Children preventing you......

from starting your day right?

I want to add here that I am NOT saying that every christian MUST start their day with reading scripture/prayer.Just that it helps me ALOT and that I think it is a REALLY good idea :). I don't judge anyone who decided that it works best for them in the afternoon or evening etc. Promise :).

Now,child training........

Can you sit your children down (2yo and up at least),tell them to stay and expect that they will happily listen?If not,I encourage you to spend some time training the children.I have seen so many mothers SO stressed because they can't get their children to sit still and be quiet for any amount of time.

They can't read their Bibles or pray because the children might trash the house out.

They can't have any alone time with their husbands at night because the children won't stay in bed.

It does NOT have to be this way!If you can't tell your children "Time for bed!" and fully expect that they will go to bed and stay in their beds,you have a problem.:)Do not accept it as normal child behaviour because it is not.

I am not going to talk about child training methods here.I will say the following.

1.Mean what you say and say what you mean.
2.Make sure that you surround them with love,praise and smiles.

Training your children will make such a difference in your life! Happier Mammas/Daddies and children!

Are you still greeting your husband with joy? Still keeping your words sweet when he comes in after work?

I got my prayer/scripture reading in today but it was divided and I didn't read as much scripture as I wanted! I will get this habit down pat!

I was sitting on the couch last night.........

and I looked around and realized that there really *were* children everywhere lol.

One child making a cake.

One child doing a math lessons.

One child zooming around on a little riding toy.

One child hugging Daddy.

One child nursing and

2 children playing in the playroom.

I could see them all from where I sat and I was just overwhelmed with thankfulness!

It wasn't hectic......It wasn't even really noisy but it was just a pleasant sound.Busy,happy voices of children all around..(I didn't mean to rhyme lol)

I tried to imagine if it was just dh and I! ahhhhhhh I can't imagine.

Or if we just had one or two children........Nope,can't imagine.

In ten years from now we will have a 23yo,21yo,18yo,16yo,14yo,12yo, and a 10yo PLUS,if we keep having babies every 2 years like we have so far we could have an 8yo,6yo,4yo,2yo and a newborn!!!!! lol That seems IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!! lol I am already FULLY blessed and if I didn't have anymore babies I could not complain but it would also be amazing to have that many more.

I really can't believe we have SEVEN children.I can remember my first being layed on my chest and being in amazement that I was finally a mother.I kept saying "I finally have my OWN baby".I had always dreamed of being a mother.I couldn't wait until I could DO things with him.I wanted to bake cookies,do fun projetcs......Wow lol life sure is different now and that baby is 13.An amazing boy.

Scott and I are loving this stage of life.We are starting to have oldER children plus we still have our babies.It is really quite awesome!

Connecting with your children when........

you have LOTS of them!

It hit me the other day that some days I get to the end of the day and I feel like I have not connected with or really ENJOYED a few of my children.I mean,I always connect with atleast a few of them and I ALWAYS enjoy ALL of them.I don't mean that they are a burden but sometimes life can get so busy that I don't REALLY enjoy them as I should.Especially the little boys.They bring such DELIGHT to my husband and I every day.They are so funny,cute and just PRECIOUS but somedays,it seems that I look at them at the end of the day and realize that other than chores and school they have just been off playing all day.I have taken care of them,schooled them,fed them,bathed them,brushed their teeth etc. etc. etc. but I have not really taken the time to just sit and read to them for a while or to play with them or to really talk to them and hear their thoughts......I HATE THAT!

I love them so much.......I look at them all and just feel like the richest woman in the world.Do you ever look at your children and your heart just literally flutters and you just feel like laughing out loud and dancing around the room because of the unbelievable PRECIOUSNESS??????

My 13 yo son is becoming such a man.It thrills my soul to think of the future with him.His dream is to just get a job with his Dad and stay back here on the farm with us for life drinking coffee and talking lol.He has plans to buy me alot of equipment for my garden/yard.A tractor and attachments.....He loves this farm though and at this point,just just dreams of growing up and working with his Dad.He doesn't want a wife........:):):):):)

My 11yo dd is such a beautiful young lady.She amazes me with her thoughtfulness and love.She is SO considerate of others.She is such an excellent help to me too.She LOVES her little boys :):).She is such a little Mamma to them and they love her.Even though her and her big brother can really pick on each other and provoke each other,she loves him dearly.She hates for him or anyone else to get in trouble.She wants to please us and the Lord and *sigh*,she DOES want a husband :):).

