My Perfectly Crazy Life

Lunches

2012-01-11T14:29:00.001-06:00

Lunches around here have to be quick. I have learned that there are many things I just can't do for lunch because it takes too much time. I often get a child or two to help me make lunch. They wash the fruit and cut it or make sandwiches. Sometimes I use this as a chance to teach them how to make simple things such as scramble eggs, etc. I love to use the plastic lunch trays to serve the kids on. It just seems fun to me. It also helps to fill them with different items.

Our outdoor lunchroom(aka. mom doesn't have to clean the floor)

Egg burritos (scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla shell with cheese and sometimes salsa)

Spinach wraps(tortilla shell with mayo, garlic salt and dill weed, spinach and lunch meat, rolled up)

Sandwiches with fruit on the side ( we have Peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad, tuna salad, meat and cheese)

Little kids get snack trays with cheese, ham roll, crackers, raisins, fruit

Make your own salad( I put out tomatoes, cheese, chick peas, green peas, nuts, raisins, fruit, etc.)

Leftovers

Pasta salad with a half sandwich

Pita pocket sandwiches

Pizzas made on tortilla shells or pita bread

Pasta stars with grilled cheese (these are like homemade spaghetti O's)

Quesadilla with leftover tacos

Breakfast meals

2012-01-11T14:12:00.000-06:00

We get tired of the same thing for breakfast. I also hate to do cereal from the store because I then have kids begging for a snack in just an hour. I strive to do whole grain recipes that will hold everyone over. These are all the Breakfast meals that I cook but some are only cooked on the weekend. If I can't make it ahead and just bake in the morning I usually don't make it during the week. Most muffins can be mixed up the night before and sit in the fridge. The baked oatmeal and cooked cereal can be made ahead. I do make granola cereal in the morning because it's pretty quick to mix up. I hope these ideas help you with your menu planning.

Oatmeal- we like to add chocolate chips, blueberries, cinnamon, coconut, or peanut butter. Many times I make the oatmeal and dish it in the bowls. The kids then add in their favorite things. I don't allow chocolate chips all the time but occasionally.

Granola cereal one of our favorites. I've also found others I cook.
Muffins- applesauce(these are from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook), banana chocolate chip ( I substitute applesauce for the mayo in these and 1tbsp of coconut oil)
Smoothies or our favorite smoothie recipe- Chocolate smoothie ( I usually throw in a little spinach)
Waffles
Pancakes(oatmeal pancakes)
Baked oatmeal
Baked cereal
French toast
Toast and eggs

okay, sometimes we do eat cereal!

Oatmeal cereal

2012-01-10T14:29:00.003-06:00

Oatmeal cereal

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Applesauce
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
4 1/2 Cups Old fashionioned rolled oats
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Raisins or chocolate chips
1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Mix together applesauce, oil and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir. Add in oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and either raisins or chocolate chips. Grease 9x13 pan and spread mixture. Cook 28-35 min. We eat with milk as cereal. You can use all applesauce and no oil and they will turn out more like a breakfast bar. Also using some flour instead of all oatmeal will make them like a bar.

Baked Oatmeal

2012-01-10T14:26:00.004-06:00

Baked oatmeal

Ingredients

1/2 Cup applesauce
3/4 Cup Sugar( brown and white mixed)
2 eggs
3 Cups Oatmeal
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine and stir just until moist. Pour mixture into greased 9x9 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you choose. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Or until brown. You can make this and leave in the fridge until morning.

School Room

2011-12-30T14:13:00.000-06:00

Warning: This is not the way this room usually looks. But, this is the way I love for it to look. These days I resort to taking a picture when a room gets all the way clean. At least then on my computer it looks clean! Our schoolroom is in our Dining room. This is right off the Kitchen and Living room/entry. For years we did school in the kitchen and living room. We still love to cuddle on the couch to read all our books. But, most of the work now takes place in here.

I finally have a white board and large map. It's so nice to have a board to write things on. Usually we write our Bible verse for the week on here. The bookcases pictured below hold toys. I like to keep toys put up and grouped together. They also have the little girls books on them. Well, some of their books.

My beautiful cabinet that my hubby made! He did such a great job. It was his first furniture project and I love the way it turned out. It also has hidden child locks on it! This holds all our current school books and some for the future. Inside the bottom holds preschool things, construction paper, markers, etc. All the things I need to keep out of reach of little hands.

Our Preschool corner is pictured below. The table was a Christmas present for our girls. I love it. We had a Little Tykes plastic table that was warped from standing on it. I always thought I wanted a white table and chairs. The girls have taught me that dark is best.

Now we have a wonderfully used Dining Room!

Here's the lunch room. The tree on the table was our Jesse Tree for Advent. See my cute students!

Favorite Christmas Pictures

2011-12-30T14:03:00.001-06:00

The Girls

The Boys

The Stockings

Four in Fall

2011-11-08T15:08:00.000-06:00

My cutest little four...well, some are not so little anymore.

Our littlest football lover.

The guys made a football field in our backyard. Complete with two goal posts and painted lines. So cool!

The girls all dressed up! It's nearly impossible to get both girls to look at the same time.

My Four

2011-09-16T12:57:00.001-05:00

My big boys at the zoo!

Anna was very excited to ride the train.

Little Abigail

Anna turned 3

Who taught her this?????

My Four

Dad and his little Daddy's girl

New school year

2011-08-18T19:47:00.002-05:00

We started our new school year back in June. After taking a few weeks off we jumped right back into school. Here are our official back to school pictures for the 2011-2012 school year.

So far it's off to a great start. We are enjoying our new school books and our new schedule. It feels really great to have a good schedule that works after winging it last year.

11 years

2011-08-15T14:08:00.003-05:00

It's been 11 wonderful years with my husband. Seems just like yesterday when we were married. Lately when I've been listening to Pandora radio the song "I will be here" comes on and reminds me of our wedding day.

I Will Be Here(Steven Curtis Chapman)

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here

I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be here

I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here.

Summer at my house

2011-07-17T20:34:00.003-05:00

Summer is rolling along at the K home! We have been busy. A new school year started up in June. We have taken it slow implementing a new, busier than ever schedule. I had to get much more disciplined and structured this year. Now that Abigail is settled in a routine (finally!). I wasn't sure that would ever happen. Even after 3 other children I don't have this baby thing down. My babies don't like to sleep all night for quite a while. I'm still getting up with Abigail. But, I try to enjoy those middle of the night nursing sessions. It will be over soon enough. She turns one in a few weeks.

So here is our annual picture at Chick-fil-A cow day. We have enjoyed doing this since the boys were little. They enjoy it so much and look forward to it. I'll dress like a cow and play along for them. I even got Big T in on it last year when I took a old dress shirt and painted it for him.

Do you see just how big little T is getting! Almost as tall as his momma! I'll still be his mommy even when he's taller than me.
Little T and me.....He made me a Mommy 9 years ago today. My life has changed so much, for the better. God has used this little man to teach me many things. Sometimes I think my mother is talking and I realize it's me! Oh, the things I thought I would never say! Where do those things come from! At least they are good things. Little T loves building with his legos and most importantly has such a passion for God's word. Lately he keeps his nose in a book.
Big T, Anna and Taylor. Taylor is such a good big brother. He loves to take Anna and go play "preschool." Anna loves to tease Taylor by asking for a hug and then running from him. Funny how girls love to be chased! Taylor loves playing with his little sisters. He amazes me at how well he can put lego kits together all by himself. He's such a sweet little boy and so much like his Daddy.
The kids have loved swimming this year. The boys enjoy jumping in the pool and diving under water. Anna has learned to swim with a life jacket and swimmies on. We enjoy going to Mamaw and Papaw's to swim.
Look at this beautiful little girl. She has stolen our hearts. Lately Anna has suddenly started called her dad "Daddy." She says it so sweetly. She has some beautiful curly hair.
Little Abigail has such beautiful blue eyes. We aren't too sure what color her hair is. Almost a mix of red? and blonde. She is such a happy baby, most of the time. When she first gets up she loves to greet everyone with a wave and smile. Lately she has been waving hey and bye, blowing kisses and trying to whistle. She amazes me with the things that she does. Abigail is not walking yet, but any day now. She stands on her on in the middle of the floor and is very fast crawling on her hands and feet. Yes, feet. Not knees.
All four of my monkeys in the morning. I caught a nice morning and tried to take some pictures. I'm trying not to let time steal away without capturing some pictures.

We had our first week break last week. It was nice, but I am ready to get back to school tomorrow. It's been nice to start early this year and have planned breaks in place so I can take a break without the guilt of "I should be doing school" lingering over my head.

Maybe sometime I can get back to blogging a little more often. It's a hard balance sometimes. There are so many good things to do. I am trying to choose the Best things that God has for me at this stage in my life. God is teaching me many things and I'm trying my best to learn my lessons. God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. I dreamed of so many things as a young girl. But, never this wonderful life. Yes, some days are hard. But, my heart is so full of love for my family. On my own I would have never chosen to stay at home, but with God's leading I see that it was best for me and my family. On my own, I would not have chosen to homeschool, but oh the blessings that God has given us through it. God has lead me to these choices for my life and I am so grateful. I am called to surrender my desires and life daily, but in that surrender is sweet blessings.

