month of {gratitude} day 9, 10, & 11

Yesterday my parents watched the kiddos so the hubs and I could have some date time before he goes out of town for a conference for a week. The day did not go as planned! On the way to my parents we realized we had an almost flat tire. So, after dropping off the kiddos we headed to Wal-Mart and found out we had to have the tire replaced. So, we wandered around Wal-Mart and chatted and had a nice time anyway. As soon as they were done we were starving and wanted to have lunch so we decided to head to O'Fallon to get some lunch. When we were almost to the restaurant we realized there was a really loud noise coming from our car. We pulled over and realized our brand new tire was completely flat!! It had been punctured! So, we had to put on the spare and drive to another Wal-Mart to have the tire replaced. Of course since it was a puncture and not their fault we had to pay for a second BRAND NEW TIRE! Two new tires... for the same spot! And then this Wal-Mart was busy and understaffed so it took a looooong time to get the new tire.

I am not going to lie... I was cranky! This was NOT how I intended to spend my relaxing date day with my husband. But, Nick kept a good attitude and tried to make our Wal-Mart time fun. He is just amazing. He also reminded me that because of some other circumstances recently we had the money easily to replace the tires when normally that would be a big strain on our budget!

We ended our date with a quick lunch (at almost 3 o'clock) before we had to go pick up the kids... But, oh my goodness, I am so thankful for my amazing husband. He makes the worst circumstances fun and has such a great attitude. So today, I am so thankful for him!

I wrote a little about our marriage a few weeks back but today I must just share how grateful I am for my husband!

My husband is an amazing father and husband. And one of the things I love most about him is his heart towards being a husband and father. He really struggled (and he will be the first to admit it) in his role as a husband and father at first. I think he just didn't really know what it looked like practically to be a loving and Godly husband and father. But, one of the things I love most about my husband is that he has always been so willing to learn and to try. He read books, asked questions, watched other families, and has just thrown himself into being an amazing dad and husband. I feel like God has worked in huge ways in my husband's life and he is a different man today than the one I married (and I really liked him when we got married! But, he is even more awesome today).

My husband loves our family so much. He loves each of us sacrificially and gives so much to us. He works hard at his job to provide for us and is always thinking about our future and our family when it comes to his job. I love his dedication to raising up Godly children for the Lord. He encourages me so much in homeschooling and is great at thinking long range for our family when I can only see the short term. After a long day at work he comes home and gives our family 110% until his head hits the pillow. He encourages me to take time away when I need a break and never makes me feel guilty for not getting everything done around the house... but instead is always asking what he can do to help.

God truly blessed me when he gave me Nick as my husband. I am thankful everyday for him. But, today, I can't help but feel overwhelmed.

Fieldtrippin' Homeschool Style

Yesterday we got to go on a fun field trip with our homeschool group to the Daniel Boone Homestead in Definance, MO. I, being the great mom that I am, forgot my camera. So, my sweet friend Crystal was nice enough to share a few pics with me. The kiddos had a great time. I was a little nervous because the field trip was right during Jack's nap time... but overall he did great!

The kids got to make candles, play some frontier games that the kiddos used to play, learn about woodworking (and try out the saw!), and learn about gun powder. So thankful for a fun day of learning with fun homeschool friends!

month of {gratitude} day 8

I am so thankful for the friends that God has put in my life during this season. I am so blessed to have so many like minded women who I get to share life with. Friendships can be hard as an adult but God has really been gracious to me in this area. I am especially thankful right now for some fellow homeschooling mamas who help me feel a little less crazy... and are willing to drink lots of cups of coffee and pour over the scriptures with me in order for us all to stay sane!

month of {gratitude} day 7

I have to say it, last night was very disappointing. I was really hoping that Romney would win the election. Like really. But, today, I wake up still {grateful}. Not necessarily for our government... but for the one who holds it in the palm of His hand. Things might not go the way I want them to in the next four years (or ever) and our country could face some serious problems. But, my hope wasn't in our country and government before and it isn't now. My hope is in Jesus. Everything of this world will fade away, weather it is good or bad. At the end of it all I know that I will still spend a glorious eternity with Christ which was not affected one iota by last night's election.

