love to paint

I have to admit I hate losing things! I have so many things to keep track of and I try so hard! But, still it happens. I can't find my science book for this week for the girls and I'm a bit frustrated. I saw it yesterday, but now I can't seem to find it. I'm going to pray that God will help me find it soon =) I realize that this is only the beginning. With three kids underfoot, I'm sure we will all be losing things often and I'd be much better off not taking it all so seriously and stressing about it.

A good friend of mine emailed this to me in my struggles with my shortcomings and I wanted to share it because it was so well put and very encouraging to me... "We need to look at our shortcomings, but remember that we can't stop there. We need to remember not just that our sin drove Christ to the cross, but that HIS LOVE for us drove Him there as well, and, most importantly, His love for His own glory. He died that HE may be glorified, right? So that HE could stay completely just and completely merciful, and we would have a way to come into His presence in order to lift HIM on high. SO - it GLORIFIES the Father to be merciful to you, not simply because He loves you, but because displays of His mercy help us understand a new dimension of His greatness. It GLORIFIES the Father to provide you with strength, and patience, and high-end childrens clothing for 25 cents. Because every good thing you do or is done to you during the day is God's, in that they are manifestations of ...

Okay, so I like that show. It encourages me to keep working out and it's fun to see people achieve their goals. So, on Saturday, I found the Biggest Loser workout DVD at a garage sale for $.50. I thought I'd buy it and pass it on, because usually I can't do a lot of workouts that other people can because of my knees. I stick to the older Leslie Sansone videos. I can't even do her new ones because they involve too much twisting on my knees. Anyways, I did the first low impact cardio workout today--and I liked it! It was fun to do something different and I think it was really good for me to do a longer stretch and cool down stretch than I usually do. Tomorrow I'll find out how my knees did with it =) I'm looking forward to trying the other workouts on the DVD!

Generally in our house, we stay away from electronic toys, but I was curious--like the cat. =) And like the cat, I've suffered the same fate =) Leap Pads. Before I begin, are there any tricks that make them easier to use? Please let me know. I've seen the leap pad toy around for a long time. We have the fridge magnets, which we love, and the letter factory/word factory videos (which are wonderful!), but the leap pad seems like a really poorly designed toy. The pages have to sit exactly so, so that the pad will pick up the right page to give the right words. That's a little tricky for a 2-4 year old and even for many 5 year olds! I am thankful. I have to be honest. I actually bought it at a garage sale, because I was curious about it. I paid $3 and it came with 4 books. The one I bought is in very good shape--I don't buy toys that aren't. I know that this toy is going to seriously frustrate my girls. As a side note, I tried to go online and give feedback...

back on track...I have to get back on track with exercising. Not because of the weight from pregnancy, but because it's the best thing for me. Post Partum Depression is a very real thing. My hormones really do unsettle me during the first year after my children have each been born. But, I know exercise can and hopefully really will help me =) so I'm making it a priority again! My goal is to get up with Chris, get him out the door, and then exercise. But, now I need to get to my chores!

I am tired, but God is so gracious. This week we found out on Monday that we needed a new chimney. It was put in today. Normally, I get stressed about all phone calls and follow up and the cost involved with home repairs that we can't do ourselves. But, this time, I have been pretty calm. I realized that the holes that rusted through had probably been there a while and although we needed to get it fixed asap, it wasn't going to be the end of the world if it took a week or two. It did make things a little harried at times trying to juggle phone calls and workmen visits with homeschooling and the rest of life, but it's done now! But, there's another reason it seems minor this week. I have several friends who have major health issues going on in their lives and other big things to tackle--things that are much bigger than my little chimney. One of them is a friend of my Chris', Keith. Please pray for him. He took a 40 ft fall in California while hiking 10 day...

Last night, we had a first. Our first date without Eli. He's 4 1/2 months old and my friend who babysits for us took care of him. We went to dinner by ourselves and then came back and fed him. Then we went out for coffee and came back. We were gone about 2 1/2 hours total. It was strange and good for us to be by ourselves. I didn't have to worry about him waking up or being fussy. Chris said he felt younger and that was good for him--not to feel so old. The odd part was when we came home Eli didn't "need" me the way Sami used to. Sami was so clingy. We didn't go on a date for the first 12 months of her life because she was so attached and we didn't have anyone she would stay with (in addition to nursing every 2 1/2 hours until she was 12 months old--that made things a little more complicated). So, it feels very different this time. Part of me wants to be needed again that way and another part of me is very, very thankful that I can let him go.