Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sneak Peek of baby A :)
Had the honor and blessing of getting to spend some time with 5 day old baby "A" yesterday. Isnt he gorgeous?! Here is a sneak peek for Mama! :)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Ashley
Hey Ashley! thanks for saying hi :) I apologize for using your last name - Ive edited the post to remove it. I wasn't thinking! Actually Swagbucks doesnt use your last name, only an initial (just so everyone knows!). In an email about something else they used it - which is weird. Very strange actually since the "professional" bloggers have tons of people sign up with them they dont know.
anyways. sorry! Thanks for stopping by sometimes. Im relieved to know that we dont actually know each other and that I hadn't forgotten you and hurt your feelings LOL!
anyways. sorry! Thanks for stopping by sometimes. Im relieved to know that we dont actually know each other and that I hadn't forgotten you and hurt your feelings LOL!
Coupon sites I use
A lot more people are getting into using coupons. Some people use the Grocery Game which is great but if you want to get the deals for free, here are some of my favorite sites.
Like Ive said before, most of the food we cant/wont eat. If its something like pasta, even if its white, Ill get it if its a good enough deal. Thats great to have on hand for company, life group, or when we are just out of food. And easy to store.
I have a huge stock of stuff that I plan to donate at Christmas, mostly womans toiletries. Im really excited about that. Things like toothbrushes, shaving gel (I just use soap, the gel is toxic. but i know some people wont go without), pantyliners, etc. Ive gotten so much for FREE. I may not use it but I know it will bless other women so its worth the time.
Ok. enough blabbing ;) Here they are, my favorites are listed first.
*note: online coupons can generally be printed twice from each computer. hit your "back" button a few times and it will print again*
http://www.couponing101.com/ (start here - great tutorials)
http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.momsbyheart.net/
http://www.mycouponcollege.blogspot.com/ (friend Sarahs blog)
http://www.southernsavers.com/
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/
http://www.babygoodbuys.com/
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/
http://www.mypennypile.com/
http://attentiontargetshoppers.blogspot.com/
http://myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com/
Some examples:
Huggies Natural diapers on sale at Target for $8.49. Usually $10.99. I had a $3 off manuf. coupon and a $1 off Huggies Target coupon (you can use a man. coupon and store coupon together). So I got them for $4.49! They were a little small for Abram but they worked!
Once Walgreens had their diapers B1G1 free. There was also a walgreens coupon for $2 off each package. They are $8.99 a package. With the sale it was $8.99 for both and then with the coupon it was$5 - I paid $2.50 per package!!!!!! And they are now my favorite generic brand. Closest to Pampers Ive found.
Dryers ice cream was on sale at Target for $2.50 each. If you bought 5 you got a $5 Target Gift Card (they frequently do deals like this). I had Target coupons for $1 off each one and one $1 off manuf. coupon. Thats a total of $6 off. So $12.50 - 6 = $6.50. I did them in a seperate transaction, got the gift card and used it towards the rest of my groceries. Factoring in the gift card I got them for $0.30 each!!!! They are great to have in the freezer for an easy dessert at Life Group or when we have company.
Target has some AWESOME coupons sometimes. Like $1 off a lb of apples. So you put only 1 pound in a bag and use the coupon and they are free! Happens with their small artisan breads too. And you print the Target coupons online so you can print as many as you want. Some stores give people problems but the Target on Overton Ridge is great - never have had an issue. Ive gotten so many things free there!
Like Ive said before, most of the food we cant/wont eat. If its something like pasta, even if its white, Ill get it if its a good enough deal. Thats great to have on hand for company, life group, or when we are just out of food. And easy to store.
I have a huge stock of stuff that I plan to donate at Christmas, mostly womans toiletries. Im really excited about that. Things like toothbrushes, shaving gel (I just use soap, the gel is toxic. but i know some people wont go without), pantyliners, etc. Ive gotten so much for FREE. I may not use it but I know it will bless other women so its worth the time.
Ok. enough blabbing ;) Here they are, my favorites are listed first.
