Long.

It has been a long time since we have had much family time.

But this weekend we caught up a little. We went to the zoo!! Some of my family tagged along too and we had a great time. It was beautiful weather. 



Our group. (Minus myself and Jeremiah who spent most of the day in the ergo)

I got to "play" with my new camera a whole lot this weekend. I even, for the first time, had an impromptu photo shoot at a public location. Maggie was my willing subject and it was lots of fun! I can't wait to hit some local parks and get some more shots really soon.

Sunday was spent in normal Sikes' fashion, morning service, lunch, naps for some, evening service, dinner, and then bed. That's pretty normal around here.

Then on Monday we did yard work while Maggie "babysat" in the house for us. She loved it and her and Samantha even surprised us by cleaning the house while we were outside. We had dinner with my in-laws and then spent some time in family worship and headed to bed. It was a full weekend but it was fun and much needed!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun or different? Leave me a link if you blogged about it!

Life.

Life is busy.

Life is good.

Life is hard.

But all along the way God is with us.

This week has been a hard one. A tiring one and one that makes you pray to God for the energy and love to take the next step. Thank you my dear blog readers for hanging in there through the times of no posting. Know that I long to share with you. My head is so full I don't know where to start. My heart is breaking for two dear families that have suffered loss this week. Praise the Lord this world is "not our home" and "we are just a' passin' through". We have hope that Jesus commands our lives from begining to end. He loves us!

Please pray for my family dear readers. This is a difficult season for us.

But we cling to the hope that one day....

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.



Where?

My baby is already sleeping un swaddled. Where has the time gone?

He is trying out baby food. Where has the time gone?

He is sitting up all by himself. Where has the time gone?

I've always heard that time flies when you are having fun. Well, I'm living my life long dream of being a mommy and I couldn't be having any more fun!!

God is amazingly good all the time!

Psalm 107:1  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

At least it wasn't water!!

You know those super fun punching bags that you fill with water at the bottom and when you hit it, it falls down and then bounces back up?

Well Josiah got one for Christmas and he loved it! But it shortly got a hole in the "water" compartment and so I decided to fill the bottom with some extra rice and lentils that I had.

It worked beautifully! It was heavy enough to make it "bounce" but it didn't leak out of the hole. Everyone was happy and life was good.

Until......

Someone decided to pull the plug. Literally! Then Katherine decided it was her job to spread lentils ALL over the carpet (It couldn't have been the hardwood floor that covers most of our home. That could have been easily swept!).

But as I vaccumed and vaccumed and vaccumed some more, I just kept thinking...

"At least it wasn't water!!"

Fathers

Fathers.

Great influence.

The Protectors.

The teachers.

We as wives and mother's should encourage, support, and allow our husbands to be the father's that God has called them to be. Our family will be stronger, our children will be happier, and our homes more peaceful. It is God's design.

One of the simplest of homemaking tips I know is to allow your husband to be the umbrella over your family. As hardships come he will protect those he loves from the storm, but in times of peacefull weather he will stand back and allow his family to enjoy it with him. With Daddy watching over and protecting the family, we mommas can bear children, kiss skinned knees, and care for the home without bearing the weight of anything else.

It is God's design. He created men for that.

Brothers.

Four years apart.

But so very very close.

A bond for a lifetime.

And love to span the years.

Chore Chart

I took these pictures ages ago and meant to get this post up quickly but life happens and here we are, the middle of MAY! Can't believe I just had to type that. Time passes so quickly and I am often reminded that this fact should make us be wise stewards of our time and invest in things and people for eternity and not the fleeting things of this world. Anywho. Not the point of this post.

My new chore chart....

You know you are a homeschooling, like things practical, don't really care if my home looks like a magazine as long as it works kinda family when your chore chart is hung as the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

I laminated the cards with the chores on them. On some of the cards like "Clean the Bathroom" I broke down the job into bullets. This way the child could easily remember what all was included with "Clean the Bathroom".  And each morning I choose which ones need attention that day. The cards then go in the child's pocket that will be responsible for that job that day. I made cards with jobs with each child in mind. Some jobs rotate between all of the children but others are smaller and simpler for the younger ones and others are a little more detailed for the bigger girls.

Each child has a pocket. The cards are moved to "Completed" once they are done AND CHECKED by momma.

The check mark part is used hand in hand with the small $1 a week allowance that our three older children get. For each "check mark" that the child gets they loose a quarter. Check marks can be given for anything from disrespectful attitude to complaining about chores.

We have been using this system for about 3 months now and it is the first time we have stuck with a chore chart system. It is all about finding what works for your family. I love being able to choose what chores get done each day. I don't need the living room dusted each and every day of the week, but once or twice a week it lands in someone's pocket and vila the living is staying dusted. It is working like a charm!

I love watching my children learn to save for things they want and they are quickly learning how to use their money wisely along with tithing, and saving.