One recent lesson that he gave me that I shared on Facebook Proverbs 14:4 Where no children are the house is clean and there is rest, sleep. But, much increase comes from the strength of children.

This was the holy spirit speaking to me this morning version.

Amy

Beach Vacation

2011-05-30T15:12:00.002-05:00

Our yearbook

2011-05-21T10:15:00.002-05:00

yearbook removed

It's almost like

2011-03-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

2 years ago.....different girl, nearly the same looks! Little Abigail at 7months already!

A Christmas tour of my home

2010-12-21T18:35:00.005-06:00

Come on in and have a tour of my home at Christmas time! The first thing you would see is the front door. Nothing too grand, just a simple wreath with snow tipped edges.

As you walk in the living room you will see our tree. Of course most of the ornaments are in the middle. High enough a toddler can't reach and eye-level for the older boys since they decorated most of it. I'm not a perfectionist with most things so I don't rearrange them. Honestly I was even too tired this year to put up our many Nativity sets. We do have our Little People Nativity set but the pieces have been scattered everywhere right now.

This is one of my most exciting decorations....our stockings. I am so excited to have all 4 stockings with names on them. Next year I'll have to get Mom and Dad stockings. I bought these from Land's end. The needlepoint on them is beautiful.

These are our Advent candles. We light them on Sunday and talk about their meanings.

This is our Jesse tree. I just made this the other day and hopefully next year I'll get a Jesse tree devotional book to read along with it. I found it on this website.

Here is our Mistletoe! Watch out or you might get caught under it. Our kids think this is alot of fun to stand under and wait for a kiss!

Here is our countdown Advent calendar. The kids love keeping up with how many more days!

This is one of my favorite traditions. The Advent book. You open a door a night in December, revealing part of the Christmas story. The doors are so beautiful and the pictures are full of detail. The boys can even quote many of them because we choose to read each door up to the one we are on.

We enjoy celebrating Christ's birthday in our home.

A quick update

2010-12-18T14:16:00.003-06:00

It's been very busy around here! Anna turned 2 in September. Abigail is now 4 months old. Big T is 8 and Taylor is 6. Both boys are now missing lots of front teeth. Anna loves swinging and being a little mommy to Abigail. Anna has recently potty trained! That's always a great thing. I've never had one trained this early completely. I don't even remind her to go.

Abigail is such a happy baby now. She started off really fussy and had a bad skin rash and eczema. After finding a natural chiropractor who specializes in Nutrition she is much happier. I had to eliminate Dairy and Corn out of my diet since I am breastfeeding her. Her skin is completely clear and not even dry. She is so happy now. She loves to smile and laugh. Although it's hard to catch her smiling in a picture because she focuses on the camera.

The boys are growing up so fast. Big T reads every book he can get his hands on. He loves to read. He played fall baseball this year and did so good. He loves baseball and football. He's so excited that Auburn will be playing in the national championship game. Taylor played fall baseball also. He enjoyed it but says that soccer is his favorite. He really enjoys playing with Anna and Abigail. Taylor is a big Auburn fan too!

We are adjusting to a life of 4 children. I feel so blessed to be at home teaching, training and loving on my children each day. It may be really busy. Some days I don't even get a moment to myself. But, I love doing what God has called me to. God has really blessed me so much.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-02T07:37:00.003-06:00

We are starting our yearly Christmas traditions. They include reading the Advent book each night and lighting Advent candles on Sunday. Here is our family Christmas card for this year.

Joy Magic Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

I actually made a few cards but this was my favorite. Shutterfly has beautiful cards! Have a Merry Christmas!

Too busy for words

2010-08-28T15:15:00.004-05:00

My sweet Abigail

2010-08-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome little one!

2010-08-07T19:03:00.001-05:00

Abigail Faith

7lbs 4 oz

born 8/6/10

and waiting and waiting....

2010-08-03T06:37:00.002-05:00

We'll just have to see how long this little one wants to stay inside me. An August baby it will be. In the meantime I am keeping busy. God has really blessed me. I am enjoying each HOT day inside with my other 3 children. I am ready for the baby, but continue on with life. What is our life right now you ask? Potty training, some school work and cleaning up. Fun times!

Still waiting

2010-07-26T09:29:00.002-05:00

We're still waiting on Baby to make his or her appearance. In the meantime I celebrated my 30th birthday on Sunday! God has blessed me with such a wonderful family. I could never have imagined the wonderful blessings he has given me. Isn't Anna such a doll with her pigtails.

Update and Baby Countdown

2010-07-13T08:10:00.005-05:00

We have been very busy this summer. We had a nice family vacation at the beach in May. Now I am on baby countdown at 37 weeks. Hoping for a early delivery, but very doubtful. I have had lots of nesting energy, but it's gone now. The past couple weeks I have worked on washing up baby things, freezer meals and making up dry mixes. After the baby comes I remember how hard it is to cook sometimes. Anna is now 22 months. She is a ball of energy. We have been working on potty training. I forgot how much energy it takes to potty train. I've also never potty trained while pregnant. We are all so ready to meet our new little baby. Anxiously waiting to see if it will be a boy or girl.

After taking a break with school I am ready to jump back in there. We are waiting until after the baby to start back though. I really enjoy teaching my children and watching them grow and learn. I hope to post soon after having the baby! Maybe that will be sooner rather than later!

What to do with Avacodos?

2010-04-29T11:51:00.003-05:00

I had never bought Avacodos until I saw a recipe to make Chocolate pudding with them. I adapted the recipe and here it is:

3 Tbsp of butter

1 C. Mashed avocado with a couple tbsp of water mixed in to get a good pureed consistency

1 C. Powdered sugar

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan on low, add in mashed avocado. Using a silicone spatula mash stir in sugar and cocoa. Mash with spatula until well blended and pudding is warm. Add in vanilla and stir. Then place in a blender ( I use a small one). Whip it up and stir, then again. This will make it very smooth.

This pudding is very, very sweet and chocolaty. Great for dipping fruit in.

Another quick use for Avocados is to place avocado in food processor or blender with salsa. Puree and use for dipping or spread on quesidillas, etc. My kids love this and it's so super easy. It takes down the spice level of salsa to their liking.

Attempt at spring pictures

2010-04-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite Breakfast Recipes

2010-02-15T19:29:00.004-06:00

This is a recipe that I came up with using a cookie recipe. We have this often because it's easy, can be made the night before and cook the next morning and it's delicious. We get tired of the same things for breakfast around here so it's nice that I can even change this up to make it different.

Oatmeal bars

1 cup Applesauce 1tsp baking soda
1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon (if using)
1/3 cup regular sugar 1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs 4 1/2 cups of oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla 1cup raisins or chocolate chips

Mix applesauce (may substitute 1/3 cup coconut oil for 1/3 cup of applesauce and it will make them crumbly and yum) , sugars, eggs and vanilla. Stir in oatmeal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate or raisins. Dump into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 min.

Now the variations: If you use old fashioned oatmeal they will be very crumbly, some coconut oil also makes them crumble. I love them this way in a bowl with milk. If you want breakfast bars then all applesauce and quick oats makes them hold together better.
Chocolate chips makes them so very yummy! It's our favorite way!
Please don't add cinnamon with the chocolate because that would just be gross.

Coconut oil is very good for you and very delicious. I linked to my favorite brand. Also you can add in Flaxseed and substitute about 1/2 cup for 1/2 c. of oats.
Hope you enjoy!

Homeschool Science

2010-01-23T11:35:00.003-06:00

We've been studying about birds in Science this week. We have been reading about John Audubon. It's a great book. So, we made edible bird's nest. They were delicious.
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2c. chocolate chips
Melt these in a bowl then add in Bran cereal.
Shape them and cool in the freezer. We also added marshmallows for eggs.

Amy

Beautiful Girl

2010-01-16T19:44:00.001-06:00

1st Birthday in Pictures

2010-01-16T16:08:00.009-06:00

A Catch up???

2009-09-24T16:13:00.007-05:00

Is it even possible to catch up when you are months behind in a single post? Well, I'll attempt to. For some reason I can't move my pictures around....So, going backwards we celebrated our 9th Anniversary in August,

saw lots of rainbows,

Celebrated my birthday in July and T's birthday in July as well. T turned 7 years old.

We also watched Anna learn to walk. She just turned 1, so I will try to get her birthday post up soon.

Enjoy,

Amy

Happy Birthday Taylor

2009-06-23T20:37:00.002-05:00

I know this post is long overdue. I just run out of time to post pictures lately. Here are some pictures from Taylor's birthday on June 4th. He turned 5 years old.

We enjoyed a day all together as a family bowling,

watching the movie UP in 3D (Anna slept during it).

Taylor is such a big boy now. He is the quieter boy. He was the one who always curled up in my lap in the mornings until my belly got too big during pregnancy and now he's just about too big for my lap. He's such a relaxed little boy with a very deep voice. Happy Birthday Taylor!

