5-a-month February Goals

Jess, an American blogger in Turkey, posts 5 goals for every month.  At the beginning of the next month she updates how she did.  I've decided to join her since I need the accountability.  So, here goes:

1. Read to the kids everyday.

2. Track our spending by using a checkbook register and stay within the budget.

3.  Drink 1.5 Juicy Juice bottles of water a day.

4.  Read/listen to the Bible or a Christian sermon daily.  Also review Scripture daily.   I'm working on
1 Thes. 4:16-18 now.

5.  Do 20 crunches twice a day.  Gradually increase the amount so that by the end of the month I can do 40 twice a day.  (This is my effort to lose the belly pooch that I carry as a result of having 4 kids in less than 4 years.)

(This cute little guy contributed to the pooch...shame on him)

7 Quick Takes Friday

I was supposed to post this on Friday, but today is Saturday and I'm still going to post it (b/c afterall this IS my blog and what I say goes!)

1. I lost my camera charger about 2 months ago.  Boo!  But while hanging out with a friend she told me she had a universal charger that I could borrow.  I was so excited and let the battery charge all night.  The next morning I took these pics.  Not shortly after I was watching Halley take a picture when suddenly Mariah knocked the camera out of her hand and it crashed to the ground!  In less then 2 hours my camera was dead.  I was quite upset to say the least.  So, if any of you out there have an extra camera feel free to send it my way. 

2.  Eddie, Mason, and I are headed to BOSTON on Sunday.  I'm pretty excited.  We will be attending a seminar on support raising.  I've never been to Boston, so I'm looking forward to it although the cold weather doesn't exactly excite me.  This will be my 1st time traveling with a baby and I hope that it won't be my last on account of the stress.  I plan to nurse Mason A LOT in hopes that it will put him to sleep.  I get a little nervous thinking about how a crying baby can make the ride difficult for the passengers.  But, I'm going to give it a go.  Halley, Mariah, and Max are going to my parents. 

3.  Speaking of my parents, have I told you how wonderful they are?  They keep our kids at their home quite often!  It's a huge blessing.  Now that my brother and his wife have had twins, they help them constantly too.  My parents are both retired thanks to God's grace and Dave Ramsey.  Their lack of debt is paying off in huge dividends to our family!

4.  Max is nearly potty trained!!  Woo hoo...can I get an AMEN?!  It was hard work but consistency, snacks, bribes, a kitchen timer, persistance, and partying like it was 1999 with every victory, paid off!!  Here's the little guy doing his thing!

(yes, that is a pink potty.  he has an older sister, what can I say?!!)

5.  My goal of only washing clothes that I know I can fold, dry, and put away in the same day is proving quite helpful.  Twice this week I got all the clothes washed and that's no small feat considering that we are a family of 6.

6.  Anyone have suggestions for what I can do to get the little guy pictured above to stop screaming?  He constantly whines and screams at the top of his lungs.  I've always enjoyed peace and quiet, but that rarely happens anymore.  Ironically, I certainly get the quiet I oh-so-crave when I go to see the gynecologist!!

7.  Looking for a good read?  Check out When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent. 

In this book, Carol, a Chrisitian women chronicles how she finds hope in the Lord after her 28 yo son is charged with the murder of his wife's ex-husband.  Sorry, for the very brief synopsis...Mason is screaming, the twins are fighting, Halley is playing dress up, and my house is a WRECK!  Now how's that for a dose of reality?!



For more quick takes check out Conversion Diary.

My How The Tables Have Turned

Earlier this week I had to go to the Gynecologist for my yearly exam. Though most women shrink back with anxiety from such an appointment, I looked at it as an opportunity to spend some much needed time alone.  I gear up for the appointment like I'm going to the beach as I pack a good book, snacks, my Ipod, and journal. 

After filling out the necessary forms, the nurse put me in the room with the instructions to “put the gown on with the opening in the front and drape the paper across your legs.” Something we’ve all heard before.

After removing my clothing, I hoisted myself onto the exam table and before I knew it, I was asleep! Asleep- at the GYN- is that possible?!! Well, when you have 4 kids it is! Not only was I asleep, I was dreaming!

The Doctor walked in verbalizing his many apologies for running behind.

“No problem,” I said, “I’ve been resting.”

To which he replied, “If you consider resting, laying on the exam table at the Gynecologist office then you are definitely an overtired mom!”

