These days, with six children, my organizational tendencies come and go…mostly GO.

However, I have been despising a certain pile of magazines on the floor in my room for some time now, and I decided it was “high time” to do something about it. My friend Mary inspired me when she showed me a notebook she had created for all of her take-out menus. She simply gathered their favorite take-out menus and put them all in sheet protectors in a nice, neat notebook. She’s even done the same thing for friends that were new to their area and weren’t familiar with the restaurants. I thought, “Hmmm, what a great idea. I may run with that!”

My pile of magazines consisted mostly of Family Fun, Better Homes and Gardens, Parenting, and Southern Living. Over the years I have dog-eared my favorite recipes, projects, crafts, decorating idea, etc. I decided to take the plunge and finish this project, knowing that in the end the magazines would be gone and I’d have the best of all of them in three organized notebooks!

I started by tearing out all the great ideas. I organized them by crafts, activities, holiday, recipes, and just plain great ideas (decorating, parenting, party planning, etc.). I purchased three notebooks and a few packages of sheet protectors and got to work. Here are the finished products. I’m quite happy with the results.

I hope this helps someone out there who has been hoarding magazines for fear of throwing away a really great article or idea!

Happy Organizing!
~audrey

This is it.

The final weekend before school is out for the summer. Jesse has his end of the year party on Monday with early release at lunch, and Tuesday he only has to go in for graduation rehearsal, early release at lunch, and graduation that evening. It’s all SO exciting!

I received some books in the mail yesterday that I had ordered on Amazon. The first is a Bible study that I intend to work through with the boys this summer. It is called, The Young Peacemaker, by Corlette Sande. The second book was Sequential Spelling, which I intend to use with both boys this year, next year, this summer…whatever; it’s all the same when you’re homeschooling. I mean, do you ever really stop schooling and learning??

I look forward to the mail, like a child waits anxiously for Christmas morning, although with Amazon, you never know exactly what day “Christmas” is going to fall on….there I go again, ending a sentence with a preposition.

I’m excited about this weekend because I’m attending a bridal shower for my best friend from high school. She’s getting married July 24th. Remember THIS post? Yep, I’m still scared and not much skinnier…or shall I just say less fat…skinny doesn’t apply to much of anything on my body, with the exception of my pinkie fingers. My mother is coming to town for the shower and I look forward to spending the day with her.

I hope your weekend is fantastic! We’re suppose to get lots of rain. Bring it Lord! My garden needs a free drink!

~audrey

My sister-in-law, Erin, came over on Tuesday and washed her car. Of course, when there’s sun and water, my boys are IN IT! They quickly got their bathing suits on and splashed in the nasty, muddy, soapy puddle that grew and grew where our driveway dips. They had a blast.

Can you tell Owen is in mid-air in this picture? I told him to jump and this is what I captured. And thank goodness he’s positioned just ‘so’ because Joshua’s new swim shorts are a bit too big and you would’ve otherwise seen a half moon!! 🙂

I must say, the time Erin spent at my house while the kids were all outside (or napping) was such a blessing! She was here for about an hour and a half. The boys had a blast and didn’t come inside once. That allowed me to sit at the computer, write a few posts, check my email, and read a few of my favorite blogs; all things that do not happen very often anymore! Thank you for that sweet gift Erin! 🙂

Have a Fabulous Thursday!! I’m off to Field Day at Jesse’s school!

~audrey

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a month since we started our 2010 garden. As I walk the rows a few times a day, pulling weeds, adding compost, etc, I often have to fight the microwave mentality. The hurry up, I want it now attitude that 21st century Americans have adopted. When I think back to a month ago, when 90% of the plants that are now in my garden were tiny little seeds that I could barely pick up with two fingers, I am in awe. Look how far we’ve come in one month:

April 15th:

May 12th:
Strawberries

Rosemary

Who knew potatoes did this!?  I didn’t!

Another shot of the three potato plants.

I love this picture of my green beans.

Cucumber

Look at the tiny little green peppers that have already begun growing!  They are SO CUTE!

My two strong tomato plants.  They’re doing awesome!  When I planted them a month ago, they were barely six inches tall and now they’re growing up and out of their little cages.

And LOOK!!  Our very first tomato…EVER!  I think he deserves a name for being first.  We’ll call him Tom.  Haha!

And of course, Mr. and Mrs. Basil.  They just might be our prize winners.  They are doing splendid and I’ve already cooked with their clipped leaves three times.  There is definitely nothing better than fresh cut basil in an Italian dish.

So, all in all, I think our garden is quite a success after only one measly month.  I look forward to next month’s update!

~audrey

I got a call from the children’s DFCS worker yesterday to inform me that things seem to be working out with their aunt afterall and it looks like the children could be moved next week.

This time does seem more promising, but I’m trying not to let us all start thinking towards “the kids will be gone by next weekend.” It is so devastating to Big Sister when she thinks she’s going ‘home’ one day, and the next she’s told nevermind, you’re staying put.

We sure will miss these children. It’s so strange to think that there could, and will likely be, new children in our home within a few weeks. My prayer is that God is moving these children out to make room for our girls!

We had visitation yesterday and things went very well. Mom even told me I did a great job on Sister’s hair. She didn’t even believe Sister when she first told her that I did it! LOL! Yes, this white girl has learned a thing or two over the last six or eight months.

Only time will tell whether they’re staying or going. I say I’m trusting the Lord, but to be perfectly honest, I’m quite nervous about what’s next…since it’s unknown territory. Will we get the girls? Will our next placement be as young as we like? Should I say NO to a placement if they try to give us children over the age of five for the safety of my own children? I’ll just have to keep leaning on the Lord and the wisdom He gives Josh and me in this roller coaster of a thing we call ‘our life‘.

