Just so you know...

I'm awful wordy today. My last post was HUGE! Just skip it if you are short on time. I'm just working through some mothering/homekeeping/life living stuff right now. If you are a mom struggling with these same things though, I pray you can find some encouragement in my ramblings.

Yikes, I gotta go - look at the time!!!
~MM~

My (real) Wednesday

You know how you read some women's posts and just feel like a failure?? Like, wow, how did she get ALL that done in one week, let alone one day? Sometimes I feel that way. Sometimes I feel inspired to move my bum and get lots done. Sometimes I'm inspired to pick up a new hobby or finish a project long since forgotten. But many times I feel, well, like a loser.

So I'm giving up the image - you know, the "I have it all together" image. I don't. Never have. Never will. I'm just getting through my days the best I can. When I read the Bible consistantly, things are better. The earlier I get up is directly related to how much I get done. And hey, some days just fall apart.

But I'm tired of so many mommas (including myself) feeling as though we have to be able to "do it all" or live up to some book or some ideal blogger. The Lord is the one we should be going to. Going to Him FIRST. I really like the plate analogy. He will tell us how big our plate is at the moment (I think my plate is just a saucer at this season in my life, honestly) and what exactly we should have on our plate. If we try to pick our own plate and fill it ourselves - well, like our own kids, we're likely to pick the biggest, brightest plate EVER and then fill it to overflowing. What happens next? We immediately drop it on the floor and spill everything - then feel like a failure.

So here's my REAL Wednesday:

Got up around 8:20am. Nursed the baby in bed (while still half asleep).
My dh tried to talk to me during this time, but I am NOT a pleasant person to talk to in the mornings. Poor dh....
Once baby was fed and changed, I went to the kitchen to help my dh finish the smoothies and pack up the food for his staff chapel.

After dh left (a little after 9am), I got the kids some toast w/ jelly and some juice. While they were eating, I got the kitchen all cleaned up and the dishwasher going. I drank some leftover smoothie and a cup of coffee while I checked my emails/blogs/etc.

Next I started some laundry - the never ending laundry pile that it is. Today I had to do lots and lots of towels. Selah helped me get the laundry gathered. After that, I got Selah in the SINK for a quick bath and got her dressed. The kids then went to their rooms for some "room time".

I nursed the baby AGAIN (he must not have eaten very well first thing in the morning) while watching some Food Network (I love that channel). I seperated some more laundry, got the kids laundry, and moved everything around. I then took a phone call from my mom until my cell phone died during our conversation.

Finally, it was time for my shower. While the kids were still in room time, I took a quick "barely time to shave your legs" shower. Once dressed, I helped the kids pick up their rooms. I open up all the windows to air the place our. Selah was starting to look sick (great). I set everyone at the table and heated up some left over mac-n-cheese and gave them some milk. Selah didn't take one bite.

While they ate, I emptied the dishwasher and refilled it (with the many cups and things I find throughout my day, throughout my house). I also run back and forth to my bathroom, trying to blow-dry and curl my hair. If I dont' do it now, it will dry funny (you know what I mean). I dit down at the table long enough to pray with the kids, adding in a special prayer that momma remains NICE to her babies, that I don't get frustrated and MAD and that there will be NO YELLING (I'm working on anger, can you tell). I then get Selah comfy on the couch, wrapped in a blankie watching, you guessed it, Food Network. She immediately falls asleep.

Once lunch is cleaned up w/ Isaac & Tali's help, I get Isaac in the tub (after he wiped down the kid's toilet) and Tali in the sink. I move some more laundry around and wash both of them up. I start to pack the kid's diaper bag for church tonight. I finish curling my hair. I get Tali dry, lotioned up and dressed. I put her to bed for a nap. I check on Isaac, then move Selah to my bed for her nap/Quiet Time. She hardly wakes up. I grab the baby, my Bible study book, my medicine and a diaper on my way out the door.

I nurse the baby again, give him (and myself) the medicine for thrush. I yell to make sure Isaac hasn't completely turned into a raisin yet. He *loves* taking a bath, so I don't really feel that bad. I lay the baby down on the couch and run outside to pull in the trash containers (I didn't want to leave that for dh, since he's so busy tonight). I grab the mail and throw the bills on dh's desk. I grab a Slim-Fast shake out of the back fridge and down my lunch.

Next I get Isaac out of the tub and he gets himself dressed. I move some more laundry around. I change the baby's poopy diaper and the give him a sink bath too (with some help from Isaac). Isaac then goes to his room for a Quiet Time, while Elijah goes into the swing.

I grab a rag and wipe off our couches, then the t.v. and some pictures. I grab two nails and a hammer and hang up two pictures that have been waiting on the floor for two weeks now.

****Biggie! Have you seen me read the Bible yet? Nope, there's no way to fit it in while all my babies are awake - don't worry, it's coming, it's coming.******

FINALLY, I grab my VERY cold cup of coffee, nuke it and add in lots of creamer and Stevia. I grab my Bible Study book and my Bible and my journal. I set everything up in front of my and then (I couldn't help myself) check my email AGAIN.

