Please excuse the construction

Please excuse any glitches or problems you have with my site for the next few days.  There are some major changes taking place behind the scenes.  I'm praying it all goes smoothly and I'm pretty sure it will since Joy is in charge!!

Other than a completely new experience, there will be a name change, so don't let it throw you for a loop when you click on Bloggin' Mama and find someone new inhabiting the place - it's still me, I'm just changing the blog name and delving more into what I want my main focus to be - Homemaking Joyfully!

Wonder how many new members this church sees each week...

Can you see it? That's a church next to that liquor store!!
This post is linked to: Wordless Wednesday.

Taking a time-out

Hello friends!

I've decided I'm taking a break from blogging for a bit.  I don't know how long this break will last and frankly, at the moment, I can't think more than a week into the future because there are SO many things going on. 

With Michael being deployed I'm feeling a little worn out and feel that it's best if I take a step back to regroup.  I'll still be hanging around Twitter and Facebook and checking email, but won't be putting many "thoughts" together here.

I'll see you guys back here soon, hopefully feeling refreshed and with my life a little more ordered.

Swagbucks

Have you heard of Swagbucks but are still a little skeptical of the whole process?  Let me break it down a bit for you and tell you why you really should join.

:: It's a search engine (just like Google), but instead of just getting your search results, you also earn random "bucks" for your searches.  So, instead of using your Google search bar you can download either the Swagbucks search bar or the full toolbar.  I recommend the full toolbar because you can easily see how many Swagbucks you have and it has quick links to the store and your message box.  In the message box, there will sometimes be codes to earn you extra bucks.
::  These "bucks" are basically points you use to buy things in the swagstore.  There are all sorts of items in the store.  You can purchase anything from music and movies to gift cards (such as Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, etc.) and many things in between.
::  You can also earn bucks by referring friends.
::  It's easy and requires no extra effort.  If you're searching for things anyway, why not earn points for it?

You can join today and Swagbucks will start you off with 30 bucks in your account.  Then you can start searching and referring friends to be on your way to free stuff!

One last thing - I promise there is NO CATCH.

Incredibly thankful

I have never participated in Gratituesday, but thought it was about time since I can think of so many things to be thankful for this year.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I'm thankful for from 2009:

~ My garden and all of it's abundance.
~ Eli has made so much progress with physical therapy that he is down to only going once per month! (That link is to a really old post, but it will give you background on Eli's condition in case you aren't familiar).
~ Homeschooling and a kindergartener that is so eager to learn and easy to teach.
~ A wonderful husband who serves this country faithfully without ever complaining and is currently serving a 6 month deployment in Iraq.
~ The best next door neighbors a family could ever ask for.  Seriously, they take care of our yard and house each time we are away, shovel my snow when Michael isn't home, check on the kids and me frequently when he's away and babysit (for free!).
~ How God is using us to minister to a young unmarried couple we are friends with and the wonderful fruits I see of our investment of time and family into these young lives.
~ Bloggy friends who I'm proud to say are now real-life friends.  It is such a pleasure to call Carrie and Amy my new real-life friends!
~ Our new church.  In late July, after much prayer and many discussions, we moved our family to a new church and could not be happier.  This church is exactly what we were looking for and the entire family loves it!

My little Houdini!

This child can get out of just about any shirt I put her in (unless it snaps in the crotch)!  It's quite comical!  I think the only reason she didn't get this one completely off is because it had a snap at the back of the neck.  In this photo she's 8 months old.

She can also get out of velcro diapers when she's not wearing something to cover them.  I learned this the hard way with a very nasty diaper this summer (not pictured...)! She's 10 months in this photo.

Good morning mama!  13 months.

And this was taken today - and she's done this more than once today!!  She's 15 months.









She also frequently tries to get her sleepers off while I have them unzipped changing her diaper.  She tries feverishly to get her arms out before I get done with the diaper change!!  She WILL NOT leave socks on.  I have to put Robeez on her to get her to keep her socks on because the Robeez have elastic around the ankles and she hasn't figured out how to get them off yet.  She also constantly pulls on the feet of her tights trying to pull them off.