~audrey

Today is the day the boys have been excitedly waiting for for over a month; their trip to the dentist!

Who would’ve thought an awaiting dental appointment would cause my normally grumpy five year old to hop out of bed with a smile on his face? Sister Bear was almost in tears that she had to go to school and did not get to come with us to the dentist! lol.

Unfortunately, I did not arrange for a babysitter so I will be toting five children with me. This should be interesting. Thanks to my new phone, I can now take pictures without looking goofy with my camera around my neck at the dentist. I’ll update later and add the pictures.

Time to pack diapers, bottles, juice, snacks, books, etc., so we’re NOT the main spectacle in the office!

PRAY FOR ME!

~audrey

**UPDATE**

Here are some pics from our ONE HOUR/ABSOLUTE MIRACLE adventure at the dentist:

The dentist was a complete success. A few pieces of cheese and some hot wheels cars worked wonders on the babies as they zoomed all three boys through x-rays and cleaning in one hour. An absolute miracle!
Can I just add one more miracle that baffles my mind…..I can send myself a picture from my phone through a text message to my email account so I can then put the picture online. From the time I press “send” on my phone until my computer tells me I have a new email: THREE SECONDS!?!

Baffled.

Very cool. Technology is amazing.

You would think after three parrots children, I would have learned my lesson as far as what I say in front of them. Apparently I haven’t quite learned my lesson yet because as my sister-in-law got in the car a few hours after the dentist, she asked Joshua how the appointment went and whether or not he’d need a filling for a cavity that we already knew he had. His response was, “No, mommy said I have to get this hideous silver thing over my tooth until it falls out in FIVE YEARS!” (I guess he heard me complaining to my hubby! Oops again!) Yes, since the cavity is between two teeth, they cannot use a regular filling and instead will have to, as Joshua heard me say, cap it with a hideous silver cap until it falls out when he’s TWELVE! Don’t smile too big for the camera honey we don’t want them to see your bad tooth!
Lord, help me! haha!

If you’ve never read A Holy Experience, you’re really missing out. She is an excellent writer and her heart for the Lord is sure to bless you. Her post entitled A 10 Point Manifest for Joyful Mothering made me weep. I don’t know why.

Maybe because I’m about to start my period, so I’m ridiculously emotional right now.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been beating myself up lately with the terrible job I’m doing being patient and gentle with my children.

Maybe because the encouragement I found in this post was heaven-sent and I plan to print a few copies and read them daily until they become second nature.

What a blessing.

Please read it.

~audrey

~audrey

Yes, Ali and Kelli, I USED IT! LOL!!

I attended a homeschooling “Moms’ Night Out” last night and it was MUCH NEEDED. Isn’t it amazing how a few hours with some like-minded company can lift your spirits, drag you out of the trenches, and give you that extra push you didn’t even know you needed? That is what last night did for me.

One of the last conversations we had was about us, as mothers (particularly homeschooling moms who are with all of their children, day in and day out), being Jesus to our children. Pretty scary, huh? Of course bantered back and forth at the sorry job we all feel we do at showing Jesus to our children through our day-to-day living, but Kelli really got us howling when she said,

“My poor children probably think Jesus is BIPOLAR!”

One minute we’re in the Word, using soft and kind words to encourage and direct our children, then suddenly someone sets you off, and as you fly off your rocker, you’re yelling and spanking and using all of those unkind words you spoke to them about just twenty minutes before.

Oops.

The fact is, we’re ALL sinners, saved by GRACE alone and our sanctification process will be ongoing until the day we die. The important thing is that, like Ali pointed out, we go to our children and acknowledge when we’ve acted out of our flesh, apologize, and reconcile with our children. What better way to show them Jesus and teach them about the mercy He has shown us, then by humbling ourselves unto our children and showing them that not only does mommy make plenty of mistakes, but that we’re humble and honest enough to admit when we’ve done wrong and ask their forgiveness.

What an incredible calling, to be a mother. I think motherhood is just one more way for the Father to show us just how desperately we need Him. How else can we do this job successfully? It’s hard enough being a mother on the days when we DO spend time in His word before the kids get up! I can only imagine how dispaired mothers must feel who do not know the Lord at all.

A few things I hope to write about and get your feedback on over the next several days are: what kind of creative correction works in your home, and what are some of your plans for the kids this summer. I’m not talking about big plans, but little ones, like craft ideas, daily routines, summer chores…those kinds of plans. I look forward to your feedback!

Happy Friday Ya’ll!

~audrey

We recently switched Baby Bear from icky soy formula which made him spit up ALL the time, to almond milk with flax seed oil. The difference has been unbelievable! He’s not as fussy, he’s only spit up once in the last four days, AND he likes it cold! Check with your pediatrician before making the switch, but if your baby is on formula, especially soy, consider this option that is not very well-known. Some pediatricians may not be open to this option, but ours is a vegetarian and chooses the natural option whenever possible…and let’s face it, there’s NOTHING natural about infant formula…YUCK!

Cloth diapering is going well. What a relief to go back to washing our diapers at the end of everyday, rather than having to run to the store at 10pm every 7 or 8 days when I realize I’ve run out. The babies don’t seem to have noticed a difference. We’ll see what birth-mom says at visitation tonight…should be interesting!

It’s suppose to rain today…starting at 1:00pm and ending TOMORROW. Hopefully the babies will take a nice long nap and I’ll get lots of school work done with Joshua. It’s really a jammie-kind-of-day, but I will have to leave my house around 1:30pm, so I guess I’d better get up and get moving.

Happy Monday!!

~audrey