Healing

Today we were fighting the sickies.We have been since Saturday.  Pink eye + sinus infection + ear infections.  Tonight my throat is on fire and I'm losing my voice.  Time to keep  my mouth shut and start learning other ways to communicate with the kids.  I'd like to think this a gift from God.  To shut my mouth and not break up fights with my voice (stop it Crews!!!), but to use some other methods to get their attention.  Connecting with them- finding their eyes before I just spout off another 'command.'  I think this is going to be a teaching time more for my heart than anything.

Warner and Maverick at the doctor.  This was the best 'cheese' they could muster up.

There were a lot of bad storms last night, and Chris and I didn't get much sleep.  Going into today, I knew it was going to be rough.  But, I fought hard to try and establish peace in our home. (that sentence is totally an oxymoron...fought for peace)  I made cinnamon rolls this morning for the kids (which I didn't eat - will write more on this another day) while we listened to the instrumental praise & worship station on Pandora- all while everyone was cranky.  We played some games, watched Wipe Out (always a Blanton fave), and then everyone took individual baths (luxury) while I worked on laundry .  It was a somewhat nice morning with the occasional outburst of 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! S/HE'S GOT MY TOY!'  By the time lunch time came, I had been serving my family all from me and my ideas and I was empty & filled with the kids' crankiness.

stuffed animal swim thanks to pink eye!

I've been going to a Bible study at our church on Wednesday mornings, and this semester our group has a mentor who is coming to us teach God's word.  I love it because she says she just wants us to learn and lean on God's word and nothing else.  Our homework is list upon lists of scripture that we have to write out by hand...because that is how it can get down into our hearts' better.  Mrs. Jan told us one thing she wished she had done more with her children was to be vulnerable in front of them - not always having the right answer or to be stoic Bible Mama, but real - showing them what it is like to be weak and come before Jesus.  Because that is real life, ya know?

I had to ask for forgiveness at our lunch time prayer because I had been pretty snappy towards everyone.  I asked them to pray for me - that Mommy was having a rough day.  I said an 'out loud' prayer at lunch asking Jesus to be my strength even though I was very tired.  While I didn't feel like I had a 'burst of energy' or anything.  I do think that sharing my heart with the kids endeared our hearts towards each other more.  While far from perfect, we offered a little more patience to each other, ate lunch together, and we all had a nap.

Tomorrow should be some more stretching of myself since I don't have a voice. What are ways you connect with your kids?   (Also, this isn't so much about discipline as it is connecting and re-centering the wild, crazy, and crankies.  Just wanted to make that clear. :))

Snuggly time. Crews and Warner. Oh, and Warner, just like Mama Dot, points at everything with his middle finger.  

Just in case you were wondering.  :-)

Night Lovlies,
 

Renovations

Today we finally took action on working on our house.  For the last, hmmm...3 1/2 years, we have pretty much been in survival mode.  Great & blessed, but none the less survival mode.  If I kept us all alive by the day's end, it was a successful day.  Forget about the home - lets just keep the laundry rotating, food intake up, and nap schedules firm. 

 

So, today, we finally started the beginning of transforming our house and our junk into a home.  :-)  We had an electrician come out and wire our coat closet so it could become our office.  Then, we had him wire and run the cable from our side wall in our living room to above the fire place.  We have hodge podge furniture in there right now, and I'm planning on cleaning it out and simplifying that space so it isn't so chaotic.  There is plenty of chaos with the lively people that fill our home.  We don't need junk to 'chaos-it-up' any more!

Oh, the electrician walked in to our home this morning and there was chocolate o's ceral scattered and ground into the carpet.  I had left the living room in a presentable-ish state when we all went upstairs to get dressed.  One or two of the boys must have escaped & helped themselves and the carpet to their cereal.  Very humbling when the electrician has to 'crunch' his way across your living room floor.  Bless his heart, he vacuumed my den with out even asking before he even started his work.  That's service right there.

 

Part of the chaos - all the coats & bags from the coat closet perched on the kitchen table. 

I will update with pictures later - once we are more complete.

So, I updated all my bloggy stuff.  I finally updated our About Us page.  It hadn't been updated in 2 years.  :-)  I need to add Haven's birth story to our little side column. 

Hmmm, what else? Oh, here's a little something sweet...

Brotherly Love.  These hugs start out sweet, but usually end in tears. 

   Have a good night, lovelies~

Dabbling

Tonight,I sit downstairs alone.  Dishes need to be done, but we just got a new laptop, and I'm dabbling with the idea of beginning to blog again.  Ive been out of the habit for so long, I don't know if I want to start again.  I don't even know where to start again!  So, I think I'm just going to start trying to put up a little something on a consistent basis.  Nothing long or too wordy, but just little snippets of life. 

This little love has finally started sleeping through the night at 13 months old.  She's such a little doll, I never minded the wake ups.  Well, I take that back, I did mind the wakes up when she was doing it 5 times a night.  Shew! But, she is sleeping now! Woo hoo!  (Im a new woman!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little close up of the sweet Black Apple Dolls(seen in Haven's crib in above picture) my sister, Nancy, has made for my girls.  The one on the left is Baby Nancy (Harper's doll - almost 5 years old) and the one on the right (yet to be named by Haven).  Nancy hand stitched them from the pattern found here, and gave them to the girls for their first birthdays.  Precious treasures. 

Haven and Crews and a broken remote control (a very treasured item in our home)

Going to try and make my kitchen look like this.  No promises.  :-)

Night Y'all,