So much Better

We went from Jaron looking like this...crazy hair boy...

to this.....

To this....


Doesn't he look so much better...so much less work!


He got the new bear for sitting still and letting us shave his little head!

Hamster Wheel kind of Day...

busy, busy, busy.... the kind where you just run and run and run!

Between the meetings at work, Kindergarten Roundup, sick kids at school so extra kids in a classroom and all kind of stuff, I feel like I have been running non-stop for 3 days...one to go and then the weekend.

Good news:) Dan and I have a date night this Saturday....dinner and maybe a movie. Mom and Dad will have the kids over night too so we can have a nice time without worry!

Wordless Wednesday...almost

Me thinks someone needs a hair cut!

It's what day?

I love holidays from school and getting days off they are wonderful times of recharging ones batteries and in my case getting my house more undercontrol! The hard part about holidays is going back to school the next day.

Today is TUESDAY!!! All day long I was confused off and on thinking it was MONDAY!!!

I walked in thinking we would have different specials and that my Monday Wednesday Friday kids would be at school...instead I was a little off all day! Makes for some fun times at work!

Me thinks he likes me...

This is what Dan brought home for me from the store...oh yeah! I think he likes me!

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Thank you for celebrating the Presidents. I'm extra grateful for the opportunity to have the day off.

Today"s President day accomplishments...

dinner cooked and shipped with Dan to work, I am also working on making dinner for tomorrow so he has extra food for the rest of the week!

Laundry completed

kitchen cleaned

Bedroom cleaned

Bathroom cleaned.

All in all I am feeling good about what was accomplished on this President's day!

My Valentine Progression

I have had mixed feelings about Valentines Day over the last 3 decades( yes I am old).

In my first 10 years, Valentines Day was all about fun. I loved exchanging Valentines in school, I love the parties, the treats and everything. It was great! Lots of fun!

In my second 10 years I began to resent Valentines day. I hated that everyone thought that if you didn't have a boyfriend or a significant other on Valentines day that you were basically a "loser". More often then not I was single on Valentines Day and I went into hate mode. If there had been conversation hearts with mean things instead of happy ones I definitely would buy them and my friends and I often exchanged sarcastic cards full of making one feel worse about our singleness. My parents and grandparents made sure to send lots of love to me on the holidays and that certainly was much appreciated but not the same thing as having a "date" on Valentines Day.

Now in my most recent 10 years (plus a couple) Valentines day has taken on a new meaning. Dan and I wish each other a Happy Valentines day and celebrate sometimes but it really doesn't matter. Valentines Day is just that a day. I don't need a day to tell my husband that I love and appreciate him. Little things I do for him during the week mean more to him than a gift in the middle of February. We show love to the kids but this year instead of candy and stuffed animals, they will be getting gifts that they can use for the longer term and get quality time from their parents. Being a happy and content family is the greatest gift that we can give to each other.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the parties again. I like helping my kids with their Valentines exchanges and in my opinion there is no greater Valentine card than the ones with FUN DIP! I have eaten my weight in conversation hearts through the years! I enjoy the parties at school and seeing the excitement for Valentines Day on the faces of the students in my class. I can truthfully say that I have come full circle. Valentines Day is a silly holiday that make you think of love and that's okay by me! So to anyone reading this...HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Good News!

I found my phone...it was where I left it in the bathroom.

3 day weekend ahead of me!

Jaron's teacher emailed me and told me that he had a better week and seemed to be more focused! So thankful for that!

Cellphone Madness

I think my phone is afraid of me...maybe because I drop it alot!

It's been hiding from me all day...

This morning, I left it on the kitchen table and didn't have it all day...I don't have a clock in my classroom and I don't wear a watch so I was clueless as to the time all day...I'm a very time oriented person and I was feeling helpless all day!

Dan charged it for me and I had it on my bed and some other places after work and I put it somewhere and I can't find it...that's twice in one day...that's pretty sad! I'll need to use Dan's in the morning to help me find it...we don't have a home phone so I can't call myself to find it!

Kids say the darndest things...lunch edition

We have several students who have dietary restrictions. Two of our students are vegetarian, and two are no beef, no pork. Well today one of the girls asked me what we were having for lunch, and I told her"...Hamburgers...well, I am not sure what you are having because you don't eat beef and pork."

She looked at me and said" my dad say's we eat with Forks..."

I just had to laugh

You never know who's watching...

Where I work there are windows in some of the classrooms that are two way...When the lights are on in our classroom then you can't see out, but people can look in. However, when the lights are out at naptime, the windows become mirrors in the hallway and we can see out.

Today during naptime we watched these 2 teenage girls walk by the windows checking their apperance. At the end of nap they both came up and stop in front of the window and proceeded to preen and do their hair and all that silly stuff teenage girls do in front of a mirror. My co-teacher and I sat and laughed at the fact that they didn't know we were watching them..if I had been able to I would have flipped on the lights just to see their faces when they saw us, but if the lights are on you can't see out the window so we would have missed it.

Made me really think about how God is always watching us...

Psalm 11:4The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.

What have you done today when you thought no one was watching?

A Good Day

Work was a challenge today since I was not feeling good. Fortunately, with specials and extras and the kids being extra helpful it made for a decent day! I was lucky to get to go home early since we had many children leave early, were down in numbers and able to combine. It was a blessing!

I rested for a few hours then started the laundry which I didn't have enough energy to do this weekend. I've gotten 2 loads washed and dried, and one ready to dry in the morning. I also ran the dishwasher, which was good.

My dirty floor was driving me crazy! I vacummed and then used my new handy dandy rug stick by Woolite! I love it....makes carpet cleaning very easy! It's great for getting the grime out and it's cost effective too. Smells good too!

Tomorrow looks to be rather busy but I am hopeful that I am feeling better. My achiness seems to be lessening.

Thanks to every one who prayed for me today! I made it through and while I am not 100% better things are looking up!