We both laughed. Prior to having kids, I used to get so agitated when I had to wait to be seen. How dare the Doc have to deliver a baby when I’m waiting. Now, I get agitated when he’s in the office when I get there!

My nap was so good that I considered asking him

               if there were any other patients he needed to see,

                        a c-section to perform,

                               kids to pick up from school,

                                    groceries he needed to get

…absolutely anything he needed to do to get me more time on that beloved table so that I could rest!!!

New Year, New Goals

Ahhh, a fresh start! Oh how I love the new year. I woke up early this morning and started working on my 1st goal to read the Bible cover to cover in 90 days.
My other goals are:

Spiritual
Memorize one long passage from the Bible each month. (I still need to choose a passage for January. I'll pick the passage before each month begins and start working on it.)

Continue to pour my life into the women that God has brought into my life. I want to be intentional in spurring them on to the Lord.

Read 1 book a month. Subjects: spiritual growth, parenting, marriage, fun stuff. January's book is Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges.

Physical

Work out 3 times a week. I want to get rid of my belly fat!

Limit junk food intake to 1 snack a day. Increase fruit intake. Limit the amount of junk food I buy. If I don't buy it, I can't eat it!

Wife
Focus on Eddie. Daily think of how I can help and encourage him. Ask him what I can do to be a helper suitable to him.

Prioritize our physical relationship. (I started reading Rekindling the Romance by Dennis and Barbara Rainey earlier this week. It has helped a lot with me preparing my mind for action.)


Mother

Start teaching Halley the ABCs (one letter a week). Use Totally Tots.

Use Songs for Saplings to teach her the Scriptures.

Continue working on the Children's Catechism. One per month.

Read to the children daily.

Budget/Stewardship

Sit down with Eddie before the month begins and talk over our budget. Spend every penny on paper before the month begins. Use the envelope system.

In the Kitchen

Plan our meals every week.

Recycle and Reuse where I can.

Bake all of our bread using my new Bread Machine.

Stick to our food budget.

Blog

Update my blog atleast once a week. I've set this goal in the past, but I'm going to try again.

Well, that should be enough to get me started, dontcha think?

25 Random Things

I posted this list on Facebook, but wanted to share it with you all too!

1. I went to 3 different High Schools (one each for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade)
2. I was not sick for even one day during my pregnancies. No morning sickness, no heartburn, no cravings.
3. I had 3 children in 2 years.
4. I lived in Germany for 8 years.
5. My husband and I are complete opposites (He is a risk taker, I'm cautious. He's an extrovert, I'm an introvert. He likes meat, I'm more into veggies and side items. He's outside the box, I'm a rule follower. I could go on and on!)
6. My mom is one of my best friends. I talk to her at least 3 times a day.
7. When I was in 12th grade, my Freshman sister was much more popular than I was. I was referred to as Joy's sister b/c everyone knew her.
8. I love ice cream (esp. from Bruster's...with a waffle bowl)!
9. I worked as a RN for 3 years before quitting to be a stay at home wife and mom.
10. I had an outtie belly button until I was 9 when I had surgery to repair it.
11. When I was a nurse, I loved drawing blood and starting IV's.
12. I taught myself to crochet when I was pregnant with Halley using a book from Wal Mart.
13. I didn't learn how to swim until I was 23.
14. In college, I made straight A's several times and graduated cum laude.
15. I took piano lessons for 5 years and clarinet for 2.
16. I can only eat cereal if the milk is ice cold…literally. I place a cup of milk in the freezer for an hour to let it get super cold and then I use it in my cereal.
17. If I ever had to go back to work as a nurse I would like to be a lactation consultant.
18. I played soccer in High School and made the all conference team twice.
19. I like to watch Jon and Kate plus 8. However, I think that Kate’s attitude toward her husband is terrible. She talks to him like he’s one of the children.
20. I wish I were not such a procrastinator. For example, I’m writing this list instead of doing something much more productive.
21. I love taking pictures of my children. I only wish I would get them printed out more often.
22. I would love to own a Honda Odyssey…shucks, all of my friend’s drive them and I want to be cool too!
23. I started taking sewing lessons when I was pregnant with Halley. I have made a couple of quilts, curtains, and pillows amongst other things.
24. Macy’s is my favorite store. My sister and mom pick out most of my clothes, because my sense of style is not that great. If I have on something cute, it’s because they helped me put it together!
25. I love nicknames. I think they are very endearing. My dad calls me Candy and has never called me Shaunta’ (when he says Shaunta’ when introducing me to people I think it sounds weird). I call Halley, “Brie Brie” and “Sweet Love”, Max is “Macky Wacky” or “Buddy”, Mariah is “Fat Mama Lucy” or “Rae Rae”, Eddie is “Baby.”