She's funny!

Quite overwhelmed

Whew!  What a whirlwind 2 weeks.  I am feeling quite overwhelmed today.

If you missed it, two weeks ago, we found out we are moving to Turkey in July!  Why the stress, July is many months away still?  Did I mention that Michael is leaving TOMORROW and will be in Iraq for the next six months...  Oy vey!

There have been so many things that were necessary to accomplish before he left that I feel like I haven't stopped or taken a breath in the last two weeks.

Beyond my regular motherly/homemaker duties we have:
~ Completely cleared our crawl space before Michael leaves (because the movers won't go in there) since I didn't want to get stuck trying to bring all the stuff up by myself.
~ I have sorted EVERY piece of baby/kid clothing and gear in all of the bins we were keeping for future children (most of you know that we won't be having any more children since I had such extreme complications following Rachael's birth).  I have taken photos and listed a lot of our gear on craigslist, given/sold some to friends and taken tons to Goodwill.
~ All of the items that had previously been stored (in Rubbermaid tubs) in the crawl space are now stored in the garage, so I've completely rearranged the garage to accommodate all the bins AND the van.
~ Spent countless hours discussing all the ins-and-outs of things I will need to accomplish while Michael is away.
~ Decided not to sell our house.
~ Filled out lots of paperwork.
~ Plus tons more small things that I know I'm forgetting because my head is so full of information, I feel like it will explode at any moment.

Today is the final appointment of items to be accomplished before Michael leaves.  We must go apply for our military passports and Visas.  The paperwork is complete and photos have been taken, the only thing left is to go in at 2:00 and finalize it all.

I still have a long journey ahead of me, but it's all manageable since I don't have to accomplish it all in a two week time span (and I have some wonderful babysitters lined up for those days when I just don't want to take the children to certain appointments)!

So, dear readers, if I'm not around much over the next few weeks, it's not because I've abandoned you, it's because I'm taking a wee break.  The kids and I will be driving to Arkansas to spend Christmas with some of my extended family and I'm going to rest my tired self and gain up my strength to endure this deployment!

To sell or not to sell. . .

Ho hum.  Sometimes I wish God would just slap me in the face with the correct path to take in life.

On Wednesday, we thought we were set on selling the house, but it turns out, after much more discussion, we still have no idea what we are going to do.  ::sigh::

I spoke with a realtor on Saturday and he will be getting me all of the market comparisons, time on market info., etc. on Tuesday.  In the mean time I will be contacting property management companies to get all of my questions answered.

Time with Michael is dwindling since he leaves for Iraq in about 10 days.

In the mean time, until we actually make a decision, we have been acting as if we are selling.  I have been purging like a crazy woman (we have a weight limit for household goods)!  I have finally found a good excuse to part with all of the baby "stuff"* so that has all been brought up from the crawl space and I've already listed some of it on Craigslist.

*Until this point, I was having a very hard time (emotionally speaking) deciding to depart with all of the baby items.  Even though I know we most likely won't have another child, I had been so torn over this decision.  So, I guess in retrospect, this might have been God slapping me in the face about it being a good time to part with all of those things, because I am very much at peace with it now.

So far, I have purged 3 large, "outdoor" size trash bags with clothing that I had been hanging on to, bags/purses/backpacks and stuffed animals all to go to the Disabled American Veterans.  We have also purged another 2 of those trash bags of "junk" for the trash.  The only other major thing to be purged will be toys.  We have way too many and I'm so tired of it - this is a really good time to get the toys down to a manageable amount.  Why do we have so much stuff???

Even with all of the work we've been doing and the seemingly daunting task ahead of me, I'm overcome with excitement for his move!

We're moving....

to Turkey!!!  Yes dear readers, next July we will be residing in Turkey at Incirlik Air Force Base!!