Hi ho Hi Ho...it's off to work I go

I am still not one hundred percent. My throat is feeling better but I feel yucky.

I am going to work today...please pray that it goes okay

Sick...ick...ick

Dan was sick earlier in the week.

He gave it to me.

My head hurts.

My throat hurts.

I'm spending some quality time with the couch!

Mission Completed

Today I really struggled with my attitude. I get frustrated with juggling my role as a wife, mother, teacher, and friend. School was good, I was tired today and that makes me less patient than I need to be. However, on Tuesday and Thursday there is more planning time and that makes the day go by faster!



However, my big issues came after school. I get home and load up the kids in the car to go run errands. I planned to go to the bank to make a deposit, then go to the mailbox to get our mail, then go and get my car washed since it was disgusting and the weather was nice for a car wash. As I am driving to the bank Dan calls me and wants to know if I am going to get his glasses. I had received a call this morning letting me know that his new glasses are in and ready. I had texted him during the day to ask if he was going to pick them up or if he wanted me too and he had texted me " when convenient, don't stress" so the day that is most convenient for me is next Tuesday when the kids are at Good News Club. My answer wasn't exactly what he wanted to here. So he called to ask how the kids were and then if I was going to get his glasses. I said that I had to go to the bank and get my car wash but I would try to get them. He got rather short with me on the phone and made an issue of me getting them before next Tuesday! I have to admit that I didn't answer with a spirit of love and kindness but one of bitterness and anger. After I hung up I felt convicted by Ephesians 4, about being kind so even though it wasn't super convenient we went and got the new glasses and they look good.!



The whole ride in the car my children are being obnoxious and demanding. Normally they are fine with errand running but today Jaron wanted to go to Quik Trip and that is all he wanted and so he was whining and crying in the back seat. Quik Trip was not on my agenda and so I would not give in but it makes for a long car ride! Janea was antogonizing her brother and making me frustrated! On a plus side, they both giggled and laughed all through the car wash and the surprise of pizza for dinner made for a much more relaxing drive home, even though Jaron still wanted to take a trip to Quik Trip.



We are home, fed and able to enjoy the gorgeous weather that we are having this February. I love having warm days! We made it to the bank, the mailbox, the carwash, the glasses place and to Little Ceasers for a pizza and crazy bread for dinner. My meeting at school was cancelled so we can have a more relaxing night. So we are going to work on showers, baths, and then it's the plan to get everyone to bed earlier and start off on a better foot tomorrow morning.

Wiggly boys

My life is full of wiggly boys. I teach them at school and I have one at home.

Jaron is frustrating his teacher right now. He is extra wiggly and having trouble keeping still. She is seeking ideas on how to keep him more under control. I'm racking my brain for ideas that might work.

If you have any ideas on what might work please let me know! I could use some help with this!

Kids say the Darndest---Snack Edition

We had pudding earlier this week for snack. Usually we have butterscotch or vanilla pudding but on Monday we had Tapioca pudding with a little bit of whipped cream on top! One of the girls in my class is eating the pudding and stops and asks me this question.

"Why are there noodles in my pudding?

Happy Birthday Mom

I had my parents over for dinner tonight! We had a yummy chicken dinner and then cake. I went the easy way and bought a cake at HyVee. I ran out of time to make one on my own! Happy Birthday Mom, the kids and I love you very much!

Where did January Go?

I can't believe it already is February. Now I definitely shouldn't be surprised since I do calendar activities every day at school but really...didn't we just have New Years.

My goals for February:

*Get in the WORD more....daily!

* Maintain the house better!

* Be an encouragement to my husband not a discouragement.

* Enjoy Valentines Day parties with the kids and my class!

* Find some new and yummy recipes that I can make for our budgeting purposes! We did well in January but I want to be more adventurous this month!

Praises for the Month of January:

*No sickness for the family! Thank you God for keeping us all healthy!

* We are sticking to our food budget and eating more at home! I found some good recipes and I am being more adventurous in my cooking!

* Great kids who are learning and growing and enjoying school, Good News club and AWANA!

Whew...we survived!

It was a crazy week at school! A fun week but so busy! We had a lot of "extras" this week which means your routine goes out the window and you do other stuff.

Monday we had our Chinese New Year party. Lots of fun but my coteacher got stuck with a lot of the work for it. Makes for a really long day!

Tuesday was the 100th day of school. In our class we made 100 Day glasses. Then we worked on counting to one hundred using a number chart to help us. Then that number chart was used to put one piece of cereal on each number so that we could have a 100 piece snack! We colored a large 100 to make a 100 day crown. We also got to go without uniforms for the day. A good place for teachers to look for ideas is the Mailbox magazine and several teaching websites. Jaron is celebrating on Monday and each child had to bring in 100 things. He took a bag of cocoa puffs!

Wednesday was a normal school day but my back was hurting. It made for a really long day for me.

Thursday was Kansas Day. We celebrated by coloring a Kansas coloring book and tasting sunflower seeds! Then instead of nap we watched the Wizards of Oz! It was a fun day...long but fun.

Today was back to normal but we were playing catch up on all our missed work! All in all I am so glad that I am home and can relax this weekend!

Pain in the....back

I woke up this morning with my back so tight I can't move. It hurts. I couldn't move my neck very far today so I looked like a dog chasing its tail when ever I needed to look at the kids. Picking up cots after nap about did me in, AWANA was rough and I need to get the kids to bed so I can stretch out. I hope it pops soon!

100th Day of School

Here's my co-teacher and I today! We celebrated the 100th day of school by making 100 day glasses, eating a 100 piece snack, and making 100 day crowns. A lot of fun!

Chinese New Year

We celebrated Chinese New Year today. It was a lot of fun. We enjoyed celebrating with our Asian families! The parents supplied most of the treats and helped us to enjoy celebrating their holiday! It was a wonderful multicultural experience.

