The Noy Maker-Filling the Earth With Noys

Today I took notice...

2011-01-24T14:44:00.003-05:00

as I saw before me, my daughter, who is almost 7! She was eager to help cook, eager to learn, eager to play with her older brother. When her youngest brother woke up and she heard him through the monitor, she was eager to get him. Later, she was eager to entertain her 2 baby brothers and teach them a new trick.

I am amazed of how much growth and maturity has taken place over this past year!

What a blessing it is to have the opportunity to see transformation daily in the hearts and lives of the kids! It really just hit me today! Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to notice!

Back to Life...

2010-12-01T19:26:00.003-05:00

Just got back home today from being in Puerto Rico for 2 weeks! We took TONS of pics that I will share soon! That's it for now. Back to life and reality but it feels SO GOOD to be home! There is something about your own bed and schedule that is comforting :-)

Oh, and we are taking December to do a Christmas unit study and will be back to ECC Week 12 in January! Here is the link the Unit Study on the Symbols of Christmas.

7, 8, 9...

2010-10-25T21:16:00.006-04:00

We are getting to our "crazy" season! So posts maybe few and far between. In less than 3 wks, we will be headed (in real life), on a secret trip to Isla del Encanto! Yes, it can still be a secret when I'm posting on my blog b/c the surprisees do not read by blog:-) That being said, I'm super excited and you know how hard it can be to be productive when you are looking forward to something in reachable distance! I'm trying to push through these next few wks and get everything finished!

Now back to previous weeks 7, 8 and 9! Sadly, my camera battery charger is lost and hubby accidentally erased most of my camera phone pics which = s no pics and mostly boring post. I LIKE my pictures!

We traveled to Canada for 2 wks and Brazil for week 9 and we are in week 10 now. We are learning so much!

The highlight while studying Canada was learning about George Muller (who is German lol!) WOW! This man was AMAZING!

The day after we started reading about George Muller in Hero Tales,

I found this free downloadable book written by him! I wasn't even looking for that but when I downloaded another book, this one came up as a recommended book!

Week 9 we started the biography of Nate Saint.

We have been loving this read aloud because it's packed with so much action. Abrianna interrupts all the time and says "What's going to happen?". I keep replying, "We have to keep reading to find out."

We also found a Brazilian Bakery super close to us and have enjoyed many pastries and breads from there!

So far, we have learned all of the names of the North American countries, including the islands and we are working on learning the ones in South America.

That's the "school" update :-)

In other news, Jose's family came for the weekend from Miami and we had a birthday party for Elijah, who turned 8 a few wks ago! Here are a few Noy family pics (courtesy of my SIL)!

I'm really bad at this

2010-09-29T20:04:00.010-04:00

blogging thing!

So, where have we been and what have we been doing?

I will start with the much needed vacation Jose and I took ALONE to NYC!!! We are SUPER THANKFUL for WONDERFUL moms (and a sis-in-law) who babysat while we were away! What a FUN time we had with each other sharing our dreams, hopes, and vision for our future and the future of our children!

On that note....VISION...

We were recently talking about a vision for our family and what would = success when it comes to our children and here is what we came up with:

We will be successful if our children

-KNOW HIM INTIMATELY

-FOLLOW HIM PASSIONATELY

-SERVE OTHERS INTENTIONALLY

Yep! That's what everything boiled down to!

School update:

Week 5 & 6 in review.

We traveled to MEXICO! I checked the kids passports and let them cross the border since the didn't look suspicious;-) They added the Mexico flag sticker to their passport book.

BIBLE-We talked about Cuba and Haiti, using Window on the World, and learned about the prayer needs of each country. Our memory verses were Matt 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" and Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. For our verses from now on, I have decided not to use the ones in MFW (for now) and focus on ones that relate to character training which I've been learning and using from our Growing Kids God's Way class. Which, by the way, is the best parenting curriculum, based completely on God's word, ever created in my not so humble opinion;-)

SCIENCE-We learned about desserts from Properties of Ecosystems and about dessert animals from Living World. We learned the difference between cold blooded and warm blooded and did a couple of different experiments to help illustrate. We also learned oases and rain in the dessert. We encounte.red a giant grass hopper and a giant moth? or something in our home "habitat".

GEOGRAPHY-Facinating Mexico facts. Nature, farming, and Industry in Mexico. How to cook tortillas. Geography game where we are learning all of the countries in Latin America.

ART- We made yarn art and tomorrow we are making tissue paper flowers tomorrow in preparation for our Friday FIESTA!

When Elijah is not doing school, he is building a new Lego creation, watching the weather channel or researching past hurricanes and weather patterns!!! This child is OBSESSED with WEATHER! He cracks me up dancing to the jazz music while announcing the different city's weather!

When Abi is not doing school, she loves to play Pet Shops and actually loves to build Legos with Elijah! I'm so thankful how close we had them together! I guess that's why we had two more so close huh?!

Joseph is still getting into everything! He's so curious and so precious! He LOVES Abi and Elijah! (I'm sure he loves Moses too when Moses' isn't trying to eat him!) Yes we have a biter! Yes we are working on him;-) Every night and for naps he asks for each one to come and pray with him then give them a hug! Joseph has such a sweet spirit!

Moses is definitely the clown of the family! SO FUNNY ALL THE TIME! Oh, except when he is biting! He ALWAYS has a SMILE and is always making us laugh!

Here is a random pic of our grocery store trip!

There's the update!

ECC Weeks 3 & 4

2010-09-06T21:15:00.014-04:00

Crazy 2 wks so I'm putting weeks 3 and 4 together since they are running together in my brain! Our first official stop in North America was USA!

BIBLE: We are LOVING Hero Tales! We talked about Dwight Moody (Boldness, Repentance, Strength) and Harriet Tubman (Compassion, Joy, and Perseverance) and the character traits that went with each person. We also talked about missionary kids and the Navajo from our book Window on the World.

GEOGRAPHY: We reviewed USA states and colored our USA coloring sheet and completed a fun cross word puzzle. Since we just finished US history last year with Adventures we had time for lots review and fun stuff.

SCIENCE: We enjoyed a nature walk as your will see from our butterfly pics! Beautiful! We learned the different types of forests and what lives in the different parts (Canopy and Forest Floor).

ART: We made Navajo sand art, cat and dog masks (just for fun) and a bean and seed necklace minus the seeds. LOL!

READ ALOUD: We are continuing Kingdom Tales, which I LOVE!

Below are a few of our pictures! Today (Labor Day) we went to Fort Moultrie and had a great day! We also talked about the history of Labor Day and how it came about.

We are taking the rest of the week off just doing the 3Rs because my mom is moving back to Charleston tomorrow and Jose and I are heading to NYC on Thursday! YAY! A weeked getaway! It's been awhile;-) Enjoy the rest of your week in My Father's World!

Abi painting her mask

Elijah's finished product

Beautiful!

Elijah writing a letter for PLL.

Elijah's sand art

Abi's sand art

Fort Moultrie

Fort Sumter in the distance

ECC Week 2 in Review

2010-08-23T15:42:00.007-04:00

So...2 wks are gone!