*note: online coupons can generally be printed twice from each computer. hit your "back" button a few times and it will print again*
http://www.couponing101.com/ (start here - great tutorials)
http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com/
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/
http://www.momsbyheart.net/
http://www.mycouponcollege.blogspot.com/ (friend Sarahs blog)
http://www.southernsavers.com/
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/
http://melziemomsbargains.blogspot.com/
http://www.babygoodbuys.com/
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/
http://www.mypennypile.com/
http://attentiontargetshoppers.blogspot.com/
http://myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com/
Some examples:
Huggies Natural diapers on sale at Target for $8.49. Usually $10.99. I had a $3 off manuf. coupon and a $1 off Huggies Target coupon (you can use a man. coupon and store coupon together). So I got them for $4.49! They were a little small for Abram but they worked!
Once Walgreens had their diapers B1G1 free. There was also a walgreens coupon for $2 off each package. They are $8.99 a package. With the sale it was $8.99 for both and then with the coupon it was$5 - I paid $2.50 per package!!!!!! And they are now my favorite generic brand. Closest to Pampers Ive found.
Dryers ice cream was on sale at Target for $2.50 each. If you bought 5 you got a $5 Target Gift Card (they frequently do deals like this). I had Target coupons for $1 off each one and one $1 off manuf. coupon. Thats a total of $6 off. So $12.50 - 6 = $6.50. I did them in a seperate transaction, got the gift card and used it towards the rest of my groceries. Factoring in the gift card I got them for $0.30 each!!!! They are great to have in the freezer for an easy dessert at Life Group or when we have company.
Target has some AWESOME coupons sometimes. Like $1 off a lb of apples. So you put only 1 pound in a bag and use the coupon and they are free! Happens with their small artisan breads too. And you print the Target coupons online so you can print as many as you want. Some stores give people problems but the Target on Overton Ridge is great - never have had an issue. Ive gotten so many things free there!
Healthy Chocolate Cake!!!!!
I know y'all think Im crazy making cake out of beans but seriously, this is awesome!!! And even better - you can eat it 100% Guilt-Free!!!!
Steve and I are off sugar until Nov 17th - no cheats. So I wanted to make something fun and sweet to satisfy those cravings. Check out THIS healthy chocolate cake. This chick rocks in the kitchen!
You have to let it sit overnight but we just ate it for snack and it was GOOD.
It didnt rise like I wanted because my baking soda is old (I buy the aluminum-free baking soda and baking powder and the soda is hard to find!)
You could make cupcakes, eat it without icing, or just drizzle some agave on it (keep agave consumption to a minimum, more on that to come)
Just wanted to share in case I had some adventurous blog readers out there!
P.S. Is there an Ashley H. out there??? I have someone who signed up on my swagbucks (thanks!) and I dont know who you are. Im dying of curiosity! Say hi, ok? :) Im up to 66 swagbucks already - they just roll in!
Click HERE if you are ready to finally sign up and earn your own Amazon gift cards. Ashley just signed up and she's already earned 19! awesome!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sweet baby girl
This is our friend's daughter. They were over the other night encouraging us and hanging out and my camera just couldnt stop taking pictures of her! She is 3 months younger than Abram and tiny as can be!
(I love the bokeh in this, Im getting to know my new 50mm f/1.4 and I love it so far! p.s. non-photography people - bokeh is the blurred/out-of-focus part of the picture, where the lights look like glowing circles. dont say you never learn anything on this blog! ;))
(I love the bokeh in this, Im getting to know my new 50mm f/1.4 and I love it so far! p.s. non-photography people - bokeh is the blurred/out-of-focus part of the picture, where the lights look like glowing circles. dont say you never learn anything on this blog! ;))
Estimated Due Dates - are just that
One thing that really gets me going is when I sweet a sweet pregnant friend stressing out because her doctor wants to induce labor. Often the mom is tired and emotional and the Dr has thrown out scare-tactic words like "big baby" or "shoulder dystocia" or "old placenta". Very often they are only a few days past their EDD.
I came across this super interesting article about how they originally came up with calculating due dates. Aside from the mathematical formulas and their errors - the simple truth is that we are not machines. We are not carbon copies spewed out from a lifeless evolutionary process. We are human beings, each lovingly created by the Lord, each unique! And each baby is also unique, each pregnancy is unique. Its really sad that so many OBs have become so rigid about "estimated" due dates.
Article. (check it out, very interesting!)