But above all, I am so glad to have found something that is working and that we are sticking with. What chore system do you use? Do your children get allowance? Please share! I love to glean ideas from other families.

Freezer Cooking.

The weather cooled off here after a bit of "summer" heat in the spring so I decided to use the cooler waether to stock the freezer a bit. I'm trying to get ahead so I don't have to bake as much in the heat of summer. Canning during the summer heat is enough extra expense, it helps if I don't have to run the oven non-stop too.  So today I did 2 loaves cinnamon bread, 2 loaves zucchini bread, 3 loaves and 6 muffins of banana bread, a double batch of puppy chow, and a batch of beef broth (not pictured it's already in the freezer).

Cinnamon Bread

I mix this dough in my bread machine on the dough cycle.

2 eggs with enough warm water to make 1 1/3 cups
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
4 cups flour and 2 tsp yeast

When the dough cycle is complete I roll out the dough and spread with butter and cinnamon sugar and let it rise one more time. Then I bake at 350 until golden brown.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 tsp vaninlla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini
Combine all ingredients and add nuts, chocolate chips, raisins or whatever you like and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-55 min.

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (applesauce)
2 eggs
3-4 bananas
3/4 cups evaperated milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Combine all and again you can add in nuts, chocolate chips or raisins or whatever you want to throw in for variety. Then bake at 350 for about 30 min or until brown.

Heavy.

Today my heart is heavy and my mind is consumed with mothers.

I have heard of several new mother's that are dealing with sick newborns.

Nothing prepares you for that. We as a society don't like to think about it, talk about it, or to even try to realize that we are not all blessed with healthy babies each and every time we deliver a precious new life.

We sometimes forget that a healthy, uncomplicated delivery is a BLESSING!!! It is not the only outcome.

I heard it best put like this....

Imagine yourself preparing for a trip. Say tooooooo, France.

You study the weather, the customs, the language, and the food. You want to be able to totally enjoy your trip and to be as prepared and as equiped as you can be. You spend countless hours studying, investing your time, thoughts, and emotions into the upcoming trip. For months you prepare and finally the day is here.

You board your plane, and sit back and take a breath. Here it comes. The moment you have been waiting so long for. And then without notice and totally without explination the pilot announces that you are landing in Italy!!!
WHAT!!! You didn't prepare for this. It isn't what you expected. How can you handle this? It is just too hard. Too confusing and too scary!!

Now think of that mother and father. They have spent months planning, preparing for, investing in, equiping themsleves for, and loving that baby growing inside her. They envision the day they will bring baby home. How they will snuggle on the couch, lay in the bed and nurse, and watch the baby sleep in the crib they have so lovingly picked out and assembled just for baby.

Then the day comes. Labor starts and they take a deep breath and prepare to meet their long awaited blessing. Then the unthinkable happens. Instead of those first special moments of snuggle and nursing those moments are replaced with air bags, wires, monitors, and beeps. There is no quiet snuggle or first "family picture". There is a NICU nurse and a neonatalogist saying words you can barely comprehend while your head spins. This isn't what you prepared for. This wasn't supposed to happen. You prepared, you ate well, you got prenatal care. Why? And the roller coaster is off. Each journey is different from this point. Some long. Some short. Some rocky. Some a slow and steady climb to health. And before you know it, you are well versed in blood gas levels, oxygen monitors, heart rates of newborns, and the daily rounding of doctors.

It isn't right. It isn't fun. And it isn't what we prepare for when a new baby is due, but this is the road that some of us mother's have been choosen to walk. I humbly ask that you pray for the mother's that are walking this road right now. For I was one of those mothers. But I had my Heavenly Father, my church family, and my family to get me through. Many of these parents don't have that support. They walk this road alone. And they are hurting. They are scared and they need someone to reach out to them. Would you pray for them? Consider giving to our efforts to support the Ronald McDonald Family Room (See previous post)? Whatever you are lead to do, just don't forget to hug your healthy children. And consider them a blessing.

Help us please.

I am sure we have all heard about the Ronald McDonald organizations.

Well, my family and I have used the Family Room at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis twice now. And now that my girls are older they are wanting to give back to an organization that has given them so much in such a hard time.

You see, the Family Room has free snacks, drinks, games to play, a television to watch, couches to sit and snuggle on, and a bathroom with showers and laundry facilities. It was our "living room" while I was rooming in with Jeremiah. It was the place that they could play, sit on a lap, and try to be a "normal" family during a time of extreme stress. It meant a lot to them. So they came up with a plan.

The Family Room is very low on snacks and drinks for the families. When we received a letter telling us this news my girls were burdened to action. They are baking and selling cookies for donations to buy items for the room. But, for those of you that don't want cookies or don't live close enough to get them here is another way you can help Maggie and Samantha on their journey.

