Journey with Jesus: Day 34

Another busy day today ... much like yesterday, I got my workout in and packaged some teas at The Porch ... but today, Haddie and I stopped at the bank and the grocery store.  Once at home, I put the groceries away, and Haddie and I played for a bit and had dinner together ... then it was off to the babysitter for Haddie and off to Bible study for me, where I met my hubby.  Darrell is getting the sweet girl down tonight ... what better time to blog than now?  Ahh ... a few minutes to myself.  Breathing is nice.  Slowing down is nice.

It's also nice to reflect.  Tonight's Bible study was great, as usual.  We love our group and, especially, our Bible study leaders.  I was reminded of something in our parenting study tonight that smacked me right between the eyes at my Bible study yesterday morning as well: dependence on God.  I was reminded ... or perhaps I'm learning it for the first time in many ways ... that, as a parent, I must lay down my will everyday.  And really, I have to lay it down several times a day ... as soon as I get up, after breakfast, again when I get impatient with Haddie, again when I don't want to feed her for the millionth time (so it feels some days) ... you get the idea.  But I was so grateful to make the connection from Tuesday morning because, yesterday, we talked about how God isn't worried about our "control-freak nature" as women because it makes us dependent on Him.  Our struggles with sin and perspective drive us to need His help.  I must lay down my own desires and attitudes and time and energy and so on for my baby girl.  Am I gonna get it right every time?  Heck, no!  But I don't have to beat myself up anymore.  I can just remember that my struggles force me to depend on the Lord for strength and/or a renewed mindset ... at least, if I want to honor God, which I do.  I really, really do!  Don't you? :)

Journey with Jesus: Day 34

Wednesday:
Breakfast - bacon and eggs and orange juice
Lunch - chicken pot pie, potato soup, and a salad
Dinner - Taco salad
Snack - almond crackers and cheese
I'm drinking my fourth water bottle now.
And I got a 20-minute Zumba workout in today!
Yay!

What struggles are you going through today, no matter how big or how small?  And how do those struggles make you depend on the Lord?  Depending on God and living for Him ... it's what we were made to do.  Don't hate it; embrace it!  That's what I'm beginning to learn.  Good night, peeps! :)

Journey with Jesus: Day 33

And today ... busy!  Very busy!  I love going to the ladies' Bible study on Tuesday mornings, and I'm so thankful that my mom keeps Haddie for me.  And then I worked at The Porch for a few hours ... packaging teas.  Haddie did great while we were there.  Such a good girlie!  I guess the rest of the afternoon was just spent hanging out at home, but man, it felt busy.  Haddie's usually close to 2-hour nap was like maybe 30 minutes ... so my reading time was cut short.  And then she was fussy the rest of the day because she was tired from not getting her nap.  Gosh, that kid just does not want to sleep during the day ... the only time I can get lucky with a 2-hour nap is when she falls asleep in the car seat on the way home from work.  I didn't get so lucky today. ;)  I love spending time with her, don't get me wrong.  But a mama's gotta have some time to herself, ya know?  For blogging and house-cleaning and prayer and Bible study and just reading a good book ... and to BREATHE!  Haha!  Anyways ... after an afternoon full of fussy cries and toys spread all over the floor, and I did manage to get the rest of my chapter read, I got dinner done ... and Haddie and I ate our dinner, played some more; I got the bills paid, and then I got Haddie a bath, a bottle, and into bed.

*Deep breath*

Busy day.  What did you do today? .... Seriously, I want to know. :)

Journey with Jesus: Day 33
I'm still doing well ... I'm on my fourth day with no sugary drinks and no desserts.  Whew!  I could really use a sweet tea about now! ;)
Breakfast - uhh ... I kinda overslept and skipped it ... man, I was starving by lunch time!
Lunch - bowl of potato soup and chef salad
Snack - blueberry yogurt
Dinner - soup beans and corn bread
Most likely gonna have some cheese for a snack in a bit ...
I'm drinking my fourth water bottle to get me to 64 ounces now.
And I got my workout video in for today too!  Woot, woot!

