Quality time

Did you ever feel like everyone wanted a piece of you? I think if you are a mom then you know what I mean. I have 3 children. Many of you have several more than me. Many of you homeschool. We all know the balancing act of wife,mom, teacher, child trainer,housekeeper, cook,bill payer, chauffer, etc..........the list goes on and on. Sometimes it feels like a mom is pulled in so many directions that there is no time for what really counts. No time for the REAL reason that we home educate our kids. I don't know what your real reasons are but I'm sure some of you do it for similiar reasons that my husband and I decided when our adventure first began. First and foremost, we wanted to raise Godly children. We wanted to spend time in the word with them, praying with and for eachother, memorizing scripture, learning hymns. We wanted them to experience life with their family not away from their family. Our hope was that the strongest influence in their life would be God's word.
Reflecting on what our priorities were and still are.........I ask the question to myself, "How important is it that we finish every math lesson in the book? How important is it that the house be spotless? How important is it that I return every phone call? How important is it that I finish that novel? How important is it that we run here or there?
There are so many things that can sidetrack us and pull us away from our priorities. Is it more important that Autumn and Emma learn how to treat eachother kindly and get guidance from me in a disagreement or that the floor got mopped? Is it more important that my phone life be tended to or that my 2 year old get the proper training? Is Math more important that family Bible time and scripture memory? They both are important but many days Math gets done and devotions do not. Where are my priorites? I often find myself having to focus and get back on track. Getting pulled away by the many demands of a mom can cause me to lose focus and get side-tracked. I am thankful that I have a husband who calls me out on things when I'm headed in a direction that is not where my priorities are. I am thankful I have a husband who shares the same convictions and goals for our family. I am thankful for my friends who share in the same struggles and are an encouragement to me when I feel like I've fallen short. I am thankful to the Lord who gives me guidelines in his word so that I don't need to wonder what my role is as a woman. I know I am to love my husband, train my children and be a keeper of my home. I am thankful I have the holy spirit to convict me when I lose focus of what I know God has for me. A friend of mine said to me not to long ago, "Decide what you want to do and give what you want to do your all." "Put your whole self into it and enjoy each moment with your kids. Soon enough they will be grown and you can have a spotless house, talk on the phone at great length, finish your book and run errands all by yourself. " The time we have with our children is to short to be side tracked with things that just don't matter. If you hear me complain about being overwhelmed, please remind me that nothing is more important than quality time with my family. When your overwhelmed, I'll encourage you!

Sledding day with Dad!?

Well, today was sledding day. We didn't know it was sledding day until Damon announced it at 10:30a.m. Autumn was doing school work. Emma was playing with Jonas and I was doing laundry. SCReech! Put the brakes on............we're headed in a different direction for the day at 10:31 after the sledding announcement. I tell Damon that I need an hour to get everybody ready. My hair was wet and in a towel and everybody was still in their pajamas.

11:30- We leave for our exciting day. All bundled up in snowsuits. Minus the adults. We were just wearing long underwear and regular clothes.
11:31- Jonas is screaming,"I so hot!"
11:32- Jonas has taken off his mittens and hat.
11:50- Driving around trying to find the hill.
11:55- Do we take a right or left? We decide on a left.
12:00- We made the right choice! We are at the hill.
12:02- We are out of the car, gathering sleds, headed out for the first run.
12:03- Jonas is in the sled being pulled by Dad.
12:04- Jonas is crying, "I to cold!"
12:05- Damon is headed for the first run with the girls, Mom is trying to convince Jonas that sledding is so much fun.(He's not buying it).
12:06- Mom is carrying Jonas to the sledding hill.
12:07- Mom is carrying Jonas to the van.
12:08- Dad and the girls are sledding with the sled that has W-D 40 sprayed on the bottom( Dad's idea).
12:09- The W-D 40 must not be working because the 3 of them are stopped on the middle of the hill, looking at eachother. Damon gets off and the girls continue on the sled a little faster.
12:15-12:30- A few more runs down the hill.
12:30- Everyone is headed back to the car for hot chocolate.
12:35- The girls are complaining how hot they are in their snowsuits.
12:36- Jonas says, "I a good boy, I pooped." (A little confused about potty training).
1:00- We are back home!
Wow! Wonderful sledding experience. I think we'll try it again tomorrow! I posted some pictures so scroll down and take a look.

