Yes, I still blog ;)

Hi Friends!!! It has been so long, I’m not sure anyone is aware of this little blog’s existence 🙂 I have been debating closing it down, but then I feel like I should keep it up. So for now, and for today, since I felt like it.. I am doing another post.

It will be a random hodge podge, but here we go!

I’ll start with a story. You might find it funny. I did not! Although had I been driving past, I may have laughed 🙂 Had you drove by our farm the other night, you would have seen the Amish man( Or boy. It all happened in a blur), go whizzing by on his scooter. And you would have seen a ball of fur running after him, barking ferociously. You would have seen the traffic stop in both directions. And you would have seen me, running across the very cold and muddy field, with only socks on my feet, because I was sure she was going to get hit. Sigh. It ended well, with only muddy socks to soak, and a pounding heart. And I probably should have a dog trainer 🙂

This little man has been busy giving me snuggles, heart attacks, and a whole lot of laughs and frustration 🙂 Honestly, I love just having him at home with me! But he has been giving the twos, the terrible 😉 The other Sunday, he threw his fathers phone in the toilet. He got into nail polish one night, but I saw it before too much mess occurred. I find random scribbles on things like my dryer 🙂 He is busy with a capital B, which is why naptime makes me sooo happy!!

There was a short time that the ice was thick enough to skate, so the children were happy for that!
A winter morning on the farm..

It was so cold and beautiful!!

These 2 love to wash dishes 🙂

Morning snack…

And this month only, I have free codes that you can use to try the healthy pink drink that has helped me so much, as well as other great supplements I use daily! It is a wonderful special ($39.95 off!!), plus the 1st month you try it, you can get products at an even better price than I do 🙂 And if you’re not happy, you can get your money back! I would love to chat with you if you have questions!! I only share because it has made such a difference for me!!

That’s all for now. I just took a car ride with my teenager, we argued. And I sighed. I am the mom of a 16 year old now, and that has been a small stress in my life 😉 Life has a way of moving so fast, sometimes I am not ready for all the changes!!

Many blessings to you, friends!!

Tips on prepping for the week

I try to be organized. Try is the word 😉

But there are a few things that I’ve been doing, that I noticed  are helping, so I thought I would share here!

Our 3 school children pack their own lunches, thanks to my husband implementing that. He said they can, and it helps me, and I sure like that! 🙂 So prepackaging snacks for the week is very helpful! Plus they love to grab it, and add it to their lunch.

Another thing I am doing, is planning my meals for the week. Not detailed. And sometimes plans change, and I swap out one day for another. If you know anything about farming, plans can change very quickly 🙂 I think that is some of the reason I held off on trying to meal plan. But this way, I have a good idea what we’ll have, and I can make sure the ingredients are here. I usually sit down, and do this Sunday, or Monday morning.

I also love my planner! I need lists, or the running “to do” list in my brain makes me feel scattered and stressed. My planner has an area at the top for main things that need to be done during the week, and when I think of something, I write it down. That has really helped me!

I still struggle with feeling like my brain is in 10 different places at once, but perhaps that is because I have a busy toddler 🙂

So I would love to hear from you all! What tips do you have for being organized? Share in the comments!

And to close this post, just a few pictures of Spring, here on the farm!

Showing me the airplane 🙂Our oldest son, and his 4H calfAnd beautiful buds!

Have a blessed week!! ~ Jo

 

March

March felt like it came and left in a hurry 🙂 Although it still seems like Winter around here.  Two highlights of our March…

A cabin trip with family… We had not been away in awhile, so it was great!! We were glad our weekend did not end like last year 😉 Yes, very glad! 🙂

The other highlight was promoting in my company 🙂 I had worked and prayed for this for awhile, and it all felt like a big hug from God!! The joy of sharing with others, and seeing their lives change, as well as  wanting to give more, and help pay off debt quicker, has been such a driving force in my why!!