Well, the hubby just walked in the door after his extra long day at work.  So peace out, and good night, y'all!

Journey with Jesus: Day 32

I just started back to this blogging regularly thing ... and I'm finding out that it is REALLY hard to blog everyday when you have an 8-month-old crawling around, getting into everything all day everyday. ;)  So here is yesterday's Journey with Jesus.

Monday:
Breakfast - bacon and oatmeal and milk
Lunch - Chef salad and cottage cheese
Snack - kiwi and mixed nuts and rice crackers with cheese
Dinner - Pork chops, broccoli & cauliflower, corn, and asparagas
Snack - mixed nuts
64 ounces of water
40-minute Zumba workout

Journey with Jesus: Day 31

Sunday:
Breakfast - bacon and oatmeal and milk
Lunch - Salad and cottage cheese
Dinner - pizza and breadsticks ... yeah, I know ;)
Snack - blueberry yogurt ... yum!
48+ounces of water

Journey with Jesus: Day 30

I'm continuing with my goal to finish unfinished blog projects.  I started back with my "Journey with Jesus" lifestyle a few weeks back, and now, I wanna finish my Journey with Jesus posts.

Back on January 5th, my husband started a juicing diet for his breakfasts and lunches and a healthy dinner each night.  He's been doing well with his goals.  I'm so proud of him!  I didn't go to the juicing extreme, but I've been trying to make some changes for myself as well ... since about December 28th.  Well, Friday night, we had a major cheat night ... pizza, cookies, ice cream, soda, sweet tea ... yeah.  We both felt awful afterwards.  That night helped me see (again!) just how addicted to sugar I am.  So since Saturday morning, I've committed to fasting from sugary drinks and desserts for a time ... I think I've decided until I finish these Journey with Jesus posts ... and then I'll do my best to really limit my sugar intake from then on.  I totally believe people when they say that sugar is more addictive than actual drugs!  Granted, I've never tried a real drug, but I can imagine!  Because I am super addicted to sugar, especially in the form of sweet tea.

So as I did before, I will write some kind of blurb (above), and then I'll post what I ate that day.

Saturday:

Breakfast ... uhh, I kinda slept in and skipped it.

Lunch - Bowl of broccoli/potato soup

Dinner - Steak, baked potato, and a salad

Snack - rice crackers and cheese, apple with peanut butter, and mixed nuts (we had a super early dinner)

48 ounces of water

FOTS: Patience

The last few times I've hopped on my blog, I've noticed that I don't finish what I start ... in the blog world, that is.  I start a "blog project," and then let it fall by the wayside.  Thought I'd try to change that ... starting today.  I started a blog series a long time ago called "FOTS" ... meaning Fruit of the Spirit.  If I remember correctly, I was studying Galatians 5:22-23 and thought I'd be a "good blogger" and post my thoughts about what I was learning.  I stopped the posts just three fruits in ... Love, Joy, Peace, Done.  Ha!  So let's go on to the fourth fruit today ... Patience.

As is true for all of the Fruit of the Spirit, patience is something we learn every single day ... at least, we can, if we just take the time to look for ways to learn it.  Last year, my husband and I learned a lot about patience.  We were pregnant with our first baby, and so my husband took a job with the Pepsi Beverage Company to provide more money for our family.  To keep the back story short, I'll just say that we went through some tough trials for the 9 months he worked there and discovered that Pepsi definitely was NOT for us.  During those months at Pepsi, we struggled immensely with the requirements of Darrell's job, our attitudes, and the specifics about HOW we wanted to raise our family.  We were incredibly discouraged and getting kind of desperate ... Darrell almost took a $6.50-an-hour pay-cut!  All the while, I was praying and hoping that another job would come along.  I was convinced that if we just "hung tight" and remained faithful, prayerful, and hopeful, something just right for us would come along.  And thankfully, just a few weeks after Darrell turned down the $6.50-an-hour, pay-cut job offer, his old job at the health center opened up again.  It was still a pay cut, but a doable pay cut.  And we have been so entirely thankful ever since.  Such a better fit for our family!

