We traveled out to my parent’s house for a Friday through Sunday stay. Joel was going fishing with my dad, grandpa, brother, and brother-in-law. They were gone all day Friday and most of the day Saturday. It was easy keeping a secret when no one was around . I went out and bought 2 onesies, a pink and a blue. I got a gift bag and wrote a little note and put the pregnancy test in the bottom of the bag. I waited until Mother’s Day Sunday to give him his “gift”. Here are a couple pictures…

Joel was a little bit surprised to be getting a gift on Mother’s Day, but I told him I could not possibly wait until Father’s Day to tell him. He kinda sat there a second after taking out the onesies, note, and test. He got a little teary-eyed, and told me he loved me. Awww. I was glad to be able to surprise him. It made a fun event that much more fun!

Just wanted to say Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there, and I am thankful for my dad! I think my husband is a terrific dad and I am happy to celebrate God’s blessing of Fathers in families! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

It’s been awhile!

Mostly because I have felt pretty tired and nauseated this past month. Yeah. So I am pregnant again. Baby number 4 is due January 10, 2011. I genuinely am hoping for a December baby, just to spread the birthday love a little. Jazlyn’s b-day is the 12th of January and Joel’s is the 15th. If we have another January birthday close to those- it will be a lot of craziness- and RIGHT after the holidays to boot. I am 9 weeks along right now, and hopefully this tired/nausea stuff will be gone in another week or two.

I kinda think/hope it’s another boy at this point, but it’s not a given yet. We would like a boy so Bryce can have a brother, and so the house won’t be full of as much drama- but we’ll happily welcome a little girl too! We are praying for a healthy pregnancy and baby .

So…that’s the news for now! Soon- a post about how I told hubby

Joel just put up a post about the 26 Seconds project. Just wanted to share it with you all. Please consider and pray about being a part of this. You can make the difference in a child’s life!

Thanks!

I really like being prepared for the next season with clothes for my kids. I also am pretty picky on how much I spend and what I buy. Most of what I buy is clothes for my kids, but I also look for other items for me or my home if we need it. If you are new to garage sales or a seasoned addict, I have a few tips to help make the most out of garage sale shopping.

1. Search for neighborhood sales: if you spend a lot of time just driving to individual houses, you waste time and gas. It is beneficial to look in your paper or online classifieds for neighborhood sales. If you see a sale on your way to a destination, it doesn’t hurt to stop, but going way out of your way in “hopes” of a bargain usually loses you money.

2. Barter: Don’t always accept the price you see on an object, try to decide what it’s really worth to you. Is it going to be something that you really need? Have an idea of what you are willing to pay. A lot of people just want to get rid of their stuff- and most will compromise a little. Sometimes I barter with the total, sometimes with individual items. For example, the other day my total at one house was 17, so I asked if they would take 15, and they did. Saved me two bucks right there! I tend to walk away from sales that I consider high priced and the people are unwilling to barter. What do I consider high? It’s too high if it is more than 5-10 percent of the original value. It’s a garage sale, not a resale shop- and I know what resale shops charge. If I can get it for a better price, it’s a deal at a garage sale.

3. Buy name brands: Look for the “trusted” brand names, especially with clothes. I really like Gymboree, Baby Gap, Old Navy, The Children’s Place, Nike, Carter’s, and Oshkosh. I do buy Circo, Okie-Dokie, Jumping Beans, and other store brands if they are in super great shape, but they also can be bought brand new for much cheaper at the end of the season sales. The higher quality brands tend to last longer and hold up to kids’ wear much better. Not to mention that they are usually cuter! I love dressing my kids in adorable clothes, and I find 90 percent of their clothes at garage sales. Another bonus to this is that the brand names sell better if you resell them at your own garage sale or on Ebay.

4. Look for flaws: Always double check items for stains, tears, or other flaws. Make sure items that take batteries actually work. If it is an electrical appliance, have someone plug it in to make sure it works. Clothes should be in good shape with little pilling or wear- if you do buy older clothes to use for play, make sure that you pay no more than 50 cents per item. Items with stains and tears I usually skip over though. Nothing is more frustrating than getting home and discovering an item doesn’t work or a white shirt with a huge yellow stain set on the front of it.

