The little people in my life

Today's multitude Monday thought is on my kids. Not just my own kids but the ones the Lord has placed in my life and my kid's lives.

I am thankful for my 10 year old boy. Strong, learning to be courageous, follower of Christ. Curious, studious, easy to teach. Slightly bossy(ha), impulsive, too sensitive at times. Gentle heart, amazing artist, wonderful writer. Tall, handsome, shy, intriguing.

I am thankful for my 8 year old. Tough, sympathetic, caring. Giving, people pleaser, loving. Quick temper, quick to be unkind, holds grudges(and holds them and holds them and holds them). Story teller, sports boy, snuggler, lover of Christ. Tall, handsome, not shy at all, amazing.

I am thankful for the 5 year old..... Amazing, playful, seeker. Fun, imaginative, content. Disobedient, pusher of boundaries, seeker of her own way. Loving, snuggler, learner of Christ. Beautiful, tall, opinionated, fascinating :)

I am thankful for another set of three..... 8- friend to my boy. Playmate, best buddy, confidant. 6- friend to my boys, loyal, ready to play. 2- fun, loving, silly.

I am thankful for a big "kid"..... Tall, handsome, willing to help. Smart, loyal, fun. The "girls" love him!

I am thankful for yet another set of 3.......13- sensitive, trying to make her way holding to Him, funny, so easy to mess with! 8-she may be 9, I apologize! always ready with a hug, easy smile, fun to be around. 4- a mess, silly, sweet.

I am thankful for 2 special friends...... 11- beautiful, fun, genuine, sweet. 6- goofy, playful, kind.

I am thankful for 2 other special friends......14- funny, beautiful inside and out, partner in crime :) 4- best little friend to my little one, sweet, ready to play, not ready for overnighters though :)

I am thankful for 2 more of the girls in our lives......12- compassionate, kind, gentle, sweet, funny, amazing young woman of God. 9- impulsive, daring, caring, sharing, prayerful, silly, joyful, giggly seeker of His truth. For these two I will always have a special treasure in my heart.

I am thankful for another big kid........13- patient, creative, fun, seeker of who Christ wants her to be.

I am thankful for 2 friends hours away......8- tall, beautiful inside and out, growing in grace. 6- love bug!, playful, truth teller and truth seeker.

The list could go on and on but I must go get dinner prepared now. Know that I am eternally thankful for each child that enters our life, either to stretch my kids and myself or to be a comfort for a season or a lifetime to them. I prayed before they were born they would have great friends and as they get older and expand their boundaries He has given them just what they needed each moment.

I know I am thankful for the childhood friends I have, even when we only lived in an area for a moment. Each friendship has value and eternal consequence....I pray each child that comes through my children's lives will be positively impacted for Christ through us as well.

So with that I say goodnight and thank you to all who make up my childhood friend list, those who I still call friend now, and those who are part of my children's friend lists now.

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Thankful for a leaky roof?

Today is Multitude Monday, however, I want to do it a little differently today. The Lord impressed on me this weekend the need to be thankful for the good and the bad. Actually, I said this out loud without much thought until the words started rolling around in my head. So my list will be different, but in a great way, a way that shows how God is glorified in all we do!

i am thankful for a leaky roof......without that leak the roofers wouldn't have decided to go ahead and just redo the whole thing. A week later the hurricane came our way(several years ago), the house was not damaged, I can't even imagine what kind of water damage we would have had with so many week spots in our roof!

i am thankful for a child with dyslexia......through his struggle we both find small victories to celebrate. This struggle makes me more compassionate to others, makes me work harder at being an advocate for those who struggle, makes me rely on my Creator for all.

i am thankful for a daughter who pushes........she makes me seek Christ moment by moment. Through her obstinate ways, I see my own towards what He has asked me to do. Through the struggles and tears I recognize His sovereignty.

i am thankful for boundary testing...........this makes me stand firm and know Who I stand firm with!

i am thankful for a child that follows the rules......you may think this isn't difficult. Try telling this child he must do something in a different manner than another adult told him....you will then agree with me, this is not a normal thankful thing. But, none the less, I am thankful for this. It reminds me that yes rules are good, respect for those in authority over us is needed. It also reminds me to not be afraid to ask questions, seek full understanding(doesn't mean I will get it) and that thinking outside of the box stretches and grows him/me/anyone willing to do it!

i am thankful for a messy house..........though I don't like it, this makes me evaluate what I allow in my life to junk it up! Also it is an opportunity to teach, grow and stretch the whole family. I am reminded of our great blessings as well.

i am thankful for chores.........again, though they aren't fun, they teach order, respect and build our family connection with each other. By having these things we don't always like, it keeps things running much smoother.