I have to say, I think I'm finally in my groove with homeschooling (for now). In my opinion, it takes 2 years to start to kind of know what you're doing. It's probably my opinion b/c that is true for me. LOL! It's like the children know what is expected of them, they know the schedule and the agenda so we just get it done while having fun! I seriously can not even believe how much I am enjoying this journey! If you talked to me a few years ago, I was in tears at the fact that homeschooling was going to be my reality. But, the Lord definitely knows what he is doing! I can't imagine our days any other way! I definitely know homeschooling is not for everyone and I would never want anyone to choose it unless it was something they felt led to, but I'm so thankful I listened to the call the Lord had for our family! Even if I started out kicking and screaming ;-)

THIS WEEK WE LEARNED:

Bible

-How people began to speak other languages

-There is only one God for the whole world

-The good news is for EVERYONE

-Judaism

Geography

-Elevation and depth

-Difference between physical and political maps

-The names and locations of the oceans and continents

-We made and enjoyed our world cake

-Definitions of ocean and ocean ridge

-We reviewed our address and phone #

Science

-Biomes around the world

-Leaf and Bark rubbings

-Nature walk which ended with Joseph getting stung by 3 bees :(

-Oxygen and Water Cycles

Art

-We created paper dolls that were from around the world. Our creative juices were NOT flowing in this project ;-)

Read Aloud

-We started Kingdom Tales (I'm loving this book)

We also have Grammar, Spelling, Spanish, Math, Reading and Music but nothing too interesting to report. We did join a Lego group on Thursday that meets once a month. The kids had a blast. My kids LOVE Legos! What was funny though there was a group of girls playing dolls while Abi and another girl were the only ones playing with Legos. Here are a few pictures from our week.

Week 1

2010-08-19T12:13:00.005-04:00

Our first week of school was AWESOME! Way better than I could have imagined! The KEY was for me to have time with the Lord before even beginning! Imagine that. A crazy, unique idea right?! My heart and my head needed to be in the same spot!

Like I've mentioned before we are using MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC)! This is the intro year before starting the four year history cycle. In ECC, we will be studying diverse cultures around the world, geography, and learning about different missionaries.

Anyways, our first week was pretty much an introduction for the year. So, we started out with our memory verse John 3:16. As we "travel" through out the different countries we will be learning this verse in the different languages. We also had an introduction to maps. We learned N, S, E, and W as well as hemispheres, distance, and scale. In science, we started learning about ecosystems, environments and studied our backyard habitat.

In music we learned a new song called "Hello to All the Children of the World" which teaches them the word Hello in several different languages. I'm NOT a fan of the cd's with children singing but the kids seemed to love it! LOL!

We also did our "real" school work with math, reading, phonics, writing, and Spanish. Next week we are adding spelling.

I'm really pleased at how smoothly the days went. Even with the toddlers. It really helped to schedule time for the big kids taking turns (20 min-30 min) playing with the babies. I was able to focus on the individual needs of Elijah and Abi with their help!

I know I'm a little late posting week 1 since we are 1 day shy of completing week 2 but better late than never!

Join The CAUSE! Please!

2010-08-18T08:06:00.005-04:00

The statistics of human Trafficking are HEART WRENCHING! Imagine.......your precious child TRAPPED in a life she or he never even imagined or even knew exisisted! We have GOT to do something! We can't hear the cries for help and turn a deaf ear!

Psalm 82:3-4 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor. RESCUE the weak and the needy; DELIVER them from the hand of the wicked!

PLEASE WATCH!

PLEASE click HERE and join the cause. The link will take you to The A21 Campaign cause site and you can click JOIN there!

Jose and I are working on a few things behind the scenes to help the cause! Stay tuned for more updates and information!

Christine Caine (Part 2)...

2010-08-11T14:05:00.011-04:00

that should really probably be part 1!

SO MUCH to say about such an AMAZING woman of GOD!

But, to start, I heard of Christine Caine a few months ago when a few of the leaders from Seacoast's women's ministry came back from hearing her and they were SO passionate about what they experienced while hearing her in Florida! The leaders were on FIRE and created and implemented a local summer outreach called Summer2Serve! It was a true blessing not only for the women who participated but also for us who volunteered! All that to say, that was the ONLY thing I knew of Christine Caine. I never heard her speak. I never heard her story. I never heard about her ministry until this past weekend.

WOWZERS! Her speaking ability incredibly engaging! Her story, in her words, she was unwanted at birth and was given a number instead of a name and then suffered years of abuse. BUT! BUT! BUT! Praise God that is not the END! The Lord transformed her life in unbelievable ways and she is living proof that our God is BIGGER than ANY circumstance we started out in! Finally, her ministry! My heart was broken! My eyes were completely opened to a whole different world I can't comprehend existing today!

Four years ago Christine's eyes were opened to the tragedy taking place around the world! HUMAN TRAFFICKING! I saw the movie Taken and I've heard of it before but I thought it just involved a few people! I was SO WRONG!

Here are the CRAZY stats:

Trafficking in women is the second largest global organized crime today, generating approximately US$12 billion a year.[2]
There are 1.39 million victims of commercial sexual servitude worldwide.[3]
Over 25 percent of sex trafficked victims are trafficked from Southern and Eastern Europe.[4]
90% of victims trafficked into EU member states end up in the sex industry.[5]
There is an estimated 20,000 women and girls trafficked into the Greek sex industry, earning Greece the title: "the center of trafficking in Europe."[6]
One study reveals that one in every 10 Ukrainian persons knows someone in their community who has been trafficked.[7]
Tragically, only 1-2 percent of victims are rescued, and only 1 in 100,000 Europeans involved in trafficking are convicted.[8]

When I was sitting in the audience hearing what IS going on, my immediate thought was my precious baby girl! I thought, what if my precious child was trapped in this industry? I would most definitely do anything and everything I could to get her back and get her safe because she is my daughter! There are MILLIONS suffering daily in this horrific darkness and they need to be rescued and redeemed! We CAN do something! We MUST do something! This past weekend Christine spoke at Seacoast and she shared the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). She said when we hear these stories and get emotional that is NOT compassion! Too many times we confuse empathy and apathy with compassion! She said compassion is what the good Samaritan did. He saw the hurting man and he crossed the street to help! Compassion was an ACTION!

Christine and her husband started The A21 Campaign ! They are putting into action what Jesus calls us to do! Here you can find 21 ways to get involved or help! All of us can do at least 1 on list of 21! They are making a difference in THIS vapor of life that is/will have an impact on thousands if not more!

Christine Caine! (Part 1)

2010-08-10T22:13:00.007-04:00

WOW! Last night I had the privilege of hearing God's word through Christine Caine! She was AMAZING! One thing that struck me like lightening was

James 4:13-17 (NASB)

¹³Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

¹⁴Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

¹⁶But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

¹⁷Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

She hit on the fact that we are here in this moment in time, in this place for a mere vapor when compared with all eternity. I've heard it plenty of times and in fact it's such a cliche when you hear people say live like you were dying yada yada yada yada. But, truly last night it hit me. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Our life, however short or long is just a blink! SO what am I going to do with the small vapor I have? So many of us, including myself, have plans! Good plans and good goals and then we try to fit God into them! So we have our nice house, car, kids, life and check off our church box on Sunday etc. But what are we (me) really DOING for the kingdom of God????? NOTHING! We are satisfied with being comfortable checking off our church box living our mundane day to day life while the world around us is hurting and dying!

