Celebrate the Mommy!

Today is another day of mothering for this momma. Somehow I have made it to another Monday filled with dirty laundry, dishes, diapers, and dinner preparation. My children have accomplished some learning, some eating, some chores, some eating, some running around the house screaming, some fighting and some forgiving. I have survived another season of soccer, with 3 different teams. I start coaching volleyball on Thursday, and am not sure 4 days of not coaching a team is enough of a break for the part of my brain that takes care of that part of my life!

But to the celebration of the mommy here goes: I looked at my 5 year old boy, who was trying to check out what I was doing on the 'puter, and I leaned in real close and whispered, "do you know how much I love you?" My big man smiled so wide it consumed his face, leaned in to my neck and said, "yea, I know." A woman doesn't get that kind of response every day. Did I mention right after that touching scene, he looked over and saw his little brother getting into his stuff and screamed, "GET OUT OF THERE!" right into my auditory nerve. I am still twitching...

Boy, Motherhood is never quiet...uh, I mean dull. ;o }-

MONDAYS ON MOTHERING

I am going to work on being more consistent with my blogging, so I am searching thru the memes to see what fits well with my soul. Here is my first attempt!

As I survey my living room, I can't help believing my children have a future on a demolition crew! We have been playing outside enjoying the last warm moments of the year, and we would run in to eat, find the missing toy, use the potty. Mondays mean back to structure, back to schoolwork, back to chores. Ahhh, knowing I don't have to clean up our living room makes me want to jump for joy!

Proverbs 4 :12 states, "When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be open and clear]; and when you run, you shall not stumble."

That is my promise for our living room for today!

Back to Routines, School work, and Good Books!

Ok, so as you can tell, I took the summer off to, well, do summer things. Have you ever thought about what it takes to ready 5 children for the pool? As soon as we get into the van, someone notices they have to go potty, or has a dirty diaper, or they don't have their goggles! When we are there I am constantly on the look out for where the 20 month old is, are my older ones within eyesight, where did I see those shoes my 20 month old is now wearing?! Thanks to some incredibly patient women, I had help via my playdate partners!

I also had the opportunity to attend a Beth Moore Bible Study with my new MOPS mommy friends! Wow! Beth sure can open my eyes to what I have been trying to forget! I didn't think about trying to find satisfaction in God, but have been blindly trying thru therapy shopping, Diet Coke, eating, sleeping...I'm afraid the list can go on and on. I also found some true sisters in the faith at this Bible Study. We are in the same season of life, with children and husbands that keep us hoppin'! It was just a joy to meet women I felt I could let down my mask and be real with. Praise God!

So now that summer has ended, and school has started, I am in the midst of lifeskills training. Habits. Routines. Teaching the children that every morning should look the same, just maybe completed at different speeds! I find, though, that my lack of routines gets put under a spotlight by the children, and my hope is to also be instituting before breakfast routines and chores for me too. I hate this!!! I am not a morning person, I am not a chipper little happy joyful sunrise loving female!!! I am a night dweller, dark, peaceful, quiet, read a book with one lamp on owl hooting loving female. ARGH! So think of me tomorrow, encouraging the incorrigible to "get dressed, brush your hair, can't you put your dirty clothes in the right hamper, get over here so I can change your diaper, please put on shoes...matching shoes... has anyone seen his shoes, where did he go I was going to change his diaper, have you fed the dogs yet, please stay out of the fridge, GET OVER HERE SO I CAN CHANGE YOUR DIAPER!" I will need your prayers. And so will my children.

Memorial Day memories

Today is Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day weekend. The start of summer, the carefree days we looked toward from February on while in school. Being an adult, summer doesn't hold the same anticipation anymore...I have to wear a swimsuit?! The weather today is a reflection of how I feel...it's in the 50's, but sunny. Total denial! Ha Ha!