Amy

Little Pink dress

2009-04-07T17:37:00.003-05:00

This older lady pictured here made this beautiful pink dress. I wore it as a baby and now Anna is wearing it. It's so neat to have some of my baby clothes saved that Anna can now wear.

A picnic at the park

2009-03-29T16:55:00.001-05:00

6 months

2009-03-25T12:21:00.002-05:00

Anna is 6 months old already. I had a hard time taking her 6 month picture because I still didn't want to believe she was 6 months already. She is growing too quickly. She has already started crawling. Legos and lots of other toys in our house are no longer safe. She seems to love going after the boys toys. Taylor loves to tempt her with a matchbox car. Anna has just been such a joy to our family. I found myself holding her a little tighter after praying for Baby Stellan.

Please lift up baby Stellan in your prayers along with his family.

Amy

5 months already?

2009-02-16T19:19:00.006-06:00

Where did the time go? My little girl is 5 months already. She is all smiles whenever you talk to her. Anna loves watching her brothers play. She also loves being in the sling so she can be up high enough to see everything. We all love to call her "Purdy." That's southern for Pretty! She probably thinks that's her other name. I love to hear Taylor call her "Purdy" in his deep southern voice. It has been a fun, but busy 5 months.

Amy

Meeup Giveaway

2009-02-06T20:06:00.003-06:00

4 Little Men and Girly twins is having a babywearing giveaway. Head on over to win a pouch sling called Meeup. Anna loves being carried around in the sling but these pouches are too cute.
So, if you enter and win and don't have a little one to wear---send it over here! Anna would love to be stylin' while on her mama's hip.

Amy

2009-01-29T20:29:00.002-06:00

I've been working on this for Facebook and thought I would also post it here:

Once you've been tagged, write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end choose 25 people to be tagged. Make sure to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know MORE about you!
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your random things, tag your friends, then click publish.)
Ok, I guess it's my turn:
1. I have a hard time getting started writing things.
2. I homeschool my 2 boys.
3. I love it.
4. I know why Wall street is called Wall street in New York. Do you?
5. I asked to be knocked out to have my wisdom teeth taken out.
6. But, I had two babies with no pain meds at all.
7. I think I shop like a man (go in, quickly scan, grab it and go.)
8. I love cooking, just don't like the clean-up.
9. I read all of J.Vernon Mcgee's Thru the Bible commentary in about 2 years.
10. It was the first time I actually read through the whole Bible.
11. I have 7 Denise Austin workout DVD's
12. I met my husband and married him in 6 months! It was the best thing I ever did. I only wish I had married him even quicker!
13. Most of the time I still feel like I'm 18.
14. In my first year of marriage someone came to my door and asked for my parents and I said they were not there. I had some cute flannel PJ's on! :)
15. I am a R.N. but never worked in nursing after getting my degree.
16. I love to read. But, when I read a really good book I have a hard time putting it down to do anything.
17. I still bite my nails, sometimes.
18. I pay my kids in quarters to be good in Wal-mart while grocery shopping. (Well, actually I take away their quarters when they aren't good! It works wonders.)
19. I have two large scars on one leg from a dog bite.
20. I have never traveled anywhere outside of Southern states. (Kinda sad, I know!)
21. I learned to drive on a stick shift and drove one until I got married.
22. I like drinking hot tea. (You know, green tea, Black tea, Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea )
23. I was president of FHA (Future Homemakers of America) my senior year :)
24. I never planned to stay at home when I was pregnant with my first child, it just happened.
25. This took me two days to write because of all the interruptions. I'm glad it's over!

Amy

When you need more arms...

2009-01-22T20:06:00.002-06:00

Wear your baby! Anna loves for me to put her in the sling and tote her around on my hip. That's the only way I can get some things done in the morning. If she is fussy I can put her in the sling and walk through the house cleaning or doing school with the boys and she will just drift right off to sleep. She loves being up where she can see what's going on. I love having her close but still getting some things done. Here is a picture of Anna in the Maya wrap sling.
This is Anna at 1 month old in a Mei Tai. This carrier is the easiest on your back but, she can't see as well right now, so it's not her favorite.

Amy

Cloth Diapers

2009-01-08T14:30:00.005-06:00

Okay, here's the verdict....I really like my cloth diapers. For one Anna just looks so cute in colorful pink diapers. They don't stink like disposables when used. They are quick and easy. What's one more load of laundry every other day? Not much compared to how much laundry I already do. I did try prefold diapers and covers, but really disliked them. The covers were really cute as evidenced by this picture:

I did have to get over the fact that they are just bulkier than disposables. My favorite are Bum Genius pocket diapers. Just as easy as a disposable to put on. Anyone can do it. My second favorite are Fuzzi Bunz. A friend introduced me to cloth diapers and after I saw how cute and easy they were I was hooked. Oh, and if you are expecting a baby anytime soon. Do yourself a favor and buy some good prefold diapers for burp cloths. Once you buy real prefold diapers you will never want to use Gerber prefolds for burp cloths again. They are so much thinker and softer than Gerber. You can buy them here.

Amy

Favorite Recipes

2009-01-06T19:25:00.003-06:00

Here are some of our latest favorite recipes:

We love Peanut Butter Granola Cereal
6 tablespoons oil (preferably Coconut oil, it's a healthy fat and does not taste like coconut)
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 cups quick oats

Instructions:
1. Over low heat, melt together oil and peanut butter. Remove from heat, stir in sugar. Pour over oats and mix well.
2. Spread onto a large lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, stirring once or twice during heating if desired. Cook until granola is lightly toasted and golden (but not burnt!). Add raisins, if desired, in last 5 minutes of baking. When cool, store in canisters.

Taken from Tammy's Recipes with a slight modification.

We enjoyed Farmhouse Chicken for supper tonight. It is so delicious and easy to make.

While looking up the recipes I just found a new one to try! YUM!
Happy cooking!

Yes, it was a Merry Christmas!

2009-01-05T14:59:00.005-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! We enjoyed gathering with family this year. The children enjoyed our annual Happy Birthday Jesus party, making Christmas cookies and our first Gingerbread house.

We packed all that in before Christmas! Christmas morning brought lots of excitement. I think I may be more excited than the kids. I beat them up Christmas morning and was waiting with the camera in hand and Big T had the video camera ready for the excitement. Oh, what fun to find some pink under the tree this year!

Hope you enjoyed it! (You can thank my friend M for this!)

Update...

2008-12-03T19:04:00.007-06:00

Look how much my children are growing. It's just too fast. T is already comparing his height to mine wanting to know how much longer until he is as tall as me. Probably not long enough. Time just goes by too quickly. T is really excited about starting Upward Basketball this month. It's our first venture into organized sports.

Taylor is determined to be opposite of T right now. He pretty much wants the exact opposite from T or they want the same and argue over it. He still has the deepest, booming, voice! But I think he's very cute too.

This little doll makes me feel like I'm reliving my childhood playing with dolls again. She is just so very cute. I never get tired of dressing her up in pink clothes and diapers. I'm alot more relaxed this time around. I guess having two ahead of her helped me to relax alot more. Anna loves to smile and coo at her brothers. I don't even think she needs the fancy toys. She has two brothers who love to entertain her! She is growing just too quickly.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. I just run out of time to blog much. Sometimes it's all still so overwhelming.

Amy

Beautiful Pictures of my babies...

2008-10-24T20:55:00.002-05:00

The boys just adore their baby sister. This is a very natural position for them. Every morning after I feed Anna and put her down it's a big race to get close to her and talk to her. They each want to be the one she is looking at. It seems like yesterday when my boys were babies. Now they are looking so grown up.

Aren't these feet adorable inside her daddy's hands.
She is just so beautiful!

All these photos were taken at 2 weeks by a local photographer. If you are interested in who it is you can contact me and I'll let you know. She did a great job. It made picking out pictures really hard.

Amy

Discovering Dresses...

2008-10-16T19:50:00.001-05:00

The birth story of Anna Ruth

2008-09-20T11:16:00.006-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It was a week from today that my sweet baby girl, Anna Ruth, was born. It all started on Friday night. I had some uncomfortable contractions after eating supper. I have had many uncomfortable contractions for the past few weeks so I didn’t think anything of it. At about 7:30 pm the contractions were getting a little more noticeable. I really was just hoping they were dilating me more but not expecting for them to keep going. I finally went to bed around 8:30pm to try and get some sleep. I just laid there awake practicing my relaxation. When Big T came to bed we talked about names and laughed about how we might have a baby this weekend. But, I still truly expected my contractions to go away. I got up around 10 and came to the couch to try to sleep but still couldn’t. Around 1am the contractions were getting more intense so I called the nurse midwife on call and told her I was coming to the hospital and it would take me about an hour. I went in around 2am and when they checked me I was at 5cm. My mom came and we just sat around in the room. I sat on my birthing ball and walked around the room during and in between contractions. My contractions never were really regular. Even the intensity of them changed. Finally I started feeling the urge to push and I looked at Big T and said “It’s time.” He left out to go get the nurse and the nurse-midwife who had came to the hospital earlier and sat out at the desk waiting. They asked to check me but I couldn’t lay down for that. I started pushing. Then the nurse midwife asked to check me to make sure I was completely dilated. I was and continued pushing. It seemed liked forever before the baby came out but it was really short. I probably pushed for about 10 minutes. I was on my side in the bed and the midwife picked her up and put her on my stomach. We asked to leave the cord until it stopped pulsating so when they placed the baby on my stomach the cord blocked the important parts. I lifted up the cord and legs and screamed “It’s a girl! I got my girl! I can’t believe it. It’s a girl!”

