Mandy Mom

If they (you know, the elusive “they”) were handing out awards for Bad Mother of the Day, I’d be the winner… or at least runner up.  First of all, I sent my children outdoors in short sleeves (or, in Merikalyn’s case, sleeveless) only to realize the weather was significantly cooler than the day before. Our weather has been absolutely crazy, so while this is not surprising, it is irritating!

I told them, “Hey, suck it up. When I was your age I had to walk to school uphill, both ways.” (Does anyone understand that? How can it be uphill both ways?  There has to be a downhill at some point, right?) “And,” I continued, “we didn’t have jackets back then.  They weren’t invented yet.”

Kidding. I didn’t tell them that.

Anyway, we went over to our restaurant to grab some deliciousness.  My plan was to pick up a couple plate lunches and enjoy them outdoors, but the best laid plans?  They often end up crumbled on the floor.

I was “conversating” (my cajun husband’s word) with a customer when I heard a wail of a scream. I turned around to find my daughter holding her fingers and blood flowing down her arm.

Not. good. at. all.

Judging by the amount of blood, I worried she had cut off a finger or two.  One of the employees grabbed a roll of paper towels and we tried to wipe away the blood and find where it was coming from.  Turns out she slit her pinky finger open.  It was a pretty deep cut, so I had someone call my husband.  We only have one vehicle, and that one vehicle has all the carseats in it (minus the baby’s).  He headed our way. By the time he arrived, I had managed to stop the bleeding (for the most part).  Upon inspection, Hubby decided she wouldn’t need stitches, but she would need a special bandage.  He made a special trip to the drug store to pick up a few select items, then returned to fix’er up. (Edit: Best I can figure, she cut her finger on a metal buckle affixed to the strap which holds down the fire extinguisher.  An employee found the fire extinguisher unstrapped, and Merika was in that area when she cut herself.)

I took pictures, because… well, because I can.  I’m too lazy to post them now, so… too bad.

So, not only did I send my children outdoors without suitable clothing, I also allowed my daughter to hack off her finger (okay, nearly hack off her finger).  My guilt factor is… like.. way up there.

However, I did turn things around by making chocolate chip cookies and acting like a total nerd in attempt to make her smile. Plus, I took the munchkins on a walk and sat outside reading a devotional while Merikalyn and Nolyn played in a pile of mulch with their shovels. 

By the way, I figured out what my HOTM blog topic is going to be. You’ll find out when the March issue comes out!

I’m off to do a bit of tidying before I cook supper.  Hope you had a blessed day!  (Despite the craziness, I sure did!)

It’s 8:30am, and I have managed to bathe, dress, and feed all three children (and myself).  This doesn’t happen often.  Usually, our morning drags into the afternoon, and I still haven’t brushed my teeth.  I’m on a roll this morning.  I even picked up all the toys in the livingroom that were left out last night.

Baby Keagan is chirping happily as he looks into a mirror on his mat.  His growth over the last couple weeks is astounding.  (He’s 5 months and 2 weeks old, btw.)  He’s great at rolling over and scooting around.  The other day, I set him down on his playmat while I loaded clothes into the washer.  When I returned a minute or two later, he had disappeared. I looked around frantically, then found him, under our Christmas tree.  Um, yes, another thing… my husband has been so busy, our Christmas tree turned into a Valentine’s Day tree.  He finally found the time to disassemble it (with three young children, you cannot enjoy a live tree!) over the weekend.  Our friends think our livingroom looks odd without it, as it had become part of the whole look and feel of our place.

On a random note, I have noticed my children favor the letter M.  In fact, they love it so much, they’ve renamed things.  A guitar is a “muh-tar”.  A granola bar is a “melly bar”.  Dessert is, you guessed it, “muh-zert”.  It reminds me of the days when Merikalyn pronounced “thank you” as “gecko”.  I couldn’t understand what she was saying for weeks… and then she said, “Gecko, Mommy. You ’spose to say ‘Woo Welcome.’”