I mean really! In light of eternity, does it matter? Do I have to have the latest and greatest "STUFF" this material world has to offer? When all is said and done, do I want my legacy to be Jessica-A good mom, who loved Jesus, her family, and the Bachelorett but offered NO hope or compassion to hurting or lost friends, neighbors or the world. Her faith was silent without works. Her Children don't know Jesus because she only spoke of Him and did not SHOW them the example of Jesus! NNNNOOOOOO! That is NOT the legacy I want to leave with my vapor of life!

I want to be a daughter of the greatest king who is fully abandoned to HIM and HIS WILL for my life! I want to be selfLESS and giving! I want to "cross the street" and be the compassionate follower! I want to set the Jesus example for my family! I can't do any of that if I'm okay with being comfortable with my easy life!

Well..... I am challenging myself to let God be the GREAT and AWESOME God He is! Who has great plans for my life (if I will let Him lead) who wants to give me more (not material wise) than is beyond my comprehension. I want to really mean the words in the song "Awesome is the Lord Most High" when I sing "Where you send us, God we will go!" Whatever that means and whatever that takes. Whether here, there or somewhere I want to see His plan unfolded in our lives!

There is SO much more to this life than just living and dying!

First Day!

2010-08-09T15:54:00.011-04:00

Well...Today was our 1st day of school! I can not believe we are starting our 3rd year homeschooling! CRRRAAAZZZY! I'm amazed everyday at what God has done in our lives and in our family! If you don't know our homeschool story, you can read it (short version) here. Trust me when I say we were NEVER going to homeschool because "those people are weird"! LOL!

Anyhow....my plan has been, (I made a great "schedule" with the help of Managers of Their Homes) to wake up at 5:30AM to have quiet time, exercise, shower, brew and drink coffee, all before the children wake up. So you ask..."How did you do today?"....I FAILED!!!!! I woke up at 7AM (but I do get bonus points because the kids were still sleeping) and I had quiet time. NO exercise, NO shower, NO coffee was brewed or drank before the children woke up at 7:30 BUT at least I got the most important thing accomplished:-)

After everyone woke up and got dressed I made the kids take "First day of school pictures". I decided to start a new tradition this year and made tiny posters that had the date, grade, height, and weight written on them. I'm planning to take me picture at the end of the year to see the change. Here are a couple of our pictures.

Our day started with the kids favorite place to eat...

Then we got home and got to work ;-)

Here are a few pics from the rest of the day.

It was really a great day!

2010-2011 School Year

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Our Curriculum...

My Father's World (Bible, Science, Reading, Geography, Art, and Music)

Math U See -Gamma-Elijah

Saxon Math 1-Abi (one example how one math program can be perfect for one child and not so perfect for the other)

All About Spelling

Primary Language Lessons

Rosetta Stone Spanish

Finally various read alouds! I'm obviously excited! LOL!

A New Beginning

2010-07-15T21:12:00.004-04:00

It's almost the end of summer and we are gearing up for this next school year! It is so hard to believe Elijah will be in 3rd grade and Abi will be in 1st. This will be my third year homeschooling. Oh how the time passes so quickly! I'm starting this blog to record our year. I was so blessed that Kim Schroter introduced me to My Father's World in 2008! Exploring Countries and Cultures begins August 2nd so get your passports ready! Here are some of the books we will be using!

I Disappeared!

2009-09-04T14:30:00.003-04:00

Honestly, I just haven't been motivated or inspired to write anything so I have not. BUT, I have something today!

Of course, most of you know, I'm homeschooling for the second year now. In April after a new baby, and toddler and craziness in the house, I was not really excited to homeschool. (By the end of the year it's normal to be burnt out;-) ) But, I annually go to NCHE conference expecting to be encouraged and refreshed and to hear from the Lord about the future education for our children! I went. It was AMAZING. I was soooo ready to start school again! Getting closer to the end of summer, though, I started having doubts like "Is this really the best thing?" and "Do I really know what I'm doing?" and hearing things like "What gives parents the right to think he or she is a better teacher than the teachers with the actual degree and certificate?" etc. Well, I started 2 wks. earlier than I originally planned b/c the kids were ready for summer to be OVER.

It has been so awesome for God to confirm what I already knew he called me to do! During the first week we talked about Leif Ericsson. Also, during that same week, the kids turned the tv on to Spongebob (which we NEVER let them watch) and Spongebob was dressed up as Leif Ericcson and was pretending for Leif Ericcson Day (in the cartoon)! The second confirmation came during the second week of school. We started talking about Indians. One day for lunch we went to McDonalds and I purchased 2 kid's meals. (This is a BIG deal b/c most of the time we just get a bunch of nuggets to share to save $.) In the kid's meal was a book about an Indian girl from the same tribe we happened to study and look at the previous day! AWESOME!

So, here we are, finished with our third week of school and life is great! I'm sure by May I will be ready for the conference again but, for now, I'm overflowing! I LOVE My Father's World (the curriculum we use) which I know the Lord directed me to! I also, love that when I may have doubts about what the Lord has for us, we just trust in Him and he will direct our paths! The same is true for you! Not that I believe everyone is called to homeschool but, that God will direct you in every area of your life if you allow him!

Freedom

2009-07-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

I'm am super thankful to live in such a GREAT country! We are so blessed and many times are blinded to how lucky we are to live in this nation! Remember today that FREEDOM is never really free! Many have sacrificed themselves to pay for us to be FREE!

Reminder

2009-07-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

I know everyone is talking about the "news"! From Jon & Kate, Sanford, Farrah, Ed Mchanon, Jackson and Billy Mays! My heart is heavy only because all of the news serves as a reminder!

First, I'm reminded that we are all human and all miss the mark and fall short of what God requires which is perfection! Thankfully, Jesus gave himself up for us so we could be seen blameless and pure in God's sight! It's very unfortunate that so many people have to hurt because of bad choices.

Second, I'm reminded that we are ALL terminally ill. We do not know how much time we have left so we need to live each day in light of eternity! There is more to this life than just living and dying.

The Season of #2

2009-06-22T07:42:00.003-04:00

I'm calling this post The Season of #2 because I don't like any of the other alternative words such as poop, poopy, sh__, etc.

Right now it feels like the never ending season! How long will it last?! Between work and home I'm surrounded by #2! Two in diapers at home and plenty of incontinent patients at work = unending smelly situations! However, during this season of my life I've learned to be thankful! Thankful for my job that is so flexible and rewarding! Thankful that I'm not one of the incontinent patients! Thankful for my two diaper babes who have been such a blessing to us #2 and all! So....I shall endure this Season of #2 with a grateful happy heart=)

A Tribute to the BEST Dad in the WORLD!

2009-06-21T09:06:00.033-04:00

To a dad who is truly amazing...