I was so glad it was over and the baby was out. I remember praying during pushing for God to help me. I just laid there with my baby looking at me admiring her. After a few minutes the cord stopped pulsating and they clamped and cut the cord. They took the baby to the warmer in the room to fingerprint and get footprints and do a quick check-up. Then they brought her back to me and I just loved on my baby. She did breastfeed after a little bit. I got up and got in the shower shortly afterwards to rinse off. Then I ate some breakfast and we left to go to the nursery with Anna and change to a post-partum room. We kept Anna with us the entire time. The staff was great about it.

All through everything I just see how God answered my prayers and then some. I had been praying about who would be on call. I really wanted one of the midwives and my favorite of the two was on call. Also I really wanted to drive to the hospital at night so it would be calmer and less stressful. I had also been praying about what nurse I would have. I was praying that I would have one who would be wonderful about the way I wanted things to go. The nurse I had was great. She had the attitude that it’s my birth and I have every right to do it my way. Anna Ruth is named after my grandmother who passed away last year in September. She has brought us such joy.

Amy

Welcoming.....

2008-09-16T10:50:00.003-05:00

Our newest blessing

Anna Ruth

Born on September 13, 2008 at 6:04 am

7lbs 1oz

20"inches

Just popping in to say....

2008-09-03T16:14:00.001-05:00

That I'm still here nesting like crazy! I have 2 weeks to go until my due date! Wooo Hoo! We'll have to see if this baby wants to come around then or after.

Amy

Almost ready!

2008-08-21T16:29:00.006-05:00

I thought I would share some pictures of what I've been doing to prepare for Baby #3's arrival. I've really enjoyed nesting this time. With my 1st son I had him so early after just finishing up my nursing exam. So, I didn't really do a whole lot. Then with #2 we were selling our house and moving right after he was born. So, he was in our room. This time we are settled, for now and I enjoyed fixing up a baby room.

Here is a skirt I made for my changing table with a friend's help and my mom finished it off. I really wanted to add color to the room and cover up the storage area.

The baby bed all ready.
A custom canvas that I painted for the baby. All it needs is a name!
A bassinet in our room. It's actually a co-sleeper.
The legs raise up and it attaches to our bed. This will be so nice at night!

Here is what I have loved purchasing the most...my cloth diapers. This will be the first baby that we use cloth diapers on and I think they are so cute. I'll have to buy alot more after I have the baby, but I bought a few different types to try out. I think that my favorite are the Bum Genius 3.0 pocket diapers and Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers. I also have lots of prefolds and covers to use with them and a Motherease One size with a cover. They are all so soft. I purchased most of them from Cotton Babies.

I found these two carriers at a local consignment sale. The one on the left is a Babyhawk Mei Tai. The one on the right is a pouch type sling. I would like to try carrying my baby this time. I'm sure with two others to keep up with a good carrier will come in handy.

Here are the boy and girl going home outfits.

I even have the carseat and stroller ready. Now just waiting on the baby!

I do still have a few little things to get done before the baby comes, but not much. The major stuff is done. I am very anxious to see if this little one is a boy or girl. It will be a great surprise. Since I've had one really early baby and one very late baby I'll just have to wait and see when this one decides to come. It might be my first to come on my due date!

Amy

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-12T13:55:00.002-05:00

We are celebrating our 8 year anniversary! This is the first anniversary that I've been pregnant. I can't believe it's been 8 years already! We even took our yearly picture in our first house. It's now my mom's house. Where we are standing is where T proposed to me! Happy Anniversary T! I love you!

Amy

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-07-27T20:00:00.002-05:00

I had a great birthday this year. Look at my Birthday present! I actually got it a week earlier. I love our new minivan. With the baby coming soon it was time to upgrade to something that would hold 3 carseats. Now there is room for 6 children and two adults! We are not going for 6, just saying it could hold up to 6.

I really enjoyed my birthday on Friday. I met with my best friend Rashelle at the coffee place. The kids enjoyed playing at their indoor play area while we had time to chat. Then I had a nice date with my husband Friday night! We don't have too many more date nights that we can enjoy alone left. Soon we'll be taking a little baby along with us, for a while at least. For those who want to see a belly picture, here it is. I'm 32 weeks. We are definitely on the count down. I am so very blessed to have my husband and two little boys. Each birthday I have seems sweeter and sweeter with my growing family. God has definitely blessed us!

Amy

Baby Room Mistreatment

2008-07-22T19:51:00.005-05:00

Here is my Mistreatment that I made for the baby's room. I am very pleased with how it turned out. Especially since I made it. I did not even sew one stitch on it. That's good since I don't know how to sew and hated it when I tried to learn! Hopefully I'll finish up on the baby's room soon. I still plan to make a changing table skirt. We'll see how that goes, because I'll have to sew it.

Amy

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-20T14:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to my T! I can't believe you are 6 years old already. I still remember when you were born how tiny you were. I was so very scared for you but wanted to do what was best for you. Now you have finished your Kindergarten year and moving into first grade. I am amazed at what you've learned. You are so very smart. I hope that one day you will be just like your dad.
Happy Birthday my big boy!

Love,

Mommy

Finally

2008-07-08T19:12:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a month since I posted again! I'm just slacking badly. I have been on the computer, just not posting here. But here are some pictures of what we have been doing alot of.

It's about all you can stand to do outside in this heat! We also started back our school already. We wanted to get a jump start before the baby comes. T is doing 1st grade using this. Taylor is doing preschool using this. We are really enjoying school so far. I am learning to relax and enjoy it alot more. We are also following a schedule using Managers of Their Homes.
It's helped alot with many problems that we've had. I have a post I'm working on with more details about our schedule, but we haven't been consistently using the schedule very long yet.

The baby is growing and moving lots already. I can't believe in only 2 more months maybe, could be more or less, there will be a little baby here! We are all very excited to welcome our new baby. I'm trying to prepare as much as possible even though we don't know if it's a boy or girl.

Amy

Vacation

2008-06-10T19:31:00.003-05:00

Last week we went on Vacation to Tennessee. It wasn't much cooler than it was here but we had a great time. Here are a few pictures and I'll try to share more later. Taylor also celebrated his birthday while we were gone. I can't believe he's 4 already!

All my boys on a train ride at Dollywood.

Here's a belly shot for those who want to see it. I feel about 3 times bigger than that though. This sure is a active baby. It's also quite low but I still feel short of breath easily. How does that happen? So is it high or low? I still love to feel all the movements.
I have picture of the Aquarium and other cute pictures I'll share later.

Amy

Sharing....

2008-05-19T19:14:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share more about some of the speakers at the recent Homeschool convention. I have enjoyed reading over the books I've purchased from there. Ginger Plowman spoke on parenting and using scripture to train your children. I purchased a chart called Wise words for moms which is great. I encourage you to take a look at it on her site. I have used it a few times already with great success. It lists the behavior problem, heart questions to ask the child, what behavior to put off with a scripture verse and then what behavior to put on with a scripture verse along with extra scriptures that match it.

We also enjoyed listening to Phil Downer speak. He was so encouraging, especially to dads. If you ever have a chance to hear him the definitely take the time. He has a great book called A Father's Reward. It would be a great Father's day present.

I did not get to listen to Teri Maxwell speak but I bought two books of hers that have really encouraged me lately. One is Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet spirit. I have loved this book. I can't wait to go back through slowly with the study guide answering the questions and reading the scriptures. I also bought Managers of their Homes. If you are looking to implement a schedule for you and your children then it's a great book. I think it's time for us to become much more scheduled. I do not plan on having every moment scheduled but at least a morning and afternoon would help us. I'm still working on designing one. She takes you through this process slowly. So your schedule is well thought out and prayed over.

Amy

My favorite curriculum

2008-05-17T18:34:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite curriculum. We used Little Hearts for His Glory this past year and next year we will use Beyond Little Hearts for his Glory. I am so impressed with all the products that she created. Just yesterday I received a catalog from them in the mail. It explains the curriculum wonderfully and I just enjoyed pouring over it and looking at what we will most likely continue with for a while. Click here to order your free catalog if you're interested. It's definitely worth looking into. Just so you know, she writes this curriculum in Charlotte Mason style. Go here if you're not sure who that is. If you want to know more about the Charlotte Mason method then check out this book. I really enjoyed reading it and found myself agreeing completely with it.

Amy

So much to catch up on...

2008-05-16T11:43:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to our first Homeschool Convention. It was great. Big T and I used this as a getaway staying 2 nights at the hotel and doing lots of shopping! I needed some clothes! We really enjoyed relaxing and the conference was very inspiring. I had the best time shopping in the vendor hall with all the books. Although we came home exhausted from walking so much and not sleeping enough.

