April Evaluation

Due to circumstances this past year, I'm not really changing my goals. Some will go that are not top priority, but I'm keeping the ones that fit with the overarching goal of having a God-centered life and the things I see Him leading me to right now. So thus far this is how it goes:

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes, I'm working more directed prayer into my day
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! 
• Memorize verses with the kids - Not doing real well with this right now, a little hear and there
• Memorize Scripture- Not much

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a week- Yes
• Go on a night away once this year- Need to plan this
• Read 3 books together this year- Started a list of books we want to read together
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday Saturday afternoon- Some, but still need improvement. May move it to a Saturday planning time. Need to evaluate this.

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- still need to work on this
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Still missed a couple
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Have gotten caught up and well on my way to doing this
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- Finally went through some of the stuff and looked at what I need to do with what I already have

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Still working on overhaul, so not so much with this again this month, but getting plans so that we should be able to keep up some next month
• Keep up with my calendar- Much improvement, but still have a ways to get where I want to be with this
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this, but still struggling

Ministry

• Continue sending out Prayer List- Yes

Personal

• Read a book a month for myself- Finished "The Time Machine" and am half way through "Oliver Twist"
• Journal 5 days a week- Yes! God has really been giving me opportunity to do this in the morning
• Write (books) 3 days a week- Worked on some notes for a non-fiction book that is in the works 
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- a little basic editing and began talking to people about publishing
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 - Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Yes!
• Blog 3 days a week- Definitely kept up with this

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- yes! I have been able to go twice a week a couple of times
• Maintain weight until birth- Maintained well this month!
• Lose weight after giving birth- 

I cannot believe April has come and will be gone tomorrow. God has really been working in our home and in me. He is growing us as a family, helping us to become more organized in our home and learning to relate to each other better. He is also opening up opportunities for ministry again as I will have a Childbirth Conversation Class  next month and have relaunched my Childbirth Conversation blog. (If you would like to contribute with stories or have questions you would like to see answered let me know.) God has been so gracious and is blessing far beyond what I deserve. Thank You, Father, for Your great, undeserved blessings. May I continue to see Your goodness.

What was April like for you?

April Blessings

It's hard to believe April is gone. God has really blessed us this month, even when things were crazy or tough. We serve a truly awesome God!

1. Gabriel singing "Sing and Shout"
2. Getting a lot of school done
3. Going to Shelby Park
4. Finishing the school week early
5. Making Amish Friendship Bread with Jame and Lillian
6. Reuben and Gabriel singing and dancing to "Sing and Shout" together
7. Great dentist appointments for all the kids
8. Celebrating Passover and Good Friday in the same day
9. Jim not working on a Saturday
10. Having a relaxing family day
11. Emmie's Family getting to our house safely
12. Jesus is Risen! 
13. Celebrating Easter
14. The kids learning to play dominoes
15. Reuben picking up on games
16. Jim getting to come home early
17. Jim being saved for 12 years
18. Breakfast at Wild Eggs
19. Getting back into school after a holiday break
20. Having a good dentist appointment after 5 years
21. Finding a wonderful dentist office
    
22. Going to water aerobics and meeting 2 more pregnant women to encourage
23. Talking to Britney
24. Kids playing together nicely
25. Sam standing up and clapping
26. Getting some writing done
27. God's amazing grace
28. Going to a legacy marriage class with more seasoned couples at Sojourn
29. Prayer time for the Wilburn family
30. Time to talk with Jim
31. God teaching me more everyday about who He is and who I am
32. Getting out of the house all by myself with all 5 kids in the rain! (This is quite an accomplishment for me.)
    
33. Celebrating Sam's 1st birthday!
34. Having lunch with the Sholtes
35. Date night with Jim
36. Having time with God
37. Getting things rolling for Childbirth Conversation Class
38. Sleeping until 8 am
39. Sam having a good doctor's appointment
40. A Friday night with Jim
41. Playing "Go Fish" as a family and Reuben beginning to catch on
42. Making it through Jim's first day shift Saturday
43. Becca making smoothies for lunch
    
44. Subway
45. Jamey's singing for his siblings
46. Getting through church Jim's first Sunday at work
47. Becca helping me get the kids dropped off
48. Watching Reuben build by himself and figure things out
49. Celebrating Becca's birthday
50. Free Chick-fil-A salads
51. Jim teaching the kids to bowl
52. Good CG discussion
53. Learning to open up to Jim
54. Kids playing together
55. Getting some extra sleep
56. Date night with good conversation
    
57. Seeing Jill at the mall
58. God immediately answering my prayer about Jim's schedule though I asked for it a week later
59. Reuben peeing in the toilet!
60. Getting Childbirth Conversation blog going again
61. Immediate positive response to Childbirth Conversation Class
62. Getting caught up on all of the kids' journals!
63. Getting lists going for things that need to be done
64. Great time at writing group
65. Getting to know Kimberly better
66. Already having 10 women planning to come to the Childbirth Conversation Class with several inviting other women to come
67. Hearing more of Nathan's story
    
