Easy On Mama =)

Well yesterday was a pretty easy day for this overworked overstressed Mama. I really needed to just chill after all the recent nuttiness. I did get this weeks grocery shopping done with The Monkey & even that was easy on me cuz ALDI was closed for Memorial Day. Although I paid a little more than usual it was worth it, I still kept the bill under 85 bux & for a family of 6, I think that's pretty good =)
We had a good long day visiting with the in laws & as you can see the girlies had 2 tons of fun.

Today I have to catch up on my weeks cooking. I have really grown to like getting everything done I possibly can in one day. Yesterday I did bake a few loaves of bread in the bread machine but aside that not much was done. However, this week is gonna be super easy on me because I'm headed to the ICHE homeschool convention & all the vittles I would normally prepare won't be needed. YAY!!
Tonight, I'm frying up some chicken (can't premake that one)
And tomorrow is a baked ham. That will leave enough leftovers for Big Daddy to make some sammiches for himself & the girlies. And he opted for hot dogs for himself Friday evening, can I just say...WHOO-HOO!!
OK, so what does need to be made?

I'm gonna crank out some Mashed Taters
Fruit Salad
Chocolate Pudding Pie
Kool Aid Pie w/ sweetened condensed milk instead of the evaporated & sugar (TRY THIS!!!!)
Brownies
and maybe Amish Sugar Cookies

The downfall is I have lots of laundry that piled up over the crazy days & that has to get done before convention. Today will be 3-4 loads which means running up & down a gerjillion stairs.

I may look like this by the end of the day.

The Blessed Supermom

Seriously????

Well, things have been more than a wee bit interesting around here. We had the Wee Piglet's peanut butter incident, the PB assaulted her. Then there was Monkey's realization she couldn't fly & the subsequent ER visit. So you'd think things would mellow out a bit right?
Uh-uh nope, things just got more nutty!
Saturday The Hubby had a wonderful idea, he suggested we have a picnic in the back of the van & play some board games. We decided to go to the cemetery to hang with Isaac & Hannah, it was nice. It was raining just a bit so the van wasn't overheated, it was just the right temp. Everything started real nice, we were all laughing & munchin' our subways, listening to some music. Then The Bear said her tummy hurt a little, she giggled & unbuttoned her pants thinkin she ate too much. But a few minutes later she said she was really sick, she felt dinner was about to burst out of both her upper & lower regions. The problem was all the seats were removed & stacked up to give us room for our picnic. I told my baby all would be fine & decided to take her to the chapel (funeral home)
The Hubby gave me a concerned look because he knows I haven't stepped foot in there since Hannah's funeral & have no desire to. I assured him this was necessary & I would be fine. So off we went or better said we ran a mad dash, well Bear did & I desperately tried to keep up realizing that I am no youngin' anymore.
Unfortunately, when we got to the chapel it was locked. Of course, in my brilliance I decided to keep walking thinking the fresh air would do her some good. So we walked to a mechanic shop which was closed...UGH.
I called The Hubby admitting my defeat, there was no potty in sight. I figured we would start walking home, we live about a mile away from the cemetery & although The Hubby was quickly coming to save the day, I thought we should keep movin.
This actually turned out to be a good decision cuz we came across a little spa. We both were running now cuz I had no clue how much longer Bear could keep it together.
Well, you would think it was a relief to make it to the facilities right?
God forgive me, it was heinous. I've seen my share of my kids insides but this was just unbelievable. I'll spare you all the gory details but lets just say by the end of it we both lost our lunch ;(
We figure Bear had an allergic reaction to something, she was a real mess...vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, hives, headache, & chills.
Like I said...life got nuttier.
Funny thing is her Pediatrician & myself suspected she was allergic to something & I just picked up a referral for the lab earlier that day.
Weird huh?
She's feeling better but we were surprised to see she had a slight reaction from this morning's breakfast.
All of these things are foods she ate before so we're a little bewildered. However, I've heard allergies can develop over time & a friend of mine said it could of been food poisoning. Either way, we'll find out soon.
Again, I'm intimidated to find out how much more eating habits we'll have to change around here. I'm thinking next week we may eat nothing but fruit & homemade bread.
Seriously, I have no clue what to put in these kids tummies anymore. Honestly, God has put it on my heart to get serious about our eating habits so I suppose this just makes it easier to cut the fat.
Awww man...no more fat??