On Monday I had my mid-way ultrasound. Everything looked good and the baby weighs about 15 ounces. So, how come I've gained way more than that???? We did not find out if it's a boy or girl so we will be surprised at the birth. The baby is moving alot now. This pregnancy is going by so quickly.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the update!

Our Zoo Field Trip

2008-04-24T07:09:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the Zoo on Tuesday. Big T especially loved seeing all the animals.

Of course if you go to the zoo, you have to ride the train.

Do you notice the new haircuts? It's getting hot and they want it buzzed off so they can spike their hair.
We ended with a trip to sonic with our friends who also went to the zoo with us. It was lots of fun. We rarely go to sonic so this was a big treat. Big T had his first Hot fudge sundae and he said that was his favorite.

Amy

Recipe sharing time

2008-04-16T10:19:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you but spring makes me want some new recipes to try. The things I cook during winter are looking blah, and I need quicker things so that we can go outside and enjoy the pretty weather. So, I thought I would share a few recipes that I have tried lately that were delicious.

French Dip from Taste of Home This was so very yummy and easy. I just put it in the crock pot and finished it at suppertime.

Broccoli and chicken bake from Tammy's recipes This was also delicious and would be quick if you already have cooked chicken and cream of chicken soup. I used this recipe to make my own cream of chicken soup which was also very good.

Cheesy bread from Tammy's recipes This is quickly becoming a favorite. I made this with our Broccoli and chicken bake last Friday and then yesterday with spaghetti. I usually roll it out to the size of my pizza pan which is about 16 inches.

Cheerio treats from Taste of Home The kids had a great time making these yesterday. We used Chocolate Chips instead of M&M's and they melted but were very delicious this way. These were actually kind of soft for cheerio treats. It's hard to eat just one!

I hope you like the recipes I shared. Maybe they will give you some new inspiration to cook. Both websites are full of great recipes. Have you tried anything delicious lately that you want to share?

Amy

YUM!

2008-04-11T12:36:00.003-05:00

This morning we went to a local farm to pick strawberries. Here we are in the strawberry fields picking and eating!

Do you see strawberries on his lips? That's also a busted lip from a fall yesterday.

This is what we brought home after we ate some for lunch. We are planning to have strawberry smoothies this afternoon and strawberries on pancakes in the morning for breakfast. YUM!

Update

2008-04-09T13:37:00.004-05:00

I guess it's time for my monthly post. Now that I've had a couple people wondering what happened to my blog. I'm still here and alive just pregnant and busy around here. In pregnancy news I'm getting close to the half-way mark. I'm now in my second trimester and it's great. I feel really good and I'm trying to get back into exercising regularly. It's time to start brushing up on natural childbirth. I would love any book recommendations....hint, hint all you natural birth junkies! We have to do this alone this time because unfortunately my Doula won't be there. I had a prenatal checkup today but had to reschedule because T is sick with a fever. Both boys are so excited about the baby but they want to see it kicking and moving. I've told them soon they will see it. I've been feeling it move occasionally when I'm really, really still. For those who don't know yet, we have chosen to wait until birth to find out if this baby is a boy or girl. We are just praying for a healthy baby. Boy or girl we will love it to pieces. (Although the boys along with Big T are hoping for a boy.)

In school news, we are almost done with our curriculum this year. T will be done with Kindergarten and move into first grade this summer. We will finish by the beginning of May! T is doing so great with his reading and math. We have really enjoyed our curriculum and will most likely use it for next year.

We all have that summer fever around here. The pool can't open soon enough for us. We are enjoying these beautiful days outside. Big T, T and Taylor love to go bike riding after supper at night. I just get to walk. Maybe after the baby comes I can get a pink bike to ride!

I'll try to take some pictures to post soon.

Amy

Easter photos

2008-03-24T15:52:00.005-05:00

We had a great Easter Sunday! We started the morning off making Resurrection Rolls. Using crescent rolls and marshmallows dipped in butter and cinnamon and sugar. They were yummy and the boys had fun making them.

Here are the boys all dressed up for church in their suits.
Egg hunting Sunday afternoon!

Dyeing thier Easter Eggs on Sunday afternoon.

Past time

2008-02-21T15:19:00.004-06:00

I guess it's past time that I put up a new post. I have two sick kids on the couch watching a movie, so I'd say here's my moment. I've missed posting about my Husbands birthday a couple weeks ago. How sad:( But Happy Birthday Big T! We all enjoyed his Butterfinger/Brownie Ice cream cake.

Also, we enjoyed a nice Valentine's Day together. Big T bought me beautiful flowers and chocolates. YUM! Since then we've been dealing with sick, sick kids. I sure hope it's almost over.

Look at my big boy. He's riding without training wheels already. He's been doing this since I was sick a few weeks ago. While outside with Dad he learned to ride out of sheer determination.

Amy

Mr. Mom

2008-02-03T19:37:00.000-06:00

This week my husband really stepped up and had to play Mr. Mom and Dad. I was sick most of the week. Big T did a great job taking care of the kids, house and me. He even cooked for us! I didn't enjoy being sick one bit, but I enjoyed being well taken care of and well loved. The boys do not want dad to go back to work tommorrow but it's time to get back into our routine. They enjoyed playing lots of games on the playstation and lots of wrestling matches. We ended our extended break with a Superbowl Pizza party. That's why I get the computer tonight! Thank-you Big T for being a wonderful Husband and Dad! I love you!

Amy

Let it Snow!

2008-02-03T19:26:00.000-06:00

T and Taylor loved the snow we had. T is tasting it!
Snowball fight

Do you see the snowball about to hit Taylor's head? Look out Taylor!

Amy

Announcing.....

2008-01-12T17:42:00.000-06:00

That we are expecting another baby in September! We are all very excited.

Amy

The Business of Being Born

2008-01-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a video with you. This movie is coming to University of Alabama at Huntsville soon and to the Montgomery area at the Capri theatre. It's very interesting.

Our Christmas

2007-12-30T18:41:00.000-06:00

We had another wonderful Christmas here at the Perfectly Crazy Household. We all just enjoyed each moment together celebrating Christ's Birthday. This year we once again used The Advent Book and read out of it each night of December. The boys memorized alot of the scriptures from it. On Sunday's we lit our Advent candles and talked about their meanings.
We also enjoyed making sugar cookies and decorating them. I wonder how many M&M's and chocolate chips made it on the cookies????
We also enjoyed celebrating with our families on the Sunday before Christmas and Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we stayed home and enjoyed watching the kids open their gifts and play.
How exciting and noisy it was here!
Lastly, T who is a BIG Football fan was so excited to get his favorite team jersey. War Eagle!
Amy

Out of Order

2007-12-23T20:09:00.000-06:00

I've been a little out of order lately. As you can tell I haven't been posting much. Life has been zooming by too quickly to take time and post. So, I'm just coming on to tell you all

and in case I don't make it back in time

Amy

Look what I bought...

2007-12-14T18:36:00.000-06:00

For just $2.72. If you want to know how then go here. You can also go here for deals on many other stores updated weekly.

I actually spent $13.72 because this is my first time using CVS and ECB. But I received $11 worth of ECB which are used like cash at CVS for next time.

Hope you enjoy the last day of this deal is tomorrow.

Some pics to share

2007-12-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

Here is our Balloon Launch yesterday. We made cards for Jesus and sent them to Heaven.
Up, up and away they go. The kids loved watching them take off.

Here's what we spent the afternoon making. A superman and Batman sock puppet. I thought they turned out cute. T was so excited and thanked me constantly for making it. My mom brought us a kit to make them and the boys have begged to make them ever since. But, I hate sewing. It really wasn't so bad though.

I think I have to back out of the challenge. If anyone wants to read her challenges then go to my previous posts to go to Crystal's blog.

Making your home a haven Day 2

2007-12-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

Day 2 and I didn't even complete the first part which is to do my five things. I knew that I wouldn't make it up at 5am this morning because on Wednesday my husband sleeps in. Tomorrow I hope to make it up. Here is the challenge from Crystal's site.

1) Refresh your spirit (5 minutes)
Like yesterday, brew a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, and sit down for a few moments of quiet with the Lord. I encourage you to take some time to pray over your day - bringing the activities planned before Him and asking Him to go before you and bless your endeavors for His glory.STOP: Have you done your morning routine yet? If not, stop here and start with that. When you've finished it, come back here for your next assignment. :)
Okay this was easy, I still did this with my cup of green tea in hand!

2) Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)
Do you have a plan for today? A few minutes of strategic planning before you begin your day can not only help you to be much more productive, but it can also save you a lot of time.If you have not done so, make a short to-do list for today of things you need to do or would like to accomplish. If you are married, I encourage you to ask your husband if there is anything you can do for him today. If he mentions anything, make that your top priority to accomplish today.Keep your list it to ten items or less. Number the items in order of importance and tackle the first one. Don't move on to #2 on your list until #1 is completely finished.Post your list on your blog and cross things off as you finish them! Let's help keep each other accountable. Remember, though, to see your list as a guideline, not a slave master. The list is just meant to help you not be aimless. If other things come up which are more important, be cheerful and flexible.
I had a plan, but who wants to read my list, I don't! I had lots to do today in a short time because of our party today. I did get them done. I sure prayed alot for help. I needed 6 hands. Ever felt that way????