5. Look for things that you may not need, but KNOW you will eventually: this can be a little tricky, because it won’t save you money in the short term, but it pays off in the long run. I look for gifts for people (items with price tags still attached, pristine condition), or clothes for my kids that are an EXCELLENT bargain and ADORABLE for a few years down the road. I found some 4T outfits the other day that were absolutely darling (and a good price to boot). My 16 month old daughter probably won’t wear them for another 2-3 years, but I will store them in plastic bins with my other 4T items until she can.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but hopefully gives you a few ideas where to start. I like having the challenge of finding items that I can use for my family and getting a great bargain too! It makes me feel like a Proverbs 31 woman!

“She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.” Proverbs 31:18

Happy Garage-Sale-ing!

One of the conversations I had with Bryce yesterday:

me: “Where does milk come from?”

B: “cows.”

me: “where do cows come from?”

B: (thinks for a minute) “from grass. And clouds. and black stuff”

It’s so darn cute! Kids have the capacity for so much thought and creativity. I am amazed by how they take in information and use it almost immediately.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14) I am amazed by our kids’ concepts of God and love for one another. They genuinely love. They genuinely pray (even if it is for doughnuts). Am I that genuine? I hope I am- but I know that I struggle much more than they do. I pray that watching my children fall into love with Jesus inspires me to pursue that same love with reckless abandon.

I am constantly looking for the opportunity to choose the route God wants me to take. What does that look like? I don’t want to miss an opportunity because I am so caught up in my own little world that I forget to look.

I am choosing to give myself away. My love, my time, my energy- it belongs solely to God. There is not a single minute of my life that God isn’t watching. If I choose to walk away from his guidance, I miss out on the blessings he wants me to experience.

Lord, today- help me-help us all to look for the opportunities, and give ourselves away.

Sunshine makes things seem so much better, don’t you think?

The kids have been a little crazy today. Whining about pretty much everything and throwing temper tantrums to boot. Hubby did a sweet thing for me and brought me a special gift- a new cricut cartridge and some chocolate. (he knows the way to a woman’s heart

I plan on making some chocolate chip banana bread this afternoon, because it sounds delicious, and I have some bananas that are almost black.

Finished reading The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks. Great book! I highly recommend it for a summer read.

Guess I better get cracking on the housework and whipping my butt into shape

I am currently doing preschool at home with my kids, and I like the process, but it has been hard to add organization of “schoolwork” to daily life. We get it done- but we fly by the seat of our pants (so to speak). I am glad that I can teach my kids at home. I used to teach third grade in a public school, so I technically know how to teach- but setting up and organizing my home environment is still difficult. I am thinking ahead for this next fall, and hope to do a more detailed schedule. I am thinking about organizing now so that it doesn’t sneak up on us. I also plan on posting my ideas/activities weekly, so if you are interested in ideas or joining in, I could use the extra company

I also have a hard time fitting in times for grocery shopping and date nights and family activities. We do these things- but in random patterns. I like spontaneity, but sometimes if we don’t get it planned in advance- it doesn’t happen (know what I mean?).

How to best do this? I still am trying to figure it out. Calendars and organizers help some- but how to achieve that master balance of activities is still elusive. How do you do it? What are some tricks that I can learn? If you have an idea- post it here! Thanks for the help

Also- side note- today is one of those days where the children are yelling and singing and playing so loudly I cannot hear my own thoughts- let alone concentrate on what I typed- so if there are spelling errors in this post- please forgive and forget.

Just kidding! I’d like to be able to give some ideas (yeah-probably not original ones, but, hey, it’s ideas, right!?) on how to keep your little 2-4 year-olds entertained. I currently have a two and a four, along with a 1. The little one usually can’t participate in the activities that are craft related as she tends to think that the glue bottle is a regular bottle and sticks her fingers where the scissors are headed. I try to keep her busy with books or other toys while the other two work on a craft.

This morning I let the kids grab a few ads from the paper.

They were fascinated by the home and garden ads and the grocery ads as well.  I gave them a pair of scissors, and just let them cut out whatever their little hearts desired. Using scissors is a difficult skill for little hands to master, so practicing with things like ads help them learn without too much worry on messing up a special project.

After ten minutes, they were moving on to a different activity, but I could have easily kept it going and let them glue their cutouts on a piece of white paper as a collage. To make it even more of a learning opportunity, you could have them cut out objects from each letter of the alphabet, then glue them to make an alphabet page or book. Fun!

Also wanted to share with you something my kids LOVE: Bing Bunny books by Ted Dewan.

These books are hilarious and toddlers LOVE them. I have read them many times, and now that my 4-year old can read, she reads them to her siblings. They have great illustrations, and they are just the right length for toddler attention spans. Check them out sometime! I found one at our local library, but I bought mine off amazon.com. Spend time reading with your kids, it pays off!