J is for Just a Mom

just (jŭst) adj. Precisely; exactly; - in place, time, or degree; neither more nor less than is stated.

I'm sure you've heard people who say Oh, you're just a mom? as if it's a small thing. Their words don't offend me. Being a mom is a big deal. We've been entrusted with these lives: to raise them to know Christ, to have morals, to better society, to serve God. 

Whether you work out of the home, work from home, or spend 24/7 taking care of the home, your job as mother is most important and most rewarding of all. No other job pays in hugs, kisses, and I-love-yous. Few jobs are as exhausting, yet fulfilling.  

I spend every second of every day being just a mom. I'm not anything special. I'm not any different from you. I do precisely, exactly, no more or less than is stated to be a mom.

I am a mother.

I am a chef.

I am a teacher.

I am a chauffeur.

I am a kisser-of-boo-boos.

I am a trainer-of-the-next-generation.

I am a referee.

I am a nose-wiper.

I am a maid.

I am a launderer.

I am a doctor.

I am a listening-ear.

I am a hand-holder.

I am a bug-sqausher.

I am a teacher-of-values.

I am a hair stylist.

I am a diaper-changer.

I am a hug-giver.

I am a mood-changer.

I am a Lego assembler.

I am a book-reader.

I am a scientist.

I am a bath-giver.

I am a photographer.

I am a dish-washer.

I am a comforter.

I am a personal assistant.

I am a master-tickler.

I am a fort builder.

I am a cheerleader.

I am a missing-shoe-finder.

I am a pb&j expert.

I am a tear-wiper.

I am a bed-tucker-in-er

I am a juice-pourer.

I am a back-scratcher.

I am a butt-wiper.

I am a bad-dream-chaser.

I am a balloon-blower-up-er. 

I am a law enforcer.

I am a personal shopper.

I am a wardrobe stylist.

I am an art director.

I am an encourager.

I am a shoe-tie-er.

I am a memory-preserver.

I am a problem-solver.

I am a laugher-at-jokes. 

I am an I-love-you-expert.

I am a giver-of-self.

 Yes, I am just a mom. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

E is for Elbow

It's been forever since I wrote a Blogging through the Alphabet post. Marcy started back at the beginning again, so I'm going to try to fill in the letters I've missed . . . which is most of them. Remember my issue with that from the beginning? Oh well, I guess that fits perfectly with this week's post.



I can remember driving with my parents when I was a little girl. As I sat in the backseat, I noticed my dad's arm resting casually at his side. I was intrigued by his elbow.

"Why do you have so much extra skin here?" I asked as I squished it between my fingers.

My father's answer was a simple one. He explained that in order to bend, to move, to be functional, you needed that extra skin. If your elbow were taut and rigid, you wouldn't have that flexibility.



Of course, to an adult mind the concept is obvious, but that lesson has stuck with me all these years. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Self-examining. Reflecting. Analyzing. I've realized how much our schooling has changed over the last three years. How much I've changed. What worked for us then, doesn't really work for us now. What worked last week might not work this week.

Why is that? 

Simply put, things change. People, needs, responsibilities, likes, moods.

I had to learn that even though I may want the day to follow a particular schedule, sometimes it's best to ignore it. And other times, I have no control over it at all.

Sometimes school gets set on the back burner; sometimes it gets taken completely off the stove. 

It may be because spring has finally come after a long winter and we take advantage of the warm weather or because the Crabby Monster has visited our house and we need to do something to make him leave or because the baby is in the hospital for nearly 2 weeks or because we're running him to doctor's appointments or because we spend the day baking to be a blessing to others. Or just because we want to. We can do school in the morning before we start the day or wait until evening when our fun is all done.

We can be flexible, like an elbow.

To me, homeschooling is not just about learning the 3 Rs; it's a way of life. That's why we school year-round. I want my children to constantly grow and learn. I want to give them many rich experiences and intrigue their minds. I want them to desire to gain knowledge about so much more than just facts for a test. I want them to learn valuable life skills.

Homeschooling is not just schooling at home. Homeschooling is applying a learning attitude in everyday situations.

