One day last month I decided to take before and after pictures of laundry day.  There isn’t actually one particular day of the week in which I do laundry.  I do laundry pretty much everyday, but in a typical week, the laundry begins to pile up on my bed or in baskets in my bedroom until I’ve had enough on Thursday or Friday and can devote a full hour or so to folding and putting it away.  Here are my before and afters. 

~audrey

I’ve heard stories of generations past when mothers used cloth diapers and a diaper service picked up the dirty ones and brought clean ones to your door. The thought of using cloth diapers has always repulsed me to say the least. However, with the lifestyle changes we’re trying to make around our house, such as watching less television, using less water, being conscious about not wasting electricity, and of course, saving money in the process, I have begun to get more curious about cloth diapers and the popular come back they seem to be having. My sister-in-law’s sister has been using them since her son was born 22 months ago. She loved them so much, she began making her own and even taking orders for friends and making some for them as well.
I was doing the math, and if the average infant and toddler has a minimum of five diaper changes a day (about once every three hours, not including blow out poopy diapers or changes in the middle of the night), that’s about 155 diapers a month. The average box of diapers (size four or five) has about 80 diapers in them, so that is two boxes a month, costing about $20/box if you buy a major brand such as Huggies or Pampers. Now keep in mind, this does not account for using coupons or buying the generic brand, but I’ve always found that I end up using MORE diapers when I buy the cheap ones because the quality and absorbancy isn’t as good as the “big” brands. Let’s say the average toddler potty trains between the ages of 30 and 36 months. The average baby/toddler uses $1200-$1440 worth of diapers! That does not include the cost of wipes!!
Cloth diapers now come in an adjustable “one size” version that will typically last through the entire diaper phase of a child’s life. From what I understand, most moms recommend you have about two dozen cloth diapers on hand so you’re not having to wash the dirty ones every single day. You can get a good cloth diaper for about $16 and you often get discounts when you buy in bulk (six or more). You could easily get away with one dozen, but you’d have to wash a lot more often. Twelve good quality cloth diapers would cost about $192! Hmmm, $1200…..$192???
I know, I know, there is a lot that goes into cloth diapering. You have to wash them separately and you end up using a bit more water for laundry, but think of the money you are saving!! Not to mention, the diapers that would NOT be in a land fill from your child/children.
Ironically, Owen seems to be interested in potty training, so we may not be using diapers for very much longer, but I’ve gone ahead and made the switch anyways. This will allow me a trial period to see if I could handle it with another baby, or even our foster children, if they’re in diapers. So far, so good. I bought a starter pack of “gdiapers” from “Buy Buy Baby” (a new baby superstore in Augusta) yesterday. It includes two cloth diapers that have a snap-in waterproof liner and 40 flushable, disposable inserts for $26. You don’t have to use the flushable inserts, you can use the ‘old school’ trifold cloth diapers as inserts and simply wash and reuse them. However, the flushable inserts are great to have in the diaper bag or purse for when you go out or go to church. Most people (including child care workers) will not be as thrilled to mess with a cloth diaper when it’s full of poop! Owen has only ‘dirtied’ three inserts in the last 24 hours. He’s done really well on the potty, including pooping twice and peeing several times. He even woke up dry this morning and peed on the potty for me. I’m in shock. I thought for sure I’d be waiting until next summer to potty train and I fully expected him to be a bit of a challenge, like Jesse was. Boy was I wrong!
The two cloth diapers that came in yesterday’s pack were cream and orange. Here are two pictures of Owen in the orange one. You put them on the child like you would a diaper, but backwards. They velcro in the back to prevent the child from wanting to pull it off. Plus, it makes them look a little more like big kid underwear. SO CUTE! I look forward to buying more when the budget permits. I’m also interested in making my own. I’ll let you know how that goes!

