I have been thinking alot about things. God has such a way of teaching us what he wants us to learn lol. I see so many hurting people and when they hurt they take out their pain on others in words and actions. It hurts me to see them in pain and to see them react the way they do! Why is it so darn hard for us to treat others especially those closest to us the way God says to treat them? Well I do know the answer but yet it continues to surprise me each time I see or hear it happen. I wonder if that is how God feels. He knows what we each will do but when we chose to take the wrong path He still hurts and feels disappointed. I realize it is easier to point the finger at the person that has hurt us and demand that we receive justice and of course that means what we decide is justice for what they have done. But God forgave all of our sins at the cross even before we did them(don't take this to say all are going to heaven. We still have to accept that gift and make a choice to follow Christ). That is why he died to forgive us all our sins. All our sins. Not the ones we did today or yesturday but all our sins. Yet we people feel we have a right to hold something over another person and make demands of them all the while saying unkind things or negative things about them because they hurt us or did us wrong. So like Christ was isn't it lol! Not!
I hurt for those people when I see it in their lives! God continues to show me areas in my life that I do this in and am always hurt that I have messed up again but am also overjoyed when I am reminded by God or my dear Husband how God loves me in spite of my faults and mistakes and learning to truly accept that and grasp that has helped me to see others or begin to I'm still in training with God but to see others differently. I still get angry or hurt but it doesn't last long nor do I want it to! I also don't take things as personal as often and when I do I realize it a lot sooner and begin to give it over to God!
I don't want to live the life of blame,hurt or anger anymore! I want to be like Christ and to see others as He sees them. To be able to give grace to those that don't deserve it just like I don't deserve Christs grace and salvation but He gives it to me anyway! That is so amazing to me! To begin to not just know it in my head but feel it and desire it and begin to understand it. It is one thing to know and believe and another to desire and begin to put it into practice. With Gods help of course not on my own. I am nothing without Christ! Nothing!
I want to be molded and shaped into what God has planned for me! I have to admit that at times that scares me because I know there will be something He might as me to do that is out of my comfort zone or takes me out of my box. But though I am fearful of change many times I am more fearful of not changing. To change into Christs image....
If anyone reads this and thinks I am speaking of them imp articular understand my thoughts encompass me,my own experiences and many people in my life not a single person, meaning not just one or two or three but many,many,many people!
God help me to not focus so much on my life that I forget to think,care and love on and for others outside of my home!

Excited

Today after trying on like 13 dress's I finally found one to wear to the Ball. Yes I am going to a Military Ball! Josh my sweet said he loved it and when he saw me taking it up to the register he began to get upset telling me "no keep it" lol! He though I was taking it back. He is so sweet!

At first I looked every where and just about gave up then I realized I was looking in the wrong size lol! It feels good to be small again!
It was exhausting with the four boys trying to find a dress though. They don't like the process at all! Josh deals with it best out of them all. Aaron was such a help! I would have given up and went home frustrated and upset. Man they can complain about not having fun ugg... Aaron turned it into a relaxed and calm time. They all fell asleep in the car on the way to the mall and so he just napped in the van with them till they woke up and let me go in and try dress's on. Then brought them in and looked at game cube games and looked at all the dress's I liked the most. He liked the one I did a deep blue one. Then he got us all something to eat and some ice cream! He is just has a calming affect on me when I am stressed lol! Thank God for husbands!!!!!

Now I am getting a craft,story and stuff ready for doing nursery tomorrow morning! I do love little ones! They are fun!
Now to decide what to do about eating when we come home. Hmmm... Maybe we will just go eat some bread sticks at Pizza Hut. Hmmm.... Unsure...

Remedies and ramblings

Ok so I have done all these remedies plus another.
You add 1/2 tsp. ginger and 1tsp. honey and take once a day for phlegm. The boys didn't mind that one to bad except they said it was spicy and drank lots of water but said it didn't taste bad.
Christian hated the onion juice! He hates onions lol and the first time I made it I blended up the soft onions and so it was thicker. The second time I made it I just cooked it till most of the onions were mush then took them out with a slotted spoon. Josh and Kiah didn't mind it at all and said it was good. Christian still didn't like it lol!
All of them didn't mind the Goot on the feet. They said it was cold and tickled when I put it on but that was it. As of Thursday they are acting normal with little coughing. Mainly when they get to playing or dancing allot.
I also didn't let them go outside hardly at all and we didn't leave the house until today. Trying to keep them away from people and the cold away from them.
Oh I also did honey and lemon juice in hot water as a drink a few times and had Josh and Christian sit over steamy water with their head covered with a towel till they couldn't stand it anymore. I did that only once though.
I am happy to say the boys are well on there way to being totally over this! Yes!

I am also excited because we got most of their schooling books for next year already. I was able to get some Ken Ham movies and books,Abeka etc. I am just so excited! Aaron was a great help in deciding what get for them. Boy do I love that man! I am one of those people that get over whelmed with decision making with things like this. There is just so much out there. He balances me out so perfectly!

We will be staying here in Mac after all! I am happy knowing God is in control and not me! I look forward to doing more painting in the house. Maybe in the spring or summer they will fix the front porch.
I look forward to getting my hands in the dirt and planting flowers and a garden. I hope to do better this year. If I can figure out how to keep bugs out of my garden lol. Without pesticides.