A clip:
I came across this super interesting article about how they originally came up with calculating due dates. Aside from the mathematical formulas and their errors - the simple truth is that we are not machines. We are not carbon copies spewed out from a lifeless evolutionary process. We are human beings, each lovingly created by the Lord, each unique! And each baby is also unique, each pregnancy is unique. Its really sad that so many OBs have become so rigid about "estimated" due dates.
Article. (check it out, very interesting!)
A clip:
They found that for first time mothers (nulliparas) pregnancy lasted an average of 288 days (41 weeks 1 day). For multiparas, mothers who had previously given birth, the average gestational length was 283 days or 40 weeks 3 days.Patience is a virtue!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pictures
I wish I had more time to work on pictures but Ive been kind of out of that routine lately. But thats a good thing since it can suck up HOURS and I have plenty of other things to do. But not tonight :)
First day of School 2009!
Jayna - working hard with her beloved pink highlighter
My sweet Caleb. Loved the way the light was hitting his eyes and grabbed my camera. Its really hard with how dark his eyes can be (and Jayna too) so I was thrilled to catch this! It really shows the true color of his eyes.
First day of School 2009!
Jayna - working hard with her beloved pink highlighter
My sweet Caleb. Loved the way the light was hitting his eyes and grabbed my camera. Its really hard with how dark his eyes can be (and Jayna too) so I was thrilled to catch this! It really shows the true color of his eyes.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Warning: long blog ahead :)
I need to catch this online journal up-to-date.....
Last night at CORE went sooooo much better. Thank you Jesus! I could definitely tell people were praying. They came and got me at some point. I went down and got him to eat his banana which helped his mood. but he totally freaked when I tried to leave. So I brought him up for awhile and he played in the corner (big room) and I got to listen to the speaker. That was great. When he got loud I took him down and distracted him playing with Jayna then left. He stayed down until it was over! yay! It was so much better, Im so thankful.
Today was our 4th day of our homeschool year. Its going well! Its actually really nice to have structured things to do. I can tell I will need to up the creativity a bit to keep them enjoying it but right now its still new so that makes the motivating pretty easy.
We are learning the 70 phonograms (its ok if you dont know what they are, I didnt either) using Spell to Write and Read. There is a test book that goes with it that a friend lent me where they child reads a short story and answers comprehension questions. When I read it for him, Noah would get nearly all the questions correct, scoring at like a 9th grade level. I was pleasantly surprised to know his comprehension is doing so well. But it only really counts when they read it themselves and answer what they can in 3 mins. When I tested him that way he scored at grade level 4.4 (he's in second grade). He's so easy to teach, its really neat.
We are doing Saxon for math again. Calebs doing kindergarten (Saxon 1) and Noahs doing 2nd grade (Saxon 3). We got 5 lessons done this week and so far so good!
We are reading about the Middle Ages in Story of the World. Thats kind of hard for Caleb to track with (he's not big on auditory stuff like Noah is) but Noah looooooves it. Today we read about the fall of Rome to the barbarians.
We are reading the classic version of Pinnoccio. Ive never read it, I had no idea how different the move is from the original! So far both boys enjoy that a lot (Jaynas listening but its pretty over her head)
Jaynas doing little alphabet stuff for our letter of the week: A. She made an uppercase and lowercase A out of beans the first day and today had an "A" coloring page with polka dots so we practiced coloring in the lines. I also got a chance to work with her on shapes today. It is so stinkin' cute how she says "triangle". oh my goodness. too cute. It has like 4 syllables LOL. Otherwise she just sits at the table with her pink highlighter and colors and colors in her notebook. its so cute! :)
Speaking of syllables....I taught the boys about them today. How cool is it to teach your child something like that?!?! Its something you just "know" but really someone taught you and its something they will always know. That's the stuff that makes homeschooling so rewarding for me. We did it using clapping and it was fun!
There were not-so-fun parts this week too. Usually it involved Abram being displeased with not being the center of my attention. Its hard to read over his screaming and hard to do school when he learned to climb up on the bench and onto the table (eek!) He will get used to it though!