3) Do Something! (10 minutes)
Since we tackled our entryways yesterday, we're moving on to our living rooms today. Light a candle, put on your apron, turn on some uplifting music, and then set the timer for ten minutes and get busy cleaning your living room! Start by putting throwing out trash, putting away misplaced items, and straightening up things. If you have time, do a quick dust and vacuum of the room.
I cleaned up after the party but that's about all. Then I folded some laundry that was overdue.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll do this. I did straighten my pantry today somewhat and found a box of Wheat thins I was looking for last week!

We did have our Happy Birthday Jesus party today. I'll have to post a pick later. The kids had so much fun.

Making My Home a Haven

2007-12-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

I'm joining in on a challenge of sorts to Make my home a Haven. Really I need to develop a better morning routine and this caught my eye. Crystal has challenged her readers to join her in Making our homes a haven. I am copying the challenge and posting it here so you can see. I will shorten it so check her sight for the full challenge.

Today's Challenge:
1. Refresh Your Spirit (5 minutes)Take five minutes, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and sit down and be still before the Lord. Pray, read a Psalm, thank the Lord for His goodness and blessing in your life. So before you do anything else today, take time to refresh your spirit in the Lord.

2. Take Time to Plan (5 minutes)Today's planning project is centered on a morning routine. Write down five things you want to do in the same order every morning. Keep it simple and only stick to five things.
After I spent some time praying I came up with my first five things:

Get up! (that's the hardest), Make hot tea
Wash face.
Sip on hot tea and spend time with the Lord praying and reading my Bible.
Make breakfast. Cook, if needed, pancakes, oatmeal, muffins. I want to try to cook in time for my husband to eat.
Make my lists of things to do, things to remember, etc. Think about supper and if I need to prepare anything in the am.

3. Do Something! (5 -15 minutes)Each day I'm going to be giving you a simple organizational task to complete in your home. And today we're going to start at the very beginning - a very good place to start!
Okay, so I haven't done anything yet, but I plan to this afternoon. I probably only will spend 5-10 minutes but I will. I am starting in the kitchen with the pantry.

Amy

One of those....Mondays

2007-11-20T06:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was definately one of those Mondays. I think I must have jumped out of the wrong side of bed or something. While sitting down to pray and write in my journal yesterday I started off complaining about why I was so ill and then I felt prompted to turn my attitude into gratitude. I thought I would share my list of things I'm thankful for since it's THANKSgiving and all.

First of all I'm thankful that God chose me and saved me. It's not through anything I've done but what God has done for me.
I am so thankful for my husband. He is really the best husband ever!
I am thankful for T.(aka Bougar) yep that's right, that's his nickname. He is my firstborn, my experiment. Even though he can frustrate me sometimes we have great times together. I love that he's old enough to play games with, to get into books. He definitely challenges me sometimes.
Taylor, I love that he is still very innocent. He still has a very childish innocence to him. He still cuddles with me in the mornings.
Thanksgiving with my family on Sunday night was better than ever. We enjoyed such a relaxed time and I loved watching my boys and niece have so much fun together.
Nap time yesterday! It really helped to shake off most of the grumpies that I had.
Our home, even though I would love for it to sale and get on with it. I love that we have a nice comfortable place to live. The boys have plenty of room to run in the house when necessary. My bathtub is also a wonderful place to soak away the grumpies.
That Earth is not my final home. God doesn't care if I have flawless skin, a perfect body (which will never happen after two kids without a knife for me), stylish clothes and the perfect hair. God wants my heart to be for him. Having it all doesn't matter to God, unless you're talking the fruit of the spirit.
My good friends. God has blessed me with some good friends and one especially great one!
Homeschooling, even on days like yesterday, I'm still glad that we homeschool.
The scriptures to comfort and guide me.
The way God changes my focus and priorities.
Fun times I've enjoyed with my family lately.
My car, I love it. It's so reliable and I'm grateful for it.
Cold weather which allows me to sip on something hot to stay warm and snuggle.
The beautiful sunny day.
The peaceful quiet right now.(well yesterday anyways)
Being able to rest in my position as wife and leave decisions up to my husband and especially to God.
That we have good leftovers for supper. (yesterday anyways)
That we are all relatively healthy, minus the sniffles anyways.

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and remember to give Thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Amy

2007-11-06T13:18:00.000-06:00

I am finally taking a moment to blog about something other than contests. I know I bored many of you with my contest entry's. Here at the Perfectlycrazy household we've been playing hookie with school because T was so sick last week. Finally he started to get better then ran a fever on Sunday, then of course because we are "Perfect" Taylor got sick on Monday. Just when we thought it was over. We've, or really, I've been enjoying having long naptimes.

Some interesting things that I've ran across lately

This really opened my eyes to what a difference make-up and computer editing make. I've always heard it but to see it. WOW!

I listened to Family Life today and they were talking about Hymns and the importance of teaching hymns to your children. We just started singing a hymn together whenever we do devotions at night. The boys are really catching on to the words. Our first is Holy,Holy,Holy.

I hope all of you have enjoyed the first few days of November. Time is flying by. Christmas will be here before you know it.

Amy

Passionate Housewives Giveaway

2007-11-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

Can you tell I love giveaways? Here is one more. I can't wait to read this book. So, of course I have to enter a drawing to win it. You can go here, to enter for yourself. Or you can go here to purchase the book.

Amy

Fall Giveaway

2007-10-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

I don't have a giveaway yet. I'm thinking on it. But head on over here, for lots of Fall giveaway's.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Vision Forum Giveaway

2007-10-30T08:04:00.000-05:00

Kim is hosting another giveaway sponsored by Vision Forum again! This one's even better - 3 winners will take home $250.00 worth of great stuff from VF . Vision Forum is dedicated to the restoration of the Christian household. Well here is my $250 wish list:

1. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God $16 I really want to read this book.
2. The History of the Sunday School movement CD $10 -I've been wondering about this for a while now.
3. The Original Blue Back Speller $13
4. Teach them to your children $17
5. Rebuilding a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood $10
6. The Blessed Marriage $10
7. The Role of Children in the meeting of the Church, $10
8. The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing her husband $16
9. So Much More $20
10. Another Copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate For God, $16 -I'm sure it will be so good I'll want to share it.
11. Uniting Church and Family $45
12. Be Fruitful and Multiply $15
13. The New England Primer $10
14. 2006 Best of Festival $35

Amy

Pumpkin Day!

2007-10-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

We went to a Pumkin Patch last Wednesday. Unfortunately it was still HOT! It's hard to think about Fall in summer weather. The boys enjoyed picking out pumpkins and I enjoyed taking some cute pictures.

Here is the finished pumpkin. We carved this today. It was my first attempt at carving a pumpkin. I'm sure you know who scooped out the inside. The boys kept saying how the pumpkin "Stinks." It did "stink," but I rolled up my sleeves and dug in bare handed. YUCK! I thought it turned out kinda cute. The boys enjoyed looking at it in the dark with the candle lit inside. Happy FALL!!!!!!!

Vision Forum Contest!

2007-10-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Vision Forum Contest Kim is hosting a contest, where $150 worth of VisionForum Products will be given five people.
So here is my Vision Forum Dream list

1. Passionate Housewives Desperate for God $16 I really want to read this book.
2. The History of the Sunday School movement CD $10 -I've been wondering about this for a while now.
3. The Original Blue Back Speller $13
4. Teach them to your children $17
5. Fun Projects for you and the kids $15
6. Grow a Frog Kit $20
7. The Role of Children in the meeting of the Church, $10
8. The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing her husband $16
9. Brotherly Love $12
10. Another Copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate For God, $16 -I'm sure it will be so good I'll want to share it.

I can't wait to see who wins! 5 people will win!

Article

2007-10-25T07:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a article What women aren't told about Childbirth. What I find the most interesting is that women with private insurance have much higher C-section rates!

Are you well-dressed?

2007-10-18T18:55:00.000-05:00

This week I have been reading a book of sermons written by J. Vernon McGee. While reading The well-dressed Christian, I was convicted in how I dress sometimes, or don't dress! I thought I would share the high points with you. That way we can all be well-dressed!

Spiritual Striptease
Take off "8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds," (Colossians 3:8,9)
"10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him," (Colossians 3:10)

Undergarments
"12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. " (Colossians 3:12,13)
--Tender mercies-KJV says "bowels of mercies" translated to emotions of pity. Having a heart of mercy, not a heart that is cold and indifferent.

--Kindness-could be translated goodness.
--Humbleness of mind, garment for the head like a hat.
--Meekness-gentleness We love our soft undergarments. Are you soft?
--Longsuffering -we shouldn't have a short fuse or make snap judgements
--Forbearing-means putting up with disagreeable saints.
--Forgiving one another. Ephesians 4:32 "32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

Outer garments
-Girdle of Love-"14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:14) Love is a bond and a bond is a girdle-it is the girdle of Love. We all would look better with a girdle of love on.
-Storm Coat of Peace
"15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
-Ornament of Thankfulness "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thessalonians 5:18)

Accessories
"16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colossians 3:16)
-First is the Lipstick :"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
-Purse "In all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another" Fill the pocket book with the Word of Christ and bring it forth at the proper time in all wisdom.
"In psalms and hymns" this is like a two way radio with God, a way to talk to God and for him to speak back to you.