If we miss a day here or there or don't get everything on my list accomplished, that's ok. I know that my kids are soaking up information all the time. I know that we're not taking 3 months off from that thinking during the summer months either. Sure, our days may look a little different then - a little less book work and a whole lot more real-life, hands-on learning. 

I've realized that if our days aren't always the way I'd like, it's ok. We don't have to be rigid. 

It's much more fun to bend and move and be flexible. Like an elbow.

* If this is not your style, then that's fine too. One of the great things about homeschooling is discovering what works for you.

 

H is for Home

Home.

The very word brings a sense of comfort.

Peace.

Contentment.

I almost think I would hole up and become a hermit if I could.

Oh, it's not that I don't like people. I'm a big people-person. It's just that home is where I find the people I love the most. You know the saying home is where the heart is?  Yep. There is truly no place else I'd rather be. Ninety-percent of my life is spent here. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

What's so great about being home?

Homemaking

I love homemaking. Really. I am one of those people that enjoy cooking, baking, cleaning and organizing. Sure, things can get overwhelming at times, but I enjoy it none-the-less. (Except shampooing carpets. I despise shampooing the carpets. Which reminds me, they need to be cleaned. Any takers???)  

We lived with my parents for nearly 4 years after we got married. We finished up our bachelor degrees that first year and then started saving for a house. Because of various reasons, we didn't find the one until many years later. We got along great with my parents during those years though. Like I've said before, they are our best friends. Since we didn't have a place of our own, I couldn't justify staying home all day. After getting my degree, I went back to my own alma mater and taught for 3 years. Jake was born during that time, and though it was the desire of my heart to be a stay-at-home-mommy, we still did not have our own house. We eventually found the house we now live in, got the keys the end of March, and I officially became a SAHM the end of May. It's been 5 years since then. Five wonderful, fulfilling years. I know that some women have no desire to stay home every day. Some consider cleaning a chore. Some do not enjoy being in the kitchen. That is not me. I know 100 % that I was meant to be a stay-at-home mom. I honestly love making my house a home.

Homebirthing

Had you told me 6 years ago that I was going to birth my babies at home, I would have laughed. I had absolutely no desire to homebirth. I had preconceived ideas about it -- none of which really were good. So, how did I go from no-way-would-I-ever-homebirth to no-way-would-I-ever-not-want-to-homebirth? Good question.

While in the hospital with Jake, I labored a little in the bathtub. Sure, I had heard of waterbirths before, (I watched my fair-share of TLC birthing shows) but I never considered having one myself. When I got pregnant again a year-and-a-half later, I remembered that bathtub and how much relief it brought. I started researching waterbirths. I decided that was what I wanted and began checking the hospitals in the area. At the time, there were many that allowed the mother to labor in a birthing tub that she brought with her, but there was only one hospital in all of Michigan that allowed the baby to actually be delivered in the tub. (There are other places now.) My only options were to drive 3 hours to that hospital or find a midwife. Ha, a midwife. Yeah, right, I thought, but there was no way I was driving across the state just to have a waterbirth. I continued to learn. I continued to study. I eventually did a search for midwives in my area. I found that the closet one to me was only about 10 minutes away. Leighton and I talked about it. I eventually called, not knowing yet what my decision was. Within the first few minutes of that hour-long conversation, I knew that I would have my baby at home and that I was talking to my midwife. Immediately, I felt so comfortable with her. We had the same philosophy about birth. We shared the same thinking about procedures. No more would I have to fight the doctors about what I wanted for my baby and me. I found someone that recognized the ability God gave to women's body for the very purpose of birthing babies. I spent the next few months learning about homebirth. I was amazed by how things have been done for thousands of years and how technology has changed the birthing process the past few years.      

I know that homebirthing is not for everyone, but it was definitely for me. I have loved, loved, loved having my babies at home. I really cannot say that enough. The benefits alone are enough for another post. We've already written about the 3 births: Alyssa whose labor was only 90 minutes and was probably the most perfect birth ever; Zac whose labor was 45 minutes total and happened so fast his daddy almost missed it; and Tyler whose labor was 2 hours long, surprised everyone, and made the most perfect birthday present for his sister. Homebirth has been a huge blessing.

