Thursday, October 23, 2008

Elijah Scott Marvin is two!

My baby turned two on Sunday and my husband turned 39. I love that they share a birthday...it is very sweet to me. I feel blessed to have birthed my youngest son on his daddy's birthday. It was a beautiful sunny day for the party. A perfect fall day with sunny skies and 60 degree weather. We couldn't have asked for a better day.






Me with the big birthday boy.







Eli had a Nemo (Memo, as he calls it) cake. He calls every fish Memo right now.













We had our first balloon release. The kids (and some adults) wrote messages and attached them to their balloons.






The cousins played in the trucks and pretended to be long haul truckers. As Travis said when he was at the wheel..."I got this".
and fun was had by all...

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Frustration...

Here is my little Eli. He gets frustrated easily...just like his mom. He has a short fuse and he wants what he wants, when he wants it-and how he wants it. I see myself in him daily. I can sympathize with him, because if I have so little patience and self control at 32...what must a child feel like when they are not even two? His behavior frequently reminds me of how I act so often and what the areas in my life are that need improvement. Often I think about myself being God's child and how frustrating I must be for him at times (many, many times!). That's when I thank him for his patience, unconditional love and endless grace. Oh, that I can be more like my savior and show my boys (and husband, family & friends-everyone that I meet) a glimpse of who He is, through me.




Thursday, October 9, 2008

We need to "communicate" mom!


It was a typical drive in to town last week, when my five year old decides that he needs to school me on how to communicate. I guess this is what happens when our little ones start school. They know everything all of a sudden-and so much more than mom!
Well he tells me that we need to communicate more. And "mom, do you know what communicate means?". "Yes, I do", I say. Well, I guess he didn't hear me, because he starts to tell me that communicating is when you talk to each other and tell your feelings. Then he proceeds to tell me that we need to work with his two year old brother more so that he can communicate. Because we don't know what he wants (because he has a very small vocabulary that is comprised of "NO!" 90% of the time!).
Oh, these precious moments. When we get to watch our children learn, express their feelings and become little smart people. His Nena (grandma) always says that he is gifted!:)

An inspirational blog


So I recently had the opportunity to visit the most inspirational blog and it has truly changed my life.


When I was on Rhonda Jean's blog http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ the other day she posted about Stephanie (nie nie) Nielson's blog http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ . Stephanie and her husband Christian were recently in a tragic plane crash. She was burned on 80% of her body, Christian was burned on 30% of his body and their flight instructor friend was killed in the crash.


After reading her blog (every post from the last three years) in a matter of days, I was so inspired by her. The adoration that she has for her husband, children and family. She is full of faith, spunk, creativity and humor. I find her to be an amazing inspiration and her life has challenged me to be a better mom, wife, sister, daughter and friend.


So I have added the button for her blog, to my blog. Please check it out and be inspired!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Reducing stress...what do you do?

I am curious as to what other people do to reduce stress. In the past, I have tried deep breathing, taking a bath, being quiet, reading the Bible and watching a funny movie. What have you done to reduce stress? Please share!:)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Clothes washing & drying

Doing laundry is something that I enjoy. Okay, I know, to many that may sound very strange. But there is something about clean clothes. The freshness of them...how clean they smell coming out of the wash and how crisp they are coming off of the line.

My laundry room is adequate, my line outside is perfect for one load, my detergent is homemade by another mama and my dryer works if I want to use it. What more could a girl want?! My favorite time to hang clothes is in the morning, when the dew is still on the ground. I talk to God as I hang them and feel a peace about life. I feel so blessed.

During the warm months I try to use my outside line a lot. I like how the clothes smell, it uses less energy and the sun bleaches my whites for me. My husband doesn't appreciate crunchy jeans or towels...but he lets me dry as I please. Some days I do use the dryer. Sometimes it is just out of plain laziness...other times I don't plan ahead for the needed drying time.

If anyone is interested, you can make your own homemade laundry detergent. It is very simple. I plan to make my own when my current stash is gone. The recipe is as follows (This is from a mama on Diaperswappers)...

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1 bar Kirks Castile Soap

Slice soap into strips and run through food processor to make "soap beads".
Combine soap beads, borax, and washing soda. Done!
Use 1 tablespoon for small loads, 2 tablespoons for large loads. Twice as much for soiled clothes, half as much for HE washers.

This should save you money and doesn't have all of the ingredients that commercial brands do.

Happy laundering!:)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Finding contentment at home

I am trying to find contentment at home. I love our home. I say home, instead of house, because our home is a home. It is so much more than a house. Our house could use some updating and isn't everything that I would like it to be...but we have made it a home. I feel completely relaxed when I am home. I like finding things to do, taking walks with my boys, spending time with my husband at night while the boys are sleeping, sewing, and sometimes just sitting in the quiet.

But there are days when being at home with a five and almost two year old feels suffocating. I find that I want to leave to keep my sanity. Why is that? I feel like a trapped monkey at times. I guess running around seems easier at the time. Then we get out to run errands, go to the park, etc. and I think..."what was I thinking?". This is not easier! We end up eating out, I end up frustrated, the little one doesn't get a nap, and I don't even like driving. What was I thinking?