So....my midwife recommended I try to lose about 15 lbs before we conceive again, to help avoid having another Abram-sized baby (he was 9lbs11oz, nearly a pound larger than the other kids). Only God knows when (and if) that will be but I am jumping back on track and eating well again. Its my usual thing I do - no eating after 8, no sugar or white flour, etc. etc. Focusing on as little processed food as possible, more green veggies, etc. I want to set that example for the kids. She also put me on Diflucan to kick this thrush once and for all and being off the sugar will definitely help with that (it came back after the Gentian Violet, just a tiny bit, but still back). We get so far off track when we have company - so we'll just blame it all on them haha! :) Ive already lost 2lbs so it should be worth it. Im pretty close to my pre-pregnancy weight but I want to go about 8lbs beneath that.
ANYWAYS. If you read this far....wow. Its really not that interesting :) I am unworthy of your attention.
God is moving here and we are excited. Excited to be challenged at CORE and as we lead life group - thats really stretching right now but in a good way. We learned some super cool things about prayer last night that are really encouraging us! He is good! (could I ever say that enough?!?!?!)
I have some pictures to edit. always so much to do. But I also need to go get organized. We have leadership community meeting at 8am tomorrow! Thats always crazy getting the kids there by myself (steve works) :)
I need to catch this online journal up-to-date.....
Last night at CORE went sooooo much better. Thank you Jesus! I could definitely tell people were praying. They came and got me at some point. I went down and got him to eat his banana which helped his mood. but he totally freaked when I tried to leave. So I brought him up for awhile and he played in the corner (big room) and I got to listen to the speaker. That was great. When he got loud I took him down and distracted him playing with Jayna then left. He stayed down until it was over! yay! It was so much better, Im so thankful.
Today was our 4th day of our homeschool year. Its going well! Its actually really nice to have structured things to do. I can tell I will need to up the creativity a bit to keep them enjoying it but right now its still new so that makes the motivating pretty easy.
We are learning the 70 phonograms (its ok if you dont know what they are, I didnt either) using Spell to Write and Read. There is a test book that goes with it that a friend lent me where they child reads a short story and answers comprehension questions. When I read it for him, Noah would get nearly all the questions correct, scoring at like a 9th grade level. I was pleasantly surprised to know his comprehension is doing so well. But it only really counts when they read it themselves and answer what they can in 3 mins. When I tested him that way he scored at grade level 4.4 (he's in second grade). He's so easy to teach, its really neat.
We are doing Saxon for math again. Calebs doing kindergarten (Saxon 1) and Noahs doing 2nd grade (Saxon 3). We got 5 lessons done this week and so far so good!
We are reading about the Middle Ages in Story of the World. Thats kind of hard for Caleb to track with (he's not big on auditory stuff like Noah is) but Noah looooooves it. Today we read about the fall of Rome to the barbarians.
We are reading the classic version of Pinnoccio. Ive never read it, I had no idea how different the move is from the original! So far both boys enjoy that a lot (Jaynas listening but its pretty over her head)
Jaynas doing little alphabet stuff for our letter of the week: A. She made an uppercase and lowercase A out of beans the first day and today had an "A" coloring page with polka dots so we practiced coloring in the lines. I also got a chance to work with her on shapes today. It is so stinkin' cute how she says "triangle". oh my goodness. too cute. It has like 4 syllables LOL. Otherwise she just sits at the table with her pink highlighter and colors and colors in her notebook. its so cute! :)
Speaking of syllables....I taught the boys about them today. How cool is it to teach your child something like that?!?! Its something you just "know" but really someone taught you and its something they will always know. That's the stuff that makes homeschooling so rewarding for me. We did it using clapping and it was fun!
There were not-so-fun parts this week too. Usually it involved Abram being displeased with not being the center of my attention. Its hard to read over his screaming and hard to do school when he learned to climb up on the bench and onto the table (eek!) He will get used to it though!
So....my midwife recommended I try to lose about 15 lbs before we conceive again, to help avoid having another Abram-sized baby (he was 9lbs11oz, nearly a pound larger than the other kids). Only God knows when (and if) that will be but I am jumping back on track and eating well again. Its my usual thing I do - no eating after 8, no sugar or white flour, etc. etc. Focusing on as little processed food as possible, more green veggies, etc. I want to set that example for the kids. She also put me on Diflucan to kick this thrush once and for all and being off the sugar will definitely help with that (it came back after the Gentian Violet, just a tiny bit, but still back). We get so far off track when we have company - so we'll just blame it all on them haha! :) Ive already lost 2lbs so it should be worth it. Im pretty close to my pre-pregnancy weight but I want to go about 8lbs beneath that.