I want to get a pool that is big enough we can all get in but not so big I am always worried a child might drown in it when I turn my back.Cause they get in so quick! They have no fear of water as of yet lol!

I am excited for Aaron. He is in two plays this year and gets to go over seas and we hope to go on vacation to Branson after that is all done. By then Ethan should be totally potty trained.
Sigh of relief..
The kids and I are so excited to see the plays! We went and checked out all the levels of the Apra house today while Aaron practiced. The boys loved it! Especially the third floor.

I am excited,Happy,Elated to say that in one and a half months we will have been married for 10 years! It only gets better as Renee put it so well! It truly does! I still look at him and feel so over come with love and joy! That is only because God is at the center of our marriage. But oh how many people can't say that about their marriage! It makes me sad yet happy I do think and feel this way.
God is truly an amazing God! He heals all,cures all,fills all,fulfills all,provides all,and He is all! He is the best Daddy in the world! I am humbled to think of all He has and does do for me! With all my faults and mistakes! I only pray that I can learn to love others and show grace half as much as He does to me!
My earthly father was a wonderful example of what my heavenly Father is like. Because of him I was able to accept and desire to have the best Father Father God to be my one and only in life. There is none that can fill all my hurts and sorrows as He can and does! I have learned to lean on Him! Not friends,family not even my husband can give me what I truly need! Only He can! When my eyes are on Him then my husband,children,family and friends are loved and cared for more and in a much better way. When my eyes are not focusing on Him then my husband,children,family and friends are not treated with the love and respect they deserve. I am still in training to continually focus on my Father God first. God please forgive me when I don't focus on you first and let others and things be my focus!

My faults are always before me but God is always above me reminding me that He is there to guide me and wash away my faults. I just have to focus on Him and continue to give Him me,my husband,my children,my family and my friends,my hurts,desires,dreams,wishes everything.

home remedies

So I came back from my wonderful weekend alone with my wonderful Husband to find all my boys have hacking coughs and some have fevers. I have tried some natural cough medicine from the store and have seen no improvement so am trying three home remedy's. One is Onion juice. Sounds nasty but am gonna try it. Here is the recipe:
This is not a cure, but a treatment for stuffy phlegmmy cold sufferers, passed down from my grandmother Ethel. Recipe: take two large yellow onions, peeled,halved and quartered. Place in a small saucepan and just cover with water. Add about two cups of sugar. The water should be grainy, as there should be so much sugar that it doesn’t dissolve completely. Bring to a rapid boil and stir until all sugar is absorbed. Lower temperature to a rolling boil and simmer uncovered until onions are mush and liquid has a very syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, and be careful, as this is boiled sugar here, don’t burn yourself! Completely mush the onions, and if you’re finicky (or your patient is) sieve syrup to get rid of onion bits, although this step is not truly necessary as onion syrup just happens to taste delicious. Decant into a glass jar. Administer every couple of hours or so by the tablespoonful to deep-chest cold victims who cough a lot and have a lot of phlegm. Best if taken warm. keeps a good week or a little more in the fridge. after that, it can be frozen for the next cold

The second one is much more simple. Honey and Lemon juice in hot water and drink. For coughs. The boys liked that one and Josh said his throat felt better.

The third one was given to me by my sister in law. It is called Goot lol funny name!

GOOT

3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

3 Tbsp Coconut oil

3 Tbsp Olive oil

If the coconut oil isn't liquid then melt it before adding to the rest. Put all three in the blender and blend til smooth. It's good to strain it through something (even a slotted spoon) to get the big chucks of garlic out. Then chill for an hour. After the hour it should have a paste like consistency. I normally put it on their feet, with socks over it (less mess that way) but you can also rub it on his chest.

There you go!

I am determined to get these boys better! I will right how it goes later! I might try a raisin one I found also.
It is like a chain reaction of coughing here. Sigh..... At least Kiah isn't coughing so bad right now!

Homeschooling

I am really feeling disturbed by people who don't understand or regard highly what a homeschooling mother does! I have had many people smile and say,"Oh I've been there" "I understand what your dealing with" But not to down play anything they have been through but I have as of yet to meet a single person outside of a meeting or two with the home school group in a long time that has any idea what it is like to stay at home and home school four boys under the age of seven.
To keep a house decently clean,children fed,school done,laundry kept up,food in the house,cooking meals and snacks, and in the summer taking care of the yard, and spend time with your kids, time with your husband,pray,read the Bible,make appointments for eye check ups,dentist visits,grocery shop,keep tabs on what the house needs,kids need with cloths,breakfast and lunch for your husbands day at work,time at church and many other little to big things that pop up.
No I don't do all of that in one day but I do a lot of it! Many nights I am so exhausted by the time the kids are all tucked in bed,prayers said,song sang and Bible read.

I don't say much when I am around most women because they have no clue what it is like and I feel if I do talk of it the look in there eyes is not something I feel understands or approves. And sometimes as if I am looking down on them because they don't or didn't.
The decision to home school isn't some thing most people care to understand. At least that is how I feel. It can feel very lonely even if your husband is behind it 100%.
I think I need to be more involved in the home school group. But there have been many reasons that has been difficult to do.
I am Blessed to have a wonderful Husband though it does truly make such a difference! God is the most wonderful support to have! I have always known this was His will not just mine and man that does help. I can make it with God on my side!I know I can!