It started with us liking each other like turned into love then into marriage! Seven months later I was pregnant with our first born! Oh, how that changed things! Our first blessing came and you became a DAD!I never knew you would be such an amazing father but in those first moments I knew! The way you looked at our precious baby, the way you held him, I knew you were going to be the BEST father for our little boy! You were always willing to change the smelliest diapers, give the bath, take him everywhere! You amazed me and I fell even more in love with the man you were! When Elijah was 8 months old I became pregnant with Abrianna! Our second blessing came! I knew when I saw you look at her the first time she was going to be able to melt her daddy's heart at the drop of a hat! I saw her become "Daddy's girl" in an instant! It was precious. Our lives were complete! (So we thought)! Life went on with us and our two babies...
We kept living life you being a GREAT dad every step of the way!

Little did we know God had other plans for our family! He did a MIRACLE in both of our hearts and we had an overwhelming desire for more CHILDREN! Can't imaging our lives without Joseph! What another gift from the Lord! Once again I was captivated by you and the way were with our children! You were more than I ever knew a dad could be! There we were parents of three special blessings!

Twelve and a half months after Joseph you became a daddy for the fourth time! Moses Allen joined our family! What a precious sweet boy!We were a family of 6! Even though you've only been a dad to 4 for a short time you still amaze me! You do so much for our family and for our children! You have added so much to my life and I know there is not a greater dad on earth! Thank you for being my other half! I would not want to do this journey with out you! Our children adore you and you are their hero! Remember what Elijah said he wants to be when he grows up?! I'm sure when Joseph and Moses are talking they will say the same! We love you! Happy Father's Day to the World's BEST DAD!

Men are from Mars Women are from Venus-The Mother's Day Story

2009-06-17T19:28:00.000-04:00

Okay. I've totally been trying to write this post since right after mother's day. I'm just finally getting in the mood to finish. So, here's the story...

Let me first say that honestly, I married one of the most amazing men in the WORLD! How many men do you know that will help with everything around the house (except laundry unless out of desperation for clean underwear), do a great job watching 4 children while you're working 8hr or 12 hour shifts, change the smelliest diapers, do bath and bed time without prompting, let me sleep when I need to, and the list goes on for a mile! That being said, this past Mother's Day he totally confirmed that men are from Mars!

The back story....I'm not a gift person. Really, I never care about a present for birthday, Christmas, anniversary ect. However, to me, THE HOLIDAY is Mother's day! It's the one day I expect a card that tells me I'm the best mom in the world, blah, blah, blah! (Even if it's not true, I prefer to be at least lied to on that day!) So....Last year I thought my husband already knew this important fact so on Mother's Day I was waiting and waiting for my card! By the afternoon I still did not have it and finally asked Jose to give me the card. He looked at me with the "deer in the headlights" look and that's when the river of tears started flowing! Jose tried to comfort me but then said he needed to leave. He came back about 30 min. later with flowers and a card to try to make up. I read the card and forgot all the nice things it said because at the end it said HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I was like are you kidding? Is this a joke? Did you even read the card!? Okay. That was last year. I finally got over it but knew nothing like that would ever happen again!

Fast forward to this Mother's Day.... I did NOT want a repeat of the year before, so Thursday before Mother's Day I sent Jose a text msg. saying "Hey Babe don't forget my Mom's day card." I was brilliant. I told him exactly what I wanted and gave several days notice for him to come through! Jose had to be at church super early Mother's Day so I didn't see him in the morning. After church we went to lunch. By the end of lunch he still had not given me "the card" so I asked. "Babe, is my Mother's day card at home?" The deer in the headlights look returned! NO WAY! Right. Is it possible?! I thought he was joking but within seconds knew he did not have the card for the second year in a row! This year I was a little ticked. He knew it so he headed out to get the "make-up" card. He returned and I was thinking this better be good! I read everything and then got to the end.......I swear it said HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It really did. I was in shock! NO WAY 2 yrs in a row did I get a Birthday card for Mother's day!? I opened the floodgates! Saying blah, blah, blah about if I was a good mom I would have gotten a Mother's Day card! I have to admit I was a little dramatic only because I wanted it to be memorable!

The plan....That Monday Jose had to go to Charleston and I was still mad! I wanted him to pay! So, I called one of my friends planning the attack! My first thought was to wash all of his white clothes with a red marker to turn everything pink! Then it hit me! My genius plan! I was going to decorate for myself and get my own Mother's day card and my own gift certificates! Jose wasn't going to be home until Monday night so I had plenty of time to decorate for me! I loaded all 4 kids into the car and headed to target to purchase my Mom's Day decor! Here are the pics from the Monday after Mother's day!

Really, I had such a fun time doing this! By the time I was done I was laughing hysterically at myself and at the fact my husband seriously bought birthday cards two years in a row! Now that's funny! He came home that night with flowers and a real Mother's Day card and felt horrible! Stay tuned to find out what happens next Mother's Day! Will it be a birthday card?!

Dangling Earrings

2009-06-15T22:42:00.005-04:00

When you're feeling down, dumpy or frumpy......go put on a pair of dangling earrings! It works for me! I may be cleaning, mothering, feeding, or any other ING in the home in my t-shirt and polka dot boxer shorts, but when I have on my dangling earrings I feel like a pretty woman! I mean after all, I am the woman who gave birth to #4 with my dangling earrings right?! Who can feel pretty in that huge oversized ugly hospital gown?! You need those dangling earrings every once in a while for a pick me up! SO......if you're having a bad day or a bad hair day, go put on your favorite dangling earrings =)

The Glamourous Life!

2009-06-15T17:55:00.009-04:00

I was in the process of cleaning junk off the floor of the pantry and then I heard Joseph make a noise and his entire mac and cheese bowl with all of the mac and cheese was scattered all over the floor! I went back to the pantry and bent down to sweep up the junk I had left and notice a full wet diaper behind the dog food! My first thought was "How long has THAT been sitting there creating the "fresh" aroma in the pantry?!" Then I proceeded to put the diaper in the trash which made the trash completely overflowing! (Seriously, why does my husband insist on not taking the trash out of the can until it is almost touching the ceiling?!) Anyways, I decided to go ahead and do the deed for once! I looked at the bottom! Can you say DISGUSTING!!! (Don't judge me by my trash can please!) That's when I realized in those 5 minutes how "glamourous" my life is! I sat still and pictured me doing all of the mundane daily things to Fergie's song G-L-A-M-OR-OUS! In my head it was hilarious!

All that to say, this morning's quiet time was all about the drudgery of life! How funny. My favorite part was when it said, Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, "Jesus . . . took a towel and . . . began to wash the disciples’ feet . . ." ( John 13:3-5 ) It also said, "Don't always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God." That was great for me to hear!

Sunday Mornings!