ANYWAYS. If you read this far....wow. Its really not that interesting :) I am unworthy of your attention.
God is moving here and we are excited. Excited to be challenged at CORE and as we lead life group - thats really stretching right now but in a good way. We learned some super cool things about prayer last night that are really encouraging us! He is good! (could I ever say that enough?!?!?!)
I have some pictures to edit. always so much to do. But I also need to go get organized. We have leadership community meeting at 8am tomorrow! Thats always crazy getting the kids there by myself (steve works) :)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Jaynas special day: Sept 11, 2009
Last Wed I heard Noah saying something to Jayna about having to go to church. He was using his "teasing voice" and she was whining about whatever he was saying. So I called them in to find out what was going on. Jayna came in, arms crossed, lips stuck out in a pout, obviously very worked up.
"Noah say me have be Kiss-chin. Me no want be kiss-chin!"
"Jayna do you know what a Christian is? that just means that you love Jesus and you want to walk with him all your life!" (said in a cheerful voice)
"No me want be kiss-chin!"
"thats fine. you dont have to be" (glared at Noah and told him to leave her alone)
I got her calmed down and then he said something else and she comes right back in, BURSTS into tears and says,
"You kiss-chin mommy?!?!"
(heart obviously broken by this revelation, oh the betrayal!)
"Yes Jayna, I love Jesus!"
"No me want you be kiss-chin" (sob, sob, sob)
I told her that I would always be a Christian and just tried to comfort her and got Noah to leave her alone.
Fast forward to yesterday evening..........
Jayna came in and so sweet and joyfully said, with a HUGE smile,
"Me want be kiss-chin mommy!!!"
"you do?!"
"Uh-huh! Me want me kiss-chin!"
I explained that people usually pray and that Jesus will come live in your heart and he will help you and always be with you and asked her several times if thats what she wanted. She insisted it was - it was sooooo precious! So we called in daddy and the boys.
Steve squatted down in the doorway and she cupped his face in her hands and asked, "you kiss-chin daddy?" and he said yes and her smile got even wider and she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.
MELTED MY HEART!!!
So we all put hands on her and Daddy led a very simple prayer which she copied so sweetly and we all rejoiced together!!!!
I dont believe saying a prayers saves you but I do believe that if you ask Him to come, He will come. I believe there is something so sincere in a child's heart for God that is unexplainable and beyond our comprehension as adults. I dont know how it all works for a 3yr old but I do know that the Lord has a special plan for Jayna's life! This is only the beginning of His story for her!!! Praise Him!!!!
(the boys were also 3 when they asked about being a Christian and then prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior. Each one of them it was totally unprovoked and not something we'd talked about. Its neat to see God working in their lives!!!)
HE IS GOOD!!!!
"Noah say me have be Kiss-chin. Me no want be kiss-chin!"
"Jayna do you know what a Christian is? that just means that you love Jesus and you want to walk with him all your life!" (said in a cheerful voice)
"No me want be kiss-chin!"
"thats fine. you dont have to be" (glared at Noah and told him to leave her alone)
I got her calmed down and then he said something else and she comes right back in, BURSTS into tears and says,
"You kiss-chin mommy?!?!"
(heart obviously broken by this revelation, oh the betrayal!)
"Yes Jayna, I love Jesus!"
"No me want you be kiss-chin" (sob, sob, sob)
I told her that I would always be a Christian and just tried to comfort her and got Noah to leave her alone.
Fast forward to yesterday evening..........
Jayna came in and so sweet and joyfully said, with a HUGE smile,
"Me want be kiss-chin mommy!!!"
"you do?!"
"Uh-huh! Me want me kiss-chin!"
I explained that people usually pray and that Jesus will come live in your heart and he will help you and always be with you and asked her several times if thats what she wanted. She insisted it was - it was sooooo precious! So we called in daddy and the boys.
Steve squatted down in the doorway and she cupped his face in her hands and asked, "you kiss-chin daddy?" and he said yes and her smile got even wider and she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.
MELTED MY HEART!!!
So we all put hands on her and Daddy led a very simple prayer which she copied so sweetly and we all rejoiced together!!!!
