This morning I am literally sitting here in tears fighting the urge to go grab Kyrie from school. Some jackwad decided to call in shooting threats to our small town school system. If you are that moron, and you happen to stumble upon my humble blog...my child has done nothing to you, and how dare you take advantage of this horrible situation just for a sick high. God bless you and forgive you, and cover you in love....because heaven knows that is something that I am incapable of doing.... your village has called, they want you back.
So, before I found out that there was a gun threat this morning... I began to think of Kyrie, and all of the things that I have on my heart to tell her. I have never thought for one minute that I would never get to see her grow up. I never thought that I would never get to see my child walk at graduation, or go to college, or get married. I never thought that there was any chance in my prefect little world that something could come in and disrupt those perfect thoughts. I'm sure many of us never thought that we would miss those things. We thought wrong folks....way wrong.
So, first of all I would call each and every parent out there to pray for their child. Pray for them while they are at school, before you drop them off, after you pick them up... This world is spinning quickly out of control. You can't change people... now, we can tighten gun laws... blah blah blah... but that will do nothing. People will resort to another vice... if we keep on this road, we need to ban knives, baseball bats, pipes, tire wrenches, and anything and everything that could be used as a deadly weapon... your car.. really. We are fighting a loosing battle.
While thinking about all of those things, I also though about how damn scared Kyrie would be if she found herself without her mommy in a dark closet, or bathroom.. wherever. So, I decided to do the hardest thing in the entire world. I wrote her a letter, in case of an emergency for her teacher to read to her. This is in the event that something happens and I can't get to her quickly.. something like a lock down, or natural disaster. I want her to have something, words.. hand written by me.. so hear as some kind of comfort. I want her to know that I love her, that I will come for her, and mostly that I love her. I know that in some situations, when push comes to shove.. there may not be time to grab it....but if by some chance there is, I want her to be able to have it.
I wont lie, it was by far the hardest letter I have ever written. I bawled bitterly the entire way through it. I told her about the first time I saw her, and how I know that she is going to do great things... and how precious she is to me. I'll skip some of the sappy stuff, but one of the passages in her letter says this:
Kyrie, I know that you are scared, but I want you to close your eyes and picture mommy and daddy wrapping our arms around you so tight.. giving you the best bear hug ever. Do you remember the song that I use to sing to you when you were scared? Where ever you go, No matter how far.. I'll always always come back for you. Kyrie, I want you to know I will come for you soon. I want you to listen to your teachers, help your classmates, and most of all I want you to remember that God hears our fears. He is bigger than all things, every and anything. He is our protector. I love you with all my heart, and I will be with you soon.
Love Mommy and Daddy
You better believe that I was bawling. My heart ached, my stomach flipped.. God, it just hurt. I had to stop and talk out what was on my heart with the Healer. I cant stand the thought of my baby being scared like that. It kills the happiness in my heart. It makes my heart feel like it dropped in the floor, and it takes my breath away. I can't explain the fear, that even just imagining that situation in a hypothetical situation brings me. It's sickeningly thick, and incredibly real.
My plan is to give the letter to her teacher, in an envelope. I'm also planning on putting a picture of us together for her to have as well. I know some will find this idea eccentric.. but I want her to have something to comfort her. Think what you want, I dont care!
Now, I'm calling all parents.. pray! You are helpless, you cannot pull every disturbed person off the streets, because the reality is...more and more are born each day. In this situation, if you cannot find faith... then there is no hope. Pray for your children, I cant tell you how important this is... pray for their protection. It's your job. If you refuse to have faith, then you forfeit your child to have hope for a better future. Chew on that thought for a little while, because if you don't have faith that something will change for the better, then there is no hope that the future will be better. Those are two concepts that go hand and hand my friend.
Wake up! Do you not see that there is a war going on? We are living in a literal hell. We have to fight for our children. When are we all going to wise up and say we have had enough? When will it be important enough? You need to make it important now. If you dont protect your child and fight for them, no one else will.
Children are blessings. Adore them, love them fiercely, hold tightly to them. Let them know how special they are to you. Never let a day go by that you dont tell your child, no matter what their age, that you love them. Remember, every second counts.
PRAY PRAY PRAY PRAY!!
I challenge every parent to pray for their children, especially school children for one hour. Pray for their protection, pray for protection over their school, classroom, classmates, teachers... Be their shield. This is your way of protecting them when you can't physically be there. Pray for the families of those who lost loved ones this week, pray that there is an end to this madness. Be the armor your kids need, and call out to Jesus.