~audrey

I’m embarassed to say that Jesse and Owen’s birthday party was Saturday, JUNE 27th! I’ve been such a slacker with my pictures lately! At least they’re all on my computer waiting to be shared when I get the time. 🙂

Anyways, we decided to do Owen and Jesse’s party together this year because their birthdays are only ten days apart and we love having all of the family together, so we figured we’d probably have a better turn out if we had ONE big party. My parents offered to host the party at their house in Greenwood. That was GREAT because it allowed my sister-in-law to come down from Shelby, NC while my brother was out of town. I love spending time with her and it just doesn’t happen enough! We rented an inflatable water slide and Jesse picked a “sports” theme. I made a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, sugar crystal sprinkles and little candy soccer balls. My dad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and my mom made the ABSOLUTE BEST seafood pasta salad in the WHOLE world (mom, I still need to get that recipe from you!). The weather was perfect, the kids all had a blast, and Jesse and Owen had lots of friends and family there to show them how much they are loved and cherished. One of my favorite parts of the planning process was making the “goody cups”. Jesse’s favorite color is red and I had an exact mental image of what I wanted to do. SO, I gathered up the goodies; swirly straws, a few pieces of candy, tatoos, a soccer ball whistle, a little parachute animal, and a glow stick and I strategically placed them into a red cup with a stencilled “J” on the side in white paint. They turned out exactly how I imagined. It was fun. I just don’t have the opportunity to be all that creative these days. Too busy. All in all, a great party. The only thing missing was the Baileys!! We missed you guys!

The last picture is of the chocolate, chocolate chip pancakes that we made per Jesse’s request on his actual birthday (7/2). MMMmmm!

~audrey

Good grief, what is my problem??  I haven’t been on the computer at ALL lately.  The funny thing is, that is what I wanted.  I wanted to stop spending so much wasteful time on the computer.  Luckily, that’s excactly what I’ve done.  I do, however, need to work blogging back into the equation, because I love blogging and if I go more than a day or two without posting anything, I forget all of the great and funny things that I plan to write about….for example, Owen’s little accident yesterday…

…it was Thursday afternoon and I knew my husband was going to hang out with a friend after work for a while, so I decided to skip our morning trip to the pool and go after dinner instead.  It’s less crowded in the evening and it’s great to wear the boys out right before bed.  We went from about 5:45-7:30pm.  It was great.  Since it wasn’t very crowded and the sun was going down behind the building, I got in the “big pool” with the boys for about thirty minutes.  They always enjoy it when I get in with them.  I don’t really know why, to be honest.  It’s not like we do anything special when I get in with them, but Owen loves it because I spin him around in circles and let him jump off the side into my arms.  He’s such a little fish.  He likes it when I let him go all the way under water when he jumps into my arms before bringing him back up safely.  I’m so thankful my kids love the water. 

After the first break time, the boys went over to the water park area.  This is an area where there are several water features, like buckets that dump water out from 20 feet up in the air, different types of water falls and sprinklers.  It’s a lot of fun and really great for the kids who don’t want to get all the way in the pools.  Owen and Joshua were in the water park area when I asked Jesse to go tell them it was time to get dried off.  Next thing I know, there are several kids crowded around Owen and I can see that he is crying.  The right side of his face looked really red as I walked closer to him.  Joshua said, “I think he fell and scraped his hands.”  Without even looking directly at Owen, I squatted down and looked at his palms….nothing was there.  Then I looked up at his face…. OH MY GOSH!  Apparently, when Jesse said, “it’s time to go”, Owen took off running…or at least, that was his intention.  He tripped over his own feet and took a dive into the pavement.  His right shoulder and elbow were scraped up a little bit, but the worst part was his sweet little face.  He scraped his right cheek and had a goose egg the size of a golf ball on his forehead.  I think the 18 year old lifeguard was freaked out more than any of us.  He kept saying, “Um, ma’am, I really think you should take him to get that checked out.  That looks bad!”  I just kept smiling and saying, “yeah, okay, thanks!”  All the while, I’m thinking, ‘look buddy, I have three boys and if I took them to the ER everytime they had a bump on their head, I’d be broke!”  I know the rules and things to look out for when they hurt their heads.  Half my family is in the medical field.  I made sure everything was alright, but we certainly did NOT spend our evening in the ER.  He’ll look like a bruiser for about a week, but he’ll be fine.