But it was because we were PATIENT that we received such a blessing.  If we had taken the huge pay cut, I would have definitely had to find a job ... and could we have afforded day care?  Gosh!  We learned so much about patience through that season at Pepsi, and we continue to learn it now as we seek God's guidance about how long to live with my parents, what kinds of job opportunities we need to look into so that we can eventually get our own place again, and which desires and plans for our family are most important and how to meet them.  Patience is a continual lesson around our house.  But we are growing through it ... growing to be more thankful, growing to trust God more, growing to remember and practice what is MOST important, and so many other lessons.

Here's to Patience ... one of the greatest teachers of all. :)

Haddie is 8 months old!

I am so in love with this little beauty!  She teaches me so much about being selfless and thankful and hopeful and so much more!

What Haddie is doing and learning ....
Exploring like crazy! ~ Better at grabbing things ~ More coordinated ~ Much more steady when she pulls herself up on to things ~ Starting to climb a bit ... she flipped head over heels over a box recently because she was trying to climb over it! ~ Cruising along furniture a bit ~ Such a happy girl - still!  Smiles and laughter all the time! ~ More personality coming out all the time! ~ Eating soft table foods pretty regularly and loving it! ... She really likes eggs, potatoes, kiwi, bananas, chicken, broccoli ... those are probably her favorites ~ Loves playing with board books (and books in general), Little People, spoons, blocks, and toys that light up and play music ~ She got a bunch of Baby Einsteins for Christmas ... she seems to enjoy them still, but she's becoming more mobile, so she'd rather play on the floor or go exploring ~ Getting more of a bedtime routine (yeah, it took mommy and daddy a while to buckle down with that! ;)) ... bath, story, bottle, rocking to sleep with music quietly playing in the background ~ Sleeping longer ... closer to 12 hours a night (all the parents say "holla-lujah!" :)) ~ Sitting in a big girl high chair (instead of her bumbo) ... she got it for Christmas - thank you, Granny and Grampy and Gma and Frank! ~ Growing out of clothes like crazy!  She wears mostly 9-month onesies, but she's already starting to wear 12-month sleepers and pants!  Craziness! ~ Got her first tooth on December 16th ... just one, lonesome tooth, in the front, on the bottom ... super (extra) cute when she smiles really big! ~ Starting to pop another tooth through ~ Still a horrible napper during the day ... but she sleeps a lot at night, so mommy will take it! ~ Taking naps in her car seat ... hey, mama will take what she can get ;) ~ Tons of independent play ~ Still in the "mommy phase" (and mommy doesn't complain! ;)) ~ Not a big fan of adults she doesn't know, but she loves kids ~ Totally awesome all the way around! :D

What Mama is doing and learning ....
Growing in grace and thankfulness ~ Overwhelmed with God's provision and the hope and gratitude He has been filling my mind and life with! ~ Absolutely loving being a mom! ~ Growing more in love with Haddie everyday! ~ So grateful to be home with Haddie everyday ~ So thankful for the hodge podge jobs I have to bring in some extra income ~ So thankful for my parents' generosity to let us live with them to save and pay off debt and raise our family ~ So thankful for my Darrell! ~ Wanting another baby ~ Making plans to do some more consistent blogging ~ Figuring our how to get Haddie to nap a bit during the day ... so far, the car seat is our saving grace ;) ~ gaming with the hubby ~ absolutely loving this season of my life!

Practice is my word; thankfulness is my attitude!
Holla-lujah!
Happy 2016, y'all! :)

Haddie is 7 months old!

Growing like a weed!  I can't believe we've already passed the half a year mark!