Ok, I know.. I have hit my max on ranting! I just have really had this on my heart this week, and if I can encourage one person to join me in prayer.. even for one hour... that's one more person throwing shield up. I hope that soon enough, there will be enough shields thrown up to reflect the flames being shot at us back on to the one shooting them at us. I have faith.
Prayers, blessings and love to your weekend,
xoxox- Audrie
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
10 things I've learned in the last month =)
Hello friends!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post... I've been a busy mama! Caden James graced decided to join us October 27th, so I have been working to get everyone adjusted and to get the home moving smoothly again. It's a squeeze but we have a routine that pretty much works now. =) Bryan started a new job a few weeks ago, so getting use to his new hours and stuff has been crazy. However, in spite of the craziness... life has this feeling of completeness. I love watching my family grow. Those 4 kids are the most awesome things I have ever created. I'm so very blessed!
So, Christmas is literally just around the corner! =) I'm not even close to having everything ready for the, "big day"..are you? LOL !! I have made a dozen sugr cookies that were eaten before they were frosted, and about a dozen cornflake wreaths... that red hots were never even purchased to finish! HA HA! Horrible, I know, right? OHWARD!!
This blog is a few lifesaving tips that I have learned in the last month for bigger families. It's very hard now for families to spend quality time together. There is house work, homework, work work... it's a wonder how any American families actually manage to stay together. We put so much emphasis on what we own, as opposed to what we have... too much. Things will come and go, but our children will always be by our sides..or better yet, they are choosing our nursing home. =)
My 10 lifesavers
1.) Do a load of laundry every day. Yes, I know..this one stinks, but if you have 6 people to do laundry for... one day, even two days a week is suicide. About two hours into folding and getting it all put away, it becomes boring. When that happens, we tend to take a break with intentions of going back to finish it. But, how many times have you walked away to find your favorite T.V. show on and remeber after 4 hours that it is now time to pick up your kids, make dinner, and get everyone ready for bed...and the laundry is still in the dryer, on the couch, in a basket... wherever.
If you gather everything up at the end of the day, wash it, throw it in the dryer before you go to bed... and put it away first thing in the morning... your more likely to keep up with it. I use the delay wash setting on my washer and dryer. By the time I wake up the clothes are ready to go into the dryer, and when I get home from dropping Kyrie off, they are ready to be put away.. Easy peasy.
2.) Cook a few extra meals on the weekend. If there is something ready to go in the fridge, you are less likely to run for take out. Thus, saving money..and your waiste line. Remeber that left overs can be recycled into new things. Be creative.. left over spaghetti sauce? Why not bake a few bread sticks... toss a salad, and serve your kids Itlian dunkers? Shread left over pork roast, throw it in the crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce, and make pulled pork sandwhiches. I like to have three "spares" in the freezer or fridge.. that way on the days that I find myself in a pinch, I can take one out, heat it up..and my family still gets a decent meal. I also plan a two week menu, and when I go shopping, I shop for stuff based off this menu.
3.) Do a 30 minute "White tornado" each day. This being 30 minutes a day where you just go and pick things up and put them where they belong. You would be suprised how quickly your living room becomes clean again when you throw the toys back in the toy box, and put everyone's shoes away. Designate an area for shoes, coats, backpacks, and toys. When you find your living room looks like an elf exploded in your living room... call a white tornado, have everyone pick up their stuff, put it away..and voila. =)
4.) Make a calendar. If you have kids in school or sports. A dry erase calendar board works well for this. Let everyone choose their own color marker.. write their specific activity in their color. OR print one, still using a different color ink for each person. Put this calendar somewhere it will be seen daily. I cannot tell you how many times I have to check our calendar during the week. It is my lifesaver.
5.) Make shower baskets. Get one basket per child.. put their towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, hair ties, lotion, chapstick..etc in one basket. Designate it's home (Our kids put their in their closet), and at bath time.. they can grab their clothes, throw them in their basket, and head to the bathroom. When they are done, everything goes back into the basket, the basket goes back to it's home..and your bathroom is clutter free. I love these, because if I am in a time crunch, and it's time for Kyrie to shower... she already knows where everything is. She can get started while I am feeding Caden, or whatever.
6.) Keep an extra bag packed in your vehicle. Pack it with spare clothes for the kids, a spare shirt for you, extra diapers and a small pack of wipes, a small first aide kit, an extra baby blanket, nursing shaw, premade formula bottles (they make newborn nursers, and some that are either 4 or 8 oz.. ready to eat formula, in a plastic bottle), extra paci, mylicon, baby tylenol and advil, grown up advil =), and a fifty (for when you leave home and half way into your run into town your fuel light turns on!). These are all things that are likely to be neglected in a time crunch, and finding yourself without them can really stink sometimes.