Memorial Day is always full of patriotism and history. You can't miss it on the TV, at the parade, in the stores, flags everywhere you look. For me, Memorial Day means two things: The Indy 500, and tending to the graves of loved ones. Ok, and barbecues. This year I slept thru the race, I saw maybe 15 minutes of it. For some reason I couldn't get into it. Maybe it's because we follow Nascar now, and I am not familiar with very many IRL drivers anymore. Maybe it's because the transition into summer also means changing the seasonal clothing for 5 children, which is absolutely overwhelming! Can I hear an AMEN?! I live at least 3 hours from where my ancestors are buried, and I don't have the opportunity to follow the tradition or teach my children this tradition either. This became very apparent when my sweetheart shared with me that his dad went to the cemetery this weekend to visit his mom. The lost look on his face broke my heart! I still think of sharing stories with his mom, telling her cute things the little ones say now. I can't imagine the aloneness I will feel when my mommy goes to the Lord. It has been over a year now since my mother-in-law has been with Jesus, and her birthday is Thursday. Please keep her family in your prayers, and hug your parents and grandparents when you see them again.

MommyFest 2008 !!

Happy First Day After Mother's Day! If you are like me, there is laundry, dishes, and clutter to be distributed to their various places. My husband is a hero, he handles the life I throw at him without much screaming or fleeing. I love him to distraction, and I make sure my children do the same. Having 5 children (8 and under), 2 hunting dogs, 1 guinea pig, 3 bedrooms, 2 older cars, 1 very small kitchen, and 1000 books and toys, I don't think this was the life he was dreaming about when he was still a bachelor!! As for me, I love making cards and gifts, I love to watch my children learn new things, and I love, love, love learning more about my best friend, God. I enjoy sharing my love of rubber stamping with anyone who will stamp, and I sell the best rubber stamps in the whole world - Stampin' Up! I use their paper, ink, ribbon, brads, adhesives, and everything scrapbook in my homeschool, as well, as in my business and family. You can check out my website at meramclean.stampinup.net I also enjoy watching other women learn about their relationship with God, with their husbands and children. I am giving away a Scrapbooking kit in a random drawing of anyone who leaves a comment on my blog. Please include your email so I can get back to you! I can't wait to meet you!

Don't have a clue what I am talking about? Check out Mommyfest.com for a Mommy blog fest!

9 days and a life changed...

I wanted to be more faithful to this blog, ARGH! We had recently discovered we were pregnant with Baby 6, and last Tuesday God placed a balm over my heart. I was unusually concerned about this baby, and he shared with me that he was with my baby, even though I hadn't seen this baby or heard his/her heartbeat yet. Shortly after this I started miscarrying my little blessing. Talk about heartbreaking! So, I know where my baby is, and I know this baby is loved! I just can't wait to hold this baby in Heaven...

I have another freebie from Cindy Rushton!! YEA!! Here goes!

It is Spring! Why Not Begin a Science Notebook?by Cindy Rushton
http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=meramclean&pid=1

Today being inside just tortures me! It is STUNNING outside! Even the little birds are begging us to go outside.

Are you like me, dying from "cabin fever" and ready for spring? This is the perfect time to begin Nature Notebooks! Not only will you have an abundance of treasures awaiting your exploration, but these are perfect days to try something fresh. Ready? Let me help…

Chances are you already have many things that could be included in a Science Notebook around your home. Look for those "goodies" that do not have their own special place and add them to your Science Notebooks. This is the perfect opportunity to develop "a place" for those "goodies" while developing a nice product for displaying all the growing knowledge of nature all while your children are keeping special memorabilia! One of the things that I like about using supplies intended for scrapbooking is that there are so many products that enable us to keep bulky materials safely inside of our notebooks. Not to mention, scrapbooking makes EVERY notebook so much cuter! J And…to imagine that we call this "school!"

Want some ideas of things to include in your notebooks???