So here I am, cup of coffee needing refilled and my Bible study questions awaiting my attention. Yes, the Food Network is still on my t.v. and three of my four babies are sleeping. My back is aching and I need to put on my make-up. Dh will be home soon so I need to run.

***Still to do:
~my Bible study questions.
~Get a bag together with our dinner. We need to bake it (frozen nuggest and hashbrown potatoes) at church since dh has an early meeting before church activites tonight. We only have one car, so we all have to go together.
~Change clothes, do make-up, basically look nice.
~Move the laundry around at least one more time before we leave.
~Get babies up, change two diapers, get Selah dressed nice, do her hair, finish packing kid's bag.
~Nurse the baby RIGHT before we leave.
~BEG dh to stop at Tim Horton's on the way to church for an English Toffee Cappuchino (sp?)

There's so much I *didn't* do. I can't remember the last time I cleaned the master bath. My windows and mirrors need a SERIOUS wiping down. The vacuum is still out from the last time I used it, but I keep thinking I need to vacuum another room and I'm just waiting for some time to do so. I need to put away the mattress and boxspring back into the garage from this weekend when we had houseguests. I can see the dust collecting on my hutch. Our garage is over-packed and I need to move all the yard tools and such to our shed out back and move our grill to the back patio. Maybe then, we can manuever out of the car to the door without cussing.

I don't even think I made my bed. In weeks.


If you made it this far, good for you. The thing is, at the end of the day, I sometimes feel like "what did I *do* today?". Sometimes I feel like my dh is asking himself that when he walks in the door. Yet I know the only time my bum hit the couch was when I was nursing the baby.

My mom is my great encourager. I call her, complain and she immediately reminds me of how much I do in just a basic day taking care of babies and home. She is wonderful!! When I'm feeling like a loser, she reminds me of reality. She makes sure to ask if I'm reading my Bible, if I'm praying throughout my day (which I am, at least I have been recently - there's plenty of times when I allow that all to fall to the wayside). Thank the Lord I have her support in this mother/wife/housekeeping/homeschooling life I feel called to. It means more to me than I could ever express.

There, I'm done. I've got more stuff to do and I gotta hurry.

Wait, did I pee today....

*Michigan Momma*

Recap

So much happening around here lately. Fun stuff. Let's recap:

Yesterday morning was my weekly Women's Bible Study. Besides the actual Bible study (on Esther, this week on revenge and forgiveness), it's good for me to have fellowship with some of our church ladies. I'm S L O W L Y beginning to learn their names and yesterday I even found myself having joined a playgroup every other week. It also includes some Ladies Night Out's so that will be good for me (my dh encourages me to attend these types of events - for my sanity and his - so he will be more than willing to watch the kiddos).

Then I took the kids down to the river and the lake. We didn't get out however, as it was still chilly and Selah had decided to pee her panties (and tights, and dress, and shoes) at Story Tales (a kid's book club type of thing) and no one had jackets. But I promised them we would come back later that same day.

We got home, I put the kids down to bed for Quiet Time and began getting things together. I wanted to get dinner and dessert all together, get the kids warm clothes & jackets together for the lake and pick up daddy on the way there from church.

Oh, I made a few more recipes from the Paula Deen Celebrates cookbook. For dinner I made her homemade mac-n-cheese which was a HUGE hit even with my Kraft-purist son. For dessert, I made up her Georgia Cookie Candy which is ADDICTIVE (and not good if you are trying to lose weight!).

Anyways, Dean walks in the door at 4:30pm - WHAT?!? I wasn't expecting that - but I tried to be pleasant and smile and be happy he was home (which I was). We decided to have an early dinner, run to the lake with the kids, pick up my meds for thrush (great, another long story) and go to the store since dh had volunteered us to bring food to the staff chapel in the morning.

Fun times.

So we pulled together some more of Paula's recipes: the Hashbrown Casserole, Pecan Pie Muffins (again) and a basic smoothie recipe. The Hashbrown Casserole isn't at all "eggy" and is absolutely delicious!

We did manage to make it to the lake, but only *after* the weather had changed. So now it was very chilly, with a nice fog and wet mist in the air. We ran around the boardwalk thingy for a few minutes along the river (between MI and Canada) and stopped to look at an old lighthouse boat that was now a museum item. I ran (well, walked swiftly) with my babies and had a grand ol' time. We were wet and cold, but had a good time!!


So this morning, dh and I pulled together the breakfast items for chapel, and now I'm just getting going. One baby has had a bath, three to go. Church is tonight with the Kidz programming and my Ladies Bible Study (with a totally different group of ladies). The weather is nice again, yet I am without a car, so maybe we'll just get out for a quick walk around the neighborhood.


*oh, and the weight thing, I'm just maintaining thus far this week. It's all of Paula's recipes I'm telling you! So I'm back to being VERY strict again. It worked last week, it'll work again. I feel so good when I'm losing weight - it's so worth it!