Michael called me early yesterday afternoon to tell me he got a PCS (permanent change of station) assignment to Turkey!  AND he is still leaving for Iraq for 6 months in under 2 weeks.  He'll be home sometime in late June and his report date for Incirlik is the end of July.  Whew, it's going to be a very busy time for me.

The biggest time consumer is going to be selling our house.  Doesn't that sound like something you want to do all by yourself with three young children?  No?  Me either... I'm sure this season will be very trying, but I am so thankful to have wonderful friends.

Turkey was actually one of the countries listed on Michael's overseas "wish-list" so we are definitely very excited about this move!!

A morning time saver tip

I have an awesome tip for those of you that have trouble getting out the door in the morning (due to all the little things that hold the kids up). This will apply mostly to those of us with younger children who require constant supervision when doing those final tasks like brushing teeth, combing hair, hair bows, etc.

Of course, this may be irrelevant if you live in a single story home, but maybe you'll still find something useful to implement in your routine.

We live in a two story home with full bathrooms upstairs and a half bath downstairs just inside the door to the garage (in the kitchen). Many months ago, I was becoming frustrated on the mornings we had to be somewhere early due to all the running back and forth up the stairs. The up-and-down is very time consuming and very ineffective when trying to keep a schedule. So here's what I came up with:
I bought a duplicate set of all of the staple, last minute items we were constantly running back upstairs to do (myself included). We now have toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, hair smoother, and a comb located in the downstairs bathroom. It is so quick for me to send the boys in there one at a time to brush their teeth and comb their hair while I'm in the kitchen getting someone else ready (tying shoes, putting on coats, etc.). I also keep a few of Rachael's hair ties/bows outside the bathroom on a shelf in the kitchen for easy access for me [I don't keep these in the bathroom because a certain 3 year old likes to flick them when I'm not looking!!]. It has saved me so much frustration in the mornings and I just love the simplicity of it! It absolutely works for me.

Be sure to hop on over to Works-For-Me-Wednesday for more wonderful posts on what's working for everyone.

Times are changing

Just wanted to give you all a heads-up that there will be some changes taking place around here in the weeks/months to come. Working on a completely new experience here at Bloggin' Mama. And possibly a new name (more on that another day)!!

Happy Veteran's Day.

Happy Veteran's Day to all of you! We thank you immensly for what you have done and continue to do for this great country.

There's one veteran in particular who is really special to us! He is TSgt Michael Venning of the United States Air Force.
I am proud to call him my husband! And our children are proud to call him dad!

Somehow I don't have a current photo of Michael in uniform. The most recent one I could find was at his previous rank... The above photo was taken in Kuwait in 2005.

My personal thanks also go out to my grandfather, B.S. Thompson, who served during the Korean conflict,

My late grandfather, C.G. Scott who served during Vietnam.

My uncle, Master Chief Petty Officer (retired) John Schnoering.

photo credit

Another special thanks goes out to the late grandfather of my most dear friend (Wanda), Harold Wainwright, who served in the 3rd Infantry Division and received a purple heart in 1943.

Please be sure to visit the Happy Housewife for many more thank you's and tributes.

Awesome babywearing scene!

Tonight I took the littles out (Michael and Jacob aren't home from Australia yet [they'll be home late tonight!!!!] so I only have the other 2) so I could gas up the van, grab a coffee and get our mail. We were driving back from Starbucks when I spotted an awesome babywearer!!

There was a family (mom and 3 children) who looked to be of African descent (the mom seemed she might have grown up there because of some cultural things I noticed) walking on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road... let me paint you a picture:

9ish year old boy in front carrying a box on his head. A girl that seemed a couple years younger than the boy, carrying a grocery sack. Then mom with a young child (1 or 2 y/o) in a sling on her back - mom was also carrying a grocery bag in one hand and had another sack balanced on her head! The mom was dressed in what seemed to be cultural attire (long, printed skirt and matching top, with some sort of head covering).