68. Date afternoon with Jim
69. Finding needed things at Little Treasures Sale
70. Jim getting called off for the morning
71. Cleaning much of the living area
72. Productive morning
73. Putting Sam in a hanging chair to eat
74. Great conversations at playgroup
75. Seeing Esther
76. Connecting with Leah
77. Going to water aerobics
78. Seeing Alexxus
    
79. CG at our house
80. Hearing Robin's story
81. Getting schedules done for the next 2 weeks
82. God growing me in patience
83. Beautiful weather
84. A single lady interested in Childbirth Conversations
85. Great morning in God's Word

Gooney Bird Greene

I have really mixed feelings about this book. One it's super silly. Two, the way it's laid out is a little annoying and obnoxious. But it is an interesting way to teach kids how to write/tell their own stories. As an author that was what I enjoyed about the book. My kids seemed to enjoy it, which is a plus. All of the interrupting of the stories made it hard to follow and felt very ADD to me. I realize the author was doing it to teach, but I did not like it. I think my kids did, though, so for them it was probably a good way to break it up. I'm not super excited about reading this again in the future, but maybe since I'll be prepared for it, it will help me to use it to teach instead of just reading it.

I will give it 3.5 stars. My kids give it 4 and I would say 2-3.

Hurt and Suffering

Our third sermon in the emotions series dealt with hurt and suffering, and how this one hit home. Sometimes I don't even think I know how much I'm hurting until I hear something like this because it's often subtle hurts, not the big obvious hurts. We looked at Psalm 42 as Pastor Nathan S shared his story of suffering and how God spoke to him in it and shared what God taught him through this Psalm.

Psalm 42:

As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,

So my soul [c]pants for You, O God.

2 

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;

When shall I come and [d]appear before God?

3 

My tears have been my food day and night,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 

These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

5 

Why are you [f]in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

[g]Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him

For the [j]help of His presence.

6 

O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me;

Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan

And the [l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

7 

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;

All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

8 

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;

And His song will be with me in the night,

A prayer to the God of my life.

9 

I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning [m]because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 

As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,

While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 

Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

[o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,

The [p]help of my countenance and my God.

The first thing we see in this Psalm and what our hearts are longing for in the midst of hurt is Longing to Long for God. God is the only One who can heal our hurts. He is the only One who can soothe the pain. The Psalmist knew that and cried out to God for relief. Whether our suffering is physical or emotional or mental, we can scream out to God for help. Sometimes that is all we can do. I know that has been the case for me many times over the course of my life. But if that's all we can do, it is pleasing to God and it is worship, because we are admitting we cannot do this on our own.

The Psalm also deals with Dealing with Hurt and Despair. Pastor Nathan gave us 4 ways from Psalm 42 to do that.

1. Pour out your soul to God- Let God know what is in your heart. Be honest with him about your feelings.
2. Remember the goodness of God- Remember Who He is and what He has done. Sometimes that means looking at what He has done for others because we cannot see what He is doing with us.
3. Declare God's love for you- Preach the Gospel to yourself! Remind yourself of what God's word says.
4. Put your hope in God- One day this suffering will end for God's people when Jesus comes back to make all things new.

Finally we discussed how we Find Lasting Hope in the Midst of Despair. He gave us 3 truths to remember.

1. Jesus has suffered deeply as well (Hebrews 2:9)- Jesus knows all of our pain, grief and sorrow. He has lived it and will help us through whatever we are dealing with. Cry out to the One who has known more suffering than we can every imagine.
2. God is present with us in the midst of our suffering- He never, ever leaves His people alone. Just because He is allowing a hardship in our life does not mean He is absent. Trust that He is walking with you.
3. Our suffering will one day end (Revelation 21:1-7)- This is a reiteration of putting our hope in God, the One who will one day wipe away every tear and heal every scar. One day we will be made completely whole.

Know the promises of God and hold fast to Him. What truth or verse has comforted you in the midst of hurt and suffering?

Mr. Popper's Penguins

This book is an interesting story about a man obsessed with the poles and penguins. While it is a cute story for kids and my kids really enjoyed it, I personally did not prefer it. The primary reason is because it is so very secular in thought and family dynamic it really irritated me. The father is absent minded and portrayed as quite uninvolved with his family. His reading and penguins come before his family and their well being. Even the end showed a complete disregard for his family and following his own desires over his family.

The one thing that redeemed this slightly for me is the whole family touring together, including the kids taking off from school to go and making their stage show a family event. Aside from this story line wise I did not care for it.

I did enjoy the writing style and the story was well told.

I'm giving it 3 stars because the kids enjoyed it, but for myself I'd say 1 1/2 or 2 because of the story line. My kids give it 5!