My 8yo dd is a little precious sweetheart.Wants to do everything the "big" children too.She is kind of right in the middle of "big children" and "little children" and goes back and forth between groups as she wants to lol.When it comes to staying up late she is a big child of course :).She is a huge help to me.She is just learning to do SO much!She LOVES to share her things.Always has.Both girls are absolutley in love with their Daddy :).He has two little princesses who love to get his coffee when he gets home.

My 6yo ds is such a sweet and gentle boy yet he can get hyper too,especially when his big brother has a hand in it :). He (6yo) loves his little brothers(AND BIG BROTHER).They are all such good friends.He and my 4yo are like twins.I can't imagine them being apart.He treats his BABY brothers (2yo and newborn) with SUCH care.He smiles and laughs at them like they are so little and he is so big.He is a Mamma's boy through and through.He also loves to go with his Daddy.He is so cute.He has a bashfulness about him that we all love.

My 4yo amazes us.How can they ALL be so different and special in their own ways.He is HILARIOUS.He really,really melts his Daddy and his Mamma :). He LOVES to go with his Dad every chance he can.Sometimes he has a hard time deciding though because he loves to stay with Mamma too :).He and his brothers are best friends.(Parents who chooses to only have 1-2 children are missing out on so much.They have no idea.) He delights ALL of his siblings with his cuteness and sweetness.

My 2yo lol.............LOL!!!!!!!! I LOVE 2yo's!!!!! See as I am typing this all out,every time I get to the next child I am overwhelmed with amazement that they are so cute,smart,sweet and just PRECIOUS! Every single one them amazes us.Our 2yo is a genious lol.We crack up laughing over him every.single.hour I think.Look how much laughter children bring! lol Anyhow,Isaac is still such a baby but is growing fast:).He loves his "tighty" (Titus) soooooooo much.Never one SECOND of jealousy.It is soooooo sweet.He loves to sleep with one hand on me and one on Titus' cheek.I know they will be great friends.

Titus......*sigh*.......I am so blessed to have been given another baby to go through all of these precious stages above! Right now he is just a precious ball of joy.He is smiling and cooing.......We all stare at him in amazement atleast several times a day lol.He could not be more loved!!!!!!! He has 9 people absolutely gushing over him every day.He is so soft and sweet.I am so blessed to have him.

It is such a blessing to be a woman.They Lord has given us so many JOYS as wives and mothers!!!!

My sister is visiting with me right now too and even though she is not my child I do have to comment about her because she is so amazing! I have no idea how I am going to do it without her when she goes home! :) She is happy,helpful and responsible.I literally have to almost never correct her.She loves the Lord and has a heart to please him.She loves her Mamma and Daddy and misses them very much but loves being her with all of her nieces and nephews! Mom and dad need to just move closer than 600 miles away!

I am strving to take time  to connect with each one of my children EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I know these days of having them here with me will fly by and I don't want to have regrets.I am so blessed.

LOVE YOUR CHILDREN today!!!!

Beautiful girls

These are my beautiful girls.Actually,one of them is my little SISTER.:) My sister is on the left and she is 16.My oldest daughter is on the right (11) and youngest daughter in the middle.My sister is actually taller than my daughter by a couple of inches but thats it! :) They are great friends!! :)

It makes me feel REALLY nervous ALOT of the time that I have the power to be such an influence and example to these girls.It is a scary and wonderful thought.I am always influencing........a.l.l the time.Even when I don't want to! Those are the scary times! The way they view marriage,mothering,children..........Even things like pregnancy,childbirth,herbs and breastfeeding........Then there are things like attitudes,thankfulness and joy.I SO want to be a godly example to them.

My sister has been staying with me for a long visit.When I think of the times that I have been impatient or frustrated with the children.....When I get overwhelmed with how much I have to do.......I cringe that I am not being example to her.She is at such an important time in her life.

I HATE that my daughters don't see a mother who never gets irritated,is always encouraging,never gets short with them and is always thankful and content.I want to ONLY influence them in a godly direction.