Homeschooling

When Leighton and I got married, we knew we were going to homeschool. I'm not really sure why we made that decision, if you can even call it a decision. It was just a given. Neither of us were homeschooled, so I don't know why it was the plan. All I know is that we knew that it was what God wanted. That was reason enough for us.

The summer before we officially starting homeschooling though, is when it really hit. I was going to be doing the teaching. I was going to be responsible for their learning. I would be doing all the schooling. I started to get scared, but God used a book to calm my fears. Sure, there are times when it gets tough. There are times I wonder if I'm teaching them like I should. There are times when things get hectic. But I know that this is His will for us. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to teach my kids, to spend every day raising them to serve God, to show them continually just how much I love them. I am honored that God gave me the responsibility and privilege of educating my children. I have learned so much through teaching them. I am so blessed for this opportunity to homeschool.


Homemaking, homebirthing, homeschooling. Home. It's what I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way.     

G is for Geocaching

Geo What!?

Geocaching.

What in the world is geocatching?

No, it's geo-cash-ing. Its kind of like a high tech treasure hunt. You go online and get GPS coordinates for what is called a geocache, the treasure. You either download the coordinates to a GPS or smartphone, or you manually put them in. Go out and follow the GPS, the map, till you get close. Then start looking for a good spot to hide something. When you find the cache sign the logbook, maybe trade something, then put the cache back where you found it. Go home and log the find online where you got the coords from in the first place.

That sounds like a lot of fun!

Oh, it's a blast, you should try it.

I don't know how many times I have had this conversation with somebody in the past four months. Erika and I had heard of geocaching years ago, but when we looked into it there were not enough caches around to merit the puchase of a GPS unit to try and get into it. We were into the idea before we had kids, but having them adds a whole new aspect of fun. Back in June Erika started to think about it again and thought it would make a good family hobby to get into. When I checked geocaching.com I found nearly 20,000 caches within 100 miles of our house. There are plenty of caches to find but we needed a GPS. We decided it would be our anniversary present to each other and began looking. I did the research online and ended up going into REI to talk to somebody in person. That was a good decision. I ended up walking out with a Garmin eTrex 20. I'm not going to go into a lot of technical detail here, but in the research I did and in a few conversations I've had with GPS knowledgeable people, get a Garmin. Garmin has a patent or something on their antenna technology so their unit update faster and are much more accurate than others. If you do not want to spend the money on an independent unit and you have a smartphone running iOS, Android, or Windows Phone you can download an app for that. This way at a limited cost you can either try or get into geocaching.

Once you have a way of finding coordinates you need to find some coordinates. (Yes, that was intended.) I've already mentioned geocaching.com. That's the big one with "all" the caches, but there is also a new kid on the block. Opencaching.com was started by Garmin as a free alternative to geocaching.com, but does not have nearly as many caches listed. Geocaching.com does have a free option, but it limits use, a lot. I don't know what all is limited since I payed the $10 for the year after our first time out. One thing you don't get from them for free is paperless caching. When you download your coords to your GPS under a free account you will need to print out any details or clues you may need for what you are going to find and take the PAPER with you. (I'm all about going paperless lately with my Kindle and iPad.) With a payed account all those details go on to the GPS with the coords, if your GPS can take them. Let me tell you, being able to see the details on the device is soooo nice. Also, a piece of advice that the guy at REI gave me that makes a lot of sense. If you're planning to go out caching don't go for the caches real close to the house, drive a little bit. Save the real close ones for those spontaneous lets go caching times, or for a task for your older kids to do on their own, once they get the hang of it. As well, if you get into the geocaching game and want to load a lot of caches on your GPS at once, look into pocket queries. This can be a little tricky, so take your time and do it step-by-step. I use GSAK to help get the files on my GPS.