This book is part of our Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Story Book

This book is full of short stories about Milly-Molly-Mandy. They are cute and fun for kids and my daughter seemed to enjoy listening to the tales. I personally do not care much for the book as I find it difficult to read out loud and some of the sentence structure is awkward because it is an older book. The kids also do things in the book that many kids today cannot do do to the nature of our society. Thankfully, I did not get asked about these things, which is likely why it is read in preschool. I cannot say I would recommend this book, but I would not discourage people from it. It's a "to each his own" type.

I'm giving it 4 stars because my daughter liked it. For myself I'd say 3.

This book is part of our Sonlight Homeschool Curriculum

How to Dig A Hole to the Other Side of the World

This is a really fun, quick read to teach the layers of the earth and the things that are in them. It is very imaginative and related in a way kids can easily understand.

4 stars for this science book!

Fear, Anxiety and Worry

This is the second sermon in the series on Emotion and Devotion at Sojourn, and it was so good! Our Psalm this Sunday was Psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength,

[b]A very present help in [c]trouble.

2 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;

3 

Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [e]Selah.

4 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

The holy dwelling places of the Most High.

5 

God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;

God will help her [f]when morning dawns.

6 

The [g]nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;

He [h]raised His voice, the earth melted.

7 

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

8 

Come, behold the works of the Lord,

[i]Who has wrought desolations in the earth.

9 

He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariots with fire.

10 

“[j]Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the [k]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

The Bible has over 300 verses that tell God's people not to fear. Some referenced from this Sunday are: Genesis 15:1, 21:17, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Isaiah 7:4, 41:14, 44:8, 54:4, Jeremiah 1:8, Daniel 10:2, Matthew 10:28, 14:27, 28:10, John 14:27

Pastor Daniel told us that fear is a gift of reminding us we are fragile beings, and this points us to the need of something beyond us that is firm and stable to hold onto. Our humanness reminds us we need God.

So when we are afraid we can go to:

The God Who Hears and Cares (v 1-3)
He is our constant helper and can handle the worst imaginable circumstances. He is also our protection and safety, the only One who can keep us. Because of this we can run to Him the moment we begin to fear. Name your fears to God! Then recognize you are in for a battle. Fears are real and they are always there to remind us of our human state. Worries will not vanish just because we tell God about them. In fact as we grow we will deal with these fears on deeper levels. But God has already won the victory and remembering what He has done will help us to be victorious in our fears.

The God Who Is With Us and For Us (v 4-9)
God is over everything and the mountains would fall at the very word of God. This means God can handle anything that is thrown at Him. We need to re-imagine our situation in light of God's power. What is it God is doing? How is God going to change this situation? Imagining means learning the basics, the ABCs of redemption. The Holy Spirit animates our minds to see what God can do and magnify Him and not ourselves. Then relinquish you fears to the Lord. He has everything in His hands so we do not have to fear.

The God Who Saves Losers and Failures (v 10-11)
The psalmist says the "God of Jacob". Jacob was a deceiver and manipulator. He did many evil and foolish things and yet, God was His God and God used him as bad as he was. That means God will use us too! So resist the impulse to work it all out in your own strength. We cannot will ourselves into right thinking, nor do we need to perform and work to act like everything is OK. God wants us to go beneath the surface and really get things done with Him in His way. Then rest in the God who welcomes us sinners and sufferers. The God of Jacob is our God too. We can come before God as we are. Do not wait until you get it right or have the right motives, because this will never happen. We cannot get it right without God.

Come to your God as you are and tell Him all of your fears.

Growing in Homemaking

This is something I have really been seeking to do since moving to Louisville. It is very difficult for me, and there has been much failing, but recently God has really given me a desire to seek to manage my home well and giving me resources to help me figure out ways to make this work in my home.

I recently found out about a free mini e-course, "4 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Homemaking" and the first three videos already have me reinvigorated to start fresh next week in being more intentional with how I do certain tasks. I hope the fourth video becomes available today, so that I will be ready to start the week fresh. I currently have my homemaking note book out, ready to plan my week and start making the necessary adjustments.

 If you are stressed out in homemaking, like I am, or just need a boost, this e-course is a great fit for you.  "4 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Homemaking" is only available until Thursday April 23rd, so check it out today!

Self Awareness

During the sermon on Sunday, our Pastor made a comment about self-awareness as we began our sermon series on emotions. I don't remember the exact comment, but it really helped me understand a little about myself and how I view others and deal with them. By God's grace, I am very self aware. This is one of those things that has happened in the last 15 years or so, little by little, but I know myself very well. I am aware of my sin tendencies, how I react to things and beginning to understand why. I am very honest with myself about what I am thinking and how I am feeling, even if I am not honest with others. I do have some blind spots, everyone does. But I know myself very well.