Have a great Wednesday
*Michigan Momma*

Who are you trying to please?

There are some people in this world, and unfortunately in my own life, who believe that if I choose to have this many children, then I'd better get my act together and be perfect. 'Cause if I don't, then I must have made a mistake having a large family. If I can't "do it all" and do it all WELL, then I must have made a mistake, bitten off more than I can chew, etc.

Not true.

No one has it "all" together - not even the families of one or two children. No one. The thing is, each family is going to have it's own priorities. And just because you don't understand my priorities, doesn't make them incorrect.

During this season in my life, I am busy. I may not be busy where YOU think I 'ought' to be busy, but I am busy where I believe THE LORD wants me busy. No, the house may not be perfect. Yes, I may feel overwhelmed at times. No, the children are not all involved in karate. Yes, I fall into bed at night exhausted.

Yes, it is physically hard to have this many little ones. But it is TOTALLY worth it. Totally.

It may be months before we are back to a "normal" schedule - but normal for whom? The world? Since when did I want to be like the world? If the rest of our life is CRAZY by the world's standards, yet we are raising our children for the Lord, living for the Lord and loving each other as the Lord commands - why do you care if the world views us as strange?

Recently, I broke down. I told my husband, "oh, I just can't do all this". He agreed - then reminded me I DON'T HAVE TO. Yet I've felt the external pressure from others to be perfect. If I can't show them I'm perfect, that I can *handle* it all, then they will judge me, judge my family. And I don't want to fail.

Again, my husband reminded me, "you don't have to do it all. you don't have to gain anyone else's approval or acceptance". PTL for an amazing husband, amen sisters?!!

So for anyone else who is seriously overwhelmed with life, who has been blessed with many little ones, who is trying to please anyone else besides the Lord - go read a blog entry from a friend I just made recently on-line. It may make you cry (I know I did), but it may also help you stop and take a look at WHY you are overwhelmed and WHOM you are trying so hard to please.

http://seekingfaithfulness.wordpress.com/2007/01/27/dear-mom/

This blog was a gift from the Lord for me today. It was honestly EXACTLY what I needed to read from another momma who is just a bit further down the road than I. Thank you *so* much Holly, what a blessing. Thanks for allowing the Lord to work through you in this way!

*Michigan Momma*

Two Updates

Update #1.
I WON! Well, this week anyways. I lost 13 pounds this past week - before anyone starts freaking out, remember that I have A LOT to lose and the first week is a bunch of water weight. Not to mention I have a nursing baby sucking calories out of me and I always manage to lose my "baby weight" fairly quickly (its all the *rest* of the weight I have a problem with).

Dh did great this week as well - he lost 5 (I think) so that means I beat him by 8 pounds. We still haven't come up with proper weekly/monthly rewards, but I'll make up a spreadsheet or something and keep track until we do.

Also, Sat. & Sun. we went out to eat (twice) - going on a double date with dh's bro and then out with family after church on Sun. So I feel like I've gained back 5! But I will perservere (sp?) because pounds GAINED go towards the *other* person's points (so Dean would get those points from me if I gained 2 pounds). Don't want THAT to happen!!

Update #2.
If you could only see my kiddos faces. Since I haven't taken pics, let me just explain and we'll see about taking pics later.
*Isaac: he's been sick with a runny nose. Yet he *insists* he is a big boy and wants to wipe his own nose, thank you very much. This results in snot being wiped under his nose and across his cheek. He then gets chapped skin from the wet, snottiness. So he's got a huge chapped-skin mark from under his nose all the way across his cheek. attractive.
*Tali: We went out for ice cream last night after church and Tali fell down just one (fairly steep) step. She landed on her face (as she always does) and busted up her top lip. Today it is nice and swollen. pretty.
*Elijah: Elijah has hit that stage of newborn life when his skin is reacting to this new world he is living in. He basically has baby acne of one kind or another all over his face (and tummy and a bit on his arms). He's my wonderful, adorable son - just with a bad case of baby-zits!

I think Selah is the only one who looks fairly normal right now. And I have yet to do her hair today - since it was in braids yesterday, it's a frizzy mess.

*sigh* my poor children. It's a good thing we're just staying home today.

There ya go - time to go nurse my zitty baby, then it's laundry time. Then I need to attack the shed in the back yard so I can clear out some stuff from our over-packed garage.
'Til later~
*Michigan Momma*

He did it!

We moved to Michigan in the middle of January and that's when all the snow hit around here. My son went outside in his snowsuit and promptly tried to climb all the trees in our backyard - yet was unable to do so. He dragged around a large outside toy bin from tree to tree trying to reach the lowest branches - but again, to no avail.

Now that the snow is all gone, he went out again today. He discovered a different tree, one he hadn't tried before, and began pulling the toy bin over there. Ah-ha! He was able to do it!!

Now this tree has been dubbed "Isaac's Tree" - it is right outside his window and small enough that he can do it "al by himself"!!! Whoo-hoo!