The Blessed Supermom

Bath + Earplugs + Poop = Failure

OK, did I mention in the last post we have one bathroom? 6 people, 1 bathroom...let me leave you with that to chew on for a second.
Well, here I was in my nice relaxing bath only to discover I'm about two feet too big for this thing, now mind you I'm not tall, in fact I'm the opposite...horizontally challenged. Anyway, there I am all crunched up & I figure no biggie, I've got my lavender oil goin & I'll download a book from kindle.
I've never done that so I checked out "free classics" & chose The Scarlett Letter. But then I got to thinking "are there naughty parts in here?"
I mean it is a book where the main character is an adulteress (sp) right? Somebody help me out here.
OK, scratch that...
Supermom is scrunched up in the tub with no book, what to do..what to do??
Ahhhh!! Pandora!
I'll listen to some music :) However, for some wickedly sarcastic reason Pandora isn't working :(
Ok, I'll give tune in radio a shot. Nope, sorry Mommy who is trying to relax tune in radio will not buffer (insert sinister laugh from android phone here)
Out of desperation I go to you tube to play some music & alas, it works!!
But Murphys Law will not give up so easily..OH NO!
This is when the Monkey has to pee, & ohhhh what a giggle it is for her to potty with Mama hiding behind the shower curtain. Finally after she is emptied, wiped, & washed she decides she wants to give me a hug. Isn't that sweet?
I declined -_-
Ahhh...time for me.
But now the water has turned cold & I'm shivering in my scrunched up tub. I still have an hour before The Hubby & I need to leave to meet some friends, but guess what??
The dryer stopped & the clothes are still damp & we're all out of quarters...I suppose they won't mind if I where jammies, grrrrr.....
OK, I'm gettin ticked off.
EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!
goosfraba...goosfraba...goosfraba
Better now. Well the bath was a bust but at least I can doll myself up a bit :)
Got the hair dryer & I'll pop in my contacts, but again...no no no. Monkey has to pooh now, I have one contact in my hand, I can't see, my towel is fighting gravity, & she wants a poopy wipe...GRRRRR.
goosfra...oh whatever >{
So now the ONE BATHROOM does not smell like lavender & I'm grumpy. I think I'm gonna go pout & feel sorry for myself and have some cheesecake....that'll help.

The Blessed Supermom

A Warm Bath & Earplugs :)

I'm pampering myself a bit.
Yeup, I'm posting today from the tub :)
I think I deserve a little "me time" it's been a rough few weeks wouldn't you say? First we have the Peanut Butter Fiasco, then the Monkeys flying leap into the ER. Top it off with keeping the kids up 3 hours past bedtime to get the bunk beds taken apart, rearrange the furniture, & then put all the furniture back where it was.
So today The Hubby & kiddos are feasting on tuna fish sandwiches & I'm hiding in the tub with earplugs in :D
Hey, if I'm lucky I'll actually get to put some water in it before someone bangs down the door to go pee-pee!!