I dont believe saying a prayers saves you but I do believe that if you ask Him to come, He will come. I believe there is something so sincere in a child's heart for God that is unexplainable and beyond our comprehension as adults. I dont know how it all works for a 3yr old but I do know that the Lord has a special plan for Jayna's life! This is only the beginning of His story for her!!! Praise Him!!!!
(the boys were also 3 when they asked about being a Christian and then prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior. Each one of them it was totally unprovoked and not something we'd talked about. Its neat to see God working in their lives!!!)
HE IS GOOD!!!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Calebs 1st Injury :(
Caleb has had some bumps and bruises and he's busted open his lip a few times.... but nothing like this.
This morning the boys were playing with Daddy's disc golf frisbees - which they werent supposed to be doing. Noah threw it to Caleb and it hit him in his mouth. It hit just right and caused one tooth to come through his lip and to slice the front of the lip open horizontally. The poor kids mouth is a mess. All his teeth in front, top and bottom, are sore too. It was bleeding ALOT as facial wounds do.
We ended up not going to get it stitched (talked with our Dr friend Dr Brown!). The wound doesnt cross over the line of the lip. The cut in the front is not deep either. So we let it alone after a long time with some ice. its all purple and nasty now. Poor baby! Id like to say he was super tough but he was basically losing it - it hurts so much :(
so I took some pictures. woohoo!
(love his tongue in this one - he was cutting something and obviously concentrating very hard!)
and going back to my last post - here is Abram after I made him come inside after we took these pictures. He just LOVES to be out on the front porch and HATES coming in!
This morning the boys were playing with Daddy's disc golf frisbees - which they werent supposed to be doing. Noah threw it to Caleb and it hit him in his mouth. It hit just right and caused one tooth to come through his lip and to slice the front of the lip open horizontally. The poor kids mouth is a mess. All his teeth in front, top and bottom, are sore too. It was bleeding ALOT as facial wounds do.
We ended up not going to get it stitched (talked with our Dr friend Dr Brown!). The wound doesnt cross over the line of the lip. The cut in the front is not deep either. So we let it alone after a long time with some ice. its all purple and nasty now. Poor baby! Id like to say he was super tough but he was basically losing it - it hurts so much :(
so I took some pictures. woohoo!
(love his tongue in this one - he was cutting something and obviously concentrating very hard!)
and going back to my last post - here is Abram after I made him come inside after we took these pictures. He just LOVES to be out on the front porch and HATES coming in!
Head-banging
My poor, sweet, fourth child. Sometimes mama just doesnt respond to him as quickly as he likes. And sometimes he really does have to wait awhile to get some time with me :( . So recently he has started sitting down and banging his head on the floor when he gets frustrated! soooo sad! He also did it the other day when I brought him in from being outside when he didnt want to come in. :(
so of course, I "swagbucked it" (haha!) and found THIS article from Dr Greene that says its normal. Of course moms whose children do this worry about autism but he has all of the signs that say Abram is fine (points, looks in the direction I look, role plays). Actually one study said that children who "head-bang" (i have a head-banger baby LOL) had higher gross-development ... so he hits his head on the ground because he's smart? ummmmm......ok?
by the way...you really should sign up for swagbucks. Ive earned $25 in Amazon gift cards since I started! They have a snazzy new toolbar now too. And for the month of Sept, if you download the toolbar, they'll give you a free swagbuck each day! That means if you sign up today you get 21 right off the bat. I win them all the time when I search though, its fun! Once you get 45 you can turn them in for a $5 Amazon giftcard. It happens faster than you think! (click here to sign up!)
anyways. thats all about my head-banging baby and how looking up things like why my baby hits his head on things earns me money! haha! :)
so of course, I "swagbucked it" (haha!) and found THIS article from Dr Greene that says its normal. Of course moms whose children do this worry about autism but he has all of the signs that say Abram is fine (points, looks in the direction I look, role plays). Actually one study said that children who "head-bang" (i have a head-banger baby LOL) had higher gross-development ... so he hits his head on the ground because he's smart? ummmmm......ok?
by the way...you really should sign up for swagbucks. Ive earned $25 in Amazon gift cards since I started! They have a snazzy new toolbar now too. And for the month of Sept, if you download the toolbar, they'll give you a free swagbuck each day! That means if you sign up today you get 21 right off the bat. I win them all the time when I search though, its fun! Once you get 45 you can turn them in for a $5 Amazon giftcard. It happens faster than you think! (click here to sign up!)
anyways. thats all about my head-banging baby and how looking up things like why my baby hits his head on things earns me money! haha! :)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
CORE retreat
This past Fri and Sat was the CORE training school retreat at church. There are about 20 of us going through this 9 month school and I am really excited about it. The Lord answered prayers (above and beyond our prayers!) for the kids and they did amazingly well with my friend Carmen. She was amazing - she got Abram down for the night Fri (we got home about 10:30pm) and down for his normal naptime today (home at 3). Its so sweet to me that he knows her and trusts her. So aside from anything else I was super blessed by her just loving my kids and that they had a great time!
