Slip and Slide Fun

Do you remember this? Remember the slip and slide of your past?

I do! I remember my mom and aunt setting up a slip and slide and getting the waterhose out and laying it at the start of the slip and slide. My cousins and I would slide over and over and over again. Ahh, the bliss of childhood. Well, nowadays these wonderful little contraptions come with a boogie board, a hookup for a hose that shoots water out evenly over the whole slide, and a neat little pool at the end. We've come a long way baby!




Jackson loves this and it is just perfect in our front yard, since we have a slope. The only thing is...It floods the next door neighbors driveway...(Sorry, Karla..) We've tried to remedy the problem...

So, we have spent many days and nights watching Jackson play on his slip and slide and just having fun outside. It is really so much fun having little boys. They love to get dirty and be outside for hours on end and I love seeing how much joy it brings him to be free and be able to expend all that built up energy!

Dieting: Days 1-3

Well, all I can say is WHOA, THIS IS NOT FUN. I totally do not do diets. Never have! And now, I'm reminded why I have never done them. It's just not fun. I have always been pretty good about eating fruits and vegetables. I try to eat healthy foods and definitely try to feed my kids healthy foods. But, in addition to all of that, I have to say that I am undeniably addicted to sugary goodness. I didn't realize just how captive I was to sugar until I tried to step back away from it. I mean, you have no idea how much sugar is in things that you had no idea it was even in. It is in Whole Grain Bread for goodness sakes!

One good thing that has come out of this so far is that I am far more aware of what I am eating and drinking than ever before. Reading the nutrition facts far more closely than ever before and becoming very disturbed at what I thought were healthy foods! Here is what a typical day looked like for me before...

• Breakfast..........coffee and more than likely I would forget to eat until 10:00 because that's what time I usually try to get Wyatt to sleep and suddenly remember that I haven't eaten yet, then grab a granola bar. Now mind you these were the healthy fiber rich granola bars. You know the ones....all natural...no preservatives....but my goodness it was loaded with sugar! Didn't know this until I checked the nutrition facts.
• Lunch................eat with the boys around noon. A flat out wrap most days filled with lettuce or spinach, hummus, and turkey or chicken. Some tortilla chips and water or sweet tea.
• Snack.................Oh, this is where the sugar cravings come in. Most days I just get that jonesing feeling for something a little sweet around 2:00. This is usually when both boys are asleep and I am running around the house doing laundry or getting caught up on bills, etc. I will sometimes grab for another granola bar or whatever candy I have laying around...(mini heath bars and reese cups), or sometimes I will be good and have apples and peanut butter.
• Dinner..............I have never deprived myself at dinner. I feel like if I cook a meal, I'm going to enjoy it with the rest of the family. So, I will eat whatever I fix my guys to eat, mostly a meat, two veggies, and bread. Oh, how I love bread. And not just plain old bread...bread loaded with butter, salt, and garlic. OH MY GOODNESS....somebody get me some bread RIGHT NOW!!! Okay..back to what I was doing..moving on.
• Bedtime............Derrick and I like to sit up and talk and watch television most nights after the kids go to bed and of course SNACK. And this will mostly involve marshmallows or perhaps another mini candybar or two (or six). Of course, he's like 5 pounds smaller than I am and can handle eating seventeen times a day!

Days 1-3 looked like this...

• Breakfast.........coffee, water, banana (which I learned today is the WORST fruit for you to eat while on a no sugar diet, since it is LOADED with sugar. Just an fyi.) One egg, and Stone Ground Whole Wheat English Muffin. I have to say I really enjoy this breakfast...filling and very satisfying.
• Lunch................grilled chicken sandwiches/salads on Whole Wheat bun, water, carrots
• Snack.................grapes, hummus and Stone Ground Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips
• Dinner................lean meats/grilled veggies, water

So, for the last few days my system has been shocked! I have tried to really back away from eating sugar. I do this for two reasons 1.) I think its easier for me to just go cold turkey because if I let myself have one bite, it will lead to 10. and 2.) I'm thinking if I get results immediately, surely it will motivate me to keep it up. One positive thing I can say about the last few days is that I find myself filling up much more on fruits and veggies than I ever did before. I keep hoping that if I stuff myself silly with these "good foods" that I won't feel deprived when I get done eating. But unfortunately so far, I'm still having some serious deprivation issues. I go to bed thinking about all the food that I want to eat, but can't. Ya'll, my stomach doesn't feel good. It feels like my body is saying, "c'mon girl, what are you thinking? You were doing good before, what are you doing feeding me this kind of stuff now? We've had it made for 26 years now and here you go messing us up." I am hoping that this is a transitional period and that its going to work itself out soon.

