Wine and Oz

Tonight happens to be my hubby's and mine "special" evening- among others during an entire week- but with this one evening a week, we watch a movie and have a romantic wine dinner after the kids go to bed. Its lots of fun, trust me :)
So I have had my wine and it is bedtime as well as time to watch Craig's show Oz. So I will leave you this this daily verse: 

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” 

–Luke 19:9-10 

http://www.thedailybibleverse.org/

Dandelions

Today was a relaxing day. Therefore this will be brief. Not only was church great, so was worship. Since Craig lead, I brought Deidre in to worship. Today the band tried out a new song, Dandelions by Five Iron Frenzy. It went fantastically and Deirdre loved it.


Regardless of what some people might think ( I personally believe we underestimate a child's perceptiveness and understanding) I am conceived that Deirdre knew that what Daddy was doing was praising the Lord and not just his normal singing. I know this because after naptime she played her version of "Dandelions" on her toy piano. The lyrics to her version were:


God loves dandelions and God loves me
Daddy loves dandelions and loves God and me
God loves (it) when I sing 


After many renditions of her song, she came up to me and informed me that she made God happy with her because she sang him her song  and that it was just for him. She also knew that "he watched me and clapped when I sang it". 


So I will leave you now with the Five Iron Frenzy lyrics to ponder on this week:


In a field of yellow flowers,
underneath the sun,
bluest eyes that spark with lightning,
boy with shoes undone.
He is young, so full of hope,
reveling in tiny dreams,
filling up, his arms with flowers,
right for giving any queen.

Running to her beaming bright,
while cradling his prize.
A flickering of yellow light,
within his mother's eyes.
She holds them to her heart,
keeping them where they'll be safe,
clasped within her very marrow,
dandelions in a vase.

She sees love, where anyone else would see weeds.
all hope is found.
Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy,
weight I could not lift.
Where do I fit in this puzzle,
what good are these gifts?
Not a martyr, or a saint,
scarcely can I struggle through.
All that I have ever wanted,
was to give my best to you.

Lord, search my heart,
create in me something clean.
Dandelions
you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,
softened by the sweetest hush,
a Father sings over his children,
loving them so very much.
More than words could warrant,
deeper than the darkest blue,
more than sacrifice could merit,
Lord, I give my heart to you. 

Organized Simplicity

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have an awesome free stash of books right now that I am reading. One in particular is really syncing with me, and it is titled "Organized Simplicity". The premise of the book is that a not only is simplifying your life through organization and decluttering possible but doing so leads to a more meaningful and enjoyable way to live. 


Eureka! Someone figured it out for me. But what I love about this book is it is not a "just throw all you worldly possessions way" gig. Tsh (the author) explains realistic ways bit by bit on how to do so, ranging from being involved in fewer activities to green living. She then goes on to provide the reader with research on the American family, income, household size, ect. and how we as a society have changed over the past 50 years. As a result you can clearly see that while we as a society have become more wealthy and now own larger homes with more stuff, we also work twice as much as the rest of the world with a drastic decrease in contentedness. 


Because I am skeptic, I checked her sources and research. I have to say that it is sound in my mind and not just because I want to believe her. Trust me I LOVE my stuff. My stuff is a idol in my life and my consumerism is something I struggle with (but I am getting much better at thanks to  the Lord, my hubby, and my discipler!). I also do not like getting rid of it nor do I like slowing down. But her words and research are convicting me to continue and increase the decluttering process in our life. Two tangible things I (including Craig) have done recently towards that end is to not enroll DD in preschool this upcoming Fall and to purge our 'stuff' without going and getting new things. 


I will not hit all my reasons to not send her to preschool another time, but please understand that I have nothing against preschools. I think they are great- I worked in one for 4 years- but preschool is just not what we feel is right for our family and child right now. To each their own! 

So in short, go pick up Tsh's book if you need some motivation and conviction for a simpler life. It will inspire you. 

Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Organized-Simplicity-Clutter-Free-Approach-Intentional/dp/1440302634/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

Tsh's site: http://www.simplelivingmedia.com/

Tsh's blog: http://simplemom.net/

A baby Deirdre chasing ducks. Simple, free, unadulterated fun.

Daily Verse: 

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. -Mark 10:14-16

Sweet Moment: Today at bedtime when I was putting Jonas down, I pulled out the picture of the family which we look at almost nightly. I asked, like I aways do, where Mama, Dada, and Deirdre are. And tonight he pointed to each of us twice in different order!! It seems he does understands me more now besides just when I say "uh-oh"! 

Changing seasons and evolving homes!

Today and yesterday were glorious days! We are all very happy about Spring in my household. I love to be outdoors and so do my kids and husband. The only times I do not enjoy being outside is when there are droves of mosquitoes out or the sun is blistering (unless I am on the beach, then I can and will tolerate the heat-just give me a surfboard). Unfortunately for me during the summer around here, the heat and the pesky blood suckers coincide quite often. 


You see I am very pale, very sweet, and very Irish. I am convinced that there must not be any mosquitoes in Ireland because I am not evolutionarily cut out to survive around them. These three things combined make me a PRIME target for sunburn and thirsty mosquitoes. I also swear that it is not only hotter in Newport News but the mosquitoes are also worse here than in Virginia Beach (where primarily I grew up). But I digress, the point to this is not to bemoan things I cannot change. This blog is about change in truth. 