The retreat was basically just a time for everyone to share their testimony - how they came to know the Lord and how they ended up in CORE. It was very emotionally draining for me (in a good way) - I cried a lot listening to everyone's stories. There was such pain and yet always redemption, always hope and amazing stories of how God moved. We were almost last to share so I also was nervous the entire time which exhausted me. It was fun to share though.
tomorrow is church and Life group is here. Its so awesome to be in a community setting and be doing it *Together* after longing and longing for that for so long. I guess Id forgotten how hard things were for us before we moved to Texas...Steve was working 6 days a week including sundays. I was incredibly lonely. I went to church alone with the kids and that was about it. My friends had all moved away after college and none of them had kids yet (I was blessed to meet my first internet friend who I am still close friends with today! Our friendship was a saving grace for me at that time. Hi Jennifer!!!) Anyways we were living separate lives almost. I was stressed out and dealing with some PPD after Caleb and not a fun wife to be married to - AT. ALL. We had Steves parents nearby and they were awesome, very supportive. But our marriage was not doing well at all.
We were determined to move wherever we had to so that we could have family time and Steve could be off on Sundays and we could go and worship the Lord together, as a family. We needed a change and we needed it quickly and it came in the form of TX. Thankfully we had a ton of time together because he didnt have a job for 4 months. And when he did get a job he was off Sundays.
But after a few years we found ourselves in a similar place. I was super involved with moms groups and friends and other church things and Steve wasnt. Even though we went to church together Sunday, we werent growing together. We longed for doing ministry together, for loving people together, as a family. We longed for community and unconditional love that wasnt based on performance. Anyways we are blessed to be where we are now. Its an answer to years of prayer ... uh oh here come the tears again....The Lord had a perfect plan.
I know CORE is just the next step, the next set of stretching and challenging for us. Im nervous but excited - He is always faithful and He never rips us off. I know even though it may be hard, He is doing this out of love so it will be GOOD :)
wow. didnt intend to blab. although sometimes its nice to just blab on your blog (say that 10 times fast!). I want to always look back at this time and praise the Lord for what He is doing!
:)
The retreat was basically just a time for everyone to share their testimony - how they came to know the Lord and how they ended up in CORE. It was very emotionally draining for me (in a good way) - I cried a lot listening to everyone's stories. There was such pain and yet always redemption, always hope and amazing stories of how God moved. We were almost last to share so I also was nervous the entire time which exhausted me. It was fun to share though.
tomorrow is church and Life group is here. Its so awesome to be in a community setting and be doing it *Together* after longing and longing for that for so long. I guess Id forgotten how hard things were for us before we moved to Texas...Steve was working 6 days a week including sundays. I was incredibly lonely. I went to church alone with the kids and that was about it. My friends had all moved away after college and none of them had kids yet (I was blessed to meet my first internet friend who I am still close friends with today! Our friendship was a saving grace for me at that time. Hi Jennifer!!!) Anyways we were living separate lives almost. I was stressed out and dealing with some PPD after Caleb and not a fun wife to be married to - AT. ALL. We had Steves parents nearby and they were awesome, very supportive. But our marriage was not doing well at all.
We were determined to move wherever we had to so that we could have family time and Steve could be off on Sundays and we could go and worship the Lord together, as a family. We needed a change and we needed it quickly and it came in the form of TX. Thankfully we had a ton of time together because he didnt have a job for 4 months. And when he did get a job he was off Sundays.
But after a few years we found ourselves in a similar place. I was super involved with moms groups and friends and other church things and Steve wasnt. Even though we went to church together Sunday, we werent growing together. We longed for doing ministry together, for loving people together, as a family. We longed for community and unconditional love that wasnt based on performance. Anyways we are blessed to be where we are now. Its an answer to years of prayer ... uh oh here come the tears again....The Lord had a perfect plan.