Here is a picture:

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church and I helped in the 4, 5, and 6 year old class all week. I was a little apprehensive at first because that meant I’d be following my own children all week and I just wasn’t sure that was a good idea, however, I do like to observe how they behave and interact with other kids in that kind of setting. We had a great week. The weather held out all week long and all of the kids had a blast. I suppose, before I go any further, I should tell you a little bit about Joshua (my six year old).

Joshua is a tender hearted child. He is sensitive, yet still a man’s man. He loves to do anything and everything that Daddy does. He loves singing…so much so, that when he learns a new worship song, he likes to write the chorus down and hang it in his room.  Joshua has asked about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper on many occasions and often insists that Jesus is ALEADY in his heart, so why can’t he participate? Joshua can tell you all about the birth of Jesus, miracles He performed while on the Earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection three days later. He understands that Jesus is God’s son, but Jesus also IS God. His understanding, and ability to retell the story of Christ, at the age of six, has always amazed me. His faith is truly that of a child. If someone is hurt or sick, Joshua’s first response is to pray for them because he has the faith that if you ask, Jesus will hear, and many times will answer with healing. Joshua ministers to me through his faith and sincere desire for more understanding on a regular basis. This is why Friday night was so precious to me….

…at the end of their very last class in VBS last night, the teacher asked if anyone would like to pray and ask Jesus into their hearts. Joshua turned and looked at me with the hope of “permission” in his eyes. I nodded and he shot his hand up in the air. His teacher, being a dear friend of mine, looked at me with tears in her eyes, and directed Joshua to come and sit with Mommy so we could pray together. About five other children prayed to receive Christ as well. As Joshua sat beside me, I took his hand and fully planned on helping him say the prayer of salvation. Much to my surprise, Joshua closed his eyes and began to pray by himself. This is what he prayed,

“Lord Jesus, please come into my heart. Thank you for dying on the cross and coming back to life so I could have life. I promise I’ll do anything you tell me to. Thank you for taking my sins. And please come into the other kids’ hearts who love you too! And if some of the kids don’t love you yet, but they change their minds later, will you come into their hearts too? I love you Jesus. Amen.”

Yes, I was bawling.
What an incredible little boy with an amazing destiny for the kingdom of God.

Jesse just happened to be spending the night at his Mimi’s last night and chose to miss the last night of VBS, so Joshua was able to have this night to himself.  However, when we got in the car to drive home, he got on my cell phone and called Jesse to share the news with him…and Mimi, and Papa, and Nana and Grandpa. We’re so proud of him.
He now has a new kind of birthday. The day he was birthed into the kingdom of God and became a child of the king. June 12, 2009 will be in my heart forever.