*Proud Michigan Momma*

p.s. my dh just pointed out how WRONG it is for me to sign-off as Michigan Momma with our son proudly displaying his OHIO STATE sweatshirt in these pics. Oh well....Daddy's from Ohio, Momma's from Michigan. Come to think of it, I don't even think our babies OWN any Michigan stuff....daddy wouldn't hear of it. ~L.

~SUPER MOMMA~

I felt like one of those parents trying desperately to put together a Christmas present at midnight - when in actuality, I was just trying to get Tali's trike put together while all my babies were down napping (it doesn't happen all that often that FOUR kids nap at the same time).

But I did it! With a hammer and a philips screwdriver. Now she has a "bike" to ride when her brother and sister are riding theirs - I did mention she thinks she's just as old as they are, right?

Fun times~

~anxiously awaiting springtime~

*Michigan Momma*

new muffins

Don't these look yummy? These are from a cookbook my mom gave me for Christmas. I am just now reading these books (yes, it's three months later). This is from a Paula Deen book, the Celebrations! book. They are called Pecan Pie Muffins.




The recipe only makes eight muffins though, so I'll be lucky if there's any left over by the time my dh gets home tonight.

They are quite yummy! I'm not a huge pecan pie lover (at all) but these aren't quite as rich as a pecan pie (which is overwhelmingly rich for me) so it's a nice mix. My kids dug 'em - especially Isaac!




We are kind of in a waiting time right now, trying to use up what we have in the house in regards to ingredients, until we are able to get to the store again. Just waiting on some money, of course. So here I am, looking through recipes and cookbooks going, "ok, I have ONE egg - what can I bake?". I think I'm going to have to scrounge up some change and get some milk, butter and eggs to make it through the next two weeks....ahhhh....the challenges and joys of life. It can be fun if I just remember to keep my focus where it ought to be - on what the LORD has given us and how much He loves us!!

Ok, well, luckily we have PLENTY of leftovers for tonight's dinner - I think I'll go do some more baking this afternoon.

The schedules/charts with the little ones are going great! Oh, I've got more to talk about but it'll have to wait.

~Enjoying my babies and the rain~
*Michigan Momma*

it's raining

Yup, it's that kind of day here in Michigan.

I do love the rain. Even more so after living in Colorado. I think I must have an OVER-abundance of that Vitamin D stuff in my body. You know how some people get depressed without enough sunshine? For me, it's just the opposite.

So anyways, just hanging around the house today, enjoying the rain. The kids and I are still working on learning their chores - I'll post their charts as soon as I figure out how to post a spreadsheet...

Ok, time to go clean (oh, I also like to clean in the rain - weird, I know)
*Michigan Momma*

The Plan

Ok, here's the deal. My children can be picky eaters. My first born is the worst, he's actually pretty bad. My first daughter is better, although she tends to take her cues from her big brother. My second daughter, now she'll eat anything. You know the cereal commercial from when we were kids? Give it to Mikey, he'll eat anything. Yup, my daughter's Mikey.

I would like to work on the older two's eating habits - I would like them to be able to eat whatever is put in front of them, or at least to learn to take a few bites and try it. We will not be making 10 different meals in a day just to cater to each one's likes and dislikes. You eat what's put in front of you or you don't eat. That's fine - I'm not going to *make* you eat - but you'll have to wait until the next meal then.

Ok, so I've been trying this little strategy. I serve a basic meal - it probably consists of *something* my son doesn't like to eat (mainly veggies, fruits or some meats, some casseroles....yup, he's picky). So when he inevitably asks for more of what he *does* like (I purposefully give him a very small portion of what I know he likes), I tell him he may have more once he eats so many bites of "such-and-such" (whatever he's being picky about).

So anyways, yesterday I prepared Lentil Stew in our crock pot. Now for those of you who are already scrunching up your noses, I'll have you know it is *very* tasty and even my dh eats a hearty bowl, telling me that it is very good. Nothing strange in it, some lentils, some beef, some veggies (cut up very small), loads of seasonings, tomato sauce, etc. Tasty.

Anyways, I also served up some bread and butter - a big hit with my son. But I knew that wasn't enough to get him to eat the stew. So right before dinner time, I whipped up a batch of cookies, from a new recipe. Basically oatmeal chocolate chip - oh yes, Isaac would LOVE them.

So here's the stew in my wonderful servent, my crock pot:

And here are the yummy cookies:

When I placed the bowl of stew in front of my son, here is his reaction:

Not exactly the hopeful anticipation a cook looks for.

By the way, lest you think it really was a gross meal - here is my youngest daughter gobbling it all up!

Once he finished staring down his food, and realised momma really wasn't going to back down on this one, he obediently took a bite. One lentil. I told him that simply didn't constitute a bite and he would have to take a bigger bite. He finally managed to down one small bite, gagging the whole time. I told him he had to do that at least three more times. He *really* wanted one of those cookies, so he gallantly took another bite...

and promptly threw up all over his chair.