And the bonus will be such a huge blessing! 🙂 I am so grateful! We counted down my points I needed, and it was so fun to have the children share in the excitement 🙂 I felt so much love and support!!Some random things…

We have a cardinal friend who flies up to our window every day, and taps on it 🙂 We love watching him!!My babe and I ❤We love this for a quick lunch!! Flatbread, ranch dressing, bacon bits, canned chicken, cheese. So tasty 🙂

Also, this Caramel French Toast is a favorite at our house!And this boy keeps me running 😉😉Happy Wednesday, friends!!!

Sunday musings

The sky is grey today, with muddy ground, and muddy boots at my door. We were blessed to go to church, and hear the Word, even though sometimes I feel like I don’t always catch a whole lot with a wriggly babe on my lap 🙂

On our way to church, we listened to a radio preacher talk about worry. He mentioned how worry is a sin, but we don’t always think of it that way. It was something good for me to hear, as I can tend to be a bit of a worrier.

I know I am not very active on here. Life is full, and even though I love to write, I don’t always feel I have much to say, or maybe I don’t always take time to put it together 🙂 I want to invite you to check out my friend Rachelle’s blog. She writes so well, and with such grace as she takes you through the hard she and her family experienced recently.

I saw a post on Instagram today that made me think a bit. A mom who shared that she avoids following some people because their lives seem perfect. I too can tend to compare my life to others, and see areas that seem ‘lacking”. And although I generally use my social media for uplifting posts, I hope I never come across as having it all together. Because I am so far from that 🙂

The kiddos enjoyed the snow we had, so I must share a few photos. I have not edited photos in so long, and didn’t take time to do these either 🙂 My favorite is the last shot of my snow babe with his” face” that I see so much of 😉 He is such a busy boy that I sometimes think all I do all day is clean up from him, save his life, and bathe him after his eating or whatever escapade he got into 🙂

I hope you have a week that goes well. I am working on my mindset, trying to CHOOSE the joy in the chaos and messes of life, and not complain about them so much. I have got a LOT of work to do in that area 🙂

May God bless you all! ~ Jo

A Thankful Heart

It’s Monday morning. The sky is overcast, and rain is in the forecast. I step into the laundry room, and see the mounds of wash. A basket of clean wash that wasn’t folded from the weekend. An overflowing basket. A laundry tub full of dirty clothes I am soaking. Dirt, toys, and shoes, strewn across  the floor.

My human nature wants to sigh, and complain. But this morning, I remember the shooting yesterday in Texas, and I can’t even feel grumpy.

I better be thankful for those wash piles. I better be thankful for that dirt.

There are so many moms wishing to be able to wash  dirty clothes, and clean up over and over again.

Why is it that I so soon forget my blessings, and put my focus on the “mess”? Fixing my eyes on Christ can be so hard sometimes. Right now, Iife feels busy and chaotic, and I catch myself going down that road of frustration too often.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he..” Proverbs 23:7

What do you say to yourself? When we are negative, when we think in a negative way, it will come out.

Affirmations is something I am working on. It is something I need to work hard at 🙂 Too often, I think “I have to do so and so”. What if I change that to? “I get to do so and so!” Or, “I am blessed that I can do…”

Instead of saying “I am so busy!”, how about “I am thankful I have the energy to do these tasks!”

Do you see the difference? 🙂

You know, some days, I think I have got it together 🙂 Life feels good. And then other days, the devil gets his snares into my life.. That little thing turns into a Big thing.

I just want to encourage you today, that God sees and knows our hearts. He also deserves our praise and gratitude, even when we don’t feel like it.

Friends, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus! Remember, we are all walking each other Home 🙂

#Momlife

Can we just have a moment of silence for all the AMAZING moms out there!!?

If you are a mom,  go ahead and pat yourself on the back!!! 🙂

Me. I have had to look at myself lately, and see that I need to improve in so many ways!

You know, I realized something tonight as it neared the end of the day. I sadly did a whole lot of hollering at my kiddos lately 😦 You know, you tell them to do something, they ignore, you repeat, still act like they did not hear. And then the temperature rises in me. So I realize that this is partly my fault. They should be trained so well, they immediately listen to me the 1st time I talk. But this is something I struggle to nail down. Do you all have tips?

At the end of the day, I just want them to GO.TO.BED!!!!!! To hear the sweet sound of nothing but a running brook, courtesy of our noise machine 🙂

I should probably master the art of counting to 10 🙂 Taking a few breaths.