· Sketches...Don’t forget to include date, time, place, Latin name, and common name. Oh! Don’t forget to document where you found it.
· Snapshots…Don’t forget to journal about your snapshot!
· Pressed flowers, leaves, feathers, butterflies, etc.
· Glossary of terms studied…
· Artwork… (Nature art, original drawings, coloring pages…)
· Diagrams…
· Poetry…
· Information about discoveries…
· Lists of new findings…
· Handouts from trips…
· Narrations from trips, outings, hikes, nature walks, books read about nature or scientists/naturalists…
· Timeline…Mark your excursions, inventions, famous men and women, so on!
· Instruction Sheets on "How to Care for..." or "How to Collect..." etc.
· Booklets...
· Project data...
· Bible verses...
· Journal entries…
· Details from outings…
· Favorite quotes about nature…
· Reading list…
· Research...
· Reports...
· Essays…
· Science experiment logs…
· Notes from any Science study…

You can add a lot of life to your Science Notebooks with special supplies you find along the way! I have found that the little touches have made our notebooks so much more fun and in the process hooked my children.

Encourage your children to use die-cuts, frames, stencils, shapes, and edgings galore to make their notebooks fun and beautiful! My children now beg each weekend to work on our binders/scrapbooks. We have taken these simple skills into other projects for our Science studies such as creating books or booklets…making cards with pressed flowers, sketches, poetry and Scripture verses…and displaying our collections. The key is to just have fun and enjoy making your notebooks all yours!

Happy Notebooking!
Cindy

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About Cindy Rushton…
Cindy Rushton is the hostess of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, the very first online homeschool convention. She is recording Preview Chats for the Ultimate Homeschool Convention RIGHT NOW! Join her wonderful guests FREE for the next weeks as they count down to the Ultimate Homeschool Expo (April 28-May 3, 2008--BUT! NEVER ENDING because it is an ONLINE Convention!). Get your ticket NOW and receive her awesome A Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set FREE today! Check out all of the details here:
http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=meramclean&pid=1

Do I have news for you!

Hey!
I just got an email from my friend, Cindy Rushton. She is "pumped" about her upcoming Ultimate Homeschool Expo. Actually, she is so "pumped" that she has just shared a sneak peek into her Membership Site.
You see one of the neat things about the Ultimate Homeschool Expo is that everything is ONLINE. Cindy builds a private, exclusive Membership Site that includes everything from the UHSE in one place--it has audios (from all of the sessions and from the bonus gifts that her speakers give to us), ebooks, complete unit study guides, articles, printable notebooking pages, cookbooks, on and on. I can't believe all of the things that we receive for only $40. It is truly ULTIMATE!
Anyway, back to the reason that I am sharing with you...
Cindy just sent me permission to give you a sampler of one of her free gifts that is included on the Membership Site. I am so excited to give it to you! It is a audio and ebook set that she actually sells on her website, but she is giving away on the Membership Site. Here is the link:
Oops! My Cup is Empty and My Coffee Pot is Broke! Audio Workshop Download With Cindy Rushton
Tired? Weary? Find yourself overwhelmed by the tremendous load of motherhood? Do you consider this one of the most demanding, yet rewarding roles you will ever fill…yet that send shivers down your spine? Join Cindy as she exhorts you in your high calling. This workshop shares Cindy’s heart as she shares about those good days and bad days…sweet memories and rather bitter moments that have made life so precious all along the way. Taking you on a journey back in Scripture to meet Hannah, Cindy will share God’s answers to her heart cry during times she has found her OWN cup empty while “everything” continued to hit all at once!! The biblical insights are sure to draw YOUR heart to your Heavenly Father AND to those you are pouring into. Join us as Cindy ministers encouragement and direction straight from the Word of God to your heart, soul, and mind!
Download by Mp3http://www.cindysdesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/OopsNashvilleMP3.mp3
Isn't that FUN?
You know the saying that a picture captures a thousand words,well...what about a a gift like this??? And, just think...this is only ONE of the awesome gifts included on the Membership Site. There are hundreds more!
Take my word for it, you will WANT a ticket to this event and access to all of the wonderful resources. Grab your ticket here:
http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=meramclean&pid=1
Sincerely Yours,Mera