Words Worth Remembering

Me:"Can somebody go close the back door?"
Zeke:"I will!"
Me:"Thanks Zeke."
Zeke:"Call me 'Sir Knight'."

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Cai:"You can nibble my cheeks forEVER mom."

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Rainy:"and my high of the day was reading my Bible at school..."
Zeke:"What?! You read your Bible at school?"
Rainy:"yeah"
Zeke:"Your teacher let you do that?"
Rainy:"She didn't really see me. It was during reading time."
Zeke:"wooooow"
...
Zeke:"What did you read?"
Rainy:"Just the verses we did during family devotions last night"
Zeke:"Aw man, I thought you read something new."
...
Zeke:" Did you have HIGHlighters?!"
Rainy:"Yeah."
Zeke: gasps in awe and maybe a little jealousy;)

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Rainy:"Mom, yesterday my ear was sobbing."
aka: THRObbing

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Me:"Zeke, will you pleeeease empty all those books out of your book bag when you get to school.  You have like 20 books in there and some of them are blue dot books and you aren't even on blue anymore."

Zeke:"I think I still have books in there from Kindergarten."

(he's in 1st grade ya'll!)

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Zeke:"...and at the birthday party I got Dr. Pepsi!!!"

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Cai:"We're gonna eat lunch at Elievan's house?"
Elievan = Eliana and Evan

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Alethia:"Look mom, I got boots to match my dress. They are brown and my dress is brown.  Oooh look I match too, 'cause my SKIN is brown!!!"

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Cai:"Jude nevers knowed how to pass out gummies, but when he growedsed up like a kid he can."

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Cai:"Alethia, lay down so I can put oil on your feet and pray for you."
(we put oil on their feet and pray for them before they go to bed)

So, I Started A Business...

During the Christmas season I was searching on Pinterest for a fun, cheap, creative gift to give my closest girlfriends and came across this link.

I thought, "This is perfect!"

I thought about each of my friends and the things they had dealt with during their past year and tried to find a word or short phrase that could capture that.  Then I added their name to personalize it even more.

After a little encouragement and motivation to sell them I decided to open up an Etsy shop, called the Colony Shop.  I'm still really new to the whole selling on Etsy thing, but I'm trying to make my shop a little easier to navigate, but for now you can just place your order and write your description on the comment section so I know what you would like on your necklace(s).

I made 13 necklaces in my first week of business!  I absolutely LOVE making these necklaces:)

You can order a necklace for so many different memories and/or occasions!

Life resolutions

"Class of 2014" graduation gifts

"Baseball Mom" with the baseball number on it

Valentines day gifts

I made one for the Shelly Moore Band.

Favorite scripture reference

Half marathon

Mother's necklaces with kids names and birthdays

The chains are approximately 32" long and come in silver bronze.

They are $10 and then $3 for shipping.
If your necklace requires a specific charm (like the baseball or anchor charm) it will be $2 extra.

If you want to place an order, just go to www.Etsy.com/shop/ColonyShop

Added Attention and Multi Calm ~ vitamins for the ADHD and the anxious

Many of you have asked what vitamins we use for Zeke.

He has ADHD and anxiety and we weren't anywhere near ready to go down the medication route with him yet.

My friend mentioned that she gives her daughter these vitamins and that they really seemed to help her, so I thought they were worth a try.

And boy are they ever!

Every morning Zeke takes these two supplements and I swear we can tell a difference when we've neglected to get them in!

Since we have started these he hasn't had 1 day where his teacher writes home about him being distracted or needing reminders to focus and concentrate.  He is much less dramatic and much more "calm" (if that word even exists in Zeke's dictionary;).  He processes things quicker and with much easier and is can rationalize through a thought much more fluently.

I read the reviews and many spoke very highly about the effects these supplements had on their kids, but there were also just as many reviews about how they couldn't tell a bit of difference.  I believe that if your child's chemical makeup is lacking these essential vitamins then this supplement is going to be exactly what they need.  I'm guessing those other children had some other issues that just need some other intervention, whether it is different vitamins or other medical help.