Ok, enough with the technical mumbo, what have we done? The first time we went out I loaded up four or five sets of coords and we went for a drive around the area to some easy caches. Of course with the first go round we were getting used to our GPS as well as the idea of geocaching. Part of geocaching is doing the whole thing somewhat discreetly. If you just go out and show off the cache as you find it someone of the general public, a muggle (a non-cacher), might see it and take it after you leave. This is known as getting muggled. With this thought in mind, there we were, a family of six, driving and walking in circles in a parking lot trying to keep up with a GPS that kept changing its mind as to which direction we needed to go. I finally determined that it might take a little bit more than a few milliseconds for the GPS to register a change in position. As we slowed our movements down we got closer to a pair of trees and viola, about head high in the one we found a plastic container.

In this cache we actually found what is called a travel bug, a type of trackable. It is basically a dog tag with something attached. In this case the originator attached a stick of pc memory. On the tag is a number that you need so that you can go on the geocaching.com site and log that you found it and where you placed it. Just remember if you take something leave something.

After our first find we sought out a cache that was about the size of eight or ten dimes stacked up. Yes they get that small. With those all you do is sign the log roll. Use very small handwriting.

We even had our first DNF, did not find, on that first trip out. After walking around in circles in a field for about twenty minutes or more we gave up. It didn't help that people started showing up at the business next door, remember discreet.

Our last of the day landed us in front of i3 Detroit, a hackerspace in the area. This was just cool! I had heard of them on MAKE Live and at Maker Faire Detroit, but had not ever taken the time to go check them out. We found the cache out front and then went in to take a tour of the space.

All in all our first impression of geocahing was great. The kids loved it and so did we. We have been out multiple times since including when we went on vacation to Virginia and DC. While we were out there I think we may have gotten my sister's family hooked as well. All the caches we found in DC were virtual caches, caches that do not have a container to find. They may be a monument or natural formation of some sort. The poster may ask you to find the answer to a few questions about the location in order to log the find, but they're still fun to find.

I could keep going forever about hiking in the woods off a creek down the road, finding a foam rotten apple with a log slip in it, or hanging out behind KFC looking through trees to find a micro cache. We've had some good times out caching. Now its your turn, go find a cache or two.... maybe three.


Don't forget to stop by Ben & Me and read about more G things.

E is for Eternal

Eternity.

Our human minds have a difficult time comprehending it. Everything we know has a beginning and end. Books. Songs. Days. Seasons. Life.  It's hard to grasp a never-ending time.

So often we get caught up in the here and now, focusing on only the present moment. Unfortunately, that seems to be the motto for our society: if it feels good, do it. Don't think about the outcome. Don't worry about the consequences. Just do what you want.

We strive to teach our kids a different way of life. There's nothing wrong with doing things you want, as long as those things match up to what God wants. When our life here is done, all those fleshly desires won't matter anymore. This poem explains it perfectly:

Only One Life
by C.T. Studd

 Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. 

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. 

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ‘twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Eternal.

Those are the things we want to focus on. Those are the things we want to instill in our children. We want them to make the right decisions now, so it'll be easier to make the right decisions as they grow up. That's why we choose which movies they watch, why we choose which music they listen to, why we choose what types of clothes they wear. We don't base our standards on what is accepted or what everyone else is doing. We live the way we live because of the Bible. We live for the eternal.

Sure, that means we tell our kids they can't do some of the things their friends do. There are words they can't say, shows they can't watch, holidays they can't participate in. They're not always happy about it and they don't always understand. It's not easy to see our little ones unhappy, but it's better to see them unhappy now than disappointed when they meet Christ. We're not focused solely on their current happiness, but instead on their eternal joy.

There are things that Leighton and I do that we do not allow our children to do now but will one day be acceptable for them - things like staying up late, using the oven, driving a car, drinking coffee.  But there are things that we as adults technically can do according to worldly standards, but as Christians choose not to do - things like drinking alcohol, smoking, watching certain shows/movies, going to certain places. This is a big thing we're struggling with Jake right now. There are some movies that he really wants to watch, movies that star favorite characters and sound exciting. He's under the impression that when he turns 13 in just over 6 years, he can watch them all. We're trying to get him to understand that just because he'll be the assumed proper age, it doesn't mean it's ok to watch (just as we do not watch all PG movies either.) We don't follow the ratings that Hollywood has placed. I do believe that some movies with a PG13 rating are acceptable, but there are so many more that include elements that we do not condone. What you put in is what comes out. How can we teach our kids that they shouldn't say certain words when we allow them to listen to them repeatedly? How can we train them to stay away from certain activities when we let them watch others do them? Why should they do as we say when we allow them to watch things that contradict those very words? In doing so, we'd be undermining our own rules. And we determine those rules, those standards, those convictions on the Word of God.   