Working Clothes
-"17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17)
"23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men," (Colossians 3:23)

For a new man
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation." (2Corinthians 5:17)
We have to be outfitted first of all with the garment of his salvation.
"10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. " (Isaiah 61:10)

J. Vernon McGee's sermons are available free on MP3 downloads.

Amy

Park day!

2007-10-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

Today we spent some time at a local park. The boys really enjoyed playing at a different park with their friends. We took the opportunity to take lots of pictures so that we could enter a contest! "I'm entering the Fall Five Kodak Printer Give-Away at Sprittibee's Blog. Kodak and Sprittibee are giving away an EasyShare 5300 printer!" Little T even took some of his own photos. I don't usually hand over my camera but Spirttibee asked us to include them. Here are a few pictures that Little T took.

As you can see he's a natural! Here is the finished project. We started making a Alphabet mini scrapbook last year. Because I didn't want to run to the store to print pictures we kinda stopped after D. Hopefully we will finish it this year. I skipped ahead to the Letter P and then we used ordinal numbers to rate his favorite things to do at the park. We are going over ordinal numbers in our school work right now so I jumped at the chance to reinforce it.

Since this isn't really clear, because I also don't have a scanner, I'll explain the pictures. 1st is playing at the park with Friends, 2nd is the bridge, 3rd is the firepole, 4th is feeding the Ducks and geese (mostly because he liked taking pictures of them), 5th is the spiderweb climber, and 6th is the slide (it was hot!).

We have been having lots of fun doing school and also on the field trips. We really enjoyed adding another fun item to our learning adventure! Happy Fall Ya'll!

Amy

Wordless Wednesday

2007-10-10T14:18:00.000-05:00

Perspective

2007-10-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

For those of you wondering, I am still battling the Fruit gnats. It is better and I keep setting out vinegar. Placing a apple peeling in a bowl with plastic wrap on top worked the best. Last night Big T and I sat to flip channels and saw a baseball game on. Now I have no right to complain about all the gnats in my house. That's a real gnat problem. The guy had gnats crawling all over his neck. I don't know how he even pitched. I'll take a few gnats as opposed to thousands crawling all over me. Here's the story about the game if you want to read it.

Amy

Help needed!

2007-10-03T06:34:00.000-05:00

Today's Works-for-me Wednesday has a great twist. Instead of telling you what works for me I get to ask for your help in what works for you!

I have a BIG-Little problem. Fruit Gnats have taken over my kitchen. I have battled the gnats for 2 days and they are winning. I have set out vinegar and trapped a few. You can hear me clapping occasionally to try and catch them, but they are so fast I rarely do. I finally resorted to my fly swatter and didn't do any better than my hand. So help!!!!! PLEASE HELP! I'm on the verge of defeat. What works for you?????

For more questions head on over to Shannon at Rocks in my dryer.

Amazing Grace

2007-09-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

My Granny

2007-09-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

Amy Ruth (February 14, 1935-September 17,2007)

Dear Granny,

I miss you but I'm very happy for you. I know you are glad to be in the loving arms of Jesus. I am sure you are singing in your beautiful, Alto voice along with your mom, your baby of 3 years Gene, and your firstborn James. We missed you very much yesterday and I tried not to cry but to rejoice for you. I could almost hear your voice singing in the church along with everyone "Amazing Grace." I was so very comforted by the words. Yesterday morning I was prompted to grab my Bible while praying with my cup of coffee before the kids woke up. I had been praying for comfort and the Holy Comforter(Spirit) led me to the passage in Matthew 20:26 "Yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant." Granny you were always a servant to everyone around you. Every time we were at your house you were always cooking and making sure everyone was well fed. Matthew 19:2-4 "Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Granny you always had such a child's heart. This last year after your stroke your child's heart came all the way out. You no longer worried about the day to day things anymore. But, even through that the real you shined through by making sure everyone had something to eat. I will never forget last time I was there how you held the bag of cookies down so my boys could get a cookie. Yesterday my mom did the same thing at your house and it reminded me of you. I will always remember you with a smile on your face. I will always cherish the times that I stayed with you as a teen when I needed to rest from what was going on around me. You welcomed me with open arms and I enjoyed the comfort of "Granny's house." I know that you lived such a hard life and that your last years were lived out in pain. I can almost hear Jesus calling you home "Come home, ye who are weary come home." You would have enjoyed yesterday at your home. Most of your family was there, along with some friends. The kids were playing and having such a good time. We were all out on the porch swinging, talking and enjoying the beautiful fall day. I really missed you dearly and it's not quite right without your presence. But, I know one day in heaven we will rejoice together once again. Goodbye for now and I know I will see you again.

I love you!

Amy

PMS HELP!

2007-09-12T06:40:00.000-05:00

Every since Aunt Flo returned after my 2nd child I have struggled with PMS that has gotten worse each month. Not so much the cramps as the moodiness. Slowly it had worked it's way into the whole week before the monthly visit! Then, I discovered the power of PLUS!

I take 2 PLUS and shortly after the moodiness, almost breaking down in tears is gone. PLUS is a product made by Mannatech. PLUS contains Wild Yam extract and amino acids. The amino acids should help with sugar cravings also. ( I read that in a book called Total Renewal by Frank Lipman,M.D.) These ingredients basically give your body what it needs to produce all the hormones necessary which helps your body regulate itself. This definitely works for my PMS. I'm like a new woman. Although I still have to accept the fact that Aunt Flo will come monthly. But, at least it helps me to be alot nicer right before the visit. For more WFMW tips visit Shannon. If you have any other tips to make it all alot smoother then please share in the comment section. Thanks!
(If you choose to order from Mannatech you will want to join as a member and if you choose an auto order you can get a free product. If you don't want it the following month simply cancel online after recieving your order.)

Amy

High Speed!

2007-09-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

We finally have High Speed Internet!!!!! Yea!!!! Hopefully now I can post alot more. The dial-up was so slow that it took entirely too long to post and I would give up. I'll try to post again soon but for now I'm enjoying the lightning fast speed and I'm definitely not missing the dial-up sound!

Amy

101 Reasons to.....

2007-09-04T07:01:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a article citing 101 reasons to Breastfeed. I want to comment here on some of the top reasons in my opinion that you should consider when deciding whether to give it a try.

4. Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of breast cancer. Many studies have shown that women who breastfeed have lower risks of developing breast cancer. Recently, data from 47 studies in 30 countries was re-examined. The study group concluded that the incidence of breast cancer in developed countries could be reduced by more than half if women had the number of births and lifetime duration of breastfeeding that have been common in developing countries until recently. According to the analysis, breastfeeding could account for almost two-thirds of this estimated reduction in breast cancer incidence.
This is very important considering the large increase of cancer.

5. Baby's suckling helps shrink mother's uterus after childbirth. The uterus of the non-breastfeeding mother will never shrink back to its pre-pregnant size. It will always remain slightly enlarged. "Nursing will help you to regain your figure more quickly, since the process of lactation causes the uterus (which has increased during pregnancy to about 20 times its normal size) to shrink more quickly to its pre-pregnancy size. "
I enjoyed easily loosing weight while breastfeeding.

6. Formula feeding increases baby girls' risk of developing breast cancer in later life Women who were formula-fed as infants have higher rates of breast cancer as adults. For both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer, women who were breastfed as children, even if only for a short time, had a 25% lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who were bottle-fed as infants.
Now you know!

7. Formula Feeding is associated with lower I.Q.Human breast milk enhances brain development and improves cognitive development in ways that formula cannot. One study has found that the average I.Q. of 7 and 8 year old children who had been breastfed as babies was 10 points higher than their bottle fed peers. All of the children involved had been born prematurely and tube fed the human milk, indicating that the milk itself, not the act of breastfeeding, caused this difference in I.Q. level. Another study to support this statement was done in New Zealand. Here an 18 year longitudinal study of over 1,000 children found that those who were breastfed as infants had both higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than children who were infant-formula fed.
Wow! Just by breastfeeding you are insuring your children will be smarter!

11. Breastfeeding satisfies baby's emotional needs and increases bonding between mother and baby. All babies need to be held. There is no more comforting feeling for an infant of any age than being held close and cuddled while breastfeeding. In fact, studies have shown that premature babies are more likely to die if they are not held or stroked. Breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormone oxytocin in the mother's body. "It is now well established that oxytocin, as well as stimulating uterine contractions and milk ejection, promotes the development of maternal behavior and also bonding between mother and offspring."
There is a bond that just cannot be imitated by a bottle. The hormone oxytocin is a very calm inducing hormone.

13.Not breastfeeding increases mother's risk of developing ovarian cancer Based on the research, breastfeeding for a total of 12 to 24 months can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer by about one-third.