I HATE that I can't be the perfect mother!

On the other hand.....I KNOW that the Lord knew I would be imperfect when he gave me these children.My own parents were imperfect but guess what? Looking back,I see what there heart was.I KNOW that they wanted me to have the best.They wanted me to be godly.They tried to make the best decisions they could for what they knew.It doesn't even PHASE me when I think about the fact that my Mom could lose her temper pretty quickly or that she didn't have tea parties with me every weekend.I couldn't love her more! She did her best and so did my Dad.I can see how HARD it can be to be PARENT.I am 33 and my siblings are 27,18 and 16.Every single one of us love Mom and Dad SO much.YES! Inspite of their faults......I have been critical of how my Mom and Dad raised my younger siblings.(They were 12,2 and 5mo when I married) Guess what? The other day I was going to paint my girls fingernails for the first time.I asked my sister if she wanted hers painted and she said "no". I found out a few days later that she wanted to call her Mom and Dad and ask if it was ok first.Can you believe that? A 16 year old girl that wouldn't even paint her nails at her SISTERS house......600 miles away from her Mom and Dad......

When she talks to them on the phone she grins from ear to ear.She loves them SO much! Just like I do.....Like ALL of my siblings do.

I am starting to not beat myself up so much.Don't get me wrong,I will not EVER quite trying to be my best for the Lord and my husband and children.It is my sincere desire to be the best influence for the Lord that I can be.......

BUT:

I am pretty sure that because we are not hypocrites,we have an excellent marriage,we are dedicated to being the best parents we can be to our children,they love us and love to be with us more than anyone else,they hear us pray to the Lord to help us be all we should be for them and to forgive us when we fail,we are a HAPPY family that strives to live for the Lord.

I bet someday that with all the love they are receiving from us that they will be able to forgive our faults!

That is such a WONDERFUL feeling!!

Thank you Lord for forgiving children!

10 reasons to train your children well........

1.God says to so obviously that is #1!



2.To give them every advantage *possible* in this life we live.


3.To be a good example of christianity.Children who are uncontrolable are not attractive.Children who are well behaved make people ask you how you do it which then gives you an opening to tell them HOW.(The Lord)



4.It makes your life a WHOLE lot easier when your children happily do what they are told.


5.It is much SAFER for your children.It is very dangerous to have children who don't listen.



6.Well trained children are *much* happier than children "left to themselves".




7.Well trained children are a blessing to society instead of the burden that selfish,lazy,rebellious children are.



8.Well trained children are a JOY for everybody to be around.



9.It is a blessing to your husband to train his children well.What a burden to a husband to have a wife who won't train his children well since she is usually the one with them all day.



10.Last but not least...........For your marriage!! When you can put your children in bed and they will stay without whining,complaining or getting up again you can have date nights with your husband at HOME like I did last night :):).I hear so many mothers say that they can't have any time alone with their husbands because the children won't go to bed.........It doesn't have to be that way! :) We do have one little date companion with us though now days lol.See him? He definitely is NOT an interuption though:).

Energetic children

Well,I am 14 weeks along in my pregnancy and my morning sickness is starting to go away.I am thrilled about that! I can't *wait* to be back to myself again.Cooking for my family has been especially challenging because the smell of almost everything (especially meat) makes me SO sick.I am convinced that I have been doing a terrible job of keeping them healthy because friends of ours just visited from out of state and ALL of my children got sick and none of theirs did! Which brings me to the topic that I wanted to write about.

Do you ever get frustrated withe the never ending energy and appetites that your children have? I know that it can be a challenge for me at times! When my children are sick though,it always reminds me to be SOOOOOO thankful for healthy,energetic,HUNGRY children! :)

Just imagine the parents out there who are dealing with terminally ill children! I look at my little children laying around with no appetites and energy and even though I feel bad for them,I know they will be back to their normal selves soon.I can't help but imagine how it would feel to have a child who very likely may NOT get better........May NEVER again have an appetite or race around the house full of energy..........and may be in pain that just might have no end in sight.

I take SO much forgranted!!!!!!!!! Thank you dear Lord for energetic,hungry children!!!!!!!! May I fully appreciate them and do my best to take care of them with love and patience because I never know what might happen tomorrow!