Anyway, these supplements have MY stamp of approval!

The first one is Natural Vitality Kids Calm Multi.  I first got it at whole foods, but found it cheaper on Amazon.  It is a liquid that he takes every morning with breakfast.

The second one is Buried Treasure Added Attention.  Again, I got this at Whole foods but have found it cheaper on Amazon.  Zeke could hardly stand this liquid version, so I found chewable "wafers" (they taste like a mix between smarties and sweet tarts!) and he eats 2 of them every morning as well.  They are called Source Naturals Attentive Child.

The View From Here ~ There's a new cook in the kithen

Command Center ~ mudroom in the kitchen

With a Colony this size there has got to be some semblance of order and routine.

I've created chore charts of various varieties over the years with no long term success.

We've tried brainstorming different ideas to keep a balanced home,

creating unity, self-worth tactics and a team work mentality.

So with a little motivation from Pinterest, random treasures found in my parent's barn

and a supportive husband who always seems to be mandatorily involved for all my many ideas (thanks pookie;)

we came up with a make-shift mudroom/command center

This is my little piece of heaven...

first of all, we needed a little motivation for why we do what we do

Made out of a piece of wood from an old crate I found, written on with a sharpie.

The letters I found HERE to resize, print and tied on with twine (my FAVORITE accent piece EVER).

Then we made a "work for hire" board.

I got the idea HERE.

Made with three cheap IKEA pictures frames already on hand, 

and some chicken wire from my parents barn.  Tied together with twine, of course;)

Instead of giving our kids an allowance, just because,

we decided we wanted to work on instilling the attitude of hard work and how it can pay off.

Josh and I thought of different jobs around the house that always need to be done

but that regularly get pushed aside.

Each job can be selected, completed and then after parent's approval the payment will be given.

They are paid in small coins so we can still instill the money management ideas of tithing, saving and spending.

We have the appropriate money for the jobs in little magnetic jars next to the pantry so it is ready to hand out for a job well done!

I found some old, black shutters in my parents barn.

We cut them in half and are using them for organizational purposes.

Each kid has their own organizer for school papers, party invitations and weekly chore charts

There is also a hook under each shutter for their book bag and coat.

My Menu board helps motivate me to plan out our meals every week.

Found the idea HERE and just covered a push pin board already on hand.

This not only helps lower my meal time anxiety, but helps with grocery shopping.

I also added a "My Little Helper" tag so they know who gets to help me prepare meals that day.

Because we ALL know that meal prep is NO FUN with too many "cooks" in the kitchen.

Plus then there isn't any arguing as to who is going to help mommy with what.

At least ONE DAY there won't be any arguing about who is going to help mommy with what;)

I can also place the recipes for that week on it so they are easily accessible.

So far this system is working GREAT!

The best thing, though...

Total for this project ~ $0

Words Worth Remembering

Cai and Alethia finishing up with their last task for school

Alethia: "I'M DOOOOOONE!!!"
Cai: "Aleeeeeeethia! It's NOT a winning game!!!"

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while Zeke and I were reading a book together one night

Zeke:"...oooh look, I found the samich!"
Me:"Did you just say 'SAMich'?"
Zeke:"Yeah. SA.MICH."
Me:"You know it's SANDwich, right?"
Zeke:"SAND.wich?"
Me:"Yeah"
Zeke ~ speachless

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Cai and Alethia singing around the house

"San ta clause is com iiiing to town"
Cai:"You know Santa's not really coming Alethia."
Alethia:"Yeah, cause Santa is DEAD!"
Cai:"Yeah, he's not alive anymore. He was and he was a nice guy. Now he's DEAD!"

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Zeke:"Hey mom, look! I shoulda worn this shirt for crazy sock day cause it has crazy stripes!"
(typical Zeke logic;)

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Cai:"Ok everybody, who wants a grahamcheese samich?!"

Cai:"Mom, can you heat up the graham to make grahamcheese samiches?"

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Cai:"Can I have a cheese torsadilla for lunch?"

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Cai:"Da-ad! the toilet is overfloating again!"