What Haddie is doing and learning ....
She's pretty much an expert crawler now ~ she spends a good chunk of her day standing because she's pulled herself up on to something ... the ottoman, her exersaucer, her carseat that's sitting on the floor ... she's not quite strong enough to pull herself up on our tall couches, but she's getting close! ~ she eats pureed food at least 3-4 times a day, taking her bottle less and less ~ she babbles and grunts and "yells" a lot ... so cute and fun! ~ she's pretty excited about her food ... the only thing we're not sure if she likes is avocado ... but she's only had it once, so I'm sure we'll make her try it again ~ she watches an episode or two of Baby Einstein almost everyday, and she's mostly watching and engaging in it instead of playing while she watches these days ~ things she really likes: music, daddy playing guitar and singing, playing with her car seat (NOT being strapped in it though, especially for long periods of time), chewing on her baby spoons and teething toys, holding herself in a standing positions using furniture or holding on to someone's hands, her giraffe toys, eating food rather than drinking a bottle, Baby Einstein, "warning" stickers on her car seat, walker, etc., being held and independent play ~ she smiles most of the time ~ been going through a fussy/needy phase the past week ... at least for her ... but overall, still super happy! ~ very curious about everything ~ still putting everything she can get her hands on into her mouth ~ likes cords and wires and turning from her back to her belly while she is getting her diaper or clothes changed ... two things we are trying to teach her not to do - haha! ~ she doesn't like being held by people she doesn't see often ~ very much in the "mommy phase" ... I can't complain ;) ~ crawling to other rooms to explore whether she hears someone in there or not ~ still and always our bundle of joy and adventure :):):)

What Mommy is doing and learning ....
Discovering a new hobby for myself incorporating godly reminders/eternal perspective/prayer/home decor ~ playing lots of table top games with my hubby (and friends too!) ~ absolutely LOVING being a mama ~ growing in communication with my husband ~ continually working on my attitude ... continually practicing thankfulness ~ STILL reading Battlefield of the Mind ... ha!  I recently found a study guide for it, so I kinda had to start over, but that's okay because it's good! ~ working at not being so crazy about the budget ~ praying for our future, Darrell's job, my family's character, my Haddie girl's salvation, and the needs of my friends and church family ~ LOVING the Body of Christ ~ so excited for THREE family Christmases this year ... one of them for a week at a hotel in Columbus, IN! ~ enjoying decorating our home ~ so, so thankful for our season in life - more family time, being a stay-at-home mom, growing in the Lord and in my attitude, and discovering new hobbies for myself and adventures with Haddie :)

Haddie is 6 months old!

We can't believe it!  Haddie is already 6 months old!  These posts are to share what she's doing and learning each month ... but this month, we should really be asking what is she NOT doing and learning?  She is doing so great and developing so well!  We are so proud and so grateful! :)

What the Haddie girl is doing and learning these days ...
She is sitting up on her own ~ crawling ... yep!  She doesn't have the technique down just yet, but she is definitely mobile!  Look out, world!  And look out, mama's world ... it's about to change forever! ;) ~ pulling herself up on to things ... trying to stand already but not quite strong enough ~ babbling more ~ she has this excited thing she does - she shakes and extends her arms and opens her eyes wide ... cracks us up! ~ going through the mommy phase ... wants mommy the most and doesn't go to many other people very well ~ fights sleep even harder these days ~ lots of independent play ... in her walker, exersaucer, pack 'n play, and the floor ~ still really liking Baby Einstein ~ falling on her head several times a day ... she's learning to crawl and sit and explore ... a few bumps and bruises are bound to happen ~ eating lots more solid food ... about twice a day - she loves oatmeal, rice cereal, applesauce ... and we just found out she really, really likes strawberries ... but we haven't found anything she doesn't like yet ~ still putting everything in her mouth and chewing on it ... no teeth poppin' through yet though ~ beginning to sleep longer some mornings

All around .... she is amazing!  We grow more in love with her everyday!

What Mama is doing and learning ...
I've been trying to develop a hobby ... because I have none - been thinking about tapping into the creative side of my brain with some home decor ideas and decorating/prayer project ideas for Haddie and our home ... it's a work in progress and will only happen as we have a little money for it, but I have ideas galore! ~ still going to counseling, and Darrell is even coming with me ~ started a prayer journal for Haddie ... in efforts to pray for her even more often :) ~ been feeling quite productive lately ... cooking at home more, organizing a few areas of the house, making our own baby food, getting a lot of tea packaged at The Porch for mom, caring for Haddie, packing yummy lunches for my hubby, working on communicating with my hubby, getting involved with Bible studies and other "behind-the-scenes ministries" through church, practicing thankfulness ... and my next project is finally getting some pictures developed and getting 'em up on the walls at home! ~ still working at eating better and exercising more ... still failing ... but I'm continuing to work at finding motivation ~ my hodge podge jobs are going really well, and I am so, so thankful for them ~ absolutely loving being a mama and getting to stay home with Haddie - such an incredibly humongous blessing that I thank God for just about everyday ~ still loving my Bible studies ~ thinking about starting a mommy group with my fellow church mamas after the first of the year ~ loving the way Haddie reaches for me all the time ~ still reading Battlefield of the Mind ~ praying for doors of opportunity for Darrell's job, Haddie's salvation, and that we will become a family of faithfulness, thankfulness, and selflessness