I have never understood how much grace God has given me to be this way. 

Being like this has caused a lot of frustration when dealing with others. Seriously, I did not realize this is God's grace. Maybe because I'm still learning about God's grace and what grace really is, but it just never dawned on me that being self-aware is evidence of God's grace in my life. How blessed I am! But how I must learn to be patient with others who are not as aware of themselves.

Father help me to extend grace to others as You have given me so much grace. Help me to point out the truth in love, the way You have done with me. Impart this amazing grace to others so that they may see themselves as they are, and continue to show me who I am. I know I have so much more to learn about myself, and by Your grace You will continue to make me aware of sin and struggles so that I can fight according to Your Word.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, SAM!!!!!

It's hard to believe that 1 year ago, I gave birth to my 5th child. It was a shock to have another boy, but oh, how thankful I am for this sweet boy. God has used our precious Samuel to teach us and grow us more than we ever thought possible. He is a constant reminder that God always knows what He is doing, even when we do not understand what that may be. Sam reminds us that God always hears His people (Samuel means God hears) and that God is our strength (Hezekiah mean God will strengthen).


Even with 4 other children, I am always amazed at how much children learn and grow in their first year. We were really blessed that Sam was born sleeping through the night and continues to be a good sleeper. He is standing on his own and perhaps thinking about walking a little bit. Like his siblings he is a lightening fast crawler and can get across our living room in about 2.5 seconds! He loves to clap while we sing and is starting to dance a little. 7 teeth are in his mouth and he loves to eat with them as well as show them off with huge smiles. Sam will eat just about anything, which is a huge blessing. Now, if he could feed himself with a spoon. He has recently learned to climb into our brown chair and likes to sit and watch what is going on from this perch. I am thankful that he is starting to communicate with signs and a few words. He is very expressive and has no problem letting you know he wants something. This is a blessing, but can be a bit inconvenient at school time when he just wants to play. :)


Sam loves to play with all of his siblings! The trick is getting them to understand that he isn't taking just because he joins in their play. He is getting a mischievous side and is beginning to get into more things. Though he has help with this at times, he usually does it all on his own and then has 6 parents as all of his siblings tell him what to do too. (The joys of being a 5th child.) Thus far, he would rather be with the family than be alone, so I think we have another extrovert in the making.

Sam is so much fun and already wants to wrestle. He is already giving big sloppy wet kisses and really big hugs. I'm so thankful for this sweet side in him and pray that it will continue throughout his life. He loves going to church and is becoming attentive when we pray, occasionally holding hands with the family when we pray. He loves his one on one time, especially since it is not super frequent right now. One of his favorite times in bedtime prayers since he gets Daddy and Mama all by himself for just a few minutes.

Sam is also a thumb sucker, much to my chagrin, but not too much I can do about it right now. Praying that he will grow out of that. :) He also is not real big on having his picture made. When he's smiling in a picture it's because something other than the camera had his attention. Preparing to be an Eastern European maybe?

Like those before him, Sam is following in the steps of becoming a big brother sometime between 14 and 15 months. You can tell he is thrilled about being "hires as my favorite big brother." I am sure, by God's grace, he too will come into his role and love being a big brother!

I don't think I can even begin to explain what a blessing our little Sam is. He is such a joy to be around and is every bit a Manor. God has already used Sam so much to teach us in his first year of life! Father, thank you for blessing our family with Sam. You know we do not deserve this precious boy, but You saw it fit to give him to our family to teach and guide, love and nurture. Give us Your grace to raise Sam according to Your word and in Your ways. Save Sam by Your grace, and let him be a witness of Your great Name! Thank You again for Sam and that You always hear Your people and work Your plans for Your glory and our good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!

The Wheel On The School by Meindert DeJong

Janus in His Wheelchair

Lina on a Boat with one of the Fathers

I had so much fun reading this to my kids as one of their Read-Alouds this year for school. This book is in competition with "Understood Betsy" as my favorite book of this school year.

Eelka Rolling a Wheel

The Storm over Shora

It is a very well written story about 5 children in a fishing town in Netherlands who begin asking questions, wanting to know about storks and why they never come to Shora. As the kids continue to wonder about these things, this town that is small and does the same thing day in and day out begins to come alive. Connections are made, relationships built and daring deeds are done in order to do what it takes to bring storks back to Shora. I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud at the antics and sayings of many of the people, especially Janus, who made the book, in my opinion.

The only downside for me was a few parts that seemed really drawn out, but this is not enough to recommend it. It is a lot of fun to read and imagine as you hear what these children did. It also makes you wonder what might happen if you started wondering about something. I look forward to reading this in the future with my younger kids when they get to this year of school!

Two Storks on a Wheel

Two Storks in Front of the Furnace

4.5 stars for this exciting read!

Thanks to my kids for their illustrations of parts of the story.