Jicama

I always like to try new things when I have the extra money in the budget. Tonight we tried jicama. It actually dosen't require much extra money. It was only $1.12 at Super Wal-mart. It is a tasty vegetable that looks like a very round potato. It is crunchy and sort of sweet. The flesh of it looks like a white potato but not the same texture. It was phenomenal! We dipped it in a yogurt dip. It would be great on a vegetable tray or in a salad. I liked it all by itself. The yogurt dip I make is made from 8 oz. of plain yogurt with a knorr vegetable soup mix packet mixed together. Just some of the soup mix not the whole package. You have to season it to your taste. A little treat for all you health nutz!
While we are on the topic of food, I wanted to mention a great website that I frequently visit called Hillbilly Housewife. There are so many recipes on this and for those of you on a tight budget there is a $45 menu and a $70 menu for a whole week of grocerys. The $45 menu had a lot of beans on it. Great for the health but a word of caution for the tummy! This year for Christmas, the girls and I made several of the hot drink mixes for gifts along with cookies or canned jams and jellys. I have heard from a few people that they loved the Mocha Cafe mix.
I have had a lot of fun with this sight. It teaches you how to make so many things from scratch.
As I am able, I will let you know about other things I come across that I think are worth sharing with you. I know many of you are furiously frugal and live on a tight budget. My family often jokes," If anyone knows how to pinch a penny, it's Angel." I think even if I was a wealthy woman I would still enjoy the thrill of saving my cents.

Happy New Year!

It is 11:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve. I do not see this hour very often anymore. The girls have challenged me to stay up until midnight. I am struggling to keep myself awake while they watch a movie so what better time to blog! If I don't make any sense, you now know why.
My in-laws were here from New Hampshire this past weekend. We had a nice time with them. I also got to spend time with my grandparents, father, mother and brother and his family over Christmas. It made me think about the blessing of family. To often we take for granted grandparents, parents, spouses, children, etc....... I have known many of you who have lost family members. Losing someone you love is so life changing. It makes one realize how fragile life is. It also makes me realize that our life is not our own but God's. We are in the palm of his hand and none of us know the day or the hour that we will take our last breath. It's so important to let eachother know how much we care about one another, to smile when we see someone we know. I often think about how much my kids see a frown or disapproving look on my face. I am certain that somedays they see an ugly face more than a smiling one. I will have to work on that. Life is a gift from God and one that I would like to try and not take for granted. Tomorrow..........I will try to remember to smile more and count my blessings of faith, family and friends. How about you? Happy New Year!

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WELCOME !

Well, this is my first post to my new blog. My husband has been encouraging me to create a blog to keep in touch with friends and be an encouragment to others. I hope I can succeed in doing this. I often times feel that I need encouragement myself so I hope this works in a two- fold way.
I am thinking about the New Year and New Year's resolutions. Isn't it great that God gives us a chance to feel like we can start over again? A time of reflection, reevaluating priorities, a clean slate. The really neat thing is that when we are believers in Christ, we can confess our sins and and he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The best part is that it can be at anytime and not only the beginning of the year. Thank goodness! If I had to wait until January to confess all of my sins for the year I'd be praying continually until about the end of February!
For the New Year my first priority is to continue growing in my relationship with the Lord. I would love to read through the Bible in a year. My next resolution is to enjoy my husband and children more. I get so task oriented that often times I feel like I'm not taking time to just enjoy those that I love so much. Last but not least, I'd like to be faithful to getting a daily 30. minute walk in. The fresh air, changes in the seasons, quietness, a time to clear my head and enjoy God's creation is very therapeutic for me. If you think of me when your praying...........please pray for these areas for me. I covet your prayers. If you have any New Year's resolutions that you need prayer for........let me know and I will remember you. May God bless you richly in this coming year!