The Blessed Supermom

Scared

I tried to come up with some eye catching title right now, but I just don't care. The only words I can think of are scared, frightening, traumatic, terrifying, sick, crying, begging.
My sweet little girl took a flying leap off the bunk bed last night & landed on her head. We heard a loud thud & when we went in the room she was laying face down & not moving. When Hubby picked her up she was limp, she appeared unconscious to me but the Hubby says she wasn't. I went to call an ambulance but she began crying & Hubby said we would drive her to the ER. At this point we were all crying (except for the big tough guy of course) but My Bear was hysterical saying "it's all my fault" & no matter what I said she really believed that. My oldest initially froze, she was crying but not moving just staring & crying.
It was terrifying.
We raced to the ER trying to keep her awake, it was an hour past bedtime & she was naturally tired but we couldn't let her sleep. When we got there she was very upset & crying terribly saying she was scared. There was an ambulance with flashing lights & I think that's what put her over the top. We went straight into triage & after some questions it appeared the nurse who checked her out didn't see a major issue. Not that she was a bad nurse, I don't think that, but she was light about the situation & sent us to the waiting room.
That's when my daughter started vomiting, I harshly told Hubby to get a doctor & for her to be seen "RIGHT NOW"
Don't worry, I immediately apologized, but I knew vomiting could indicate one of several serious head injuries.
The nurse knew that as well & she was taken immediately for a cat scan. During the scan I was allowed to stay with her & prayed so she could here my voice. I kept repeating Psalm 121:1-4

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth ³ He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

It was the only scripture I could remember at the moment. Then Hubby held her as I went to registration, since she wasn't with me I could cry, just a little ya know? I didn't want her to see me & be frightened by my actions. I couldn't help but show her some fear when we prayed in the waiting room tho. I laid my hand on her praying & started crying. When you come before His throne pleading for mercy it's not the time to hide your heart.

We were taken to a room where she was put on a heart monitor & that was scary, I had no idea why should we need that. Your mind races & tries to take off in all sorts of directions that aren't good. But thankfully her cat scan came back normal, & after hearing that & being told she could sleep, I fell apart. Honestly, it's hard to write this post because I still feel so shaken by the whole experience. I can't describe how it felt to see her lying there not moving. It's a picture I keep asking God to remove from my memory because it makes me sick to my stomach. I haven't really been able to eat because I've been so queasy all day.
Maybe I should take one of her anti-nausea pills -_-

I'm more than thankful for the outpouring of support we received from family & friends. A prayer request was posted on FB & a text was sent, I feel blessed knowing so many people were praying for her. I ask for your continued prayers, as I said this was somewhat traumatic & my other daughter is convinced she caused this. I'm also asking for prayer because my daughter, "The Monkey" doesn't have that name by chance. She is a beautiful amazing girl who happens to also be quite the tomboy who isn't so good at internal boundaries.
That's how all this happened, she was swinging back & forth on the top bunk (holding onto the railing) while alternating hands. From what I gather she went "spinning thru the air"
So you can see why I need prayer =/
So, I'm gonna end this with a few more words that come to mind...

thankful, humbled, praising, grace, mercy, love, kindness.

My help comes from the maker of heaven & earth & He is good ALL THE TIME.
Friends of mine, please don't ever forget that.

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday

The Wee Piglet enjoying her new "toy"
A.K.A. the diaper bag...

The Blessed Supermom

The Diagnosis

Well, yesterday I received the Wee Piglet's allergy results & you guessed it, she's allergic to everything!!
Nahhh, just kidding =D
She's allergic to peanuts & soy, so YAY!!
I was so worried she'd be allergic to all things food. Seriously, I was sure she was gonna make cooking very difficult but I can live without peanut butter...I think.
I mean what am I giving up? Not much right??
Just PB cookies & homemade PB cups...uh & PB brownies ;(
Hey! Wait a minute here! Stop the train...I don't want to go to a town where peanut butter can't come with me..boo-hoo.
And guess what I found out? Nestle Chocolate Chips have traces of peanut, soooo guess who's gonna be makin chocolate chips?
Yeah...
Anyway, we can definitely do without soy...yeck, blech, ach..
I use it from time to time but it isn't something major like PEANUT BUTTER!!!!
And now Princess Bear aka "quickly becoming talented in the arts of drama" is getting a blood test to check her gluten as well as milk/eggs & the like.
And let me tell ya, if Mrs. Thang can't have milk or eggs or BIG FAT UH-OH...no gluten
I'm throwin' in the towel!