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Cai:"Oooohh, it's swooshy outside"
translation: "Brrr, it's windy outside"

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Cai:"Aw man, I wish vidisible people were real..."
vidisible = invisible 

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Cai: "No mom, it's not a taco, it's a Tor-Sa-Di-Lla."

Birthday Wishes

Yesterday was my birthday.

I know I'm supposed to say I'm 27 and pretend like I'm not actually getting older.
But I AM getting older. And, at least for now, it doesn't phase me.

I'm an unashamed 35 now!

I had the most simple, sweetest birthday ever.
My kids gifted me (and re-gifted to me) all day.
I received a mountain stack of pictures and cards, pencils and markers, some used tape, a necklace from the dress-up bin and my favorite, a sheet with 3 1/2 Cars stickers on it:)

Josh made me a crumb cake so we could celebrate with the kids.
It even had a plastic car from the toy bin cake topper.

Anyway, you can't do a birthday cake without candles.
And you can't have candles without blowing them out.
And you can't blow them out without making a wish.

I don't care how old you are, if you have a birthday treat, with a candle on top, you KNOW you still make a birthday wish too...right?!

But this year, all I could utter in my head was a quick "wish" to be the woman He wants me to be this year.  I even ended it with an "in your name I pray, amen" by pure coincidence.

My gift from Josh.
The significance runs deep so it was the PERFECT gift!

Then, we had our belated Staff Christmas party that night.  It was the perfect end to a fabulous day.

I got a Julie Schuler Key Lime Pie made just for me!

And on top was...another candle, and another room full of people waiting for me to blow it out.

Wishes weren't even appropriate as I stood among a room of some of my favorite people in the world.
The staff we serve with love us.
They are family.
They care about OUR family.
We are on mission together.
No strings attached.
No pressure to be someone we aren't.
And that is a dream come true.

My life is far from perfect, and I certainly have my share of days where I'd either wish for a "restart" or even to forget about altogether, but I am so thankful for where God has me.

This season.
This husband.
This Colony.
This church.
The friends I am surrounded with (even if they aren't physically close).

I'm in my dream and it's my life.

Eye Candy With A Purpose

Like I posted earlier with our bathroom, we are embracing this place we call home.

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our home!
But just like anything, there are some things we'd love to change.
Financially speaking, though, we just don't have what it takes to make it a dream home, but we do have OTHER resources!

Like spray paint (from anywhere between $1-$3) and the creativity to rearrange spaces in the home to bring a fresh new look and more practicality to our surroundings. The kid's art stencils and acrylic paint. Old pieces of wood found here and there.  Other old odds and ends found around my parent's barn, our shed out back and abandoned lots.  I also have Pinterest;)

The above mentioned things bring warm fuzzies to my heart.  I'm telling you, it doesn't take much:)

Our laundry room is housed in our kitchen.  There is no divider between the two rooms but we have made it work for 4 years.

I'm AWFUL at before/after pictures, but this gives you an idea of what we had going on...hence the reason why I felt the need for a change...

I told you, terrible at photos!

But you can see the dryer.  It was literally SMOOSHED between this ledge, which housed the trashcan, and the washing machine.  Then there was that door, that didn't even close because the dryer was in the way.  It looked terrible and the kids NEVER actually made all their food scraps into the trash can, hence the little rug "catch" the little mishaps, ha!

This also meant that we had nasty ketchup or peanut butter always dripping down the side of the dryer or sticky hands on the washing machine that would inevitably get on clean clothes.

I'm not resentful at all.

So, one day I had had enough!

I got the crowbar, much to Josh's dismay, as he has grounded me from such tools because of similar "had enough days" which resulted in this beauty...

Yeah, that used to be a built-in desk that was falling a part:\

But that's a project for another day...

moving on...

I ripped out that ledge. Every last nasty, crusty-food inch of it.

Took the door off.

Scooted the dryer over.

Then I went shopping.
In my own home of course, to see what I could rearrange to make my laundry area more practical.

