 5. In Texas that means she would have to wait another 337 days give or take a few for the actual school start date to start school. In our homeschooling life this means she is reading fluently Bob book set 3. She is also working on the basics of addition in Math. In spelling we are flying through our spelling curriculum and finishing up the lessons on the short vowels next comes hopefully something that will slow us down I wasn't planning on buying the second spelling curriculum til at least after Christmas! We just re-started on handwriting with the Handwriting without tears Kindergarten book.
If that isn't enough I think we have settled on a November 15th date for the exchange of possession of the house!! That means I have a little more time to get things organized or go insane whichever way you see that.
This past weekend was the big celebration of the birthday. We got a huge bounce house with princesses on it and a slide in it. We ordered pizza and I made cupcakes for the celebration. The best friend got pink eye and was unable to attend, but otherwise the party was perfect! She had a great time we played some classic games princessed up a little.
First was what's in the bag? We have a set of pink paisley t-shirt sheets that came in a great little baggie that my daughter (like many other non toys) has attached herself to. So I decided that is the perfect bag to play this game with. The best part is it has a drawstring and since it's t-shirt material they didn't stick their hand (and eyes) in the bag I just held it by the drawstring and let them guess. Boys were a little clueless except for the one with a younger sister, he knew what was going on!
Next was a classic Hot Tiara! You know the game where you pass around a tiara and sing "Hot Tiara Hot tiara who has the hot tiara if you have the hot tiara you are out." The boys who were clueless on the previous game had this one down! What boy wants to hold onto a tiara that long anyway?
Last was not that great at least not for an unprepared 5 year old. We attempted Princess, May I. She wasn't sure on what instructions to give and they weren't great at taking small steps it was all large steps! Oh well we can try again next year?
All in all the birthday was a success we have another Precious Moment to add to our 5 year collection and we have another Mickey picture to add to our 5 year collection. Now to see what else this year will hold!
My daughter is now 5. In Texas that means she would have to wait another 337 days give or take a few for the actual school start date to start school. In our homeschooling life this means she is reading fluently Bob book set 3. She is also working on the basics of addition in Math. In spelling we are flying through our spelling curriculum and finishing up the lessons on the short vowels next comes hopefully something that will slow us down I wasn't planning on buying the second spelling curriculum til at least after Christmas! We just re-started on handwriting with the Handwriting without tears Kindergarten book.
If that isn't enough I think we have settled on a November 15th date for the exchange of possession of the house!! That means I have a little more time to get things organized or go insane whichever way you see that.
This past weekend was the big celebration of the birthday. We got a huge bounce house with princesses on it and a slide in it. We ordered pizza and I made cupcakes for the celebration. The best friend got pink eye and was unable to attend, but otherwise the party was perfect! She had a great time we played some classic games princessed up a little.
First was what's in the bag? We have a set of pink paisley t-shirt sheets that came in a great little baggie that my daughter (like many other non toys) has attached herself to. So I decided that is the perfect bag to play this game with. The best part is it has a drawstring and since it's t-shirt material they didn't stick their hand (and eyes) in the bag I just held it by the drawstring and let them guess. Boys were a little clueless except for the one with a younger sister, he knew what was going on!
Next was a classic Hot Tiara! You know the game where you pass around a tiara and sing "Hot Tiara Hot tiara who has the hot tiara if you have the hot tiara you are out." The boys who were clueless on the previous game had this one down! What boy wants to hold onto a tiara that long anyway?
Last was not that great at least not for an unprepared 5 year old. We attempted Princess, May I. She wasn't sure on what instructions to give and they weren't great at taking small steps it was all large steps! Oh well we can try again next year?
All in all the birthday was a success we have another Precious Moment to add to our 5 year collection and we have another Mickey picture to add to our 5 year collection. Now to see what else this year will hold!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Moving!
As promised from my first post here I wanted to let you in on our moving situation. The company my husband has worked for since 1995 was sold (not suddenly we knew they were looking for a buyer and had endured a 10% paycut for over a year). They were promised the whole time before the sale they would find a buyer who would keep the people who had already endured seeing over half the company laid off. Well I guess after over a year and a half of looking promises like that are minor in comparison to actually getting the company sold. So everyone was laid off. A few were hired back as consultants but eventually everyone has lost their jobs with the company.
My husband job hunted for 3.5 months and was blessed with his amazing, wonderful new job. The only problem the new job is an hour away. That's an hour straight driving no traffic. Did I mention we live in the 4th largest city in America and no traffic would be an amazing thing. So for 10+ hours a week my husband gets to be alone in his car, in traffic with a million other people. My daughter and I get to be at home waiting for him. The man who was home for 3.5 months, and before that worked 15 minutes away. We had lunch with him almost every day, we had dinner at what my friend inform me is old people time 5:30pm. We got to see him in the morning and wave goodbye as he headed off to work. Now I might turn over as he unlocks the door to the garage and leaves. My daughter complains for the whole hour of driving across town if we are going to see him or do other things over there. Dinner that's at 6:30pm at the earliest. Life is turned upside down.
So we are moving. We called a realtor put the house on the market and kept the place cleaner than it's been in the 5 years we have lived here. People came one every 2 weeks to look. Then nothing for 2-3 weeks so we dropped the price. People came again, we got an offer for about the same as we owe on our house. We won't pay closing costs out of pocket just can't happen. So one Sunday I turned around in church and asked a couple I know might possibly be interested if they were interested. They were!! We are selling the house to people we know!! They are leasing for a year or so to build up the deposit needed for purchase, but as far as I am concerned it's done! We will move by November 1st.