Oh well, I'm gonna go eat a big gluten filled peanut butter cookie with a ton of chocolate chips!!

The Blessed Supermom

Kitchen Craziness..yet again!

OK, so I've learned absolutely nothing from last weeks Cooking Frenzy & the Peanut Butter Fiasco
& here I go again with all the running around in the kitchen. Aside from the surprise allergic reaction from the Wee Piglet things went well & I found the rest of my week to go smoother. Since I'll be using the slow cooker a lot this week things will be even easier!! YAY!

So, what's on the docket today?
I'll be making my friend & Supermama Jessica's
Baked French Toast & then on to...

Tuna Salad (Big Daddy Style)
Bread Machine Buttery Rolls
Snickerdoodles
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread
Bread Machine Honey White Bread (minus C & ginger)
Guacamole
Tortilla Chips
& maybe...BIG FAT MAYBE...some English Muffins

As I said most of this weeks recipes are slow cookin, 5 out of 6 to be exact =)
So there's little to no preparation, YAY-HOO! Since I started late this morning my goal is to have this done...hopefully with fingers crossed, by 4 pm.
Ach! I CAN NOT forget to throw the fish in the crock, remind me OK??
Don't make that face, oh yes you can make tasty fish in the wonderful slow pokey cooker of joy!

The Blessed Supermom

Meet Me On Monday

Welcome to the 46th edition of "Meet Me On Monday!"
Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so Java thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Here's this week questions...


1. What is your favorite bagel flavor?



Cinnamon Crunch from Panera!! So good!!

2. If you had an extra $100 right now, what would you spend it on?



My girlies..no doubt.
I would take them out for a day with mama =)


3. What is the last thing that you felt guilt about doing?



My daughter did something to upset me,
instead of showing her grace I was harsh. I feel really bad about that.


4. Soft serve ice cream or hand dipped?



Hands down, hand dipped!!
And if we're goin with hand dipped the best is strawberry =)

5. Are you allergic to anything?



Well, I'm really not allergic to anything at all
but I thought this pic was pretty funny!!

The Blessed Supermom

Innocent Curiosity

My little girl had some tough questions for me, she wanted to know more about Isaac & Hannah. It all started because my Bear was telling her little sister "you'll always be the baby sister" But I reminded her she is always gonna be the big sister to our Wee Piglet, & Isaac & Hannah too. Then the questions started. See Monkey was only 18 months old when Isaac died & not much older when Hannah went to Heaven to be with her big brother. Honestly, she remembers nothing because she was too young. But, she's heard their names her whole life.
Today she asked me "are Isaac & Hannah our babies"
I said "yes, they are but they couldn't come home from the hospital & live with us"
She asked why & I told her because they were sick to which she asked "did God heal them?"
I told her that yes He did..in Heaven.
Then she asked me "are you crying?"
I felt all this hurt rising up & all these tears coming...
"yes baby, I'm crying in my heart"
My beautiful girl ran & hugged me with a huge smile on her face & her big sister joined her. These little arms wrapped around me & although my heart hurt my spirit rose, & I felt the joy of having these precious two with me, & their sisters as well.
God does give me sweet moments with ALL my children. Earlier as I made lunch I heard the girls playing & as all children do, they were pretending & imagining. I could hear from the kitchen as they played with their "friends"
You know what their friends names were right?
Isaac & Hannah =)
I heard squealing & laughter as well as my sweet babies names, it was as if they were in the next room. That felt really good.
Then last Sunday my oldest was being attacked by her tickle monster sisters. It was so cute. Cow pinned down as these itty bitty girls jumped on her & tickled every part they could get their hands on! Even the Wee Piglet tried to get in on the action. All the girls were rolling around on the floor & laughing, & somehow..someway, Isaac & Hannah were there.
I know people don't believe that sort of thing, but I'm not being weird. My babies were playing & rolling on the floor. It was not in this world & no I don't mean some odd ghostly supernatural thing.
But, if you've lost a child you know what I'm talking about & you don't think I'm weird.
At times my girls ask really hard questions about their baby brother & sister, even Cow who is 16 still asks at times. I don't always have the answers, but they know they can always talk about them & no question is off limits. We are as open as we can be & this helps to heal all of our hearts.
There will never be a time that Isaac & Hannah are not a part of our lives. They are more than children that died. They are someones brother & sister, someones grandson & granddaughter, someones nephew & niece, someones cousin, someones friend...& they are my SON & DAUGHTER.
I will honor them by speaking their names & allowing their sisters to love them.