~audrey

So my day started off busy, as usual. By 11:00 I was rushing to the store to buy food I had volunteered to bring to a post-funeral meal at our church (not exactly something you can be late for!) A cop on a motorcycle followed me ALL THE WAY from the grocery store to the church parking lot (about 10 minutes!). I guess he was one of the scheduled escorts for the funeral, but good grief, he was making me nervous! As I zipped into the church parking lot to drop off the food, I instructed Joshua to lock the doors behind me as I ran inside for literally ten seconds. I hopped out of the car and all of the sudden, the car began to lurch forward into the bushes!!!!! Apparently, in all my stress and nerves from being in a hurry and being tailed by a cop, I forgot to put the van in PARK!?! Did I mention there were SEVEN cops in the church parking lot…all sitting outside their cars, watching the entire thing?! Well, the bushes were only slightly mangled and I dropped the food off and QUICKLY left the church before giving the cops a chance to decide whether or not I was an escaped mental patient. From there we drove through McDonalds to appease my three squirmy children, who would have much rather spent the day by the pool. As we sat in the drive-thru line, three fire trucks and another emergency vehicle flew by with sirens blaring and lights flashing. Of course, being the drama-loving, adventure-craving person that I am, I peeled out of that parking lot as if I were part of the rescue and proceeded to follow them!! They all turned down a street that, of course, was labeled “NO OUTLET”. Without hesitation, I followed them down that street as well. Unfortunately, there was no action to be seen. And even worse, there was no convenient place to turn around and when I did finally decide on the perfect driveway to make my U-turn, the firemen were all staring at me…waiting…so they, too, could turn their big huge trucks around. I thought for sure one of them was going to come over to my car and give me a tongue lashing for obviously following them down a dead end road just for the sake of being nosey. Luckily, I was wrong.
Today was just ONE OF THOSE DAYS.
It is 3:30pm. I need to cut Owen’s hair, give all three boys a bath, cut all of their nails (YUCK!), and somehow manage to get MYSELF in the shower and ready in the next TWO HOURS!?!
I better go.
~audrey

I borrowed a book from a friend recently called, “Having a Mary heart in a Martha world.” To be honest, I’m not even half way through it yet. It is amidst the stack of books on my night stand that I want to read to completion, but only get a chapter in here and there!
Basically, I struggle with the overwhelming desire to get it all done…and I mean get it ALLLLLL done. Every day. Every area of my life. Every subject in homeschooling. Every household chore. You get the picture?! I was beginning to really get my priorities out of whack. I began to realize how much quality time I could be spending with the children if I would just take a break from the “LISTS” for an hour here and there.
I find great joy in doing “Martha” things. I love helping people in need with practical things…cleaning their house, making a meal, keeping their kids. I truly enjoy those things and am richly blessed by doing it. I don’t want recognition, a pat on the back, or a favor returned. Recently I did something “extra” for a friend at church. When she found out what I did, she wrote me a thank you note and in the note she wrote, “It is so great to have some Marthas around!” It was like a bullet to the heart! LOL! 🙂 I know she meant well, but because I’ve been trying to be more like Mary, being called a Martha was like taking ten steps in the wrong direction. I shared that with her at church, in good humor, of course. She told me that she, too, is a Martha. But she also said that Martha has gotten a bad wrap over the centuries. Mary chose the “right thing” the day that she sat at Jesus’ feet instead of hustling around the house with Martha. That parable was an example of a bad choice on Martha’s part. There has to be balance. My friend made the point that if everyone was a “Mary”, nothing would get done! There is nothing wrong with being a Martha, but we have to be sure we choose the “right thing” when the circumstance requires us to lay aside our lists and goals and just be in the moment…like at the feet of Jesus!
I do have to fight my natural inclination to be Sgt. Major Martha on a daily basis. I’m learning. It’s a process that requires daily renewal through prayer and spending time in God’s word. The important thing is to seek the Lord in every situation and be patient. Wait on Him to give you an answer. Maybe He will give you peace about a certain decision that has been weighing on you. Maybe He will send someone you respect to give you advice that is perfect for your circumstance. You must learn to recognize when the Lord is giving you an answer. Don’t pass it off as being coincidence just because it wasn’t the answer you were hoping for.
Okay, I’m chasing rabbits now. I hope you’ve gotten the point I was trying to make. 🙂

~martha…I mean, audrey

– I have recently become addicted to Sudoku…I know, I’m a little behind the times, but I picked up a few Sudoku puzzle books in the dollar section at Target and I’ve been hooked ever since. Josh makes fun of me! 🙂 LOL! I don’t mind. 🙂

-A sure sign that Joshua is officially entering “Big-Boyhood”…I have to use adult hangers for his shirts now. I don’t know why, but it made me really sad the first time I realized it!

-I had a blast playing two rounds of miniature golf with my hubby today…he won the first round and we tied the second. I think we’d enjoy taking up golf together…in our spare time…HAHAHAHA!! Maybe in 18 years!?