WHAT?!?!?!?!!

I was...let's say....less than sympathetic.

After I had cleaned up the mess, after Isaac had cleaned himself up and put on his jammies, he really wanted to try again. I gave him a small portion and told him to eat every last bite. He didn't even take one more bite. But his sister, the older one, took three LARGE bites and even told me is tasted yummy. She got TWO cookies.

Hmmmm.....kinda reminds me of time in my childhood when my mother tried to make me eat cole slaw. Well, like momma, like son. (sorry Mom)

*Michigan Momma*

old & new

Here's the promised pics of my fireplace "before" and "after". What do you think? Do you like that the new fireplace has a mantle instead of the rock going all the way up? I like it but now I'll have to figure out how to decorate it...



BEFORE:




AFTER:

As you can see, it wasn't all that much structural damage - but we had a lot of smoke/soot damage throughout the house. I guess it has to do with the fact that some 2X4s were slowly smoldering over a period of time - and the smoke/soot was slowly going through our home - even before we got there (we are renting). So even though it doesn't appear that bad, they did *a lot* of work in our home.

Oh, well, at least I know my home is clean - even the hard to reach places (at least for now)!

~From snowy Michigan (again!)~
*Michigan Momma*

Laundry explained

Lest any of you think I am a COMPLETE slacker for all the laundry I had to do today (I tried to remember, I think it was like 11 loads altogether), I thought I would explain.

We have all been slightly undert the weather around here. For dh and I, it's just been a bad sinus thingy, complete with headaches, sore throats, achy muscles in the neck, you name it. For the kids though, it has included one barfing session per child (all of them while in bed, mind you - this accounts for a few loads today as two of them threw up last night), plus some seriously nasty diapers coming from Tali. Gross.

Amazingly, the baby has had no signs of being ill - Praise Jesus! He has started spitting up a bit - as if he's eating just a bit too much. No projectile vomiting or anything though, so we're good there. Diapers normal, sinuses seem normal, etc. Let's keep it that way - he's too young to get sick without momma getting slightly neurotic.

Ok, there ya go - I didn't just skip out on ALL my laundry this week - I was just slammed with a lot of extra LINENS to wash these last few days, so it has thrown off my laundry up-keep. If I can squeeze it in, I'll wash our linens as well tomorrow - but seeing as how the only time we're not at church tomorrow is the afternoon, at which time I'll be napping, I don't really see it happening. Oh well.....

~Way past my bed time~

*Michigan Momma*

My mom's Spaghetti Pie

Oooo, this was really yummy - but silly me, I forgot to take a pic. Duh.

Here's the recipe (and how I altered it):

7oz. spaghetti, cooked
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
2 Tbl. butter, melted
2 eggs, well beaten

take all that, mix it together and press it into an 8X8 pan, well greased.

Top with some cottage cheese (I used ricotta - it's what I had in the house).

Mix up the sauce and simmer for a while:

*1 lb. ground beef, browned
*1 1/2 c. onion, chopped (I just threw in some frozen chopped onion)
*1/4 gr. pepper (I used 1 red pepper - it's what I had and I like it better)
*1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
*1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
*1 tsp. oregano
*1 tsp. sugar
*1/2 tsp. garlic salt (I used garlic powder - and probably a bit more than that)

Spoon sauce over cottage cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20. Top with some grated motz. Bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve with a nice salad and some homemade bread - yummy!

*Oh, I doubled the recipe, assembled it (minus the grated motz.) and froze it for another time. I love doing that.



I did really good and only had a small portion with just one roll. I ate a small salad as well. I really enjoy cooking and baking for my family, but obviously, for someone who struggles with her weight, this can be problematic. When I was doing a liquid diet, I was able to bake like crazy and I really wasn't that tempted. But when I am nursing, when I *have* to eat real food, it's a bit harder. You tell yourself, 'oh, just ONE cookie' or 'just one roll' or 'just one slice of banana bread', etc. Next thing ya know, well, ya know...

Speaking of banana bread - that was my baking for today. I just finished my banana bread recipe "Best Banana Bread EVER" - which it is, btw. We'll let it sit tonight and the flavor will be great for breakfast before church tomorrow.

I also did laundry - load, after load, after load, after load. Such is what happens when I slack off during the week. I think I'm just finishing up my last load for today. Thank the Lord!!

We also did our official weigh-in today. *sigh* very sad. When I think of how much I had lost BEFORE becoming preggo this last time - well, very sad. But again, I KNOW I can do it now and I'm quite determined. Plus, I have to beat dh!! We haven't decided upon our rewards yet. I'll let ya know when we decide.

One last bit of news, I think I have....hmmm.....what is it called when you have yeast around your nipple when nursing?? Well, whatever, I think I have it. I've been expressing breastmilk and trying to let it air dry - but my goodness, I realized how little time I have in my day. It takes *FOREVER* let it air dry. I don't have time to PEE let alone sit around doing nothing while my boob dries. great. If it doesn't clear up soon, or if it gets worse, or if it starts to hurt to nurse, I'll call my family doc - hopefully his nurse will give me a prescription without having to come in. I mean, come on, this is my fourth baby - I know what this whole yeast thing looks like - even if I can't think of the medical terminology.