2009-06-14T09:19:00.004-04:00

There is really NO other way to describe Sundays in our house except CRAZY! Every Sunday Jose is off to church for set up before any soul in our house is awake! That means, I have to get every one ready by myself! Usually, everyone wakes up at the same time (which makes it even crazier)! So, while I hold Moses in one arm with a bottle, I use the other arm to get Joseph's breakfast and the kids milk! After baby is finished with his bottle, he gets some TLC from the Rainforest Swing (his other mother)! I put Joseph down from the highchair so he can create chaos all over the bottom floor! (Oh yeah, and I yell at Joseph every 5 min. for stealing Moses' passy!) During this time I try to feed the older 2 and myself! When we are done eating, I put Joseph down for an early nap and pray Moses stays asleep long enough for me to take a shower and not go to church looking like a grease ball with BO! After I get my self somewhat put together, it's the kids turn! I pick out all the clothes, throw them over the balcony and YELL "KIDS HURRY UP! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE! GET DRESSED NOW!!" I hurry downstairs and become a drill sergeant trying to get them to focus on changing their clothes. PJs eventually fly off and are scattered all around! I don't worry too much b/c I hate being late! I get the babies dressed and pack the diaper bag (which is seriously a 20 min. chore making sure I have EVERYTHING a 3 month old could possibly need in a 4 hour period of time!) I turn on the car to cool off, praying no one takes it, but think if someone does it's God's fault if he allows a thief to steal my van when I'm trying to go to church! (Quick side note: Did you know in Meck Co you can't leave your car on more than 5 min. or you can get a ticket?! We actually had a cop in our neighborhood give us a "warning" during the winter time!) FINALLY, we are ready to bolt, leaving our house in complete disarray! But hey, at least we make it to church on time to hear a great message! We just finished a great series called FAITHOLOGY discussing other religions! Very thought provoking! Click on the link then click watch if you want to see!

Laundry....

2009-06-11T13:22:00.010-04:00

Since I have nothing on my "To Do List" besides the laundry and have a hundred loads to do, I figured I would write a post about how I do my laundry! [I know, my life is sooo interesting;-) ]

The before...

1. I divide/separate! (I LOVE this part!) For some weird reason it's actually fulfilling to make different groups that match! I know I have issues. Save the emails;-) I prefer to divide into darks, whites, lights, and towels.

2. Go get all hangers and match them up in the laundry room! Except wire ones! I can't stand wire hangers which is a problem b/c Jose frequents the dry cleaners so we have a bajillion wire hangers! (If you have a great use for them let me know!)

3. Get the detergent ready! We go through a LOT of detergent so these are ones I got B1G1 and had coupons for! However, I am planning on saving us lots more money b/c when these are gone I'm going to "copy" my friend Tia and make my own! Can't wait! (Click on her name so you can see how.)

4. The next step is business as usual! Put in, wash, and dry!

5. When the first load is dry pull out and put into basket, then put washed load in dryer, then start hanging shirts & dresses and making piles for each family member! Keep repeating this step OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER about 15-20 times and then you'll be done and too tired to put away any of the laundry so, everyone's "closet" is the laundry room! Hip Hip Horray. Mission accomplished =)

I LOVE THIS SONG!

2009-06-10T23:30:00.004-04:00

No matter what the season brings, there is an everlasting HOPE that is unchangeable!

Baby Signing Time

2009-06-10T13:46:00.007-04:00

With my older two children I never used sign language and just "guessed" what each wanted by the moaning and groaning! When I was getting curriculum for the kids last year, I bought Baby Signing Time, Learn to Sign 1 & 2 to try with Joseph. When he was about 10 months old (you can start sooner) we just kept signing everything (everything that we knew). Eventually, he picked up on it! Now, he is able to communicate! He knows more signs but I couldn't get him to "perform" (lol) all of them for the video! (I promise I'm not a stage mom!) I really didn't know this type of thing existed before! A friend told me to look up the creator of Baby Signing Time's story...It was very moving and inspiring. If you want to read it click here! If you are looking for something to do with a baby, I would highly recommend any of the Signing Time products!

Sex!

2009-06-06T21:47:00.008-04:00

Disclaimer: Mom you probably want to stop reading here. This could qualify as TMI;-) Also, this post is intended for married couples.

I've really got a lot to say about the subject...but, for now I just want to share a little something! Many months ago I started looking into Christian sex sites to see what I could find. (Honestly, I never even knew such a thing existed) On my venture to look deeper into what the Bible had to say about sex I found this amazing website! The website was created by a Christian married couple who has four children and write e-books! Jose and I purchased two of them a while back and they were AWESOME! Anyways, Robert & Susan emailed a couple of wks ago offering EVERYTHING for $37!! We bought everything and really was totally worth $37. On the way home from Myrtle Beach we did the 300 Sex Questions and it took Jose and I 3 1/2 hours to go through them and we found out some new things about each other! I emailed Robert and Susan and told them how blessed we have been with their e-books and wanted to know if I could share with my friends. They created a special link to get the offer! (It is not available on their website for the general public!)

The Offer Includes:(ALL FOR $37)

-Sexual Skills for the Christian Husband

-Sexual Skills for the Christian Husband (Audio version)

-Sexual Satisfaction for the Christian Wife

-When Your Husband Is Never in the Mood

-She Loves God Me And Sex

-101 Romantic Ideas

-101 Creative Lovemaking Ideas

-Sexy Coupons

-The Christian Kama Sutra

-300 Sex Questions for Christian Couples

-Premature Nomore

-Healing Touch Massage

-Working Through Anger and Resentment In Your Marriage

These have been a blessing to us and I hope for you as well! We, as married couples, should all be enjoying sex the way God intended it to be! If you are interested (it's completely confidential, even to me) click here =)

60 Days...

2009-06-06T14:05:00.007-04:00

HERE THEY ARE..... Okay. I have to say I really did NOT want to take the 60 day pics! I have been out of town half of the month which definitely messed with my routine/ eating so I know my results could have been much better! That being said, I'm still happy that I still lost lbs and inches! I can definitely see more definition in my abs and arm muscles! My entire body is feeling stronger! Like I said before my goal is to be healthy not "skinny" so I think I'm on my way to continuously living the healthy lifestyle!

I would love to be your FREE coach on your journey for health! You can sign up FREE on my website! Let me know how I can help you! The pics are side by side there also. Just click the "My Progress" tab.

PS....It's usually not the best idea to take pics in the afternoon right after eating lunch but my sis in law just did my Mary Kay makeover w/ my new makeup so I wanted to take pics with my new make up on!

30 Day Front 60 Day Front

30 Day Side 60 Day Side

Do you care?

2009-06-04T16:12:00.003-04:00

For me, the truth is I have not! I've been totally consumed with only caring for my family and not paying attention to anyone or any other needs in my community. I was thinking about it before the hs conference but it didn't hit me until I was there and heard a speaker saying our children will only understand what serving and helping others is when they see their mom and dad doing just that! Whoa! What kind of example am I setting for my family if they don't see me reaching out to others with a heart of compassion! How can my children grasp what compassion actually is if it's not demonstrated by those closest to them?! Here are the words to a great song: (If you don't want to read, the video is at the end.)

Give Me Your Eyes-Brandon Heath

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?