I found this beauty in a different area of the house, re-housed its contents and spray-painted the drawers yellow, which don't look their exact color in these pics, but oh well.  It now contains all my candles and holders, dish towels, laundry extras and cleaning rags.

I then continued to shop around the house for some things to soften it up a bit.

Here is what it looks like now:

You like my new/old trash can?!

I get little tinglies all over my body just looking at it.

A container with Jude's special detergent.

flowers always add a little smile to a room.

A basket for all of my pocket treasures. 

My friend, Heidi, gave me the wash board to remember our Uganda laundry days.

The bag on the wall contains my coupons and was made by a friend as well!

Eventually I'd love to get a rug to go under the washer and dryer and paint the wall behind.

Little steps ya'll, little steps.

It is much more welcoming to walk into, since this is one of the first things people see when they walk in our home.

This project cost a total of $7.

$6 for spray paint.

$1 for the wall sticker on the door (Dollar Tree)

My whole kitchen is full of warm fuzies that I will be posting later, so come on back soon!

Put Your Own Mask On First

I used to have a hard time on airplanes as I would listen to the flight attendants go through the in-flight rules before take-off.  Let me rephrase that.  There was really only ONE rule that would catch me off guard every time.

It's the one where they talk about the oxygen mask that gets released from above if there is an emergency.  The flight attendant is always quick to share a quick warning and word of advice for the adult to put their oxygen mask on first...and THEN their child's mask.

I used to think, "well how selfish is that?!".

But after thinking about this some more (I'm a quick reactor to a fault sometimes.  Hey, I'm working on it ok;) I realized just how important this little piece of advice is.

In fact, I'd venture to say that it can carry on into normal day life as well.

What if I try to put the "physical mask" on my kids first, making sure that they are involved in every seasonal sport.  Meanwhile I am slowly getting more and more out of shape because I lack the discipline to be physically active myself.

What if I try to put the "relational mask" on my kids first, making sure they make it to every social event, birthday party and play date they are invited to.  Meanwhile I am drowning in loneliness and lack of community and accountability.

What if I am so worried about getting in every food group at every meal, while avoiding all the chemicals, additives, dyes and whatever else, yet skipping my own meals throughout the day.

What if I am so focused on my kids "character mask" that I am more worried about how my kids are acting and neglecting to realize that they are just mimicking my own reactions to life.

What if I try to put the "spiritual mask" on my kids first (dropping them off at church, praying with them before bed, sending them to a Christian school), desperate for them to get some "spirituality" in their lives.  Meanwhile I am slowly suffocating from lack of fresh oxygen which comes from my own personal relationship with Christ, a community to surround and support me, and the growing fruit of the Spirit that overflows from this kind of "oxygen" that would naturally surround my kids and fill them with life-giving oxygen as well.

Women, we have to take care of ourselves first!

Now I know, there is a balance.

I'm not saying that you need to cancel your kids soccer practice in order to spend a day at the spa(okay, maybe that wouldn't be too bad would it?), but what if we made it a point to stay physically active ourselves!  Our bodies would thank us for it (well, maybe not at first, ha!) and our kids would grow up seeing the importance of taking care of the bodies that God gave us.

What if we slowed down a little and had actual conversations with human beings, outside of the computer or phone screen.  That's how it used to be!  Isn't relationship what we were created for?

What if we made sure we ate our own three meals a day.  I've found that if I get all 3 meals in, I am a MUCH happier mama, and patience abounds (most of the time;)!

What if we realized that the way we talk to our kids and treat our kids is actually how our kids are learning to talk and treat their siblings and peers...and us.  We can yell and scream at them all day about the way they are acting, but if we don't show them self-control in this area, it's going to be an uphill battle I'm afraid.

Most importantly, if we are not taking the time to grow in our relationship with Christ we aren't going to value our body as "not our own" to help us respect it and take care of it, we are going to struggle in relationships because of selfishness, greed and laziness, and we most certainly are not going to have the overflow for our family that comes from this relationship.

So, as much it makes me cringe to say it, I would have to agree with the flight attendant...

"Adults, put your own mask on first".