It truly was an awesome and moving sight. Beyond the fact that her older two seemed very well behaved and they were out on foot walking along the sidewalk of a very busy street (Academy for you locals), they were not ashamed of their culture/heritage.

As I drove away from the light, I began to ponder her uniqueness and how extremely practical those things are. Truly, it might be beneficial if we all had proper posture and stride so we could balance things on our heads! How many times have you seriously wished you had an extra arm or two? And wearing the baby, well, we all know some of the benefits to babywearing (closeness, security for baby, free hands for mom, etc.). Modesty in dress, that doesn't really need an explanation.

** I do not personally know this family and cannot attest to anything about them. My speculation of ethnic origin is based on the cultural things I noticed and the very beautiful, dark skin tone they all had. I could be COMPLETELY wrong and I am aware of that. It's just a hypothesis, OK?**

Confession

I'm having a really difficult time betting back into our normal routine since we got back home from our trip. I'm having trouble getting to bed at a decent time (which is mostly because I'm missing Michael terribly and am so happy he and Jacob will be home on Friday) and then because I went to bed too late, I don't get up when my alarm goes off in the morning. This throws me off even further because I'm not starting my day with my normal quiet time. Sigh.

I also mowed, weed-whacked and raked the entire yard along with weeding all the other landscaping yesterday and think I may have over done it a little because I'm super sore this morning. Therefore, I didn't go to the gym which is normally a staple of my routine.

I'm on a mission to get to bed at a good time tonight and then actually get up in the morning and having an appointment at 10:00 is a really good motivator!!

9 years

9 years ago today was a Saturday. It was perfectly, perfect spring day in Panama City, Florida, made only more perfect by being able to sign that marriage certificate as husband and wife!!

We were so young (I was 19 and Michael was 20), and in retrospect, so naive as to what lay ahead.

During our marriage we have definitely experienced the most trying of trials, but we have also experienced the best of the best. It was those times (years, really) where we pushed God to the back burner in our marriage that the enemy attacked with full force and steam rolled us. And it is only by the grace of our wonderful, loving God that we survived those trying times and have since built a marriage that thrives!

But, you know what? We have a story and a testimony and that testimony has helped people. I will never know the "why's" of the depths that we have endured, but I do know one thing. God NEVER lets us experience a trial that we will not be able to withstand (come out stronger, even) with God's help.

I am proud to say that trusting God has gotten us this far and I can truly say that Michael is my 'other-half'. I'm not sure how I would survive without him! He is the perfect husband for me, the perfect Godly example for me and our children, a wonderful dad and a great friend. I consider it my pleasure to be his helpmeet and mother to our children! God definitely knows what He's doing!

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Seeing all kinds of crazy happenings

Last week I called the fire department to come put out a fire someone had started in a dumpster across the street from my house.

Today, I saw a hit and run car accident. Actually saw it happen. Crazy stuff.

I was sitting in the turn lane at the main intersection near my house. For those of you in the Springs, I was turning left from Academy (facing northbound) onto Airport. I was on my way home from the gym and getting gas. The light was turning red and everyone was stopping, when all of a sudden across the intersection a white Cavalier, clips/sort of smashes the front end of a black Avalanche, sending it sideways into a minivan. The Cavalier took off lickety-split, weaved thru the cars and turned right and sped off hit-and-run style.

I guess, in an attempt to chase after him, the guy in the Avalanche tried to do the same and ended up clipping/half way rear ending a GrandAm and sent it drifting thru the intersection (thankfully it was that split second when all lights were red and only a cross walk was lit).

Everyone got out of their cars (no one was hurt) and I reached for my phone and dialed 911, after 9 rings, there was no answer, so I hung up. I then called Michael and while I was on the phone with him 911 called me back, so I told them the short of the story and she said there had already been a call placed and police were en route!

So, I proceeded home. I was too far away to see the plates on the Cavalier....

Probably didn't have any insurance, people like that disgust me.

I won!

I love looking through my spam folder and laughing at the silly things people try to lure you in with.