Haddie is 5 months old!

Our Haddie girl is 5 months old now and getting more fun with every new day!

What Haddie is doing and learning .....
We've officially turned the monitor off, so as far as we know, she's still sleeping through the night ... a good 8-9 hours ~ she's still grabbing for things constantly ~ putting every single thing she can get her hands on into her mouth ~ still drooling ~ she sticks her tongue out all the time ~ she recently started to make a face we like to call the "turtle face" ... so cute and hilarious! ~ drinking 6 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours ~ eating baby food a little more often ... so far, her favorites are applesauce and sweet potatoes ~ watching her own hands ~ moving around on the floor even more ... following toys she pushes around and just wanting to get moving ~ tries to sit up constantly ... she definitely gets a good ab workout everyday ~ started going to a regular babysitter most Wednesday nights while we're at Bible study ... we love you, Darian! :) ~ got through her first major sickness ... at least it was major to us! ... diarrhea :( ~ sitting in her bumbo seat regularly ~ watching Baby Einstein and loving it ~ learning to get used to a new play area (the upstairs of grandma's store, The Porch) while mommy does office work ... but she's not adjusting very well yet ~ laughing more ... especially at daddy's shenanigans ~ still loving to hear daddy sing ... it calms her right down most of the time ~ wearing lots of 6 month clothes already ~ loving funny noises (mouth sounds) ... especially when daddy does them ~ still staying the night with granny and grampy every Friday night ~ still capturing our hearts everyday!
Possibly teething and crawling very soon! :)

What Mama is doing and learning .....
Still learning to find the balance ... between being productive and just loving my little girl ~ continuing to find freedom from self-condemnation ~ beginning to find freedom from not being able to voice my needs/opinions ~ loving my Bible studies on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday nights ~ still working at praying more/reading Christian books more and watching TV/piddling less ~ actively working to communicate with my husband better ~ working three hodge podge jobs to help bring in some extra cash - babysitting, house cleaning, and office work ~ loving date nights with my Darrell, game nights with friends, and going to church every Sunday morning AS A FAMILY :):):) ~ loving smiles and laughs with my Haddie girl ~ still trying to eat better and go for more walks ... it is a daily struggle that I often fail at ~ so thankful for Darrell's new, old job ~ so thankful to be home with my Haddie girl everyday ~ so thankful we live with my parents and get to share this special season of life with them ~ so thankful my favorite time of year has officially begun (October 1st-January 1st is the BEST! ... cool weather, holidays, family get-togethers ... and this year ... all of Haddie's firsts!) ~ growing in thankfulness ... can you tell? ;) ~ praising God for His faithfulness and provision and work in our lives

Happy Monday, y'all! :)

Haddie is 4 months old!

I'm continuing to be late with Haddie's monthly posts ... oh, well.  #momlife, right? ;)



What Haddie is learning and doing ...
Grabbing on to/grasping for everything ~ chews on everything she can get her hands on ~ drools a lot ~ plays with toys everyday ~ likes noise-making toys and chewy toys the best ~ watches Baby Einstein almost everyday and engages with it more all the time ~ laughs and smiles constantly ~ makes lots of cooing and grunting sounds ~ lights up when she sees her mama and daddy - yay! ~ starting to get upset with most people outside of her parents and grandparents ~ starting to push/pull herself across the floor ever so slightly ;) ~ gets fixated on phone cameras, water bottles, fans, lights, and bright colors ~ starting to eat solid foods like oatmeal, yogurt, and mashed potatoes and is struggling to get the concept ~ can occupy herself for long periods of time ~ takes 2-3 cat-naps a day ~ still sleeping 7-8 hours a night ~ eating 5-6 ounces of formula but not quite as often as she used to ~ I know I'm forgetting some things, but there's a good list for now. :)