March is sneaking up on me.  It keeps getting closer and closer, and I keep trying to avoid it.  I have several articles due, but… I just don’t know what to write about.

I write for Heart of the Matter (http://heartofthematteronline.com) on the subject of Christian Unschooling, but I don’t feel like I’m really an unschooler.  We’re life learners, for sure.  We’re delight-driven, discipleship learners, but we’re not radical unschoolers. I’ve sat down several times this month and written a couple lengthy paragraphs, then backspaced until there’s nothing left.

I don’t know what to write about.  Any suggestions?  It doesn’t have to be specifically ON unschooling.  I guess I could tell something about what we’re doing homeschool wise, or some of our adventures, but… I’m still stumped.

Hmm.  Well, I’m out. I’m procrastinating, and I need to do some cleaning, and then some writing.  Leave me some love!

I know, when I haven’t written in a few days, people tend to think I’ve fallen off the end of the earth, but I assure you, I am still very much alive and kicking.

My middle child, also the eldest boy, has been very mushy-gushy lately.  He found one of my rings on my dresser, skipped up to me, and whispered, “Mom, will you mare-wee me?”  Since then, he has asked this question on a daily basis (sometimes twice a day). 

One day I replied, “Well, I’m already married to daddy, hon!”
“But Mom, you can marry all of us!” he reasoned!
I told him that would be illegal on several counts, but, well, he’s three, so he really doesn’t understand these things.  I love this age.  And I love that my children love me as much as they do. 

Once my brother told my mom he was going to live across the street from her when he got married.  He couldn’t imagine being far away from his mommy, but of course, the day came when he didn’t even want to be seen with our parents, period, and would walk several yards ahead or behind when we went to the mall as a family.  I mean, it’s, like, totally embarrassing for people to know you have parents, yanno.

Today we went to the park with our close friends, John and Ashley.  (We all gathered for BLT’s at our house after church, yum!) I took LOADS of pictures, and will post a few in my shutterbuggin’ blog (see link under navigation in right column) tomorrow, or the next day.  I have to work tomorrow at our restaurant, so I’ll probably be exhausted afterwards and will opt for nap-age, instead of blog-age.

Speaking of naps……  it’s time to catch some shuteye before a new day starts!  I hope today was FILLED with wonderful blessings for you!  I know mine was!

Head over to my Snaphappy Shutterbuggin’ blog to see LOADS of new photos!

Heart at Home has a “What’s on your fridge” Meme and contest going on at her blog!  Check it out!

Here’s my fridge:

I love a decorated ‘fridge.
It’s a place to display my favorite photos, doodles, and homemade magnets! 

A picture of my brother and myself.
A picture of my brother, in 1999, with my grandparents.
A picture of my uncle and his family.
And, a picture of my husband and myself… pre-marriage.

I made this about 4 years ago.
I found it the other day and put it back on our fridge.
It’s a place to put love notes to each other!

Top Ten Irritations (When it comes to cleaning):

1. All that darn change scattered all over the place.  Where does it come from? Seriously! It seems like I’m constantly picking up pennies and nickels!  (It’s a combination of my husband, who leaves his change on every single surface, and my children, who gather them up and play with them.)
2. Sitting back to relax after cleaning the whole house and realizing, crud, I forgot to swipe the fan blades, which are loaded with dust.  I’m not about to do it now… otherwise I’d have to dust and vacuum again!
3. The toilets. Period. Nuff said.
4. The mysterious stuff you find in the fridge.  Eww. It makes you want to toss the whole dish, instead of scraping the experiment out and washing it!
5. Children. Let’s face it. Children and cleaning do not go hand in hand.  Why is it children can undo in five minutes what took me five hours to accomplish? 
6. Itty bitty toys with lots of pieces. GAH!  Why do we get so many of these for Christmas and birthdays?
7. Men who track in dirt after I’ve spent time on my hands and knees scrubbing floors and spots in the carpet.  (Grr!)
8. Why is it my motivation (and energy) already runs out an hour before I’m finished?
9. Come on now!  What is with the laundry? I wash it, and it keeps piling up.  It’s Mount Washmore, and it cannot be defeated.
10. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh uh, what?