The Blessed Supermom

Saving Some Cash

OK, I though of something to post for you today.
I thought I'd share some small ways I save money here & there. All of you Supermama's know the importance of being wise stewards of the budget God gives us. That being said, there are literally a gerzillion ways to save!!
Literally....a gerzillion, no joke.
Anyway, on to the ways I try to save.

1) Making my own laundry detergent.

I can't say enough how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!! It's so super easy to make & lasts forever. At first I was skeptical because I was so trained to believe I needed the Mountain Morning Breeze & Running Through The Meadow scent for it to actually work. Oh yeah, & that it had to be some obnoxious color.
Well, let me tell ya...it works!!!
I was so shocked the first time I washed a load & saw all that dirty water! It looked as though I hadn't washed my clothes for years! Yuck!

Here's a few recipes thanks to the Dugger Family

http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html

Scroll down a bit to find a powdered recipe as well as a liquid. Both work great.

2) Homemade Baby Wipes

OK, when I first read about homemade wipes I thought people were just plain nuts. I mean come on, haven't you seen the pics of all those cute bare bottomed babies. Don't you know they're happy BECAUSE of those wipes?? There was absolutely no way on earth I was gonna steal my baby's tooshie joy! Well, 3 little booties later I started to think of the math of this "wipe industry"
Let's say you buy a box of Huggies Wipes for 2.50 to 3.00 bux. Let's say these wipes last about 2 weeks, so that's only 5 to 6 dollars a month. Not bad right?? But add it up.
You are spending anywhere from 60 to 70 dollars a year!!
Now x's that by how many kids you have & how many years their in diapers. That's a lot of simolas.
It may not seem like much but I believe I've found a better way & that is to make them myself. Most of the ingredients were already on hand so it was easy for me. It's simple, all it calls for is paper towels, baby wash, baby oil, & water.
That's it, voila! And they last for a good month, considering one roll of paper towels has about 70 sheets & that you cut that roll in half you actually get 2 months worth. Also the oil & baby wash calls for such a small amount that those bottles last forever!
There are tons of recipes on line & it's worth a google search. You can add essential oils if you'd like for different scents, as well as lotions to make it softer for baby's hinee (sp?)
All sorts of ideas. One thing I'll warn you about is stick to the good paper towels, I've used both Bounty & Viva & they work great. You don't wanna get the cheepie towels cuz they tend to disintegrate.

So here's a recipe to get you started

Homemade Baby Wipes

3) Cook from scratch

OK...OK...I know what you're thinking.."why cook when you can just buy it from the store??"
Well, first of all cuz pre-packaged foods are just plain icky. I believe that statement has been approved by the FDA.
Second, it saves A LOT of cash to prepare your own food. I bake as much of my own breads & I'm about to get started on English muffins & bagels. I'm trying to make my own snacks at home as opposed to buying them in the stores. Yes, it's convenient but can't we all agree that a homemade cookies tastes better than a store bought?? Well, that's how it is with just about everything made from scratch. Now I will be honest I don't grind my own grain (yes, people do that) but I do try to do as much as I can with my own hands. I'm making my own yogurt, buttermilk, pretzels, granola..etc.
I'm not tooting my own horn here I'm just saying it's possible & if I can do it you can do it.