-I’m selling my Sonlight Core K curriculum on ebay right now and I’m praying I’ll receive enough from the sale to purchase next year’s Classical Curriculum! (about $370…I paid almost $800 for last year’s curriculum through Sonlight!)

-I made Jesse cry today when I refused to let him drink out of my water bottle…seven years of marriage and three kids and it still grosses me out to share drinks with people…especially sweaty little boys! …don’t worry, I gave him his own.

-Josh was laughing at me, once again, when he realized what I was working on in bed the other night. I was making our packing list for our family vacation: food, linens, clothing, games, movies, beach equipment, etc…I get VERY specific and even estimate what our grocery budget and gas costs will be for the trip…SO, why was he laughing, you ask??? Our trip is still FIVE weeks away!! Can you really ever be TOO prepared?? I mean, come on! If we get there and something is missing, who will that fall back on…ME, of course…so I’m starting early! 🙂 Plus, I enjoy being the “Go-To” girl. If someone forgot something, most of the family knows that I probably have it! …which reminds me, I need to add children’s tylenol, motrin, and benadryl to that list! LOL! 🙂

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for tonight. Another good Saturday under my belt. I didn’t do much cleaning, but we were outside for most of the day, so it has stayed relatively tidy….oops, I guess I should put the clean sheets back on my bed!

Goodnight all!
~audrey

Do you ever find you’ve lost your passion for something that you once loved? Not because you don’t love it anymore, but because the busyness of life has pushed it to the bottom of the priority list and suddenly you’ve become less like a unique individual and more like the energizer bunny, trying to cross everything off the “to-do” list of life? That is how I’ve felt lately, in more ways than one.
The biggest issue lately has been whether or not we were going to homeschool again in the fall, or send the boys to a local Christian school. I was actually physically sick from the stress of making such a big decision. I believe that we’re 99% sure we’re going to continue homeschooling and I’m really excited about that decision. It is the one I was leaning toward the most.
This morning as the family was slowly waking up, I grabbed a cup of coffee, one of my favorite books, and one of the cushions from my patio furniture and headed to the back patio for some quiet time. The book is “Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit”, by Teri Maxwell. This book was such a driving force in our first semester of last year. She is a homeschooling mother of eight and has been homeschooling since 1985. She loves the Lord and has incredible wisdom to give through her experiences with the Lord, a large family, and homeschooling for so many years. All it took was one single chapter to make me want to jump up from my chair and hit the ground running. I don’t know if you ever feel like this, but sometimes I lose sight of my ultimate goal in marriage and parenting. Sometimes, unfortunately, I take my eyes off of the Lord and revert them back to myself and suddenly I’m angry with everyone in my house and all I want is some ME TIME! In actuality, all I really want it to be the very best wife and mother that I can possibly be. I want to shelter, love, educate, and protect my children. I want to prepare them to be godly heads of household when they have a family of their own one day. I want to respect my husband and always make the wisest decisions for our family when the responsibility rests in my hands. I want my husband and children to think of me as meek and quiet. By definition, meek means soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated. The definition of quiet is peaceable, not turbulent, not giving offense, mild, meek, and contented. What a standard to live up to. I have to physically tell myself, out loud, each morning, “I have the mind of Christ!” Achieving a meek and quiet spirit is going to take as much work for me as would training for a marathon! I’m not naturally inclined to be meek and quiet, just like I’m not naturally inclined to run every single day in increasing distances with increasing speeds. Everything in life that’s worth having, is worth working for! I just needed a reminder.
I hope this encouraged you, regardless of what you’ve been struggling with.
Have a great weekend!
~audrey
P.S. My weekend challenge to you is to grab a laundry basket and head out to your car. Clean out all trash, clothes, shoes, books, toys…anything that does not belong in your car! Then, when you get back in the house, set the timer for 15 minutes and unload that laundry basket so everything gets back where it belongs (if you’re anything like me, most of it will end up in the trash!). Good luck!