Body After Baby

I am joining this group of mamas that is trying to be more healthy for ourselves and our families. So, I am hoping this is the motivation that I need to loose this baby, baby, baby, baby weight. I also just want to feel better and hopfully start making better food choices for my family. So, over the next eight weeks I will be posting updates here each week about my progress and exercise and such. Here are my begining stats -

Weight - 150
Waist - 40 inches
Goal for Challenge - 15 pounds lost

I am hoping to reach this goal by cutting down on my card intake and uping my protein intake. While also cutting back on my portions, and uping my water intake.

Each week the host is offering a giveaway and a mini challenge to keep us on track. This week's mini challenge is to see how many glasses of water we can drink. Each glass is another point toward our total at the end. These points will help to determine the winner after the eight weeks. I will let you know next week how many points that I was able to get from this challenge and also update you on my weigh in.

My mom has lost around 93 pounds in the last year. I am totally inspired by her dedication and progress. I am so proud of her for all her hard work. I know it must have been difficult at times but she stuck it out and looks great for it. I am hoping I can use her inspiration to reach my goal.

So, by Thanksgiving I hope to have reached this goal and go into the holiday season feeling better and being more healthy while also looking better!!

Apple Picking

Fall is such a great time of year. I love everything about it. But apples are one of the best. I try to always make applesauce with the children every year. I really do think I would have to call it my favorite time of year. I love the upcoming holiday season (yes, I am already thinking and planning for it), the crispness in the air, the chilly mornings, and all the yummy fall dishes that can be made that haven't been made all summer.

While we make applesauce most every year, this is the first year that we have been able to do this outing. I have always wanted to but we have just never made the time. I have learned now that if I really want to do something I must schedule it with a group or a friend and then I will stick to the plan and get it done. So, this year I organized a field trip with our homeschool group to the apple orchard. And boy the experience didn't disappoint. We had a blast. The kids got to pet animals, go through several different mazes, jump in a bounce castle, and, of course, pick apples. We also got to watch them make apple cider and taste some. It was a great day and I am so glad that we went.

My little Sammy Jo, she is always full of fun and giggles. Life is a big party to Sam and she hasn't a care in the world. I love that about her.

My children love apples but these were some of the best apples I have ever had. They were so crisp and juicy and fresh. Josiah had juice RUNNING down his arm from his apple! That is how juicy they were. Katherine even got in on the apple eating and she managed to eat almost half of her apple. Now, it did take her probably an hour to do it but she kept at it and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Happy Birthday, Baby Kate!!

This week was Katherine's first birthday. Words can not express the amount of emotion that is in my heart. It has been a full year. It has been full of many hard times, many tears, and many changes, but through it all my little "Baby Kate" has been a ray of sunshine in my life. She is a beautiful little girl and she seems to be growing over night. The Lord has truly blessed us with the privilege to raise her and love her as our own.

Katherine,

You are so beautiful. Your smile lights up your entire face. Your eyes sparkle with laughter and joy. While the first few months and even into the later ones of your first year were marked with pain and discomfort for you, you continued to smile and bring joy to our family. Now that you are feeling better, you are sleeping well and growing quickly. There are so many things about you that amaze me. You love apples. They are one of your favorite foods, along with potatoes and crackers. You will throw your head back and laugh the most contagious laugh I have ever heard. You can shake your head "no" and "yes". You are learning to sign now also. You are working in "milk" and "drink" and "all done" and "eat". You are getting better at them everyday. I love to watch you grow and explore. While you are not walking yet, you move around the house with the greatest of ease. In an effort to keep up with your older siblings you have learned to crawl very quickly. It is so neat to see the way that they can make you smile and laugh better than anyone else. You love them so much and they love you too! The bond that you all share is so evident and I love to see it growing everyday. I love you, Katherine Elizabeth. May God bless your life and may you choose to serve Him in all that you do.

Mommy

(I had a beautiful video of her life made but, I can't seem to upload it here so these pictures will have to suffice.)

More Vacation Pictures

Here is another round of vacation pictures. It has taken me awhile to get them up but life has been busy and other things have taken a front seat to blogging in the last week.

All over Silver Dollar City they had these awesome backgrounds set up with chairs and everything for picture taking. So, I, being the picture loving mother that I am, took full advantage of them. Katherine was still sleeping though so I missed her the "fall" picture line up.

Diaper Bags

Every mother carries a diaper bag.