17. Breastfeeding protects against Crohn's disease (intestinal disorder)Crohn's Disease is a chronic intestinal disorder. It is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation extending into the deeper layers of the intestinal wall. It is difficult to treat, but several studies have shown that breastfeeding may help babies avoid developing the disease in later life.

18. Formula feeding increases risk of children developing diabetes. There are many studies linking development of insulin dependant Type I diabetes (formerly referred to as "juvenile diabetes") to lack of breastfeeding. The results of a study from Finland suggest that the introduction of dairy products at an early age, and high milk consumption during childhood increase the level of cow's milk antibodies in the children's systems. This factor is associated with an increased risk of insulin dependent diabetes. Now a new study has indicated that breastfeeding in infancy may help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. This sort of diabetes was formerly referred to as "adult onset" diabetes, but has been mysteriously occurring in more and more youngsters.
Very important information with the rise of obesity in our country.

20. Breastfeeding may help stabilize progress of maternal endometriosis. Endometriosis is a disease in which the endometrial tissue in a woman's body begins to form in places other than her uterus, such as on her ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the outer surface of the uterus. This tissue continues to function like uterine tissue would in the uterus, and sheds once a month during the woman's menstrual cycle. Since there is no vaginal outlet for this blood and tissue, painful complications, including sterility, may result. There is much clinical research showing that pregnancy temporarily stops the progress of this disease. Many women say that the disease also seems to be alleviated by breastfeeding. It certainly makes sense that the delay in the return of a woman's menstrual cycle would be desirable in preventing the endometriosis from starting up again. Some women even claim a permanent cure.

23. Formula feeding increases chances of baby developing allergies"Breastfed babies have fewer allergies than artificially fed babies. This is especially important if your family has a history of allergies. Many babies are allergic to cow's milk formulas. Some babies are even allergic to soy formulas. Breastfeeding protects against other allergies, such as atopic eczema, food allergies, and respiratory allergies."

24. Breast milk lowers risk of baby developing asthma. A number of studies have linked lack of breastfeeding to asthma. According to one study, six year old children were more likely to have asthma if they had not been exclusively breastfed for at least 4 months.

37. Formula-fed babies are more at risk for obesity in later life. A study of 32200 Scottish 3 year old children found that the incidence of obesity was significantly lower among those who had been breastfed, after adjusting for socioeconomic status, birth weight and gender. Another study, this one of Czech children, found that the even older children (6 -14) who had been breastfed were less at risk for overweight/obesity. Additionally, a German study found that 4.5% of formula fed children are obese, while only 0.8% of breastfed children have this condition.

49. Formula costs the government (and taxpayers) millions of dollars. The U.S. government spends more than $2,665,715 a year to provide formula for the children of non-breastfeeding mothers participating in the WIC supplemental food program. Of course, this doesn't take into consideration the additional costs of caring for those infants who are statistically much more likely to get sick. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, higher breastfeeding rates could reduce US health care costs by $3.6 billion per year.

I hope that before you comment you will read all the reasons they also cite references to their reasons. Now you know that what you choose to do should be decided more on the facts than what you feel like. There are many places online that will help you with any problems that you encounter if you want to breast feed. Even if you choose to formula feed at least you know the difference and that it's more than bottles or breasts.

Amy

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2007-09-04T06:39:00.000-05:00

Last week was super busy for us. That's why I've been missing around here for too long. Starting with Monday I had a women's bible study that started back up, during the day we had school and I kept a friends kids for a while. Tuesday was spent at a friends house for our weekly workout day after homeschooling first, Wednesday we had to go to town and pick up a check from consigning things and then we just enjoyed staying and eating at Chick-fil-A and playing. Chick-fil-A has great coffee! It has a nice nutty flavor. We had AWANA Wednesday night. Thursday is our regular library storytime day after we homeschool first. Then Friday we had a appointment to go to that is turning into a weekly appointment. Saturday I decided to start pulling out things and gathering together things to sale at a yard sale. We are cleaning up and getting rid of things in hopes that it will just make it easier when our house does sale. We are also trying to decorate to sale. I'll post some pictures of what we've done later when we finish. After enjoying a relaxing holiday, we are looking at a busy week already this week too!
I hope you enjoy your week!

Why I Homeschool....

2007-08-20T19:13:00.000-05:00

Thoughts of Homeschooling my children started when my oldest was only a year old. I was reading James Dobson's Bringing up Boys. In it he stated that he believed the best thing for boys was homeschooling at least the first couple years. I mentioned this to my husband, Big T, and he was constantly telling me about a program that he would hear on the way to work about homeschooling. He was listening to Focus on the Family and seemed to keep hearing positive things about homeschooling. I really struggled with committing to homeschooling initially. I really argued a little with God, but I truly felt that this is what God wanted me to do. This did not fit into what I had imagined for my life. Big T was really on board with homeschooling and encouraged me into it. He explained how much he would have loved being homeschooled as a child. So, I continued to research homeschooling and pray. The more I read about homeschooling the more convinced I was that this was what I wanted for my boys. Now we are into our first year and I love it. It is so much better than I ever expected. I'm so excited about all the fun things that we will learn about together. I love that my boys will be each other's best friend. I also feel that the best way to fulfill my God given purpose as a parent is to homeschool. "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. "Deuteronomy 6:6-7 So, this is my #1 reason for homeschooling. I have seen many more reasons to homeschool since learning and reading more about homeschooling. But, I feel that God calling me to homeschool is the most important reason there is.

Amy

Lucky Number 7!

2007-08-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary!!!!

Last Sunday we celebrated our 7th Anniversary. Actually, we didn't get to go out to celebrate until Friday night. We have enjoyed our 7 years together. I have definitely been very blessed with a wonderful husband. Each year we celebrate our anniversary we take a picture together and put it in a special photo album. This album tells the story of our marriage. I love to add a picture each year.

Amy

First "Official" Day of School

2007-08-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

Today is T's first "official" day of school. We have been doing schoolwork since last April whenever we could fit it in. But, as of today we are truly Homeschooling. We have been using this curriculum. I am really enjoying the way it's laid out clearly and full of active fun ideas. We have actually done 8 weeks total since last spring. So, I decided to set a routine by starting with a prayer and saying the pledge. T held our flag today since it's really his first "official day" of school.

The boys have both been saying the pledge at Awana so they already know it.

This is Taylor doing some stringwork. He is stringing beads on a shoelace while T does his Math book. I found great ideas for what to do with Taylor while T is doing school here. This is also something T can't wait to do.

We did get off to a great start this morning. I even had time for P.E. for myself. I know it's supposed to be for the kids but I'm the one trying to get into shape! I am really looking forward to the adventure of learning together. Maybe one of these days I'll post why we have chosen to homeschool.

Amy

Works for me Wednesday: Parenting edition

2007-08-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

Today Shannon is hosting a Parenting Edition of Works for me Wednesday. So, now is the time to throw my $.02 in. I found a website recently that has great parenting information. This lady is

the mom of 10 kids. You read right 10 kids. If I want advice I am going to ask someone who has alot of kids because they must know what works. So check out The Woodshed. This sight picks up where Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp leaves off. And if you don't like what you see then click the x at the top of the screen. Afterall, it is called Works for Me!

Amy

Summer

2007-07-27T14:10:00.001-05:00

I thought I would share pictures from this morning. I decided to take my camera and play around with the sports setting. These are some of the results.

Amy

My Special Day!

2007-07-26T06:30:00.001-05:00

I thought I would post some pictures from my Special Day. We had so much fun! The boys worked hard to help mommy on my Birthday. Big T even brought me flowers, but I'm much too lazy to take a picture this morning!

Here is my Birthday cake that the boys made me. They took turns "decorating"it. I must say cake decorating must be inherited. They sure knew how to add those sprinkles!
This is T working so hard making breakfast. He flipped those pancakes right off the griddle.
The M&M's were delicious in them.

I hope you had a Fabulous July 25th!

Amy

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-07-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is my Birthday it's my day to play! Three cheers for me... Hip, Hip, hooray!

I have been playing today! I love the chance to have guilt free fun. This morning T and Taylor cooked breakfast for me. Well, kinda, with alot of help. We had Oatmeal pancakes with M&M's in them. Yum!!!!! Then I met my Bestest Friend Rashelle at our local coffee house that has a really nice play area for kids. We have been meaning to do that for a long time. I had a Hazelnut Truffle Latte. Very delicious!!!!!! Make sure you jump over HERE for the Dog Days of Summer giveaways. I've entered a few of them. Hope you are enjoying your day!

Amy

Help!!!! Help!!!!! Help!!!!!

2007-07-24T06:34:00.000-05:00

We need your help. My boys are in a Chick-fil-A contest and we need your help to get them into the top 40. Vote using all e-mail addresses that you have and spread the word to your friends to vote. People we LOVE FREE CHICKEN!!!!! We NEED FREE CHICKEN!!!!! HELP!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! You can vote for T here. You can vote for Taylor here. My Thanks to all who I have e-mailed and have voted already and to those of you who read this and vote. You don't have to fill in all your info and uncheck the box to keep from getting regular e-mails. Also please check your e-mail to complete the vote.

THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU!!!!

Amy