Chinese Wall Art
We made paper dragon kites...to bring good luck and ward off bad luck...

The Chinese flag

Yummy treats from the Asian market!

This is the hair piece on of my Korean students wore. The Asian kids came in traditional Chinese and Korean outfits. They were so cute!

Full Calendar Week

This week at school is crazy! Today we celebrated the Chinese and Korean New Year! Lots of fun with the kids! Yet super crazy! Tomorrow is the 100th day of school..fun yet crazy... and then Thursday is Kansas Day and we will be watching the Wizard of Oz and celebrating Kansas and it's birthday! I am always amazed at how all the special days fall within the same week on the Calendar

Struggling with Motivaton

I don't know about you but I struggle sometimes to get things done. My house is really bad right now, I have not been good at using my time this week. I got the cooking done but then didn't follow through with cleanup so now that it is Saturday...my job is huge!

Why do I do this to myself? I know better but I don't enjoy cleaning so I justify it in my mind until it becomes a huge job.

Today its cold and I will be better and get the house more in order!

Friday...

and I am doing my Hooray it's Friday dance...

Laughing..it does a body good.

I laughed a lot at work today!

I laughed because one child was convinced she made a "Happy Plate" when in reality it was only kinda happy since she just tried the green beans and applesauce but ate all the spaghetti!

I laughed as a little boy tried to use the zipper of his pants as a pocket and then realized that his pants were simply unzipped...his look made my day!

I laughed during naptime as one of the girls attempted to do an interpretive dance on her cot to the classical music playing at naptime!

I laughed at all the crazy ways that kids can make each other mad...the most devastating being..."You can't come to my birthday" and their birthdays are 6-11 months away!

I laughed so much my sides hurt and I thought I was going to pull a muscle...I also laughed until I nearly cried!

I love laughing!

Parenting...it's not an easy job!

There are times I love being a mom! I love to help the kids learn stuff, to have fun and play, to enjoy the good times! Then there are days when I want to send them back~! Doesn't happen very often but on occasion I would gladly throw in the towel and go back to the life of coupledom(not that I really know what that is like, we have been parents for all but one year of our marriage).

My kids got off the bus today and ran to meet me at the door. Before they are even on the front steps Janea bursts into tears and informs me that she was sent to the Focus Room. This is the place at school where my children have been told to never go. They need to behave, obey and focus on being the best students they can be. I ask why she was sent, she tells me it's for kicking another child and lying to the teacher! Kicking, that is part of being a kid and not controlling yourself, lying is not okay period. Dan and I have worked really hard at making sure that our children are obedient and not lying. We are not perfect parents and our kids do make mistakes and so she was very upset because she knew she had done wrong. I was livid...and rushed to call Dan. Dan as usual sees it simply from Janea's point of view but as I talked to Janea I realized I may have jumped to the worst case scenario, Dan calls me back and we decided that Janea has lost TV for a few days and will have to accept the natural consequenses that come with misbehaving at school. It will take some time for the teacher to trust Janea completely and I hope that she has learned to control herself more.

The Bible instructs parents to be training their children to follow Him. It is my prayer that Dan and I help Janea and Jaron to be the best kids they can be and that they grow to Love Him. Training a child is hard work...certainly not for wimps!

Whew...is it Friday yet?

Wow! We had a busy weekend!

I can't believe that I have to go back to work tomorrow and that it will only be Tuesday.

We got a lot accomplished! Yeah us!

A rundown of our accomplishments:

• oil changes for both vehicles
• new wipers on my car
• grocery shopping
• church in the morning and evening Sunday
• one meal fully cooked and put up
• family fun time
• haircut for me!(so much better!)
• laundry
• some housecleaning...we could have done better but we were a little busy:)

So now Dan is at work and I am getting ready for the kids to be back to school and me back to school. We're off and running for another week.

Overheard...

the kids were in the living room and here is what I heard...

Jaron: "I have more sence than you!"

I went in to find out and Janea was counting the money in her piggy bank! Jaron has more coins(cents) then she does!

So not Martha

Well, as much as I like to think that I getting better at cooking and making yummy dishes. Things like tonight happen. I couldn't open the spaghetti jar for ravoili, I dropped the pasta dish as I was trying to drain the pasta. I forgot to warn Dan that the burner may be hot and he nearly burned himself. So I will stick to teaching preschool and forgo my lofty thoughts of being a chef! We eat but it isn't always the easiest endeavor!

It's Friday and it's a 3 day weekend..

and I am so glad!

It was a good week...we had our frustrating moments but I would say the week ended well.

I have not done as well at my cooking as I could have but since this is a three day weekend I am planning on getting more on track!

Some of our plans for the weekend include:

• oil changes for my car and the van
• new wipers for my car!
• grocery shopping
• haircut! (It's getting bad)
• clean house
• laundry

Plus our usual Sunday activities of going to Church and choir practice! I always enjoy going and worshipping at our church!

All in all it should be a good weekend!

Brrr...Brrrr....Brrrrr

It's in the single digits and the temperature just keeps on dropping. I'm dreading the bus stop in the morning...it's so cold! It's nights like this I am thankful for a warm bed, comfy jammies and thick blankets. It's nights like these that I am glad that Dan and I have so many comforters on our bed...since he isn't here until the wee hours of the morning I can keep as many as I want all to my self and be warm in my nice cocoon.

One of those days

You know the one's where things are just enough off that you are sighing alot.!

Today was that day. My alarm went off when it was supposed to, however, I didn't get up, I turned it off! I have set my alarm to go off an hour before I have to get the kids up so I can get in some quiet time with God and I can charge my batteries. I have found it's really helped me with my attitude. Well, this morning, I woke up 7 minutes after I have to wake up the kids. So we were scrambling this morning!

Both kids were moving in slow motion. We made it out the door just as the bus is coming up the street so I didn't get to tell them bye and remind them to be on their best behavior.