7.) Schedule a mom nap...everyday, or at least any day you can. Mom's are master multitaskers. We will work and run until we are totally wiped out. So, make sure you are taking a few minutes to rest yourself. Who says it's against the rules to put the kids down and kick your feet up for an hour? This hour is especially important if you have a newborn or young infant in the house. Throw your recliner back, snuggle with the baby and catch a few while you can. One our will do you wonders in the long run.
8.) Skip the china, and buy the damn paper plates! No, you don't have to have a perfectly set table every night. You can buy paper plates really cheap! I realize that it makes more waste, and yadda yadda yadda...but give me a break! I've been up all night with the baby, got everyone dressed and out the door, cleaned house, did the laundry, cooked and cleaned up 2 meals, plus we still have homework, dinner before and after, bedtime... no one is going to complain when their tummies are full and there are no dishes in the sink to do after.
9.) Before the kids go to bed... have them lay out their clothes, shoes, coats, and backpacks for the next day. This way when your alarm clock doesn't go off and your running 2o minutes behind.. you won't have to spend 10 minutes searching for a lost shoe! Make sure you put your shoes, keys, phone, and purse all in one spot too...gotta lead by example.
10.) Call a one hour time out before bed. Turn off the T.V., take up a media collection and take them to another room, so that they are not interrupiting and talk. Ask the kids about their day, help with homework, say a prayer... talk about things that happened through the day. Many times we don't take enough time to talk to out kids and spouses about their day. Sometimes, just giving someone a few minutes to "unload" can do them a world of good. Especially kids..make sure you ask them about their day. The high points, the low points, and if there is anything that they need to tell you, or talk to you about. Let them know that they have your undivided attention, and take it seriously. If you give them a chance to communicate openly with you, usually.. they will. Make sure you know your kid... they are your business, what they do, see, speak, think.. eveything. So, make time to show them that you are interested in their life.
And there you have it, 10 things that have made my life as a mom to a family of 6 leaps and bounds easier in the last month! =)
Be sure to look for my Christmas post later this week for the recipies and crafts that I have been doing the last week! This is by far my most favorite time of the year, and I am super excited to show you what I have been up to!
Blessings and love as your week continues!
xoxo- Audrie
Sorry it has been so long since my last post... I've been a busy mama! Caden James graced decided to join us October 27th, so I have been working to get everyone adjusted and to get the home moving smoothly again. It's a squeeze but we have a routine that pretty much works now. =) Bryan started a new job a few weeks ago, so getting use to his new hours and stuff has been crazy. However, in spite of the craziness... life has this feeling of completeness. I love watching my family grow. Those 4 kids are the most awesome things I have ever created. I'm so very blessed!
So, Christmas is literally just around the corner! =) I'm not even close to having everything ready for the, "big day"..are you? LOL !! I have made a dozen sugr cookies that were eaten before they were frosted, and about a dozen cornflake wreaths... that red hots were never even purchased to finish! HA HA! Horrible, I know, right? OHWARD!!
This blog is a few lifesaving tips that I have learned in the last month for bigger families. It's very hard now for families to spend quality time together. There is house work, homework, work work... it's a wonder how any American families actually manage to stay together. We put so much emphasis on what we own, as opposed to what we have... too much. Things will come and go, but our children will always be by our sides..or better yet, they are choosing our nursing home. =)
My 10 lifesavers
1.) Do a load of laundry every day. Yes, I know..this one stinks, but if you have 6 people to do laundry for... one day, even two days a week is suicide. About two hours into folding and getting it all put away, it becomes boring. When that happens, we tend to take a break with intentions of going back to finish it. But, how many times have you walked away to find your favorite T.V. show on and remeber after 4 hours that it is now time to pick up your kids, make dinner, and get everyone ready for bed...and the laundry is still in the dryer, on the couch, in a basket... wherever.
If you gather everything up at the end of the day, wash it, throw it in the dryer before you go to bed... and put it away first thing in the morning... your more likely to keep up with it. I use the delay wash setting on my washer and dryer. By the time I wake up the clothes are ready to go into the dryer, and when I get home from dropping Kyrie off, they are ready to be put away.. Easy peasy.