Here's a few links

Heavenly Homemakers
Graham Family Ministries
Money Saving Mom

These are all wonderful Supermoms. They're women like you & me serving the LORD & providing healthy low cost meals for their family. Some ingredients may look intimidating at first (coconut flour??) but don't let that deter you, trust me. Wean yourself slowly into eating healthy & cooking from scratch. Eventually, you'll get into your own groove & with a few searches on the Internet you'll learn why certain foods are superior to others & where to get them.

There are so many ways to save cash!! I could go on for miles!! Hang your clothes instead of using the dryer, walk instead of drive, cloth napkins instead of paper...the list is endless!! Give some of these ideas a try & use your imagination.
How can you save some money today?

The Blessed Supermom

Daily Posts

Well, I've heard from numerous bloggers the importance of posting everyday. Often times I'm way too busy or frankly, I have nothing to say.
However, I would like to see my blog grow & eventually be able to reach a bigger audience.
Sooooo, here's my post for today....
there I did it.
=D

The Blessed Supermom

Wordless Wednesday

Math...U See??

Peanut Butter Fiasco..

OK, so I was doing pretty good with my cooking frenzy & lunchtime came upon me so I forced myself to sit down with the girls to eat. I only had to brown a little more meat, make the guacamole, & peel & slice some cucumbers for Wednesday's salad. BTW, I decided to skip the doughnuts & opted for a lemon cake instead. I'm new to making doughnuts & didn't want to make things more difficult.

It's a good thing too cuz I had a whole other mess on my hands, a peanut butter mess.
So here's the back story, the Piggie has eczema. Nothing that bad, just a few patches here & there. She has gotten a couple more as she's gotten older but I found that calendula cream helps her a lot.
Well, I've heard when lil ones have eczema they're more prone to allergies. I asked my pediatrician at the wee munchkins 1 year check up, she felt my lil piglet was OK. Her reasoning was I was nursing her & I had eaten peanut butter so it was less than likely she had an allergy. I wasn't real satisfied with that answer & figured I'd avoid it as long as I could.
Anyway, with yesterday being so action packed I decided to make a pb & j for the girlies. Normally, I would prepare something different for my wee-est one but I really had my hands full so I decided to give her the dreaded pb.

Well, you guessed it...she had a reaction almost instantly.

still a happy baby =)

The girls & I prayed & to be quite honest I cried...lots. It was a mixture of guilt & fear.
I went against my mothers intuition & gave my baby something that put her at risk & the worst part is I had a feeling.
But God reminded me "therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1
And I'm going to hold onto that truth form God's Word because I'm simply a Mama who made an honest mistake. We all do that from time to time don't we?
Sooooo, after a dose of benedryl my sweet lil one is back to normal...

Don't ya just love this face!

The Blessed Supermom

Cooking Frenzy

OK, so I've read a lot about freezer cooking & I've always been more than interested. However, I just don't have the space.
What I prefer to do is cook up as much meat as I can & freeze that. So I decided to have a mini freezer cooking day & I figured I'd make up our weeks worth of snax too.
So here's my list of what I'm preparing...

2 batches of World’s Easiest Make-Ahead Marinated Chicken Recipe
Pan of Baked Oatmeal~after cooking, cut into squares & freeze
Brown 1 lb pork, 2 lbs turkey, & a package of Italian Sausage
Boil & shred 5 lbs chicken breast.
All of these previous items will be frozen.

Now, onto the weeks goodies.
I'm gonna whip up some guacamole & fry tortilla chips.
Make the kiddos some jello.
Make a double batch of chocolate chip cookies~bake one & freeze the other.
Bake a loaf of Whole Wheat Honey Bread (maybe two)
And last....my first attempt at homemade doughnuts.

I'm not sure about this last one though, I hope to be done with EVERYTHING by 2 pm. But after all the other cooking I may be all shriveled up & toasty & unable to do anymore.
We'll see...I think I may be a wee bit crazy =)

The Blessed Supermom

Meet Me On Monday...