Chorus:
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Chorus
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Great song and really is my prayer now! So...Like I mentioned before in my goals we are going to start serving in some capacity as a family once a month (found a great connection in Charlotte)! I'm also starting training to become a Guardian Ad Litem! (Let me know if you're interested! There are so many abused and neglected children out there who could use someone on their side! ) I'm working on a few other service goals as well.

A friend said yesterday they want this year to count and ya know I want this year to count to! I want to look back and say I had an impact, moving people's heart closer to HIS! That's impossible to do if I'm not out there building relationships and developing a servants heart!

It is easier to do nothing and just let the days pass...but the truth is this life is so short so why not make each moment count!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-06-02T19:31:00.001-04:00

So....yesterday was our 8 yr. wedding anniversary! Here we are 4 kids later! It's been a journey for sure! There is a country song Jose made me listen to one time called "Then" by Brad Paisly. Push play (even if you don't like country) lol!

What an awesome song! It's so true! You can think you love someone in the beginning but with time and nurture that love grows into something stronger and with a little more time even stronger!

We had a great day! We drove 3 1/2 hours home from Myrtle Beach answering over 300 questions about sex! (Don't worry. Separate blog coming about that!) We went to Zebra and it was amazing! The food, service and the evening was great!

Vacation

2009-05-31T10:33:00.005-04:00

Even though we've had a good time in Myrtle Beach, I've definitely learned some things about vacationing with 4 kids!

1) We shouldn't call it a vacation!

2) It's harder to go on "vacation" than it is to stay home

3) Before you go on "vacation" you have to pack almost the entire house (especially if you have a 15 month old and a 3 month old, both of which require their own pack in play to sleep!)

4)Everyone sleeping in one room and sharing one bathroom (which also has one pack in play in it) is not all that exciting

5) Pools are way cleaner, easier, less sticky and less messy than the beach!

6) When you get back from "vacation" you need to spend 8 hours (without interruptions which

is completely impossible w/ 4 children) doing the dreaded laundry!

7) The kids LOVE vacationing! And seeing the smiles on their faces when they get to

experience new things makes points 1-6 worth the effort!

Homeschool

2009-05-26T09:50:00.005-04:00

Well...WOW...is really the only word that describes the NCHE conference! It's amazing that a year ago I didn't even know I was going to homeschool or really even want to! The older two were registered at a private school. It's crazy how when I think I've got my plans figured out, God rearranges everything! How in the world, one year later, am I almost finished with K and 1st grade?

My Plan was:

Kids go to school while I stay home or work out or go have coffee or go shopping or hang out

friends! Doesn't my plan sound perfect?! I thought so. What happened?

Around the beginning of May last year, I was having issues with one of my children. We were "butting" heads constantly to say the least! If I'm being honest, I could not wait for school to start so I would be free of "battles" seven hours a day! I was wondering what was going on in our situation. One day in my quiet time I heard a still small voice all too familiar telling me I needed to homeschool! Of course, being the mature Christian I am, (LOL) I pretended I didn't hear anything! Other things started to confirm what I already knew! I didn't know how, why or any details about homeschooling but, I did know it was what God was calling me to! TRUST me! This was NOT my idea of a good time. I was totally against homeschooling! I thought people who did it were weird and wore long dresses with long hair. (Please forgive me if this describes you. I'm just being honest about my preconceived ideas of what someone who homeschools looks like.) I also the typical thoughts that people think such as:

They'll be un-socialized

They'll be sheltered

They won't be able to adjust to college

They stay at home all day

They are nerdy

The above are ALL untrue! I only know that now b/c I'm actually a homeschooling parent! I could give you examples of why each one is untrue but I'll save that for another blog! (If you can't wait till then, email me.)

Well, I listened to the Lord and bought my curriculum (My Father's World) last NCHE conference and have now been homeschooling for almost a year! I can't imagine not doing it! I do have bad days and sometimes get burnt out but I'm so thankful to be surrounded with other friends who share the same passion and desire and build me up when I'm feeling down! Also, I know when I'm feeling burnt out, I need to draw my strength from HIM!

I definitely know homeschooling is not for everyone! I mean hello, I never thought it would be for me! I even tell others if you don't feel called to it, don't do it b/c you'll be miserable! But, I'm so glad I listened! I've learned so many things over this year about each one of my children and things about myself. I don't know if this is God's plan for our family forever or for a season so, I guess I'll have to stay tuned to my own story =)

"Are you going to have more?"

2009-05-23T21:13:00.004-04:00

This is the #1 question Jose and I are asked. Probably you have even been one to ask;-) The answer.......................We don't know. We were totally DONE having children after two. Actually, I had a friend who had a boy and a girl and was pregnant with her third and I actually asked her "Why?" since she already had a boy and girl. I mean, really, isn't that what having a family is? Having two children. Why would you need more? I thought people who had more than two children were C-R-A-Z-Y! After Abrianna, I wanted Jose to get "fixed" and he was like no way jose! No one was going to clip his private parts!

When Abrianna turned 3, it was like a spark went off! I was reading Psalm 127 and read:

³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

⁵ Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.

That passage changed my thinking in a drastic way! Honestly, I'm pretty selfish. Here I was thinking, "Oh, good! My kids are 4 and 3! They are more independent! It's almost time for them to go to school! Now I can get back to my life and do what I want to do!" I saw my children more just there to complete our family! I was completely blinded to what blessings they were and how much God loves them and how he entrusted them to us! Then I started thinking, if children are gifts from God and a reward then why would I not want more?! Jose agreed! I realized I could never regret having more children but I could regret not having more! I have never met a parent who could say they regret that child coming into their life!

Is our life busy? Yes. Is it hard at times? Yes. Do I get tired? Yes. Do we have to be creative financially? Yes. Do I have a bazillion loads of laundry all the time? YES! Is it all worth it? Absolutely! Would I change anything? NO! Will there be more? I don't know but, I do know EVERY child is a gift and a blessing! I can't imagine our life without our 4 children!

Graduation Time

2009-05-21T22:45:00.007-04:00

It's GRADUATION time! Actually my little brother, who's not so little anymore, is graduating from High School in 2 wks! That made me think of my HS graduation that was 10 YEARS ago! What have I been doing for the past 10 yrs? What has changed? How have I changed? Is my life better now than it was then? How are the next 10 years going to be? These are just a few of the questions that popped in my head that made me reflect on the last 10 years of my life. WOW! It has been a journey!

Warning: This is where it gets long and possibly boring so, if you don't want my life story of the last 10 yrs. no need to read on =)

In the fall of 1999, I started going to CSU.