On top of all of the transitional hunger pains/sugar pains, I'm still nursing so my body is hungry all the time! I feel like I am famished and all I have to snack on are fruits and veggies. And I know that is what is good for me, but goodness gracious ya'll its not very satisfying!

Okay, I'm done complaining. I can't say that the scale has moved much, I got on it earlier and I was 148. But I'm sure that's just a fluke thing because I'm not so silly to think that three days of this is going to have fat dripping off!

Hope the next update is more uplifting and encouraging and have some pounds gone to report!

****Think I'm going to go throw a tomato or banana at Derrick, because he's eating cookies in front of me!!!!

Summertime With Kids

Jackson has had so much fun with his friends this summer. My friend Cassie and her kids have been pretty much inseparable from us this summer. It is so hard to find a good friend, and even harder to find a good friend that has so many of the same goals in parenting and life.

Cassie and I met in Bible Study Fellowship almost two years ago. We were in the same group and introduced ourselves to each other that Wednesday morning. We shared the same name and immediately connected. We told about our kids...and that is where the weirdness started. She has a son named Jackson, goes by Jack. The next day was the first day of the Kindermusik semester and as Jackson and I are taking our seat, guess who walks in....Cassie and Jack! We were not only in the same Bible Study group, we were in the same Kindermusik class. We soon found out that not only do we both want big families, but we both wanted to homeschool and the list keeps getting longer of the weirdness that connects us.

We instantly hit it off and have really become each others encouragement. I hate to say it but she doesn't get much out of our friendship, mostly she just helps me through life and I get to glean from her experiences! It is just so rare to find a friend that is so real and true. A friend that is not afraid to tell you that you are wrong. One that encourages you to be a better wife, mother, and Christian.

Her kids are the sweetest things and our children have hit it off so much! She has three children and will soon be adopting a sweet little one from Ethiopia. Please pray for her and her family and their sweet baby that is waiting on them!

Here are some highlights of our summer with The Morgans...

Kindermusik Kid

Jackson has been in Kindermusik class for two years now and he loves it so much. I'm not sure if he likes the music that much, but he sure has fun doing all the activities. Kindermusik is an awesome way to get kids involved in music and spark an interest in musical instruments. I would encourage anyone who can to enroll your child in a class near you. You won't be disappointed. The class ended in May and I have been meaning to get a post up about it, but it has slipped my mind until now.

At every class the teacher has an activity planned that really gets the kids moving and interacting with one another. Do you remember the parachute from your elementary PE class? Well, needless to say....these kids LOVE the parachute!





Then there is a story time for the kids. And you can see here that Jackson is really interested in story time.


Oh, how my little boy is growing up so fast. I wish I could freeze frame these moments in my brain and never forget how sweet it is for him to sit in my lap during class. He gets shy at times and crawls into my lap, like its the safest place on earth. I know there won't be too many more days that he will want to do this. He will soon be too old and mature to want to show any sort of affection towards me. Oh, how I dread that day. Can't you just stay little forever and think your momma is the most wonderful, prettiest, sweetest woman on earth? Please?

I'm Doing It

I just read Lysa TerKeurst's blog and she mentioned a few days ago that she has been on a strict diet plan that included no sugar. Well, if anyone on this planet has a hard time with sugar...IT IS ME.

So, I have decided that I am sick of not being in control of this addiction of mine. I mean seriously, ya'll, I would rather eat cookies and cake than eat one morsel of dinner. I would gladly pick a cookie over steak and potatoes, anytime! Sugar is food for my soul. But you know what? Sugar is in EVERYTHING! It's in potatoes, bread, rice, and fruit. Its in all the good things that I could kid myself into thinking is okay to eat. Well, I'm changing my hazardly ways.