What do you find that helps you remain calm as a mom? I would love to hear from you! When I was younger, I thought everyone at the age I am now, had life figured out, and knew all the ropes of parenting 🙂 I know, too funny 🙂

This mom gig is the hardest thing ever. Most rewarding, but still hard!

Now, I am going to bed to sleep like a baby 😉 Well, if my baby allows that 🙂

Summertime…

You have gone way too fast! Some quick photos of sweet summertime ..This boy is a joy and delight to us!! Even if he sleeps like a… well, not even sure what description to use 🙂 Good thing he is so cute, lol! In all honesty though, I am blessed at how good one can feel on little sleep!! Supplementation can make a HUGE difference, and I see it so much during this sleep regression and busy summer!!

This picture just gives me all the feels 🙂 She sticks out her hip, and plunks him on it, and is his little mother 🙂A corn day..And having cousins here to help makes it so much more fun 🙂

Sunsets are my fave!!Backyard fun…And I could have added so many more photos, but I will stop here 🙂

My chunk and pretty light! Yes please 🙂

Have an amazing week!

Valentines Supper

I don’t always do this for Valentines Day, but this year I felt like it 🙂 So I pulled out the china, and the glasses that were collecting dust, and tried to make my valentines feel a bit special! I had fun snapping pictures too 🙂 The centerpiece was cranberries and greens…    The food….A little snitch 🙂  A candle lit view…I spoiled them with cranberry ginger ale and everyone got a chocolate rose.My happy crew. And real life! We did not get dressed up 🙂 Hubby was at his side job, and after milking, I came in from the barn to his phone call. “Sorry, but I won’t be home till after 7:30. So we ate without him 🙂 Well, life doesn’t always go exactly how we planned, does it? But by the looks of it, it was a pretty big hit all around 🙂Happy Monday , friends!!

Last post of the year! :)

I missed posting this at Christmas, so here is our family,lovely self timer shot and all 🙂 Really, it involved a lot of exercise for the mom, as I ran back and forth so many times, the children were done, and finally said “Ok, that’s a wrap!”, and we get what we get 🙂 So maybe next year I should hire someone 🙂As I shared before, this year was tough, and yet full of blessings, and we grow more when we have to struggle, do we not? I am looking to the new year, new goals, and I’m excited for what God has in store!! One of my goals is to do something nice for somebody every day. Whether it involves something big or little. I can tell you that God has been working on me, to nudge me to do more, because I have so much. To be honest, some days I feel like I don’t have much. But that is the devil’s tactics. And how can I learn contentment if I always look at those that seem to have it better?  I’m a work in progress, and still fail miserably some days! 🙂

Our oldest is 14! She enjoys school, her friends, holding her baby brother, and time with her horse. Cleaning and barn chores are not her favorite thing, but she is a big help to me!!

Our oldest son is 11, and he has been such a great helper lately! He loves to get up at 3:30 a.m. to help his dad milk, and we have to limit that to 3 or 4 times a week, because he does need sleep to handle school and it’s challenges! I also love how he has been making his bed very neatly each morning without me telling him to 🙂 Of course he is a normal child, thinking he knows pretty much, and fighting his siblings, but we definitely are seeing some positive changes 🙂

Next in line is our “farm boy”. He is 8, 9 next month, and still loves his cows, playing farm, and getting dirty 🙂 He is a strong willed child, and hard to handle sometimes, yet he has a soft heart. We have seen huge improvements in him with school, and he almost made honor roll! We are so grateful for the supplements that we are certain are helping him, and I love listening to him read, and hearing him talk about school!

Next in line is our spitfire 🙂 She turned 5 in Nov., and is full of energy and creativity. She was “the baby” for so long, that she is still a bit jealous of her baby brother, but she sure does love him! Her will is strong, and she is so independent that it drives her momma crazy sometimes, but who likes boredom anyways?? 🙂

And then our newest blessing. He is 6 mo. already! The children still fight over him multiple times a day 🙂 He is chubby, and full of smiles, and recently started rolling. He has a cheering crew for everything he does 🙂

We are blessed! My prayer for you all is that 2017 is a year of new growth, stronger relationships, and full of blessings from our heavenly Father!!

