Days 11, 12, 13, 14

I am really bad at blogging everyday. 

But this blog post has such big news that it doesn't matter that I haven't blogged for several days. 

We had big news to share this weekend. We found out at our Gender Reveal party that our little peanut that is due Feb 7, 2013, is going to be a GIRL!!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

Day 10

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:3-5

Tomorrow is Saturday. October 13, 2012. I have been patiently waiting for this day since Sept. 25. Tomorrow is our Baby Gender Reveal Party; we will find out if our little "peanut" is a boy or a girl. Boy or girl this baby is coming into a family that will love them unconditionally. A family that will always be there to nurture, teach, guide, discipline and love.

I feel truly blessed to have 3 wonderful boys and have another baby on the way. I have been given much more than I have ever deserved. As I sit and type this, I can feel the baby move; kick or flip. Sometimes I'm convinced that there must be 2 in there because it feels like a wrestling match. ( trust me, there's only 1! But how jaw dropping would it be to have pink and blue balloons float out of the box tomorrow)

Day 9

Since the beginning of the month I have made a point to read my bible and a daily devotion every morning before getting out of bed to start my day. I feel like my daily schedule is more calm and we seem to get more things accomplished with less tears and yelling. 

I have a bible app on my phone that has several different devotions plus a daily bible verse. The devotion that I am reading right now is about attitude. This has been on my heart and I am specifically praying for Patrick and myself. The last few days I have noticed a small change in his attitude, or lack of. I am trying to talk him through it rather than fuel it with my own negative thoughts and comments.

Day 8

They say attitude is everything. The attitude you have can certainly change any situation that you are in. Having a bad attitude all the time makes life very unhappy. But why do people have such bad attitudes all the time? Or how can their attitude change at the drop of a hat?
Patrick has an attitude that changes without any notice. I don't think he even knows why sometimes. Is it because he is a middle child? Is he having some resentment against His brothers? The new baby?
My prayer is to have God's wisdom in these situations. For his words to be said that they may reach Patrick and we can understand why he acts this way. For his patience so that I may not have an attitude or short temper when confronting Patrick.

Day 6 & Day 7

Ok so blogging everyday for 30 days is just not going to happen. This past weekend was so busy and this pregnant momma was TIRED!! So tired that I went to bed at 8:45 on Saturday.

The devotion I read this morning was 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

As I spend this month renewing my spirit, I am also going to be renewing my body. There's not a lot that I can do since I am pregnant, but I can make sure that I continue to eat healthy and drink lots of water. I would like to try to add some daily exercise to my schedule. Taking time to rest for a few minutes during Phillip's nap does seem to refresh my energy for the afternoon. I will still try to do that everyday.

Day 5

Have you ever had a day where your children drove you crazy all day? I'm mean, they had their moments of not listening but other than that they were just loud and sorta obnoxious. Today was that kind of day, but I choose to count my blessings in the midst of the craziness.

1. All my children are healthy
2. I am blessed to be a stay at home mom.
3. I have a wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for us.
4. Feeling our "little peanut" kick and flip
5. My children have active imaginations as they run thru the house dodging the bad guys and bombs.
6. That I am the "safety" from the bombs and bad guys for Phillip.
7. I have wonderful parents who can help when I need it.
8. Our refrigerator and pantry are full of food.
9. Mount Laundry appears every Friday in my hallway.

Day 4

This is a reminder that I need when I am am out all day and tired at night, but the house is an utter mess! 

I did have my quiet time this morning before I got out of bed. Trying to avoid technology is hard when I have a bible app on my phone that has devotionals. At least I had my quiet time before I checked my e-mail, Facebook, or looked at Pinterest. Small steps.....

Day 3

It's amazing to hear the voice of God when you sit quietly and listen. Tonight while I was participating in the prayer gathering at my church, my pastors lead us through a time of quiet individual prayer and reflection; leading us to search our hearts and confess our sins to God, to ask God to use us where we are in our lives, and to ask him to help us in an area where we are struggling.

The biggest area where I am struggling is in my daily walk with God. I forget to stop and have my quiet time. Technology has a way of stealing quiet moments of my day: Facebook, Pinterest, my e-mail, or even watching a movie or just having the TV on for background noise. I am really hoping over the next month, I can unplug from technology and plug back into scriptures. My plan for this is to set a timer and check my e-mail and Facebook after breakfast, when Phillip takes a nap and then again before I go to bed. I need to not have my phone with me while the boys are doing schoolwork.  Technology also has a way of stealing the moments that I can spend with my boys. I need to take advantage of the time I have with them at home. 

God also spoke to my heart that I am doing my best when it comes to being a wife and mother. There are times when I feel like I am failing at both. Several times a week it looks like a tornado has hit the inside of my house: the laundry is a mile high or fills the hallway floor to where you cant help but step on it. The dishes are piled in the sink, on the counter or left in other rooms of the house. Some evenings I even forget to have dinner for Steven when he gets home.  Homeschooling is like a roller coaster, we have our good days and bad no so good days. There are times when I lose my cool and yell at my kids for something that is very 

trivial. 

Day 2 The right timing

It is sometimes very hard in my busy day to find quiet time for myself. I usually go to be between 9-10 and typically wake up between 6-8. Usually the boys are awake by the time I get up, which is no big deal since Steven is awake and not yet ready for bed. He has been working from 6pm til early in the morning.  He goes to bed shortly after I wake up.

Today was a day! I was about ready to throw in the towel with our homeschool work. The boys were just being difficult with each task that had to be done. I was able to sit for a moment afternoon to fold towels so I put on Pandora. Draw Me Close started to play. I sat there, closed my eyes and just listened to the lyrics and prayed them.

Draw Me Close

Draw me close to you,
never let me go
I lay it all down again
to hear you say that I'm your friend.
You are my desire.
 No one else will do
'cause no one else can take you place
To feel the warmth of your embrace.
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you

You're all I want
You're all I ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know you are near.

31 day challenge....

It's the first of October and I've seen this challenge on several blogs and thought that I would give it my best shot. The idea is to blog every day for one month about one topic. Huh? What to talk about for 31 days. That's a long time! And it's an even bigger challenge to blog everyday with the busy schedule that I have. But like I said, I'll give it my best shot.

So, what's my topic? Well, this past Sunday my pastor spoke about how do you know you are a Christian?. I am a Christian. I believe with my whole heart that I'm a sinner and that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and rose three days later and ascended into heaven. I made that decision in Aug. 1999. So I know that I'm going to heaven one day. But what he said about really spoke to my heart.

My pastor made several points in his sermon from 1John 2:3-17. 1. A Christian possesses an obeying faith.  2. A christian possesses a loving faith. 3. A Christian possesses a growing faith.
A growing faith? That's the point that hit me the most. I don't feel like I have been growing as a Christian. I know that God is there, but there are times when I don't feel Him. He hasn't moved but I have.  But what is a growing faith?  A growing faith desires to read the Bible; applies the Bible to their life; and hungers more and more for truth from Scriptures. (thanks Pastor Craig for message on Sunday, I really needed to hear it!!)

My hope for the next 30 days is to grow closer to God, to sit and listen for his voice of wisdom and to be a better Christian model to my family in the process.