Some Things I'm Most Thankful For

My blogging friend, Jess, had a post with this title on her blog. I thought I would blog about the same topic.

1. Being a wife and mother. I am thankful that the Lord wrote this in to the story of my life. I absolutely love taking care of my husband, Halley, and soon to be twins! It's not peaches and cream everyday, but I know the Lord is sanctifying me through it all.

2. Having a wonderful family. My parents are celebrating their 34th anniversary today! How cool is that? They have been together since they were 16 or 17! Without them, I wouldn't have such wonderful siblings. I have 2 sisters, Erika and Joy, and a brother, Jason. I've never posted about my family, but I will put up a pic soon and introduce them to you.

3. Great Friends. Oh how I love them. It is so much fun to have Christian friends to walk through life with. My friends here in Montgomery are like family. I love that they point me to the Lord and are willing to challenge me. We have such a great time together.

4. The Bible. It is alive and powerful. It sharpens. It encourages. It is food to my soul. It enables me to know our God. It makes my soul sing! Amen and amen.

What are you most thankful for? You can also go to Jess's blog and read what others are thankful for in the comment section.

I Won!

I entered a random drawing at Money Saving Mom and I won. The drawing was for coupons for 4 free packages of Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce. I was entry #869...forreal! I looked back later in the day and there wer 909 entries. I just entered because it was easy, but didn't think I would win. But, I got an e-mail telling me I had won. So for all you sceptics out there...this stuff really works.

What I've been up to in Pictures

Well, I know it has been so long since I posted. I have thought so many times about things I would like to blog about, but certainly haven't done it. If I could stop reading other people's blogs, I could really do some of my own blogging! Anyway, here are some pics that will inform you of much of what has been going on with me.

1. Turned into nesting mode since learning of the upcoming twins arrival and did some much needed cleaning. I'm embarrassed to let you see my closet looked like, but hey, I'm just being real with you. I don't have it all together...imagine that!

2. Watched my friend Felisha's children while she got her hair done. This was a good time for Halley to play with some friends.

3. My parents have come to visit a couple of times. They say that they want to come every weekend when the twins arrive. I'm definetly open for that. We are going to get all the help we can get. We are so thankful that they love Bri so much and know this will continue with all our other children, as well.

4. Eddie's mom and our nieces came to visit. We enjoyed our time together.

I don't feel good!

All day long I've been ignoring my achy sore throat and stuffy ears. I thought if I ignored it, it would go away! But no, it's midnight and I still feel bad. I called my mom for some TLC and it's a good thing I did. She reminded me that since I'm pregnant, my options for medicine are limited. So that tidbit of advice saved Eddie a trip to the store. So guys, pray for a sista!

My First Post

Well, I don't really know what to say...but I will do my best! I have enjoyed reading Nicole and Delta's blog, so I thought I'd try one myself. I like to journal...so why not have one on-line that others can read? I guess what I'm really looking forward to is learning how to upload pics! (hint, hint nic, help me!)
I am planning on leaving in the morning for Atlanta. I am hoping that Halley will sleep for the trip. If not, I will be happy if she would just not scream for the entire ride. I don't think it's very likely, but it's possible. Eddie left tonight to go to Tennessee with some friends. I hope they get there safely and have a great time together.
I'm really tired, but I always go to bed later than usual when Eddie isn't here. I don't like sleeping alone...we are BIG TIME Snugglers. I never sleep as soundly when he's not with me.
I must confess that I am about 6 days behind in my daily Bible reading. I am having such a hard time catching up. I am reading parts of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. If you are familiar with any of these books, you know that they are very difficult to get through. As I read, I ask the Lord to show me what His point was for all these feasts, and laws, and sacrifices. I know that the law teaches us that we can't keep it. Reading about all the required sacrifices and offerings makes me thankful that Christ was the ultimate sacrifice!! Praise the Lord!
Good night all...this was fun!