When I think about the Bible, I think of all that was done under unjust and unfair governments and recognize that God works through bad governments. He always has and he will continue to. We can still sleep at night knowing that God is sovereign over all things and he will not leave or forsake those who love Him and put their hope in Him. He is our King and our Priest and he is the only one that is good.

Our mission as Christians has not changed and for that I am also grateful. And my prayer for all of us who follow Christ today is from 1 Timothy:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

Election Day 2012

We just got back from a fun family morning. The hubs decided to make voting a family affair (um, can we say, awesome homeschool dad?).

It started off with breakfast of course. We tried a place in Wentzville we hadn't tried before, The Sunny Street Cafe. I give it 2 huge thumbs up! I had this amazing french toast with a crispy topping (made up of brown sugar, coconut, and granola... a heavenly trifecta if I have ever tasted one). And the kiddos got to have dinosaur pancakes. Nick had the most amazing pumpkin pancakes... um yeah... we will be repeat customers for sure!

Then we headed off to vote. It was fun talking to the kiddos about voting and what it means and we compared it to all of the bad kings we read about in the Bible, but those people had no choice who their leader was. The kiddos thought it was pretty cool. Max said he still thinks he would rather be a super hero when he grows up than president. Good call, buddy!

It was a super fun family morning that I am so thankful to have! I will be praying for our nation all day and will no doubt be up late watching the results. If you haven't yet, please get out and vote today! And remember and pray for those who have fought and are still fighting for your right to do so.

Also, this short little video by David Platt is a great little listen and reminder before you hit the polls.


Platt on Voting as Citizens of Two Countries from David Platt on Vimeo.

month of {gratitude} day 6

I know I say this a lot but I am so thankful to be a stay at home mom. I am thankful to have a husband who is so supportive of me staying home and dedicating all of my energy to bringing up our crew. I love that I get to be the one to witness all of their "firsts" (which is especially cool to see now that we are homeschooling". I love that when my kiddos are having an "off" day they can take their nap when they need to or cuddle up with mom all day. We have so much flexibility. And I love that I can take care of our home and daily household stuff  and Nick is able to focus on his job. And I get to hang out with awesome people all day everyday...

What's in the Bible?

Have you all seen any of the What's in the Bible DVD's? We love them in our house! They are made by Phil Vischer (Veggie Tales, anyone?) They are funny for the kiddos and the adults and our kids have learned a ton about the Bible while watching them (yep, we now talk about apostasy at the breakfast table at out house!)

As of right now there are 9 DVDs with more coming out. (They even have a Christmas DVD!)

 I decided to start using them this week in our homeschool. The What's in the Bible website has a parent's section with a study guide (only for DVD 1 so far), flash cards, coloring sheets, crafts, etc...

Each DVD has two parts so each week we will watch one part of a DVD and then do any corresponding worksheets or crafts. I will also be watching along and taking a few notes so that I have some Bible trivia questions to ask the kiddos! I am excited and I know the kiddos will love it too. Win win.

On an unrelated note. I found a few good reads online this weekend I thought I would pass along...

How My Child Went from Homeschool to Harvard and Yours Can Too is a super interesting editorial written by a homeschool dad. While I don't homeschool my children so that they can be genius athletes who attend ivy league schools I still found a lot of his insights to be valid and interesting. He really hits the nail on the head when he points out that it is PARENTS not the government who are responsible for raising and educating our children.

How to Raise Brothers that Remain Friends be Jessica Bowman over at the MOB Society is a great read and really touched my heart as one of my highest priorities as a mom is cultivating relationships between my children (and that IS one of the main reasons we homeschool).

Also, if you didn't know, my baby sister has a blog! Go visit her here.

AND, if you head over to Beth Moore's blog today you can leave a scripture based prayer in the comments section for the election tomorrow and whoever is selected as President. Then tomorrow all of these prayers will be available in the comments section of the post and we can all be praying throughout the day for our nation.

And Happy Monday Everyone!


 also linking up at Women Living Well!