It's Avon.

Their aunt is a representitve and has offered to do a fundraiser with them. 20% of your order total will go toward their fund and the person placing the largest order will receive an extra special gift as well. You will receive 10% off your order if it is the largest placed during this fundraiser.  So here is how you order.....


Where: go here to see how much they have raised and to place an order.


How:

1 Go to the above address.

2 Place your order with Avon
3 Enter the promotion code "RONALD"
4 Your Avon order will be directly delivered to your door via UPS!
5 20% of the proceeds will help this cause!!!

Thanks so much for all you can do to help us. If you want cookies (I can ship them too) just leave me a comment with an email address and I will get in touch with you. And, if you don't feel lead to help in any other way would you please pray for my girls' hearts. They are so tender to the needs of other's and I pray that they will stay that way in a world where "self" is taught to be number 1.

Mother's Day 2011

So, I got my new camera. On this Mother's Day weekend 2011.

And I am LOVING it.

We had an amzing, busy, family filled weekend.

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day.

I am truly blessed.

Our family ties are strong and that is not something I take for granted.

It is in the small ordinary, everyday moments that I am over and over again

humbled by the blessings that God has put into my care for me to train and to teach.

And in every dirty face, spilled cup, and

toothless smile, I see a future. And it is one that I pray is a world changing, Christ loving future for each of my children.

6.

Hard to believe this babe is six months old already!!

From this.....

to this......

In six months!

He has stolen our hearts and has his every whim met.

His siblings adore him and I truly believe he will NEVER know how to play by himself!!

You see this babe is never alone. He is doted on as much today as the day he came home so many months ago.

Jeremiah at this stage you are -

Sleeping through most night but occasionaly waking once to nurse.
Taking naps like a champ.
Sitting unassisted as shown in the above photos. (just started that this month)
You have tasted cereal and didn't care much for it.
Eating only momma's milk most days.
Smiling, cooing and laughing at anyone.
You are the most social baby I have ever had (or seen for that matter).
You will give momma kisses when I ask most of the time.
My favorite thing you do right now is grab my face with a chubby hand on each cheek and giggle and talk and kiss me!!

I love you Jeremiah!! You are growing so quickly, and while I hate that with part of me I can't to see who you will become!

31 Things - May

April wasn't so hot with my 31 (or 30 for April) things list. So, I'm hitting the ground running in May. It's only the 1st and I'm writing my list.

1. Box up items for yard sale with FAITH homeschool group
2. Clean windows inside and out.
3. Clean ceiling fans.
4. Till garden
5. Plant garden full of yummy veggie plants!
6. Get hooks hung in the boys room
7. Finish cleaning out the extra room downstairs. I did do some of this but its proven a 2 day job!
8. Plant flowers in the pots on the front porch.
9. Start gathering materials for history and science units this fall.
10. Help girls in their endeavor to raise money to buy supplies for the Ronald McDonald Family room at St. John's Mercy hospital. (I have a really cool way for YOU all to help coming soon!)
11. Freezer cook for this summer.
12. Yard sale at least one weekend. (This is something I love and never take time to do anymore.)
13. Revamp plans for the outreach this summer. Some plans fell through.
14. Loose another 4 pounds. I met this goal for April!!!
15. Clean out under the beds.
16. Get rid of at least three bag of toys. You know to make room for the thirty we will get during the birthdays coming up!
17. Finish my study of Revelations.
18. Clean out owner's manual file. Pretty sure we don't need the owner's manual to the mower that broke 3 summer's ago.
19. Finalize vacation plans and start setting aside money. We changed plans and are going to Georgia and staying with family! Free lodging is much cheaper!
20. Plan a field trip for FAITH homeschool group.
21. Host a park playdate for the Mom's of Littles support group (also part of FAITH).
22. Clean out basement closet.
23. Clean up yard and play toys. Throw away broken set up a nice seating area for Jeremiah and I. I love spring!
24. Memorize the 10 Commandments. This is the next set of scriptures our children are learning.
25. Research and buy my new slr camera. Any recommendations? I've been saving for months and finally have enough!
26. Cut the girls' hair for summer. It will be more like a trim.
27. Get my hair thinned and trimmed.
28. Get a new header on this blog. It needs updated so badly!!
29. Shop for and throw a birthday celebration for Samantha.
30. Take my kids to the park at least twice.
31. Run more. At least three days a week. The rain put a HUGE damper on this in April. I'm hoping May will be better.

So, there you have it. Hopefully this month will be better. I'm starting earlier and clinging to the hope the weather has GOT to be drier this month too!

Have you made a list? I'd love to see it. Leave me a link so I can check it out.

Join Me.

Join me over at Happily Domestic for my Rainy Day Activities post. It's great timing as the weather again this week is rainy and cool here in the midwest at least!!

Oh, and the "Bag Bread" post is here.