My weight has always been something that I am conscious of. Every single day I evaluate myself and my shirt size, pant size, the number on the scale. It is confining, it is sickening, it is claustrophobic to be a prisoner to these thoughts. And you know what? I love to exercise. I love to be healthy. I love to find new ways to cook, new ways to keep my body from toxins (like not taking any medicines), and yet I would force feed myself sugar through an IV if I could. I love it.

So, I have decided on a whim that this is ridiculous and I'm going to do something about it. I'm laying it all out on the table today and I'm going to give everyone reading this permission to ask about my progress. My husband can keep me accountable at home and I know he will. I will document this horrible, oh I mean, necessary experience here and hope that I encourage some of you to make yourselves healthier by getting rid of the extra junk we carry around.

Today I am....

Keeping it real....

I'm a size Large top....probably not going to change a whole lot til I quit nursing.
I'm a size 10 in pants
I'm 150 pounds

So you know where my baseline is...

Before I got pregnant with Wyatt

I was a size medium top
I was a size 4-6 in pants
I was 135 pounds

So, this is about as foreign as it gets to me, because I don't like revealing this kind of junk about myself. I should be in control of this, I should be able to drop weight and be happy with myself. But I'm not and I'm getting real with you guys.

So, if anyone has any suggestions on diet, I'm all ears. I would prefer to not buy another diet book, so for now I'm just going to cut out what I know is bad...sugar. Plain and simple. But any other suggestions are great and I would love to hear them.

Hopefully next time you see me I won't be convulsing and foaming at the mouth due to sugar detox. Oh, this should be fun. Pray for me, please?

Fun In Branson, MO

Here are some pics from our family trip to Branson. We spent lots of summers there growing up and really every time we go back there is something fun to do that we haven't tried yet. The trip was a little rocky getting there since my children do not like to ride in vehicles for long periods of time...okay make that NO period of time and because Jackson as we have discovered gets carsick. LOVELY...


We let Wyatt and Jackson take turns driving us around Branson. Its much less stressful to just sit back and watch them take the wheel.



My hardworking farmer dad trying to relax. As you can see this was very hard for him.


My mom and Wyatt playing at the condo.


My sister and the babies, during our outing with the kiddos shopping. Didn't turn out so good.


The babies, just hanging out

Our handsome men!

The family all together at the condo.

Momma and her two waterbabies.



We stayed at the Thousand Hills Golf Resort so the guys could do some golfing while us womenfolk did some shopping. We won't talk so much about the fact that we ladies thought that we could conquer shopping with all three children in tow, oh and did I mention we thought we could do all of this said shopping with the babies in the jogging stroller? Well, in case you are thinking of trying it....DON'T. It was 98 degrees and the outdoor outlet mall was not the best place in the world to take a double wide jogging stroller with two fussy hot babies and one wandering three year old. It was so much fun, can you tell? We gave up after two stores and packed everybody back up and headed back to the condo. We waited for the guys to return and quickly pawned our children off on them while we set out to try it again.

We had a great time and were so fortunate to be able to spend all this quality family time together. Just a few short years ago, I remember making the trip with my sister and parents. We were just a family of four then. Now we have grown to a family of 9! Wow how time flies!

Thanks mom and dad for treating us to an incredible trip. It wouldn't have mattered where we would have been, as long as we can be together! We love you!

How about we plan on Hawaii next year? I'm just sayin....

Remember Me?

Hey guys! Well, since it has been forever since I've written a post I thought I should make an appearance and let people know we are alive. We have been so busy the last few weeks. Here are a few things that have happened...

