SUMMERTIME

Wow....... were has the summer gone! ....... Idaho.....Houseboat........Monterey.......Fresno.......VBS...Fresno Again.....Fort Bragg......SPORTS CAMP......Tahoe.

Oh, I guess that's what happened to summer!!!

This summer Clara has developed into her own little person! She is so fun to have a conversation with! Her depth of understanding just astounds me. Sometimes it throws me off guard! I hardly expect to be debating with my 2 year old about what form of punishment she should receive! She definitely is different from her sissy!!! She is also a LEFTY so Naomi and Clara have at least that in common! They both are very creative! Naomi and Clara have bonded more as sisters this summer. I think Naomi is starting to fill the role of a big sissy very well and Clara ( even though Clara is the born leader and Naomi the follower ) looks up to Naomi and wants to do everything big sissy does! But they PLAY together sooooo much better now. Clara is able to understand and communicate and role play and so they have had a lot of fun together!

Clara also has gotten over her fear of putting her head under water and with the help of a swimsuit with floats inside she is able to swim all around a pool and even jump in and go down slides on her own!!!!

Naomi is also a fish!!! She loves to swim and is going to be ready for some lessons through Dolphin this school year to refine her skills and make her stronger!!!!

What can I say Naomi is six going on 36!!! She is still my dress up princess and I love it! I am so happy to have girls who want to dress up and be feminine! Even if Clara wants to wear her bathing suit all day at least she chooses the cute ones!!! LOL


For those of you with kids that start school this week I hope you have had a great summer with your kids! I understand for some that is hard to do! For me I don't know what it is like for my kids to be gone and out of the house during the day. With homeschooling they are here 24/7. That might drive some moms a little crazy but I love it! We still have 15 more days before we get back into the routine of things! And for the last few days of summer vacation we have absolutely nothing planned and I love it! I have some much needed organizing to do in the house but other than that I just get to enjoy the girls!

SO even as you start back to the school routine, try to think of a few fun things you can do after school or on the weekends while we still have this wonderful California weather to enjoy!

A FEW IDEAS:
* After school Tea Party or Picnic ( Talk about how school is going, try to see if there are already personality conflicts that you can keep an eye on)

* Set aside at least 10 minutes for each child even if its for a snuggle!

* Look at some pictures from summer vacation and talk about some fun times you shared.

A Quiet Thursday Morning

As I sit here I am amazed that my two year old is still asleep! She is starting to be more like her sissy and papa that way! So it gives me a little time to share!

Something that I am trying to be more consistent with is praying for my girls. Praying for there personalities, habits, hearts, even for their future spouses!!!Something that is very helpful is a calendar I put in my fridge:

31 Ways to Pray For Your Children

You can find it @ http://www.freemethodistchurch.org/Magazine/PDF%20Files/31-Days-Calendar-Color.PDF

I'll add it to my side bar!

It is a great way to keep all of the Characteristics that we desire our kids to have on our pray list! ( yes it's backed with scripture )

It also helps me keep my mind on these things that I am to be molding to my kids. Like today the 23rd is

FAITH - " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" ( Luke 17:5-6 Hebrews 11:1-40)

What an awesome reminder even for me that I need to show my children that I live in a relationship built on faith! How often do we communicate these things to our children. And I DO desire my children to live according to God's will for their life and that means I need to also!

JUST FOR FUN

OK moms! How many of us have laundry to do, houses to clean, meals to cook? I know I do! Make sure you take some time just to play with your kids! Even if its just 20 minutes! Especially for those of you who have children that start school next Tuesday! I just can't help but think ........ this is the last Summer my girls with be 6 & 2. It won't be the same next year! So I want to enjoy as much of this time as I can!

Have a Happy Joy filled Day!!!!

Finding God In All We Do

Lately I have been so busy with Summer Vacations and visiting family that I find myself just going through the motions. Do you ever feel like that? Well that is how it has been for me! SO today I woke up with a mission! I want to be ALERT. I want to be ready to see Gods amazing blessings in the mundane. Instead of being tired of folding laundry I can be so thankful that we have clothes to wash! Or a washer to wash them in. We are so blessed and yet I think we fail to acknowledge it. Or at least I do. So as I sit here before my wonderful children awake, I want to commit myself to finding ways to show my kids Gods great blessings in everyday life.

JACKPOT

For those of you who know me I can not stand to pay full price for something even if I can afford it. And lets be honest, who can really afford it. Especially when it comes to kids and toys!

I have to admit that if you came to my house and went in my girls room! ( Yes they share a room) You would probably think that they are spoiled brats! They have many toys and soooooo many clothes. But the truth of it is most of it is not from us, and what is was either from a garage sale or thrift store. I do occasionally shop new but only if it is a killer sale!

That brings me to the JACKPOT!

I have a six year old princess that likes to dress up and role play all the time! Every time we got o the mall we walk through the Disney Store and see all the beautiful costumes. And Na is so good about just admiring them, with such a Wonder in her eyes! You see, I have prepped her from an early age about how expensive they are and that we will never buy them! And I have acquired a few from some garage sales but she is quickly growing out of them! So you can see how I might have felt as I drove past a garage sale and saw a bit of yellow and pink and immediately turned around.

If any of you garage sale you know that if you find something on a Sunday afternoon after 12 noon that is in perfect condition it is probably very overpriced! Yet still I HAD to go take a peek! What did I find? 4, FOUR! Disney Princess Costumes! And let me just say these are not just the Wal-Mart Version(not that I have anything against wal-mart) They were not even the Disney Store Versions! One was from The Disneyland Resort in Paris, On from Disneyland itself and the others were the online Deluxe versions!!! Vary well cared for and size 7/8! Then I saw a little red sticker with the price! $5 Each!!!!

With all that said I just had to share! I am just so glad that teaching Naomi that it is best not to just go buy what you want when you want it but wait until you can find a deal for it has paid off and she can see that firsthand. For $20.00 I could not have even bought one of these dresses for her let alone four! And if any of you have a little girl who wants to be a princess this October just let me know we are willing to share!

Welcome!

Hello Everybody!

As mothers we have a very unique role to fill in our day in and day out lives! Some of us have full time or part time careers, others have individual passions ( I love to dabble in Photography and Scuba Dive, I also love stamping and art of any form!) Not to mention the fact that we are wives, homemakers, cooks, teachers, trainers, friends, & multiple other personalities!

Sometimes we may be so over extended that we loose sight of what is most important! For me being a mother is a full time job and sometimes it is HARD! Sometimes I loose my temper and feel like a failure! It is during those times that I have to stop and tell myself, is this what I want my children to remember? Of course it isn't! I want them to grow in the love of the Lord and have a wonderful and joyful childhood!

I want them to remember my hugs and kisses more than my temper! I want to make a choice to teach them daily the ways of the Lord in all I do. And while we are at it build some great memories along the way!

So I challenge all mothers out there to make a choice to be involved with your kids, training them in the way of the Lord and having FUN doing it!