After graduation....I had already decided to go to CSU for the fall semester of 1999. I had a great summer but during that time I realized something was missing from my life and started having questions about life in general and the meaning and purpose of life. So...at that point I guess you could say I was a "seeker". I had key people in my life trying to guide me and answer my questions. September came and I started school. (Side note: I had no clue what I wanted to do. Why do we push our kids to go to college immediately after high school if they don't know what they want to do so they can earn a degree in something and a year later decided that's not what they want to do and to have them go to college again after they finally decide what they really want to do? Sorry. I'm just saying.) It was soon after the start of school I had a transforming experience! Truth was revealed and I became a person who believed in Christ and realized that he died for me (and everyone else) to save me! To understand that there was nothing I could do to make Him love me more or nothing I could do to make Him love me less was WOW! It changed my life and the course of my future. I changed from night to day. October 1999 is when I met Jose. We became friends, and soon after I knew he was the man I was going to marry! I actually called my mom and said "Hey Mom, I met the guy I'm going to marry!" At the time, she thought I was crazy. (She LOVES Jose now just so ya know!) In December 1999, I decided school was not for me! Mom thought I was really crazy. (She knows I'm not now;-) )Then I told her that I was going with Jose, the guy I told her I was going to marry & who I just met a couple of months ago, to NYC Times Square for New Year's Eve. That probably about sent her over the edge! Fast forward and April 2000 I was engaged. (Long story there... but mom, along with other people, thought I joined a cult so when Jose went to ask her if he could marry me, he ended up inviting her to visit this so called cult (Seacoast Chuch)LOL! Anyways, she went and never stopped attending after that. (Side Note: If you live in Charleston and don't go to church, check out www.seacoast.org! It's an amazing church and definitely NOT a cult. My mom will attest to this! Whew! I know she was relieved!) I worked at Olive Garden (yummy) for a while and actually LOVED it! I had bad days of course but I really liked being a waitress. (I'm a nurse now it's like being a waitress except you get paid more.) Jose and I got married June 1, 2001. Can't believe it's been almost 8 yrs! Seven months later, I was pregnant with our first born (Elijah Angel Noy). I found out, right after I started working at Seacoast. While I worked there, you could bring your baby to work with you for the first 6 months. So, I did that and when the time was up I became a stay at home mom! When Elijah was 8 months old I was pregnant with Abrianna Elyse Noy! Well, I guess my life wasn't busy enough b/c the Nov. before Abi was here I really felt God calling me to be a nurse! WHAT! I thought! I don't like blood. I never saw an old person's body. A bazillion thoughts came to my head. But, I filled out the papers in Nov. and a week later got my acceptance letter and actually started going to school in January while I was still pregnant. I was to start the nursing program in exactly one year! Oh, I forgot to mention in the same November I felt like I was going to be a nurse, Jose felt led to start a business and that's when we started Communication & Surveillance Services aka CSS (www.comsurv.com). I started the nursing program and frankly at first I was traumatized! My first patient was in a nursing home (keep in mind before then I was never around any sick elderly people. NEVER) she had a colostomy and dentures. I had never seen anyone take out dentures and it really scared me! I was really upset. I could not believe I was actually doing this. Well, I finally got use to the things I was doing and managed to survive! ( I swear it's a MIRACLE!) In my last year of school, friends of ours told us they were planting a church in Charlotte, NC. Immediately, we were on board. So, 2 days after graduating nursing school, we made our home in Charlotte and started helping out with Mosaic Church. Moving forward...by the way we were DONE having kids after 2!!!! I was begging and pleading with Jose to get a vasectomy! He was anti-clipping (as I like to say)! When Abi turned 3 God really changed both of our hearts about children! (I'm writing another blog about that later) Immediately I got pregnant with Joseph Daniel Noy. Elijah started TK at a private school while I was pregnant. He was born February 15, 2008. Soon after is when it happened...Both the older kids were registered for private school for the fall...We paid all of our money and everything...and then...I felt the Lord lead me to homeschool! WHAT! Crazy! (I am a former ANTI-HOMESCHOOLing mom) Wow! Another miracle! (another blog on that story later as well;-) ) Oh, at that point we knew we wanted more children and we wanted them close like Abi and Elijah. Hello, we didn't know they would be that close! Moses Allen Noy was born 12 1/2 months after Joseph. So, here we are today. It has been a journey with many changes almost all for the better! I'm blessed beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined. I can't wait to write the next 10yr story.

Goals

2009-05-19T15:40:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking about setting goals.... Why???? Sometimes I feel like I go day to day just getting through, doing things on the schedule, but not really working toward anything! So...I decided to set some goals for my self so I can see where I'm going and how far I've come!

Here is what I've come up with...

Physical-Be healthy! How? By making healthy choices every day! It's really not about being a

certain weight or size. It's about living a healthy lifestyle so I can be around a LONG

time for my family. It's about being a good steward of the body I've been given and

taking care of my "temple".

Spiritual-Spend time in the Word daily! It's the bread of LIFE! Be in a small group at all times.

Relational-Date night at least every other week. Couch time at least 15 min. everyday Jose is in

town. Family game night once a week. Weekend get away 2 times before 2010.

Marriage Retreat before 2010.

School- Actually do it! LOL! I crack me up! Since Moses has been born I took 4 wks off and

since then I've done school 2-3 times a week. So...my goal is to finish up Elijah (1st grade) & Abi (K) by the end of summer. I'm actually doing Abrianna K again in the fall.

IMO I think 5 is too young for 1st grade (my 5 yr. old anyways).

Life- Volunteer once a month somewhere (still working the somewhere part out). Go on a

medical mission trip in 2010. Do 2 family outreaches before 2010.

These are my goals for now! Please feel free to hold me accountable! I won't lie to ya =)

What are you capable of??

2009-05-10T21:21:00.006-04:00

We just completed a great marriage series at church! Get the podcast if you missed it. Pastor Naeem (www.mosaicchurch.tv), quoted Rick Warren (pastor and the author of The Purpose Driven Life) saying "Given the right circumstances I am capable of doing anything." That statement resonated with my heart! How many times have I looked into others lives and said "I would NEVER do that." or "I can't believe they did that to their wife (or husband)," not knowing their circumstances. Judging from the outside is super easy! We are ALL human and fall short and because of our sinful nature we are capable of making bad choices that could have everlasting consequences! I think the moment we think we are "above" the unthinkable we become vulnerable to just that thing. I pray the Lord daily reminds me of my "humanness"!

P90X update

2009-05-10T15:37:00.001-04:00

So........last wk I was out of town at my Grandma's house. I would give myself 3 out of 4*. I ate chicken and rice one meal. Then I felt like crap! I was still able to keep my w/o routine. Both= success for me b/c usually when I go out of town everything goes out the window. I eat whatever and do not work out. So, right now I'm patting myself on the back=). Well, lets talk about when I came home =(....Friday, I did not work out or eat well. Saturday, crazy day including a graduation party which = bad eating and no work out. Sunday, mom's day! Can you say blooming onion, bread, and creamy potato soup!???! Oh, and no work out! Monday, new day...including great eating and great workout. Tuesday, puking my guts and feeling nauseated pretty much all day... No, it's NOT MORNING SICKNESS ;-) and no, I didn't work out. So, here I am and it's Wednesday! Feeling great and starting fresh with eating right and work out coming soon! It really is amazing how much better you feel when you eat right and exercise! The weekend without exercise left me feeling drained and dragging! Just because I had a bad few days does not mean I'm giving up! We all have crazy times and bad days. The important thing is not to get stuck there! So many times when people have a bad couple of days they let it turn into another bad couple days and then a week of bad days etc. We have to choose to make the next day new with better choices! Don't give up!