Here's a sample of what I've gotten in the last 48 hours:

* My email was 'chosen' for the following prizes (if I pay them a fee or give them my bank account info. and my address....):
~ Maybelline mascara
~ Victoria's Secret gift card
~ Dell laptop
~ Walmart gift card

* I've won $1,000,000 US because my email address attached to ticket #56475600545 189 was chosen. I only have to send this company my personal information and pay the courier fees to claim my prize!

* I won the UK National Lottery

* I have been chosen by William Simon to receive 20% of $7,000,000 (the $7,000,000 will be passed on to charities) because he's dying of esophageal cancer and has no heirs.

* Rachael Davidson wants me to give her some money to reactivate a dormant account in the Bank of Europe so she can then retrieve the 7,500,000pounds her husband deposited before he died in 2003

* I won an Exxon-Mobil email prize of $386,500

I find these things absolutely hilarious. I also find the fact that the email addresses these things come from are SO incredibly obscure, I can't imagine anyone falling for these gimmicks - yet they do...

Take a look at your spam folder some day and have yourself a nice chuckle!!

Holy Smokes! For real....smoke - and FIRE

I just had to call the fire department....

Michael was leaving to run an errand a little after 8pm and happened to notice (in the dark) that a construction dumpster a few houses down and across the street was smoking. It was in the driveway of an unfinished home. He asked me to keep an eye on it and call the fire dept. if it started flaming.

About 10 minutes later I could see flames thru some holes in the bottom of the dumpster and flames out the top. It wasn't out of control or anything, but it was definitely a fire.

I called 911 and let the dispatcher know that it wasn't a life or death emergency, but there was a fire. Told her the situation and by the time I got off the phone with her, I could see a firetruck coming up the streets. No siren, just flashing lights. The entrance to our street is diagonally across from the brand new fire station, so they didn't have far to go!

I looked like a goofy spectator because I sat on my front porch and watched them extinguish the fire and check around the outside of the house.

**** When the fire truck pulled up, I heard someone a few houses down (right in front of the dumpster) say "OMG" really loudly. Then, by the time the fire dept. left, there was some sort of fire burning in these people's driveway. So, I'm thinking those people were the ones who set the fire. For what reason, I have no clue. There could have been something really harmful in that dumpster, for all they knew, and the dumpster hadn't been emptied since Tuesday.

People are ridiculous. Container fires aren't illegal, but c'mon. The container wasn't even on their property and what if one of the construction worker's had put something explosive or chemically harmful in there? Sheesh.

Discombobulated

I'm all whacked out. I knew daylight savings time would mess up my kids as it always does, but I wasn't prepared for it to mess me up, too.

We DID remember there would be a time change and we DID set alarms for church on Sunday. So imagine my surprise when Michael woke me up Sunday morning and said we had overslept (fortunately, only by 30 minutes). What... Knowing that I've taught myself how to sleep thru Michael's alarm clock, I never set mine, I always set the alarm on my phone. Saturday night I checked my phone to make sure it would update the time change automatically and then set the alarm, only thing is it didn't update when it was suppose to. By the time it updated, I was already in the shower.

The day didn't get much better from there. We ended up not going to church because Rachael and Eli were coughing uncontrolably. And everyone was just cranky for most of the day.

Later in the evening, after dinner, I went out to run a few errands and my day just got worse. I ended up not getting to go to the two places I really wanted to go (thrift store and Michael's) because they were closed. The extended daylight fooled me and it was later than I thought. GAH!

When I got home (around 9:30), Eli was STILL awake. Michael had put him to bed normal time, but with the time change, his body thought it was only 7:00. We expected it to be a little while before he went to sleep, but it actually ended up being nearly 10:30 and that includes LOTS of discipline to get him to stay in bed.

Yesterday was a very exhausting day....whew.

Thankfully, today has been quite a bit better and I'm praying for a normal day tomorrow.

Overboard

Do you think I watch this show just a tad too much???

Jacob got a piece of paper and pencils out to draw and this is what he came up with, all on his own.