Since August of 2010 I have been back at CNU part-time finishing up my BA- which I am proud to say I will be done with this May. While being back I have had access to an awesome library with a free inter-library loan service. In turn I have been using this service, which I do pay for indirectly, to its fullest by checking out tons of books. Books about education, homemaking, knitting, and my kids which I otherwise could not get at my local library or afford to buy. 


Obviously there are some books I do not like and return right away, but I have checked out all the books on my Amazon wishlist (as of today) and I have gone to town. In particular I have learned how to knit better, make toys for my kids, the values of sustainable living, and most meaningful to our family yet- I have leaned more about Waldorf-Steiner education. 


While I am not going to seriously delve into how I am applying Waldorf to our daily lives in this blog tonight, I will say that it has finally given me a succinct mothering philosophy that resonates fully with me, my kids, and most importantly my love for God. 


So needless to say, as Spring swings into full force, more little changes and fine tuning will creep into our home for the better. From the extremely positive reactions I have seen with the changes I have made in the past four months, Waldorf seems to effortlessly mold into our home. 


Daily Verse: From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.- Acts 17: 26-27

Spring Visitors

Telling me that she saw sprouts (see below photo)

Deirdre's Sprouts

My blueberries are flowering!!!

Duffy and Fluffy

A St. Patrick's Day gift

Rocking his Teething Necklace, and yes it does works! 

No ibuprofen needed for a week and two more teeth coming in!

Strolling her gnome babies

A sharing and self control activity. Yes this one works too and is fun. 

His favorite toy!

Love, kisses, and running noses!

Sweet Child Moment: After naptime we all went outside to play. While laying in the grass and staring at the clouds (which happed to look like lions according to Deirdre) Deirdre snuggled up to me and verbatim told me that she loved me and that I was the best Mommy in the 'whole sky'. Then she kissed my cheek.

Hello Again!

So it seems that I might give this blogging venture another try! It is not that I am bored or have lots of free time on my hands, sadly. It just is that I feel the need for a new outlet and I have gotten terrible about keeping a hand written diary unless I am pregnant. 


I feel also that recording some of my more fruitful thoughts might help me have a better since of continuity in my daily life and those of my children. I seem to forget very quickly some of the fun and quirky things we all say or do together by the time it comes to put it all in their scrapbook. So maybe this will help? 


Also, I have no delusions of grandeur when it comes to blogging. I am not looking to be a popular blog or get a book deal. This blog is just simply and selfishly for me, and if anyone else so chooses to read then wonderful- if not then even better. :) I do not plan on being witty or entertaining so this will probably be a bore. 


But if you like crafting or enjoy hearing about cutesy kids stuff as well as my musings- then great! You have come to the right place!! 


Daily Verse: Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

My Little Nephew

So my sister-in-law Kourtney and her husband Keith are in town with their 2 m/o son, Nathan. This is the first time that I have seen him since he was born, and boy is he cute and big! At 2 m/o he is probably already 15lbs. But this of course in a baby is a very good thing. He has dark hair and swarthy skin. His eyes are blue but they look like they are about to change color soon. And did I mention that he is cute!!! I was trying to remember what Deirdre looked like at 2 m/o and couldn't do it very well. So I looked back at some pictures and while she was cute, Nathan has definitely cuted up quicker than she did. I mean don't get me wrong, DD is absolutely adorable, but not so much when she was a newborn. However she was precious and of course to me was and is the most beautiful baby on the planet, but I do have to give Nathan props.

I went in on Tuesday for another dating ultrasound. So far I have not gained any weight and the baby looks to be growing fine. However Cheryl could not find the fetal stem and measure it. She did get a picture of the gestational sac and yolk sac, but no baby. This however is not uncommon since it is still so early and she assured me that everything looked good. I have another appointment on the 7th. I will be on vacation then, but I will come back for the day so I can go to it. I could wait but for my own peace of mind I want to go. Once I hear the baby's heartbeat, my fears will be assuaged.

In other news, Craig and I finally came to a decision on where we are going to live for the next two years. A missionary couple at our church is going into the field and are letting us rent their home while they are gone. We feel so blessed. The home is gorgeous and has lots and lots of room. It will be perfect for a growing family. Its also nice to know that we can be there for 2 years. I really am tired of moving every year. Since 2005 I have moved 6 times and while most of those were college dorm moves, it still is draining. I like feeling settled especially now since I have a toddler.

Deirdre is doing great. In the past two weeks she has gone to Busch Gardens twice! Pam bought us season passes and she absolutely loves it. I really enjoy it to. It is so fun much to watch your child just enjoying herself. Deirdre has also started to talk more now. Just the other day I told her to wash her hair in the bathtub and she said "was-h". I was so so excited. She can also say "good-girl", as well as "no-no-no". Oh the joys of speech!

Settling into a Routine

Deirdre and I had a great day today. Craig made us some yummy lunch and she and I played inside and then took a walk later on. Our walks always turn into little adventures. Recently she loves to get out of her stroller and then push it all by herself. It is extremely cute to watch and amusing since she can't really push it straight without help. We always bring some bread along with us too. Inevitably we see a squirrel or duck and get to feed it. However Deirdre hasn't quite figured out the whole feeding thing yet. She usually sits there and eats the bread while I feed the animals. She also is getting really good at climbing on the playground. I know that this is a very small and inane achievement but its so exciting to see she her learn and develop.

As for me, I feel very fatigued. This of course is not surprising since I'm pregnant. I mean I should have remembered what it felt like but nonetheless I'm shocked all over again. Its true what they say, every pregnancy really is different!

Off to prep for my Sunday school class (I get to teach the 3 year olds!!)!