30 DAYS

2009-05-04T08:48:00.003-04:00

Okay everyone, here they are! Moses is officially 2 months old today! How fitting my 30 day pics are today! First, I need to say sorry for the quality! Jose is out of town but I promised to get these up so this was the best I could do for now! I'll get him to take better ones on Friday!

DAY 1

130 lbs

waist 31

hips 39.5

DAY 30

124.5 lbs

waist 28

hips 37.5

I feel so much stronger in just 30 days! Can't wait to see what happens in the next 60 days! I still have a ways to go but I'm getting there! If I can do this, you can to! Make yourself and your health a priority!

Your BODY

2009-04-26T17:19:00.005-04:00

When you think about your body what's the first thing that comes to your mind?...Is it different than what you thought 1 yr ago or even 5 yrs ago or 10 yrs ago? My view of my body now is totally different than it was yrs ago! Honestly, my view was severely distorted! It actually, consumed me! I spent so much time thinking I could never be skinny enough or pretty enough! I saw everything on myself as an imperfection! Something so small that no one would noticed seemed sooo gigantic to me. So, what changed you ask??? I got the message! No, it wasn't an audible voice from GOD! But, what is was, was so perfect and clear God was speaking to me!.....My daughter was in preschool several years ago and during one of their craft times she made a magnet. It wasn't just any magnet. It had a message. It simply said "I am wonderfully made!" From Psalm 139. When she brought that home and I saw it, I immediately felt like it was made just for me! It was like the truth was finally penetrating me to the core! I had a revelation that every time I was looking at myself in a bad way or complaining about myself I was insulting the creator! WOW! I never saw it that way before. It was at that moment for the first time in my life I was in awe about me. The God of the universe who created EVERYTHING made ME exactly how he wanted me! How dare me criticize the creation. He made you to just as you are. Just as He wanted! YOU are WONDERFULLY made!

Website

2009-04-24T13:15:00.004-04:00

I took the plunge a few days ago and became an Independent Beachbody Coach! Super exciting! Many people ask how do I stay fit or get in shape after having kids. You can find the answer on my website! Thanks for the push Demi ;-) Anyhoo, I created a website (which was actually easier than making this blog. Haha.) Visit www.4KidsAndFit.com and let me know what you think!

Week 2

2009-04-22T12:41:00.003-04:00

Already done with week 2 of P90X! This program will whip your Be-Hind into shape! 2 more wks for 30 day results!

Prayer of a child!

2009-04-20T09:39:00.005-04:00

Elijah really amazes me! His heart is so gentle and kind. So, last night we were praying like we usually do, giving each one their chance to pray. This time was different than the usual "God bless us and thank you that I can get a big Lego one day!" etc. Instead his prayer was so serious and powerful telling God how much he loved him and thanking him for taking all of our sins away and for smashing satan!!

I felt so privileged to hear such a sincere heart talking genuinely to the Lord!

Week 1 Done!

2009-04-15T07:32:00.003-04:00

Okay so I'm done with wk 1 of P90X! What a week! It was so hard to get back on track after Easter! I seriously did NOT want to work out but, I forced myself and of course felt better after I did! Week 1 down only 11 left ;-)

Easter

2009-04-13T09:33:00.003-04:00

Easter at Mosaic was very powerful yesterday! What a day to celebrate! Every year I'm reminded of how great and awesome JESUS is! But, to know that this sacrifice was made out of unexplainable LOVE for all of us is mind blowing! There is NO GREATER love!

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering abou this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has RISEN!'" Luke 24:1-5

Good Friday

2009-04-10T08:10:00.002-04:00

Phil Wickham - True Love (The Wall) from Dan Stevers on Vimeo.

Talk

2009-04-10T07:14:00.005-04:00

Have you ever got mad at your husband b/c you were expecting him to do something and it wasn't done? Then when he asks "What's wrong?" You are furiously cleaning and say "Nothing!" but you want him to keep pushing the issue until he "gets it out of you"? AND if he doesn't you get even more mad b/c he should have known that your "NOTHING!!!" really meant you were upset and something was wrong so he should have known to keep asking right?!

I'm guilty of the above on more than one occasion and reading it to myself it sounds hilarious and crazy at the same time! I can't be the only one who has done that can I?

I titled this post talk b/c one of the most important aspects of a marriage in communication! A while back, after being married for several years, I thought, "Is Jose really supposed to know what I'm thinking all the time?" Then I thought why don't I just tell him what's wrong the first time he asks????? Why don't I just go to him when something upsets me and tell him what's on my mind instead of acting mad until he tries to figure out what's wrong with me and wait for him to ask the "what's wrong" question??? Wouldn't that be easier and take less time? Don't let things fester and allow resentment and bitterness to stir in your heart. If you have an issue TALK about it before it becomes an even bigger issue.

Share your thoughts, feelings, dreams, expectations, desires and needs with your mate! Side Note: If you set unrealistic expectations you will be disappointed!

Just a random thought.

Oprah the other day

2009-04-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

Oprah was talking about motherhood the other day on her show. It was actually a really good show that featured moms making "confessions" about motherhood. I know many times I want to seem like I have it all together so people can say "WOW. Look at everything she can handle! Amazing!" I know it's sad but true! So........ Here are a few "confessions"

I have actually gone a couple of days without taking a shower b/c I didn't have time in the morning and I was TOOO TIRED after the kids went to sleep!
I have forgot to brush my teeth.
I have put the kids to bed @ 6pm (bedtime is 7:30pm) b/c I couldn't take anymore.
If you have seen the preview for "In the Motherhood", I have done exactly what that mom did. Yelled really loud upstairs to Elijah and Abi to "BE QUIET OR YOU ARE GOING TO WAKE UP THE BABY!!!!!" When I saw the preview I was laughing hysterically!
I have put Abi's hair in a pony tail b/c I didn't feel like getting the knots out.

Okay. You get the point. I'm sure I could come up with lots more but these were just on the top of my head! Being a mom is the hardest job that is never ending! It definitely has plenty of rewards and is the best job on earth but there are days when I just don't feel like it.

Hormones WHAT?!

2009-04-08T11:42:00.003-04:00

Just thought I would share! So, I was watching College Road Trip with Martin Lawrence (hilarious actor) and I was actually crying. No, I was balling my eyes out at the end! I guess it's official. My hormones are NOT back to normal!

WOW!

2009-04-06T17:44:00.004-04:00

Okay. First, I'm feeling accomplished! (For the first time since Moses was born a month ago!) We are finally, ALL OF US, healthy, happy and back to normal! I did 5 loads of laundry, school with the kids, and day 1 of P90X! WOW! I do not LOVE P90X, if I'm being honest, but I know it works! So, transformation in process!

What's in a Blog??

2009-04-02T22:28:00.003-04:00

Okay. So, I know I'm slow! I'm starting a blog. (Jose would be proud I've done this much by myself!) I've decided to start this blog for two reasons. 1) To share all of the craziness that goes on in our house! How can it NOT be crazy with four children right?! 2) To hold myself accountable during my P90X journey (starting Monday April 6th)! So, now that I've explained, post #1 is done ;-)