Sorry its been so long

Well, we had Maggie's baptism last weekend (pictures to come) and then I have spent this week getting ready for our vacation. We leave tomorrow after church and we will be tent camping with family and friends for six days. Yes, six days in a tent with four children. It takes a lot of time and organization to pull it off and it is finally here. All the food is prepped and the bags are packed. The van is loaded and I am off to bed as the alarm will ring in only five hours. But I am so excited. I will have lots of pictures when we get back.

Until next time, take care and God bless you all at the beginning of this wonderful summer season.

Amanda

Another Good Day

I have been feeling much better again today. I have been busy and felt very productive. I have been listening to some uplifting music and spent time in prayer this morning. Thank you for praying for me and the encouragements and emails that I have received thus far. If I can return the favor and hold you accountable in any area of your life I would love to do so for all of my IRL friends as well as my blog friends. Just send me an email or leave a comment and I will be glad to return the favor.

I leave you with this picture. I don't frequent the studio with my children often for with four children it gets VERY costly. So about once a year we do that and in between times I try to take "portrait" style pictures as well as just snapshots. So, here is one I took the other day and I fell in LOVE with it. I just had to share it. Enjoy!

Okay, so I could not do just one. I had to do this one too.....

So long...

I have had one of those days today. You know the ones I mean. The ones where after a long season of struggle you have a day (or at least a couple of hours) that seem to go better than it has in a LONG time. I have been in a season of constant struggle lately. My kids have argued with me and with each other. They don't want to pick up their toys or help around the house. I am always mean for setting rules and restricting activities. My baby is still not sleeping at 7 1/2 months old. I was feeling like a failure in many areas. I always feel tired. The house is always a mess and I had settled nicely into a rut.

I would wake up, feel totally overwhelmed at the state of my house and myself and the attitudes of my kids and then settle into a pity party that would last most of the day. I would wonder around the house not doing much of anything and sporting my bad attitude for my kids to see. They were fighting, I was frustrated, the baby was crying, and all the while I am wondering what I am doing wrong. So last night, after reading this great article I had a new sense of determination. I had a new game plan. And I was ready for a new season.

And now I have one morning behind me with this new game plan and I am pleasantly surprised. I have accomplished more this morning than I have in a full day most days recently. My children have played better and the teaching time after an argument or wrong choice has been much more heartfelt and heart focused. I desire to truly turn my children's hearts to God. I want them to desire to help, to think of others and to know that family comes first. I can't train them to think like that when I am grumbling about my service here at home.

I had become distracted and had lost my focus. This is what God made me for. This is what He called me to do. This is the place He created just for me. These are the children that He hand-picked just for me to raise. So, why am I wasting my days sporting my bad attitude about it? Why am I allowing myself to be "pulled down" this way. NO MORE!!!!

I am renewing my dedication to Bible Study. I am limiting my time on the computer. I am turning off the tv. I am engaging with my children more. I am getting more organized in many areas of my life. I am preparing my heart, my body, and my home for the time when my husband returns from work so that I may spend time and focus on our relationship. And even though it is a lot of work. I love it. I feel better about myself when I am busy and put time into my home. I am more relaxed when I plan ahead for dinner, for errands, for church. Just overall I feel better.

So, I am writing this out for the accountability of my blog readers (friends). I want to continue on this path until it is habit. I don't want to go back to that place of living in stress and chaos and despair and overwhelm just because of lack of discipline. So, pray for me, ask me how I am doing, please, hold me accountable. I need you all. I need to know that others are going to ask.

Well, it is another speech day today, plus Wal-Mart, a stop at church, and then to the library. So I need to put away lunch and head out. Thank you all for being my friends and prayer partners.

Proverbs 31:15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

Until next time,
Amanda

Happy Birthday Sweet Heart!

My little Sammy Jo is turning five today. It is so hard to believe. She is getting so big. I remember the day she was born like yesterday. And now she will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Where does the time go?

God's TIming

Isn't it amazing how we can see God working all around us if we just choose to. You see I, as a mother, have been waiting for almost a year for my middle daughter to begin a speech program in our area. She had her first evaluation back in May of 2008. We were told that she needed speech and they were accepting her into the program. The only catch was that in our area there is only one speech pathologist and she only works two days a week for this program. And, there were three kids before Samantha on the waiting list. They told us it would probably be January before she could start. No problem I thought that will be great.

After all we had a new baby coming and I thought it would give us time to settle into a routine before speech would pull us away from home two days a week. But when January came Sam hadn't even moved up the list at all. They said around February or March they thought they would be ready for her. Well about mid April they still had no spot for her and my patients was running out.

You see, Sammy's speech has been effecting her self confidence and her social relationships because very few people can understand her. I was getting really tired of waiting for her sake and also for mine as the judgemental comments kept flying as people were very quick to offer their two cents about what we should do. I kept having to "defend" my husband and I's decision. We had done what we thought was best for Sam and no one seemed to think that was good enough.

Then last week the email came. A couple of the children above her had decided that they were seeking treatment elsewhere. So, Samantha will start speech next week. She is beside herself with excitement as am I. Plus the timing is nothing short of God's. You see we just finished school for the year, and Kate is growing like a weed and much easier to manage now, even out in public. Plus, due to maternity leave for the speech pathologist, we will be off for July through September, a.k.a. gardening season around here. Then we will be able to start school in the fall and get settled into a routine before speech will start again in October. At that time speech will be only one day a week which will make the running much more manageable.

Isn't God good!!!

School done for the summer - check

Samantha getting the help she needs - check

Gardening season off - check

Less running in the fall - check

I am so blessed to have a God that cares enough about me to take such an interest in my life as to orchestrate my schedule so beautifully for me. Thank you Father for loving me so much. I am overwhelmed when I see how carefully you guide my life.