Jaron went to the buddy room today. He was not listening or sitting still. Janea also had to pull a card in her classroom. Not the greatest day for the Jonathan kids, they WILL do better tomorrow!

I'm Cold!

I have been cold all day! My feet are freezing! How many layers are too many? Right now I am wearing at least 3 and I am still cold!

Early PJ night

Today I get to work and head to the classroom and am told that I am needed to sub over in 1/2 grade. I enjoy getting to go over to the elementary side and spending the day with the older kids. As the day goes on all I can think about is my pajamas. I want to be comfy and cozy and warm...I think I was cold off and on and the thought of being warm was very appealing! I honestly had my PJ's on by 5:00 tonight. Dan got me new fleece pants with penguins on them that are oh so comfortable for Christmas and boy once the kiddos get to bed I am hitting the hay! I'm tired and ready for sleep!

A $19 fix

For the last month my tires have been losing pressure. Dan goes and fills them up and within 10 days they need air again. Well today we took them in to be looked at, halfway expecting them to tell us we need new tires. Turns out they had minor issues that were causing them to lose air but they could be repair! Praise God turned out to cost $19.

A lot on my mind

Have you ever been confused or perplexed? Do you ever question what your initial plans were and think about what needs to be done? I am so there right now.

Here's my predicament:

Dan and I are approaching our 10th wedding anniversary. When we got married we had planned to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our honeymoon. About 4 months before our wedding Dan got a better paying job working at a manufacturing plant. Due to being a new hire he did not have accumulated vacation time and so we changed our plans. Instead of a week long trip to NC we went to a Geneva Illinois for a longer weekend. We had a nice time and enjoyed ourselves. We decided we would go to the Outer Banks for our first anniversary. Fast forward to October of 1999. I'm feeling strange, not normal, and so we decide to take a pregnancy test...it's positive! So we're due 4 days before our anniversary! Janea was actually born 18 days before our first anniversary but there was no way we could travel and leave a newborn! So we decided to wait until our 5th or 10th anniversary. At 5 years, we couldn't afford to go and we had two kids 4 and under. Now we are approaching 10 years and I don't know if the kids could handle us being gone for a week.

We are looking at places to stay, attractions we want to see, and starting the beginning of the planning process for the trip. Janea is wanting to go...since we will be going to the beach. At the same time we have never taken a family vacation to anywhere. So my question is should we just take a family vacation this June and then in a few years when they are much older plan an extended second honeymoon trip or should we just try and take one this year. Parenting is such a challenge. Dan is worried if we take the kids that I will feel jipped out of getting to see all the stuff I want to see. I am worried about how the kids will take us going for at least a week once you count in travel times.

Marriage is important and getting that time to reconnect with your spouse is so important. Parenting is important and so is building family memories.

Thanks for Helping

Today it dawned on me...I may not have leaders tonight!

I have great Sparks leaders who are Calvary students and they won't be back till next week! I was kinda starting to panic.

I am thankful for Mrs. Beck for coming tonight and to Jeff for helping kids with sections. A big thank you goes to Megan and Aaron tonight too since they helped listen to verses.

I am excited to see what the next semester brings for the Sparks program at my church!

Ouch

I hurt my thumb tonight...I was slicing potatoes to make Crock pot Beef stew and I not only sliced the potato, I sliced my finger. It was bleeding and it hurts alot.

This is how I know I am not the greatest chef...I make really careless mistakes!

Explain to me how I can cook all day on Saturday and only have made enough meals to last through Tuesday night???

I broke down and ordered pizza tonight. The kids were begging, and I was tired. I have to do better, these new resolutions are hard!

Kids Say the Darndest--Chapel edition

We have chapel every Monday morning, it's a lot of fun, we sing and the listen to a short lesson given by Pastor Ryan (one of the pastors at FFC). Well, today we were sitting in chapel and my co-teacher and I were quietly saying how one of our students seemed to be on another planet and she said"it's like he's not even here". Well, one of our other students was sitting on her lap and points right at Pastor Ryan (he thought we were talking about the Pastor) and says"He's right there".

I must admit I lost it...Poor Pastor Ryan must have thought I was nuts!~

Back to Reality

Today was the last day of my 2 weeks off.

Tomorrrow we go back to school, back to work and back to a school year schedule.

It's been nice to see Dan every day (even with all our ups and downs the last few weeks).

I'll miss sleeping in past 7 every morning...6:30 comes early round these parts.

I'm glad the kiddos are going back to school, they so need to get back to a routine.

We will be back to all the fun things that go along with a busy schedule.

Just call me Martha...

Today I cooked all day. I made lots of yummy food for next week. I had the idea to make food on Saturdays and portion it out for the week. I often don't want to cook when I get home from work and Dan is looking to take food for his lunch to work to help save money. So I cooked lots of yummy stuff.

Chicken and Noodles..yummy

Cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole

I completey boiled and deboned the chicken for dishes.

Homemade meatballs

I am quite tired but feeling really good about what I accomplished today. I still have more chicken for another dish but I ran out of steam today. Will be cooking more tomorrow.

The thinking of a child

So Dan got me an MP3 player for Christmas and we have a subscription to Rhapsody right now so I am trying to download lots of my favorite music onto my device before we cancel our subscription. Well he and I have been talking about different songs and making different playlists for both his device and mine. Well, today Jaron made up his own playlist. Of things he wants to play and do...and Janea got into the act too!

Jaron's Playlist:

1. Carpet Roll Race

2. Play computer

3. Somersault Race

4. Break time or a Hop Race

5. Watch TV--Spongebob Squarepants

6. Lunch break(or dinner, snack)

7. Jump over the pillows

8. Catch

9. Roll the Ball Race

10. Pillow Fight

Janea's Playlist

1. Fuse Beads

2. Draw

3. Play Tag

4. Pillow Fight

5. Lunch

6. catch

7. Play Snap

8. Play Go Fish

9. Play UNO

10. Play Trouble

This is what happens...

when you turn your back for a few minutes. The kids decided they needed to decorate themselves with ink...they so need to go back to school...too much time on their hands!

