Really? Helmets?

My kids officially crack me up! I put on a movie for them and this is what I come out to see...

Apparently now we need head gear to watch a movie. They thought this was so fun, I just have to laugh! And yes, that is C's Bumbo seat that W is wearing. I guess we ran out of helmets. Gotta love it!

Happy weekend everyone!

Embrace the Camera - Reagan Library

We took the 2 oldest kids to the Reagan Library over the President's Day weekend. It was amazing!

The one and only picture I'm in...I guess I should teach someone in my family how to use the camera{lol}.

This could be my favorite picture of the day! It actually makes me teary eyed! I know, I'm a patriotic sap.
I highly recommend visiting the Reagan Library. It is so affordable, we learned a lot and were very inspired.

Super Yummy Pasta Salad

No, I am not exaggerating, this is SUPER YUMMY! Even better than that, it's SUPER EASY! This is a great lunch item that I can eat off of for days or sometimes I make it for a simple dinner. I add a loaf of french bread and even my hubby is happy and satisfied.

Ingredients:

1 box of spiral noodles

1 pckg of cherry tomatoes

1 can of sliced olives

1-2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts

1 small bag of pine nuts

shredded Parmesan cheese to taste

1 16oz bottle of Italian salad dressing (and if you were married to my hubby you would always have extra dressing on hand)

After I have cooked the pasta I mix everything except the salad dressing in a big bowl and transfer it into a ziploc bag. Then I add the dressing, lay it flat in the fridge and flip it every hour or so. It's extra yummy if it can sit for a few hours and soak up the dressing. Enjoy!

I Needed That!

This day started out a bit rough. My car wouldn't start for the past couple of days and all the little fixes my husband tried were unsuccessful. We had the car towed to the local dealership and are still waiting to hear exactly what's wrong with it. They did tell us that from what were telling them it would be a substantial cost to fix it.

Really??!!  We were just making plans to do a modest remodel on out bathroom that is much needed and now that will have to wait. And just how much will this cost? I'm not sure we have the money. These are all the thoughts swirling around in my head.

As I was picking toys up off the floor I noticed something bright pink barely sticking out from under a drawer in my desk.

It's crumbled up and scribbled on by N but here is what it says..

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank you Lord that I can be confident you will provide. That I do not need to worry, but be thankful. Thank you for putting this verse card in my path to remind me.

A Frugal Birthday

A few days ago was W's 8th birthday and luckily for me the kid doesn't have expensive tastes. I think people tend to spend way too much on birthday parties when the kids don't really care about all the hype as long as they feel special. We will be going to the Reagan Library tomorrow with one friend but that is educational and still far less expensive than a party.
Here is how we made him feel special on his big day for very little money. It only took a little creativity...

Here is his chocolate cake. Sorry for all you real baker's out there, this was a box mix that I spent $1.50 on and W loved it!

Who needs a #8 candle when you can use your old 5 & 3 to make a math problem?! Don't judge, it was free people.

He looks pretty happy to me

For the decorating, my dear friend who knows my son well gave me all of her U.S history supplies from her teaching days. I completely decorated his room with them while he was at school and I don't think I've ever gotten a bigger hug. He was soooo excited!

He has everything from "how we elect our President"...

to national monuments...

to copies of the Constitution & The Declaration of Independence (and of course a calendar of his favorite President).

It all turned out perfectly and only cost me a few dollars!

Reward Jar

We all need a little extra motivation sometimes right? For my kids it is a reward jar. I use mine specifically for practicing piano. My daughter would practice 10 hours a day if she could but sometimes becomes unfocused and isn't getting done what her teacher has assigned. My son has a bit of a different attitude. He wants to get it done as quickly as possible and wouldn't dream of doing more than his teacher assigned (a character trait we're working on). I wanted this activity to go more smoothly so I decided on the "reward jar".

I let them decorate it and they wrote "practice with a happy heart". Here's how it works...

They have to practice piano every day. If they go to the piano the first time I ask and practice with a happy heart they get to add a marble to the jar. If I have to remind them multiple times or they are practicing with a bad attitude they do not add a marble to the jar.