Jesus came not only to teach but to save, not only to reveal God to mankind but also to redeem mankind for God. 
John R. W. Stott

Jesus came to reveal.
In the beginning, Adam and Eve walked with God.  However, because of their sin, they distanced themselves from God.  When we sin, we put a wall between us and God.  Thankfully, Jesus’ death crumbled that wall.  We will never have the sort of relationship (on earth) God desired to have with his creation when he made Adam and Eve, as God is Holy and cannot be around sin (which is why he turned away when His Son took on all of the world’s sin on the cross).  However, we are still able to draw close to God in spirit.  When we sin, we find it is hard to even meet with God in spirit. 

Sometimes that sin is something “earthly”, meaning we have done something in our natural life that goes against God, whether it be a sin of dishonesty, adultery, or unkindness.  Sometimes our sin is of a spiritual nature, meaning we grieved the Spirit because we ignored God’s desires for our lives.  We heard him call, and we ignored him.  Maybe God urged us to pray or read our bible, and we closed off our hearts and went about our day.  Maybe he moved us to reach out to a person, yet we decided we didn’t have the time.

Since the day God created earth, his creation (mankind) has turned away.  Eve listened to the serpent who questioned what God had really asked of her.  Surely God did not say she could not partake of this tree!  Right?  That is the question the devil asks all of us on a regular basis. 

“Surely it is okay for you to do this.  Does the bible really say this is unacceptable?  What’s the harm, eh?”

When we allow this sort of thought to run our minds and hearts, we separate ourselves from God.  Before long, we are so far away, it seems impossible to get back.

This is the story of mankind.  Throughout the bible, we see people, who were once close to God, wandering away from Him.  Not only are they wandering away, but they are leading their family and friends in a similar direction.

Jesus came to reveal God to us.  To show us the way.  To lead us back.

Jesus came to redeem.
Not only did Jesus come to show us His Heavenly Father, He came to redeem us as well.  He could have come to earth, pointed to heaven, and said, “Hey, that’s God. Serve Him.”  He could have lived a great life, taught us many lessons, then left.  Adios.  Good-bye.

But that’s not how it went.  He lived a great life.  He taught us may lessons.  He revealed God to us.  Then He died for our sins.

He redeemed us.  He bridged the gap.  That’s what sin is; sin is a deep, dark pit that prevents us from reaching God.  The cross was once a symbol of a horrible death, but now, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, the cross is a symbol of life.  It is the bridge that allows us to access God.

However, redemption is a gift.  It is something we have to accept, open, and use.  If we don’t, it’s useless.  Jesus offers salvation to all, but so many refuse it.  Others listen to the gospel and say, “Hmm, that sounds good, but I want to do my own thing for a while.  Maybe later I’ll open this gift, but, for now, I’m just going to set it aside.”

Jesus will come to restore.
Jesus’ first “visit” to earth was as a lowly man.  When He comes again, it will be in all His Heavenly glory.  He came to reveal and redeem.  When He comes again, it will be to gather His redeemed and restore the Kingdom of God.

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Jesus has given you the best gift of love ever! Have you accepted it?  Have you picked it up?  Have you opened it? And most of all, have you used it?  Have you put on the cloak of salvation?  If not now, when?

Hey y’all!  I finally got around to posting several photos from my husband’s trip to Belize. A big thanks to all of the people who snapped photos!

See those photos HERE in my Snap-happy Shutterbuggin’ Blog!

I am thoroughly enjoying hanging out with my mom.  Today we had Ihop for lunch.  I’ve had her addicted to the place since I suggested it about a year ago (and now she has two of her friends hooked on it as well)!  Afterwards, we headed to Wal-mart so Nolyn could get a hairbut, but he didn’t seem to be a mood for such, so instead, we wandered around.  I bought a bunch of candles (the ones I had were pretty much wickless) and Mom bought gifts for the kids.  Keagan got a Bumbo seat (which assists babies in sitting upright), Nolyn snagged a Spiderman suit, and Merika, well…. she received a Hannah Montana wig.  She’s been dancing around singing, “Best of both worlds…..” and ,”Everybody has those days. Everybody makes mistakes….”