Now to find an apartment cheap enough to pay off debt and truly Dave Ramsey our life, but not scare us so we can't go out at night.
My husband job hunted for 3.5 months and was blessed with his amazing, wonderful new job. The only problem the new job is an hour away. That's an hour straight driving no traffic. Did I mention we live in the 4th largest city in America and no traffic would be an amazing thing. So for 10+ hours a week my husband gets to be alone in his car, in traffic with a million other people. My daughter and I get to be at home waiting for him. The man who was home for 3.5 months, and before that worked 15 minutes away. We had lunch with him almost every day, we had dinner at what my friend inform me is old people time 5:30pm. We got to see him in the morning and wave goodbye as he headed off to work. Now I might turn over as he unlocks the door to the garage and leaves. My daughter complains for the whole hour of driving across town if we are going to see him or do other things over there. Dinner that's at 6:30pm at the earliest. Life is turned upside down.
So we are moving. We called a realtor put the house on the market and kept the place cleaner than it's been in the 5 years we have lived here. People came one every 2 weeks to look. Then nothing for 2-3 weeks so we dropped the price. People came again, we got an offer for about the same as we owe on our house. We won't pay closing costs out of pocket just can't happen. So one Sunday I turned around in church and asked a couple I know might possibly be interested if they were interested. They were!! We are selling the house to people we know!! They are leasing for a year or so to build up the deposit needed for purchase, but as far as I am concerned it's done! We will move by November 1st.
Now to find an apartment cheap enough to pay off debt and truly Dave Ramsey our life, but not scare us so we can't go out at night.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Patience
I follow some blogs (okay allot of blogs) and the majority of them have multiple kids, homeschool, are Christian or are just funny. Some of my favorites are the 4 Moms, 35 kids posts. As it says their are 4 moms, and they each have large families. You could say I am jealous as I love kids, but I think also what applies to the multitude applies to me. Jesus did the sermon on the mount in front of many, but more importantly it applied to each one. He also was pretty good at the one on one relationships (as Jon Acuff pointed out in his blog today). Anyway where I was going with this is the 4 Moms today talked about patience, something it seems that they all can struggle with at times. Having more kids does not make you more patient! I can even say having only one kid does not make you more patient! First I will let you read their thoughts on patience...
Raising Olives has my favorite line of all the blogs today - “I’ve asked you to pick up your room three times already.” which means that I’ve already allowed three instances of disobedience. Wow! isn't that the truth it's not their fault I told them 3 times it's mine where was my follow through the first 3 times?
Smockity Frocks talks about the chaos, and while my one doesn't create much chaos (it's usually my own making!) Smockity reminds me that it's for God's Glory. " If I keep my eyes on eternity, I remember that my goal, to glorify God, is more important than an entire gallon of spilled milk."
Life in a Shoe First of all this blog always makes me smile! She redefines patience from the secular view to a Godly view. Taking it one day, one moment at a time is the way it should be! God didn't dish us a years worth of patience and expect us to patiently use it one bite at a time He dishes as needed!
The Common Room I have to admit I don't read this blog as often because it doesn't come in a full feed on my Google Blogger reader thing. I did pop over there today cause I am loving this topic, and without fail she has some good things to say also. It's the honesty that she (at least that is what I surmised) is the crazy one 5 minutes after she is supposed to have left the drive way that makes me smile. That and prayer is the answer. Isn't it the answer to everything?
Now for my two cents. Am I patient. NO! Where is it I fail, it actually comes from only having one. Shouldn't she be perfect? I pour hours into her each day and then she wants me to play dogs or baby or some other pointless game. I just spent hours with you can't I just do this one pointless thing that makes ME happy? Wait no I want to spend time with her, I need to be patient and eventually we will learn to love the same games and will enjoy playing together. I should be glad in the moment. The moments are fleeting. I should have the patience to spend the time with her when she wants me. Their may be a day she no longer does. So here is my prayer God give me the patience to play the games my daughter wants to play and let me not always have to be in charge.
Raising Olives has my favorite line of all the blogs today - “I’ve asked you to pick up your room three times already.” which means that I’ve already allowed three instances of disobedience. Wow! isn't that the truth it's not their fault I told them 3 times it's mine where was my follow through the first 3 times?
Smockity Frocks talks about the chaos, and while my one doesn't create much chaos (it's usually my own making!) Smockity reminds me that it's for God's Glory. " If I keep my eyes on eternity, I remember that my goal, to glorify God, is more important than an entire gallon of spilled milk."
Life in a Shoe First of all this blog always makes me smile! She redefines patience from the secular view to a Godly view. Taking it one day, one moment at a time is the way it should be! God didn't dish us a years worth of patience and expect us to patiently use it one bite at a time He dishes as needed!
The Common Room I have to admit I don't read this blog as often because it doesn't come in a full feed on my Google Blogger reader thing. I did pop over there today cause I am loving this topic, and without fail she has some good things to say also. It's the honesty that she (at least that is what I surmised) is the crazy one 5 minutes after she is supposed to have left the drive way that makes me smile. That and prayer is the answer. Isn't it the answer to everything?
Now for my two cents. Am I patient. NO! Where is it I fail, it actually comes from only having one. Shouldn't she be perfect? I pour hours into her each day and then she wants me to play dogs or baby or some other pointless game. I just spent hours with you can't I just do this one pointless thing that makes ME happy? Wait no I want to spend time with her, I need to be patient and eventually we will learn to love the same games and will enjoy playing together. I should be glad in the moment. The moments are fleeting. I should have the patience to spend the time with her when she wants me. Their may be a day she no longer does. So here is my prayer God give me the patience to play the games my daughter wants to play and let me not always have to be in charge.
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