i am thankful for friends that have moved........uggggg, really, I must find the thankful part of this?! It isn't really hard though. I am thankful that through these friendships I have been able to see Christ work in ways that would never have happened had everyone stayed here. It has opened my eyes to some unsavory parts of my character that I have not given over to Christ as well.

i am thankful for hard times..........I refer to money for this one. Without this struggle I would not be supremely thankful for each amazing blessing He provides, might not even notice them! Without this blessing I would not be able to stretch my dollars He's given me, I would not have to, so I would never have learned.

i am thankful for hard times..........I refer to both clothing kids and money. Without this struggle I would have never found friends that have passed clothes on to my kids. Through Christ's directing I would have never read about and then started own clothing swap. Without this, we would not be reaching out to each other but to things.

i am thankful for a broken kitchen........this one will be something I work on being thankful for. But I see the blessing in drawers that don't close right, doors that are broken, flooring that is so badly beat up it can't be fixed or mopped or anything to be "nice" looking. This keeps me humble. Humble in a good way, I must see beyond the artificial stuff and look into my own heart. The heart filled with pride, envy and discontent. I must see and seek His face for forgiveness, asking for a softening of my heart to be more like His, this is a hard one for me.

i am thankful for an incomplete house.......again, what am I relying on to bring me contentment? Will I not allow others to view my house or my life because I am concerned for what it shows? Will I not open my house to host those the Lord has told me to host because it isn't my ideal or what I deem good enough? I am thankful.

i am thankful for the hard lessons that have to be learned........they have shaped me and molded me closer to the image of my Savior. They have forged a bond between my husband and myself strong and intimate. They have kept me seeking Him, advice from other Christ-centered friends and waiting for His leading at times. The tears still flow freely, heartbreak still is heartbreak, but the One who holds my heart is still the One who holds my heart too!

i am thankful for more hard lessons......... I have had the privilege and challenge of watching terrible heartbreak in others as well and have seen it create beauty from ashes and glory from the gory(so to speak).

i am thankful for His plan.......I know this seems an easy one. But His plan and my own selfish plan do not line up. His plan is better, wiser and more amazing than anything I can even begin to conjure up in my mind. Though it isn't easy, it is beautiful, though it isn't tear free, it is peaceful, though it isn't for the faint hearted, He is my strength, though it isn't for those who choose the wide road, the narrow is full, abundant and most importantly He is there, walking, talking, comforting, protecting even when I can't or won't see it.

Facebook | Sometimes you just have to laugh and make a stink all at the same time.

"The kids were not helpful this morning. Not really unusual just kids making their way through the moment, learning as they grow too. The unfortunate consequence was the donuts they were looking forward to were not to be enjoyed. Instead the sweet treat was put in the trash. There was sadness, but a resigned attitude as they all realized this was the consequence they chose.
Hours have now passed......the boys are working on school, my girl has been playing so sweetly with her doll house that has just recently come out of the time out area. I call her to pick her up and hug her close. That's when I notice something......"

Her breath. It smells sweet, like sugary candy or fruit snacks. I ask her what she has been eating. She looks at me strangely and says she doesn't want to be in trouble. I ask her again, this time letting her know I can smell it on her breath. She leans back in my arms, turns her head to the side and tries to only breathe away from me. Then she points. I am thinking it is in the playroom, this item of hers. Then, with eyes wide, I realize she means THE TRASH!! Yes, yes my friends my sweet 5 year old has taken a donut out of the box in the trash as a treat to munch on as she plays.
As I stare at her in disbelief she says to me "Mommy I didn't mean to!" Of course she meant to. I was having a hard time keeping a straight face due to the lunacy of this conversation and the fact that I was dealing with this at all. All I could do was send her to her room so I could get myself together again.
I made my way to the back room where the boys, already laughing, were supposed to be working on their school stuff. I made it to the table before I started cracking up at how ridiculous this whole thing was. That is when my wise oldest child says "Sometimes you just have to laugh and make a stink about something all at the same time."

Multitude Monday

A couple of my friends are a part of the Multitude Monday community. While I do not know much about that community I decided after a rough start to our homeschool day I need to list things I am thankful for :) Sooooo here it goes:

Three little people, who really aren't that little anymore
a house to keep us out of the wind
heaters
an amazing man of God that I get to call husband
the warmest comforter ever
a chance to stay under that warmest comforter ever a bit longer today
lessons to teach through difficulties
dental insurance for the kids!
the joy of watching my oldest write a novel
friends
friends
friends
birthdays and all that can be learned from them
the faithfulness of my Creator
the love of my Best Friend
the joy that only comes through Him alone
listening to my youngest plan a "fancy, shmancy party"
the struggle of my middle with reading and what we all learn from it
the privilege of schooling my children from home
my parents to give my spouse and me a night off
food, yummmm
imagination
laptop computers, oh how I love typing from my bed!
Community Bible Study
the study of Daniel