Ah, childhood joy!  I’m sure it will be extremely fleeting….. and they’ll be chasing after the next latest and greatest toy by tomorrow!

My mom is currently enroute to my house.  I’m excited to spend some time with her.  She wants to help me out, and while I wonder if she’s going to be able to do that without dying (she has a chronic pain disability), I am thankful she offered. At the very least, she can hang out with the baby on the days that I have to work.  Hopefully we’ll be able to find someone to fill the shift soon.

I haven’t been able to spend time with Mom in a long time.  It’s been at least eight or so months, if not longer.

Pray that neither of us will go crazy!

First of all, I posted new pictures over at my Shutterbuggin’ Blog. Check them out! 

This week has been quite a struggle for me.  I know I’ve been spreading myself thin, as has my husband.  My husband is working a couple jobs as it is a slow time at our restaurant, and we don’t want to fall behind on our bills.  We’re in debt and are hoping to have it completely paid off by the end of this year.  The struggle with that alone can be overwhelming.  Last year, we cut up our credit cards.  We’ve been debt free before, but moving across the country and purchasing the business caused us to depend on credit for a bit, and now we are paying the price.  Bit by bit, we’re getting out of it, but at times, it feels hopeless.

I have had to work at the restaurant 2-3 times a week.  That’s not so stressful, but when I have to bring all three children with me, it gets pretty chaotic.  There are times I can just wear the baby in a wrap, but, most of the time, I cannot, and therefore he has to hang out in the office with M & N.  I need to bring things from home for them to do because I hate having them watch movies for 4-5 hours a day.  They become restless and want to hang out with me.  I feel guilty, but I have to work until we find someone to fill the shift. (It also allows my husband to do carpentry work and bring in extra income, while not having to pay someone to fill his shift at the restaurant.)

The children have struggled with this as well.  They’ve been absolutely crazy.  I walked into the livingroom to find M pounding her brother’s chest with both hands.  What began as fun play ended with both of them crying and hurt.  They’ve been striking each other, and N has started biting again. 

Of course, I still have to tend to the duties of our home, such as laundry, preparing meals, washing dishes, and cleaning.  I don’t want to fall behind!  I may never catch up!

My husband is hardly home at all.  I know it’s temporary, but I miss him, and I ache for his presence and help.  When he is here, he is absolutely exhausted.  He ends up falling asleep, whether he means to or not.

The other day I felt like such a failure.  Admittedly, I felt like walking out the front door, getting into the car, and driving far, far away.  I was so frustrated, I told my husband, “I’m so burned out.  Right now, I feel like the pain of parenting does not outweigh the rewards, and the mere thought of that makes me sick.”  I guess my husband misunderstood me because he asked, “What do you want as a reward?”  He was thinking I wanted something material, I suppose, but I just wanted more laughter, more smiles, more appreciation. 

I wanted to take a bath without interruption.  I wanted to eat a meal without someone picking everything off my plate.  I wanted a full night of sleep without having to tend to a baby or a nightmare (okay, so that probably won’t happen for a long time). 

The baby is going through a growth spurt.  That means I have been up nearly every hour or two to breastfeed him in the middle of the night.  By the time I finally fall back into dreamland, he’s crying out for me again.  Therefore, I haven’t had a restful night in a long while and wake up feeling just as exhausted as I did when I laid down the evening before.

I find myself looking forward to naptimes so I can have me time.  Quiet time.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh time.

I’ll be very thankful when things return to “normal”, when my husband is here more often and we’re both mentally present, when my children are not acting out to gain our attention because they feel they aren’t getting enough of it, when the baby gets to the other end of this growth spurt and I feel less like a cow, when we deposit another check and I can go grocery shopping for snacks.. and lots of chocolate (ahh, it’s like medicine for the mad woman).