What Mama is learning and doing ...
Loving being home with my baby girl everyday ~ still open to finding jobs to work from home and trying to figure out what can and cannot be done with Haddie still needing quite a bit of attention ~ doing some babysitting and house cleaning a few times a month ~ still going to counseling and making some progress with accepting grace and not condemning myself all the time ~ trying to go on more walks ~ working through watching the 10 seasons of Smallville with Darrell (three seasons to go!) ~ reading Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer ~ going to a Tuesday morning ladies' Bible study and a Wednesday night young couples' study and loving them both! ~ loving my Haddie girl's smiles - she's such a happy baby! :) ~ Again, I'm sure there's more, but this is a decent list.

Happy Friday, y'all! :)

Haddie is 3 months old!

Well, I was informed recently that I don't know how to count how old my baby is.  Haha!  I guess I was counting weeks instead of months ... ya know, 4 weeks to a month.  But I didn't think about how some months have more than 4 weeks.  So I've been telling people Haddie's month birthdays wrong.  Oh, well.  August 3rd ... this past Monday ... Haddie turned 3 months old!  How exciting!



What Haddie is doing and learning ...
Drinking 5 ounces every 2-3 hours ~ sleeping an average of 7-9 hours each night ~ Talking (cooing) so much much ~ starting to see that there's a person staring back at her in the mirror ... not sure if she knows it's herself yet, but she's at least noticing something in there ~ has started tasting foods a bit ... just a few licks of pineapple, lemon, bacon, and sweet tea ~ growing like a weed! - she's already wearing 6-month sleepers and starting to fill them out, and I'm sure she will have outgrown her 3-month onesies by her next monthly blog post ~ becoming more independent with time - she can watch full episodes of Baby Einstein without a fuss or just occupy herself with overhanging toys or her own coos for a decent chunk of time ~ can barely swing in her swing anymore because she starts to push herself out - squirmy worm! :) ~ turning from belly to back ... but mom still hasn't gotten to see it but maybe once!  I just find her on her back when I get her each morning ~ engages a lot more with facial expressions and playing noises, TV/movies, music, and bright colors ~ recognizes mama and daddy and her grandparents ~ laughing, especially when mommy or daddy gets her going :)

What Mommy is doing and learning ...
Learning to accept grace and not condemn herself so much ... although I've got a long way to go, I am making progress ~ been seeing a counseling pastor for my struggles with self-condemnation, and I am beginning to experience some FREEDOM :) ~ NOT condemning myself when I miss my prayer and devotional times ~ growing to practice God's presence in many ways, not just prayer and devotional times ~ learning to let go of my to-do list and just love on my Haddie girl ~ "wheelin' and dealin', as Darrell calls it - been buying, selling, and trading baby stuff on some awesome Facebook baby pages ... been finding formula extra cheap! ~ growing in trust and thankfulness ~ doing everything I can to stay home with Haddie ~ looking for babysitting/writing/whatever jobs to make a little extra money ~ started a thankfulness journal, and it's awesome and perspective-changing! ~ LOVING the Tuesday morning ladies' Bible study I started going to recently! ~ movie marathons with Haddie ~ still trying to eat more healthy and failing ~ game nights with Darrell, Haddie, and friends ~ loving being a mom more with each day ~ slowly learning to communicate better with my husband ~ desiring to encourage my husband in the midst of a crappy job but don't always know how to ~ aching over how hard it can be to provide for a family these days ~ aching over the possibility that I may not get to stay home with Haddie much longer ... but trying to remain hopeful and do everything I can to have a good attitude and find jobs from home ~ wishing it wasn't so hard to NOT get attached to my plans ~ praying for God's wisdom and provision ~ grateful that God and my Darrell never give up on me