Ok, timer going off. My back is on fire!! I need to also get some info on chiropractors in the area....

~Time for bed~
*Michigan Momma*

LOSER!!

No, not you. Me (hopefully!).

Dh and I are implementing our very own BIGGEST LOSER competition. We are both struggling with our weight. We both lost like 50 lbs before I got preggo with Elijah. Then we both gained most of it back. Duh.

So now we're back at it. I'm actually pretty encouraged - I was able to do it last time. It was my first real success in the weight loss realm. So now I know I can do it again.

So we will be discussing it and coming up with weekly and monthly "rewards" as it were. Just small little encouragements for the weeks and the perhaps bigger, more motivating rewards for the monthly weigh-ins.

I know, men tend to lose easier than women - but I've got two things going for me.

#1. Dh has a "desk" job. He spends a lot of time on the phone or on the computer or in meetings (even "lunch" meetings). I, on the other hand, when I am up and at 'em in the mornings and doing my job well - I am SO TIRED by the end of the day - due to how hard I work PHYSICALLY!

#2. I am nursing. Hey, he's just "eating" a bunch of extra calories for me.

Now, before some healthy, skinny gal tries to warn me of the ills of dieting while nursing...don't worry about it. This is my fourth baby. I know how much/little I can eat and still maintain my milk. I'm not about to starve myself - it's about eating healthier foods and working hard during the day. It'll be okay. If little Elijah was not getting enough, I would change my eating rather than quit nursing - that's not an option.

Ok, isn't this exciting?!! I'll let you know more details as we determine them: when we'll start, what the terms are weekly/monthly, and of course I'll keep you updated as I....

~KICK MY DH'S BUTT~

Luv ya babe~

*Michigan Momma*

Mean Momma

I know I appear sweet in my pics with my babies but today, I turned into "Mean Momma". Just for about 10 min.

I don't care, it still stinks, even if it was only for 10 min.

I woke up sick and pretty darn tired. I did *great* yesterday at getting up and getting going. I worked HARD yesterday just with day to day normal stuff - then went out for a "date night" with hubby. *sigh* and of course, I didn't get to bed until...hmm...I'm not sure what time it was - but it was not enough sleep. I know this because I hardly remember nursing Elijah at all. When I can't really even wake up enough to feed him, I know I am lacking sleep.

Anyways, I was exhausted this morning - but the facts were Dh still had to go to work today and I still had four babies to take care of. Now "take care of" is really relative. Today, due to how icky I felt, taking care of them simply involved food, diapers, nursing and any other basic care. Minimal discipline. Yet lots of hugs on the couch for anyone who wanted to jump on up and join me.

After lunch, Selah wanted to join me on the couch - she looked so sad and...well....hey! GUILTY!


Then the smell hit me.


Yup, she had pooped in her panties. Ick! For some reason, the older they are when this happens, the more annoying it is. Think about it: when your sweet newborn poops - awww....well heck, it hardly even smells! But when your 4 year old poops - ick!

I got awful mad. Now I was controlled, but I was still upset. And she knew it.

*sigh* I want to be better than the "Mean Momma". There *is* a better way to handle these situations. As soon as I realised how upset I was, I tried to calm down. I backed away, took a deep breath, told Selah that Momma was upset and I needed to calm down a bit. Then I came back, asked her to forgive me for yelling and getting so mad. I then also had to apologize to my other two children who were right there. *sigh again*

Then I told them all that Momma was really going to make every effort to not get "Mean". Now I also told them that this doesn't mean they aren't going to get disciplined. They will still get disciplined if their actions require it - but I will do everything in my power to NOT be mean.

Ooooh. In MY power? That's the problem right there, isn't it? MY power will always lead to failure. Yet if I can give myself wholly into HIS power, let HIM guide my parenting, my emotions....ah-ha! Lightbulb moment, Lori.

Prayer. That's all I can think of right now. Prayer. and lots of it. You can't possibly teach, train, raise these babies without it.

OK, so now help me out - have you been in this situation before? Do you struggle with your emotions? Have you ever lost your temper in front of your children? How do you deal with it then and also avoid it in the future?

For me, I need to get more sleep. Seriously - that will alleviate so many of my problems with this. Also, getting up earlier so I am "ahead of the game". It's when I feel overwhelmed that problems arise. If I need to get up earlier - but also get more rest - well, I'm looking at a much earlier bedtime, right?

Prayer. Giving my parenting over to the Lord. Sleep. Health.

Man, this parenting thing is NOT easy.
*Michigan Momma*

Bath Time

Just some fun bath pics. We do not have an actual "baby bath tub" - just the sink and a large bath towel. I'm not sure why we got rid of our last baby tub - I think I was just annoyed with it or something. Not sure....anyways, this works just fine.