2.) Cook a few extra meals on the weekend. If there is something ready to go in the fridge, you are less likely to run for take out. Thus, saving money..and your waiste line. Remeber that left overs can be recycled into new things. Be creative.. left over spaghetti sauce? Why not bake a few bread sticks... toss a salad, and serve your kids Itlian dunkers? Shread left over pork roast, throw it in the crock pot with your favorite BBQ sauce, and make pulled pork sandwhiches. I like to have three "spares" in the freezer or fridge.. that way on the days that I find myself in a pinch, I can take one out, heat it up..and my family still gets a decent meal. I also plan a two week menu, and when I go shopping, I shop for stuff based off this menu.
3.) Do a 30 minute "White tornado" each day. This being 30 minutes a day where you just go and pick things up and put them where they belong. You would be suprised how quickly your living room becomes clean again when you throw the toys back in the toy box, and put everyone's shoes away. Designate an area for shoes, coats, backpacks, and toys. When you find your living room looks like an elf exploded in your living room... call a white tornado, have everyone pick up their stuff, put it away..and voila. =)
4.) Make a calendar. If you have kids in school or sports. A dry erase calendar board works well for this. Let everyone choose their own color marker.. write their specific activity in their color. OR print one, still using a different color ink for each person. Put this calendar somewhere it will be seen daily. I cannot tell you how many times I have to check our calendar during the week. It is my lifesaver.
5.) Make shower baskets. Get one basket per child.. put their towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, hair ties, lotion, chapstick..etc in one basket. Designate it's home (Our kids put their in their closet), and at bath time.. they can grab their clothes, throw them in their basket, and head to the bathroom. When they are done, everything goes back into the basket, the basket goes back to it's home..and your bathroom is clutter free. I love these, because if I am in a time crunch, and it's time for Kyrie to shower... she already knows where everything is. She can get started while I am feeding Caden, or whatever.
6.) Keep an extra bag packed in your vehicle. Pack it with spare clothes for the kids, a spare shirt for you, extra diapers and a small pack of wipes, a small first aide kit, an extra baby blanket, nursing shaw, premade formula bottles (they make newborn nursers, and some that are either 4 or 8 oz.. ready to eat formula, in a plastic bottle), extra paci, mylicon, baby tylenol and advil, grown up advil =), and a fifty (for when you leave home and half way into your run into town your fuel light turns on!). These are all things that are likely to be neglected in a time crunch, and finding yourself without them can really stink sometimes.
7.) Schedule a mom nap...everyday, or at least any day you can. Mom's are master multitaskers. We will work and run until we are totally wiped out. So, make sure you are taking a few minutes to rest yourself. Who says it's against the rules to put the kids down and kick your feet up for an hour? This hour is especially important if you have a newborn or young infant in the house. Throw your recliner back, snuggle with the baby and catch a few while you can. One our will do you wonders in the long run.
8.) Skip the china, and buy the damn paper plates! No, you don't have to have a perfectly set table every night. You can buy paper plates really cheap! I realize that it makes more waste, and yadda yadda yadda...but give me a break! I've been up all night with the baby, got everyone dressed and out the door, cleaned house, did the laundry, cooked and cleaned up 2 meals, plus we still have homework, dinner before and after, bedtime... no one is going to complain when their tummies are full and there are no dishes in the sink to do after.
9.) Before the kids go to bed... have them lay out their clothes, shoes, coats, and backpacks for the next day. This way when your alarm clock doesn't go off and your running 2o minutes behind.. you won't have to spend 10 minutes searching for a lost shoe! Make sure you put your shoes, keys, phone, and purse all in one spot too...gotta lead by example.
10.) Call a one hour time out before bed. Turn off the T.V., take up a media collection and take them to another room, so that they are not interrupiting and talk. Ask the kids about their day, help with homework, say a prayer... talk about things that happened through the day. Many times we don't take enough time to talk to out kids and spouses about their day. Sometimes, just giving someone a few minutes to "unload" can do them a world of good. Especially kids..make sure you ask them about their day. The high points, the low points, and if there is anything that they need to tell you, or talk to you about. Let them know that they have your undivided attention, and take it seriously. If you give them a chance to communicate openly with you, usually.. they will. Make sure you know your kid... they are your business, what they do, see, speak, think.. eveything. So, make time to show them that you are interested in their life.
And there you have it, 10 things that have made my life as a mom to a family of 6 leaps and bounds easier in the last month! =)
Be sure to look for my Christmas post later this week for the recipies and crafts that I have been doing the last week! This is by far my most favorite time of the year, and I am super excited to show you what I have been up to!
Blessings and love as your week continues!
xoxo- Audrie
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