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, 

and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, 

and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

Matthew 6:19-21

We want our hearts - our kids hearts - to love the things of God. In order for that to happen, we can't love this world. We can't place the emphasis on temporal things. We must focus on Christ. We want our lives to point others to Him. We want to live our lives focused on the eternal.

  * We do not claim to be anyone's Holy Spirit. Each individual must pray and search the Scriptures to determine what is proper and acceptable for their own family. We may not agree with your decisions, but we judge no one.

D is for DIY

I'm blogging through the alphabet again. Or still. Or something. Did you know that if you miss a week, everyone else just keeps going. Can you believe it? I thought about removing the letters B and C from my alphabet and explain that that's the reason why I missed blogging about those two, but somehow I'd have a hard time even writing that. I mean, logging through the alphaet?  Things ould e kinda onfusing and it ould e hard to omprehend exatly what was eing said. Do you onur?

Maybe I should just admit that good intentions don't write posts. People write posts. And that brings us to the letter D.

D is for Do It Yourself. We are big DIYers here. Not only does doing things yourself save so much money, but it's fun too. Both Leighton and I enjoy DIY projects. Our lists are very different though. 

I love homemaking. I make most of our food from scratch (including sauces, breads, desserts, canning, etc.) I make my own baby wipes. I make my own laundry detergent. (I need to post the recipe I've been using. It's even better on stains than my previous homemade detergent.) I make my own household cleaners. I do the schooling. The next two things on my list that I really want to make myself are sunscreen and deodorant. You can check out more of my future projects on my DIY board on Pinterest.

My DIY things are more every day things that save us money on a regular basis, whereas Leighton's projects are more once-in-a-while things that save us tons of money at a time. I said that I love homemaking. He loves homekeeping. He takes care of all the repairs around the house (plumbing, washer/dryer, freezer, electrical, oven.) He completes all our cosmetic work (painting, installing cabinets, remodeling.) He crafts all the woodworking (bunk beds, book cases/shelves, doll house, play set.) He performs all our outside work (demoing things in our yard from previous owners, adding concrete, tree removal.) He does all the work on our vehicles (oil changes, all repairs/replacements, tire rotation.) He fixes absolutely anything that is broken. He is my handyman. And he can do it all.

Why pay someone else to do things that you can do yourself? We are DIYers. And we love it.

Head on over to Ben and Me to read about more D words. And now that I'm done, I'd better start on letter E's post. I'd rally hat to rmov it from th alphabt too. It would b vn hardr to rad. S what I man???

A Is for Art

I am so excited to be blogging through the alphabet! My friend Marcy started this meme a while back and it looked like so much fun. You know how I am though, since I didn't start the first week, I personally couldn't start partway through. That would just be wrong. I was happy to see that she was starting again. And since it's week 1, I can participate!

So even though we're camping, here I am sitting beside the lake, typing. The sun is warm, the breeze is cool, and I'm thinking about art. (Or at least I was sitting by the water basking in the sun . . . a week ago. How am I ever going to keep up with all 26 letters when it's taken me all week with just the first one. sigh.) Art is such a big part of our lives. Not looking at fancy art in a gallery or anything, but creating our own. The kids can make art with just about anything. You can hand them a pile of scraps, and they'll turn it into something beautiful.

You don't need expensive supplies to create masterpieces. Here is a list of art projects that we've made using regular household items.

coffee filters

cotton balls

egg cartons

feet 

hands (project 1, project 2 and project 3)

marbles

popsicle sticks

qtips

shaving cream

shower pouf

tissues

yarn

So much fun and so decorative! They're well on their way to becoming high-demand artists!

What other common objects do you like to use for creating art???

Still need more ideas for art projects? Click on our Make It Monday tab for oodles of artsy fun. And make sure to stop by Blogging Through the Alphabet to find other A words.