These other pics are from right afterwards, just chillin' in daddy's arms - wide awake. He is so much more awake during the days now and is seems so aware of his surroundings. I can't believe it - he's four weeks old today - wow!!

Watching it all race by~
*Michigan Momma*

some photos for today

I'll have to get the "Before" pic from my mother, but here is a pic of our new fireplace after the fire. It took forever, but here it is!



Isaac managed to get quite the owie maybe two weeks ago at my parent's home - he was running to hug his Papa and instead ran right into the corner of the counter. Ouch! Yesterday, he came home from church and it was all swollen again and raised up. He said one of the "big boys" hit him with an airplane - he insists it was an accident though. Hmmm....the momma in me will have to check out who these "big boys" are in his class....




A new quilt for Elijah - a wonderful lady at our new church made this. We just *love* it and the colors. We are going to be purchasing a new bunk bed for the boys room (Isaac's twin bed is LITERALLY falling apart on him) and I think we're gonna use this color palette to redecorate. We really do love it - thanks Jacki!



A pic from our back door - the weather here in eastern MI is letting go of winter a bit. It's still chilly mind you, but the snow is leaving us. It's supposed to be in the 50's tomorrow - before it cools down again for the rest of the week. I am determined to go for a walk with my babies tomorrow to take advantage of it!!



Last but certainly not least - here is my baby girl, Talitha. I had to sneak in during her quiet time to get this photo. I was holding her a few days back and realised how much our hands look alike. Seriously, they look identical. I was awed once again by how God creates this amazing person from a part of Dean and a part of myself. Tali ended up with "my hands". There are other parts that are totally Dean, but her hands - those are mine.

Either that or I've got the hands of a chubby toddler. *grins*

Hope you enjoyed the pics - have a great Monday~
*Michigan Momma*

Uninformed?

Here is a link to an article from the American Medical Association, Volume 9, Feb. 2000. It discusses oral contraceptives and post-fertilization effects. If you've ever really wondered what all the hype is recently about The Pill and ethical issues, I'd recommend taking a look - at least be informed.

http://www.contracept.info/news/fsa8035.pdf

I still think most women are uninformed. In the author's comments, and within the article, it is stated that many doctors believe that life begins sometime at or after implantation. So therefore they see no reason to talk about post-fertilization effects of the Pill. If you were to ask many doctors about PF effects, many would simply not know about it. They were not taught this info at school.

And of course, this is simply not something you are going to hear about on network news or in the paper. No way.

Everyone has to make their own decisions about this topic. First of all, you need to decide what you believe about LIFE. What does God have to say on this topic? If you believe ALL life is valuable and should be protected - next decide when you believe life begins. When does God believe life begins? Does He talk about knowing us in our mother's womb or even before? NOW add in the information given in the above medical research article - Oral Contraceptives can have post-fertilization effects (get rid of a fertilized egg before it can implant) - and now what do you believe?

For me, it's simple. Life begins at conception. OCs *can* possibly "get rid of" (kill) a fertilized egg (baby). For me, there's no getting around those facts. If I'm not going to kill my baby by abortion, I'm not going to kill my baby by taking some pill - whether I know when it happens or not. Now that I'm informed, I simply can't make that decision. For Christian women who would never consider an abortion, what do you believe about the Pill? How do you justify this? Are you informed?

Now that you are informed - what decision will you make?

*Michigan Momma*

p.s. I don't want to be known for trying to "force" my beliefs down other people's throats. But I really think this is an issue of women not being told the truth - of women not being informed of what "could" happen. I would just like the truth to be laid out there for every women to read - then they have to make their own choices. I used to take the Pill too. I was uninformed. ~L.

Back to normal

Well, not really *back* to normal, seeing as how we have never been there to begin with - at least not since the birth of this new little baby boy.

I'm happy to announce that the house is back to being ours again. Whoo-hoo!! The carpets were cleaned this past Friday and that was the last thing to get done. Tomorrow we can start a "normal" week. I have some goals for this week, mainly figureing out what is normal and reasonable for me to accomplish each day.
I am still bleeding, which is not normal for me. I'm guessing it's just from having to deal with so much physically after the birth. Basically, I just need to be realistic.

Also, our home has been so filled with stress recently that our family, our marriage, our relationships have been suffereing. The emotional state of everyone, especially momma, has been crazy. When discussing all of this with my dh yesterday, I reminded us both that a lot of what we have been going through would be considered extremely stressful by the world. I think someone has rated the most stressful things to go through in life. I'm guessing moving cross country, a housefire, a new baby, a new job, going to seminary while working full-time, etc. All of those have to be somewhere in the top 10 or 20. Add that to the fact that we have experienced them all at the SAME TIME! Understandably, we need to stop and re-prioritize life.

So that's part of my goals as well - find out what life with four little ones is like from day to day, PLUS make sure I am making concerted efforts in my relationships with my family. Make sure I am LOVING my husband, respecting him and submitting to him. Make sure I am spending time with each of my babies, loving them, training them. And most importantly, make sure I am spending time with the Lord each and every day. I can't do all the rest without this.