If I wasn't laughing already I would be laughing even harder!

Goodbye 2008...Hello 2009

Wow...it's the last day of 2008.

It's the end of a year...but it's really not the end. It's the end of writing 2008 yes, but it doesn't mean that life stops and that we don't continue. Last night I went back and reread a bunch of my posts from this year...its was mighty eventful for my family. We had a crazy year..and yet would easy be any better. So here is some of my thoughts looking forward to 2009

1. I want a deeper relationship with God. I have grown this year but I need to grow more. I so often fall into the poor me's and whine and complain. I want to look at my life the way God sees me and strive to be more holy.

2. I want to be a better wife to my husband. I honestly don't know how I am going to do this but it is a goal for next year. If you have any ideas on how to do this or a book that you found helpful(outside of the Bible, I'm doing a study on what Scripture says currently) I would love to know!

3. I want to be a better mom and train my children to love God, to be neater, to be accountable. I want to give lots of hugs and yell less. I want to make home a place that they love to be. I want to be less frustrated and more loving.

4. I want to be a better cook. I want to be able to make more foods that are yummy, nutricious and cost effective. I'm not gifted in this area and feel I have lots of room for improvement.

5. I want to be a better housekeeper. I want to not get lazy and be messy...very hard for me!

So those are my thoughts as we begin a new calendar year. I am thankful for all that God has done for me this year. I am thankful for all the lessons I have learned this year. I am thankful that I have a loving God who takes good care of me.

Thank you God

Last night I was very frustrated and discouraged. I had trouble sleeping and so instead of reading fiction like I sometimes do I turned to Scripture. I was wrestling with feeling low and unaffirmed and the following was so obvious.

I was looking in the wrong place for affirmation. I don't need the affirmation of the world. So last night I looked over the Psalm that our pastor is preaching over and I don't need to find my happiness in my family or my home. My happiness needs to be resting in God. He needs to be my focus. I need to remember that God loves me more than I can ever imagine and He will supply the things that I need. I don't need to be affirmed by my family, I don't need to affirm myself. I need to be content whether on a Mountaintop place or down in a valley. I need to be relying on the strength of God not my own Strength. I need to wait on the Lord and not think that things need to be the way I want them.

I need to seek the Lord and His plan for me. I need to trust in Him and acknowledge His ways. I need to make Him my focus first and then my family. I need to love my Husband and submit and let him lead our family(something I am not good at) because that is God's design for the family. Please pray for me as I work on being a good wife and mom that I would make Jesus and pleasing the Lord a bigger focus and let my family benefit from me being the person God wants me to be.

Dealing with Discouragement

Recently I have been struggling with my feelings regarding my family. On the one hand I am incredibly blessed to be the wife and mom of this great family. My children are thriving, my husband has a good job and provides for us well but at the same time I am frustrated and overwhelmed. Some days I feel like nothing more than a glorified maid and chef (and not a very good one at that) who lives in the house. I feel like I can't do anything right and when I get stuff done it's no big deal or just mom taking care of things. It's hard. I don't feel like I am being supported in what I am doing and it's draining.

My husband is a good guy but there are days when I feel like he is demanding so much more than I can deliver...he wants things fixed immediately and he wants things done his way. I understand his point of view but at the same time when you only see someone 3 days a week and they are discouraging and grumpy its hard. I haven't been responding the way that I need to either, I get very catty and frustrated easily. He thinks that his way is best but instead of working with me to get stuff done it's his way only that he thinks should be done. I simply do not think like him, things that work for him do not make sense to me. Plus, he thinks from the perspective of a singular individual and I think how would this work for 4 people. He cares nothing for the way things look--he is very male--but I need things to be more asethically pleasing. I am working on my attitude but it is so hard when I do the majority of everything in our lives. Since my schedule is different I end up bearing the weight of making phone calls, and getting stuff done.

I don't know why I am writing this...I am feeling discouraged and needing to get my thoughts down where I can read them at a later point. If you have any ideas on things that work when dealing with a stressful situation and making things work when you feel very low please leave me a note...

Christmas Snapshots

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

You be the Judge

Would you say that this is Fun or Noise...please leave your vote in the comments section.

A big Thank you to Dear Aunt Debbie for making our Christmas more full of joy and music.

Merry Christmas

From our little house in Missouri to wherever you may be...the Jonathan's wish you a very Merry Christmas...may we remember the true meaning of the Season and the Love that was shown on our behalf.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Cookie Baking...so yummy

Sunday night we made a batch of roll out sugar cookies. The kids did all the rolling out themselves. We had a fun night of playing together and being a family.

Janea is very careful!
Jaron makes a Christmas Tree

Frosting and Sugar make them extra yummy

Teamwork!

Janea had frosting on her face!

Christmas Break!!!

YEAH!!!!

Christmas Break is hear with it's much needed battery recharging time.

I am so thankful to be able to spend time with my family and enjoy Christmas with them!

The presents are almost all bought, we are making goodies to share, and just enjoying being a cozy family in our home.

To everyone who may read this...let me say....

Merry Christmas!!!!

Will we have school or not???

That is the question right now...there is icing possiblities here in the Kansas City area and I don't know if we will have school tomorrow or not. It's a little nerve wracking...

Feeling a little Guilty

This morning Dan walks in our room at 6:11 and wakes me up by asking what the number for the kids school is. I thought he meant the phone number and he meant the district number. I told him and he tells me the kids have a snow day today!

So I am home today with my kids, I lose a day of pay and I feel slightly guilty since I am leaving my coteacher on her own today. I am hoping that many kids stay home because it is still snowing today. However, I do feel it is important for me to be with my kids as they stay home today.

Oh Christmas Tree...how lovely are your branches

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas Tree this year!