We went on a vacation to Branson, MO with my parents and sister's family. It was so much fun to be with my family and get to spend all that quality time with them. The downfall was that my children do not do well riding in cars for long periods of time. Wyatt screamed the whole way...Jackson got car sick about 5 minutes from the hotel. Yep, Jackson threw up all over bags, the car seat, himself, the car. AND did I mention it was 98 degrees? Oh yes, the car smelled wonderful. Sorry for the details. We thankfully were staying a condo that had washer/dryer facilities and we were able to get pretty much everything cleaned up and back to normal. EXCEPT, we lost a part to the carseat and had to purchase a new one. Pictures will follow just as soon as I can get everything loaded onto my computer. It was a really great time!

We turned off our cable. Oh my goodness was this a leap of faith. We have tried for so long to cut our time down from the television and have gone back and forth on this. And after watching the PBS mini-series "The Frontier House" we decided that our lives can only improve for the better by breaking free from the television and becoming closer as a family. Jackson has made the biggest improvement! He is so much more creative and finding more things to do around the house and outside without turning to the television! It has been such a blessing and something that I will go into more detail in later on in another post.

We have been hanging out with my friend Cassie and her children while her husband is away in England for three weeks! I am having the best time seeing Jackson grow up and become a little man and see how his relationships are forming with other kids. He has been having a blast this summer with our slip and slide, pool, and all the freedom that comes with being a little boy outside most of the day!

We visited family last weekend for the Fourth of July in Mississippi. We were able to partake in a 150 feet homemade slip and slide and you are going to love the pictures of this! We ate great, had great fellowship, and believe it or not we made it through the trip home without screaming and throwing up! We decided to leave at 10pm and made it back to Jonesboro around 2 am, but it was a much nicer trip coming back!


Well, this is just a smidge of the things we have been doing, but I promise there will be more to follow. I have so many pictures that need to be added. I am so much enjoying this summer and the laid back routine of it. My boys are growing up so fast and I am trying hard not to miss a single minute of it. Wyatt is already 8 months old and crawling all over the place, pulling up on things, and following his brother. Jackson is talking more and more about God and asking so many questions about what he has learned in Sunday School. We have started the Baptist Shorter Catechism with him and he has learned the first two questions. Its so amazing what their little minds can hold! And how awesome to fill it with God's Word!

Keep coming back and checking in this week, cause this gal's got a lot to say!

Hope everyone has a blessed night!

Of God and Santa Claus

Two conversations that Jackson and I had last week:

Jackson: Mom, can I watch Spiderman?
Me: No, Jackson. You can't watch Spiderman anymore.
Jackson: But Mom, please let me watch Spiderman.
Me: No, Jackson, Spiderman makes you act too rough. We can't watch Spiderman anymore.
Jackson: But Mom, God told me I needed to watch Spiderman.



Then, while in Target shopping for vacation supplies....

Jackson: Mom, know what?
Me: What?
Jackson: Santa Clause told Jonah to go to Ninevah.

Oh, brother!

Oh the Wisdom!

Okay, you guys know that I read blogs a lot! A LOT! And this blog post has hit a note with me. It sums up my life so much right now. Please let this not be plagarism because it speaks so loud that I had to put it up here so that anyone of you might be blessed with it as much as I was.

This is from Missy at ITSALMOSTNAPTIME.BLOGSPOT.com; Her site is a must read!

Many of y'all have heard a rather famous and incredibly wise proverb of Josh McDowell's regarding parenting that says this: Rules without relationship equals rebellion.

If you are like me, you have witnessed many relationships, probably within your own family, where this maxim proved painfully true. Meet me at Starbucks, I bet we could swap some tales.

Of course, as with all things parenting, this is not always the case. Wonderful, perfect parents can still produce rebellious kids. (Take Adam and Eve, for example.)

Nonetheless, "rules-relationship=rebellion" is a rather reliable formula. As is the converse: Rules with relationship equals respect.

Recently it occurred to me how these truths play into our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the same as they do on Earth.

Those who do not know God - who have no relationship with him - have no desire to honor him. Those who do not honor God rebel against his law. They see God's rules as arbitrary, unjust, random, prejudicial, and perhaps even cruel. Outdated. Ridiculous.

Like a recalcitrant teenager, they rebel. And in the process, they hurt themselves deeply - as our old pastor used to say, "We do not break God's law, God's law is unbreakable. We break ourselves on God's law."