At times, I want to snap at my husband and demand his help, but I know he’s doing the best he can to provide for our family in this difficult time, and he’s just as exhausted as I am… probably moreso because he has fibromyalgia.

I’m pushing myself to the limit, and praying that God keeps me from falling apart.  I’d hate to do that, especially in front of my children.

While this is stressful, overwhelming, and chaotic- I can see how God is using this experience to help me realize certain things and mold me into the woman he wants me to be.  I’m grateful for that perspective, because it makes it worthwhile.

And, for the record, I love being a parent.  I love that I’m able to stay at home with my children. I am truly blessed to have all that I do.  Parenting is very rewarding, but it definitely tests me and stretches me.  I have to lean on God a lot more, and I’m working on that.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.  Now, go check out my photos.

1. God made him.  That’s reason enough!
2. He’s helpful and generous.
3. He’s an awesome chef.
4. He’s incredibly handy.  If he doesn’t know how to do something, he’ll figure it out in the process!
5. He has a great sense of humor.
6. He’s very wise, naturally and spiritually.
7. He’s pretty darn sweet too.
8. He’s understanding.  He has to be with a nutty wife like me!
9. He’s a big tough guy, but a teddy bear on the inside.
10. He knows how to speak my love language! (The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman)

Another issue of Heart of the Matter has hit the virtual stands. The following is a tidbit from my article:

Time With God
by MandyMom  

Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [Deuteronomy 6:6-7]

One unschooling perception I dislike? Some unschooling parents feel you should never schedule time to teach your children.

I disagree.

For the most part, we don’t have a particular curriculum to follow or a schedule by which we accomplish or complete things. However, there is one thing that we do plan, and that is time with God. I feel this is an important thing to teach your children so, when they get older they already have these habits in place.

Over the last few months, I have started a new tradition of setting aside time in the morning to talk about Jesus. Through the course of the day, we talk about God in different ways. Currently, the children are interested in what God made and why he made it.

Read the rest of this article, and other articles by me at HeartOfTheMatterOnline.com! You can check out more unschooling/discipleship learning (like Unschooling ABCs or our goal as unschoolers) at my Noggin News Homeschooling Blog as well!

Rachel over at Keep The Way awarded my blog with

Thank you Rachel!

I want to pass on the award to one of my favorite bloggers:
Brandy from This Girl’s Life is wonderfully quirky stay-at-home-mom to three boys.

in no particular order…

1. Dancing around the kitchen as I eagerly anticipated my brother’s return from school. (Age 3)
2. A near decapitation by barbwife when a friend drove us into two fences on a four wheeler.  I still have scars to prove it(and, my ribs, which were fractured after we flew off and he landed on me, have never felt the same since).  Just another reason why all children should be closely monitored at youth gatherings.
3. The pain, sheer pain, of birthing.  Who says we forget?  No, we just realize the outcome is worth it.
4. A wonderful vacation in Las Vegas.  It’s not all about gambling, y’know!
5. Standing over a small casket, looking at a small toddler who was too young to die and being reminded me never take time or my children for granted.
6. Early graduation.  Sweet, sweet graduation.
7. The day I “re-met” my wonderful, amazing, husband.
8. The day I turned my life over to Christ, my Lord, my King, my Savior!  (And man, he has blessed my life in so many ways!)
9. Moving out and on my own for the first time!
10. The natural, unassisted (no docs, no midwives) homebirth of our third child.  I mean, how many husbands get to (purposefully) deliver a child?

Today did not start off well.  I had pink eye in both eyes (thanks to my middle child) and my sinuses were acting up.  I felt like my head was going to explode every time I moved, however slight.  I had to work at our restaurant this morning as well because, since school started back up, all of our employees, save for one, have returned to college and are not available in the mornings.

I was not looking forward to it and was eager for the day to be over before it started.  Fortunately, my headache cleared, and my pink eye is a mild case which, hopefully, will be gone by tomorrow (thanks to eye drops a doctor friend of ours prescribed).