Lots and Lots of Tape

Just a warning to anyone getting a present from us this year....the kids are doing a lot of the wrapping....all by themselves!~They are covered with tape! It's actually kinda cute...or it's a mom thing...I'm not sure!

Christmas Concert 2008

Tonight was the schools Christmas Concert...at my school. It went well, the students did a good job and showed off their hard work and boy am I tired from helping to corral them. It was a good night but I don't want another recital for some time!

Janea and Jaron got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa for the evening. Mom and Dad picked them up and they went out for pizza and then back to grandma's house to make cookie dough for us to bake on Saturday! They are getting to be good little bakers!

Busy weekend ahead and hopefully I can get together with a friend from my Bible College days and get my house just a little bit cleaner!

On a side note, I got more Christmas shopping done today....my sister now has a gift from us and I will get the other half of my dads gift this weekend! Almost done! HOORAY!

A Cold and Wintry Day!

So as if today wasn't busy to begin with it certainly was made more exciting by the 2+ inches of snow that fell here today!

My parents and I went to see Janea in her Christmas program at school today. She did a good job and so did the kids. It was definitely a 3rd grade performance but they did a good job! Well, when we got to the school it wasn't snowing or raining. When we left almost an hour later it was snowing and it was starting to stick! I then left to go to work and it took me longer as the roads were getting slicker and slicker. I had an uneventful afternoon and work and then the adventure began!

The kids school district cancelled all after school activities so they didn't have Good News Club and so they rode the bus home. Well, traffic was nuts, I couldn't go past 40 on any road and my 22 minute drive took about an hour. Just as I am getting close to home my phone rings and it's the bus driver. Praise God she kept my kids on the bus longer and then called me and was understanding that I got stuck in the nasty weather! I am so grateful for the people who help me take good care of my kids!

Janea's program was cancelled for this evening...so it's a good thing I went this morning since it looks like it will be resceduled for Monday night and I have my Christmas party for work. So we have to look at things to see if Janea can participate or not. I am glad to be home safe and sound and not needing to go anywhere else this evening.

2 pills for a buck

Both kids have bad colds and are not feeling 100% so I made them take Tylenol before they left for school this morning. Jaron did not want to take it...so I told him if he took the Tylenol I would pay him a dollar...so he took it...and I paid him a dollar...if this keeps up I'll be broke!

Busy Busy Busy

That's what our week looks like...and wouldn't you know it the kiddos aren't feeling too good!

*Tuesday we have Janea's school Christmas program...she is the understudy for a speaking part and so she will get to perform in the 10:00 performance at school. Grandma, Grandpa and I are all going to support her. Then in the evening she will perform with the chorus in the final performance! I'm excited to see the performance since she has been singing the songs for like a month! Between the school play and the upcoming kids program at church we are practicing like crazy!

*Wednesday night we have AWANA! I'll be a few leaders short but hopefully we will have enough leaders to cover the kids as they say sections. I'm not worried about Gametime too much.

*Thursday night the kiddos are going to Grandma's since my school is having their Christmas program and it's a piano and violin recital and I don't think that my children will be up for it so they get to visit the grandparents and I will go and support the kiddos in my class!

On the upside there are only 13 more days of school until Christmas break and then I will have some time off! YEAH! Plus we are going to grandmas to bake cookies and make other goodies this weekend!

On the homefront, I am trying to stay diligent and be a better steward of my time and finish jobs. I am making progress on the living room and kitchen but need to apply myself better in the dining room/office and our bedrooms. At least in the bedrooms I can shut the doors! All in all God is showing His Faithfulness to us by providing for our needs and helping us to get through everything that needs to be gotten through!

Sparkly Christmas Land

We took the kids out to Longview Lake last night! It was a lot of fun. Jaron enjoyed all the different displays of lights! He was giggling and carrying on in the back seat with his Sister.

They had such a good time! Here are some really not so great photos of the various displays. If you are in the area you should go and see the lights.. One tip from us to you if you go try to get there as close to 5:30 when they open so that you are in line for a shorter amount of time!

I didn't want too

Ever have one of those times when you don't want to do something and you whine and complain and throw an inner tantrum cuz what 30 something looks good throwing themselves on the floor and crying? I had one of those today. It was a tough day at school. The kids were crazy and cranky, I was tired and cranky, it was just a cranky day! So I get home from this what seems like extra long terrible day and wouldn't you know it I can't crawl in bed and watch TV and turn off the world like I want it's Wednesday and that means AWANA. And I don't wanna go! However this is my ministry and God wants me there and I need to be there since I am the director and the kids are important. So I rest for a while and then go...well I am now glad I did go. One of my kids needed me to be there to hug on her and love her and another boy had a rough night and needed me to be there and hug on him and love him...I didn't want to go but I did and I am glad for it!

We talked about being thankful and doing stuff even when we don't wanna. God loves us no matter what and Jesus died on the cross when He knew that it would be terrible and He didn't want to do it but He did and I need to be reminded of that when I don't want to do something little like wash dishes, or clean or stuff.. Sometimes we just need to do it! It's important!

And the Winner is....

Janea Jonathan!

Janea won the 3rd grade division of Hillcrest Elementary Schools Spelling Bee!

yeah!!!!!!!!

I'm one proud momma!

Day One of my December Challenge

My challenge is to complete what I need to in order to not put off things...here's a rundown on stuff...

1.Completed decorating our Christmas Tree...looks good...forgot camera will post picture later!

2. Ran dishwasher...after loading full sinkful!

3. Vacuummed the livingroom...my children are pigs...I vacuummed just 2 days ago...I hate vacumming!

4. I switched out the laundry! Still need to fold and put it away...hopefully will do this before bed....to complete my challenge!

Contemplating Goodness and Changes

Tomorrow starts a new month...December...one that will be extra full of special things and events. However, as I sit and think about it I am again aware that my focus may be in the wrong place. Our pastor preached on Stewardship this morning and I got to thinking today about being a proper steward of everything and that includes my time.