So okay, what *does* normal look like for me?? We'll see...once I get a basic idea, I'll share more.

Oh and as an aside, the weather has been really nice here lately - although I haven't enjoyed it as much as I had hoped. It appears my lack of sleep recently and my stress level have left me ALMOST sick. This means I have been "cold". Normally, I am a HOT person - always the one to open a window. But lately, I am the cold person, always wanting the extra blanket or wanting the heat turned up. So NOT me. I'm hoping setting a good schedule, thus sleeping more, will help. Also better eating habits. Thank goodness, we can once again eat in our home like normal people. I am *so* sick of fast food....ugh.

All right life, I'm ready~
*Michigan Momma*

p.s. There are so many people to thank for how they helped during this stressful time. I guess I'd better set aside some time this week for some thank you cards as well...God has been so good to us through all of this. He always comes through EXACTLY when and how needed. Amazing. ~L.

is 4 *really* harder than 3?

Now see, I had heard that going to three was pretty hard. Going from the whole "man-to-man" to "zone defense" type of thing. Yet overall, I thought going from 2 to 3 kids was fairly easy. No real stress there (or I've blocked it out - entirely possible).



But for me, going from 3 to 4 has been REALLY TOUGH. Yet in looking at the details, I'm guessing it has more to do with the situation than with the number of kids.

When Elijah was less than 3 days old, we had to quickly evacuate our home due to a fire.

When he was just 5 days old, we headed off to the mall and to McD's - not for fun mind you, but simply because our home was invaded by cleaners, construction people, painters, etc. I *had* to find an outlet for my other three children. Plus my mother and I needed to decide what the best case scenario was for the upcoming weeks.

When Elijah was only 6 days old, my mother and I rounded up my four little ones and we boarded the Amtrak train for a five hour trip to her house (apartment - although nice-sized).



So, you see, we haven't had the 'normal' post-birth experience. Instead of trying to keep the house tidy with so many babies, I've had to say things like "hey, stay out of the painting supplies" (which happen to be strewn across the den). Instead of eating meals made by other loving families - we have had to throw those in the freezer, while heading out to another resturant since we couldn't eat in our home with soot-y dishes and all those cleaning chemicals everywhere. It's a bit difficult to start a wonderful nursing experience with so many strange men walking around our home. ya know?



Being at my parent's home was SO much better, but it still wasn't ideal. I was without my husband, for one thing, as he had to stay in MI at his new job. I was sad that he was missing Elijah's first few weeks of life. I was tired. I was concerned that we were stressing out my folks - who, while wonderful, aren't used to my brood and our noise/activity level.



Yet amidst all that junk, the Lord has been speaking to me in different ways. One was yesterday morning when I went to a Women's Study on Esther. The gist of that day's lesson was "Life isn't always fair, but God is always just". Good to hear. The other was through my lesson for tonight's Ladies Bible Study. It was basically about how we as Christian seem to think if we are going through struggles, that perhaps we are somehow headed down the wrong path - not in God's will. When in actuality, being IN God's will may sometimes lead us through VERY difficult circumstances. We always want things to go "our way", to be comfortable. Yet that's not always what is *best* for us according to God. And we can TRUST that God *does* know what's best for us and wants the best for us. Praise Jesus we aren't in charge here!!


So there ya go. Having four children, five and under, is REALLY tough. Just getting everyone pottied, dressed, changed, teeth brushed, hair somewhat combed, pack the ever-expanding diaper bag, not forgetting the all-important binkie and blankie, not to mention sippy cup and make sure everyone has on two shoes....
Well, you get the idea. And that's just the basics to get out the door - let alone what's needed once you get anywhere. Let's just say, this has shown us, IN GLARING DETAIL, what we need to address in regards to discipline.



Seriously.

Ok, well, I have to be at church in one hour. I'd better start getting ready now, if I have ANY hope of making it on time (did I mention we live just 5 minutes from our church??).

I honestly am loving it! And I'm fairly certain I'll love it even more when the darned plastic covering my entire living room is GONE.


Trying to say YES to Him each moment~
*Michigan Momma*

He's almost three weeks old!

One of my latest favorite pics of little man.

Did I mention that we had a chimney fire the day I got back from the hospital with Elijah?? Totally sucks. Really. So my babies and I have been displaced since then. I believe the workers, painters, cleaners, etc. should be done at the end of this week. I think. Please God, let them be done soon....

I *need* my house back.

And btw, taking care of four little babies is REALLY hard work. The hardest work I have ever done. Totally worth it, mind you, but still - hard. I have been told by numerous moms of many blessings that it indeed DOES get a bit easier, at least physically, once the oldest ones get a bit older. I'm hanging onto that shred of hope.....

Just tired right now. Ok, time to go nurse Elijah. It really is a blessing and I am so happy! Thank you God for my family~~

*Michigan Momma*