I actually enjoyed hanging out with Debi as we worked together.  We chatted about her new love interest (so exciting!).  He dropped by the restaurant for lunch so I was able to meet him.  Debi’s like a mother to Brandon and me, so I wish her the best in this!  She deserves to be loved like she loves others!

Keagie is down for a nap, MerBear has conked out, and NolyPoly is pretending his stuffed puppydog is a baby as he buckles him into Keagie’s carseat.  It’s quiet… something I don’t get to enjoy often!

It’s such a beautiful day.  When everyone is up from their naps, I plan on heading outdoors to enjoy the fresh air and blue sky!  I hope you’re having an icredibly awesome, God-blessed day!  God has certainly blessed this week for me by reuniting us with old friends!  Hello Kelli!  Hello Angelina!

Btw, don’t forget to check out my Wordless Wednesday Photo in my Shutterbuggin’ Blog.

I’m reading a book about postmodernism and how it affects our world from a Christian stand point.  Darwinism, part of modernism, caught Christians by surprise.  What was once a theory is now regarded as fact.

Modernism is basically atheism or deism.  Modernism says we are mere machines.  There is no God.  Science explains everything.

Postmodernism doesn’t rely on fact, theory, or science.  It relies on emotion and opinion.  Postmodernism says you are a product of your culture, and whatever you choose to believe is your own personal truth.  Postmodernists would say there are many absolute truths, or absolute truth is whatever you want it to be, or maybe there is no absolute truth at all.  While modernism is cut and dry, postmodernism is all over the place.

Postmodernism is the people who say, “All ways lead to heaven.”  Postmodernism says, “We have to be accepting and respectful of all belief systems and religions.”  Postmodernism constantly contradicts itself.  Postmodernism says our culture is our truth, but also says we need to blend other cultures into our lives.  Postmodernism says, “Live how you want. Right and wrong is all relative.  It’s what you want it to be.” Postmodernism asks us to be so open minded that our brains fall out. 

Is it possible to be a postmodernist and Christian as well?  I see much of this in today’s world- Christians who want to blur the lines of God, of Truth, of wrong. We don’t worship a postmodernist God.  Even if we blur the boundaries, cross the lines… God does not. We can distort the truth, but the truth is still just that- THE TRUTH.  We cannot change Truth, but in our distorting it, we do the world a disservice.  We give others the idea that God’s truth is open to interpretation.  It isn’t.  We’re telling people, “God accepts you as you are,” but we fail to mention, “But he doesn’t leave you as you are.”  We tell people that they can live how they want, go to church a couple times a month (or year), have a bible collecting dust on a shelf, and basically be a good, moral person and they’ll earn a ticket to heaven.

It doesn’t work that way.  God asks us, as His children, to stand for right, not smudge it, distort it, or pervert it.  If we are willing to stand, God will hold us up. 

I suppose it all boils down to this.  As Christians in the United States, we are incredibly fortunate.  We’re not really persecuted much for our beliefs.  Maybe that’s because we’ve mixed and mashed our beliefs.  Maybe it’s because we’ve failed to stand for truth.  Even so, in many countries, those who stand for God, die for God.  They are martyrs for Christ.

Are we ashamed to stand for God because it often means going against the grain of today’s society?  Are we afraid to offend? 

Well folks, the gospel is offensive.  The gospel tells us we are SINNERS not WORTHY of heaven.  The gospel says we will all surely go to hell if we do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the one who left his throne in heaven to spread Truth on earth, to die for our sins.  Yes, our sins are nailed to that cross.  The cross filled the gap between our cliff and God’s throne.

I’ll be back with the title of the book I’m reading (I’ve forgotten it). I’d like to encourage you all to read it and take a look into how postmodernism has contorted and misshapened our beliefs.  We must restore Truth.  We must not accept a watered down, distorted truth, because, my friends, that’s no truth at all. That’s a lie.

If you have little girls or are a young woman, you MUST check out this site!

  2 Peter 3:18

I want you to take a moment to examine yourself.