Thanks to all my followers who check in on my little space here! I appreciate it!

Bring on 2017!! 🙂

Remembering

It’s Sunday morning. Normally I would be at church. Instead I’m at home with a child who isn’t feeling the best. The wind is blowing away outside, there is a load of bedding in the washer because Sick Child :), Darian is snoozing, and to be honest, it feels quite cozy 😉 I’m sad that I’ll miss the Christmas dinner we had today. In fact, I was definitely feeling some self pity this morning. But this is life. So I will do things today that I have not taken the time for lately 🙂 Writing this post, putting some pictures into an album, designing our Christmas card (which by the way I do not like, because we did it in 10 minutes with a self timer 🙂 ), and maybe some reading, a nap, and some extra baby cuddles. And that’s what today’s post is about. My babe.

On a Sunday 5 short months ago, I woke up to use the bathroom, and thought my water broke. It didn’t take long till I knew it did 🙂 I had been home from the hospital 6 days, after a week was spent there to hold off labor, in hopes that baby would have more time to develop those lungs. A week that really tested me, and grew my faith. I was 36 weeks, and baby was coming, ready or not. A call to my midwife, and advice to head for the hospital, even though I wasn’t contracting, because this whole pregnancy had its issues 🙂 Waking up hubby (who got bug eyed :)), scrambling to find someone to help do the morning milking. And a rush trying to pack my bag, call Mom, and get myself together. I had only 2 hrs. of sleep, and I remember feeling like I couldn’t even think what to pack. Realizing that I did not even have a newborn boys sleeper. It was my 1st time birthing at a hospital. It was my 5th child, and yet in a way it all felt new and scary.

We headed to the hospital around 4 and arrived at approximately 4:30. Still not contracting. The decision was made to put me on a drip, and get contractions going. And thus it began. I was hoping to have him in a few hours. 🙂 But my body said different. I would contract, and they would slowly start going away, then my dosage would go up, and they would start again, and die off again, and on and on it went 🙂 We walked the halls, chatted with my midwife, who by the way, got her sleep disturbed, and still came in to the hospital to be with us. All day. And we tried to snooze a bit. And up, up went the dosage. And contractions started getting worse. I like to say that this baby wanted to come before he was supposed to, but then he changed his mind, haha 🙂 My labor was not horrible. Just long. The last hour or so was hard. It is all a blur, as many of you know. That bit where all your focus is on that end goal. Trying to get through the pain. And I remember the back massages from my midwife, the squeezes to my hand from hubby, the praying , “God get me through”.  There was such a neat moment, when a favorite nurse I had when I came in in premature labor at 34 weeks, came in to start her shift right as I was nearing delivery. I don’t even think I acknowledged her much because I was in too much pain, but I remember thinking how God worked. She told me she had heard I was in, but was sure she would miss the birth, because they all knew how far along I was already. She was so surprised to make the delivery 🙂

A few pushes later, with the Dr. barely in the room, and he was here! Crying. “It’s a boy!”. More crying, from baby and the mom and dad 🙂 And our world was changed again. Darian Kent, 6lbs., 13 oz. Beautiful baby boy.

There was still pain to bear, some concern, and me thinking please let it be done. I remember clinging to him, trying to shut out the pain from what I knew was necessary. As I look back, I marvel at how God works, and sustains us . I can say every bit of it was worth it! Every bit! It is why we as mothers choose to go through it all again. 🙂

I still get emotional as I remember. And as I look at how big my boy is getting. I remember how he slept so much during the day. How I woke him to feed him because he had high bilirubin levels. How I had to take him again and again to get his little heel pricked. The wonderful meals that came. That baby smell. A new normal.

Thank you for taking this little trip down memory lane with me 🙂 I would love to hear stories from you, my readers 🙂 So interesting how each child is different! And here are a few pictures of my baby now. He no longer resembles that skinny little dark haired baby boy 🙂I snapped this one as he snoozed this morning. Can you tell I love sleeping pictures? 🙂

Enjoy your Sunday, friends!!