Welcome to the 45th edition of "Meet Me On Monday!"
Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so Java thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!

Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Here's this week questions...

1. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

Definitely creamy although I sometimes like to use crunchy for PB cookies or PB brownies...yum!!

2. What is your favorite color Rose?

RED!! I know it's so very simplistic, but I just don't think you can beat a beautiful red rose. They're simply breathtaking.

3. Do you remove your shoes when you walk into your home?

Naahhh...we really should, & do in someone elses home. But honestly, we rent this place & the carpet isn't exactly the best feature here so it isn't a huge priority. I suppose I should be teaching my chillins to take off their shoosies. Oh well.
BTW, I picked this pic cuz all my girlies like their all stars, thanks to their big sis =)

4. What is your favorite season?

I absolutely love autumn. There is no season that displays the wonder of God's creation like the colors of fall. It's just mesmerizing to me. I have my Mama to thank, autumn is also her favorite time of the year so this season makes me feel closer to her. I remember as a little girl searching for the most beautiful leaves that had fallen. I excitedly brought handfuls of leaves to my Mama. She ALWAYS showed such joy to me over these little gifts, I have no idea what happened to them. Now my little ones give them to me =)

5. Approximately how many hours a day do you spend blogging?

The above picture is very accurate to my life!! LOL!!
Yes, there are ALWAYS dishes in my sink.
Yes, my baby cries...DUH.
And yes, my computer desk is piled with papers.
That being said...blogging is not a huge priority. I do love to blog but this just isn't a season of life that I can dedicate a whole bunch of time. A blog usually takes me anywhere from one half hour to an hour depending on the subject. And I don't post everyday. Soooo...figure that out =)

The Blessed Supermom

Not My Kind of Baking

Well, the heat has finally hit. As of right now it's 91 outside, record high for this time of year. So here I am kicking back in my comfy air conditioned home drinking some ice cold lemonade, right??

WRONG!

Remember last fall we moved? We downsized to a smaller apartment to recover from The Hubby's lay off. Well, this place doesn't have central air, nor does it have a window unit. So, my place is 87 degrees...87 goofy hot & humid stinkin' degrees!
UGH...

Now, I'm not one of those people who like to be warm. In fact I'm one of those people who can eat ice cream in the dead of winter.
I think this aversion to warm weather is my Mama's fault. Now, don't get me wrong, she's super & all but when it came to a hot climate she was super crazy!

Sorry Mama...but we both no it's true *wink*

Anyway, I remember as a little girl watching my mom get so hot she was near the point of blowing her top. She would go the fridge, open the door, let the cool air hit her, & throw on some refrigerated Jean Nate After Bath Splash...
Member that stuff?

And just as the add promises...ahhh!!
Mommy was back down to her cool self & we were safe from the crazed hot lady. At least for a few minutes.
Well, fast forward 30 years & I'm the crazed hot lady!!
I am soooo on the verge of crabby, but up until right about now I've been able to keep it together. I asked The Hubby if we could skip making dinner & buy a rotisserie. I know, I know...not frugal when I can just cook one...ask me if I care??
OOPs!
Sorry, that was the crabby sneaking out -_-
Well, he just called to let me know the store is all out of chickys. I swear I almost cried. The idea of cooking in the heat made me dopey.
I think my brain may be sunburned.
I got to thinkin of all those pioneer ladies & how they didn't have air. Not even fans!! They baked & gardened, & farmed.
Maybe I should be grateful?
Maybe I should be thankful I do have some fans & I have the luxury of buying a pre-cooked chicken for a few bux.
Maybe just maybe I could learn something from those wise pioneer women of old?

Naaahhhh....I'm just gonna borrow my Mama's Jean Nate!!!