And what is the motivation? When the jar is full they get to pick dinner. Whatever they want! 

Last time it was Hot Fudge Sundaes, cause that's how we roll. 

So far this plan is working and it makes things much less stressful for all of us.

It also helps train the kids in the following...

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

He Totally Rocks

I know for some people Valentine's Day is a very serious holiday. I've seen lots of blog posts about how to love your spouse and children better and how to keep your expectations for the holiday realistic. Don't get me wrong, these are all great, and I've especially enjoyed reading all the "love stories" out there. I, however, have never cared about VDay. I have often exclaimed to my hubby how lucky he is to have snagged such a catch{wink,wink}. We don't usually go out because it's too crowded and we don't usually buy each other gifts because...well we just don't, I'm not sure why.

This morning though I woke up to this..

aaaaaaaa(lights shining, angels singing)

He bought me a Keurig and that's why he rocks! I love, love,love it!

Then for dinner he brought home this...

(again with the angels and the singing)

This is my favorite pizza on the planet. The grease on the outside of the box may explain why. This meant no cooking and very little clean up and that is also why he rocks!

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! Whatever that means for you.

In the Past Few Days

So here is how the past few days with my 2 1/2 year old have gone...

* Instead of napping I found him dumping red and purple paint all over the carpet in his bedroom. Since you are all my friends I know you won't ask me why he had access to paint in his room (besides, I don't have a good answer for that).

I'm still working on cleaning up the carpet, any suggestions? But just in case you need proof of my story, here are the pants he was wearing.

*When I sent him and his friend into the bedroom to play it took them about 2 minutes to do this with his big brother's legos. Why does it always take longer to clean up the mess than it does to make it??

*I don't have a picture of him being escorted out of Sunday school because he was having a problem with hitting (I thought I may look a little odd documenting that with pictures) but take my word for it, it happened.

Well needless to say, I'm a having a season of feeling inadequate and I'm not sure my brain will ever function the way it did before baby #4. Thank God the Lord's strength is sufficient (and N is so cute)!

And yes, that is a Tinker Bell dress he is wearing.

Embrace the Camera - Happy Birthday Mr. President

It's Thursday again! But this Thursday is special. This Thursday is W's birthday. Can he be 8? It doesn't seem possible!

 Now on to the President part. W plans on being president when he grows up. Everyone has to have a goal right? He is obsessed with U.S. history and anything presidential. In fact when given the choice to go to Disneyland or the Reagan Library for his birthday where do you think he picked? You guessed it, the Reagan Library. To celebrate we will be having chocolate cake(Ronald Reagan's favorite) and his room had been  decorated with all things presidential and U.S. history related(pictures to come).  This boy has a heart of gold and a heart for Jesus and I am proud to be his Mommy!

Happy Birthday W! I mean, Mr. President.

The Laundry Will Be There Tomorrow

As I'm sure many of you can relate to, there is always work to be done. With four little ones the laundry is almost never done and there are little messes all over the house. I do try hard to have things picked up when my hubby gets home so that he is walking into a restful space. I also try to avoid the laundry piling up because it can become a bit overwhelming and I seem to hear a lot of "where is this" and "where is that". 

Yesterday I took the two little ones to the park to play with some friends and due to time N didn't get his nap. This usually makes for a very interesting remainder of the day. While I was getting the house picked up, my hubby surprised me by coming home at 4:00 and so things were not quite as I would have like them. On many days I would probably continue to do my work and because he was home to play with the kids I would use the time to get several loads of laundry done.

At this point I felt a definite nudging from the Lord "snuggle with N". But I have so much to do and now I am freed up to do it. "Snuggle with N. the laundry will be there tomorrow".

I asked my hubby if he wouldn't mind me taking some time to lay down with N in our bedroom. We layed there for 2 hours watching Sprout, talking and at times just snuggling quietly. What a blessing! I pray that I can remember to do that more often. He needs it and I need it.  It was such a peaceful time and it helped us avoid some of the pitfalls that can sometimes come on a day without naps.

What is the Lord nudging you to do?

Who could resist snuggling with him?