I know CORE is just the next step, the next set of stretching and challenging for us. Im nervous but excited - He is always faithful and He never rips us off. I know even though it may be hard, He is doing this out of love so it will be GOOD :)
wow. didnt intend to blab. although sometimes its nice to just blab on your blog (say that 10 times fast!). I want to always look back at this time and praise the Lord for what He is doing!
:)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Whats going on today
Its a busy, busy day. Im giving the battle against thrush one last push this week. We've started Abram and I on gentian violet again (bright puple, staining anti-fungal that goes in his mouth. looks like he's been sucking on a marker!). So i had the kids collect ALLLLL the toys in the house and Im cleaning them all....twice. First with Grapefruit Seed Extract and then with vinegar. Ill only let them have a few so I can clean again when the Gentian Violet course is over. If this doesnt work then Ill resort to drugs. This is all I have in me! Its so much work.....washing sheets and towels continually on hot, with vinegar in the rinse. Boiling my pump and bras, washing sippies in dishwasher after short use, tons of herbs for me, etc. Its just too much for my brain. Praying this works!
Last thurs we started our church's CORE training school. Its missions training basically. It lasts the duration of the school year - weekly classes, lots of reading, checklists, etc. Its intense, not with the purpose of academics but in developing character, training in evangelism, etc. Anyways this Fri and Sat is a retreat. Its not overnight but will go late Fri. My friend Carmen is watching the kids. Isnt she brave?! Pray for her! ;) I hate leaving the kids but excited to be challenged. Nervous and excited.
if its not raining we plan to go to the zoo tomorrow with daddy. he has both days off for the retreat. always love time with him :)
Super exciting news that I think only Im excited about around here......upgrading my prime lens! I have a 50mm f/1.8 and Im upgrading to a f/1.4. Doesnt sound like much but it will actually let in 3x the amount of light. That means better pictures in low lighting. Its also super fast and sharp. Im excited :) Im selling my old lens to a friend and then using my birthday money. Cant wait.
Abrams sleeping so I cant waste all my time blogging! Other kids needs lunch and then I hope to retreat to my room for a quiet time and a rest. We are trying out a new routine - they watch TV only when the baby's sleeping so I can get a break. Keeps them quiet and in one place. Otherwise, there is no hope for me having any alone time. This is day 3 and it works for a little bit. We were doing quiet time in their room but its right next to where Abram naps and I spent the entire time shhhhh'ing them and being stressed out. This way will be better I hope! Always thinking and praying about making this house work for everyone :)
Have a great day everyone!
Our King is majestic and beautiful. He is faithful in our faithlessness. He is good!
Last thurs we started our church's CORE training school. Its missions training basically. It lasts the duration of the school year - weekly classes, lots of reading, checklists, etc. Its intense, not with the purpose of academics but in developing character, training in evangelism, etc. Anyways this Fri and Sat is a retreat. Its not overnight but will go late Fri. My friend Carmen is watching the kids. Isnt she brave?! Pray for her! ;) I hate leaving the kids but excited to be challenged. Nervous and excited.
if its not raining we plan to go to the zoo tomorrow with daddy. he has both days off for the retreat. always love time with him :)
Super exciting news that I think only Im excited about around here......upgrading my prime lens! I have a 50mm f/1.8 and Im upgrading to a f/1.4. Doesnt sound like much but it will actually let in 3x the amount of light. That means better pictures in low lighting. Its also super fast and sharp. Im excited :) Im selling my old lens to a friend and then using my birthday money. Cant wait.
Abrams sleeping so I cant waste all my time blogging! Other kids needs lunch and then I hope to retreat to my room for a quiet time and a rest. We are trying out a new routine - they watch TV only when the baby's sleeping so I can get a break. Keeps them quiet and in one place. Otherwise, there is no hope for me having any alone time. This is day 3 and it works for a little bit. We were doing quiet time in their room but its right next to where Abram naps and I spent the entire time shhhhh'ing them and being stressed out. This way will be better I hope! Always thinking and praying about making this house work for everyone :)
Have a great day everyone!
Our King is majestic and beautiful. He is faithful in our faithlessness. He is good!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)