The Blessed Supermom

Speak To Me God

Word of God speak, would you pour down like rain...
Washing my eyes to see, your majesty.
To be still & know that your in this place..
Please let me stay & rest in your holiness.
Word of God speak...

Perspective

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. Proverbs 14:4

Being a Mommy is a lot of work.
There are dishes to be done, dinner to cook, laundry to wash, boo-boos to kiss, monsters to scare, stories to read...the list is endless.
One thing I think all of us Mama's can relate to is...the MESS!! No matter how well organized you are or how early you wake up in the morning, there is something to clean. Whether it be your husbands breakfast plate, a stray pair of socks hiding in the bathroom, or maybe a little toy on the floor that is just aching for your bare foot to step on it.
There is ALWAYS something.
I feel perspective is important in this area, to continually remind ourselves this is a season of life. That while our children are small we are in the season of training them to be independent & learn to pick up after themselves as well as be a help to Mama. After all, these 4 daughters of mine are going to be keepers of their homes & they need to know how to run that home.
At times I'm not that great at this, I can get really upset with my kids & take things personal, I begin to feel taken advantage of.
How many times do I have to say do this or do that?
How many toy explosions do I hafta maneuver through?
How much hardened toothpaste do I hafta wipe off the sink??? grrrrr....
It can get more than frustrating.
And then lo & behold...pooh happened.
Seriously...poop.
Let me paint you this picture.
There you are, eating lunch as the baby naps. She begins to fuss just a bit to let you know "hey, I'm awake over here, come get me"
Well, you decide to take a few more minutes to finish munching & after a little bit you realize she's settled down.
Cool!! You can clean up the dishes & get her lunch ready too!
Nice, it feels good to know you have things under control right??
Ha! Silly Mommy...did you think this painted picture was so neat & tidy??
Nope, there's the poop remember?
Well, as you gingerly walk into the room there's your sweet little one, covered in last nights dinner.
This was my happy surprise from my Munchkin. Wanna see??

Notice how her hands are clenched? She was squishing it...like play dough!! It was all over the bed, her legs, up her arms, & on her "babies"
UGH...this situation required quick action, but seriously I couldn't find a clean patch of skin so I could at least get her outta the crib! Sooo, I did what Mommie's do I picked up my pooh covered baby & ended up pooh covered myself. Well, just my hands but hey, that's bad enough. I stuck her straight in the tub diaper, jammies & all. And although she eventually became clean we had to dodge all the floating pooh...yeah you can gag here a little if you need to. So after she was rinsed I had to wash the tub & scrub her again. All along I had my little Monkey running back & forth grabbing bags for the diapers, wipes, paper towels, gloves, gas mask, hazmat suit. OK, OK...there wasn't a hazmat suit but I'm seriously thinking of looking for one on Ebay.
Now, mind you during all this my sweet Bear is stripping the crib, from the bathroom, I could hear her dry heaving, & gagging. If she did get any sort of words out it was simply "EeEeeeWwwww.."
I gotta say, this daughter of mine...she's awesome cuz I can say without a doubt that at 8 years old you couldn't pay me to handle my sisters poop covered sheets. Then again my sisters 6 years older than me so if she had poop covered sheets for me to clean that woulda been downright scary!
Anyway, as I cleaned all this poop I was reminded of the above scripture..

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. Proverbs 14:4

Basically what the verse is saying is things get messy. Life is messy, ministry is messy, kids are messy. Sure I can have a clean home, & no poop adventures. But then my manger would be empty...& that my friends is a painful thought.
What I absolutely love is the promise of the strong Ox & it's abundant harvest. See, my kids are like the oxen, right now they're little messy animals but as I train them & raise them to be strong in the LORD, the harvest reaped will be plentiful.
So, for the time being..I will clean butts, wipe noses, scrub behind ears as well as wash the same plate 42 times in one single day, sweep under the table, & a million other seemingly tedious tasks. However, I will keep a thankful heart for my messy manger full of little animals that have captured my heart.

The Blessed Supermom