They come in a rainbow of colors and patterns.

I have actually been carrying a diaper bag for over seven years straight now. Not one break. Not one day that there wasn't a diaper bag fully packed by my front door.

Why all of this talk of diaper bags? Well, I love a new bag. Almost as much as I love a new purse. And right now, this blog is giving away a diaper bag that doesn't look like a diaper bag. As the mother to many children I sometimes tire of carrying a "diaper" bag. But carrying one of these cool stylish bags would be functional and fun. So, if you are a mom that still has need of a diaper bag click on over the My Organized Chaos and enter to win one of your own.

Vacation Pictures

Vacation was wonderful. We had a great time. Every day was full of fun and family. What better way to spend a week. On Monday we left home around 6am and headed down to Silver Dollar City. It was a beautiful day and we had a blast. The kids loved everything about it. They had never been to anything like that before and it was such a blessing to be with them for their first experience in a theme park.

Here is a group shot from right after we walked through the gate -

The kids LOVED the rides. I think it was their favorite part. This was the first theme park that I had been to that was as family friendly as Silver Dollar City was. All of the rides were designed so that an adult could ride with the children. I was much more comfortable with this design than just sending my children through the gate and allowing someone else to ensure their safety. Anyway, I would highly recommend this park to any family looking for a great place to vacation.

Here are pictures of the rides -

The next day we spent time out on the lake on a pontoon boat with friends. The kids got to drive the boat (Maggie did this the most and she loved it!!), eat ice cream, ride jet skis, feed the fish, and swim in the lake. It was a full day but full of fun in the sun.

I have run out of time so more photos will have to come later. I still have photos of the AWESOME pool at the resort. It was unbelievable! I can't wait to share the pictures with you.

Spiritual Diet

I have posted several times about meal planning and simple eating and such. But today, I am thinking about a different type of food and meal planning. How do you eat spiritually? If you are like most people you don’t miss too many meals physically but how often do you eat spiritually? Just as our flesh needs to eat daily so does our spirit. And it needs more than just a snack. We must put time and effort into feeding our spirits. They need “meat and potatoes” kind of meals, things like in-depth Bible study, prayer time between us and our Father, and some quiet time for our spirit to “listen” to the Father. How often do you “eat” like this? Most of us don’t do it often enough.

Many times our spirit is fed only on Sunday and sometimes during midweek Bible study but that is it. How do we expect it to be strong and to grow if it is only fed at these times? Our spirit will not be able to withstand the attacks of Satan if it isn’t strong and well nourished. You wouldn’t have a horse that you were training to race and then not feed him. In the same way, we shouldn’t expect our spirit to be able to do battle against temptation if we don’t feed it. To do battle against the temptations of Satan, our spirit must be fed and nourished so that it is strong. How strong is your spirit?

Bible study.

Prayer.

Fasting.

Fellowship.

Quiet Time.

All of these are ways to feed our spirits. How often do we engage in them? If we can’t answer, on a daily basis, then we must reevaluate our spiritual lives. Let’s challenge ourselves to do better. Any effort will be blessed. Any improvement will be worth it. So, let’s strive together to do better. Add 5 minutes here, pray on the way to work, read our Bible during lunch, study the Word instead of surf the Internet, or whatever works for you. What can you add to your spiritual diet today?

My Girls

It has been awhile since I have posted pictures of my oldest girls. Last week I was able to take the afternoon and spend some time photographing these beautiful girls. They are not only beautiful on the outside but they are growing into beautiful ladies on the inside. I am so very, very proud to call them my daughters!

Maggie - You are my oldest child. The day you were born was the day that my dream of being a mother was fulfilled. I love you. You are thoughtful, kind, loving, motherly, and a great help. While you have had your share of "bad" days and your younger years were enough to drive any loving mother to wonder where she went wrong, you are growing up to be a beautiful young Christian that I am daily in awe of. You are mature beyond your years and you never fail to amaze me at your selflessness when I really need you. Thank you for being a great daughter.

Samantha - My middle daughter. You still love to be my "little" girl. Hold me, rock me, carry me, hold my hand, and on the requests go. You have told me countless times that you don't want to get "big". I love that about you. You are like a sponge. All day long you ask questions, and want to know "why". Because of this, by the age of four you could tell time, read some words, quote scripture, and add and subtract. All of this was self-taught. You are my little book worm. You are loving and kind and LOYAL. You have very few friends but when you make one you are true to them to the end. And when that end comes it crushes you and makes me cry for you. You are sweet and innocent and my little cuddly girl. I love you!!