Love Letters- February 7th

I'm linking up with FTLOB for "Love Letters". I think this is such a great idea! This is a letter my oldest son wrote to me last Mother's Day when he was 7. I break this letter out every now and then when I'm feeling a bit insecure about my mothering skills.

I love you Mom. Thank you for loving me and caring for me. I love you so much. I hope you have a good Mother's day. You are such a good Mom! Thank you for taking me to school. Thank you for tucking me in at bedtime. I'm so glad God made you. Thank you for helping me with homework. I hope you are feeling o.k. right now. I hope you're feeling joyful. You bring so much joy to my life. I'm so blessed to have you as my Mom. I hope you like your card.

Love, W

My First Blog Award! Tah Dah!!

Dominique at Craft Couture likes me, she really likes me!

Thanks Dominique for my first award!

Isn't it cute?

Now that I have been given this award there are a few items of business to attend to:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave me the award (check)

2. Share 7 things about yourself (check)

* I am very challenged by technology (or all those "new fangled things" as I like to call them)

*I only recently got a "big girl" phone so I could text and now I'm obsessed

*I met my husband when I was 16 (Aaaawwwww)

*I'm pretty much listening to music or singing all day every day

*I recently cut out almost all TV

*I am also obsessed with politics(thus the need to cut out TV)

*I am constantly amazed by the hope and joy I have found in my Lord & Saviour

3. Award some other great bloggers (check)

{Our Family of Four}

four of a kind

(no,  I do not have an obsession with the #4)

Simply Domestic

The Tarr Pit

Ordinary Miracles of Life
along for the ride

4. Contact these bloggers & tell them about the award (check)

These are all blogs that I really enjoy visiting so go check em out. Like now.

Embrace The Camera - Quality Alone Time

While my older 2 were at school today my Mom (who is a total rockstar) took N to visit my grandparents. This meant I got to have some quality alone time with little miss C. Oh how I love her and cherish being able to focus completely on her.  She looks a little shocked here, but how cute is she?!

Nurturing the Mommy Instinct

I've noticed recently that J is getting a lot of enjoyment from helping with her younger brother & sister. She has even been doing thoughtful things for her older brother.  I want to make sure that I help nurture this side of her by helping her come up with ways to serve her siblings. She loves to read to C and play ring-around-the-rosy with N.

I realize this starts with modeling a servant's heart.That is a character trait I strive to show her.

"Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God" Titus 2:4-5

I know there are many who will find this verse not politically correct but I believe it is God's will for me as a mother to my daughter. These characteristics need to be practiced daily in order to become part of who we are.  It is so fun for me to see this part of J blossoming and I pray I can help her develop it.

I'm linked up at:

Top Ten on Tuesday - First Time

I came across Kim's blog  today and this looked too fun to pass up! So here we go, my current random thoughts...

1. Why do my kid's have that sixth sense that makes them need me every time I'm in the bathroom?
2. I had such great ideas for the parenting panel at Titus2 today. Now if I could just implement them.
3. I must start to consider the fact that I have an Etsy addiction.
items I bought in the last week:



Mel{V} Designs camera strap


Beauxbijoux Floral Pendant Necklace



Ivorie headband
&

Courtney earrings in red from
Love Stitched

Now just in case my husband is reading, these beautiful treasures were very reasonably priced (insert me batting eyelashes)
4. I love that I have five pairs of glasses because I'm always misplacing them.
5. I was obsessed with Netflix for the first 2 weeks but I have to admit the novelty is wearing off.
6. I am so thankful that God lead me to cut back on my scheduled activities. It leaves me so much more open to be available to the things He may put in my path.
7. Why is it by the time I get to the doctor's appointment whatever was bothering my child is no longer present? It's like taking your car to the mechanic for the weird noise only the noise never makes a peep for the mechanic. Ugh!
8. My new favorite singer is totally Francesca Battistelli


9. About to start reading "At Home in Mitford" by Jan Karon. I heard it's a sweet little story.
10. My youngest son has the most awesome bed head ever! (pay no attention to the dog gate that keeps him locked up during nap time)

Join the fun and add your 10 things. You know you want to.