I am good at putting things off, if I don't feel like doing something I am really good at putting it on the back burner and then forgetting about it. Since I have gone back to work I have been failing at my mantra of keeping up with my housework. I use the excuse of being tired and then decide to do something else.

My goal for December is simple...don't put off what needs to be done regardless of how I am feeling. I don't want to get to the end of the month and feel like a failure. Instead I want to build momentum to start the new year on the right foot with a plan in place to make 2009 a really profitable year. The end of 2008 is approaching and I have been thinking about the past year and boy did God meet needs in extraordinary ways!

*We had a huge flood and our baby is still with us. God protected her and helped her to get out of a flooded basement without getting caught in anything harmful or being electrocuted...Thank you God for my daughter.

*We made the decision to put the kids in public school and I prayed fervently that they would be placed with good teachers. God has answered this prayer and I am pretty sure that Janea's teacher is a Christian. They both have teachers that fit them well and are helping them to learn and grow in their educations..Thank you God for answering prayers.

* I used my time when I wasn't working to focus on Sparks and Awana and it has made such a difference. I am prepared and ready each Wednesday night and I have been blessed with good leaders who are committed to doing a good job and honoring God! Thank you God for great Sparks leaders!

* We moved to a place where we can again be our family of four. It's a good place to be, we are more focused on spending quality time together enjoying each other's company and having fun! It's been sweet! Thank you God for my wonderful family!

Family Fun???? I think not!

Jaron woke up on Thursday morning throwing up and having bad intestinal issues. Janea started getting sick around 2:30 Friday afternoon...I got home from shopping cleaned up my living room started putting up our Christmas tree when I was hit with it...I started throwing up last night around 7:30....then Dan got it around 11:00 last night....oh my word, it's been bad and it appears that life is returning to normal...the kids feel better, Dan and I are on the mend and so I think that the storm has passed....not my idea of a great Thanksgiving but that is okay!

Black Friday...bring on some good deals!

Well, we braved the crowds and got a few good deals and had a good time together! YEAH!

My mom, my sister Wendy and I went shopping early this morning. We left later than the early morning crowds since we didn't need absolute door busters...my dad had left earlier to get some stuff that he wanted to pick up but we were still out the door before 7am. We started at Kohls where I picked up Dan's big gift from me and Wendy got my dad's gift and my mom got some stuff for her sister. We also got a gift for Janea and some stuff for ourselves. Then we went to Michaels where Wendy was looking for frames for a painting she has been commissioned to paint. I got Janea and my co-teacher a gift too. After that we went to Gordmans where I got a new purse for Fall and winter and Wendy picked up a present for Jaron. We then were kinda tired so we went to Mc Donalds for a late breakfast and met up with my Dad before we went to Hobby Lobby and Mardel. My folks stayed together to do more shopping and then I went home with Wendy to make sure the kiddos were okay since they were staying home with Daddy this morning. All in all a productive day of good deals and fun! Tonight we will hang out more with Aunt Wendy since my Mom and Dad are going to a wedding tonight!

A new Scrapbook!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Look what we made!

Yummy! Right out of the oven!

Mom and the kiddos!

The kiddos and Grandma make some yummy apple pies!

The pumpkin pie made by Grandma and Jaron

The pumpkin pie made by Janea and Grandma



We had a lot of fun making apple and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving! I love hanging out with my kids and my mom! It was a super fun yummy day!

WHOO--HOOO!!!!!

5 days off! Hip Hip Hooray! A 5 day stretch to recharge my batteries, eat tons of food, do a little bit of shopping and just relax! YEE HAW!!!

I think I am a little bit excited!

Thanks Mom!

Do you know what to do when you buy pants that fit everywhere except the waist? You call your mom and have her help you take them in!

Janea is a hard fit in pants, her waist often doesn't fit the pant and they will fit everywhere else. Well I found cute pants for $5.00 a pair and I couldn't pass them up but they were 2 inches to big in the waist. So I called my momma and she put extra elastic in the back of the 3 pairs and now they stay up and they still look good! I am so Thankful that my momma knows how to tailor clothes, that way I get a good deal and Janea benefits too!

Kids say the Darndest...part 3

Yesterday at school one of our students was asking why we have to learn Phonics. My co teacher explained that we study Phonics to help us learn to read, and know how to spell things...well on his way back to his seat he replied..."well turtles have shells!"

Today another child was not sleeping during naptime and we play a naptime CD that plays Kum ba Yah...and all of a sudden this child starts singing...Kum bi yi....on Lord...Kum bi yee! We just burst out laughing!

Also, I think one of our parents may hate me because I sang the song...Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a peanut just now, just now I found a peanut, found a peanut just now...well one of the boys is running around singing...found a peanut, found a peanut, peanut, peanut, peanut...over and over. Oops...

All Peaches and Roses...

I always say life can't be all "peaches and Roses" but so far this has been a good week.!

Issues at school are being worked out and solutions are being made...and I may end up with my own classroom...so I can really do things my way(evil laugh inserted here)!

I am by no means a full time domestic but I am doing a good job of making some yumminess to enjoy in the cold weather.

The kids are doing good and enjoying life and being pretty good so life is good again. It's getting closer to Thanksgiving and here are the big things I am thankful for.

My Fabulous Family

Our little house that we fit in nicely

My job

My class and the kiddos

My church who has been so supportive this year.

So it's all good....I like that

A different sort of day

I got to sub in the kindergarten class today! It was a nice change and the kids were extra cooperative in the morning and then they slowly got more chatty since it was Friday!

Dan had an adventure too today...I got a call from my kids school during lunch today...Jaron had soiled his pants! So I had to call over and over to wake Dan up since that is the middle of his night and then he had to quickly go and pick Jaron up from school. They got to do a project together and hang out till Janea got home!