This realization has given me the opportunity to try and find contentment at home. Yes, sometimes that means letting them watch television midday (we usually do not have the tv on during the day), or it means me having a nap when they do. Staying home is so much easier and saves so many resources (gas, money, energy-to name a few). It just doesn't seem as fun at the time that I am searching for an escape.

So what do you do to find contentment at home? What are your ideas for bringing relaxation in to the sometimes hectic days? Thanks for sharing!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

How are you a good steward?

We can all learn from each other. So let's put our ideas together! I am curious how you practice good stewardship. Your tips, ideas and comments are so appreciated. Hearing what others do to be frugal, recycle, reuse, reduce and save money is of great interest to me. So share away...

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Motherhood

Just a note of what I find to be amazing about being a mother.
  • the words "ma, ma"
  • "love you, see you in a little bit, will you come check on me?" said by my five year old (every night) at bedtime
  • watching my boys hug on each other and walking together holding hands
  • my 20 month old hugging my five year old when the older one gets hurt and cries
  • the bond that breastfeeding a baby creates
  • my oldest when he sucked his thumb and had to have his favorite blankie (at five he still wants his blankie at times)
  • my youngest walking around looking for his bunny (he calls for him saying "munny, munny"
  • ornery grins while in time out
  • making me laugh when I am desperately trying to discipline ( I so did this to my mom!)
  • praying with them when we hear an ambulance/fire truck/police car (my mom did this with us)
  • my oldest asking Jesus in to his heart at three
  • my oldest telling me that I am pretty or that my outfit looks beautiful
  • wearing my baby in my sling...and watching him fall asleep
  • getting kisses, hugs and giving back rides
  • watching my oldest learn to ride without training wheels
  • listening to my oldest thank the Lord for the animals and all creation (his words)
  • watching the boys light up when they see their grandparents (and knowing that we are so blessed to have such wonderful parents)
  • watching them clap their hands and sing songs
  • having my five year old tell me that he never wants be a husband or have any "junky kids"
  • watching them interact with other children
Oh, I could go on and on. They are such blessings. Some days I think I am going to lose my mind. Most days I have to remind myself that I am the adult and that I will not let a five and almost two year old control my emotions. They are amazing little boys and I am so glad that they are ours. Motherhood is a huge responsiibility...but I am glad that I was given the opportunity.

I would love to hear your thoughts, tips, stories or struggles with motherhood or parenting. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Call to action

The Community Blood Center in Dayton has a major shortage of blood right now, with only a one day supply...pretty scary! If you are healthy and able to donate, please help. It is really no big deal, only take about 20-30 min. total (all of the questions are computerized now) and you get free cookies! You can make an appointment here https://www.givingbloodnow.org/.

One more call to action. Please consider signing the American Solution's petition to ask the U.S. congress to act immediately to lower gasoline prices. You can sign the petition here http://www.americansolutions.com. Please take a few seconds to fill in your information and to pass it on to others.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!

The Art of Non-Conformity

This week I came across a really inspiring man who shares a lot of wisdom on his blog called ChrisGuillebaeu.com which you can find here...http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/. Yesterday he added to his blog a manifesto called A Brief Guide to World Domination which you can read here http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/files/2008/06/worlddomination.pdf. Wow, he had my mind spinning last night about how I can be remarkable, what my purpose is, what I can offer the world that no one else can and what my perfect day would look like.

I came across Chris Guillebeau when I was at Leo's blog Zen Habits, which you can find here http://zenhabits.net/. He posts so many wonderful ideas on simple living. These two men offer so many intersting topis and tips for adding peace, simplicity and meaning to your life. Check them out! Then let me know how they have inspired you.

Peace...

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Saving on gas....wish I could bike!

So we live in the country and are two miles from the closest town. Plus I have a five and an almost two year old boy. I so wish we lived in a village/city where we could walk/bike to the grocery store, library, credit union and park. That is my dream. To live on acreage in Yellow Springs. That would be the life!

I have been really working hard to minimize our trips to the city to cut down on my gas fill ups. I am still spending over $250 a month on gas...what a waste! It is times like these when I feel like being in the country can make life more difficult, than simple (as we so often think of country life).
Any ideas on what you do to use less gas and save on making trips for the daily chores/errands, etc.? I would love to hear your ideas and what has saved you time and money.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Websiteology

So today I took a seminar called "Websiteology" (you can find more info on the class here http://www.websitetology.com) given by a local advertising agency to help in understanding the online web more and how to use it to grow my business. I am so excited to implement everything that I learned today. I already opened a gmail account (as I plan to phase out my Yahoo account) and switched to Firefox instead of Internet Explorer (except for when I need to use the MLS for real estate) for my browser. I also registered at LinkedIn to hopefully meet up with others in the real estate field. Have any of you used any of these sites? Any stories to share?