Those who love God, however, cry out, like David, "Oh, Lord, how I love your law!" I think David could have added, (as I know I have) even when I don't like your law, even when I have been backslapped by your law, oh Lord, how I love your law!

The deeper my relationship becomes with the Lord, the more I love him. The more I love him, the more concerned I am with pleasing him. How do I please him? Obedience.

Not because I am scared of him, or scared of the consequences, no - I want to please him because I am so overwhelmed with adoration for what he has done for me, by pulling me out of the miry pit, that my greatest desire in life is to be in his will.

And, once we try on the obedience thing, hallelujah, it works. Obedience leads to joy.

Which all sounds velly similar to the heart-based discipline I try to use with my own children.

So as I'm pondering all these deep thought one morning last week over the background noise of Curious George, I began to wonder, how do I foster this relationship with God that leads to respect that leads to love that leads to honoring that leads to obedience that leads to joy in my babies?

Y'all got any ideas?

Oh, I know you do!

So here is the specific question: What can we as mothers do to encourage our child's relationship with the Lord?

Chew on that, mommas.

Just Trying

Okay, so the topic of today's post is food...Yep, something us southerners love to talk about and obsess over. The title of the post comes from the fact that I am totally not a health food junkie, never have been probably never will be, but I'm just going to try to fake my way through it just for a little bit. We're going to see what kind of changes I can make and hopefully convince my taste buds and the taste buds of my family that its not so bad to eat healthy.

Growing up my mom did a really great job of cooking meals every.single.night. Yes, she was supermom in my book, because now that I am a mom of two myself I can see just how large of a feat this was! We grew up way out in the boonies and the closest grocery store was at a ways a way and there wasn't any hopping in the car and running to the nearest KFC on those not-so-creative supper nights. She managed to cook homecooked meals just about every night of my life...(seriously, how many people do that these days?)

Now, before you start thinking that I got this wonderful quality from my mother, let me tell you that I would not survive being a mom of two little ones if it were not for the weekly $5.00 pizza from Little Ceasars. There are those days when I look up and it is 5:30, I have nary a thing in the cupboards to dream something up to cook and I frantically find my cell phone with a baby on my hip and one preschooler begging for "sumpin to eat momma", calling Derrick to say "please honey pick up a pizza on the way home." And occasionally I make the aforementioned pizza last for two days eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh yes, call me Mother of the Year.

I do love to cook and I love to try out new things in the kitchen. But lately I have been in a fog and haven't had much time to prepare and really got involved in my Once a Month Cooking. But lately my friends have been trying to impart lots of great knowledge of nutrition and how to eat better into this already frazzled brain of mine and I do but I don't want to try this out. There are so many website/food blogs out there that have lots of information on eating healthier and trying to become more conscious of what we are feeding our families...here are a couple that I like to peruse...

Passionatehomemaking.com
Heavenlyhomemakers.com

These ladies are totally in tune to what is best for our families to eat and what things we should avoid. To summarize a couple of things I have learned...

1.) White bread is bad....Whole Wheat is good (preferably grind your own wheat and bake your own bread.)
2.) All refined sugar and flour is bad...eating no sugar is best (for those of you that know me, this is IMPOSSIBLE.)
3.) Flax Seed is directly from God, eat it any form you can get it. (Ground, Oil, Seeds)
4.) Eat lots of protein in as many forms as possible (dairy, meat, yogurt)
5.) Fiber is wonderful for lots of different reasons
6.) No soda, only water

I am so very limited in what I know about food, but I am open to learning. What my family eats is very important to me and I would love to know what you all have learned and would love to pass on to me. I recently took a trip to Whole Foods Market in Memphis with my two girlfriends and our kids, and in one word I would say...OVERWHELMED. There were so many things to decide on and I have no idea what is important to buy organic or all natural. I would love to see a Nutrition for Dummies book, seriously it would be a top 5 must read for me!

I must include pictures soon of our garden because it is really looking great! We just picked our green beans a week or so ago and this week we picked 4 zucchini and roasted them on the grill! So, at least I am getting my own organic vegetables, right? I mean it can't get any more homegrown than that!