We had a nice yummy dinner or turkey, stuffing and cranberries...prelude to the beginning of Thanksgiving! It's been a good day

When you really wish it's Friday

Today was a day that I wish had been a Friday so I wouldn't have to be at school tomorrow. It was a super long day!

We have a student whose mom is in the hospital today to have a baby and so he was worried about Mommy all day and needing lots of extra attention. That's hard on teachers, the kids, and the student. I was glad when he got picked up earlier and got to spend some extra time with a family member. I've been praying for an easy delivery and easy transition for the whole family. We are having a big brother party tomorrow at school to celebrate!

One of my students broke out in hives today....all over his stomach, back and face. He just wasn't feeling good and really didn't have a good day because of the way that he was feeling. He was itchy and hurting and that makes me feel extra sad for him.

My co teacher and I work long days and work hard at getting everything done with little planning time or time without our students. Well today, another teacher was being rather selfish and took advantage of a situation so she had plenty of planning time and we had an extra 5 kids in our class. She has also spent a large portion of the week complaining about the changes in schedule and how they stress her out and that the situations are unfair and frankly we are tired of it. It's sometimes hard to work with people who only think about themselves. It's even harder when you are teaching the same grade and her child is in your class and her child tends to cause trouble because he knows there are no real consequences. I've been the staff kid and I have had staff kids and they can either make or break a year. Right now we are approaching the breaking point of needing to speak with the boss about the lack of consideration that she shows to others. It's hard to be Christlike and loving when you want to slap her silly!

Sorry to rant, but I am tired and needing to get things out. Please pray that I will check my bad attitude at the door and treat the person who is treating me the way I don't want to be treated in a loving and Christlike way!

I'm going to have a good day

I decided that no matter what happened to me today at school, at home or at church I was going to have a good day even if it killed me!

Well, today had its ups and downs but I do feel like it was more ups than downs!

So all in all a good day

Kids Say the Darndest Things...part 2

Today we were playing Duck Duck Goose with our class, now I think Duck Duck Goose is boring so I always switch up what we say it makes it more fun! Well today we were playing chicken chicken Rooster! Here's a little of what I heard

Chicken, chicken, chicken....goose!

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken, Duck?

and the funniest, I laughed so hard

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken.....egg!

I think we needs some more practice!

Also we were going to the gym today and we had to go through a hallway we don't usually use since they were in the process of setting up what looks like a 100 Christmas trees in the lobby of the building, and we passed the choir suite where they had some rather pretty praise and worship music playing( Our school is located in a church building). One of the little boys made the following comment:

"that is the most wonderful music, it is the most wonderful music I ever heard"

Not what you usually here from a 4 year old!

My new favorite song

This morning in church I got the opportunity to minister through special music. I sang my Favorite Thanksgiving Hymm with the totally awesome soundtrack from Barlow Girl. Really reminded me that I have to be thankful and give God all the glory for the things He has done for me.

"For the Beauty of the Earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth,
over and around us lies...

Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of Grateful Praise
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of Grateful Praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on Earth and friends above,
Through all gentle thoughts and mild

Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of Grateful Praise
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of Grateful Praise

For thy church which evermore
Lifteth Holy hands above
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of Love

Lord of all to Thee we raise
This our hymn of Grateful Praise
Lord of all to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of Grateful Praise!

It's Time...

to run the dishwasher--we're out of clean dishes...in 2 days...how does that happen?

to go grocery shopping...we're out of a lot of things.

to do laundry....we're running out of clean clothes....especially socks and underwear...I guess I didn't find all the dirty stuff last week!

to change the sheets on the beds---haven't done that for at least 2 weeks and its needed!

to remember that life moves even when I would rather have stayed in bed!

Darn Near Friday

I wish this week was over! It's been a long.....long.....long....long....long...week!

I am ready for the weekend! I want to sleep in....past 7:30! I want to not have to get dressed if I don't want too! I want to see my husband for longer than just a few minutes or when he crawls in bed at 4:30-5:00! I want to enjoy longer periods of time with my kiddos...and get to do something fun...even it's just reading a book that's not for homework!

Tonight I have to get a jump on house cleaning...I think my house is in need to a thourough cleaning...I need to become Superwoman and get it done!

Thank you God..

I was driving to work this morning listening to talk radio and the election recaps and all that and I was getting really angry about Obama winning. I don't like the man, I don't like his policies and I really didn't want him to become President, that is my opinion if yours is different that is fine. So I was talking to God and praying about my attitude and asking why he would let this happen. Then I saw it! There was a beautiful rainbow in the sky right in the direction I was driving. I watched the rainbow for 10 minutes and it really reminded me that God is in control of everything, He loves us, wants us to love Him and has promised that He will not destroy the earth by flood again and yet He hasn't promised us that life will be all peaches and roses. I won't always to get to have things my way, the world does not revolve around me! So Thank you God for the beauty of Rainbows and the way you always keep your Promises!

Election Aftermath

It's not the happiest day in America for me. I'm not happy with the number of people who support a more liberal agenda that are now in control of the White House, and Congress and the Senate. On the other hand my trust is not in the politics of this world. Its firmly in the hand of my God and won't let go or let me down. So join me in praying for our leadership for the next four years and maybe God has something bigger planned than I can see right now. I voted, did what I could but God has other plans and that is okay with me. Thank you God for being in control!

I Voted!!!

I got up extra early this morning to be at my polling place at 6am. The line was around the building...but I perserved and 40 minutes later I was done....so it's all good. I am thankful that I get to influence my country with my vote and I am praying for God's Will in the election...not to say that if my candidate doesn't win that I won't be scared or dissappointed but I know that my life is in God's hands and so I am secure! So did you vote today?

On a sidenote...I even look patriotic in my red skirt, white shirt, and blue jean jacket!

Content

I am content...I am happy...I am thankful for where God has put us and for the people who share my life...I was reminded today about how God wants us to treasure Him and be content with where he has placed you....and I think that is true of me!