Vacation

I will be enjoying this week with my family on vacation. I have pre-written posts that will publish this week. I hope that you enjoy them and I will be back next week with lots of pictures to show you.

God bless,
Amanda

School's in Session

Well, we have now finished our second full week of school. Our new curriculum is going really well. The girls love it and even Josiah is able to join in on the Bible versus and the learning through motions activities. I am really enjoying it. I am finding that having two in school is a little bit more challenging. Add to that a very active toddler and a crawling baby and I have been a little stressed this week. Okay, more than a little at times. I have been an all out crazy, stressed, and tired momma. I love homeschooling! But some days I wonder why I do it!

Then I see Maggie lean over and help Samantha remember how to write a letter or a number, or I hear her reading to Josiah, and I remember. I love seeing my children interact. And with being home all day together they can't help but interact.

So, on these days when it is hard, I throw myself at my Savior's feet and pray for strength. He is faithful and trustworthy and always provides for me. He is teaching me patience and time management. He is growing me through this. I am striving to focus on the priorities. Those are not a spotless house or finished scrapbooks. That top priority should be training my children in righteousness. From that comes the greatest reward, one that will last an eternity.

And how can I achieve this goal, this goal of love between siblings, and a willingness to help? This goal of children that love God and serve Him with their entire being? Only through love. Not by snapping at them, or rushing them through school so that I can get to other things, or by brushing them aside when they need me. They will learn by my example. I must live love. I must show them how to serve with a willing heart. That is how they will learn to serve, to love, and to give. Only through my example.

Oh Father, help me to be a light of Your love to my children. Clean my heart!! Purge me of my selfishness and fill me with your love. Open my eyes to see my children's hearts that I might train them to love You and to love others. Help me through each day. I NEED you Father. I desire to please You and to turn these little babes into double edged swords for you. That they will be ready to stand for You when that is required of them. Thank you for Your love and forgiveness. Amen.

The greatest lesson of all..... LOVE!

Remeber when?

I can vividly remember being on the playground while in the third grade and spending countless hours trying to perfect this skill. Once it was perfected than it was a matter of making it to the top of your class and then your grade. Once the top position had been reached it was then imperative that you maintain your skill so as not to be out ranked. What is this skill that I am referring to? Well, see if you remember this?

The Skip It. Do any of you remember doing this as a child? While Maggie hasn't quite perfected it, she is working on it. Her little feet most of the time do her in as the Skip It, after several rotations, usually ends up flying from her foot. But she is determined to master this skill and become proficient at this toy.

Thanks Aunt Erin for a great gift!!

My Little Secret...

There is this little secret that I have learned and it has helped me out so much in my effort to stay above the constant flood of dishes, laundry, toys, and food that goes on around here. I can't really take credit for it, I found it here years ago. I followed her advice, received her emails, and tried to implement her ideas into my life. While the emails became overwhelming (20 or so a day) and some of her schedules just didn't work for me, one thing did and I have stuck with it for years now. Well, most of the time. I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times only to see my house crumble around me and then I must pull myself back up from under the mountain of housework. Once I get to the top it usually motivates me to get back on routine with this secret. Well, I am guessing that by now you are wondering what that secret is if it is so key in my effort to keep my house clean and neat and a retreat for my family. A house can be a home but only with effort.


Well, the secret is....

Do you see it? It is right there.

I have found that one of the best ways to set my day up to be productive is to wake up to a clean sink. That is right. An empty, shiny, sink. I can wake up fill it with water, and be ready to tackle the few dishes that come with breakfast. I usually unload the dishwasher while the kids eat breakfast and then after lunch I can load it up and be set to start dinner with a clean kitchen.

I know this sounds like something so simple and you might wonder why it would effect me in this way and I don't know why. But her website is full of women that feel the same way.

So, here is my challenge to you. I want you to try this. For the next three days, or until Friday, try this. After dinner, get that kitchen cleaned and that sink empty and ready for the next day. After you give it a try come back tomorrow and let me know what you think? Did it bring a smile to your face? Put a bounce in your step? I will be anxious to hear about it. With one "pile" not staring back at you in the morning, you might find yourself feeling a little lighter.

So, let's arm ourselves with shiny sinks and begin to tackle that every present "mountain" of housework that comes with raising a family.